Control system and unloading method

Abstract

A control and method of use implemented by an unloading mechanism for unloading products from an intermediate container onto a conveyor for downstream processing. The controls tilt the mechanism, in embodiments, to a relative angle from a horizontal or supporting surface and proximate the conveyor. A gate is controlled to slidably mount between an open position and a closed position in order to allow product slide from the structure.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:  
     
         1 . A method of unloading product from an intermediate container mechanism onto a conveyor for downstream processing, the unloading mechanism including a holding structure having a gate slidable between an open position and a closed position, the method including the steps of: 
 (a) loading a mail cart having product into the holding structure;    (b) tilting the holding structure to a relative angle with respect to a supporting surface;    (c) incrementally opening the gate to allow a single layer of product to slide from the mail cart and exit from the holding structure onto the conveyor;    (d) determining whether the single layer of product has exited from the holding structure and onto the conveyor;    (e) if the step (d) is affirmative, repeating the steps of (c) and (d) until the gate has reached it full open position.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of determining whether the relative angle of the holding structure is at approximately 30° with respect to the supporting surface.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of raising the gate to the closed position and returning the holding structure to an original position after the gate has been fully opened as determined by a sensor.  
     
     
         4 . A control system for controlling the unloading of product from an unloading mechanism onto a conveyor for downstream processing, the control system comprising: 
 (a) a module that controls tilting of the unloading mechanism to a relative angle with respect to a supporting surface;    (b) a module that incrementally opens a gate of the unloading mechanism to allow a single layer of product to slide from a mail cart within the unloading mechanism and exit therefrom onto the conveyor; and    (c) a module that controls determining whether the single layer of product has exited from the unloading mechanism and onto the conveyor and if the step (c) is affirmative, repeating the steps of (b) and (c) until the gate has reached it full open position.    
     
     
         5 . The control of  claim 4 , wherein the module that controls tilting further controls determining whether the relative angle of the unloading mechanism is at approximately 30° with respect to the supporting surface.  
     
     
         6 . The control of  claim 4 , wherein the control that controls incrementally opening of the gate further controls raising the gate to the closed position.  
     
     
         7 . The control of  claim 4 , further comprising a module that controls a relative angle of the unloading mechanism is at approximately 30° with respect to the supporting surface.  
     
     
         8 . The control of  claim 4 , further comprising a module that controls raising the gate to the closed position and returning the unloading mechanism to an original position after the gate has been fully opened as determined by a sensor.  
     
     
         9 . A machine readable medium containing code for performing unloading of product from an unloading mechanism onto a conveyor for downstream processing, the code implementing the steps of: 
 (a) tilting the unloading mechanism to a relative angle with respect to a supporting surface;    (b) incrementally opening a gate of the unloading mechanism to allow a single layer of product to slide from a mail cart within the unloading mechanism and exit from therefrom onto the conveyor; and    (c) determining whether the single layer of product has exited from the unloading mechanism and onto the conveyor and if the step (c) is affirmative, repeating the steps of (b) and (c) until the gate has reached it full open position.