Packet sorting/handling system having a platform conveyor and a gravity transfer unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11033934-B2
Application number	US-202016751269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Jan 24, 2019
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A sorting/handling system for sorting/handling parcels or packets comprises a primary conveyor for conveying the packets in series around a looped path, at least one platform secondary conveyor fed by the primary conveyor and having a throughput rate lower than that of the primary conveyor, and a transfer unit for transfer between the primary conveyor and the secondary conveyor, which transfer unit comprises n chutes into which the packets coming from the primary conveyor fall by gravity so as to be received at the outlets on n parallel channels of an accumulation zone having movable barriers. Downstream from the accumulation zone, the system further comprises mechanical members for putting the packets into series by spacing them apart at a constant pitch, and then for transferring them to free platforms of the secondary conveyor at a rate of one packet per platform.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sorting/handling system for sorting/handling parcels or packets, said sorting/handling system comprising:
a primary conveyor suitable for conveying packets in series around a looped path;
at least one secondary conveyor fed with packets by the primary conveyor, the secondary conveyor being a platform conveyor suitable for moving the packets placed on the platforms towards sorting outlets, said secondary conveyor having a throughput rate lower than that of the primary conveyor and being asynchronous with the primary conveyor;
a transfer unit for transferring the packets from the primary conveyor to the secondary conveyor, which transfer unit comprises at least one chute into which the packets brought by the primary conveyor fall by gravity so as to be received at the outlet(s) of the chute(s) on at least one channel of an accumulation zone that extends in a longitudinal direction along the secondary conveyor, movable barriers being disposed over the at least one channel of the accumulation zone upstream from mechanical elements in an alignment zone that put the packets into series at a constant pitch on a reference channel and that push them transversely to said longitudinal direction; and
a monitoring and control unit suitable for lowering the movable barriers to allow packets coming down the at least one chute to accumulate temporarily in the accumulation zone and for raising the movable barriers for releasing the packets from the accumulation zone in a certain sequence, and for controlling the mechanical elements in such a manner as to transfer the packets in alignment on the reference channel to free platforms of the secondary conveyor at a rate of one packet per platform.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said accumulation zone having barriers comprises at least two chutes associated with respective ones of at least two parallel channels, and, on each channel, one or more rows of movable barriers for blocking a series of packets that are separated from each other by a movable barrier.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the platforms of said secondary conveyor follow a looped path, and in that, at the end of the transfer device, a container is provided for recovering the packets that it has not been possible to transfer to free platforms of the secondary conveyor.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said accumulation zone and said alignment zone are constituted by a common, single ball conveyor under which two motor-driven belts are disposed that move perpendicularly relative to each other.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein level detectors are provided to detect the height of each packet arriving in the accumulation zone and to deliver a corresponding signal to said unit, and in that said unit is arranged in such a manner as to lower or to raise each barrier serving to block a certain packet in the accumulation zone in such a manner as to adapt to the detected height of the packet.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein each barrier is provided with damping means for damping the shock or impact caused by physical contact between a packet and the barrier.

7. A system according to claim 6 , wherein said damping means are constituted by padding made of a damping material having a low coefficient of friction.

Assignees

• Solystic

Inventors

• Czukor Christophe
• Rieu Jean
• Beaugrand Wilfrid

Classifications

• B07C1/04 Primary

  Forming a stream from a bulk; Controlling the stream, e.g. spacing the articles · CPC title

• B65G47/70

  with precedence controls among incoming article flows · CPC title

• B65G47/8884

  Stops acting asynchronously, e.g. one stop open, next one closed or the opposite · CPC title

• B65G47/266

  by means of a series of pivotable stop elements · CPC title

• B65G47/519

  collecting tables or bins as end-station · CPC title