GB1145291A - Improvements in or relating to apparatus for sorting articles - Google Patents

Abstract

1,145,291. Systems for sorting articles; rotary conveyers; shoots. SHORT BROS. & HARLAND Ltd. 13 May, 1966 [17 May, 1965], No. 20792/65. Headings B8A and B8S. Apparatus for sorting' articles, e.g. parcels, comprises stationary bags 20 arranged in a circle, stationary loading platforms 26 at spaced-apart points above the bags, carriers 23 mounted for movement in a circular path beneath the platforms 26 and above the bags 20, each carrier having a base which can open and which is held closed by a releasable latch on the carrier, means associated with each platform 26 for selecting a particular bag 20 into which it is required to drop an article, and for dropping an article from the platform to any one of the carriers 23, a mechanical memory mechanism attached to each carrier 23 for remembering a pre-selection of a bag 20, means above the carriers 23 engageable with the memory mechanism of a carrier 23 to release the latch and so open the base of the carrier when its position permits the dropping of an article thereon into a pre-selected bag 20, and means inhibiting the transfer of another article on to a loaded carrier 23 until the article on the carrier has been dropped into the pre-selected bag for that article. The bags 20 are hung from shoots 29 each having a base (30), Fig. 9 (not shown), for tipping a long-article so that it nose-dives into the underhung bag, and each having a pivoted front wall 31 which is movable into three positions in which, respectively, an article can pass to the bag, an article is prevented from passing to the bag so that the latter can be replaced by another bag, and articles can be cleared directly from the shoot. The carriers 23 are supported on rollers 22 one of which, is driven, Fig. 3 (not shown:), the driven roller (190) being mounted on one end of a pivoted arm (192) the other end of which has a brake pad (195) for braking the carriers 23 when the roller (190) is disengaged from the carriers. Pairs of the platforms 26 are incorporated in loading tables 24 and have address key boards 26a, the tables 21 being supplied from a central hopper (not shown) by conveyers 27. Each carrier base consists of hinged halves (60), Fig. 2 (not shown), held closed by the latch (62) released by rotation of a shaft (63) on which are mounted fingers (42) of the memory mechanism of the carrier. Each platform 26 also has a base consisting of halves held closed by a latch which is automatically releasable. The halves (60) of each carrier base are spring- urged to their open position and are closed when a roller (66) engages a fixed cam. The fingers (42) are in three groups, one group (44) being for the bags 20 on one side of the circle of bags, another group (45) being for the bags 20 on the other side of the circle, and the third group (68) being used with either of the groups (44), (45) to fully designate the selected bag. The fingers (42) are set by fingers (112, 114), Figs. 5, 6 (not shown), associated with each platform 26. If either the fingers (112) or the fingers (114) are not actuated a warning is given. The platforms 26 of each table 24 are electronically interconnected so that only one platform can be operated at any one time; switches for each platform are operated by magnets on each carrier 23. In operation, the fingers (42) of a loaded carrier 23 strike trips (46, 47), Figs. 2, 4 (not shown), to release its latch (62), and means are provided to be engaged by the next trip 46 to return the fingers to a position in which they are unengageable with any of the following trips, Fig. 7 (not shown). The fingers are returned to their pre-set position by a bar (90) or (90a), Fig. 8 (not shown), and a movable arm (91) disposed before the next loading table 24. Photo-electric means 92 and 93 or 93a are provided to cause the raising of the arm (91) if a loaded carrier 23 is to pass a table 24 without the associated memory being erased because the article thereon is destined for a bag on the side of the circle following that table. There may be more than two loading tables 24 and/or more than two loading platforms 26 for each table.