Abstract: An article separation conveyor system includes a plurality of conveyors which are independently and/or collectively operable to destack, separate and/or align articles being conveyed along the article separation conveyor. The conveyor system includes a destacking conveyor, a side by side eliminating conveyor and/or an aligning conveyor. The destacking conveyor includes a plurality of conveying portions, which are inclined to convey articles up and then drop or guide them onto the next adjacent conveyor. The side-by-side eliminating conveyor includes a pair of diverting members and is operable to redirect articles from one side of the conveyor to the other to destack and separate articles as they are continuously conveyed along the conveyor. The aligning conveyor is operable to align articles along one side of the discharge conveyor so the articles are arranged for identification at a downstream scanning device and induction onto a sortation system.

Abstract: An article separation conveyor system includes a plurality of conveyors which are independently and/or collectively operable to destack, separate and/or align articles being conveyed along the article separation conveyor. The conveyor system includes a destacking conveyor, a side by side eliminating conveyor and/or an aligning conveyor. The destacking conveyor includes a plurality of conveying portions, which are inclined to convey articles up and then drop or guide them onto the next adjacent conveyor. The side-by-side eliminating conveyor includes a pair of diverting members and is operable to redirect articles from one side of the conveyor to the other to destack and separate articles as they are continuously conveyed along the conveyor. The aligning conveyor is operable to align articles along one side of the discharge conveyor so the articles are arranged for identification at a downstream scanning device and induction onto a sortation system.

Abstract: An active high volume storage carousel provides an improved drive system. The carousel includes a driven conveyor, which defines a continuous path and includes at least one container handling location along the continuous path. A track rail extends around the continuous path and provides vertical support for a plurality of storage columns, which are drivingly coupled to the conveyor by couplers. When the storage columns are moved through the container handling location, at least one of the storage columns is drivingly decoupled from the driven conveyor so that the decoupled storage column can be easily loaded with or unloaded of containers.

Abstract: An accumulation conveyor includes an endless drive belt that is juxtaposed with a multiplicity of rollers and at least one control device for selectively moving the drive belt into driving engagement with the rollers. The drive belt has a high-friction face engaging the rollers and a low-friction backing engaging the control device. The control device includes a support member having a cavity formed therein and a force-producing device in the cavity. A contact member is positioned between the force-producing device and rollers and reciprocates with respect to the rollers. A signal manifold is mounted to the support member and interconnects with the force-producing device and with signal manifolds of adjacent control devices.

Abstract: An article unscrambler and aligner is disclosed which receives articles of different sizes in random order and position, and using plural side-by-side lanes each of which lanes has driven article transport rollers at different speeds, which speeds are uniform for the length of the lane, but are progressively higher in each lane toward one side of the unscrambler in order to provide a lateral linear speed increase. This speed increase causes separation and rotation of the articles and also causes them to arrange in single file along one side of the unscrambler's surface and so discharge them onto a conveyor at the end of the unscrambler remote from that at which the articles were received. One or more lanes are composed of rollers of tapered diameter in order to make the lateral speed increase more uniform.

Abstract: An accumulation conveyor includes a product sensor that is positioned along the conveyor at a particular zone for sensing the presence of product at that zone and for causing actuation of the zone upstream of that product sensor with respect to product movement along the accumulation conveyor. The product sensor includes an arm that is selectively positioned in the path of product being conveyed, a switch having an actuation member juxtaposed with the arm, and a force-producing member responsive to actuation of the downstream zone actuator in order to apply a force to the switch and, in turn, retract the sensor. This may be accomplished by physically locating the product sensor within the downstream zone and providing an actuator for that downstream zone that is mechanically coupled to the product sensor physically located within that zone.

Abstract: An article unscrambler and aligner is disclosed which receives articles of different sizes in random order and position, and using plural side-by-side lanes each of which lanes has driven article transport rollers at different speeds, which speeds are uniform for the length of the lane, but are progressively higher in each lane toward one side of the unscrambler in order to provide a lateral linear speed increase. This speed increase causes separation and rotation of the articles and also causes them to arrange in single file along one side of the unscrambler's surface and so discharge them onto a conveyor at the end of the unscrambler remote from that at which the articles were received. One or more lanes are composed of rollers of tapered diameter in order to make the lateral speed increase more uniform.

Abstract: A pneumatic accumulation conveyor has an anti-singulation control capable of deactivating the drive of a zone if the product sensor for that zone and substantially all of the product sensors downstream of that zone sense the presence of product in order to produce an accumulation portion with no zones actuated and is capable of activating the drive of a zone if any of the drives downstream of the associated zone are actuated in order to produce a transport portion in which all zones upstream of any actuated drive are actuated to transport product without singulation of any upstream grouped product. The accumulation conveyor is controlled by retractable product sensors positioned at particular locations along the product conveyor in order to sense the presence of product at the particular locations.

Abstract: A conveyor system includes an accumulation conveyor that is particularly useful in a location outbound of a sortation spur in combination with a receiving conveyor which receives products from the accumulation conveyor at a generally constant rate. The accumulation conveyor includes a plurality of powered rollers that are selectively actuatable in groups of tandemly arranged zones in order to convey product to the receiving conveyor. A product sensor associated with each zone senses the presence of product in that zone, and a control that is responsive to the product sensor actuates all of the rollers associated with zones upstream of any sensor that is not sensing product in order to transport product to the receiving conveyor without singulation, yet provide an accumulation capability.

Abstract: A sortation system includes a plurality of slats connected at opposite ends in spaced relation with each other to a pair of endless chains. The slats define a conveying surface moving longitudinally along a frame. A plurality of diverter shoes are provided. Each diverter shoe is movably mounted on one of the slats for lateral movement with respect to the conveying surface. Each slat is defined by a wall formed as a right cylinder including an outer surface having a planar upper portion defining the conveying surface, each diverter shoe having a support portion including a substantially continuous glide surface surrounding the wall, the glide surface having substantially the same configuration as the outer surface of the slat.

Abstract: The operating characteristics of a diverter having a driven article conveying surface of parallel tubes on which article diverting shoes are caused to move across progressively because of contract between a depending drive pin on each shoe and a laterally inclined rail beneath the conveying surface by changing the shape of the rail contacting roller on the pin so that a downward force vector is created tending to hold the shoe down. Also, the shoe is supported on three rollers instead of two to prevent the tendency of the shoe to pivot about one tube due to article resistance to lateral movement. The design of the openings in the shoe through which the tubes pass are such that the shoe will not become bound between two tubes which are not entirely straight.

Abstract: A diverter for use in high speed transferring of selected articles moving along a conveyor onto an intersecting conveyor includes first and second rows of independently driven powered wheels and selectively movable mounting means for the two rows such that they can be moved between a first position where no diverting takes place and a second operative position in which the wheels of the first or upstream row are skewed at a first angle and positioned at a first vertical position above the conveyor surface and the wheels of the second row are skewed at a greater angle and are above the first row.