Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Separating means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-29
2004-11-02
Walsh, Donald P (Department: 3653)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Separating means
C209S369000, C209S673000, C209S296000, C209S299000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06811035
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The invention relates to a device for sorting flat-area piece goods, such as packets, packages, letters, etc. The device has a drum cylinder open towards its outside at both faces, mounted at an angle to rotate on a bearing body. The mantle surface of the cylinder is structured with longitudinal rollers that rotate about their longitudinal axis, and arranged at a distance from one another, mounted on annular flanges.
Flat-area piece goods, such as packets, packages, and letters, must be sorted with reference to their destination, or town, to allow effective further handling or delivery. Postal codes, in particular, serve as a sorting parameter for packets, packages, letters, etc.
The piece goods arrive in the form of bulk goods, mixed up with one another and on top of one another, in all directions. These piece goods must consequently be sorted and separated by size, and also sorted, to determine the individual sorting parameter assigned to the piece goods, and to be able to sort the piece goods appropriately.
Sorting the piece goods by size is practical if broken up by thickness. These piece goods can be sorted by area, for example, the format or surface area of the piece goods, which preferably have rectangular surfaces.
To sort flat-area piece goods based on area or thickness, sorting devices have generally become known, wherein the piece goods must first be separated along a long sorting line, arranged one behind the other, using conveyor belts. Subsequently, the separated piece goods, conveyed in a line one behind the other, are branched off towards the side or towards the top using special and complicated grasping and/or transport mechanisms to sort them by thickness or by area. These sorting devices are complicated in their design, tend to break down, and have defects. In addition, these devices require a significant amount of set-up area, and throughput or sorting output.
A device for separating individual parts with different shapes and sizes by machine, particularly injection-molded parts, is known from German Patent DE 26 37 851 B1. This device consists of a drum cylinder that is open on both faces, mounted at a slant, so as to rotate. The mantle surface of this design is composed of longitudinal rods mounted in two lateral rings so as to rotate about their longitudinal axis. The rods are arranged at a distance from one another, wherein the rods are structured as mantle rollers that rotate counter to the rotation direction of the drum cylinder.
It is true that this device is practical for separating injection-molded parts into smaller and larger parts. However, it does not meet the special requirements that exist associated with sorting flat-area piece goods, particularly letters.
Only a low sorting output or a poor sorting quality can be achieved with this device for piece goods that easily slide on one another. This problem can be further reinforced due to undesirable catching or jamming of the flat-area piece goods in the mantle slits that can continue to occur, so that permanent disruptions of the sorting process can also occur.
Furthermore, drum devices for sorting flat-area piece goods have become generally known, which have a plurality of longitudinal plates at the mantle circumference. These plates are arranged at a certain incline angle relative to one another, leaving a mantle slit for the piece goods to be sorted out. Undesirable jamming of the flat-area piece goods can occur at the plate edges, in the region of the opening slits, with the possibility of significant damage to the goods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a task of the invention to create a device which has a simple structure and with which large amounts of piece goods, particularly letters, can be sorted with a high sorting output and a low risk of damage.
The invention relates to a system that has longitudinal rollers that are arranged as steps that extend towards the inside, formed in each instance by a roller arrangement of longitudinal rollers.
The main point of this design is so that the roller mantle has longitudinal rollers that are offset towards the inside. Because of the steps that are formed as a result, the backward slippage of the piece goods that otherwise occur due to gravity when the cylinder is rotated about its longitudinal axis is reduced, and the piece goods are transported further upward within the drum. When this happens, the piece goods can be placed in a more upright position, so that it is easier for them to fall through the gap formed between the steps, such as the roller arrangements. As a result of these measures, which appear to be comparatively simple, the sorting output is clearly increased, without any damage to the flat-area piece goods occurring. Therefore, large amounts of piece goods can be effectively sorted within a short period of time.
The flat-area piece goods can be continuously fed to the drum cylinder, and the piece goods which can be rolled about in the drum can be separated with a high level of sorting quality. Constant sorting can be performed whereby a first part of the piece goods can fall down through the mantle slits, while a second part of piece goods with a greater thickness can be transported away, preferably through one of the face openings of the drum. Further transport of the piece goods within the rotating drum occurs in a simple manner, supported by the force of gravity, as a result of the drum's slanted position in the longitudinal direction. Thus, in this manner, the piece goods are moved along upward a short distance within the drum mantle, during a rotation of the drum. The pieces then fall back, and slowly move in the direction of the drum's longitudinal axis, in the direction of one of the face openings, in accordance with the slanted position of the drum cylinder, where the piece goods with a greater thickness can be transported away.
It is practical if every roller arrangement has the same number of longitudinal rollers, thereby resulting in an advantageous, uniformly good sorting output over the drum circumference.
It is furthermore practical if each of the roller arrangements comprise at least three longitudinal rollers. The outside circumference of these three roller is arranged in a common flat plane. In this way, there can be advantageous guide conditions for piece goods that essentially have small areas. Thus, the sorting output that is also further improved.
According to a practical further development, adjacent roller arrangements extend inward in the rotation direction of the drum cylinder, leaving a passage gap for the piece goods to be sorted out. In addition, adjacent roller arrangements can overlap inward, at least partially, forming a passage gap for the piece goods to be sorted out. With this design, at least one longitudinal roller of each roller arrangement, overlaps at least one longitudinal roller of a directly adjacent roller arrangement, towards the inside. As a result of the above measures, the sorting output and the sorting quality can be further increased.
At least one of the longitudinal rollers should be assigned to be a step, and can be put into rotation about its longitudinal axis via a drive. In this way, the sorting process can be influenced and supported in targeted manner, so that an even greater sorting output is possible.
A set of longitudinal rollers can be put into rotation about their longitudinal axes by the drive and can rotate about their longitudinal axes with the rotation direction of the drum cylinder in a first circumference region. In a second circumferential region, these longitudinal rollers can be put into rotation about their longitudinal axes opposite to the rotation direction of the drum cylinder. In this way, the sorting output can be further effectively increased, without any damage to the piece goods occurring and without any lasting disruption of the sorting process as the result of any wedging of the piece goods that might occur in the region of the passage slits.
In addition, the drive of the longitudinal rollers can comprise at least o
Axmann Fordertechnik GmbH
Collard & Roe PC
Schlak Daniel K
Walsh Donald P
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