Equipment: Shoe Sorter
  • Display Name: Shoe Sorter
  • Type Name: ShoeSorter

Description

The shoe sorter consists of a long conveyor with slats.

Each slat travels down the length of the sorter on the top, then wraps underneath back to the beginning of the sorter. It is a continuous conveyor that uses slats instead of a belt.

Each Slat has a shoe which will initially be located on the left side of the slat prior to the beginning of the sorter.

When a product is being diverted, the shoes slide laterally along the slat to divert a product to a chute. The shoes will travel at a angle as the slat moves down the sorter.

When a shoe sorter that is diverting a product slows down and/or stops, the diversion will slow down or stop as appropriate. When the shoe sorter starts up again, the diversion will speed up and resume at the same speed as the shoe sorter. The resuming of push diversions(a diversion angle of zero degrees) is not supported.

Creation

From the Toolbox, simply drag and drop a shoe Sorter into the simulation.

Access

From the Project Explorer > Equipments > Shoe Sorter.

Or directly by clicking on the shoe Sorter in the simulation.

Configure shoe diverters

  • Select the sorter and display its properties.
  • For the property Shoe Diverter, click on ‘Edit Shoe Diverter’.
  • The left panel list all existing shoe diverter. The right panel displays the properties of each shoe diverter.
  • To add a new shoe diverter, click Add, then select the shoe diverter
  • In the right panel,
    • Select the exit chute or conveyor. Diverter will be automatically located on either left or right hand side of the sorter.
    • Set the diverter distance on the sorter. Shoes will be started to divert at this point if Divert is set to true.
    • Set whether to divert incoming shoes.
    • Set the prox’s position offset to the diverter for detecting incoming shoes.
    • ProxStatus is read only. It indicates when shoe passing the prox.
  • In the left panel, select the exit chute or conveyor, and select the divert rule that is used at this shoe diverter.

Properties

Name Description
Name Name of sorter. Has to be unique and is case sensitive.
Slat Width Width of each Slat.
Length Length of shoe sorter. Minimum length is 11 (metres).
Number of Slats Total number of slats. Minimum and default number of slats can be 138. (Includes the wrap around part underneath the sorter which is not visible.)
Connections/Source Name of the source component.
Connections/Source Distance Distance from the beginning of the previous equipment where the products are transferred.
Connections/Destination Name of the destination component.
Connections/Destination Distance The distance along the destination component where product will be transferred.
Speed Speed at which product travel on the sorter.
Default Speed Default speed that used when starting the sorter.
Running Indicate the running state of the sorter. This property can be used to control the start/stop of the sorter.
Enable Acceleration Default = off
Enables the option to ramp up or down the speed of the Shoe Sorter when it is started or stopped with the Start/StopRequest option. See table below for properties available when acceleration is enabled
Target Speed:
  • When target speed is greater than or equal to 0, the shoe sorter will accelerate/decelerate until its current speed reaches the “target speed”;
  • “Target speed” could be changed during acceleration/deceleration. In that case, previous acceleration/deceleration (if it is still in progress) will be terminated and new acceleration/deceleration will be started until target speed is reached;
  • When we use the “Use Time (in seconds)” mode: changing target speed will result in recalculation of one of the acceleration/deceleration value (whichever is applicable) to keep the “acceleration time”/”deceleration time” valid;
  • When we use the “Use Speed/Time (in meter/s2)” mode: changing target speed will lead to recalculation of one of the “acceleration time”/”deceleration time” value (whichever is applicable) to keep the acceleration/deceleration valid;
Enable Encoder To enable calculation for distance travelled by current transporter
Max Value Only visible when Encoder is enabled. Max value for distance travelled by current transporter, when transporter reaches to max value, distance travelled counter will restart from 0
Divert Angle The angle of the shoe will travel at as the slat moves along the sorter.

The divert angle property in Shoe sorter control the angle that formed by the shoes when diverting.

Previously the input can only be 10~50 degrees to form an sensible angle.

Support of 0 degree has been added to achieve a special “push” divert behaviour.

  • When diverting with 0 degree angle, the shoe sorter will divert/move a set of shoes together across the shoe sorter once, instead of forming an angle by each individual shoe.
  • The number of shoes to divert/move are depend on the width of the discharge transporter.
  • The move speed of the shoes are the same as the shoe sorter speed.
  • Once the shoes are diverted, the divert property of the shoe sorter diverter is automatically set back to false, and the shoe will only be move/divert again if the property is set to true again.
  • To divert/discharge a product successfully, it will be depended on the timing of divert property is set to true.
  • Depends on the timing and the width of the discharge transporter, it is possible to divert multiple products at once.
Pre-Positioner Position Distance on the sorter.
Pre-Position Shoe Set true to reset shoes on the right side of the sorter.
Pre-Positioner Prox Offset The prox’s position offset to the Pre-Positioner for detecting incoming shoes. Should be located before the start of the sorter.(underneath of the sorter)
Pre-Positioner Prox Status (Read only) This indicates when shoe passing the prox.
Zero Shoe Detect Prox Position The prox’s position for detecting incoming shoe 0. Should be located near the beginning of the sorter.
Zero Shoe Detect Prox Status (Read only) This indicates when shoe 0 passing the prox.
Left Shoe Detect Prox Position The prox’s position for detecting incoming left hand side shoes. Should be located near the beginning of the sorter.
Left Shoe Detect Prox Status (Read only) This indicates when left hand side shoe passing the prox.
Right Shoe Detect Prox Position The prox’s position for detecting incoming right hand side shoes. Should be located near the beginning of the sorter.
Right Shoe Detect Prox Status (Read only) This indicates when right hand side shoe passing the prox.
Left Shoe Confirm Prox Position The prox’s position for detecting incoming left hand side shoes. Should be located near the end of the sorter.
Left Shoe Confirm Prox Status (Read only) This indicates when left hand side shoe passing the prox.
Right Shoe Confirm Prox Position The prox’s position for detecting incoming right hand side shoes. Should be located near the end of the sorter.
Right Shoe Confirm Prox Status (Read only) This indicates when right hand side shoe passing the prox.

When Acceleration enabled

Name Description
Mode Default = ‘Use Time (in seconds)’
Allows the selection of the acceleration time in Speed/Time in the units chosen when the project was created (metres or feet) or a simple time in seconds to reach the speed. The Mode setting affects both Acceleration and Deceleration.
Acceleration The acceleration speed in the units chosen when the project was created (metres or feet) per second squared.
Deceleration The deceleration speed in the units chosen when the project was created (metres or feet) per second squared.