Divert apparatus for conveyor system

• US 6,401,936 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Logistics LLC (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens ElectroCom, L.P.
• Inventors: Kugle, Stephen T., Neff, M. Wayne, Mondie, George M., Pippin, James M., Isaacs, Gerald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, DAvid P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, JOSEPH C
• Application Number:
  US09/560,235
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 198/367.1, 198/364, 198/530, 198/531, 198/368, 198/370.09, 198/360, 198/370.03, 209/583, 209/656, 209/918
• US Class Current: 209/656
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/042 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/08 Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/1492 the articles being fed from a feeding conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/31 by varying the relative speeds of the conveyors forming the series
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/68 adapted to receive articles arriving in one layer from one conveyor lane and to transfer them in individual layers to more than one conveyor lane or to one broader conveyor lane, or vice versa, e.g. combining the flows of articles conveyed by more than one conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/682 from a single conveyor lane consisting of one conveyor or several adjacent conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/918 Swinging or rotating pusher feeding item

Abstract

In one embodiment, an article sorting system includes successive coarse and fine singulators and a recirculating loop for processing a disordered stream of items including three-dimensional non-flat articles. A coarse singulator includes cascaded ramped conveyors, preferably operating at progressively greater speeds. A detection system, such as a vision system, for monitoring the stream of articles and identifying and/or tracking individual items passing through the system is used in conjunction with a fine singulator such as a chevron, hold-and-release or strip conveyor downstream from the coarse singulator. A control system is utilized in connection with the vision system to regulate the flow of articles through the system by, for example, diverting doubles or clusters for separations. A method of sorting articles includes steps of singulating a disordered stream of items with multiple singulating steps including a coarse singulating step for mechanically increasing the spacing between items in the stream, and a fine singulating step in which individual items are monitored and/or identified and tracked as they traverse the system. A divert apparatus which can be provided for diverting oversize/overweight articles or unwanted clusters of unsingulated articles includes an angled roller conveyor and a gate for discharging articles from the stream of articles to be processed.

Claims

1. A divert apparatus comprising:

a detection apparatus for identifying items in a stream of conveyed items that are one of overweight, oversized, in contact with another item or less than a predetermined minimum distance from another item, the items to be diverted from the stream of items;

a horizontal roller conveyor section, the roller section being wider than the items to be conveyed and comprising a plurality of rollers angled from central longitudinal axis of the conveyor section, the angled rollers applying a force directing the stream of items toward a first side of the conveyor section so that the items engage the first side;

a movable gate forming part of the first side of the conveyor section, the gate retaining the stream of items on the conveyor section when closed; and

an actuator for opening the gate to allow discharge and diversion of items identified for diversion by the detection apparatus.

2. The divert apparatus of claim 1 wherein the conveyor section comprises a roller conveyor in which the rollers are angled at an angle of from about 10 to 85 degrees from a central longitudinal axis of the conveyor section.

3. The divert apparatus of claim 1 wherein the detection apparatus comprises a vision system including a camera positioned to image the stream of articles.

4. The divert apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a chute adjoining the gate for receiving diverted items.

5. The divert apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control system which activates the actuator to divert one or more items when a predetermined condition has been detected by the detection apparatus.

6. The divert apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gate comprises a horizontally movable side rail of the conveyor section.

7. The divert apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gate comprises vertically retractable segments of a side rail of the conveyor section.

8. The divert apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is spacing between items, such that the detection apparatus identifies when two items in contact with one another or less than a predetermined distance apart and causes the gate to open to divert such items.

9. The divert apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a control system connected to receive the image from the camera, which activates the actuator to divert one or more items when a predetermined condition has been detected by the camera.

10. A divert apparatus comprising:

a detection apparatus for identifying two items in a stream of conveyed items in contact with one another or less than a predetermined distance apart, the items to be diverted from the stream of items, the detection apparatus including a camera that creates an image of the stream of items;

an horizontal roller conveyor section, the roller section being wider than the items to be conveyed and comprising a plurality of rollers angled from central longitudinal axis of the conveyor section, the angled rollers applying a force directing the stream of items toward a first side rail of the conveyor section so that the items engage the first side rail;

a movable gate forming part of the first side rail of the conveyor, the gate retaining the stream of items on the conveyor when closed;

an actuator that opens the gate to allow discharge and diversion of items identified for diversion by the detection apparatus; and

a control system connected to receive the image from the camera, which control system activates the actuator to divert one or more items when the detection apparatus identifies that two items are in contact with one another or less than a predetermined distance apart.

11. A divert apparatus, comprising:

a detection apparatus for identifying items to be diverted from an incoming stream of conveyed items;

a horizontal roller conveyor section, the conveyor section being wider than items conveyed on the conveyor section, the conveyor section applying a force directing the stream of items toward a first side of the conveyor section so that the items engage the first side;

a first movable gate forming part of the first side of the conveyor section, the first gate retaining the stream of items on the conveyor section when closed;

a first exit path that receives and transports items passing through the first movable gate;

a second movable gate also forming part of the first side of the conveyor section, the second gate retaining the stream of items on the conveyor section when closed;

a second exit path that receives and transports items passing through the second movable gate;

a first actuator for opening the first gate to allow discharge and diversion of items identified for diversion through the first gate;

a second actuator for opening the second gate to allow discharge and diversion of items identified for diversion through the second gate;

a control system operably connected to the detection apparatus, which control system activates the one of the first and second actuators to divert one or more items;

(i) through the first exit path, when the detection apparatus identifies two items in contact with one another or less than a predetermined minimum distance apart; and

(ii) to the second exit path, when the detection apparatus identifies that an item that is one of overweight or oversized.