Automated system and method for transporting and sorting articles

• US 4,711,357 A
• Filed: 12/18/1985
• Issued: 12/08/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Keith A. Langenbeck
• Original Assignee: Keith A. Langenbeck
• Inventors: Langenbeck, Keith A., Holdeman, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scherbel, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Application Number:
  US06/810,885
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 209/651, 209/654, 209/652, 209/702, 209/900, 209/942, 209/564, 209/565, 209/566, 209/583, 209/584, 209/569, 198/367, 198/370, 198/572, 198/598, 198/835, 414/134, 414/136, 364/478, 377/1, 377/77
• US Class Current: 209/565
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/362 Separating or distributor mechanisms switches for postal sorting B07C3/065; particular discharging devices for B65G47/74
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/766 Adjustable ploughs or transverse scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

An automated system and method for transporting and sorting various types of articles, such as parcels and sacks of mail. The system is comprised of a primary conveyor track and a plurality of secondary conveyor tracks which intersect the primary conveyor track at selected locations therealong. Each secondary track has associated therewith a diverter mechanism for diverting selected articles from the primary track to a corresponding secondary track, depending upon the final destinations of the articles. The diverter mechanism includes a diverter arm, which pivots across the primary track to divert selected articles to the corresponding secondary track. The deflecting surface of the diverter arm includes a motor-driven belt, the bottom edge of which is positioned within 1/4 inch of the surface of the track so that articles of irregular shape, such as sacks of mail, do not become trapped between the bottom edge of the diverter arm and the track. A plurality of photoelectric eyes are disposed at selected positions along the primary track and the secondary tracks for detecting the passage of individual articles. Each diverter arm is operated asynchronously so that the diverter arm is moved to the "divert" position in advance of the arrival of the article to be diverted, thereby enhancing the speed of operation of the system.

Claims

1. A control system for an article conveyor, said article conveyor having a primary track on which articles are initially loaded, a plurality of secondary tracks intersecting the primary track at selected locations therealong and diverter means associated with each of said secondary tracks for diverting articles to respective ones of said secondary tracks, said control system comprising:

means for entering into said control system track information for each article corresponding to the particular secondary track to which each article is to be diverted;

means for inputting and storing said track information for each article in parallel substantially simultaneously at selected ones of a plurality of discrete locations in said storage means, each of said discrete locations being associated with a corresponding one of said secondary tracks so that track information for each article on the primary track is stored in parallel substantially simultaneously in only those discrete locations which are associated with the particular secondary track down which the article will be diverted and those secondary tracks which intersect the primary track upstream of the particular secondary track down which the article will be diverted and each discrete location has stored therein track information for those articles which will arrive at the corresponding secondary track in a sequence corresponding to the sequence in which said articles will arrive at the corresponding secondary track;

detector means positioned in proximity to respective ones of said diverter means at selected locations along said primary track for detecting the presence of articles at said selected locations and for generating respective electrical signals indicative thereof, each of said detector means being associated with a corresponding one of said diverter means and said secondary tracks;

means for comparing track information for the article which will be first to arrive at each secondary track with the identity of that particular secondary track; and

means responsive to said electrical signals generated by said detector means for selectively operating the diverter means to position each of the diverter means to divert said first article to arrive at the corresponding secondary track to the corresponding secondary track when the track information for said first article matches the identity of the corresponding secondary track, irrespective of the actual location of said first article on said primary track, and alternatively to position each of the diverter means to allow said first article to continue along the primary track when the track information for said first article does not match the identity of the corresponding secondary track.

2. The control system according to claim 1 wherein said means for entering information into said control system is comprised of a keyboard having a plurality of user-activatable keys.

3. The control system according to claim 2 wherein said article conveyor is a mail conveyor for transporting parcels and sacks of mail of various sizes and shapes and said track information is comprised of a code corresponding to the the postal zip code of the destination of each such parcel and sack of mail, said track information being entered into said control system via said keyboard means, each of said plurality of secondary tracks corresponding to at least one of said codes.

4. The control system according to claim 1 wherein each of said discrete locations in said storage means is comprised of shift register means, said track information being stored in each of said shift register means in a sequence corresponding to the sequence in which articles will arrive at the corresponding secondary track, said track information being shifted sequentially in each of said shift register means in accordance with the sequence at which articles arrive at the corresponding secondary tracks so that track information corresponding to the first article to arrive at each secondary track is shifted out of the register upon arrival of the article at the particular secondary track.

5. The control system according to claim 1 wherein said detector means is comprised of first and second sets of photoelectric eyes, said first set of photoelectric eyes being positioned at selected locations along said primary track and adjacent to respective ones of said diverter arms for detecting the presence of articles at said selected locations on the primary track and for generating first electrical signals indiative thereof, and said second set of photoelectric eyes being positioned at selected locations on respective secondary tracks for detecting the presence of articles at said selected locations on the respective secondary tracks and for generating second electrical signals indicative thereof to confirm that selected articles have been diverted to the respective secondary tracks, the diverter means associated with those secondary tracks to which articles are being diverted remaining in a position to divert articles to the corresponding secondary tracks until corresponding second electrical signals are generated, each of said diverter means being positioned to divert the first article to arrive at the corresponding secondary track prior to detection of said first article by the particular one of said first set of photoelectric eyes which is associated with the corresponding diverter means when track information for said first article matches the identity of the particular secondary track.

6. The control system according to claim 1 wherein said detector means includes first and second detector means, said first detector means being positioned at selected locations along said primary track and adjacent to respective ones of said diverter arms for detecting the presence of articles at said selected locations on the primary track and for generating first electrical signals indicative thereof, said second detector means being positioned at selected locations on respective secondary tracks for detecting the presence of articles at said selected locations on the respective secondary tracks and for generating second electrical signals indicative thereof to confirm that selected articles have been diverted to the respective secondary tracks, the diverter means associated with those secondary tracks to which articles are being diverted remaining in a position to divert articles to the corresponding secondary tracks until corresponding second electrical signals are generated, each of said diverter means being positioned to divert the first article to arrive at the corresponding secondary track prior to detection of said first article by the first detector means when track information for said first article matches the identity of the particular secondary track.

7. A conveyor system for transporting and sorting articles, comprising:

a primary conveyor track on which said articles are placed for transport and sorting;

a plurality of secondary conveyor tracks intersecting the primary conveyor track at selected locations therealong;

a plurality of diverter means mounted adjacent to respective ones of said secondary conveyor tracks for diverting selected ones of said articles from the primary conveyor track to corresponding selected ones of said secondary conveyor tracks; and

control means for automatically operating said diverter means to divert selected ones of said articles to said corresponding selected secondary conveyor tracks and to allow other ones of said articles to continue along said primary conveyor track, said control means comprising;

means for entering into said control means track information for each article corresponding to the particular secondary conveyor track to which each article is to be diverted;

means for inputting and storing said track information for each article in parallel substantially simultaneously at selected ones of a plurality of discrete locations in said storage means, each of said discrete locations being associated with a correspond one of said secondary conveyor tracks, so that track information for each article on the primary conveyor track is stored in parallel substantially simultaneously in only those discrete locations which are associated with the particular secondary conveyor track down which the article will be diverted and those secondary conveyor tracks which intersect the primary conveyor track upstream of that particular secondary conveyor track, each discrete location having stored therein track information for those articles which will arrive at the corresponding secondary conveyor track in a sequence corresponding to the sequence in which said articles will arrive at the corresponding secondary conveyor track;

detector means positioned at selected locations along said primary track in proximity to respective ones of said diverter means for detecting the presence of articles at said selected locations and for generating respective electrical signals indicative thereof, each of said detector means being associated with a corresponding one of said diverter means and said secondary tracks;

means for comparing track information for the article which will be first to arrive at each secondary track with the identity of that particular secondary track; and

means responsive to said electrical signals generated by said detector means for selectively operating the diverter means to position each of the diverter means to divert said first article to arrive at the corresponding secondary track to the corresponding secondary track when the track information for said article matches the identity of the corresponding secondary track, irrespective of the actual location of said first article on the primary track, and for selectively operating the respective diverter means to position each of the diverter arms to allow said first article to continue along the primary track when the track information for said first article does not match the identity of the corresponding secondary track.

8. The conveyor system according to claim 7 wherein said plurality of diverter means is comprised of a corresponding plurality of diverter arms which are pivotably mounted adjacent to respective ones of said secondary conveyor tracks, each of said arms having a movable contact surface for deflecting selected ones of said articles from the primary track to corresponding selected ones of said secondary conveyor tracks, said contact surface including at least a portion of a continuous belt which is movable along the longitudinal axis of the corresponding arm in a direction in which the articles are deflected, the lowermost edge of the continuous belt being positioned sufficiently close to the primary track to prevent said articles from being trapped between said lowermost edge and the primary track.

9. A method of sorting articles in a conveyor system having a primary track on which articles are initially loaded, a plurality of secondary tracks intersecting the primary track at selected locations therealong and a plurality of diverter means, each of which is associated with a corresponding one of said plurality of secondary tracks, for diverting selected ones of said articles to the respective secondary tracks, said method comprising the steps of:

entering track information into said conveyor system for each article on the primary track corresponding to the particular secondary track to which each article is to be diverted;

providing storage means having discrete locations therein for storing track information;

assingning one of said discrete locations in said storage means to a corresponding one of said secondary tracks;

inputting and storing said track information for each article in parallel substantially simultaneously at selected ones of said discrete locations in said storage means so that track information for each article is stored in parallel substantially simultaneously in only those discrete locations which are associated with the particular secondary track down which the article will be diverted and those secondary tracks which intersect the primary track upstream of the particular secondary track down which the article will be diverted and each discrete location has stored therein track information for those articles which will arrive at the corresponding secondary track in a sequence corresponding to the sequence in which said articles will arrive at the corresponding secondary track;

detecting the presence of articles at selected locations along the primary track and generating respective electrical signals indicative thereof, said selected locations being in proximity to respective ones of said diverter means so that each of said detector means is associated with a corresponding one of said diverter means and said secondary tracks;

comparing track information for the article which will be first to arrive at each secondary track with the identity of that particular secondary track; and

selectively operating the diverter means in response to said electrical signals to position each of the diverter means to divert said first article to arrive at the corresponding secondary track to the corresponding secondary track when the track information for said first article matches the identity of the corresponding secondary track, irrespective of the actual location of said first article on said primary track, and alternatively to position each of the diverter means to allow said first article to continue along the primary track when the track information for said first article does not match the identity of the corresponding secondary track.