EP1765525A1

EP1765525A1 - Sorting device for flat mail items

Info

Publication number: EP1765525A1
Application number: EP05746545A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eberhard Mandler; Nikolaus Haselberger; Wolf-Stephan Wilke; Armin Zimmermann; Holger Schererz; André ROMPE
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 2004-07-09
Filing date: 2005-05-27
Publication date: 2007-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-27
Also published as: US20070090027A1; CN1984726B; WO2006005394A1; JP2007534478A; DE102004033564B3; EP1765525B1; CN1984726A; US7683284B2; US7683285B2; US20090211953A1; DE502005004957D1

Abstract

The invention relates to a sorting device comprising at least one mail-item buffer zone (1) for storing said items. The zone consists of several mail-item storage pockets (15), arranged one behind the other and displaced continuously in a transport loop past one or more loading stations (7). Fixed intermediate storage containers (16) that are open at the top are located below rectilinear transfer sections (9) of the transport loop in order to hold one or more mail items from the filled storage pockets (15) that are guided into the transfer sections (9) to be opened. Mail-item containers (17), which also circulate continuously and are open at the top, are displaced on a transport track (11) below the intermediate storage containers (16), forming terminal sorting stations that are assigned to the destination addresses or destination address groups. The mail items are discharged down into the mail-item containers (17) horizontally, according to their read destination addresses, by the controlled opening of the respective intermediate storage container (16) when the mail-item container (17) assigned to the address is in a corresponding position below the intermediate storage container (16) that contains mail items for said container (17).

Description

description

Sorting device for flat items

The present invention relates to a sorting device for flat mail items having at least one input station, one mailing singulator each and a subsequent transport device for transporting the singular mailings to process devices, such as e.g. Reader, barcode printer, passing past each to a loading station of a Sendungspuffer¬ memory, wherein the mailing buffer memory consists of several in a conveyor loop circulating, the Bela destations moved past storage pockets, which are loaded in the loading stations with the shipments.

For the sorting of flat items, such as letters, postcards, large letters and the like according to the distribution information given on their surface, it is known to receive these items of mail in special pocket-shaped containers, to transport them and to deliver them in a controlled manner.

Thus, EP 0 608 161 A1 discloses a sorting device in which flat objects are transported laterally from one side into storage pockets by means of a channel-shaped, locally fixed supply device. These storage pockets circulating in a closed loop are moved horizontally past the supply device and the shipments then fall into a sorting container located thereunder by deliberate opening of flaps in accordance with the sorting instruction. For the safe introduction of the shipments into the moving storage bags, either the shipments in the supply device must have a very high transport speed, which can lead to damage when the shipments in the container are decelerated, or the speed of the storage pockets is very low or the containers stand still during the insertion, which means a throughput reduction of the machine. For arranging in a particular order, a solution has been known (EP 820 818 Al), which uses a temporary storage consisting of in a conveyor loop with at least two halb¬ circular conveyor sections on a conveyor rotating storage pockets, each receiving a shipment and this on command in the actual filing wie¬ derive. In this case, first all to be classified programs are housed in any order in the storage pockets of the cache. The feeds are then removed from the storage pockets of the intermediate storage device and transferred to the storage devices in such a way that they are in the last order to be produced. The shelves that are open at the top are located along the straight sections of the conveying device below the storage pockets.

In order to improve the introduction of the consignments into the storage pockets, according to WO 97/10904, the end section of the transport means of the feed device is pivoted so that during insertion of the respective consignment this end section is in substantially the same direction and

Speed as the moving storage bag is swiveled and swung back after being introduced.

The throughput of these sorting devices is limited by the throughput of the circulating storage pockets. A

An increase in throughput can theoretically only be achieved by increasing the speed and / or reducing the pitch of the transport system of the storage pockets. But this is as described (shot into the storage pockets) only very limited possible.

Also known was a sorting device (EP 0 949 015 A2) having a plurality of input units, at least one mail buffer with continuously circulating storage pockets, mail containers as sorting outlets, which are filled from the lower mail buffer and with an infeed and outfeed device for mailing containers. That's it it is possible to manage with fewer sorting outlets than sorting destinations are available.

Furthermore, US Pat. No. 6,126,017 A discloses a sorting device with a continuously circulating mail item buffer store, with stationary buffers arranged below it and stationary mail items, which are arranged interchangeably underneath.

The invention has for its object to provide a sorting device with circulating storage pockets, which is designed so that a sorting on the Verteilrei¬ order in a sorting within a designated time window is possible and with the effort for automatic change the consignment container and to measure their levels can be reduced.

According to the invention, the object is achieved by the features of claim 1. An¬. Underneath straight transfer sections of the conveyor loops of the mailing buffer or storage buffer are fixed, upwardly open buffers for receiving one or more items from the loaded, in the transfer sections controlled to open storage pockets. On a transport path below the latches, mailing containers which are continuously open at the top also circulate as sorting end points assigned to the destination addresses or target address groups into which the items corresponding to their read destination addresses can be opened by controllably opening the respective buffer at the time at which the item Address assigned

Shipment container is located in a corresponding position below the cache with broadcasts for this shipment container, down to a lying position are dischargeable. The consignment container transport path has at least one infeed device for empty consignment containers and at least one outfeed device for filled consignment containers. The locally fixed latches allow relatively high rotational speeds, since the relative speeds for the transfers are only the pocket rim speed or the mail container speed. In particular, the pocket rim speed has no influence on the stacking behavior in the container (decoupling). The number of buffers is much smaller than the number of storage bins of the mail buffer, since they are used several times during a cycle. This can be improved by er¬ heightened, but still relatively inexpensive effort in the design of the cache memory stack quality.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

In order to keep the dwell time of the item in the buffer low and thus to use the buffer several times during a pocket circulation of the item buffer, it is advantageous if the assignment and transfer of the item being sent to the assigned item container take place in the following steps:

Determination of the sorting destination for each consignment located in a respective storage compartment,

Calculation of the next possible meeting point of the storage table with the respective consignment with the assigned dispensing container in a transfer section on the basis of the geometrical conditions and the speeds of the storage pockets and the consignment containers,

Determination of the actual transfer point in the transfer section by correction of the calculated meeting point due to the necessary dwell time of the shipment in the intermediate store,

- Selection of a buffer which can be received at the transfer point at the latest for each shipment and transfer of the shipment by opening the storage bag when it is above the selected buffer and opening the intermediate buffer. storage container when the associated mailing container is under the temporary storage.

For a gentle sliding in and out of the programs from the latches, it is advantageous to form the intermediate memories as funnels that are gebo¬ in the transport direction of the mail container.

It is advantageous if in the transfer sections the direction of movement of the storage pockets and the mail container is in opposite directions, which results in an increase in throughput.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if, for sorting according to the distribution sequence in a sorting run, several mail items are loaded into a buffer in a specific order, whereby this procedure must be completed before the allocated mailing container has reached this buffer. By this pre-sorting can be sorted on areas with many distribution stopping points at high throughput, as additional rounds of the consignment containers to bring about the required sequence are avoided.

For a good stacking image of the mail items in the mail item containers, it is advantageous if the mail item containers are inclined in their transport direction.

If the destination address can not be read in certain programs until the first transfer section has been reached, these storage pockets advantageously pass through a defined number of transfer sections and if the destination addresses could not yet be read during this time, then they become

Consignments in a consignment container for unread Sen¬ tions geschleust.

In order to achieve particularly high throughputs, in an advantageous development, a plurality of mailbox buffers, whose conveyor loops each have two straight transfer sections with the buffers and two curved sections, of which one connected to the loading stations having arranged neben¬ each other. The transport path for the circulating mail item containers is guided in a meandering manner below the mail item buffer memories so that the mail item containers transported along directly below the transfer portions of the mailer buffer storages each have the opposite transport direction to the storage pockets.

In a favorable embodiment, the storage pockets are seit¬ Lich open and are guided with the open sides laterally past the end portions of the transport devices. As a result, the transport direction from the input station and the mail item orientation can be maintained down to the storage pocket.

In a further advantageous embodiment, controllable, stationary actuators, which are assigned to the intermediate stores, for opening the storage trays and for opening the intermediate stores and corresponding closing elements are arranged along the transfer sections.

In order to advantageously determine the height of the mailing stacks in the mail containers, a sensor arrangement for determining the stacking height is arranged above the transport path of the containers after the transfer sections and in front of the device for feeding in and out the mail item containers , In contrast to this, a corresponding sensor had to be arranged at each end point or a calculation of the stack height by means of the measured thicknesses of the individual transmissions had to be carried out.

Subsequently, the invention will be explained in more detail in an embodiment with reference to the drawing. Show

1 shows a schematic plan view of a sorting device with a mail buffer and two input stations, 2 shows a schematic side view of

Storage bags, storage containers and consignment containers,

3 shows a schematic representation of the presorting of several items in the distribution order into a buffer.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, a mail buffer 1 is present. It consists of a storage loop 15 which is continuously circulated in a conveyor loop and can be discharged in a controlled manner downwards by means of an opening mechanism for receiving the items in a standing position. Each conveyor loop has two straight transfer sections 9 and between them two curved connecting sections 10. The storage pockets 15 are open to the outside laterally, and at a curved portion 10 of the conveyor loop there are two loading stations 7, in which individual shipments through the side openings in the empty storage pockets 15 trans ported. The loading stations 7 each receive the items one at a time from an input unit 2, in which the items are separated from consignment stacks by means of a mailing singling device 3, aligned in an aligning section 4 and then transferred to process devices, such as e.g. an address reader 5 or a barcode printer 6 for applying an identification code, passing by means of a

Transport device 8 transported to the loading station 7 wer¬ the. Since two loading stations 7 feed the storage trays 15 side-by-side with consignments, the circulating speed of the pocket corrugation must be high enough so that, adapted to the efficiency of the consignment singulating devices 3, after passing through the two transfer sections 9, the read consignments at directly below the pocket corrugation the intermediate sections 16 have been transferred to fixed buffers 16 arranged in a stationary manner. Below the temporary storage 16 open-topped mail container 17 as sorting stations eben¬ if continuously rotating on a transport path 11 be¬ moves. This is done so that the mail container 17 directly under both straight transfer sections 9 of the mail item buffer memory 1 are transported opposite to the conveying direction of the storage pockets 15, ie the transport path 11 runs meandering. It is also possible in a manner not shown here to increase the throughput of the sorting device further by parallelizing the input processes with a plurality of mail buffer buffers 1, which is not possible to the same extent in the prior art with stationary terminal stations. The opening of the storage pockets 16 and the buffer 17 is carried out in each case by controlled, the buffers 17 associated, fixed, not shown for clarity actuators. Furthermore, corresponding closing mechanisms are provided. Thus, the residence time of the programs in the latches 16 is as short as possible and thus their number can be kept low by multiple use, the actuation of the actuators is based on the following sequence:

Determination of the sorting destination for each consignment located in a respective storage pocket 15, Calculation of the next possible meeting point of the storage tray 15 with the respective consignment with the associated consignment container 17 in a transfer section 9 on the basis of the geometric conditions and the speeds determination of the actual transfer point in the transfer section 9 by correcting the calculated meeting point due to the necessary dwell time of the mail item in the intermediate memory 16, the storage pockets 15 and the mail container 17

- Selection of an at the transfer point receptive intermediate buffer 16 for each shipment and transfer of Sen¬ tion by opening the storage pocket 15 when it is above the selected latch 16 and opening the latch 16 when the associated Sen¬ tion container 17 under the buffer 16 is located.

In order to measure the level of the shipping containers 17 and to determine on this basis when the filled consignment container 17 must be removed and exchanged for an empty consignment container 17, is located above the transport path 11 to the or the mail buffer 1 and before the discharge device 12, a sensor assembly 14 for measuring the stack height, eg as a laser sensor. If the maximum stacking height has not yet been reached, the mailing container 17 in question passes through another circulation during sorting. If it is reached or exceeded, the discharge takes place.

If the items are to be sorted according to the distribution order in a sorting run, then, as shown schematically in FIG. 3, within the available time until the last possible transfer of the items from the storage pockets 15 to the intermediate storage 16 is presorted Be carried out with overtaking operations, in which case one or more transmissions are stored in each case in an intermediate storage 16. It is thus possible to store already subsequences in the buffers. This additional rounds of the corresponding mail container 17 can be avoided. As can be seen from FIG. 3, there are three programs in the illustrated sequence 3, 2, 1 in the storage pockets 15. However, they are to be stored in the container 17 shown in the reverse order. On the basis of the position and speed of the consignment container 17 and the corresponding storage pockets 15, the time frame available is calculated by determining the last possible transfer point of the consignment into the destination container, taking into account the dwell time in the intermediate storage unit 16. The three transmissions are then loaded in the reverse order into a free intermediate memory 16 within the determined time window and from there into the mail container 17.

Claims

claims

1. Sorting device for flat items

- With one or more input units (2), in each case a mail separating device (3) and a subsequent transport device (8) for transporting the individual shipments of process equipment (5,6) over to each loading station (7) of a consignments puf¬ memory (1) each storage buffer store (1) consists of a plurality of storage pockets (15) which continuously circulate in a conveyor loop and are moved past one or more loading stations (7), - empty in the loading stations (7) Storage bags (15) are loaded with the individual consignments,

- With below straight transfer sections (9) of the conveyor loops of the program or the transmission buffer (1) arranged, fixed, open-top Zwischenhea- ehern (16) for receiving one or more consignments from the loaded, in the transfer sections (9) ge controls to opening storage pockets (15),

- With on a transport path (11) below the Zwi¬ schenspeicher (16) moving, also continuously circulating, open-topped mail containers (17) as the destination addresses or destination address associated sorting stations, in which the broadcasts according to their read destination addresses by controllably opening the respective buffer (16) at the time at which the mailing container (17) assigned to the address is located in a corresponding position below the buffer store (16) with mail items for this mailing container (17), downwards into a lying Po¬ - wherein the consignment container transport path (11) at least one infeed device (13) for empty consignments container and at least one discharge device (12) for filled consignment containers.

2. Sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the assignment and transfer of the read item to the associated mail container (17) takes place in the following steps:

Determination of the sorting destination for each consignment located in each storage pocket 15,

- Calculation of the next possible meeting point of the Spei¬ chertasche (15) with the respective consignment with the associated consignment container (17) in a Übergabeab¬ section (9) on the basis of geometric proportions se and the speeds of the storage pockets (15) and the mail container (17),

Determination of the actual transfer point in the transfer section (9) by correction of the calculated point of contact due to the necessary dwell time of the transfer in the buffer (16),

Selection of a temporary storage device (16), which can be received at the transfer point at the latest, for each shipment and transfer of the shipment by opening the storage pocket (15), if it is above the selected intermediate storage (16) and opening the intermediate storage (16). 16) when the associated mail item container (17) is located under this buffer (16).

3. Sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the Zwischen¬ memory (16) are formed as in the transport direction of the Sendungsbehäl¬ ter (17) curved funnel.

4. Sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the directly below the latches (16) in the Übergabeab¬ sections (9) transported along Sendungsbehäl¬ ter (17) the opposite transport direction to the storage pockets (15).

5. Sorting device according to claim 4, wherein for sorting according to the distribution order in a sorting run a or a plurality of consignments with overtaking operations in a certain order can be loaded into an intermediate store (16), whereby this process must be completed before the associated consignment container (17) has reached this intermediate store (16).

6. Sorting device according to claim 4, wherein the consignment container (17) are inclined in their transport direction.

7. Sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the Speicher¬ bags (15) are controlled so that at not yet read target address at the time at which the Spei¬ chertasche (15) with this program the first time in a transfer section enters, this storage pocket (15) runs through a fixed number of transfer sections (9) until it is to be opened and if then the destination address could not yet be read, the shipment of this storage pocket (15) into a mail container (17). for unread broadcasts is discharged.

8. Sorting device according to claim 1, in which a plurality of transmission buffer memories (1), whose conveying loops each have two straight transfer sections (9) with the intermediate storages (16) and two curved connecting sections, one of which is connected to the loading stations (7) , are arranged next to one another and the transport path (11) for the circulating mail containers (17) underneath the buffer store (16) is meandering in such a way that the mail containers directly beneath the transfer sections (9) are transported along (17) each have the opposite transport direction to the storage pockets (15).

9. Sorting device according to claim 1, wherein for loading the storage pockets (15) in the loading stations (7) the laterally open storage pockets (15) with the open sides laterally at the end portions of the transport directions (8) are passed.

10. Sorting device according to claim 1, wherein along the

Transfer sections (9) controllable, stationary, the intermediate page memories associated actuators for opening the Spei¬ chertaschen (15) and for opening the Zwischenspei¬ cher (16) are arranged and appropriate Schließele¬ elements are provided.

11. Sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the transport path (11) of the mail container (17) after the transfer sections (9) and in front of the device (16) for discharging (12) of the mail container (17) from the transport path (11) Sensor arrangement (14) for determining the stack height in the mail containers (17) is arranged ange¬ and wherein when a predetermined stack height is exceeded, a signal for discharging the relevant mail container (17) is triggered.