Conveying systems and methods of associating data with an item transported by a conveying system

• US 9,446,908 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matthews International Corporation
• Original Assignee: Matthews Resources Incorporated (Matthews International Corporation)
• Inventors: Danelski, Darin
• Primary Examiner(s): LOGAN, KYLE O
• Application Number:
  US14/451,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 700/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 2301/0016 RFID-tags
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/04 Sorting according to size sorting devices as a component of the automatic supply and removal of workpieces B23Q7/12
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/32 with associated check-weighing means check-weighing per se G01G15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/0216 Codes or marks on the article
• 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: G05B 19/124 using tapes, cards or discs with optically sensed marks or codes G05B19/128, G05B19/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40538 Barcode reader to detect position
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0004 Hybrid readers

Abstract

Systems and methods of associating data to an item being transported by a conveying system are disclosed. The item and data associated with the item are received at a first zone of the conveying system. The data is stored in a first computer-readable storage medium associated with the first zone. The item is transported to a second zone of the conveying system, and the data stored in the first computer-readable storage medium is transferred to a second computer-readable storage medium associated with the second zone.

Claims

1. A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveying system, the method comprising:

receiving an item at a first zone of a conveying system;

receiving data associated with the item by reading data from a data tag associated with the item using a data tag reader associated with the first zone;

storing the data in a first non-transitory computer-readable storage medium associated with the first zone;

transporting the item to a second zone of the conveying system, wherein transporting the item to a second zone comprises;

(a) querying the second zone via the first zone to determine whether the second zone can accept the item, wherein the second zone determines whether the second zone can accept the item without using the data tag reader,

(b) activating a second conveyer of the second zone responsive to the second zone indicating that the second zone can accept the item,

(c) notifying the first zone via the second zone that the second zone can accept the item, and

(d) activating a first conveyer of the first zone to move the item to the second conveyer; and

transferring the data stored in the first computer-readable storage medium to a second non-transitory computer-readable storage medium associated with the second zone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data read by the data reader is stored into the first computer-readable storage medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data reader includes at least one of a bar code reader and a RFID reader.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving data associated with the item comprises:

receiving data from a database remote from the first zone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing a property of the item using a sensor associated with the first zone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving data associated with the item comprises:

receiving data pertaining to the property of the item.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein sensing a property of the item comprises sensing a weight of the item.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein sensing a property of the item comprises sensing one or more dimensions of the item.

9. A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveying system, the method comprising:

receiving an item from a first zone of a conveying system at a second zone of the conveying system;

receiving, by a local controller of the second zone, data associated with the item from a local controller of the first zone of the conveying system, wherein the data comprises an expected value for a property of the item;

comparing, by the local controller of the second zone, the expected value for the property with an actual value for the property;

in response to the comparing satisfying a threshold condition;

transporting the item to a third zone of the conveying system, and

transferring the data to a local controller of the third zone by the local controller of the second zone; and

in response to the comparing not satisfying the threshold condition, transporting the item to a fourth zone of the conveying system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the property comprises a weight of the item.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the property comprises one or more dimensions of the item.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the data further comprises the actual value for the property.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sensing, by a sensor, the actual value for the property; and

transmitting, by the sensor, the actual value for the property to the local controller for the second zone.

14. A conveying system comprising:

a plurality of zones, each comprising;

a conveyor section configured to transport an item;

a driver configured to drive the conveyor section;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to store data associated with the item; and

a controller configured to communicate with a controller of an adjacent zone, control the driver to transport the item into the adjacent zone, and control the computer-readable storage medium to transfer the stored data into the computer-readable storage medium of the adjacent zone,

wherein the plurality of zones includes first, second and third zones, and wherein the controller of the first zone is configured to control the driver of the first zone to transport the item into the second zone if data stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium associated with the first zone satisfies a threshold condition and is configured to control the driver of the first zone to transport the item into the third zone if the data stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium associated with the first zone fails to satisfy the threshold condition.

15. The conveying system of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of zones includes a data reader configured to read data from a data tag associated with the item.

16. The conveying system of claim 15, wherein the data reader includes at least one of a bar code reader and a RFID reader.

17. The conveying system of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of zones includes a sensor configured to sense a property of the item.

18. The conveying system of claim 17, wherein the sensor is a scale configured to sense a weight of the item.

19. The conveying system of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of zones includes a processor configured to process an item based on the data stored in the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

20. The conveying system of claim 19, where the processor is a label printer configured to print a label for the item based on a property of the item.