ARTICLE SORTER WITH ACTIVE DISCHARGE

• US 20190031450A1
• Filed: 07/24/2018
• Published: 01/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dematic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dematic Corporation
• Inventors: German, Harry Thad, Bray, William P., Hekman, Benjamin J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/244 by turning them about an axis substantially perpendicular to the conveying plane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/681 from distinct, separate conveyor lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/71 the articles being discharged or distributed to several distinct separate conveyors or to a broader conveyor lane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/844 the article-engaging elements being pushers transversally movable on the supporting surface, e.g. pusher-shoes

Abstract

An article sortation system and method of sorting articles includes an article sorter having an article support surface moving in a longitudinal direction and a plurality of discharge conveyors extending from the article support surface. The sorter is adapted to discharge articles from the article support surface to said discharge conveyors. One or more of the discharge conveyors includes an active aligner having a driven surface that is adapted to reorient at least some of the diverted articles.

Claims

1. An article sortation system, comprising:

an article sorter having an article support surface moving in a longitudinal direction;

a plurality of discharge conveyors extending from said article support surface;

said article sorter adapted to discharge articles from said article support surface to said discharge conveyors; and

wherein at least one of said discharge conveyors comprises an active aligner comprising a driven surface that is adapted to reorient at least some of the diverted articles.

2. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said discharge conveyors comprises a plurality of said discharge conveyors, each comprising an active aligner.

3. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driven surface has a travel speed that exceeds a travel speed of said article support surface.

4. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driven surface varies in travel speed in response to variation in travel speed of said article support surface.

5. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driven surface comprises a plurality of generally parallel conveying lanes, at least one of said lanes having a high-friction conveying surface and at least one of said lanes having a low-friction conveying surface, said high-friction conveying surface having a coefficient of friction that is higher than a coefficient of friction of said low-friction conveying surface.

6. The sortation system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said high-friction conveying surface having a conveying speed that is greater than a conveying speed of said low-friction conveying surface wherein articles are aligned on said high-friction surface.

7. The sortation system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said low-friction conveying surface comprising a series of generally parallel rollers that are skewed toward said high-friction conveying surface.

8. The sortation system as claimed in claim 5, including another low-friction conveying surface that is adjacent said high-friction conveying surface on a side of said high-friction conveying surface that is opposite said low-friction conveying surface, said another low-friction conveying surface adapted to direct articles toward said high-friction conveying surface, said high-friction surface coefficient of friction being higher than a coefficient of friction of said another low-friction conveying surface.

9. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said high-friction conveying surface having a conveying speed that is greater than the conveying speed of said another low-friction conveying surface wherein articles are aligned on said high-friction surface.

10. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said another low-friction conveying surface comprising a series of generally parallel rollers that are skewed toward said high-friction conveying surface.

11. The sortation system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said high-friction conveying surface is defined by a belt conveyor.

12. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1 including a high-friction roller between said article support surface and said active aligner conveying surface.

13. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said article sorter comprises one chosen from a linear sorter and a carrousel sorter.

14. The sortation system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said article sorted comprises a linear sorter comprising a positive displacement sorter.

15. The sortation system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said positive displacement sorter comprises a parallel divert sorter or a diagonal divert sorter.

16. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said active aligner is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction.

17. The sortation system as claimed in claim 1 including a transition plate at an upstream interface between said article support surface and said active aligner conveying surface.

18. The sortation system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said discharge conveyors extend in a generally lateral direction perpendicular to said article support surface.

19. The article sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driven surface is adapted to reorient at least certain diverted articles by rotating articles with a longer dimension and a shorter dimension to be oriented with shorter dimension leading.

20. The article sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driven surface is adapted to align at least certain diverted articles along a region between lateral edges of said driven surface.

21. The article sortation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driven surface comprises an article singulator.

22. An article sortation system, comprising:

an article sorter having an article support surface moving in a longitudinal direction,

a plurality of discharge conveyors extending from said article support surface, wherein said sorter comprises diverters that are adapted to initially displace an article on said article support surface without rotating that article then continue to displace that article to discharge that article from said article support surface to one of said discharge conveyors; and

wherein at least one of said discharge conveyors comprises a driven surface made up of plurality of generally parallel driven conveying lanes, at least one of said driven conveying lanes having a high-friction conveying surface and an adjacent one of said driven conveying lanes having a low-friction conveying surface, wherein said high-friction conveying surface having a coefficient of friction that is higher than a coefficient of friction of said low-friction conveying surface.

23. The article sortation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said discharge conveyors extending in a generally lateral direction perpendicular to said article support surface.

24. The sortation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the high-friction conveying surface has a conveying speed that is greater than a conveying speed of said low-friction conveying surface.

25. The sortation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said driven surface has a travel speed that exceeds a travel speed of said article support surface.

26. The sortation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said driven surface varies in travel speed in response to variation in travel speed of the article support surface.

27. The sortation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said at least one of said discharge conveyors comprising a longitudinally oriented spitter roller at an interface between the article support surface and the driven conveying surface.

28. The sortation system as claimed in claim 27, wherein said at least one of said discharge conveyors comprising a transition plate upstream the spitter roller in the longitudinal direction wherein a diverted article begins rotation by the spitter roller while the article is on the article support surface and said transition plate and continues rotation by the driven conveying surface on the discharge conveyor.

29. The sortation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said article support surface defined by a plurality of laterally extending slats and said diverters comprise pusher shoes travelling along one or more said slats to selectively laterally divert an article travelling on said article support surface to one of said plurality of discharge conveyors.

30. A method of sorting articles, comprising:

supporting articles with an article sorter having an article support surface moving in a longitudinal direction;

discharging articles from said article support surface to a plurality of discharge conveyors extending from said article support surface; and

wherein at least one of said discharge conveyors comprises an active aligner comprising a driven surface including reorienting at least some of the diverted articles with said active aligner.

32. The method as claimed in claim 30 used to sort articles at least some of which are flexible bags.

31. A method of sorting articles, comprising:

supporting articles with an article sorter having an article support surface moving in a longitudinal direction,

discharging articles to a plurality of discharge conveyors extending from said article support surface, including initially displacing an article on said article support surface with a diverter without rotating that article then continuing to displace that article to discharge that article from said article support surface to one of said discharge conveyors; and

wherein at least one of said discharge conveyors comprises a driven surface made up of plurality of generally parallel driven conveying lanes, at least one of said driven conveying lanes having a high-friction conveying surface and at least one of said driven conveying lanes adjacent to said high-friction conveying surface having a low-friction conveying surface, wherein said high-friction conveying surface having a coefficient of friction that is higher than a coefficient of friction of said low-friction conveying surface.

33. The method as claimed in claim 31 used to sort articles at least some of which are flexible bags.