Patent ID: 9708131
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: B65G

Claim:
1. An article sorting apparatus comprising: a conveyance path; a conveyor cell configured to move along the conveyance path in a first conveyance direction, and to convey an article loaded thereon in a second conveyance direction that intersects the first conveyance direction; a loading device configured to load the article onto the conveyor cell; a positioning device located opposite the loading device with respect to the conveyance path, the positioning device including: a contact member configured to be brought into contact with the article loaded onto the conveyor cell by the loading device, and whose contact portion that comes in contact with the article being configured to move in synchronization with movement of the article in the first conveyance direction; and a driving unit configured to drive the contact member in the second conveyance direction; a sorting unit configured to receive the article conveyed by the conveyor cell; and a control device configured to control conveyance of the article in the second conveyance direction by the conveyor cell when the loading device has loaded the article onto the conveyor cell, and to bring the contact member into contact with the article loaded onto the conveyor cell by driving the contact member in the second conveyance direction, using the driving unit.