A mail processing system utilizes a conveyor to shingle or de-shingle mailpieces as they move through the processing system and utilizes belts to move the mailpieces. A first shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece to overlap with a second mailpiece to create shingled mailpieces. A second shingling conveyor moves a first mailpiece away from a second mailpiece to de-shingle them to create singulated mailpieces. A camera takes images of the mailpieces in the conveyor and image analysis software is used to determine dimensional aspects of the mailpieces that are used to control the belt speeds to move mailpieces with respect to each other. A mail processing system may include a mail processing station that scans addresses, applies postage and/or weighs the mailpieces. Mail may be de-shingled prior to being weighed and then re-shingled for subsequent processing, or mail may be shingled prior to passing through a scale if weighing is not necessary.

The present invention relates to a parcel sorting system which is operated using two separate tracks so as to distinguish between concentrated population areas and other areas, and feed and sort only parcels destined for a corresponding area, whereby parcel sorting can be efficiently performed, and the system can be efficiently constructed while occupying a small area.

The present disclosure concerns a method and a system for separating and singulating articles, such as postal parcels or small packages, said system comprising a feeding conveyor having a receiving end and a delivery end, and a divider for separating the bulk of postal articles arriving on the feeding conveyor into a plurality of parallel article streams on the feeding conveyor and forwarding said article streams in a first conveying direction from said receiving end to said delivery end; a takeaway conveyor having a second conveying direction, which is substantially different from said first conveying direction, and where said takeaway conveyor at its upstream end is abutted by the delivery end of said feeding conveyor; a plurality of gantry robots are provided across the delivery end of the feeding conveyor in such a way that each robot is handling each their article stream on the feeding conveyor and that the robots are adapted to picking an article from each their article stream on the feeding conveyor and placing said picked article on the takeaway conveyor; a vision system adapted to capturing image data of the articles on the feeding conveyor, and a robotic controller comprising a data processing unit for using said image data to identify an article to be singulated by one of the robots and for providing control inputs to the robots.

The present disclosure concerns a method and a system for separating and singulating articles, such as postal parcels or small packages, said system comprising a feeding conveyor having a receiving end and a delivery end, and a divider for separating the bulk of postal articles arriving on the feeding conveyor into a plurality of parallel article streams on the feeding conveyor and forwarding said article streams in a first conveying direction from said receiving end to said delivery end; a takeaway conveyor having a second conveying direction, which is substantially different from said first conveying direction, and where said takeaway conveyor at its upstream end is abutted by the delivery end of said feeding conveyor; a plurality of gantry robots are provided across the delivery end of the feeding conveyor in such a way that each robot is handling each their article stream on the feeding conveyor and that the robots are adapted to picking an article from each their article stream on the feeding conveyor and placing said picked article on the takeaway conveyor; a vision system adapted to capturing image data of the articles on the feeding conveyor, and a robotic controller comprising a data processing unit for using said image data to identify an article to be singulated by one of the robots and for providing control inputs to the robots.

According to an embodiment, a supply apparatus includes first, second and third conveyance portions. The first conveyance portion removes processing targets from a feeder in which the processing targets are placed. The first conveyance portion conveys the processing targets along a first conveyance direction. The second conveyance portion is disposed on a downstream side of the first conveyance portion. In the second conveyance portion, a plurality of conveyance portions having mutually different conveyance directions are sequentially connected. The second conveyance portion conveys the processing targets from an upstream side to the downstream side along a second conveyance direction. The third conveyance portion is disposed on a downstream side of the second conveyance portion. The third conveyance portion conveys the processing targets along a third conveyance direction while separating the processing targets from each other at a predetermined pitch.

According to an embodiment, a supply apparatus includes first, second and third conveyance portions. The first conveyance portion removes processing targets from a feeder in which the processing targets are placed. The first conveyance portion conveys the processing targets along a first conveyance direction. The second conveyance portion is disposed on a downstream side of the first conveyance portion. In the second conveyance portion, a plurality of conveyance portions having mutually different conveyance directions are sequentially connected. The second conveyance portion conveys the processing targets from an upstream side to the downstream side along a second conveyance direction. The third conveyance portion is disposed on a downstream side of the second conveyance portion. The third conveyance portion conveys the processing targets along a third conveyance direction while separating the processing targets from each other at a predetermined pitch.

A mail item sortation system and method that includes an external controller for culling candidate letters in a mailing job to produce groupings of letters based on industry average weights and/or thicknesses in order to place all the candidate letters going to a single address adjacent to each other, an internal controller, interfaced with the external controller, that utilizes the groupings of letters to manage multiple letter sorters, wherein a specific letter sorter is selected to pair a calculated number of pockets to accommodate the groupings with an actual number of pockets in the selected letter sorter, and a transfer process for moving letters within the letter sorter pockets to a StatementPack machine.

A mail item sortation system and method that includes an external controller for culling candidate letters in a mailing job to produce groupings of letters based on industry average weights and/or thicknesses in order to place all the candidate letters going to a single address adjacent to each other, an internal controller, interfaced with the external controller, that utilizes the groupings of letters to manage multiple letter sorters, wherein a specific letter sorter is selected to pair a calculated number of pockets to accommodate the groupings with an actual number of pockets in the selected letter sorter, and a transfer process for moving letters within the letter sorter pockets to a StatementPack machine.

The present application discloses a system, a method, and a computer system for moving items deemed to be too heavy to be picked up by a robotic arm. The method includes (i) receiving image data associated with a workspace, wherein the workspace includes a source of items to be placed singly each in a respective corresponding location on a segmented conveyance structure adjacent to at least a portion of the source of items, (ii) receiving an indication that a first item in the source of items is too heavy to be picked up by a first robotic arm the one or more processors are configured to control, (iii) determining, based at least in part on the image data, a plan to use the first robotic arm to push the first item onto an associated corresponding location on the segmented conveyance structure as the associated corresponding location on the segmented conveyance structure moves past the source of items, and (iv) controlling the first robotic arm to implement the plan.

The present application discloses a system, a method, and a computer system for moving items deemed to be too heavy to be picked up by a robotic arm. The method includes (i) receiving image data associated with a workspace, wherein the workspace includes a source of items to be placed singly each in a respective corresponding location on a segmented conveyance structure adjacent to at least a portion of the source of items, (ii) receiving an indication that a first item in the source of items is too heavy to be picked up by a first robotic arm the one or more processors are configured to control, (iii) determining, based at least in part on the image data, a plan to use the first robotic arm to push the first item onto an associated corresponding location on the segmented conveyance structure as the associated corresponding location on the segmented conveyance structure moves past the source of items, and (iv) controlling the first robotic arm to implement the plan.