Patent Application
20050103597
The present invention relates to a device and method for loading, conveying, and sorting substantially flat items (FLATS), in particular mail items.
Devices for loading, conveying, and sorting substantially flat items, in particular mail items, are known in which a number of loading units travel along an endless path to convey the items between one or more loading areas, where the items are fed singly into the loading units, and one or more unloading areas, where the items in the loading units are released selectively to conveying containers and/or systems.
The term “substantially flat items” is intended to mean any items (e.g. letters, postcards, enclosed documents, boxes, magazines and newspapers with or without a protective cover) having two dimensions which are predominant with respect to the third.
Known loading units normally comprise a casing defining an inner cavity which communicates with the outside of the loading unit through an inlet opening through which the substantially flat item is inserted.
Known sorting devices provide at best for a throughput of roughly 40,000 items/hour, which cannot be increased further without necessarily increasing the linear traveling speed of the loading units along the path. Increasing speed, however, increases the likelihood of the end edges of the substantially flat items, as they are inserted through the inlet opening, striking the parts of the loading unit defining the inlet opening, in which case, the item normally bounces off or crumples, or at any rate is not deposited inside the loading unit.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for loading, conveying, and sorting substantially flat items, in particular mail items, designed to eliminate the drawbacks of known devices, and which provides for high hourly throughput rates.
According to the present invention, there is provided a device for loading, conveying, and sorting substantially flat items (FLATS), in particular mail items, as claimed in Claim 1.
The present invention also relates to a method of loading, conveying, and sorting substantially flat items (FLATS), in particular mail items, as claimed in Claim 19.
A preferred, non-limiting embodiment of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Number 1 in
The term “substantially flat item (FLAT)” is intended to mean any (e.g. parallelepiped-shaped) item having two dimensions which are predominant with respect to the third.
More specifically, device 1 may be used to advantage for processing substantially flat mail items 3 such as letters, postcards, enclosed documents, boxes, magazines and newspapers with a protective cover, etc.
Device 1 comprises a number of conveying units 5 which are moved by drive means (not shown) along an endless path 7 between at least one loading area 10, where items 3 are fed to units 5, and at least one unloading area 12, where items 3 in conveying units 5 are released into unloading containers 14.
It should be pointed out that the circular endless path 7 shown schematically in
Each conveying unit 5 comprises a number of loading units 18 arranged side by side in a stack structure, and each for receiving, housing, and conveying a substantially flat item 3.
More specifically, each loading unit 18 comprises a first rectangular wall 20; and a second rectangular wall 21 parallel to first wall 20 and connected to it by a first rectangular spacer wall 22 extending integrally along the whole length of first major edges 20b1, 21b1 of walls 20, 21, and by a second rectangular spacer wall 23 extending integrally along respective portions of second major edges 20b2, 21b2, opposite the first edges, of walls 20, 21.
Walls 20, 21, 22, 23 define a parallelepiped-shaped cavity 26 which communicates with the outside through a first rectangular inlet opening 30 defined by the free portions of second edges 20b2, 21b2 of walls 20, 21, and by an edge 23b of rectangular spacer wall 23. Wall 23 may even be dispensed with.
Parallelepiped-shaped cavity 26 also communicates with the outside through a second rectangular opening 32 defined by free third edges 20b3, 21b3 of walls 20, 21 adjacent and perpendicular to second edges 20b2, 21b2, and by an edge 22b of rectangular spacer wall 22.
Rectangular openings 30 and 32 are therefore adjacent and lie in two perpendicular planes.
In any operating condition of device 1, rectangular openings 30 and 32 also connect parallelepiped-shaped cavity 26 to the outside of loading unit 18.
Loading unit 18 also defines a third rectangular unloading opening 33 on the opposite side to opening 32 and having a flat rectangular lid 35 hinged to wall 21.
More specifically, lid 35 is movable between a closed position (
Lid 35 has a fastening device (not shown) which, in use, secures lid 35 firmly in the closed position.
Alternatively, lid 35 may of course be fitted to opening 32 to open/close opening 32, in which case, opening 33 may be dispensed with and replaced with a wall (not shown) of loading unit 18.
Loading units 18 are arranged one on top of another with walls 20, 21 contacting, and with openings 30, 32 facing corresponding sides of conveying unit 5.
Preferably, though not necessarily, the loading units of each conveying unit may be molded in one piece from plastic material.
As stated, each conveying unit 5 travels along endless path 7, which may be defined by a rail 40 along which travel powered slides 42 (
More specifically, each slide 42 may comprise an electric motor 43 for driving slide 42 along rail 40 and so moving conveying unit 5 along endless path 7; or slides 42 may be driven by powered belts or chains (not shown).
A further electric motor (not shown) is also provided for synchronously rotating loading units 18 about an axis 45 parallel to the horizontal.
More specifically, units 18 can be rotated between a first loading position, in which rectangular openings 30 are positioned with their major sides (edges 20b2, 21b2) parallel to a direction D, and with walls 20, 21 parallel to a plane H—in particular, a direction D parallel to the horizontal and to a plane H also parallel to the horizontal; and a second unloading position, in which rectangular openings 30 are positioned with their major sides crosswise—in particular, perpendicular—to direction D, and with walls 20, 21 crosswise—in particular, perpendicular—to plane H.
Device 1 also comprises one or more FLAT feed devices 50 located at loading area 10 and for receiving substantially flat items 3 at the input, and feeding each item 3 into a respective loading unit 18 at the output. The item is inserted in a direction F crosswise—in particular, perpendicular—to direction D, and traveling on a conveying plane substantially parallel to plane H.
FLAT feed device 50 (shown schematically) may comprise two powered rollers 53, 54 positioned with their axes parallel to direction D, and which frictionally engage opposite flat surfaces 3a, 3b of substantially flat items 3.
Rollers 53, 54 are rotated in opposite directions by drive means (e.g. brushless motors not shown) to impart sufficient acceleration to item 3 to hurl it in direction F towards respective unit 18 and through respective opening 30 into parallelepiped-shaped cavity 26. The acceleration imparted to the item is regulated so that item 3 penetrates opening 30 within the available time “window”.
Conveniently, the position of rollers 53, 54 (movable) may be adjusted with respect to the various loading units 18 (fixed) so that rollers 53, 54 feed item 3 through opening 30 of a selected loading unit 18.
Alternatively, the position of loading unit 18 (movable) may be adjusted with respect to rollers 53, 54 (fixed) so that rollers 53, 54 feed item 3 through opening 30 of a selected loading unit 18.
Whichever the case, only one unit 18 of conveying unit 5 is supplied at a time.
Alternatively, a number of rollers 53, 54 (not shown) in different positions (at different heights) may be provided, each for feeding an item 3 through opening 30 of a respective facing unit 18, so as to feed all the loading units 18 of each conveying unit 5 simultaneously.
In actual use, conveying units 5 travel along path 7 to loading area 10. In the example shown, the traveling direction is anticlockwise, though obviously no advantage is lost be employing an opposite (clockwise) traveling direction.
As a unit 18 reaches loading area 10 and nears FLAT feed device 50 (as detected, for example, by a first, e.g. optical, proximity sensor 60), rollers 53, 54 are activated and item 3 is hurled towards rectangular opening 30 positioned with its major sides (edges 20b2, 21b2) parallel to direction D.
The position of item 3 is preferably detected by a second proximity sensor 61 (
The position of the item determined by sensor 61 detecting leading edge LE, and the position of loading unit 18 detected by sensor 60, therefore give the position of item 3 with respect to loading unit 18; which information can be used to regulate the way in which item 3 is fed by FLAT feed device 50 (e.g. the acceleration imparted by rollers 53, 54).
Along its path, item 3 is fed in direction F crosswise—in particular, perpendicular—to direction D, and along a plane substantially parallel to walls 20, 21, so that a front end portion LE (shown by the dash line in
Loading units 18 may therefore be fed at high speed (e.g. 1 meter/second) along path 7 to achieve a high throughput (e.g. 60,000-80,000-100,000 items/hour) in accordance with the size of conveying unit 5.
Substantially flat item 3 is therefore fed into parallelepiped-shaped cavity 26 without leading edges LE contacting the parts of loading unit 18 defining inlet opening 30, and therefore with no significant rebound and no crumpling of the item.
Leading edge LE of item 3, in fact, comes to rest against wall 22, but does not intersect wall 23 which, if contacted, could shift item 3 crosswise to its traveling direction, thus preventing it from being fed into loading unit 18.
Item 3 is then conveyed along path 7 by conveying unit 5 traveling along rail 40.
As conveying unit 5 leaves loading area 10, loading units 18 are moved into the unloading position (indicated ROT in
On conveying unit 5 reaching unloading area 12, an unloading device (not shown) selectively releases the fastening devices (not shown) of lids 35, so that items 3 fall by gravity from cavities 26 into different unloading containers 14.
As conveying unit 5 leaves unloading area 12, loading units 18 are moved into the loading position (indicated ROT in
The sorting device la shown in
More specifically, conveying units 5 of device 1a comprise a large number of (e.g. eight) loading units 18 with the same structure as those already described.
Loading area 10 comprises a portion 7c of path 7, which extends between a start point 7-i located at a first height h1 with respect to a reference plane P, and an end point 7-ii located at a second height h2 lower than first height h1. Portion 7c of path 7 therefore slopes downwards, in particular in steps, and comprises a number of horizontal portions 7c-h located at different heights and connected by sloping portions 7c-s.
FLAT feed devices 50 (not shown in
As conveying units 5 travel along downward-sloping portion 7c, different loading units 18 are positioned facing height h3 at different portions of portion 7c, so that each loading unit 18 is positioned facing, and can be fed with an item 3 by, a respective FLAT feed device 50, thus supplying all the loading units 18 as conveying unit 5 travels along sloping portion 7c.
Sloping portion 7c terminates at a first upward portion 7a-I which terminates at a first unloading area 12-I where first loading units 18 are selectively opened.
More specifically, the items released are fed to a first, e.g. belt, conveying system (not shown) comprising containers (not shown), each for receiving a substantially flat item 3 released by a respective loading unit 18.
Downstream from first unloading area 12-I, first upward portion 7a-I continues in the form of a second upward portion 7a-II which terminates at a second unloading area 12-II where second loading units 18 are selectively opened.
More specifically, the items released are fed to a second, e.g. belt, conveying system (not shown) comprising containers (not shown), each for receiving a substantially flat item 3 released by a respective loading unit 18. Downstream from the second unloading area, second upward portion 7a-II terminates at a downward portion 7d leading back to loading area 10. Along (or upstream from) portion 7d, loading units 18 are rotated so they reach loading area 10 with the major sides of openings 30 aligned with direction D.
Clearly, changes may be made to the device for loading, conveying, and sorting substantially flat items, in particular mail items, as described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| TO2001A000716 | Jul 2001 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IT02/00485 | 7/22/2002 | WO |
