Singulator

Claim 2

A singulator for rollable or slidable articles of compact configuration having known transverse dimensions and assembled in a random array comprising a frame, means on said frame having an upper surface for supporting said articles adjacent a datum region, said surface sloping toward said region, a pair of conveyors of the same length on said frame and extending from said datum region side by side in approximately horizontal lines to a discharge end, separate means defiNing on each of said conveyors a number of separately movable top surface areas spaced apart along said lines, means for separately moving said areas of each conveyor up and down in timed relationship to each other within each conveyor to approximate waves traveling along said line and means for operating said conveyors with said waves of each conveyor out of phase with said waves of the other conveyor whereby articles on one conveyor are spaced longitudinally from articles on the other conveyor and said articles are discharged from said conveyors in single article sequence.

Claim 3

A singulator as in claim 1 in which the wave length of said waves increases with distance from said datum region.

Claim 4

A singulator for rollable or slidable articles of compact configuration comprising a frame having an entrance end and a discharge end, a conveyor comprising a first drive shaft, means for journalling said drive shaft on said frame to extend between said entrance end and said discharge end for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, means for rotating said shaft, a plurality of eccentric disks and including an entrance disk at the entrance end of said shaft, means for fastening said disks on said drive shaft along the length of said shaft in a predetermined polar relationship at successively smaller polar angles to each other from said entrance end to said discharge end, a plurality of planar slides each having a drive edge and an opposite top surface area, means on said frame for supporting said slides for vertical reciprocation between a low point and a high point and in alignment in the direction of said axis, with the plane of each of said slides normal to said axis, and with the drive edge of each of said slides in abutment with a respective one of said eccentric disks, and means defining a sloping feeder surface at said entrance end for supporting articles from the bottom and terminating in an edge adjacent said entrance disk slide between said low point and said high point whereby said entrance disk slide functions as a metering gate to admit only a single article from said feeder surface to said conveyor at each rotation of said shaft.

Claim 5

A singulator for rollable or slidable articles of compact configuration comprising a frame having an entrance end and a discharge end, a conveyor comprising a first drive shaft, means for journalling said drive shaft on said frame to extend between said entrance end and said discharge end for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, means for rotating said shaft, a plurality of eccentric disks and including an entrance disk at the entrance end of said shaft, means for fastening said disks on said drive shaft along the length of said shaft in a predetermined polar relationship at successively smaller polar angles to each other from said entrance end to said discharge end, a plurality of planar slides each having a drive edge and an opposite top surface area, means on said frame for supporting said slides for vertical reciprocation between a low point and a high point and in alignment in the direction of said axis, with the plane of each of said slides normal to said axis, and with the drive edge of each of said slides in abutment with a respective one of said eccentric disks, and means defining a sloping feeder surface at said entrance end for supporting articles from the bottom and terminating in an edge adjacent said entrance disk slide between said low point and said high point whereby said entrance disk slide functions as a metering gate to admit only a single article from said feeder surface to said conveyor at each rotation of said shaft.

Claim 6

A singulator as in claim 3 including a second conveyor comprising a second drive shaft, means for journalling said second drive shaft on said frame for rotation substantially parallel to and at the same height as said first drive shaft between said entrance end and said discharge end, a plurality of second eccentric disks on said second drive shaft and including an entrance second disk, means for fastening said second disks along the length of said second shaft in a predetermined polar relationship at successively smaller polar angles to each other from said entrance end to said discharge end, means for driving said first drive shaft and said second drive shaft in timed relation but out of phase with each other, a plurality of second slides engaging said second eccentric disks, means for constraining said second slides for vertical movement between a low point and a high point, and in which said feeder surface edge extends transversely across both of said entrance first disk and said entrance second disk.