Sort X Consignment Sorter using an Omnidirectional Wheel Array for the Logistics Industry

State of the art sorting systems operated by global freight carriers or e-commerce giants are large, complicated and cost-prohibitive. Some low-cost systems are based on pneumatics and have consignment weight limitations while manual intervention is an inefficient sorting option. In this work, we are presenting ‘Sort-X’ as a system for low cost, flexible, and reliable consignment sorting system with MIMO (multiple inputs multiple outputs) sorting scheme. The inputs to Sort-X are through feed conveyor belts. These belts converge into a master feed where the consignments pass through a 2D scanner. The master feed connected to the sorting hub uses parameters such as postal code, address, shipping speed, and weight enlisted on the consignment in QR format to decide the sorting action. The hub is composed of numerous compact motorized displacement cells. Each cell has three programmable omnidirectional wheels to direct consignments to their respective destinations. Complex material flows can be accomplished in a small space using all the degrees of freedom on the displacement cells. Consignments of numerous shapes and sizes can be handled as long as they're underneath the maximum weight capacity. The gadget is designed to be bendy on the hardware and the firmware level to adapt to different sorting requirements. Individual Sort-X units can also be cascaded to obtain complex, multi-nodal sorting topologies. The mathematical technique utilized in machine design for a particular sorting operation is mentioned in this proposed research.