Counting mechanism

Claim 2

A counting mechanism for detecting rounded articles such as fruit arranged at random along a conveying path, said mechanism comprising a plurality of sensing means aligned across said path in spaced relationship and in positions so as to be actuated by said articles as they are moved along said conveying path and with the spacing between adjacent sensing means being such that at least one sensing means will be unactuated between each pair of articles moving along said conveying path, means associated with each of said sensing means for producing and transmitting a pulse signal to a counter in direct response to a certain change in the state of actuation of the sensing means, and means associated with each sensing means and operable during the actuation thereof for inhibiting the pulse producing means of each adjacent sensing means whereby said pulse signal will never be produced or transmitted to said counter in response to the actuation of one of the sensing means if said certain change in the state of actuation of said one sensing means occurs while an adjacent sensing means thereto is actuated.

Claim 3

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pulse signal will be transmitted to said counter only when said certain change in the state of actuation of said one sensing means occurs while said adjacent sensing means are unactuated or when said certain change in the state of actuation of a group of adjacent sensing means simultaneously occurs while the adjacent sensing means thereto are unactuated.

Claim 4

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pulse-producing means comprises a switching circuit and an output gate operable to produce an output pulse in response to a unidirectional change in the state of actuation of said sensing means.

Claim 5

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 3 wherein said pulse producing means comprises a set-reset flip-flop circuit having a plural input connected to said sensing means and a plural output connected to a four-input gate, said gate also having inputs from the flip-flop circuits associated with each of the adjacent sensing means, and said gate being conditioned to produce a pulse output in response to one of the changes in the state of its associated flip-flop circuit during actuation or deactuation of its associated sensing means.

Claim 6

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 3 wherein said pulse producing means comprises a pair of cascaded set-reset flip-flop circuits having a plural input connected to said sensing means and an output connected to a four-input gate, a second input to said gate being obtained from a point between said pair of flip-flop circuits, said gate also having inputs from the circuitry associated with each of the adjacent sensing means, and said gate being conditioned to produce a pulse output in response to one of the changes in the state of its associated flip-flop circuitry due to actuation or deactuation of said sensing means.

Claim 7

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 3 wherein said pulse producing means is conditioned to produce a pulse only in response to the deactuation of said sensing means.

Claim 8

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said sensing means comprises a switch having an actuating arm extending into the conveying path of said articles.

Claim 9

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 7 wherein each of said switches is carried upon a pivotally mounted carrier extending above and generally parallel to said conveying path, and means for vertically adjusting the height of said carriers to accommodate various size ranges of articles.

Claim 10

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 8 wherein said pulse producing means is conditioned to produce said pulse signal at the time when the last switch actuating arm drops off of the trailing edge of the article to be counted as it moves along said conveying path.

Claim 11

A counting mechanism for detecting rounded articles such as fruit arranged at random along a conveying path, said conveying path being of a width whereby a plurality of articles may be moved abreast along said path, said mechanism comprising a plurality of switches mounted in alignment across said entire conveying path in spaced relationship, each of said switches having an actuating arm positioned so as to be engaged by said articles moving along said conveying path, pulse producing means associated with each of said switches for transmitting a signal pulse to a counter in response to actuation of its associated switch, and means associated with each of said switches and operable during the entire period of actuation of each switch for inhibiting the pulse-producing means associated with each of the adjacent switches so that said pulse-producing means of said adjacent switches cannot respond to the actuation of their associated switches.

Claim 12

A counting mechanism for detecting rounded articles such as fruit arranged at random along a conveying path, said conveying path being of a width whereby a plurality of articles may be moved abreast along said path, said mechanism comprising a plurality of switches mounted in alignment across said entire conveying path in spaced relationship, each of said switches having an actuating arm positioned so as to be engaged by said articles moving along said conveying path, pulse producing means associated with each of said switches for transmitting a signal pulse to a counter in response to actuation of its associated switch, and means associated with each of said switches and operable during the entire period of actuation of each switch for inhibiting the pulse-producing means associated with each of the adjacent switches so that said pulse-producing means of said adjacent switches cannot respond to the actuation of their associated switches.

Claim 13

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 10 wherein each of said switches is adjustably mounted above said conveying path with the mounting means for said switches being such that the actuating arm for each switch will be permitted to return to its unactuated position between every pair of articles moving along said conveying path, said spacing between said switches being such that at least one switch will be unactuated between each pair of articles moving along said conveying path.

Claim 14

A counting mechanism including a detecting circuit comprising sensing means arranged for activation by an article moving along a conveyor path, a gate having at least two inputs and a single output conditioned to transmit a pulse signal to a counting device in response to a predetermined input pattern, and a logic circuit connected between said sensing means and said two inputs to said gate, both of said inputs being connected to said logic circuit but at different points whereby the condition of one input is at least partially dependent upon the condition of the other input, said circuit logic being such that said two inputs will create a pulsed output of relatively short duration in response to the deactivation of said sensing means as the trailing edge of an article on the conveyor path moves past said sensing means.

Claim 15

A counting mechanism including a detecting circuit comprising sensing means arranged for activation by an article moving along a conveyor path, a gate having at least two inputs and a single output conditioned to transmit a pulse signal to a counting device in response to a predetermined input pattern, and a logic circuit connected between said sensing means and said two inputs to said gate, both of said inputs being connected to said logic circuit but at different points whereby the condition of one input is at least partially dependent upon the condition of the other input, said circuit logic being such that said two inputs will create a pulsed output of relatively short duration in response to the deactivation of said sensing means as the trailing edge of an article on the conveyor path moves past said sensing means.

Claim 16

A counting mechanism as set forth in claim 12 wherein said logic circuit comprises a cascaded pair of set-reset flip-flop circuits with said sensing means providing the inputs to the first flip-flop stage and with the inputs to said gate being provided from an output of the first stage and an output of the second stage of said flip-flop circuits.

Claim 17

A counting circuit for providing an output pulse of short duration in response to the passage of an article along a conveying path; said circuit including sensing means arranged for activation by said article for a relatively long duration as compared with the duration of said output pulse; a pair of terminals connected to said sensing means with the condition at each of said terminals corresponding to the state of said sensing means; and a logic circuit comprising first, second and third gate means each having two inputs and a single output, one input of said first gate means being connected to one of said terminals and one input of said second gate means being connected to the other of said terminals, the other input of said first gate means being connected to the output of said second gate means and the other input of said second gate means being connected to the output of said first gate means, and the inputs of said third gate means being connected to the input and the output of one of said first or second gate means whereby a short duration pulse is produced during one of the changes of state of said sensing means.

Claim 18

A counting circuit for providing an output pulse of short duration in response to the passage of an article along a conveying path; said circuit including sensing means arranged for activation by said article for a relatively long duration as compared with the duration of said output pulse; a pair of terminals connected to said sensing means with the condition at each of said terminals corresponding to the state of said sensing means; and a logic circuit comprising first, second and third gate means each having two inputs and a single output, one input of said first gate means being connected to one of said terminals and one input of said second gate means being connected to the other of said terminals, the other input of said first gate means being connected to the output of said second gate means and the other input of said second gate means being connected to the output of said first gate means, and the inputs of said third gate means being connected to the input and the output of one of said first or second gate means whereby a short duration pulse is produced during one of the changes of state of said sensing means.

Claim 19

A counting circuit for providing an output pulse of short duration in response to the passage of an article along a conveying path, said circuit including sensing means arranged for activation by said article for a relatively long duration as compared with the duration of said output pulse, a pair of terminals connected to said sensing means with the condition at each of said terminals corresponding to the state of said sensing means, an output gate having at least two inputs and a single output conditioned to transmit said output pulse in response to a predetermined input pattern, and a logic circuit connected between said terminals and said output gate with each of said inputs to said output gate being derived from said logic circuit, said logic circuit comprising a plurality of interconnected gates arranged to change state in a predetermined sequence in response to the change of state of said sensing means whereby a short duration pulse is produced on the output of said output gate in response to one of the changes of state of said sensing means.

Claim 20

A counting circuit for providing an output pulse of short duration in response to the passage of an article along a conveying path, said circuit including sensing means arranged for activation by said article for a relatively long duration as compared with the duration of said output pulse, a pair of terminals connected to said sensing means with the condition at each of said terminals corresponding to the state of said sensing means, an output gate having at least two inputs and a single output conditioned to transmit said output pulse in response to a predetermined input pattern, and a logic circuit connected between said terminals and said output gate with each of said inputs to said output gate being derived from said logic circuit, said logic circuit comprising a plurality of interconnected gates arranged to change state in a predetermined sequence in response to the change of state of said sensing means whereby a short duration pulse is produced on the output of said output gate in response to one of the changes of state of said sensing means.