Automatically adjusting parameters of a lifting device by identifying objects to be lifted

• US 7,121,457 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Michal, III, Neal Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US10/837,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20050242169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 235/487
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/128 the workpiece itself serves as a record carrier, e.g. by its form, by marks or codes on it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31304 Identification of workpiece and data for control, inspection, safety, calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45045 Maintenance, automatic storage and retrieval system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/30 Reducing waste in manufacturing processes; Calculations of released waste quantities
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Automatically adjusting parameters of a lifting device for a material to be lifted. An interrogator module reads data from a data tag attached to an object. The data includes an identifier associated with the object. A database module retrieves a value from a memory area based on the read identifier. The value corresponds to the parameter of the lifting device. An adjustment module adjusts the parameter of the lifting device as indicated by the retrieved value. Adjusting the parameters of the lifting device for a particular material improves handling of the material thereby reducing waste of the material and delay in processing the material.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a data tag attached to an object to be lifted by a lifting device, said lifting device having an adjustable parameter, said data tag for storing a value defining the adjustable parameter related to handling of the object by the lifting device, wherein the adjustable parameter comprises clamping pressure; and

an interrogator module linked to the lifting device, said interrogator module for communicating with the data tag to obtain the value and adjust the adjustable parameter as a function of the value obtained from the data tag to affect handling of the object by the lifting device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the value comprises one or more of the following:

a handling value, a material value, and a process value.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the handling value comprises a clamping pressure amount.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the material value specifies one or more of the following:

size, mass, and material composition.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the process value identifies a machine to process the object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data tag comprises a radio frequency identification tag.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the interrogator module comprises a radio frequency identification reader.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the lifting device comprises one or more of the following:

a forklift, a lift truck, a hoist, and a roll handler.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein an event-based manufacturing system obtains the value during a process and stores the value in the data tag.

10. A system comprising:

a data tag attached to an object to be lifted by a lifting device, said lifting device having an adjustable parameter, said data tag for storing an identifier, wherein the adjustable parameter comprises clamping pressure;

a memory area for correlating the identifier with a value defining the adjustable parameter related to handling of the object by the lifting device; and

an interrogator module linked to the lifting device, said interrogator module for communicating with the data tag to obtain the identifier, for communicating with the memory area to retrieve the value based on the obtained identifier, and for adjusting the adjustable parameter responsive to the retrieved value to affect handling of the object by the lifting device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the value comprises one or more of the following:

a handling value, a material value, and a process value.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the handling value comprises a clamping pressure amount.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the material value specifies one or more of the following:

size, mass, and material composition.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the process value identifies a machine to process the object.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the data tag comprises a radio frequency identification tag.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the interrogator module comprises a radio frequency identification reader.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory area is populated with data obtained from an event-based manufacturing process.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the event-based manufacturing process relates to an intended use of the object.

19. A computerized method comprising:

reading data from a data tag attached to an object, said data including an identifier associated with the object;

retrieving a value from a memory area based on the read identifier, said value defining a parameter of a lifting device related to handling of the object by the lifting device, wherein the parameter comprises clamping pressure; and

adjusting the parameter of the lifting device as indicated by the retrieved value to affect handling of the object by the lifting device.

20. The computerized method of claim 19, wherein retrieving the value from the memory area comprises using the identifier to query a database for the value.

21. The computerized method of claim 19, wherein adjusting the parameter of the lifting device as indicated by the retrieved value comprises adjusting the clamping pressure of the lifting device.

22. The computerized method of claim 19, wherein reading data from the data tag attached to the object comprises reading the data from a radio frequency identification tag.

23. The computerized method of claim 19, further comprising storing the value in the memory area during an event-based manufacturing process.

24. The computerized method of claim 19, wherein reading the data from the data tag attached to the object comprises reading the data from one or more smart tags attached to a plurality of rolls of a raw material.

25. The computerized method of claim 19, wherein reading the data from the data tag attached to the object comprises reading one or more of the following:

size data, weight data, material composition data, recommended clamping force, and identification information.

26. The computerized method of claim 19, wherein reading the value from the memory area comprises reading one or more of the following from the memory area:

a handling value, a material value, and a process value.

27. The computerized method of claim 19, further comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 19.

28. The computerized method of claim 27, wherein reading the data from the data tag attached to the object comprises reading one or more of the following:

a handling value, a material value, and a process value.

29. A computerized method comprising:

reading data from a data tag attached to an object, said data including a value defining a parameter of a lifting device related to handling of the object by the lifting device, wherein the parameter comprises clamping pressure; and

adjusting the parameter of the lifting device as indicated by the read value to affect handling of the object by the lifting device.

30. The computerized method of claim 29, wherein adjusting the parameter of the lifting device as indicated by the read value comprises adjusting the clamping pressure of the lifting device.

31. The computerized method of claim 29, wherein reading the data from the data tag attached to the object comprises reading the data from a radio frequency identification tag.

32. The computerized method of claim 29, further comprising storing the value in the data tag during an event-based manufacturing process.

33. The computerized method of claim 29, further comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 29.

34. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components comprising:

an interrogator module for reading data from a data tag attached to an object, said data including an identifier associated with the object;

a database module for retrieving a value from a memory area based on the identifier read by the interrogator module, said value defining a parameter of a lifting device related to handling of the object by the lifting device, wherein the parameter comprises clamping pressure; and

an adjustment module for adjusting the parameter of the lifting device as indicated by the value retrieved by the database module to affect handling of the object by the lifting device.

35. The computer-readable media of claim 34, further comprising an event module to store the value in the memory area.

36. The computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein the database module retrieves one or more of the following from the memory area:

a handling value, a material value, and a process value.