Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Condition responsive means controls separating means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-10
2004-01-13
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Condition responsive means controls separating means
C209S912000, C414S237000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06677548
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a sorting method for sorting objects in a sorting installation in a plurality of sort runs. The invention also relates to sorting installations for sorting a plurality of objects in at least three sort runs, comprising: an inputting station for inputting the objects that are to be sorted into the sorting installation; an outputting station for outputting the objects that are to be sorted from the sorting installation; and a plurality of parking sections on which the objects are respectively parked until a given sort run has ended. Furthermore, the invention relates to a sorting system which combines a plurality of the aforesaid sorting installations with one another.
In general terms a sorting installation is designed to put quantities of articles that cover a large number of variations into a pre-defined sequence, using installation hardware designed to be as “lean” as possible. The sorting installation is customised to suit the user's requirements in terms of its sorting output per hour and number of parts per sort run. The sorting output per hour is a variable that depends on the conveying speed of the conveying media and the necessary spacing of the items being conveyed, e.g. in order to interpose sets of points between them. The number of parts per sort run is a variable that is adapted to the user's requirements and comprises, say, a delivery date or delivery run, one or more customers within this delivery, a required customer sequence, an article sequence specific to the customer such as sorting by article, colour, size or some other features, etc. The sorting installation may be integrated into existing types of organisers in order to carry out precisely this task. It is necessary to feed the articles for sorting into the system via an interpolation station and notify them to the installation's control system via a reading station.
Corresponding sorting installations and associated sorting methods are for example known from the publication WO 95/27672. A schematised view of such a sorting installation is represented in FIG.
10
. In the case of these sorting installations a plurality of parking sections S
1
, S
2
and S
3
are arranged one behind the other, along which the objects O
1
, O
2
, O
3
can be parked behind the respective associated parking section stoppers St
1
, St
2
and St
3
. Different groups of objects O are parked on each of the parking sections S. Preliminary sorting into group categories can take place when the objects O are input, whereas the subsequent sort runs put the objects O into the correct sequence within the groups. Relocators R
1
, R
2
and R
3
take the objects that are to be sorted from a transfer section to the respective parking sections S. In this way a very compact sorting installation can be accomplished with a large number of decision-making points, leading to the desired sorting result.
The only drawback of this is that where a plurality of sort runs are required, before each new sort run the objects parked one behind the other have to be brought back into the starting position onto the preliminary storage section V and there held up by the preliminary storage stopper StV ahead of the first relocator R
1
, so as to be able to begin a new sort run. To put this another way, the parking sections S have to be cleared, all the objects O placed in a queue one behind the other, and to perform the next sort run then separated once again, i.e. released one by one from the starting position, in order to be guided by relocators R from the transfer section back to the individual parking sections. This operation is repeated as often as necessary. The maximum number of objects for sorting depends on the number of parking sections and the number of sort runs. The possible, though not essential, preliminary sorting operation, i.e. division into groups in a buffer store, where each group may contain one or more sort run groups, does not count as a sort run. What is meant here by a sort run is a sorting step that contains a step resulting in the objects not only being allocated to individual groups but also being put into the correct sequence within these groups. Both the final division of the objects into the individual groups, i.e. parking sections, and the creation of the correct sequence within these groups can only be concluded once the last sorting step has been performed.
Furthermore, so-called cascade sorting installations are known from the prior art. One such sorting installation is schematised in FIG.
11
. Sorting installations of this kind are distinguished by cascades of parking sections connected in series, which in the drawing are designated as S
1
A . . . S
4
A; S
1
B . . . S
4
B and S
1
C . . . S
4
C. The numbers 1 to 4 respectively designate the number of the parking section within a cascade, and the letters A, B, C the cascade. A sort run is characterised by the transfer of the objects from a first cascade A of parking sections S
1
A-S
4
A arranged parallel to one another to the next cascade B, and so on as far as the last cascade, here C, the objects divided in sequence by groups between the various parking sections and sorted into sequence being taken thereto and removed therefrom. Filling the first block starting from a preliminary sorting section or by direct input also counts as a sort run (1st sort run). Therefore a number of cascades of parking sections that corresponds to the number of sort runs must be provided. The advantage with these cascade-type sorting installations is that they eliminate the need for a time-delay by returning the objects to the starting position before each new sort run, and the sort run takes place by direct transfer from one cascade to the next and so on. This prior art does, however, have the drawback that the space taken up by these sorting installations (constructional volume) is very great, for as many cascades must be provided as sort runs are necessary. Thus the costs of building and running them are also high, for each cascade essentially necessitates the full building cost of an entire sorting installation, with parking sections, parking controller, and segregator. Moreover, such cascade-type sorting installations are relatively inflexible because, as mentioned, the maximum number of sort runs is predetermined from an engineering aspect by the number of cascades, and the number of sections per cascade reflects the possible sorting criteria per sort run. A disadvantage also stems from the fact that the objects to be sorted must be supplied to the system in an orderly manner and already in groups.
DE 690 26 794 T2 discloses a sorting installation having a main conveying line, a main unloading line and a plurality of parking sections which are connected to the main conveying line and the main unloading line and on which the objects that are for sorting are respectively parked until a given sort run has finished.
From DE 197 09 232 A1 a sorting installation is known which involves sorting the objects that are for sorting in a plurality of sorting compartments in such a manner that a plurality of sort runs are performed one after the other in accordance with a fixed sequence.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the underlying object of the invention to develop the sorting method of the type mentioned in the introduction in such a way that even with a small constructional volume and modest building costs a fast sorting operation nevertheless becomes possible, and to create a corresponding sorting installation and a corresponding sorting system.
In accordance with the invention this is achieved by a sorting method for sorting objects in a sorting installation with at least the following sorting steps:
a) first sort run, in which objects are put onto parking sections of a first block of parking sections;
b) second sort run, in which objects are transferred from the first block of parking sections into a second block of parking sections; and
c) third sort run, in which objects are transferred from the second block of parking section
Enderlein Robby
Geiger Hansjörg
Robu Johann
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Joerger Kaitlin
MTS Modulare Transport Systeme GmbH
Walsh Donald P.
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