Orienting and feeding apparatus and method for manufacturing line

摘要

Apparatus and methods for rapidly orienting and feeding generally cylindrical, elongated objects having a maximum transverse diameter Y. First and second conveying belts are provided having input and output ends for cooperatively conveying such objects toward a downstream processing line. The belts are mounted so that their respective conveying surfaces are movable in a common parallel direction. The facing edges of the conveying surfaces of these belts are spaced from one another to define a uniform gap between them of a dimension less than Y. The conveying surfaces are upwardly sloped away from the gap, to define a zone converging downwardly in the direction of the gap. Object input means deposit the initially unoriented elongated objects at the input ends of the conveying belts. The belts are moved in a common direction, but at different speeds. The elongated objects are rotated by contact with the differentially speeding belts as they descend into the converging zone and become supported at the gap and conveyed by riding on the edges of the moving belts which border the gap. The objects as they descend become oriented in positions of gravitationally maximum stability relative to the mode of support, these positions being characteristic for the objects. Object output means at the ends of the belts receive the oriented objects and direct them toward the downstream processing line.