GBI’s Cross-Belt Sorter incorporates many of the latest innovations together with GBI’s proven programming and controls to provide a reliable, high capacity and flexible system. GBI’s new Cross-Belt Sorter features contact-less linear induction motors to drive the cars and wireless infrared communications to transmit on-the-fly instructions reducing wear and maintenance requirements.
Each “smart car” is equipped with a central processing unit that is programmed to perform a myriad of dynamic functions such as belt acceleration, turn rate, distance and timing in a multitude of combinations interactively as dictated by circumstances. Among our many features and options are automatic induction, full tracking, weigh-in-motion and dynamic deployment.
Sorter Carriers
Each Cross Belt Car is equipped with a GBI programmable microprocessor making each carrier a smart carrier. In our first-generation design there may be one or two DC motors, depending on the product weight requirement, that power the Cross-Belt used to deploy the product. The microprocessor controls the speed of the motor and is independently programmable. For example, the motor characteristics at the loading area used to pull the items from the loader onto each car are programmed differently than the motor characteristics at the chute sections, where the product is deployed.
Motor Driven Roller Cross-Belt
GBI’s second generation Cross-Belt sorter now incorporates MDR (motor driven rollers) of different capacities depending on the project requirements. This new feature enables the carrier to be lighter, have a lower profile, and requiring less energy. This design also requires less maintenance and is scalable by easily adapting to changes in capacity simply by changing out the main roller. The carrier bed consists of several free-wheeling rollers to reduce friction and require less energy when deploying objects of similar weight as compared to wood or metal bed carriers.
Power Options
Industry standard power rails:
This option utilizes the standard method for transferring power from a moving device along a rail system using collectors in similar fashion to what a streetcar does when he transfers power from the overhead cables. Collectors are shoes that slide within rails collecting power from each rail and distributing it among several carriers through cables connected between the carriers. The rails are shrouded and located within the frame beneath the carriers to isolate them from users.
Wireless Power Option
The GBI Cross-Belt carrier standard means of power transfer is to employ industry proven and mature active travelling conductors along a continuous track. However, with GBI’s wireless power option the carriers can receive their power over air by utilizing the latest technology using inductive energy transfer. There are no wires between cars and all power is transmitted without contact between the track and the carriers. The result is little or no maintenance costs, long life cycles, and superior reliability over traditional methods.
Stored Power
A third option is to store power in each carrier utilizing either a battery or special capacitor. This capability is another one of GBI’s innovations whose patent is currently pending. A carrier will typically require two actions in the course of its transport function for each logical sorter.
The energy storage device installed in each carrier, or group of carriers, would recharge during its normal course of movement using various optional methods (see other bullets in this section) prior to its first action of receiving an article from the induction station. The stored power would be enough to also position and discharge the article at the designated location with energy to spare.
Banking
GBI currently has a patent pending for its capability to bank carriers as they make turns. This feature enables the sorter to run at higher speeds than might normally be possible with a horizontal surface carrier. Heavy articles resting on a flat Cross-Belt carrier surface must fight the forces of inertia to keep the article from sliding or migrating off when turning. Aggressive belt patterns and guard panels have been utilized in the past to keep the articles in their place and by the carrier motors also applying opposing force to counteract the forces of inertia.
GBI’s innovative alternative simply changes the center of gravity by banking the horizontal surface in the turn to not only maintain its position, but to firmly establish it at the center much like a race car does on a racetrack turn. GBI’s lower profile MDR car design also contributes to this effectiveness.
Sorter Frames
The GBI sorter frames on all of GBI’s tilt tray and Cross-Belt sorters are built from extruded aluminum to GBI specifications. The frame construction incorporates built in channels for compressed air, wire ways, and continuous sensor and guard/ bracket positioning. This uniform model allows for configuration flexibility, modular construction, and rapid installation or expansion.
Sorter Track
All the carriers travel on a solid stainless steel base track mounted within the aluminum frame.
Product Identification
Product is identified utilizing an omni-directional laser scanner, state of the art Vision System or various combination arrays with depth of focus as needed or specified. A process for manually entered product codes is also available to identify unlabeled product when necessary.
Drive System
The Cross Belt Sorter is driven by sets of induction motors. Each cross belt car is mounted on a captured set of durable long life urethane wheels configured in a wishbone pivot design traveling on a solid stainless steel track within the aluminum frame. The result is a quiet and highly reliable drive mechanism with no moving drive parts.
Automatic Induction
The sorter may be fitted with several auto-induction units, to automatically load the items onto the passing carriers. Carriers that are moving quickly are impossible to reliably load by hand.
Items are placed on a series of metered belts that automatically stage the package, and then release it onto the passing carriers. The system controls help ensure that the item is released at the appropriate time for proper placement and to coordinate all the loaders to fill all the carriers. Safeguards are in place to prevent loading two or more items to the same carrier.
