Automatic singulation of items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315859-B1
Application number	US-201715464087-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Mar 20, 2017
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

Singulation system may utilize various features to singulate items, e.g., which may be different sizes from one another. For example, a conveyor may advance items along the length of the conveyor, and paddles arranged for protruding over respective portions of the conveyor may be selectively positionable based on conditions (such as a size or a jammed state) of items detected as present on a relevant part of the conveyor. Additionally or alternatively, a first conveyor may advance items at a first speed and in a first direction to sequentially drop the items onto a second conveyor positioned below the first conveyor, and the second conveyor may advance the received items at a second speed higher than the first speed and in a second direction different from the first direction, e.g., to increase space between items.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A singulation system comprising:
a conveyor set comprising:
a first conveyor extending along a first length, the first conveyor configured for advancing items received on the first conveyor along the first length of the first conveyor at a first speed in a first direction to sequentially drop said items off of the first conveyor; and
a second conveyor being positioned below the first conveyor by a set height so as to receive the items dropped by the set height from the first conveyor, the second conveyor extending along a second length, the second conveyor configured for advancing items received on the second conveyor along the second length of the second conveyor at a second speed higher than the first speed and in a second direction different from the first direction, whereby space is increased between items that were sequentially adjacent one another on the first conveyor as a result of the set height between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, the difference in speed between the first speed and the second speed, and the difference in direction between the first direction and the second direction;

a plurality of paddles that are each respectively arranged for protruding over a respective portion of the conveyor set and that each respectively comprise a member selectively positionable among different positions relative to the respective portion of the conveyor set;
a sensor arranged to detect conditions relative to a part of the conveyor set associated with the sensor; and
a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive information from the sensor about an item detected on the part of the conveyor set associated with the sensor; and
cause a respective paddle of the plurality of paddles to change position relative to the respective portion of the conveyor set based at least in part on the information from the sensor about the item detected on the part of the conveyor set associated with the sensor.

2. The singulation system of claim 1 , wherein a paddle of the plurality of paddles is selectively positionable for at least one of:
vertical movement relative to the first conveyor;
translation along a width of the first conveyor;
pivoting about a pivot point of the paddle relative to the first conveyor;
translation along the first length of the first conveyor;
extending relative to the first conveyor; or
retracting relative to the first conveyor.

3. The singulation system of claim 1 , further comprising a damper positioned between the first conveyor and the second conveyor and arranged to interact with items while dropping from the first conveyor to the second conveyor to reduce a rate of dropping.

4. The singulation system of claim 1 , wherein the first length of the first conveyor and the second length of the second conveyor are arranged to advance the items in different directions.

5. A singulation system comprising:
a first conveyor extending along a first length, the first conveyor configured for advancing any items received on the first conveyor along the first length of the first conveyor at a first speed to sequentially drop said items off of the first conveyor;
a second conveyor positioned below the first conveyor by a set height so as to receive the items dropped by the set height from the first conveyor, the second conveyor extending along a second length, the second conveyor configured for advancing items received on the second conveyor along the second length of the second conveyor at a second speed, the second speed being higher than the first speed so as to increase space between items that were sequentially adjacent one another on the first conveyor;
a plurality of paddles that are each respectively arranged for protruding over a respective portion of the first conveyor and that each respectively comprise a member selectively positionable among different positions relative to the respective portion of the first conveyor;
a sensor arranged to detect conditions relative to a part of the first conveyor associated with the sensor; and
a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions to cause the processor to:
receive information from the sensor about an item detected on the part of the first conveyor associated with the sensor; and
cause a respective paddle of the plurality of paddles to change position relative to the respective portion of the first conveyor based at least in part on the information from the sensor about the item detected on the part of the first conveyor associated with the sensor.

6. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein:
a paddle of the plurality of paddles is selectively positionable for vertical movement relative to the first conveyor; and
the processor-executable instructions of the controller cause the processor to cause the paddle to move vertically in response to a height of the item detected by the sensor.

7. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein:
a paddle of the plurality of paddles is selectively positionable for translation along a width of the first conveyor; and
the processor-executable instructions of the controller cause the processor to cause the paddle to translate along the width of the first conveyor in response to a size of the item detected by the sensor.

8. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein:
a paddle of the plurality of paddles is selectively positionable for pivoting about a pivot point of the paddle relative to the first conveyor; and
the processor-executable instructions of the controller cause the processor to cause the paddle to pivot about the pivot point of the paddle relative to the first conveyor in response to a size of the item detected by the sensor.

9. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein:
a paddle of the plurality of paddles is selectively positionable for translation along the first length of the first conveyor; and
the processor-executable instructions of the controller cause the processor to cause the paddle to translate along the first length of the first conveyor in response to a size of the item detected by the sensor.

10. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein:
a paddle of the plurality of paddles is selectively positionable for extending relative to the first conveyor; and
the processor-executable instructions of the controller cause the processor to cause the paddle to extend relative to the first conveyor in response to a size of the item detected by the sensor.

11. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein:
a paddle of the plurality of paddles is selectively positionable for retracting relative to the first conveyor; and
the processor-executable instructions of the controller cause the processor to cause the paddle to retract relative to the first conveyor in response to a size of the item detected by the sensor.

12. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein the processor-executable instructions of the controller cause the processor to cause the respective paddle to change position relative to the respective portion of the first conveyor in response to the information from the sensor indicating that the item detected by the sensor is jammed by the respective paddle from continued advancement by the first conveyor.

13. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein a paddle of the plurality of paddles has a curved surface.

14. The singulation system of claim 5 , wherein a paddle of the plurality of paddles has segmented surfaces o

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Zhao Longyu
• Aalund Martin Peter
• Tomasetta Stephanie

Classifications

• B65G43/08

  Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)} · CPC title

• B65G47/82

  Rotary or reciprocating members for direct action on articles or materials, e.g. pushers, rakes, shovels {(means for pushing glass articles onto a conveyor C03B9/453)} · CPC title

• B65G15/24

  in tandem · CPC title

• B65G47/766 Primary

  Adjustable ploughs or transverse scrapers · CPC title

• B65G47/68

  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 title