Abstract: An apparatus for sorting agricultural products, including: a conveyor line (1) to convey products (P) along an advancement direction (A); an entry section (3), where the products are arranged on the conveyor line; an unloading section (4); a control section (6), interposed between the entry section and the unloading section to attribute a signal indicative of predefined physical characteristics to each product. The conveyor line includes: a first conveyor device (9) to convey the agricultural products forward; a second conveyor device (20), to convey the products forward and to cause the products to roll over, extending from the entry section to at least as far as an intermediate tract of the control section and that is movable between a first operating configuration, wherein it supports the products, and a second operating configuration, wherein it releases the products onto the first conveyor device.

Abstract: A jig assembly for selecting and presenting fastener nuts in the correct orientation, each fastener nut including a nut cap and an assembling portion formed on an end of the fastener nut. The diameter of the nut cap is larger than the diameter of the assembling portion. The jig assembly includes an electric cabinet, a jig bracket, a feed container, and a sorting tray. The feed container includes a selector with an opening. The width of the opening is equal to the height of the fastener nut, the first sidewall of the selector forms a plurality of restricting protrusions, and each two adjacent restricting protrusions cooperatively define a restricting groove therebetween. The width of each restricting groove is equal to the diameter of the assembling portion, thus only fastener nuts in the correct orientation are capable of passing through the selector to be collected in the sorting tray.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting agricultural products, including: a conveyor line (1) to convey products (P) along an advancement direction (A); an entry section (3), where the products are arranged on the conveyor line; an unloading section (4); a control section (6), interposed between the entry section and the unloading section to attribute a signal indicative of predefined physical characteristics to each product. The conveyor line includes: a first conveyor device (9) to convey the agricultural products forward; a second conveyor device (20), to convey the products forward and to cause the products to roll over, extending from the entry section to at least as far as an intermediate tract of the control section and that is movable between a first operating configuration, wherein it supports the products, and a second operating configuration, wherein it releases the products onto the first conveyor device.

Abstract: An improved system and method for separating combustible organic particles from noncombustible inorganic particles in coal, in preparation for combustion. The coal is size-reduced and size-graded to small pieces which are then supplied to input ends of water-immersed descending slides having ultrasonic transducers for vibratory separation of inorganic and organic particles. The slides have different longitudinal lengths with angles of declination configured to achieve time-differential exposure to the ultrasonic vibratory energy, with smaller coal pieces being subjected to shorter time ultrasonic vibratory exposure. In one preferred form, longitudinally spaced turbidity sensors along the slide provide signals used to control selected ultrasonic transducers upon substantially complete cleaning of the coal pieces.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method stand up and process articles of different dimensions, in particular flat mail items. A conveying device transports articles to an up-ending apparatus. The up-ending apparatus transports the articles further and, in the process, up-ends the articles such that the up-ended articles stand on an edge. Up-ended articles are transported to a separating apparatus. The separating apparatus separates flat articles such that a stream of upright, spaced-apart articles leaves the separating apparatus. Up-ended and separated articles are transported to a format-separating device. The format-separating device divides the articles as a function of the dimensions thereof into article classes such that all of the articles of a set of articles belong to the same format class. All of the articles of a set of articles are transported as a stream of upright and spaced-apart articles to an appropriate processing device. The processing device processes the articles.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and method for sorting piece goods. The apparatus comprises a sorting arrangement which comprises two rollers arranged parallel to one another, wherein these rollers can rotate about their longitudinal direction and wherein the rollers are configured in such a way that the piece goods are transported along the rollers, and comprising a transport device which conveys the piece goods in the direction of the sorting arrangement. According to certain embodiments, arranged above the transport device are displacement devices which make contact with the piece goods at least temporarily and displace said piece goods relative to the transport device.

Abstract: Improvements are disclosed for further processing of a mail piece initially rejected from an automatic sorting machine. In the case of a window envelope, the envelope is rotated or inverted, shaken, and rotated to reposition the insert. Address recognition is repeated, and additional techniques are applied if an address is not quickly resolved. Additional processing may be carried out on a reject processing machine.

Abstract: A hinge feeder for feeding open hinges at a predetermined orientation to a receiver ready for use by an automatic door hinger. A dispenser is provided to hold a stack of closed hinges. The orientation of the top end and hinge joint of each hinge is sensed and the hinges sequentially dispensed at a uniform orientation, except for the pinhead location, to a rotator that rotates those hinges to bring their top ends to a desired side. The hinges are then opened by a leaf turner, fed to a stacker and the opened and oriented hinges then deposited in a stack by a stacker.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for sorting purchase items. A selection module selects a plurality of categories. In one embodiment, the selection module receives a category selection. In addition, the selection module may receive a criterion selection for the category selection and receive a modification for the criterion selection. The selection module may further modify the criterion of the selected category with the modification. An identification module identifies a purchase item. An association module associates a selected category of the plurality of categories with the purchase item. A sorter sorts the purchase item to a specified bin. The specified bin is associated with the selected category. In one embodiment, a bagger may bag one or more purchase items from a bin.

Abstract: This invention provides a seed-sorting apparatus that includes an alignment trough having a plurality of grooves into which the seeds are distributed, a line sensor camera for inspecting the seeds, a nozzle device having a number of nozzles that is the same as the number of grooves on the upper surface of the alignment trough, and a control unit. The control unit, through a series of calculations, is capable of differentiating between different types of seeds and can direct a seed sorting and sucking device to suck the seed.

Abstract: A mixed mail sorting machine includes a feeder that receives a stack of incoming mail pieces and outputs the mail pieces one at a time in a vertical position; a scanner which receives mail pieces from the feeder and scans each mail piece in a vertical position to read sorting information thereon; a reorientation conveyor which receives the scanned mail pieces from the scanner and re-orients each mail piece from a vertical to a horizontal position; a transport device for turning mailing through a 180° arc; a splitter conveyor including a movable divert section which diverts each mail piece to an upper path or a lower path; a bin module which includes upper and lower bin sections which receive mail pieces from the upper and lower paths, respectively, wherein each bin section includes a row of bins and an associated series of tiltable conveyor sections which can be actuated to drop a mail piece into the associated bin; and a control system which tracks each mail piece as it moves from the scanner to the bins and

Abstract: A method of analysing products arranges above a conveyer line three successive analysing stations having, in the first station, two cameras arranged in such a way that their optical axes form a V centred on the products and has a vertex angle in the range between 90° and 130°, and in the other two stations, a camera arranged plumb with the conveyer line. Moreover, the products are driven in rotation during their transport along the analysing stations, in such a way that the cameras each take a number of photographs of complementary faces of the surface of the products, and there are selected from among the photographs taken, by a comparison between the calculated theoretical diameter of a product and a predetermined average diameter, the photographs to be retained so as to obtain a complete analysis of the total surface of the product.

Abstract: A system and method for generating disassembly, procurement and production plans dealing with recyclable parts and products are provided. Production demand information on products to be manufactured, collection schedule information on individual used products and recyclable part table on recyclable parts contained in the used products are stored in memory; recyclable part availability information is generated by referring to the collection schedule information and the recyclable part table; and by referring to the production demand information and the recyclable part availability information, a disassembly plan on the recyclable parts is created based on the production demand. Further, the production demand information and the recyclable part availability information are referenced to generate a procurement plan on parts and materials that cannot be fully supplied from available, recyclable parts alone. Based on the disassembly and procurement plans, a production plan is created.

Abstract: An apparatus for rotating a document approximately 180° includes a first and a second belt. The first belt has a document transport portion, a return portion, a first end, and a second end. The second end of first belt being is twisted approximately 180° in relation to the first end of the first belt. The second belt has a document transport portion, a return portion, a first end, and second end. The document transport portion of the first belt is disposed adjacent to the document transport portion of the second belt. The second end of second belt is twisted approximately 180° in relation to the first end of the second belt. A document transport path is defined by the document transport portions of the first and the second belts. The document transport path has an inlet and an outlet. The outlet of the document transport path is twisted approximately 180° in relation to the inlet.

Abstract: A method and system for packaging batches of elongate, non-symmetrical products that are soft and/or flexible in nature, such as fish, in which the products are arranged in mutually reversed orientations for maximized utilization of package space. The products are weighed for determining their individual weights and a computerized control is used to selectively accumulate the products on the basis of product weight and other predetermined criteria, to merge the products into groups, and to automatically deposit the products into boxes with a mutual reversed orientation.

Abstract: An apparatus for rotating a bill approximately 180° comprising a first and a second belt. The first belt has a bill transport portion, a return portion, a first end, and a second end. The second end of first belt being twisted approximately 180° in relation to the first end of the first belt. The second belt has a bill transport portion, a return portion, a first end, and second end. The bill transport portion of the first belt is disposed adjacent to the bill transport portion of the second belt. The second end of second belt is twisted approximately 180° in relation to the first end of the second belt. A bill transport path is defined by the bill transport portions of the first and the second belts. The bill transport path has an inlet and an outlet. The outlet of the bill transport path is twisted approximately 180° in relation to the inlet.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for sorting documents contained with envelopes into selected batches of documents. An envelope feeder feeds a group of envelopes containing documents onto a document transport. A document extractor positioned along the path of movement extracts the documents from the envelopes. An orientation detector including a magnetic image reader and an optical image reader determines the orientation of selected documents along the path of movement. A document orientor changes the orientation of documents along the path of movement into a desired orientation. An image acquisition device acquires an image of the batch identification pieces and selected documents conveyed along the path of movement to enable the system controller to assign documents of selected transactions into selected batches. A non-volatile image storage medium stores the acquired images of the selected documents.

Abstract: An apparatus for rotating a bill approximately 180° includes a first and a second belt. The first belt has a bill transport portion, a return portion, a first end, and a second end. The second end of first belt being twisted approximately 180° in relation to the first end of the first belt. The second belt has a bill transport portion, a return portion, a first end, and second end. The bill transport portion of the first belt is disposed adjacent to the bill transport portion of the second belt. The second end of second belt is twisted approximately 180° in relation to the first end of the second belt. A bill transport path is defined by the bill transport portions of the first and the second belts. The bill transport path has an inlet and an outlet. The outlet of the bill transport path is twisted approximately 180° in relation to the inlet.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for sorting a group of documents contained with an envelope into selected batches of documents. An envelope feeder feeds a group of envelopes containing documents onto a document transport. A document extractor positioned along the path of movement extracts the documents from the envelopes. A system controller identifies the documents extracted from each respective envelope along with the respective envelope as a single transaction along the path of movement. An orientation detector including a magnetic image reader and an optical image reader determines the orientation of selected documents along the path of movement. A document orientor changes the orientation of documents along the path of movement into a desired orientation. An image acquisition device acquires an image of the envelopes and selected documents conveyed along the path of movement to enable the system controller to assign documents and the envelope from which it was extracted into selected transactions and batches.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing electronic circuit devices includes an infeed station, a first inspection station, an inverter station, a second inspection station, a sorting station, and an outfeed station. A linear transport mechanism having side edges transports a first work piece containing a plurality of electronic circuit devices through the stations along a linear path. The inverter station holds an empty second work piece above the transport mechanism in an inverted orientation. The inverter station also includes an elevator for lifting the first work piece vertically into an abutting relationship with the second work piece, and an inverting mechanism for inverting the first and second work pieces while maintaining them in the abutting relationship to position the electronic devices in the second work piece in the inverted orientation.

Abstract: A laned conveyor apparatus includes an infeed roller and an outfeed roller rotatably mounted to a frame in spaced apart relation for movably supporting a flexible product-carrying belt that forms a closed loop about the rollers to define a conveying region having a length and a width. A plurality of elastic separating bands are removably positioned around the rollers and the product-carrying belt and spaced apart at intervals along the width of the conveying region to form lanes along the length of the conveying region. The separating bands contact an outer surface of the product-carrying belt to form a frictional interface with the product-carrying belt that causes the separating bands to move in coordination with movement of the product-carrying belt. A guide mechanism mounted to the frame includes multiple guide features spaced apart at intervals along the width of the conveying region for guiding the separating bands so that the lanes are accurately and precisely positioned in relation to the frame.

Abstract: A series of documents to be processed are optically inspected, and compared with a reference standard to identify the relative orientation of each document. To this end, an image acquired from the document (preferably from each side of the document) is focused on an array of picture elements (pixels) for electronically converting the acquired image to digital form. This produces a digitally encoded image, which can be enhanced if desired, defined by an array of pixels corresponding to the acquired image. For each acquired image, two reference areas, which are preferably symmetrically located on the document, are inspected for the presence of a pre-selected reference mark. Location of the reference mark in one of the two reference areas operates to determine the orientation of the document.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for sorting a group of documents contained with an envelope into selected batches of documents. An envelope feeder feeds a group of envelopes containing documents onto a document transport. A document extractor positioned along the path of movement extracts the documents from the envelopes. A system controller identifies the documents extracted from each respective envelope along with the respective envelope as a single transaction along the path of movement. An orientation detector including a magnetic image reader and an optical image reader determines the orientation of selected documents along the path of movement. A document orientor changes the orientation of documents along the path of movement into a desired orientation. An image acquisition device acquires an image of the envelopes and selected documents conveyed along the path of movement to enable the system controller to assign documents and the envelope from which it was extracted into selected transactions and batches.

Abstract: In a method of X-radiation sorting of raw materials, after the stock lumps have been spread in monolayer on the transporting surface and stabilized, they are brought into the mode of unsupported movement along the stabilized paths without rotation. The exposure of the lumps to X-radiation, the measurement of the secondary radiation from the lumps, and the selection thereof are all carried out during this unsupported movement of the lumps. An apparatus for X-radiation sorting of raw materials comprises a steeply inclined vibrating feeder (4) conjugate to a preceding slightly inclined vibrating feeder (3) with a stabilizer (5) located thereabove for stabilizing the lumps of the stock. Over a section (14) of joining the conjugate vibrating feeders (3,4), there is disposed a second stabilizer (6) compensating for the lump torques produced at the point where the lumps pass onto the vibrating feeder (4).

Abstract: An apparatus for orienting a plurality of documents received in differing orientations relative to the apparatus, for delivery from the apparatus in a uniform orientation, generally comprises a device for determining the orientation of a document according to characteristic features of that document, and devices for orienting the document in accordance with signals received from the orientation determining device. The orientation determining device can operate upon the magnetic ink markings on a check to determine its orientation according to prescribed criteria representative of the anticipated locations for such markings. The orienting devices can then operate to invert the checks from end to end and/or from top to bottom and bottom to top, responsive to signals received from the orientation determining device.

Abstract: A machine for automatically setting rail tie plates includes a frame adapted to be propelled along a rail bed having one or both rails removed, the frame including a hopper adapted to store a plurality of randomly oriented plates therein, a crane for transferring plates to a plate sorting conveyor which sorts the plates as to specified length-to-width orientation and deposits the oriented plates upon an inclined conveyor where they are sensed as to specified top-to-bottom orientation, with improperly oriented plates being automatically inverted; the sensed and inverted plates are then manually disposed as to proper high-to-low side orientation, from where they are stored for eventual automatic deposition upon the tie by a reciprocating pusher assembly.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing documents in a path wherein the documents each have first and second ends. Some of the documents have the first end being the leading end, and others of the documents have the second end being the leading end. The documents are conveyed to a receiver. The documents with the first end leading are conveyed into one end of the receiver. The documents with the second end leading are conveyed into the other end of the receiver from the opposite direction. The documents in the receiver then all have the same end orientation in the receiver. Two documents may initially be fed one on top of the other between a rotating wheel and retard pad. This selectively retards one document against the pad until the other document has been fed further forwardly beyond the leading edge of the one document.

Abstract: To qualify the heights of inwardly projecting nuclear fuel rod-positioning stops formed in the sidewall of tubular ferrules 12 utilized in fuel bundle spacers, an automated gauging apparatus, seen in FIG. 6, is provided to handle successive ferrules on an automated basis. The apparatus includes an orienting station 32 for longitudinally reorienting each ferrule, if necessary, and angularly orienting each ferrule in a pickup position. A mechanism 68 picks each ferrule from its pickup position and places it on an arbor 84 with the rod-positioning stop surfaces bearing against arbor reference surfaces. A plurality of eddy current probes 96 (FIG. 8) are positioned to measure the proximity of ferrule peripheral surface sites adjacent the stops and thus provide output gauging signals indicative of the heights of the various stops.

Abstract: A paper currency sorting and counting apparatus comprises a first separating unit adapted for separating damaged notes and sound notes supplied through a judgement unit designed to judge the authenticity as well as damaged the state of supplied banknotes of various nominal values, a stacker for stacking reject notes, a second separating unit for sensing the front and reverse sides of the normal notes and controlling the route of these normal banknotes, and a stacker for normal notes having a pair of vane wheels for stacking the normal banknotes in order to provide for automatic sorting of the supplied banknotes.

Abstract: An automatic bank note transaction apparatus comprises a discriminator for discriminating fit notes from unfit notes among the bank notes conveyed by a conveyance path, and identifying the denomination of the fit notes, sorting gates for sorting the bank notes according to the result of discrimination by a discriminator, and distributing the fit notes by denomination, temporary collecting sections for temporarily collecting the bank notes sorted by the sorting gates, storage chambers for storing bank notes of each denomination judged to be fit, a return path for returning the bank notes collected in the temporary collecting sections to a return outlet of a housing, and shutters located between the temporary collecting sections and the storage chambers for guiding the temporarily collected bank notes into the storage chambers when a user approves depositing or into the return path when the user disapproves depositing.

Abstract: A color monitoring device includes a mechanism for removing containers from a path and accurately positioning a preselected area with a color monitor. The color monitor produces an output signal representative of the area being monitored which is amplified and fed to a computer where it is compared with reference signals. If the output signal is outside prescribed limits, the container is rejected, and if it is within prescribed limits, the container is returned to the path. A shuttle mechanism is activated by the computer and automatically removes a container from the path while returning a previously inspected container to the path. Stepper motors are used to vertically and horizontally position a selected point in front of the colorimeter.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for processing sheets. The apparatus comprises a feeding zone, a discriminating zone, a sorting zone and a stacking zone. The feeding zone includes rollers and guides for taking out sheets one at a time from a group of sheets in the stacked state and feeding them into a conveyor path. The discriminating zone includes a plurality of sensors for detecting positions, a magnetic pattern and a photo-pattern to discriminate the sheets. The sorting zone includes angularly rotatable forks for sorting the sheets according to their kinds in response to the signals from the discriminating zone. The stacking zone includes containers for stacking the sheets sorted by the sorting zone.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing electronic circuit devices includes an infeed station, a first inspection station, an inverter station, a second inspection station, a sorting station, and an outfeed station. A linear transport mechanism having side edges transports a first work piece containing a plurality of electronic circuit devices through the stations along a linear path. The inverter station holds an empty second work piece above the transport mechanism in an inverted orientation. The inverter station also includes an elevator for lifting the first work piece vertically into an abutting relationship with the second work piece, and an inverting mechanism for inverting the first and second work pieces while maintaining them in the abutting relationship to position the electronic devices in the second work piece in the inverted orientation.