Chute system with adjustable angle of inclination

Abstract

The invention provides a chute system (C,C,C) for a sorting system arranged for transporting objects, e.g. for use for discharging luggage from a conveyor system. The chute system has one or more chute sections with an inlet (IL) in one end and an outlet (OL) in the opposite end. Displacement means, e.g. a pneumatic actuator, is arranged to adjust an angle of inclination of the one or more chute sections (C,C,C) by displacing the chute section (C,C,C) in a motion comprising pivoting around a pivot point positioned downstream of the inlet (IL). E.G. the pivot point can be positioned at the outlet, e.g. by means of a hinge. The adjustment of the angle of inclination may be controlled by a processor in response to various position and/or speed sensors and/or information about incoming objects from a vision based system or from the associated sorting system, e.g. identification of poly wrapped objects. The angle of inclination can be increased in case an object stops on the chute section, or the angle of inclination can be decreased in case an object moves too fast, even if a simple gravity chute is used. A cascade of two or more chute sections (C,C,C) with adjustable angles of inclination can be used to control batches of objects and to control back pressure of objects on the chute.