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US 10,647,522 B1Granted
Optimizing gap distance between items on a conveyor system
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorBenjamin James Christopher Watson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to a conveyor system that optimizes a gap between items. The gap is optimized to maximize throughput of the conveyor system with respect to bottlenecks in the conveyor system, such as label applicators that print and apply label to items that are being advanced through the conveyor system.
Claims20
A conveyor system comprising:
- a plurality of gapping conveyors, the plurality of gapping conveyors configured to receive a plurality of items placed on the conveyor system, each of the plurality of gapping conveyors having a photodetector configured to detect a gap between respective items on a respective one of the plurality of gapping conveyors;
- a skew conveyor configured to receive the plurality of items from the plurality of gapping conveyors, the skew conveyor aligning the plurality of items along an axis of travel within the conveyor system;
- a label applicator configured to apply labels to respective items on the conveyor system, the label applicator comprising a first tamp head and a second tamp head spaced a first distance apart;
- a first applicator conveyor and a second applicator conveyor associated with the label applicator, wherein the first applicator conveyor receives the plurality of items from the skew conveyor and the second applicator conveyor receives the plurality of items from the first applicator conveyor;
- and
- at least one controller in communication with the plurality of gapping conveyors, the first applicator conveyor and the second applicator conveyor, the at least one controller configured-to at least:
- identify a desired gap associated with the plurality of items when two of the items are on a respective one of the plurality of gapping conveyors, the desired gap being less than the first distance between the first tamp head and the second tamp head;
- identify a gap between the two of the items based upon feedback from the photodetector corresponding to the respective one of the plurality of gapping conveyors;
- and
- adjust a relative speed of the gapping conveyors to achieve the desired gap in response to determining that the gap between the two of the items varies from the desired gap.
7 more elements
A system comprising:
- a first gapping conveyor with a first gap detection system that can detect a gap distance between two items on the first gapping conveyor;
- a second gapping conveyor with a second gap detection system that detects a gap distance between the two items on the second gapping conveyor, wherein the second gapping conveyor is downstream from the first gapping conveyor;
- a skew conveyor downstream from the second gapping conveyor;
- a first applicator conveyor downstream from the skew conveyor, the first applicator conveyor configured to receive a first item and a second item from the skew conveyor;
- a second applicator conveyor downstream from the first applicator conveyor, the second applicator conveyor configured to receive the first item and the second item from the first applicator conveyor;
- and
- at least one controller configured to adjust a velocity of the first gapping conveyor relative to the second gapping conveyor to maintain a desired gap distance between the first item and the second item, wherein the desired gap distance is less than a distance between a first tamp head and a second tamp head positioned downstream from the first applicator conveyor and the second applicator conveyor.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.