System for sorting commercial articles and method therefor

• US 20020175112A1
• Filed: 05/14/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chiyuki Takizawa
• Original Assignee: At
• Inventors: Takizawa, Chiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,651,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/608
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1375 the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/04 Indication location means
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/5104 for articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/933 Accumulation receiving separated items

Abstract

A direction indicator placed on one site of a sorting block indicates, for a given good, the direction towards a nominated slot through which the good is to be placed in the block. This arrangement makes it possible for the hauler to immediately put a good into a nominated slot without looking around at sorting blocks at large, which will lead to the improvement of work efficiency. Moreover, because this will moderate the burden imposed on the hauler, the number of wrongly hauled goods would be greatly reduced.

If a good is passed through a wrong slot, it is recognized by a sensor and then an alarming means is activated to generate a buzzing sound or a blinking light to alarm. This arrangement will make it possible to greatly reduce the number of wrongly hauled goods.

In association with the entry of every good, the name of the provider, as well as the name of the manufacturer of the good, the property of the good and the number of its scheduled input, is given because the provider can feed his name through an input feeding means.

This arrangement will make it possible to efficiently manage inflow goods according to the name of providers, simply dependent on identification codes generally attached to goods such as a JAN code or ITF code.

Claims

1. An article sorting system comprising:

a first conveyor to convey trays each containing articles to be sorted;

a plurality of sorting lines each containing a second conveyor branching off from the first conveyor, and a sorting rack having a plurality of slots leading to containers into which articles are placed according to their sorting categories and placed opposite to the second conveyor;

a sorter to guide a tray conveyed through the first conveyor to one of the plurality of sorting lines;

a reading means to read the identification information of a tray conveyed by the first conveyor;

a memory means to store an article information table connecting the identification information of a tray with the information of the articles contained in that tray, and the arrangement pattern of the slots of each of the plurality of sorting line;

a sorter control means to determine an appropriate sorting line for a tray and control the sorter to guide the tray to the sorting line, after having referred to the identification information of the tray read by the reading means, and the article information table and the arrangement patterns of slots stored in the memory means; and

a direction indicating means provided to each of plurality of blocks introduced into the sorting rack so as to indicate by an arrow the number of a nominated slot and its direction.

2. An article sorting system as described in claim 1 wherein the number of the nominated slot is displayed on each angle of the screen of the direction indicating means, and the arrow located at the center of screen points to an angle.

3. An article sorting system as described in claim 1 wherein the screen of the direction indicating means also displays the kind and number of articles to be sorted.

4. An article sorting system as described in claim 1 wherein the kind of articles is related with shape which articles to be sorted take during conveyance, and is distinguished by character and color.

5. An article sorting system as described in claim 1 wherein the direction indicating means is controlled based on a control signal delivered by a computer terminal forming a local network with a host computer, being interlocked with display processing signals notifying the entry of articles to be sorted.

6. An article sorting system as described in claim 1 further comprising;

a display means is provided to each of inflow lines for introducing empty containers to the first conveyor;

wherein the first and second conveyors are arranged such that empty containers are introduced therethrough to the sorting rack; and

the control means monitors the number of empty containers placed in the rack, and instructs the display means to display addresses to receive empty containers, and the number of empty containers to be supplied.

7. An article sorting system as described in claim 2 wherein the screen of the direction indicating means also displays the kind and number of articles to be sorted.