Inclined-roller destacker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10246267-B2
Application number	US-201715782376-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2017
Priority date	May 14, 2015
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A destacking conveyor and a method for destacking stacked articles, such as parcels and envelopes. The destacking conveyor comprises an inclined array of rollers that are arranged to rotate on axes perpendicular to a conveying direction. The conveyor is divided along its length into continuous roller-activation zones and selectively activated zones. In the continuous zones, the rollers always rotate in the conveying direction. In the selectively activated zones, the rollers are activated to rotate in the conveying direction and deactivated to be freely rotatable and allow articles to slide backward by gravity. The conveyor also includes a lift to change its inclination angle. By regulating the inclination angle and the activation and deactivation of the rollers in the selectively activated zones, piggy-backed articles slide off bottom articles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A destacking conveyor comprising:
a lower infeed end and an opposite upper discharge end;
an array of rollers arranged to form an inclined conveying plane extending in a conveying direction from the lower infeed end to the upper discharge end at an inclination angle, wherein the rollers are rotatable about axes perpendicular to the conveying direction, the array of rollers including:
a first set of the rollers in a first zone extending in the conveying direction from the lower infeed end a first distance defining the upper end of the first zone, wherein the first set of rollers in the first zone are continuously activated to rotate in the conveying direction;
a second set of the rollers in a second zone extending in the conveying direction from the upper end of the first zone a second distance defining the upper end of the second zone;
an actuator for selectively activating the second set of rollers in the second zone to rotate in the conveying direction and selectively deactivating the second set of rollers to rotate freely about their axes.

2. A destacking conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the array of rollers further includes a third set of the rollers in a third zone extending in the conveying direction from the upper end of the second zone to the upper discharge end and wherein the third set of rollers in the third zone are continuously activated to rotate in the conveying direction.

3. A destacking conveyor as in claim 1 further comprising a lift attached to the upper discharge end to change the inclination angle of the conveying plane.

4. A destacking conveyor as in claim 1 further comprising a sensor detecting stacked articles in the second zone and sending a signal to the actuator to deactivate or activate the second set of the rollers.

5. A destacking conveyor as in claim 1 further comprising a first bearing surface associated with the first set of the rollers in the first zone and a second bearing surface associated with the second set of the rollers in the second zone and an actuator and wherein the array of rollers are arranged on a conveyor belt advancing in the conveying direction and wherein the first set of the rollers are activated by rolling on first bearing surface and wherein the actuator selectively activates and deactivates the second set of rollers by moving the second bearing surface into and out of contact with the second set of rollers in the second zone.

6. A destacking conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the array of rollers form a roller conveyor in which the first set of the rollers in the first zone are continuously activated and the second set of the rollers in the second zone are selectively activated and deactivated.

7. A destacking conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the rollers have a high-friction outer surface.

8. A method for destacking a mass of articles, the method comprising:
(a) inducting articles into a first zone of rollers rotating in a conveying direction and inclined at an inclination angle that allows top articles carried piggy-back atop bottom articles in contact with the rollers to slide down the articles in contact with the rollers;
(b) propelling the bottom articles in contact with the rotating rollers up the inclined rollers to an upper end of the first zone along with any top articles still piggy-backed atop the bottom articles;
(c) selectively activating rollers in a second zone of rollers extending in the conveying direction from the upper end of the first zone to propel articles received from the first zone in the conveying direction;
(d) selectively deactivating the rollers in the second zone to make them freely rotatable to allow the bottom articles to slide back down the deactivated rollers in the second zone in a direction opposite to the conveying direction and into contact with the roller at the upper end of the first zone to propel the bottom article contacting the roller in the conveying direction and allowing piggy-backed top articles to fall off the bottom article as it reverses direction back into the first zone;
(e) selectively reactivating the rollers in the second zone of rollers to propel the bottom articles received from the first zone in the conveying direction.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving articles from the second zone in a third zone of rotating rollers to propel the articles through the third zone in the conveying direction.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising detecting the presence of piggy-backed top articles in the second zone and deactivating the rollers in the second zone when piggy-backed top articles are detected.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising lowering the inclination angle as the supply of articles dwindles.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising changing the inclination angle rapidly back and forth to help jostle piggy-backed top articles off bottom articles.

13. A destacking conveyor comprising:
a roller-top conveyor belt advancing in a conveying direction along a carryway inclined at an inclination angle from a lower infeed end to an upper discharge end wherein the roller-top conveyor belt includes a plurality of article-supporting rollers extending through the thickness of the roller-top conveyor belt;
a first stationary bearing surface underlying the roller-top conveyor belt in a first zone extending in the conveying direction from the lower infeed end to an upper end of the first zone, wherein the rollers passing through the first zone roll on the first stationary bearing surface to propel articles atop the rollers along the roller-top conveyor belt in the conveying direction;
a second bearing surface underlying the roller-top conveyor belt in a second zone extending in the conveying direction from the upper end of the first zone to an upper end of the second zone, wherein the second bearing surface is movable from a first position in contact with the rollers passing through the second zone to a second position out of contact with the rollers;
an actuator for selectively activating the rollers passing through the second zone to rotate in the conveying direction by moving the second bearing surface to the first position and selectively deactivating the rollers passing through the second zone to rotate freely about their axes by moving the second bearing surface to the second position.

14. A destacking conveyor as in claim 13 further comprising a third stationary bearing surface underlying the roller-top conveyor belt in a third zone extending in the conveying direction from the upper end of the second zone to the upper discharge end, wherein the rollers passing through the third zone roll on the third stationary bearing surface to propel articles atop the rollers along the roller-top conveyor belt in the conveying direction.

15. A destacking conveyor as in claim 13 further comprising a lift attached to the upper discharge end to change the inclination angle.

16. A destacking conveyor as in claim 13 further comprising a sensor detecting piggy-backed articles in the second zone and sending a signal to the actuator to move the second bearing surface to deactivate or activate the rollers passing through the second zone.

17. A destacking conveyor as in claim 13 wherein the rollers have a high-friction outer surface.

18. A destacking conveyor comprising:
a lower infeed end and an opposite upper discharge end;
a set of rollers arranged to form an inclined conveying plane extending in a conveying direction between the lower infeed end and the upper discharge end at an inclination angle, wherein

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Ragan Bryant G

Classifications

• B65C9/02

  Devices for moving articles, e.g. containers, past labelling station · CPC title

• B65G21/10

  movable, or having interchangeable or relatively movable parts; Devices for moving framework or parts thereof · CPC title

• B65G47/1492

  the articles being fed from a feeding conveyor · CPC title

• B65G17/24 Primary

  comprising a series of rollers which are moved {, e.g. over a supporting surface, by the traction element to effect conveyance of loads or load-carriers} · CPC title

• B65G39/10

  Arrangements of rollers (on a single axle B65G39/04) · CPC title