Zone controller for modular conveyor system

• US 8,983,651 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Insight Automation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Insight Automation, Inc.
• Inventors: Combs, Charles R., Knapke, James P., Petrov, Dimitar, Ichieda, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOGAN, KYLE O
• Application Number:
  US13/803,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20140277698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 700/230
• US Class Current: 700/230
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/10 Sequence control of conveyors operating in combination
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4189 characterised by the transport system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31078 Several machines and several buffers, storages, conveyors, robots
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Method and apparatus for controlling a conveyor system including a conveyor zone having a plurality of conveyor regions. A zone controller is configured to track the position of one or more articles within a controlled zone. The zone controller may be operatively coupled to controllers of adjacent zones, and may receive and transmit data relating to the position of articles in the controlled zone and whether the zone is accepting articles from the other controllers. Articles are moved within the controlled zone by selectively activating the zone based on determined positions of articles within the controlled zone, the positions of articles within adjacent zones, and/or the operating mode of the zone. The zone controller may thereby operate cooperatively with adjacent zones to manage spacing between articles by selectively positioning multiple articles within the zone, and may accumulate or discharge articles from the conveyor system in a desired arrangement.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a conveyor including a plurality of zones, a first zone of the plurality of zones including a first region and a second region each configured to accommodate an article and to operate in concert in response to activation of the first zone, the method comprising:

receiving, in a controller of the first zone, an accept article request from a second zone;

in response to receiving the accept article request from the second zone, the controller determining if a first article is in the first region of the first zone;

in response to determining the first article is not in the first region of the first zone, the controller activating the first zone to accept a second article from the second zone into the second region of the first zone; and

in response to determining the first article is in the first region of the first zone, the controller refusing to accept the second article from the second zone.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in response to accepting the second article from the second zone, the controller determining if a third zone is accepting articles; and

in response to determining the third zone is not accepting articles, the controller positioning the second article in the second region of the first zone.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first zone is downstream of the second zone, and the third zone is downstream of the first zone.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first region is a downstream region of the first zone and the second region is an upstream region of the first zone.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

in response to determining that the third zone is accepting articles, the controller activating the first zone to convey the second article to the third zone.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein activating the first zone to convey the second article to the third zone includes:

activating the first zone to convey the second article from the second region to the first region;

in response to the second article reaching the first region, the controller determining if the third zone will accept the second article; and

in response to determining that the third zone will accept the second article, the controller activating the first zone to convey the second article from the first region of the first zone to the third zone.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in response to determining that the third zone will not accept the second article, the controller positioning the second article in the first region.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in response to determining that the third zone will not accept the second article, the controller activating the first zone to convey the second article from the first region back to the second region.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in response to determining that the third zone will not accept the second article, the controller starting a timer; and

in response the timer expiring before the third zone will accept the second article, the controller activating the first zone to convey the second article from the first region back to the second region.

10. A method of controlling a conveyor system including a plurality of zones, the plurality of zones including a first zone having a plurality of regions each configured to accommodate an article and to operate in concert in response to activation of the first zone by a first controller, the method comprising:

activating, by the first controller, the first zone to receive a first article in the first zone;

determining a position of the first article in the first zone with the first controller;

activating the first zone with the first controller to position the first article in a first region of the plurality of regions in response to the first zone being in a first mode; and

activating the first zone with the first controller to position the first article in a second region of the plurality of regions different from the first region in response to the first zone being in a second mode.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first region is a downstream region and the second region is an upstream region.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining a dimension of the first article with the first controller;

storing data relating to the dimension of the first article in a memory of the first controller; and

transmitting the data relating to the dimension of the first article from the first controller to a second controller that controls a second zone of the plurality of zones.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

storing data relating to the position of the first article in a memory of the first controller; and

transmitting the data relating to the position of the first article from the first controller to a second controller that controls a second zone of the plurality of zones.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

in response to the first controller receiving a request to receive a second article in the first zone, the first controller activating the first zone to accept the second article into the second region and move the first article into the first region so that the first article is in the first region and the second article is in the second region.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining with the first controller that a second zone downstream from the first zone is not accepting articles; and

in response to determining the second zone is not accepting articles, causing the first zone to enter the second mode, the second mode being an accumulation mode.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

in response to entering the accumulation mode, activating the first zone in a reverse direction to move the first article from the first region to the second region.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein determining the position of the first article comprises:

receiving a signal from a rotation sensor circuit associated with a motorized drive roller of the first zone; and

updating data relating to the position of the first article stored in a memory of the first controller based on the signal received from the rotation sensor circuit.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein determining the position of the first article further comprises:

detecting a presence or absence of the first article in one of the first or second regions of the first zone based on a signal received in the first controller from an article sensor.

19. A method of controlling a conveyor system including a downstream zone and an upstream zone, the method comprising:

determining if a gap between a first article in the downstream zone and a second article in the upstream zone exceeds a predetermined length with a first controller that controls the downstream zone; and

in response to determining the gap exceeds the predetermined length, the first controller positioning the first article in an upstream region of the downstream zone, the downstream zone including the upstream region and a downstream region.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein positioning the first article in the upstream region of the downstream zone includes selectively activating the downstream zone to move the first article from the downstream region to the upstream region.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

in response to the first article being positioned in the upstream region of the downstream zone, transmitting a signal from the first controller to a second controller that controls the upstream zone, the signal indicating that the downstream zone will accept the second article from the upstream zone.

22. A controller for a conveyor system, the conveyor system including a first zone and a second zone, the first zone including a first region and a second region each configured to accommodate an article and to operate in concert in response to activation of the first zone by the controller, the controller comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including program code that when executed by the processor causes the controller to;

receive an accept article request from the second zone;

in response to receiving the accept article request, determine if a first article is in the first region of the first zone;

in response to determining the first article is not in the first region, activate the first zone to accept a second article from the second zone into the second region of the first zone; and

in response to determining the first article is in the first region of the first zone, refuse to accept the second article from the second zone.

23. A controller for a conveyor system including a plurality of zones, the plurality of zones including a first zone having a plurality of regions each configured to accommodate an article and to operate in concert in response to activation of the first zone by the controller, the controller comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including program code that when executed by the processor causes the conveyor system to;

activate the first zone to receive the article in the first zone;

determine a position of the article in the first zone;

activate the first zone to position the article in a first region of the plurality of regions in response to the first zone being in a first mode; and

activate the first zone to position the article in a second region of the plurality of regions different from the first region in response to the first zone being in a second mode.

24. A controller for a conveyor system, the conveyor system including a downstream zone and an upstream zone, the downstream zone including a downstream region and an upstream region, the controller comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including program code that when executed by the processor causes the controller to;

determine if a gap between a first article in the downstream zone and a second article in the upstream zone exceeds a predetermined length; and

in response to determining the gap exceeds the predetermined length, position the first article in the upstream region of the downstream zone.