Apparatus for transporting food products to a loading head
View Patent ↗An apparatus and method of transporting food products to a loading station having a cooling conveyor that selectively drops food product into a distributor. The distributor separates product into at least two lanes and drops product onto a conveyor. A balancing and diverting conveyor monitors and counts product in each lane and diverts product selectively based upon the sensed product. An orienter transfers product from a loading conveyor to a buffer conveyor. The buffer conveyor transfers product to a main conveyor which transfers product to a loading head.
1. An alignment mechanism, comprising
at least one drive wheel having a cam slot formed within the outer perimeter of the wheel; and
a guide member having at least one cam follower formed to be received within the cam slot and
a pair of paddles that extend outwardly from the guide member;
wherein the cam follower follows a shape of the cam slot formed within the outer perimeter of the drive wheel as the drive wheel rotates;
wherein the guide member extends from the drive wheel outwardly over a conveyor;
wherein the guide member moves toward and away from the drive wheel as the cam follower follows the shape of the cam slot;
wherein the paddles alternately engage ends of a food product as the cam follower follows the shape of the cam slot and the guide member moves toward and away from the drive wheel; and
wherein the shape of the cam slot is zigzagged such that the cam follower follows a zigzagged path.
2. The alignment mechanism of claim 1 wherein the paddles are separated by a length which is greater than a length of the food products.