Conveyor chute and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a conveying chute, comprising: a chute body, which includes an acceleration area provided with a first ventilation hole communicating with the air outlet end of an air pump; the chute body further includes a deceleration area provided with a second ventilation hole communicating with the air inlet end of a vacuum pump; or, an air pump with an air outlet end facing the deceleration area is arranged above the deceleration area. The present invention also provides a conveying method. The present invention can control the luggage speed to a large extent and reduce luggage collisions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of logistics machinery. More specifically, the present invention relates to a conveying chute and method. Background Art

[0002] In luggage, parcel, and express delivery (collectively referred to as luggage) transportation and sorting systems, straight chutes, spiral chutes, and inclined chutes are often used to achieve the downward transportation and buffering of luggage, parcels, and express deliveries. That is, the spatial displacement of luggage from a certain height (steel platform) to the ground. Straight chutes need to be equipped with electric conveying equipment to convey various pieces of luggage in a controlled manner while minimizing interruptions in luggage conveyance. Inclined chute: The inclined chute is designed similarly to the straight chute but can provide a suitable storage area while making the most economical and effective use of floor space. It has the advantages of energy conservation, environmental protection, simple manufacturing process, and low cost. Spiral chute: The design principle of the spiral chute is the same as that of the straight chute, but it has more advantages and can accept multiple pieces of luggage entering the same chute within a limited space. The spiral chute has relatively complex manufacturing processes and high costs.

[0003] In most current airport processes, the chutes are mainly arranged side by side. Most of the chutes are unpowered inclined chutes, which are connected in one piece and are divided into a receiving section, an acceleration section, a constant-speed section, and a picking section. The TTS runs in the horizontal right direction and tilts when it reaches the top of the chute. The luggage slides down the chute to the bottom picking section and is then picked up by the staff and placed on the consignment trolley, resulting in low work efficiency. Due to the different specifications (mass, size, material) of the luggage, the frictional forces with the chute are different, and the sliding speeds of the luggage vary greatly. Some pieces of luggage slide down too fast, while some cannot slide down; the chute is greatly affected by the climate. In different regions or different seasons in the same region, the sliding conditions of the luggage are different; the chute becomes smoother with increasing use time, and the sliding speed of the luggage gradually increases; at the same time, due to the uncontrollable speed of the luggage, some pieces of luggage are too large or slide and get stuck, resulting in serious impact damage between the luggage.

[0004] Measures often taken for the situation where the speed of the luggage on the chute is relatively high are: (1) sticking a belt on the chute to decelerate the sliding of the luggage; (2) adding a curtain on the chute to decelerate the sliding of the luggage. Measures taken for the situation where the speed of the luggage on the chute is relatively low are: (1) adding a section of conveyor on the chute to provide resistance to high-speed luggage and power to low-speed luggage. (2) Adding unpowered rollers on the chute to provide power to the luggage. Obviously, the above measures still cannot effectively control the sliding speed of the luggage and the collisions during luggage self-inspection. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a conveying chute and method that can largely control the speed of the luggage and reduce luggage collisions.

[0006] In order to achieve these purposes and other advantages according to the present invention, according to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a conveying chute, including: a chute body, which includes an acceleration area, the acceleration area is provided with a first vent hole, and the first vent hole is connected to the outlet end of an air pump.

[0007] Furthermore, a plurality of first module spaces are formed below the acceleration area, and the upper ends of the plurality of first module spaces are connected to the first vent holes, and the lower ends are connected to the air outlet of an air pump.

[0008] Furthermore, the air outlet direction of the first vent hole forms an angle of 40 to 80 degrees with the slide groove body.

[0009] Furthermore, the slide groove body also includes a deceleration area, the deceleration area is provided with a second air vent, and the second air vent is connected to the air inlet end of a vacuum pump; or, an air pump with an air outlet end facing the deceleration area is provided above the deceleration area.

[0010] Furthermore, a plurality of second module spaces are formed below the deceleration area, and the upper ends of the plurality of second module spaces are connected to the second vent holes, and the lower ends are connected to the air inlet end of a vacuum pump.

[0011] Furthermore, a movable block is arranged above the deceleration area, the movable block is connected to the bracket through a spring, the movable block is arranged in a manner that it can move in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the deceleration area, and the air outlet end of the air pump faces the side of the movable block away from the deceleration area.

[0012] Furthermore, the slide chute body comprises a receiving section, an acceleration section, a buffer section and a receiving section which are connected in sequence, the acceleration area is arranged in the acceleration section, and the deceleration area is arranged in the buffer section.

[0013] Furthermore, the inclination angle of the receiving section is 30-50°, the inclination angle of the acceleration section is 20-60°, the inclination angle of the buffer section is 10-30°, and the inclination angle of the receiving section is 0°.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes a first speed sensor and a second speed sensor, the first speed sensor and the second speed sensor are both arranged on one side of the slide groove body, the first speed sensor is located between the receiving section and the acceleration section, and the second speed sensor is located between the acceleration section and the buffer section.

[0015] Further, when the first speed sensor detects that the speed of the luggage is lower than the first threshold, the air pump communicated with the first ventilation hole is turned on. When the second speed sensor detects that the speed of the luggage is higher than the second threshold, the vacuum pump communicated with the second ventilation hole is turned on, or the air pump corresponding to the deceleration area is turned on.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a conveying method is provided, using the conveying chute described above to convey luggage.

[0017] The present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The present invention can control the sliding speed of the luggage on the chute body by changing the pressure between the luggage and the chute body, reduce the mutual collision between the luggage, and at the same time can avoid the influence of uncontrollable factors such as environmental climate, save the labor input for the operation of the chute, and realize the high-efficiency operation of the chute.

[0019] Other advantages, objectives and features of the present invention will be partially reflected by the following description, and partially will be understood by those skilled in the art through the research and practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0022] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the acceleration area;

[0023] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the deceleration area Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the deceleration area Figure 2 ;

[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the included angle between the first ventilation hole and the bottom plate of the acceleration section;

[0026] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the movable block and the spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] The following further describes the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, so that those skilled in the art can implement it according to the description in the specification.

[0028] It should be understood that terms such as "having", "comprising", and "including" as used herein do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements or combinations thereof.

[0029] As Figures 1 to 7 shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a conveying chute, including: a chute body, which includes an acceleration area, and the acceleration area is provided with a first ventilation hole, and the first ventilation hole is communicated with an air outlet end of an air pump 10.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the chute body can adopt any existing form, which can be a straight chute, a spiral chute, or an inclined chute, and is generally connected to a sorting machine TTS. In order to change the moving speed of the luggage, an acceleration area is provided in the chute body, and a first ventilation hole is provided on the acceleration area (chute bottom plate). The air pump 10 forms an upward airflow in the acceleration area through the first ventilation hole. When the luggage moving slowly passes through the acceleration area, the friction between the luggage and the chute bottom plate is reduced, and the moving speed of the luggage is increased, avoiding collisions between the luggage due to the slow sliding speed of some luggage. The diameter of the first ventilation hole is preferably 5-10 mm, and the air blowing pressure of the air pump 10 is preferably 1-100 MPa. It can be seen that this embodiment can control the sliding speed of the luggage on the chute body by changing the pressure between the luggage and the chute body, and reduce the mutual collision between the luggage.

[0031] In some other embodiments, a preferred acceleration structure 6 is provided. A plurality of first module spaces are formed below the acceleration area. The upper ends of the plurality of first module spaces are communicated with the first ventilation hole, and the lower ends are communicated with an air outlet end of an air pump 10. In these embodiments, the first module space is an independent module space provided below the acceleration area. Each module space has a cylindrical structure, and the upper and lower ends are respectively communicated with and installed on the first ventilation hole and the air pump 10. Such a structure is convenient for communicating with the air pump 10, is also convenient for standardized production, and the number of module spaces can also be changed according to needs, so as to provide different air blowing pressures and adapt to different luggage acceleration application scenarios.

[0032] In some other embodiments, the included angle between the air outlet direction of the first ventilation hole and the chute body is 40-80°, and it faces the lower end of the chute body, which can provide a supplementary force for the luggage to slide down while reducing the friction of the luggage.

[0033] In some other embodiments, the chute body further includes a deceleration area, and the deceleration area is provided with a second ventilation hole, and the second ventilation hole is communicated with an intake end of a vacuum pump; or, an air pump 10 with an air outlet end facing the deceleration area is provided above the deceleration area.

[0034] In the above embodiment, a deceleration area is set to control the speed of luggage with too high speed (including the own speed and the speed after acceleration) to avoid collision of luggage or difficulty in receiving luggage during the luggage receiving stage. The deceleration area has a similar principle to the acceleration area, and there are at least two implementation methods. One is to set an air pump 10 and necessary jet components above the deceleration area. When the luggage passes through the deceleration area, the luggage is blown from top to bottom to increase the pressure and friction between the luggage and the deceleration area, and reduce the sliding speed of the luggage. The other is to set a second vent in the deceleration area and use a vacuum pump to apply suction to the second vent. When the luggage passes through the deceleration area, the suction on the luggage is used to increase the friction of the luggage in the deceleration area and reduce the sliding speed of the luggage.

[0035] In other embodiments, a deceleration structure 9 is provided, wherein a plurality of second module spaces are formed below the deceleration area, wherein the upper ends of the plurality of second module spaces are connected to the second vent holes, and the lower ends are connected to the air inlet end of a vacuum pump. In these embodiments, the second module spaces are independent module spaces arranged below the deceleration area, and each module space is a cylindrical structure, wherein the upper and lower ends are connected to the second vent holes and the vacuum pump 11, respectively. Such a structure is convenient for connection and installation with the vacuum pump 11, and is also convenient for standardized production. The number of module spaces can also be changed as needed, thereby providing different suction forces to adapt to different luggage deceleration application scenarios.

[0036] In other embodiments, another deceleration structure 12 is provided, wherein a movable block 1201 is provided above the deceleration area, the movable block is connected to a bracket via a spring 1202, the movable block 1201 is provided in a manner that it can move in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the deceleration area, and the air outlet end of the air pump faces the side of the movable block away from the deceleration area. In these embodiments, in order to improve the deceleration effect, a movable block and a spring are provided, the movable block is connected to a bracket parallel to the deceleration area via a spring, the air pump is connected to an air blowing pipe, and the air blowing pipe is directed to the back of the movable block. When the luggage passes through the deceleration area and needs to be decelerated, the air pump is started to push the movable block to contact with the luggage, thereby increasing the friction area and friction force between the luggage and the outside, reducing the luggage speed, and increasing the force acting on the movable block and the spring as needed.

[0037] In some other embodiments, the chute body includes a receiving section 1, an accelerating section 2, a buffering section 3, and a receiving section connected in sequence. The accelerating area is arranged in the accelerating section 2, and the decelerating area is arranged in the buffering section 3. In these embodiments, preferred positions for arranging the accelerating area and the decelerating area are provided. In the prior art, the accelerating section 2 is used to accelerate the luggage. In these embodiments, the accelerating area is arranged in the accelerating section 2 to facilitate the acceleration of luggage that is not easily accelerated. In the prior art, the buffering section 3 is used to decelerate the luggage for subsequent receiving. In these embodiments, the decelerating area is arranged in the buffering section 3 to facilitate the deceleration of luggage that is not easily decelerated.

[0038] In some other embodiments, preferred inclination angles of the receiving section 1, the accelerating section 2, the buffering section 3, and the receiving section are provided. The inclination angle of the receiving section 1 is 30 - 50°, the inclination angle of the accelerating section 2 is 20 - 60°, the inclination angle of the buffering section 3 is 10 - 30°, and the inclination angle of the receiving section is 0°.

[0039] In some other embodiments, a first speed sensor 5 and a second speed sensor 8 are further included. Both the first speed sensor 5 and the second speed sensor 8 are arranged on one side of the chute body. The first speed sensor 5 is located at the position between the receiving section 1 and the accelerating section 2, and the second speed sensor 8 is located at the position between the accelerating section 2 and the buffering section 3. In these embodiments, the first speed sensor 5 and the second speed sensor 8 can adopt the prior art and are used to measure the moving speed of the luggage. The first speed sensor 5 is used to measure the speed of the luggage passing through the connection area of the receiving section 1 and the accelerating section 2, and based on this speed, it is determined whether to use the air pump 10 in the accelerating area to reduce the friction of the luggage. The second speed sensor 8 is used to measure the speed of the luggage passing through the connection area of the accelerating section 2 and the buffering section 3, and based on this speed, it is determined whether to use the air pump 10 or the vacuum pump 11 in the decelerating area to increase the friction of the luggage.

[0040] In some other embodiments, when the first speed sensor 5 detects that the speed of the luggage is lower than the first threshold, the air pump 10 communicating with the first vent hole is turned on. When the second speed sensor 8 detects that the speed of the luggage is higher than the second threshold, the vacuum pump 11 communicating with the second vent hole is turned on, or the air pump 10 corresponding to the deceleration area is turned on. In these embodiments, the degree of automation of the conveying chute is enhanced, that is, whether to turn on the air pump 10 is determined according to whether the speed of the luggage is lower than the first threshold, and whether to turn on the vacuum pump or the air pump 10 is determined according to whether the speed of the luggage is higher than the second threshold. The first threshold and the second threshold can be determined according to the actual situation or experience. For example, they can be 3 m / s and 12 m / s respectively, as long as it can balance the speed of the luggage and avoid collisions between the luggages. Preferably, according to the first threshold, the inflation pressure of the air pump 10 is determined, and according to the second threshold, the air extraction speed of the vacuum pump 11 is determined, so that the luggages are conveyed at substantially the same speed, avoiding collisions between the luggages.

[0041] The embodiments of the present application also provide a conveying method, using the conveying chute described above to convey luggage. Specifically, after the luggage enters the conveying chute, the acceleration area is used to accelerate the luggage, and the deceleration area is used to decelerate the luggage to prevent the colliding of the decelerated luggage.

[0042] A simulation prototype of the present application is made and its performance is compared with the publicly disclosed invention CN201610631908 - An adjustable double chute for airline luggage bags. The relevant parameters are shown in Table 1 below.

[0043] Table 1 Performance comparison table

[0044] The present invention CN201610631908 Whether the speed is controllable Yes No Baggage collision ratio 1％ 30％ Whether there is a speed detection device Yes No Baggage damage rate 1 / 1000 1 / 100 Daily manual input for the chute operation 0.1 hour 2 hours Whether affected by the climate environment No Yes

[0045] Through the comparison of relevant parameters, it is found that the speed of the present application is controllable and there is a speed detection device. The luggage collision ratio is 1%, the luggage damage rate is 1 / 1000, and the manual input for the daily operation of the chute is 0.1 hour, and it is not affected by the climate environment. For the comparative patent CN201610631908, the speed is uncontrollable, there is no speed detection device, the luggage collision ratio is 30%, the luggage damage rate is 1 / 100, the manual input for the daily operation of the chute is 3 hours, and it is affected by the climate environment. The present application realizes automatic induction, speed detection and automatic control when the luggage, parcel and express are running on the chute, realizes speed increase in the acceleration section and deceleration in the buffer section, reduces luggage collisions, and at the same time avoids the influence of uncontrollable factors such as the environmental climate, saves the manual input time for the daily operation of the chute, and realizes the high - efficiency operation of the chute.

[0046] The number of devices and the processing scale described here are used to simplify the description of the present invention. The application, modification and variation of the conveying chute and method of the present invention are obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0047] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed as above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and embodiments. It can be fully applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those skilled in the art, additional modifications can be easily made. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and the equivalent scope, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and the illustrated examples described herein.

Claims

1. Conveyor chute, characterized in that, include: The chute body comprises an acceleration area, wherein the acceleration area is provided with a first vent hole, and the first vent hole is connected to an air outlet end of an air pump; The chute body further comprises a deceleration area, and an air pump with an air outlet facing the deceleration area is arranged above the deceleration area; A movable block is arranged above the deceleration area, the movable block is connected to the bracket through a spring, the movable block is arranged in a manner to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the deceleration area, and the air outlet end of the air pump faces a side of the movable block away from the deceleration area; The chute body comprises a receiving section, an acceleration section, a buffer section and a receiving section which are connected in sequence, the acceleration area is arranged in the acceleration section, and the deceleration area is arranged in the buffer section; It also includes a first speed sensor and a second speed sensor, wherein the first speed sensor and the second speed sensor are both arranged on one side of the slideway body, the first speed sensor is located between the receiving section and the acceleration section, and the second speed sensor is located between the acceleration section and the buffer section; A plurality of first module spaces are formed below the acceleration area, the upper ends of the plurality of first module spaces are connected to the first vent holes, and the lower ends are connected to the air outlet of an air pump; The angle between the air outlet direction of the first vent hole and the slide groove body is 40-80 degrees.

2. The conveying chute according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the first speed sensor detects that the speed of the luggage is lower than a first threshold, the air pump connected to the first vent is turned on; when the second speed sensor detects that the speed of the luggage is higher than a second threshold, the air pump corresponding to the deceleration area is turned on.

3. A conveying method, characterized in that, The luggage is transported using the transport chute described in any one of claims 1 to 2.

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