Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Separating means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-28
2002-06-11
Walsh, DAvid P. (Department: 3653)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Separating means
C198S367100, C198S531000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06401936
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding items such as mail pieces into a sorting system, which system includes subsystems for singulation of mail pieces such as parcels.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In high volume product handling operations, such as mail handling and similar processing, large quantities of items such as boxes, parcels packages or parts often varying widely in size, must be inducted into a sorter systems. Typically, a feeder system for use in such processing areas takes a disordered stream of items fed to it on a conveyor and inducts the items onto a sorter system. The feeder system ideally should perform several functions. To the maximum extent possible, the feeder should singulate disordered items in order to present the articles to downstream processing equipment, such as a sorter, one at a time with a minimum specified spacing or separation between product items. The feeder system must also read destination information from the item so that the control system for the sort can track it through the system and sort it correctly. In the U.S., scannable bar codes are used for this purpose. A third important function is intercepting and removing items which are non-machinable because they are too large, too heavy or the like from the system for special handling.
Singulation is an essential first step in the handling and sorting product items such as boxes, parcels or soft packages. Singulation is a process whereby a randomly input stream of items moving on a conveyor system is separated into a stream of single items spaced from each other so that an downstream process can readily perform operations on each item one at a time. Mixed item streams are a particular challenge in that a mixed material stream may include packages that vary greatly in size and may be piled at random one upon another, forming agglomerates of packages that are difficult to detect and separate.
According to one previously proposed method for singulation of mail, an inclined ramp with holes for applying suction is provided. Letters are allowed to slide down the ramp and then suction is applied to hold them in place on the slide. The suction is then selectively released in order to release one item at a time. See Interim Report For Phase I, U.S. Postal Service Contract 104230-85-H-0002, Apr. 5, 1985, ElectroCom Automation, Inc., pages 3-10 to 3-13. This method provides one form of singulation, but is of doubtful utility for larger items that may be difficult to hold effectively using suction and that may tend to tumble down a slide, possibly evading the effect of suction and leaving the singulator prematurely. The system according to the present invention addresses these difficulties.
The invention further provides a variety of innovations useful in sorting system as described in the summary and detailed description which follow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a system for feeding items to a sorter includes a first conveyor that conveys a stream of items to be sorted, a mechanical singulator that receives the stream of items from the conveyor and singulates the items, an automated system for detection and removal from the stream items which exceed predetermined physical limitations associated with the sorter, a scanner for reading destination indicia on each item, a second conveyor for conveying each item for induction to the sorter, and optionally a labeler that labels each item with a label readable by the sorter, which label identifies a sorting destination that corresponds to the read destination indicia.
Such a system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes a first singulator section having an infeed end that receives a disordered stream of non-flat, three-dimensional articles, at least one conveyor, and a system associated with the conveyor for mechanically increasing spacing between the articles moving along the conveyor without need to track positions of individual articles on the conveyor. A second singulator section includes at least one conveyor, a detection system that identifies individual articles as each passes through the second singulator section, and a control system that selectively actuates portions of the conveyor of the second section in response to position data from the detection system to remove articles from the second singulator one at a time.
An article sorting method for feeding items to a sorter according to the invention comprises the steps of conveying a stream of items such as mail pieces on a conveyor to an automated singulator, singulating the items using the singulator, detecting and removing from the stream items which exceed predetermined physical limitations associated with the sorter, reading destination indicia on each item, and conveying each item for induction to the sorter for sorting in accordance with the read destination indicia. Each item may further be labeled with a label readable by the sorter, which label identifies a sorting destination that corresponds to the read destination indicia.
In another aspect, the invention comprises a singulation system including a first singulator section having an infeed end that receives a disordered stream of non-flat, three-dimensional articles, at least one conveyor, and a system associated with the conveyor for mechanically increasing spacing between the articles moving along the conveyor without need to track positions of individual articles on the conveyor. A second singulator section receives the stream of articles from the first singulator section, the second section including at least one conveyor and a detection system that identifies individual articles as the articles pass through the second singulator section. A control system selectively actuates portions of the conveyor of the second section in response to position data from the detection system in a manner effective to remove articles from the second singulator one at a time. The first singulator section may include first and second conveyors disposed end to end so that articles leaving the first conveyor are received by the second conveyor, the second conveyor moving at a greater speed than the first conveyor.
Such a two-stage singulation process may be characterized as successive coarse and fine singulation operations that improve singulation efficiency. For purposes of the present invention, “coarse” singulation refers to a mechanical process which tends to singulate a disordered stream of items by attenuation of the stream (increase in spacing between items) but which does not track items individually. “Fine” singulation refers to a process wherein individual items traversing the singulator are identified and/or tracked with a detection system such as a vision system, and controls are used to affect the stream in a manner that ensures or at least promotes singulation, for example, by diverting items back to ensure delivery of items from the system one at a time. Thus, a fine singulating step includes monitoring individual items traversing the system. Spacing of items in the disordered stream may be monitored with a detection system such as a vision system, and input from the vision system is used to control the system and to promote separation of items into an ordered one-by-one stream. The vision system may be used to identify and track individual items passing through the system.
Successive coarse and fine singulation operations are particularly useful for recycling and separating “doubles” or “multiples,” namely two or more items in continuous material stream that are overlapping, side-by-side or consecutive without sufficient spacing. For this purpose, the coarse singulation step or section may further include a step of dropping items off of one conveyor and onto another in a manner that would tend to break up doubles, but of sufficiently short distance that damage to the items is minimal.
Thus, the invention provides a method of singulating a group of items includes the steps of introducing a disordered stream of items onto a coar
Isaacs Gerald A.
Kugle Mitchell H.
Kugle Stephen T.
Mondie George M.
Neff M. Wayne
Jones David A
Jorgenson Edward
Kugle Mitchell H.
Philip G. Meyers Intellectual Property Law, P.C.
Siemens ElectroCom L.P.
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