Sorting equipment used to sort packaged goods to their final destination.

Abstract

The subject of this invention is a sorting device (10) for sorting packaged goods to terminal stations (12), the sorting device comprising: - a plurality of horizontal conveyors (14) arranged vertically to each other and designed as conveyor belts for transporting packaged goods in a loop, wherein the conveyors (14) are designed to move the packaged goods perpendicular (18) to the transport direction (16) of the loop; and - a plurality of terminal stations (12), wherein the terminal stations (12) are arranged along the conveyors (14) such that the packaged goods can be transported to the terminal station (12) by moving them perpendicular (18) to the transport direction (16), wherein the transport of packaged goods from the conveyors (14) to the terminal station (12) is carried out solely by the conveyors (14). The invention also relates to the use of the aforementioned sorting device (10) for sorting packaged goods to terminal stations (12).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a sorting device for sorting packaged goods to an end point.

[0002] Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of the aforementioned equipment for sorting packaged goods to a final destination. Background Technology

[0003] The emergence of e-commerce and online mail order has led to a significant increase in the number of goods transported, especially small to medium-sized envelopes and parcels.

[0004] These small items are typically sorted to their destinations manually, for example, based on delivery addresses or postal codes, but this requires a large workforce and is costly. Furthermore, sorting speed cannot be easily increased, and the sorting process is prone to errors.

[0005] Furthermore, it is known that robotic arms are used to sort packaged goods. For example, EP 3 593 913 A1 describes a sorting device for parcels, wherein the sorting mechanism is designed as a robotic arm and is configured to sort a large number of parcels based on sorting information associated with the parcels.

[0006] The advantages of manual sorting and robotic arms are: sorting requires less space; and due to the ease of transporting robotic arms and / or sorting personnel, the sorting process can be carried out in different locations. However, a disadvantage is the limited movement speed of robotic arms, which can negatively impact the efficiency of the sorting process. Typical sorting performance of robotic arms is in the range of 750 packages per hour, which equates to a processing time of 4.8 seconds per package. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In light of this, the present invention aims to provide a sorting device that achieves high sorting performance while requiring minimal space.

[0008] The object of this invention is achieved by the features of a sorting device for sorting packaged goods to a final destination. Advantageous design options are given in the detailed description of the invention.

[0009] Accordingly, this objective is achieved by a sorting device for sorting packaged goods to a final destination, the sorting device comprising:

[0010] - Multiple horizontal conveyors arranged vertically to each other, designed as conveyor belts, for transporting packaged goods in a loop, wherein the conveyors are designed to move the packaged goods perpendicular to the transport direction of the loop; and

[0011] - Multiple terminal stations, wherein these terminal stations are arranged along the conveyor in such a way that packaged goods can be transported to the terminal station by moving them perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0012] Among them, the transportation of packaged goods from the conveyor to the terminal station is carried out solely by the conveyor.

[0013] One aspect of the invention involves using multiple horizontal conveyors for sorting, wherein these conveyors are designed to transport packaged goods in a loop and to move the packaged goods perpendicular to the transport direction of the loop. Since the terminal stations are arranged along the conveyors, packaged goods can be transported directly from the conveyors to their respective terminal stations. The transport of packaged goods from the conveyors to their respective terminal stations is carried out solely by the conveyors; that is, preferably, no other equipment unrelated to the conveyors, such as handling equipment, is used.

[0014] Specifically, it is proposed that multiple conveyors be arranged vertically to each other. Furthermore, it is preferred that the terminal stations be arranged vertically to each other. In other words, it is preferable that multiple layers of conveyors each have a corresponding terminal station to facilitate the sorting of packaged goods to that station. The vertical arrangement of the conveyors minimizes the space occupied by the sorting equipment, especially in terms of floor space. Moreover, conveyors are much faster than robotic arms, thus enabling the efficient sorting of packaged goods to their respective terminal stations. In other words, conveyors can provide a continuous flow of packaged goods for sorting, thereby achieving sorting performance far exceeding that of manual sorting or sorting using robotic arms.

[0015] The terminal stations are preferably evenly distributed along the conveyor belt, which is designed as a loop. This has the advantage that, at a given point in time, not only can one package be transported from the conveyor belt to its corresponding terminal station, but also, if the packaged goods are in suitable positions, multiple packages can be transported simultaneously to their corresponding terminal stations, because the packages are evenly distributed on the conveyor belt. This achieves high sorting efficiency.

[0016] Packaged goods are preferably small items, small to medium-sized envelopes, leaflets, and / or parcels. Preferably, packaged goods have a lateral dimension not exceeding 480 mm and / or a weight ≤10 kg. Particularly preferably, the length of the packaged goods is ≤480 mm, the width is ≤380 mm, and / or the height is ≤150 mm. More preferably, the length of the packaged goods is ≥140 mm, the width is ≥125 mm, and / or the height is ≥0.5 mm. Furthermore, the weight of the packaged goods is preferably ≥0.1 kg.

[0017] The conveyor is a horizontal conveyor, which means that the normal vector of the conveyor's conveying surface points upwards in space along the entire loop of the conveyor, rather than downwards with a 50% probability as in the case of a vertical conveyor. Furthermore, the conveyor is designed to move packaged goods perpendicular to the transport direction of the loop. Preferably, in this respect, the conveyor includes delivery units designed to move packaged goods perpendicular to the transport direction of the loop and to transport packaged goods to terminal stations arranged along the conveyor. The conveyor is designed as a conveyor belt, and particularly preferably as a cross-belt sorter, a tilting sorter, or a slipper sorter. Preferably, the conveyor has a throughput of at least 750 packaged goods per hour.

[0018] Regarding the shape of the loop, according to a preferred improvement of the invention, the loop is generally designed as a regular polygon or a circle. "Generally designed as a regular polygon" here means that the corners of the polygon are rounded, which is advantageous for transporting packaged goods. Therefore, the loop can be designed, for example, as a square, regular hexagon, or regular octagon. A circular loop shape is particularly preferred. Regular polygonal, and especially circular, shapes are very space-saving, thus allowing sorting equipment to be installed even in confined spaces, such as in airports. A circular shape also has the advantage that the curvature remains constant throughout the loop, allowing packaged goods to be transported stably along the loop in a simple manner without sudden changes in direction. Furthermore, a circular shape represents the shortest path, thus enabling higher sorting speeds. Similarly, by changing the diameter of the circular loop design, the number of terminal stations can be easily varied and adapted to given conditions.

[0019] Therefore, in the case of a circular shape (where the conveyor is also referred to as a ring conveyor), it is preferably proposed that the conveyor is designed to transport packaged goods in a circular shape (i.e., along the tangential direction) and is also designed to move packaged goods in the radial direction to deliver them.

[0020] According to another preferred improvement, it is preferable that the conveyors are arranged vertically and horizontally in a congruent manner. That is, in other words, the loop of one layer of conveyors preferably extends directly above the loop of the layer below it, and / or directly below the loop of the layer above it. Preferably, the terminal stations along the conveyors are also arranged vertically and horizontally in this manner. Therefore, the entire sorting equipment preferably has a compact, space-saving structure. In principle, the conveying directions of the vertically arranged conveyors can be different from each other; for example, the first conveyor may convey packaged goods clockwise along the loop, while the conveyor above it may convey packaged goods counterclockwise. However, it is preferable that the vertically arranged conveyors have the same conveying direction. This simplifies the structure of the sorting equipment.

[0021] Preferably, the area occupied by the sorting equipment does not exceed 50m². 2 For circular conveyors, given this floor space, each conveyor can typically accommodate 22 terminal stations. That is, when four conveyors are arranged, for example, vertically aligned, sorting equipment can be provided to sort packaged goods to up to 88 terminal stations.

[0022] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sorting equipment includes a feeding device for generating a flow of packaged goods to at least one conveyor. That is, the feeding device is preferably designed to feed packaged goods onto the conveyor. The feeding device is, for example, a conveyor belt. Since the packaged goods are moved to their respective destinations by the sorting equipment within the conveyor loop during sorting, there is space on the conveyor at least after one loop cycle to accommodate additional packaged goods supplied to the conveyor by the feeding device. In principle, the feeding device can be arranged such that packaged goods are supplied to the conveyor from inside the loop (i.e., from the area surrounded by the loop). However, alternatively and preferably, it is proposed that packaged goods are supplied to the conveyor from outside the area surrounded by the loop. That is, the feeding device is preferably arranged beside the loop and not inside the loop.

[0023] Regarding the supply device, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the supply device is designed to generate a separate packaged goods supply flow for each conveyor. In other words, in this alternative, it is preferable that each conveyor has its own packaged goods supply flow. For example, the main packaged goods supply flow can be divided into multiple sub-packaged goods supply flows, which respectively supply packaged goods to conveyors arranged on a certain layer. That is, in this way, each conveyor preferably has its own packaged goods supply flow. For example, the supply device can branch according to the number of conveyors arranged vertically to each other. This has the advantage that, in principle, the connection for transporting packaged goods between conveyors arranged vertically to each other can be eliminated.

[0024] In an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention, the feeding device is designed such that exactly one, preferably the bottommost or topmost, conveyor generates the packaged goods supply flow. This has the advantage that the packaged goods supply flow does not need to be divided into multiple sub-packaged goods supply flows, and / or the feeding device does not branch. Therefore, in this design, the space requirement for the sorting equipment is very small. Furthermore, this improvement in the feeding device, which generates the packaged goods supply flow for the bottommost conveyor, has the advantage that the feeding device does not have an incline. This simplifies the structure of the feeding device and / or the sorting equipment.

[0025] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the supply device includes a belt conveyor, a screw conveyor, a ramp belt conveyor, and / or a lifting conveyor. Preferably, the supply device is designed as a belt conveyor and thus forms a flow of packaged goods to be supplied to the lowermost conveyor. Alternatively, it is preferred that the supply device include a screw conveyor, a ramp belt conveyor, and / or a lifting conveyor, and thus form a flow of packaged goods to be supplied to a higher conveyor among conveyors arranged vertically to each other. That is, in other words, when a flow of packaged goods to be supplied to a higher conveyor is required by means of the supply device, a screw conveyor, a ramp belt conveyor, or a lifting conveyor is used to overcome the existing slope.

[0026] In the case of inclined belt conveyors, packaged goods are transported to the desired height along a straight, inclined path. In the case of screw conveyors, packaged goods are transported to the desired height along a spiral path. This has the advantage of requiring less space in terms of floor area. In the case of lifting conveyors (also known as vertical conveyors or vertical columns), packaged goods are moved vertically upwards. This also saves space.

[0027] Especially when the supply device does not generate a separate flow of packaged goods for each of the conveyors arranged vertically to each other, another preferred improvement according to the invention proposes that the sorting equipment include an active or passive transport device for generating a flow of packaged goods among multiple conveyors arranged vertically to each other. More preferably, for reasons of speed and reliability, the sorting equipment includes an active transport device.

[0028] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the transport device is arranged in an area surrounded by a conveyor loop. That is, instead of a supply device preferably arranged beside the loop, the transport device for generating the flow of packaged goods between multiple conveyors arranged vertically to each other is arranged within the loop. This saves space, and the supply device also utilizes the space within the loop in this manner.

[0029] Regarding the transport devices used to generate a flow of packaged goods between multiple conveyors arranged vertically to each other, it can be proposed that each conveyor is connected to each other by means of a transport device. If there are four conveyors arranged vertically to each other, then six transport devices will be required. However, alternatively and preferably, it is proposed that the transport devices be designed such that the flow of packaged goods between multiple conveyors arranged vertically to each other is not divided into multiple flow of packaged goods. This has the advantage that collision checks are not required. Except for the first conveyor, which is preferably connected to a supply device and also to one transport device, and the last conveyor, which is connected to only one transport device, it is preferred that all conveyors are connected to two transport devices. The first transport device accordingly supplies packaged goods to the conveyor, while the second transport device accordingly removes packaged goods from the conveyor. In other words, this method simplifies the operation of sorting equipment because the flow of packaged goods within the multiple layers of conveyors arranged vertically and horizontally does not separate and re-merge. Instead, packaged goods pass through these conveyors in a fixed order until they are delivered to their corresponding destination. This makes collision checks between packaged goods redundant. This is because packaged goods on a conveyor on a certain layer are delivered to their corresponding destination or transferred by the transport device to another conveyor in the vertically arranged conveyor system at the latest after passing through one loop of that conveyor. Therefore, there is always space on the conveyors to accommodate packaged goods from the transport device.

[0030] Furthermore, in this regard, it is preferable to generate a flow of packaged goods precisely between two adjacent conveyors arranged vertically to each other. In other words, it is preferable to eliminate the need for transport devices to generate a flow of packaged goods between two non-adjacent conveyors. In this way, the transport devices do not need to overcome unnecessarily long paths, which has a positive impact on transport time and therefore sorting speed.

[0031] Regarding the passive transport device, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the passive transport device includes a chute. In this regard, it is also preferred that the supply device generates a flow of packaged goods for the conveyor at its highest position. Thus, the transport of packaged goods between conveyors is preferably carried out by gravity.

[0032] Regarding the active transport device, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the active transport device includes a conveying mechanism, preferably including a screw conveyor, a ramp belt conveyor, and / or a lifting conveyor. Preferably, the active transport device associates conveyors on one layer with conveyors on another layer. Regarding the ramp belt conveyor, it can be further preferred that the ramp belt conveyor extends laterally through the area enclosed by the loop inside the loop; that is, in other words, the ramp belt conveyor connects a point on one conveyor to a corresponding point on another conveyor arranged vertically. This has the advantage that the active transport device is very short and can thus enable rapid transport of packaged goods from one conveyor to another arranged vertically. Regarding the screw conveyor, it can be further preferred that the screw conveyor extends along the inner side of the loop. This has the advantage that the slope of the screw conveyor can be selected to be very small, thereby enabling the safe transport of packaged goods using the active transport device.

[0033] As already mentioned, the terminal station is arranged along the conveyor. Preferably, the terminal station is arranged along the conveyor in such a way that the packaged goods can be delivered to the terminal station by moving them perpendicular to the conveying direction of the loop. In other words, the terminal station is located directly on the conveyor.

[0034] In principle, the terminal station can be located in the area surrounded by the conveyor loop, or in other words, the terminal station can be located along the inner edge of the conveyor loop. However, according to a preferred improvement, it is alternatively proposed that the terminal station be located along the outer edge of the conveyor loop. This greatly simplifies access to the terminal station, as it can be accessed from the outside. That is, the terminal station can be manually emptied at any time. Furthermore, the terminal station externally shields the conveyors arranged vertically from each other, which is beneficial to operational safety.

[0035] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the terminal stations are arranged in a hollow columnar shape around the conveyors. That is, the terminal stations form a multi-layered tower, with conveyors arranged vertically within the tower, and the conveyor loops are preferably designed as circular paths. More preferably, the terminal stations are arranged in a regular grid with rows and columns. In this way, a large number of terminal stations can be accommodated with very little space requirement. The terminal stations are preferably filled with corresponding packages from the inside by means of the conveyors, and the packages can be easily accessed from the outside to be retrieved. Furthermore, the regularity of the terminal station arrangement allows for the simultaneous transport of multiple packages to their respective terminal stations.

[0036] Regarding the terminal station, another preferred improvement according to the invention proposes that the terminal station includes containers. It is particularly advantageous that packaged goods are collected in containers at the terminal station. Preferably, multiple terminal stations are designed as shelves with containers preferably suspended thereon. In this way, packaged goods collected in containers, along with the corresponding containers, can be removed from the shelves.

[0037] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sorting equipment and / or the terminal station is designed to measure the fill height at the terminal station. For example, the terminal station and / or container may be equipped with a sensor that detects the fill height of the terminal station and / or container. This sensor may, for example, be designed as a grating. Alternatively, the fill height can be measured by counting the packages shipped to the respective terminal station.

[0038] Preferably, containers identified as full can be automatically replaced with empty containers. In this regard, according to another preferred improvement of the invention, the sorting equipment and / or terminal stations are designed to automatically change and / or replace containers at the terminal stations. Particularly preferably, containers are capable of radial displacement on the shelves. For example, it can be proposed that containers identified as full automatically move radially outward within the shelves, thus creating temporary containerless terminal stations. Furthermore, empty containers can be arranged inside the loop, and when a container is identified as full, the empty container is conveyed by means of a conveyor to the corresponding containerless terminal station, where it is replenished to the shelf. Alternatively, a stack of containers can be reserved at each terminal station, so that containers identified as full can be directly replaced by containers located below them.

[0039] Furthermore, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sorting equipment includes a scanner preferably arranged at the feeding device for detecting sorting information related to the packaged goods. In other words, it is preferred to detect the delivery address, barcode, or other sorting information related to the packaged goods using a scanner, specifically preferably before the packaged goods arrive at the conveyors arranged vertically to each other. Particularly preferably, the scanner at the feeding device is located before any possible branching point of the feeding device.

[0040] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sorting equipment includes a computing unit for controlling the flow of packaged goods within the sorting equipment, taking into account sorting information associated with the packaged goods. That is, in other words, preferably, a scanner scans the packaged goods and thereby detects sorting information associated with the packaged goods, such as a delivery address or barcode. The computing unit allocates a sorting destination (i.e., the corresponding terminal station) using the sorting information associated with the packaged goods, and then preferably controls the sorting equipment such that the packaged goods are sorted to the terminal station corresponding to that packaged goods. In other words, the sorting equipment identifies which terminal station the packaged goods need to be transported to based on the sorting information associated with the packaged goods, and thus also identifies which layer of a conveyor system arranged vertically to which the packaged goods need to be transported.

[0041] In this regard, it is further preferred that the terminal stations be arranged such that the terminal closest to the supply device corresponds to the statistically most common sorting destination. That is, when the supply device generates a packaged goods supply flow only for the lowermost conveyor in a vertically arranged conveyor system, it is preferred that the statistically most common sorting destination corresponds to the terminal station arranged around the lowermost conveyor. This avoids unnecessarily transporting packaged goods to conveyors located at higher positions.

[0042] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the conveyor is designed to perform continuous or discontinuous motion along the conveying direction of the loop. "Continuous motion" has the advantage of achieving higher speeds, thereby enabling higher sorting performance. Alternatively, the conveyor can move discontinuously, similar to the movement of the second hand of a clock. Therefore, the sorting equipment has greater flexibility because it can adapt to different requirements of packaged goods.

[0043] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the sorting equipment is designed to be mobile. That is, the sorting equipment is preferably not limited to a fixed location, but can be applied to different locations, for example, by means of rollers. This allows for greater flexibility.

[0044] The sorting equipment is also preferably configured to supply packaged goods in a piecemeal form. That is, packaged goods are preferably transported in a piecemeal form rather than in additional containers onto conveyors, supply devices and / or active or passive transport devices.

[0045] The object of the invention is also achieved by the use of the sorting equipment described above for sorting packaged goods to a terminal station. Preferably, the conveyor causes the packaged goods to move continuously or discontinuously along the conveying direction of the loop; and / or the packaged goods are fed onto the conveyor in a piecemeal form by means of a feeding device.

[0046] That is, in one aspect, the conveyor, and particularly preferably a circular conveyor, can cause packaged goods to move continuously or discontinuously along the conveying direction (i.e., preferably tangentially). Providing packaged goods flow for sorting in this manner is far more efficient than manual sorting or sorting by means of robotic arms. In other words, a circular conveyor can preferably transport packaged goods with continuous circular motion or alternatively with discontinuous motion, similar to the movement of the second hand of a clock.

[0047] Furthermore, it is preferable to supply packaged goods onto the conveyor in a piecemeal form using a supply device. Particularly preferred is to supply packaged goods only in piecemeal form. This achieves cost savings because additional containers are not required.

[0048] Those skilled in the art can deduce other features and advantages of this application based on the description of the sorting equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0049] The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0050] In the attached diagram:

[0051] Figure 1 A schematic view of a sorting device for sorting packaged goods to a terminal station according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0052] Figure 2 Shown from above Figure 1 A detailed illustration of a layer of the sorting equipment, and

[0053] Figures 3 to 5 Each of the above shows a schematic view of a sorting device according to another preferred embodiment of the invention. Detailed Implementation

[0054] Figure 1 A schematic view of a sorting device 10 for sorting packaged goods to terminal stations 12 is shown. The sorting device 10 includes: a plurality of horizontally arranged conveyors 14 vertically arranged to transport packaged goods in a loop; and a plurality of terminal stations 12 arranged along the conveyors 14. In this embodiment, the sorting device 10 includes four annular conveyors 14 vertically arranged to each other, wherein the annular conveyors 14 are arranged vertically to each other in a congruent manner. The terminal stations 12 are positioned along the outer edge of the circular loop of the annular conveyors 14 and are arranged in a hollow column shape around the annular conveyors 14.

[0055] refer to Figure 2 (It shows) Figure 1As can be seen in a detailed view of a certain layer of the sorting equipment 10, the circular conveyor 14 is designed to transport packaged goods along the conveying direction 16 along the circular track and to move the packaged goods perpendicular to the conveying direction of the circular track 16, i.e., in the radial direction 18. The circular conveyor 14 is designed here as a cross-belt sorter 14 and has cross-belts as delivery units 20 to deliver packaged goods to the terminal station 12. The terminal station 12 is regularly arranged around the circular conveyor 14 and has containers 22 suspended in racks 24 surrounding the circular conveyor 14.

[0056] Furthermore, the sorting equipment 10 has a feeding device 26 for generating a packaged goods supply flow for the circular conveyor 14. The feeding device here is the conveyor belt 26. In addition, a scanner 28 communicatively connected to a computing unit (not shown) is arranged at the feeding device 26 to detect sorting information related to the packaged goods.

[0057] Figures 3 to 5 A schematic view of a sorting device 10 according to another preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. In all three embodiments, with Figure 1 Similar to the embodiments, the sorting equipment 10 has four annular conveyors 14 arranged vertically to each other and multiple terminal stations 12, wherein the terminal stations 12 are arranged in a hollow column shape around the annular conveyors 14.

[0058] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the supply device 26 is designed to generate a separate packaged goods supply flow for each ring conveyor 14. To this end, the supply device 26 branches off alongside the ring conveyors 14 arranged vertically to each other, such that each ring conveyor 14 is equipped with its own branch of the supply device 26. Figure 3 It can also be seen that the supply device 26 includes a ramp belt conveyor 30 to overcome the height difference, so as to manipulate the annular conveyor 14 located at a higher position. As an alternative to the ramp belt conveyor 30, it is also possible to consider... Figure 3 The spiral conveyor is not shown in the image.

[0059] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the supply device 26 is designed to generate a packaged goods supply flow specifically for the lowest circular conveyor 14. Furthermore, the sorting equipment 10 has an active transport device 32 inside the circular conveyor 14 for generating packaged goods flow between the multiple circular conveyors 14 arranged vertically to each other. Figure 4In the illustrated embodiment, the active transport device 32 is designed as a ramp belt conveyor 32. Three ramp belt conveyors 32 are used to connect the directly adjacent annular conveyors 14. The ramp belt conveyors 32 extend laterally through the space enclosed by the annular conveyors 14 and connect a point on one annular conveyor 14 to a corresponding point on an adjacent annular conveyor 14. Alternatively, a conveyor system could be used inside the annular conveyors 14. Figure 4 The spiral conveyor is not shown in the image.

[0060] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, with Figure 4 Similarly, the supply device 26 is designed so that exactly one circular conveyor 14 generates a packaged goods supply flow, but here it generates the packaged goods supply flow for the uppermost circular conveyor 14. For this purpose, the supply device 26 includes a ramp belt conveyor 30. Furthermore, the sorting equipment 10 has a passive transport device 34 inside the circular conveyor 14 for generating packaged goods flow between multiple circular conveyors 14 arranged vertically to each other. The passive transport device 34 is designed here as a chute 34. Three chute 34 are used to connect the circular conveyors 14 that are directly adjacent to each other. Figure 4 Similar to the inclined belt conveyor 32, the chute 34 extends laterally through the space enclosed by the annular conveyor 14 and connects a point on one annular conveyor 14 to a corresponding point on an adjacent annular conveyor 14.

[0061] The described embodiments are merely examples, and these examples can be modified and / or supplemented in various ways within the scope of the claims. Each feature used to describe one embodiment can be used independently or in combination with other features in any other embodiment. Each feature used to describe an embodiment of a certain category can also be applied accordingly to embodiments of another category.

[0062] List of reference numerals

[0063] Sorting equipment 10

[0064] Terminal 12

[0065] Conveyors, circular conveyors, cross-belt sorters 14

[0066] Conveying direction 16

[0067] The radial direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0068] Sending Unit 20

[0069] Container 22

[0070] Shelf 24

[0071] Supply device, conveyor belt 26

[0072] Scanner 28

[0073] Inclined belt conveyor 30

[0074] Active transport device, inclined belt conveyor 32

[0075] Passive transport device, chute 34

Claims

1. A sorting device (10) for sorting packaged goods to a terminal station (12), The sorting equipment includes: - Multiple individual conveyors (14) arranged vertically to each other and designed as conveyor belts for conveying the packaged goods in a closed loop, and the conveyors (14) are designed to move the packaged goods perpendicular to the conveying direction (16) of the closed loop, wherein the conveyors (14) are arranged vertically to each other in an equal manner. - Multiple terminal stations (12), wherein the terminal stations (12) are arranged along the conveyor (14) in such a way that the packaged goods can be transported to the terminal station (12) by moving them perpendicular to the conveying direction (16); and - An active transport device (32) or a passive transport device (34), wherein the active transport device or the passive transport device is used to generate a flow of packaged goods between the conveyors (14), wherein the active transport device (32) or the passive transport device (34) is arranged in an area surrounded by a closed loop of the conveyors (14), and The transport of the packaged goods from the conveyor (14) to the terminal station (12) is carried out solely by the conveyor (14).

2. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The closed loop is designed as a regular polygon or a circle.

3. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 1, the sorting equipment comprising a supply device (26) for generating a packaged goods supply flow for at least one conveyor (14).

4. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 3, wherein, The supply device (26) is designed to generate a separate package supply flow for each conveyor (14), or the supply device (26) is designed to generate a package supply flow for exactly one conveyor (14).

5. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 4, wherein, The supply device (26) is designed as the bottom or top conveyor (14) to generate a packaged goods supply flow.

6. The sorting equipment (10) according to any one of claims 3-5, wherein, The supply device (26) includes a belt conveyor, a screw conveyor, a ramp belt conveyor (30), and / or a lifting conveyor.

7. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The passive transport device (34) includes a chute.

8. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The active transport device (32) includes a conveying device, wherein the conveying device includes a screw conveyor, a ramp belt conveyor and / or a lifting conveyor.

9. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The terminal station (12) is arranged along the outer edge of the closed loop of the conveyor (14), and / or wherein the terminal station (12) is arranged in a hollow column shape around the conveyor (14).

10. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 9, wherein, The terminal station (12) includes a container (22), and / or therein, The sorting equipment (10) and / or the terminal station (12) are designed to automatically change and / or replace containers (22) at the terminal station (12).

11. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein, The sorting equipment (10) and / or the terminal station (12) are designed to measure the fill height at the terminal station (12).

12. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 3, wherein the sorting equipment comprises: A scanner (28) is arranged at the supply device (26) for detecting sorting information related to the packaged goods; and / or a processing unit, the processing unit being used to control the flow of packaged goods in the sorting equipment (10) taking into account the sorting information related to the packaged goods.

13. The sorting equipment (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The conveyor (14) is designed to perform continuous or discontinuous motion along the conveying direction (16) of the loop.

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