The invention relates to a line sorter for sorting items of various shapes, sizes and weights, in particular postal parcels or airport baggage. The invention is particularly related to the propulsion system (304, 306, 406) for the sorter. It may be seen as an object of the invention to provide a line sorter with a reduced need for energy input at a given sorting capacity. It is disclosed that a closed loop chain including sorting carts or slats (302) is provided with couplings (312) and is provided for moving along line sorter track sections. The linear synchronous motor propulsion system is provided for moving said closed loop chain, and a gap between adjacent permanent magnets (306) is the same or substantially the same between each of the permanent magnets.

An indexing or ratcheting conveyor configured to advance a load includes a frame defining the inlet end and the outlet end of the conveyor, a first device with a gravity rocking pushers and a powered member configured to advance the load in a direction from the inlet end to the outlet end of the conveyor. The conveyor can also include a second device configured to move the load, disposed at the outlet end only, in a direction from the outlet end to the inlet end prior to discharge of the load outwardly from the outlet end. The conveyor can be used as a component of an oven configured to cook or bake dough in containers with electrical resistance.

This invention relates generally to a conveyor system including a speed control slide sorter system disposed perpendicular to a pass through conveyor wherein the speed control improves efficiency in loading and utilizing available area on the belt and selects the conveyor speed to induce a diverter action according to sensors which detect portions of the irregular shaped packages, parcels, and bags which can be engaged by the pop-up belt at a selected time to slow the conveyor and engage the pop-up transfer conveyor without stopping the conveyor.

This invention relates generally to a conveyor system including a speed control slide sorter system disposed perpendicular to a pass through conveyor wherein the speed control improves efficiency in loading and utilizing available area on the belt and selects the conveyor speed to induce a diverter action according to sensors which detect portions of the irregular shaped packages, parcels, and bags which can be engaged by the pop-up belt at a selected time to slow the conveyor and engage the pop-up transfer conveyor without stopping the conveyor.

A conveyor has looped conveying belts extending between grooved inlet and outlet rollers mounted to a frame, these rollers driven by motorized drive rollers. Each belt has an outwardly facing surface which engages a conveyed article, and an inwardly extending protrusion which engages the grooves of rollers rotatably mounted between parallel plates. The plates extend downwardly to be fixed to cross members which extend between the sides of the frame. A subframe supports upper rolls which are driven by belts connected to lower rolls, including motorized drive rolls. The subframe is mounted to an elevator platform to move the upper rolls between a retracted position and an extended position in which the upper rolls extend beyond the conveying belts which pass through gaps between the upper rolls, such that a conveyed article is moved by the upper rolls in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the conveying belts.

A conveyor has looped conveying belts extending between grooved inlet and outlet rollers mounted to a frame, these rollers driven by motorized drive rollers. Each belt has an outwardly facing surface which engages a conveyed article, and an inwardly extending protrusion which engages the grooves of rollers rotatably mounted between parallel plates. The plates extend downwardly to be fixed to cross members which extend between the sides of the frame. A subframe supports upper rolls which are driven by belts connected to lower rolls, including motorized drive rolls. The subframe is mounted to an elevator platform to move the upper rolls between a retracted position and an extended position in which the upper rolls extend beyond the conveying belts which pass through gaps between the upper rolls, such that a conveyed article is moved by the upper rolls in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the conveying belts.

A typing off-loading and item separation system to automatically separate different parcel types includes an feed conveyor, receiving conveyor, sorting conveyor, cameras and photoelectric eye. Overhead cameras and/or photoelectric sensors detect the item size and whether it is cubic in nature and type and size of its footprint. An in-line slide sorter having alternating conveyor rollers and pop-up belts pass through to, or divert items from a downstream conveyor. A vison based system may also be used to detect space between articles and insert articles in the unoccupied space to maximize conveyor area, volume, or density by controlling conveyor speed.

A typing off-loading and article sorting system to automatically separate different parcel types includes an feed conveyor, receiving conveyor, sorting conveyor, cameras and photoelectric eye. The overhead cameras detect the item size and whether it is cubic in nature and type and size of its footprint. An in-line slide sorter having alternating conveyor rollers and pop-up belts pass through to, or divert articles from, a downstream conveyor. The vison based system may also be used to detect space between articles and insert articles in the unoccupied space.

A typing off-loading and article sorting system to automatically separate different parcel types includes an feed conveyor, receiving conveyor, sorting conveyor, cameras and photoelectric eye. The overhead cameras detect the item size and whether it is cubic in nature and type and size of its footprint. An in-line slide sorter having alternating conveyor rollers and pop-up belts pass through to, or divert articles from, a downstream conveyor. The vison based system may also be used to detect space between articles and insert articles in the unoccupied space.

An object is to provide a conveyor that enables the number of information read-out devices to be largely reduced and that can be easily constructed. An object identifying device (45) is installed in the first zone. The object identifying device (45) is a bar code reader. Information read by the bar code reader is transmitted to a host control device (46). The host control device (46) identifies an object from information described in a bar code, makes an inquiry about a conveyance destination of an object, transmits the address of the target place to a zone controller (10) of the second zone, and inputs the address to a conveyance destination storage unit of the zone controller (10) of the second zone. The conveyance destination information input to the conveyance destination storage unit is passed on to the downstream zone controller (10) with the conveyance of the object.