Diverter conveyor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10351380-B2
Application number	US-201715783630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2017
Priority date	Oct 14, 2016
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A diverter conveyor includes a frame supporting an upper conveyor that has an upstream end and a downstream end and that is configured to carry sheets in a first, downstream, direction. A plurality of nip rollers are mounted on the frame upstream of the upstream end of the upper conveyor and are spaced from the upstream end of the upper conveyor by a gap. The nip rollers feed the sheets along a main path to the upstream end of the upper conveyor. A rejection conveyor is supported by the frame and has a portion beneath the gap and extends away from the upper conveyor at an acute angle. A plurality of paddles are mounted at the first gap, and an actuator is operably connected to the paddles and configured to shift the paddles from a first position out of the main path to a second position in the main path.

First claim

We claim:

1. A diverter conveyor comprising:
a frame supporting an upper conveyor, the upper conveyor having an upstream end and a downstream end and being configured to carry sheets of material in a first direction from the upstream end toward the downstream end,
a plurality of nip rollers mounted on the frame upstream of the upstream end of the upper conveyor, the plurality of nip rollers being spaced from the upstream end of the upper conveyor by a first gap, the plurality of nip rollers being configured to feed the sheets of material along a main path to the upstream end of the upper conveyor without cutting the sheets of material;
a rejection conveyor supported by the frame and having an upstream end and a downstream end and a portion beneath the first gap, the rejection conveyor extending away from the upper conveyor at an acute angle;
a plurality of paddles mounted at the first gap; and
an actuator operably connected to the plurality of paddles and configured to shift the plurality of paddles from a first position spaced from the main path to a second position in the main path.

2. The diverter conveyor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of paddles are configured such that when the plurality of paddles are in the first position, sheets exiting the nip rollers travel along the main path to the upstream conveyor and such that when the plurality of paddles are in the second position, sheets exiting the nip rollers are diverted away from the main path by the paddles along a diverted path and onto the rejection conveyor.

3. The diverter conveyor according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of paddles are mounted on a first rod, wherein the first rod is rotatably supported by the frame, and wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the first rod to shift the plurality of paddles from the first position to the second position.

4. The diverter conveyor according to claim 3 , including at least one diverter plate at the upstream end of the upper conveyor downstream of the plurality of paddles and below the main path, the at least one diverter plate defining a portion of the diverted path and being configured to divert the sheets toward the rejection conveyor.

5. The diverter conveyor according to claim 4 , further including a controller configured to control the actuator.

6. The diverter conveyor according to claim 4 , wherein the upper conveyor comprises a plurality of belts extending in the first direction, the belts being spaced in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and a plurality of rollers mounted over the plurality of belts for defining an upper conveyor travel path between the plurality of rollers and the plurality of belts for carrying the sheets in the first direction.

7. The diverter conveyor according to claim 6 ,
wherein the frame comprises a first upstream vertical support and a second upstream vertical support spaced from the first upstream vertical support in the second direction and a first downstream vertical support and a second downstream vertical support spaced from the first downstream vertical support in the second direction,
wherein the first rod extends from the first upstream vertical support to the second upstream vertical support, and
wherein the upstream end of the rejection conveyor is supported by a second rod extending from the first upstream vertical support to the second upstream vertical support.

8. The diverter conveyor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the frame comprises a first upstream vertical support and a second upstream vertical support spaced from the first upstream vertical support in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a first downstream vertical support and a second downstream vertical support spaced from the first downstream vertical support in the second direction,
wherein the plurality of paddles are mounted on a first rod extending from the first upstream vertical support to the second upstream vertical support, and
wherein the upstream end of the rejection conveyor is supported by a second rod extending from the first upstream vertical support to the second upstream vertical support.

9. A conveyor system comprising:
the diverter conveyor according to claim 1 ;
a feeding conveyor having an upstream end and having a downstream end spaced from the plurality of nip rollers of the diverter conveyor and being configured to feed the sheets of material across a second gap between the downstream end of the feeding conveyor and the plurality of nip rollers to the plurality of nip rollers; and
a receiving conveyor having an upstream end located at the downstream end of the diverter conveyor and having a downstream end, the upstream end of the receiving conveyor being spaced from the downstream end of the diverter conveyor by a third gap, the receiving conveyor being configured to receive the sheets from the downstream end of the diverter conveyor.

10. The diverter conveyor according to claim 1 ,
including a sensor configured to detect a condition of the sheets and to produce at least one output signal in response to the detection of the condition, and
a controller configured to receive the at least one signal and to control the actuator based on the received at least one signal.

11. The diverter conveyor according to claim 10 ,
wherein the condition of the sheets comprises a number of the sheets passing the sensor.

12. The diverter conveyor according to claim 10 , wherein the condition of the sheets comprises a shape or an alignment of the sheets.

13. The diverter conveyor according to claim 10 , wherein the condition of the sheets comprises an appearance of the sheets.

14. The diverter conveyor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of nip rollers are configured to pull sheets of material into the diverter conveyor, and when the plurality of paddles is in the first position, to feed the sheets of material toward the upstream end of the upper conveyor, and when the plurality of paddles is in the second position, to drive the sheets against the plurality of paddles and toward the rejection conveyor.

15. The diverter conveyor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the upper conveyor has a top surface lying in a plane and wherein the plurality of paddles in the first position lie entirely to a first side of the plane and are spaced from the main path.

16. The diverter conveyor according to claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of paddles has a sheet contact surface facing the bottom of the frame, the sheet contact surfaces being located above the plane when the plurality of paddles is in the first position.

17. A diverter conveyor comprising:
a frame having a top and a bottom and a first end and a second end, the second end being spaced from the first end in a sheet travel direction;
an upper conveyor supported by the frame and having a first end and a second end and a top surface lying in a plane, the second end of the upper conveyor being spaced from the first end of the upper conveyor in the sheet travel direction, the upper conveyor being configured to receive sheets of material traveling along a sheet transport path;
a rejection conveyor supported by the frame and having a first end and a second end, the second end of the rejection conveyor being spaced from the first end of the rejection conveyor in the sheet travel direction, the first end of the rejection conveyor being spaced from the frame bottom by a first distance and the second end of the rejection conveyor being spaced from the frame bottom by a second distance less than the first distance,
a plurality

Assignees

• A G Stacker Inc

Inventors

• Allen Jr Clarence C
• STEMPIHAR Eric
• Hege Dalton
• Gorby Kevin G
• Sundstrom Micah C

Classifications

• B65H2402/10

  Modular constructions, e.g. using preformed elements or profiles · CPC title

• B65H2701/1762

  Corrugated · CPC title

• B65H43/04

  detecting, or responding to, presence of faulty articles (B65H43/08 takes precedence; diverting faulty articles from main streams B65H29/62) · CPC title

• B65H2511/16

  Irregularities, e.g. protuberances · CPC title

• B65H2404/261

  Arrangement of belts, or belt(s) / roller(s) facing each other for forming a transport nip · CPC title