Machine for the automatic sorting of articles, especially of table cutlery

Abstract

 The machine performs a first sorting between the knives and the other articles, namely forks, small spoons and large spoons, only the knives passing through the small space formed between the inclined roll and the conveyor belt. The second sorting between articles is effected by means of two rolls inclined downwards and separated by a gap of slowly increasing width.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine for the automatic sorting of articles, particularly table cutlery, and especially a machine for the sorting of articles comprising on the one hand a first group of flat articles or of little thickness and on the other hand a second group of curved articles or having a thickness distinctly greater than that of the articles of the first group, this second group of articles being subdivided itself into sub-groups of articles of different thicknesses, which should be sorted accorded to these thicknesses.

[0002] Thus for example, articles of the first group could be knives, and those of the second group spoons and forks. The sub-groups of this second group could therefore be constituted, for example, by a sub-group of forks, a sub-group of small spoons and a sub-group of large spoons or soup spoons, each of these sub-­groups being characterized therefore by a thickness or a curvature specific to the articles which constitute it.

[0003] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable, by means of an entirely automatic machine, the industrial sorting, for example in a washing plant, of all these articles, that is to say of separating rapidly and practically without manual intervention, the knives from the forks, the forks from the spoons, and the small spoons from the large spoons, and this after their washing, to enable their classified storage.

[0004] The object in particular is to obtain a machine which is simpler, more reliable, less costly and requiring less maintenance than existing machines, especially those which rely on magnetization on articles to be sorted.

[0005] To do this, a machine of the general type defined in the introduction will, in accordance with the invention be essentially characterized in that it comprises:
On the one hand, for the separation of two said groups of articles, an endless conveyor belt for all of said articles and, above this belt, a contra-­rotatory roll whose axis is inclined with respect to the direction of movement of said belt and which provides between its surface and that of the belt a space of constant height only very little greater than the thickness of the articles of said first group, so as allow the passage of the latter towards a first outlet and to deflect laterally, to an intermediate outlet, the articles of said second group;
and on the other hand, for the sorting of the latter, two rotary rolls extending along one another, inclined downwards from said intermediate outlet, so that the articles of said second group fall close to their upper ends and then slide downwards on these rolls, the latter being in addition arranged, in order to carry out the sorting of these articles, so that the gap which separates them gradually increases, from top to bottom of the rolls, which thus provide, beneath these rolls, different outlets, spaced along the length of the rolls, for said separate sub-groups of articles.

[0006] The operational process of such a machine therefore develops essentially in two phases: first of all separation between the knives, (articles of the first group) and the articles of the second group comprising all the rest of the tableware, namely the forks and the spoons, this due to the conjugate action of the endless conveyor belt and of the roll; then separation, effected only within this second group, to constitute the separate sub-groups comprising respectively the forks, the small spoons and the large spoons, this due to the conjugate action of the two inclined rotary rolls.

[0007] An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example which is in no way limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the part of the machine which is designed to carry out the separation between two groups of articles;

- Figure 2 is a simplified perspective view of the part of the machine designed to divide said second group of articles into three sub-groups of different articles.

[0008] In Figure 1 is shown at 1 an endless belt stretched between two rotary rolls 2 mounted on a frame 3 and of which one at least is connected to drive means so that the belt 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow F (the various drive means, the transmission members and other accessories have not been shown in the figures).

[0009] Above the belt is arranged a roll 4 whose axis is inclined with respect to the direction of the belt 1 along an angle of about 45°. This roll is driven in the direction of the arrow f in a contra-rotatory sense, namely so that it prevents articles thicker than the height of the space - some millimeters - provided between the lower surface of this roll and the upper surface of the belt 1 from being swallowed by this space, thus risking the blocking of the roll.

[0010] At the entrance of the belt, the reference 5 is given to knives, 6 to forks, 7 to small spoons (coffee spoons or the like) and 8 to large spoons (soup spoons or the like). In principle, these articles arrive behind one another on the belt 1, coming directly from the washing machine, without intermediate storage.

[0011] This being so, it is seen that only knives 5, of thickness less than the height of the space concerned, will be able to pass by the roller 4 and arrive at a first exit 9 of the machine, whence they could fall into a suitable container.

[0012] All the other articles, 6, 7 and 8, will be deflected laterally by the roll 4 towards the intermediate exit which is constituted by a collector chute 10.

[0013] The outlet of this chute (Figure 2) has the shape of an elongated spout 11 opening above and at the upper part of a gap 12 formed between two rolls 13 inclined downwards from this spout 11. The axes of these rolls are slightly divergent, so that this gap 12 increases slightly from top to bottom of the rolls.

[0014] Due to these features it is possible to carry out a positive separation between these sub-groups of articles 6,7 and 8.

[0015] In fact, the forks 6 will pass first through the gap 12, to drop into a suitable container 6a owing to their smaller thickness.

[0016] It will be understood that their curved shape has prevented them from passing through the space formed between the roll 4 and the belt 1, due to the fact that the surface of this belt is flat, but that it permits them to pass first through the gap 12, since this curved shape enables them to mate the surface of one of the rolls 13.

[0017] Such is not the case for the spoons, and this is why the small spoons 7 only pass through the gap 12 a little lower down, to be collected in a suitable container 7a, and the large spoons 8 still a little lower, close to the lower end of the rolls 13, to be collected for their part in a third container 8a.

[0018] It is seen that a machine according to invention can be particularly simple and reliable, and enables a very positive separation beteen articles of different categories.

[0019] It is to be noted that the rolls 13 can both rotate in the same direction, which avoids here again, the forced "swallowing" of certain articles in reality too thick for the width presented at the place concerned by the gap 12.

[0020] The same result can be obtained with contrarotatory rolls 13, but of course with directions of rotation such that at the level of said gap 12 their opposite surfaces move upwards.

Claims

1. Machine for sorting articles comprising on the one hand a first group of flat articles or of little thickness and on the other hand a second group of curved articles or having a thickness notably greater than that of the articles of the first group, said second group of articles being itself subdivided into sub-groups of articles of different thickness, which have to be sorted according to these thicknesses, said machine comprising:
On the one hand, for the separation of the two said groups of articles, an endless conveyor belt for all of said articles, and, above said belt, a contrarotatory roll whose axis is inclined with respect to the direction of movement of said belt and which forms between its surface and that of the belt a space of constant height only very little greater than the thickness of the articles of said first group, so as to allow the latter to pass to a first exit and to deflect laterally, to an intermediate exit, the articles of said second group;
and on the other hand, for the sorting of the latter, two rotary rolls extending along one another, inclined downwards from said intermediate exit, so that the articles of said second group fall close to their upper ends and then slide downwards on these rolls, the latter being in addition arranged, in order to effect the sorting of these articles, so that the gap which separates them gradually increases, from top to bottom of the rolls, which provides thus, beneath these rolls, different exits, spaced along the length of the rolls, for said separate sub-groups of articles.

2. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said rolls rotate in the same direction.

3. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said rolls are contrarotatory, their direction of rotation being such that at the level of said gap their opposite surfaces move upwards.

Drawing