Automatic celery sizer and sorter
US3977524A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 1974 |
| Grant date | Aug 31, 1976 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 20, 1994 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S209/912
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus for sizing and sorting celery stalks, plants, produce, and similar articles into groups of like sizes automatically, rapidly, and without damage to such articles. Articles to be sized are carried by an endless conveyor to a measuring or sizing station, where a succession of sizing arms contact each successive article. Each successive sizing arm moves upward in proportion to the average diameter of the particular article it encounters, thereby providing a measurement of size group to which that article belongs. If sorting is to be accomplished, each such measurement may be temporarily stored in a mechanical memory on a rotating disk and read out by a control device after a selected time delay. After the measurement operation the conveyor carries the articles to collecting stations, with there being separate collecting stations provided for each of several desired size groups. The rotating disk and read out operations are synchronized to cause the read out signal to control kick off means to remove the measured article belonging to a particular size group from the conveyor at the exact time such measured article arrives at the appropriate collecting station. Auxiliary memor…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.