# US 2016/0257501 A1 · Method and Device for Sorting Baggage, Said Device Being Capable of Handling Unstable or Irregularly Shaped Material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0257501 A1 - Document ID: US20160257501A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/028,237 - Filed: 2014-10-06 - Published: 2016-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2013-10-08 - Assignees: Fives Intralogistics Corp. - Applicants: Fives Intralogistics S.P.A. - Inventors: Lorenzo CHIEREGO; Pierangelo RUSCONI; Attilio SOLDAVINI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160257501A1 ## CPC - B65G 43/08: Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)} - B07C 1/04: Forming a stream from a bulk; Controlling the stream, e.g. spacing the articles - B65G 17/345: {the surfaces being equipped with a conveyor} - B65G 43/10: Sequence control of conveyors operating in combination - B65G 47/31: by varying the relative speeds of the conveyors forming the series - B65G 47/53: between conveyors which cross one another - B65G 47/96: Devices for tilting links or platform {(releasing load-carriers B65G47/38)} - B65G 2207/18: Crossing conveyors - B65G 2811/0626: Orientation of articles - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - B07C: POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A43D33/06, B23Q7/12) ## Abstract A method and device for sorting articles, comprising at least one station for automatically loading articles allowing transfer of the articles to one or several transport units, the station equipped with at least one means for transporting the articles and a system able to determine the position, the shape and the size of the articles, with a set of cross belt transport units, each unit provided with a supporting plate between two adjacent units. The device comprises a system allowing detection of a possible change in position of an article on a transport means during the acceleration phase. Maintaining the article in position on its unit(s) is ensured during its movement on the sorter, by supporting plates permanently ensuring supporting surface continuity between two units over a width substantially equal to the supporting surface of the belts and by the presence of vertical profiles on the belts. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for sorting articles, the device comprising: at least one loading station for automatically loading the articles, wherein each loading station comprises (i) at least one transport module for transporting the articles and (ii) a detection system to determine the position, shape, and size of the articles; a set of cross-belt transport units, each cross-belt transport unit providing a supporting surface area for articles; a supporting plate positioned between two adjacent transport units to permanently ensure continuity of a supporting surface between said two adjacent transport units over a width substantially equal to the supporting surface areas of the cross-belts; and a control system for the at least one transport module; wherein each loading station transfers the articles towards one or several of the transport units; wherein the detection system detects a change in position of an article, and the significance of the said change, on the transport module during an acceleration phase of the transport module for transferring the article on one or several transport units; and wherein the control system controls the transport module according to said change in position of the article detected by the detection system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The article sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the transport units comprise rollers for transporting the belt, the contact area of which with the belt is shorter than the belt width. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The article sorting device according to claim 2, further comprising parts with a curve surface following the profiles of the outer cylinders of the rollers allowing the portion of the belt not supported by the rollers to be maintained. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The article sorting device according to claim 3, wherein the parts with a curve surface have a slot that is tilted relative to a plane defined by the supporting surface of the articles on the transport unit for receiving the supporting plate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The article sorting device according to claim 4, wherein the transport units comprise tilt adjustment modules for adjusting the tilt of the rollers for symmetrically spacing apart the ends of the rollers. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The article sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the transport belts comprise vertical profiles for keeping the articles on the transport units during their movements on the sorting device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device according to claim 6, further comprising monitoring and control pieces of equipment for detecting the position of the vertical profiles and positioning the belts before the loading station and during the loading of the articles in order to place the articles between vertical profiles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The device according to claim 7, wherein the monitoring and control pieces of equipment are able to detect a movement of the vertical profiles of a belt when an article is transported and to act on a driving motor of the belt in order to position the vertical profiles in their optimum transport position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the transport module of said at least one station for automatically loading articles may be reversed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An article sorting method using the device according to claim 1 comprising: detecting, with the detection system, a change in position of the article on the transport module during the acceleration phase of the transport module for transferring the article onto one or several transport units; and controlling, with the control system, the transport module according to the detected change in position of an article. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein: if the detected change in position of the article is too significant for allowing its automatic handling by the transport units, the loading station discharges it towards a manual processing area; if the detected change in position of the article is small, the loading station varies the speed of the transport module to dynamically correct the position of the article on this transport module to find a position compatible with the transfer on the transport units; or if the detected change in position of the article is significant, the loading station sends the article upstream from the detection system to allow determination of a new position of the article and to re-initiate a sequence for loading at a reduced speed towards one or several transport units. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the transport module comprises several transport belts, and wherein the variation of the speed of the transport module, in the case of detection of a small change in position of the article, comprises varying the speed of at least one of the transport belts. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) An article sorting method using the device according to claim 6 comprising: detecting, with the detection system, a change in position of the article on the transport module during the acceleration phase of the transport module for transferring the article onto one or several transport units; controlling, with the control system, the transport module according to the detected change in position of an article; and pre-positioning the belts equipped with vertical profiles before the loading station and moving the belts during the transfer of the articles onto the transport units to place the articles between vertical profiles when they are found on the transport unit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) An article sorting method using the device according to claim 8 comprising: detecting, with the detection system, a change in position of the article on the transport module during the acceleration phase of the transport module for transferring the article onto one or several transport units; controlling, with the control system, the transport module according to the detected change in position of an article; pre-positioning the belts equipped with vertical profiles before the loading station and moving the belts during the transfer of the articles onto the transport units to place the articles between vertical profiles when they are found on the transport unit; and detecting movement of the vertical profiles of the belt, and if movement of the vertical profiles is detected when the article is transported, an action is performed on the motor of the belt to position the vertical profiles in their optimum transport position. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The article sorting method according to claim 13, wherein long articles are placed on at least two adjacent transport units, ensuring the positioning of the long articles between the vertical profiles of said at least two transport units.