DESC:BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0001] Embodiments herein generally relate to mechanical machines, more particularly to a pallet sorting machine.
Description of the Related Art
[0002] Pallet stacker machines are used in warehouses, distribution centres and/ or other material handling operations. The pallet stackers are designed to simplify the movement of heavy loads, on pallets and allow for efficient storage and transportation. The primary function of a pallet stacker is to lift and lower pallets, typically using a hydraulic system. The stacker is equipped with a set of forks that slide under the pallet, allowing it to be lifted off the ground. The hydraulic system is operated by a handle or control panel, enabling the operator to raise or lower the forks as needed. The pallet stackers are typically manual or electric-powered. Manual stackers require the operator to manually pump a handle to raise or lower the forks, while electric stackers use an electric motor and battery to perform the lifting and lowering function.
[0003] The electrical-powered pallet stackers typically have control systems that enable operators to manoeuvre the machine. Electrical failures, such as faulty wiring, damaged control panels, or malfunctioning sensors, can disrupt the control system's functionality, leading to difficulty in steering, lifting, or braking. In manual pallet stackers, human errors contribute to problems with pallet stackers. Inadequate training, improper use of controls, or careless operation can lead to accidents, damage to the machine or the pallets being handled, and potentially endanger the operator or other personnel in the vicinity.
[0004] The existing pallet stackers are adapted to overcome the above-mentioned problems by optimising the electrical and mechanical configurations. Hence, the pallets are not properly handled in the existing pallet stackers as the mechanical configuration is limited with load carrying capacity, size, wheel and tyre issues, pallet guiding and handling, turning radius, overall dimensions, and the ability to navigate aisles and tight spaces, stability and balance and high maintenance.
[0005] Accordingly, there remains a mechanism that overcomes the limitation of mechanical configuration in the pallets handling machine.
SUMMARY
[0006] Embodiments herein provide a pallet sorting machine including a pair of pillars, a lifting assembly, a conveyor assembly, an arm assembly and a pallet guide plate. The pair of pillars are mounted on a base assembly. The lifting assembly is mounted on a top portion of the pair of pillars using the base assembly. The conveyor assembly is mounted with the base assembly between the pair of pillars. The conveyor assembly handles one or more pallets from one or more external conveyors. The arm assembly is mounted with the pair of pillars and the conveyor assembly to handle the one or more pallets on the conveyor assembly. The arm assembly includes a pair of arms. The pallet guide plate is mounted with the conveyor assembly and the arm assembly on a support base assembly to guide the one or more pallets that are handled by the arm assembly on the conveyor assembly. When in operation, the pallet sorting machine sorts the one or more pallets on the conveyor assembly by (a) synchronously opening and closing the pair of arms to handle the one or more pallets on the conveyor assembly and (b) lifting up and lifting down the arm assembly with pallets to a pallet threshold height.
[0007] In some embodiments, the base assembly includes one or more pillar support plates and one or more support frames. The one or more support plates and the one or more support frames are mounted with at least one of the pair of pillars or the conveyor assembly.
[0008] In some embodiments, the lifting assembly is mounted on the one or more support frames that are mounted on the top portion of the pair of pillars. The pair of pillars includes at least one of a runway platform or a guide platform for the lifting assembly.
[0009] In some embodiments, the conveyor assembly is mounted on the support base assembly to convey the one or more pallets towards the arm assembly. The conveyor assembly includes a first driving assembly that drives at least one of a conveyor chain or belt conveyor to convey the one or more pallets towards the arm assembly. The first driving assembly includes a first drive shaft, a first drive motor, a first drive gear and the conveyor chain.
[0010] In some embodiments, the arm assembly includes a third driving assembly, a housing plate, a pair of arms, one or more arm clamps, a pair of guide shafts and a limit plate. The third driving assembly includes a third driving motor, a third gear assembly, one or more arm drive pulleys, a belt and one or more belt clamps. The housing plate is mounted with the lifting assembly using one or more clamps. The housing plate accommodates the third driving assembly. The pair of arms are mounted on the housing using at least one of a pair of guide shafts or one or more connecting plates. The one or more arm clamps are mounted on the pair of arms to handle the one or more pallets. The pair of guide shafts is coupled with the belt using at least one of the one or more arm drive pulleys or the one or more connecting plates. The limit plate is mounted on the housing plate and coupled with at least one of the belts and a guide profile to drive the pair of arms between one or more shaft collar splits that are mounted on the one or more guide shafts.
[0011] In some embodiments, the belt includes an upper portion and a lower portion when connected with one or more arm drive pulleys.
The belt, using one or more belt clamps, couples a first arm at the upper portion and a second arm at the lower portion to open and close the pair of arms synchronously.
[0012] In some embodiments, the pallet sorting machine sorts the one or more pallets on the conveyor assembly by (a) synchronously opening and closing the pair of arms to pick a first pallet that is positioned at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor assembly, (b) lifting up the first pallet to the pallet threshold height and convey a second pallet to the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor, and (c) lifting down the first pallet to a top portion of a second pallet that is conveyed at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor.
[0013] In some embodiments, the second driving assembly includes a second drive motor, a second drive shaft, one or more drive pulley. The second drive motor is mounted on the top portion of the pair of pillars using the one or more support frames. The second drive shaft is coupled with the arm assembly using at least one of the second drive motor, a second gear assembly or one or more drive pulleys. The one or more drive pulleys is mounted on the pair of pillars to couple the second drive shaft and the arm assembly using one or more belts. The lifting assembly drives the arm assembly up and down on the pair of pillars using the one or more belts of the second driving assembly.
[0014] In another aspect, a method of sorting one or more pallets including (a) conveying, using a conveyor assembly, one or more pallets towards an arm assembly, (b) opening and closing, using a third driving assembly, a pair of arms synchronously to pick a first pallet that is positioned at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor assembly, (c) lifting up the first pallet to the pallet threshold height and convey a second pallet to the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor and (d) lifting down the first pallet to a top portion of a second pallet that is conveyed at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor.
[0015] Efficiency, space optimization, workflow management, quality control, and data tracking are all benefits of the pallet sorting machine. They aid in more efficient operations, higher productivity, and better pallet management across a range of industrial and logistical environments by automating the sorting process. A sorting machine may dramatically boost production and efficiency by automating the process. It can swiftly and correctly handle a large number of pallets, decreasing the danger of human mistakes and the necessity for manual labour. Pallet sorting equipment is made to intelligently arrange pallets according to predetermined standards, such as size, weight, destination, or other pertinent variables.
[0016] The machine makes the most use of the available space by arranging pallets in the best possible way, increasing storage capacity and improving warehouse layout. By automatically recognising and directing pallets to their intended locations, ensuring that pallets are accessible when needed, and reducing delays, a pallet sorting system helps expedite the process. Sensors and data-collecting tools have been included in the pallet sorting machine. The pallet sorting device records data about pallets, such as their origins, destinations, contents, and other pertinent information. Inventory management, supply chain optimisation, performance analysis, and decision-making may all be done with the use of this data.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1A and 1B are exemplary views of a pallet sorting machine according to some embodiments herein;
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary view of a lift assembly of a pallet sorting device according to some embodiments herein;
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary view of an arm assembly of a pallet sorting machine according to some embodiments herein;
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a control unit of a pallet sorting machine according to some embodiments herein; and
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of sorting one or more pallets using a pallet sorting machine of FIG. 1A and 1B according to some embodiments herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practised and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0024] An objective of the current invention is to provide a device that sorts pallets and that removes or at least lessens the limitations mentioned above. These goals are accomplished using the method described in the appended description. As mentioned, there remains a need for a mechanism that overcomes the limitation of locking and unlocking pallets when sorting on a conveyor. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 through 5, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, preferred embodiments are shown.
[0025] FIG. 1A and 1B are exemplary views of a pallet sorting machine 100 according to some embodiments herein. The pallet sorting machine 100 includes a pair of pillars 102A and 102B, a lifting assembly 104, a conveyor assembly 106, an arm assembly 108 and a pallet guide plate 110. The pair of pillars 102A and 102B are mounted on a base assembly 112. The base assembly 112 includes pillar support plates 114A-N and one or more support frames 126A-N. The one or more support frames 126A-N forms a support base assembly 116 for the conveyor assembly 106. The conveyor assembly 106 is mounted on the support base assembly 116. In some embodiments, the distance between the pair of pillars 102A and 102B are determined based on the size of the pallet. The conveyor assembly 106 is mounted between the pair of pillars 102A and 102B. In some embodiments, the conveyor assembly 106 is at least one of a chain conveyor, a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor.
[0026] The conveyor assembly 106 includes a first driving assembly that includes a first drive shaft 118, a first drive motor 120, a first drive gear 122 and a conveyor chain 124. The first drive motor 120 is coupled with the first drive gear 122. The first drive shaft 118 is coupled with a conveyor chain sprocket using the first drive gear 122 and one or more bearings. In some embodiments, the conveyor assembly 106 includes one or more tensioning bearings. The pallet guide plate 110 is mounted on the support base assembly 116 to align pallets on the conveyor assembly 106.
[0027] A top portion of the pair of pillars 102A and 102B are connected with the one or more supporting frames 112A-N. The lift assembly 104 includes a second driving assembly that is mounted on the one or more supporting frame 112A-N that connect the top portion of the pair of pillars 102A and 102B. The lift assembly 104 is coupled with the arm assembly 106 using at least one of a chain or a belt. In some embodiments, the lift assembly 104 includes at least one guide wheel to provide support for lifting the arm assembly 106. In some embodiments, the arm assembly 108 is mounted between the pair of pillars 102A and 102B. In some embodiments, the arm assembly 108 is mounted above the conveyor assembly 104 to handle one or more pallets. The arm assembly 106 includes a third driving assembly that drives the arm assembly 106 to handle the one or more pallets. The conveyor assembly 106 conveys the pallet towards the arm assembly 108. When the pallet is moving towards the arm assembly 108, the arm assembly 108 opens the arms synchronously. When the pallet reaches a pallet picking threshold distance, the arm assembly 108 closes the arm synchronously to pick the pallet.
[0028] In some embodiments, the pallet picking threshold distance is determined based on a length of the pallet. When the arm assembly 106 picks the pallet, the lift assembly 104 moves the arm assembly 108 in an upward direction to a pallet threshold height. In some embodiments, the pallet threshold height is determined based on the height of the pallet. In some embodiments, the arm assembly 108 closes the arm to a close threshold distance to hold the pallet. In some embodiments, the close threshold distance is determined based on the size of clamps that are mounted on the arms to pick the pallets.
[0029] The lift assembly 104 moves the arm assembly 108 downwards to the pallet threshold height when a next pallet is conveyed to the pallet picking threshold distance. When the pallet is picked by the arm assembly 108 that is placed on the next pallet, the arm assembly 108 opens the arms synchronously to drop the pallet. The lift assembly 104 moves the arm assembly 108 downwards to an initial position to pick the next pallet. The pallet sorting machine 100 sorts one or more pallets using the conveyor assembly 106, the arm assembly 108 and the lift assembly 104.
[0030] With reference to FIG. 1A and 1B, FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary view of the lift assembly 104 of the pallet sorting device 100 according to some embodiments herein. The lift assembly 104 includes the second driving assembly that drives the arm assembly 106 to move up and down to pick up and drop a pallet. The second driving assembly includes a second drive motor 202, a second drive shaft 204, a second gear assembly 206, one or more drive pulleys 208A-N, one or more belts 210A-N and one or more belt locking clamps. The second drive motor 202 drives the second drive shaft 204 using the second gear assembly 206. Each end of the second drive shaft 204 is coupled with the drive pulleys 208A and 208B from the one or more drive pulleys 208A-N. The drive pulleys 208C and 208D from the one or more drive pulleys 208A-N are mounted on a bottom portion of the pair of pillars 102A and 102B.
[0031] The one or more drive pulleys 208A-D are coupled with the belt 210. The belt 210 is coupled with the arm assembly 106 using the one or more belt locking clamps. In some embodiments, the one or more belt locking clamps are clamped with the arm assembly 106 to drive the arm assembly 106 to move up and down to a specified distance for picking and dropping the pallets. In some embodiments, the second drive motor 202 drives the second drive shaft 204 to drive the arm assembly 106 on the pair of pillars 102A and 102B.
[0032] With reference to FIG. 1A and 1B, FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary view of the arm assembly 108 of the pallet sorting machine 100 according to some embodiments herein. The arm assembly 108 includes the third driving assembly, a housing plate 302, a pair of arms 304A and 304B, one or more arm clamps 306A-N and a guide shaft 308. The housing plate 302 includes a limit plate 310 and a guide profile 312. In some embodiments, the limit plate 310 and the guide profile 312 are mounted on the housing plate 302. The third driving assembly includes a third drive motor 314, a third gear assembly (not shown in the diagram), one or more arm drive pulleys 316A-N, a belt 318 and a belt clamp 320. The pair of arms 304A and 304B are coupled on the guide shaft 308. The guide shaft 308 includes one or more shaft collar splits. The guide shaft 308 allows the pair of arms 304A and 304B to slide between the one or more shaft collar splits. The pair of arms 304A and 304B are coupled with the belt 318 using the belt clamp 320. In some embodiments, the belt 318 is driven by the third drive motor 314 using the one or more drive pulleys 316A-N. When the belt 318 is driven, the pair of arms 304A and 304B opens and closes synchronously. The synchronous opening and closing of the pair of arms 304A and 304B picks and drops the pallets using the one or more arm clamps 306A-N.
[0033] With reference to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a control unit 400 of a pallet sorting machine 100 according to some embodiments herein. The block diagram of the control unit 400 includes a processor 402, one or more sensors 404A-N and one or more relays 406A-N. The processor 402 is communicatively connected with a memory to access one or more predetermined threshold values associated with a pallet. The one or more predetermined threshold values include at least one of a pallet length threshold, a pallet width threshold, a pallet height threshold, an arm assembly up movement threshold or an arm assembly down movement threshold. The processor 402 analyses the one or more signals from the one or sensors 404A-N and determines that the pallet has reached the at least one threshold value. In some embodiments, the one or more sensors 404A-N identify the pallet position on the conveyor assembly 106 using one or more sensors 404A-N. When the processor 402 determines the pallet position, the one or more relays 406A-N are enabled to drive at least one of the arm assembly 108 or the lifting assembly 104. The processor 402 enables the one or more relays 406A-N to drive the arm assembly 108 to slide outwards and allow the pallet to a picking position.
[0034] The one or more relays 406A-N are enabled by the processor 402 to drive the arm assembly 108 to slide inwards to pick the pallet that is in the picking position. The processor 402 drives the lift assembly 104 to lift the arm assembly 108 upward once the arm assembly 108 picks the pallet. The processor 402 drives the conveyor assembly 106 to allow the next pallet for sorting once the pallet is lifted to the arm assembly up movement threshold. The processor 402 drives the lift assembly 104 to the arm assembly down movement threshold to place the pallet on the next pallet. In some embodiments, the processor 402 controls the arm assembly movement and the lift assembly movement based on at least one of the pallet length threshold, the pallet width threshold, the pallet height threshold, the arm assembly up movement threshold or the arm assembly down movement threshold.
[0035] With reference to FIG. 1A and 1B, FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of sorting the one or more pallets using the pallet sorting machine 100 of FIG. 1A and 1B according to some embodiments herein. At step 502, the one or more pallets are conveyed towards the arm assembly 108 using the conveyor assembly 106. At step 504, the pair of arms 304A and 304B are synchronously opening and synchronously closing to pick a first pallet that is positioned at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor assembly 106. At step 506, the first pallet is lifted to the pallet threshold height and convey a second pallet to the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor 106. At step 508, the first pallet is lifted down to a top portion of a second pallet that is conveyed at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor 106. In some embodiments, the pallet sorting machine 100 sorts the one or more pallets on the conveyor assembly 106 by (a) synchronously opening and closing the pair of arms 304A and 304B to handle the one or more pallets on the conveyor assembly 106 and (b) lifting up and lifting down the arm assembly 108 with the one or more pallets to a pallet threshold height.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. A pallet sorting machine comprising,
a pair of pillars (102A and 102B) that are mounted on a base assembly (112);
a lifting assembly (104) that is mounted on a top portion of the pair of pillars (102A and 104B) using the base assembly (112);
a conveyor assembly (106) that is mounted with the base assembly (112) between the pair of pillars (102A and 102B), wherein the conveyor assembly (106) handles a plurality of pallets from a plurality of external conveyors;
an arm assembly (108) that is mounted with the pair of pillars (102A and 102B) and the conveyor assembly (106) to handle the plurality of pallets on the conveyor assembly (106), wherein the arm assembly (108) comprises a pair of arms (304A and 304B); and
a pallet guide plate (110) is mounted with the conveyor assembly (106) and the arm assembly (108) on a support base assembly (116) to guide the plurality of pallets that are handled by the arm assembly (108) on the conveyor assembly (106),
wherein when in operation,
the pallet sorting machine (100) sorting the plurality of pallets on the conveyor assembly (106) by (a) synchronously opening and closing the pair of arms (304A and 304B) to handle the plurality of pallets on the conveyor assembly (106) and (b) lifting up and lifting down the arm assembly (108) with the plurality of pallets to a pallet threshold height.

2. The pallet sorting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base assembly (112) comprises a plurality of pillar support plates (114A-N) and a plurality of support frames (126A-N), wherein the plurality of support plates (114A-N) and the plurality of support frames (126A-N) are mounted with at least one of the pair of pillars (102A and 102B) or the conveyor assembly (106).

3. The pallet sorting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lifting assembly (104) is mounted on the plurality of support frames (126A-N) that is mounted on the top portion of the pair of pillars (102A and 102B), wherein the pair of pillars (102A and 102B) comprises at least one of a runway platform or a guide platform for the lifting assembly (104).

4. The pallet sorting assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conveyor assembly (106) is mounted on the support base assembly (116) to convey the plurality of pallets towards the arm assembly (108), wherein the conveyor assembly (106) comprises a first driving assembly that drives at least one of a conveyor chain (124) or belt conveyor to convey the plurality of pallets towards the arm assembly (108), wherein the first driving assembly comprises a first drive shaft (118), a first drive motor (120), a first drive gear (122) and the conveyor chain (124).

5. The pallet sorting machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arm assembly (108) comprises
a third driving assembly that comprises a third driving motor (314), a third gear assembly, a plurality of arm drive pulleys (316A-N), a belt (318) and a plurality of belt clamps (320A-N);
a housing plate (302) that is mounted with the lifting assembly (104) using a plurality of clamps, wherein the housing plate (302) accommodates the third driving assembly;
a pair of arms (304A and 304B) that are mounted on the housing (302) using at least one of a pair of guide shafts (308A and 308B) or a plurality of connecting plates;
a plurality of arm clamps (306A-N) that are mounted on the pair of arms (304A and 304B) to handle the plurality of pallets;
the pair of guide shafts (308A and 308B) that are coupled with the belt (318) using at least one of the plurality of arm drive pulleys (316) or the plurality of connecting plates; and
a limit plate (310) that is mounted on the housing plate (302) and coupled with at least one of the belts (318) and a guide profile (312) to drive the pair of arms between a plurality of shaft collar splits that are mounted on the plurality of guide shafts (308A-N).

6. The pallet sorting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the belt (318) comprises an upper portion and a lower portion when connected with a plurality of arm drive pulleys (316A-N), wherein the belt (318), using a plurality of belt clamps (320A-N), couples a first arm (304A) at the upper portion and a second arm (304B) at the lower portion to open and close the pair of arms (304A and 304B) synchronously.

7. The pallet sorting machine (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pallet sorting machine (100) sorts the plurality of pallets on the conveyor assembly (106) by (a) synchronously opening and closing the pair of arms (304A and 304B) to pick a first pallet that is positioned at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor assembly (106), (b) lifting up the first pallet to the pallet threshold height and convey a second pallet to the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor (106), and (c) lifting down the first pallet to a top portion of a second pallet that is conveyed at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor (106).

8. The pallet sorting machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second driving assembly comprises
a second drive motor (202) that is mounted on the top portion of the pair of pillars (102A and 102B) using the plurality of support frames (126A-N);
a second drive shaft (204) that is coupled with the arm assembly (108) using at least one of the second drive motor (202), a second gear assembly (206) or a plurality of drive pulleys (208); and
the plurality of drive pulleys (208) is mounted on the pair of pillars (102A and 102B) to couple the second drive shaft (204) and the arm assembly (108) using a plurality of belts (210A-N), wherein the lifting assembly (104) drives the arm assembly (108) up and down on the pair of pillars (102A and 102B) using the plurality of belts (210A-N) of the second driving assembly.

9. A method of sorting a plurality of pallets comprising
conveying, using a conveyor assembly (106), a plurality of pallets towards an arm assembly (108);
opening and closing, using a third driving assembly, a pair of arms (304A and 304B) synchronously to pick a first pallet that is positioned at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor assembly (106);
lifting up the first pallet to the pallet threshold height and conveying a second pallet to the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor (106); and
lifting down the first pallet to a top portion of a second pallet that is conveyed at the pallet picking threshold distance on the conveyor (106).