US 10,537,189 B2Granted

Reception system for receiving objects

AssigneeWincor Nixdorf International GmbH

InventorsOliver Schaefer, Guenter Baitz, Felix Neubert

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Abstract

A reception system for receiving objects comprises at least one reception device for receiving objects, a conveyor device, which has at least one conveyor belt section for conveying objects in a conveyance direction in the at least one reception device, and a sensor device, which is arranged on the at least one reception device, for detecting objects in the at least one reception device. It is provided in this case that the sensor device is designed to emit sensor signals along different signal paths over the reception device, to conclude a fill level of the reception device on the basis of an interaction of at least one of the sensor signals with objects conveyed into the reception device. In this manner, a reception system for receiving objects is provided, which enables further automation, in particular in the conveyance of objects into a reception device.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A reception system for receiving objects, comprising

a reception system of either a checkout counter or a reverse vending machine,
a scanner and scanning system for receiving objects,
at least one reception device for receiving objects,
a conveyor device, which has at least one conveyor belt section for conveying objects in a conveyance direction into the at least one reception device, and
a sensor device, which is arranged on the at least one reception device, for detecting objects in the at least one reception device,
wherein the sensor device is designed to emit sensor signals along different signal paths over the reception device, and to determine a fill level of objects in a reception area, wherein the fill level is an assessment of an accumulation of objects along a horizontal plane as the objects are introduced into the at least one reception device, and the sensor device determines the fill level on the basis of an interaction of at least one of the sensor signals with objects conveyed into the reception device,
wherein the sensor device is designed to determine a plurality of fill levels.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/926,655Filed 20 Mar 2018 · continuation
Priority: EP 1519045219 Oct 2015
Published: US 2018/0206657 A126 Jul 2018
Granted: 21 Jan 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

A47F 9/04
Paying counters: check-out counters, e.g. for self-service stores
B65G 43/10
Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting: sequence control of conveyors operating in combination
B65G 47/71
Adapted to receive articles arriving in one layer from one conveyor lane and to transfer them in individual layers to more than one conveyor…
B65G 57/10
From alongside: by devices, e.g. reciprocating, acting directly on articles for horizontal transport to the top of stack

Family

Application15/296,990Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Oct 2016
US 2018/0206657 A1Pre-grant publication · published 26 Jul 2018
US 9,949,580 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0105550 A1Published application
US 10,537,189 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.