DE2202069A1 - Sorting machine for pieces of mail, documents and the like., And transport device for this - Google Patents

Description

PATENT ADVOCATE

E. S P E I D E L

D 8035 GAUTING 9? D? D R Q

FOREST PRIMES 26 L LV LVJVV

Hasson Scott Thrissoll Engineering Limited, Bristol, UK

Sorting machine for mail items, documents and the like. And Transport device for this

The invention relates to a sorting machine of documents or other articles such as letters and the like. The invention is particularly, but not, related exclusively, on sorting machines which have an entry or identification number in which the articles (hereinafter referred to as letters for the sake of simplicity) checked visually or by machine and with regard to their Sorting station coded or otherwise identified, as well as a sorting station in which the letters by means of a Conveyor can be guided at high speed over a number of distributors, which are automatic and selective are actuated by the input station to the individual letters bu the corresponding sorting stations or locations su direct.

Known machines of this type generally have endless belt conveyors, which are sometimes combined with roller conveyors and with which the letters are routed either individually or pre-sorted in boxes via pre-determined routes, passing through a series of solenoid-operated signals which are actuated at the correct time according to the advance and the speed of the letter in question, when it approaches the right turnout. These machines suffer from the fact that the control of the points in a Stretching of the conveyor belt no longer corresponds to the actual position of the letters. Since the conveyor belts are often Extend the entire length of the machine, the total error may be can be substantial at the far end of a belt.

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Furthermore, in conventional belt conveyors, the letters are not held positively by the belt and it is therefore difficult to use digital computer systems to control the switches ₀ In addition, the slip or the relative movement of the letters can only be compensated for by increasing the distance between adjacent letters which in turn means that the transport speed required for a specific sorting performance must be increased.

Other conveyors that are sometimes used in sorting machines consist of a number of pairs of feed rollers, the grab the letters and pass them on from one pair of rollers to the next, one roller of each pair being driven by a gear unit, is driven by a belt or chain drive or in some other way. Such powered roller conveyors suffer also among many of the disadvantages of belt conveyors, and in addition to being noisy and significant Friction due to the large number of rollers and bearings, the letters are not picked up with a positive fit, there are lubrication problems and finally the drive means between the rollers can cause positional errors, which are equivalent to the elongations in belt drives.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved To provide sorting machine with a conveyor system, which eliminates some of the problems and disadvantages of the known methods avoids or at least reduces.

The sorting machine according to the invention for items of mail, documents or the like has a number of prefabricated units each provided with a number of sorting points at different heights, with conveyors to move the article through the appropriate unit in each level, and which ones are provided to the articles

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EU to promote the selected Sortlerstellen, whereby according to the invention these units are designed and arranged in such a way that they are coupled to one another in different numbers can be to create a sorting device of variable capacity cu and wobsi each unit a conveyor section having, which is coupled to a conveyor section of the next unit by means of a synchronizing drive can be.

In this sorting machine, the conveyor preferably consists from a number of separate endless belt or chain conveyor sections, each of which is driven at one end by means of a common transmission system, sodafi the expansion in the individual conveyor sections does not add up.

The sorting machine according to the invention can have a feeding device have, which supplies the conveyor system with the articles to be sorted in such a way that they are in planes which are parallel are on the level of the conveyor, lie flat and where the larger dimension of the articles extends across the conveyor.

Finally, the sorting device can be equipped with a fault reporting system be provided having a light source that emits a light beam parallel to the conveyor, each An optical screen is assigned to the carrier of the endless conveyor, which is caused by a blockage Movement of the carrier interrupts the light beam, which triggers a warning signal and switches off the machine will.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved

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sert transport system, especially for a document sorting system chine of the type mentioned above, which handles the letters or documents in such a way that some the disadvantages of the well-known system vsrnuieiegen an. Bsi a known document handling machine turn the documents over conveyed along the length of a conveyor, wherein the documents lie flat on the conveyor belt, namely wit their longer dimension parallel to the direction of movement. In order to achieve a substantial output of documents per hour, the linear speed of the documents must be very high. This creates problems with regard to the exact location and holding of the letters, the correct introduction into the conveyor and with regard to the operation of the switches.

In another known machine, the documents or letters are conveyed individually or in groups, with them in levels that are perpendicular to the direction of movement of the conveyor. For example, the letters can be perpendicular to a horizontal moving conveyors extending across the width of the conveyor belt. At a such a system, the linear feed rate for a certain sorting performance can be significantly reduced, however there are problems with the introduction and delivery of the letters if these are tightly packed.

The transport system according to the invention for conveying individual pieces of mail or documents or packages thereof in one Sorting machine, which has at least one endless belt, is characterized in that the belt with in uniform Teeth or retaining elements which are arranged at intervals and which serve as non-slip drive elements, and furthermore in Evenly spaced carrier elements for gripping and 'further conveying the articles to be sorted in

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has precisely defined intervals.

In a preferred embodiment, the driver elements are provided with spaced-apart fingers, brackets or other push members that are on one edge of the article to be sorted come to the facility and some of them in one or between one with surveys accordingly or depressions mark a surface or a group engage from rails on which the article is moved.

Further details and features of the invention result from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings showing an embodiment of the invention. It shows:

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of the main parts of a Letter sorting machine to which the invention is applied can be,

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view on an enlarged scale, in which a number of conveyor belt sections of the machine shown in Fig. 1 are shown, the ends are arranged at the end to form a conveyor,

Fig. 3 is a side view on an enlarged scale from which in detail the construction of the transfer device for moving the documents from a conveyor section emerges to the next,

4 is a schematic front view on an enlarged scale and partially in section showing a portion of one of the comb-shaped driver elements which is shown in FIG carried by the conveyor belts,

5 shows a schematic side view of the fault reporting device, and

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Pig. 6 a viewing table partially corresponding to FIG. 1

Representation on a further enlarged scale for illustration the mode of operation of the fault reporting system of Fig. 5.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the machine has an input station 9 which is combined with a conveying and sorting station which consists of a number of sorting elements. In the illustrated embodiment there are only two Sortler elements 10 and 11 are available, but can be any required Number can be provided and further elements can be added to an existing system without difficulty. the Input station 9 can be designed in the usual way and have, inter alia, a manual or automatic coding or decoding device and a reading device 16. In In a manual system, the letters are guided one after the other past a keyboard, where they are provided by an operator corresponding code symbols are provided, which are in a form in which they can then be used by the automatic reader 16 can be read. In the alternative automatic system shown, the letters carry preprinted ones Code symbols and they are fed directly to the automatic reading device 16 by a step conveyor 15 · From the reading device 16, the letters are automatically successively led to a belt conveyor 8, which they a Vertical conveyor 19, from which it is operated by solenoid Switches 18 are selectively dropped in one of, for example, four levels. On each level there is another POrdersystem 13 arranged, which transports the letters horizontally away from the vertical conveyor 19, the letters a Number of points 14 pass, which are selective dropping of letters in the individual sorting boxes. the

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Switches 14 and 18 are used in a known manner by the automatic Reading device 16 controlled.

Extend in usual known sorting machines of this type see the conveyor belts horizontally along the length of the machine and they are therefore subject to considerable elongation, which inaccuracies in terms of speed and the current position of the letters and consequently incorrect sorting can result.

In this exemplary embodiment of the invention, the problem becomes the elongation in the horizontal conveyor belts 13 is avoided in that they are formed from a number of short sections become «like this ic individual in Flg. 2 and 3 is shown «, each Conveyor section 13 extends over the length of one of the Elements 10,11 etc. and each section consists of two parallel, Flexible belts 20,21, which are provided with teeth 22 on one side, sedafi the belt slip-free from sinem Gear 23 can be driven at one end of each section. The gear 2 * 1 at the other end is not driven, however, its bearing is spring-loaded in such a way that the belts 20, 21 must be held taut. On the other, outer surface of the bars are a number of spaced apart. borrowed Hitnehmerelemente 25 attached, which are used to one to take and transport a letter. Details of a preferred driver element will be discussed later in detail with reference to Flg. 4 descriptions ..

As shown in Fig. 2, the drive gear 23 of each conveyor section 13 driven by a multiple chain system, which contains a number of endless chains 2o, which pre-bind the shafts of the gears 23 to one another in a form-fitting manner, so they all run synchronously. Alternatively, the gears 23 also about a corresponding gear from one

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continuous boredom being driven, being the drive vorsugsweiee is arranged and designed so that no phase shift occurs between one and the other end of the machine. This arrangement achieves daft, even with a slight expansion in the individual conveyor section 13, the phase error in the next Funding bill is corrected so that the total error accordingly is reduced, especially in the last section.

Fig. 3 shows the preferred system for transferring documents from one sorting belt to the next, which is so designed Is that the exact position of the letters is preserved when they are moved from one element to the next. Everyone Letter is accelerated slightly during the moment of transfer to avoid any unwanted contact between the edge of the letter and the next driver element 25 in the neighboring Avoid conveying section. For this purpose, the shaft of the gear 2M is provided with three drums 30, which are symmetrically distributed across the width of the conveyor. The Durohmesser of each drum 30 is such that its peripheral speed is slightly greater than the speed of the conveyor, and each drum is on part of its surface provided with a recess, not shown, so that the driver elements 25 run freely around the drive gear can. A pressure roller 23 is arranged vertically below each drum 30 and is pressed upwards by a spring and cooperates with a presettable stop, to get a minimum gap that is slightly narrower than the normal thickness of a letter. The drums 30 and the rollers 31 thus form three Klemiaetteile that are able are, the letter 33 during the transition without the help of a

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Subscriber EligibilityB 25 to be promoted. The one who bsatirnnende the clamping gap Stop for the rollers 31 prevents the rollers 31 enter the recesses in the drums 30. At the moment the transition from one element to another is normal The drive of the letters is lost, but the letters are lost during this transition due to the acceleration given to them promoted ο

When the letter from the nip between the drums 30 and the rollers 31 in the next conveyor section (i.e. in Pig. 3 to the left), its speed is reduced by friction until the following carrier element 25 recorded the letter, whereby the exact position is restored. Un an uninterrupted horizontal movement of the letters from To enable one sorting unit to the next, the surfaces of the sorting elements on which the letters are conveyed are aligned will.

The preferred driver system is shown in FIG. That Revolving conveyor belt cooperates with a fixed base plate 40, which extends a number of in the longitudinal direction extending ribs or rails 41, which along the length of the machine are interrupted where the switches 14 extend across the width of the conveyor to enable that the letters 33 can be dropped down into the corresponding sorting boxes 12. With the rails 41 the base plate 40 cooperates with upper rails 43 extending in the longitudinal direction and carried by brackets 44 located above are and are at such a distance from the base plate 40 that the individual letters 33 and the driver elements 25 freely pass along the length of each sorting unit 10, il can o

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Each driver element 25 consists of a corrugated metal st eye, which is rotatably mounted in a bearing 47 at each end is welohes on the conveyor belt in question 20 BSW. 21 attached is. The driver elements 25 are attached at a predetermined distance along the length of the conveyor, this distance depending on the size of the dimensions of the letters and the distances between the teeth 22 on the belts. By doing In the example shown in FIG. 4, the driver element 25 has brackets 48 which extend downward and which are each between one of the top rails 23 and the base plate 40 are » as well as the upwardly extending bracket 49 η lying at the points at which the ends of the switches 14 extend beyond the plane of the letters. Each switch 14 can, for example have five parallel fingers 50 which can be pivoted together about a horizontal axis and over the entire width of the conveyor are distributed in order to be able to attack along the entire length of the edge of a letter. That Corrugated driver element 25 has a number of arcs 49 corresponding to the number of fingers around these deflector fingers 50 let it work freely.

In this system shown, the letters are conveyed individually, with each letter lying horizontally flat on the conveying surface, with its longer dimension across the Sponsor. This has several advantages over the more common systems in which the letters are conveyed in other layers be, when the letters are flat on the conveyor surface if their longitudinal extension is parallel to the direction of movement, the speed of the conveyor must be increased, to achieve a certain sorting performance, or the sorting performance must be reduced. Also, the overall length must be the machine can be enlarged. Alternatively, if the letters are conveyed in a vertical position, the dira

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sions and the speed of the conveyor for a good one Sort performance will decrease, but others will occur Try on, especially with regard to the promotion the letters to the sponsor and the distribution of the same from the sponsor.

Each driver element 25 is pressed against a stop by a spring, not shown, so that it is normally in lies in a substantially vertical plane, as in Fig. 4 shown. In the event of its blockage in the conveyor, the increased resistance to the movement of the entrainment element causes 25 »that this is rotated against the action of the spring in its bearings% 7 and thus pivots a metal flag 52, which is attached to the end of each driver element 25. The flags 52 serve as optical apertures in an optical disturbance -Warning system shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

If any of the driver elements 25 due to a blockage is rotated, the associated flag 52 is pivoted downward, as shown at 5Ί in FIG. Included can convert the flag into a light beam 55 that extends horizontally below and along one side of the base plate 40 from a Light source 57 is emitted. The light beam 55 extends along the length of the conveyor to a photocell 58 find others and it can be seen that a fault is indicated inside when any of the flags 52 are down is moved to interrupt the light beam 55. The photocell 58 has a corresponding electrical circuit connected, un to give a visible or audible warning signal and to interrupt the drive of the conveyor immediately.

Fig. 6 shows geometrically the movement of the interrupter flags 52, while they un the right gear 2k of one of the conveyor

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cuts around and the factors can be seen from them, which allows the selection of different dimensions and relationships, such as the vertical position of the light beam, determine. It can be seen that, even if every <? Ler interrupter flags Remaining in its normal on, undeflected position, the path 60 of the outermost tip 61 of each vane during of the lower section of the orbital movement runs up to a level 63 which is considerably below the level of the Noraal 62 is in which the flags move during the horizon movement This pivoting of the flag 52 due to the deflection would place every light beam within the vertical area D in Fig. 6 affect. It is therefore necessary that with each rotation of a driver element 25, an interference signal requires the associated flag 52 to be moved below this vertical area D in the area t, in which the, light beam 55 is arranged. This can either be achieved by slightly increasing the length of the flag or that the angle θ by which the flag is turned is increased. Unfortunately, enlargement causes it the length of the flag has an enlarged radius of the path of the flag tip 61 and thus an enlargement of the interference sector, so that the light beam 55 must be set even lower. Bs can be shown to be an optimal length for the flag in order to achieve the smallest possible working angle θ, which can be calculated mathematically.

The sensitivity of the system is preferably so high that the jamming of a thin letter below a driver element 25, as shown at 65 in the right part of FIG. A particular advantage of the system is that the maximum sensitivity is at the point of greatest interference, as shown at 66 in FIG is. It is precisely at this point that malfunctions are most likely

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occur »because someone who joins the conveyor at the wrong time:? Letter the following! ». Itnehaerelcrient 25 to this one Would twist place. Hence · wii'u cUe fastest and most effective Response in this critical section do3 Duty cycle reached.

Alternatively, means can be provided to make the optischo System 57 »58 during the interference period of each flag i> 2 turn off. This can be done electrically by using a corresponding electronic gate circuit logic is carried out, which is connected to the electrical output circuit controlled by the photocell 55.

The invention is not limited to the malfunction detection system shown limited. A simple modification is, for example, that the flags 52 the light beam 55 in the case of a Do not interrupt the disturbance, but release the otherwise interrupted light beam and thereby generate an output signal.

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Claims (1)

Claims 33SSSSSsssssxssasssssssssssss Sorting machine for mail pieces, documents or the like, consisting of a number of prefabricated sorting units, each having a number of sorting points in different levels, with conveyor systems for moving the items through the unit in question in each level and switches for dropping items in predetermined Sorting stations, characterized in that the sorting units (1O ₁ 11) are designed and arranged in such a way that any number of them can be coupled to one another to form a sorting device of variable capacity, and that each sorting unit has a conveyor section (13), the requestis a synchronizing drive (26) can be drive-coupled to a conveyor section (13) of the next sorting unit. 2. Sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor consists of a number of separate endless Belt or chain conveyor sections (13), of which each at one end (23) is driven by a common drive system (26), so that the expansion in the conveyor sections does not add up. 3 · Sorting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that that the conveyor system is such that the articles to be sorted are flat and parallel to the plane of the Conveyor section lying levels are conveyed, with the larger dimension of each article transverse to the direction of movement of the sponsor. H. Sorting machine according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized by a fault warning system which 209832/0761 has a light source (57)? oine light beam (55) parallel sun way of the rördsrers, and e.lne optical Aperture (52) on each! -Fitr.ehine ^ elemsnt (25) of the endless PSrderera, aod ate that brought about by a Bahindars-ung Move; of the Hitnehmereleiaentes <25) interrupts the light beam (55). 5. Transport device with at least one endless belt sum conveying individual items of mail or documents or packages of the same in a sorting machine in particular according to one or more of claims 1 to Ί, characterized characterized in that the belt (20, 21) old at evenly spaced teeth (22) ▼ can be seen, which serve as slip-free drive elements, and, furthermore, driver elements (25) arranged at an even distance from one another, gripping and waiting for orders the article to be sorted has at precisely defined intervals. 6ο transport device according to claim 5, characterized in that that the driver elements (25) with spaced apart fingers, brackets (48) or the like ▼ are seen to grab an edge of an article to be sorted (33) su and partially in or between interacting with it To grasp rails (41) on which the article is moved. 209832/0761 Blank page