Parcel sorting facility with sorting outputs provided with slides

Abstract

The invention relates to a parcel sorting facility (1) comprising a parcel sorting conveyor (3) designed to convey the parcels in series in a certain conveying direction (D1) and sorting outputs (4) distributed beneath the sorting conveyor that each comprise a sorting receptacle (7) in a loading position into which the parcels can be loaded from the sorting conveyor under the effect of gravity according to certain sorting data. Each sorting output of the sorting facility according to the invention comprises a slide (8) which runs in the opposite direction to the conveying direction beneath the sorting conveyor so as to guide the fall of a parcel into a sorting receptacle.

Description

Parcel sorting installation with sorting exits equipped with slides

[0001] The invention relates to the field of parcel sorting and more particularly relates to a sorting installation comprising a parcel sorting conveyor designed to convey the parcels in series in a certain conveying direction and sorting outlets distributed under the sorting conveyor designed to each receive a sorting receptacle in a loading position in which the parcels can be unloaded by gravity from the sorting conveyor according to certain sorting information.

[0002] Many parcel sorting facilities today use sorting conveyors capable of conveying and sorting parcels at very high speeds.

[0003] Among these sorting installations, some include sorting outlets arranged under the sorting conveyor, each equipped with a sorting receptacle into which the parcels sorted from the sorting conveyor fall by gravity.

[0004] To achieve this, the parcel sorting conveyors extend between 2 and 4 meters in height from the ground with sorting receptacles which are located at an ergonomic height to facilitate handling by operators, generally at a height of 1 meter.

[0005] The drop height of parcels into the sorting receptacles is therefore significant and regularly causes deterioration of the parcels when they come into contact with the sorting receptacle.

[0006] In order to preserve the integrity of packages, document FR3112703 describes the use of sorting receptacles with elastic bases to cushion the fall of packages.

[0007] However, this type of solution is dedicated to sorting receptacles with a large base compared to the size of the packages.

[0008] These receptacles are therefore bulky and take up a significant amount of space when they are not in the loading position under the sorting outlets. In fact, empty receptacles are temporarily stored near the sorting outlets, which significantly increases the footprint of the sorting facility.

[0009] The objective of the invention is therefore to solve the aforementioned problems.

[0010] To this end, the subject of the invention is a parcel sorting installation comprising a parcel sorting conveyor designed to convey the parcels in series in a certain conveying direction and sorting outlets distributed under the sorting conveyor each comprising a sorting receptacle in a loading position in which the parcels can be unloaded by gravity from the sorting conveyor according to certain sorting information, characterized in that at least one sorting outlet comprises a slide (8) which extends in the opposite direction to the conveying direction under the sorting conveyor so as to guide the fall of a parcel into a sorting receptacle.

[0011] The idea behind the invention is to use slides oriented in the opposite direction to the conveying direction in order to slow down the packages released under the sorting conveyor as quickly as possible while controlling the fall of the packages into the sorting receptacles.

[0012] More precisely, the orientation in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the slide makes it possible on the one hand to quickly stop the horizontal component of the speed of the packages given by the sorting conveyor and on the other hand to slow down the vertical component of the speed of the package provided by gravity.

[0013] With this type of sorting outlet, the integrity of the parcels is preserved and the footprint is contained under the sorting conveyor. This solution also allows the use of standard sorting receptacles in the field of parcel sorting, which are easy to handle and store.

[0014] The sorting installation according to the invention may also have the following particular features:

[0015] - each chute extends from an upstream end of the chute to a downstream end of the chute, each sorting outlet equipped with a chute comprises a post which extends vertically upwards to the downstream end of the chute, and several posts are spaced from each other in the conveying direction so that two adjacent posts form a passage space for a sorting receptacle in the loading position;

[0016] - each upright comprises a face facing downstream in the conveying direction and a face facing upstream in the conveying direction, each upright face facing downstream in the conveying direction comprises a shock absorber designed to absorb the shock of a package leaving the chute before its insertion into a sorting receptacle in the loading position;

[0017] - the shock absorber is a foam plate;

[0018] - the sorting outlets are equipped with inverted V-shaped deflectors under the sorting conveyor, each deflector being arranged astride two adjacent sorting outlets so that each sorting outlet has a first deflector part oriented substantially upstream in the conveying direction and a second deflector part oriented substantially downstream in the conveying direction;

[0019] - each slide extends in the extension of an upstream part of a deflector;

[0020] - each slide is flexible so as to cushion the fall of the parcels before falling into the sorting receptacles;

[0021] - a conveyor of empty receptacles extends in the conveying direction under the passage spaces delimited by the uprights of the sorting outlets;

[0022] - each slide has two sides extending lengthwise between the upstream end and the downstream end, and at least one of the two sides includes a fairing designed to prevent packages from falling laterally from the slide;

[0023] - the sorting conveyor is a loop conveyor equipped with buckets with pivoting flaps between a raised position capable of holding a package in the bucket during its conveyance in the conveying direction and a lowered position in which the flap is flush with the deflectors and capable of dropping a package by gravity into an appropriate sorting outlet. Summary presentation of the drawings

[0024] The present invention will be better understood and other advantages will appear on reading the detailed description of an embodiment taken as a non-limiting example and illustrated by the appended drawings, in which:

[0025] -illustrates in a very schematic manner a sorting installation according to the invention;

[0026] - very schematically illustrates a portion of the sorting conveyor with sorting outlets according to the invention in profile view substantially in the direction of the conveying direction;

[0027] -illustrates very schematically a part of the sorting conveyor with sorting outlets according to the invention in profile view substantially in the opposite direction to the conveying direction;

[0028] -illustrates very schematically a part of the sorting conveyor with sorting outlets with fairing according to the invention. Description of an embodiment

[0029] The invention relates to a sorting installation 1 for parcels 2, as shown in the, intended to equip a sorting center or a logistics platform.

[0030] By parcel 2, we mean all types of objects such as packages, letters, PPIs (for "Small International Packages", carrying sorting information.

[0031] The sorting installation 1 for parcels 2 according to the invention comprises in particular a sorting conveyor 3 for parcels 2 designed to convey the parcels 2 in series in a certain conveying direction D1 and sorting outlets 4 arranged under the sorting conveyor 3.

[0032] The sorting conveyor 3 may, for example, be in the form of a loop conveyor equipped with buckets 5, each equipped with a flap 6 pivoting between a raised position so as to hold a package 2 in the bucket 5 during its conveying in the conveying direction D1 and a lowered position in which the flap 6 is pivoted downwards to cause a package 2 to fall by gravity into an appropriate sorting outlet 4.

[0033] Each sorting outlet 4 is here designed to store a sorting receptacle 7 in a loading position in which the parcels 2 can be unloaded by gravity from the sorting conveyor 3 according to certain sorting information.

[0034] At least one sorting outlet 4 according to the invention comprises a slide 8 which extends in the opposite direction to the conveying direction D1 under the sorting conveyor 3 so as to guide the fall of a parcel 2 into a sorting receptacle 7.

[0035] Each slide 8 extends between an upstream slide end 8A to a downstream slide end 8B lower than the upstream slide end 8A.

[0036] The slides 8 according to the invention may be flexible so as to cushion the fall of the parcels 2 before falling into the sorting receptacles 7.

[0037] By flexible, we mean a slide 8 made of flexible or supple material, such as for example fabric, rubber, soft plastic or rigid material but equipped with a spring.

[0038] Also, in order to prevent packages 2 from falling onto the sides of the slides 8, especially if the slides 8 are flexible, a fairing 9 may be provided on at least one of the sides of the slide 8 which extends lengthwise between the upstream end 8A and the downstream end 8B of the slide 8.

[0039] Furthermore, without restricting the scope of the invention, each sorting outlet 4 may comprise an upright 10 which extends vertically upwards to the downstream end 8B of the slide 8.

[0040] The uprights 10 thus serve as a frame for fixing the downstream end 8B of the slides 8.

[0041] The slides 8 may also have, for example, a different length depending on the more or less distant upright 9 on which the downstream end 8B is fixed, and this without modifying the footprint of the sorting installation 1. The degree of slope thus obtained makes it possible to influence the speed at which the parcels 2 fall into the sorting receptacles 7.

[0042] The uprights 10 may also be spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction D1 so that two adjacent uprights 10 form a passage space ES for a sorting receptacle 7 in the loading position.

[0043] More specifically, each upright 10 may comprise a first face 10A oriented upstream in the conveying direction and a second face 10B oriented downstream in the conveying direction D1.

[0044] Each second face 10B of the upright facing downstream in the conveying direction D1 may also be equipped with a shock absorber 11 designed to absorb the shock of a package 2 exiting the chute 8 before its insertion into a sorting receptacle 7 in the loading position.

[0045] More precisely, when a package 2 falls onto a chute 8, the package 2 strikes the shock absorber 10 of the second face 10B facing downstream in the conveying direction of the upright 10 adjacent upstream in the conveying direction D1, making it possible to stop the speed component of the fall of the package 2 onto the chute 8. The package 2 then falls by gravity into the sorting receptacle 7 from a height reduced to its maximum.

[0046] For example, shock absorbers 11 may be provided in the form of foam plates or springs.

[0047] More particularly, the sorting outlets 7 may be equipped with deflectors 12 in the shape of an inverted V under the sorting conveyor 3.

[0048] Each deflector 12 is here arranged astride two adjacent sorting outlets 4 so that each sorting outlet 4 benefits from a first deflector part 12A oriented substantially upstream in the conveying direction D1 and a second deflector part 12B oriented substantially downstream in the conveying direction D1.

[0049] Without restricting the scope of the invention, each deflector 12a may comprise only the deflector portion 12A oriented substantially upstream in the conveying direction D1 without the deflector portion 12B.

[0050] The first part 12A of the deflector can thus serve as a frame for fixing the upstream end 8A of the slides 8.

[0051] A fairing 13 may also be provided along at least one of the sides of the deflectors 12 in the continuity of the fairing 9 of the slide 8 to prevent the ejection of packages 2 when they fall from the sorting conveyor 3.

[0052] In the case of using buckets 5 with pivoting flap 6, each flap 6 in the package unloading position 2, i.e. lowered, will be sufficiently spaced from a deflector 12 so as to limit the cases of jamming.

[0053] Thus, each slide 8 can advantageously extend in the extension of the upstream part of a deflector 12.

[0054] Likewise, the sorting installation 1 according to the invention may also comprise a conveyor 14 of empty sorting receptacles 7 which extends in the conveying direction D1 under the passage spaces ES delimited by the uprights 10 of the sorting outlets 4.

Claims

Sorting installation (1) for parcels (2) comprising a sorting conveyor (3) for parcels designed to convey the parcels in series in a certain conveying direction (D1) and sorting outlets (4) distributed under the sorting conveyor designed to each receive a sorting receptacle (7) in a loading position in which the parcels can be unloaded by gravity from the sorting conveyor according to certain sorting information, characterized in that at least one sorting outlet comprises a slide (8) which extends in the opposite direction to the conveying direction under the sorting conveyor so as to guide the fall of a parcel into a sorting receptacle. Parcel sorting installation according to claim 1, characterized in that each chute extends from an upstream end (8A) of the chute to a downstream end (8B) of the chute, in that each sorting outlet equipped with a chute comprises an upright (10) which extends vertically upwards to the downstream end of the chute, and in that several uprights are spaced from each other in the conveying direction so that two adjacent uprights form a passage space (ES) for a sorting receptacle in the loading position. Parcel sorting installation according to claim 2, characterized in that each upright comprises a first face (10A) facing upstream in the conveying direction and a second face (10B) facing downstream in the conveying direction, and in that each upright face facing downstream in the conveying direction comprises a shock absorber (11) designed to absorb the shock of a parcel leaving the chute before its insertion into a sorting receptacle in the loading position. Parcel sorting installation according to claim 3, characterized in that the shock absorber is a foam plate. Parcel sorting installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sorting outlets are equipped with deflectors (12) in the shape of an inverted V under the sorting conveyor, each deflector being arranged astride two adjacent sorting outlets so that each sorting outlet benefits from a first deflector part (12A) oriented substantially upstream in the conveying direction and a second deflector part (12B) oriented substantially downstream in the conveying direction. Parcel sorting installation according to claim 5, characterized in that each slide extends in the extension of an upstream part of a deflector. Parcel sorting installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each slide is flexible so as to cushion the fall of the parcels before falling into the sorting receptacles. Parcel sorting installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a conveyor (14) of empty receptacles which extends in the conveying direction under the passage spaces delimited by the uprights of the sorting outlets. Parcel sorting installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each slide has two sides which extend lengthwise between the upstream end and the downstream end, and in that at least one of the two sides comprises a fairing (9) designed to prevent the parcels from falling laterally from the slide. Parcel sorting installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sorting conveyor is a loop conveyor equipped with buckets (5) with flaps (6) pivoting between a raised position capable of holding a parcel in the bucket during its conveying in the conveying direction and a lowered position in which the flap comes flush with the deflectors and capable of dropping a parcel by gravity into an appropriate sorting outlet.

Images