Roller sorter system

• US 8,622,196 B1
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aesus Packaging Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Robin Lapointe
• Inventors: Lapointe, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): HARP, WILLIAM RAY
• Application Number:
  US12/952,472
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 198/383, 198/786
• US Class Current: 198/383
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/06 Separating single articles from loose masses of articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/46 by rotary conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 65/08 Devices for counting or registering the number of articles handled, or the number of packages produced by the machine
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/027 Tablets, capsules, pills or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 33/06 conveyed and guided by parallel screws
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/00 Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/1492 the articles being fed from a feeding conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/466 arranged to be movable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

This device feeds and sorts tablets or small parts from a common hopper to a product count sensor head. Two parallel feed rolls and two transport rollers rotate together on an adjustable incline. The feed rolls are positioned above the transport rolls. The rotation direction of each feed and transport roller can vary along with its speed. As the feed rollers rotate the feeding threads will push out the product from the hopper and drop the product onto the transport rollers which will sort them along the length of the transport rollers. As the roller angle increases so does the product feed rate.

Claims

1. A roller assembly for a high-speed tablet feeder comprising a pair of feed rollers and a pair of sort and transport rollers, at least one prime mover, a drive plate, at least two end plates, a pair of side plates, at least one tablet guide, a pivot plate, a handle, a stop pin and a hopper, said feed rollers further comprising a pair of gears at a drive plate end thereof and a blunt end opposite said drive plate end, said sort and transport rollers further comprising a pair of gears at a drive plate end thereof and tapered surfaces at an end opposite said drive plate end, said tapered surfaces defining an exit drop point therebetween, said feed rollers journaled in said drive plate and in one of said end plates, said sort and transport rollers journaled in said drive plate and another of said end plates, said feed rollers disposed above said sort and transport rollers, said pivot plate of said roller assembly rotatably affixed to a base frame of a high speed tablet feeder at a pivot, said base frame provided with a counting and reject block and a tablet chute adjacent said pivot, said counting and reject block containing a product count sensor, said counting and reject block having a curved wall centered on said pivot, said pivot having a centerline thereof that is perpendicular to a centerline between said sort and transport rollers at said exit drop point so that said exit drop point remains fixed regardless of an angle at which said roller assembly is disposed with respect to said base frame, said pivot plate provided with said handle affixed thereto adjacent said drive plate, said tablet chute fixedly mounted to said base frame, a discharge chute fixedly mounted to said base frame and in alignment with said tablet chute, said roller assembly pivotally mounted upon said base frame, said roller assembly driven by said prime mover wherein one of said feed rollers is operatively connected to said prime mover and one of said sort and transport rollers is operatively connected to said prime mover, said side plates joined to said end plates and said drive plate wherein said drive plate and said end plates are affixed to said pivot plate, said drive plate and said end plates supporting said feed rollers and said sort and transport rollers in a spaced relationship from said pivot plate and wherein said prime mover is carried by said drive plate.

2. A roller assembly as in claim 1 wherein said pivot plate is pivotable relative to said base frame at said pivot, said pivot disposed in a pivot support wherein said pivot support is affixed to a top plate of said base frame, said pivot support extending upwardly from said base frame.

3. A roller assembly as in claim 2 wherein said pivot plate is removably affixed to said base frame at said pivot.

4. A roller assembly as in claim 1 wherein said feed rollers feed tablets toward a discharge end of said feed rollers, said tablets discharged from said discharge end of said feed rollers onto said pair of sort and transport rollers.

5. A roller assembly as in claim 4 wherein said sort and transport rollers sort said tablets into an orderly stream on a sort portion thereof and feed said tablets toward a discharge end of said sort and transport rollers along a transport portion thereof, said tablets discharged from said discharge end of said sort and transport rollers in a stable aspect established upon said sort and transport rollers of said roller assembly, said tablets passing through a sensor field generated by said product count sensor.

6. A roller assembly as in claim 5 wherein speed and direction of said feed rollers is controlled independent of speed and direction of said sort and transport rollers.

7. A roller assembly as in claim 5 wherein said pivot plate of said roller assembly is disposed at an angle relative to said base frame to alter a feed and transport rate of said tablets.

8. A roller assembly as in claim 7 wherein said hopper of said roller assembly is affixed to said side plates.

9. A roller assembly as in claim 8 wherein said feed rollers of said roller assembly have a feed end disposed generally under said hopper, said feed end provided with a thread disposed thereupon.

10. A roller assembly as in claim 9 wherein said thread of said feed roller is superimposed upon said feed roller and has a substantially square profile.

11. A roller assembly as in claim 10 wherein a transport portion of said sort and transport roller of said roller assembly is superimposed upon said sort and transport roller and has a thread disposed thereupon.

12. A roller assembly as in claim 11 wherein said thread of said transport portion is disposed at a greater helix angle than said thread on said feed rollers.

13. A roller assembly as in claim 12 wherein said thread of said transport portion is a compound thread having a different helix angle for different portions of said sort and transport roller.

14. A roller assembly for a high-speed tablet feeder comprising a pair of feed rollers and a pair of sort and transport rollers, at least one prime mover, a drive plate, at least two end plates, a pair of side plates, at least one tablet guide, a pivot plate, a handle, a stop pin and a hopper, said feed rollers further comprising a pair of gears at a drive plate end thereof and a blunt end opposite said drive plate end, said sort and transport rollers further comprising a pair of gears at a drive plate end thereof and tapered surfaces at an end opposite said drive plate end, said tapered surfaces defining an exit drop point therebetween, said feed rollers journaled in said drive plate and in one of said end plates, said sort and transport rollers journaled in said drive plate and another of said end plates, said feed rollers disposed above said sort and transport rollers, said pivot plate of said roller assembly rotatably affixed to a base frame of a high speed tablet feeder at a pivot, said base frame provided with a counting and reject block and a tablet chute adjacent said pivot, said counting and reject block provided with a curved wall surface, said counting and reject block containing a product count sensor and wherein an arc centered on said pivot extends through said exit drop point and is tangent to a centerline between said sort and transport rollers so that said exit drop point remains fixed regardless of an angle at which said roller assembly is disposed with respect to said base frame, said pivot plate provided with said handle affixed thereto adjacent said drive plate, said tablet chute fixedly mounted to said base frame, a discharge chute fixedly mounted to said base frame and in alignment with said tablet chute, said roller assembly pivotally mounted upon said base frame, said roller assembly driven by said prime mover wherein one of said feed rollers is operatively connected to said prime mover and one of said sort and transport rollers is operatively connected to said prime mover, said side plates joined to said end plates and said drive plate wherein said drive plate and said end plates are affixed to said pivot plate, said drive plate and said end plates supporting said feed rollers and said sort and transport rollers in a spaced relationship from said pivot plate and wherein said prime mover is carried by said drive plate.

15. A roller assembly as in claim 14 wherein said curved wall surface of said counting and reject block is centered on said pivot.

16. A roller assembly as in claim 15 wherein said product count sensor is disposed tangent to a line extending from said curved wall surface of said counting and reject block.

17. A roller assembly for a high-speed tablet feeder comprising a pair of feed rollers and a pair of sort and transport rollers, at least one prime mover, a drive plate, at least two end plates, a pair of side plates, at least one tablet guide, a pivot plate, a handle, a stop pin and a hopper, said feed rollers further comprising a pair of gears at a drive plate end thereof and a blunt end opposite said drive plate end, said sort and transport rollers further comprising a pair of gears at a drive plate end thereof and tapered surfaces at an end opposite said drive plate end, said tapered surfaces defining an exit drop point therebetween, said feed rollers journaled in said drive plate and in one of said end plates, said sort and transport rollers journaled in said drive plate and another one of said end plates, said feed rollers disposed above said sort and transport rollers, said pivot plate of said roller assembly rotatably affixed to a base frame of a high speed tablet feeder at a pivot, said base frame provided with a counting and reject block and a tablet chute adjacent said pivot, said counting and reject block provided with a curved wall surface, said counting and reject block containing a product count sensor and wherein said curved wall surface is an arc centered on said pivot, an axis of said pivot extending through said exit drop point perpendicular to a centerline between said sort and transport rollers so that said exit drop point remains fixed regardless of an angle at which said roller assembly is disposed with respect to said base frame, said pivot plate provided with said handle affixed thereto adjacent said drive plate, said tablet chute fixedly mounted to said base frame, a discharge chute fixedly mounted to said base frame and in alignment with said tablet chute, said roller assembly pivotally mounted upon said base frame, said roller assembly driven by said prime mover wherein one of said feed rollers is operatively connected to said prime mover and one of said sort and transport rollers is operatively connected to said prime mover, said side plates joined to said end plates and said drive plate wherein said drive plate and said end plates are affixed to said pivot plate, said drive plate and said end plates supporting said feed rollers and said sort and transport rollers in a spaced relationship from said pivot plate, said hopper provided with an angled bottom wall and wherein said prime mover is carried by said drive plate.

18. A roller assembly as in claim 17 wherein said angled bottom wall of said hopper is disposed adjacent said feed rolls.

19. A roller assembly as in claim 18 wherein said angled bottom wall of said hopper terminates adjacent a feed thread of said feed rolls.

20. A roller assembly as in claim 17 wherein said feed rolls turn upwardly and outwardly and said sort and transport rolls turn upwardly and outwardly.