Positive displacement sorter with parallel divert and canted discharge

Abstract

A positive displacement sorter and method of diverting an article includes a conveying surface that conveys articles along a longitudinal direction and at least one diagonal take-away lane that extends diagonally from the conveying surface to receive an article being diverted from the conveying surface. The sorter includes a plurality of pushers that move together along a transverse direction to displace an article on the conveying surface to the diagonal take-away lane and a rotation system that rotates a leading portion of the diverted article in the direction of the take-away lane. The rotation system can be a portion of the take-away lane that includes a conveying surface having a first portion of rollers and a second portion of rollers. The first portion of rollers directs the diverted article toward the second portion of rollers and the second portion of rollers conveys the diverted article in the direction of the take-away lane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an item sorting machine and a method for turning items, particularly to a positive displacement sorting machine and method capable of turning at least some items by means of one or more push shoes that pass together through a conveyor surface. This turning is called parallel turning. It should be understood that some parallel turning sorting machines are also capable of turning items, especially long items, by means of push shoes that extend obliquely through the conveyor surface. Background Technology

[0002] One challenge with parallel sorting machines is the mismatch between the longitudinal orientation of the redirected items and the orientation of the take-up aisle, which is typically oriented at an angle of, for example, 20 to 30 degrees to the direction of the sorting machine's item conveyor surface. This can cause items to become congested between the sorting machine's item conveyor surface and the take-up aisle, or further downstream in the conveyor, where items are usually redirected to orient themselves more perpendicular to the sorting machine's item conveyor surface. Conveyor systems can employ bends to guide the flow of items or packages, for example, downstream of the take-up aisle. Conveyors can be driven by various mechanisms, such as gears or belts. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention aims to overcome the difficulties of the prior art (including those mentioned above). According to one aspect of the invention, a positive displacement sorting machine and a method of turning articles include: a conveying surface configured to convey articles in a longitudinal direction; and at least one inclined take-up channel extending obliquely from the conveying surface to receive articles being turned from the conveying surface. A plurality of pushers are configured to move together in a transverse direction to displace articles on the conveying surface into the inclined take-up channel. A rotating system is configured to rotate a leading portion of the turned article in the direction of the take-up channel.

[0004] According to one aspect of the invention, a positive displacement sorting machine and a method for turning articles include: a conveying surface configured to convey articles in a longitudinal direction; and at least one inclined take-up channel extending obliquely from the conveying surface to receive articles being turned from the conveying surface. A plurality of pushers are configured to move together in a lateral direction to displace articles on the conveying surface into the inclined take-up channel. A rotating system is configured to rotate the turned articles in the direction of the take-up channel. The rotating system is part of the take-up channel.

[0005] The rotating system can consist of another conveying surface having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion biasing the article toward the second portion, and the second portion conveying the article along a take-off channel. The first portion may include a plurality of parallel rollers angled to convey the article toward the second portion. These rollers may be at an angle between 10 and 20 degrees to the second portion. The second portion may have a surface with higher friction than the first portion. The second portion may be a high-friction belt or a plurality of high-friction parallel rollers.

[0006] The first and second sections may have parallel rollers, wherein the parallel rollers of the first section are coaxial with the parallel rollers of the second section. Separate drive belt assemblies may be configured to drive the parallel rollers of the first and second sections. The first and second sections may have the same conveying speed.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a positive displacement sorting machine having a take-up channel and a rotating system that rotates a leading portion of an item in the direction of the take-up channel. The rotating system includes a first portion and a second portion of a conveying surface of the take-up channel. The first portion of the conveying surface is angled to convey the item toward the second portion of the conveying surface. The second portion is configured to convey the item along the direction of the take-up channel.

[0008] These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a positive displacement sorting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Perspective view of the take-up aisle of the sorting machine;

[0011] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Top view of the retrieval passageway;

[0012] Figure 3A yes Figure 3 An enlarged plan view of the area designated as 3A in the diagram;

[0013] Figure 4 Is with Figure 2 The same view shows the removal channel, where the rollers are removed to reveal details of the roller drive assembly;

[0014] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Top view of the retrieval passageway;

[0015] Figure 6 This is another top plan view of the removal channel, where the rollers have been removed to show details of the roller drive assembly; and

[0016] Figure 7 This is a top view plan, which shows... Figure 1 Operation of the neutral displacement sorting machine. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Referring now to the accompanying drawings and the exemplary embodiments shown therein, the positive displacement sorting machine 10 includes a conveying surface 12 and at least one inclined take-off channel 14. The conveying surface 12 is formed by interconnected slats 18 to convey articles in a longitudinal direction as indicated by the flow arrows of the sorting machine. The at least one inclined take-off channel 14 extends obliquely from the conveying surface to receive articles being turned from the conveying surface. Figure 1 The positive displacement sorter 10 is capable of turning items without rotating them, and is therefore a parallel deflector of the type disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Patent No. 6,814,216, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This is achieved by a plurality of pushers 16 configured to move together generally in the lateral direction in order to displace items on the conveyor surface 12 to the angled take-off channel 14.

[0018] The rotating system is configured to rotate the leading portion of the redirected item in the direction of the take-up channel 14. Because the leading portion of the redirected item rotates relative to the trailing portion in the diversion direction, the gap between the redirected item and the trailing item is not significantly reduced, and the redirected item is placed on the take-up channel 14 earlier than in prior art systems where the movement of the trailing portion of the redirected item relative to the leading portion is delayed. Therefore, the positive displacement sorter is operated more efficiently.

[0019] In the positive displacement sorting machine 10, the rotating system 20 is part of the take-up channel 14. The rotating system 20 is composed of a conveying surface 22 having a first portion 24 and a second portion 26. Figures 1 to 3 The first section 24 biases the article toward the second section 26, and the second section 26 conveys the article along the direction of the take-up channel 14. The first section 24 consists of a plurality of parallel rollers 28 angled toward the second section 26 to convey the article toward the second section 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the rollers 28 are arranged at an angle between ten (10) degrees and twenty (20) degrees relative to the second section 26. Figure 3 ).

[0020] The second part 26 has a surface 30 with higher friction than the surface 29 of the first part 24. Figure 3AThe second part 26 can be composed of a high-friction belt (not shown). The second part 26 can also be composed of multiple high-friction parallel rollers 32, as shown in the illustrated embodiment. Figure 3 and Figure 3A The parallel roller 28 of the first section 24 is coaxial with respect to the parallel roller 32 of the second section 26. Separate belt drive assemblies 34 and 36 drive the parallel roller 28 of the first section 24 and the parallel roller 32 of the second section 26. Figures 4 to 6 Although the separate belt drive assemblies 34 and 36 can drive the conveyor surfaces 22 in the first section 24 and the second section 26 at different speeds, in the illustrated embodiment they are generally driven at the same conveying speed. The rollers 28 and 32 and the drive assemblies 34 and 36 are supported by the frame 31.

[0021] Therefore, as Figure 7 As shown, after being parallel-turned, the item entering the take-off channel 14 in a generally longitudinal orientation is biased toward the second section 26 at a relative angle to the rollers 28 of the first section 24. When a portion of the item comes into contact with the high-friction surface 30 of the second section 26, the second section 26 takes over the handling of the item, which guides the item along the direction of movement of the conveyor surface 22, which resists any contact with the downstream interface between the sorter 10 and the take-off channel 14, where the item may become congested.

[0022] While the foregoing description has described several embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will understand that variations and modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. This invention covers all combinations of various embodiments or aspects of the invention described herein. It should be understood that any and all embodiments of the invention can be combined with any other embodiment to describe additional embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, any element of an embodiment can be combined with any and all other elements of any embodiment to describe additional embodiments.

Claims

1. A positive displacement sorting machine, comprising: A conveying surface configured to convey articles in a longitudinal direction; At least one angled take-away channel extends obliquely from the conveyor surface to receive an item being turned from the conveyor surface; Multiple thrusters are configured to move together in a lateral direction to displace items on the conveyor surface into the inclined take-up channel; as well as A rotating system configured to rotate the item in the direction of the retrieval channel once the item is turned into the retrieval channel. The rotating system includes a portion of the removal channel. The rotating system includes another conveying surface having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion biasing the item toward the second portion, and the second portion conveying the item along the direction of the take-up channel. The second part has a surface with higher friction than the first part, such that when a portion of the article comes into contact with the high-friction surface of the second part, the second part takes over the handling of the article, which guides the article along the direction of movement of the conveying surface.

2. The positive displacement sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein, The first part includes a plurality of parallel rollers that are angled to convey the material in a direction toward the second part.

3. The positive displacement sorting machine according to claim 2, wherein, The roller is at an angle between 10 and 20 degrees relative to the second part.

4. The positive displacement sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein, The second part includes a high-friction belt.

5. The positive displacement sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein, The second part includes multiple high-friction parallel rollers.

6. The positive displacement sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein, The first portion and the second portion include parallel rollers, wherein the parallel rollers of the first portion are not coaxial with the parallel rollers of the second portion.

7. The positive displacement sorting machine of claim 6, comprising separate drive belt assemblies configured to drive the first portion of the parallel rollers and the second portion of the parallel rollers.

8. The positive displacement sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein, The first part and the second part have the same conveying speed.

9. The positive displacement sorting machine according to claim 1, further comprising: Downstream of the take-up channel, at the roller conveyor bend.

10. A positive displacement sorting machine, comprising: A conveying surface configured to convey articles in a longitudinal direction; At least one angled take-away channel extends obliquely from the conveyor surface to receive an item being turned from the conveyor surface; Multiple thrusters are configured to move together in a lateral direction to displace items on the conveyor surface into the inclined take-up channel; as well as A rotating system configured to rotate a turned item in the direction of the retrieval channel, the rotating system being part of the retrieval channel; The rotating system includes another conveying surface having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion biasing the item toward the second portion, and the second portion conveying the item along the direction of the take-up channel; and The second part has a surface with higher friction than the first part, such that when a portion of the article comes into contact with the high-friction surface of the second part, the second part takes over the handling of the article, which guides the article along the direction of movement of the conveying surface.

11. A method for turning an article, the method employing a positive displacement sorting machine, the method comprising: The positive displacement sorting machine has a conveying surface configured to convey items in a longitudinal direction. At least one angled take-away channel extends obliquely from the conveyor surface to receive an item being turned from the conveyor surface; Multiple thrusters are configured to move together in a lateral direction to displace items on the conveyor surface into the inclined take-up channel; And a rotating system configured to rotate the turned item in the direction of the take-up channel once the item is turned to the take-up channel, wherein the rotating system includes a portion of the take-up channel, and wherein the rotating system includes another conveying surface having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion biasing the item toward the second portion, the second portion conveying the item in the direction of the take-up channel, wherein the second portion has a surface with higher friction than the first portion such that when a portion of the item contacts the high-friction surface of the second portion, the second portion takes over the handling of the item, which guides the item in the direction of movement of the conveying surface; The article is displaced along a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the conveying surface; and Rotate the leading part of the object being turned in the direction of the retrieval channel.

12. The method for turning an article according to claim 11, wherein, The leading portion of the rotating item in the direction of the retrieval channel includes a rotating system, which is part of the retrieval channel and is configured to rotate the leading portion of the rotating item in the direction of the retrieval channel.

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