Lockheed Martin Corporation

Other

Lockhead Martin Corp.

George C Cera

Wayne Blackwell

Lou Taylor

Bruce H Hanson

An improved singulation mechanism is provided for flat articles having significant variations in size, thickness and weight, which mechanism utilizes at least two vacuum chambers positioned behind a moving perforated to feed the articles and selectively controls at least one of pressure and flow for at least one of the chambers to facilitate the feeding of heavier articles, while inhibiting bleed through doubles for lighter articles. A mechanism may be provided which provides a puff of air to at least one of the chambers at the end of the operation thereof to reduce the feeding of doubles and a bent fence may be suitably positioned to both facilitate feeding of shorter articles and to facilitate proper initial alignment of the articles.

Singulation mechanism

A singulation mechanism is provided for use in a handling system for mail or other substantially flat articles, the mechanism having a singulation head with a drive mechanism which, in accordance with a first aspect of the invention, initially moves an article pressed thereagainst with high acceleration, interrupts the drive to the article for a brief instant and then moves the article again at high acceleration, a take-away mechanism removing the article exiting the head. In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, movement at a high acceleration is imparted to the article pressed against the singulation head only when the head is energized and substantially no movement in imparted when the head is not energized. More specifically, the singulation head may include a belt driven over a pair of vacuum chambers, with the trailing vacuum chamber being initially energized to draw the article against the bell and move the article with high acceleration to a position detected by a first detector, at which time the trailing vacuum chamber is turned off and the leading vacuum chamber turned on to again grab the article and move it to the take-away mechanism with high acceleration. This two-step acceleration process is effective for shaking free doubles from the article being singulated. The belt has a substantially friction-free surface in contact with the article to assure that movement is imparted to the article only when a vacuum chamber is turned on. The mechanism includes additional features, including a doubles resolver head, for preventing the passage of doubles to the take mechanism.

A take-away mechanism is provided from a singulation mechanism in a system for handling substantially flat articles of varying size, weight and thickness, and in particular for handling mixed mail. The take-away mechanism includes at least one and preferably more belts which are preferably driven at a rate higher than the rate at which articles are fed to the take-away mechanism, which belt(s) preferably have surfaces in contact with the article of material having a high coefficient of friction. At least two components are provided for applying pressure to articles as they are passed over the belt, the components preferably being spaced along the belt by a distance less than the shortest length of an article to be handled. One of the components may be two or more independently biased rollers and one of the components may be two or more independently biased fingers, the rear component being the rollers and the forward component being fingers for the preferred embodiment. Where there are a plurality of belts, the pressure members are preferably mounted so as to contact articles at a point between adjacent belts rather than over belts.

Take-away mechanism for mail or other flat article handling system

A method and apparatus for resolving doubles on singulated flat articles being passed in a downstream direction to a takeaway mechanism by use of a doubles resolver mechanism ahead of the takeaway mechanism. The doubles resolver mechanism includes a doubles resolver head through which negative pressure may be applied to articles passing thereunder, and a mount for the head which positions the head against such articles with a substantially constant force regardless of the thickness of the article. Negative pressure is applied to the head except when the head is detected as having resolved a double, at which time such pressure is momentarily removed to permit the double to be cleared.

Growing community of inventors

Orlando, FL, United States of America

George C Cera