IE43322B1 - Improvements relating to the collation on packages - Google Patents

Abstract

The marshalling installation comprises storage areas along each side, served by mobile units of rails. A central data processor is used to pick the required items, these being placed on belts which are arranged perpendicular to the rails. The items are moved inwards to a central conveyor. This is parallel to the rails and delivers the items to a packing area. The belts are in two sections, the second moving faster to separate individual orders. At the packing area, items are unloaded against a barrier. The complete order is then moved automatically to a suitable packing station for despatch.

Description

The invention relates to a means of collecting together the various component packages which go to make up a required order or group of packages. For example, tobacconists often require from their suppliers orders which contain varying numbers of cartons of cigarette packets or of tins of tobacco etc.

Likewise, book sellers often require different numbers of books of different titles.

At the present time the various elements of an order are usually collected together by hand for subsequent packaging. This obviously takes a long time where the range of elements from which a selection has to be made is very large. There is therefore a need for mechanised system for collecting together the various elements of such an order.

In accordance with the present invention such a system comprises a number of feed conveyors each supplying in use a different type of package and having an air-bed conveyor forming a replenishable temporary store for the packages, the air-bed conveyor feeding packages to a pair of series-connected belt conveyors arranged to operate simultaneously, in response to a programmed signal from a system computer, the second conveyor being arranged to move faster than the first so that adjacent packages are separated on passing to the second conveyor, and being arranged to feed the packages one by one directly or indirectly to an accummulation air-bed table on which the order of packages is retained by a gate, and means for removing the complete order of packages to a selected one of a number of sacking stations automatically upon opening of the gate. - 2 •13 3 2 2 Such a system can substantially reduce the time taken to collate the various elements of an order and furthermore can increase the order picking accuracy.

The second of the belt conveyors may feed the packages directly onto a respective second air-bed conveyor which in . turn feeds the packages to the accummulation air-bed table.

The accummulation air-bed table may be permanently inclined and include at its lower end a movable gate to allow the packages to leave the accummulation table, or, preferably the accummulation table will be tiltable so that the gate . is opened by tilting of the table, the packages then being fed further along the system.

The use of air-bed conveyors and tables substantially reduces the costs of machinery and maintenance as they have no moving parts. The air conveyors may operate entirely - hy gravity in which case they must be inclined, or the air holes in the bases of the conveyors may he shaped so as to direct the air slightly forward to enable the air to push the packages forward as well as lifting them.

In the latter case the conveyors could therefore be level, . but in all probability in order to further increase the speed of the packages they would most probably still be inclined.

Preferably, the feed conveyors will be positioned parallel and adjacent to one another, in a number of groups . and will extend transversely away from either the second air-bed conveyors or the accummulation table. - 5 4 3 3 2 2 If second air-bed conveyors are used then these will similarly be arranged parallel and adjacent to one another. With such an arrangement a single motor can he used to provide the power to a group of belt conveyors via ley shafts positioned beneath the conveyors. A chain or other similar drive mechanism can link each pair of conveyors to a respective ley shaft via an electro-magnetic clutch operated hy a signal from a system computer.

Where it is found that certain types of packages are required in much larger numbe® than others a first set of feed conveyors can have an increased length when compared with other conveyors for packages required in fewer numbers.

The length of the temporary store is therefore increased reducing the frequency with which the feed conveyors have to be topped-up.

To enable topping-up of the feed conveyors a number of feed benches may he provided which can move transversely across the input end of the feed conveyors between the feed conveyors and the stock. The operation of these feed benches may he automatic in respect of the faster moving lines and manual in respect of the slower moving lines.

The tilting air-bed accummulation table can feed onto a wide belt conveyor which in turn feeds the picked order onto a further belt conveyor which is arranged to move transversely to the direction of movement on the tilting table and the wide belt conveyor in either direction. This conveyor feeds the packages to a further band or belt conveyor which feeds the orde to a particular packing station. - 4 Ί «3322 In order to deflect the packages from the band conveyor to the packing station a raisab]e arm is provided which intersects the path of travel of the packaging so diverting them onto a packing station table. These arms or pivoted gates can be automatically switched to divert the collected order to . the required station and most probably would be arranged to operate in sequence for the first few hatches of orders, but subsequent operation would be dependent on the particular packer at a given packing station having cleared, the previous order. This would be signaled to a system computer by the . packer pressing a button to indicate that he or she was free to accept the next order.

All stages of the system would be monitored by detectors which would indicate, for example when a particular feed conveyor needed topping-up, the number of . packages by a particular feed conveyor, and when an order of packages had left the tilt table.

To control the operation of the machinery a system computor will be provided together with the necessary associated controls to enable the requirements for particular orders to . be given to the computer which would then store 'the necessary data for a given order in sequence with the data for other orders until the correct time. Preferably, the computer would have a facility for an override by an operator in order to take a required order out of sequence to give it priority, for example . in the case of very urgent orders. - 54 3 3 2 2 One system designed in accordance with the present invention will now he described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is an overall plan view of the system; Figures 2 and 3 show, in elevation and plan respectively one pair of the series-connected separator conveyors; Figure 4 illustrating, in perspective, a packing station.

In general, in order to reduce the volume of air circulated by the system articles which can he handled will have an upper p weight per area of 9 gm/cm although it is hoped to increase p this to 12 gm/cm in due course. However, this limit is still sufficient to enable a very wide range of products to be handled. For example, an average length hardback book will provide p a pressure of approximately 2 1/2 gm/cm . Tape cassettes and boxes of cigarettes will provide a pressure of substantially less than 1 gm/cm2.

The system shown in figure 1 has a capacity for handling 144 different articles, the system being arranged, for the most part, on two levels each providing for the selection of 72 different items. The second level is substantially identical to the first and of course, can not be shown in the plan view.

The system shown comprises, on each level, two sets of feed conveyors 1 and 2 handling, respectively, those articles required in large numbers and those in lesser numbers.

As can be seen, the feed conveyors 1 for the faster moving items have temporary stores formed by air-bed conveyors 11 which are substantially twice as long as the air-bed conveyors 21 for the slower moving items. The feed conveyors 1, 2 each include separation conveyors 12, 22 which are formed by two * 33 22 belt conveyors 13, 23 and 14, 24 respectively. The first belt conveyor 13, 23 of each pair is longer than the second 14, 24 and is arranged to move, by suitable gearing at approximately half the speed of the second so that as an article passes from the first to the second conveyor a gap . is created between it and the following article. This separation avoids congestion of the articles as they pass from the separating conveyors onto the tilt table 3.

Operation of the separator conveyors 12, 22 will be described in more detail herein after.

. The feed conveyors 1 are topped-up when required by means of three automatic feed benches 15, each arranged to serve two groups of six feed conveyors. The feed benches 15 Jl run on rails behind the input ends of the feed conveyors 1 between the feed conveyors and a stock 16 of the articles . dispensed by the various feed conveyors concerned. An infra-red detector known as the LS Detector will be provided to check for the low stock condition such that when the detector indicates that there is nu stock beneath it a signal is sent to the control system which then moves the feed bench automatically . to the lane which is to be replenished. An operator located on the feed bench will then proceed to top-up the particular feed conveyor indicated.

In respect of the feed conveyors 2 feed benches 25 will be provided which may, depending on the numbers of articles . dispensed from the feed conveyors 2 be automatic as the feed conveyors 15 or manually operated. In either case, the feed benches operate between a store of articles 26 and the feed conveyors 2. - 7 43322 Once an article has been picked, off the feed conveyors 1, 2 by means of the separator conveyors 12, 22, it is passed onto the tilting air-bed table 3 on which the whole order is collected. Each of the tilt tables 3 (remembering that there is also one beneath the one shown in figure l) comprises three sections 31, 32, 33. The sections 31 and have the same size and are mirror images of one another and extend over almost the whole length of the tilt table in front of the feed conveyors 1 and 2. The sections 31 and are inclined downwardly both towards one another and towards the end section 33. This end section 33 is the main accummulation point for the order of packages and it is from this section 33 that the packages are delivered further along the system. The table is tiltable, thereby forming a gate, on receint of a given signal downwards, at the end having the section 33 so that the articles or packages slide off onto a belt conveyor 4. Each of the tilt tables 3 have a perforated top plate through which air is supplied from a central air supply system for the whole system. Tilting is achieved by means of an electrical linear actuator and tilting occurs once a detector on the separation conveyors 12, 22 indicates that the required number of articles from each feed conveyor has passed to the tilt table.

The belt conveyor 4 moves in a single direction to feed articles from the tilt table 3 to a switch conveyor 5 as soon as the switch conveyor is clear. The switch conveyor 5 then moves either left or right to select one of the two distributer conveyors 6, 7 which direct packages to the packing station S. Since there is likely to be a wide variation in the - 8 4 3 3 2 2 size order being processed from one customer to the next, rather than allow a set time to .elapse before the tilt air-bed table is considered clear of the current order a group of detectors are used which monitor for the table clear state: in this way small orders can be processed as efficiently . as large ones. Similarly for the switch conveyor, a group of detectors monitor to enable the control system to indicate when the switch conveyor and tilt table extension are free.

There are six packing stations 8 in all, split 10. into two groups of three (see figure 1) each group of three packing stations 8 is fed by a separate distributor conveyor 6 or 7 which is continually moving. Articles are fed to one of these conveyors by the switch conveyor and are diverted to the required packing station by means of an arm which . is lowered onto the conveyor to cause the units to be deflected to the packing station.

Each packing station is equipped with a display panel which indicates information such as the batch number the drop number, the depot number and the number of units in the order.

. Additionally, the packer has two push buttons to operate, the first being a ready button to indicate that the packing station is clear and that the previous order has been accepted and packaged by the packer. The second is areject button which is used by the packer in a case of an error being seen.

. Figure 4 illustrates one suggested design for a packing station 8.

The packing station S includes a main flat table surface - 9 332 λ *> •ύ «J to which air can be supplied, if necessary and a check weighing table 82 for checking the total weight of the order.

The control panel is indicated at 83.

Control of the system is based on a micro-processer which is modular in construction so that it is possible to increase or decrease the size of the operation with a minimum increase in the hardwear costs.

Data relating to an order will be prepared by a typewriter with a facility for transmitting directly to the computer in which the data relating to a particular order will be received, validated and stored on a floppy disc for subsequent processing in sequence. The orders will be read from the floppy disc one order at a time and transmitted to accompanying control equipment to operate the machinery. Once the tilt tables have returned to the horizontal the next order may then be picked from the feed conveyors.

In Figures 2 and 3 detailed views of the separator conveyors 12,22, are shown, the conveyors each comprising a pair of endless belts 100, 101, the belts having a common drive from a single leyshaft 103 which serves all tlie separator conveyors in one group. The leyshaft 3.03 is permantly turning when the system is in operation and movement of the belt conveyors is achieved, hy operation of an electromagnetic clutch 104, the output of which drives the two belts 100 and 101 together, but at different rates as described herein before.

The drive shafts 105, 106 for each belt are used to indicate, diagrammatically, the drive arrangement for each belt. - 10 43322 Helt tensioning screws 107 and 108 would be provided as usual. The slower moving sections 13, 23 would be arranged to travel at 8 metres per minute and the shorter faster section 14,24 at 16 metres per minute.

Claims (13)

1. CLAIMS:1. A system for collecting together a plurality of component packages, the system comprising a number of feed conveyors each supplying in use a different type of package and having an air-bed conveyor forming a replenishahle temporary store for the packages, the air-bed conveyor feeding packages to a pair of series-connected belt conveyors arranged to operate simultaneously, in response to a programmed signal from a system computer, the second conveyor being arranged to move faster than the first so that adjacent packages are separated on passing to the second conveyor, and being arranged to feed the packages one by one directly or indirectly to an accummulation air-bed table on which the order of packages is retained by a gate, and means for removing the complete order of packages to a selected one of a number of packing stations automatically upon opening of the gate.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein each of the second series-connected belt conveyors is arranged to feed packages to a respective second air-bed conveyor, the second air-bed conveyor in turn feeding the packages to the accummulation air-bed table.

3. - A system according to claim 1, wherein each of the second series-connected belt conveyors is arranged to feed the packages directly to the· accummulation air-bed table.

4. A system according to any one of the preceeding claims wherein the accummulation air-bed table is tiltable to open the gate to allow the packages to pass onto the means for - 12 >13 3 2 2 removing the complete order to the packing station. 5. A system according to any one of the preceeding claims wherein the feed conveyors are positioned parallel and adjacent to one another in one or more groups, and extend transversely away from either the second air-bed conveyors or the accummulation

5. table.

6. A system according to claim 5 when dependent on claim 2 wherein the second air-bed conveyors are arranged parallel and adjacent to one another.

7. A system according to claim 5 or claim 5 wherein 10. a single motor provides power to each group of series-connected belt conveyors via a single leyshaft positioned beneath each group of conveyors, actuation of each pair of conveyors being controlled by an electromagnetic clutch.

8. A system according to any one of the preceeding claims 15. wherein at least some of the feed conveyors are fed by one or more feed benches arranged to move transversely across the end of the feed conveyors between the feed conveyors and a stock supply.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein at least some 20. of the feed benches are moved automatically to a feed conveyor which requires topping-up.

10. A system according to any one of the preceeding claims wherein the means for removing the complete order of packages ro a selected packing station comprises a first belt conveyor 25. removing the order from the accummulation table and feeding the order to a second belt conveyor selectively actuable in either direction to feed the order to one of a pair of third belt conveyors feeding the orders to the packing stations. - 13 4 3 3 2 2

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein the orders •are directed to a particular packing station by means of a pivotable arm which can be lowered across the respective third belt conveyor to deflect the packages to the packing station.

12. A system according to any one of the preceeding claims which further includes a computerized control system into which data relating to respective orders can be fed, the system thereafter controlling selection of the necessary ) packages and overall picking up of each order.

13. A system according to claim 1, substantially as described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.