Segmented pusher control for conveying system
US5165515A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 29, 1991 |
| Grant date | Nov 24, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 29, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65G2207/36
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An article conveying system of the type having a conveying surface defined by the uppermost ones of a plurality of slats interconnected in an endless web for displacing articles laterally with respect to the conveying surface and including a diverter shoe movably mounted to each slat, includes a system of parallel tracks and diverting gates to independently selectively move one or more diverter shoes laterally while maintaining lengthwise alignment of the selected shoes in order to displace an article without rotation of the article. A control senses both the position of articles and the position of shoes in order to determine the relative spacing between shoes and articles. This allows the control to determine whether a shoe assigned to an article interferes with another article to accommodate article spacing of less than one shoe. Articles may be displaced using only one or two shoes by determining that the shoe is properly positioned with respect to the article. A divert control module maintains a dynamic accumulated article length for the accumulation section of a take-off conveyor based on article-length data received from a central sort controller, spur take-off speed and the…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.