US2867312A

US2867312A - Article sorting device

Info

Publication number: US2867312A
Application number: US500114A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jean E Lape
Original assignee: Western Electric Co Inc
Current assignee: AT&T Corp
Priority date: 1955-04-08
Filing date: 1955-04-08
Publication date: 1959-01-06
Anticipated expiration: 1976-01-06

Description

Jan. 6, 1959 LAPE ARTICLE SORTING DEVICE Filed A ril's, 1955 2 5 6 y M W 5 nes" TO COMP/755350 AIR SUPPL V A r ron/vsr nit 2,867,312 Patented Jan. 6, 1959 ARTICLE SORTING DEVICE Jean E. Lape, Coopershurg, Pa., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 8, 1955, Serial No. 500,114 7 Claims. (Cl. 193-43) This invention relates to a sorting device and it is the general object of the invention to provide apparatus for removing improperly oriented non-symmetrical articles from a feed track.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, non-symmetrical articles feeding down a track pass a plurality of photoelectric cells which control means for removing all articles from the track that are being fed wrong end first, the cells being so spaced withrespect to the track that only those articles having a particular end first black out all the cells simultaneously.

According to an importantfeature of the invention the photoelectric cells control the operation of an air valve for producing a jet of air which supports or floats properly oriented articles through a cut-out portion of the track from which improperly oriented articles aredropped.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partially in section of a feed track modified in accordance with the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 show correct and improperly oriented articles respectively with respect to the apertures in the track for the photoelectric cells;

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of thetrack taken along the planes of lines 4-4 and 5-5 respectively, of

Fig. l; i

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the control circuit for the apparatus;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of a portion of the track showing alternate means for removing articles therefrom, and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the track taken along the plane of line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

As seen in the drawing, two downwardly inclined members 8 and 9 of a feed track 7 are provided. withopposed grooves 10 and 11 respectively, for supporting non-symmetrical articles 12. The articles 12 in this case are reed elements for Western Electric Company type 224A Dry Reed Switches and have flat end portions 14 and 15 interconnected by a small diameter cylindrical portion 16, the end 14 being approximately one and a half times as long as the end 15. Three photoelectric cells 17, 18'and 19, which in this case are phototransistors, are mounted on the bottom side of the track, three light sources 20, 21 and22 for the cells being provided in a housing 23 on the upper side of the feed track. Arcuate grooves 46, 47 and 48 are provided in the opposing walls of the track members for the light beams for the phototransistors so that the light beams may be as wide as the fiat portions of the articles 12. Then when a properly oriented article 12 is momentarily located directly beneath the lamps (Fig. 2) the

light beams

50 and 51 of lamps 20 and 21 will be blocked by the end 14 of the article and the light beam 52 of lamp 22 will be blocked by the end 15. On the other hand, when an improperly oriented article passes beneath the lamps, simultaneous blackout of all three light beams is not possiblesince the narrow portion 16 of the article 12 cannot completely block the beams. This is illustrated in Fig. 3 where light beam 51 is not effectively blocked by the narrow portion 16 of an improperly oriented article 12. The housing 23 for the lamps and a cover for the phototransistors protect the phototransistors from stray light which could possibly cause false operation. Circuit connections for the phototransistors are provided through a cable 49 and power for the lamps is provided through cable 37.

In the feed track below the phototransistors a section of one supporting flange for the groove 10 in member 8 is removed (Fig. 5) to allow articles to drop out of the groove into a receptacle 41 through a reject tube 24. An air tube 25 which is connected to a source of compressed air through a solenoid operated valve 26 is provided with a nozzle 38 attached between and on the underside of the track members 8 and 9 for directing a jet of air to the underside of articles passing down the feed track through the cut-out portion. This air jet supports the articles against the upper sides of the grooves 10 and 11 until they pass over the cut-out portion.

The control circuit shown in Fig. 6 is designed to hold the air valve 26 normally closed so that articles feeding down the track will fall out into the reject tube 24 unless the articles are properly oriented (that is with the end 14 being fed down first) when the valve 26 will be operated to produce the jet of air for holding the reed against the upper side of the track until it passes over the cut-out portion. More specifically, the three

phototransistors

17, 18 and 19 are connected in parallel in the energizing circuit for a relay 27 which controls the operation of the solenoid valve'26.

Movable contact arms

28 and 29 of the relay are connected together to one side of a 60 microfarad condenser 30 which is serially connected through a variable resistance 36 of 0 to 20,000 ohms to the one side of the winding of relay 27. The back contact 31 of the arm 28 is connected to the other side of therelay 27 winding which is also connected to one side of the solenoid valve 26. Back contact 32 of the arm 29 is connected through an energizing source 33 to the other side of the solenoid valve 26. The operated contact 34 for the arm 28 is connected through a resistance 35 of 500 ohms to the resistance 36. V p

Under normal conditions, the relay 27 will be operated since the light beams for

transistor

17, 18 or 19 will be unblocked, the

lamps

20, 21 and 22 being energized by conventional means whenever the apparatus is in use. When an article passes through. the feed track with an improper orientation, that is the end 15 first, no more than two of the phototransistor light beams will be completely blocked at any single instant (Fig. 3) so that the remaining energized phototransistor will permit suflicient current flow to keep the relay operated.

When a correctly oriented article passes down the feed track, however, at one instant (of approximately 0.010 second) all three phototransistor light beams will be blocked simultaneously (as seen in Fig. 2) and the energizing circuit for the relay 27 will be opened. Relay I through the track against the v upper side of the track until it passes the cut-out portion. Simultaneously with the operation of the relay, the condenser 30 is connected in parallel with the relay energizing coil through the back contact 31. As the article continues down the track light is restored and the relay circuit is again closed; however, condenser 30 must first be charged before the relay will operate thereby giving the necessary time delay to permit the properly oriented article to pass over the cut-out portion of the track before the air stream is again cut off when the relay operates. The resistor 36 may be adjusted between 0 and 20,000 ohms so that this time delay may be adjusted between 0 and 1 second as required. The resistor 35 provides a discharge path for the condenser 30 when the relay is operated.

An alternate article drop-out mechanism is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In this embodiment, the lower portions of the track members 8 and 9 above the reject tube 24 are removed and a member 40, hinged to the track members, provides a removable support surface for the bottom of the guide grooves 10 and 11. A solenoid 41, mounted to a fixed support 44, is used for opening (to the position shown in dashed lines) or closing the track as required. The control circuit of Fig. '6. may also be used with this drop-out mechanism, the solenoid 41 simply being substituted for the solenoid air valve 26.

It;is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall Within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. Sorting apparatus for removing from a feed track improperly oriented elongated articles having end portions of different lengths interconnected by a relativeiy narrow portion, the feed track having a passage therethrough for guiding the articles, said sorting apparatus comprising a plurality of photoelectric cells, means for producing and directing a beam of light across the passage in the track to each of the cells, the beams being substantially wider than the narrow portion of the'article, said photoelectric cells being positioned with respect to the track so that only articles of a prescribed orientation passing through the track will cause the simultaneous blackout of all the cells and means responsive to the simultaneous condition of the cells for removing improperly oriented articles from the track.

2. Sorting apparatus for removing from a feed track improperly oriented elongated articles having end portions of different lengths interconnectedby a relatively narrow portion, the feed track having a passage therethrough for guiding the articles, said sorting apparatus comprising three phototransistors, a source of light for each of the phototransistors' beamed across the passage in the track, said phototransistors being positioned with respect to the track so that the end portions of only properly' oriented articles will simultaneously black out all three phototransistors, and means responsive to the simultaneous condition of the phototransistors for removing improperly oriented articles from the track.

3. Apparatus for feeding non-symmetrically. shaped articles in a particular orientation comprising a down.- wardly inclined feed track having a passage therethrough for guiding the articles, a portion of the feed track being cut out to permit articles to be removed therefrom, a plurality of photoelectric cells, a source of light for each of the cells beamed across the passage in the track above the cut-out portion, said photoelectric cells being positioned with respect to the track so that only articles of a prescribed orientation passing through the track will cause the simultaneous blackout of all the cells and means controlled by the photoelectric cells for selectively producing an air stream to support articles passing through the cut-out portion to remain in the passage.

4. Apparatus for feeding in prescribed orientation nonsymmetrically shaped elongated articles having fiat end portions of difierent lengths interconnected by a relatively narrow portion, comprising a feed track having two downwardly inclined members, opposing surfaces of the members being provided with U-shaped grooves for supporting the edges of the articles, one of the track members having a cut out portion to permit articles to drop out of the track, a plurality of photoelectric cells, a source of light for each of the cells beamed across the passage in the track above the cut-out portion, said photoelectric cells being positioned with respect to the .track so that only articles of a prescribed orientation passing through the track will cause the simultaneous blackout of all the cells and means controlled by the photoelectric cells of photoelectric cells, a source of light for each of the cells beamed across the passage in the track above the cut-out portion, said photo-electric cells being positioned with respect to the track so that only articles of a prescribed orientation passing through the track will cause the simultaneous blackout of all the cells, means for producing an air stream to support articles passing through the cut-out portion to remain in the passage, a relay for controlling the air stream producing means and means including the photoelectric cells for operating the relay.

6. Apparatus for feeding non-symmetrically shaped articles in a particular orientation comprising a downwardly inclined feed track having a passage therethrough .for guiding the articles, a portion of the feed track being cut out to permit articles to be removed therefrom, a plurality of photoelectric cells for testing the orientation of articles passing through the feed track, a source of light foreach of the cells beamed across the passage in the track above the cut-out portion, said photoelectric cells being positioned with respect to the track so that only articles of a prescribed orientation passing through the track willcause the simultaneous blackout of all the cells,

means for producing an air stream to support articles passing through the cut-out portion to remain in the pas- V sage, a relay for controlling the air stream producing means, means including the photoelectric cells for operating the relay and means for introducing a time delay in the re-operation of the relay to permit a tested article to pass through the cut-out portion of the track.

7. Apparatus for detecting a particular orientation of non-symmetrically shaped articles being fed through a feed track, said articles having end portions of different lengths interconnected by a relatively narrow portion, comprising three photoelectric cells, means for producing and directing a beam of light across the track to each of the cells, said cells being positioned with respect to the tracks so that the end portions of only properly oriented articles will simultaneously blackout all three cells and detecting means responsive to the simultaneous condition of the cells.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,033,645 Parkhill Mar. 10, 1936