Double-loop Cross-belt Sorter, Cross-belt Sorter System and Sorting Method

Abstract

A two-loop cross-belt sorter includes at least one loop-shaped track (1); two cross-belt trolley groups (2), and forms two side-by-side conveyance loops able to circulate on the loop-shaped track (1), and a power apparatus (3) that drives the two cross-belt trolley groups (2) to move along the loop-shaped track (1). The two-loop cross-belt sorter uses two sets of trolleys on a loop-shaped track, allows the space inside the loop to be utilized and the quantity of cross-belt trolleys to be increased without increasing the area occupied by the sorter, thus doubling sorting capacity, while allowing parcels to be transferred between cross-belt trolleys on the two conveyance loops, thereby reducing the idle rate of the trolleys.

Claims

1. The double-row cross-belt sorter is characterized by: at least one circular rail (1); two sets of cross-belt carriers (2), forming two conveying loops that are side by side and can be rotated cyclically on the circular rail (1), power Generator (3), driving two sets of cross-belt carriers (2) to move along the circular rail (1).

2. The double-row cross-belt sorter based on claim 1 is characterized by that: the circular rail (1) is longitudinally arranged or horizontally arranged.

3. The double-row cross-belt sorter based on claim 1 is characterized by that: there are two circular rails (1), with a height difference, and two sets of side-by-side cross-belt carriers (2) are arranged on each circular rail (1).

4. The double-row cross-belt sorter based on claim 1 is characterized by that: the cross-belt carriers (2) in the two conveying rows correspond to each other one by one and move synchronously.

5. The double-row cross-belt sorter based on claim 4 is characterized by that: the two side-by-side cross-belt carriers (2) have a common frame (21) which can slide on the circular rail or have a separate frame (21) which can slide on the circular rail (1).

6. The double-row cross-belt sorter based on claim 5 is characterized by that: each of the cross-belt carriers (2) includes a belt conveyor (23) arranged on the frame (21), and the belt conveyor (23) is capable of two-way conveying.

7. The double-row cross-belt sorter based on claim 5 is characterized by that: the adjacent frames (21) are connected by a joint bearing (4) at rod end.

8. Any double-row cross-belt sorter based on claim 1 is characterized by that: the power generator (3) comprises a driving plate (32) arranged at least on a part of cross-belt carriers (2) in each conveying loop and a linear motor (31) or friction-driving device (33) driving the driving plate by electromagnetic thrust and/or friction.

9. The cross-belt sorter system is characterized by that: it includes any double-row cross-belt sorter (10) based on claim 1, each conveying loop is connected with at least one infeed line (20), and the double-row cross-belt sorter (10) and the infeed line are connected with the control device for controlling the operation of the system.

10. The cross-belt sorter system based on claim 9 is characterized by that: the input end of the infeed line is provided with a parcel-oriented device (201).

11. The cross-belt sorter system based on claim 9 is characterized by that: the infeed line includes a dynamic weighing section (203), and the balancing precision grade of the pulley (20331) for the conveyor line (2033) in the dynamic weighing section (203) is not lower than G16.

12. The cross-belt sorter system based on claim 11 is characterized by that: the wall thickness in the middle area (203311) of the pulley (20331) is larger than that in the area (203312) on both sides thereof.

13. The cross-belt sorter system based on claim 11 is characterized by that: the diameter in the middle area (203311) of the pulley (20331) is larger than that in the area (203312) on both sides thereof, and the area (203312) on both sides forms a circular table shape small at the outer end and large at the inner end.

14. The cross-belt sorter system based on claim 11 is characterized by that: the pulley (20331) is installed on a bracket (20332) for the conveyor line (2033) by an insert bearing with housing (20336), and the insert bearing with housing (20336) is inversely mounted on the bracket (20332).

15. The sorting method for cross-belt sorter system is characterized by that: parcels can be transferred from one conveying loop to another side-by-side conveying loop.

Description

INSTRUCTION TO FIGURES

[0036] FIG. 1 is the schematic diagram for horizontal layout of the double-loop cross-belt sorter in this Invention;

[0037] FIG. 2 is the lateral view for longitudinal layout of the double-loop cross-belt sorter in this Invention;

[0038] FIG. 3 is the schematic diagram for assembly status of the cross-belt carrier and circular rail in this Invention (one belt conveyor mounted on one bracket);

[0039] FIG. 4 is the top view of the cross-belt carrier in this Invention (one belt conveyor mounted on one bracket);

[0040] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are the two lateral views of the cross-belt carrier in this Invention (one belt conveyor mounted on one bracket);

[0041] FIG. 7 is the enlarged view of Area B in FIG. 2;

[0042] FIG. 8 is the schematic diagram of double-layer double-loop cross-belt sorter in this Invention (two belt conveyors mounted on one bracket);

[0043] FIG. 9 is the top view of the cross-belt sorter system in this Invention;

[0044] FIG. 10 is the enlarged view of Area A in FIG. 9;

[0045] FIG. 11 is the schematic diagram of the infeed line structure in this Invention;

[0046] FIG. 12 is the lateral view of the dynamic weighing section in this Invention;

[0047] FIG. 13 is the schematic diagram of the pulley at the dynamic weighing section in this Invention;

[0048] FIG. 14 is the schematic diagram for installation status of the insert bearing with housing and pulley at the dynamic weighing section in this Invention.

IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS

[0049] The purpose, advantage and characteristics of this Invention will be explained in diagram form through the non-restrictive illustration of the selected embodiments as follows. These embodiments are just the typical examples applying the technical scheme of this Invention, and any technical scheme formed by equivalent substitution or transformation falls within the scope of protection required by this Invention.

[0050] In the scheme description, it shall be noted that, the orientation or position relationships indicated by the terms, such as center, upper, lower, left, right, front, rear, vertical, horizontal, inner/inside and outer/outside, are the orientation or position relationships based on the figures. These terms are only for the convenience and simplification of description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred devices or elements must have specific orientation or be structured and operated in specific orientation, thus they cannot be interpreted as the restriction of this Invention. Furthermore, the terms like first, second and third are only for description purpose and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance. Moreover, in the scheme description, by reference to the operation personnel, the direction close to the operator is the near end, and the direction far away from the operator is the far end.

[0051] The illustration is made to the double-loop cross-belt sorter revealed in this Invention in combination with the figures, as shown in FIG. 1, including

[0052] At least one circular rail 1;

[0053] Two sets of cross-belt carriers 2, forming two conveying loops that are side by side and can be rotated cyclically on the circular rail 1.

[0054] The circular rail 1 can be arranged horizontally as shown in FIG. 1. Moreover, the circular rail 1 can be laid in the shape of irregular loop and also can be circular, oval, waist-shaped, rounded rectangular or in other regular shape, preferably in the shape of rounded rectangle. In another embodiment, the circular rail 1 also can be arranged longitudinally as shown in FIG. 2, that is, it covers the upper layer 11 and lower layer 13 with height difference, and the current stage 12 connecting them.

[0055] Besides, upon longitudinal layout of circular rail 1, when the cross-belt carrier 2 runs to lower layer 13, it will tend to breaking from the circular rail 1 under the effect of gravity. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the sliding chute 15 for the wheel on the cross-belt carrier 2 to pass through will be formed respectively on the panel 14 at both sides of the circular rail 1, so that the wheel on the cross belt can be supported by the sliding chute 15, guaranteeing that it can continue sliding along the circular rail.

[0056] At the same time, in one feasible embodiment, two passages respectively for cyclic rotation of one conveyor loop can be formed on one circular rail 1. At the time, as shown in FIG. 3, the cross-belt carrier 2 of each conveyor loop contains the independent frame 21 able to slide on the passage. Hence, two conveyor loops can move independently, at the same or differential speed.

[0057] Certainly, in another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, one circular rail 1 may also have only one passage for cyclic rotation of two conveyor loops. At the time, the cross-belt carriers 2 in two conveyor loops correspond to each other one by one and move synchronously, and two side-by-side cross-belt carriers 2 have the common frame 21 sliding on the passage, while two conveyor loops rotate synchronously at the time.

[0058] Setting one belt conveyor 23 on the frame 21 is taken as an example below. In case of mounting two belt conveyors 23 on one frame 21, it can be achieved only by increasing the dimension of frame 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the entire frame 21 is I-shaped, containing the short profile 211 and the long profile 213, as well as the connecting profile 212 connecting them, of which, in the middle position of the short profile 211, there is one longitudinal hole 2111. As shown in FIG. 5, there is one connecting hole 2113 at the outer wall 2112 of the longitudinal hole 2111. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, one connecting spindle 214 is provided in the middle position of the long profile 213 in the same direction of its extension, and on the profile plate 2131 under the connecting spindle 214, there forms the gap 2132 matching with the position of the connecting spindle 214. As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting profile 212 contains two profiles of equal height at certain spacing which respectively are in screw connection to the middle positions of the short profile 211 and long profile 213.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4-FIG. 6, both ends of the long profile 213 are provided with rollers 22 on the outer side, and the bottom of the long profile 213 is also provided with a guide wheel 24 at a position close to both ends.

[0060] The axis of guide wheel 24 is vertical to that of roller 22. When the frame 21 is located on the circular rail, the two rollers 22 are located at one sliding chute 15 respectively. Two guide wheels 24 are respectively fitted with the inner wall of circular rail so as to avoid the swing of frame 21 in the horizontal direction;

[0061] As shown in FIG. 3-FIG. 6, the frame 21 is provided with belt conveyor 23 which can be of various feasible and preferred structure. Both ends 231 and 232 of the belt conveyor 23 extend to the outside of both sides of the circular rail 1, to facilitate the connection with other conveyor lines or equipment and avoid the interference of the circular guide rail. In addition, the belt conveyor 23 can perform two-way movement, so that parcels can be transferred between two cross-belt carriers arranged side by side.

[0062] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the belt conveyor 23 includes the base frame 233 on frame 21. Both ends of base frame 233 are provided with pulleys 234 respectively. At least one pulley 234 is provided with power roller; the distance between two pulleys 234 is adjustable, and at least one belt 235 is set on them.

[0063] The gap between two pulleys 234 is realized by the following structure: as shown in FIG. 6, side plates on both ends of base frame 233 are provided with a pair of mounting grooves 2331 and 2332 used for erecting pulley 234. The extension direction of at least one mounting groove 2331 is the same as the conveying direction of belt 235. Both ends of supporting shaft for the pulley in the mounting groove 2331 are connected with a screw 236 respectively. Such screws 236 pass through the through hole on the supporting plate 237 at the side wall of base frame 233 and are fixed by two nuts 238 on both sides of supporting plate 237. The relative position of screw 236 and supporting plate 237 can be adjusted, so as to adjust the position of corresponding pulley. In this way, the tension of belt 235 can be adjusted to avoid belt breakage due to excessive tightening or belt skidding due to excessive looseness, ensuring the stability of conveying and the reliability of equipment.

[0064] In addition, the diameter of the central area of the two pulleys 234 is larger than that of areas on both sides, and the diameter of the two sides shows a trend of decreasing gradually towards the outer end. Therefore, the belt is close to two pulleys 234 when rotating on them with both upper and lower layers in a convex shape, so that belt off-tracking is less likely to occur compared with plane configuration.

[0065] Besides, the double-loop cross-belt sorter also includes power unit 3 used to drive two sets of cross-belt carriers 2 to move along the circular rail 1. The power unit 3 can be a variety of known driving forms such as chain driven form composed of motor+sprocket+chain. As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 7, the power unit 3 preferably includes at least one linear motor 31 and driving plate 32; such driving plate 32 is at least set on the cross-belt carriers 2 partially arranged side by side and driven by electromagnetic thrust generated by linear motor 31. In addition, the number and position of linear motors 31 can be adjusted according to the length of actual conveyor line and target circular speed. The driving plate 32 is inserted into the gap of connecting profiles 212 for each frame 21 and fixed by bolts.

[0066] Certainly, the driving plate 32 can also be driven by other devices in friction-driven mode i.e. the rotating friction wheel or belt can contact the driving plate 32 to achieve driving. Multiple-point driving can also be realized by friction driving which is an known technique (and not explained here).

[0067] In addition, since there is an arc area in the circular rail, the structure connecting two cross-belt carriers may interfere with the sliding of each cross-belt carrier in the arc area thus causing the carrier to shake. Accordingly, in this scheme, the frames 21 of adjacent cross-belt carriers are pivotally connected. To be specific, as shown in FIG. 7, adjacent frames 21 are connected through rod-end joint bearings 4; the screw ends of the rod-end joint bearings 4 are connected with connecting holes 2113 on the frame with the inner ball at the other end sheathed on the connecting shaft 214. The inner ball is located in the middle of the long profile with both sides respectively limited by limit sleeves set on the connecting shaft 214.

[0068] In another feasible embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, there are two circular rails 1 with difference in height. Besides, the projections of two circular rails 1 coincide on the horizontal plane. At the same time, two sets of parallel cross-belt carriers 2 are set on each circular rail 1 so as to further improve the utilization rate of the longitudinal space. When the same horizontal area is covered, the sorting capacity is doubled.

[0069] This Invention further reveals the cross-belt sorter system as shown in FIG. 9. It includes above various double-loop cross-belt sorters 10. Each conveying loop is connected with at least one infeed line 20; the double-loop cross-belt sorter 10 and infeed line 20 are connected with the control device (not shown in the figure).

[0070] As shown in FIG. 9, each conveying loop is connected with three infeed lines 20; infeed lines 20 of outer conveying loop are on the outer side while those of inner conveying loop are on the inner side. At the same time, the width of each infeed line 20 exceeds that of belt conveyor 23 for one cross-belt carrier and is preferably twice the width of two belt conveyors 23. In addition, scanners, dynamic scales and volume measuring device can be set at infeed lines 20.

[0071] In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, parcel-oriented device 201 is provided at the input end of each infeed line 20. Such parcel-oriented device 201 includes a right-angle locating slot 2011. A plane 2012 of the right-angle locating slot 2011 is parallel to the axial direction of the pulleys of the belt conveyor for cross-belt carrier connected with infeed line 20. At that time, the parcels conveyed on the infeed line 20 can be in a right state on the corresponding cross-belt carriers.

[0072] In one feasible embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the specific structure of infeed line 20 is as follows: it includes an infeed section 202, dynamic weighing section 203 and accelerated conveying section 204 that are sequentially connected. The infeed section 202 is provided with parcel-oriented device 201. In addition, a barcode or two-dimensional code identification device 205 and a volume measuring device 206 are set through bracket 207 on one or more of infeed section 202, dynamic weighing section 203 and accelerated conveying section 204.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 12, the dynamic weighing section 203 includes base frame 2031, conveyor line 2033 connected to the base frame 2031 through load cell 2032, and weighing instrument 2034 that communicates with load cell 2032; the weighing instrument 2034 connects with control devices of the entire system.

[0074] The base frame 2031 can be made of various feasible materials or shapes, as long as it can provide stable support. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 12, it includes at least four columns 20311 that are connected as one by the profile. A load cell 2032 is provided on the top surface of each column 20311. The load cell can be various known ones, such as S type, cantilever type, spoke type, plate ring type, bellows type, bridge type and cylinder type, covering various types, models and brands.

[0075] Four load cells 2032 are equipped with the conveyor line 2033 which can be either belt conveyor or pulley conveyor. Preferably, take the belt conveyor as an example. As shown in FIG. 12, the conveyor line 2033 includes bracket 20332 which is provided with four legs 203321 mounted on the four load cells 2032. Both ends of the bracket 20332 may respectively rotate a floor-mounted pulley 20331. The balancing precision grade of said pulley 20331 shall not be lower than G16. The two pulleys 20331 are sleeved with belts 20333, and the spindle of at least one pulley 20331 is connected to the power unit 20334 that drives its rotation. The power unit 20334 can be of various feasible structures, such as motor+reducer+wheel+belt or motor+reducer+gear+chain or directly motor+reducer. The conveying speed of the belt 20333 driven by the power unit 20334 shall not be less than 80 m/min.

[0076] Furthermore, since the conventional pulley 20331 is made of hot rolled steel, the wall thickness of the formed pulley in different areas is not uniform, resulting in relatively poor balancing precision. Therefore, after the pulley is formed, a milling cutter is used to cut off a layer from the inner wall of the pulley, and, as shown in FIG. 13, make the wall thickness of the middle area 203311 of the pulley greater than that of the area on both sides 203312 of the pulley; in addition, the inventor finds that the thicker the wall of the pulley 20331 is, the greater the weight is, the greater the inertia is, and the more likely dynamic imbalance occurs. Therefore, the wall thickness of the middle area 203311 of the pulley 20331 is controlled to be 6-8 mm, and that of the area on both sides 203312 is controlled to be 41 mm.

[0077] In addition, if the surface of the pulley 20331 is plane, when the pulley 20331 rotates, the belt 20333 on it is prone to off-tracking, which affects the stability of the equipment operation and the safety of conveying. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the pulley 20331 is designed such that the diameter of the middle area 203311 is larger than that of the area on both sides 203312 and that the area on both sides 203312 forms a circular table shape small at the outer end and large at the inner end. Therefore, when the belt 20333 is in close contact with the pulley 20331, it presents an arc shape, which can increase the difficulty in its translation and avoid belt off-tracking.

[0078] Furthermore, in order to increase the degree of adhesion between the belt and the pulley, as shown in FIG. 12, the bracket 20332 can also be rotatably provided with a stretch roll 20335 that has the same extension direction as the pulley 20331 and is located between the two pulleys 20331. The said stretch roll 20335 abuts against the bottom surface of the lower layer of belt 331, and its apex is located above the lowest point of the pulley 20331, so that the distance from the contact point between the lower layer of belt 203331 and the stretch roll 20335 to the upper layer of belt 203332 is smaller than the diameter of the pulley 20331.

[0079] At the same time, as shown in FIG. 14, each pulley 20331 is mounted on the bracket 20332 via a pair of insert bearings with housing 20336. During normal installation, the protruding end of the insert bearing with housing 20336 faces outwards (i.e. installed forwards). In this way, the distance between two jackscrews is relatively long, and it is more susceptible to loosening due to the dynamic imbalance of the bearing. Therefore, in this scheme, the insert bearing with housing 20336 is installed on the bracket 20332 backwards, and the protruding ends of the two insert bearings with housing 20336 are arranged inwards and opposite.

[0080] At work, the parcel is placed at the parcel-oriented device 201 of the infeed section 202 manually or through an automated equipment room for orientation and then conveying to the dynamic weighing section 203. In the dynamic weighing section 203, the barcode or two-dimensional code identification device 205 reads the barcode or two-dimensional code on the parcel to obtain information such as the route of the parcel. In addition, the load cell and the volume measuring device 206 respectively measure the weight and volume of the parcel, which are bound to the parcel information for storing in the control device. After the corresponding information is obtained, the parcel is conveyed to the accelerated conveying section 204 for acceleration and transferred to a vacant cross-belt carrier 2. When the cross-belt carrier 2 moves to the destination, the belt conveyor of the cross-belt carrier starts to unload the parcel.

[0081] When the destination of a parcel on a certain conveying loop is located on another conveying loop, the parcel can be transshipped with two side-by-side belt conveyors.

[0082] This Invention has a variety of embodiments, and all the technical schemes developed by using equal or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope of this Invention.