Sorting device with a field of transport units

Abstract

A sorting device is provided with a transport device (5) for displacing objects such as, for example, postal items (99) from an input station (1) to an output position (3a, 3b) selected from among a plurality of output positions (3). The transport device (5) includes a field (101) of individual transport units (23, 105) arranged in a hexagonal grid shape and each provided with a transport mechanism (27) arranged on a rotatable support (25). The output positions (3) are positioned alongside the field (101), while the field (101) is accessible through at least two separate input positions (9, 11, 109, 119). Alternative routes can be selected by an electronic control unit (15) and microprocessors (127) in the field (101) between an input position (9, 11, 109, 119) and a selected output position (3) by joining together the individual transport units (23, 105) where the use of at least two separate input positions (9, 11, 109, 119) and of the grid-shaped field (101) renders it possible to move several postal items simultaneously and in parallel through the field (101), so that the sorting device has a great handling capacity and the sorting device is suitable for sorting of postal items which are provided with address codes corresponding to destinations of the items. During sorting of comparatively light postal items such as letters, a great capacity is provided, while a satisfactory capacity is provided during sorting of comparatively heavy postal items which are moved at comparatively low speeds through the sorting device, for example, postal parcels.