CA1242986A - Conveyor system - Google Patents
Conveyor systemInfo
- Publication number
- CA1242986A CA1242986A CA000536689A CA536689A CA1242986A CA 1242986 A CA1242986 A CA 1242986A CA 000536689 A CA000536689 A CA 000536689A CA 536689 A CA536689 A CA 536689A CA 1242986 A CA1242986 A CA 1242986A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- conveyor
- induction
- section
- package
- lines
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination
- B07C3/02—Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
- B07C3/08—Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution using arrangements of conveyors
- B07C3/082—In which the objects are carried by transport holders and the transport holders form part of the conveyor belts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/52—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices
- B65G47/64—Switching conveyors
- B65G47/644—Switching conveyors by a pivoting displacement of the switching conveyor
- B65G47/645—Switching conveyors by a pivoting displacement of the switching conveyor about a horizontal axis
- B65G47/647—Switching conveyors by a pivoting displacement of the switching conveyor about a horizontal axis the axis being perpendicular to the conveying direction
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A conveyor system for use in sorting packages includes an induction conveyor line leading from an induction station and a series of lateral conveyor lines intersecting the induction conveyor line for delivering packages to destinations along the lateral lines. The lateral lines are disposed below the induction line and both lines include tiltable conveyor sections so that packages can be delivered from the induction line to a lateral line and from a lateral line to a destination by tilting relevant conveyor sections downwardly to drop the package from that line.
A conveyor system for use in sorting packages includes an induction conveyor line leading from an induction station and a series of lateral conveyor lines intersecting the induction conveyor line for delivering packages to destinations along the lateral lines. The lateral lines are disposed below the induction line and both lines include tiltable conveyor sections so that packages can be delivered from the induction line to a lateral line and from a lateral line to a destination by tilting relevant conveyor sections downwardly to drop the package from that line.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to conveyor systems and is concerned more particularly with a conveyor system for use in sorting packages.
A system of this type might be used, for example, in the operation of a mail or courier delivery service. The invention has been devised primarily in connection with the sorting of generally flat parcels (e.g. in a size range from approximately ~" x ~" x 1" up to 12" x 9" x 38"). A system of the form provided by -the invention generally is not designed to compete wi-th high-speed letter sorting machines.
However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited -to the sorting of any particular types of packages and that the term "packages" should be interpreted broadly ; as including parcels, letters and other items requiring sorting.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Generally, in a mail or courier package sorting system, unsorted packages are delivered in bulk to a station at which the packages are taken manually from the supply and individually inspected to determine the appropriate desi-tination. An operator at the station then routes the package to the chosen destination by way of a conveyor System.
Prior art conveyor systems for this purpose generally fall into two types. One type u-tilizes a continu-ous chain conveyor carrying trays which move with the chain .,, ~, ~Z~ 36 and on which the packages are placed by the operator. When a tray carrying a particular package reaches the required destination, the tray is tilted by a cam to deliver the package to a receptacle. In practice, this type of conveyor suffers from very high wear and is prone to breakdowns. When a breakdown occurs, the entire system must be shut down, interupting the sorting operation. The system must then be manually reset after repair has been effected.
The second type of conveyor system employs a series of narrow belts of different lengths, one for each destination. The difficulty with this type of system is that it is practicable only for a relatively small number of destinations. Also, the system is somewhat inefficient in that the operator must take the time to select the appro-priate belt for a particular package and place the packagecarefully on the belt so as to minimize the risk of dislodgement. This type of system does not work well for large packages or packages that are hard to handle (for example a a packet of ball bearings), primarily because of the narrow width belts used.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved conveyor system which addresses these problems of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The conveyor system provided by the invention is intended for use in delivering packages from at least one induction station to selected destinations and includes an induction conveyor line extending from the induction station Z~3~6 and along which packages can be individually conveyed from that induction station, and a plurality of spaced lateral conveyor lines each intersecting and extending from the induction conveyor line for conveying packages individually from that line to destinations spaced along the lateral conveyor lines. Each lateral conveyor line is disposed below the induction conveyor line where the lines intersect. The induction conveyor line includes a plurality of tiltable conveyor sections each positioned generally at the inter-section of the induction conveyor line with one of thelateral conveyor lines and each tiltable conveyor section is operable to direct downwardly a package on the said section to cause the package to be delivered onto the relevant lateral conveyor line. The lateral conveyor lines include tiltable conveyor sections generally at each destination and each of the tiltable conveyor sections is operable to direct downwardly a package on said section and deliver the package to package receiving means below said section.
It is believed that a conveyor system of this type will offer a number of practical advantages in use. The conve`yor lines can be designed to be of any appropriate width for the size of packages being handled and the system can be expanded to provide for virtually any reasonable number of destinations. For example, multiple induction conveyor lines can be provided; each line will extend from its own induction station and may intersect all of the lateral conveyor lines. Several operators can then be employed to place packages on the induction lines and each ~2~
induction line can feed packages onto any of the lateral lines. In practice, this means that a package delivered to the system at any induction station can go to any destina-tion.
Another advantage of this type of system is that a breakdown of any particular tiltable conveyor section need not shut down the whole system. At worst, only the particu-lar line in which the breakdown occured need be shut down.
In some cases, even this may be avoided if the titable conveyor sections are designed to "fail safe" (that is, adopt their normal non-tilted configuration in the event of breakdown) and appropriate provision is made at the end of the relevent line to collect those packages that were intended to be deflected from the line by the failed con-veyor section.
Each conveyor line may comprise a series ofmodular conveyor sections disposed end to end; only some of said sections will be tiltable as appropriate. Each section may comprise an independent belt conveyor. Alternatively, the sections need not be modular and the system may employ belt conveyors of appropriate lengths between the tiltable conveyor sections.
Various types of control means may be employed for the conveyor system. Generally, an operator at an induction station will have an appropriate control unit such as a keyboard that will be used -to instruct the system to operate appropriate ones of the tiltable conveyor sections for the package to reach the required destination. Sensors on the tiltable sections could then be used to detect the arrival of the package and initiate tilting of the section. However, it is believed that a simpler approach is to time the package from the point of its entry to the induction line and provide for operation of the appropriate tiltable conveyor sections at timed intervals from that point. This approach is of course based on precise knowledge of the speed of travel of the packages through the system. In large systems, computer control will be provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in describing a practical preferred embodiment. In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of a conveyor system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is an elevational view generally in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 1 with part of one of the conveyor lines broken away for illustrative purposes;
Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, of one of the tiltable conveyor sections of the system; and, Fig. ~ is a perspective view from above of the conveyor section shown in Fig. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
.
Referring first to Fig. 1, a conveyor system is shown to comprise four induction conveyor lines each deno-ted -- ~Z~2986 by the reference numeral 20 and eight spaced lateral con-veyor lines each denoted 22. The induction conveyor lines extend generally parallel to one another from respective induction stations 24 and the lateral conveyor lines 22 extend below and intersect all of the induction conveyor lines 20. As best seen in Fig. 2, all of the conveyor lines are elevated as are the induction stations 24.
"Destinations" to which individual packages are to be delivered from the induction stations by the conveyor lines are represented in this embodiment by so-called "tote boxes" which are arranged in rows extending longitudinally of and below each of lateral conveyor lines 22. In Fig. 2, one such row of tote boxes has been shown and the boxes are individually denoted by reference numeral 26. By way of example, one such box has been shown in dotted outline below one of the lateral conveyor lines 22 in Fig. 1 and is also denoted by reference numeral 26. It is of course to be understood that rows of such tote boxes will be provided below each of the conveyor lines 22. Each row will begin adjacent the right-hand most induction conveyor 20 in Fig. 1 (see later) and will extend to the right-hand end of the lateral conveyor line. In fact, the endmost tote box in each line can be seen in Fig. 1 projecting beyond the end of the relevant lateral conveyor. That box is somewhat longer than the other boxes in the line as best shown in Fig. 2 and is denoted 26'. This longer box projects from the end of the conveyor to catch any packages that might accidentally not reach the required destination Eor example because of an error by the operator or a malfunction of the sytem.
~z~1~6 With continued reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that each of the conveyor lines 20, 22 is made up of a series of modular conveyor sections positioned end-to-end and extending over the length o~ the line. Each sPction comprises an individual, driven belt conveyor and some of the conveyors are disposed in fixed horizontal positions while others are tiltable. Apart from the tilt feature, all of the conveyor sections are essentially identical.
Referriny by way of example to the lateral conveyor line deno-ted 22', some of the individual conveyor sec-tions that make up conveyor line 22' are denoted by reference numeral 28 and one of those sections is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. That section will now be described as representative of any of the conveyor sections in the conveyor lines 20 and 22. The particular section illustrated is a tiltable conveyor section but as indicated previously, the non-tiltable sections are essentially similar, as will be explained below.
Referring briefly back to Fig. 1, and in particu-lar to conveyor line 22', it will be seen that each of theconveyor sections 28 is supported between a pair of continu-ous side members 30 and 32 forming part of a supporting frame of the conveyor. Each conveyor line has similar side members. The members are supported in elevated positions by legs of the appropriate length, some of which are generally indicated at 34 in Fig. 2. The legs extend downwardly from ~24~8~
g the side members and are connected by appropriate cross members (not shown).
In Fig. 4, one of the side members (member 32) is shown in perspective and takes the form of an outwardly facing channel section metal beam. The member 30 at the other side of the conveyor line is similar but faces in the opposite direction. In Fig. 1, member 32 is shown slightly wider than member 30 because this member carries the conveyor drive as will be described.
It will be seen from Fig. 4 that conveyor section 28 comprises an endless belt 36 which continuously circu-lates around parallel rollers 38 and 40 at the leading and trailing ends respectively of the section as considered in the direction of package travel (indicated by arrow 42).
Typically, belt 36 will be a reinforced rubber belt. Side guards will be provided to prevent packages slipping laterally off the belt when the system is in operation but for clarity of illustration, the guards have not been shown;
they will be essentially of the form conventionally used in the art.
Roller 40 is driven to drive the belt 36 while roller 38 freewheels. As best seen in Fig. 4, roller 40 has a shaft 44 that extends laterally beyond belt 36 and is received in bearings carried by the side members 30, 32 of the conveyor frame. Only one of those bearings is visib].e in Fig. 4 and is denoted by reference numeral 46. Shaft 44 extends through bearing 46 and is fitted outwardly of the ~L~242~86 bearing with a pair of spaced sprocket wheels 48, S0 around which extend respective chains 52, 54. The chains transmit drive between adjacent conveyor units; for example, chain 52 will drive the conveyor unit downstream of the illustrated unit while chain 54 will drive the next adjacent upstream conveyor unit.
Referring back -to Fig. 1, and in particular to conveyor line 22', the conveyor uni-ts 28 are driven in groups of si,~ from a common drive motor, one of which is diagrammatically illustrated at 56. The drive motor is a riyht angle gear motor and is electrically powered. Drive from motor 56 is transmitted by chain to a sprocket carried by the trailing end roller (as roller 40) of the conveyor unit above motor 56 and is then transmitted from that section to five adjacent sections by chains in the manner described previously in connection with Fig. 4. As will be described later, a computer will be employed to control the overall conveyor system and all of the drive motors (as motor 56) will be controlled by the computer to run only when required. For example, some of the motors may need to operate only infrequently if the "destinations" in the area of that particular motor are Eound to be receiving only low volumes of packages. By switching off motors that are not required to operate, noise levels and energy consumption will be reduced.
29~36 Referring back to Fig. 4, conveyor section 28 has a base or bed section which is formed in one piece and which comprise a pair of side members 58 and 60 adjacent opposite sides of belt 36 and a top plate 61 below the upper run of the belt. Each of the side members has an in-turned flange 58a, 60a along its lower edge. The side members 58, 60 carry respective bearings 62 and 64 supporting the shaft 44 of roller 40. The leading end roller 38 is carried by plates bolted to the leading ends of members 58 and 60. One of those plates is visible at 66 in Fig. 4; the plate at the opposite side is not visible but is similar. Plate 66 is secured to side member 58 by bolts 68 that extend through slots 70 in plate 66 providing for adjustability in the position of plate 66. An eccentric member 72 bears against the trailing end of plate 66 and can be turned to positively set the position of plate 66. The centre of eccentric 72 is defined by a bolt 74 threaded into an opening in member 58 so that the bolt can be tightened to lock the eccentric in an adjusted position. Again, a similar arrangement is provided at the other end of roller 38.
As best seen in Fig. 3, roller 38 is of smaller diameter than roller 40 and the lower run of the belt 36 extends rearwardly from roller 38 and around a pair of idler rollers 76 and 78 that extend between the side members 58 and 60 of the conveyor section. Roller 76 rota-tes freely and its position is fixed with respect to the side members 58 and 60 while roller 78 is adjustable towards and away from ~2~2~6 roller 76 to adjust the tension in belt 36. An adjustment device 80 is provided externall.y on member 58 for fixing the position of rol.l.er 78 and a similar device (not shown) is provided at the opposite side of the conveyor section. The two devices are essentially identical.
Referring to devi.ce 80 by way of example, roll.er 78 has a shaft 82 with hexagonal end portions that project through slots in the respective side members 58 and 60. As best seen in Fig. 3, a screw-threaded adjustment member 86 extends through an angl.e member 88 welded to the exterior of slde member 58 and has an angle member 90 at its outer end formed with a hexagonal opening receiving the relevant end portion of shaft 82. Lock nuts 92 at opposite sides of a projecting limb of angle member 88 can be tightened against that limb to secure the screw-threaded member 86 in an adjusted position. Under operating conditions, member 90 will. be adjusted ~o hold roll.er 78 in a position in which proper belt tension is maintained, while resisting movement of roller 78 to the right as seen in Fig. 3.
With continued reference to Fig. 3, conveyor section 28 is shown in full. lines in its normal horizontal position for conveying packages along the relevant conveyor line. The section is tiltable about the shaft 44 of roller 40 to lower -the conveyor section at its leading end and direct packages downwardl.y either into one o:f the tote boxes 26 in the case of conveyor lines 22 or onto one of those conveyor 1ines in the case of the induction conveyor lines 42~36 20. The tilted position of conveyor section 28 is shown in ghost outline at 28' in Fig. 3 and represents the position the section would occupy for delivering a package into one of the tote boxes 26. Movement of the conveyor section between its normal horizontal position and its tilted positlon is effected by a pneumatic cylinder and ram device 94, the ram oE which is connected by a lever 96 to a support 98 below the conveyor section. Fig. 3 shows the device 94 with its ram fully extended and the support 98 maintaining the conveyor section in its horizontal position. When the / ram device 94 is retracted, support 98 falls to the position shown in ghost outline at 98' and the conveyor sec-tion falls to its tilted position under the effect of gravity. Stops carried by the side members 30 and 32 of the conveyor frame engage the bottom edges of the side members 58 and 60 of the ; conveyor section at this time to support the section in its tilted position. One of those stops is visible at 100 in Fig. 3 and is carried by side member 32 by way of an intervening bracket 101. To the left of -that stop in Fig. 3 is shown the mount 102 for the cylinder and ram device controlling tilt of the next adjacent conveyor section to the left.
Fig. 4 shows support 98 in dotted outllne and it will be seen that the support comprises a shaft 104 which extends transversely below the conveyor section (parallel to rollers 38 and 40) and which is provided with a pair of rubber bushes 106, 108 positioned to engage the bottom edges
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to conveyor systems and is concerned more particularly with a conveyor system for use in sorting packages.
A system of this type might be used, for example, in the operation of a mail or courier delivery service. The invention has been devised primarily in connection with the sorting of generally flat parcels (e.g. in a size range from approximately ~" x ~" x 1" up to 12" x 9" x 38"). A system of the form provided by -the invention generally is not designed to compete wi-th high-speed letter sorting machines.
However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited -to the sorting of any particular types of packages and that the term "packages" should be interpreted broadly ; as including parcels, letters and other items requiring sorting.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Generally, in a mail or courier package sorting system, unsorted packages are delivered in bulk to a station at which the packages are taken manually from the supply and individually inspected to determine the appropriate desi-tination. An operator at the station then routes the package to the chosen destination by way of a conveyor System.
Prior art conveyor systems for this purpose generally fall into two types. One type u-tilizes a continu-ous chain conveyor carrying trays which move with the chain .,, ~, ~Z~ 36 and on which the packages are placed by the operator. When a tray carrying a particular package reaches the required destination, the tray is tilted by a cam to deliver the package to a receptacle. In practice, this type of conveyor suffers from very high wear and is prone to breakdowns. When a breakdown occurs, the entire system must be shut down, interupting the sorting operation. The system must then be manually reset after repair has been effected.
The second type of conveyor system employs a series of narrow belts of different lengths, one for each destination. The difficulty with this type of system is that it is practicable only for a relatively small number of destinations. Also, the system is somewhat inefficient in that the operator must take the time to select the appro-priate belt for a particular package and place the packagecarefully on the belt so as to minimize the risk of dislodgement. This type of system does not work well for large packages or packages that are hard to handle (for example a a packet of ball bearings), primarily because of the narrow width belts used.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved conveyor system which addresses these problems of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The conveyor system provided by the invention is intended for use in delivering packages from at least one induction station to selected destinations and includes an induction conveyor line extending from the induction station Z~3~6 and along which packages can be individually conveyed from that induction station, and a plurality of spaced lateral conveyor lines each intersecting and extending from the induction conveyor line for conveying packages individually from that line to destinations spaced along the lateral conveyor lines. Each lateral conveyor line is disposed below the induction conveyor line where the lines intersect. The induction conveyor line includes a plurality of tiltable conveyor sections each positioned generally at the inter-section of the induction conveyor line with one of thelateral conveyor lines and each tiltable conveyor section is operable to direct downwardly a package on the said section to cause the package to be delivered onto the relevant lateral conveyor line. The lateral conveyor lines include tiltable conveyor sections generally at each destination and each of the tiltable conveyor sections is operable to direct downwardly a package on said section and deliver the package to package receiving means below said section.
It is believed that a conveyor system of this type will offer a number of practical advantages in use. The conve`yor lines can be designed to be of any appropriate width for the size of packages being handled and the system can be expanded to provide for virtually any reasonable number of destinations. For example, multiple induction conveyor lines can be provided; each line will extend from its own induction station and may intersect all of the lateral conveyor lines. Several operators can then be employed to place packages on the induction lines and each ~2~
induction line can feed packages onto any of the lateral lines. In practice, this means that a package delivered to the system at any induction station can go to any destina-tion.
Another advantage of this type of system is that a breakdown of any particular tiltable conveyor section need not shut down the whole system. At worst, only the particu-lar line in which the breakdown occured need be shut down.
In some cases, even this may be avoided if the titable conveyor sections are designed to "fail safe" (that is, adopt their normal non-tilted configuration in the event of breakdown) and appropriate provision is made at the end of the relevent line to collect those packages that were intended to be deflected from the line by the failed con-veyor section.
Each conveyor line may comprise a series ofmodular conveyor sections disposed end to end; only some of said sections will be tiltable as appropriate. Each section may comprise an independent belt conveyor. Alternatively, the sections need not be modular and the system may employ belt conveyors of appropriate lengths between the tiltable conveyor sections.
Various types of control means may be employed for the conveyor system. Generally, an operator at an induction station will have an appropriate control unit such as a keyboard that will be used -to instruct the system to operate appropriate ones of the tiltable conveyor sections for the package to reach the required destination. Sensors on the tiltable sections could then be used to detect the arrival of the package and initiate tilting of the section. However, it is believed that a simpler approach is to time the package from the point of its entry to the induction line and provide for operation of the appropriate tiltable conveyor sections at timed intervals from that point. This approach is of course based on precise knowledge of the speed of travel of the packages through the system. In large systems, computer control will be provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in describing a practical preferred embodiment. In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic plan view of a conveyor system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is an elevational view generally in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 1 with part of one of the conveyor lines broken away for illustrative purposes;
Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, partly broken away, of one of the tiltable conveyor sections of the system; and, Fig. ~ is a perspective view from above of the conveyor section shown in Fig. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
.
Referring first to Fig. 1, a conveyor system is shown to comprise four induction conveyor lines each deno-ted -- ~Z~2986 by the reference numeral 20 and eight spaced lateral con-veyor lines each denoted 22. The induction conveyor lines extend generally parallel to one another from respective induction stations 24 and the lateral conveyor lines 22 extend below and intersect all of the induction conveyor lines 20. As best seen in Fig. 2, all of the conveyor lines are elevated as are the induction stations 24.
"Destinations" to which individual packages are to be delivered from the induction stations by the conveyor lines are represented in this embodiment by so-called "tote boxes" which are arranged in rows extending longitudinally of and below each of lateral conveyor lines 22. In Fig. 2, one such row of tote boxes has been shown and the boxes are individually denoted by reference numeral 26. By way of example, one such box has been shown in dotted outline below one of the lateral conveyor lines 22 in Fig. 1 and is also denoted by reference numeral 26. It is of course to be understood that rows of such tote boxes will be provided below each of the conveyor lines 22. Each row will begin adjacent the right-hand most induction conveyor 20 in Fig. 1 (see later) and will extend to the right-hand end of the lateral conveyor line. In fact, the endmost tote box in each line can be seen in Fig. 1 projecting beyond the end of the relevant lateral conveyor. That box is somewhat longer than the other boxes in the line as best shown in Fig. 2 and is denoted 26'. This longer box projects from the end of the conveyor to catch any packages that might accidentally not reach the required destination Eor example because of an error by the operator or a malfunction of the sytem.
~z~1~6 With continued reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that each of the conveyor lines 20, 22 is made up of a series of modular conveyor sections positioned end-to-end and extending over the length o~ the line. Each sPction comprises an individual, driven belt conveyor and some of the conveyors are disposed in fixed horizontal positions while others are tiltable. Apart from the tilt feature, all of the conveyor sections are essentially identical.
Referriny by way of example to the lateral conveyor line deno-ted 22', some of the individual conveyor sec-tions that make up conveyor line 22' are denoted by reference numeral 28 and one of those sections is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. That section will now be described as representative of any of the conveyor sections in the conveyor lines 20 and 22. The particular section illustrated is a tiltable conveyor section but as indicated previously, the non-tiltable sections are essentially similar, as will be explained below.
Referring briefly back to Fig. 1, and in particu-lar to conveyor line 22', it will be seen that each of theconveyor sections 28 is supported between a pair of continu-ous side members 30 and 32 forming part of a supporting frame of the conveyor. Each conveyor line has similar side members. The members are supported in elevated positions by legs of the appropriate length, some of which are generally indicated at 34 in Fig. 2. The legs extend downwardly from ~24~8~
g the side members and are connected by appropriate cross members (not shown).
In Fig. 4, one of the side members (member 32) is shown in perspective and takes the form of an outwardly facing channel section metal beam. The member 30 at the other side of the conveyor line is similar but faces in the opposite direction. In Fig. 1, member 32 is shown slightly wider than member 30 because this member carries the conveyor drive as will be described.
It will be seen from Fig. 4 that conveyor section 28 comprises an endless belt 36 which continuously circu-lates around parallel rollers 38 and 40 at the leading and trailing ends respectively of the section as considered in the direction of package travel (indicated by arrow 42).
Typically, belt 36 will be a reinforced rubber belt. Side guards will be provided to prevent packages slipping laterally off the belt when the system is in operation but for clarity of illustration, the guards have not been shown;
they will be essentially of the form conventionally used in the art.
Roller 40 is driven to drive the belt 36 while roller 38 freewheels. As best seen in Fig. 4, roller 40 has a shaft 44 that extends laterally beyond belt 36 and is received in bearings carried by the side members 30, 32 of the conveyor frame. Only one of those bearings is visib].e in Fig. 4 and is denoted by reference numeral 46. Shaft 44 extends through bearing 46 and is fitted outwardly of the ~L~242~86 bearing with a pair of spaced sprocket wheels 48, S0 around which extend respective chains 52, 54. The chains transmit drive between adjacent conveyor units; for example, chain 52 will drive the conveyor unit downstream of the illustrated unit while chain 54 will drive the next adjacent upstream conveyor unit.
Referring back -to Fig. 1, and in particular to conveyor line 22', the conveyor uni-ts 28 are driven in groups of si,~ from a common drive motor, one of which is diagrammatically illustrated at 56. The drive motor is a riyht angle gear motor and is electrically powered. Drive from motor 56 is transmitted by chain to a sprocket carried by the trailing end roller (as roller 40) of the conveyor unit above motor 56 and is then transmitted from that section to five adjacent sections by chains in the manner described previously in connection with Fig. 4. As will be described later, a computer will be employed to control the overall conveyor system and all of the drive motors (as motor 56) will be controlled by the computer to run only when required. For example, some of the motors may need to operate only infrequently if the "destinations" in the area of that particular motor are Eound to be receiving only low volumes of packages. By switching off motors that are not required to operate, noise levels and energy consumption will be reduced.
29~36 Referring back to Fig. 4, conveyor section 28 has a base or bed section which is formed in one piece and which comprise a pair of side members 58 and 60 adjacent opposite sides of belt 36 and a top plate 61 below the upper run of the belt. Each of the side members has an in-turned flange 58a, 60a along its lower edge. The side members 58, 60 carry respective bearings 62 and 64 supporting the shaft 44 of roller 40. The leading end roller 38 is carried by plates bolted to the leading ends of members 58 and 60. One of those plates is visible at 66 in Fig. 4; the plate at the opposite side is not visible but is similar. Plate 66 is secured to side member 58 by bolts 68 that extend through slots 70 in plate 66 providing for adjustability in the position of plate 66. An eccentric member 72 bears against the trailing end of plate 66 and can be turned to positively set the position of plate 66. The centre of eccentric 72 is defined by a bolt 74 threaded into an opening in member 58 so that the bolt can be tightened to lock the eccentric in an adjusted position. Again, a similar arrangement is provided at the other end of roller 38.
As best seen in Fig. 3, roller 38 is of smaller diameter than roller 40 and the lower run of the belt 36 extends rearwardly from roller 38 and around a pair of idler rollers 76 and 78 that extend between the side members 58 and 60 of the conveyor section. Roller 76 rota-tes freely and its position is fixed with respect to the side members 58 and 60 while roller 78 is adjustable towards and away from ~2~2~6 roller 76 to adjust the tension in belt 36. An adjustment device 80 is provided externall.y on member 58 for fixing the position of rol.l.er 78 and a similar device (not shown) is provided at the opposite side of the conveyor section. The two devices are essentially identical.
Referring to devi.ce 80 by way of example, roll.er 78 has a shaft 82 with hexagonal end portions that project through slots in the respective side members 58 and 60. As best seen in Fig. 3, a screw-threaded adjustment member 86 extends through an angl.e member 88 welded to the exterior of slde member 58 and has an angle member 90 at its outer end formed with a hexagonal opening receiving the relevant end portion of shaft 82. Lock nuts 92 at opposite sides of a projecting limb of angle member 88 can be tightened against that limb to secure the screw-threaded member 86 in an adjusted position. Under operating conditions, member 90 will. be adjusted ~o hold roll.er 78 in a position in which proper belt tension is maintained, while resisting movement of roller 78 to the right as seen in Fig. 3.
With continued reference to Fig. 3, conveyor section 28 is shown in full. lines in its normal horizontal position for conveying packages along the relevant conveyor line. The section is tiltable about the shaft 44 of roller 40 to lower -the conveyor section at its leading end and direct packages downwardl.y either into one o:f the tote boxes 26 in the case of conveyor lines 22 or onto one of those conveyor 1ines in the case of the induction conveyor lines 42~36 20. The tilted position of conveyor section 28 is shown in ghost outline at 28' in Fig. 3 and represents the position the section would occupy for delivering a package into one of the tote boxes 26. Movement of the conveyor section between its normal horizontal position and its tilted positlon is effected by a pneumatic cylinder and ram device 94, the ram oE which is connected by a lever 96 to a support 98 below the conveyor section. Fig. 3 shows the device 94 with its ram fully extended and the support 98 maintaining the conveyor section in its horizontal position. When the / ram device 94 is retracted, support 98 falls to the position shown in ghost outline at 98' and the conveyor sec-tion falls to its tilted position under the effect of gravity. Stops carried by the side members 30 and 32 of the conveyor frame engage the bottom edges of the side members 58 and 60 of the ; conveyor section at this time to support the section in its tilted position. One of those stops is visible at 100 in Fig. 3 and is carried by side member 32 by way of an intervening bracket 101. To the left of -that stop in Fig. 3 is shown the mount 102 for the cylinder and ram device controlling tilt of the next adjacent conveyor section to the left.
Fig. 4 shows support 98 in dotted outllne and it will be seen that the support comprises a shaft 104 which extends transversely below the conveyor section (parallel to rollers 38 and 40) and which is provided with a pair of rubber bushes 106, 108 positioned to engage the bottom edges
2~2986 of the respective side members 58 and 60 for supporting the conveyor section in its normal horizontal positionO Out-wardly of the bushes 106, 108, respective plates 110, 112 extend normally from the axis of shaft 104 and are secured 5at their outer ends to stub axles 114, 116 parallel to shaft 104. The stub axles extend through bearings 118, 120 secured to the respective side members 30, 32 of the conveyor frame.
Lever 96 is secured at one end to the outer end of stub axle 114 and is pivotally coupled at its opposite end to a clevis 122 at the outer end of the ram of cylinder and ram device 94.
In summary, the support 98 provides what is in effect a crank arrangement offset from a common axis defined by the stub axles 114, 116. When the stub axles 114, 116 are turned (by the cylinder and ram device 94) the crank arrangement moves about this axis to raise and lower the conveyor section~ The ram of device 94 will be positively driven in both directions so that the conveyor section can be moved between its normal position and its tilted position extremely quickly. The computer that controls the overall conveyor system will also control opera-tion of the pneumatic circuit for operating all of the cylinder and ram devices in the system and will be programmed to provide for an appro-priate "dwell" period of the conveyor section in its tilted position to allow a package to clear the section before the section returns to its horizontal position.
~42~
The non-tilting conveyor sections will be essen-tially the same as the section 28 just described except in that the raising and lowering mechanism will be omitted. The shaft 104 supporting the conveyor section as shown in Figs.
Lever 96 is secured at one end to the outer end of stub axle 114 and is pivotally coupled at its opposite end to a clevis 122 at the outer end of the ram of cylinder and ram device 94.
In summary, the support 98 provides what is in effect a crank arrangement offset from a common axis defined by the stub axles 114, 116. When the stub axles 114, 116 are turned (by the cylinder and ram device 94) the crank arrangement moves about this axis to raise and lower the conveyor section~ The ram of device 94 will be positively driven in both directions so that the conveyor section can be moved between its normal position and its tilted position extremely quickly. The computer that controls the overall conveyor system will also control opera-tion of the pneumatic circuit for operating all of the cylinder and ram devices in the system and will be programmed to provide for an appro-priate "dwell" period of the conveyor section in its tilted position to allow a package to clear the section before the section returns to its horizontal position.
~42~
The non-tilting conveyor sections will be essen-tially the same as the section 28 just described except in that the raising and lowering mechanism will be omitted. The shaft 104 supporting the conveyor section as shown in Figs.
3 and 4 will be secured at its ends directly to the side members 30 and 32 of the conveyor Erame and will be immovable. The non-tiltable conveyor sections will -then retain the facility for belt -tension adjustment and will be driven in the same way as the tlltable sections. While it would obviously be possible to design the nontiltable sections differently, for example, by carrying through the leading end rollers (as roller 38) to the side members 30 and 32 of the conveyor frame, it would generally be preferred to retain standardization between tiltable and non-tiltable conveyor sections.
Referring back to Fig. 1, the induction stations 24 simply comprise chutes on which packages are placed by operators and down which the packages travel onto the relevant induction conveyor line. In other words, the packages will simply slide from the chutes and on to the first conveyor section. The chutes are individually denoted by reference numeral 124. In the case of the three induction conveyor lines 20 at the lefthand side of Fig. 1 twin chu-tes are provided for each conveyor line so that two operators can feed one line. A pair of pivoted "gate" flaps 126 are provided one in each chute and are connected together to open and close alternately in timed relationship so that 29~
only one package can enter the conveyor line at any one time. Adjacent each chute is an encoder 128 which is connected to a computer diagrammatically shown at C and by which the operator can instruct the computer as to the destination of a par-ticular package being entered into the system. A photo-electric cell 130 controlled by a light beam detects the instant at which the package enters the system and provides an appropriate signal to the computer. The computer then times operation of appropriate ones of the tiltable conveyors to ensure that the package arrives at the appropriate destination. Obviously, this requires that the speed of operation of the conveyor lines be carefully controlled and that this information also be fed to the computer.
Referring by way of example to the induction line 20 which appears at the left in Fig. 1, those conveyor sections that are marked with a T are tiltable conveyor sections while the remaining sections are non-tiltable. It will be noted that each tiltable section is positioned generally at the intersection of the induction conveyor with one of the lateral conveyors, but slightly ups-tream as compared with a position directly overhead the relevant lateral conveyor. This ensures that, when the relevant conveyor section -tilts, a pac]cage on that section is delivered directly onto the relevant lateral conveyor and does not "overshoot". The tiltable conveyor sections of the other induction conveyors are similarly arranged.
~Z~2~36 Referring to the lateral conveyor line denoted 22', the tiltable conveyors begin at the point marked B. All of the conveyor sections to -the right of that point as drawn are tiltable sections and each section has a tote box there-below while all of the sections to the left of point B arenontiltable. Again, the tote boxes are positioned slightly downstream of the associated sections as best seen in Fig. 2 so that the sections will deliver packages directly into -the relevant boxes when tilted.
Assume now that a package has just entered the left-hand most induction conveyor line 20 and that the operator has instructed the computer C that the package is to be delivered to tote box 26 in lateral conveyor line 22'.
Photocell 130 will tell -the computer when the package has entered line 20 and at an appropriate time thereafter the computer will i.nstruct the cylinder and ram device of the tiltable conveyor section denoted 132 to tilt and drop the package onto conveyor line 22'. The computer will also continue timing from that point until the package reaches the position of conveyor section 134 when that section will be instructed to drop the package into the box 26. In practice, the computer will of course be continuously receiving instructions from all of the encoders 128 and photocells (as photocell 130), will be timing each indivi-dual package in accordance with the instructions receivedand will be controlling all of the tiltable conveyor sections to ensure that each package reaches the required ~ ~ \
~2~9~36 destination.
The induction station for the extreme righthand induction conveyor as shown in Fig. 1 is somewhat modified as compared with the other induction stations in that each of the chutes 124 is in turn branched into two further chutes 136. Each of these chutes 136 is provided with a gate flap 126 and the gate flaps are interconnected so that they operate in timed relationship and allow only one package to enter the induction conveyor at a time. An encoder 128 is 1~ provided adjacent to each of the chutes 136. This illustra-tion is intended to show how multiple operators can feed the same induction conveyor without adding additional induction lines, although care must be taken to ensure that the number of packages being delivered to the line does not exceed the capacity of the system. Similarly, it will be understood that the number of induction conveyors 20 and the number of \,~ ~ . .
lateral conveyors ~ can vary again wlthln the capacity of the system.
; The particular form of control means used will also depend on the size and capacity of the system. In a large system, relatively sophisticated computer control will be required while in simpler systems less sophisticated controls may be needed.
It should also be understood that the preceding description relates to a particular preferred embodimen-t of the invention only and that the invention is not limited to the details of -that embodiment. Some alternatives have been ~2d~Z~6 discussed previously and others will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.
Some examples of applications of the system have been given previously but are not considered to be exhaus-tive. It should also be noted that the term "lateral" asapplied to the conveyor lines that receive packages from the induction lines is intended to be interpreted broadly and not to require that those lines are necessarily disposed at right ang]es to the induction lines.
The preceding description refers exclusively to belt conveyors but it should be understood that other types of conveyor could be employed. For example, a conveyor in the form of a pair of chains connected by slats may be suitable in some applications. Finally, it should also be noted that ?ackages leaving the lateral conveyors need not be delivered to package receiving means in the form of tote boxes. For example, in some situations, it may be appro-priate to deliver the packages onto secondary conveyors at those destinations.
Referring back to Fig. 1, the induction stations 24 simply comprise chutes on which packages are placed by operators and down which the packages travel onto the relevant induction conveyor line. In other words, the packages will simply slide from the chutes and on to the first conveyor section. The chutes are individually denoted by reference numeral 124. In the case of the three induction conveyor lines 20 at the lefthand side of Fig. 1 twin chu-tes are provided for each conveyor line so that two operators can feed one line. A pair of pivoted "gate" flaps 126 are provided one in each chute and are connected together to open and close alternately in timed relationship so that 29~
only one package can enter the conveyor line at any one time. Adjacent each chute is an encoder 128 which is connected to a computer diagrammatically shown at C and by which the operator can instruct the computer as to the destination of a par-ticular package being entered into the system. A photo-electric cell 130 controlled by a light beam detects the instant at which the package enters the system and provides an appropriate signal to the computer. The computer then times operation of appropriate ones of the tiltable conveyors to ensure that the package arrives at the appropriate destination. Obviously, this requires that the speed of operation of the conveyor lines be carefully controlled and that this information also be fed to the computer.
Referring by way of example to the induction line 20 which appears at the left in Fig. 1, those conveyor sections that are marked with a T are tiltable conveyor sections while the remaining sections are non-tiltable. It will be noted that each tiltable section is positioned generally at the intersection of the induction conveyor with one of the lateral conveyors, but slightly ups-tream as compared with a position directly overhead the relevant lateral conveyor. This ensures that, when the relevant conveyor section -tilts, a pac]cage on that section is delivered directly onto the relevant lateral conveyor and does not "overshoot". The tiltable conveyor sections of the other induction conveyors are similarly arranged.
~Z~2~36 Referring to the lateral conveyor line denoted 22', the tiltable conveyors begin at the point marked B. All of the conveyor sections to -the right of that point as drawn are tiltable sections and each section has a tote box there-below while all of the sections to the left of point B arenontiltable. Again, the tote boxes are positioned slightly downstream of the associated sections as best seen in Fig. 2 so that the sections will deliver packages directly into -the relevant boxes when tilted.
Assume now that a package has just entered the left-hand most induction conveyor line 20 and that the operator has instructed the computer C that the package is to be delivered to tote box 26 in lateral conveyor line 22'.
Photocell 130 will tell -the computer when the package has entered line 20 and at an appropriate time thereafter the computer will i.nstruct the cylinder and ram device of the tiltable conveyor section denoted 132 to tilt and drop the package onto conveyor line 22'. The computer will also continue timing from that point until the package reaches the position of conveyor section 134 when that section will be instructed to drop the package into the box 26. In practice, the computer will of course be continuously receiving instructions from all of the encoders 128 and photocells (as photocell 130), will be timing each indivi-dual package in accordance with the instructions receivedand will be controlling all of the tiltable conveyor sections to ensure that each package reaches the required ~ ~ \
~2~9~36 destination.
The induction station for the extreme righthand induction conveyor as shown in Fig. 1 is somewhat modified as compared with the other induction stations in that each of the chutes 124 is in turn branched into two further chutes 136. Each of these chutes 136 is provided with a gate flap 126 and the gate flaps are interconnected so that they operate in timed relationship and allow only one package to enter the induction conveyor at a time. An encoder 128 is 1~ provided adjacent to each of the chutes 136. This illustra-tion is intended to show how multiple operators can feed the same induction conveyor without adding additional induction lines, although care must be taken to ensure that the number of packages being delivered to the line does not exceed the capacity of the system. Similarly, it will be understood that the number of induction conveyors 20 and the number of \,~ ~ . .
lateral conveyors ~ can vary again wlthln the capacity of the system.
; The particular form of control means used will also depend on the size and capacity of the system. In a large system, relatively sophisticated computer control will be required while in simpler systems less sophisticated controls may be needed.
It should also be understood that the preceding description relates to a particular preferred embodimen-t of the invention only and that the invention is not limited to the details of -that embodiment. Some alternatives have been ~2d~Z~6 discussed previously and others will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.
Some examples of applications of the system have been given previously but are not considered to be exhaus-tive. It should also be noted that the term "lateral" asapplied to the conveyor lines that receive packages from the induction lines is intended to be interpreted broadly and not to require that those lines are necessarily disposed at right ang]es to the induction lines.
The preceding description refers exclusively to belt conveyors but it should be understood that other types of conveyor could be employed. For example, a conveyor in the form of a pair of chains connected by slats may be suitable in some applications. Finally, it should also be noted that ?ackages leaving the lateral conveyors need not be delivered to package receiving means in the form of tote boxes. For example, in some situations, it may be appro-priate to deliver the packages onto secondary conveyors at those destinations.
Claims (11)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A conveyor system for use in delivering packages from at least one induction station to selected destina-tions, the conveyor system comprising:
an induction conveyor line extending from said induction station and along which packages can be conveyed individually from said station; and, a plurality of spaced lateral conveyor lines each intersecting and extending laterally from said induction conveyor line for conveying packages individually from said line to destinations spaced along said lateral conveyor lines, each of said lateral conveyor lines being disposed below said induction conveyor line where the lines inter-sect;
said induction conveyor line including a plurality of tiltable conveyor sections each of which is positioned generally at the intersection of said induction conveyor line with one of said lateral conveyor lines and is operable to direct downwardly a package on said section and deliver the package onto the relevant said lateral conveyor line, and said lateral conveyor lines including tiltable conveyor sections generally at each said destination, each said tiltable conveyor section being operable to direct down-wardly a package on said section and deliver the package to package receiving means below said section.
an induction conveyor line extending from said induction station and along which packages can be conveyed individually from said station; and, a plurality of spaced lateral conveyor lines each intersecting and extending laterally from said induction conveyor line for conveying packages individually from said line to destinations spaced along said lateral conveyor lines, each of said lateral conveyor lines being disposed below said induction conveyor line where the lines inter-sect;
said induction conveyor line including a plurality of tiltable conveyor sections each of which is positioned generally at the intersection of said induction conveyor line with one of said lateral conveyor lines and is operable to direct downwardly a package on said section and deliver the package onto the relevant said lateral conveyor line, and said lateral conveyor lines including tiltable conveyor sections generally at each said destination, each said tiltable conveyor section being operable to direct down-wardly a package on said section and deliver the package to package receiving means below said section.
2. A system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said induction conveyor lines extending generally parallel to one another, each from an associated induction station, said induction conveyor lines each intersecting all of said lateral conveyor lines and being provided with a said tiltable conveyor section generally at each intersection, whereby a package entering the system at any of said induction stations can be directed to a destination along any of said lateral conveyor lines.
3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said conveyor line comprises a series of modular conveyor sections disposed end to end, the sections at each said intersection and destination being movable between a normal position for permitting travel of a package along the relevant line, and a downwardly tilted position, and each section including means for moving the section between its said positions.
4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein each said conveyor section is a belt conveyor comprising a base, first and second rollers supported by the base generally parallel to one another and transverse to the direction of package travel along the section, at respectively opposite ends of the section, and an endless belt extending around said rollers, the roller at the end of the section which trails in the direction of package travel being supported to permit tilting of the section about that roller in the case of the tiltable conveyor sections, and wherein the system includes drive means coupled to said trailing end rollers of all of the conveyor sections for driving the belts of said sections.
5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said drive means includes individual drive motors each coupled to and driving a group of said conveyor sections whereby said drive motors can be individually switched off to stop selected groups of conveyor sections at appropriate times.
6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said drive means includes chain and sprocket drives interconnecting the trailing end rollers of the conveyor sections in each said group and the drive motor of that group.
7. A conveyor system as claimed in claim 4, wherein each said tiltable conveyor section is movable by gravity from its normal position to its tilted position and wherein said means for moving the section between its said positions comprises support means engageable with said base of the section and normallly maintaining the base in a raised position, the support means being displaceable to permit the conveyor to drop to a tilted position at appropriate times.
8. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein each said conveyor section further comprises belt tension adjusting means including a pair of idler rollers disposed parallel to said end rollers of the section and around which a lower run of the belt travels between said rollers so that movement of the idler rollers towards and away from one another adjusts the belt tension, and means for adjusting the relative positions of said rollers.
9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said induction station includes a pair of induction chutes inclined downwardly towards said induction conveyor so that packages placed on either chute can be delivered to the conveyor, and gate means controlling access to the conveyor from both chutes so that only a single package can enter the conveyor at one time while operators can be used to input packages at both chutes.
10. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein each induction station is further provided with a pair of addi-tional chutes each coupled to one of the first mentioned chutes so that four operators can enter packages to the same induction conveyor.
11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said lateral conveyor lines is elevated above a supporting surface and wherein said package receiving means comprises a tote box disposed at each said destination.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000536689A CA1242986A (en) | 1987-05-08 | 1987-05-08 | Conveyor system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000536689A CA1242986A (en) | 1987-05-08 | 1987-05-08 | Conveyor system |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1242986A true CA1242986A (en) | 1988-10-11 |
Family
ID=4135617
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000536689A Expired CA1242986A (en) | 1987-05-08 | 1987-05-08 | Conveyor system |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1242986A (en) |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5054602A (en) * | 1989-06-23 | 1991-10-08 | The Post Office | Sorting system |
| WO2017123678A1 (en) * | 2016-01-11 | 2017-07-20 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus with delivery vehicles |
| WO2018031956A3 (en) * | 2016-08-12 | 2018-03-15 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Object sensing and handling system and associated methods |
| US10639678B2 (en) | 2016-05-03 | 2020-05-05 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus and method for automatic and manual sorting of items using a dynamically configurable sorting array |
| US11607713B2 (en) | 2016-05-03 | 2023-03-21 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus and method for sorting items using a dynamically configurable sorting array |
-
1987
- 1987-05-08 CA CA000536689A patent/CA1242986A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (14)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5054602A (en) * | 1989-06-23 | 1991-10-08 | The Post Office | Sorting system |
| US10865053B2 (en) | 2016-01-11 | 2020-12-15 | Opex Corporation | Delivery vehicle for material handling system |
| CN108883438A (en) * | 2016-01-11 | 2018-11-23 | 欧佩克斯公司 | Equipment for treating materials with delivery vehicle |
| US10494192B2 (en) | 2016-01-11 | 2019-12-03 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus with delivery vehicles |
| US10766712B2 (en) | 2016-01-11 | 2020-09-08 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus with delivery vehicles and recirculation |
| AU2017207323B2 (en) * | 2016-01-11 | 2020-12-03 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus with delivery vehicles |
| WO2017123678A1 (en) * | 2016-01-11 | 2017-07-20 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus with delivery vehicles |
| CN108883438B (en) * | 2016-01-11 | 2021-02-26 | 欧佩克斯公司 | Material handling apparatus with a vehicle |
| CN112896965A (en) * | 2016-01-11 | 2021-06-04 | 欧佩克斯公司 | Material handling apparatus with a vehicle |
| US10639678B2 (en) | 2016-05-03 | 2020-05-05 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus and method for automatic and manual sorting of items using a dynamically configurable sorting array |
| US11607713B2 (en) | 2016-05-03 | 2023-03-21 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus and method for sorting items using a dynamically configurable sorting array |
| US11654456B2 (en) | 2016-05-03 | 2023-05-23 | Opex Corporation | Material handling apparatus and method for automatic and manual sorting of items using a dynamically configurable sorting array |
| WO2018031956A3 (en) * | 2016-08-12 | 2018-03-15 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Object sensing and handling system and associated methods |
| EP3575006A1 (en) * | 2016-08-12 | 2019-12-04 | Amazon Technologies Inc. | Apparatus for sorting items |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |