Zone controller

• US 6,873,882 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itoh Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Itoh Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Tachibana, Toshiyuki, Furotani, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/296,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 700/230, 700/224, 700/225, 700/228, 700/229, 198/460.1, 198/860.3, 198/781.1, 198/781.6
• US Class Current: 700/230
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/10 Sequence control of conveyors operating in combination
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/261 Accumulating articles

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a zone controller that enables construction of a conveyor line adapted for articles having various shapes and weights.

The zone controller includes: an output terminal 15 for output of a driving status signal representing a driving status of the driving roller; an input terminal 16 for input of a driving status signal; and a controlling section 10 for generating a controlling signal for controlling the driving roller. The controlling section is capable of being switched between a master control mode and a slave control mode. In the master control mode, the controlling section generates the controlling signal by determining the need for driving the driving roller and outputs a driving status signal equivalent to the controlling signal via the output terminal 15, and in the slave control mode, by employing a driving status signal transmitted via the input terminal 16 as the controlling signal, the controlling section controls the driving roller synchronously with the control by the zone controller 1 from which the driving status signal is transmitted.

Claims

1. A controller for controlling the operation of a driving motor for conveyance in a first conveyor unit, which forms a part of a conveyor line having at least one upstream conveyor unit and at least one downstream conveyor unit, each with a controller, the controller for the first conveyor unit comprising:

a calculating circuit for determining the need for actuating the driving motor, taking a predetermined parameter into account, so as to generate a first signal;

a first input terminal for input of a second signal from a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit;

a signal-generating circuit for generating a third signal based on the first signal and/or the second signal;

a second output terminal for output of the third signal to a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit;

a third terminal for inputting and outputting to and from a controller for an upstream conveyor unit at least one of a presence signal and a driving status signal; and

a fourth terminal for inputting and outputting to and from a controller for a downstream conveyor unit at least one of a presence signal and a driving status signal,

the controller for the first conveyor unit capable of being switched selectively between a) a master control mode and b) a slave control mode,

wherein in the master control mode, the controller for the first conveyor unit is capable of i) generating and outputting the first signal for actuating the driving motor for the first conveyor unit with the need for actuating the driving motor determined by the calculating circuit, ii) generating the third signal based on the first signal and/or the second signal, and iii) outputting the third signal from the second output terminal to a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit so that operation of the controllers for the first conveyor unit and a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit can be synchronized,

wherein in the slave control mode, the controller for the first conveyor unit is capable of i) receiving the second signal from a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit through the first input terminal, and ii) controlling the driving motor in the first conveyor unit synchronously with a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit, through the second signal.

2. The controller according to claim 1 further comprising a motor-controlling circuit connected to the driving motor and capable of receiving a signal, corresponding to the third signal, generated by a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit, generating a drive control signal for actuating or halting the driving motor based on the signal corresponding to the third signal, and outputting the drive control signal to the driving motor.

3. The controller according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt, and

wherein the signal-generating circuit generates a third signal representing drive if the second signal represents drive.

4. The controller according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt, and

wherein the signal-generating circuit generates a third signal representing drive regardless of the first signal if the second signal represents drive.

5. The controller according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt,

and further comprising a setting device for setting the first signal compulsorily to represent one of drive and halt regardless of the parameter.

6. The controller according to claim 1,

wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt,

further comprising a plurality of external signal input terminals for receiving a parameter from outside of the controller, and

wherein, with no signal inputted via the external signal input terminals, the calculating circuit generates the first signal representing one of drive and halt, and the signal-generating circuit generates the third signal representing drive if the second signal represents drive and representing halt if the second signal represents halt, regardless of the first signal.

7. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the first input terminal and the second output terminal have connectors of the same shape.

8. A conveyor system comprising:

a first conveyor unit forming a part of a conveyor line comprising at least one upstream conveyor unit and at least one downstream conveyor unit, each with a controller; and

a first controller related to the first conveyor unit,

the first conveyor unit having a driving motor for conveying articles on the conveyor line,

wherein the first controller comprises;

a calculating circuit for determining the need for actuating the driving motor, taking a predetermined parameter into account, so as to generate a first signal;

a first input terminal for input of a second signal from a controller for other than the first conveyor unit;

a signal-generating circuit for generating a third signal based on the first signal and/or the second signal;

a second output terminal for output of the third signal to a controller for other than the first conveyor unit;

a third terminal for inputting and outputting to and from a controller for an upstream conveyor unit at least one of a presence signal and a driving status signal; and

a fourth terminal for inputting and outputting to and from a controller for a downstream conveyor unit at least one of a presence signal and a driving status signal,

the controller for the first conveyor unit capable of being switched selectively between a) a master control mode and b) a slave control mode,

wherein in the master control mode, the controller for the first conveyor unit is capable of i) generating and outputting the first signal for actuating the driving motor for the first conveyor unit with the need for actuating the driving motor determined by the calculating circuit, ii) generating the third signal based on the first signal and/or the second signal, and iii) outputting the third signal from the second output terminal to a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit so that operation of the controllers for the first conveyor unit and a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit can be synchronized,

wherein in the slave control mode, the controller for the first conveyor unit is capable of i) receiving the second signal from a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit through the first input terminal, and ii) controlling the driving motor in the first conveyor unit synchronously with a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit, through the second signal.

9. The conveyor system according to claim 8,

wherein the first controller further comprises a motor-controlling circuit connected to the driving motor and capable of receiving a signal, corresponding to the third signal, generated by a controller for a conveyor unit other than the first conveyor unit, generating a drive control signal for actuating or halting the driving motor based on the signal corresponding to the third signal, and outputting the drive control signal to the driving motor.

10. The conveyor system according to claim 8,

wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt, and

wherein the signal-generating circuit generates a third signal representing drive if the second signal represents drive.

11. The conveyor system according to claim 8, wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt, and

wherein the signal-generating circuit generates a third signal representing drive regardless of the first signal if the second signal represents drive.

12. The conveyor system according to claim 8,

wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt, and

wherein the first controller further includes a setting device for setting the first signal compulsorily to represent one of drive and halt regardless of the parameter.

13. The conveyor system according to claim 8,

wherein each of the first, the second, and the third signals is a digital signal representing one of drive and halt,

wherein the first controller further includes a plurality of external signal input terminals for receiving a parameter from outside of the controller, and

wherein, with no signal inputted via the external signal input terminals, the calculating circuit generates the first signal representing one of drive and halt, and the signal-generating circuit generates the third signal representing drive if the second signal represents drive and representing halt if the second signal represents halt, regardless of the first signal.

14. The conveyor system according to claim 8, wherein the wherein the first input terminal and the second output terminal have connectors of the same shape.

15. The conveyor system according to claim 8, conveyor line further includes:

a second conveyor unit arranged in series with the first conveyor unit, a second controller related to the second conveyor unit, and

a first wire electrically connecting an output terminal of the second controller and the input terminal of the first controller.

16. The conveyor system according to claim 8, wherein the conveyor line further includes:

a third conveyor unit arranged in parallel with the first conveyor unit,

a third controller related to the third conveyor unit, and

a second wire eclectically connecting an output terminal of the third controller and the input terminal of the first controller.