System and method for sorting parcel

• US 9,364,865 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Kim, Ki Hak
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Joseph C
• Application Number:
  US14/337,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20150217334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/02 Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/08 using arrangements of conveyors transport of sheets B65H; transport in general B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/34 Devices for discharging articles or materials from conveyor B65G47/256 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method for sorting a parcel moves an article to a cart according to destination information of the article to classify the article to a chute for each destination. An article position detecting unit detects positional information of the article loaded on the cart that moves in a first direction by a track which moves in the first direction. A control unit controls the cart to rotate in a second or third direction according to the detected positional information of the article and destination information of the article.

Claims

1. A system for sorting a parcel, which moves an article to a cart according to destination information of the article to classify the article to a chute for each destination, the system comprising:

an article position detecting unit which detects positional information of the article loaded on the cart that moves in a first direction by a track which moves in the first direction; and

a control unit which controls the cart to rotate in a second or third direction according to the detected positional information of the article and destination information of the article,

wherein the article position detecting unit includes;

a first sensor which linearly senses the article in the second or third direction of the cart;

a second sensor which senses the article in a first diagonal direction of the cart; and

a third sensor which is positioned to be opposite to the second sensor and senses the article in a second diagonal direction of the cart.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is provided at the end of the track in the second direction of the cart, the third sensor is provided at the end of the track in the third direction of the cart, and the first sensor is provided at a position spaced apart from the third sensor by a predetermined distance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein when the article needs to be classified to the first chute provided in the second direction of the cart according to the destination information of the article, the control unit calculates the position of the article by using a first sensing time which is a time interval between a time when the article is sensed by the second sensor and a time when the article is sensed by the first sensor, a speed of the track, a maximum value of the sensing times, and a long-axis length value of the cart.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when the article needs to be classified to the second chute provided in the third direction of the cart according to the destination information of the article, the control unit calculates the position of the article by using a second sensing time which is a time interval between a time when the article is sensed by the third sensor and the time when the article is sensed by the first sensor, the speed of the track, and a maximum value of the sensing times, and a length value of the cart.

5. A method for sorting a parcel, which loads an article on a cart according to destination information of the article to classify the article to a chute for each destination, the method comprising:

calculating the position of the article loaded on the cart which moves in a first direction by a track; and

moving the article on the cart to a second direction or a third direction that is an edge position which gets close to the chute for each destination on the cart, by moving a cross belt of the cart according to positional information of the article and destination information of the article,

wherein the calculating of the position of the article includes;

sensing the article by using a first sensor that senses the article in a straight-line direction to a long-axis direction of the cart, a second sensor that is provided at the end of the third direction of the cart and senses the article in a diagonal direction of the cart, and a third sensor that is provided at the end of the second direction of the cart and senses the article in the diagonal direction of the cart; and

sensing the position of the article by using a sensing time which is an interval between a time when the article is sensed by the diagonal sensor and a time when the article is sensed by the straight-line sensor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein in the sensing of the position of the article, when the article needs to be classified to a first chute provided in the second direction of the cart according to the destination information of the article, it is judged that the article is positioned at a position distant from the first chute on the cart in the case where the sensing time by the second sensor and the first sensor is long.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein in the sensing of the position of the article, when the article needs to be classified to a second chute provided in the third direction of the cart according to the destination information of the article, it is judged that the article is positioned at a position distant from the second chute on the cart in the case where the sensing time by the third sensor and the first sensor is long.