WO2016101161A1

WO2016101161A1 - A divider mechanism and an article handling machine

Info

Publication number: WO2016101161A1
Application number: PCT/CN2014/094768
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yue Li; Jianwei Liu; Zijiang QI
Original assignee: Abb Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2014-12-24
Filing date: 2014-12-24
Publication date: 2016-06-30

Abstract

A divider mechanism, for directing articles (100) traveling along a stem conveyor (10) to at least two branch conveyors (20) arranged on a downstream of the stem conveyor (10) is disclosed. The divider mechanism comprises a sensing member (30), a controller (40), a shunting member (50), wherein, the sensing member (30) is located near the end of the stem conveyor (10), configured to generate a signal to the controller (40) when sensing an article (100) passing by a specified position; the controller (40) is configured to control the shunting member (50); the shunting unit (50) comprises a driving unit (51) and a guide unit (55) which is driven by the driving unit (51); the guide unit (55) is movably mounted on a downstream of the stem conveyor (10) to separate the articles (100) from the stem conveyor (10) to each branch conveyor (20) respectively, capable of swinging between a first position and a second position during an interval of the adjacent articles (100); when the guide unit (55) is at the first position, the article (100) is directed to the first branch conveyor (21); and when the guide unit (55) is at the second position, the article (100) is directed to the second branch conveyor (22). An article handling machine comprising the divider mechanism is also disclosed. Compared with the existing prior arts, the proposed solution is available for shunting high-speed products on the transportation line.

Description

A DIVIDER MECHANISM AND AN ARTICLE HANDLING MACHINE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a divider mechanism， and particularly relate to a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine， and an article handling machine comprising the divider mechanism.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In product packaging industry， for example， in the food packaging industry， the products out of the packaging machine is often at a high speed， e.g. about 500-600PCS/min. These products are transported by a conveyor system to the following working station for further operation. However， it is difficult to deal with such high speed. In order to implement automation， the speed needs to slow down or the conveyor needs to be shunted to several branch conveyors， which has become one of the major difficulties for the high-speed separation system of the products.

Various attempts have been made to solve this problem. For example， one of a conventional divider mechanisms， as shown in Fig. 1， this material distributing device comprises a distributing mechanism， wherein the distributing mechanism comprises a swing plate， adetector， acounter， asolenoid valve， aleft moving part and a right moving part. The detector is connected with the counter； the counter is connected with the solenoid valve； the solenoid valve is used for controlling the left moving part and the right moving part； the left moving part and the right moving part drive the swing plate to swing； and the swing plate is movably arranged at an outlet of a conveying device of materials.

However， one disadvantage of this kind of structure is that as the shunted cycle time is fairly slow， the adjacent products cannot be shunted， that is， it cannot achieve the shunting between the odd and even， so the products in the downstream conveyors are not in an equal distance， which brings lots of inconveniences for the next operation.

For this reason， there is a need in the art to develop an improved divider mechanism for an article handling machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel divider mechanism for an article handling machine， and in particular， to separate and shunt the articles on the transportation line.

According to one aspect of the invention， there is provided a divider mechanism for directing articles traveling along a stem conveyor to at least two branch conveyors arranged on a downstream of the stem conveyor. The divider mechanism comprises a sensing member， acontroller， ashunting member， wherein， the sensing member is located near the end of the stem conveyor， configured to generate a signal to the controller when sensing an article passing by a specified position； the controller is configured to control the shunting member； the shunting unit comprises a driving unit and a guide unit which is driven by the driving unit； the guide unit is movably mounted on a downstream of the stem conveyor to separate the articles from the stem conveyor to each branch conveyor respectively， capable of swinging between a first position and a second position during an interval of the adjacent articles； when the guide unit is at the first position， the article is directed to the first branch conveyor； and when the guide unit is at the second position， the article is directed to the second branch conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the first branch conveyor being on the extension of the stem conveyor， the second branch conveyor which starts before the first branch conveyor， being under the first branch conveyor， when the guide unit is at the second position， the article is directed to the second branch conveyor under gravity.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the guide unit is configured to be a single plate， and the driving unit is configured to drive the plate to swing.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the rotation shaft of the plate is at or near the end of the stem conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the rotation shaft of the plate is at or near the beginning of the first branch conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the guide unit being configured to comprise at least two plates， which includes one plate whose rotation shaft is at or near the end of the stem conveyor and the other plate whose rotation shaft is at or near the beginning of the first branch conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the driving unit comprises at least two driving members to respectively drive the plates to swing synchronously.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the divider mechanism is capable of directing articles to at least three branch conveyors， and the guide unit is further capable of swinging among the first， second， and a third or more positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles； wherein the guide unit further comprises at least four plates， which includes one plate whose rotation shaft is at or near the end of the stem conveyor and the other plate whose rotation shaft is respectively at or near the beginning of each branch conveyor； and when the guide unit is at the third or more positions， the article is directed to the third branch conveyor or other conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the branch conveyors are structured in the same horizontal plane as the stem conveyor and arranged in parallel， the driving unit being configured to drive the guide unit to swing.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the rotation shaft of the plate is at or near the end of the stem conveyor， and the guide unit is structured as a single plate or two plates parallel to each other.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the rotation shaft of the plate is at or near the beginning of the branch conveyor， and the guide unit is structured as a single plate.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the divider mechanism is capable of directing articles to at least three branch conveyors， and the guide unit is further capable of swinging among the first， second， and a third or more positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles； and when the guide unit is at the third or more positions， the article is directed to the third branch conveyor or other conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the sensing member is configured to be a photoelectric sensor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the driving unit is configured to be at least one cylinder， pneumatic motor， servo motor or stepper motor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the driving unit is mounted near or at the rotation shaft of the guide unit.

According to another aspect of the invention， there is provided an article handling machine comprising the divider mechanism as described above， the stem conveyor， and the branch conveyors arranged on a downstream of the stem conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention， the machine further comprises a second or more divider mechanisms， arranged on a downstream of one or more branch conveyors.

Compared with the existing prior arts， the divider mechanism for the article handling machine can achieve several advantages as below.

Available for shunting high-speed products： the present invention can reduce the speed of the articles efficiently and achieve diversion for the high-speed transportation line. However， it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to be implemented to high-speed transportation line， but also available for low-speed or medium-speed transportation line.

The shunting between the adjacent articles： the present invention can achieve the shunting between the odd and even， which means the same spacing between the articles and it is easy for further operation after the separation.

Further shunting： with more divider mechanisms in the branch conveyors， the present invention can further achieve multiple shunting， if the speed is still too high with one divider mechanism.

Compact structure： the present invention does not need big room for assembly.

Easy for assembly： the present invention is easy to assemble the divider mechanism.

Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present application will also be understood from the following description of specific exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings， which illustrate， by way of example， the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent through detailed explanation on the embodiments as illustrated in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings， throughout which like reference numbers represent same or similar components and wherein：

Fig. 1 shows a conventional structure of a divider mechanism for an article handling machine；

Fig. 2 shows a three-dimensional view of a divider mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 3 shows a first position of a divider mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 4 shows a second position of a divider mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 5 shows a first position of a divider mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 6 shows a second position of a divider mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 7 shows a first position of a divider mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 8 shows a second position of a divider mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 9 shows a third position of a divider mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 10 shows a first position of a divider mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 11 shows a second position of a divider mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 12 shows a first position of a divider mechanism according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 13 shows a second position of a divider mechanism according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 14 shows a third position of a divider mechanism according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 15 shows a first position of a divider mechanism according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 16 shows a second position of a divider mechanism according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 17 shows a first position of a divider mechanism according to a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure；

Fig. 18 shows a second position of a divider mechanism according to a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure；

Throughout the figures， same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter， solutions as provided the present disclosure will be described in details through embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated that these embodiments are presented only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the present disclosure， not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any manner.

Generally， all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field， unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the/said [element， device， component， means， step， etc. ] " are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element， device， component， means， unit， step， etc. ， without excluding a plurality of such devices， components， means， units， steps， etc. ， unless explicitly stated otherwise. Besides， the indefinite article "a/an" as used herein does not exclude a plurality of such steps， units， modules， devices， and objects， and etc.

In general， embodiments of the present application provide a new divider mechanism for an article handling machine. As will be apparent from the further discussions below， this structure can reduce the speed of the articles efficiently and achieve diversion for the high-speed transportation line.

Throughout the descriptions of various embodiments of the present application， repeated descriptions of some similar elements will be omitted.

Next， reference will be made to describe an example of the divider mechanism for the article handling machine. Fig. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a divider mechanism in which an embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented. The divider mechanism is used for directing articles 100 traveling along a stem conveyor 10 to two

branch conveyors

21， 22， which are jointly named conveyors 20， arranged on a downstream of the stem conveyor 10. The divider mechanism comprises a sensing member 30， acontroller， which is not shown in the drawing， ashunting member 50. The sensing member 30 is located near the end of the stem conveyor 10， to generate a signal to the controller 40 when it senses an article 100 passing by a specified position. The sensing member 30 can be any kind of sensor to achieve the above-mentioned function， for example， it can be a photoelectric sensor. The controller 40 is used to control the shunting member 50. The shunting unit 50 comprises a driving unit 51 and a guide unit 55 which is driven by the driving unit 51. The guide unit 55 is movably mounted on a downstream of the stem conveyor 10 to separate the articles 100 from the stem conveyor 10 to each branch conveyor 20 respectively. The guide unit 55 can swing between a first position and a second position during an interval of the adjacent articles. Actually， when the guide unit 55 is at the first position， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21； and when the guide unit 55 is at the second position， the article 100 is directed to the second branch conveyor 22.

The driving unit 51 can be a servo motor. It should also be appreciated that it can also be a cylinder， apneumatic motor， or a stepper motor.

Hereinafter， to make the skilled in the art to understand the solution as provided in the present disclosure completely and thoroughly， the working principle of the system will be discussed below to explain how the divider mechanism can realize separation and shunting.

For the first working position， the products out of the packaging machine enter into the conveyor 10. At the end of the conveyor 10， there is a sensing member 30 which can detect the products， and then send the signal to the controller 40. The controller 40 controls the guide unit 55 to make it move to the first position， so the

plates

56， 57 are close in Fig. 2 and the product will flow to conveyor 21.

For the second working position， the products out of the packaging machine enter into the conveyor 10. At the end of the conveyor 10， there is a sensing member 30 which can detect the products， and then send the signal to the controller 40. The controller 40 controls the guide unit 55 to make it move to the second position， so the

plates

56， 57 are open in Fig. 2 and the product will flow to conveyor 22.

Therefore， with reference to this embodiment and Fig. 2， the divider mechanism used for the article handling machine can separate the adjacent articles with compact structure. So the speed of the products on the branch conveyors 20 is reduced to half of its original speed. For example， if the speed of the products on the stem conveyor 10 is 600PCS/min， the speed on the branch conveyor 20 would be 300PCS/min.

According to another embodiment of the present invention， if the speed is still too high， another divider mechanism can be arranged in one branch conveyor， so the speed of the transportation line can be further reduced to 150PCS/min.

The above describes one kind of the shunting system， but its structure is not limited to the above， and it can also adopt， but not limited to， other structures as described below.

Embodiment 1： Two Branches with Vertical Arrangement， Single Plate with Pre-driver

Reference is next made to Figs. 3 and 4， which shows a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Repeated descriptions of some similar elements will be omitted.

Fig. 3 is its first working position and Fig. 4 is its second working position of the divider mechanism. The first branch conveyor 21 is arranged on the extension of the stem conveyor 10， and the second branch conveyor 22 is vertically arranged under the first branch conveyor 21. The second branch conveyor 22 further starts before the first branch conveyor 21. The guide unit 55 can swing between the first and the second positions， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100. So when the guide unit 55 is at the first position (close) ， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21， as shown in Fig. 3. When the guide unit 55 is at the second position (open) ， the article 100 will be directed to the second branch conveyor 22 under gravity， as shown in Fig. 4. The guide unit 55 is a single plate 56， and the driving unit 51 is mounted at or near the rotation shaft of the plate 56， to drive the plate 56 to swing. The rotation shaft of plate 56 is at or near the end of the stem conveyor， that is， the plate has a pre-driver 51.

Embodiment 2： Two Branches with Vertical Arrangement， Single Plate with Post-driver

Reference is next made to Figs. 5 and 6， which shows a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is its first working position and Fig. 6 is its second working position of the divider mechanism. The first branch conveyor 21 is arranged on the extension of the stem conveyor 10， and the second branch conveyor 22 is vertically arranged under the first branch conveyor 21. The second branch conveyor 22 further starts before the first branch conveyor 21. The guide unit 55 can swing between the first and the second positions， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100. So when the guide unit 55 is at the first position (close) ， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21， as shown in Fig. 5. When the guide unit 55 is at the second position (open) ， the article 100 will be directed to the second branch conveyor 22 under gravity， as shown in Fig. 6. The guide unit 55 is a single plate 56， and the driving unit 51 is mounted at or near the rotation shaft of the plate 56， to drive the plate 56 to swing. The rotation shaft of plate 56 is at or near the beginning of the first branch conveyor 21， that is， the plate has a post-driver 51.

Embodiment 3： Multi-branches with Vertical Arrangement， Single Plate with Pre-driver

Reference is next made to Figs. 7 to 9， which shows a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is its first working position， Fig. 8 is its second working position， and Fig. 9 is its third working position of the divider mechanism. The first branch conveyor 21 is arranged on the extension of the stem conveyor 10， the second branch conveyor 22 is vertically arranged under the first branch conveyor 21， and the third branch conveyor 23 is vertically arranged under the second branch conveyor 22. The second branch conveyor 22 further starts before the first branch conveyor 21， and the third branch conveyor 23 further starts before the second branch conveyor 22. The guide unit 55 can swing among the first， second， and third positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100. So when the guide unit 55 is at the first position， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21， as shown in Fig. 7. When the guide unit 55 is at the second position， the article 100 will be directed to the second branch conveyor 22 under gravity， as shown in Fig. 8. When the guide unit 55 is at the third position， the article 100 will be directed to the third branch conveyor 23 under gravity， as shown in Fig. 9. The guide unit 55 is a single plate 56， and the driving unit 51 is mounted at or near the rotation shaft of the plate 56， to drive the plate 56 to swing. The rotation shaft of plate 56 is at or near the end of the stem conveyor， that is， the plate has a pre-driver 51.

It should also be appreciated that there are more than three branch conveyors 20， which can have similar arrangement as shown in Figs. 7 to 9.

Embodiment 4： Two Branches with Vertical Arrangement， Separate Plates

Reference is next made to Figs. 10 and 11， which shows a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is its first working position and Fig. 11 is its second working position of the divider mechanism. The first branch conveyor 21 is arranged on the extension of the stem conveyor 10， and the second branch conveyor 22 is vertically arranged under the first branch conveyor 21. The second branch conveyor 22 further starts before the first branch conveyor 21. The guide unit 55 can swing between the first and the second positions， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100. So when the guide unit 55 is at the first position (close) ， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21， as shown in Fig. 10. When the guide unit 55 is at the second position (open) ， the article 100 will be directed to the second branch conveyor 22 under gravity， as shown in Fig. 11. The guide unit 55 has at least two

plates

56， 57， which includes one plate 56 whose rotation shaft is at or near the end of the stem conveyor 10 and the other plate 57 whose rotation shaft is at or near the beginning of the first branch conveyor 21. The driving unit 51 also has two driving members to respectively drive the

plates

56， 57 to swing synchronously. Each driving member is mounted at or near the rotation shaft of each

plate

56， 57. At the first position， plate 56 links to plate 57. At the second position， plate 56 is not connected with plate 57.

Embodiment 5： Multi-branches with Vertical Arrangement， Separate Plates

Reference is next made to Figs. 12 to 14， which shows a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is its first working position， Fig. 13 is its second working position， and Fig. 14 is its third working position of the divider mechanism. The first branch conveyor 21 is arranged on the extension of the stem conveyor 10， the second branch conveyor 22 is vertically arranged under the first branch conveyor 21， and the third branch conveyor 23 is vertically arranged under the second branch conveyor 22. The second branch conveyor 22 further starts before the first branch conveyor 21， and the third branch conveyor 23 further starts before the second branch conveyor 22. The guide unit 55 can swing among the first， second， and third positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100. So when the guide unit 55 is at the first position， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21， as shown in Fig. 12. When the guide unit 55 is at the second position， the article 100 will be directed to the second branch conveyor 22 under gravity， as shown in Fig. 13. When the guide unit 55 is at the third position， the article 100 will be directed to the third branch conveyor 23 under gravity， as shown in Fig. 14. The guide unit 55 has four

plates

56， 57， 58， 59， which includes one plate 56 whose rotation shaft is at or near the end of the stem conveyor 10 and the

other plates

57， 58， 59， whose rotation shaft is at or near the beginning of the

branch conveyors

21， 22， 23. The driving unit 51 also has four driving members to respectively drive the

plates

56， 57， 58， 59 to swing synchronously. Each driving member is mounted at or near the rotation shaft of each

plate

56， 57， 58， 59. Therefore， at the first position， plate 56 links to plate 57. At the second position， plate 56 links to plate 58. At the third position， plate 56 links to plate 59.

It should also be appreciated that there are more than three branch conveyors 20， which can have similar arrangement as shown in Figs. 12 to 14.

Embodiment 6： Horizontal Arrangement， Pre-driver

Reference is next made to Figs. 15 and 16， which shows a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is its first working position and Fig. 16 is its second working position of the divider mechanism. There are two

branch conveyors

21， 22 arranged in parallel. Both

branch conveyors

21， 22 are in the same horizontal plane as the stem conveyor 10. The guide unit 55 can swing between the first and the second positions， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100. So when the guide unit 55 is at the first position， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21， as shown in Fig. 15. When the guide unit 55 is at the second position， the article 100 will be directed to the second branch conveyor 22， as shown in Fig. 16. The guide unit 55 is a single plate 60. The rotation shaft of the plate 60 is at or near the end of the stem conveyor 10 and the driving unit 51 is mounted at or near the rotation shaft of the guide unit 55， to drive the guide unit 55 to swing. That is， the plate 60 has a pre-driver 51.

According to another embodiment of the present invention， the guide unit 55 can also have two plates 60 parallel to each other. Both plates 60 have pre-drivers 51.

It should also be appreciated that there are more than two branch conveyors 20， which can have similar arrangement as shown in Figs. 15 and 16. So the guide unit 55 can swing among the first， second， and third or more positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100.

Embodiment 7： Horizontal Arrangement， Single Plate with Post-driver

Reference is next made to Figs. 17 and 18， which shows a divider mechanism for use in an article handling machine according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is its first working position and Fig. 18 is its second working position of the divider mechanism. There are two

branch conveyors

21， 22 arranged in parallel. Both

branch conveyors

21， 22 are in the same horizontal plane as the stem conveyor 10. The guide unit 55 can swing between the first and the second positions， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100. So when the guide unit 55 is at the first position， the article 100 is directed to the first branch conveyor 21， as shown in Fig. 17. When the guide unit 55 is at the second position， the article 100 will be directed to the second branch conveyor 22， as shown in Fig. 18. The guide unit 55 is a single plate 60. The rotation shaft of the plate 60 is at or near the beginning of the branch conveyor 20 and the driving unit 51 is mounted at or near the rotation shaft of the guide unit 55， to drive the guide unit 55 to swing. That is， the plate 60 has a post-driver 51.

It should also be appreciated that there are more than two branch conveyors 20， which can have similar arrangement as shown in Figs. 17 and 18. So the guide unit 55 can swing among the first， second， and third or more positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles 100.

Hereinabove， embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in details through embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated that， while this specification contains many specific implementation details， these details should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any invention or of what may be claimed， but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely， various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover， although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such， one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination， and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

Various modifications， adaptations to the foregoing exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description， when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Any and all modifications will still fall within the scope of the non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore， other embodiments of the disclosures set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these embodiments of the disclosure pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.

Therefore， it is to be understood that the embodiments of the disclosure are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein， they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

A divider mechanism for directing articles (100) traveling along a stem conveyor (10) to at least two branch conveyors (20) arranged on a downstream of the stem conveyor (10) ， characterized in that， the divider mechanism comprises a sensing member (30) ， a controller (40) ， a shunting member (50) ， wherein，

the sensing member (30) is located near the end of the stem conveyor (10) ，configured to generate a signal to the controller (40) when sensing an article (100) passing by a specified position；

the controller (40) is configured to control the shunting member (50) ；

the shunting unit (50) comprises a driving unit (51) and a guide unit (55) which is driven by the driving unit (51) ；

the guide unit (55) is movably mounted on a downstream of the stem conveyor (10) to separate the articles (100) from the stem conveyor (10) to each branch conveyor (20) respectively， capable of swinging between a first position and a second position during an interval of the adjacent articles (100) ；

when the guide unit (55) is at the first position， the article (100) is directed to the first branch conveyor (21) ； and

when the guide unit (55) is at the second position， the article (100) is directed to the second branch conveyor (22) .
The divider mechanism according to claim 1， characterized in that， the first branch conveyor (21) being on the extension of the stem conveyor (10) ， the second branch conveyor (22) which starts before the first branch conveyor (21) ， being under the first branch conveyor (21) ， when the guide unit (55) is at the second position， the article (100) is directed to the second branch conveyor (22) under gravity.
The divider mechanism according to claim 2， characterized in that， the guide unit (55) is configured to be a single plate (56) ， and the driving unit (51) is configured to drive the plate (56) to swing.
The divider mechanism according to claim 3， characterized in that， the rotation shaft of the plate (56) is at or near the end of the stem conveyor (10) .
The divider mechanism according to claim 3， characterized in that， the rotation shaft of the plate (56) is at or near the beginning of the first branch conveyor (21) .
The divider mechanism according to claim 2， characterized in that， the guide unit (55) being configured to comprise at least two plates (56， 57) ， which includes one plate (56) whose rotation shaft is at or near the end of the stem conveyor (10) and the other plate (57) whose rotation shaft is at or near the beginning of the first branch conveyor (21) .
The divider mechanism according to claim 6， characterized in that， the driving unit (51) comprises at least two driving members to respectively drive the plates (56， 57) to swing synchronously.
The divider mechanism according to claim 6 or 7， characterized in that， the divider mechanism is capable of directing articles (100) to at least three branch conveyors (20) ， and the guide unit (55) is further capable of swinging among the first， second， and a third or more positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles (100) ； wherein

the guide unit (55) further comprises at least four plates (56， 57， 58， 59) ， which includes one plate (56) whose rotation shaft is at or near the end of the stem conveyor (10) and the other plate (57/58/59) whose rotation shaft is respectively at or near the beginning of each branch conveyor (21/22/23) ； and

when the guide unit (55) is at the third or more positions， the article (100) is directed to the third branch conveyor (23) or other conveyor.
The divider mechanism according to claim 1， characterized in that， the branch conveyors (20) are structured in the same horizontal plane as the stem conveyor (10) and arranged in parallel， the driving unit (51) being configured to drive the guide unit (55) to swing.
The divider mechanism according to claim 9， characterized in that， the rotation shaft of the plate (60) is at or near the end of the stem conveyor (10) ， and the guide unit (55) is structured as a single plate (60) or two plates (60) parallel to each other.
The divider mechanism according to claim 9， characterized in that， the rotation shaft of the plate (60) is at or near the beginning of the branch conveyor (20) ， and the guide unit (55) is structured as a single plate (60) .
The divider mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and 9 to 10， characterized in that， the divider mechanism is capable of directing articles (100) to at least three branch conveyors (21， 22， 23) ， and the guide unit (55) is further capable of swinging among the first， second， and a third or more positions in order， during an interval of the adjacent articles (100) ； and

when the guide unit (55) is at the third or more positions， the article (100) is directed to the third branch conveyor (23) or other conveyor.
The divider mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and 9 to 11， characterized in that， the sensing member (30) is configured to be a photoelectric sensor.
The divider mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and 9 to 11， characterized in that， the driving unit (51) is configured to be at least one cylinder， pneumatic motor， servo motor or stepper motor.
The divider mechanism according to claim 3， 7 or 9， characterized in that， the driving unit (51) is mounted near or at the rotation shaft of the guide unit (55) .
An article handling machine comprising the divider mechanism according any one of claims 1 to 15， the stem conveyor (10) ， and the branch conveyors (20) arranged on a downstream of the stem conveyor (10) .
The article handling machine according to claim 16， characterized in that， the machine further comprises a second or more divider mechanisms， arranged on a downstream of one or more branch conveyors (20) .