Conveyor systems and methods for sorting merchandise using interchangeable and assignable sortation modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10835928-B2
Application number	US-202016751384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Jan 25, 2019
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

There is provided a conveyor assembly for sorting merchandise items. In one form, the conveyor assembly includes: a merchandise identification module; sortation modules each comprising a multi-directional sorting portion with two sets of rollers, a first wing including a third set of rollers, a second wing including a fourth set of rollers, and a controller configured to receive an IP address; a first, disassembled state of the sortation modules; a second, assembled state of the sortation modules; a merchandise database; and a control circuit configured to receive identifying information about an unsorted merchandise item, assign a unique IP address to each sortation module corresponding to the position of the sortation module, determine a sortation destination for the unsorted merchandise item, determine the sortation module corresponding to the sortation destination; and instruct the controller of the corresponding sortation module to divert the unsorted merchandise item to the sortation destination.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor assembly for sorting merchandise items, the conveyor assembly comprising:
a merchandise identification module configured to receive identifying information about merchandise items to be sorted by the conveyor assembly;
a plurality of sortation modules for moving and sorting the merchandise items, each sortation module comprising:
a multi-directional sorting portion with a first set of rollers configured to propel merchandise items in a first direction and a second set of rollers configured to divert merchandise items in a second direction;
a first wing adjacent the sorting portion and comprising a third set of rollers configured to divert merchandise items to a first sortation destination;
a second wing adjacent the sorting portion and comprising a fourth set of rollers configured to divert merchandise items to a second sortation destination;
a controller operatively coupled to the second set of rollers and configured to divert merchandise items along one of the first and second wings to the first and second sortation destinations, respectively, the controller configured to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the sortation module;

a first, disassembled state of the plurality of sortation modules in which at least one of the plurality of sortation modules is not linked to another sortation module;
a second, assembled state of the plurality of sortation modules in which the sortation modules are coupled to one another to define a chain of sortation modules;
a merchandise database with a record corresponding to merchandise items to be sorted;
a control circuit communicatively coupled to the merchandise identification module, the controller of each sortation module, and the merchandise database, the control circuit configured to:
receive identifying information about an unsorted merchandise item to be sorted by the conveyor assembly from the merchandise identification module;
assign a unique IP address to each sortation module, each IP address corresponding to a position of each sortation module in the chain of sortation modules when in the second, assembled state;
determine a sortation destination for the unsorted merchandise item to be sorted by the conveyor assembly based on the merchandise database;
determine the sortation module corresponding to the determined sortation destination; and
instruct the controller of the sortation module corresponding to the determined sortation destination to energize the second set of rollers to divert the unsorted merchandise item to the determined sortation destination.

2. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one roller of the first set of rollers is a motor powered roller and at least one roller of the second set of rollers is a motor powered roller.

3. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the controller of each sortation module comprises a first roller motor control portion and a second roller motor control portion;
the first roller motor control portion configured to control rotation of at least one of the second set of rollers in a clockwise direction to divert merchandise items along the first wing to the first sortation destination; and
the second roller motor control portion configured to control rotation of at least one of the second set of rollers in a counterclockwise direction to divert merchandise items along the second wing to the second sortation destination.

4. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the control circuit is configured to assign the unique IP addresses to the sortation modules in ascending or descending sequential order as one proceeds downstream from the merchandise identification module.

5. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
a third, assembled state in which the plurality of sortation modules have been reconfigured to different positions in the chain of sortation modules;
the control circuit assigning a new IP address to each sortation module depending on the sortation module's new position in the chain of sortation modules.

6. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
a fourth, assembled state in which one of the plurality of sortation modules in the chain of sortation modules has been replaced with a new sortation module;
a controller of the new sortation module receiving a new IP address corresponding to the new sortation module's position in the chain of sortation modules.

7. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the control circuit and the controllers of the sortation modules are configured to communicate with one another to determine the number and relative positions of the sortation modules in the chain with respect to one another.

8. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the merchandise database contains one or more predetermined characteristics of merchandise items to be sorted;
the control circuit assigns the sortation destination for the unsorted merchandise item to be sorted based on the one or more predetermined characteristics.

9. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the merchandise identification module comprises a scan tunnel or arm positioned above or adjacent an input set of rollers to the conveyor assembly; and
the control circuit is disposed in the scan tunnel or arm.

10. The conveyor assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a non-sortation destination configured to receive an unsorted merchandise item that could not be identified by the merchandise identification module or that could not be located in the merchandise database.

11. A method for sorting merchandise items using a conveyor assembly, the method comprising:
by a merchandise identification module, receiving identifying information about merchandise items to be sorted by the conveyor assembly;
providing a plurality of sortation modules for moving and sorting the merchandise items, each sortation module comprising:
a multi-directional sorting portion with a first set of rollers configured to propel merchandise items in a first direction and a second set of rollers configured to divert merchandise items in a second direction;
a first wing adjacent the sorting portion and comprising a third set of rollers configured to divert merchandise items to a first sortation destination;
a second wing adjacent the sorting portion and comprising a fourth set of rollers configured to divert merchandise items to a second sortation destination;
a controller operatively coupled to the second set of rollers and configured to divert merchandise items along one of the first and second wings to the first and second sortation destinations, respectively, the controller configured to receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the sortation module;

coupling the plurality of sortation modules to one another to define a chain of sortation modules;
storing records in a merchandise database corresponding to merchandise items to be sorted;
by a control circuit:
receiving identifying information about an unsorted merchandise item to be sorted by the conveyor assembly from the merchandise identification module;
assigning a unique IP address to each sortation module, each IP address corresponding to a position of each sortation module in the chain of sortation modules when in the second, assembled state;
determining a sortation destination for the unsorted merchandise item to be sorted by the conveyor assembly based on the merchandise database;
determining the sortation module corresponding to the determined sortation destination; and
instructing the controller of the sortation module corresponding to the determined sortation destination to energize the second set of roller

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Bellar Jason D
• Propes William Mark

Classifications

• B65G43/08 Primary

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

• B07C3/08 Primary

  using arrangements of conveyors {(transport of sheets B65H; transport in general B65G)} · CPC title

• B65G2207/30

  Modular constructions · CPC title

• B65G2203/044

  Optical · CPC title

• B65G47/54 Primary

  at least one of which is a roller-way · CPC title