Sorting Device And Method For Sorting Bulk Material

Abstract

A sorting device and a method for sorting bulk material. In order to be able to load a sorting facility of the sorting device with just one feeding facility with bulk material such that the sorting facility can be operated with a high throughput, provision is made for the sorting facility and the feeding facility to be arranged so as to run in parallel with one another in a transfer area. In the transfer area, bulk material is transferred from the feeding facility to the sorting facility.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A sorting device for sorting bulk material, comprising: a sorting facility transporting bulk material to a number of sorting destinations during operation; a feeding facility disposed to feed bulk material to said sorting facility during the operation and to transfer the bulk material in a transfer area; wherein said sorting facility and said feeding facility are configured so as to run in parallel with one another in said transfer area.

12. The sorting device according to claim 11, wherein said feeding facility has at least one transfer facility configured to move the bulk material transversely to a course of said feeding facility in said transfer area.

13. The sorting device according to claim 11, wherein said feeding facility has at least one acceleration facility for positioning the bulk material to be transferred.

14. The sorting device according to claim 13, wherein said acceleration facility has a plurality of acceleration segments configured to adjust a position of a number of bulk materials to said sorting facility independently of one another.

15. The sorting device according to claim 13, wherein said transfer facility is arranged downstream of said acceleration facility in a flow direction of the bulk material.

16. The sorting device according to claim 11, wherein said sorting device has an unloading facility for receiving bulk material which is not transferred from said feeding facility to said sorting facility, wherein said unloading facility is arranged adjacent to or behind said transfer area.

17. The sorting device according to claim 16, wherein said feeding facility is arranged at least in sections between said sorting facility and said unloading facility.

18. A method for sorting bulk material with a sorting device having a sorting facility and a feeding facility, the method comprising: feeding the bulk material with the feeding facility to the sorting facility and transferring the bulk material in a transfer area; and moving the bulk material in the transfer area in parallel with the sorting facility at least in sections.

19. The method according to claim 18, which comprises controlling a feed speed, with which the feeding facility feeds bulk material in a feed direction to the sorting facility, independently of a transfer speed, with which the bulk material is transferred by the feeding facility in a transfer direction to the sorting facility.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein bulk material which not transferred to the sorting facility is discharged behind or adjacent to the transfer area.

Description

[0022] The above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention and the manner in which these are achieved will now be described more clearly and explicitly in conjunction with the following description of the exemplary embodiments, which are explained in greater detail in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an inventive control device, and

[0024] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of an inventive method for sorting bulk material.

[0025] The invention will now be described by way of example on the basis of embodiments relating to the drawings. The different features of the embodiments can be combined independently of one another, as shown in the individual advantageous embodiments.

[0026] The design and function of an inventive sorting device for sorting bulk material is firstly described with reference to the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the sorting device 1. The sorting device 1 has a sorting facility 2 and a feeding facility 3. The feeding facility 3 can be used to feed bulk material S to be sorted to the sorting facility 2. The sorting facility 2 assigns the bulk material S to sorting destinations 4, 5, 6 and transfers the bulk material S to the assigned sorting destination 4, 5, 6. The sorting destinations 4, 5, 6 may be containers which are provided independently of the sorting device 1. Overall three sorting destinations 4, 5, 6 are shown by way of example. The sorting device 1 may however also have more or fewer than the three sorting destinations 4, 5, 6 shown.

[0028] The feeding facility 3 runs at least in a transfer area 7, in which bulk material S is transferred from the feeding facility 3 to the sorting facility 2, in parallel with the sorting facility 2. In the transfer area 7 a direction of movement B of the sorting facility 2 runs in parallel with a feed direction Z of the feeding facility 3. In the feed direction Z the feeding facility 3 moves bulk material S to or in the transfer area 7. In the direction of movement B the sorting facility 2 transports the bulk material S received by the feeding facility 3 in and out of the transfer area 7.

[0029] The feeding facility 3 can have a transport facility 8, for instance a belt conveyor, for receiving the bulk material S to be sorted. The bulk material S can be placed on the transport facility 8 by an operator of the sorting device 1 or by an upstream device. The transport facility 8 transports the bulk material S in the direction of the transfer area 7.

[0030] An optimal acceleration facility 9 which may be downstream of the transport facility 8 can follow the transport facility 8 in the feed direction Z. The acceleration facility 9 can take over bulk material S to be sorted from the transport device 8. The acceleration facility 9 can be used to adjust the speed of the bulk material S to be sorted to the speed of movement of the sorting facility 2. In addition or alternatively the acceleration facility 9 can modify the speed of the bulk material S, in other words accelerate this in order to position the bulk material S at a predefined transport position 10, at which the bulk material S is to be transferred. The transport position 10 may be an individual goods carrier of the sorting facility 10, which receives the bulk material S and in which the bulk material S is moved to one of the sorting destinations 4, 5, 6. If just one bulk material S is to be positioned in each case, it is sufficient if the acceleration facility 9 has one and preferably no more than one acceleration segment.

[0031] Alternatively the acceleration facility can have a number of and for instance three acceleration segments 11, 12, 13 which can accelerate bulk material S independently of one another. The acceleration segments 11, 12, 13 are preferably arranged one behind the other in the feed direction Z in order to be able to accelerate the bulk material S in a space-saving manner. It may be necessary in particular to position the bulk material S in relation to the predefined transport position 10 if the bulk material S was not placed in a perfect position on the transport direction 8.

[0032] The sorting facility 2 of the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1 has a transfer facility 14 in the transfer area 7. The transfer facility 14 is embodied to transfer bulk material S in a transfer direction U which runs at right angles to the feed direction Z to the sorting facility 2 and in particular to the predefined transport position 10. The transfer facility 14 can have a transfer segment 15, for instance a transverse belt conveyor, which moves the bulk material S in the transfer direction U. The transfer segment 15 preferably moves in the feed direction Z and in parallel with the direction of movement B of the sorting facility 2. In such cases the speed of the transfer segment 15 in the feed direction Z preferably amounts to the speed of the predefined transport position 10 in the transfer area 7.

[0033] In order to be able to transfer a number of bulk materials S or oversized bulk material S, which has a larger expansion in the feed direction Z than the transfer segment 15, the transfer facility 14 can have a number of transfer segments 15. The transfer segments 15 in the feed direction Z can be arranged one behind the other in the transfer area 7.

[0034] During operation of the sorting device 1, a bulk material S to be sorted in one of the sorting destinations 4, 5, 6 can be transferred from the transport facility 8 to the acceleration segment 13. The bulk material S can be accelerated with the acceleration segment 13 and thus prepositioned with respect to the predefined transport position 10. If the acceleration facility 9 has a further acceleration segment and for instance the acceleration segment 11, the speed of the bulk material S to be transferred can be adjusted by the acceleration segment 11 to the transport speed of the sorting facility 2 in the transfer area 7. The prepositioned bulk material S, the speed of which now corresponds to the speed of the sorting facility 2 and the transfer facility 14, is transferred by the acceleration segment 11 to the transfer facility 14 and in particular to the transfer segment 15.

[0035] The bulk material S can be transferred with a transfer speed in the transfer direction U to the sorting facility 2 and in particular to the predefined transport position 10 irrespective of the speed of the bulk material S in the direction of movement B or in the feed direction Z. The prepositioning of the bulk material S, the feed speed and the transfer speed can therefore be controlled substantially independently of one another, as a result of which all transport positions 10 can be occupied with bulk material S to be sorted and consequently the maximum possible throughput of the sorting facility 2 can be reached with just one feeding facility 3.

[0036] It may occur that bulk material S cannot be transferred to the sorting facility 2. For instance, no free transport position 10 may be available to receive the bulk material S.

[0037] Furthermore, it may be for instance that the bulk material S is too large or cannot be positioned sufficiently accurately. The sorting device 1 can have an unloading facility 16 for receiving non-transferable bulk material S. The unloading facility 16 can be positioned in the feed direction Z adjacent to the transfer facility 14. In particular the transfer facility 14 can be arranged between the unloading facility 16 and the sorting facility 14. For instance, the unloading facility 16 at right angles to the feed direction Z can overlap a projection of the transfer area 7 at right angles to the feed direction Z. Non-transferable bulk material S can consequently be easily transferred in an unloading direction A which runs counter to the transfer direction U from the transfer facility 14 to the unloading facility 16.

[0038] If the transfer facility 14 has the transfer segment 15 embodied as a transverse belt conveyor, this can thus move the non-transferable bulk material S easily counter to the transfer direction U and in the unloading direction A to the unloading facility 16. Alternatively, the unloading facility 16 can be arranged in the feed direction Z behind the feeding facility 3 and in particular behind the transfer facility 15, so that bulk material S not transferred to the sorting facility 2 can be brought into the unloading facility 16 in the feed direction Z.

[0039] If it is desirable that for various reasons non-transferable bulk material S is to be presorted for instance, the sorting device 1 can have a number of unloading facilities 16, which are arranged at right angles to the feed direction Z adjacent to the transfer area 7 and/or in the feed direction Z behind the transfer area 7.

[0040] The transfer segments 15 can also be referred to as provisioning carriers.

[0041] Both the transport positions 10 and also the transfer segments 15 can be embodied as transverse belt conveyors. Alternatively the transport positions 10 and/or the transfer segments 15 can be embodied to be tiltable in order to be able to transfer bulk material S in a tilted state due to gravity by means of slipping.

[0042] The sorting facility 2 and the feeding facility 3 are preferably embodied as a closed circuit in each case, wherein a plane Ez, in which the closed circuit of the transfer facility 14 is disposed, is preferably arranged at right angles to a plane Es, in which the transport positions 10 are moved, and for instance vertically. The vertical alignment of the plane Ez of the feed facility 3 further reduces the installation space required in the horizontal direction for the sorting device 1.

[0043] If two-dimensional goods to be sorted, for instance letters, are applied to the transport facility 8, this can at least firstly be moved vertically with the transport facility 8. In the further course the two-dimensional load can fall onto the transport facility 8 about an axis which runs in parallel with the feed direction Z in order to be able to easily transport this further and in particular without a guide.

[0044] FIG. 2 shows an inventive method for sorting bulk material S as a flow chart with reference to the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2. For elements of the exemplary embodiment of the FIG. 1 which are helpful in terms of presenting the method, the same reference characters are used below.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows the method 20 for sorting bulk material S as a flow chart with a number of method steps. In the first method step 21, the method 20 is started. For instance the sorting device 1 is started in step 21. The first method step 21 is followed by a further method step 22, in which the feeding facility 3 and for instance its transport facility 8 are loaded with bulk material S.

[0046] In the optional method step 23, the bulk material S can be prepositioned and its speed can optionally be adjusted to the sorting facility 2, for instance with the acceleration facility 9.

[0047] In the next method step 24, the bulk material S is fed to the sorting facility 2 and in the process is moved at least in the transfer area 7 in parallel with the sorting facility 2 and in particular with its direction of movement B in the transfer area 7.

[0048] Method step 24 is followed by method step 25 in which the bulk material S is transferred at right angles to the direction of movement B to the sorting facility 2 and in particular to the predefined transport position 10. If the bulk material S is not to be transferable to the sorting facility 2, because, for instance, the predetermined transport position 10 is occupied or the bulk material S is too large, method step 24 can alternatively be followed by method step 26, in which the bulk material S is output at right angles to or in parallel with the direction of movement B, in particular from the feeding facility 3 to the unloading facility 16.

[0049] If the bulk material S was transferred to the sorting facility 2, method step 25 is followed by method step 27 in which bulk material S is sorted into the sorting destination 4, 5, 6.

[0050] The method ends with method step 28, for instance if there is no further bulk material S to be sorted.

[0051] The invention therefore relates to a sorting device and a method for sorting bulk material. In order to be able to load a sorting facility of the sorting device with just one feeding facility with bulk material such that the sorting facility can be operated with a high throughput, provision is made in accordance with the invention for the sorting facility and the feeding facility to be arranged so as to run in parallel with one another in a transfer area, in which bulk material is transferred from the feeding facility to the sorting facility.