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Material handling and sorting system

  • US 4,554,873 A
  • Filed: 09/03/1982
  • Issued: 11/26/1985
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1981
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A material handling and sorting system comprising:

  • a tracking network including a plurality of loading and induction sidings and en-route track-side signpost means;

    a plurality of destination paths including a plurality of associated discharge containers representing particular destinations;

    a plurality of self-powered trolleys which co-operate with the tracking network and which are capable of carrying a particular material load requiring transportion to a particular destination, each trolley incorporating controllable steering means;

    each induction siding incorporates an induction station, the induction station including input means arranged for entering coded data indicative of a particular destination into said induction stations, said coded data is transmitted from said induction stations to a central control system which is arranged to translate said coded data into routing data for programming a trolley;

    an optical communication-channel is provided between the induction station and the trolley, said routing data being transferred to said trolley over said communication channel, said communication channel being a two-way channel comprising receiver/transmitter pairs incorporating photo-diodes and light-emitting diodes respectively which are optically coupled to optical sensor means on said trolley;

    said signpost means includes signpost information with a serial data track and two clock-tracks, said serial data and clock tracks comprising physical bars mounted in apertures on a mounting plate wherein each bar is arranged to pass through an infra-red beam passing between a light emitting diode transmitter and photo-diode receiver in said optical sensor means thereby casting a shadow on said photo-diode to detect a signal; and

    each said trolley incorporates a micro-processor and first and second data storage means, said routing data being entered in said first data storage means and a trolley operator program being stored in the second data storage means, wherein, upon the program being run, the routing data is compared with said signpost information read from said signpost means by said optical sensor means to control the trolley appropriately around the tracking network;

    wherein the sorting system is so arranged that each trolley is programmed at any loading and induction siding with data relating to the route to be taken to a particular destination whereby the trolley so programmed co-operates with said en-route track-side signpost means thereby enabling the steering means to be controlled, to guide said relevant trolley through said tracking network and through its programmed destination, at which destination any accompanying material load is automatically discharged into the associated discharge container.

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