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US 10,246,256 B1Granted
Parallel axis, rotary conveyance mechanism
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsTimothy Patrick Martin, Yvetta Pols Sandhu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary conveyance mechanism includes a pair of spaced apart, offset wheels and interconnecting carriages that are configured to maintain a horizontal position when the wheels are rotated. A tote presentation and management system can employ the rotary conveyance mechanism.
Claims20
A rotary conveyance mechanism for presenting totes in a horizontal orientation, the rotary conveyance mechanism comprising:
- a first circular wheel that is vertical and defines a first horizontal axis of rotation;
- a second circular wheel that is vertical and defines a second horizontal axis of rotation, the second wheel is parallel to and spaced apart from the first wheel;
- the first wheel is offset in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first and second horizontal axes of rotation by an offset dimension;
- and
- plural carriages, each one of the carriages having a body that includes a working surface for supporting a tote and each one of the carriages being connected to the first wheel at a first pivotal coupling and connected to the second wheel at a second pivotal coupling, the first pivotal coupling being spaced apart from the second pivotal coupling in the offset direction approximately by the offset dimension;
- wherein rotation of the first and second wheels rotates the carriages such that the working surface of each one of the carriages remains horizontal throughout the rotation.
3 more elements
A rotary conveyance mechanism for presenting carriages in a horizontal orientation, the rotary conveyance mechanism comprising:
- a first circular wheel that is vertical and defines a first horizontal axis of rotation;
- a second circular wheel that is vertical and defines a second horizontal axis of rotation, the second wheel is parallel to and spaced apart from the first wheel;
- the second horizontal axis of rotation is parallel to and spaced apart from the first horizontal axis of rotation in an offset direction to define an offset dimension;
- and
- plural carriages, each one of the carriages having a body that includes a working surface and each one of the carriages being connected to the first wheel at a first pivotal coupling and connected to the second wheel at a second pivotal coupling, the first pivotal coupling being spaced apart from the second pivotal coupling in the offset direction approximately by the offset dimension;
- wherein rotation of the first and second wheels rotates the carriages such that the working surface of each one of the carriages remains mutually parallel throughout the rotation.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.