FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to sorting systems, more specifically sorting systems for packages in warehouses.

BACKGROUND

The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.

The modem E-commerce industry has created the need for speeding up order fulfillment activities. Sortation of items (including but not limited to packages, carton boxes, totes, and articles) is one of the major activities involved in fulfilling the order.

One of the fastest methods of sortation is robotic sortation, which is largely governed by robot movement speed which governs the sortation speed. Conventionally, robotic sortation is done with the help of ground vehicle-based robotic systems. However, these conventional systems pose the problem of loss of stability and navigational controls at higher speeds, and hence, are limited to considerably moderate speed. Another issue observed is that despite the presence of various ground based robotic sortation systems, a good portion of sorting activities is carried out manually, which is as good as manual sortation process.

Therefore there is a need for a system that alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks of the conventional sorting systems.

OBJECTS

Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:

It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for sorting packages.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for sorting packages efficiently and accurately. Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for sorting packages in a relatively economic manner.

Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for sorting packages which requires minimal manual assistance.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure envisages a system for sorting packages at warehouses. Each package has an identification mark defining the locality to which the package is to be delivered.

The system comprises a plurality of overhead conveyor units interconnected with each other. Each overhead conveyor unit defines a path culminating at a predefined location in the warehouse and having a plurality of locations, corresponding to different localities, demarcated along the length of the path. A receiving station is positioned at each of the locations. At least one carriage is configured to be displaceably suspended from the overhead conveyor unit. The carriage is configured to removably accommodate at least one package therein. A control unit is configured to identify the locality marked on the package. The control unit is communicatively connected to the carriage to regulate the maneuverability of the carriage along the overhead conveyor units in response to the locality identified to facilitate release of the package in the receiving station positioned at the corresponding location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING

A system, of the present disclosure, for sorting packages in a warehouse will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a top view of the system of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 illustrates an isometric view of the system of Figure 2;

Figure 3 illustrates a top view of the different paths travelled by the carriage, of Figure 2; Figure 4A and Figure 4B illustrates side views of the receiving station of Figure 1, in a closed configuration;

Figure 4C illustrates a side view of the receiving station of Figure 1, in an open configuration, of a first chamber of the receiving station; Figure 5 illustrates an isometric view of the system, of Figure 1, with a chute hopper;

Figure 6 and Figure 7 illustrate block diagrams depicting the actuation of a first actuator of the system, of Figure 1, with the help of a control unit;

Figure 8 illustrates a block diagram depicting the actuation of a second actuator of the system, of Figure 1, with the help of a control unit; Figure 9 illustrates a block diagram depicting the actuation of a third actuator of a first chamber of the receiving station of the system, of Figure 1, with the help of a control unit; and

Figure 10 illustrates a block diagram depicting the actuation of a fourth actuator of the system, of Figure 1, with the help of a control unit. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND DRAWING

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.

The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

A system (100), of the present disclosure, for sorting packages (10) in a warehouse will now be described in detail with reference to Figure 1 through Figure 10.

Each package (10) has an identification mark defining the locality to which the package (10) is to be delivered. The identification mark could be a barcode, an RFID or a QR code.

As shown in Figure 1, the system (100) comprises a plurality of overhead conveyor units (102) interconnected with each other. In an embodiment, the conveyor units (102) are connected to each other with the help of joining means, typically bridges. Each overhead conveyor unit (102) defines a path having a plurality of locations, corresponding to different localities, demarcated along the length of the path.

In an embodiment, the overhead conveyor unit (102) is supported on a support structure (170).

A receiving station (104) is positioned at each of the locations.

In one embodiment, the location is a stretch of distance ranging from 0.5m to 2m, corresponding to the length of the receiving station (104). At least one carriage (106) is configured to be displaceably suspended from the overhead conveyor unit. The carriage (106) is configured to removably accommodate at least one package (10) therein.

A control unit (150) is configured to identify the locality marked on the package (10). The control unit (150) is communicatively connected to the carriage (106) to regulate the maneuverability of the carriage (106) along the overhead conveyor units (102) in response to the locality identified and facilitate release of the package (10) in the receiving station (104) positioned at the corresponding location.

In an embodiment, the overhead conveyor unit (102) is defined by a guide rail (108) which has both linear and curvilinear configurations depending on the structure of the warehouse and the interconnectability between the conveyor units (102).

In another embodiment, as seen in Figure 3, a diverter strip (160) is provided in the guide rail (108), particularly on the roof of the guide rail (108). The diverter strip (160) is configured to facilitate smooth transition of the carriage (106) from linear sections of the guide rail (108) to the curvilinear sections of the guide rail (108).

In another embodiment, the diverting strip is provided at the junctions of the curvilinear sections and the linear sections of the guide rail (108).

In yet another embodiment, for the linear sections of the guide rail (108), the strip (160) starts slightly before the junction and stops after some distance from it. There is no diverting strip in the majority of the length between two junctions along the straight section. In still another embodiment, the diverter strip has a tapered cross-section.

In an embodiment, the carriage (106) includes a compartment (106A) for accommodating the package (10) therein.

In another embodiment, the carriage (106) includes a plurality of compartments. Each compartment is configured to accommodate a package (10) therein.

In a first embodiment, lifting mechanisms are provided to facilitate bringing the packages (10) to the same level as that of the carriage (106), and pushing the packages (10) into the carriage (106). In another embodiment, the lifting mechanism is a scissor lifting mechanism whose height can be adjusted to bring the package (10) to the height of the carriage (106). In a second embodiment, the system (100) includes conveyor belts that are configured to port the packages (10) thereon. The conveyor belts are maintained on such a height that it matches the height of the carriages (106) so that the packages (10) can be simply pushed into the carriage (106). In a third embodiment, the system (100) includes tilt trays configured to push the package (10) into the carriage (106). In a fourth embodiment, the system (100) includes an elevated platform to help a person transfer the package into the carriage (106).

In an embodiment, the control unit (150) includes a scanner (151) configured to scan the identification mark, and is further configured to generate a scanned signal. In an embodiment, the scanner (151) is a barcode reader, an RFID reader or a QR code reader depending on the type of the identification mark provided.

In another embodiment, the control unit (150) includes a repository (152) for storing a map of the overhead conveyor units, and a processor (154) communicating with the repository (152) to receive the map.

In an embodiment, the map includes the locations demarcated on the overhead conveyor units.

The processor (154) is further configured to communicate with the scanner (151) to receive the scanned signal therefrom. The processor (154) is configured to identify the location from the scanned signal, and is configured to generate an actuating signal for facilitating maneuverability of the carriage (106) along the conveyor unit (102) with respect to the identified locality.

In an embodiment, the processor (154) is further configured to generate a deactuating signal for facilitating stopping of the carriage (106) at the location for a predetermined period of time.

In an embodiment, the actuating signal is configured to correspond to a command selected from the group consisting of take-off, movement and regulation of speed of the carriage (106). The regulation of the speed includes reducing the speed of the carriage (106) or increasing the speed of the carriage (106). The processor (154) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions.

In one embodiment, the guide rail (108) includes a plurality of indicators (108A) provided on the guide rail (108) for representing the locations. The indicators (108A) are selected from the group consisting of markers, stoppers, barcodes, QR codes, RFIDs and illuminators.

In another embodiment, the control unit (150) includes a sensing unit (122) provided on the carriage (106), and configured to sense the indicators (108A) and generate a sensed signal. In one embodiment, the sensing unit (122) includes at least one sensor configured to sense the indicators (108A). In another embodiment, the sensing unit (122) is a barcode reader, a QR code scanner or any customized scanner.

The control unit (150) further includes a monitoring unit (124) configured to communicate with the sensing unit (122). The monitoring unit (124) is configured to receive the sensed signal to generate an activating signal for facilitating maneuverability of the carriage (106) along the conveyor unit (102) corresponding to the identified locality.

In an embodiment, the activating signal is configured to correspond to a command selected from the group consisting of take-off, movement and regulation of speed of the carriage (106).

In an embodiment, the monitoring unit (124) is configured to generate a deactivating signal for stopping the carriage (106) at each location on the conveyor unit for a predetermined time period.

In an embodiment, the system (100) includes a first actuator (156) configured to receive the actuating signal or the activating signal for maneuvering the carriage (106).

In another embodiment, the first actuator (156) is provided on the carriage (106). In yet another embodiment, the first actuator (156) is provided on the guide rail (108). In still another embodiment, the first actuator (156) is a motor.

In an embodiment, the control unit (150) is configured to generate a release signal when the carriage (106) is in the vicinity of a location where the package has to be released. In another embodiment, the carriage (106) includes a second actuator (158) configured to communicate with the control unit (1 0). The second actuator (158) is configured to be connected to the carriage (106). The second actuator (158) is configured to receive the release signal from the control unit (150) to facilitate release of the package from the carriage (106) (as shown in Figure 8).

In one embodiment, the second actuator (158) is configured to release the package (10) while the carriage (106) is in motion. In another embodiment, the second actuator (158) is configured to release the package (10) when the carriage is stopped at a desired location.

In an embodiment, the second actuator is provided on the carriage (106).

In one embodiment, the receiving station (104) includes at least one chamber (104A, 104B...104n) having a selectively openable side wall (105 A, 105B... 105n) (as seen in Figure 4A through Figure 4C).

In an embodiment, each chamber (104A, 104B... 104n) includes a third actuator (162) configured to communicate with the control unit (150). The third actuator is connected to the side wall (105A, 105B... 105n). The third actuator (162) is configured to receive the release signal from the control unit (150) to enable opening of the side wall (105A, 105B... 105n) and facilitate receipt of the package (10) in the chamber (104A, 104B... 104n) (as shown in Figure 9).

In yet another embodiment, the receiving station (104) has a chute hopper (130) (as seen in Figure 5) provided on an operative top portion thereof for facilitating receipt of the package (10) in the chamber (104A, 104B... 104n).

In another embodiment, the side walls (105A, 105B... 105n) and the bottom portion of the chute hopper (130) are of a flexible material selected from the group consisting of a woven fiber net, fabric, rubber, or polymer.

In an embodiment, the system (100) includes a fourth actuator (164) configured to communicate with the control unit (150) to receive the actuating signal or the activating signal therefrom. The fourth actuator (164) is configured to facilitate change in lanes of the carriage (106).

In another embodiment, the fourth actuator is provided on the guide rails (108). In yet another embodiment, the fourth actuator is provided on the carriage (106).

In one embodiment, the control unit (150) includes a collision prevention module configured to cooperate with the processor or the monitoring unit to receive the actuating signal or the activating signal, respectively, therefrom. The collision prevention module is configured to communicate with the first actuator and the fourth actuator to facilitate regulation of the speed of the carriage, deactuation of the carriage (106) or facilitate change in lanes of the carriage (106) to prevent collision with other carriages (106) if the timings of the carriages (106) overlap with each other.

In a first operative configuration, packages (10) are required to be delivered to A, B, C, D and E localities by an e-commerce platform. Out of the five locations, A, B and C are on the same route, while D and E are on altogether different routes from each other and from A, B and C. The localities are marked on the respective packages (10) with the help of a barcode.

The system (100) is tasked with sorting and conveying the packages (10) to receiving stations (104) corresponding to A, B, C, D and E localities.

The control unit (150) reads the barcode and identifies the locality marked on the packages (10) to allocate a carriage (106) on a first sorting section (for A, B and C localities), a carriage (106) on a second sorting section (for D locality) and a carriage (106) on a third sorting section (for E locality). In an embodiment, the carriage (106) of the first sorting section has multiple compartments (106A), each compartment (106A) being configured to house a package (10) therein.

In another embodiment, the carriages (106) of both second sorting section and third sorting section could be a single compartment (106 A) carriage (106).

Once loaded, the control unit (150) generates actuating signals which are received by the first actuators (156) provided on the carriages (106) to facilitate maneuvering of the carriages (106) along their respective overhead conveyor units (102).

In the case of A, B and C localities, assume that A comes before B which comes before C. When the carriage (106) of the first sorting section reaches locality A, the control unit (150) generates a deactuating signal which is received by the first actuator (156) to stop the carriage (106). At the same time, the control unit (150) generates a release signal which is received by the second actuator (158) to enable releasing of the package (10). More specifically, the carriage (106) is opened fractionally so that only the compartment (106A) carrying the package (10) of locality A is exposed.

At the same time, the third actuator (162) receives the release signal, and opens the side wall (105 A), of the receiving station (104) of locality A, to allow the chamber (104A) to receive the package (10) therein.

After a predetermined period of time of say 2-5 seconds, the control unit (150) again generates an actuating signal to resume the movement of the carriage (106) towards the next location.

The packages (10) of other localities B, C, D and E are similarly released into the respective receiving stations (104).

In a second operative configuration, the control unit (150) after reading and identifying the localities marked on the packages (10), transfers the packages (10) into a carriage (106), irrespective of any definite location. The control unit (150) generates an actuating signal on whose receipt; the first actuator maneuvers the carriage (106) towards the identified locality.

As and when the carriage (106) arrives at the locations on the conveyor units corresponding to the identified localities, the control unit (150) generates a release signal to enable the second actuator to release the package.

At the same time, the third actuator receives the release signal, and opens the side wall (105 A) to allow the chamber (104A) to receive the package (10) therein.

In an embodiment, the system (100) includes a towing mechanism for towing away faulty carriages (106) so that they don’t hinder the sorting operation.

All the components of the system (100), of the present disclosure, can be of a relatively lower cost, and minimizes the need of manual intervention for helping with its operation. In fact, the system (100) is self-sufficient to keep the sorting process running efficiently and with accuracy.

In an embodiment, the system (100) can be used in an application requiring delivery of any object from one destination to another. The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS

The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a system for sorting packages in a warehouse, which:

• sorts packages efficiently and accurately;

• uses cost-effective components to provide high performance to cost ratio; and

• requires minimal manual assistance.

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein. While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.