MXPA01000341A - Article separating method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus (10) for separating a jumbled collection of articles, such as clothing or garment hangers (23), into a plurality of separate and discrete hangers. The apparatus includes conveyor means (12, 26, 32) adapted to transport a plurality of hangers (23) in succession along a process path;separation means, such as barrier gate members (20, 21), adapted to permit the hangers to proceed along the process path one at a time;sensing means (19, 38) adapted to detect when a hanger is entangled or interconnected with one or more other hangers;and removal means (30) adapted to remove any such entangled or interconnected hangers from the process path. The invention also provides a method for separating the hangers (23).

Description

METHOD AND SEPARATION DEVICE OF ARTICLES Technical Field The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating a series of scrambled articles into a plurality of separate and sober articles. The invention has a particular application for the separation of a collection of hangers (hooks) of dresses or clothes in a recycling facility for used hangers. In that installation, the hangers must be separated before being classified into groups or categories according to the particular style or type of the hanger. In the present, the invention is described in this context and emplificativo. However, it should be appreciated that the method and apparatus of the invention are not limited to this particular application but that they are suitable as they are used to separate a variety of different articles. Background For many years hangers used in the clothing retail industry have been largely disposable. That is, the hangers have been used to hang the clothes either stored or on display, and when the clothes are removed from the hanger, such as after the sale, this is no longer necessary and is discarded as garbage. This happens in particular when a wholesaler supplies clothes on hangers to a retail market, which is usually the case . i. at least the big department stores, since the retailer "does not need the hanger once the garment hangs in it was sold." The hangers are simply collected by the retailer and disposed of as general garbage, despite the obvious waste, it is a nuisance both for the retailer and the wholesaler to sort the hangers for reuse, particularly when the retailer can receive the supply of garments on a wide variety of different hangers, and when returning the hangers to each wholesaler significant costs are incurred For the above reasons, hangers for retail use have typically been very inexpensive items, made mostly of plastic and of a relatively low strength nature, and because of their construction, those hangers can be bent and twisted if used to to support very heavy garments and, in general, this does not reflect positively on the quality of the retail market , particularly when the garments are of a costly nature. Retailers would typically prefer to use better quality hangers. However, instead of maintaining their own inventory of quality hangers and investing themselves significant time and labor to separately hang thousands of garments, large retailers (as already noted) will usually require that the wholesaler / maker provide garments with hangers. Cost considerations result in the supply of garments by wholesalers / manufacturers with low quality, disposable hangers. Understandably, the elimination of hangers for the above reasons is considered wasteful, costly and detrimental to the environment. With increased efforts to reduce waste in the industry in general, the elimination of important numbers of hangers is not reflected well in the retail clothing industry. Therefore there are sufficient reasons to recycle the hangers if it could be done effectively in costs. However, the recycling of hangers is considered a heavy task, because the hangers need to be classified in groups of the same kind or style, and if the hangers to be recycled are provided with scraps for classification, then many of these will become entangled together . The most common problem is when the hangers become entangled, which is known as "crossed" perches. There is therefore a need to simplify the operation to untangle or separate the hangers from a hanger supply to be sorted and to remove the groups of hangers that can not be unraveled. In accordance, it is an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for that purpose.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for separating a collection of scrambled items in ura plurality of separate and sober articles, comprising: conveying apparatus adapted to convey a plurality of articles in succession along a trajectory of the process-separation element adapted to allow the articles to continue along the path of the process one at a time; sensor element adapted to detect when an article is tangled or interconnected with one or more of the others; and removal element adapted to remove any such entangled or connected item in the process path. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the separation element includes a barrier element adapted to restrict and intermittently release the passage of individual successive articles along the process path of the conveyor element. Preferably, the barrier element includes a pair of separate gate elements along the process path, each of the gates being movable between an open position and a closed position. One of the down gate elements is adapted to prevent an immediately adjacent ascending article and subsequent successive articles from proceeding along the path of the process when it is in the closed position. One of the rising gate elements is adapted to separate the ascending article immediately adjacent to the closed down gate element of the other articles when it is in the closed position, so that the The downstream gate element can be opened to release the separate article. In addition, the pair of gate elements are spaced along the path of the process a distance sufficient to allow only a single article to fit between them, and the element of The rising gate is adapted to open after the down gate element is closed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensor element is adapted to detect the passage of articles released along the route of the process beyond the barrier element. In addition, the sensor element is adapted to interpret a delay in the passage of a freed article along the path of the process that indicates entanglement of that article with a next adjacent article. In a preferred embodiment of the -m? ^^^ invention ^^^^^^^ element removal involves bridging interconnecting two sections of the conveyor element, the bridge connection may be moved to create an opening or gap between the sections of the element 5 conveyor to allow tangled items to fall out of the process path. Preferably the sensor element is adapted to identify the delayed article and the next article for removal from the process path, the sensor element 10 is also adapted to activate the removal element for removing the items identified. Typically, the articles to be separated are hangers clothes or clothing and the carrier preferably is adapted to engage a hook of each 15 one of the hangers for carrying a plurality of hangers in succession along the path of process. Therefore, conveniently, the carrier includes an endless conveyor (helical screw) upstream of the separating element 20 endless conveyor is configured to allow one hanger hook fits between adjacent threaded portions of the conveyor screw to facilitate the distribution of the hangers in succession. Therefore, in at least one exemplary embodiment, the present invention ^^^^^^^^ jÉ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ M? ^ _ M ^^^ _ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ provides a hanger separation facility which separates a hanger from one end of a line of hangers and frees it to be transported by means of a conveyor element to a hanger sorting facility, while preventing the rest of the hangers from being released from the line of hangers. The transportation of the separate hanger is delayed if it is crossed with another hanger that remains in the line of hangers and the sensing element is made to perceive that delay and causes the separation facility to release a predetermined number of hangers from the line of hangers immediately adjacent to the delayed hanger, for removal of those hangers before they pass to the sorting facility. The apparatus of the invention has the advantage of removing the entangled hangers from the hanger line, so that they can be sent to be unraveled and that the rest of the hangers can continue directly to the sorting facility. The unraveling of the entangled perches can be done by any suitable method or apparatus and the unraveled perches can be returned to the apparatus of the invention for transportation to the sorting facility, or they can be sent directly to the sorting facility. In the apparatus of the invention, the line of hangers can be conveniently formed by hanging the hangers of their hooks along a suitable elongate support element, which preferably includes elements for transporting those hooks towards the separation facility. Hanging the hangers by means of their hooks is convenient for loading the hooks, because invariably all hangers have a hook, regardless of whether the other parts of the hanger vary, as it can happen depending on the type of garment for which the hanger is used to hang. However, it is not essential that the hangers be hung in this way. If the hangers are hung by means of their hooks on a support element, that element is preferably in the form of a conveyor, so that the hangers can be progressively loaded to one end of the conveyor and can be transported towards the separation facility. . Although the conveyor can have any convenient shape, such as a belt conveyor, the most convenient conveyor is of the helical or endless screw type, so that each hanger is placed separately between the adjacent threads of the conveyor. This has the effect of separating the hangers from one another in a regular manner and can per se make the hangers uncross, although it does not necessarily have that effect. In the alternative for an endless or belt conveyor, the support element could be a bar or rail along which the hangers receive support and another element could be used to transport the hangers with support to the separation facility, such as by means of an air jet or even by means of manual pressure. However, an automated system is preferred. As another alternative, the support element may be an inclined element so that the hangers tend to slide towards the lower end of the element, which may be placed adjacent to the separation installation, under its own weight. It is clear that there are many other possibilities. In the same way the separation installation can have a variety of different shapes and a preferred shape, this includes a gate that is interposed between the most advanced perch on the line of hangers and the next adjacent hanger, so that the most advanced perch can be Separate from the rest of the hangers for transportation to the sorting facility. The gate can also have a restrictive effect on the rest of the hangers so that the separate hanger is available for transportation to the unlocking sorting facility of those hangers (assuming the hanger is not crossed with another of the hangers). Alternatively the retention element can be provided to retain the hangers behind the group that is released, so that only a group of a certain size is released. The retaining element may include a gate that can be interposed in the line of hangers, behind the group to be released, upon receiving the appropriate signal from the sensor element. The gate can be mobile from a contracted position spaced from the hangers, to the interposed position as described and that movement can, for example, be vertical and horizontal. In a preferred form, the separation installation includes two gates that are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the hangers, a distance sufficient to receive the support section (generally a hook) of a hanger therebetween. The gates are controlled so that the conduction gate (in the direction of travel of the hangers) is opened to allow a single hanger to advance in the space between the two gates, and then closed to separate or isolate that hanger from the gates. others and prevent their subsequent movement. The main hatch is then opened to release the separate hanger for transportation to the sorting facility. The rest of the hangers are retained behind the driving gate until the separate hanger is released, at which time the main gate is closed and the driving gate opens again to receive another hanger between them. The gates can be controlled to open and close continuously in an oscillating process •. * «£ & > »-A .- *, a & i automated so that a continuous feed of hangers is provided to the sorting facility. In addition, the hangers can be placed in rows behind the separation installation and the conveyor element of the kind described above can be used to supply the hangers to the separation installation. A hanger that is released from the separation facility can be transported to the sorting facility in any suitable manner and again, the transportation element of the kind described above can be used for that purpose. However, when a cross hanger is released from the separation facility, as may occur if the body or a part of the hook on one hanger intersects another, the hanger may be delayed so that it is not transported to the sorting facility. to that crossing. Under these circumstances, the sensing element perceives the delay of the hanger, and in a preferred embodiment, the sensing element detects the increase in delay that occurs when a hanger is delayed, between the release thereof and an arbitrary position on the hanger. transportation of the hanger to the classification facility. If the transportation to the sorting facility is by means of a conveyor or conveyors, then the position in which the sensor detects the presence or absence of a hanger may be A.A- any position along the path of one of the conveyors. In the absence of the detection of a hanger in the arbitrary designated position after the predetermined time, the sensor element activates the separation facility to release a group of hangers from the hanger line, which group preferably corresponds to a predetermined number of hangers. hangers that would normally be considered to include the or each of the hangers with which the first hanger is crossed. For example, the group may consist of the three or four adjacent hangers immediately behind the released hanger if it is considered unlikely that the released hanger is crossed with one or more hangers further back in the line of hangers. In most cases, the freed perch, if crossed, will be with the perch immediately adjacent and no other behind, so releasing a group of three perches is considered a substantial portion of any cross perches. However, even if the released hanger is crossed with a say 5 positions back, the sensor will cause a second group to be released including the relevant hanger after a second predetermined time delay. The group of crossed hangers that is released can be transported to any suitable place to uncross and in a preferred distribution, the transportation element ^ a ^ j ^ b ^ can be arranged to remove those hangers before they reach the classification element. In one embodiment, the transportation element may include a bridge connection having a bridging element bridging an opening between the two sections of the transportation element, and when the cross hangers meet, the bridging element is removed or removed from the opening to allow the hangers to fall through the opening for collection. The hangers that are removed can fall on another conveyor, or in a container, or simply fall to the floor. The movement of the bridging element can be carried out by means of any suitable element and in a preferred embodiment, an activating element is used in the form of a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator to contract the bridging element to bridge the opening . The separation apparatus may include a distribution for sorting the hangers received from the separation facility and a second separation facility may be provided to control the delivery of the hangers to the sorting device. The second separation facility may have the same construction or similar to the first separation installation already described, or an alternative construction can be provided. The second separation facility can be arranged to provide hangers at predetermined intervals for sorting, or for transport to the sorting facility. In one form, a helical or endless screw conveyor receives the hangers of the second separation facility, so that when the conveyor rotates to a particular rotational position to receive a hanger, the hanger is released from the second separation facility. . Additional sensing elements can be provided to the sensing element already described to sense the presence or absence of the hangers in various positions throughout the apparatus of the invention. These sensing elements can be used to regulate the delivery of the hangers from the hanger line to maintain a constant flow of hangers through the apparatus. For example, if a group of cross hangers is removed, then the sensors can accelerate the delivery of hangers to compensate for the removed hangers. The conveyor element may have a variety of shapes and may for example simply comprise inclined support rail, and / or a motor driven conveyor. Also, assistance may be given to move the hangers in the direction of transportation, such as by means of air jets or other suitable means. According to another aspect of the present invention there is a method for separating a collection of scrambled articles into a plurality of separate and discrete articles, which includes the steps for: transporting a plurality of said articles in succession along a process path; intermittently restrict and give way to successive individual items along the process path; detect if a released article is not tangled or interconnected with one or more articles; and remove any tangled or interconnected item from the process path. In a preferred embodiment, therefore, the invention changes provides a method that includes separating a hanger from one end of a hanger line and releasing it for transport to a hanger sorting facility while retaining the rest of the hangers for that are not released from the line of hangers, perceiving the movement of the released hanger and if that movement does not meet the predetermined parameters, release a group of hangers from the line of hangers immediately adjacent to the released hanger and remove those hangers before the classification facility. Brief Description of the Drawings The previous and subsequent functions of the present invention will be better appreciated from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters designate like functions, and wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figures 2 to 2d illustrate the operation of the gate elements for separating the hangers in the apparatus of Figure 1; Figures 3 and 4 show a retractable bridge arrangement for removing entangled hangers from the apparatus of Figure 1; and Figure 5 illustrates the operation of the apparatus of Figure 1 in the case of cross hangers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In Figure 1 a separation apparatus according to the invention is shown. The separation apparatus 10 includes a first conveyor 11 in which the hangers to be sorted are placed in a suspension condition. The conveyor 11 can have any suitable shape and is only required to transport the hangers hung thereon so that they advance to an inclined ramp 12. The conveyor 11 is preferably a transport conveyor 11. helical or endless screw and has a threaded pitch of a dimension suitable to receive only one hanger hook between the adjacent threads. The operator of the machinery can place heaps of hangers on the conveyor 11 without taking care to ensure that the adjacent hangers are uncrossed, because, as will be seen later, the apparatus 10 serves to remove crossed hangers. The operator therefore does not waste time or have the tedious work of carefully separating each mound hanger. The conveyor 11 is driven by a motor 13, which can have any suitable shape, and the motor is controlled by a first sensor 14 which detects the presence of the hangers hung on the conveyor 11 in the final section 15 adjacent to the ramp 12. If the first sensor 14 does not detect hangers in that final section, then the motor 13 is activated by the sensor to transport the hangers to the ramp 12. Subsequently, when the hangers are detected, the sensor 14 stops the motor, and this may occur when a predetermined number of hangers has been transported to the final section 15. In addition, the sensor can cause the motor 13 to drive the conveyor 11 faster if, after a predetermined period, the sensor 14 has not detected any hangers or hangers insufficient. This may be necessary if, for example, the hangers are being loaded onto the conveyor 11 too slowly.

Although the motor 13 has been started to drive the conveyor 11, the sensor 14 can alternatively control a clutch mechanism to which the motor 13 and the conveyor 11 are connected, the clutch mechanism being the one controlling the drive of the conveyor. This alternative device illustrates that there is a variety of possibilities for driving and controlling the conveyor 11. The hangers 16 are conveyed to the ramp 12, and these hangers 16 travel along the inclined surface of the ramp 12 to a separation station 17. An air jet 18 acts on the hooks 23 of the hangers 16 in the direction of travel towards the separation station 17 to assist its movement in that direction. A second sensor 19 performs a function similar to that of the first sensor 14, so as to detect the presence of the hangers on the rising side of the ramp 12 adjacent to the separation station 17 and if sufficient hangers or hangers are not detected, this one activates the motor 13 to transport the hangers to the ramp 12. The sensor 19 is independent of the sensor 14 and the sensor 19 can override the sensor 14 at the moments when the sensor 14 has turned off the motor 13 because it has perceived the presence of the hangers in the final section 15 of the conveyor 11. That is to say, if the sensor 14 turned off the motor 13 due to the existence of hangers 16 in the final section 15 of the conveyor 11, the sensor 19 can activate the motor 14 independently of the sensor 14 if it detects an absence of hangers or that there are insufficient hangers in the rising side of the ramp 12 adjacent to the separation station 17. The separation station 17 includes a pair of gradual gates 20 and 21 and the operation of these is illustrated in Figures 2a to 2d. In Figure 2a, the two graduated gates 20 and 21 are coupled against the upper surface 22 of the ramp 12 in a downward or locking position, preventing the travel of the hangers downward to the ramp 12 beyond the gradual gates. The actual coupling of the gradual gates with the upper surface 22 may not be necessary, but it is necessary that the gradual gates get close enough to the upper surface 22 so that the hooks 23 of the hangers 16 can not pass the gradual gates in their descending positions. The graduated gates 20 and 21 can be moved independently, preferably in an oscillatory movement, from the descending positions shown in Figure 2a, to an elevated position in which a hook 23 of a hanger 16 can pass under the gate respective gradual. The gradual gates 20 and 21 are generally raised from the downward position at different times and Figure 2b illustrates the arrangement in ^^ ^ ^ s * ^^^^^ iig¿Íj j - ^^^^^ ¡^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ £ ^ erf where the gradual gate 20 has been raised, while the gradual gate 21 remains in the descending position. In that figure, the elevation of the gradual gate 20 facilitates the travel of the hangers 16 downwards of the inclined surface 22 of the ramp 12, a distance equal to the separation S between the gradual gates 20 and 21. For the purposes of separating the 16, the spacing S is approximately equal to the diameter of the hooks 23 traveling along the upper surface 22 of the ramp 12 so that only one hook 23 is received between the gradual gates 20 and 21. Of course the hooks 23 may not be circular, or may vary in cross-section in different parts of the hook and so the separation S between the sluice gates 21 and 20 should consider these potential variations in the configuration of the hooks and therefore it is preferable that the separation S be adjustable. In Figure 2c, the graduated gate 20 has returned from its raised position of Figure 2b, to the downward position of Figure 2a and the hook 24 of a hanger 16 is captured between the gradual gates 20 and 21. The graduated gate 21 is now raised from the downward position to the raised position shown in Figure 2d. The hook 24 and the body of the hanger that is attached thereto, is now free to travel further down the ramp 12 in the direction D, towards a second separation station 25, and is immediately picked up by a conveyor 26 for follow the trip. The rest of the hangers are retained behind the gradual gate 20, until it is again raised to separate another hanger from the hanger line. The conveyor 26 includes a pair of wheels 27 and 28 around which a conveyor belt 29 passes and the wheel 28 is placed next to a bridge connection 30, which is shown in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4. In these In FIGS. 1 and 2, the bridging connection includes a movable bridging element 31, which is connected in any suitable manner to an inclined ramp 32. The ramp 32 may be different in construction to the ramp 12, so that the angle of inclination is preferably the same. The ramp 32 can be tubular or channel-shaped, such as a U or an L, to accommodate a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator 33 having a cylinder 34 and a drive piston 35. Connected to the actuator piston 35 is a head 36, a wherein the bridging element 31 is attached. The actuator piston 35 is normally in the elongated condition as shown in Figures 1 and 3, where the distal end 37 of the bridging member 31 is adjacent to the wheel 28 of the conveyor 26, so that the hangers transported thereon. length of conveyor 26 gJ-S fcifcfeS ». . . i. "J.- -. They receive support and travel along the bridging element 31 towards the ramp 32. However, the actuating piston 35 can be retractable so that its distal end is separated from the wheel 28. and therefore opens a gap between the conveyor 26 and the ramp 32 through which the hangers can fall. This arrangement is provided in order to prevent the cross hangers from following the second separation station 25. The ability of the sorting apparatus 10 to remove the cross hangers will be explained in relation to Figures 1 and 5. Figure 5 illustrates a bridging element 31 in the retractable position, which shows a gap G between the end of the conveyor 26 on the wheel 28 and the distal end 37 of the bridging member 31. The hangers 16a and 16b shown completely (only in the schematic drawings ) are crossed. The hanger 16a has passed through the first separation station 17 and moved towards the conveyor 26 which will transport it to the ramp 32. However, the hanger 16a is crossed with the hanger 16b, so the movement of the hanger 16a is delayed until the moment the hanger 16b also passes through the separation station 17. As far as, there is a delay in the movement of the hanger 16a towards the ramp 32. That delay is detected by a sensor 38 which expects to detect a moving hanger towards the ramp 32 in a predetermined period of time after it is released from the station. of separation 17, and when that detection is not made, the assumption is made that the hangers are crossed. In response, the sensor 45 causes the actuator 33 to retract the drive piston 35 to create the gap G between the conveyor 26 and the bridging element 31. In the illustrated arrangement of Figure 5, the hanger 16b will be released from the loading station. separation 17 in the normal manner and both hangers 16a and 16b will be transported together in their crossed state towards the ramp 32. However, the actuator 33 will retract the. ramp 35 to coincide with the arrival of the cross hangers 16a and 16b so that they fall through the gap G and do not continue towards the ramp 32. When a cross hanger is detected, a stop plate 45 is inserted in the hooks 23 in the upper part of the separation station 17 and allowing the gradual gates 20 and 21 to continue to oscillate or both to rise away from the upper surface 22 without allowing more hangers to pass to the conveyor 26. This prevents further passage of hangers through of the separation facility 17 while the gap is exposed. In an alternative device, the gradual gates 20 and 21 could be prevented from oscillating to achieve the same result. The crossed hangers that have fallen through the gap G can be collected and uncrossed by any It is possible to use an appropriate medium, such as by means of the hand, and can then be returned to the first conveyor 11 as described above. The device described so far eliminates the fact that the cross hangers continue towards the separation installation and therefore prevents the cross hangers from interrupting the sorting operation. The hangers that are not crossed continue to the ramp 32 on the bridging element 31 and are processed by the second separation station 25. That station also includes a pair of graded plates 39 and 40 that oscillate in the same manner as the gates before described 20 and 21. The separation station 25 also includes a sensor 41 that detects the presence of the hangers in the upper part of the ramp 32 adjacent to the station 25 and in the case that many hangers are detected in that region, the sensor 41 controls any of the engine 13, the stop plate 38 or the gradual gates 20 and 21 to reduce or temporarily stop the advance of the hangers towards station 25. Once the reduced number of hangers is detected, then the advance of them you can start again. If too many hangers are detected, then the sensor 41 can initiate another supply. In operation, the gradual gates 20 and 21 operate faster than the gradual gates 39 and 40 to compensate for the crossed hangers that are removed. The difference in speed can be from 10 to 15%. The difference in the speed of operation can be altered according to what is necessary. The graduated gates 39 and 40 release the hangers to a conveyor 42, which may have any convenient shape, but which is preferably a helical screw conveyor as shown. The graduated gates 39 and 40 operate in register with the helical screw conveyor so that when the conveyor 42 has a position to receive the hook from a hanger, a hanger is released from the upper part of the separation station 25 after the which is transported by the conveyor 42 to another place where the hangers are classified in piles of the same style. The conveyor 42 is driven by a motor 43 and an encoder 44 communicates with the separation station 25 to maintain the conveyor and the release of the hangers in register. The separation apparatus according to the invention facilitates the removal of cross hangers from a group of hangers to be sorted and eliminates or at least reduces the manual labor associated with uncrossing the hangers. With the described apparatus, the cross hangers can be uncrossed as a result of, for example, their placement on the conveyor 11, or as a result of their passing through the separation facility 17, or as a result of their falling into the gap G. Hangers that fall through the gap G can be collected and returned to the conveyor 11 and can again pass through the separation apparatus until they are uncrossed, or alternatively, those crossed perches that are picked can be uncrossed manually and sent directly to the sorting facility, or can be placed back through the apparatus so that they are transferred to the screw conveyor 42. As described, many modifications can be made to the apparatus 10. The way the sensors control the separation stations and the Actuator 33 could be modified easily and still achieve the same function. Likewise, the opening of the gap G through which the cross hangers can fall, could be changed to a different device, such as a device to remove the hangers by lifting them, or transporting them to another part. There are a variety of different options. The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and / or additions other than those specifically described and it should be understood that the invention includes all such variations, modifications and / or additions that fall within the spirit and scope of the description " previous. ^^^^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^ l to ÉÍ m? *? < m a? ß? t], MM,) f, j i | i fii? go

Claims (14)

1. CLAIMS 1. An apparatus for separating a series of scrambled articles into a plurality of separate and discrete articles, including: a conveyor element adapted to convey a plurality of articles in succession along a path of the separation element adapted to allow articles to continue, one at a time, throughout the process's trajectory. sensor element adapted to detect when an article is entangled or interconnected with another or other articles; and removal element adapted to remove 15 any entangled or interconnected article from the process route. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separation element includes a barrier element adapted to intermittently restrict and release 20 the passage of the individual successive articles along the path of the conveyor element process. 3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the sensor element is adapted to detect the passage of articles released along the path of the 25 process beyond the barrier element, the element being flimfcfii- - «• *. *. * ***. t um ___? ^ - • »> "» - ** • - _ ^^^^^^ ^^^^ sensor adapted to interpret a delay in the passage of an article released along the trajectory of the process indicating entanglement of that article with a following article adjacent 4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the sensor element is adapted to identify the delayed article and the following article to remove them from the process path, the sensor element being adapted also to activate the removal element for 10 Remove the identified items. 5. An apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 4 wherein the barrier element includes a pair of gates separated along the path of the process, each of which can be moved 15 between an open and a closed position, a descending gate is adapted to brake an immediately adjacent ascending article and subsequent ones so that they do not continue along the process path when in the closed position, and the gate The riser is adapted to separate the ascending article immediately adjacent to the closed descending gate of the other articles when it is in the closed position, so that the descending gate can be opened to release the separate article. 6. An apparatus according to claim 4 in where the pair of gates are spaced along the path of the process a distance sufficient to allow only one article to fit between them, and where the riser gate is adapted to open after the descending gate closes. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the conveyor element includes any one or more of a helical screw conveyor, a belt conveyor and a slide conveyor; the slide conveyor optionally includes a drive element to assist in the sliding movement of the articles therealong. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the driving element includes an air jet directed at the articles, or alternatively a driving element that • comes in contact with the articles, the driving element is adapted to move in a direction of the trajectory of the process. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein the removal element includes a bridging device that interconnects two sections of the transport element, the bridging device can be moved to create an opening or gap between the sections of the conveyor to allow ? ^^ S a ^ & Tangled items come out of the path of the process. 10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the bridging device includes a mobile bridging element that can be automatically activated, for example by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator, by means of a control signal of the sensor element. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the articles to be separated are hangers for clothing or clothing and wherein the conveyor element is adapted to be coupled with a hook of each of the hangers to carry a plurality of hangers. the hangers in succession along the path of the process. 12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the conveyor element includes a helical screw conveyor rising from the separation member, the screw conveyor is configured to allow only one hanger hook to fit between the adjacent screw portions of the screw of the conveyor to facilitate the arrangement of the hangers in succession. 13. A recycling facility for recycling used garment or clothing hangers including a separation apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 13 in combination with a classification apparatus for sorting. *. »... j? -M-au the separate and discrete hangers of the separation apparatus in groups of the same style or type. 14. A method for separating a collection of scrap items into a plurality of separate and discrete items, which includes the steps for: transporting a plurality of items in succession along a process path; restrict and intermittently release the passage of individual successive items along the path of the process; and remove any tangled or interconnected item from the process path.