A method and apparatus for sorting or pre-sorting objects contains a
system of conveyors and crossover diverters incorporating the topology of
an omega network. The sorter interconnects a series of perfect shuffle
networks, interleaved with banks of crossover switches. Collision
avoidance is implemented by controlling flow on accumulator conveyors
entering the crossover switches. Extra banks of crossover switches may be
added to provide redundancy and load-balancing capabilities to the
system.