GB1059661A - Method and apparatus for determining the condition of flow of a succession of objects - Google Patents

Abstract

1,059,661. Conveyers. M.E.L. EQUIPMENT CO. Ltd. Oct. 11, 1965 [Feb. 18, 1965], No. 7068/65. Heading B8A. Articles, e.g. cans on a conveyer belt, are monitored by the combined outputs of inductive heads 3 (Fig. 1, not shown), disposed transversely to the direction of conveyer travel, and a light 4 and associated photo-cell unit 5, disposed diagonally to this direction. The output from the heads 3 in the form (c) (Fig. 2, not shown), each pulse of which corresponds to a can passing the heads, is fed to a counter 15. The latter has four outputs to respective AND-type sample gates 24-27 corresponding to " normal rate," " slow," "pile-up," and " no cans present " conditions, respectively. The appropriate one of these four outputs is released from the counter 15 at the end of a counting period of one second as determined by a timing unit 14. The latter then commences a sampling period of 0À4 second during which a signal is transmitted from the timing unit 14 to each of the sampling gates 24-27. The timing unit then commences a further full cycle of 1À4 second and so on. Gates 19 and 20 each have a third input from the photo-cell memory unit 22 (via an inverter 23 in the case of the gate 20). Outputs from the gates 17-20 may be used to control conveyer apparatus or may give a signal to an operator.