Synchronized, high efficiency provisioning, handling, and excess recirculation design

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10787322-B2
Application number	US-201816100280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2018
Priority date	Aug 16, 2017
Publication date	Sep 29, 2020
Grant date	Sep 29, 2020

Abstract

Parcel processing systems and methods. A parcel processing system includes a parcel transport configured to receive a flow of parcels, and transport the flow of parcels at a rate greater than a processing capacity of a downstream processing device. The parcel processing system includes a diverter configured to divert individual parcels from the flow of parcels to be recirculated. The parcel processing system includes the downstream processing device configured to process the remaining flow of parcels. The parcel processing system includes a control system configured to cause the diverter to divert the individual parcels from the flow of parcels until the remaining flow of parcels is not greater than the processing capacity of a downstream processing device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A parcel processing system comprising:
a parcel transport configured to:
receive a flow of parcels, and
transport the flow of parcels at a rate greater than the processing capacity of a downstream processing device;

a diverter configured to divert individual parcels from the flow of parcels to be recirculated;
the downstream processing device configured to process the remaining flow of parcels;
a control system configured to:
cause the diverter to divert the individual parcels from the flow of parcels until the remaining flow of parcels is not greater than the processing capacity of the downstream processing device;

the parcel processing system further comprising a gapper configured to gap the remaining flow of parcels to match a downstream synchronization requirement, wherein the control system is further configured to cause the diverter to divert the individual parcels from the flow of parcels until the remaining flow of parcels is not greater than can be gapped to match the downstream synchronization requirement.

2. The parcel processing system of claim 1 , wherein the downstream processing device is a parcel sorter.

3. The parcel processing system of claim 1 , wherein the processing capacity of the downstream processing device is defined by a downstream synchronization requirement that is one of a fixed pitch of the flow of parcels or a fixed gap for the flow of parcels.

4. The parcel processing system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to determine when the flow of parcels is greater than can be gapped to match the downstream processing capacity.

5. The parcel processing system of claim 1 , further comprising a singulator configured to singulate the flow of parcels.

6. The parcel processing system of claim 1 , wherein the received flow of parcels is a variable-rate flow of parcels.

7. A parcel processing method performed by a parcel processing system, comprising:
receiving a flow of parcels to be processed at a parcel transport;
transporting the flow of parcels at a rate of the flow of parcels that is greater than the processing capacity of a downstream processing device;
diverting individual parcels from the flow of parcels, by a diverter, until the rate of the flow of parcels is not greater than the processing capacity of the downstream processing device;
recirculating the diverted individual parcels to that they reenter the flow of parcels prior to the diverting;
processing the remaining flow of parcels by the downstream processing device;
the parcel processing method further comprising diverting individual parcels from the flow of parcels, by the diverter, until the rate of the flow of parcels is not greater than can be gapped to match a downstream synchronization requirement.

8. The parcel processing method of claim 7 , further comprising determining when the rate of the flow of parcels is greater than can be gapped to match the processing capacity of the downstream processing device.

9. The parcel processing method of claim 7 , further comprising gapping the remaining flow of parcels.

10. The parcel processing method of claim 7 , wherein the downstream synchronization requirement is one of a fixed pitch of the flow of parcels, or a fixed gap for the flow of parcels.

11. The parcel processing method of claim 7 , wherein the downstream processing device is a parcel sorter.

12. The parcel processing method of claim 7 , wherein the received flow of parcels is a variable-rate flow of parcels.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause a control system of a parcel processing system to control the parcel processing system to:
receive a flow of parcels to be processed at a parcel transport;
transport the flow of parcels by the parcel transport at a rate of the flow of parcels that is greater than the processing capacity of the downstream processing device;
divert individual parcels from the flow of parcels, by a diverter, until the rate of the flow of parcels is not greater than the processing capacity of the downstream processing device;
recirculate the diverted individual parcels to that they reenter the flow of parcels prior to the diverting;
process the remaining flow of parcels by the downstream processing device;
the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising instructions to divert individual parcels from the flow of parcels, by the diverter, until the rate of the flow of parcels is not greater than can be gapped to match a downstream synchronization requirement.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions to determine when the rate of the flow of parcels is greater than can be gapped to match the processing capacity of the downstream processing device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions to synchronize the remaining flow of parcels.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the processing capacity of the downstream processing device is defined by a downstream synchronization requirement that is one of a fixed pitch of the flow of parcels or a fixed gap for the flow of parcels.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the downstream processing device is a parcel sorter.

Assignees

• Siemens Industry Inc
• Siemens Logistics Llc

Inventors

• Grupp Francisco
• Carpenter Michael D

Classifications

• B65G47/1492

  the articles being fed from a feeding conveyor · CPC title

• B65G43/08

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

• B65G47/5145 Primary

  with recirculation means · CPC title

• B65G2201/0285

  Postal items, e.g. letters, parcels · CPC title

• B65G2203/042

  Sensors · CPC title