# US 9,038,815 B2 · Article sorting and conveying device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,038,815 B2 - Document ID: US9038815B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/114,130 - Filed: 2012-04-26 - Published: 2014-02-13 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2011-04-27 - Assignees: Sinfonia Technology Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Tetsuyuki Kimura; Yasushi Muragishi - Inventors: Tetsuyuki Kimura; Yasushi Muragishi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9038815B2 ## CPC - B65G 27/32: with means for controlling direction, frequency or amplitude of vibration or shaking movement - B07B 13/113: {shaking tables (for wet separating B03B5/04; tables with water impulse B03B5/70; pneumatic tables B03B4/02; moving screens B07B1/28)} - B65G 27/24: Electromagnetic devices - B65G 47/26: arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual 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) - B07B: SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL (wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B03; combinations of dry separating apparatus with wet separating apparatus B03B; using liquids B03B, B03D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04; hand sorting, postal sorting, sorting by switching or other devices actuated in response to detection or measurement of some feature of articles or samples of material B07C) ## Abstract An article sorting and conveying device that conveys articles by the vibrations of a movable body provided through an elastic support unit, includes a first vibration unit that imparts a periodic vibration force to the movable body in a direction inclined from a vertical direction; a second vibration unit that imparts a periodic vibration force in a direction crossing the periodic vibration force by the first vibration unit; and a vibration control unit that causes a periodic vibration force imparted by each vibration unit to have a phase difference and occur simultaneously at the same frequency, and that creates an elliptical vibration trajectory in the movable body. The articles are sorted and conveyed on the movable body by setting the vibration trajectory of the movable body by the vibration control unit such that articles having a different coefficient of friction are conveyed in different directions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An article sorting and conveying device that is provided with a movable body provided on a substrate through an elastic support unit and that conveys the articles loaded on the movable body by the vibrations of the movable body, comprising: a first vibration unit that imparts a periodic vibration force to the movable body in a direction inclined from a vertical direction; a second vibration unit that imparts a periodic vibration force to the movable body in a direction crossing the periodic vibration force by the first vibration unit; and a vibration control unit that controls each vibration unit to cause a periodic vibration force imparted by each vibration unit to have a phase difference and occur simultaneously at the same frequency, and to create an elliptical vibration trajectory in the movable body, wherein the articles are sorted and conveyed on the movable body by setting the vibration trajectory of the movable body by the vibration control unit such that articles having a different coefficient of friction are conveyed in different directions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The article sorting and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a guide that moves the sorted articles along a predetermined trajectory is provided on the movable body. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The article sorting and conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a vibration switching unit that switches the vibration trajectory of the movable body with a different vibration trajectory is provided such that the vibration switching unit internally stores data of a phase difference according to which articles having a different coefficient of friction are conveyed in a different direction, and data of a phase difference according to which articles having a different coefficient of friction are conveyed in the same direction, which constitutes the phase difference of the periodic vibration force by each of the vibration unit, and also switches the phase difference in accordance with a signal input from outside. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The article sorting and conveying device according to claim 2, wherein a vibration switching unit that switches the vibration trajectory of the movable body with a different vibration trajectory is provided such that the vibration switching unit internally stores data of a phase difference according to which articles having a different coefficient of friction are conveyed in a different direction, and data of a phase difference according to which articles having a different coefficient of friction are conveyed in the same direction, which constitutes the phase difference of the periodic vibration force by each of the vibration unit, and also switches the phase difference in accordance with a signal input from outside. ### Claim 5 An article sorting and conveying device, comprising: a substrate; an intermediate bench that is elastically supported relative to the substrate by a plurality of first rod-shaped springs provided almost parallel and at an inclination with respect to a vertical direction; a movable body that is elastically supported relative to the intermediate bench by second rod-shaped springs provided almost parallel to the first rod-shaped springs, and on top of which is formed a conveyance surface on which the articles are loaded and conveyed; a first vibration unit and a second vibration unit each of which imparts a periodic vibration force from the intermediate bench side to the movable body in a first direction and a second direction that cross each other and are perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the second rod-shaped springs; and a vibration control unit that controls each vibration unit to cause a periodic vibration force imparted by each vibration unit to have a phase difference and occur simultaneously at the same frequency, and to create an elliptical vibration trajectory in the movable body, wherein a center of gravity of the movable body is configured to almost match the center of gravity of the intermediate bench, and the articles are sorted and conveyed on the movable body by setting the vibration trajectory of the movable body by the vibration control unit such that articles having a different coefficient of friction are conveyed in different directions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The article sorting and conveying device according to claim 5, wherein the movable body is configured by: a lower movable bench arranged downward of the intermediate bench; a conveyance bench arranged upward of the intermediate bench and including the conveyance surface; and a connecting member that connects the lower movable bench and the conveyance bench.