Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Condition responsive means controls separating means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-23
2004-09-07
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Condition responsive means controls separating means
C209S929000, C209S904000, C209S907000, C209S922000, C209S923000, C209S652000, C198S690100, C198S577000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06787724
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a workpiece sorting machine and more particularly to an automated workpiece sorting, dimensional inspection and segregation machine for fasteners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With increasing world-wide competition in manufacturing, reducing production costs while maintaining, if not improving, quality of the manufactured workpiece is paramount. When the workpiece is manufactured in large quantities, unique challenges in the manufacturing process are presented. For instance, the manufacturing of a fastener or threaded bolt as the workpiece requires dimensional inspection of each bolt which may not be visible to the naked eye. Moreover, to accomplish inspection, the fasteners or bolts must be arranged in an orderly fashion. Fasteners which do not meet pre-established quality guidelines must also be segregated from the remaining fasteners which are ultimately counted and delivered to the customer. Preferably, and as a cost cutting measure, the segregated rejected fasteners are recycled.
Within an assembly line operation, manual operator arrangement of hundreds, if not thousands, of fasteners is cost prohibitive. Likewise, manual inspection of many different types of workpieces or fasteners may lead to operator error, may not be possible due to sight limitations of the naked eye, or simply may not be possible due to the speed in which the fasteners pass along the assembly line.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A sorting machine receives a bulk of workpieces or fasteners from a hopper unit into a feed station which align the fasteners into a single file for engagement to a transport system of an inspection station. Preferably, the transport system has a conveyor belt with a magnetic member disposed radially inward from the belt. The fasteners are preferably ferrous and thereby engage the conveyor belt via the magnetic field which penetrates the belt. The fasteners are thus carried along the transport system past a trigger sensor which sends a signal to a central controller to timely actuate a dimensional sensing apparatus which takes an image of the fastener and sends it to the central computer for dimensional analysis. If the fastener fails to meet pre-established guidelines the nonconforming fastener is ejected from the transport system via a reject mechanism. If the fastener conforms, it continues to move along the transport system, past a counter sensor and is then dropped off the conveyor belt of the transport system into a packaging station for ultimate delivery to the customer.
Advantages of the present invention include an automated inspection and sorting machine capable of improving quality of a manufactured workpiece, reducing required manpower, increased speed and efficiency of manufacturing, and is a robust and relatively inexpensive and user friendly design.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3539006 (1970-11-01), Hanna et al.
patent: 3565234 (1971-02-01), Birdsong
patent: 3650397 (1972-03-01), Bomemeier
patent: 3709328 (1973-01-01), Moher et al.
patent: 3743093 (1973-07-01), Klancnik
patent: 3935947 (1976-02-01), Barrett
patent: 3983388 (1976-09-01), Gugliotta
patent: 4125191 (1978-11-01), Peace
patent: 4174028 (1979-11-01), Barnes
patent: 4271477 (1981-06-01), Williams
patent: 4393401 (1983-07-01), Gorenflo et al.
patent: 4457622 (1984-07-01), Kato et al.
patent: 4557125 (1985-12-01), Schaumburg
patent: 4784493 (1988-11-01), Turcheck et al.
patent: 4823396 (1989-04-01), Thompson
patent: 4842890 (1989-06-01), Sessa et al.
patent: 4875776 (1989-10-01), Pryor
patent: 4877138 (1989-10-01), Motiwala
patent: 4905842 (1990-03-01), Habele et al.
patent: 5047851 (1991-09-01), Sauerwein et al.
patent: 5078083 (1992-01-01), DiMaio et al.
patent: 5114230 (1992-05-01), Pryor
patent: 5139150 (1992-08-01), Fuller et al.
patent: 5147047 (1992-09-01), Ahmed et al.
patent: 5158181 (1992-10-01), Bailey
patent: 5197607 (1993-03-01), Hakansson
patent: 5213218 (1993-05-01), DiGrande et al.
patent: 5440396 (1995-08-01), Markus et al.
patent: 5476689 (1995-12-01), Stone et al.
patent: 5511670 (1996-04-01), Demarest et al.
patent: 5703784 (1997-12-01), Pearson
patent: 5817177 (1998-10-01), Wallace
patent: 5823356 (1998-10-01), Goodrich et al.
patent: 6004627 (1999-12-01), Duffy et al.
patent: 6088111 (2000-07-01), Ciani et al.
patent: 6156392 (2000-12-01), Duffy et al.
patent: 6380503 (2002-04-01), Mills et al.
patent: 85124 (1983-08-01), None
Bennett William H.
Hurttgam Christopher P.
Attica Automation
Kohner M.
Reising Ethington Barnes Kisselle P.C.
Walsh Donald P.
LandOfFree
Sorting machine does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Sorting machine, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Sorting machine will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3189182