Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
ARTICLE FEEDER AND SPACER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a feeder for orienting items from a disorderly block
supply
and, more particularly, it relates to a feeder having a rotary table and an
apparatus
for breaking up superposition of items on the rotary table and mechanisms for
unjamming the block discharge. It also relates to a feeder for orienting
blocks from a
disorderly block supply and, more particularly, it relates to a feeder for
orienting and
aligning blocks in combination with a block spacer.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Rotary disk feeders are commonly used for orienting and aligning items from a
disorderly bulk supply, mainly in the food industry (See for instance US
patent
No. 3,224,554; No. 5,044,487; and No. 5,065,852). Typically they include a
disk
turning about its axis and are designed to receive the product to be aligned
in bulk.
The rotary disk is surrounded by a peripheral wall which has a discharge
aperture
substantially tangential to the peripheral wall. The items oriented and
aligned are
discharged through the discharge aperture in a single file.
These rotary tables perform well for uniformly sized and mostly short and
uniform
length items. However, the performance of these rotary tables with blocks
having
different lengths and/or with relative long items are often inadequate.
Several
problems typically occur such as blocks wedging at the discharge because the
items
are pilled on top of each other or are not tangent to the peripheral wall.
These problems often occur in the wood industries where wood blocks need to be
aligned and oriented for feeding wood working machines such as finger jointers
or
scanning equipment, for instance.
Some methods have been tried to prevent the obstruction such as wipers or
deflectors to wipe off any portion of the items that exceeds the thickness of
the items
-1-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
being processed. However, these methods are inefficient for long items and
items
having a length dispersion, i.e. having non-uniform or random lengths.
Moreover, for some applications, it is desirable to have a predetermined
spacing
between two consecutive aligned and oriented blocks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a feeder for aligning and
orienting while
reducing the obstruction of the discharge aperture of the feeder.
It is another object of the invention to provide a feeder having at least one
automated
method for dislodging obstructing blocks from the discharge aperture of the
feeder.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a feeder in combination
with a block
spacer adapted to feed items with a spacing between two consecutive blocks
andlor
at a predetermined rate.
One object of the invention provides a feeder for orienting and aligning
disorderly
incoming articles. The feeder comprises: a table having a peripheral wall, a
rotary
surface surrounded by the peripheral wall, and a discharge substantially
tangential to
the peripheral wall, the discharge being sized to receive one article at a
time from the
rotary surface in a predetermined orientation; and at least one pile
eliminating
member extending above the rotary surface and defining a gap therewith, the
gap
being sized to solely permit passage of non-superposed articles laying in the
predetermined orientation on the rotary surface.
Another object of the invention provides a method for orienting and aligning
disorderly incoming articles. The method comprises: feeding a rotary surface
with the
articles; driving the rotary surface to carry the articles to a discharge
aperture defined
in a peripheral wall surrounding the rotary surface, the discharge aperture
being
configured to only permit passage of one properly oriented article at a time;
eliminating article piles or superposition on the rotary surface proximate to
the
peripheral wall; and individually withdrawing properly oriented articles from
the rotary
surface through the discharge aperture.
-2-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
Another object of the invention provides a feeder for aligning and orienting
disorderly
incoming items. The feeder comprises: a table having a peripheral wall, a
rotary
surface surrounded by the peripheral wall, and a discharge substantially
tangential to
the peripheral wall, the discharge being sized to receive one item at a time
and in a
predetermined orientation; and at least one a dislodging arm disposed
proximate to
the discharge, the dislodging arm being movable between a retracted position
and
an extended position, the dislodging arm, when deployed to the extended
position
thereof, dislodging obstructing items from the discharge and pushing the items
towards the center of the rotary surface, away from the discharge, thereby
permitting
oriented items to be received in the discharge to be withdrawn from the table.
Another object of the invention provides a method for orienting and aligning
disorderly incoming items, comprising: feeding a rotary surface having a first
rotation
direction with the items; driving the rotary surface in rotation; aligning the
items
substantially tangential to a wall disposed at the periphery of the rotary
surface;
withdrawing the items aligned in a predetermined orientation from the rotary
surface
through a discharge aperture in the peripheral wall; detecting a presence of
an item
in the discharge aperture; calculating a duration of the presence of the item
at a
predetermined location; comparing the duration to a threshold duration wherein
the
threshold duration is a maximum time of the presence of the item at the
predetermined location and after which the item is considered as obstructing
the
discharge aperture; and extending an extendable arm through the discharge
aperture, if the calculated duration is longer than the threshold duration,
the
extendable arm in the extended position abutting the item obstructing the
discharge
aperture and pushing the item towards the center of the rotary surface, away
from
the discharge aperture.
Another object of the invention provides a feeder for orienting and aligning
disorderly
incoming articles in combination with an article spacer for spacing the
aligned and
oriented articles. The feeder comprises: a table having a peripheral wall, a
rotary
surface surrounded by the peripheral wall, and a discharge substantially
tangential to
the peripheral wall, the discharge being sized to receive one article at a
time from the
rotary surface in a predetermined orientation; and a first carrier disposed
proximate
to the discharge, the first carrier withdrawing, from the rotary surface, the
articles
-3-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
introduced into the discharge, the first carrier cooperating with the article
spacer to
provide a distance between two consecutive articles withdrawn from the feeder.
Another object of the invention provides an apparatus for aligning and spacing
items.
The apparatus comprises: a rotatable table having a peripheral wall and a
discharge
opening in the peripheral wall, the discharge opening allowing the items in a
predetermined orientation to be successively withdrawn from the rotatable
table in a
single file line, the rotatable table being fed with disorderly items; a first
carrier
disposed proximate to the discharge opening, the first carrier recovering the
oriented
items exiting through the discharge opening; and an item spacer mounted
proximate
to the first carrier, the item spacer providing a predetermined spacing
between two
consecutive oriented items.
A further object of the invention provides a method for aligning and spacing
items.
The method comprises: feeding a rotary surface with the items; driving the
rotary
surface in rotation; aligning the items substantially tangential to a wall
disposed at
the periphery of the rotary surface; withdrawing the items aligned in a
predetermined
orientation from the rotary surface through a discharge aperture in the
peripheral
wall; carrying the items withdrawn from the discharge aperture on a first
carrier; and
providing a spacing between two consecutive items withdrawn from the discharge
aperture and carried by the first carrier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent
from
the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended
drawings,
in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a feeder followed by a block spacer in
accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a frame for supporting a rotary surface in
accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view, fragmented and enlarged, of a discharge aperture
of the
feeder shown in FIG.1;
-4-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
Fig. 4 is a perspective view, fragmented and enlarged, of a longitudinal brush
conveyor extending over the rotary surface in accordance with an embodiment of
the
invention;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view, fragmented and enlarged, of a dislodging arm of
the
feeder shown in FIG. 1, in the retracted position;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view, fragmented and enlarged, of the dislodging arm
shown
in FIG. 6, in the extended position;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the block spacer shown in FIG. 1;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the block spacer in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention, with feed rolls;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the feed rolls of the block spacer shown in
FIG. 8;
Fig. 10 is a side elevation view of the feed rolls of the block spacer shown
in FIG. 8;
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the block spacer in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a barrier member of the block spacer shown in
FIG.
11; and
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the barrier member of the block spacer shown
in FIG.
11 with the barrier member abutting one block.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are
identified by
like reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to FIG. 1, there is
shown a disk
singulator, a feeder or a feeding apparatus for aligning and orienting blocks
22.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the feeder is provided
in the
form of a turn table or rotary table 20. The rotary table 20 includes a frame
26 with
supporting wheels 28 disposed at the periphery of the frame 26 and on which a
-5-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
rotary surtace 24 is rotatably disposed. Referring now to F1G. 2, it will be
seen that
the frame 26 includes an actuator 29, such as a gear motor, operatively
connected to
the rotary surface 24 for rotating the latter. One skilled in the art will
appreciate that
various types of actuators could be used to drive the rotary surface 24. For
instance,
it is contemplated to use an hydraulic motor. The rotary surface 24 is fed
with the
blocks 22, as will be described in more details below.
Referring back to FIG. 1, there is shown that the rotary surface 24 is
surrounded by a
peripheral wall 30, which is fixedly mounted to the frame 26. By rotating, the
rotary
surface 24, the blocks 22 are transferred towards the peripheral wall 30 by
centrifugal force. The peripheral wall 30 guides the blocks 22 towards a
discharge
aperture 32, or block discharge. The shape and size of the discharge aperture
32
permits only correctly oriented blocks 22 to pass one at a time therethrough,
or one
block in a predetermined orientation.
A disorderly block feeder 44, such as a conveyor 45 or any other means known
by
those skilled in the art, feeds the rotary table 20 with the blocks 22. The
disorderly
block feeder 44 extends above the rotary surface 24. The blocks 22 are fed
randomly on the rotary table 20.
The rotary surface 24 is preferably substantially flat but it can also include
a conical
central member 46 for facilitating the transfer of the blocks 22 towards the
peripheral
wall 30, especially when the rotary surface diameter is relatively important
(typically
above eight (8) feet).
The rotary surface 24 can preferably be rotated in both directions, as will be
described in more details below. However, for aligning and orienting the
blocks 22,
the rotary surface 24 is rotated in the direction of the discharge aperture
32,
represented by arrow 48.
Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the discharge aperture 32 is
substantially
tangential to the peripheral wall 30 for withdrawing only the blocks 22
oriented
substantially tangential to the peripheral wall 30. A discharge track 34 is
juxaposed
to the discharge aperture 32 for supporting the blocks 22 withdrawn from the
rotary
surface 24. Inner and outer guide members 36, 38 are mounted on each side of
the
-6-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
discharge track 34 for guiding the blocks 22. The outer guide member 38 is
contiguous and tangential to the peripheral wall 30 on a first side of the
discharge
aperture 32. The inner guide member 36 is juxtaposed to the peripheral wall 30
on
the opposite side of the discharge aperture 32. The discharge track 34 is
followed by
a first conveyor 42 (FIG. 1 ), as will be described in more details below.
For clarity, the blocks 22 will be characterized by a length, a width, and a
thickness.
The width of the blocks 22 corresponds substantially to the width (or size) of
the
discharge aperture 32. When the blocks 22 are withdrawn from the rotary table
20 in
the predetermined orientation, the width of the blocks 22 is substantially
parallel to
the rotary surface 24, i.e. one face of the block 22 lays on the rotary
surface 24. The
thickness of the blocks 22 corresponds to the vertically extending dimension
when
the blocks are withdrawn from the rotary table 20. The length of the blocks 22
is the
remaining dimension and corresponds to the dimension parallel to the first
conveyor
42 when the blocks 22 are disposed thereon. For blocks 22, the length is the
longest
dimension. The thickness is typically the shortest dimension.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, it will be seen that the rotary table 20 also
includes
two overhead longitudinal brush conveyors 50 for eliminating block piles (FIG.
4) and
reducing the probabilities of obstruction of the discharge aperture 32. The
brush
conveyors 50 extend from the peripheral wall 30 above the rotary surface 24.
The
brush conveyors 50 include an endless belt covered with bristles sufficiently
stiff for
moving the blocks 22. The brush conveyors 50 preferably rotate in a direction
for
bringing the blocks 22 towards the center of the rotary table 20, represented
by
arrow 51 (Fig. 3). One skilled in the art will appreciate that the rotary
table 20 can
include one or more longitudinal brush conveyors 50. The brush conveyors 50
are
disposed over the rotary surface 24 at a distance, or a gap, allowing only non-
superposed blocks 22 to circulate between the brush conveyor 50 and the rotary
surface 24 in the orientation wherein the width of the block 22 is
substantially parallel
to the rotary surface 24, i.e. the face of the block 22 is in contact with the
rotary
surface 24. The distance between the brush conveyor 50 and the rotary surface
24 is
preferably adjustable in accordance with the thickness of the blocks 22 being
aligned
and oriented. The gap between the brush conveyor 50 and the rotary surface 24
can
-7-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
also be adjusted to flip the blocks 22 that do not have their face in contact
with the
rotary surface 24.
As shown in Fig. 3, the brush conveyors 50 can be mounted to the frame 26 with
L-
shape supports 52 or any other appropriate supports.
Referring to FfGS. 1 and 3, it will be seen that the rotary table 20 can also
include a
rotary brush 53 that moves the blocks 22, which are not adequately aligned
with the
discharge aperture 32 and in the predetermined orientation or not enough
proximate
to the peripheral wall 30 away from the peripheral wall 30 to reduce the
probabilities
of obstruction of the discharge aperture 32. The rotary brush 53 preferably
rotates in
the direction of arrow 54 for propulsing away from the peripheral wall 30 the
misaligned blocks 22.
The rotation axis of the rotary brush 53 shown in FIG. 3 is substantially
horizontal
and parallel to the rotary surface 24. One skilled in the art will appreciate
that the
rotation axis of the rotary brush 53 can also be in a substantially vertical
orientation
or any other orientation.
The rotary brush 53 is mounted over the rotary surface 24, at a distance
shorter than
the thickness of the blocks 22, proximate to the discharge aperture 32,
upstream
therefrom. The rotary brush 53 is preferably mounted over the rotary surface
24 at a
distance from the peripheral wall 30 allowing the blocks 22 in the
predetermined
orientation to pass between the rotary brush 53 and the peripheral wall 30.
The
misaligned blocks 22 are moved away or displaced by the rotary brush 53 which
pushes them away from the discharge aperture 32 towards the center of the
rotary
surface 24.
The brush conveyors 50 are operatively connected to an actuator 55, such as an
electric motor, with a chain and sprocket assembly 56. The rotary brush 53
mounted
proximate to the discharge aperture 32 can be operatively connected to the
brush
conveyors 50 mounted proximate thereto with a second chain and sprocket
assembly 57. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other means can be
used to
transfer the motion between the actuator 55 and the brush conveyor 50 or
between
_g_
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
the brush conveyor 50 and the rotary brush 53 such as, without being
limitative, a
belt and pulley assembly.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that the brush conveyors 50 can be
replaced by
any block pile eliminating member extending above the rotary surface at a
distance
allowing one block having one face laying on or in contact with the rotary
surface to
circulate therebetween.
If one block 22 gets jammed into the discharge aperture 32, several mechanisms
can be used for dislodging the obstructing block 22c. Referring to FIGS. 5 and
6, it
will be seen that the rotary table 20 can include a dislodging arm 60, or
extendable
arm, mounted proximate to the block discharge aperture 32, the dislodging arm
60
being movable between a retracted position (FIG. 5) and an extended position
(FIG.
6) for dislodging the obstructing block 22c from the discharge aperture 32 by
applying a force to the obstructing block 22c in the extended position. The
actuator
61 for moving the dislodging arm 60 between the extended and retracted
positions is
preferably a linear actuator such as a pneumatic cylinder or any other linear
actuator
those known to those skilled in the art. The dislodging arm 60 can include an
impacting element 63 such as a rod attached to the actuator 61.
In the retracted position, the dislodging arm 60 is preferably completely
withdrawn
from the rotary surface 24 and/or the discharge track 34 (FIG. 5) while in the
extended position, at least a section of the dislodging arm 60 extends above
the
rotary surface 24 and abuts the obstructing block 22c for removing the
obstructing
block 22c from the discharge aperture 32 and moving it towards the center of
the
rotary surFace 24 for being aligned (FIG. 6). As shown on FIGS. 5 and 6, the
dislodging arm 60 is preferably mounted to the peripheral wall 30 proximate to
the
outer guide member 38.
The rotary table 20 can also include at least one sensor 62 (not shown)
conceived
for detecting a presence of one block 22 proximate to or in the discharge
aperture 32
and a controller 66 (not shown) for calculating a duration of the presence of
the block
22 in the discharge aperture 32. The duration of the presence of the block 22
in the
discharge aperture 32 is compared by the controller 66 to a threshold
duration. The
threshold duration can be a maximum time of the presence of the block 22 in
the
_g_
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
discharge aperture 32 if the block 22 is not obstructing the discharge
aperture 32. If
the calculated duration is longer than the threshold duration, the dislodging
arm 60 is
actuated for moving from the retracted position to the extended position for
abutting
the block 22c obstructing the discharge aperture 32. The sensor can be
positioned to
detect blocks in the discharge aperture 32, on the carrier 42 extending after
the
discharge aperture 32, before the discharge aperture 32, or at any other
appropriate
location known to one skilled in the art that allows the detection of the
obstruction of
the discharge aperture 32. Once the obstructing block 22c is removed from the
discharge aperture 32, the dislodging arm 60 is retracted into the retracted
position
(FIG. S).
A second mechanism for dislodging the obstructing block 22 includes rotating
the
rotary surface 24 in the opposite rotation direction. As mentioned above, for
aligning
and widthdrawing the blocks 22 from the rotary surface 24, the rotary surface
24 is
rotated in the direction of the discharge aperture 32, represented by arrow
48, a first
rotation direction. The actuator 29 for rotating the rotary surface 24 is
preferably
conceived for rotating the rotary surface 24 in both directions, the first
rotation
direction, represented by arrow 48, and a second rotation direction, opposite
to the
first rotation direction. Therefore, if the block 22 obstructs the discharge
aperture 32,
the rotation direction of the rotary surface 24 can be reversed for one of a
predetermined time period and a predetermined rotation distance sufficient for
dislodging the obstructing block 22. Thereafter, if the block 22 has been
dislodged
from the discharge aperture 32, the rotation direction of the rotary surface
24 is
reversed and the rotary surface 24 is rotated in the first rotation direction,
represented by arrow 48.
The rotation speed of the rotary surface 24 in the second rotation direction
can be
slower or similar.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that both dislodging mechanisms
described
above can be combined for dislodging blocks 22 obstructing the discharge
aperture
32.
The discharge aperture 32 is juxtaposed to the discharge track 34, which is
followed
by the first conveyor 42 which imparts to the blocks 22 traveling thereon a
first
-10-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
traveling speed. Once past the discharge aperture 32, the aligned and oriented
blocks 22 are queued waiting to be fed to other machineries. If the oriented
and
aligned blocks 22 need to be fed at a controlled rate and/or timing, several
mechanisms, or block spacers, can be used for providing the spacing or time
interval
between two consecutive blocks 22.
Referring to FIG. 7, it will be seen one block spacer 68 for providing the
spacing or
time interval between two consecutive blocks 22a, 22b. The first conveyor 42
is
followed by a second conveyor 70 which imparts to the blocks 22 traveling
thereon a
second traveling speed. The blocks 22 carried by the first conveyor 42 are
transferred to the second conveyor 70. The second traveling speed imparted by
the
second conveyor 70 is faster than the first traveling speed imparted by the
first
conveyor 42, thereby providing the spacing or the time interval between the
two
consecutive blocks 22a, 22b. A bridging member 71 can be provided between the
two conveyors 42, 70 for providing a smooth transfer of the blocks 22 from the
first
conveyor 42 to the second conveyor 70.
If a predetermined spacing or time interval is required between the two
consecutive
blocks 22a, 22b, the block spacer 68 can include a controller (not shown) for
controlling the first and second traveling speeds.
An overhead member 80 can be mounted over the conveying surface of the first
conveyor 42. The overhead member 80 applies a small pressure on the top
surface
of the blocks 22 for preventing the blocks 22 to flip upwardly if the number
of blocks
22 withdrawn from the rotary table 20 is too important relative to the
capacity of the
block spacer 68 and the blocks 22 apply a pressure on one another. In the
embodiment of FIG. 7, the overhead member 80 includes a plurality of idle
rollers or
wheels 82 press against the top surface of the blocks 22 carried by the first
conveyor
42. The wheels 82 could also be driven. The wheels 82 apply a smaN pressure on
the blocks 22 for transferring the traveling speed of the first conveyor 42 to
the
blocks 22b.
Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown another block spacer 168 for providing a
spacing
or time interval between two consecutive blocks 22a, 22b. The features are
numbered with reference numerals which correspond to the reference numerals of
-11 -
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
the previous embodiment in the 100 series. The block spacer 168 includes two
feed
rolls 178 having a constant rotation speed. The feed rolls 178 convey the
blocks 22a,
22b withdrawn to a second conveyor (not shown) or directly to a processing
apparatus (not shown) that needs to be fed with blocks 22 at intervals. The
feed rolls
178 convey the blocks 22 at a faster speed that the conveying or traveling
speed
imparted by the first conveyor 42.
The block spacer 168 can also include a controller (not shown) for controlling
the
rotation speed of the feed rolls 178 and the conveying speed of the second
conveyor, if any, for providing one of a predetermined distance and a
predetermined
time lapse between the two consecutive blocks 22a, 22b.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, it will be seen that the blocks 22 (FIG. 8) are
conveyed
between both feed rolls 178. The spacing between the feed rolls 178 is
preferably
adjusted in accordance with the thickness of the blocks 22 carried. One
skilled in the
art will appreciate that the block spacer 168 can include only one feed roll
178 or one
driven feed roll 178a and one idler feed roll 178b. Preferably, the lower feed
roll 178a
is the driven roll and the upper feed roll 178b is the idler roll but one
skilled in the art
will appreciate that both rolls 178a, 178b can be driven rolls. The upper feed
roll
178b can have an adjustable height in a manner such that a low pressure is
applied
to the blocks 22 carried between the feed rolls 178.
Referring back to FIG. 8, it will be seen that, as for the block spacer 68,
the block
spacer 168 can include a bridging member 71 between the first conveyor 42 and
the
feed rolls 178 for providing a smooth transfer of the blocks 22 from the first
conveyor
42 to the the feed rolls 178. A top guard 180 is mounted over the first
conveyor 42.
The top guard 180 is mounted above the blocks 22 conveyed by the first
conveyor
42 and does not apply pressure on the blocks 22 carried by the conveyor 42 in
normal operation. The top guard 180 is only abutted by the blocks 22 when they
begin to flip upwardly. The top guard 180 acts as a security system.
The block spacer 168 shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 can be operated differently while
still
providing a spacing or time interval between two consecutive blocks 22a, 22b.
The
feed rolls 178 can be adapted to be in one of a rotating state and a
stationary state.
The feed roils 178 are in the rotating state for conveying the blocks 22 to
one of a
-12-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
second conveyor (not shown) or a processing apparatus (not shown) such as a
finger jointer. The feed rolls 178 are in the stationary state for distancing
the two
consecutive blocks 22a, 22b. The relative duration of the state of the feed
rolls 178
determines the spacing between the two consecutive blocks 22a, 22b. A servo-
motor
or any other appropriate actuator known to one skilled in the art can be used
to drive
the feed rolls 178.
If a predetermined spacing or time interval is required between the two
consecutive
blocks 22a, 22b, the block spacer 168 can include a controller (not shown) for
controlling the state of the feed rolls 178.
Referring to FIGS. 11 to 13, it will be seen another block spacer 268 for
providing a
spacing or time interval between two consecutive blocks 22a, 22b. The features
are
numbered with reference numerals which correspond to the reference numerals of
the previous embodiments in the 200 series. The first conveyor 42 is followed
by a
second conveyor 270. The block spacer 268 also includes a barrier member 284
disposed between the first and the second conveyors 42, 270. The barrier
member
284 is movable between a closed position preventing the passage of the blocks
22
from the first conveyor 42 to the second conveyor 270 and an open position
allowing
the passage of the blocks 22 from the first conveyor 42 to the second conveyor
270.
The barrier member 284 of the block spacer 268 has substantially a U-shape
with a
central member 286 and two legs 288 extending from a respective end of the
central
member 286. The free ends 290 of both legs 288 are pivotally mounted two
support
members 291, disposed on a respective side of the second conveyor 270, however
one skilled in the art will appreciate that they can be mounted on a
respective side of
the first conveyor 42. Two extendable arms 292, such as linear actuators, are
secured on a respective leg 288, proximate to the junction with the central
member
286. The extendable arms 292 move between an extended position wherein the
barrier member 284 is in the open position and a retracted position wherein
the
barrier member 284 is in the closed position. One skilled in the art will
appreciate
that any mechanism allowing the barrier member 284 to move between the open
and
the closed positions can be used such as pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic
cylinders,
electric solenoids, cam, crankshaft, and the like. Only one extendable arm 292
can
-13-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
be used. Moreover, the structure of the barrier member 284 and its mechanism
can
differ from the one shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 and described above.
Two abutting wheels 294 are rotatably mounted to the central member 286 of the
barrier member 284. As shown on FIG. 13, the abutting wheels 294 of the
barrier
member 284 abut the block 22b being transferred from the first conveyor 42 to
the
second conveyor 270. The abutting wheels 294 apply a small pressure on the
block
22b for transferring the speed of the second conveyor 270, which is faster
than the
speed of the first conveyor 42, to the block 22b. The small pressure applied
by the
wheels 294 to the blocks 22b closes the barrier member 284 closes when the
whole
block 22b is transferred to the second conveyor 270, thereby preventing the
following block 22 to be transferred to the second conveyor 270.
As for the previous block spacers 68, 168, the block spacer 168 can include a
bridging member 271 between the first conveyor 42 and the second conveyor 270
for providing a smooth transfer of the blocks 22 from the i:lrst conveyor 42
to the the
second conveyor 270. An top guard 280, similar to the top guard 180, is
mounted
over the first conveyor 42.
The block spacer 268 can also include a controller (not shown) for controlling
the
movement of the barrier member 284 between the open and the closed positions
and/or the speed of the second conveyor 270 for providing one of a
predetermined
distance and a predetermined time lapse between the two consecutive blocks
22a,
22b.
The combination of the rotary table 20 and the block spacers 68, 168, 268
permits to
orient and align elongaged blocks 22 from a disorderly supply and to feed the
oriented and aligned blocks 22 at controlled intervals to another processing
apparatus such as a wood working machine such as finger jointers, a scanning
equipment and the like.
The blocks 22 can be wood blocks, plastic blocks or any other blocks that need
to be
oriented and aligned. The wood blocks can need to be aligned and oriented for
feeding wood working machines such as finger jointers or scanning equipment,
for
instance. The blocks 22 can be elongated blocks having preferably a length
longer
-14-
CA 02506000 2005-04-29
than the thickness and the width. One skilled in the art will appreciate that
short
items can also be aligned and oriented with the above described apparatus.
The rotary table 20 and the block spacers 68, 168, 268 combined with the means
for
disloging obtrusting blocks 22 from the discharge aperture 32 are adapted for
blocks
having a random length distribution.
The feeder or the rotary table 20 described above allows to orient and aligned
items
having a length distribution. The probabilities of block wedging at the
dischage
aperture 32 are reduced because the block piles are destroyed upstream the
discharge aperture 32 and the misaligned blocks are removed from the discharge
aperture 32.
The blocks obtruct the discharge aperture 32, automated mechanisms are
available
for dislodging an obstruing block 22 from the discharge aperture 32. Moreover,
it is
possible to automatically space consecutive blocks 22a, 22b withdrawn from the
rotary table 20.
In the wood industries, the aligned and oriented blocks 22 can be transferred
or fed
to wood working machines or scanning equipment, for instance.
The feeder allows to achieve high feed rates with a minimum or no human
intervention.
The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary
only. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the discharge aperture 32
can be
directly followed by the first conveyor 42 instead of being followed by the
discharge
track 34. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the first and second
conveyors 42,
70, 270 can be replaced by any appropriate block carrier. The scope of the
invention
is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended
claims.
-15-
