On-demand v-shaped conveyor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315852-B1
Application number	US-201715665105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 31, 2017
Priority date	Jul 31, 2017
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

A conveyor system includes a belt wound around a roller assembly along a belt axis. The belt is configured to convey objects along the roller assembly in a direction of conveyance. The belt includes a primary belt portion that is in contact with rollers of the roller assembly and defines the belt axis. The conveyor includes an actuator configured to cause the belt to selectively define at least one belt peak that protrudes from the primary belt portion at a peak height measured orthogonally from the belt axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor system, comprising:
a conveyor defining an object induction region and an object destination region, the conveyor comprising:
a roller assembly extending at least from the object induction region to the object destination region in a direction of conveyance, the roller assembly having a top side and an underside;
a belt wound around the roller assembly along a belt axis, the belt configured to convey round objects along the top side of the roller assembly in the direction of conveyance to the object destination region, the belt comprising a plurality of adjacent belt segments disposed along the belt axis so as to define a primary belt portion, wherein the belt axis extends through the primary belt portion, each segment having a trailing end and a leading end spaced from the trailing end with respect to the direction of conveyance; and
an actuator configured to selectively guide at least one of the leading and trailing ends of at least one of the segments away from the primary belt portion so as to define a peak in the belt, wherein the conveyor is configured so that the peak travels along the direction of conveyance at least from the object induction region to the object destination region.

2. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the peak is a first peak, the actuator is configured to selectively guide at least one of the leading and trailing ends of at least another one of the segments outward from the primary belt portion so as to define a second peak in the belt, wherein the conveyor is configured so that the second peak travels behind the first peak along the direction of conveyance at least from the object induction region to the object destination region.

3. The conveyor system of claim 2 , further comprising a placement mechanism configured to place a cylindrical object on the belt between the first and second peaks, wherein the first and second peaks are spaced from each other so as to substantially prevent the cylindrical object from rolling along the belt.

4. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the belt segments are rigid.

5. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the belt segments are elastic.

6. A conveyor system, comprising:
a roller assembly;
a belt wound around the roller assembly along a belt axis oriented along a direction of conveyance, the belt configured to convey objects along the roller assembly in the direction of conveyance, wherein the belt includes a primary belt portion that is in contact with rollers of the roller assembly and defines the belt axis;
an actuator configured to cause the belt to selectively define at least one belt peak that protrudes from the primary belt portion at a peak height measured orthogonally from the belt axis, wherein the at least one belt peak is elongate along a lateral direction oriented at an angle with respect to the direction of conveyance.

7. The conveyor system of claim 6 , wherein the peak height is in the range of about 0.5 inch and 2.5 inches.

8. The conveyor system of claim 6 , wherein the peak height is no more than 1.25 inches.

9. The conveyor system of claim 6 , wherein the conveyor system comprises a conveyor that defines a peak-building region in which the at least one peak is formed in the belt, an object induction region downstream of the peak-building region, an object destination region downstream of the object induction region, and a peak-levelling region in which the at least one peak is removed in the belt, wherein the peak-levelling region is downstream of the object destination region, and wherein the actuator engages the belt in the peak-building region.

10. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the peak-building region and the peak-levelling region is located on a top side of the roller assembly.

11. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the peak-building region and the peak-levelling region is located on an underside of the roller assembly.

12. The conveyor system of claim 9 , wherein the peak-building region is at a proximal end of the conveyor, wherein, at the proximal end, the belt transitions from moving in a return direction to moving in the direction of conveyance, the return direction opposite the direction of conveyance.

13. The conveyor system of claim 6 , further comprising a pair of side tracks extending alongside the belt such that the belt is positioned between the pair of side tracks with respect to the lateral direction, wherein the lateral direction is substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance, and the belt defines opposed lateral sides and includes followers that extend from the lateral sides and ride along the pair of side tracks.

14. The conveyor system of claim 13 , wherein:
each side track of the pair of side tracks includes a primary track and an outer track, wherein the outer track intersects the primary track at a switchpoint and defines a parallel region downstream of the switchpoint, wherein, in the parallel region, the outer track is spaced from the primary track by a constant distance that is substantially equivalent to the peak height,
the followers are configured to ride along either of the primary and secondary tracks; and
the actuator is configured to selectively direct at least one of the followers to the secondary track so as to define the at least one peak.

15. The conveyor system of claim 14 , wherein the outer track converges with the primary track at a return point located downstream of the parallel region, wherein the at least one of the followers is automatically returned to the primary track at the return point so as to flatten the peak back to the primary belt portion.

16. The conveyor system of claim 14 , wherein the belt comprises a plurality of links coupled together at joints, such that each joint couples a respective leading link of the plurality of links to a respective trailing link of the plurality of links, at least some of the joints define a joint axis oriented along the lateral direction, and the followers extend from the at least some of the joints.

17. The conveyor system of claim 16 , wherein the links are elastic, and the respective leading link and the respective trailing link stretch so as to define the at least one peak when the associated follower rides along the outer track.

18. A conveyor system, comprising:
a roller assembly;
a belt wound around the roller assembly along a belt axis, the belt configured to convey objects along the roller assembly in a direction of conveyance, wherein the belt includes a primary belt portion that is in contact with rollers of the roller assembly and defines the belt axis, and belt comprises:
a plurality of rigid links coupled together at joints, such that each joint couples a respective leading link of the plurality of rigid links to a respective trailing link of the plurality of rigid links, and the respective leading and trailing links are each pivotable about the respective joint that couples the respective leading and trailing links together;

an actuator that is configured to move at least a select one of the joints outward so as to define at least one belt peak that protrudes from the primary belt portion at a peak height measured orthogonally from the belt axis.

19. The conveyor system of claim 18 , wherein at least one of the respective leading link and the respective trailing link of the at least a select one of the joints includes a locking feature, and the actuator is configured to activate the locking feature so

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Alspaugh David
• Murphy Sean

Classifications

• B65G39/10

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

• B65G21/2063

  comprising elements not movable in the direction of load-transport · CPC title

• B65G13/073

  comprising free-wheel gearing · CPC title

• B65G15/40

  troughed or tubular; formed with joints facilitating troughing · CPC title

• B65G17/08 Primary

  the surface being formed by the traction element · CPC title