Apparatus and method for measuring the weight of items on a conveyor

• US 7,586,049 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic Automation Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Accu-Sort Systems Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Wurz, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson; Randy W
• Application Number:
  US12/047,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20080164074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 177 2511- 2513, 177/25.18, 177/119, 177/145, 702/155, 702/175, 705/407, 705/414
• US Class Current: 177/25.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/04 specially adapted for measuring length or width of objects while moving
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 11/00 Apparatus for weighing a continuous stream of material during flow; Conveyor belt weighers
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/035 using electrical weight-sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4148 for controlling postal rate in articles to be mailed franking apparatus with means for computing G07B17/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring the weight of items on a conveyor includes a scale that generates a first signal corresponding to the weight of the items. A movable platform transports the items to the scale and generates a second signal corresponding to position of the items in relation to the scale. A dimensioner examines the items and generates a third signal representative of whether the items are singulated or nonsingulated. A processor receives the second and third signals and determines whether to associate the first signal with information stored in memory about a particular item based upon whether the particular item is singulated or nonsingulated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring the weight of items on a conveyor comprising:

a scale that generates a first signal corresponding to the weight of said items as they pass over the scale;

a moveable platform that transports the items to the scale, said moveable platform generating a second signal corresponding to a position of the items in relation to said scale;

a dimensioner that examines the items transported on the moveable platform and generates a third signal representative of whether the items are singulated or nonsingulated;

memory in which said first, said second and said third signals are stored;

a processor operatively connected to said scale, said dimensioner, said memory, and said moveable platform,

wherein said processor receives said second and said third signals and determines, based on said second and third signals, whether to associate said first signal with information stored in said memory about a particular said item based upon whether the particular item is singulated or nonsingulated.

2. An apparatus for measuring the weight of items on a conveyor, comprising:

a conveyor that moves the items in a direction in a path of travel;

a scale disposed in the path of travel so that the scale receives the items moving on the conveyor and outputs a first signal corresponding to a weight of said items that are received by the scale;

a dimensioner disposed proximate the conveyor that detects the items moving on the conveyor and that outputs a second signal containing information describing a location of a boundary of each first item in the path of travel and relative to locations of other said items in the path of travel proximate the first item;

a processor that receives the first signal and the second signal and that

determines, based on the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel, when the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale,

detects, based on the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel relative to respective locations of boundaries of other said items proximate the first item, whether the first item longitudinally overlaps, with respect to the direction, a second said item disposed in the path of travel,

acquires a weight from the first signal,

assigns the acquired weight to a record corresponding to the first item based upon determination that the first item has moved in the path of travel to the scale so that the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale and that the first item does not longitudinally overlap the second item, and

upon determining that the first item has moved in the path of travel to the scale so that the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale and that the first item longitudinally overlaps the second item, does not assign the acquired weight to the record for the first item.

3. The apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the scale extends laterally, with respect to the direction, substantially across the path of travel.

4. The apparatus as in claim 2, including a first said scale and a second said scale laterally offset from the first scale with respect to the direction.

5. The apparatus as in claim 4, wherein a widest lateral dimension of the first scale with respect to the direction does not overlap a widest lateral dimension of the second scale with respect to the direction.

6. The apparatus as in claim 5, wherein the first scale and the second scale are laterally adjacent to each other.

7. The apparatus as in claim 5, including a third said scale longitudinally offset from the first scale and the second scale with respect to the direction, wherein the third scale extends laterally, with respect to the direction, substantially across the path of travel.

8. An apparatus for measuring the weight of items on a conveyor, comprising:

a conveyor that moves the items in a direction in a path of travel;

a scale disposed in the path of travel so that the scale receives the items moving on the conveyor and outputs a first signal corresponding to a weight of said items that are received by the scale;

a dimensioner disposed proximate the conveyor, the dimensioner having a signal source that outputs a second signal with which the items interact as the items move along the path of travel so that when a first said item interacts with the second signal, the second signal carries information corresponding to at least one spatial dimension of the first item, wherein the dimensioner produces a third signal that includes the information; and

a processor that

receives the first signal and the third signal,

determines, based on the information, a location of a boundary of the first item in the path of travel and relative to locations of boundaries of other said items in the path of travel proximate the first item,

determines, based on the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel, when the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale, and

detects, based on the location of the boundary of the first item with respect to the locations of boundaries of other said items proximate the first item, a first condition in which the boundary of the first item overlaps, relative to the direction, a boundary of a said other item that is received by the scale and a second condition in which the boundary of the first item does not overlap, relative to the direction, the boundary of a said other item that is received by the scale,

wherein, upon determining that the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale, the processor associates a weight defined by the first signal with a record corresponding to the first item based upon detection of the second condition and does not associate the weight defined by the first signal with the record when the processor detects the first condition.

9. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the processor is comprised of a first processor housed by the dimensioner and a second processor remote from the dimensioner and in communication with the first processor and the scale, wherein

the first processor receives the third signal and determines therefrom the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel, and

the second processor receives from the first processor the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel, receives the first signal, determines when the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale, and detects the first condition and the second condition.

10. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the processor establishes a respective said record for each item in the path of travel upon receiving a said second signal indicating presence of said item in the path of travel.

11. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the conveyor outputs a fourth signal to the processor, the fourth signal indicating a rate at which the items move in the path of travel, wherein the processor determines when the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale based on a value of the fourth signal when the first item is at a predetermined reference position in the path of travel and a value of the fourth signal when the processor receives the first signal.

12. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the scale extends laterally, with respect to the direction, substantially across the path of travel.

13. The apparatus as in claim 8, including a first said scale and a second said scale laterally offset from the first scale with respect to the direction.

14. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein a widest lateral dimension of the first scale with respect to the direction does not overlap a widest lateral dimension of the second scale with respect to the direction.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the first scale and the second scale are laterally adjacent to each other.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15, including a third said scale longitudinally offset from the first scale and the second scale with respect to the direction, wherein the third scale extends laterally, with respect to the direction, substantially across the path of travel.

17. An apparatus for measuring the weight of items on a conveyor, comprising:

a conveyor that moves the items in a direction in a path of travel;

a scale disposed in the path of travel so that the scale receives the items moving on the conveyor and outputs a first signal corresponding to a weight of said items that are received by the scale;

a dimensioner disposed proximate the conveyor, the dimensioner having a signal source that outputs a second signal with which the items interact as the items move along the path of travel so that when a first said item interacts with the second signal, the second signal carries information corresponding to at least one spatial dimension of the first item, wherein the dimensioner produces a third signal that includes the information;

a first processor that receives the third signal and determines, based on the information, a location of a boundary of the first item in the path of travel; and

a second processor that

receives the first signal,

receives from the first processor the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel and establishes a record for the first item,

determines, based on the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel, when the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale,

detects, based on the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel relative to respective locations of boundaries of other said items proximate the first item, whether the first item longitudinally overlaps, with respect to the direction, a second said item disposed in the path of travel or is separated longitudinally from a said second item within a predetermined longitudinal distance that inhibits acquisition of weight of the first item from the first signal, and

acquires a weight of the first item from the first signal, and assigns the acquired weight to the record for the first item, when the second processor determines that

the first item has moved in the path of travel to the scale so that the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale,

the first item does not longitudinally overlap the second item, and

the second item is not within the predetermined longitudinal distance from the first item.

18. The apparatus as in claim 17, wherein the scale extends laterally, with respect to the direction, substantially across the path of travel.

19. The apparatus as in claim 17, including a first said scale and a second said scale laterally offset from the first scale with respect to the direction.

20. The apparatus as in claim 19, wherein a widest lateral dimension of the first scale with respect to the direction does not overlap a widest lateral dimension of the second scale with respect to the direction.

21. The apparatus as in claim 20, wherein the first scale and the second scale are laterally adjacent to each other.

22. The apparatus as in claim 21, including a third said scale longitudinally offset from the first scale and the second scale with respect to the direction, wherein the third scale extends laterally, with respect to the direction, substantially across the path of travel.

23. The apparatus as in claim 22, wherein

the second processor acquires a weight of the first item from the first signal from the first scale, does not acquire a weight of the first item from the second scale or the third scale, and assigns the acquired weight from the first scale to the record for the first item, when

the first item has moved in the path of travel to the first scale so that the first signal from the first scale corresponds to weight of the first item,

the first item does not longitudinally overlap the second item disposed in the path of travel so that the second item is received by the first scale,

the last-mentioned second item is not within the predetermined longitudinal distance from the first item, and

the first item longitudinally overlaps a third said item or is within the predetermined longitudinal distance from the third item, wherein the third item is not received by the first scale in the path of travel,

the second processor acquires a weight of the first item from the first signal from the second scale, does not acquire a weight of the first item from the first scale or the third scale, and assigns the acquired weight from the second scale to the record for the first item, when

the first item has moved in the path of travel to the second scale so that the first signal corresponds to weight of the first item,

the first item does not longitudinally overlap the second item disposed in the path of travel so that the second item is received by the second scale,

the last-mentioned second item is not within the predetermined longitudinal distance from the first item, and

the first item longitudinally overlaps a fourth said item or is within the predetermined longitudinal distance from the fourth item, wherein the fourth item is not received by the second scale in the path of travel, and

the second processor acquires a weight of the first item from the first signal from the third scale, does not acquire a weight of the first item from the first signal from the first scale or the second scale, and assigns the acquired weight from the third scale to the record for the first item, when

the first item has moved in the path of travel to the third scale so that the first signal from the third scale corresponds to weight of the first item,

the first item does not longitudinally overlap the second item disposed in the path of travel so that the second item is received by the third scale, and

the last-mentioned second item is not within the predetermined longitudinal distance from the first item.

24. A method for measuring the weight of items being moved on a conveyor in a direction in a path of travel, comprising the steps of:

providing a scale disposed in the path of travel so that the scale receives the items moving on the conveyor and outputs a first signal corresponding to a weight of said items that are received by the scale;

determining at least one spatial dimension of a first said item;

determining, based on the at least one spatial dimension, a location of a boundary of the first item in the path of travel and relative to locations of boundaries of other said items in the path of travel proximate the first item;

determining, based on the location of the boundary of the first item in the path of travel, when the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale;

detecting, based on the location of the boundary of the first item with respect to the locations of boundaries of other said items proximate the first item, a first condition in which the boundary of the first item overlaps, relative to the direction, a boundary of a said other item that is received by the scale and a second condition in which the boundary of the first item does not overlap, relative to the direction, the boundary of a said other item that is received by the scale; and

upon determining that the first signal corresponds to receipt of the first item by the scale, associating a weight defined by the first signal with a record corresponding to the first item based upon detection of the second condition and not associating the weight defined by the first signal with the record upon detecting the first condition.