Sorting system for conveying apparatus

A sorting system for a conveying apparatus is disclosed. A conveying platform of the conveying apparatus includes turning driving devices disposed side by side at a branching position on the article conveying path, and each turning driving device includes a directional motor, and a wheel hub motor module and a driving device disposed above and below the directional motor, respectively. When the article conveyed by the conveying platform enters the branching position, a control module outputs and transmits control signals to the directional motors and the wheel hub motor modules, and a rotation shaft drives a fixing frame of the wheel hub motor module to horizontally turn to a preset angular position, and the wheel hub motor module drives a roller to vertically rotate to drive the article to convey to a predetermined position along a preset path, so that a sorting operation can be completed quickly.

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan patent application number 109106540, filed on Feb. 27, 2020.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention provides a sorting system for a conveying apparatus, more particularly to a sorting system using turning driving devices disposed on a branching position of a conveying platform to sort articles.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, the existing sorting system used in the conveying apparatus is located at the turning point or branching point of an article conveying platform, and the sorting system can guide articles to predetermined positions based on predetermined paths or quickly sort the articles, and the conventional sorting methods can be divided into a forced-turning sorting method, a linked-roller sorting method and a differential-roller sorting method.

In the forced-turning sorting method, traditionally, a pendulum plate is used to force the article to move toward the desired conveying platform when an article is conveyed to the branching point on the conveying platform. However, the forced-turning sorting method is hard to be used in the current era of unmanned factories with automated productions because the conveyed article easily hits the side of the conveying platform during conveying process. The forced-turning sorting method is generally used in the conveying apparatus for conveying trunks or package boxes. Therefore, this sorting system using the forced-turning sorting method is only used for the article which is hard to be permanently broken or damaged, and when the sequentially-conveyed articles are stuck in the turning position of the conveying platform, the conveying apparatus in operation may be stuck, unable to move and then stopped, and it even causes damage to the conveying apparatus or articles and results in huge loss. It can be understood that if the machine of an unmanned factory is shut down and cannot be used, it will cause serious loss of tangible or intangible resources.

The second sorting method is the linked-roller sorting method. The sorting system using linked-roller sorting method includes multiple rows of linked roller modules, and a complex linkage structure is used to pull the linked roller modules to horizontally rotate and respectively swing toward different angles at the same time, and a plurality of transmission shafts are respectively disposed between the adjacent two of the roller modules, and the transmission shafts are driven by motor belts. The outer surface of each transmission shaft is abutted between the adjacent two linked roller modules, and when an article is at the tuning point or branching point of the conveying platform, the article contacts the linked roller modules and turns, and the transmission shaft is used to link the rollers of the adjacent roller modules to rotate, to drive movement of the article, so that the articles are moved towards the specific conveying direction of the branch on the conveying platform. It can be understood that when the linked-roller sorting method is applied to the conveying apparatus having the branch path with an excessive angle or with an angle close to 90 degrees, the transmission shaft is unable to rotate to a large angle because the transmission shaft contacts the adjacent linked rollers at the same time, so usage of the linked-roller sorting method is limited by the turning angle and the conveyor apparatus using the linked-roller sorting method requires more installation space to solve above-mentioned problem. Furthermore, the overall structural design complexity of above-mentioned scheme is quite high, and when the linked-roller sorting method is applied to different conveying apparatus with different shape or different numbers of branch paths, the acting structures and linkage type of all roller modules must be redesigned, and the drive control program is complicated and not simple, and the overall maintenance of the system is difficult, the system is difficult to assemble and has high cost, and sharing the roller module in the system is not possible.

In the differential-roller sorting method, each module has three roller assemblies and use motors to drive the rollers configured in an inverted-Y arrangement to generate differential motion, that is, the power rollers in three different directions are driven to vertically rotate in different directions and speeds, to turn the article horizontally and move the article toward different directions at the same time, so that the article is moved toward a specific branching direction on the conveying platform. In this way, when the article is conveyed to the branching point on the conveying platform, each set of differential rollers must determine a matching state of the rotation speeds of the differential rollers according to the variable factors such as the weight, friction coefficient, shape and size of the article. If the article is too heavy, the conveying speed is slow because the single differential roller module is unable to turn horizontally, and it results in longer action time and slower conveying speed, which are not conducive to the conveying apparatus for mass fast production. Furthermore, the overall structure of the differential roller module is complex and the drive control program is complicated and not streamlined, and when being used on different conveying apparatus, the differential roller must continuously rotate forwardly or reversely according to the actual situation, and such operation may cause damage and high maintenance cost of the roller, and the application scope of this method is also limited.

It can be understood that the aforementioned three existing sorting methods for the conveying apparatus need extremely precise control and adjustment in the conveying path planning for different articles to be conveyed. However, under the current unmanned automated production mode which require simple and fast process, the sorting system must be simple, reliable, fast, easy to repair, not easy to damage and also have low cost to meet requirements of the current unmanned automated production, and the sorting system also must be not easy to cause damage to the conveyed article, the conveying apparatus or machine. Therefore, in the era of unmanned factory with automated production, how to develop a sorting system which can be easily applied to different conveying apparatus, or can be repaired, maintained or replaced completely in a very short time, is a key issue in the industry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the conventional technical problem, the inventors develop a sorting system for a conveying apparatus according to collected data, multiple tests and modifications, and years of experience in the industry.

An objective of the present invention is to dispose turning driving devices side by side at a branching position on an article conveying path in a conveying platform, and when an article enters the branching position, a driving device of each turning driving device outputs and transmits control signals to a directional motor and a wheel hub motor module, respectively, so that a rotation shaft of the directional motor drives a fixing frame of the wheel hub motor module to horizontally turn to a preset angular position, and the wheel hub motor module drives a roller to vertically rotate to drive the article, which is placed on the roller, to convey along the preset path, thereby completing quickly a sorting operation. The directional motors of the turning driving devices are able to individually drive the wheel hub motor modules to horizontally turn, and the wheel hub motor modules drive the rollers to directly output power, to guide the article to quickly move toward the predetermined convey direction, thereby achieving the effect of simple structure, small assembly space and low cost.

Another objective of the present invention is that in the detaching or repairing operation for one of the turning driving devices on the conveying platform (for example, the motor is abnormal), the operator just needs to downwardly or upwardly detach a quick release motor housing, which covers the directional motor and the wheel hub motor module, to quick detach the directional motor, the wheel hub motor module and the driving device together, or the operator can install another turning driving device which functions well. In this way, the turning driving device can be designed as a single modularized installation kit for quick detachment or replacement, so that the period of stopping or interrupting the production line to repair can be greatly shortened, and the present invention can achieve the effect of quick assembly and easy maintenance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following embodiments of the present invention are herein described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings show specific examples of the embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It is to be acknowledged that these embodiments are exemplary implementations and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention in any way. Further modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are also included within the scope of the appended claims.

These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure is thorough and complete, and fully conveys the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Regarding the drawings, the relative proportions and ratios of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated or diminished in size for the sake of clarity and convenience. Such arbitrary proportions are only illustrative and not limiting in any way. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings and description to refer to the same or like parts. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the words “comprise” and “include”, and variations such as “comprises”. “comprising”, “includes”, or “including” will be acknowledged to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements.

Please refer toFIGS. 1 to 6, which are a perspective view of a turning driving device, a perspective exploded view of the turning driving device, an another perspective exploded view of the turning driving device when viewed from another angle, a perspective exploded view of a wheel hub motor module, another perspective exploded view ofFIG. 4when viewed from another angle, and a sectional side view of a turning driving device, according to the present invention. As shown inFIGS. 1 to 6, each turning driving device of the present invention applied in a conveying apparatus includes a directional motor1, and a wheel hub motor module2and a driving device3disposed on and under the directional motor1, respectively.

The directional motor1includes a rotation shaft11rotatable in a vertical direction, a rectangular base12combined with a bottom of a case of the directional motor1, and the base12has a pass hole121formed on a central part thereof, and a lower part of the rotation shaft11is extended out of the case and through the pass hole121to combine with a shaft anti-drop component111, so as to prevent the rotation shaft11from dropping during rotation. In an embodiment, the directional motor1can be a servo motor, a stepper motor or other motor capable of positioning a rotational angle thereof, and the rotation shaft11of the directional motor1is in a rotor structure, a stator structure is connected to a bracket or an end plate of the case to form a rotating part of the rotation shaft11. In an embodiment, the rotation shaft11can be a hollow shaft, and the rotation shaft11has a through hole112formed on a lower part thereof, so that a cable connected to a control circuit can be inserted through the through hole112and out of the shaft. In an embodiment, the manner and function of controlling and detecting the motor driving status, for example, the manner of applying multiple Hall ICs or sensor control circuits to control the motor to rotate forwardly or backwardly, reset (that is, rotate to an original point), step to specified point and then apply fixed excitation, and the functions of activating buffer for motor protection, stopping buffer, activating overload protection, current limit protection or alarm, or emergently stopping motor, are well known conventional and optional technologies for the persons skilled in the art, so the details are not repeated herein, and various equivalent structural changes, alternations or modifications based on the descriptions and figures of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the spirit and the scope of the present invention set forth in the claims.

The wheel hub motor module2is disposed on the case of the directional motor1, and includes a fixing frame21, and at least one roller22rotatable about a horizontal fixed axle221, and a dust-proof cover23combined on the fixing frame21. In a preferred embodiment, the roller22and the fixed axle221form a wheel hub motor, and the wheel hub motor used in this embodiment is a known technology. The roller22of the wheel hub motor is connected to the case to form a rotor structure, and the fixed axle221surrounded by the central part of the roller22has two ends mounted on the fixing frame21to form the stator structure configured to provide the roller22to rotate. In an embodiment, the fixed axle221can be a hollow axle, and the fixed axle221has a through hole222formed on a side thereof, so that a cable connected to a control circuit can be inserted through the through hole112and out of the axle.

The operation of an outer rotor, in which a rotor is located on an outer ring, of the wheel hub motor module2is opposite to the operation of an inner rotor, in which a rotor is located on an inner ring, of the directional motor1, and the manners and functions of driving and controlling the wheel hub motor and detecting status of the wheel hub motor, for example, the manners of applying multiple Hall ICs or sensor control circuits to drive the motor to rotate forwardly or backwardly, stop or control speed of the motor, and the functions of activating buffer for motor protection, stopping buffer, activating overload protection, current limit protection or alarm, or emergently stopping the motor, are well known and optional technology for the persons skilled in the art.

Furthermore, the wheel hub motor is also called an in-wheel motor in the industry, and the detail description is not repeated herein. Various equivalent structural changes, alternations or modifications based on the descriptions and figures of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the spirit and the scope of the present invention set forth in the claims.

As shown inFIGS. 4 and 5, the fixing frame21includes a bottom plate211disposed a bottom thereof, a fixing hole210formed on a central part of the bottom plate211and configured to combine with the rotation shaft11, two side plates212upwardly extended from two sides of the bottom plate211, shaft locking components213respectively disposed on the two side plates212, and fixing plates214respectively bent from the top edges of the two side plates212. Each side plate212has a locating hole2121, and a hole215formed below the locating hole2121and configured to pass the cable of the wheel hub motor. The two ends of the fixed axle221surrounded by the center of the roller22are respectively mounted in the locating holes2121through the shaft locking components213, to make the outer top surface of the roller22higher than the top of each side plate212, so that the roller22can be exposed to drive the article, which place on the top of the roller22, to move. The dust-proof cover23is combined on the fixing frame21through the fixing plates214, and the dust-proof cover23has an exposure hole231formed on a surface thereof and configured to expose the outer surface of the roller22. In an embodiment, the dust-proof cover23can be designed as a structure covering the outer side of the fixing frame21and exposing a part of the roller22; in an embodiment, the dust-proof cover23can be omitted or be formed integrally with the fixing frame21, and various equivalent structural changes, alternations or modifications based on the descriptions and figures of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the spirit and the scope of the present invention set forth in the claims.

The driving device3is disposed under the directional motor1, and the driving device3includes a motor control box31combined with the bottom of the base12, and a control module32mounted inside the motor control box31. In an embodiment, the control module32can be a DC brushless motor driver board or a controller. The control module32is electrically connected to the directional motor1and the control circuit of the wheel hub motor module2through the cable which passes through the rotation shaft11and the fixed axle221, so that the external power source can be connected to the driving device3to supply power, and the driving device3can control the rotation shaft11and the roller22to rotate.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the outer sides of the directional motor1and the wheel hub motor module2are covered by a hollow rectangular quick release motor housing4, and the quick release motor housing4has an accommodation hole40formed on a top thereof and configure to expose the dust-proof cover23, and an opening41formed on a bottom thereof and configured to combine with the top of the base12, so that the quick release motor housing4can be combined with the directional motor1, the wheel hub motor module2and the driving device3to form a single modularized installation kit.

The rotation shaft11of the directional motor1is fixed in the fixing hole210of the bottom plate211on the fixing frame21of the wheel hub motor module2, the fixed axle221of the roller22is mounted between the two side plates212, and the dust-proof cover23is combined on the fixing frame21, so that a part of the outer surface of the roller22is exposed out of the exposure hole231. The directional motor1and the driving device3are electrically connected to the control module32of the driving device3via cables, so that the directional motor1of the turning driving device of the present invention is able to drive the wheel hub motor module2to turn, and the wheel hub motor module2is able to drive the roller22to vertically rotate about the horizontal fixed axle221.

In a preferred embodiment, the directional motor1and the wheel hub motor module2are electrically connected to the control module32of the driving device3through cables, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a first connection end can be disposed below the rotation shaft11of the wheel hub motor module2and configured to connect the cable, and a second connection end can be disposed on the motor control box31; preferably, the first connection end and the second connection end can be implemented by a pin-type plug and a socket connector which are connected to or detached from each other to form a detachable electrical connection between the directional motor1, the wheel hub motor module2and the driving device3. In an embodiment, a cable connector or a general edge connector of a circuit board can be directly inserted into a corresponding connector on the motor driver board or a connector of the controller, so as to form electrical connection. In an embodiment, an anti-mistaking locating structure can be used to provide anti-mistaking locating effect in the mated connection process. Various equivalent structural changes, alternations or modifications based on the descriptions and figures of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the spirit and the scope of the present invention set forth in the claims.

Please refer toFIGS. 7 to 10, which are a perspective view of turning driving devices installed on the conveying platform of the conveying apparatus according to a preferred embodiment, a perspective view of single turning driving device detached or installed according to the preferred embodiment, a schematic view showing that turning driving devices drive an article to move toward the predetermined direction according to other preferred embodiment, and a schematic view showing that turning driving devices drive an article to move toward the predetermined direction according to another preferred embodiment. The turning driving devices are applied to the conveying apparatus, the conveying apparatus includes a conveying platform5, a mounting frame51disposed at a turning point or a branching point50on the article conveying path of the conveying platform5, the turning driving devices disposed side by side on the mounting frame51, a main conveyor52disposed on the conveying platform5in the main conveying direction of the article conveying path, and a branch conveyor53disposed in a branching direction of the article conveying path.

As shown inFIG. 8, in the conveying platform5of this embodiment, the mounting frame51includes a plurality of crossbars511disposed thereon and arranged in interval, and a plurality of locating pins512respectively protruded on the crossbars511. The base12of the directional motor1has constraint holes122inwardly recessed on two opposite sides thereof, and the quick release motor housing4has fastening grooves42formed on corners thereof, respectively, so that each turning driving device can be installed between two adjacent crossbars511, and two opposite sides of the base12of the directional motor1can be placed on and across two adjacent crossbars511. After the constraint holes122on two opposite sides of the base12are respectively engaged with the locating pins512on the two adjacent crossbars511, the fastening grooves42of the adjacent two quick release motor housings4can be respectively combined with joint members43, so that the plurality of turning driving devices are arranged side by side to form an array or a geometry arrangement assembly with different amount of the plurality of turning driving devices or in a predetermined shape.

When the present invention is in use, the main conveyor52of the conveying platform5uses a conveyor or a roller to convey articles to move toward the main conveying direction in sequential order, and when the article has entered or not entered the position of the turning point or the branching point50, the control module32of the driving device3in each turning driving device can respectively output and transmit the control signals to the directional motor1and the wheel hub motor module2through cables. When the control circuit of the directional motor1receives rotational angle information contained in the control signal, the control circuit drives the rotation shaft11to further drive the fixing frame21, so that the wheel hub motor module2is horizontally turned to the preset angular position stably, for example, the wheel hub motor module2is driven to turn leftwardly or rightwardly (such as in a range between −180 degrees to 180 degrees) from an original point, which is 0 degree and means the straight movement direction. After the control circuit of the wheel hub motor module2receives the rotational angle information contained in the control signal, the control circuit drives the roller22to vertically rotate about the fixed axle221, so that the article placed on the roller22is driven to continuously move toward the branch conveyor53in the predetermined direction or the branching direction, to reach a predetermined position along the preset path, and the sorting or classifying operation can be quickly completed. The directional motor1of each turning driving device can drive the rotation shaft11to individually turn the wheel hub motor module2placed thereon to the preset angular position, so that the turning angle is not limited; furthermore, the wheel hub motor module2can drive the roller22to directly move the article, so that the plurality of turning driving devices can be arranged side by side to form an array or geometric arrangement assembly to guide the article to quickly move toward the desired predetermined direction.

According to the above-mentioned contents, the key technical concept of the present invention is that the plurality of turning driving devices are arranged side by side at the branching point50of the conveying platform5in the conveying apparatus, and each turning driving device can use the directional motor1to receive the rotational angle information contained in the control signal outputted by the driving device3, and use the rotation shaft11to drive the fixing frame21to horizontally turn the wheel hub motor module2to the preset angular position. Furthermore, since the directional motor1is activated only for the turning operation of the wheel hub motor module2, the usage rate of the directional motor1is lower, and the directional motor1can turn to the specified angular position without cooperating with complex mechanism for the turning operation, it is not easy to cause damage to the motor or mechanism, and the service life of the whole device can be extended.

Furthermore, the wheel hub motor module2of each turning driving device has advantages of low rotation speed, high torque and high efficiency, and the wheel hub motor module2can receive the control signal outputted from the driving device3and drive the roller22to directly guide the article correctly to move toward the predetermined direction quickly. When being applied to the different conveying apparatus, the turning driving devices can be increased or decreased upon the conveying path plan or the sizes, different weights and different amounts of the articles to be conveyed, and the plurality of turning driving devices can be arranged side by side to form an array or a geometry arrangement assembly with different amount of the plurality of turning driving devices or in a predetermined shape. For example,FIG. 8shows a standard conveying apparatus having 30 turning driving devices arranged side by side as a rectangular array, andFIGS. 9 to 10show the conveying apparatus having additional turning driving devices assembled with the standard conveying apparatus to form an arrangement assembly with a different amount of turning driving devices or in a different shape, so as to meet the shape, angle or path (such as the turning point or the branching point50) of different conveying platform5in use. As a result, the present invention can provide wide applicability.

As shown inFIG. 8, when the control end (such as a central control system) detects that the motor of any one turning driving device is in an abnormal status, the control end outputs a warning message to notify an administrator to start the repair process in time, and in the repair, replacement or maintenance operation, the site operator just needs to remove the joint members43from the quick release motor housing4and then upwardly pulls out the quick release motor housing4with the directional motor1, the wheel hub motor module2and the driving device3conveniently, to separate the constraint hole122of the base12from the locating pin512of the mounting frame51, and the site operator can then install another normal turning driving device at the position, where the abnormal turning driving device is removed, on the conveying platform5, and the removed turning driving device can be repaired or maintained. In this way, each turning driving devices is designed as a single modularized installation kit which can be quickly detached or replaced, so that the period of stopping or interrupting the production line greatly shortened, and as a result, in the era of automated production in unmanned factories, maintenance operation can be completed in a very short time, and the present invention can provide effects of simple structure, small overall assembly space, simple maintenance and low cost.

Please refer toFIGS. 11 to 12, which are a perspective view of turning driving devices installed on a conveying platform of a conveying apparatus according to another preferred embodiment, and a schematic view showing that turning driving devices drive the article to move toward the predetermined direction, according to another preferred embodiment. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown inFIGS. 11 and 12, the wheel hub motor module2of the turning driving device includes the roller22rotatable about the horizontal fixed axle221, and another roller22rotatable about the horizontal fixed axle221; two ends of the fixed axle221, which is surrounded by the central parts of the two rollers22, are combined in the locating hole2121on the two side plates212of the fixing frame21, respectively. A part of the outer surface of each of the two rollers22is exposed out of the exposure hole231of the dust-proof cover23and the two rollers22are rotated synchronously, respectively. Various equivalent structural changes, alternations or modifications based on the descriptions and figures of present invention are all consequently viewed as being embraced by the spirit and the scope of the present invention set forth in the claims.

Furthermore, when the above-mentioned turning driving device of the present invention is installed at the branching point50of the conveying platform5in the conveying apparatus, multiple turning driving devices can be arranged side by side to form an array or a geometry arrangement assembly with different amount of the plurality of turning driving devices or in a predetermined shape, and the driving device3of each turning driving device drives the directional motor1to drive the wheel hub motor module2to turn horizontally to the preset angular position, and the two rollers22of the wheel hub motor module2rotate synchronously to guide the article to move quickly toward the predetermined direction, so that design using the two rollers22improves an output force to carry a heavier article and is not easy to cause damage to the motor or mechanism.