Patent
Computer control system for storing and retrieving articles on a conveyor using article identification
| العنوان: | Computer control system for storing and retrieving articles on a conveyor using article identification |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 6,009,991 |
| تاريخ النشر: | January 04, 2000 |
| Appl. No: | 09/020,543 |
| Application Filed: | February 09, 1998 |
| مستخلص: | A controller for automating the loading, unloading, and tracking of items on a power-driven conveyor. One embodiment of the system includes a control unit connected to a conveyor, a database in the control unit for storing article information including the location on the conveyor at which the article is stored, date/time of storage or date/time of retrieval, and article ID number. The conveyor is moved by manual control to a storage location where an article is stored. The article ID number is entered into the database through a keypad, barcode reader, or other electronic device, and the associated storage location, date/time of loading is entered automatically into the controller database. For retrieval, only the article ID need be entered. The controller will lookup the article ID in the database, move the conveyor to the article's location, and update the database with the date/time the article was retrieved. Another embodiment has the database located in a Point-of-sale (POS) computer system to which the controller is connected by a common data interface. |
| Inventors: | Anderson, William J. (Glenview, IL) |
| Claim: | I claim |
| Claim: | 1. In a system that includes a loop conveyor for carrying a plurality of identifiable articles and a motor means for driving said conveyor, a controller comprising, in combination |
| Claim: | a) a microprocessor; |
| Claim: | b) a shaft encoder coupled to said conveyor and providing outputs responsive to the movement of said conveyor, said outputs being electronically connected to said microprocessor; |
| Claim: | c) a conveyor revolution sensor connected to said microprocessor and coupled to said conveyor for sensing a reference for each revolution of said conveyor; |
| Claim: | d) output devices responsive to said microprocessor for activating said motor means; and |
| Claim: | e) program means for said microprocessor for providing system control for starting said conveyor, and for stopping said conveyor at a selected location. |
| Claim: | 2. In a system that includes a loop conveyor for carrying a plurality of identifiable articles and a motor means for driving said conveyor, a controller comprising, in combination |
| Claim: | d) output devices responsive to said microprocessor for activating said motor means; |
| Claim: | e) program means for said microprocessor for providing a prioritizing control for starting said conveyor, and for stopping said conveyor at an identified location, in logical and sequential sequence in response to more than one input from one or more operators at any time; |
| Claim: | f) means for selecting the conveyor location to which said articles are stored and from which said articles are retrieved; and |
| Claim: | g) a display and a keypad connected to said microprocessor for providing a human interface. |
| Claim: | 3. A controller according to claim 1 wherein said conveyor revolution sensor senses a magnet mounted on the moving portion of said conveyor. |
| Claim: | 4. A controller according to claim 1 including at least one communication port, such as for communication with accessories and with external POS (Point-of-sale) systems. |
| Claim: | 5. A controller according to claim 1 wherein said microprocessor includes a memory having a database of information about said articles on said conveyor including said conveyor locations where said articles are stored and said article identifiers. |
| Claim: | 6. A controller according to claim 5 wherein said database contains additional information concerning said articles stored on said conveyor including the date and time said articles were stored, the date and time said articles were retrieved, and flags indicating which of said articles are currently in the queue for retrieval and their position in the queue. |
| Claim: | 7. In a system that includes a loop conveyor for carrying a plurality of identifiable articles, a motor means for driving said conveyor and a controller comprising, in combination |
| Claim: | a microprocessor; |
| Claim: | a shaft encoder coupled to said conveyor and providing outputs responsive to the movement of said conveyor, said outputs being electronically connected to said microprocessor; |
| Claim: | a conveyor revolution sensor connected to said microprocessor and coupled to said conveyor for sensing a reference for each revolution of said conveyor; |
| Claim: | output devices responsive to said microprocessor for activating said motor means; and |
| Claim: | program means for said microprocessor for providing system control for starting said conveyor, and for stopping said conveyor at a selected location; |
| Claim: | a method of adjusting said controller to conveyors consisting of the steps of |
| Claim: | a) providing a reference to said microprocessor to indicate the start of a conveyor revolution; |
| Claim: | b) said microprocessor counting the number of shaft encoder pulses received during a complete revolution of the conveyor until receiving the next said reference; |
| Claim: | d) providing a reference to indicate the start or end of a conveyor revolution and inputting said reference to said microprocessor for the purpose of re-initializing said shaft encoder pulses with respect to the position of the conveyor. |
| Claim: | 8. A controller according to claim 4 wherein multiple controllers can communicate with each other and with other said accessories or Point-of-sale system over said communication port. |
| Claim: | 9. A controller according to claim 5 wherein said database containing said information concerning said articles stored on said conveyor is located in said external Point-of-sale system which communicates with said controller over said communication port. |
| Claim: | 10. A controller according to claim 4 wherein said external Point-of-sale system connected to said controller by said communication port can remotely control operation of said controller, and request from said controller the current location of said conveyor. |
| Claim: | 11. A controller according to claim 1 that can be set to turn off said motor means a programmable distance prior to said selected location, thus accommodating conveyor inertia that causes said conveyor to continue moving after said motor means have been turned off. |
| Claim: | 12. A controller according to claim 1 wherein conveyor loading and pickup locations can be programmed to be at different locations on the perimeter of said conveyor. |
| Claim: | 13. A controller according to claim 1 wherein the controller program status is maintained in non-volatile memory so power failure and restart result in automatic program resumption at the point of power failure instead of restarting the microprocessor program at its beginning. |
| Claim: | 14. A controller according to claim 1 wherein said shaft encoder assembly and said conveyor revolution sensor assembly are respectively mounted to said conveyor using flexible pipe in order to accommodate mounting on varied types of said conveyors. |
| Claim: | 15. A controller according to claim 10 wherein said Point-of-sale system can send textual information to be shown on said display of said controller. |
| Claim: | 16. A controller according to claim 10 wherein retrieval requests from said Point-of-sale system can be tagged with a priority so that requests for separate articles belonging to a group are retrieved in sequence before other articles. |
| Claim: | 17. A controller according to claim 1 wherein said microprocessor program compensates for conveyor inertia on stopping by removing power from said motor means a set number of shaft encoder pulses before a selected location is reached, said set number of shaft encoder pulses being programmable by the user. |
| Claim: | 18. A controller according to claim 5 wherein identifying tags are fastened to said articles and means are provided for scanning said tags to provide said article identification data including said conveyor location to said database. |
| Claim: | 19. A controller according to claim 1 wherein said program means includes separate modes for loading and removing said articles from said conveyor. |
| Claim: | 20. A control for a loop conveyor for carrying a plurality of identifiable articles and a motor means for driving said conveyor, a controller comprising, in combination |
| Claim: | a) means for identifying said conveyor location where each said article is stored; |
| Claim: | b) a microprocessor; |
| Claim: | c) display and keypad means coupled to said microprocessor for enabling one or more operators to input article information at any time; |
| Claim: | d) a shaft encoder assembly mounted to the conveyor using flexible pipe in order to accommodate mounting on varied types of conveyors, said encoder providing outputs responsive to the movement of said conveyor, said outputs being electronically connected to said microprocessor; |
| Claim: | e) stationary magnetic sensor means interacting with a movable magnetic means to provide a reference of the start of a conveyor revolution, said stationary magnetic means being mounted to the conveyor using flexible pipe to accommodate conveyors of varied types; |
| Claim: | f) output devices responsive to said microprocessor for activating said motor means; and |
| Claim: | g) program means for said microprocessor for providing a prioritizing control for starting said conveyor, and for stopping said conveyor at an identified location, in logical and sequential sequence in response to more than one input from one or more operators at any time. |
| Current U.S. Class: | 198/349; 198/358; 19834/995 |
| Current International Class: | B65G 3700 |
| Patent References Cited: | 3633736 January 1972 Golden 3880298 April 1975 Hubegger et al. 4907699 March 1990 Butcher et al. 4982827 January 1991 Seitz et al. 5299134 March 1994 Speckhart et al. |
| Primary Examiner: | Bidwell, James R. |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.06009991 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |