| US Patent: 5,086,910 
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| Zone Controlled Conveyance System | 
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| Patentee: |  |
 | Paul D. Terpstra (exact or similar names) - Janesville, Rock County, WI |  
 
 
 
 
| Manufacturer: |  | Not known to have been produced |  
 
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| Patent Dates: |  
| Applied: | Aug. 13, 1990 |  
| Granted: | Feb. 11, 1992 |  USPTO (New site tip)
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                        Joel Havens
 "Vintage Machinery" entry for Giddings & Lewis Manufacturing Co.
 
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| Description: |  | Abstract:
A zone controlled conveyance system includes a series of modular sections arranged end-to-end to define a path along which a workpiece is propelled. Each section is divided into one or more zones. Each zone includes a number of rollers that support the workpiece and propel it in the downstream direction in accordance with the energization of a separate motor drivingly connected to each roller. Sensors associated with each zone sense the presence or absence of a workpiece within the zone. The sensors cooperate with a controller to selectively energize or deenergize the motors of the various zones in a manner that controls downstream propulsion or accumulation of the workpieces. The sections include radiused sections and sharp corner sections. The sharp corner sections may include a turntable that changes the workpiece orientation. |  |