Patent ID: 6105242
Filing Date: 2000-08-22
Classification: B23P,B23Q,Y10T

Abstract:
A pallet routing system which transfers pallets between a plurality of production lines and a main site, each pallet corresponding to a respective production line, the pallet routing system comprising:a main conveyor which conveys pallets from the respectively corresponding production lines to the main site and returns pallets from the main site to the respectively corresponding production lines;return destination selection means for identifying each pallet conveyed by the main conveyor, determining which respective production line corresponds to the identified pallet and producing a corresponding production line determination output;a plurality of production line conveyors, each production line conveyor individually corresponding to a respective production line and conveying pallets from the respective production line to the main conveyor, each production line conveyor having a corresponding transfer point from which pallets are transferred to the main conveyor and to which the main conveyer transfers pallets;pallet detection means for detecting the presence of a pallet at the transfer points and producing a corresponding detection output; andcontrol means, responsive to the production line determination output and the detection output, for controlling the main conveyor to return pallets from the main site to the respectively corresponding production lines, a respective pallet being returned to the respectively corresponding production line after the pallet detection means detects that there is no pallet at the transfer point of the respectively corresponding production line,wherein each production line intersects the main conveyor at a corresponding intersection point, the pallet routing system further comprising a switching means for switching the respective pallets from the main conveyer to the corresponding production line, the switching means comprising a pallet transfer mechanism positioned at each intersection point and corresponding to the respective production line associated with the respective intersection point, each pallet transfer mechanism comprisinga stopper that ascends to stop a pallet conveyed along the main conveyor when the pallet corresponds to the respective production line, and descends to allow the pallet to pass the stopper when the pallet does not correspond to the respective production line,a transfer conveyor which, when activated, removes a pallet thereon from the main conveyor and conveys the pallet to the corresponding production line, andcontrol means for controlling the stopper and the transfer conveyor so that the stopper ascends to stop a pallet identified by the return destination selection means to be a corresponding pallet of the respective production line and descends to allow pallets to pass which are not corresponding pallets of the respective production line, and activates the transfer conveyer when a pallet corresponding to the respective production line is stopped by the stopper.