GB1602911A - Distributing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS (71) We, TAMKIN ELECTRICAL CON- TROL AND SERVICES LIMITED, a British Company, of Tamkin House, Navigation Road, Chelmsford, Essex, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to distributing apparatus, and in particular to apparatus for distributing articles fed one at a time along a path, the articles being distributed on the basis of a pre-determined parameter thereof.

The invention finds particularthough not exclusiveapplication to the food industry, for example in distributing articles of foodstuffs like fruit or vegetables dependent upon a physical parameter of each article of foodstuff--for instance the weight or colour thereof.

There have been various designs of article distributing apparatus, intended to distribute articles supplied thereto into two or more groups dependent for instance on the weight of each article. Many designs of such apparatus for handling fruit operate on the physical size of each fruit, rather than on the weight thereof, for it is found that the physical size is in general easier to determine, and any given type of fruit tends to have a relatively uniform density. One typical design of apparatus has a pair of bars lying in a common plane at an angle to the horizontal, the separation of the bars increasing from one end thereof to the other: a fruit rolling along the bars from the higher end eventually will fall therebetween when the separation is at least as great as the instantaneous cross-sectional dimension of the fruit.By dividing the space beneath the bars into two or more compartments or channels leading therefrom, the fruit can effectively be sorted and distributed, on the basis of its size.

The above design of apparatus of course depends for its successful operation on the fruit being of generally uniform cross-section shape and though it may operate well with fruits like tomatoes, irregular fruit like pears or kiwis cannot reliably be sorted. In has thus proved necessary when sorting irregular fruit to operate on the basis of the true weight, rather than on the average size, and various designs of apparatus for this purpose have been produced.

One design of weighing sorter has weigh head over which the fruit is guided to pass.

The machine operates on a stop/start basis, the apparatus stopping momentarily each time a fruit arrives on the weigh head and the weight is recorded. The fruit is then fed from the weigh head either directly to an appropriate channel of a plurality thereof leading from the weigh head, or to some other distribution apparatus such as a carousel, each fruit being conveyed therearound and released at an appropriate point to fall into a compartment or channel associated with the weight of each particular fruit.

Distributing apparatus such as those mentioned above tend to be mechanically complex and the sorting obtained is not always entirely satisfactory. Moreover, such apparatus operates relatively slowly. It is a principal aim of this invention to provide distributing apparatus suitable for use with a weighing machine or other apparatus for determining a physical parameter of the articles to be distributed, the distributing apparatus serving to distribute the articles into groups on the basis of the determined physical parameter.

Accordingly, this invention provides article distributing apparatus, comprising conveying means for carrying along a path the articles to be sorted S & Co. according to the value of a predetermined parameter of the articles, the conveying means including a succession of article supporting members each member having associated therewith a guide pin, a guide element having a primary guide face on to which each guide pin is successively directed as the conveying means is operated, a series of secondary guide slots opening into the primary guide face S & BR< Co., along the length of the primary guide face for selectively receiving guide pins, a series of blocking elements associated one with each of the series of secondary guide slots respectively and each blocking element being movable between a first position in which the opening into the associated secondary guide slot from the primary guide face is blocked and a second position in which the opening is unobstructed, there being control means selectively to operate the blocking elements in a timed relation to the operation of the conveying means so that the guide pin of a particular supporting member carrying an article having a particular predetermined value of said parameter is directed into a guide slot assigned to that value of said parameter, and a series of discharge points, all located further along the path than the series of guide slot openings, one discharge point associated with each guide slot respectively, whereat a supporting member the guide pin of which is guided in a particular guide slot is actuated to release a carried article.

The conveying means of the distributing apparatus of this invention preferably is in the form of a chain conveyor having a plurality of links hinged together end-to-end to form an endless loop which passes around pulleys at the ends of the path. The path should extend substantially horizontally, and further appropriate supports and guides may be provided as required along the length of the path, as well as drive means for the conveyor. For such a chain conveyor, the succession of article supporting members should be connected to the links, each member being arranged for hinging movement about a substantially horizontal axis, whereby a carried article may be discharged by the member hinging through an appropriate angle, for instance under gravity.Each article supporting member conveniently comprises an open-topped receptable and a particularly preferred form of receptable is a cup moulded from a rigid plastics material.

Each article supporting member has associated therewith a guide pin, the guide pin serving to control the discharge of a carried article from the article supporting member for instance by controlling the hinging movement thereof. Conveniently the guide pins are rigidly mounted on the article supporting members, the axis of each pin being substantially parallel to the axis of hinging movement of the supporting member, so that the pin may control hinging of the supporting member by engaging with the primary guide face and the secondary guide slots of the guide element. Thus, in the normal disposition of the apparatus, the guide pins extend horizontally.

Once the parameter-such as the weight --of a supported article has been determined, the supporting member carrying that article is moved by the conveying means so that the guide pin thereof is directed on to the primary guide face of the guide element. As the guide pin, moving along the primary guide face, approaches the opening of the secondary guide slot leading to the discharge point appropriate for the weight of the article being carried, the blocking element associated with that secondary guide slot is moved to its second position in which the opening to that guide slot is unobstructed, whereby the guide pin may move from the primary guide face through the opening into that secondary guide slot.The openings to the preceding guide slots in the succession thereof must be blocked by the respective blocking elements as that guide pin approaches each preceding secondary guide slot, whereby the guide pin is maintained on the primary guide face until the guide pin reaches the appropriate open ihg.

The preferred arrangement is for the guide element to be arranged with the secondary guide slots opening horizontally and disposed vertically one above another, the guide pins being engaged with the appropriate guide slots horizontally through the open sides thereof, and the primary guide face being disposed above the secondary guide slots and lying generally in a horizontal plane. The primary guide face may itself be a further slot in the guide element, but conveniently comprises the upper face of the element. For the above arrangement, each secondary guide slot opens into the primary guide face from below, and when a blocking element has been moved to its second position, a guide pin may move from the primary guide face under gravity through the opening into the required secondary guide slot. However, the blocking element itself when in the second position may serve to obstruct the primary guide face so as forcibly to feed the guide pin into the required secondary guide slot, as the conveyor advances along the path.

For the above-described preferred arrangement of guide element, each blocking element is preferably shaped so that, when in its first position, the upper face of the blocking element blends smoothly with the primary guide face. Such a blocking element can be moved vertically upwardly to its second position, in which the opening is unobstructed thereby. Conveniently, each blocking element is movable by means of an electro-magnetic solenoid, the operation of which is effected by the control means. To ensure satisfactory operation of the blocking elements, it is preferred for each element to be spring-loaded to its first position and for the element to be moved to its second position against the bias provided by the spring loading.

Each secondary guide slot leads to a discharge point associated therewith, whereat an article supporting member the guide pin of which has been moving along the secondary guide slot discharges a carried article. Preferably, the guide pin is released at the discharge point from the associated guide slot, whereby the supporting member may at the discharge point hinge about its horizontal axis under gravity and so release a carried article. For such operation, the article supporting member should be hinged at or towards one end thereof, and the guide pin should be connected to the cup at a point spaced horizontally from the hinge axis.In practice, it has been found that such an arrangement gives reliable operation, but it would be possible suitably to shape each guide slot at its associated discharge point positively to move the guide pin to an attitude in which the article supporting member discharges a carried article.

The control means should receive a signal from the apparatus determining the particular parameterfor instance, the weight-of each article carried in turn along the path by the supporting members, and then decide which secondary guide slot the guide pin of each supporting member in turn is to be directed, by appropriate actuation of the blocking elements. The control means must be synchronised to the operation of the conveying means, whereby the blocking element of a particular secondary guide slot is moved to its second position only immediately before the guide pin of that supporting member reaches that blocking element. Conveniently, this can be achieved by the control means having a plurality of shift registers, one associated with each secondary guide slot and then clocking the shift registers in step with the movement of the conveying means.A bit can be put in the appropriate shift register when the value of the parameter of an article has been determined, that shift register being associated with the guide slot leading to the appropriate discharge point for that article. When the bit has been advanced fully through the shift register, the output therefrom may be used to cause the blocking element of said guide slot to be moved to its second position. The number of stages in each shift register should be related to the spacing of the opening to the associated guide slot from the beginning of the primary guide face, whereby account can be taken of the linear separation along the guide element of the openings into the secondary guide slots.

When the apparatus of this invention is arranged to distribute articles on the basis of the weights thereof, it is convenient to provide a weigh-head beneath the path along which the articles are carried, each article supporting member passing over the weighhead prior to the guide pin of that member being directed on to the primary guide face.

Conveniently the guide pin itself of each article supporting member in turn is moved to bear on the weigh-head, and transfer the weight of the supported article to the weighhead during this movement. The weigh-head may then be actuated to take a reading proportional to the weight of that article, compensated to allow for the weight of the article supporting member itself, together with its guide pin and any other associated parts. A convenient form of weigh-head comprises a linear transducer-such as a form of slide potentiometer-which may provide an analogue voltage output dependent upon the weight applied to the transducer. The transducer should be springbiassed to a datum position and the output voltage will thus depend on the displacement from that datum position. A convenient form of such a transducer is that known as a LVDT.The analogue voltage should be supplied to control means whereat a particular secondary guide slot is selected dependent upon the determined weight. Another possible form of weigh head may produce a digital output, which can be compared with preset thresholds in the control means.

It is preferred for the article distributing apparatus to comprise a plurality of distinct apparati of this invention such as are described above, arranged in parallel. Thus, a plurality of conveying means, comprising parallel chain conveyors carrying several rows of article supporting members, may be arranged to pass around guide pulleys at the ends of paths defined by the conveying means, there being a guide element associated with each row of the chain conveyor.

Conveniently, the guide elements are arranged between each row of article supporting members and have guide slots on both sides thereof; every other guide pin of a row thereof may engage in slots to one side of the row, the other guide pins of that row engaging in the slots to the other side of the row. Such an arrangement may operate at relatively high speeds, the parallel lanes allowing a high through-put of articles to be distributed.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of article distributing apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic isometric view of part of a distributing apparatus arranged in accordance with this invention, various parts of the apparatus being omitted for the sake of clarity; Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the guide element employed in the distributing apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the apparatus of Figure 1, showing a pair of guide elements and the operating mechanism for the blocking elements thereof; Figures 4A and 4B are detailed views of the chain of the conveying means; Figure 5 is a side view of a part of the cabin conveyor and guide element;; Figure 6 is an end view of three lanes of the distributing apparatus of Figure 1; Figures 7A and 7B are respectively side and plan views of a guide element employed in the apparatus of Figure 1; and Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of the control arrangement employed with the apparatus of Figure 1.

Referring initially to Figure 1, there is shown part of a distributing apparatus constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention, and intended for distributing fruit on the basis of the weight thereof. The apparatus has six lanes which are generally similar and each of which can distribute carried articles to any one of eight discharge points: that is to say, on the basis of weight, fruit can be sorted into eight groups.

The apparatus comprises a frame 10 which supports and guides an endless conveyor 11 having an upper run lying in a horizontal plane, the conveyor 11 passing around pulleys (not shown) disposed with their axes horizontal at the ends of the path. The conveyor 11 is in the form of a plurality of link-chains arranged side-by-side, there being article supporting cups 12 hinged to the chains so as to define six lanes 13. Only some of the cups 12 are shown in Figure 1, the others being omitted for clarity. The cups of each lane 13 are aligned with those of the other lanes, as can be seen in Figure 1.

Power drive means is provided to drive the conveyor 11 in the direction of arrow A (Figures 1 and 5). The drive means also includes means to generate timing pulses, indicative of the rate of movement of the cups 12, to the control arrangement (Figure 8) described below.

Each cup 12 of the conveyor 11 is moulded from a substantially rigid plastics material and is so dimensioned as to be suitable for containing the fruit to be sorted. The conveyor 11 is provided with a succession of transversely-extending cross-rods 14, passing through the centres of every other link (Figures 4A and 4B), on which cross-rods the cups 12 are hinged at their leading edges 15.

Approximately mid-way between the ends of each cup, there is provided a leg 16, projecting downwardly below the bottom of the cup, the leg being mounted in the side margin of the cup. At the lower end of the leg 16, there is a lateral guide pin 17, extending parallel to the cross-rods 14 away from the side edge of the cup. In each lane 13, alternate cups 12 have their legs 16 projecting from alternate sides, with alternate guide pins 17 extending in opposite directions, as can be appreciated from Figure 6.

Extending longitudinally within the frame 10 are seven parallel guide elements 18, which will be described in greater detail below. The guide elements 18 serve to receive the guide pins 17 of the cups 12, and then to control the hinging movement of the cups 12, whereby articles may be discharged at a required discharge point, two of which points 19 are shown in Figure 1. Each guide element has a first portion 20, in which the guide pins 17 are directed to appropriate guide slots in the element 18, and an extension portion 21, in which the guide slots lead to the discharge points 19. At the appropriate discharge point. a selected up is allowed to hinge under gravity about cross-rod 14, by releasing the guide pin 17 from the guide slot to which it has been directed.At the discharge point, the cup hinges as shown at 22, and discharges a carried article on to a belt conveyor extending transversely below the upper run of the chain conveyor 11. Two such conveyors 23 are shown, there being six further such conveyors along the length of the apparatus. At the delivery points 24 of the belt conveyors 23, articles may be amassed in suitable containers, or supplied to further processing equipment, as required.

Also provided within the frame 10, but before the guide elements 18, considering the direction of movement A of conveyor 11, are twelve parallel weigh bridges 25, two associated with each lane 13 of the conveyor 11 and taking readings on alternate cups. Each weigh bridge 25 is appropriately connected to a respective weigh head (not shown) which determines the weight of a cup and its contents as the cup passes thereover. Each weigh bridge has an elongate upper surface 26 on which the guide pin of a cup is directed, so that the weighing may be effected during the time that a guide pin travels over that surface; in this way, the movement of the conveyor 11 may be continuous and there is no need for the apparatus to be operated in a stop/start mode. The weigh heads form no part of this invention and will not be described here; appropriate forms of weigh head providing an analogue voltage output dependent upon the weight detected are known in the art and an appropriate design is a so-called LVDT.

Referring now to Figures 2, 3, 7A and 7B, there is shown in detail the first portion 20 of one of the intermediate guide elements 18 employed in the apparatus of Figure 1. This first portion 20 comprises a base 27 from which upstands a stem 28, the stem having integral flanges 29 extending laterally to each side. The top-most flanges are contiguous so as to define a primary guide face 30 of the first portion 20 of the guide element 18, and on each side of the stem 28 the gaps between the flanges define guide slots 31. Along the length of the primary guide face 30, each guide slot 31 in turn opens thereinto, by means of ramped slot portion 33.Eight such ramped slot portions 33 are provided, each leading in turn to a guide slot 31; thus, at end 34 of the first portion 20 (Figure 1) there is but one guide slot 31, and the number of guide slots 31 increases towards the other end 35 of the first portion 20, whereat eight vertically-stacked guide slots 31 are provided on each side of the element 18. The extension portion 21 of the guide element is connected end-wise to the first portion, and thus initially has eight guide slots (Figure 5) leading in turn to the discharge points 19. At a discharge point, the lowermost guide slot in the extension portion 21 opens downwardly to allow pivoting under gravity of a cup 12, by releasing the guide pin 17 from that guide slot. The number of guide slots in the extension portion 21 thus is reduced by one at each discharge point 19.

Each opening 36 through the primary guide face 30 of the first portion 20 is provided with two blocking elements 37, one to each side of the first portion 20 respectively for closing the opening 36 to the ramped slot portion 33 leading on that side of the guide element 18 from that opening.

Each blocking element 37 comprises a wedge-shaped member mounted on a semicircular rod 38 extending through a circular bore in the stem 28. In each bore, there are two rods 38 side-by-side, so as to allow independent operation of the two associated blocking elements 37 at any particular opening 36.

When in a lowered, first position, the top face 39 of the wedge-shaped member obstructs the opening and lies generally in the plane of the primary guide face 30. When however a rod 38 is raised, the opening 36 no longer is obstructed, and a guide pin. sliding along the primary guide face 30, may then move through the opening in to the ramped slot portion and thence into a guide slot 31.

In this way, by raising selected blocking elements at the appropriate times, the guide pins 17 of the cups 12 can be directed to a selected guide slot 31, leading to an appropriate discharge point 19 for the weight qf a carried article.

An electro-magnetic operating mechanism is arranged to actuate the control rods 38.

This mechanism comprises a solenoid 40 located at each point where openings are provided in the primary guide faces of the two guide elements associated with a single lane and arranged to operate the blocking elements of both guide elements simultaneously. The solenoid core is connected to two levers 41 both extending laterally of the guide elements 18, one for. each guide element. The other end of each lever 41 is coupled to the lower end of the rod 38, so that movement of the core into the solenoid 40 raises both associated blocking elements 37 simultaneously. Energisation of the solenoids, at the appropriate times, is effected by the control arrangement (Figure 8). A spring (not shown) can be provided to return the blocking element back to its first position.

As mentioned above, Figure 3 shows two intermediate guide elements 18. Five such intermediate guide elements are provided, between each lane 13 of the conveyor 11, and two side guide elements (not shown) are provided one outside each outer lane respectively. Each side guide element is essentially the same as the intermediate guide elements, except that flanges 29 are arranged on one side only of the stem 28, and the blocking elements are mounted on circular rods slidable in the bores in the stem.

Figure 6 is a cross-section through three extension portions 21 of the guide elements 18, for three lanes 13 of the conveyor 11.

Each extension portion 21 has a tubular box member 42 serving as a base therefore and mounted on the frame 10, a stem 43 upstanding from the member 42. In a similar manner to that described above in connection with the first portions 20, flanges 44 extend laterally from each side of the stem (for intermediate guide elements) to define guide slots which register with the guide slots 31 of the first portion 20. Every other stem 43 has a bearing surface 45 projecting upwardly therefrom to support and guide the links of the chain conveyor 11.

The cups 12 move along the extension portions 21 with their guide pins 17 in one of the guide slots thereof. Figure 5 shows two cups 12 of two lanes 13, with their guide pins respectively in the lowermost and uppermost guide slots of the vertical stack of eight slots.

In Figure 6, three cups 12 are shown all with their guide pins in intermediate guide slots.

As mentioned above, at each discharge point 19, the lowermost guide slot of the extension portions 21 opens downwardly so that a guide pin in that slot is released, thereby allowing the cup 12 to hinge about cross-rod 14 and release a carried article on to the conveyor 23.

Figure 8 shows the control arrangement for use with one lane of the above described apparatus, to ensure that the guide pin of each cup carrying an article is directed to the appropriate guide slot 31 in the first portion 20 of the guide element 18. The two parallel weigh heads of that lane supply in turn to the control arrangement an analogue voltage indicative of the weight of a carried article as a cup passes over the bridges, with its guide pin engaged with one bridge. The voltage from each weigh-head is supplied to series 46 of voltage comparators A, there being one series respectively for each weigh bridge. The threshold of each comparator is set so that the next comparator in the series has a higher threshold than the preceding one.The inverting and non-inverting outputs of the comparators are supplied to a logic network of AND and OR gates 47 as shown, to provide a signal bit to only one of eight shift registers 48, the register being selected in dependence upon the analogue voltage received from the weigh head.

Each shift register is associated with a particular pair of guide slots 31 of one lane 13 (respectively to the two sides of the lane) and serves to control the operation of solenoid 40 actuating the blocking elements 37 for the two associated guide slots. The shift registers are clocked by a pulse provided from the drive means for the conveyor 11, supplied on lines 49. Each time a bit arrives at the output of a shift register, the appropriate solenoid 40 is energised via a reed relay 50, to raise the blocking element 37 to direct the guide pin 17 of a cup 12 into the ramped slot portion 33.To reflect the linear spacing of the openings 36 along the primary guide face 30, the number of stages in the series of shift registers is increased by one for each successive register from two for the register associated with the opening 36 nearest end 34 of the guide element 18, to nine for the register associated with the opening furthest from that end 34.-The clock pulses are arranged to step the registers immediately before a guide pin 17 reaches an opening 36 along the primary guide face 30 so that the blocking element may be raised in time to allow the pin 17 to pass through the opening.

Thus, for the above described control arrangement, the openings 36 must be equispaced along the primary guide face 30, and the weigh bridges spaced by twice the opening spacing from the opening nearest end 34 of the primary guide face.

In the above manner, the progress of a bit through a shift register keeps step with the progress of a cup along the primary guide face of the guide element. Thus, on weighing a cup, the corresponding voltage output is compared with pre-set thresholds and the appropriate discharge point selected. The network of AND and OR gates provides a bit to the shift register associated with the guide slot leading to that discharge point, and as the cup advances along the primary guide face, the bit is stepped through the register.

Immediately before the cup reaches the opening to the selected slot, the bit appears at the output from the register, and the appropriate solenoid is energised, allowing the guide- pin of that cup to enter the selected slot. Subsequently, the guide pin is released from that guide slot at the required discharge point allowing the cup 12 to hinge and discharge the carried article.

The above control arrangement is duplicated for each lane 13-of the conveyor 11.

The through-put of the apparatus, considered as a whole, can be increased without limit, simply by adding more lanes 13 to the conveyor 11, together with the associated control equipment. Because alternate cups are controlled by guide pins received in alternate guide elements 18 to the two sides of the lane, the maximum operating speed is higher than would be possible with a single guide element, there being greater latitude in the times for actuating the blocking elements.

The apparatus can of course be rnodified to sort and distribute articles into more than eight groups. The guide elements and control arrangements can simply be made to any particular requirement are provided with as many guide slots as are needed, provided the angles of the cups do not become too acute when in the extreme slots to prevent secure retention of a carried article.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Article distributing apparatus, comprising conveying means for carrying along a path the articles to be sorted, according to the value of a predetermined parameter of the articles, the conveying means including a succession of article supporting members each member having associated therewith a guide pin, a guide element having a primary guide face on to which each guide pin is successively directed as the conveying means is operated, a series of secondary guide slots opening into the primary guide face along the length of the primary guide face for selectively receiving guide pins, a series of blocking elements associated one with each of the series of secondary guide slots respectively and each blocking element being movable between a first position in which the opening into the associated secondary guide slot from the primary guide face is blocked and a second position in which the opening is unobstructed, there being control means selectively to operate the blocking elements in a timed relation to the operation of the conveying means so that the guide pin of a particular supporting member carrying an article having a particular predetermined value of said parameter is directed into a guide slot assigned to that value of said parameter, and a series of discharge points all located further along the path than the series of guide slot openings one discharge point associated with each guide slot respectively, whereat a supporting member the guide pin of which is guided in a particular guide slot is actuated to release a carried article.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (21)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. a cup passes over the bridges, with its guide pin engaged with one bridge. The voltage from each weigh-head is supplied to series 46 of voltage comparators A, there being one series respectively for each weigh bridge. The threshold of each comparator is set so that the next comparator in the series has a higher threshold than the preceding one. The inverting and non-inverting outputs of the comparators are supplied to a logic network of AND and OR gates 47 as shown, to provide a signal bit to only one of eight shift registers 48, the register being selected in dependence upon the analogue voltage received from the weigh head. Each shift register is associated with a particular pair of guide slots 31 of one lane 13 (respectively to the two sides of the lane) and serves to control the operation of solenoid 40 actuating the blocking elements 37 for the two associated guide slots. The shift registers are clocked by a pulse provided from the drive means for the conveyor 11, supplied on lines 49. Each time a bit arrives at the output of a shift register, the appropriate solenoid 40 is energised via a reed relay 50, to raise the blocking element 37 to direct the guide pin 17 of a cup 12 into the ramped slot portion 33.To reflect the linear spacing of the openings 36 along the primary guide face 30, the number of stages in the series of shift registers is increased by one for each successive register from two for the register associated with the opening 36 nearest end 34 of the guide element 18, to nine for the register associated with the opening furthest from that end 34.-The clock pulses are arranged to step the registers immediately before a guide pin 17 reaches an opening 36 along the primary guide face 30 so that the blocking element may be raised in time to allow the pin 17 to pass through the opening. Thus, for the above described control arrangement, the openings 36 must be equispaced along the primary guide face 30, and the weigh bridges spaced by twice the opening spacing from the opening nearest end 34 of the primary guide face. In the above manner, the progress of a bit through a shift register keeps step with the progress of a cup along the primary guide face of the guide element. Thus, on weighing a cup, the corresponding voltage output is compared with pre-set thresholds and the appropriate discharge point selected. The network of AND and OR gates provides a bit to the shift register associated with the guide slot leading to that discharge point, and as the cup advances along the primary guide face, the bit is stepped through the register. Immediately before the cup reaches the opening to the selected slot, the bit appears at the output from the register, and the appropriate solenoid is energised, allowing the guide- pin of that cup to enter the selected slot. Subsequently, the guide pin is released from that guide slot at the required discharge point allowing the cup 12 to hinge and discharge the carried article. The above control arrangement is duplicated for each lane 13-of the conveyor 11. The through-put of the apparatus, considered as a whole, can be increased without limit, simply by adding more lanes 13 to the conveyor 11, together with the associated control equipment. Because alternate cups are controlled by guide pins received in alternate guide elements 18 to the two sides of the lane, the maximum operating speed is higher than would be possible with a single guide element, there being greater latitude in the times for actuating the blocking elements. The apparatus can of course be rnodified to sort and distribute articles into more than eight groups. The guide elements and control arrangements can simply be made to any particular requirement are provided with as many guide slots as are needed, provided the angles of the cups do not become too acute when in the extreme slots to prevent secure retention of a carried article. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. Article distributing apparatus, comprising conveying means for carrying along a path the articles to be sorted, according to the value of a predetermined parameter of the articles, the conveying means including a succession of article supporting members each member having associated therewith a guide pin, a guide element having a primary guide face on to which each guide pin is successively directed as the conveying means is operated, a series of secondary guide slots opening into the primary guide face along the length of the primary guide face for selectively receiving guide pins, a series of blocking elements associated one with each of the series of secondary guide slots respectively and each blocking element being movable between a first position in which the opening into the associated secondary guide slot from the primary guide face is blocked and a second position in which the opening is unobstructed, there being control means selectively to operate the blocking elements in a timed relation to the operation of the conveying means so that the guide pin of a particular supporting member carrying an article having a particular predetermined value of said parameter is directed into a guide slot assigned to that value of said parameter, and a series of discharge points all located further along the path than the series of guide slot openings one discharge point associated with each guide slot respectively, whereat a supporting member the guide pin of which is guided in a particular guide slot is actuated to release a carried article.

2. Article distributing apparatus as

claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveying means is in the form of a chain conveyor having a plurality of links hinged together end-to-end to form an endless loop which passes around pulleys at the ends of the path.

3. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the succession of article supporting members are connected to the links of the chain conveyor, each member being arranged for hinged movement about a substantially horizontal axis, whereby a carried article may be discharged by the member hinging through an appropriate angle.

4. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein each article supporting member comprises an open-topped receptacle.

5. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein each receptacle comprises a cup moulded from a rigid plastics material.

6. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein each guide pin is rigidly mounted on the associated article supporting member, the axis of the guide pin being substantially parallel to the axis of hinging movement of the supporting member.

7. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide element is arranged with the secondary guide slots opening horizontally and disposed vertically one above another, the guide pins being engaged with the appropriate guide slots horizontally through the open sides thereof, and the primary guide face being disposed above the secondary guide slots and lying generally in a horizontal plane.

8. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein a blocking element when in the second position serves to obstruct the primary guide face so as forcibly to feed a guide pin into the required secondary guide slot.

9. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein each blocking element is shaped so that, when in its first position, the upper face of the blocking element blends smoothly with the primary guide face.

10. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein an electro-magnetic solenoid is arranged for moving a blocking element between its two positions, the operation ofthe solenoid being effected by the control means.

II. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein each blocking element is spring-loaded to its first position, the element being movable to its second position against the bias provided by the spring loading.

12. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 3 or any claim appendant thereto, wherein at a discharge point a guide pin is released from the associated guide slot, whereby the supporting member may at the discharge point hinge so as to release a carried article.

13. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the article supporting member is hinged at or towards one end thereof, and the guide pin is connected to the cup at a point spaced horizontally from the hinge axis.

14. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the control means includes a plurality of shift registers, one associated with each secondary guide slot, and means to clock all the shift registers in step with the movement of the conveying means.

15. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims and adapted to distribute articles on the basis of the weights thereof, wherein a weigh-head is provided beneath the path along which the articles are carried, each article supporting member passing over the weigh-head prior to the guide pin of that member being directed on to the primary guide face to determine the weight of a carried article.

16. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the guide pin of each article supporting member in turn is moved to bear on the weigh-head, and during this movement the weigh-head is actuated to take a reading proportional to the weight of that article.

17. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the weigh-head comprises a linear transducer which provides an analogue voltage output dependent upon the weight applied to the transducer.

18. Article distributing apparatus comprising a plurality of apparati as claimed in any of the preceding claims, arranged in parallel.

19. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein a plurality of conveying means, comprising parallel chain conveyors carrying several rows of article supporting members, are arranged to pass around guide pulleys at the ends of the paths defined by the conveying means, there being a guide element associated with each row of the chain conveyor.

20. Article distributing apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the guide elements are arranged between each row of article supporting members and have guide slots on both sides thereof, every other guide pin of a row thereof engaging in slots on one side of the row and the other guide pins of that row engaging in the slots on the other side of the row.

21. Article distributing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the Figures of the accompanying drawings.