Grid sorter
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorMatthew L. Fourney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A grid sorter for discharging articles received from many inputs to selected discharge destinations. The grid sorter comprises a rectangular grid of parallel conveyor lines. Each line has a series of bidirectional conveyors fed articles by infeed conveyors at each end of the line. Omnidirectional-roller sorters, at the intersections of the conveyor lines, can pass articles received from one line in multiple directions: along that same line; in either direction to an intersecting line; or obliquely to a selected discharge between lines. Omnidirectional rollers in the omnidirectional-roller sorters are controlled by a controller to push articles in selected directions to predetermined discharge destinations.
Claims15
A grid sorter comprising:
- a plurality of first conveyor lines arranged in parallel in a first direction and including series of first conveyors;
- a plurality of second conveyor lines arranged in parallel in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and including series of second conveyors, wherein the first and second conveyor lines intersect at a plurality of intersections to form a grid;
- wherein at least some of the first and second conveyors are omnidirectional-roller sorters disposed at selected intersections, each of the omnidirectional-roller sorters including a plurality of omnidirectional rollers;
- a controller controlling the omnidirectional rollers to direct articles along selected conveying paths on the omnidirectional-roller sorters;
- a plurality of discharges adjacent at least some of the omnidirectional-roller sorters in the first and second conveyor lines to receive articles from the omnidirectional-roller sorters.
A grid sorter comprising:
- a plurality of first conveyor lines arranged in parallel in a first direction and including a plurality of first bidirectional conveyors operable to convey articles in or opposite to the first direction;
- a plurality of second conveyor lines arranged in parallel in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and including a plurality of second bidirectional conveyors operable to convey articles in or opposite to the second direction, wherein the first and second conveyor lines intersect at a plurality of intersections to form a grid;
- a plurality of omnidirectional-roller sorters, each disposed at one of the intersections between two of the bidirectional conveyors in one of the first conveyor lines and between two of the bidirectional conveyors in one of the second conveyor lines, each of the omnidirectional-roller sorters including a plurality of omnidirectional rollers controllable to direct conveyed articles along selected conveying paths on the omnidirectional-roller sorter;
- a plurality of discharges disposed in the grid between the first and second conveyor lines to receive articles from the omnidirectional-roller sorters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.