Pneumatic tube system recovery

• US 8,565,915 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2010
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swisslog Healthcare Solutions (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Swisslog Healthcare Solutions (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Dillon, David Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Yolanda
• Application Number:
  US12/774,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20100286816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/230
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 51/36 Other devices for indicating or controlling movements of carriers, e.g. for supervising individual tube sections, for counting carriers, for reporting jams or other operating difficulties
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem

Abstract

A system and method provides for the recovery of carriers stranded within a pneumatic carrier system. Initially, unresolved transaction records generated during the transit of carrier within the system are identified for carrier recovery purposes. System handling information is identified from the transaction record. Based on this information, the system determines a putative location of each a carrier associated with a transaction record. The system operates a segment of the pneumatic system including the putative carrier location to confirm the presence or absence of a stranded carrier. If a carrier is identified within that segment of the system, the carrier is deemed recovered. The carrier is then delivered to the destination location in the transaction record.

Claims

1. A method for use in purging a pneumatic carrier system where the pneumatic carrier system includes a plurality of user stations, pneumatic tubes and transfer devices, comprising:

receiving, at a pneumatic carrier system controller, a pneumatic carrier system recovery request for recovering carriers remaining in the pneumatic carrier system after a shut-down of the pneumatic carrier system;

accessing an electronic database to retrieve unresolved carrier transaction records stored on a computer readable storage medium to identify one or more carriers stranded in the pneumatic carrier system after said shut-down;

for at least one unresolved carrier transaction record, operating said system controller to;

identify, from said at least one unresolved transaction record, system component transaction information identifying a last system component recorded as having contacted a carrier associated with said unresolved transaction record;

based on said system component transaction information, determine a segment of said pneumatic carrier system putatively containing the carrier associated with said unresolved transaction record; and

generating an airflow between the last system component and through said segment to confirm the presence or absence of said pneumatic carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon confirming the presence of the carrier, routing the carrier to a destination location identified from said unresolved transaction record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the system controller to identify system component transaction information comprises:

identifying a last system component recorded as having contacted the carrier associated with the unresolved transaction.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

operating the system controller to procure system component status information of at least said last system component recorded as having contacted said carrier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein operating the system controller to procure system component status comprises:

accessing an electronic database including said status information of at least a portion of pneumatic system components of said pneumatic carrier system, wherein said status information is stored on a computer readable storage medium.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein operating the system controller to procure system component status comprises:

sending an electronic query to at least said first system component recorded as having contacted said carrier; and

receiving at least one status response from at least said first system component recorded as having contacted said carrier.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein one said status response comprises an indication that the system component contains a pneumatic carrier.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one status response comprises:

a pressure or vacuum setting of a system pressure component.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one status response comprises:

a position of a transfer device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the system controller to procure system component status comprises:

identifying, from said unresolved transaction record, the last system component having handled the carrier.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

based on said pneumatic carrier path, identifying the next system component to handle the carrier; and

operating the pneumatic system to effectuate airflow between said last system component and said next system component.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring the next system component for the receipt of the carrier.