Method and singulator for singulating pieces of luggage
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023797683
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-12-23
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-29
AI Technical Summary
In airport environments, unloading and sorting of luggage from large containers into conveyor systems face challenges due to the lack of effective separation methods, as existing solutions like conveyor belts with speed jumps are inefficient and require significant space, especially when luggage is wedged or stacked.
A singulator device with a feed section, segment section, and discharge section, where the receiving section can be driven individually and has multiple drivable segments, allowing for preferential driving of segments to efficiently separate and transfer luggage, even without prior arrangement detection, using detection units to optimize segment selection and control.
Enables efficient singulation of luggage, reducing unnecessary space usage and improving sorting efficiency by allowing for selective and controlled transfer of luggage, even in disordered piles, without requiring extensive rearrangement or additional space.
Smart Images
Figure 1.1
Abstract
Description
[0001] Method and singulator for singulating luggage
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and a singulator for singulating piece goods, in particular pieces of luggage, according to the independent patent claims.
[0003] The present invention relates in particular to the transfer of piece goods, especially pieces of luggage, from a large container (Unitary Load Device ULD or similar) to a conveyor system. When a large container is unloaded by tipping, the pieces of luggage generally remain in an undefined position (next to one another and / or one above the other and / or wedged) on the conveyor belt.
[0004] In contrast to the technically developed and available separation of general cargo in mail / parcel applications, this function is not available in airport environments. In airport environments, the large containers filled with baggage are usually unloaded by hand before the general cargo is sorted in a sorting system. However, for efficient sorting, separation is required beforehand.
[0005] However, the use of unloading aids and / or (semi-)automatic unloading devices that discharge by tipping is becoming increasingly common in airports, although the problem of separation remains. Common separation methods using conveyor belts arranged one behind the other and driven with speed jumps only inadequately solve the problem of jamming, separating only in one direction, and also requiring a lot of space.
[0006] The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing an improved method and an improved singulator for singulating piece goods, in particular pieces of luggage. This object is achieved by the solutions described in the independent claims.
[0007] This object is achieved by a device and a method having the features of the main claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims.
[0008] The solution according to the invention relates to a method for singulating piece goods, in particular pieces of luggage, using a singulator, comprising a feed section having a receiving section and a segment section with a feed direction and a discharge section with a discharge direction. One end of the receiving section opens into a start of the segment section and is arranged at the same height as or above the start of the segment section. One end of the segment section opens transversely or diagonally into the discharge section and is arranged at the same height as or above the discharge section. The receiving section can be individually driven and is designed to receive a large number of unsorted piece goods.The segment section has at least two, in particular four, individually drivable segments arranged next to one another and parallel to the feed direction of the segment section, and a segment extends from the beginning to the end of the segment section. The method comprises the following method steps: a) filling the receiving section with a large number of unsorted piece goods. b) transporting piece goods on the receiving section along the feed direction towards and onto the segment section. c) selecting a segment as the preferred segment. d) preferential driving of the preferred segment and non-preferential driving of the non-preferred segments. e) transferring one or all of the piece goods lying on the preferred segment to the discharge section. f) repeatedly carrying out method steps c to e.
[0009] The solution according to the invention additionally relates to a singulator for singulating piece goods, in particular pieces of luggage, comprising a feed section having a receiving section and a segment section with a feed direction, and a discharge section with a discharge direction. One end of the receiving section opens into a start of the segment section and is arranged at the same height as or above the start of the segment section. One end of the segment section opens transversely or diagonally into the discharge section and is arranged at the same height as or above the discharge section. The receiving section can be individually driven and is designed to receive a large number of randomly arranged piece goods. The segment section has at least two, in particular four, individually drivable segments arranged next to one another and parallel to the feed direction of the segment section, and one segment extends from the start to the end of the segment section.The singulator comprises means for carrying out the method according to the invention.
[0010] The solution according to the invention also relates to a conveying system comprising a singulator according to the invention.
[0011] The solution according to the invention can be further improved by various embodiments, each of which is advantageous in itself and, unless otherwise stated, can be combined with one another in any desired way. These embodiments and their associated advantages are discussed below.
[0012] The solution according to the invention enables singulation using simple technical means and in a straightforward manner. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set out in the subclaims.
[0013] According to one embodiment, an arrangement of the piece goods on the feed line, in particular on the segment section, can be detected, wherein the preferred segment can be selected depending on the detected arrangement of the piece goods on the feed line, in particular on the segment section.
[0014] According to a further embodiment, the means for this purpose can comprise a detection unit, wherein the detection unit can be arranged above the feed path, in particular above the segment section, and can be designed to detect an arrangement of the piece goods on the feed path. According to a further embodiment, the control of the receiving section in method step b) can be regulated depending on the detected arrangement of the piece goods on the receiving section of the feed path.
[0015] This avoids unnecessary driving of empty segments and allows for more efficient selection of the preferred segment. However, singulation can also be achieved without recording the arrangement of the piece goods.
[0016] According to a further embodiment, the preferred segment may be the segment on which a piece of goods lies first downstream with respect to the discharge direction and / or the feed direction.
[0017] According to a further embodiment, in method step c) the segment arranged furthest downstream with respect to the discharge direction can initially be selected as the preferred segment. And after transferring one or all of the piece goods resting on the preferred segment to the discharge section in method step e), the segment which is arranged upstream with respect to the discharge direction immediately next to the previously preferred segment can be newly selected as the preferred segment. If there is no further segment adjacent upstream, the segment arranged furthest downstream with respect to the discharge direction can be selected as the preferred segment. In this way, efficient singulation is achieved even without a known arrangement of the piece goods.
[0018] According to a further embodiment, the preferred driving can be the only driving or faster driving than the non-preferred driving if other piece goods are resting on adjacent segments at substantially the same height with respect to the feed direction or if the position of other piece goods is unknown. And the non-preferred driving can be a stopping and / or a driving at the same speed and / or slower than the preferred driving. This ensures that a single piece of goods, namely the piece goods resting (first) on the preferentially driven segment, reaches the end of the segment section first or first. If a piece of goods is resting far forward in the direction of flow on the preferred segment and piece goods are resting further upstream on the non-preferred segments, separation can be achieved even with equally fast preferred and non-preferred driving.
[0019] According to a further embodiment, two or more segments can be selected as the preferred segment and driven in the same way in the case of adjacent segments, and in the case of non-adjacent segments, in different or similar ways. Thus, a piece of cargo resting on more than one segment due to its size or arrangement can be treated in the same way as a piece of cargo resting on only a single segment.
[0020] According to a further embodiment, the means can have a control unit, wherein the control unit can be designed to control conveying means of the receiving section, the segments and the discharge section.
[0021] According to a further embodiment, the control unit can be designed to control the conveying means depending on the piece goods detected by the detection units.
[0022] According to a further embodiment, the method can also comprise the method steps for producing a disordered pile of piece goods lying on top of one another and for achieving rapid emptying of a large container in a straightforward manner: tilting a large container filled with piece goods around a tilting axis arranged at the beginning of the receiving section, transversely to the feed direction, onto the receiving section and then tilting the large container back.
[0023] According to a further embodiment, the rotation or tilting of the receiving section about the tilting axis can be carried out in such a way that the end of the receiving section is raised and the receiving section closes the large container and then the receiving section can be rotated or tilted back together with the large container.
[0024] According to a further embodiment, the method may further comprise the following steps:
[0025] - Recording the fill level of the large container after it has been tipped back. - Repeated tipping and back-tipping of the large container if there are still piece goods left in the large container; otherwise, removing or conveying the large container out and, if necessary, providing another large container filled with piece goods and repeating the tipping cycle.
[0026] According to a further embodiment, the means can comprise a container detection unit, wherein the container detection unit can be arranged and configured to detect piece goods in a large container that can be tilted onto the receiving section, in particular piece goods remaining in this large container after it has been tilted back. This container monitoring can prevent piece goods from remaining in the large container (if piece goods remain in the large container, the tilting process can be repeated). On the other hand, the tilting process does not have to be repeated for an unnecessarily long time, and if the large container is empty, the large container can be removed immediately and replaced with a new, filled large container.
[0027] According to a further embodiment, the discharge section can have two or more individually drivable sections arranged one behind the other with respect to the discharge direction, and these sections can be operated with speed jumps in order to adjust a distance between the singulated piece goods.
[0028] The method has, insofar as transferable, the same advantages as those listed in relation to the singulator and the conveyor system. The description of advantageous embodiments of the invention given so far contains numerous features, some of which are summarized in several in the individual subclaims. However, these features can also be expediently considered individually and combined to form further useful combinations. In particular, these features can each be combined individually and in any suitable combination with the method according to the invention, the singulator according to the invention and the conveyor system according to the invention. Method features can therefore also be seen as objectively formulated as a property of the corresponding device unit and vice versa.
[0029] Embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. In the figures:
[0030] Figure 1 shows a singulator according to the invention in plan view;
[0031] Figure 2 in lateral section, not exhaustive, possible embodiments of relative arrangement and inclination of receiving section, segment section and discharge section;
[0032] Figure 3 shows schematically and in plan view a sequential control of the segments of the segment section of an embodiment of the singulator;
[0033] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the singulator according to the invention.
[0034] The following embodiments relate to examples of luggage 14; however, the invention is not limited to luggage 14, but can be implemented for a variety of different piece goods 14. Thus, each of the described embodiments can be implemented not only for luggage 14, but also for general piece goods 14.
[0035] The singulator 2 according to the invention in Figure 1 has a feed path 4 with a receiving section 6 with a controllable conveying means, e.g. a conveyor belt, and with a segment section 8 with four individually controllable segments 10, which can be designed as conveyor belts or in another way. Items of luggage 14 are conveyed along the feed direction 104 from the receiving section 6 to the segment section 8 and towards the end of the segment section 8, transferred in a separated manner to the discharge path 12 and transported there along the discharge direction 112. The separation is achieved in particular by individually controlling the segments 10 and also an angle between the feed direction 104 and the discharge direction 112. According to one embodiment, the discharge path 12 can have a plurality of sections arranged one behind the other along the discharge direction 112, in order to e.g.to adjust the distance between the individual pieces of luggage 14 by means of speed jumps in these sections.
[0036] One end of the receiving section 6 leads into the beginning of the segment section 8. The receiving section 6 is loaded with luggage items 14 in a random manner, typically by emptying a large container, so that the luggage items 14 can lie on the receiving section 6 not only next to one another, but also on top of one another. Separation is achieved by preferential and non-preferential driving of the segments 10, so that at the end of the segment section 8, the luggage items 14 are transferred individually to the discharge line 12.The segments 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are selected as preferred and non-preferred segments 10 either depending on the arrangement of the pieces of luggage 14 on the segment section 8 (or, with greater advance planning and complexity of the control, also depending on the arrangement of the pieces of luggage 14 on the receiving section 6), wherein the arrangement is detected by a detection unit 16 preferably arranged above the segment section 8, or as a sequential selection of the segments 10 as preferred segment 10. The non-preferred segments 10 are not driven preferentially.After transferring one or all of the pieces of luggage 14 resting on the preferred segment 10 from the segment section 8 to the discharge path 12, a segment 10 is again selected as the preferred segment 10, preferably driven, and the piece of luggage 14 lying first on the preferred segment 10 with respect to the feed direction 104 ("preferred") or all of the pieces of luggage 14 resting on the preferred segment 10 are transferred to the discharge path. The method steps described are carried out until the receiving section 6 is empty.
[0037] Preferred or non-preferred driving means driving the preferred or non-preferred segments 10 in such a way that a piece of luggage 14 lying first on the preferred segment 10 in the feed direction 104 is transferred first to the discharge path 12. Thus, preferred driving is a sole or faster driving than non-preferred driving if other pieces of luggage 14 lie on adjacent segments at substantially the same height with respect to the feed direction 104 or if the position of other pieces of luggage 14 is unknown.If no further pieces of luggage 14 are resting on the non-preferred segments 10 at the same height with respect to the feed direction 104, the non-preferred segments 10 can also be driven at the same speed as the preferred segment 10 in order to accelerate the process, since in this case no piece of luggage 14 resting on the non-preferred segments 10 can overtake the piece(s) of luggage 14 resting on the preferred segment 10. The non-preferred driving is therefore a stopping and / or a driving at the same speed and / or slower than the preferred driving. Different non-preferred segments 10 can be driven differently. The aim of the process is that only single pieces of luggage 14 are resting on the discharge path 12.
[0038] When selecting the preferred segment 10 depending on the arrangement of the pieces of luggage 14 according to one embodiment, the arrangement of the pieces of luggage 14 is first detected by a detection unit 16. The segment 10 on which a piece of luggage 14 rests first downstream with respect to the feed direction 104 is selected as the preferred segment 10. This piece of luggage 14 lying first (“preferred”) is then transferred first (“preferred”) to the discharge section by preferentially driving the preferred segment 10. If two or more pieces of luggage 14 are positioned first at the same height, according to one embodiment, the segment 10 on which a piece of luggage 14 rests first with respect to the discharge direction 112 is selected as the preferred segment.Depending on the width of the segment section 8, according to a further embodiment, more than one segment 10 can also be driven preferentially, since if the segment section 8 is sufficiently wide, the pieces of luggage 14 are still transferred individually to the discharge path 12.
[0039] After transferring the preferred piece of luggage 14 or all pieces of luggage 14 resting on the preferred segment 10, the arrangement of the pieces of luggage 14 is again detected by a detection unit 16. Depending on the detected arrangement of the pieces of luggage 14, a further segment 10 is then selected as the preferred segment 10 in the same way, and the described method steps are repeated.
[0040] When reselecting a segment as the preferred segment for transfer, the same or another segment can be selected as the preferred segment. When monitoring the receiving section 6, it is also possible to determine and control the degree of fullness of the receiving section 6 at which new pieces of luggage 14 are introduced into the receiving section 6.
[0041] Figure 3 shows a sequential selection of the segments 104 as the preferred segment 10. This procedure does not necessarily require detection of the arrangement of the pieces of luggage 14, but detection can nevertheless be helpful for accelerating the process: for example, another segment 10 can be immediately selected as the preferred segment 10 if no piece of luggage 14 is located on the initially preferred segment 10. A non-preferred segment 10 can also be driven at the same speed as the preferred segment 10 if a piece of luggage 14 is located on it much further upstream with respect to the feed direction 104.
[0042] First, the receiving section 6 is driven and the pieces of luggage 14 are conveyed to the segment section 8 (Figure 3a). Then, the segment 10a arranged furthest forward / farthest downstream with respect to the discharge direction 112 is selected as the preferred segment 10a, this is driven while the other segments 10b, 10c, 10d are not driven or are driven more slowly (Figure 2b) until all pieces of luggage 14 resting on the preferred segment 10a have been transferred to the driven discharge section 12. Thereafter, the segment 10b which is arranged upstream with respect to the discharge direction 112 directly next to the previously preferred segment 10a is newly selected as the preferred segment 10b. All pieces of luggage 14 resting on this now preferred segment 10b are transferred to the discharge path 12 by (preferentially or solely) driving this segment 10b (Figure 3c).The same procedure is then carried out with segment 10c (Figure 3d) and subsequently with segment 10d (not shown). To speed up the process, the receiving section 6 is filled with pieces of luggage again while the segments are being driven (Figures 3b and 3c), although this filling can also only take place after the segment section 8 has been completely emptied. After the segment 10d arranged furthest upstream with respect to the discharge direction 112 has been selected as the preferred segment 10 (and thus no further segment 10 is adjacent upstream), the segment 10a arranged furthest downstream with respect to the discharge direction 112 is again selected as the preferred segment 10a. In the embodiment shown, the piece goods 14 are only transported from the receiving section 6 to the segment section 8 when there are no more piece goods 14 lying on the segment section 8.
[0043] Figure 4 shows a singulator 2 according to a further embodiment. The discharge section 12 has a plurality of conveyor belts 22 arranged one behind the other along the discharge direction 112, which conveyor belts are driven with speed jumps in order to adjust the distance between the separated pieces of luggage 14. The filling of the receiving section 6 takes place with the aid of a tilting device 20, which is designed to receive a large container (not shown). The tilting device 20 tilts the large container filled with pieces of luggage 14 around a tilting axis arranged at the beginning of the receiving section 6, transversely to the feed direction 104, onto the receiving section 6 and thus fills the receiving section with pieces of luggage 14. The tilting device 20 then rotates the large container back.According to a further embodiment, before the tilting device 20 is tilted, the receiving section 6 is rotated substantially around the tilting axis toward the tilting device 20 and closes the large container. Subsequently, the receiving section 6 and the tilting device 20, together with the large container, are rotated together around the tilting axis. Only the tilting device and the large container are subsequently tilted / rotated back. In this way, the items of luggage 14 are effectively prevented from falling out sideways, and the items of luggage are handled gently.
[0044] After the first tipping cycle, a check is carried out, typically with a container detection unit 16, to determine whether any pieces of luggage 14 remain in the large container, and the tipping process / cycle is repeated if any pieces of luggage remain in the large container after tipping back. Once the large container has been completely emptied, it is removed, typically by being conveyed out, and replaced, if necessary, by another, filled large container. This can occur while the pieces of luggage 14 are being singulated.
[0045] Figure 2 shows a non-exhaustive selection of possible embodiments of inclination and height offset of receiving section 6, segment section 8 and discharge section 12, wherein these embodiments can be combined with all other embodiments. Particularly preferred embodiments are shown in Figures 2c, 2i, since here the offset between sections 6, 8, 12 ensures that the items of luggage 14 can be transferred from one section to the next without tilting between sections 6, 8, 12. The segment section 8 along the discharge direction is designed horizontally or falling or rising. The embodiments with inclined segment sections 8 result in items of luggage 14 resting on one another sliding down and thus lead to separation in height.Particularly advantageous in this case are the embodiments with a segment section 8 that rises along the feed direction, since the pieces of luggage slide down only in the direction of the receiving section 6. According to a further embodiment, two or more segments 10 are selected as the preferred segment 10 and, in the case of adjacent segments 10, are driven in the same way and, in the case of non-adjacent segments 10, are driven differently or in the same way. Thus, the singulator can also be used for larger pieces of luggage 14 that rest on more than one segment 10.
[0046] According to one embodiment, the piece goods 14 lying in an undefined position on the conveyor belt 22 of the receiving section 6 are first transported onto a special conveyor belt 8 which is divided longitudinally into four parts 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. The replenishment (from the receiving section 6) is regulated via the fill level of the segment section 8. The segment section 8 is monitored by a camera 16 mounted above it. The camera 16 detects both the individual segments 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d of the conveyor belt 22, 8 and the piece goods 14 lying on them. Depending on the occupancy, the individual segments 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are then conveyed away sequentially one after the other onto the (normal) discharge belt 12 mounted at an angle of 90°. It should be noted that the order of the sequence depends on the conveying direction 112 of the discharge belt 12.The sequential conveying away of the piece goods 14 creates a pre-separation, which can then be fully separated with simple speed jumps. The camera system ensures that the sequence and belt speed are ideally adapted to the current condition. The system independently optimizes the balance between performance (throughput) and process quality. A second camera looks into the large container (in the tipping device 20) to assess after each tipping cycle whether any piece goods 14 remain. If this is not the case, the process is stopped and the container is conveyed away. This drastically reduces the cycle time. List of reference symbols.
[0047] 2 Singulator
[0048] 4 Feed section 6 Pick-up section
[0049] 8 Segment section
[0050] 10 segments
[0051] 12 discharge line
[0052] 14 Piece of luggage 16 Detection unit
[0053] 18 Loading device
[0054] 20 Tilting device
[0055] 22 Conveyor belt / conveyor device
[0056] 104 Feed direction 112 Discharge direction
Claims
Patent claims 1. Method for singulating piece goods (14), in particular pieces of luggage (14), with a singulator (2), comprising a feed section (4) having a receiving section (6) and a segment section (8) with a feed direction (104) and a discharge section (12) with a discharge direction (112), wherein - one end of the receiving section (6) opens into a beginning of the segment section (8) and is arranged at the same height as or above the beginning of the segment section (8); - one end of the segment section (8) opens transversely or obliquely into the discharge section (12) and is arranged at the same height or above the discharge section (12); - the receiving section (6) can be driven individually and is designed to receive a large number of random piece goods (14); - the segment section (8) has at least two, in particular four, individually drivable segments (10) arranged side by side and parallel to the feed direction (104) of the segment section (8), and a segment (10) extends from the beginning to the end of the segment section (8); comprising the method steps: a) filling the receiving section (6) with a plurality of randomly arranged piece goods (14); b) transporting piece goods (14) on the receiving section (6) along the feed direction (104) towards and onto the segment section (8); c) selecting a segment (10) as the preferred segment (10); d) preferentially driving the preferred segment (10) and non-preferredly driving the non-preferred segments e) Transferring one or all of the piece goods (14) lying on the preferred segment (10) to the discharge line (12) ; (f) repeated execution of steps (c) to (e).
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step Detecting an arrangement of the piece goods (14) on the feed line (4), in particular on the segment section (8), wherein the selection of the preferred segment (10) takes place as a function of the detected arrangement of the piece goods (14) on the feed line (4), in particular on the segment section (8).
3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that depending on the detected arrangement of the piece goods (14) on the receiving section (6) of the feed line (4) a Control of the receiving section (6) is regulated in process step b).
4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the preferred segment (10) is the segment (10) on which a piece of goods (14) rests first downstream with respect to the discharge direction (112) and / or the feed direction (104).
5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - in method step c), the segment (10) arranged furthest downstream with respect to the discharge direction (112) is first selected as the preferred segment (10); and - after transferring one or all of the piece goods (14) lying on the preferred segment (10) to the Discharge section (12) in method step e) that segment (10) which is arranged upstream with respect to the discharge direction (112) immediately next to the previously preferred segment (10) is newly selected as the preferred segment (10) and if no further segment (10) is adjacent upstream, the segment (10) arranged furthest downstream with respect to the discharge direction (112) is selected as the preferred segment (10).
6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the preferred driving is a sole or faster driving than the non-preferred driving if other piece goods (14) lie on adjacent segments at substantially the same height with respect to the feed direction (104) or if the position of other piece goods (14) is not known; and - the non-preferred driving is a stop and / or a driving at the same speed and / or slower than the preferred driving.
7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising the method steps Tilting a large container filled with piece goods (14) around a tilting axis arranged at the beginning of the receiving section (6), transversely to the feed direction (104), onto the receiving section (6) and then tilting the large container back.
8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the method steps Rotating the receiving section (6) about the tilting axis such that the end of the receiving section (6) is raised and the receiving section (6) closes the large container and subsequent turning back of the receiving section (6) together with the large container.
9. Method according to one of claims 7 to 8, further comprising the method steps - Recording the filling level of the large container after the large container has been tipped back; - repeated tipping and re-tipping of the large container if piece goods (14) still remain in the large container, otherwise removal of the large container and, if necessary, provision of another large container filled with piece goods (14).
10. Singulator (2) for singulating piece goods, in particular pieces of luggage (14), comprising a receiving section (6) and a segment section (8) having a feed path (4) with a feed direction (104), a discharge path (12) with a discharge direction (112), wherein - one end of the receiving section (6) opens into a beginning of the segment section (8) and is arranged at the same height as or above the beginning of the segment section (8); - one end of the segment section (8) opens transversely or obliquely into the discharge section (12) and is arranged at the same height or above the discharge section (12); - the receiving section (6) can be driven individually and is designed to receive a large number of random piece goods (14); - the segment section (8) has at least two, in particular four, individually drivable segments (10) arranged next to one another and parallel to the feed direction (104) of the segment section (8), and a segment (10) extends from the beginning to the end of the segment section (8); comprising means for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 9.
11. Singulator (2) according to claim 10, characterized in that the means comprises a detection unit (16), wherein the detection unit (16) is arranged above the feed path (4), in particular above the segment section (8), and is designed to detect an arrangement of the piece goods (14) on the feed path (4).
12. Singulator (2) according to one of claims 10 to 11, characterized in that the means comprises a container detection unit (16), wherein the container detection unit (16) is arranged and designed to detect piece goods (14) in a large container that can be tilted onto the receiving section (6), in particular piece goods (14) remaining in this large container after tipping back.
13. Singulator (2) according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the means comprises a control unit, wherein the control unit is designed to control conveying means of the receiving section (6), the segments (10) and the discharge section (12).
14. Singulator (2) according to claim 13, characterized in that the control unit is designed to control the conveying means depending on the piece goods (14) detected by the detection units (16).
15. Conveyor system comprising a singulator (2) according to one of claims 10 to 14.