Automated system and method for transporting and sorting articles

A conveyor system for transporting and sorting articles, comprising:

• a primary conveyor track on which said articles are placed for transport and sorting;
• a plurality of secondary conveyor tracks intersecting the primary conveyor track at selected locations therealong;
• a plurality of diverter means mounted adjacent to respective ones of said secondary conveyor tracks for diverting selected ones of said articles from the primary conveyor track to corresponding selected ones of said secondary conveyor tracks;
• and
• control means for automatically operating said diverter means to divert selected ones of said articles to said corresponding selected secondary conveyor tracks and to allow other ones of said articles to continue along said primary conveyor track, said control means comprising:
• means for entering into said control means track information for each article corresponding to the particular secondary conveyor track to which each article is to be diverted;
• means for inputting and storing said track information for each article in parallel substantially simultaneously at selected ones of a plurality of discrete locations in said storage means, each of said discrete locations being associated with a correspond one of said secondary conveyor tracks, so that track information for each article on the primary conveyor track is stored in parallel substantially simultaneously in only those discrete locations which are associated with the particular secondary conveyor track down which the article will be diverted and those secondary conveyor tracks which intersect the primary conveyor track upstream of that particular secondary conveyor track, each discrete location having stored therein track information for those articles which will arrive at the corresponding secondary conveyor track in a sequence corresponding to the sequence in which said articles will arrive at the corresponding secondary conveyor track;
• detector means positioned at selected locations along said primary track in proximity to respective ones of said diverter means for detecting the presence of articles at said selected locations and for generating respective electrical signals indicative thereof, each of said detector means being associated with a corresponding one of said diverter means and said secondary tracks;
• means for comparing track information for the article which will be first to arrive at each secondary track with the identity of that particular secondary track;
• and
• means responsive to said electrical signals generated by said detector means for selectively operating the diverter means to position each of the diverter means to divert said first article to arrive at the corresponding secondary track to the corresponding secondary track when the track information for said article matches the identity of the corresponding secondary track, irrespective of the actual location of said first article on the primary track, and for selectively operating the respective diverter means to position each of the diverter arms to allow said first article to continue along the primary track when the track information for said first article does not match the identity of the corresponding secondary track.

A method of sorting articles in a conveyor system having a primary track on which articles are initially loaded, a plurality of secondary tracks intersecting the primary track at selected locations therealong and a plurality of diverter means, each of which is associated with a corresponding one of said plurality of secondary tracks, for diverting selected ones of said articles to the respective secondary tracks, said method comprising the steps of:

• entering track information into said conveyor system for each article on the primary track corresponding to the particular secondary track to which each article is to be diverted;
• providing storage means having discrete locations therein for storing track information;
• assingning one of said discrete locations in said storage means to a corresponding one of said secondary tracks;
• inputting and storing said track information for each article in parallel substantially simultaneously at selected ones of said discrete locations in said storage means so that track information for each article is stored in parallel substantially simultaneously in only those discrete locations which are associated with the particular secondary track down which the article will be diverted and those secondary tracks which intersect the primary track upstream of the particular secondary track down which the article will be diverted and each discrete location has stored therein track information for those articles which will arrive at the corresponding secondary track in a sequence corresponding to the sequence in which said articles will arrive at the corresponding secondary track;
• detecting the presence of articles at selected locations along the primary track and generating respective electrical signals indicative thereof, said selected locations being in proximity to respective ones of said diverter means so that each of said detector means is associated with a corresponding one of said diverter means and said secondary tracks;
• comparing track information for the article which will be first to arrive at each secondary track with the identity of that particular secondary track;
• and
• selectively operating the diverter means in response to said electrical signals to position each of the diverter means to divert said first article to arrive at the corresponding secondary track to the corresponding secondary track when the track information for said first article matches the identity of the corresponding secondary track, irrespective of the actual location of said first article on said primary track, and alternatively to position each of the diverter means to allow said first article to continue along the primary track when the track information for said first article does not match the identity of the corresponding secondary track.