Bun laner
A bun laner sorts buns into a predetermined number of lanes, for providing buns to a packaging unit. The bun laner detects when some lanes are filling faster than other and closes those lanes while the other lanes fill. A vacuum may be used to hold buns in a filled lane in order to close the lane. An optical detection unit may be used to determine when a bun has been stationary at a certain position in the lane for a predetermined amount of time.
1. A bun laner comprising:
a staging area for holding a plurality of buns;
a predetermined number of lanes into which buns from the staging area are channeled;
a bun detection unit for detecting each lane having at least a predetermined number of buns; and
vacuum means for selectively closing one or more of the lanes responsive to the bun detection unit.
2. The bun laner of claim 1 wherein the bun detection unit comprises optical sensors for respective lanes.
3. The bun laner of claim 2 wherein said vacuum means includes valves controlled by the optical sensors.
4. The bun laner of claim 1 and further comprising a plurality of oscillating guides for directing buns into a lane.
5. The bun laner of claim 1 and further comprising wherein the staging area includes a vibratory conveyor.
6. The bun laner of claim 1 wherein the vacuum means includes a sloping grate.
7. A method of channeling buns into a plurality of lanes comprising the steps of:
transferring a plurality of buns into a staging area;
transporting the buns towards the lanes;
detecting each lane having at least a predetermined number of buns; and
selectively applying a vacuum to one or more of the lanes responsive to the detecting step.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the detecting step comprises the step of detecting stationary a stationary bun at a predetermined location in a lane using an optical sensors.
9. The method of claim 8 said selectively applying a vacuum step comprises enabling valves responsive to the optical sensors.
10. The method of claim 7 and further comprising the step of directing buns into a lane using oscillating guides.
11. The method of claim 7 wherein said transporting step comprises the step of transporting the buns towards the lanes using a vibratory conveyor.