JPS58162433A - Article sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To sort an article on a feed conveyer without causing the collision of the article with each other, by fetching sorting information of the article from a memory unit responsively to article detection of an article detector and operating a diverter corresponding to said information. CONSTITUTION:An unloaded article is accumulated in accumulative conveyers 10 and fed into a feed conveyer 3. At each unloading to telescopic conveyers 13 firstly from trucks 9, the sorting information is typed by a keyboard 12 and input to a memory unit 14. A feed order is determined by a priority determining device 17 with a predetermined program on the basis of a generation order of a full signal from full detectors 11 provided to the conveyers 10, position of the conveyers 10 for the conveyer 3, etc., if a priority signal is generated, a sorting information group stored in a primary memory 141 is stored in a secondary memory 142 in a priority signal order to operate diverters 2 corresponding to the information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention utilizes a conveyor for sorting equipped with a plurality of diverters, a conveyor for transporting articles to be sorted to the conveyor, and a storage device R for storing information for sorting articles.
In the IIfr sorting, information is retrieved from the storage device in response to an article detection signal provided near the article receiving end of the conveyor and the article detection device detects the article, and the sorting corresponds to the information. The article sorting apparatus is adapted to actuate a diverter.

An example of a conventional article sorting apparatus is schematically shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a steel sorting conveyor equipped with a plurality of diverters 2; 3 is a feed conveyor for transferring articles to be sorted to the sorting conveyor 1;
Reference numeral 4 denotes an article detection device installed near the article receiving end of the sorting conveyor 1, which includes, for example, a light source 41 and a phototube 42 disposed opposite to the light line 41 across the sorting conveyor 1. Reference numeral 5 denotes a magnetizing device which sorts the articles in response to the detection of the articles by the article detecting device 4, and transfers the information to the conveyor in the form of magnetized points. Reference numeral 6 denotes a keyboard for typing information for sorting the articles that the keyer 7 passes in front of, and 8 is a storage device connected to the keyboard 7 to sequentially store information for sorting the articles that are pressed, and its output is sent to the magnetizing device 8. connected to.

The operation of the apparatus for such article sorting is as follows: ・The articles transported to the article collection and distribution point by a suitable article transport vehicle such as a truck 9 are unloaded, placed near one end of the feed conveyor 3, and then sorted. is sent towards conveyor 1. The keyer 7 looks at the sorting information (for example, delivery destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kobe) displayed on the incoming articles and enters the information on the keyboard 6. The pressed key is stored in the sequential memory device +8.

-1) Articles are sent from conveyor 3 and sorted from conveyor 1.
The article detection device 4 detects that the article has passed a predetermined position, and generates an article detection signal. This article detection signal is sent to the storage device 8, and information for sorting the article is sent from the storage device 8 to the magnetizing device 5. According to the sorting information, magnetized points are formed on the conveyor 1 by the magnetizing device 5. These magnetized points are read by a magnetic reading screen (Il<t13!1 side, not shown for simplicity) provided for each diverter 2, and the diverter corresponding to the information is activated to sort the items. The predetermined sorting is done first. At the end of feed conveyor 3 f4
The section is usually provided with a feeding conveyor for adjusting the interval between articles, a relay conveyor for transferring articles from the feeding conveyor to a sorting conveyor, etc., but these are not shown because they are not directly related to the present invention.

Although such an article device operates well, it requires a dedicated keyer 7 and has the drawback that the sorting ability of the device is limited by the keying ability of the keyer 7.

The present invention has been made to eliminate such drawbacks of the conventional device, and will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1Is2. In addition, the same part in the figure is indicated by the same name.

According to the invention, a plurality of accumulation conveyors 10 are provided for receiving unloaded articles, accumulating the articles and feeding them to the feed conveyor 3.

Furthermore, each accumulation conveyor 10 is provided with a fullness detection device a111 for detecting that articles are accumulated in the 111W bin, and each fullness detection device 11 is provided near the exit end of the accumulation conveyor 10, for example, a light source 11- and a phototube 11b. Incidentally, in the present invention, "full" means a state in which the first article loaded on the storage tank conveyor 10 has reached the fullness detection device 11. If the leading article is detected by the fullness detection device even if it is not full (that is, even if the rear of the accumulation conveyor is empty), this is called a fullness. Furthermore, according to the invention, each accumulating conveyor 10 is provided with a sorting information input device, such as a keyboard 12; however, in the illustrated embodiment, a telescoping conveyor extending into the track 9, as shown by the dash-dotted line, is provided. It is provided at the tip of the conveyor 13, and each time an article is placed on the telescoping conveyor 13, a worker on the truck 9 inputs information regarding the sorting of the article when unloading. Each keyboard 12 is connected to a storage device 14.

According to the invention, there is further provided a priority determining device 17 for determining the priority for discharging the fully accumulated articles from the accumulation conveyor 10 to the feed conveyor 3. If the accumulation conveyors 10 send articles to the feed conveyor 3 in a disorderly manner, it is expected that the articles from each accumulation conveyor 10 will not only collide or be out of order on the feed conveyor 3, but also articles may fall off the feed conveyor 3. be done.

Therefore, articles from different accumulation conveyors collide with each other on the feed conveyor 3 according to a predetermined program based on necessary factors such as the generation order of the full signal from the fullness detection device 11 and the position of the accumulation conveyor 10 with respect to the feed conveyor 3. The priority order of sending to the sending conveyor 3 is determined by the priority order determining device 17 so as to avoid the above. Thus, the priority determination device 17 generates a priority signal indicating which storage conveyor 10 should give priority to feeding articles to the feed conveyor 3. The storage device 14 consists of a priority determining device 17, a primary memory 141 easily connected to each keyboard 12, and a secondary memory 142 connected thereto. Sorting information to each keyboard PI
Stored in parallel in I. When a priority signal is generated from one priority order determining device, the information groups pressed on the keyboard 12 corresponding to the priority signal are sorted in the same order! - Secondary memory 141 to secondary memory 142
sent to. In this way, the information groups for each keyboard 12 that were stored in parallel in the -quaternary memory 141 are stored in series in the order in which the priority signals arrive in the secondary memory 142. The secondary memory 142 is connected to the right side of the article detection device 4 and the magnetization device 5, and each time an article passes through the article detection device 4, sorting information is sequentially retrieved from the secondary memory 142, and the sorting is performed using a diverter corresponding to the information. -・2 is activated.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, in order to control the operation of the accumulation conveyor 10, a length detection device 15 for detecting the length of articles is provided at the article receiving end of each accumulation conveyor 10, which is also connected to a light source 15&. It consists of a photocell 15).

Accumulation conveyor 10 via accumulation kelp conveyor 16
An article detection device 18 consisting of a light source 18 and a phototube 1813 is also provided at the exit end of each feeding conveyor 16, and the article detection value [18] is accumulated each time the leading end of the article passes. Drive motor for conveyor 10 (not shown in Figure 2 for simplicity of drawing)
is activated to transfer the articles to the feeding conveyor 16 or the 68 conveyor 10. and,
When the rear end of the article touches the length detecting device 15, the drive motor is stopped.

This causes the accumulation conveyor 10 to be driven intermittently so that the articles are accumulated at substantially equal intervals. Also,
Another article detection value fit20 is provided on the side consisting of a light source 20m and a phototube 1!01 a distance equal to the maximum length of the article before the fullness detection device 11, and when the leading edge of the first article passes, this article is detected. The feeding conveyor 16 is configured to prevent new articles from being sent out from the feeding conveyor 16 by the signal from the detection device 2.0.
Configure the control circuit for the storage tank conveyor 1o.
The drive motor control circuit for the storage conveyor 10 is configured to de-energize its drive motor in response to a full signal generated when the leading edge of the top article reaches the full detection device 11. Thus, when the accumulation conveyor 10 is full, the accumulation conveyor 10 does not stop with articles straddling the feeding conveyor 16 and the accumulation conveyor 10.

However, in the case of a series of small articles, there is a risk that, for example, two consecutive articles may be simultaneously pushed out of the conveyor 1 by one diverter 2. Therefore, for articles with a predetermined length (for example, 500 m) or more, the drive motor of the accumulation conveyor 10 is stopped when the rear end of the article passes the length detection device 15 as described above. For articles smaller than the length, the accumulation conveyor 10 is activated when the tip of the article passes through the article detection device [1B, but it is stopped only after the tip passes through the article detection device t18.
When the predetermined time required for the rear end of the article of the predetermined length to pass through the length detection device 15 has elapsed, the accumulating conveyor 10 is stopped by the timer station. By doing this, the smaller the length of the preceding article, the larger the gap between the preceding article and the succeeding article, which are less than the predetermined length. In this way, even short articles can be opened on the feed conveyor 3 with a suitable l'QIII between them and the following articles.

The reason why the control is performed between the articles (11m) on the accumulation conveyor 10 in this way is to sort the articles one by one by the diverter, and for this purpose, it is not necessary to use the above-mentioned configuration, that is, the telescopic conveyor 13 The feeding conveyor 16 may not be used (although the truck crew may place the articles directly onto the accumulating conveyor 10 with appropriate intermittent operation of the accumulating conveyor 10).

Alternatively, even if no feed control is performed on the accumulation conveyor 10, the delivery speed of the accumulation conveyor 10 may be set lower than the speed of the transparent conveyor 3, so that when transferring from the accumulation conveyor 10 to the feed conveyor 3, It is also possible to increase the interval ξ depending on the speed difference, or for sorting, the speed of conveyor 1 should be higher than the speed of feed conveyor 3, and for sorting, a plurality of conveyors with gradually increasing continuity can be provided between the feed conveyor 3 and conveyor 1 for sorting. Therefore, the sorting can be controlled at intervals before entering the conveyor 1.Also, even when the intervals are controlled once on the accumulation conveyor 10, by providing a feeding conveyor at the end of the four conveyor conveyors, it is possible to control the separation of the articles. You can also readjust the spacing.

If the accumulation conveyor 10 is only partially filled with articles (for example, when unloading the last remaining article from the truck), the truck driver can press a start button (not shown) on the drive motor of the accumulation conveyor to move the accumulation conveyor to the top. The article is moved to the fullness detection device 11. In addition, 19 is an article absence detection device consisting of a light source 19& and a phototube 191), and this is a priority order determining device 17 which will be described in detail later.
4. Next, the operation of the article sorting apparatus of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

For convenience of explanation, in the following explanation, the lines of each accumulation conveyor will be indicated by MU, B, and 0, and MU, S, and a will be attached to the symbols indicating the elements of each line.

When truck 9 arrives at the collection and delivery point, the crew members are A, B, and O.
Place the track 9 on an appropriate line, for example, the telescopic conveyor 13 of the line, and first press the reset button on the keyboard 12 to perform an initial reset (113WJ).
do. Next, while unloading the articles onto the telescopic conveyor 13, information regarding the sorting of each article is entered on the keyboard 12A in the order of unloading. The information group for the typed key is the corresponding primary memo in the storage device al14! j-141 and are written in series. It is assumed that similar operations are being performed in parallel on other lines 1 and 0. That is, the keyboard 12
The sorting information group pressed by key 11120 is stored in series in parallel in the corresponding primary memories 141B and 1410, respectively. Meanwhile, the articles are accumulated in the accumulation conveyor 10m 11018100 by the above-mentioned intermittent drive until it is full. When it is full, the fullness detection device 11mu 111B, 110 (Fig. 14) sends this information as a fullness to the priority order determining device 17, which determines which accumulating conveyor should be given priority to send the article to the sending conveyor 3. is determined. Assuming that the priority order is line B→A→0, each accumulation conveyor 10 is set in this order by the priority signal.
The drive motor of Mul0BI100 is activated at the time of each priority signal in the order of 1→Mu→0. On the other hand, the priority signal is the primary memory 141 people, 141B in the order of the rows of goods from each line on the feed conveyor.

1410 and transferred to the secondary memory 142 respectively - thus the order of the articles on the feed conveyor 3 and the secondary memo! The sorting stored in J-142 matches the information, and every time the article passes through the article detection device 4, a secondary memo Q is generated.
-142, the information of the corresponding sort is sequentially taken out, and the sort is written on the conveyor 1 in the form of magnetized points by the magnetizing device S. Note that the secondary memory 142 is not necessarily necessary, and the primary memory 1 corresponding to the generated priority signal
It is also possible to directly take out the information group from 41A1141B and 1410 and send it to the magnetizing device 5. Or - the next memory - 141 has five storage conveyors l ROM # i 0
A single memory common to B and toO stores information in series in the keys pressed from the three keyboards 12A, 12B, and 120, and the corresponding sorting on the storage conveyor stores the information according to the priority signal. It is also possible to pick up only the group and send it to the secondary memory. In the present invention, sorting is to store a group of information for each keyboard, which also includes a platform like Otsu.Next, some examples of the priority determining device 17 will be explained, but the codes used in the explanation are as follows. Let me explain first. In these codes, a goes to line A, b goes to line B, etc.
are the ones corresponding to line a, respectively. O MA, Mil, MO --- The drive motors Ta, Tb, τa of the storage conveyors of lines B, 0 --- The following are the driving motors Ta, Tb, τa for the storage conveyors of lines A and 0, respectively, after each storage conveyor is full. The waiting time is obtained, for example, by activating a timer (not shown) in response to a fullness signal from the fullness detection device 11, and is introduced into the memory of the -14,#I- calculator.

21 TI------? t is the value obtained by dividing the distance between the points M and 1 on the feed conveyor 3 in Figure 44 by the speed of the feed conveyor 3, that is, the distance between the outlet of the storage conveyor 10B and the exit of the feed conveyor 10B. TI is a similar value between points Bs and 01, and these T, and T are constant and are set in advance in the computer's memory.

ta, tb, ta---One article absence detection device 19 A
l.

19B, 190 is the rear end of the article The elapsed time since passing The article absence detection device 19A.

Timer by 191.190 (not shown) and once the calculator is introduced into the memory of

1a, lb, lc----1 each accumulation conveyor 10m, l
An effective length full detection device 11 capable of accumulating 0B100 articles is placed between the rows of articles from each accumulation conveyor on the feed conveyor (between the length detection device 11 and the length detection device 15). g4 (for example 50 to 100 am) and is once introduced into the memory of the computer at a delivery time calculated by dividing the distance on the storage conveyor by the feed speed of the storage conveyor.

ka, kb, ka----1 each accumulation conveyor 10m, 1
011°100 is the elapsed time since the start to send the article to the feed conveyor 3, and is obtained, for example, by activating a timer (not shown) by the start signal of the drive motors MB, MO, Once introduced into the computer's memory.

Tm” ----- One item full detection device 11 people.

After passing 1111.110 Compatible article absence detection device Reached 19m, 19m, 19o This is the time required to The memory of the computer is Set it to -.

First, an example of the priority order determining device 17 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 115. In Figure 5, all of Tl are 1.
In addition, the 11-sized lift was mounted on a platform larger than either the lb or lc. This prioritization device consists of a series of storage conveyors 1
There is a device that detects the full state of 0mt10mtelOo repeatedly in the order of linem → 1l-4Q from one side, and sends the articles from the full storage conveyor to conveyor 3. Therefore, 1 fullness judgment is performed. circuit 1
01, 102, 103, and an interval determination circuit 104, 106 that determines whether there is enough space on the feed conveyor 3 to insert a row of articles on the accumulation conveyor that has been determined to be full and empty. A timer device H consisting of a timer 105, 107 which generates a priority signal at the time of starting the feeding of articles into said interval; and a primary memory 141.

1411. A timer 200 for dispersing the priority 1 feed order to 1410 in the order of the rows of articles on the feed conveyor 3.
It has a timer device J consisting of 201. The operation of this priority determining device is as follows.

First, if the storage conveyor 10m is full (1
The full signal from the full detection device is input to the memory of the computer, and the interval determination circuit 104 determines whether it is tb) 1 m. In other words, if the elapsed time tb since the last time the rear end of the article passed through the article absence detection device 19B is greater than 11, this means that the column of articles preceding the article absence detection device 19B on the feed conveyor (this means that there is enough distance to insert a row of articles of the accumulating conveyor 1OA between the last article (which was delivered from line 1 or O).

However, even if the condition of tb) 1m is satisfied, T1) la, lb
, 1c, the last article in the row of preceding articles may also be in front of point M, and no article can be sent out from the accumulation conveyor l until it passes point M. . So, by timer ios, t
After satisfying the condition b>la, a priority signal is generated with a delay of time Tx-11, and this causes the drive motor MAL to
to start. That is, the rear end of the annual item in the preceding column is point B.
Since time T1 is required from passing through point B1 to passing through point M1, if we consider point B5 as the base point, tb
+(Tl-11L)>TI, and if there is a time delay of T+la, even if the article is sent out from the storage conveyor 10m, it will not collide with the article in the preceding row on the feed conveyor 3. The priority signal is also sent to the primary memory 141 people at the time of opening, -Next memo'j -141
The information group stored in the memory is transferred to the secondary memo 9-142. At the time when tb)la is satisfied, a reset signal is generated, the full signal of the amulet conveyor 1OA disappears, and then the decision circuit 102 determines whether the accumulation conveyor 10B is full. If it is full, the determination circuit 106 determines whether it is to)lb, and if this condition is met, the timer 107 generates a priority signal for line 1 with a delay of T, -1b. In this case, since Tl) is 1 m, only the accumulating conveyor 100 is needed, regardless of whether the accumulating conveyor 10A is sending out articles or not. Thus, the accumulation conveyor 1011 is activated following the accumulation conveyor 10.

When the condition ta)1b is satisfied, a reset signal is generated and the determination circuit 101 is activated.

If the answer is NO in step 102, the process proceeds to determination circuit 103, where it is determined whether storage conveyor 0 is full. r, )1'b, so if it is full, it is sufficient to generate an unconditional priority signal for line tζ and drive the drive motor MO. Then, by the reset signal, 10
The full determination is repeated toward 0.

By the way, if the accumulation conveyor 100 becomes full first, and then the accumulation conveyor 10m becomes full immediately after that, on the feed reconveyor 3, the line of articles from the accumulation conveyor 10m is followed by the accumulation, and then the goods from the sand conveyor 100 are stored. Since the row of articles continues, -next memory 141mu t1
When sorting information from 41o to secondary memory 142, the information group must also be transferred in that order. For this purpose, another timer device 1 consisting of timers 200, 201 is provided.
This means that there is a

In other words, a timer 200 is provided in front of the -next memory -1410 for a time delay of Ts+Tm, and a priority signal is sent to the primary memo IJ-1410 for the time required to move between points 01 and 1. Similarly, for line B, between timer 107 and secondary memory 141B! Insert a timer 201 that gives a time lapse of 1
41 mu.

141111.141 (The order of arrival of priority signals to j matches the order of columns of articles from each line on conveyor 3. Within the time of Ti, lkl or IC
When there are two or more rows of timers, it is preferable to provide a plurality of timers 201 in parallel so that when one timer 201 is in operation, the next timer 201 is in operation.

In the same sense, a plurality of timers 200 can be installed in parallel. In addition, each accumulation conveyor 105 * i 0 ”
The drive motor of eloo is activated to deliver articles to the feed conveyor 3 and is stopped at the expiration of each delivery time. ξ is a timer (not shown)
It can be done by kudzu.

In the case shown in Fig. 6, both Tls T* are la
, lb, and lc, but it can also be used in the opposite case. The operation of the full determination circuits 101, 102 and 103 is @
It is the same as that in Figure 5. The circuit of FIG. 6 is different from the circuit of FIG. The point is that it has been established. Accumulation conveyor 10
If the storage conveyor 101 is full, the other accumulation conveyor 101
．． It is necessary to determine whether the article is being sent out from 100 and how far it has progressed on the feed conveyor 3 before being sent out. For this purpose, the current status determination circuit 20
2°203.204 is provided. First, the current state determination circuit 202 of the linem will be explained with reference to the 117FiA. When the storage conveyor 10B is full, the start judgment circuit 108, 109, 110 of the stop judgment device section 1 selects the storage conveyor 10B.

It is determined whether the article is being sent out (starting) from 100. The signal indicating that the accumulation conveyor is starting, that is, the signal indicating that the article is being sent to the feed conveyor 3, is e.g.
Obtained from the energizing current of the MO, this signal is also introduced into the 1μ computer memory in order to make the aforementioned determinations. If none of the accumulation conveyors 1011 and 100 has started, the passage determination circuit 111 of 3 outputs the priority signal of line A through the OR gate 112 and drives the passage determination device when the condition of tb) Tl is satisfied. At the same time as starting the motor V, the sorting information stored in the primary memory t4t is transferred to the secondary memory 142. Here, t'kl)Ts means that the rear end of the last article in the preceding row of articles has passed point 2.

If only the accumulation conveyor 100 starts and the timer 113 is used to give a time lag of TE to the timer device, the passage judgment circuit 114 starts the line when the condition of to)T*+Ts is satisfied. Five priority signals are generated. In other words, the time delay T is the time it takes for the first article to arrive from the fullness detection device 110 to the article absence detection device 190 after the storage conveyor Zoo starts, and by providing this delay, the article absence detection device 190 is as a base point to)T
This means that the condition for t+T wealth can be determined. 1o) Tt+
Tm means that the last article from the accumulation conveyor 100 has passed the point M1, and at this point, even if the article is sent out from the accumulation conveyor 1OA, the article from the accumulation conveyor Zoo will be sent out on the feed conveyor 3. There will be no conflict. Next, if only the accumulation conveyor 10B has started, after the time lapse T is passed by the timer 115, the passage judgment 1g circuit 116
) Accumulation conveyors 1011, 10 that only need to generate a priority signal for line A when the 'I'S condition is satisfied.
0, the line of articles on the accumulating conveyor 101 is followed by the line of articles on the accumulating conveyor 100, so the last article on the accumulating conveyor 100 passes the point set and then starts moving on the accumulating conveyor 10m. It will start. Therefore, T by the timer 117.

After giving a time delay of tO>
It is sufficient to make a determination of Ts + TI.

Next, when the storage conveyor 10B is full, the current status determination circuit 203 shown in FIG. 8 determines when the article should be sent out. Start determination circuit 119
, 120. At 121, a determination is made to start the -g* conveyor 10mm e100. , accumulation conveyor 10ms
If both i and O' have not started, the passage judgment circuit 122
ta) Tl is determined, and when this is satisfied, a priority signal for line n is generated and the drive motor 10
After activating B and passing through the timer 201 in FIG. 116, the sorting information group is transferred from the next memory 141B to the secondary memory 142. Here, the satisfaction of the condition io) means that even if the article has already been sent out from the accumulation conveyor 100, the last article has already passed the point B1 @accumulation conveyor 1oa If only one vehicle is starting, the timer 123 applies a time delay of 're, and the passage determination circuit 124 generates a priority signal for line 1 when the to) seven-fold condition is satisfied. If only the accumulation conveyor 1om is undergoing deterioration, the timer is 12.
By 5! A time delay of (la-ka)-Tl is given by the timer 126. Here (la-ka) indicates how much time is required to finish discharging the articles from the accumulation conveyor 10m. Therefore, when (1a-ka)-Tl, rIll
If the priority signal for line 1 is generated and sent out with i1, the articles from accumulation conveyor 10B will be transferred to accumulation conveyor 1.
This means that there will be no collision with the articles from zero on the feed conveyor 3.

If the storage conveyors 10m and 100 are both running, in the case of B, the row of goods on the storage conveyor 100 follows the row of goods on the 10m, so the passage is determined after the time delay of Tl is determined by the timer 127. The priority signal for line 1 may be generated in the circuit 128 when to>Ts is satisfied. Note that 129 is an output OR gate.

Finally, if the accumulation conveyor 100 is full, 11
A current status determination circuit 204 shown in FIG. 9 determines when the article should be weighed. Start determination circuit 110, 131.13
2, the start status of the accumulation conveyor 10m and Roll is determined. If neither of the accumulation conveyors 10M and 10B has started, it is sufficient to generate a priority signal for line O as is. If only the accumulation conveyor 10B has started, the timer 133 gives a time delay To, and the timer 134 of the timer device x4 gives a time delay (IIL-
ka)-Tl and then generate a priority signal for line 0 to start the drive motor MO, the accumulation conveyor 10
By the time the first article from 0 reaches point B1, the last article from accumulation conveyor 10B has already passed point 11 and there is no collision between the two. If only the accumulation conveyor 10m is running, the timer 135 causes the timer 136 to
The priority signal for line O can be generated by giving a time delay of (la - ha) (T1+'rj). Accumulation conveyor 10m.

When 1011 and 1011 are starting together, the column of articles on the accumulation conveyor 105 is followed by the column of articles on the accumulation conveyor 10B. ) - T1 time delay and then generate the priority signal for line 0.

Among them, 13G is the 011 gate.

By the way, in the priority determination device of the happy S diagram, a series of accumulation conveyors 10A, 110B, 100 (7) - from A-4
Since the full state is detected sequentially in the order of B → C, M → 1 →
Accumulation conveyor 10AtlO like M→B! 1 is alternately filled and sent out repeatedly until the accumulation conveyor 10.0
Even if the service is full, you may be forced to wait indefinitely.

This possibility increases as the number of accumulation conveyors increases. The waiting time Ta, T after it is full.
The priority determination device shown in diagram @1o takes b and Ta into account as well.

In the si oWI priority determination device, line 04
Fullness determination is performed in the order of B → M.

For this purpose, full determination circuits 140, 192, 193°14
4.145.146 are provided. In order to judge the waiting time, the waiting judgment circuit 154°158.161,
A standby determination device consisting of 164, 165, and 166 is provided. When only the storage conveyor 10m is full, the interval determination circuit 147 determines that it is tb) 1m, and o
Tl-1m with i-imer-149 after passing through p agate 48
Due to the time delay, the priority signal is generated. When only the storage conveyor 10B is full, a priority signal for line 1 is generated through the interval determination circuit 150 of tc)la, the OR gate 151, and the timer 152 of the T warehouse 1b. When only the storage conveyor 100 is full: The priority signal for line O is immediately generated through the OR gate 153. The configuration so far is OR gates 148, 151, 153
The configuration is the same as that of FIG. 5 except that .

What differs from the one in Figure 5 is the case where two or more accumulation conveyors are full. If the storage conveyors 1OA and IOB are full, the standby determination circuit 154 determines Ta - Tb (0.Ta
- If Tb < O, priority is given to the accumulation conveyor 10B, and if vice versa, priority is given to the accumulation conveyor 1OA. Interval judgment circuit 15 in case of accumulation conveyor IOB priority
5, tc)la is determined, and after the OR gate 151 is returned, the timer 152 is used to record the time delay of Tl-1b. This is the same as in FIG. tc) When the condition of la is satisfied, the process proceeds to the line interval determination circuit 156. The subsequent processing is the same as that described for line A above. It will be readily understood that a similar operation is performed when the storage conveyor 10m is prioritized. Line A
When both the interval determination circuits 155 and 156 of dd and 1 generate a common force, a reset signal is generated by the AND gate 157, and the process moves to the next fullness determination cycle. It is determined that both the storage conveyors 1OA and 100 are full. If so, the standby determination circuit 158 determines Ta −Tc (
Make a determination of Q. Ta-Tc (If O, priority is given to the accumulation conveyor 100, and a priority signal for line 0 is immediately generated.The drive motor MO is thus started, and after passing through the timer 200, the data is sorted from the next memory 1410 to the secondary memory 142. transfers the information group.Tm)lb, so even if the accumulation conveyor 10B has started at this time, the articles from the accumulation conveyor 100 are transferred to I at point 1B.
There will be no collision with articles from the OB, as explained with reference to FIG. Next, the line interval determining circuit 159 determines whether tb) 1m is satisfied, and when this condition is satisfied, a priority signal for line A is generated through the OR game 148 and the timer 149. AND gate 160
A reset signal is generated from the AND gate 160 at the time when the power levels of both sides are aligned. Accumulation conveyor 10/B.

It is exactly the same when 100 is full, and the standby judgment circuit 1
At 61, Tb'Xc (O is determined.

Regarding line B, the interval judgment circuit 162 judges to)lb, and the AND gate 163 generates a reset pulse when both of the forces are aligned.Finally, the accumulation conveyor 10m+10Be1o.

If all of the storage conveyors 10B and 100 are full, the standby judgment circuit 164 makes a judgment of Tb - Tc (O) for the accumulation conveyors 10B and 100. If Tb - Tc (O), the standby judgment circuit 165 makes a judgment of Ta
-To (0 is determined, and if this condition is satisfied, the waiting time of the accumulation conveyor 100 is the longest, and a priority signal for line 0 is immediately generated. Due to the generation of this priority signal, the waiting determination circuit 166 causes Ta - 'rb<
0 is determined and Ta -Tb (If O, the standby time of the accumulation conveyor 0-10- is the standby time of the accumulation conveyor 1OA! & greater than the accumulation conveyor 10.
1 is given priority over 10m, t, a) tb interval judgment circuit 167, OR gate 151 and timer -152.
A priority signal for line B is generated through the line B. Next, a priority signal for line A is generated through the interval judgment circuit 168.0R gate 148 and timer 149 for life A's t, b >l&. In this way, from the outputs of ORAge-148, 151, and 153, priority is given in the order of line 0 → B → M or O-+ A 4 R (
No. 4 is generated. At this time, the interval judgment circuit 167°16
When both outputs from 8 are available, AND game) 169
Since the priority signal will be generated again on line a, a timer 173 is connected which gives a very short delay to the output of the AND gate 169, and the OR gate 171 is generated before the output of the timer 173 is generated. A reset signal is generated through the AND gate 172. Note that the reason why the AND gate 169 is necessary will be explained later.

The determination result of the standby determination circuit 164 is Tb −T(1<0
If not, the process moves to the standby determination circuit 166 and Ta −Tb
<If not 0, then Ta>Tb>To, so OR
Line A seen from the output of Age-148, 151, 153
-+ Priority signals are generated in the order of B→0. Ta-Tb
(If Q, Tb is the maximum, and a priority signal for line B is generated through the interval determination circuit 167, OR gate 15.1, and timer 152.

The output of the interval judgment circuit 167 returns to the standby judgment circuit 165, and Ta - Tb (If not Q, Ta - Tb (If 0, a priority signal for line 0 is immediately generated, and then returns to the standby judgment circuit 166. At this time , Y of the standby determination circuit 166
By setting Tb to ES output and resetting Tb in advance, Ta - Tb (no longer Q, interval determination circuit 16
8. Through the OR gate 148 and the timer 149, the priority signal of line A is generated. Thus, the OR gate 14
8,151°.

Looking at the output of 153, priority signals are generated in the order of line B→04A. The standby determination circuit 165 determines that Ta −T
o (Ta if not Q) Since Ta, the line is given priority over the line C, and the interval determination circuit 170. O
R/7'-to 148, line A through timer 149
The output of the 0 interval determination circuit 170, from which the priority signal of is generated, is transferred to line 0 and generates the priority signal of line 0. Thus, priority signals are generated in the order of line 1→mu→0 from the outputs of OR gates 148, 151, and 153.

Finally, since the standby judgment circuit 164 judges Tb - Tc<O and the standby judgment circuit 165 judges Ta - Tc (Ta if not Q) Tc, priority is given to line A.
Interval judgment circuit 170% OR gate 148, timer 14
A line priority signal is generated through 9, and Ta is reset by the outputs of interval determination circuits 17-'0. This output goes to Paraline O and generates the Line 0 priority signal through OR gate 153. As a result, the process moves to the standby judgment circuit 16'6 again, but since Ta has been reset, Ta - Tb (0), and the interval judgment circuit 167, oR
K) Generate a priority signal for line B through the 151% timer 152. Thus the OR gates 149, 15
1.

153, priority signals are generated in the order of lines A→o−+B. At this time, the output of the interval determination circuit 167 will generate a priority signal again on the line C, so a timer 174 is provided which provides a very short delay similar to the timer 169 described above.

In any of the above cases, a reset signal is generated from the AND gate 172 when all three priority signals are present, and the next fullness determination cycle is started. In addition, hND)f-)15
7, 160, 163, 169° 172 all have memories (not shown) at their respective inputs.

Next, the priority order determination device shown in Fig. 6 is added to determine the waiting time of the storage conveyor as shown in Fig. 11 (158.161.1).
64,165.166, interval judgment yi1 circuit 147
．． 150,155°156.159.162,167.
168. In place of 170, it is determined which accumulation conveyor is full in the current step 146 explained in FIGS. After that, the current status determination circuit determines at what point each accumulation conveyor should be sent, and at that point, a priority signal is finally generated and each drive motor MA,
M.B.

When starting the MO, the primary memory 141 corresponding to the simultaneous number ζ
Sorting is the process of transferring information groups from the program @141Bi410 to the secondary memory 142 via the timers 20Q and 201.

The specific operation of the priority order determining device shown in FIG. 11 is easily understood from the explanation of FIGS. 7 to 10, so it will be omitted.
# TI> la l lb @ lc or TI,
We have explained the case of TI < :La, lb @ lo, but for example la, 1c) Tl, T snow > l
In cases like b, use Figure 6 or #! 11 can be applied as is, and as shown in FIG. 12, the timer 123 of the current status determination circuit 203 and passage determination circuit 1 of FIG.
The series connection body of the interval determination circuit 106 and timer 107 shown in Figure @5 is connected in parallel to the series connection body with 24, and the interval determination is performed to determine whether or not the article can be sent to the front of the row of articles from the accumulation conveyor 100. It is determined by the circuit 106, and if it can be sent (ie to

A priority signal for line B is generated by 124 to feed after the queue of articles from accumulation conveyor 100. Thailand f
10 in the series connection body of f-127 and passage determination circuit 128.
Element 106', 1 similar to 6,107,125°126
07', 125'.

126' as shown to determine whether or not to insert a row of articles from accumulation conveyor 10B between the rows of articles from accumulation conveyors 10A and 100, and if so. A priority signal for line B is generated from MD gate 205. Otherwise, the timer 127 and passage determination circuit 128 generate a priority signal for line B to send it to the back of the line of articles from the storage tank conveyor 100. By adopting such a configuration, the efficiency of sorting is improved compared to when the one shown in FIG. 6 or 11 is applied as is.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, there is only one feed conveyor 3, or as shown in FIG. There is. In this case, it is necessary to control each row of articles to be delivered to the merging conveyor 21 in an orderly manner so that the rows of articles from the feed conveyors 31, 311 do not collide on the merging conveyor 21. The explanation will be given with reference to FIGS. 13 to 17. ◎Elements corresponding to those explained in the embodiments described above will be given the same reference numerals and 1.11 corresponding to the feed conveyors 3I and all. Make it. Feed conveyor 3I is A and B as in the previous case.
, has three storage units of 0 - feed conveyor 3f
I also have three storage tank lines X.

It is assumed that it has Y and Z. In the following explanation - tl, tll ------- Goods arrival [t[f 22
1.2211 is the elapsed time since the rear end of the article passed through.It is obtained by activating a timer (not shown) by the article arrival detection device 221.2211, and is once stored in the memory of the computer. Ru.

1 fist---------The spacing that should be placed between rows of articles on a single feed conveyor (la, lb, f.

The same interval as described for ) is the speed of the merging conveyor 21 The value divided by the degree (constant), in advance set in the computer's memory. Ku. However, in this case, The spacing is the distance between items within each item row. If the setting is larger than the maximum interval, It is needed.

First, the flow of sorting information will be explained with reference to FIG. - Next memory 1411, 14111 for each feed conveyor 31, 311 individually.

The information group typed on the keyboard 12At 12Bl 120 is a primary memo! j −14l1k1
The information groups of the sorting keys pressed on the keyboards 12X, 12Y, and 12z are stored in parallel in the primary memo Ij-1411i. - Next memory - 1411, 1411 [ is connected to secondary memory 142 via intermediate memory 143. -Next memories 1411, 141114ζ are connected to a priority order determination device 171.171 having the same configuration as the priority order determination device W117 described above, whereby the information group in the primary memory 1411.14111 is sorted into the intermediate memory 143. Memory 143I.

143B to be transferred in series in the order of the rows of articles on the feed conveyor 31.3N and the feed conveyor 31,
311 Confluence Conhe? A second priority order determining device t17' that determines the order in which the rows of articles are sent out to the second row of articles t17' is connected to the memories 1431, 143, . . .

An example of the second priority determination device 17' is shown in FIG. This is feed conveyor 3 I.

Article arrival detection device 22I provided at the exit end of 3.

Arrival determination circuits 175 and 176 are provided at 2211 to determine whether the front end of the first article in the column of articles has arrived, and respective delivery determination circuits 177 and 178 determine the delivery status from the other line to the merging conveyor 21. It is a star (circuits 179, 180) that can be sent out with
energizes the drive motor M11M11 of the corresponding line (which includes the drive motor of the feed conveyor and the drive motor of the accumulation conveyor associated with the feed conveyor, respectively) by 1 from the corresponding intermediate memo v-1431, 14311. For sorting, the information group is transferred to secondary memo IJ-14,2.

Now, when the first article arrives at the first article arrival detection device &22I, the sending judgment circuit 177 makes a judgment of t[>1゜0◇
The fact that this condition is met means that the last article in the line of articles that was sent out earlier from the line field has gone past the article arrival detection device M22U by at least 1. This means that the required interval has already passed the article arrival detection device 22n, and thus even if the article is sent from the feed conveyor 3I to the merging conveyor 21, it will not collide with the article from the feed conveyor 3■. . So t[)X, or @
At the time when the addition is made, the start circuit 179 starts the drive motor Ml of line 1 and at the same time the intermediate memo IJ -
The corresponding classification from 143I stores the information group in the secondary memory 14.
Move to 2. In this way, the sort information group in the next memory 142 is arranged in series on the conveyor 1 in an order that corresponds to the order of the rows of articles. Unless tll>lo,
Since it is being sent from the sending conveyor 311 to the merging conveyor 21, the stop circuit 18 of line l
1, the drive motor MI is stopped, and t ■>
When it reaches 10, it is activated by the start circuit 179.

At the same time as the drive motor MI of line (2) is activated, the arrival determination circuit 176 determines whether the first article in the line of articles on the feed conveyor 311 has arrived at the article arrival detection device 22m. If it has arrived, the sending judgment circuit 1
78-Thus, the sending status of the sending conveyor 3I is determined. At this time, since the sending conveyor 3I is sending out the articles, the interval between the rows of articles is determined by the article arrival detection device 22.
1, that is, until tl>lo, the drive motor Mn is stopped by the stop circuit 182 of line
will be stopped.

Then, when t) > lo, start the drive motor Mll and take an intermediate note at the same time! The corresponding classification from J-1431I is a secondary memo of the information group! Transfer to J-142.

It is easy to understand that in the opposite case 1, that is, when the article on the feed conveyor 3I is sent to the article arrival detection device 2211 before the article on the feed conveyor 3I, the operation opposite to that described above is performed. There will be.

Note that stopping the drive motors Ml and Mll means that all the drive motors of the corresponding storage conveyors are stopped, so the timer (for example, Time 1a for IOA drive motor
A stop circuit 181゜1 corresponding to the timer that drives the
No. 82 will be frozen during the shutdown period, and it will be necessary to immediately suspend operation. Also, ta, tb.

It is also necessary to temporarily suspend the operation of the timers that measure to Hka, kb, and ko.

Another type of second priority determination device 17'
It is shown in Figure 6. This is because the interval between the rows of articles in the other line is the same as that of the article arrival detection device W221 in FIG.
．． 22Tl is determined and the number of items to be sent out is calculated, and the number of items that are sent out in the line of the other party's line is calculated, and that number of items pass through the item arrival detection devices 221, 221. It will be sent out after determining what has happened.

Note that in the explanation of FIG. 16, 1. 1. mn------Line 1. I [drive motor MI.

This is done by the start signal of Mll. about to be sent away from The number of items in the item column. when the start signal is generated. Corresponding intermediate memory 1431° 143Il taken out and subtracted Installed on counter (not shown) be done.

hl, kl --- One article arrival detection device 221.2
211 is the number of times the rear end of the article has passed, which is also introduced into the subtraction counter, and in the subtraction counter! This gives 11 in 1 mB-.

Now - Article arrival detection device 22I of the sending conveyor 31
When the first article arrives, the arrival determination circuit 175o determines that this is the case, and the remaining number determination circuit 1 determines the number of articles sent from the first conveyor 31 to the merging conveyor 21.
83, it is determined whether any articles remain on the top of the feed conveyor 3. This is the output of the subtraction counter -I-
k n is introduced into the remaining number determination circuit 183 and mu-hII>
This is achieved by determining o. mu-hn＞
If not o, that is, the pieces a are sent from the feed conveyor 311 first.
If the column of articles mn has been sent out, the overflow determination circuit 177 determines whether or not a predetermined interval following the column of articles has passed the article arrival detection device f12211 as in FIG. 15 (tIf >16) If L passes through, the start circuit 179 of line I generates a start signal, which starts the drive motor Ml of line I and at the same time intermediate memo IJ-143.
The corresponding sorting from 1 transfers the information group to the secondary memory lj-142 and at the same time introduces the number of articles in the column that is about to be sent out into the subtraction counter of ml-kI.The judgment result of the sending judgment circuit 177 is tl ) line I if not lo
The stop circuit 184 stops the drive motor Ml of line I through the OR gate 185, and t l ) lo
When this happens, the start circuit 179 generates a start signal.

If the determination result of the remaining number determination circuit 183 is n-kn>0, this means that some articles in that column still remain on the feed conveyor 3■, and the OR gate 185 is to stop the drive motor MI. On the other hand, the zero determination circuit 187
-go, that is, when it is determined that all the articles in that row have been sent out from the sending conveyor 311, a start signal is generated via the sending out judgment circuit 177 and the start circuit '179. 1o, the process immediately moves to the arrival determination circuit 176. At this time, even if the determination circuit 176 determines that the article has arrived, the sending conveyor 3
1 is being sent out and the items in that row are still on the feeding conveyor 3.
1 because it remains on top! The determination result of the JIk determination circuit 188 is ml-kI->0, and therefore, the stop circuit 189 on line B stops the drive motor Mll through the OR game) 190. On the other hand, when the zero determination circuit 191 obtains a determination of ml-kl-Q, the sending determination circuit 17
8, the predetermined interval between the rows of articles is determined by the article arrival detection device &22
It is determined that the start circuit 18 has passed
A start signal for line B is generated from 0 to start the drive motor Ml, and at the same time the intermediate memory 143 is
The corresponding sorting from 1 transfers the information group to the secondary memory 142, and also transfers the number of articles in the column to be sent out now to the n-kn subtraction counter. Even when the drive motors MI and MII are stopped, the timer and ta that determine the drive period of the corresponding storage conveyor are activated.
, tb, toika, kb, and ka may need to be temporarily suspended during that time.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is no need for a dedicated keyer, which was required in the past, and information is sorted for each track using a plurality of keyboards.
There are no restrictions on the ability of sorting based on the ability to attack, and sorting increases the ability.

Effects that can be improved widely are achieved.

In the embodiment described above, there are three storage conveyors, but any number of storage conveyors may be used as long as there are multiple storage conveyors, and the number of judgment circuits in the S priority ranking system may be increased as appropriate according to the number of storage conveyors. Also, the full judgment is set to line A-+33 → 0.
You are free to choose the order of 0→B-+A,
For example, the fullness determination type in Figures 5 and 116 is O → B → A.
There is no problem even if it reverses to
There is no problem even if the fullness determination type is reversed as A→B→O. In this case, the second priority system of FIGS. 15 and 16 can be easily modified by those skilled in the art.

Furthermore, it is clear that although various determination circuits and timers are shown separately in the drawings, in reality, a single determination circuit and timer can be used in common in the form of subroutines as appropriate.

Furthermore, sorting inputs information into a storage device.Although it has been explained that the information input device is a keyboard, this can be replaced with a voice input device, or displayed on the article, for example, in the form of a code bar or in the form of different colors. For sorting, a suitable device such as a scanner that reads the information optically can be used.

In addition, in the embodiment described above, the sorting conveyor
1, a steel conveyor is used, and sorting information is written in the form of magnetized points by a magnetizing device 5, and the diverter is selectively activated. However, this point is not directly related to the present invention. Instead, use any other suitable configuration. For example, sorting can be carried out by using a rubber conveyor or a four-layer conveyor, and each time the article detection device 4 detects an article, the corresponding sorting information is retrieved from the storage device 14 and the information is retrieved from the magnetic drum (sorting is carried out in synchronization with the conveyor). The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the information is written on a rotating disk (1) and read by a read head (1), and the read classification operates a corresponding diverter based on the information. Alternatively, when the article detection device 4 detects an article, the sorting information corresponding to the article is retrieved from the storage device 14, and the sorting operates the corresponding diverter after a time corresponding to the information. The present invention can be similarly applied to objects.

Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the keyboard is attached to the tip of the telescoping conveyor, but it may be provided at any other suitable location. For example, if a telescopic conveyor is not provided, it may be provided on a feeder conveyor, or if a feeder conveyor is not provided, it may be provided on an accumulation conveyor.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing a conventional article sorting device;
3 is a block diagram showing the operation of the apparatus for sorting articles according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the operation of the apparatus according to the present invention; FIG. 6 and 6 are diagrams showing different embodiments of the priority order determining device used in the present invention, and FIGS. 7 to 9 are diagrams showing the current state determination circuit used in the priority order determining device of the 10
121ii! and FIG. 11 are diagrams showing other embodiments of the priority determination device, respectively. ff is a diagram showing another example of the current status determination circuit, 13th is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for sending a row of articles from two feed conveyors to a sorting conveyor, and FIG. 14 is a diagram for the case of FIG. 13. Figures 15 and 16 show an example of the storage device used.
It is a diagram showing a different embodiment of the second priority determining device that determines the priority of the feed conveyor in the case shown in the figure, and the same reference numerals in the figure indicate the same or equivalent parts. In the figure, 1 is a sorting conveyor, 2 is a diverter, 13 is a feeding conveyor, 4 is an article detection device, 5 is a magnetizing device, 1o is an accumulation conveyor 111 is an accumulation detection device, 12 is a keyboard, 14 is a storage device, and 17 is a storage device. It is a priority determining device. . Patent Applicant: Sandvik Corporation Satoshi Adachiru4
jka-ichisaki

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sorting conveyor equipped with a plurality of diverters,
a feeding conveyor for transporting the articles to be sorted to the 1-minute conveyor; a storage device for storing information for sorting articles;
The sorting includes an article detection device provided near the article receiving end of the conveyor, and in response to detection of the article by the article detection device, sorting of the article retrieves information from the storage device, and the sorting corresponds to the information. A device for sorting articles by operating a diverter includes a plurality of accumulating conveyors that receive unloaded articles, accumulate them, and send them to the feed conveyor; a fullness detection device for detecting that articles have been stored in a cup; and an information input device provided for each accumulation conveyor for inputting information into the storage device for sorting the articles; The inputted sorting by connecting each information device is arranged so that each sort is stored in each information device, and furthermore, the articles sent from the storage conveyor to the feed conveyor collide with each other on the feed conveyor. The system is equipped with a priority determining device that determines the priority for sending out the n number of accumulated articles from the conveyor to the conveyor, and according to the order in which the priority signals from the priority determining device are generated. and sequentially drive the corresponding accumulation conveyors to send out the accumulated articles to the auxiliary feed conveyor, and connect a priority order determining device to the storage device to input a priority signal to the storage device, and input priority signals to the storage device. The sorting corresponding to the priority signal is inputted by the information input device, and the sorting stored in the storage device indicates that the article corresponding to the article has the article volume tHkrI.
An article sorting apparatus characterized in that a diverter corresponding to the information is activated for taking out tlI$c passing through t and sorting it. 2. The 11$1 record fIIIki1 includes a primary memory and a secondary memory, and the -next memory is connected to each sorting t* information input device and priority determining device, so that the age record - next memory 薯ko each sorting is information. According to the input device number, the input device number stores the information group individually and in parallel for each category, and the categories stored individually in this way store the information group according to the priority signal from the priority determining device. 2. An apparatus for sorting articles according to claim 1, wherein the data is transferred to said "secondary file" in order of occurrence and stored in series. 1 The feed conveyor moves between adjacent accumulation conveyors.
The time TJ T, both of which corresponds to the effective length of each accumulation conveyor and the spacing to be placed between each row of articles on the feed conveyor, plus the distance between the accumulation conveyors and the delivery of the accumulation conveyor. Delivery time divided by speed 1&. lb or lc, the priority determining device includes a fullness determining device that sequentially determines the fullness status of a series of storage conveyors one by one from one side; a spacing determining device for determining whether there is enough spacing on the feed conveyor to insert the determined row of articles on the storage conveyor; a priority signal connected to the spacing determining device at the time of starting feeding of the articles into said spacing; and a timer device connected between the timer device and the primary memory of the storage device to match the order of sending the priority signals to the next memory with the order of the rows of articles on the conveyor. Claim 2 provides an article sorting device. 4. The priority determining device is a fullness determining device that sequentially determines the fullness status of a series of storage conveyors from one side to the next;
It is connected to this fullness determination device to determine at what point the row of articles on the storage conveyor determined to be full should be sent to the feed conveyor based on the delivery status of the row of articles from other storage conveyors to the feed conveyor. a current status determining device that generates a priority signal at the start of feeding, and a current status determining device that is connected between the current status determining device and a primary memory of the storage device to determine the order in which the priority signal is sent to the primary memory and determines the priority signal of the items on the conveyor. 3. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a timer device for matching the order of the columns. 5. @The time required for the feed conveyor to move between adjacent accumulation conveyors! 8. - the delivery time 1 & . 1b, 1e, the priority determining device includes a fullness determining device for determining which of the series of accumulating conveyors is in a full condition; Waiting time? a, Tb
, a waiting determination device that compares Tc with each other and gives priority to those with longer waiting times, and a waiting determination device that is connected to this waiting determination device and simply inserts a row of articles on the accumulation conveyor that is full.
[11] a spacing determining device for determining whether or not the r*s is on the feed conveyor;
A timer device that generates a priority signal at the start of feeding of articles, and a timer device connected between the timer device and the primary memory of the storage device to send the priority signal to the primary memory in order to control the line of articles on the conveyor. The article sorting and sorting apparatus according to claim 212, which includes a timer device for matching in the order of [212]. 6. The priority determining device is a fullness determining device that determines which of the series of storage conveyors is full, and is connected to this fullness determining device to determine the waiting time Ta, Tb, Ta after the conveyor becomes clean. A waiting determination device that prioritizes items with longer waiting times compared to each other, and a state in which a row of articles connected to this waiting determination device is connected to a full accumulation conveyor to be sent from another accumulation conveyor to a sending conveyor. A current status determining device for determining at what point to send the feed to the feeding conveyor based on - and generating a priority signal at the starting point of the feeding; 3. The apparatus for sorting articles according to claim 2, further comprising a timer device for matching the order of sending the priority signals to the primary memory with the order of the rows of articles on the feed conveyor. 7. A sorting conveyor equipped with If number of diverters; a feeding conveyor for transferring the articles to be sorted to the sorting conveyor; a storage device for storing information for sorting articles; a storage device for storing information for sorting articles; In response to the detection of the article by the article detection equipment, information is retrieved from the storage device, and a diverter corresponding to the information is operated for the sorting. The sorting device is a device that includes a plurality of said feeding conveyors, is provided between the exits of the feeding conveyors of these numbers and said sorting conveyor, and is provided with a common merging conveyor for these feeding conveyors. In the case of goods, a plurality of accumulation conveyors are provided for each feed conveyor to receive unloaded articles, store them, and send them to the first conveyor. An information input device is provided for each storage conveyor to input information into the storage device for sorting the articles. is connected to an information input device so that a group of information about the input sorting is stored for each sorting information input device, and furthermore, the priority order of sending out the accumulated articles from the accumulation conveyor to the corresponding feeding conveyor is determined. A first priority determination device for determining the priority order is provided on each feed conveyor b, and corresponding accumulation conveyors are sequentially driven in accordance with the order of generation of priority signals from the priority order determination device for each feed conveyor. -
an article arrival detection device installed at a predetermined position at the exit end of each of the above-mentioned feeding conveyors to detect when a row of articles fed from each accumulation conveyor has arrived at the predetermined position; a second priority determining device connected to the device for determining which feed conveyor to send a row of articles to the merging conveyor with priority, and in response to a priority signal from the second priority determining device; The first and second priority determining devices are stored in the memory device, and information about the sorted items is sent to the merging conveyor from the corresponding feed conveyor to the merging conveyor. The article sorting method is characterized in that the article is taken out every time it passes through the lid, and a diverter corresponding to the information is operated to sort the article.