SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INDICATORS FOR PRODUCT SORTING DEVICES Russian patent published in 2023 - IPC B07C3/14 B07B13/02 

FIELD: mail processing and sorting.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to a device and a method for processing and sorting products, in particular mail. Light indicator control system for mail sorting devices, indicating by means of light indicators the appropriate rack cell when scanning a barcode on a mail item, containing a control cabinet and a predetermined number of light indicators. The system additionally contains a control unit, a bus driver. The control unit is designed on the basis of a single-board computer, the control program of which is configured to receive information from an external data source, using the TCP/IP protocol stack - transmission control protocol/Internet protocol, and transmit commands to the bus driver. The control program is multi-threaded and consists of several modules, the server part is configured to ensure the operation of the configuration web server, as well as transferring data to the static array when receiving commands from an external client, the bus handler is configured to poll the static array to send signals to the bus. The bus driver is an electronic board designed to convert the signal from the control unit into field bus signals at the physical level, while the converted signals enter the field bus channel to which the indicator lights are connected. The bus driver also includes overload and surge protection for each channel. Each of the indicator lights is an electronic board with diodes that receives signals from the bus driver. The board has its own address, which is configured for each bus driver in the control unit. Several indicator lights are connected in series to each channel. Each indicator light has overload and overvoltage protection. By means of an adjustable power supply, it is possible to control the brightness of the light indicators. The method of sorting mail items by the system is that after unloading at postal centres, postal items, after preliminary sorting into categories, fall into a transport container, the operator removes the mail item from the container and scans, the scan data enters the information system of the postal centre after data processing, information system of the mail centre sends information about mail items to the corresponding control unit of the control cabinet. Further, the control unit, according to the information received, by means of the bus driver, highlights certain cells with a certain colour with a given time interval. The operator sorts the scanned mail item into the highlighted cell with the help of indicator lights, the processing steps are repeated for each subsequent mail item from the shipping container.

EFFECT: increase in the accuracy of sorting products (parcels, letters, etc.).

2 cl, 1 dwg