GB409703A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for grading rolling bodies by weight - Google Patents

Abstract

409,703. Sorting rolling bodies by weight. REVILL, J., The Retreat, and GRIGG, B. G., Lynden, Kingswood Way, both in Sanderstead, Surrey. Nov. 1, 1932, No. 30770. [Class 143.] A machine for sorting rolling bodies, e.g. eggs, by weight comprises a balance arm to which they are fed one by one and which is depressed to an extent depending on the weight of the supported body which is delivered to a selected moving platform and thence to a selected inclined runway. Rolling bodies 1, e.g. eggs, rolling down the runway 2 are delivered one by one by the mechanism 7, 8, described below, to the head 3 of the damped balance arm 4 which rotates to a position of equilibrium determined by the weight of the body. An apertured slide 16 with sloping platforms 17, 18, 19, 20 and corresponding different length feelers 22 then descends and according to the position of the balance arm the appropriate feeler 22 engages the knife edge 37 to depress the head 3 and deliver the body 1 on to the corresponding platform. An apertured gate 21 slidably mounted on the slide 16 has a hook 23 which engages the runway 12 as the slide descends so that when the slide reaches its lowest position with platforms 17, 18, 19, 20 in line with sloping runways 12, 13, 14, 15 respectively, the gate 21 has completely uncovered the apertures in the slide 16 for the body 1 to be delivered to the appropriate runway 12, 13, 14 or 15. The rolling bodies 1 are fed one by one to the balance arm 4 by the members 7 and 8 rising and falling in opposition, being connected by the rods 10 to the pivoted lever 9 oscillated by a link 11 connected to a suitable moving part of the apparatus. Power is supplied by an electric motor or other suitable power unit, or manually, to drive the shaft 32 and crank 33 to oscillate the lever 34 about the pivot 35 and thus actuate the pivoted link 36 coupled to the slide 16. In order to damp the downward movement of the balance arm 4 the head 3 has a projection 24 on which rests the brake arm 25 with a pressure adjustable by the weight 26<1>. The arm 25 is rigid with arm 27 having pin 28 engaging, by gravity or spring pressure, a cam 26 with recess 29 allowing the brake arm to be applied to head 3 during its main descending movement, with projecting part 31 momentarily lifting the brake arm, with recess 30 momentarily applying the brake arm and with projecting part 45 finally removing the brake arm. If a body is so light that it does not move the head 3 into the path of the feeler 22 for the platform 17, the slide 16 engages a pin 39 to actuate the lever 40 and connections 42 and 41 to move the head 38 across the head 3 and eject the body into a tray.