Apparatus for separating and dealing individual boards from an

Abstract

An apparatus for gathering an uninterrupted mat of boards from an inbound conveyor and for periodically separating and dealing individual ones of the boards to an outbound conveyor is disclosed. A roller accumulator having a first series of transversely spaced apart rows of closely spaced, inline rollers is provided between the inbound and outbound conveyors. A fixed gate having a plurality of transversely spaced apart, trapezoidally shaped plates is mounted next to the downstream end of the accumulator. Upstream facing vertical edges of the plates form a stop against which boards delivered to the accumulator are gathered. Inclined upper edges of the plates contain a second series of rows of closely spaced, in-line rollers extending from an upper end of the stop diagonally downwardly to an inlet end of the outbound conveyor. A pair of transversely spaced apart power operated, drive belt loops containing outwardly projecting, flexible brushes are disposed over the accumulator and fixed gate and are operative to drive boards along both series of rollers. A movable singulation gate operates periodically to tilt a leading edge of a most downstream one of the boards on the accumulator upwardly over the stop such that the brushes and the urging of the remaining boards on the accumulator cause the tilted board to be lifted onto the second roller series and, thereafter, to be delivered by the brushes to the outbound conveyor.