摘要 |
Apparatus for counting a plurality of pointed sticks and segregating the sticks into groups containing a predetermined count. The sticks are fed onto an endless conveyor belt from a pointing station and are counted as they are dropped onto the conveyor. After a predetermined number of the sticks are counted, a gate above the conveyor belt adjacent the input end thereof is actuated in response to an electronic signal received from the counter to prevent further sticks from being fed onto the belt. Simultaneously, the speed of the conveyor is increased to space the sticks on the belt from those accumulated behind the gate. The sticks on the belt are then trapped between the output end of the conveyor and a trap gate and are manually removed from the conveyor. The first gate is then retracted to spill another group of sticks onto the conveyor behind the trap gate and the operation is recycled.
|