Radiation sensitive apparatus for detecting conveyed articles

Claim 2

In combination with an article-counting machine having a conveying system comprising a conveyor belt having an elongated run for carrying said articles along a predetermined path to a point at which said articles are discharged to a batching station, a feeding unit for delivering said articles to said conveyor belt, a guide assembly for aligning said articles in single file on said conveyor, said guide assembly terminating short of said point of discharge, and a counter responsive to a detecting unit arranged to detect said articles on said conveyor belt, an improved detecting unit connected to said counter comprising: a light source located to one side of said conveyor belt run between said guide assembly and said point of discharge and oriented so as to direct a beam of light substantially laterally and substantially horizontally over and across said conveyor belt run; a photocell located at the opposite side of said conveyor belt run between said guide assembly and said point of discharge and oriented to receive said light beam so long as said light beam is uninterrupted by articles on said conveyor; support means supporting said light source and said photocell; means for vertically adjusting said support means so as to adjust the height of said substantially horizontal beam relative to said conveyor belt run; and means for indicating the vertical adjustment of said support means relative to said conveyor belt.

Claim 3

In combination with an article-counting machine having a conveying system comprising a conveyor belt having an elongated run for carrying said articles along a predetermined path to a point at which said articles leave said conveyor and are discharged to a batching station; a feeding unit for delivering said articles to said conveyor belt, and a counter responsive to a detecting unit arranged to detect said articles on said conveyor belt; an improved detecting unit connected to said counter comprising: light source located to one side of said run upstream of said point of discharge and oriented s as to direct a beam of light substantially laterally over and across and substantially parallel to said run; a photocell located at the opposite side of said run upstream of said point of discharge and oriented to receive said light beam so long as said light beam is uninterrupted by articles on said conveyor; support means supporting said light source and said photocell; means for vertically adjusting said support means so as to adjust the height of said beam and said photocell relative to said run, whereby the accuracy of said detecting unit is independent of the trajectory followed by said articles when discharged into said batching station; and means for indicating the vertical adjustment of said support means relative to said conveyor belt.

Claim 4

In combination with an article-counting machine having a conveying system comprising a conveyor belt having an elongated run for carrying said articles along a predetermined path to a point at which said articles leave said conveyor and are discharged to a batching station; a feeding unit for delivering said articles to said conveyor belt, and a counter responsive to a detecting unit arranged to detect said articles on said conveyor belt; an improved detecting unit connected to said counter comprising: light source located to one side of said run upstream of said point of discharge and oriented s as to direct a beam of light substantially laterally over and across and substantially parallel to said run; a photocell located at the opposite side of said run upstream of said point of discharge and oriented to receive said light beam so long as said light beam is uninterrupted by articles on said conveyor; support means supporting said light source and said photocell; means for vertically adjusting said support means so as to adjust the height of said beam and said photocell relative to said run, whereby the accuracy of said detecting unit is independent of the trajectory followed by said articles when discharged into said batching station; and means for indicating the vertical adjustment of said support means relative to said conveyor belt.

Claim 5

In combination with an article-counting machine having a conveying system comprising a conveyor belt having an elongated run for carrying said articles along a predetermined path to a batching station, a feeding unit for delivering said articles to said conveyor belt, a guide assembly for aligning said articles in single file on said conveyor and a counter responsive to a detecting unit arranged to detect said articles on said conveyor belt, an improved detecting unit connected to said counter comprising: a light source located to one side of said conveyor belt run and oriented so as to direct a beam of light substantially laterally and substantially horizontally across said conveyor belt run; a photocell located along said elongated run at the opposite side of said conveyor belt run and oriented to receive said light beam so long as said light beam is uninterrupted by articles on said conveyor; vertically adjustable support meaNs supporting said light source and said photocell whereby to permit adjustment of the height of said detecting unit relative to said conveyor belt run, said support means comprising a yoke having a pair of exposed legs and a portion which connects said legs and straddles said conveyor belt run, said light source supported by one of said legs and said photocell supported by the other of said legs; a block fixably secured to said yoke and having a vertical, threaded hole; a base member fixably secured to said article-counting machine; a bracket secured to said base member; and a screw carried by said bracket so that it can rotate but cannot move axially relative to said bracket, said screw being engaged with said vertical, threaded hole so the rotation thereof in one direction will cause said yoke to move vertically upward relative to said base member and rotation thereof in the opposite direction will cause said yoke to move vertically downward relative to said base member.

Claim 6

In combination with an article-counting machine having a conveying system comprising a conveyor belt having an elongated run for carrying said articles along a predetermined path to a batching station, a feeding unit for delivering said articles to said conveyor belt, a guide assembly for aligning said articles in single file on said conveyor and a counter responsive to a detecting unit arranged to detect said articles on said conveyor belt, an improved detecting unit connected to said counter comprising: a light source located to one side of said conveyor belt run and oriented so as to direct a beam of light substantially laterally and substantially horizontally across said conveyor belt run; a photocell located along said elongated run at the opposite side of said conveyor belt run and oriented to receive said light beam so long as said light beam is uninterrupted by articles on said conveyor; vertically adjustable support meaNs supporting said light source and said photocell whereby to permit adjustment of the height of said detecting unit relative to said conveyor belt run, said support means comprising a yoke having a pair of exposed legs and a portion which connects said legs and straddles said conveyor belt run, said light source supported by one of said legs and said photocell supported by the other of said legs; a block fixably secured to said yoke and having a vertical, threaded hole; a base member fixably secured to said article-counting machine; a bracket secured to said base member; and a screw carried by said bracket so that it can rotate but cannot move axially relative to said bracket, said screw being engaged with said vertical, threaded hole so the rotation thereof in one direction will cause said yoke to move vertically upward relative to said base member and rotation thereof in the opposite direction will cause said yoke to move vertically downward relative to said base member.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 11 further including a vertical notch in said base member, said notch sized to slidably accommodate said block.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said block is further characterized by a horizontal threaded hole and wherein said base member is further characterized by a vertical slot; and further including a threaded locking screw sized to pass through said vertical slot and be engageable with said horizontal threaded hole, said locking screw having a knob larger than the width of said slot so that when said screw is disposed through said slot into said vertical hole, said screw can be turned until said knob is tight against said slot and said block is drawn up against the vertical slot of said support member, whereupon the yoke and base member are locked together so as to prevent further movement of the yoke.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 3 further including vernier means for measuring the vertical movement of said yoke, said means comprising a scale secured on said base member and a horizontal line on the yoke which functions as a movable pointer with respect to said scale.

Claim 10

In combination with an article-counting machine having a conveying system comprising a conveyor belt having an elongated run for carrying said articles along a predetermined path to a batching station, a feeding unit for delivering said articles to said conveyor belt, a guide assembly for aligning said articles in single file on said conveyor, and a counter responsive to a detecting unit arranged to detect said articles on said conveyor belt, an improved detecting unit connected to said counter comprising: a light source located to one side of said conveyor belt run; a photocell located at the opposite side of said conveyor belt run; a support member which laterally straddles said conveyor belt run, said light source and photocell mounted to said support member so that said light source produces a substantially horizontal beam of light which passes laterally over and across said conveyor belt and is received by said photocell; a block fixably mounted to one side of said support member, said block having a tapped vertical hole; a base member fixably mounted to said machine; a bracket fixably mounted to said base member; and turning means coupled to said bracket and threadingly engaging said tapped hole so as to couple said support member and block to said base member, said turning means when turned in a first direction causing said yoke to move vertically upward relative to said base member and said conveyor belt and when turned in a counterdirection causing said support member to move vertically downward relative to said base member, whereby the vertical position of said horizontal beam of light is adjustable relative to said conveyor belt run.

Claim 11

In combination with an article-counting machine having a conveying system comprising a conveyor belt having an elongated run for carrying said articles along a predetermined path to a batching station, a feeding unit for delivering said articles to said conveyor belt, a guide assembly for aligning said articles in single file on said conveyor, and a counter responsive to a detecting unit arranged to detect said articles on said conveyor belt, an improved detecting unit connected to said counter comprising: a light source located to one side of said conveyor belt run; a photocell located at the opposite side of said conveyor belt run; a support member which laterally straddles said conveyor belt run, said light source and photocell mounted to said support member so that said light source produces a substantially horizontal beam of light which passes laterally over and across said conveyor belt and is received by said photocell; a block fixably mounted to one side of said support member, said block having a tapped vertical hole; a base member fixably mounted to said machine; a bracket fixably mounted to said base member; and turning means coupled to said bracket and threadingly engaging said tapped hole so as to couple said support member and block to said base member, said turning means when turned in a first direction causing said yoke to move vertically upward relative to said base member and said conveyor belt and when turned in a counterdirection causing said support member to move vertically downward relative to said base member, whereby the vertical position of said horizontal beam of light is adjustable relative to said conveyor belt run.