Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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sAcKGRouND OF INVENTION:
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(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and
a method of grading and sorting articles and more particu-
larly, but not exclusively, for grading and sorting
articles of livestock and providing an electronic infor-
mation code indicative of specific characteristics of the
livestock.
(b) Description of Prior Art
It is necessary to process livestock before
they reach the marketplace whereby to determine if such
livestock meets the regulation of food and drug agencies
as to the quality of the meat. Furthermore, it is neces-
sary to weigh the livestock and determine the fat content
thereof before the owner can be paid for his product.
Often, there is considerable delay in making the payment
to the owner as the processing of large quantities of
livestock is time-consuming, particularly when some live-
stock is rejected and complex calculations have to be
made to take into account rejections and fat rate of all
of the articles of a particular owner. Often, the payment
made to the owner is not very precise. Still further,
the information gathered is not properly used in compiling
statistics to supply requested information to the Govern-
ment. The owners of livestock also require information,
such as the best type of feed to use for minimum fat
content, this being determined by the processing of live-
stocks coming from different owners employing different
feeds. Another disadvantage in the processing of such
livestock is that it is a very time-consuming task to
code the livestock, obtain the various statistics on an
individual article of livestock, and document such informa-
tion.
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SUMMARY OF I~VENTION:
It is a feature of the present invention to
substantially overcome all of the above-mentioned
disadvantages.
A further feature of the present invention is
to provide an identification system wherein an informa-
tion code is automatically stored indicative of specific
characteristics of the livestock and wherein the signal
is used to separate livestock to be further processed
from a main stream of livestock along a conveyor line.
A further feature of the present invention is
to provide an identification system for grading and sort-
ing articles of livestock and wherein the speed of
operation of the system is variable and controlled in
relation to the time lapse to complete the storage of
the information code of the articles being conveyed
passed a coding station.
A further feature of the present invention is
to provide a method of grading and sorting articles and
providing an electronic identification code for each
article conveyed sequentially passed a coding station
with a first one of the articles being visually indicated
as it moves along a conveyor line until such first
article has been assigned an identification code.
According to the above features, from a broad
aspect, the present invention provides an identification
system for grading and sorting articles comprising a con-
veyor line for sequentially conveying a plurality of
articles. A coding station is provided for identifying
a first one of the plurality of articles with an
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electronically stored information code indicative of
specific characteristics of the first article. Sequen-
tially operable indicator means visually identifies the
location of the first article moving along a predetermined
S portion of the conveyor line at the coding station
where the information code is to be stored until the
information code is completed and a termination signal
signal to that effect is generated whereby a following
article is visually indicated by the indicator means as
being a first article in the predetermined portion of
the conveyor means and identified with its information
code. The indicator means is a plurality of light sources
positioned along the predetermined portion of the conveyor
line and the light sources are illuminated momentarily in
sequence and in alignment with the first one of the
articles moving along the conveyor line. The light
qources are illuminated for a time duration dependent on
the diqplacement time of the first article along the
predetermined portion of the conveyor line.
According to a further broad aspect of the
present invention, there is provided a method for grading
and sorting articles and providing an electronic identi-
fication code for each article. The method comprises
the steps of sequentially conveying along a conveyor
line a plurality of the articles past a coding station.
A plurality of light sources at the coding station is
is simultaneously caused to light mo entarily in sequence
and in alignment with a first one of the articles and for
a time duration equal to the displacement speed of the
first article therepast. The displacement speed of the
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articles past the coding station is controlled in
relation to the time lapse to complete the storage of -
the information code. A sequential identification number
is generated as it is conveyed along the coding station,
and coded signals are stored in the information signal
indicative of specific characteristics of each first
article of the articles past the coding station.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:
A preferred embodiment of the present invention
will now be described with reference to the example
thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings in
which:
FIGURE 1 is a schematic view showing the system
and method of the present invention, and
FIGURE 2 is a schematic illustration showing
the coding ~tation.
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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
Referring now to the drawings, and more
particularly to Figure 1, there is shown generally at 10,
the identification system of the present invention for
grading and sorting articles 11 which are conveyed along
a conveyor line 12 with the articles passing in front of
a coding station 13. The particular system herein illus-
trated was conceived for grading and sorting articles of
livestock but it is fully within the scope of the present
invention to use the method and system for processing
other articles which are capable of being conveyed in
front of a coding station by any conveying means.
In the processing of articles of livestock, it
is firstly necessary to inspect the articles before they
are graded and this is done at an inspection station 14.
Here, an inspector will examine the livestock for any
trace of illness and if illness is found or suspected,
a tag is placed on the article of livestock requiring
further examination at a processing station 15 down-
stream of the conveyor 12. If minor trimming is required,
it may be co~pleted between the coding station 13 and
the processing station 15 and the article of livestock
will then be segregated at its entry to the processing
station as will be described later. Also, as shown in
Figure 2, each article of livestock is provided with an
identification number 16 printed thereon to identify the
article with its owner. .,
The articles 11 are sequentially fed to the
coding station 13 whereby a first one of a plurality of
articles 11 may be identified with an electronically
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stored information code indicative of specific charac-
teristics of that article. This first article is
identified amongst all other articles by a sequentially
operable indicator means 17, herein constituted by a
first and second group of light sources 17' and 17"
each associated respectively with an identification
number and weighing station 18 and a grading station 19,
both stations 18 and 19 constituting the coding station 13.
Referring now additionally to Figure 2, it can
be seen that as the articles 11 arrive at an input end
20 of a predetermined portion of the conveyor line which
passes the coding station 13, the hooks 21 which hold
the articles of livestock 11 will activate switch means
herein constituted by a half length pusher switch 22 and
a pusher detect switch 23. The hooks 21 are secured to
the conveyor line at a distance between each other equi-
valent to the distance between two adjacent lights 24
which are equidistantly spaced from one another along
the first and second group of lights 17' and 17".
As a first one of the articles 11 arrive at the
identification and weighing station 18, the first light
will be lit by circuit means (not shown) activated by
the pusher detect switch 23 sensing the article imme-
diately thereafter. As the first of the articles is
moved along the identification weighing station 18, the
second light 24' will be lit by the third article (not
shown) following the second article which has now engaged
the half length pusher switch 22. As the first article
continues to move along the station 18, the fourth
article will then light the following light 24 and so
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on along the first group of lights 17'. Thus, as the
first article which entered the station 18 moves along
the group of lights 17', its position is indicated by
one of the lights 24. The synchronization of the lights
at either station 18 and 19 is dependent on the activation
of the pusher detect switches 22 and 23. Both switches
advance the lights by one as the article moving on the
conveyor triggers the switches. However, the pusher
detect switch 23 also increments the sequence number by
one to identify the next article. At that time a check
is made to determine if the article passing in proximity
of location 30 should go to processing section 15. If
the article is to enter the processing station 15, a
light and audible alarm will go on at the location 30
indicating to an operator at station 34 that he should
activate switch 31. After activation of switch 31, the
article 11 will be rerouted to the processing section 15
and detected by switch 33. As the article moves along
station 18, an operator has activated a keyboard entry
module 25 by the insertion of an identification key (not
shown) thereinto. This key identifies the operator and
places the module 25 in operation. The module is provided
with display means 26, as is well known in the art, for
displaying an identification information code. This code
comprises a sequence number which was sequentially acti-
vated by the detect pusher switch 23 and modified by a
termination signal generated at the module 25 by the
operator. The code further comprises information relating
to the weight of the article. This weight is ascertained
by means of the weigh scale 27 located at the input end
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of the conveyor line. This weight is visually displayed
to the operator who then keys in the information into
the information code display, prior to generating the
termination signal. Once the termination signal is
generated, the light source associated with the subse-
quent article 11 is then lit. This article is shown in
Figure 2 as being 11' with light 24" being lit.
It can be appreciated that the operator must
complete the entry of the information code before the
last light on the first group of lights 17' is lit. If
the operator fails to complete the information signal
before the last light is lit, that information signal
associated with that article will later cause the
article to move into the processing station 15. It is
foreseen that the modules 25 and 28 may also be provided
with means to stop the conveyor line whereby the operator
can then read the information in his module relating to
the sequential number and weight of the subsequent article
and enter that information into the next information code
and generate a termination signal whereby to continue his
function. However, in this application, modules 25 and
28 are not used to stop the conveyor line. However, all
stations 25, 28, 39 and 40, can be so equipped. With
this particular indicator means, it is possible to control
the speed of the conveyor line 12 in relation to the time
lapse to complete the storage of the information code
by the operators at stations 18 and 19. The faster the
information is stored in the module, the faster the
conveyor line may be run. Thus, the system will provide
an increase in production as the operators become more
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efficient and are controlled by the groups of lights 17'
and 17". The conveyor is motor driven as is well known
in the art and the speed of the conveyor is controlled by
the speed of the motor. A motor speed control device
(not shown) but obvious to a man skilled in the art can
synchronize the motor speed to the time lapse to complete
the storage of the information code.
As the articles 11 continue to move past the
second group of lights at the grading station 19, the
amount of fat in the article is measured and a code
representative of that amount is then keyed into the
information code by means of the keyboard entry module
28 at the grading station. The operation at this station
is the same as previously described with reference to
the station 18.
Those articles which pass the coding station
13 and which were provided with a ticket or other form
of identification means at the inspection station 14 to
indicate that they required further processing are also
assigned an information code. However, their information
code will later be reprocessed as such articles may be of
reduced weight for the reason that parts thereof may
have been severed at the processing station. When
articles are reprocessed along conveyor lines 37 and 38,
their code may be modified by modules 25 and 28 to
eliminate the need of reprocessing the articles at coding
station 13.
Referring now again to Figure 1, the processing
station 15 comprises indicator means, herein constituted
by visual and audible devices at location 30, which are
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activated at the moment a preselected article 11 reaches
a position along the conveyor line 12 in close proximity
t:hereof. This location 30 is synchronized with the
sequence of the pusher detect switch 23 and circuit
means (not shown but obvious to a man skilled in the art)
to identify that that specific article at the precise
position requires to be routed into the processing
station 15. An entry switch 31 will then permit that
preselected article to be conveyed on an entrance conveyor
line 32. The article is then conveyed past an entry
detect switch 33 which reroutes the electronic identifica--
tion code of that preselected article on a first-in-first-
out basis. An operator at station 34 will determine if
the article needs further processing or not. The operator
at station 34 controls the routing of articles. If the
article ha~ an identification code (tag) supplied by
either the operator at station 14 or 19, the operator at
34 will activate switch 31. The operator at the code
identification station 34 activates selected ones of two
switches, and namely a rerouting switch 35 or a trimming
switch 36. The data line or information signal of each
article of livestock entering either the trimming
conveyor line section 37 or rerouting conveyor line
section 38 is then fed to one of a keyboard entry module
39 or 40 depending on a signal given by the activation
of switch 36 or 41~ Of course, it may not be necessary
to process the articles entering the processing station
15 immediately as the information code can be stored.
The modules 39 and 40 may be operated part time depending
on the rate of entry of articles into the processing
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station 15 as the conveyor line sections 37 and 38
could be constructed sufficiently long to accumulate
articles to be trimmed or reprocessed as to their weight
and fat content. Information relating to the complete
description of said articles can be processed at a
number of modules of the type as 25 and 28 and be
reprocessed at a number of modules of the same type as
modules 39 and 40. The reprocessing section can be
independent of the conveyor line.
Briefly summarizing the operation of the
system, the articles of livestock are inspected at ~ -
station 14 and particular ones are tagged for trimming.
As the first one of a plurality of these articles enters
the coding station, and more specifically, the identifi-
cation and weight station 18 thereof, a light 24 of a
plurality of lights is lit to identify the location of
that first article as it moves along station 18. During
its movement time, the article is weighed, it is assigned
a sequential number and this information is stored in an
information coded signal. The information code is
comprised of the sequence number, the weight, the grade,
the trimming weight, and the illness of the article in
question. Also, the complete information code includes
the time of execution, the person performing the operation,
and the date. Presently, the information keyed in at
m~dule 25 is the identification code. The specific dead
weight of the article is automatically entered into the
module 25 through an interconnection (not shown) with
scale 27.
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Articles to be rerouted into the processing
station 15 are identified by the indicators at location
30 and their information signal is read to determine
whether they should be trimmed or reprocessed.
It is within the ambit of the present invention
to cover any obvious modifications of the example
described herein, provided such modifications fall
within the scope of the appended claims.
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