Abstract: The invention relates to a carrier for articles such as fruits, eggs, comprising a frame, two gripper members each having a free end in which an opening is provided for receiving an article between the free ends, the free ends of the gripper being movable relative to each other in such a way that an article can be received between the ends and subsequently released therefrom, wherein one of the gripper members consists of two parts and the two parts are mounted under a spring load on one and the same shaft for pivotal movement relative to each other. The axis of the shaft on which the pivoting gripper member is mounted for pivotal movement, is parallel to the direction of travel of a conveyor, for instance a chain, to which the shaft is connected. The other gripper member is fixedly connected to the conveyor, for instance a chain part. The invention further relates to a conveying apparatus comprising such a carrier.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of, and apparatus for, detecting the position of an object relative to a detector device, in which a pulse signal is transmitted to such object by a transmitter means, and a receiver means receives a signal reflected by the object, the position of the object being determined in dependence upon the time difference between the moment the transmitter means transmits the pulse signal and the moment the receiver means receives the reflected signal. According to the invention, to eliminate the effect of spurious signals, a reference signal stored in a memory means is subtracted from the signal received by the receiver means, which reference signal has previously been received by the receiver means in response to a signal transmitted by the transmitter means in the absence of an object whose position is to be detected.

Abstract: A rolling container for stacks of egg trays, comprising a wheeled frame including interconnected upright sections and sidewalls, and presenting a plurality of storeys separated by shelves with a relatively low front edge, characterized in that the container has a completely open front and the shelves are fixedly mounted, the arrangement being such that adjacent stacks can be taken out all at the same time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for testing and further processing eggs. According to the invention the eggs upon being supplied are first tested automatically for such major damage as open breaks and/or such dirt as blood stains. Further, each egg is scanned with a beam of light directed at the egg shell and the size of the aperture in the shell or any dirt is measured by a multiple transducer, viz. by counting the number of bright and dark pixels, respectively, and thus establishing the size of the damage or dirt, whereafter through comparison with set values it is automatically determined in what category of damage or contamination the egg in question is to be classified. The invention also relates to apparatus for carrying out this method.

Abstract: An apparatus for unloading a container having different shelves, each filled with a plurality of stacks of trays filled with a product, such as eggs. The container is comprised of four vertical support sections and horizontal connecting sections which support the stack carrying shelves. During the unloading of the various shelves, each of which carries at least three adjacent stacks of trays, the middle stack is, preferably, first removed, and more preferably after loosening such middle stack by lifting and moving it sideways a small distance to prevent jamming of the middle stack and an adjacent stack. In one embodiment, a fork-shaped unloading device can be inserted under tunnel-shaped openings of the lowermost of a stack of trays, and the points of which are provided with switch elements or sensors.

Abstract: Apparatus for cleaning objects such as eggs and fruit. The apparatus comprises a housing, a roller conveyor having an upper run extending through the housing, one or more rotary brushes disposed over the upper run, one or more sprayers directed towards the conveyor, and a liquid rceptacle underneath the upper run. To prevent, or at least substantially mitigate the production of vapor in the place where the apparatus is disposed, means are provided for exhausting vapor at the positions where the conveyors enters and leaves the housing. Preferably the housing is double-walled at least where the conveyor enters and leaves the housing, and the cavities between the walls are kept continuously under a subatmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sorting articles passing an inspection station and subsequently removing selected articles from a transporting track. The position of the articles to be removed is determined by means of a pointer positioned next to an article during its movement along the inspection station, and the position moves along with the transporting track. A signal is generated by the pointer for removing the article from the track. The position of the article is determined by the pointer and at least two fixed points on either side of the inspection station. The pointer and the fixed points are fitted with an ultrasonic transmitter and a receiver, respectively, or the other way round, or with a combined transmitter/receiver.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of unloading a container having shelves at different levels, each shelf being filled with at least three adjacent stacks of trays filled with a product, such as eggs. The container is comprised of four vertical angle sections connected by horizontal sections which support the stack carrying shelves. The middle stack of trays is always removed first, after loosening that stack by moving it slightly sideways to prevent jamming with the outer adjacent stacks of trays. In one embodiment, a fork-shaped unloading device is used for the unloading, which device can be inserted under tunnel-shaped openings of the lowermost tray of a stack of trays, and the points of which are provided with switch elements or sensors to sense the edge of the shelf. A beam, with electromagnets, is used to lift a superadjacent shelf so that stacks of trays can be unloaded from a subadjacent shelf.

Abstract: A method of checking eggs for flaws and blemishes, such as blood, dirt, cracks, a leak or aberrant form, in which the eggs, while located on a conveyor roller track, pass an inspection station, where the unwanted eggs are determined as such, with the information of the respective eggs being stored in a tracking memory (shift register), after which the unwanted eggs are discharged separately, whereby more in particular for a fast detection of flaws and blemishes, the eggs for for a short period be lifted off either of two bearing rollers of the conveyor roller track, and brought into contact with other rollers being driven at high peripheral speed, during which period the egg is sensed by a detector, which transmits the result of the sensing to the memory.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning eggs comprising a housing, a roller conveyor, at least the upper run of which extends through said housing, rotary brushes disposed above said upper run of the roller conveyor, at least one driving crank shaft for moving the brushes in an axial direction, and fluid supply means disposed above the brushes. The improvement is that the brushes are coupled two by two by means of a yoke having a bearing arranged to rotate about a journal which is fixedly secured to a frame. Each yoke is further provided with a pin which is connected to a driving rod, and one end of the driving rod is driven by a driving crank-shaft mechanism.

Abstract: A method of drying eggs, fruits or the like articles, in which water or other moisture is removed from the articles by blowing air at high speed along the articles, after which the water drops are removed from this air, and the air being subsequently passed again along the articles. Said air, after removal of the drops therefrom, is diverted along a blower or the like where it is pre-heated with heat dissipated from the blower and is again passed as pre-heated, unsaturated air along the articles.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting and removing undesirable objects from a feed belt conveyor which passes an inspection station, while downstream of the inspection station there is arranged a "trapdoor" and subsequently a discharge conveyor. The undesirable objects can be discharged through the trapdoor, which undesirable objects can be defined as such upstream of the trapdoor by human or automatic detection. The location of the objects in question can for instance be defined by a "tracking" memory (shift register) and remains known at least as far as the trapdoor. In an apparatus more particularly adapted for processing vulnerable objects, such as eggs, the feed belt conveyor and the discharge belt conveyor are substantially aligned, there being arranged at least adjacent the trapdoor disposed between the belts, a turnstile, a chain having carriers (FIG. 2) or the like.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for packaging eggs supplied by a feed conveyor, said eggs being supplied from said feed conveyor via transfer means to a carton. For the purpose of simultaneously packaging more than one row of eggs, the successive rows of eggs are transferred from said feed conveyor by means of a star wheel and at least one reciprocating sliding plate arranged downstream of said wheel, to two or more successive rows of egg holding or carrying means.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transporting vulnerable products such as eggs, along successive stations and handling the same therein, each product at the beginning of the handling cycle being received separately in a container that is freely moveable in at least one direction during a part of the handling cycle, and being removed therefrom after the handling cycle. The container may be open at the top, narrowing towards the bottom, e.g. according to a truncated cone, and further comprising a foot extending perpendicularly to the container axis, the outer circumference of the foot being at least equal to the outer circumference of the upper edge of the container.

Abstract: A machine for candling articles, such as hatching-eggs, fed on a so-called hatching frame on which the eggs are disposed in juxtaposed rows, which machine comprises a plurality of light measuring systems each including a light source and a sensor. The light measuring systems are arranged in such an array that the articles to be each measured as they rest on the hatching-frame are shielded relative to each other by adjacent articles.

Abstract: A counting apparatus for counting objects, such as chicks, passed in succession over a conveyor belt through a light beam present between a light source and a photodetector, in which the photodetector produces a detection signal upon each passage of an object through the light beam, which detection signal is applied to a voltage-to-frequency converter for conversion into a frequency varying in accordance with the magnitude of the detection signal, and which detection signal is also applied to a pulse former for conversion into a count pulse whose width is indicative of the period of time required for an object to pass by; wherein the number of cycles of the frequency is counted in a data counter during the period of time that a count pulse is present, and the count pulse is applied to an object counter in response to the data counter having counted a given number of cycles.

Abstract: Apparatus for horizontally and vertically transporting articles, such as eggs, without dropping thereof, in which an intermittently, substantially horizontally movable conveyor is provided with a plurality of holders, each designed to hold a single article. Each holder comprises at least two rotary portions, movable between a closed position in which it supports an article and an open position in which it releases an article. The conveyor transports the articles, while the holders are in closed positions, into a transfer station which is provided with a plurality grippers, such as suction cups, one for each associated holder in the transfer station. Each gripper grips an article in an associated holder, while the holder is in a closed position, and after the holder is opened, the gripper transports the article vertically downwardly, through the opened rotary portions of the holder, to minimize dropping thereof, after which the article is released.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for weight grading and further processing eggs. After being weighed, the eggs are supplied to a conveyor for the transportation of the weighed eggs to a plurality of buffers, such as belts arranged in a refrigerated space, each said buffer being adapted to receive eggs of a given weight class, and from which the eggs can be discharged in the unpacked state when needed.

Abstract: Apparatus for mechanically denesting and delivering the bottom one of a nested stack of trays for eggs of the like, each substantially consisting of a plane web portion and projections extending upwardly and downwardly from said web portion, which projections engage with each other during nesting. The apparatus is provided with a plurality of tray engaging members for pulling said bottom tray downwardly both by downwardly extending projections and its peripheral edge.

Abstract: Stacks of nested containers containing articles and traveling on a conveyor belt are removed from the belt by means of at least two denesters which deposit the articles on one discharge belt and the containers on another discharge belt. One denester operates on the upper half of each stack of filled containers and the other denester operates on the lower half of the stack.