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WO1993002811A1 - Sous-systeme d'acheminement pour systeme de tri du courrier - Google Patents

Sous-systeme d'acheminement pour systeme de tri du courrier Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1993002811A1
WO1993002811A1 PCT/US1992/006753 US9206753W WO9302811A1 WO 1993002811 A1 WO1993002811 A1 WO 1993002811A1 US 9206753 W US9206753 W US 9206753W WO 9302811 A1 WO9302811 A1 WO 9302811A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
pulleys
dancer
pulley
mail
belt
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1992/006753
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Stanley Katsuyoshi Wakamiya
Diane Lemon Deemer
John Kouroupis
William Patrick Mcconnell
John Joseph Buckley, Jr.
David Jerome Tilles
Original Assignee
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation filed Critical Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Publication of WO1993002811A1 publication Critical patent/WO1993002811A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination
    • B07C3/02—Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G15/00—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration
    • B65G15/10—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface
    • B65G15/12—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface with two or more endless belts
    • B65G15/14—Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration comprising two or more co-operating endless surfaces with parallel longitudinal axes, or a multiplicity of parallel elements, e.g. ropes defining an endless surface with two or more endless belts the load being conveyed between the belts
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to mail sorting machinery and, more specifically, to an improved mail induction subsystem for delivering mail to a transport/stacker.
  • Flats mail is generally defined to include a wide variety of mail pieces in terms of size, shape and weight. These include, for example, newspapers, periodicals, magazines, envelopes, postcards, etc.
  • An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a mail induction subsystem which is capable of monitoring the position of an individual mail piece and providing mid-course correction in speed to ensure accurate delivery to a transport system.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide a mail induction subsystem which is constructed in a modular fashion to facilitate customization of the subsystem to fit individual needs of the customer.
  • Another object of the present invention is to provide an induction subsystem which is capable of delivering mail pieces of greater thickness with reliability and accuracy.
  • an induction line section of a mail induction system including a plurality of dancer pulleys arranged in a row to include an upstream-most dancer pulley and a downstream-most dancer pulley, a first end pulley located upstream of the upstream most dancer pulley, a second end pulley located downstream of the downstream-most dancer pulley, a drive pulley located radially outwardly of the second end pulley, a first belt fitted over .
  • the first and second end pulleys have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the dancer pulleys, a second belt running between third and fourth end pulleys and running over a plurality of idler pulleys, a mail piece passageway being defined between an inner run of the second belt and an inner run of the first belt, wherein the dancer pulleys are forced
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective, schematic view of an induction subsystem according to the present invention
  • Fig. 2 is a top view of an induction line section according to the present invention.
  • Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, partly schematic, of the induction line section of Fig. 2; _ ⁇ d
  • Fig. 4 is an enlarged, sectional view of a typical dancer roller according to the present invention.
  • a mail induction subsystem according to the present invention is generally referred to by the numeral 10 and includes an auto feeder 12 and two manual feeders 14 and 16.
  • Various other modules can be inserted between the feeders 12, 14 and 16, and the transport/stacker module 18.
  • the transport/stacker module 18 is described in U.S.
  • the various modules between the transport/stacker module 18 and the feeders 12, 14, and 16 include an inserter module 20, a printer/verifier module 22, a label applicator 24, a multi-line intelligent character reader module (MLIC) 26 and a flats bar code reader 28.
  • MLIC multi-line intelligent character reader module
  • the various modules defines an induction line 30 which delivers individual mail pieces to the transport/stacker module 18.
  • the induction line 30 includes a plurality of roller sections which transport the mail pieces by counter-rotating belts frictionally engaging the mail pieces.
  • the induction line 30 comprises a plurality of induction roller segments, one of which is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.
  • the induction line section 32 includes a plurality of dancer pulleys 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 which swing about respective axes 34a, 36a, 38a, 40, and 42a through a range of about 20*.
  • a belt 44 runs over the surface of the dancer pulleys and is looped around two end pulleys 46 and 48 which have rotation axes coplanar with the rotation axes of the dancer pulleys.
  • the belt 44 is driven by a drive pulley 52, and an idler pulley 54 ensures at least 180* wrap of the belt 44 on the drive pulley. Also, the location of the idler pulley 54 is such that the belt geometry at the end pulley 48 is substantially the same as the end pulley 46.
  • a counter-rotating belt 58 runs between end pulleys 60 and 62, of which pulley 60 is driven, with idler pulleys 64, 66, 68, 70 and 72 therebetween.
  • drive pulleys 52 and 60 are driven by the same motor and timed to rotate both belts 44 and 58 at the same speed.
  • Each dancer pulley is supported on a corresponding swing arm 74, 76, 78, 80 and 82, respectively, each of which is pivotally mounted to a horizontal plate 84.
  • the plate 84 may be counter-top of a modular cabinet, for example, and has arcuate channels 86 formed therein to permit the dancer pulleys to swing arcuately away from the mail carrying gap between the two belts 44 and 58.
  • the end dancer pulleys 34 and 42 are also supported at the opposite ends by having a cam follower 88 ride in an arcuate cam track 90 formed in an upper support bar 92.
  • the support bar is mounted on fixed pillar supports 94, 96, 98, 100 and 102.
  • the rollers 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72 and 60 have fixed rotational axes, while the rotational axes of the dancer pulleys 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 swing outwardly to expand the distance between the inner run of belt 44 and the inner run of belt 58 to accommodate mail pieces of variable thickness.
  • a spring bias is generated by the belt 44, which is preferably elastic. This spring bias forces the dancer pulleys back to their original, inner most positions with the need for a separate spring.
  • a typical dancer pulley 36 is illustrated in Fig. 4.
  • a support shaft 36a may be fixedly connected to the arm 76 so that the pulley 36 is journalled for rotation at the end of the shaft 36a.
  • the profile 36b of the pulley 36 is crowned slightly to ensure that the belt stays on the pulley.
  • Pulleys 34 and 42 can be provided with shaft extensions with cam followers thereon which extend in a direction opposite the shaft 36a for engagement with the cam track 90 and 91.
  • While the drive pulley 52 can be driven with a conventional D.C. motor, another aspect of the present invention entails driving the drive pulley 52 with a servo motor 106 under the control of a system controller 108.
  • Position sensors 110 such as through beam infrared sensor positioned to aim a beam through the space between the plate 84 and the bottom of the dancer pulleys, feed signals to the controller 108 to determine the location of a mail piece az various points along the induction line. If the controller 108 determines that the mail piece is ahead or behind scheduled arrival at the transport/stacker module, the servo motor 106 is driven at a speed sufficient to correct the actual travel time of the mail piece to coincide with the scheduled travel time.
  • pulley segment 32 of the induction line can function as a catch-up mechanism, and is particularly useful downstream of a levelor device, or immediately before the transport/stacker module.
  • Multiple catch-up mechanism could be provided with additional servo motors, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 3.
  • the induction line can be broken into a plurality of segments so that the induction line can be increased or decreased in length, or modified to include or remove modules as needed.
  • the end pulleys 46 and 48 have a diameter of 1/2 inch and the dancer pulleys 34, 36, 38, 40, and 42 have a diameter of about 3 inches, thus defining a ratio in diameter for the dancer pulleys to the end pulleys to be about 6:1. It has been determined that this ratio will allow the induction line section 32 to accommodate mail pieces having a thickness up to 1/4 inch, with sufficient spring return force being generated by the belt 44, which in a preferred embodiment is about four inches wide.
  • the system controller is programmed to predict when a mail piece will arrive at a particular carrier after the mail piece has been introduce, either by a manual feeder or an automatic feeder.
  • the system controller essentially times the delivery of the mail piece, based on the expected speed of the induction line, and the speed of the containers of the transport system as they are positioned at the discharged end of the induction line. Due to belt slippage, or other factors, the expected time of arrival may not always coincide with the actual time of arrival.
  • the present invention provides a catch-up mechanism, which provides a mid-course, or end-course correction for the time of delivery of the mail piece either by accelerating the speed or decelerating the speed of the mail piece by controlling the servo motor.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
  • Separation, Sorting, Adjustment, Or Bending Of Sheets To Be Conveyed (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention se rapporte à un segment de chaîne d'acheminement d'un système d'acheminement du courrier, qui comprend plusieurs poulies danseuses disposées de façon à former une rangée comportant une poulie danseuse le plus amont et une poulie danseuse le plus aval, une première poulie terminale placée en amont de la poulie danseuse le plus amont, une seconde poulie terminale située en aval de la poulie danseuse le plus aval, une poulie d'entraînement disposée radialement vers l'extérieur de la seconde poulie terminale, une première courroie montée sur les poulies danseuses et passant entre les deux poulies terminales et autour de la poulie d'entraînement, les première et seconde poulies terminales ayant un diamètre inférieur à celui des poulies danseuses, et une seconde courroie passant entre les troisième et quatrième poulies terminales et sur des poulies folles, un passage pour les pièces de courrier étant compris entre un tronçon interne de la seconde courroie et un tronçon interne de la première courroie. Dans ce système, les poulies danseuses sont amenées de force à se déplacer radialement vers l'extérieur lors du passage d'une pièce de courrier ayant une épaisseur supérieure à une distance comprise entre les tronçons internes des première et secondes courroies, de sorte qu'une force de détente se développe en réponse à ce mouvement radial des poulies danseuses vers l'extérieur.
PCT/US1992/006753 1991-08-09 1992-08-07 Sous-systeme d'acheminement pour systeme de tri du courrier WO1993002811A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US74275291A 1991-08-09 1991-08-09
US742,752 1991-08-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1993002811A1 true WO1993002811A1 (fr) 1993-02-18

Family

ID=24986062

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1992/006753 WO1993002811A1 (fr) 1991-08-09 1992-08-07 Sous-systeme d'acheminement pour systeme de tri du courrier

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU2478692A (fr)
WO (1) WO1993002811A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1998057874A1 (fr) * 1997-06-02 1998-12-23 Jomet Oy Dispositif de transfert d'articles plats dans une pile
WO2001026827A3 (fr) * 1999-10-12 2002-02-07 Atecs Mannesmann Ag Systeme d'admission a vitesse elevee
WO2005108256A1 (fr) * 2004-05-03 2005-11-17 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Dispositif pour transporter des envois plats en position verticale

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3951257A (en) * 1974-10-30 1976-04-20 Pitney-Bowes, Inc. Mail transporting mechanism
US4382471A (en) * 1981-10-02 1983-05-10 Idaho Research Foundation, Inc. Low damage beet cleaner and elevator
JPS5986545A (ja) * 1982-11-11 1984-05-18 Taiyo Shokai:Kk シ−ト状物送り出し装置
EP0491631A1 (fr) * 1990-12-17 1992-06-24 Schneider Electric Sa Convoyeur équipé d'un dispositif de guidage latéral à entrainement synchronisé

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3951257A (en) * 1974-10-30 1976-04-20 Pitney-Bowes, Inc. Mail transporting mechanism
US4382471A (en) * 1981-10-02 1983-05-10 Idaho Research Foundation, Inc. Low damage beet cleaner and elevator
JPS5986545A (ja) * 1982-11-11 1984-05-18 Taiyo Shokai:Kk シ−ト状物送り出し装置
EP0491631A1 (fr) * 1990-12-17 1992-06-24 Schneider Electric Sa Convoyeur équipé d'un dispositif de guidage latéral à entrainement synchronisé

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 8, no. 197 (M-324)11 September 1984 & JP,A,59 086 545 ( TAIYOU SHIYOUKAI KK ) 18 May 1984 *

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1998057874A1 (fr) * 1997-06-02 1998-12-23 Jomet Oy Dispositif de transfert d'articles plats dans une pile
WO2001026827A3 (fr) * 1999-10-12 2002-02-07 Atecs Mannesmann Ag Systeme d'admission a vitesse elevee
US6513641B1 (en) 1999-10-12 2003-02-04 Rapistan Systems Advertising Corp. High rate induction system
US6715598B2 (en) 1999-10-12 2004-04-06 Rapistan Systems Advertising Corp. High rate induction system
US6918484B2 (en) 1999-10-12 2005-07-19 Rapistan Systems Advertising Corp. High rate induction system
US7121398B2 (en) 1999-10-12 2006-10-17 Dematic Corp. High rate induction system
US7562760B2 (en) 1999-10-12 2009-07-21 Dematic Corp. High rate induction system
WO2005108256A1 (fr) * 2004-05-03 2005-11-17 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Dispositif pour transporter des envois plats en position verticale
US7500554B2 (en) 2004-05-03 2009-03-10 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Device for conveying flat postal articles in an upright position

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2478692A (en) 1993-03-02

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