GB946616A - Apparatus for sorting articles carried on a conveyor belt - Google Patents

Abstract

946,616. Endless conveyers. TELEPHONE & ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES Ltd. Sept. 12, 1961 [Feb. 13, 1961], No. 32702/61. Heading B8A. An apparatus for sorting parcels comprises a conveyer belt (not shown) tilted sideways so that the parcels slide at one side on a wall of the conveyer trough which is fitted with drop-panels which may be opened to allow parcels to slide into receptacles or on to secondary conveyer belts. When a parcel is started on the belt the selected destination is registered in a binary code in a Translator and Meter Selector relay set 2 by depressing a key on a Control Unit keyboard 1, and fed to a transfer circuit 4, with a check on accuracy by a code check 6 which checks whether the code contains an odd or even number of binary digits. When the parcel passes a Gate Unit 5 located a short distance from the loading station a light beam to a photo-cell is interrupted and a pulse passed to the Transfer Circuit 4 and the Transfer and Meter Selector 2. When the parcel clears the Gate Unit 5 the Translator and Meter Selector relay set 2 are re-set. The code in the Transfer Circuit is fed to a Shift Register 7 and a meter which gives the total number of parcels sorted advances one unit while a meter recording the total to the particular destination also advances one unit. The code now progresses through the Shift Register 7 under the control of a Belt Pulse Source 9 which produces a pulse every few inches of belt travel and triggers a Clock 10 which generates a series of pulses one of which is routed to the Shift Register 7 through a Pulse Distributer 11. The code proceeds a step at a time through the Shift Register and is presented to each Diverter in turn at a time when the parcel projects a short distance beyond the leading edge of the appropriate diverter. When the code is presented to the correct Diverter Controller a code gate opens and the appropriate diverter magnet is operated to open the diverter allowing the parcel to slide into a receptacle or on to a secondary conveyer belt. The code is removed from the Shift Register 7 and after a brief delay the diverter closes. The apparatus may employ bi-stable devices such as electron tubes, semi-conductors, cold cathode tubes, square-loop magnetic cores or electromagnetic devices solely or in combination.