US3637075A

US3637075A - Object sorting with a scanning reel

Info

Publication number: US3637075A
Application number: US39199A
Authority: US
Inventors: David W Cayton
Original assignee: FMC Corp
Current assignee: FMC Corp
Priority date: 1970-05-21
Filing date: 1970-05-21
Publication date: 1972-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-25
Also published as: FR2091829A5; LU63126A1; BE767100A; DE2125401A1; NL7106725A

Abstract

Objects such as fruit, tomatoes or the like are manually sorted from a plurality of sorting stations disposed in front of a rotating, open-faced scanning reel. The reel has longitudinal, radially projecting flights that are fed from the top by a laterally inclined longitudinally running belt conveyor. Successive rows of the objects are inspected and selected objects are manually flicked out over the upper quadrant of the reel, whereas the remaining objects are confined by a curved guard and deposited into a separate collection station.

Description

United States Cayton aten [ 51 Jan.25, 1971 1541 OBJECT SORTING WITH A SCANNllNG REEL [72] Inventor: David W. Cayton, Cupertino, Calif.

[73] Assignee: FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif.

[22] Filed: May 21, 1970 211 App]. No.: 39,199

[52] U.S. C1 ..209/122 [51] 1nt.C1. ..B07c 7/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..209/122,124,111.6,111.7; 198/154 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,216,568 11/1965 Jacob ..209/111.7

3,565,248 2/1971 Messerschmi-dt ..209/l1l.7 X

Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Att0rneyF. W. Anderson and C. E. Tripp [57] ABSTRACT Objects such as fruit, tomatoes or the like are manually sorted from a plurality of sorting stations disposed in front of a rotating, open-faced scanning reel. The reel has longitudinal, radially projecting flights that are fed from the top by a laterally inclined longitudinally running belt conveyor. Successive rows of the objects are inspected and selected objects are manually flicked out over the upper quadrant of the reel, whereas the remaining objects are confined by a curved guard and deposited into a separate collection station.

29 Claims, 32 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAHZSISYE 3,6373075 SHEET 18F 9 INVENTOR DAVID W. CAYTON l8 BY Jan W u w CULLS a a ATTORNEYS PATENTEU JAN25 I972 SHEET 2 BF 9 TIIELfEI:

PATENTED JAHZS I972 SHEET 3 BF 9 '7 FIE:

PATENTEU JANZS 1s72 SHEET Q UF 9 (DIG PATENTEDJANZSIBTZ 306372075 SHEET 7 BF 9 POWER SWITCH TIME DELAY RESET F F Q READ /AND n 160 A I62. I64- REJECT SIGNAL agssfrvows PATENTED M25 1972 SHEET 8 OF 9 mmmm 3,6370% SHEET 9 CF 9 I E'I[Ei 22 OBJECT SORTING WITH A SCANNING REEL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to article sorting and the preferred embodiment disclosed is employed for sorting fruits such as tomatoes or the like as rows of the fruits are successively presented to sorting stations.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART In US. Pat. No. 364,977, to Vellines, patented Wane 14, 1887, nuts are distributed from a longitudinal conveyor to a sorting (picking) table by transfer rollers which push on the nuts entering the table.

In the US. Pat. to Peters No. 1,340,079, patented May 1 l, 1920, tomatoes are carried past grading stations wherein they are dropped onto inclined chutes leading to packing tables. Nongraded tomatoes tumble onto other inclined platforms leading to other packing tables.

In US. Pat. to Rogers No. 1,394,445, patented Oct. 18, 1921, eggs are dropped by a conveyor into a row of inspection cups which can be tilted to drop an individual egg into any one of several grading chutes.

In US. Pat. to Byington, No. 1,783,700, patented Dec. 2, 1930, a conveyor belt feeds fruit both longitudinally and laterally for presentation to rows of sorters along the sides of the belt.

In U.S. Pat. to Butler No. 2,010,136, patented Aug. 6, 1935, apples are lifted by upwardly moving flight bars and stopped in rows at a stop bar. Here the apples are stationary in the row while they are manually manipulated and selected apples lifted into a collection station before the row is released for delivery to another collection station.

In US. Pat. to Horton No. 3,241,650, patented Mar. 22, 1966, longitudinal conveyors are provided with deflectors that divert lanes of fruit to gravity transfer tables leading to in dividual packers.

The US. Pat. to Looker No. 3,301,331, issued .Ian. 31, 1967; and Csimma No. 3,340,935, issued Sept. 12, 1967, disclose tomato harvesters having flat sorting belts that run in front of a row of sorting operators and represent the typical arrangement for the high tonnage sorting required in this type of sorting.

US. Pat. to Paxton, No. 2,099,223, patented Nov. 16, 1937, is for an automobile fruit sizer reel having flight bars that are spaced from one another and from a central mandrel in a manner that causes all undersized fruit to be retained between between the flights by the flights themselves and dropped out at the bottom of the reel, whereas all of the larger fruits auto matically fall out onto an inclined drop plate. The flights include rollers that are turned over their upper path to assist in the sizing operation and for causing an upper flight roller to discharge the fruit over a lower, nonrotating flight roller onto the drop plate.

The pamphlet Visual Inspection of Products For Surface Characteristics ln Grading Operations by the US. Department of Agriculture, Production and Marketing Administration, in cooperation with the University of California Institute of Engineering Research, Marketing Research Report No. 45, Washington, D.C., June, 1953, discloses (e.g., Fig. 8) a citrus fruit sorting conveyor wherein a flat belt and transverse flight bars move at a differential speed toward a sorting operator to rotate the fruit for inspection before the sorter grasps and lifts selected fruit out from between the flight bars.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Although the present invention is not limited to use for the manual sorting of fruits, such as tomatoes, or for use in any particular sorting environment, the embodiment to be described in detail has been specifically adapted for manual inspection described sorting with a high flow rate of tomatoes and by a number of sorting operators disposed in a row along the sorting system. Other contemplated environments for the present invention include the sorting of citrus fruit, apples, peaches, pears, etc.

Referring to the illustrated embodiment more specifically, in the preparation of tomatoes for packing or the like, the harvest may contain a relatively high percentage of culls. The culls can be the soft or overripe fruit, green fruit, damaged fruit or fruit with noticeable blemishes, markings, etc. As described in the aforesaid Csimma patent, a common means of sorting tomatoes under these conditions is to present an array of tomatoes to a row of sorters by delivering the unsorted tomatoes to a conveyor belt running longitudinally and in front of the sorters. In this sorting system, each sorter must scan the entire width of the body of fruit advancing the front of them on the sorting belt. Furthermore, they must reach over the belt, grasp the culls and lift them clear of the stream of fruit on the belt, for disposal into a separate collection station. Thus, each good fruit, after having passed the first sorter is presented to the second sorter and so on down the line, so that each good fruit is inspected again and again before it is eventually delivered to its collection station.

Similarly, as also described in Csimma, it may be necessary to perform a reverse sorting, wherein good fruits are manually removed, leaving the culls and clods of dirt on the sorting belt.

Under the present invention, the same flow rate of tomatoes can be inspected by the same number of sorters with a higher percentage of fruit removal and with considerably less fatigue to the sorting operators than that experienced previously. Conversely, fewer sorters can process the same flow of fruit without decreasing sorting effectiveness.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a single scan elongated sorting reel rotates between a fruit delivery conveyor and a row of sorters. This reel has long flights which provide elongate open pockets and the pockets are filled along an upper portion of the reel from a distribution conveyor. The fruits are exposed and radially unconfined by the pockets. They are held between adjacent flights solely by the force of gravity. The pockets move along a generally circular inspection path in front of the sorters so that the latter can scan the fruits and merely flick the culls (or good fruit, as the case may be) out with one hand (or the other) as the rows of fruit move down in front of him. Each sorter does not scan the entire body of fruit on the distribution conveyor in front of him, he looks only on successive rows of fruit that are picked up by the reel and are presented to him one by one. The result of this is that, in effect, each sorter need scan only the percentage of the total fruit presented corresponding to his percentage of the total number of sorters provided. Thus, no fruits are scanned twice.

An important, fatiguereducing aspect of the invention when employed for manual sorting is that by thus presenting a relatively short length of individual rows of fruit to each sorter in a radially unconfined manner, a sorter can remove culls by simply flicking the fruit out of the reel (with either hand) into a discharge station for separate collection. The fruit remaining in the reel after inspection is partially confined in the reel to a point below the upper inspection and sorting sector of its path, after which the fruit is released by the reel automatically, and drops out freely into a separate collection station.

In a modification of the invention, means are provided for rotating each fruit about its center as it is moved over the inspection and sorting path, thereby assisting in exposing blemishes that might otherwise remain on the underside of the fruit and hence be overlooked.

The preferred means for distributing the fruit into presort rows for pickup by the flights of the sorting reel is a simple one. A longitudinal, horizontally running belt conveyor is provided that receives at one end all of the fruit to be sorted. This conveyor is laterally inclined downwardly from its outer to its inner side by an acute angle so that fruit rolls laterally across the conveyor toward the reel. This forms a presort row on the conveyor so that the reel can pick up the fruit a row at a time along the entire length of the conveyor, for presentation to a row of sorters in front of the reel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus with the distribution belt in section.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section through the preferred sorting reel.

FIG. 4 is a plan of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrating the flow of objects in the sorting system.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified form showing a larger diameter sorting reel, no objects being illustrated in this view.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged end view of the apparatus of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an end view, in section, of a modified form of the reel having relatively rotating parts.

FIG. 7A is a fragmentary side view, in section, of the modified reel of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end view, in section, of a modified form of reel having contrarotating parts.

FIG. 8A is a fragmentary end view, in section, of the reel of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary end view showing a belt-type sorting reel.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a modified apparatus (without fruit) showing a deflector bar distribution belt assembly.

FIG. 10A is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line l0A-l0A of FIG. 10.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of another modified form of the invention showing a crowder bar distribution belt assembly.

FIG. 11A is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line llA-IlA of FIG. 11.

FIG. 12 is a set of curves giving comparative cull removal figures when using a conventional sorting belt and the sorting system of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a set of curves showing the performance of a plurality of sorters with a conventional sorting belt and with the reel system of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a section through a commutator-type reel for automatic sorting.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary side view of the reel with parts being broken away.

FIG. 15A is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 15A 15A of FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 is a partially sectioned, fragmentary view of the reel and electrical equipment.

FIG. 16A and 16B are sections taken along lines 16A16A and 16B-l6B ofFIG. 16.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the circuit for one reject commutator segment of the reel.

FIG. 18 is an end view of a modified confining guide assembly.

FIG. 19 is a view on 19-19 of FIG. 18.

FIG. I9A is an enlarged fragmentary section of the confining guide.

FIGS. 20 and 21 show modified reel flight bars.

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified distribution conveyor.

FIG. 23 is a view along line 23.23 of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a section along line 2424 of FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Although the sorting system of the present invention is of general utility in sorting discrete objects it is particularly useful in the sorting of objects having globular shapes such as fruit or the like. The embodiment of the invention to be described is illustrated in connection with the culling of tomatoes that have been harvested while ripe. This harvest includes over ripe, market tomatoes, green tomatoes, tomatoes with blemishes thereon and possibly clods of dirt, etc. The throughput of the sorting system is relatively large and may easily reach the order of ID to 16 tons of tomatoes per hour. It is a feature of the present invention that a crop of this nature can be sorted with a relatively small percentage of missed culls (small percentage of error) while occupying a relatively small area. That is the harvesting system of the present invention is quite compact and will accommodate a row of efficiently working, closely spaced operators, say five or six sorters, more or less.

Referring to FIGS. l4, the embodiment of the invention illustrated includes a feeder conveyor 10 that delivers fruit F, such as tomatoes, to a longitudinally running distribution conveyor 12 which is laterally inclined downwardly at an acute angle a, preferably about 5ll5. Disposed along one side of the distributing conveyor 12 is a rotating sorting reel R that presents the fruit F for inspection and sorting (culling in the illustrated utilization). The market fruit and that running ofl" the end of the distributor conveyor 12 (at most a relatively small overflow) is directed to a market fruit conveyor 14. However, any fruit that runs off the end of conveyor 12 could be collected separately and recirculated through the sorting system by a conveyor system (not shown) which returns the fruit to the conveyor 10. The culls are guided by a depending chute member 16. A platform 18 (FIG. 4) may be provided, as required by the installation, for the formation of a plurality of sorting stations S at which may be positioned sorting operators illustrated by the small circles at the platform and as seen in the diagram of FIG. 2.

The drives for the various moving elements of the sorting system are not critical to the present invention and as shown in FIG. 4, parts are driven by individual hydraulic motors, the speed of which can be adjusted to provide the desired linear motion of the various elements under control principles well established in the art.

For example, the distribution conveyor 12 is operated by a hydraulic motor 22, the reel R is operated by a hydraulic motor 24, and the market fruit and overflow conveyor 14 is turned by a hydraulic motor 26. The drive for the feed conveyor 10 is not shown in the drawings, but the latter can be either a chute or a belt or any other means for providing the necessary input of fruit F to the sorting system.

Sorting reel R has four automatically performed functions as follows:

a. The reel flights each pick up a row of fruit to be inspected from the lower side edge of the distribution conveyor 12.

b. The reel successively presents the rows of fruit picked up to the sorters for inspection.

c. The reel facilitates the removal of fruits (e.g., culls) by a simple manual flicking operation in the preferred embodiment.

d. The reel deposits the unselected (e.g. market fruit) to the conveyor 14.

In the drawings the market fruit is designated as MF and the culled fruit is designated as CF.

The reel R performs the above-delineated functions simply and effectively by a very simple construction. The reel includes a central hub 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which may be in the form of a large diameter pipe closed at its ends by plates 32. Stub shafts 34 project from each end plate of the hub in order that the reel may be mounted for rotation in bearings 36, 38 (FIG. 4). Secured to the hub 30 of the reel are longitudinally extending, circumferentially spaced flights 40 which are preferably formed as angle bars to provide mounting flanges 41 for securing screws 42 (FIG. 3).

End plates 44 are provided to close off the ends of the flight bars 40. A fruit confining guide 50 surrounds the outer, lower quadrant of the reel so that after the fruit has been inspected and sorted it will be retained in the reel over a lower section of its path, to be dropped out onto the market conveyor 14, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The chute 16 for the culled fruit CF has its upper end spaced radially outwardly from the confining guide 50 to provide a path for the discharge of that fruit. The confining guide 50 is supported along its upper edge by a bar 52 (shown only in FIG. 2), the ends of which are supported on the framework of a machine (not shown) in any convenient manner. As seen' in FIG. 2, and with a relatively small diameter reel hub (about 8 inches) the distribution belt 12 has its upper surface disposed at an upper portion of the reel R so that the fruits F are picked up by the flight bars 40 before the bars reach their uppermost or 12 oclock position. Thus, there is an upper inspection or sorting quadrant exposed to the sorting operator from about the 12 oclock to about the 9 oclock position which facilitates inspection and manual flicking of the cull fruit from the reel as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 2. If a larger diameter reel hub is employed (such as the 24-inch reel of FIG. 6) the pickup from the conveyor is lower, at about the 2 oclock position.

Although the objects under inspection are supported by the reel over the inspection section or quadrant, it will also be seen that they are radially unconfined and are readily removed as culls CF when required. Of course, the process can be reversed, and the culls permitted to remain in the reel for distribution by the guide 50, the good or selected objects being flicked out onto the chute lib.

By way of example, in the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. ll-4l, the distribution belt 12 is about 20 inches wide and is driven at about 70 feet per minute and as mentioned it is inclined at an angle a from the horizontail of about Sf-l 5.

The diameter of the hub 30 of the reel R, shown at d in FIG. 3 is about 8 inches, and the radial extent h of the flight bars l from the hub is about 1%2 inches. The preferred reel speed in this embodiment is 8 rpm, giving a peripheral speed of the reel (at the periphery of the flight bars) of 25 feet per minute. The reel length (FIG. it) is about 120 inches and five sorters are positioned in front of the reel giving a scan width w for each sorter of about 24 inches. When employed for the sorting of fruit such as tomatoes, tests have been that this system just described can handle about 250,000 2-inch diameter tomatoes per hour. The sorting efficiency is such that with an input wherein 25 percent of the fruit presented to the sorters are culls, only percent of the fruit will represent culls after the fruit has passed through the sorting system.

In operation, and referring first to FIG. d, a flow of fruit F is introduced by the delivery conveyor 110 to the distribution conveyor 12. Since the conveyor i2 is moving longitudinally with respect to the reel R, the flow pattern for the fruit is established along the paths illustrated schematically by the curved arrows. The effect of the longitudinal motion of the conveyor 12, its inclination angle a and the fact that the reel is continuously picking up fruit from the lowermost edge of the conveyor 12 row by row, results in interaction between the fruits such that a preinspection row of fruit is established along the lower side edge of the conveyor 12, ready for pickup. This steady removal of a row of fruit along the side of the conveyor results in a somewhat triangular-shaped pattern on the conveyor I12 and if the relative speeds of the reel and the conveyor are properly adjusted, taking into consideration the rate of feed from the delivery conveyor 10, the triangle will taper out to an apex substantially at the end of the reel. At times, a few fruits will be carried over the end of conveyor 12 and onto the take-away conveyor 14, without having been picked up by the reel and hence inspected.

As mentioned and as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 2, the reel construction just described facilitates manual flicking of the fruit out of the reel with either hand and the fruit need not be grasped and lifted from the conveyor as in prior devices. A mere use of the fingers coupled with a pulling or flicking motion is all that is required. Experience has shown that the fatigue factor in this type of sorting is less than in the more conventional type of belt sorting which requires grasping and lifting of the fruit, and that under the present invention, a higher rate of sorting given a certain standard of accuracy can be expected.

Although the preferred rotational speed of the 8-inch reel hub R is 8 r.p.m. as mentioned above, under certain conditions the reel can rotate either faster or slower than that figure. For example, it has been found that a slower speed rotation of the 8-inch hub could be employed-such as 4.8 r.p.m., giving a peripheral speed of about 15 feet per minute. At speeds substantially lower than that, the presentation rate to the sorters is so slow as to not utilize their abilities at maximum effectiveness. Of course, where detailed inspection is required without regard to throughput, the reel may be turned as slowly as necessary.

When used for sorting fruit such as tomatoes, the upper practical speed of the reel is in the order of 19-20 r.p.m., giving a peripheral reel speed of about 60 feet per minute. As the reel speed increases from the aforesaid lower to higher speeds, the psychological effect is to increase the rate of culling by the sorting operators and although this increased rate is accompanied by relatively slight increase in the culling error, the culling error remains within acceptable ranges.

The preferred speed of 8 r.p.m. for the reel was selected specifically for the use of tomatoes and with regard to the accuracy requirements of canneries or other uses of the sorted fruit.

MOlDlFIlED FORMS FIGS. 5 and a show a modified form of the invention wherein the reel R has a diameter that is considerably larger than that of the reel R previously described. In this embodiment, the hub 30a of the reel is 24 inches in diameter and the height of the flight bars 430a is substantially lie to 2 inches. It has been found that with a larger diameter reel, an efficiency equal to that of the 8-inch diameter reel will be attained when the width of the inspection or scanning zone equals the 24- inch width w between the sorters shown in FIG. of the previous embodiment. However, if for some reason it is desired to narrow the inspection zone, the larger diameter reel can be blanked off by sheet members 56 (FIG. 5) to provide a narrower inspection zone, such as one having a width x of l2 inches. The larger diameter reel is more efficient when set up for these narrower (under 24 inches) inspection zones than is the smaller reel. The members 56 can either be sheets wrapped around the reel bars mounted as previously described, or could be thickened portions of the hub with the reel bars extending between them, these being obvious mechanical equivalents. In the larger reel embodiment of the invention, it has been found that a peripheral reel speed of about 25 feet a minute gives about the same sorting results as the peripheral speed of about 25 ft./mi.n. with the 8-inch hub reel previously described. With the larger reel, this represents a turning rate of about 3.4 rpm. The lowest practical rotational speed of the 24-inch reel was found to be about 2 rpm. (about 15 feet per minute peripheral speed) and the upper practical speed is about 8 r.p.m. (about 58 feet per minute peripheral speed) under the criteria outlined above in the discussion of the preferred 8-inch hub reel.

In FIGS. 7 and 7A a modified reel assembly R-l is shown which provides for rotation of the fruits about their own centers during inspection. This form of the invention exposes blemishes present on the fruit which might otherwise be hidden on the underside thereof. In the construction shown, the hub 30b of the reel is formed with its stub shaft 31 fixed into end supports 36 and 38 (the latter being at the other end of the reel and not illustrated in the figures), so that the reel hub is stationary. The flight bars 40b are rotated for picking up the fruit and presenting it to the sorting operators. Accordingly, these bars are secured at their ends to end plates, one end plate Mb being shown in FIGS. 7 and 7A. These end plated have hubs 60 that are rotatably mounted on the stub shafts 31 of the reel hub and the end plate 44b illustrated is provided with a driving pulley 62 which is driven by a belt 64} and a pulley 66 on a hydraulic motor 68. In this construction and with an 8-inch hub 30b, the flight bars 40b will be rotated at a speed of 8 rpm. for optimum sorting with fruit such as tomatoes or the like, but the speed range of the flight bars can be from about 4.8 rpm. to about 19.2. r.p.m. as previously described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. l-d.

As the flight bars 40b carry the fruit around the fixed hub 30b, the frictional contact between the fruit and the hub will cause a rotation of the fruits about their own centers for exposing blemishes, soft spots or the like that might otherwise be partially masked by the hub and the flight bars. The other portions of the apparatus employed in connection with the reel assembly bar are like that previously described in connection with the preferred embodiment.

In order to provide a higher degree of rotation of the fruits about their own axes during inspection, the modified assembly of FIGS. 8 and 8A can be employed. In this construction, the reel assembly R-2 is like the reel assembly R-l except that here the hub 30c of the reel is rotated in a direction opposite to that of the flight bars 400. This is accomplished, as seen in FIG. 8A, by rotatably mounting the stub shafts 31c of the reel hub 300 in their bearing supports 36c, 380, (the latter being at the other end of the assembly and not appearing in the drawings). The end plate 440 which supports the flight bars 400 at the end shown in FIG. 8A is rotated by the pulley 62, belt 64, pulley 66 and motor 68 as in the form of FIGS. 7 and 7A. However, in this form, the reel hub 300 is rotated by a pulley 70 secured to the outer end of the stub shaft 310 and is turned in the direction shown in FIG. 8 (toward the sorters) by means of a belt 72, a pulley 74 and another hydraulic motor 76. The form shown has an 8-inch diameter reel hub, and the preferred speed of counterrotation of the hub 300 will be in the order of 2 rpm. The flight bars 400 turn at 8 rpm. (preferably) as before. As mentioned, this counter rotation of the flight bars and reel hub will augment the individual spinning action of the fruit, providing complete exposure of the fruit to the sorting operators.

FIG. 9 illustrates a modified form of the invention wherein the same inspection and sorting path is provided as before, but

the path of motion of objects being sorted on the reel is no longer completely circular. In this form of the invention, the reel R3 is in the form of a flexible belt 61 to which flight bars 40d like those previously described are secured. The belt 61 passes over a driving drum 63 and an idler drum 65, the drum 63 being driven by a hydraulic motor 24:! as previously described. The mode of operation of this form of invention is substantially like that of the preferred embodiment described in detail above, but the upper reach of the belt 61 provides a longer inspection path for the objects being sorted.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-5 a preferred distribution belt is shown wherein the preinspection row of objects is provided along the sorting reel R for ready pickup by the flight bars when they come toward the 12 oclock position of the reel. This construction is simple and effective, but it is contemplated that other distribution systems can be employed in conjunction with the reel system of the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 10A a modified distribution conveyor 12a is provided. Instead of being laterally inclined, the upper surface of the conveyor 12a is disposed in the horizontal plane. In order to crowd tomatoes over toward the reel R (like that of FIGS. 1-5) for pickup and inspection, the distribution conveyor illustrated is provided with five rod deflectors 80 that extend at an angle of about 45f to the direction of conveyor belt motion and across the belt from a supporting bar 82 at the far side of the belt. These rods, in the preferred embodiment, are about inch in diameter and they just clear the belt 12a as seen in FIG. 10A. The resultant distribution pattern resembles that of FIG. 4, but the action is somewhat different. Where the objects are globular such as fruit or the like, they travel along the conveyor belt 12a until they strike a diversion rod 80. Upon striking the rod, they either roll up over the rod and continue along the belt or they move along the rod in a path leading to the edge of the belt for pickup by the reel. The individual objects take the path of least resistance as determined by the forces being ap plied to them by neighboring objects. In practice it is found that the objects will first move along the deflecting rods 80 until they reach the side of the belt, but if they cannot reach this position they -will be pushed over the rods and on down the belt to produce the desired pattern like that illustrated in FIG. 4 but omitted from FIG. 10 for clarity. The linear speed of the belt 12a will be like that of the preferred embodiment, namely about 70 feet per minute.

FIGS. 11 and 11A illustrate a different system for producing a distribution pattern like that shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4. In this form, the belt 12b is somewhat wider than that previously described, namely in the preferred form, it is a belt which is 30 inches wide instead of 20 inches, but its linear speed remains at 70 feet per minute in the preferred embodiment. A curved retarder or crowding wall is mounted across and along the length of the belt and spans the full sorting extent of the system. The wall 90 is pivoted at 92 to a bracket 93 supported on the frame of the machine (not shown) and is gently urged toward the sorting reel by a low rate coil spring 94 backed up at 96 on the frame. The height of the retarder wall 90 is about 2 inches and it is mounted so that it just clears the belt 12b, as seen in FIG. 11A. The action of the retarder wall 90 is to provide a uniform distribution of the incoming fruit to the various sorters disposed along the reel R, as previously described. The distribution pattern is generally like that shown in FIG. 4 is the speeds of the belts and the reel are properly adjusted.

TESTING PROGRAM As previously mentioned, in sorting systems that employ fruit or the like such as tomatoes, the most commonly employed system for handling high tonnage or throughput utilizes a flat sorting belt with a row of sorters disposed along one side of the belt. These people inspect all of the fruit that passes in front of them and manually grasp, lift and deposit selected fruit (e.g., culls) into a conveniently provided cull selection station. It was recognized that the sorting system of the present invention would either make possible a higher throughput with given number of sorters under a predetermined sorting criteria (such as sorting to a level of 5 or 6 percent culls in the final output), or could employ fewer sorters with the prior throughput, while operating under the same error criteria. Accordingly, in order to provide a series of valid reproducible tests, experimental sorting units were set up in a manner in which the continuous flow of simulated fruit having known percentages of culls was presented to sorters. The sorting effectiveness or efficiency in terms of culls missed, etc., in relation to the number of culls provided at a known throughput was then determined, over a large number of runs.

These tests were intended to simulate the sorting of tomatoes and accordingly balls of three colors were provided. Some represented ripe market tomatoes, some were green to represent green or blemished tomatoes, and others were dark red to represent over-ripe fruit. These balls were mixed in known percentages and were continuously presented to the sorters at a known rate. The culls selected by the sorters were counted and the culls remaining after leaving the sorting zone were also counted, giving an index of performance under known conditions. The balls were continuously circulated and were presented to the sorters at various rates which enabled the corresponding total throughput over a given time to be determined. These tests were made on both a conventional sorting belt along which one or more sorters were disposed, as well as with the sorting reel of the present invention. In order to minimize the effect of human factors, various numbers of sorters were employed on the tests, their positions were rotated during the tests and the results averaged The results of tests which give the relation of results using a flat sorting belt with those attained using an 8-inch diameter, 24-inch span zone reel for each sorter are given in the curves of FIGS. 12 and 13.

The curves of FIG. 12 represent the work that can be accomplished by a single sorter in each of the flat belt and reel systems, although as mentioned above, this represents an average result based on tests using a considerable number of sorters under various conditions. The absicissa of the curve gives Culls Presented Per Minute" to the sorter, which figures were obtained by changing the percentage of culls in a given total flow or input to the system, as well as by changing the input or flow rate in terms of objects/minute presented for sorting.

The ordinate of the curves gives Culls Removed Per I /linw te" by the sorter and these figures were obtained simply by counting the number of culls that were flicked from the reel and hence from the mainstream of fruit introduced to the distribution belt 112 of the system of the present invention, or the number removed from the flat sorting belt running alongside of the sorter in accordance with prior conventional sorting systems.

in the tests of the present invention recorded in FIGS. I2 and 13, the reel employed was the preferred embodiment having an 8-inch diameter hub operating at 8 rpm, giving a peripheral speed of about 25 feet per minute and the scanning zone along the reel occupied by a sorter was 24 inches long.

At the outset, it should be noted that the curves of FIG. 12 necessarily reflect certain psychological characteristics of sorters in general that is independent of the nature of the sorting system with which they are working. This characteristic can be explained most simply by a numerical example taken from either of the curves on FIG. 112 For example, referring to the belt curve, if a mixture of good fruit and culls is caused to flow past the sorting station so that 400 culls per minute are presented to the sorter, 146 of the culls will be removed per minute. However, if the flow conditions were such that only 146 culls per minute were presented to the same sorter, he would remove only 105 culls/minutenot all 146 of them. An understanding of this principle indicates the desirability (in actual practice) of presenting as many culls to the sorters as possible while holding the culling error within the acceptable upper limit.

As can be seen from the comparison of the two curves in FIG. l2, cull removal is significantly improved with the 8 by 24 inch reel assembly of the present invention as compared to the standard-type sorting belt. For example, and again referring to the curves of FIG. 12, let us assume that we wish to hold the culling error to some percentage basis, such as the ratio of the number of culls missed to the total number of culls presented, times l--say a 6 percent error. When using standard belt sorting, the maximum cull presentation rate that can be handled to produce no more than a 6 percent error is that represented by presenting a flow having 80 culls per minute to the sorter who thereupon will remove 75 thereof, resulting in an error of approximately 6 percent. Using the reel system of the present invention, the presentation of a flow having 200 culls per minute to the sorter will result in his removal of I88 culls per minute, producing the same 6 percent error. At the 200 rate, the flat belt sorter will remove only 120 culls/min.- a 40 percent error.

Thus the sorting systems of the present invention gives a substantial advantage over the prior bled sorting system which can be evaluated from two standpoints. Either more fruit can be sorted within a given acceptable percentage of error, or a fewer number of sorters can be used to produce the result previously obtainable by the conventional belt sorting system.

The curves of FIG. l3 compare the reel-type sorting system of the present invention with that of the conventional flat belt in another manner. These curves are provided to assist in the selection of a Number of Sorters" required (abscissa of the curve), with the Tons Input Per Hour" to the system (the right-hand ordinate scale), it being assumed that the input material comprises 25 percent culls. The left-hand ordinate of the curve indicated the Culls Removed Per Minute and since the presented objects have a fixed percentage of culls, figures of this ordinate are a restatement of figures of the right-hand ordinate of the curve. Thus, for example, it can be seen that three sorters using the conventional-type belt will handle about 7 tons per hour while they remove about 350 culls per minute leaving percent culls in the final output. The

till

same three sorters, using the reel system of the present invention, will handle over 12 tons per minute, and will remove over 600 culls per minute with the same 5 percent error in sorting.

In certain applications, as many as 14 tons per hour are commonly presented to sorters and as can be seen this will require five sorters on the belt system, whereas only three sorters using the reel system of the present invention could almost handle the same input.

There is another factor which must be considered in actual field use of these sorting systems, and that is the "fatigue factor. It has been found, as mentioned above, that the fatigue factor for reel sorting of the present invention is substantially less than that of belt sorting due to the difference between flicking off the fruit and inspecting an entire flow of fruit and lifting the culls therefrom manually. Since the fatigue factor for the reel sorting system of the present invention can be estimated to give about percent of the production shown on the reel curve, and whereas the fatigue factor for the standard belt sorting system will only give about 55-65 percent, it can be seen that the advantages of the sorting system of the present invention are even greater than that indicated in the curves of FIG. 11?.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. I l-l7 illustrate diagrammatically a mode of operation wherein the sorting system of the present invention can be operated automatically. The electronic details of the type circuitry illustrated are well known and represent state of art designs. Either vacuum tube or transistor circuits can be employed. One or more color signals can be sensed by separate photosensitive elements to precisely distinguish between fruits of different colors. However, in the system to be described, it will be assumed that distinction is only to be made between ripe and green tomatoes, in which case a single photosensitive element with suitable filter can be utilized. Details of the color discrimination features are not critical to the present invention and mode for providing signals representing preuse color discriminations are well known in the art as exemplified by the patent to Roberts, llr., 3,206,022, Sept. 14, I965, assigned to the FMC Corporation, wherein apples are sorted by color. The electronic circuitry described in detail in the Roberts patent can be readily adapted to the sorting of fruit on the reel system of the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art and accordingly it is not believed necessary to describe the circuit elements in detail, particularly since these design elements are not critical to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. t4l l7, the modified reel Rx rotates on a fixed tubular axle lflll which is fixedly mounted in end supports 102, one of which appears in FIG. 16. The hub Ellie of the reel mounts flight bars ille as in the previous embodiments. The hub is closed by end plates MM, one of which appears in FIG. I6. The end plate of FIG. 16 has a hub portion 106 mounting a drive pulley 1108 which is driven by a belt lltl and a hydraulic motor 24le in accordance with the principles previously described. The reel Rx just described has essentially the same mode of operation as the preferred embodiment of the reel R previously illustrated and described.

In the automatic rejection system being described, the reel is axially divided by partitions M2 to provide individual pockets for the fruit. A reject plunger IM is provided for each pocket, as best seen in FIGS. M and i5 and each plunger has a spring-retracted armature llfi (FIG. ISA) that can be projected by an associated electric solenoid 1116. A contractor brush llllti is mounted on the solenoid and connects to its winding 116a, the other end of the winding being grounded. The solenoids are mounted in brackets I20 which have several lugs 122 (FIG. 114i) that mount between inwardly projecting ears formed on the interior of the reel hub 30a. The details of the solenoid mountings are not critical to the present invention, it merely being necessary that the solenoids be mounted for rotation with the reel and in a manner which will withstand the reject thrust of the solenoid plungers us when they are expelled by a reject signal.

A row of commutators is provided on the shaft 100 of the reel for directing reject signals to the individual solenoids 116 associated with each fruit pocket in the reel. In the apparatus illustrated, a commutator segment 124 is mounted between each set of partitions 112, each segment being just above the guide chute 50 (FIG. 14). These segments are insulated from one another and from the reel axle 100 by means of insulation and mounting elements 126. A reject power pulse is introduced into each commutator segment 124 by a lead 128 from a reject circuit (FIG. 17) associated with each segment.

The fruits F are illuminated adjacent an upper portion of the reel Rx by diffuse light provided by long fluorescent lamps 130, 132 (FIGS. 14 and 16). The reflected light is sensed by a photocell unit 134 disposed above each ring of pockets provided by the partitions 112 and the flights 40e. The photocell unit 134 can be a dual unit with appropriate filters to measure light at two wavelengths or it can be a single unit, depending upon the precision and sensitivity required. These details represent known expedients in the color sorting art and hence are not amplified in this brief description of an exemplary sorting system.

Means are provided to initiate a reject signal and to reset the signal apparatus during an arc of motion of the reel flight bars that corresponds to somewhat less than the circumferential extent of one commutator segment 124. Although many electrical and optical means are known for performing this function, in the embodiment illustrated, the function is performed by paired sets of read" commutator segments 140 and reset'commutator segments 150 on the axle 100, there being a pair of these segments for each row of fruit between flight bars 402.

The

segments

140, 150 are mounted by insulation rings 141, 151 on the axle 100. Segments 140,150 are engaged by fixed

brushes

142, 152, respectively. The

segments

140, 150 each connect to a slipring 144 which is engaged by a brush 146 connected to a battery 148. As seen in FIGS. 16 and 17, the reset brush 152 is contacted by a segment 150 of each pair just after the read" brush 142 has been contacted by a seg ment 140 of the same pair. This provides read and reset signals that occur within the length of time required for a solenoid brush 118 to pass over a segment 124.

In operation, and as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 17, when a green fruit (for example) is sensed by the photocell unit 134, a reject signal voltage is imparted to a line 160 and amplified at 162. This provides a reject signal voltage at line 164 leading to an AND-circuit 166. While a fruit F is thus being sensed for color, the corresponding rea brush 142 will engage a read commutator segment 140 and a read signal appears on a line 170 leading to a bistable multivibrator FF1. Of course, lines 170a, 170b, etc., and associated circuits are provided for each commutator segment 120. The diagram of FIG. 17 illustrates only the circuitry required for one of these segments.

The read pulse from line 170 is transmitted from F F-l by a line 172 to the AND-circuit 166 previously described, which also receives a reject pulse voltage, when a bad fruit is sensed by the photocell unit. The output of the AND circuit flips a multivibrator FF-2 if a bad fruit is sensed. This is a time delay unit and after a suitable time delay, provides a reject voltage signal to a line 176 that leads to a power switch 178. Upon receipt of the reject voltage, the power switch immediately provides a reject power pulse to the line 128 leading to the brush segment 124. The reject solenoid 116 is now energized, sliding the bad fruit CF across the flight bar 40c (FIG. 14) and into the cull collecting station, as previously described. The time constant of the time delay multivibrator FF-2 will be such as to allow for rotation of the reel flight bars by approximately one quadrant, that is from the read position at the top of the reel to the reject" position at about the 9 oclock position of the reel, as illustrated in FIG. 14.

Almost immediately after the read" signal has been convened into a reject signal as described above, the brush 152 is contacted by the associated reset commutator segment 150.

This sends a reset pulse to a lead that resets FF-I which in turn resets FF-2 to ready the circuit for another read" signal.

Branch lines

190a, 190b, etc., are provided for the other individual circuits provided for each commutator segment 124, as explained in connection with the read" signal line 170.

Although read signals are applied to the AND circuit for every fruit in each individual circuit of FIG. 17, rejections will only occur when the individual fruits supply reject signals to their associated photosensitive elements 134. Thus, in a given row of tomatoes along a flight bar 40c, only those tomatoes which are off color will be rejected by the solenoid plungers 1 14.

The circuit just explained rejects oiTcolor fruit, but this is a mere design feature. The sensors can be designed to provide reject signals for ripe fruit, leaving the cull fruit in the reel.

ADDITIONAL EMBODIMENTS employing a modified object confining guide at the reel. In this embodiment, the reel R (illustrated as the reel shown in the embodiment of FIGS. l-4) is mounted in association with a distribution conveyor 12 and a take away conveyor 14 as previously described. In this embodiment, the take-away conveyor 14 is now disposed so that it is more central of the reel axis than in the position shown in FIG. 2, for example. The modified confining guide, indicated at 200, has two features not previously described. It distributes the objects uniformly on the take-away conveyor 14 and has a flexible flap that provides a safety feature during operation.

As best seen in FIG. 19, the confining guide 200 is tapered at 202 along the path of travel of the take-away conveyor belt 14.

Retainer walls

204, 206 flank the belt 14.

The purpose of this construction is to minimize the dropping of fruit from a downstream location along the conveyor 14 onto fruit previously deposited on that conveyor at an upstream location. To explain this action, it can be considered, by way of simplication and example, that fruits such as tomatoes are dropped off the edge 202 of the guide 200 in a row disposed along that edge. Since the edge 202 runs diagonally across the conveyor 14, the edge acts to drop the fruit onto the conveyor 14 in discrete rows along that conveyor, without substantial interference between rows. Thus, the tendency of a given fruit deposited downstream of the conveyor 14 to fall upon a fruit deposited upstream of the same conveyor is minimized.

The other feature of this embodiment resides in the provision of a rubber or rubberized canvas flap 208 which is screwed at 210 along the upper edge of the confining guide 200. This flap will yield in case inexperienced operators attempt to retrieve fruit passing down between the confining guide and the reel R. By thus readily yielding, the flap 208 maintains the fruit confining function of the guide 200, but the operators fingers will not be pinched by the flight bars 40 as the latter pass within the confines of the guides.

FIG. 20 shows a modified form of reel R-4 wherein the flight bars 40f are formed in the manner of the reel R previously described, but are provided of the reel R previously described, but are provided with end caps 220. Each cap 220 can be formed as a U-shaped rubber, plastic or metal strip secured in any convenient manner to the projecting flange of the flight bar 40e. These caps assist in preventing the premature rolloff of the fruit F as it approaches the horizontal or 9 o'clock sorting position.

FIG. 21 shows a similarly constructed reel R-S wherein the flight bars 40g have curled or turned over ends 230, which serve as auxiliary retainers to prevent accidental rolloff of the fruit in the manner just described. Neither of the

caps

220, 230 interfere with sliding of the fruit out of the reel.

FIGS. 22 and 23 shows a modified distribution assembly designed to insure that only a single layer of fruit will be presented to the reel R by the distribution conveyor 12. In this ild assembly, a leveling bar 240 is mounted on the frame as indicated at 242. The bar 2 W extends across the conveyor 12 and hence is in the path of the fruit between a zone 2M where it is deposited on the distribution conveyor l2 and the zone of the conveyor l2 that is in front the reel R. As best seen in FIG. 24, the leveling bar M is spaced above the upper reach of the distribution conveyor ll2 by a distance which is sufficient for a single vertical layer of fruit F of maximum expected diameter to pass. As a result of this, a single layer of fruit is provided on the distribution conveyor 12 so that the fruit is picked off that conveyor in single depth rows, thereby further insuring that each fruit will be individually inspected by the sorting operator.

Having concluded a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention it can be seen that the sorting system of the present invention is not only simple and compact, but provides substantial advantages in maintaining a confined percentage of error in sorting or conversely in producing more sorts in a given length of time with a given error than that made possible with prior standardized systems.

Although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been herein shown and described, it will be apparent that modification and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention.

What i claim is:

l. Apparatus for facillitating the sorting of discrete objects, comprising means providing a sorting station, reel means disposed along said sorting station and having flights for supporting the objects in successive rows, conveyor means for successively filling the upper flights of said reel means, means for moving the filled flights over an upper, generally circular inspection path while leaving all of the objects in each row exposed and radially unconfined for ready removal to a first collection station, means for confining objects remaining in said reel means over a path below said inspection path, and means for thereafter releasing the objects thus confined to a second collection station, said reel means being of a diameter that is sufficiently larger than the objects so that at least two of said flights are disposed in said upper, generally circular inspection path.

2. The apparatus of claim ll, wherein said objects are generally globular objects such as fruit or the like, a row of manual sorting stations is provided, said reel means extending along said row of stations, and the objects are supported along their inspection path so that they can be manually flicked out of their flights.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor means is a generally horizontally running endless belt, said conveyor belt being laterally inclined downward toward said reel for forming a preinspection row of objects ready to be picked off by a flight ofsaid reel.

l. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said reel means com prises a single, elongate reel.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said reel means comprises a generally cylindrical hub, said flights each comprising longitudinal bar means projecting radially from said hub, with the circumferential spacing of the bar means being large enough to accommodate the size range of the individual objects being sorted.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the diameter of said reel hub lies in the range of about 8 to 24 inches and the reel means is driven at a peripheral speed in the range of about 15 to 60 ft./min.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the diameter of said reel means hub is about 8 inches and the reel means is driven at about 5 to rpm.

it. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said object confining means comprises a curved shield that cooperates with the reel flights below said inspection path.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising a flexible flap pro-- jecting upwardly from said curved shield.

it). The apparatus of claim ti, wherein said second collection station comprises a conveyor running beneath reel means, said curved object confining shield having an apron for delivering the object to said conveyor that is tapered along the path of conveyor motion.

ill. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said reel means comprises a cylindrical hub having generally radially projecting, axially extending flights.

H2. The apparatus of claim it, wherein the free ends of said flights are enlarged to reduce accidental dislodgement of objects from the flights.

l3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor means comprises a belt running along said reel means and having a receiving end that projects past the reel means, a feeder conveyor for said belt, and a leveling bar extending across said belt downstream of said feeder conveyor.

M. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor mans is a generally horizontally running endless belt, and low profile rods extending angularly across the belt.

115. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor means is a generally horizontally running belt, and a spring-biased, curved erowder arm extending along and over the belt.

116. Sorting apparatus for globular articles such as fruit or the like, comprising an article distributing conveyor belt, an elongate reel disposed alongside said belt, said reel comprising a cylindrical hub with axially disposed, radially extending flight bars cooperating with the hub to form radially open article receiving pockets, the diameter of said reel being such that at least two of said flights are in the upper, descending quadrant of said reel, means for forming the objects on said belt into a row at the side of the belt adjacent said reel and for urging the row of objects between adjacent reel flight bars along the length of the reel, means providing a plurality of manual sorting stations disposed along the side of said reel opposite the belt, a fixed article confining shield disposed around a lower quadrant of said reel, the upper end of said shield being spaced from said reel hub only far enough to clear the largest objects, means for separating receiving articles on each side of said shield, and means for rotating said reel so that its upper quadrant moves from said belt toward said sorting statrons.

17. The apparatus of claim to, wherein said belt is laterally inclined toward an upper portion of said reel.

lid. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the peripheral speed of the said reel is about 25 ft./min.

W. The apparatus ofclaim l6 wherein said reel hub is about 8 inches in diameter, and the flight bars project about 1-2 inches therefrom.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said reel is rotated at about 5-20 rpm.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said reel is rotated at at about 8 rpm.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said sorting stations are about 24 inches apart.

23. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said reel hub is about 24 inches in diameter, and the flight bars project about 1-2 inches therefrom.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said reel is rotated at about 2-8 rpm.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said reel flights are blanked out between sorting stations, leaving about 12 inches of flight length at each station.

as. The method of sorting a mass of discrete objects comprising the steps of carrying spaced longitudinal rows of the objects over a generally circular inspection path at a sorting station while supporting the objects in each row over the downwardly moving upper sector of said path so that they are exposed, radially unconfined and circumferentially spaced sufficiently for ready removal of selected objects from their row, the diameter of said path being sufficiently larger than that of the objects so that at least two rows of objects are thus supported in the downwardly moving upper sector of said path; externally confining the rows around a lower sector of said circular path and around an initial radius not substantially grater than that taken by the outermost portions of the objects; sliding selected individual objects radially along and clear of their downwardly moving supports in the upper sector of said path and clear of the confinement for the lower sector of the path, collecting the selected objects as they fall by gravity, and continuing to carry the rows of nonselected objects around the confined lower sector of said path.

27. The method of claim 26, comprising the steps of moving the assorted objects along a longitudinal feeder path transverse to said inspection path, and lifting objects from said feeder path by supports on the upwardly moving upper sector of a circular pickup path for delivering the objects to said downwardly moving upper sector of said inspection path.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the objects are supported from directly beneath their centers of gravity as they reach the end of said downwardly moving upper sector of said path.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein said discrete objects are fruits such as tomatoes or the like, said sorting stations comprise a plurality of manual sorting stations provided along said row of objects, and the selected objects presented for sorting are removed by a mere manual flicking of the objects clear of their supports as they are carried over said inspection path.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent: No. 3,637,075 Dated anuary 25, 1971 Inven David W. Cayton It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 16 line 39 "separating" should read separately Signed and sealed this 20th day of March 1973 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM pomso (10459) uscowwoc 6O376-P69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 O-36E3344

Claims

1. Apparatus for facillitating the sorting of discrete objects, comprising means providing a sorting station, reel means disposed along said sorting station and having flights for supporting the objects in successive rows, conveyor means for successively filling the upper flights of said reel means, means for moving the filled flights over an upper, generally circular inspection path while leaving all of the objects in each row exposed and radially unconfined for ready removal to a first collection station, means for confining objects remaining in said reel means over a path below said inspection path, and means for thereafter releasing the objects thus confined to a second collection station, said reel means being of a diameter that is sufficiently larger than the objects so that at least two of said flights are disposed in said upper, generally circular inspection path.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said objects are generally globular objects such as fruit or the like, a row of manual sorting stations is provided, said reel means extending along said row of stations, and the objects are supported along their inspection path so that they can be manually flicked out of their flights.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor means is a generally horizontally running endless belt, said conveyor belt being laterally inclined downward toward said reel for forming a preinspection row of objects ready to be picked off by a flight of said reel.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said reel means comprises a single, elongate reel.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the diameter of said reel means hub is about 8 inches and the reel means is driven at about 5 to 20 r.p.m.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said object confining means comprises a curved shield that cooperates with the reel flights below said inspection path.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, comprising a flexible flap projecting upwardly from said curved shield.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said second collection station comprises a conveyor running beneath reel means, said curved object confining shield having an apron for delivering the object to said conveyor that is tapered along the path of conveyor motion.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said reel means comprises a cylindrical hub having generally radially projecting, axially extending flights.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the free ends of said flights are enlarged to reduce accidental dislodgement of objects from the flights.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor means comprises a belt running along said reel means and having a receiving end that projects past the reel means, a feeder conveyor for said belt, and a leveling bar extending across said belt downstream of said feeder conveyor.

14. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor means is a generally horizontally running endless belt, and low profile rods extending angularly across the belt.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said conveyor means is a generally horizontally running belt, and a spring-biased, curved crowder arm extending along and over the belt.

16. Sorting apparatus for globular articles such as fruit or the like, comprising an article distributing conveyor belt, an elongate reel disposed alongside said belt, said reel comprising a cylindrical hub with axially disposed, radially extending flight bars cooperating with the hub to form radially open article receiving pockets, the diameter of said reel being such that at least two of said flights are in the upper, descending quadrant of said reel, means for forming the objects on said belt into a row at the side of the belt adjacent said reel and for urging the row of objects between adjacent reel flight bars along the length of the reel, means providing a plurality of manual sorting stations disposed along the side of said reel opposite the belt, a fixed article confining shield disposed around a lower quadrant of said reel, the upper end of said shield being spaced from said reel hub only far enough to clear the largest objects, means for separating receiving articles on each side of said shield, and means for rotating said reel so that its upper quadrant moves from said belt toward said sorting stations.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said belt is laterally inclined downward toward an upper portion of said reel.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the peripheral speed of the said reel is about 25 ft./min.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said reel hub is about 8 inches in diameter, and the flight bars project about 1- 2 inches therefrom.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said reel is rotated at about 5- 20 r.p.m.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said reel is rotated at at about 8 r.p.m.

23. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said reel hub is about 24 inches in diameter, and the flight bars project about 1- 2 inches therefrom.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said reel is rotated at about 2- 8 r.p.m.

26. The method of sorting a mass of discrete objects comprising the steps of carrying spaced longitudinal rows of the objects over a generally circular inspectioN path at a sorting station while supporting the objects in each row over the downwardly moving upper sector of said path so that they are exposed, radially unconfined and circumferentially spaced sufficiently for ready removal of selected objects from their row, the diameter of said path being sufficiently larger than that of the objects so that at least two rows of objects are thus supported in the downwardly moving upper sector of said path; externally confining the rows around a lower sector of said circular path and around an initial radius not substantially grater than that taken by the outermost portions of the objects; sliding selected individual objects radially along and clear of their downwardly moving supports in the upper sector of said path and clear of the confinement for the lower sector of the path, collecting the selected objects as they fall by gravity, and continuing to carry the rows of nonselected objects around the confined lower sector of said path.