CA1190898A - Procedure and apparatus for the length sorting of pieces of timber - Google Patents
Procedure and apparatus for the length sorting of pieces of timberInfo
- Publication number
- CA1190898A CA1190898A CA000399694A CA399694A CA1190898A CA 1190898 A CA1190898 A CA 1190898A CA 000399694 A CA000399694 A CA 000399694A CA 399694 A CA399694 A CA 399694A CA 1190898 A CA1190898 A CA 1190898A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- timber
- pieces
- positioner
- transversal
- length
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
- B07C5/04—Sorting according to size
- B07C5/12—Sorting according to size characterised by the application to particular articles, not otherwise provided for
- B07C5/14—Sorting timber or logs, e.g. tree trunks, beams, planks or the like
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
- B07C5/04—Sorting according to size
- B07C5/10—Sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
- Forests & Forestry (AREA)
- Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
- Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
Procedure and apparatus for length separation of pieces of timber such as logs for instance, by which procedure different length logs and in particular excessively long logs are separated into compartments of their own. The pieces of timber transversely disposed with regard to their direction of travel are made to pass through a light curtain which is continuously monitored with a camera, thereby gaining information about the position of the timber ends with reference to the light curtain, and that on the basis of the information thus gained the pieces of timber with wrong dimension are separated from the process.
Procedure and apparatus for length separation of pieces of timber such as logs for instance, by which procedure different length logs and in particular excessively long logs are separated into compartments of their own. The pieces of timber transversely disposed with regard to their direction of travel are made to pass through a light curtain which is continuously monitored with a camera, thereby gaining information about the position of the timber ends with reference to the light curtain, and that on the basis of the information thus gained the pieces of timber with wrong dimension are separated from the process.
Description
38~
The invention concerns a procedure and an apparatus for lengt~ separatl~g pieces of timber such as logs and by w~ich logs wit~ different ~engths and excessively long logs in partlcular are separated into compartments of their own, To achie~e that logs with diferent lengths each end up in their own compartments has mostly presented a problem in length sorting tlmber~
Excessively long logs in paxticular are a problem because they may preclude the continuous wood flow, eOg.
from a feed conveyor to the grinding shop. It is moreover important in frequent instances that the timber pieces going to further conversion steps have the same length. For separatlng excessively long pieces of timber, manual sorting has generally been applied, or an apparatus where the pieces of timber are transported in transversal position referred to the direction of travel and the conveyor has apertures with a given breadth through which the pieces of ~imber having the desired length fall do~n on a second con~eyor or equiva~ent, whence the pieces of timber go to further steps of treatment. Owing to practical reasons, the separating event is then such that the shortest pieces of timber fall first off the feed conveyor and the longest fall last. A drawback of separating logs accomplished in this manner is low separating capacity. Other draw backs are poor accuracy, and risk of blocking of the separating apparatus. Thereby the length separating step easily tends to constitute a bottleneck in the whole process. If the capacity of the separatirlg step is augmented, the size of the re~uired apparatus also increases and the apparatus becomes more expensive~
The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned above and to provide a procedure by the aid of which it is possible ~>
efficiently and econo~ica.lLy to separate from Pach other different length pieces of ti~ber, and especially to separate excessiv~ly long piece~ of timber o~t from among pieces which are of suitable lengthO
Accordingly, the invention i5 ~e~ein broadly claimed as a procedu~e for length sorting pieces of timber by which excessively long timbers are separated from timbers of suitable length, said procedure com-prising:
10 placing the pieces of timber on a trans~ersal positioner with their lengths at right angles to the direction of travel of the positioner and passing the pieces through two light curtains each created by a light source and an aperture located at one of the margins of the transverse positioner;
monitoring each light curtain continuously with a camera and a liyht source creating one of the light curtains, whereby length measurement inEormation is obtained regarding the position of each end of the pieces of timbers ~ith reference to each said light curtain and aperture, and, on the basis of the informa-tion thus obtained, separating the pieces of timber having an excessive length from those having a suitable length~
The procedure has the advantage that a high separating capacity is achieved, whereby length sorting no longer will constitute any bottleneck in the process~
By the length measuring method, in actual fact an out-line image is produced of the ends of the piece~ of timber in one paddle interval, and more generally, of the ends of the whole timber stream. Then one gains as an advantage that several pieces of timber may be allowed in one paddle interval and the dimensions are separately obtained from each piece of timber. The errors of measurement due to ske~ ends of the pieces of ~ 9 ~
timber may also be prevented in this ~ayq In ~urther addition, it also becomes possible to make a diame~er and butt piece sorting by the procedure mentioned.
The procedure according to one advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the pieces o timber are illuminated by the light curtain having a breadth equal to that of the transversal positionerO
The procedure according to another advantageous embodiment ls characterized in that the camera and the counter light source creating the light curtain are located on opposite sides of the pieces of timber.
The procedure accord1ng to still another advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the measurement information for a piece of timber that has passed the light curtain is conveyed from the camera to a microcomputer, which.supplies a control signal to a -sorting means which separates from the process all pieces of timber contained in a paddle interval of the transversal positioner containing a piece of timber having excessive length.
The invention is likewise herein broadly claimed as an apparatus for length sorting pieces of timber, said apparatus comprising:
(a) at least one feed conveyor for the pieces of timhers;
Ib) a transversal positioner for receiving the pieces of timber from said feed conveyor, said trans-versal positioner having multiple paddles, wherein the pieces of timber are lodged in a paddle interval between adjacent paddles and travel with their leng~hs positioned transversely to the direction of travel of the positioner, with at least one piece of timber carried in each paddle interval;
: 35 ~ 3 q,~
(c) an optical-electronic measuring means provided in conjunction with the transversal positioner which measures the length of the pieces of timber passing by sensing at both ends thereof; and (d) sorting means which guides the measured pieces of timber onto one of at least two removal conveyors, one conveyor being for pieces of timber accepted to the process and the other conveyor being for rejected pi.eces of timber.
In a preferred embodiment of this apparatus, the measuring means consists of a counter--light source located on one side of the ~ransversal positioner, a camera located on the opposite sid^ of the transversal positioner and aimed towards the light source, at least one light aperture located in the kransporting plane of the transversal positioner~ through which apertures the camera and the counterlight source are in mutual visual contact, and a microcomputer which processes the timber length measured data and supplies a control signal to the sorting means located after the transversal posi~ioner.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the measuring means comprises two obliquely upwardly aimed cameras located under the transport plane of the transversal positioner and in register with the light apertures, the apertures being elongated with reference to the transverse travel direction of the .~
\
\ ' .
~ - 4 -timbers and located on t~e margi~s of the plane, and two counter-lig~t sources located abo~e the same light apertur~s and aimed throug~ the apertures towards the cameras.
Preferably, the aforesaid sorting means is hydraulically operated~
The apparatus of the invention presents the advantage, among others, -that lt is easlly adaptable to various nominal dimensions of the timberO A further advantage is that the pieces of timber are.permitted to be located freely anywhere in the breadth range of the transversal positioner. The apparatus may also serve as reporting means, and furthermore the apparatus is self-calibrating.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be descri~ed with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;
Figure 2 illustrates the apparatus in elevation view, Figure 3 illustrates the transversal positioner as viewed from above showing the location of the light apertures of the measuring means, Figure 4 is a detail of Fig. 3, in elevational view, and Figure 5 shows the transversal positioner and length measuring means, sectioned along the line II-II in Fig. 4.
By means of the feed conveyor 1, the randomly arriving timber is conveyed to the initial end of the transversal positioner 2, which means forward the pieces of timber arranged with fair certainty to constitute a transversal flow with reference to the feed conveyor lo The transversal positioner 2 has a comparatively great width so that excessively long pieces of timher also ~ 5 -`:
~ig~t be ~bl;e to p~ss t~eret~roug~ ~nd would not cause any interruption of the process, On t~e tra~sversal positioner 2 the pieces of ~imber ~avel so t~at one or several pieces of timber are lodged in one paddle interval formed by the paddles 6, positioned at right angles to the positioner direction o~ travel.
On either margin of the ~ransversal positioner
The invention concerns a procedure and an apparatus for lengt~ separatl~g pieces of timber such as logs and by w~ich logs wit~ different ~engths and excessively long logs in partlcular are separated into compartments of their own, To achie~e that logs with diferent lengths each end up in their own compartments has mostly presented a problem in length sorting tlmber~
Excessively long logs in paxticular are a problem because they may preclude the continuous wood flow, eOg.
from a feed conveyor to the grinding shop. It is moreover important in frequent instances that the timber pieces going to further conversion steps have the same length. For separatlng excessively long pieces of timber, manual sorting has generally been applied, or an apparatus where the pieces of timber are transported in transversal position referred to the direction of travel and the conveyor has apertures with a given breadth through which the pieces of ~imber having the desired length fall do~n on a second con~eyor or equiva~ent, whence the pieces of timber go to further steps of treatment. Owing to practical reasons, the separating event is then such that the shortest pieces of timber fall first off the feed conveyor and the longest fall last. A drawback of separating logs accomplished in this manner is low separating capacity. Other draw backs are poor accuracy, and risk of blocking of the separating apparatus. Thereby the length separating step easily tends to constitute a bottleneck in the whole process. If the capacity of the separatirlg step is augmented, the size of the re~uired apparatus also increases and the apparatus becomes more expensive~
The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks mentioned above and to provide a procedure by the aid of which it is possible ~>
efficiently and econo~ica.lLy to separate from Pach other different length pieces of ti~ber, and especially to separate excessiv~ly long piece~ of timber o~t from among pieces which are of suitable lengthO
Accordingly, the invention i5 ~e~ein broadly claimed as a procedu~e for length sorting pieces of timber by which excessively long timbers are separated from timbers of suitable length, said procedure com-prising:
10 placing the pieces of timber on a trans~ersal positioner with their lengths at right angles to the direction of travel of the positioner and passing the pieces through two light curtains each created by a light source and an aperture located at one of the margins of the transverse positioner;
monitoring each light curtain continuously with a camera and a liyht source creating one of the light curtains, whereby length measurement inEormation is obtained regarding the position of each end of the pieces of timbers ~ith reference to each said light curtain and aperture, and, on the basis of the informa-tion thus obtained, separating the pieces of timber having an excessive length from those having a suitable length~
The procedure has the advantage that a high separating capacity is achieved, whereby length sorting no longer will constitute any bottleneck in the process~
By the length measuring method, in actual fact an out-line image is produced of the ends of the piece~ of timber in one paddle interval, and more generally, of the ends of the whole timber stream. Then one gains as an advantage that several pieces of timber may be allowed in one paddle interval and the dimensions are separately obtained from each piece of timber. The errors of measurement due to ske~ ends of the pieces of ~ 9 ~
timber may also be prevented in this ~ayq In ~urther addition, it also becomes possible to make a diame~er and butt piece sorting by the procedure mentioned.
The procedure according to one advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the pieces o timber are illuminated by the light curtain having a breadth equal to that of the transversal positionerO
The procedure according to another advantageous embodiment ls characterized in that the camera and the counter light source creating the light curtain are located on opposite sides of the pieces of timber.
The procedure accord1ng to still another advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the measurement information for a piece of timber that has passed the light curtain is conveyed from the camera to a microcomputer, which.supplies a control signal to a -sorting means which separates from the process all pieces of timber contained in a paddle interval of the transversal positioner containing a piece of timber having excessive length.
The invention is likewise herein broadly claimed as an apparatus for length sorting pieces of timber, said apparatus comprising:
(a) at least one feed conveyor for the pieces of timhers;
Ib) a transversal positioner for receiving the pieces of timber from said feed conveyor, said trans-versal positioner having multiple paddles, wherein the pieces of timber are lodged in a paddle interval between adjacent paddles and travel with their leng~hs positioned transversely to the direction of travel of the positioner, with at least one piece of timber carried in each paddle interval;
: 35 ~ 3 q,~
(c) an optical-electronic measuring means provided in conjunction with the transversal positioner which measures the length of the pieces of timber passing by sensing at both ends thereof; and (d) sorting means which guides the measured pieces of timber onto one of at least two removal conveyors, one conveyor being for pieces of timber accepted to the process and the other conveyor being for rejected pi.eces of timber.
In a preferred embodiment of this apparatus, the measuring means consists of a counter--light source located on one side of the ~ransversal positioner, a camera located on the opposite sid^ of the transversal positioner and aimed towards the light source, at least one light aperture located in the kransporting plane of the transversal positioner~ through which apertures the camera and the counterlight source are in mutual visual contact, and a microcomputer which processes the timber length measured data and supplies a control signal to the sorting means located after the transversal posi~ioner.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the measuring means comprises two obliquely upwardly aimed cameras located under the transport plane of the transversal positioner and in register with the light apertures, the apertures being elongated with reference to the transverse travel direction of the .~
\
\ ' .
~ - 4 -timbers and located on t~e margi~s of the plane, and two counter-lig~t sources located abo~e the same light apertur~s and aimed throug~ the apertures towards the cameras.
Preferably, the aforesaid sorting means is hydraulically operated~
The apparatus of the invention presents the advantage, among others, -that lt is easlly adaptable to various nominal dimensions of the timberO A further advantage is that the pieces of timber are.permitted to be located freely anywhere in the breadth range of the transversal positioner. The apparatus may also serve as reporting means, and furthermore the apparatus is self-calibrating.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be descri~ed with reference to the appended drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;
Figure 2 illustrates the apparatus in elevation view, Figure 3 illustrates the transversal positioner as viewed from above showing the location of the light apertures of the measuring means, Figure 4 is a detail of Fig. 3, in elevational view, and Figure 5 shows the transversal positioner and length measuring means, sectioned along the line II-II in Fig. 4.
By means of the feed conveyor 1, the randomly arriving timber is conveyed to the initial end of the transversal positioner 2, which means forward the pieces of timber arranged with fair certainty to constitute a transversal flow with reference to the feed conveyor lo The transversal positioner 2 has a comparatively great width so that excessively long pieces of timher also ~ 5 -`:
~ig~t be ~bl;e to p~ss t~eret~roug~ ~nd would not cause any interruption of the process, On t~e tra~sversal positioner 2 the pieces of ~imber ~avel so t~at one or several pieces of timber are lodged in one paddle interval formed by the paddles 6, positioned at right angles to the positioner direction o~ travel.
On either margin of the ~ransversal positioner
2, below the conveying level 10 and mutually spaced approximately the distance between the timber ends, two light apertures 3 hav:e been provided, their lonyer s.ides extending across the direction of travel of the pieces of timber, as shown in ~igs. 3 and 5. ~y this arrangement, a wide operating range of the timber length measuring means is obtained. Above the light apertures 3, obliquely in front, are found the counter-light sources 4 and similarly, below the light apertures 3, obliquely behind, are positioned the cameras 5, so aimed that the light from the counter-light sources strikes the cameras through the light apertures. When a piece of timber is passing over the light apertures, it blocks for i.ts own part the path of the counter-light to the cameras.
The cameras 5 then observe the profiles of the timber ends and the respective information i5 conv~yed further to a microcomputer, which calculates the length oi the pieces of t.imber that passed over the light apertures and suppli.es the required control signal to the sorting apparatus 7 following after the transversal positioner 2. If the piece of t.imber measured was excessively long in a given paddle interval, the sorting means 7 will transfer the timber from the respective paddle interval to the timber rejecting conveyor 8. If the timber had the right length, the timber goes to the removal conveyor 9 for the continued process. The sorting means 7 may e.g. be a hydraulically operating guide. It frequently happens that one paddle interval contains more than one p.iece of ~3~
timber and it is ~he~ef~re an a~vantage to ~esign and build the measuring a~d soXting appara~us so tha~ all pieces of timber are xejected WhiCh tra~el in a paddle interval containin~ even only one excessively long piece of timber. ~n such instances, however~ it is easy enough to return the rejected pieces of timb~r to the circulation and, if required, to shorten ~he pieces of timber which have excess length.
It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not confined exclusively to the example presented in the foregoing, and may instead vary within the scope of various embodiment examples, which will become apparent e.g. in the claims stated below. For instance, the invention may be carried out wi-th the aid of one camera and one counter-light source as long as one employs paraboloid mirrors 50 ~hat the pieces of timber can be measured through both light apertures mentioned.
The camera and counter-light source may in th~t case be disposed both on one side of the timber stream~ preferably above it.
The cameras 5 then observe the profiles of the timber ends and the respective information i5 conv~yed further to a microcomputer, which calculates the length oi the pieces of t.imber that passed over the light apertures and suppli.es the required control signal to the sorting apparatus 7 following after the transversal positioner 2. If the piece of t.imber measured was excessively long in a given paddle interval, the sorting means 7 will transfer the timber from the respective paddle interval to the timber rejecting conveyor 8. If the timber had the right length, the timber goes to the removal conveyor 9 for the continued process. The sorting means 7 may e.g. be a hydraulically operating guide. It frequently happens that one paddle interval contains more than one p.iece of ~3~
timber and it is ~he~ef~re an a~vantage to ~esign and build the measuring a~d soXting appara~us so tha~ all pieces of timber are xejected WhiCh tra~el in a paddle interval containin~ even only one excessively long piece of timber. ~n such instances, however~ it is easy enough to return the rejected pieces of timb~r to the circulation and, if required, to shorten ~he pieces of timber which have excess length.
It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not confined exclusively to the example presented in the foregoing, and may instead vary within the scope of various embodiment examples, which will become apparent e.g. in the claims stated below. For instance, the invention may be carried out wi-th the aid of one camera and one counter-light source as long as one employs paraboloid mirrors 50 ~hat the pieces of timber can be measured through both light apertures mentioned.
The camera and counter-light source may in th~t case be disposed both on one side of the timber stream~ preferably above it.
Claims (10)
1. A procedure for length sorting pieces of timber by which excessively long timbers are separated from timbers of suitable length, said procedure comprising:
placing the pieces of timber on a transversal positioner with their lengths at right angles to the direction of travel of the positioner and passing the pieces through two light curtains each created by a light source and an aperture located at one of the margins of the transverse positioner;
monitoring each light curtain continuously with a camera and a light source creating one of the light curtains, whereby length measurement information is obtained regarding the position of each end of the pieces of timbers with reference to each said light source and aperture, and, on the basis of the informa-tion thus obtained, separating the pieces of timber having an excessive length from those having a suitable length.
placing the pieces of timber on a transversal positioner with their lengths at right angles to the direction of travel of the positioner and passing the pieces through two light curtains each created by a light source and an aperture located at one of the margins of the transverse positioner;
monitoring each light curtain continuously with a camera and a light source creating one of the light curtains, whereby length measurement information is obtained regarding the position of each end of the pieces of timbers with reference to each said light source and aperture, and, on the basis of the informa-tion thus obtained, separating the pieces of timber having an excessive length from those having a suitable length.
2. A length sorting procedure according to claim 1, wherein the pieces of timber are illuminated by said light curtains spaced a distance equal to that of said transversal positioner.
3. A length sorting procedure according to claim 1, wherein the pieces of timber pass through the light curtains so that the camerasand the counter-light sources creating the light curtains are located on opposite sides of the pieces of timber.
4. A length sorting procedure according to claim 1, wherein the measurement information for a piece of timber that has passed the light curtains is conveyed from the camerasto a microcomputer, which supplies a control signal to a sorting means which separates from the process all pieces of timber contained in a paddle interval of the transversal positioner containing a piece of timber having excessive length.
5. A procedure for length sorting pieces of timber by which excessively long timbers are separated from timbers of suitable length, said procedure com-prising:
(a) placing the pieces of timber on a transversal positioner with their lengths at right angles to their direction of travel and passing the pieces through two light curtains each created by a light source and an aperture located in the marginsof the transversal positioner to provide light curtains separated from each other a distance equal to the breadth of the transversal positioner;
(b) monitoring each said light curtain conti-nuously with a camera and a light source creating a light curtain, said cameras and light sources being located on opposite sides of the transversal positioner and the pieces of timber, whereby length measure-ment information is obtained by the camaras regarding the position of ends of the pieces of timber having excessive length and is conveyed from the camera to a micro-computer; and (c) on the basis of the length information thus obtained, separating from the process any pieces having excessive length.
(a) placing the pieces of timber on a transversal positioner with their lengths at right angles to their direction of travel and passing the pieces through two light curtains each created by a light source and an aperture located in the marginsof the transversal positioner to provide light curtains separated from each other a distance equal to the breadth of the transversal positioner;
(b) monitoring each said light curtain conti-nuously with a camera and a light source creating a light curtain, said cameras and light sources being located on opposite sides of the transversal positioner and the pieces of timber, whereby length measure-ment information is obtained by the camaras regarding the position of ends of the pieces of timber having excessive length and is conveyed from the camera to a micro-computer; and (c) on the basis of the length information thus obtained, separating from the process any pieces having excessive length.
6. An apparatus for length sorting pieces of timber, said apparatus comprising:
(a) at least one feed conveyor for the pieces of timbers;
(b) a transversal positioner for receiving the pieces of timber from said feed conveyor, said transversal positioner having multiple paddles, wherein the pieces of timber are lodged in a paddle interval between adjacent paddles and travel with their lengths positioned transversely to the direction of travel of the positioner, with at least one piece of timber carried in each paddle interval;
(c) an optical-electronic measuring means provided in conjunction with the transversal positioner which measures the length of the pieces of timber passing by sensing at both ends thereof; and (d) sorting means which guides the measured pieces of timber onto one of at least two removal conveyors, one conveyor being for pieces of timber accepted to the process and the other conveyor being for rejected pieces of timber.
(a) at least one feed conveyor for the pieces of timbers;
(b) a transversal positioner for receiving the pieces of timber from said feed conveyor, said transversal positioner having multiple paddles, wherein the pieces of timber are lodged in a paddle interval between adjacent paddles and travel with their lengths positioned transversely to the direction of travel of the positioner, with at least one piece of timber carried in each paddle interval;
(c) an optical-electronic measuring means provided in conjunction with the transversal positioner which measures the length of the pieces of timber passing by sensing at both ends thereof; and (d) sorting means which guides the measured pieces of timber onto one of at least two removal conveyors, one conveyor being for pieces of timber accepted to the process and the other conveyor being for rejected pieces of timber.
7. An apparatus for length sorting according to claim 6, wherein said measuring means consists of a counter-light source located on one side of said transversal positioner, a camera located on the opposite side of the transversal positioner and aimed towards said light source, at least one light aperture located in the transporting plane of the transversal positioner, through which apertures said camera and said counterlight source are in mutual visual contact, and a microcomputer which processes the timber length measured data and supplies a control signal to said sorting means located after the transversal positioner.
8. An apparatus for length sorting according to claim 6, wherein the measuring means comprises two obliquely upwardly aimed cameras located under the transport plane of the transversal positioner and in register with said light apertures, the apertures being elongated with reference to the transverse direction of travel of the timbers and located on the margins of said plane, and two counter-light sources located above the same light apertures and aimed through the apertures towards the cameras.
9. An apparatus for length sorting according to claim 6, wherein said sorting means is hydraulically operated.
10. An apparatus for length sorting pieces of timber, said apparatus comprising.
(a) at least one feed conveyor for the pieces of timber having random lengths;
(b) a transversal positioner for receiving the pieces of timber from said feed conveyor, said transversal positioner having multiple paddles, whereby the pieces of timber are lodged in a paddle interval between adjacent paddles and travel with their lengths positioned transversely to their direction of travel, with at least one piece of timber being in each paddle interval;
(c) an optical-electronic measuring means consisting of two counter-light sources each located on one side of said transversal positioner, and two cameras located on the opposite sides of the transversal positioner and aimed towards the counter-light sources;
(d) two apertures located in the transporting plane of the transversal positioner at the sides thereof, through which apertures said counter-light sources and said cameras are in mutual visual contact, (e) sorting means located after the transversal positioner for guiding the pieces of timber onto one of two removal conveyors, one conveyor being for pieces of timber accepted to the process and the other conveyor for rejected pieces of timber; and (f) a microcomputer which processes the timber length data and provides a control signal to actuate said sorting means.
(a) at least one feed conveyor for the pieces of timber having random lengths;
(b) a transversal positioner for receiving the pieces of timber from said feed conveyor, said transversal positioner having multiple paddles, whereby the pieces of timber are lodged in a paddle interval between adjacent paddles and travel with their lengths positioned transversely to their direction of travel, with at least one piece of timber being in each paddle interval;
(c) an optical-electronic measuring means consisting of two counter-light sources each located on one side of said transversal positioner, and two cameras located on the opposite sides of the transversal positioner and aimed towards the counter-light sources;
(d) two apertures located in the transporting plane of the transversal positioner at the sides thereof, through which apertures said counter-light sources and said cameras are in mutual visual contact, (e) sorting means located after the transversal positioner for guiding the pieces of timber onto one of two removal conveyors, one conveyor being for pieces of timber accepted to the process and the other conveyor for rejected pieces of timber; and (f) a microcomputer which processes the timber length data and provides a control signal to actuate said sorting means.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FI810969A FI64300C (en) | 1981-03-30 | 1981-03-30 | FRAMEWORK FOR THE ADJUSTMENT OF SAFETY TRAILING |
| FI810969 | 1981-03-30 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1190898A true CA1190898A (en) | 1985-07-23 |
Family
ID=8514266
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000399694A Expired CA1190898A (en) | 1981-03-30 | 1982-03-29 | Procedure and apparatus for the length sorting of pieces of timber |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AT (1) | AT384178B (en) |
| BR (1) | BR8201768A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1190898A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3211344A1 (en) |
| FI (1) | FI64300C (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2509198B1 (en) |
| SE (1) | SE463853B (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DK155274C (en) * | 1986-05-30 | 1989-07-31 | Stormax Int As | DEVICE FOR CONTROL OF WOODEN TOPICS |
| AT389666B (en) * | 1987-01-19 | 1990-01-10 | Schilcher Ges M B H | Device for the input of square-cutting and assessment commands |
| EP0353446B1 (en) * | 1988-08-01 | 1994-11-09 | Societe Des Produits Nestle S.A. | Apparatus for sizing elongated food pieces |
| AT398174B (en) * | 1991-02-08 | 1994-10-25 | Andritz Patentverwaltung | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SEPARATING BLEED WOOD STICKS |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3318521A (en) * | 1964-03-20 | 1967-05-09 | Whittier Moulding Company | Apparatus for measuring the dimensions of lumber and the like |
| SE325522B (en) * | 1964-07-28 | 1970-06-29 | Mo Och Domsjoe Ab | |
| US3680692A (en) * | 1970-12-10 | 1972-08-01 | Us Plywood Champ Papers Inc | Board transfer device |
| DE2637331C3 (en) * | 1976-08-19 | 1984-10-04 | C. Keller GmbH u. Co KG, 4530 Ibbenbüren | Sorting device for veneer sections |
| FR2382990A1 (en) * | 1977-03-09 | 1978-10-06 | Ramiere Jean | Log peeling machine with automatic strip sorting - continuously gauges sections obtained for acceptance or rejection |
| JPS5567607A (en) * | 1978-11-17 | 1980-05-21 | Hajime Sangyo Kk | Pattern discrimination method |
-
1981
- 1981-03-30 FI FI810969A patent/FI64300C/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
1982
- 1982-03-27 DE DE19823211344 patent/DE3211344A1/en active Granted
- 1982-03-29 CA CA000399694A patent/CA1190898A/en not_active Expired
- 1982-03-29 SE SE8202002A patent/SE463853B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1982-03-29 BR BR8201768A patent/BR8201768A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1982-03-30 AT AT124682A patent/AT384178B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1982-03-30 FR FR8205376A patent/FR2509198B1/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2509198B1 (en) | 1987-09-11 |
| DE3211344C2 (en) | 1990-08-23 |
| FI810969L (en) | 1982-10-01 |
| FI64300C (en) | 1983-11-10 |
| FI64300B (en) | 1983-07-29 |
| ATA124682A (en) | 1987-03-15 |
| SE8202002L (en) | 1982-10-01 |
| AT384178B (en) | 1987-10-12 |
| SE463853B (en) | 1991-02-04 |
| DE3211344A1 (en) | 1982-10-07 |
| FR2509198A1 (en) | 1983-01-14 |
| BR8201768A (en) | 1983-03-01 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |