Method and apparatus for controlling and monitoring movement of material-transporting carriages
First Claim
1. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
- providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move;
providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages;
selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address;
moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address;
determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; and
controlling the movement of said one carriage, including monitoring the position of said one carriage along the track as said one carriage moves towards its receiving address so that a fault relating to said carriage not reaching its receiving address is known and the approximate location of said carriage can be determined.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer-controlled conveying system is provided for use in transporting materials between different locations. The system includes a plurality of carriages for receiving and holding the materials and a track along which the carriages move in transporting the materials. Each of the carriages has a unique identifier, which is used by a system controller to monitor and control the movement of the carriage. A number of transfer units, and corresponding transfer unit controllers, are provided along the track. The transfer unit controllers communicate with a system controller and, in conjunction with the transfer units and information received from the system controller, act to provide the desired path for end of the carriages.
162 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; and controlling the movement of said one carriage, including monitoring the position of said one carriage along the track as said one carriage moves towards its receiving address so that a fault relating to said carriage not reaching its receiving address is known and the approximate location of said carriage can be determined. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; and controlling the movement of said one carriage, including changing said receiving address of said one carriage at some location along the track when said receiving address is not available.
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10. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; controlling the movement of said one carriage; and monitoring the amount of transaction time said one carriage has been moving from the time it left said sending address.
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11. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providng each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; controlling the movement of said carriage; and monitoring the amount of total time said one carriage has been moving along the track by using a plurality of transaction times.
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12. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; controlling the movement of said one carriage; and providng a recovery address for said one carriage for receiving said one carriage when its receiving address is unavailable.
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13. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; controlling the movement of said one carriage; and preventing carriages from leaving sending addresses while, at the same time, permitting carriages already moving along the track to continue to their receiving addresses.
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14. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providng a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifier of said one carriage; controlling the movement of said one carriage; monitoring the number of carriages located at said sending address; comparing the actual number of said carriages at said sending address with a predetermined number; and providing carriages automatically to said sending address when the actual number of said carriages is less than said predetermined number.
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15. A method for controlling movement of one or more carriages along a track using digital circuitry, comprising:
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providing a plurality of carriages and a track along which said carriages can move; providing each of said carriages with an identifier different from the identifiers of the other of said plurality of carriages; selecting a receiving address for one of said carriages located at a sending address; moving said one carriage along the track from said sending address; determining the path to be taken by said one carriage using the identifer of said one carriage; and controlling the movement of said one carriage, including automatically transporting said one carriage to a predetermined address when the identifier of said carriage cannot be determined.
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16. A method for conveying a carriage along track from a sending address to a receiving address using a system controller, a plurality of transfer unit controllers, a number of station control units, and a number of transfer units having a number of ports, comprising:
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providing a carriage with an identifier; selecting a receiving address for said carriage using a station control unit; informing said system controller of said receiving address and said identifier of the carriage; communicating the identity of a port to be taken by said carriage to at least one of said transfer unit controllers; moving said carriage along the track; determining the desired path of said carriage using said carriage identifier as said carriage moves along the track; using transfer units to provide the desired track path of said carriage; and stopping said carriage at said receiving address. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for conveying material between a sending address and a receiving address, comprising:
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station means located adjacent to a sending address for inputting a receiving address; carriage means provided adjacent to said station means for transporting materials, said carriage means having an identifier; track means supporting said carriage means and for use in moving said carriage means; and control means communicating with said station means and said carriage means for monitoring said carriage means using said carriage means identifier, said control means also controlling the movement of said carriage means to said receiving address, said control means including means for monitoring the time said carriage means moves on said track means. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An apparatus for conveying material between a sending address and a receiving address, comprising:
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station means located adjacent to a sending address for inputting a receiving address; carriage means provided adjacent to said station means for transporting materials, said carriage means having an identifier; track means supporting said carriage means and for use in moving said carriage means; and control means communicating with said station means and said carriage means for monitoring said carriage means using said carriage means identifier, said control means also controlling the movement of said earriage means to said receiving address, said control means including transfer unit means having a section of track which is movable between a first position and a second position, said transfer unit means including a number of control rails, at least a first control rail being used in detecting the presence of said carriage means, and at least a second control rail being used for stopping said carriage means while in contact with said second control rail.
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37. An apparatus for conveying material between a sending address and a receiving address, comprising:
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station means located adjacent to a sending address for inputting a receiving address; carriage means provided adjacent to said station means for transporting materials, said carriage means having an identifier; track means supporting said carriage means and for use in moving said carriage means; and control means communicating with said station means and said carriage means for monitoring said carriage means using said carriage means identifier, said control means also controlling the movement of said carriage means to said receiving address, said control means incuding at least two transfer unit means, and said control means monitors the amount of time taken by said carriage means to move between said two transfer unit means.
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38. An apparatus for conveying material between a sending address and a receiving address, comprising:
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station means located adjacent to a sending address for inputting a receiving address; carriage means provided adjacent to said station means for transporting material, said carriage means havng an identifer, said carriage means including a plurality of carriages, said station means has a predetermined number of carriages associated therewith; track means supporting said carriage means and for use in moving said carriage means; and control means communicating with said station means and said carriage means for monitoring said carriage means using said carriage means identifier, said control means also controlling the movement of said carriage means to said receiving address, said control means including means for causing at least one of said carriages to be moved to said station means when the number of said carriages at said station means is less than said predetermined number of carriages.
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Specification