US 11,952,220 B2
Conveyor discharge with diverting rollers
Matthew L. Fourney, Laurel, MD (US)
Assigned to Laitram, L.L.C., Harahan, LA (US)
Appl. No. 17/603,076
Filed by Laitram, L.L.C., Harahan, LA (US)
PCT Filed Apr. 28, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/030189
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 12, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/223188, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 5, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/840,223, filed on Apr. 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0185596 A1, Jun. 16, 2022
Int. Cl. B65G 47/46 (2006.01); B65G 11/20 (2006.01); B65G 13/10 (2006.01); B65G 47/82 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 47/46 (2013.01) [B65G 11/203 (2013.01); B65G 13/10 (2013.01); B65G 47/82 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A conveyor system comprising:
a main conveyor having a first side and a second side and conveying articles in a main conveying direction;
a plurality of first discharge conveyors along the first and second sides of the main conveyor;
a sorting system selectably sorting articles off the main conveyor onto the first discharge conveyors;
wherein the main conveyor comprises a roller belt having belt rollers rotatable on axes parallel to the main conveying direction on an upper carryway and wherein the sorting system comprises a belt-roller activation system below the roller belt on the upper carryway selectably contacting the belt rollers to cause them to rotate toward the first discharge conveyors to sort articles off the main conveyor and onto the first discharge conveyors;
wherein the belt-roller activation system includes a plurality of first arrays of freely rotatable rollers and a first drive system coupled to the first arrays of freely rotatable rollers and including first actuators operable to selectably change the orientations of the first arrays of freely rotatable rollers between a first orientation that causes the belt rollers in contact to rotate in a first direction pushing articles atop the belt rollers to the first discharge conveyors at the first side of the main conveyor and a second orientation that causes the belt rollers in contact to rotate in an opposite second direction pushing articles atop the belt rollers to the first discharge conveyors at the second side of the main conveyor;
a diverter on each of the first discharge conveyors, the diverter including:
a second such array of freely rotatable rollers angling downward on an inclined plane from an upper end to a lower end;
a second such drive system coupled to the second array of freely rotatable rollers and including a second actuator operable to selectably change the orientation of the second array of freely rotatable rollers in the inclined plane to direct articles riding downward along the diverter directly atop the freely rotatable rollers to different destinations over the lower end.