Software zoning of conveyor control

• US 4,924,164 A
• Filed: 04/08/1988
• Issued: 05/08/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ron J. Riley
• Original Assignee: J. N. Fauver Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Riley, Ron J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Application Number:
  US07/179,551
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 318/16, 318/38, 318/135, 318/396, 318/480, 318/587, 318/603, 318/625, 318/632, 318/602, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169, 180/9.1, 180/9.26, 180/6.48, 180/9.48, 180/140, 414/10, 414/750, 414/376, 414/538, 414/508, 414/589, 414/222, 414/495, 212/76, 212/77, 212/80, 212/86, 212/90, 212/124, 212/126, 212/131, 212/132, 212/133, 212/141, 212/122, 212/149, 212/150, 212/152, 212/153, 212/154, 212/159, 212/170, 212/173 , 212/175, 212/182, 212/189, 212/200, 212/203, 212/205, 212/212, 212/213, 212/215, 212/223, 212/226, 212/244, 212/265, 198/304, 198/311, 198/318, 198/316.1, 198/352, 198/356, 198/505, 198/751, 198/830, 198/861.1, 198/861.2
• US Class Current: 318/587
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 13/04 for elevated railways with rigid rails B61C13/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/416 characterised by control of velocity, acceleration or deceleration G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37104 Absolute encoder
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42171 Velocity profile, variable gain, multiplication factors, rom ram
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/42201 Deriving speed from commanded position
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45054 Handling, conveyor

Abstract

The assembly (10) is a self-propelled conveyor system including a vehicle (12) having wheels (18) and a motor (16) for moving the vehicle (12) along a track (20). The vehicle (12) includes a speed sensor (24) for sensing actual speed of the vehicle (12) and a location sensor (26) for sensing the absolute position of the vehicle (12) along the track (20). A control (22) receives the actual speed and absolute location signals and drives the vehicle (12) at a speed associated with the absolute position, this value being obtained from a memory (32). The control (22) drives the motor (16) at the selected speed with a feedback signal of actual speed wherein the control (22) may adjust the drive signal when actual speed differs from selected speed.

Claims

1. A conveyor vehicle assembly (10) including wheels for mobility to move along a track and a motor for rotating the wheels wherein power rails are provided for supplying power to the motor, said assembly comprising;

a vehicle (12) including wheels (18) for moving said vehicle (12) about a track, motor means (16) on said vehicle for receiving power from power rails along the track and external said vehicle for rotating said wheels (18) to move said vehicle (12), speed sensor means (24) on said vehicle (12) for sensing the speed of said vehicle (12) and for producing an actual speed signal, location sensor means (26) on said vehicle (12) for sensing the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20) and for producing a position signal, control means (22) connected to and moving with said vehicle (12) for receiving said actual speed signal and said position signal and for driving said motor means (16) to move said vehicle (12) at a predetermined speed determined by the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20);

said control means (22) including memory means (32) containing speed values representing a selected speed relative to absolute locations on the track (20), location comparison means (34) responsive to said location sensor means (28) for receiving and comparing the position signal to to obtain the predetermined speed stored in the memory means (32) said memory means (32) for the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20) to produce an ideal speed signal indicative of the predetermined speed, speed adjustment means (36) for receiving said actual speed signal and said ideal speed signal to adjust the speed of said motor means (16) to move said vehicle at said predetermined speed.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by said speed sensor means (24) and said location sensor means (26) being magnetic transducers, and including spaced location markers (28) and equally spaced speed markers (30) for disposition along the track and for said control means to determine actual speed by timing the distance between said speed markers (30) and to determine the absolute location by reading said location markers (28).

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 further characterized by said vehicle (12) including first communication means (38) for transmitting and receiving information regarding a load on said vehicle (12) and communicating revisions to said memory means (32).

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3 further characterized by said vehicle (12) including second communications means (40) for transmitting and receiving information from a global system control.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4 further characterized by said first communication means (38) being an infrared communication link.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 further characterized by said second communication means (40) being a radio frequency line carrier.

7. A conveyor vehicle assembly (10) including wheels for mobility for moving a vehicle along a track and including a motor for rotating the wheels wherein power rails are provided for supplying power to the motor, said assembly comprising;

a vehicle (12) including wheels (18) for moving said vehicle (12) about a track, motor means (16) on said vehicle powered by rail voltages (14) for rotating said wheels (18) to move said vehicle (12), speed sensor means (24) on said vehicle for sensing the speed of said vehicle (12) and for producing a speed signal, location sensor means (26) on said vehicle (12) for sensing the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20) and for producing a position signal, control means (22) connected to and moving with said vehicle (12) for receiving said speed signal and said position signal and for driving said motor means (16) to move said vehicle (12) with said control means (22) at a predetermined speed determined by the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20);

said control means (22) including memory means (32) containing speed values representing a selected speed relative to absolute locations on the track (20), location comparison means (34) responsive to said location sensor means (28) for receiving and comparing the position signal to said memory means (32) to obtain the predetermined speed stored in the memory means (32) for the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20) to produce an ideal speed signal indicative of the predetermined speed, speed adjustment means (36) for receiving said actual speed signal and said ideal speed signal to adjust the speed of said motor means (16) to move said vehicle at said predetermined speed; and

spaced location markers (28) and equally spaced speed markers (30) for disposition along the track and for said control means to determine actual speed by timing the distance between said speed markers (30) and to determine the absolute location along the track by reading said location markers (28).

8. A method of moving a vehicle (12) along a track (20) which includes a motor (16) for driving wheels (18) and power rails for supplying power to the motor, the method including the step of;

sensing (26) the absolute location of the vehicle (12) along the track (20), sensing (24) the actual speed of the vehicle (12), sensing the absolute location of the vehicle (12) along the track (20), comparing the absolute location to memory to obtain a predetermined speed at which the vehicle is to move, producing a speed signal to drive the motor (16) based on the predetermined speed, and adjusting the speed signal based on the sensed actual speed to drive the motor at the predetermined speed.

9. A conveyor vehicle assembly (10) including wheels for mobility to move along a track and a motor for rotating the wheels wherein power rails are provided for supplying power to the motor, said assembly comprising;

a vehicle (12) including wheels (18) for moving said vehicle (12) about a track, motor means (16) on said vehicle for receiving power from power rails along the track and external said vehicle for rotating said wheels (18) to move said vehicle (12), speed sensor means (24) on said vehicle (12) for sensing the speed of said vehicle (12) and for producing an actual speed signal, location sensor means (26) on said vehicle (12) for sensing the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20) and for producing a position signal, control means (22) connected to and moving with said vehicle (12) for receiving said actual speed signal and said position signal and for driving said motor means (16) to move said vehicle (12) at a predetermined speed determined by the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20);

said control means (22) including memory means (32) containing speed values representing a selected speed relative to absolute locations on the track (20), location comparison means (34) responsive to said location sensor means (28) for receiving and comparing the position signal to said memory means (32) to obtain the predetermined speed stored in the memory means (32) of the absolute location of said vehicle (12) along the track (20) to produce an ideal speed signal indicative of the predetermined speed, speed adjustment means (36) for receiving said actual speed signal and said ideal speed signal to adjust the speed of said motor means (16) to move said vehicle at said predetermined speed, and communication means connected to said memory means for receiving and revising said memory means (32).

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 further characterized by said communication means being an infrared communication link.