Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or... – By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-27
2004-05-11
Bidwell, James R. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor arrangement for selecting among plural sources or...
By loading or unloading section at selected one of a...
C198S370030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06732849
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sorting system employed, for example, to sort many types of books according to distributors.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional sorting system of this type has hitherto been provided according to, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 8-301438. In this conventional configuration, each running cart that can arbitrarily run on a given running path has a pair of sorting belt conveyors (sorting conveying apparatuses) arranged in the front or rear thereof, respectively, to sort and feed loads in a lateral direction relative to a running direction. The given running path has a loading section formed at a predetermined location to load loads from a stacking section onto the sorting belt conveyors of the running cart. Furthermore, the given running path has a sorting section formed at each of a right and left sides thereof.
With this conventional configuration, while a group of running carts are running on the given running path, the loading section loads a load between the sorting belt conveyors arranged in the front and rear, respectively, of an empty running cart. Then, when the loaded running cart reaches the target sorting section, the sorting belt conveyors, to which power is fed in a non-contact manner, are driven forward or backward. Thus, the load is fed to the target sorting section.
However, according to the above described conventional configuration, each running cart is provided with driving means (control means) for the sorting belt conveyors. This driving means needs to be powered and competes with other apparatuses for signals. Consequently, the entire structure becomes complicated and expensive and requires frequent and strict maintenance.
Further, only one load can be load between the front and rear sorting belt conveyors, resulting in inefficient sorting. If for example, a load is loaded on each of the front and rear sorting belt conveyors, one running cart can handle two loads. However, in this case, driving means is required which individually drives the front and rear sorting bent conveyors. As a result, the entire-structure becomes more complicated and expensive.
Furthermore, the position of a load as transferred from the loading section to between the sorting belt conveyors varies, i.e. the position of the load as supported on the sorting belt conveyors varies. Accordingly, when the sorting belt conveyors are driven to feed the load to the sorting section, the direction of the load is not fixed. Furthermore, loads leave the belts in a varying direction. As a result, it has been difficult to suitably feed loads to the sorting section. In particular, if the loads are books, which are stacked together in the sorting sections, then the books cannot be stacked together in order.
Further, the belts of the sorting belt conveyors are easily damaged by the impact of receipt of a loaded load or because of the frequency of sorting operations. Accordingly, the belts must be frequently replaced with new ones. In this case, since it was difficult to introduce a takeup mechanism into the running cart, the sorting belt conveyors have hitherto been partially disassembled so as to replace the belts with new ones. However, this belt replacement required very much time, and the sorting line had to be stopped. Accordingly, in a round-the-clock system or the like which cannot shut down the sorting line, the time available for belt replacement was limited. Therefore, the belts could not be easily replaced with new ones.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus a first object of the present invention to provide a sorting system that can be simply and inexpensively constructed as a whole, while allowing a single sorting conveyor to handle a plurality of sorted articles.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a sorting system that allows belts to be promptly and easily replaced with new ones.
To attain the first object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a sorting system comprising an endless driving body provided with a plurality of sorting conveyors to form an endless conveying path, and a group of receipt sections arranged opposite the conveying path to receive sorted articles from the sorting conveyors, the sorting system being characterized in that each of the sorting conveyors has a plurality of front and rear wheels each extending in a transverse direction, and a plurality of endless turning bodies wound around the wheels arranged opposite each other in a longitudinal direction, the turning bodies being capable of individually turning along the conveying path, and each of the receipt section is provided with turning force applying units for turning the target endless turning bodies of the target sorting conveyor.
According to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the group of sorting conveyors are moved above the group of receipt sections, and before or after the sorting conveyor reaches the target receipt section, the one or more turning force applying means corresponding to this receipt section are operated. Thus, the one or more endless turning bodies can be turned along the conveying path to allow the one or more sorted articles supported on the endless turning bodies to be fed and loaded into the target receipt section. Then, once all the sorted articles have been fed by turning the endless turning bodies, the operation of the turning means can be stopped.
Accordingly, while one sorting conveyor can handle a plurality of sorted articles, each conveyor needs not be provided with any driving means (control means). This eliminates the need to power the driving means and the need for the driving means to compete with other apparatuses for signals. Therefore, the system as a whole can be simply and inexpensively constructed, and the need for frequent and strict maintenance is eliminated.
Further, a sorting system according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the sorting conveyor is provided with passive wheels linked with one of the group of front wheels and the group of rear wheels, and the turning force applying units can move toward or away from the target passive wheels. And by thus moving toward, the turning force applying units engage with the target passive wheels so as to rotate these wheels by using movement force exerted along the conveying path of the sorting conveyor.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the one or more turning force applying means are moved closer to the arriving sorting conveyor to engage the passive wheels of the arriving sorting conveyor with the turning force applying means. Accordingly, one of the groups of wheels which are linked with the passive wheels can be forcibly rotated. The forced rotation of the one group of wheels enables the endless turning bodies to be turned along the conveying path while rotating the other group of wheels idly. Therefore, the sorted articles supported on the endless turning bodies can be sent out.
A sorting system according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the sorting conveyor has a front wheel shaft extending in the transverse direction and having one of the lateral pair of front wheels connected thereto, with the other front wheel rotatably fitted over the sorting conveyor via a cylindrical shaft, and the turning force applying units are arranged to act individually on the front wheel shaft and the cylindrical shaft at one of the lateral sides of sorting conveyor.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the one or more turning force applying means are moved closer to the arriving sorting conveyor to engage the front wheel shaft and cylindrical shaft of the arriving sorting conveyor with the turning force applying means and can then be forcibly rotated. Thus, the lateral pair of front wheels can be forcibly rotated via the front wheel shaft and the cylindrical shaft. The forced rotation of the front wheels enables the endless turning bodies to be turned along the conveying p
Bidwell James R.
Daifuku Co. Ltd.
Kusner & Jaffe
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