Systems and methods for dynamic sortation of objects

1. An automated shuttle sorter comprising:

at least two rows of destination locations disposed on opposing sides of a track, each row of destination locations comprising a plurality of destination locations; and

a carriage that is reciprocally movable along the track between a load position at which the carriage is loaded by dropping an object into the carriage and an unload position adjacent to a target destination location among the at least two rows of destination locations,

wherein the carriage includes an actuator that selectively causes the carriage to tip transverse to a direction of the track to dump the object into the target destination location, and

wherein the carriage moves along the track in a first direction from the load position to the unload position adjacent to the target destination location and moves in a reverse direction along the track to return to the load position after dumping the object into the target destination location.

2. The automated shuttle sorter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of destination locations includes a bin that is provided on a movable drawer.

3. The automated shuttle sorter as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the movable drawer includes at least one indicator indicating the status of a bin.

4. The automated shuttle sorter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shuttle sorter includes at least eight destination bins.

5. A sortation system including at least two automated shuttle sorters as claimed in claim 1 .

6. The automated shutter sorter as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of guide walls disposed between the plurality of destination locations in each row for guiding objects dumped from the carriage into any of the plurality of destination locations, and

wherein each of the plurality of guide walls has a height that exceeds a height of the carriage and a cross sectional area that defines a passage that enables the carriage to move along the track in a tipped configuration.

7. The automated shutter sorter of claim 1 , wherein destination locations that are assigned to objects more frequently than other destination locations are positioned closer to the load position of the track.

8. A sortation system comprising:

an input station comprising an object identification system;

a plurality of automated shuttle sorters, each automated shuttle sorter comprising:

at least two rows of destination stations disposed on opposing sides of a track, each row of destination stations comprising a plurality of destination stations;

an automated hinged carriage for receiving an object at a load station, said automated hinged carriage for reciprocally moving along the track between the load station and a target destination station among the at least two rows of destination stations; and

dumping means including a hinge about which the automated hinged carriage is rotatable for dumping the object from the automated hinged carriage into the target destination station,

wherein said object is automatically moved from the input station to the load station of one of the plurality of automated shutter sorters after said object is dropped from said object identification system.

9. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said input station includes an input conveyor on which objects are provided to be sorted.

10. The sortation system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein said sortation system further includes an initial automated hinged carriage that is able to move to the input conveyor such that an object is returned to the input conveyor by the automated hinged carriage.

11. The sortation system as claimed in claim 10 , wherein said input station includes an output chute for providing objects that said object identification system is not able to process.

12. The sortation system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said initial automated hinged carriage is further able to move to the output chute such that an object is moved to the output chute by the initial automated hinged carriage.

13. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein each destination station includes guide walls for guiding entry of an object into respective destination stations, and wherein the guide walls do not obstruct movement of the automated hinged carriage in a tilted ejection position.

14. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said object identification system includes a scanner system that includes multiple scanners.

15. The sortation system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said multiple scanners of said object identification system are positioned to scan an object as said object is falling through said object identification system.

16. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said automated hinged carriage is able to dump any contents of the carriage in a direction transverse to a direction of movement of the automated carriage.

17. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said automated hinged carriage is able to dump any contents of the carriage in two opposing directions that are transverse to a direction of movement of the automated hinged carriage.

18. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said sortation system includes at least one robotic system for selecting and grasping objects to be sorted and provided to the object identification system.

19. The sortation system as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising:

an initial automated hinged carriage that moves between respective load stations of the plurality of automated shuttle sorters,

wherein said object is dropped from said object identification system into the initial automated hinged carriage and the initial carriage automatically moves to the load station of one of the plurality of automated shutter sorters.

20. A method of sorting objects, said method comprising the steps of:

acquiring an object to be sorted from an input station;

identifying the object;

providing the object at a load station to an automated carriage that is reciprocally movable along a track disposed between at least two rows of destination stations;

dynamically assigning the object to a target destination station among the at least two rows of destination stations based on an identity of the object, wherein destination stations that are assigned to objects more frequently than other destination stations are positioned closer to the load station;

moving the automated carriage containing the object along the track between the at least row rows of destination locations from the load station to the target destination station in a first direction;

dropping the object into the target destination station; and

returning the automated carriage to the loading station by moving the automated carriage along the track in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein said step of identifying the object includes scanning the object with a plurality of cameras as the object is falling.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the plurality of cameras are positioned above an additional automated carriage such that the object falls past the plurality of cameras into the additional automated carriage.

23. The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the step of providing the object to the automated carriage includes dropping the object into the automated carriage.

24. The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the step of dropping the object into the target destination station includes rotating the automated carriage about a hinge such that the automated carriage tips transverse to a direction of the track.

25. The method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the step of returning the automated carriage to the loading station comprises moving the automated carriage in a tipped configuration at least partially along the track in the second direction towards the loading station.

26. An automated shuttle sorter comprising:

at least two rows of destination locations disposed on opposing sides of a track, each row of destination locations comprising a plurality of destination locations; and

a carriage that is reciprocally movable along the track between a load position at which the carriage is loaded by dropping an object into the carriage and an unload position adjacent to a target destination location among the at least two rows of destination locations, wherein the carriage includes an actuator that selectively causes the carriage to tip transverse to a direction of the track to dump the object into the target destination location; and

a plurality of guide walls disposed between the plurality of destination locations in each row for guiding objects dumped from the carriage into any of the plurality of destination locations, and wherein each of the plurality of guide walls has a height that exceeds a height of the carriage and a cross sectional area that defines a passage that enables the carriage to move along the track in a tipped configuration.

27. The automated shuttle sorter as claimed in claim 26 , wherein each of the plurality of destination locations includes a bin that is provided on a movable drawer.

28. The automated shuttle sorter as claimed in claim 27 , wherein the movable drawer includes at least one indicator indicating the status of a bin.

29. The automated shuttle sorter as claimed in claim 26 , wherein the shuttle sorter includes at least eight destination bins.

30. A sortation system including at least two automated shuttle sorters as claimed in claim 26 .

31. The automated shutter sorter as claimed in claim 26 , wherein the carriage moves along the track in a first direction from the load position to the unload position adjacent to the target destination location and moves in a reverse direction along the track to return to the load position after dumping the object into the target destination location.

32. The automated shutter sorter of claim 26 , wherein destination locations that are assigned to objects more frequently than other destination locations are positioned closer to the load position of the track.