Sortation conveyor apparatus and methods
First Claim
1. A method for transporting items on a conveyor system, the method comprisingreceiving destinations for a plurality of articles to be sequentially transported in a primary conveying direction on a primary conveyor system, wherein the primary conveyor system comprises pusher elements provided along the primary conveyor system and configured to move articles in a direction different than the primary conveying direction to selectively divert articles to branch destinations off of the primary conveyor system;
- spacing the articles apart on the primary conveyor system in the primary conveying direction, wherein the spacing of at least two adjacent articles is less than the width of a pusher element;
assigning some of the pusher elements to each article; and
providing a signal based upon the location of an article as it travels in the primary conveying direction, wherein the signal is configured to move pusher elements assigned to the article at an appropriate location along the primary conveyor system to cause the article to be moved in a direction different than the primary conveying direction and to rotate upon initiation of the movement, to thereby divert the article to their corresponding branch destinations off of the primary conveyor system.
19 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Sortation conveyor apparatus and methods for selectively diverting articles from a primary conveying surface onto branch lines are provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a control system for selectively operating activating elements. The control system is configured to assign two or more pusher elements to each article to be diverted, and to ensure proper diversion of articles when adjacent articles are spaced apart on the primary conveying surface by a distance which is less than the width of an individual pusher element. In one embodiment, diversion is provided by a single activating mechanism for a plurality of pusher elements per branch destination, and by rotating the article during the initial diverting movement and contact with the pusher elements. In one embodiment, a method comprises assigning memory cells to first and second articles based upon the location of the articles along the primary conveyor, and determining if the second article is to be diverted to the same location as the first article, and if so, assigning the trailing cell assigned to the trailing end of the first article to other than the first article.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for transporting items on a conveyor system, the method comprising
receiving destinations for a plurality of articles to be sequentially transported in a primary conveying direction on a primary conveyor system, wherein the primary conveyor system comprises pusher elements provided along the primary conveyor system and configured to move articles in a direction different than the primary conveying direction to selectively divert articles to branch destinations off of the primary conveyor system; -
spacing the articles apart on the primary conveyor system in the primary conveying direction, wherein the spacing of at least two adjacent articles is less than the width of a pusher element; assigning some of the pusher elements to each article; and providing a signal based upon the location of an article as it travels in the primary conveying direction, wherein the signal is configured to move pusher elements assigned to the article at an appropriate location along the primary conveyor system to cause the article to be moved in a direction different than the primary conveying direction and to rotate upon initiation of the movement, to thereby divert the article to their corresponding branch destinations off of the primary conveyor system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A sortation conveyor apparatus for selectively diverting articles from a primary conveying surface onto one of a plurality of branch lines, comprising:
-
a driven primary conveying surface configured to support and transport articles thereon; two or more branch lines extending away from said primary conveying surface; a plurality of pusher elements mounted for movement with said primary conveying surface for selective movement across said primary conveying surface so as to selectively divert articles onto said branch lines; activating mechanisms configured to move said pusher elements across said primary conveying surface, wherein a single activating mechanism is configured to move a plurality of pusher elements; and a control system for selectively operating said activating mechanisms, wherein said control system is configured to assign two or more of said pusher elements to each article to be diverted, and to selectively operate said activating mechanisms when said assigned pusher elements are located adjacent a predetermined branch line for the article to which the pusher elements are assigned, wherein said control system is configured to ensure proper diversion of articles when adjacent articles are spaced apart on the primary conveying surface by a distance which is less than the width of an individual pusher element. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification