Sort gap control

• US 8,167,111 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligrated Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligrated Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Asman, Troy E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US13/325,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20120079869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 139 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 198/370.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/08 Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/844 the article-engaging elements being pushers transversally movable on the supporting surface, e.g. pusher-shoes

Abstract

A sortation conveyor includes a method of calibrating the control system to provide a calibration value indicative of the spacial correlation between the sort induct sensor and the first shoe sensor.

Claims

1. A method of calibrating the control system of a sortation conveyor, the control system having control logic for the operation of the sortation conveyor, the sortation conveyor having a plurality of shoes and a conveying surface, a sort induct sensor and a first shoe sensor, the control logic including a representation of spacial correlation between the sort induct sensor and the first shoe sensor, the method comprising the step of:

a. placing the control system in calibration mode wherein calibration logic is executed;

b. introducing a plurality of articles on the conveying surface upstream of the sort induct sensor and the first shoe sensor, each article of said plurality of articles having a respective leading edge;

c. advancing the conveying surface so that the respective leading edge of each article is detected by said induct sensor;

d. assigning one or more respective pushers to each article, having a respective first pusher;

e. determining the respective distances between the respective leading edges of each article and that article'"'"'s first pusher; and

f. calculating a calibration value based on the respective distances which is indicative of spacial correlation between the sort induct sensor and the first shoe sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of stopping the conveyor prior to determining the distance between the respective leading edge of each article and that article'"'"'s first pusher.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining the respective distances comprises the step of physically measuring the respective distances.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the respective distances comprises the step of physically measuring the respective distances.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning one or more respective pushers comprises the steps of diverting only pushers which are not assigned.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of adjusting the representation of spacial correlation of the control logic based upon the calibration value.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising the steps of generating for each article a respective calculated distance between the respective leading edges of each article and that article'"'"'s first pusher.

8. A method of calibrating the control system of a sortation conveyor, the control system having control logic for the operation of the sortation conveyor, the sortation conveyor having a plurality of shoes and a conveying surface, a sort induct sensor and a first shoe sensor, the control logic including a representation of spacial correlation between the sort induct sensor and the first shoe sensor, the method comprising the step of:

a. placing the control system in calibration mode wherein calibration logic is executed;

b. introducing a plurality of articles on the conveying surface upstream of the sort induct sensor and the first shoe sensor, each article of said plurality of articles having a respective leading edge;

c. advancing the conveying surface so that the respective leading edge of each article is detected by said induct sensor;

d. assigning one or more respective pushers to each article, having a respective first pusher;

e. generating for each article a respective calculated distance between the respective leading edges of each article and that article'"'"'s first pusher;

f. determining for each article respective actual distances between the respective leading edges and that article'"'"'s first pusher;

g. calculating a calibration value based on the respective distances which is indicative of spacial correlation between the sort induct sensor and the first shoe sensor;

h. adjusting the representation of spacial correlation of the control logic based upon the calibration value; and

i. repeating steps b through f.