US 5,207,331 A · Automatic system and method for sorting and stacking reusable cartons

Abstract

A system and method for automatically processing a supply of cartons, in flattened form and of different types, in accordance with a selectable number of plural, different and separately identifiable carton types. Unsorted cartons are removed in successive layers from stacks thereof and transported in serial succession along a transport path. Sorting modules are disposed along the transport path, each including respectively associated routing and stacking devices individually predesignated to receive and stack a given, identifiable carton type. A system controller tracks the progress of each carton, simultaneously for plural cartons, along the transport path and when a match of the carton type with a predesignated stacking device is determined, actuates the associated routing device to route a carton of a matching type from the transport path and to the associated stacking device for stacking. The system controller monitors the stack content of each stacking device and, when a first matching stacking device is full, automatically routes successive cartons of the common type to an alternate and commonly predesignated stacking device, if available. One or more overflow stacking devices is predesignated to receive identified cartons for which no stacking device has been predesignated and/or for which all matched stacking devices are full. Cartons which are not identifiable or which do not satisfy acceptable carton condition criteria are automatically transported to a reject bin.

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Claims29

Dependent claims

A system for automatically processing a supply of cartons, in flattened form, in accordance with a selectable number of plural, different and separately identifiable carton types, the supply including plural, unsorted cartons of random different types, comprising:

means for receiving unsorted cartons from the supply thereof and for transporting the received, unsorted cartons in a continuing, serial succession in a transport direction along a transport path, the transport direction thereby defining a leading edge and a trailing edge of each transported carton and said transporting means establishing and maintaining at least a minimum spacing between the trailing edge of a given carton and the leading edge of a next successive carton as received and transported thereby;
means for storing identification data respectively corresponding to the selectively designated different carton types, each carton type having respective, specific length and height dimensions and, relatively thereto, a specified and required orientation in the transport path;
means, disposed at a carton orienting position disposed along said transport path, for detecting the initial orientation of each carton, relative to the length and height dimensions thereof and as received on and transported by said receiving and transporting means, and for automatically establishing a required orientation of the carton for subsequent transport of the carton along the transport path;
means, disposed at a carton identifying position along said transport path, for sensing identifying data from each carton and for comparing the sensed identifying data with the stored identification data to determine a match therebetween and, for each carton having such matching data, for thereby identifying the carton as a specific one of the separately identifiable carton types;
sorting means, disposed at a sorting position subsequent to said first and second positions along said transport path, for sorting said identified cartons by type and including respectively associated routing and stacking means, said routing means being selectively operable for routing a carton from the serial succession thereof being transported along the transport path and into, and for receipt by, the associated stacking means and the associated stacking means being selectively operable for stacking the received cartons in successive, plural carton layers;
means for selectively designating each stacking means in accordance with a respective and separately identifiable carton type to be received therein and stacked thereby;
and
control means, responsive to said carton type designations of said selectively designating means, for tracking the identified cartons of the serial succession thereof during transport thereof along the transport path and for selectively actuating the associated routing means of a stacking means designated to receive a carton of a given, identifiable carton type, when an identified carton of that given type is at the corresponding sorting position in the transport path, to route the carton from the transport path into, and for receipt by, the associated stacking means.

5 more elements

A method for automatically processing a supply of cartons, in flattened form, in accordance with a selectable number of plural, different and separately identifiable carton types, the supply including plural, unsorted cartons of random different types, comprising:

receiving selected, unsorted cartons from the supply thereof;
transporting the received, unsorted cartons in a continuing, serial succession in a transport direction along a transport path, the transport direction thereby defining a leading edge and a trailing edge of each transported carton and said transporting means establishing and maintaining at least a minimum spacing between the trailing edge of a given carton and the leading edge of a next successive carton, as received and transported thereby;
storing identification data respectively corresponding to the separately identifiable, different carton types, each identifiable carton type having respective, specific length and height dimensions and, relatively thereto, a specified and required orientation in the transport path;
at one selected position along said transport path, detecting the initial orientation of each carton, relative to the length and height dimensions thereof and as received on and transported by said receiving and transporting means and with respect to the required orientation of the carton for subsequent transport of the carton along the transport path, and automatically reorienting each carton for which the initial orientation is incorrect to the required orientation;
at another selected position along said transport path, sensing identifying data from each carton and comparing the sensed identifying data with the stored identification data thereby to determine a match therebetween and, for each carton having such matching data, identifying the carton as a specific one of the separately identifiable carton types;
selectively designating stacking locations for respective, separately identifiable carton types, at each of which designated stacking locations a stack of identified cartons of the respective, matching and therefor common type is to be stacked in successive layers;
defining routing positions along the transport path respectively corresponding to the designated stacking locations;
determining a match of each identified carton, by type, with corresponding, designated stacking locations;
and
tracking the identified cartons of the serial succession thereof during transport thereof along the transport path and, at the routing position associated with a designated stacking location matching the type of an identified carton being transported along the transport path, routing the carton from the transport path to the respective stacking location of the matching type and stacking successive said routed, matching cartons in successive carton layers at the stacking location.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description15,065 words

Summary1,387 words

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to a system and method for automatically sorting collapsed cartons, based on carton size and/or type, for inspecting each carton, e.g., to assess integrity and other criteria as to suitability of the carton for purposes of reuse, and for stacking the sorted cartons in corresponding stacks of uniform carton size and/or type and in a desired orientation, thereby facilitating subsequent reuse of the cartons.

#2. State of the Relevant Art

Brief description of the drawings17 figures

#FIG. 1 is a plan view, in block diagram form, of the system of the invention and including, in a "T" configuration and as basic components, an input queue module (IQM), a destacker module (DM) and an output queue module (OQM) arranged in serial sequence along the short leg of the "T", a modular conveyor (C-) which extends from the destacker module transversely thereto and thus along the long dimension of the "T", and which transports cartons, in serial sequence and in a transport direction TR, past an orientation, identification and inspection module and plural, successive sorting modules;

#FIG. 2A is a schematic illustration of two different layers of cartons manually placed on respective pallets for subsequent, automated sorting and stacking in accordance with the invention and FIGS. 2B and 2C respectively illustrate two different sets of respective different sizes of cartons such as would be employed by two different manufacturers, exemplary of the carton types and corresponding identification and sorting requirements thus presented;

#FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the destacker module and of associated portions of the input and output queue modules;

Detailed description13,172 words

#The automatic carton sorting and stacking system 10 of the invention is of modular construction wherein individual modules, as later detailed, may operate asynchronously while overall, coordinated system operation is maintained by means of system controller 12 (SC 12). The various modules and components thereof are identified by acronyms in FIG. 1 and, as appropriate, in the remaining drawings, as indicated in the following.

#Sorting modules 60, which are identical and of which three are illustrated, are designated as sorting modules I, II, III (SMI, SMII, SMIII) with respective signal racks (SMI-RK, SMII-RK, SMIII-RK) and respective, first and second routing submodules 62; the first and second routing submodules (RS) 62, of each sorting module 60, respectively comprise a first pair of left and right such routing submodules (respectively, RS1L, RS1R) with a corresponding submodule of the conveyor 30 therebetween (C-SMI(1)) and a second pair of left and right such routing submodules (respectively, RS2L and RS2R) with an associated submodule of conveyor 30 therebetween (C-SMI(2)); the four routing submodules 62 of a given sorting module 60 are operated individually and selectively by the system controller 12 to route a carton, which has been identified and satisfactorily inspected, to a corresponding one of four associated stacker bins 66 (SB) including, correspondingly, a first pair of left and right stacker bins 66 (respectively, SB1L and SB1R) and a second such pair of left and right stacker bins 66 (respectively, SB2L and SB2R). As will be further explained, a carton which is not designated to have a destination in one of the four stacker bins 66 of a given sorting module accordingly is passed through that module to a next succeeding module, e.g., from SMI to SMII, SMIII, . . . until arriving at the appropriate and matching predesignated stacker bin of the subsequent module, as controlled by the system controller 12. Cartons which are not identified or are unacceptable for reuse (i.e., "rejects," as later explained) are transported by the modular conveyor 30 to a reject bin 8.

#With respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A, pallets 14 (14' 14") are of uniform size, typically rectangular, and thus having a longer (length, or longitudinal) dimension 14L and a shorter (width) dimension 14H--have stacks 16 of flattened cartons thereon, each stack 16 comprising multiple layers of flattened such cartons. In FIG. 2A there is illustrated a pallet 14' having a layer of two smaller cartons 17 thereon, having respective length and height dimensions 17L and 17H and on the top layer of the stack 16 on the pallet 14", a single, larger and flattened carton 18 having length and height dimensions 18L and 18H. The term "longitudinal dimension" as used herein means the greater dimension of the flattened carton, i.e., its "length", whereas "horizontal dimension" as used means the shorter dimension and thus the "height" of the flattened carton.

Automatic system and method for sorting and stacking reusable cartons

Life of this patent

Automatic system and method for sorting and stacking reusable cartons

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

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Claims29

Description15,065 words

Drawings

Classification3 codes

Life of this patent

Description15,065 words