RELATING TO COUNTING MACHINES

• US 3,789,194 A
• Filed: 09/08/1971
• Issued: 01/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kirby Lester LLC (Capsa Solutions LLC)
• Original Assignee: John Kirby
• Inventors: Kirby, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Henon, Paul J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gnuse, Robert F.
• Application Number:
  US05/178,571
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 235/92V,92PC,92PK,98C 193/2R
• US Class Current: 377/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 1/101 by electro-optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 7/02 wherein objects ahead of the sensing element are separated to produce a distinct gap between successive objects

Abstract

A machine for counting articles, comprising means for dispersing a flow of articles to be counted into separate streams, means for providing a substantially even flow of articles to the dispersing means, a detector associated with each stream for detecting each article in that stream and counting means fed by the outputs from all detectors for counting the total number of articles in all the stream.

Claims

1. A machine for counting small, discrete articles, comprising a cone having a vertical axis with its apex upwardly directed for dispersing a flow of articles to be counted into separate falling streams, said streams being divided by vertical partitions radially arranged in an annular space around the base of the cone, means for feeding a substantially even flow of articles to the dispersing means comprising a plurality of spaced annuli having upper surfaces which taper downwardly and inwardly, the annuli being arranged one above another and all above the cone on an axis substantially coinciding with the axis of the cone, a plurality of detectors individually associated with each stream for detecting each article in each falling stream, and counting means fed by the outputs from all of the detectors for counting the total number of articles in all of the streams.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detecting means for each stream includes a photocell, the photocells being arranged on a circle about a central illuminating lamp so that articles passing down each stream interrupt the path of light from the lamp to the respective photocell.

3. A machine for counting small, discrete articles, comprising a cone having a vertical axis with its apex upwardly directed for dispersing a flow of articles to be counted into separate falling streams, means for feeding a substantialy even flow of articles to the dispersing means, a plurality of detectors individually associated with each stream for detecting each article in each falling stream, counting means fed by the outputs from all of the detectors for counting the totAl number of articles in all of the streams, means responsive to said counting for determining the article counting rate, and a warning system responsive to said means for determining for issuing a warning when a predetermined article counting rate of the machine is exceeded.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the warning system also inhibits the continued counting of the machine when the predetermined throughput is exceeded and until the machine is reset.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein a signal is produced at predetermined counts of equal intervals, timer means being provided to establish predetermined intervals of time, and means for providing a warning signal when an interval of count takes place within an interval of time.

6. A machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein the timer means comprises a pulse generator and a counter which counts the pulses to a predetermined number to establish the predetermined interval of time.

7. A machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein the satisfactory operation of all the article detectors is obtained by simulating the passing of an article at each detector and recording that the total count of the counting means corresponds with the number of detectors.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the detecting means for each stream includes a photocell, the photocells being arranged on a circle about a central illuminating lamp so that articles passing down each stream interrupt the path of light from the lamp to the respective photocell, and wherein the simulation is provided by dimming the lamp once.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the counter is set to zero after each simulation and count and if an unsatisfactory count is obtained re-simulation takes place until a satisfactory count is obtained, thereby preventing the machine from being used if failure of one or more of the detectors has occurred.