Conveying systems and methods of associating data with an item transported by a conveying system
AssigneeMatthews International Corporation
InventorDarin Danelski
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims18
A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveying system, the method comprising:
- receiving the item from a first zone of the conveying system at a second zone of the conveying system, wherein the item comprises an associated data tag, wherein the first zone comprises a first local controller, wherein the second zone comprises a second local controller, wherein the second zone does not include a data tag reader;
- receiving, by the second local controller, data associated with the item from the first local controller, wherein the data comprises an expected value for a property of the item;
- sensing a value for the property of the item;
- comparing, by the second local controller, the expected value for the property with the sensed value for the property;
- in response to the comparing satisfying a threshold condition:
- transporting the item to a third zone of the conveying system, wherein the third zone comprises a third local controller, and
- transferring the data from the second local controller to the third local controller;
- and
- in response to the comparing not satisfying the threshold condition, transporting the item to a fourth zone of the conveying system.
A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveying system, the method comprising:
- receiving the item at a first zone of the conveying system, wherein the first zone comprises a data tag reader and a first non-transitory computer-readable storage medium;
- receiving data associated with the item, wherein receiving data associated with the item comprises reading data from a data tag associated with the item using the data tag reader;
- storing the data in the first non-transitory computer-readable storage medium;
- transporting the item to a second zone of the conveying system, wherein the second zone comprises a second non-transitory computer-readable storage medium;
- and
- transferring the data stored in the first computer-readable storage medium to the second non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.
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 to the adjacent zone, and control the computer-readable storage medium to transfer the stored data to the computer-readable storage medium of the adjacent zone,
- wherein:
- the plurality of zones includes a first zone and a second zone,
- the first zone further includes a data reader,
- the second zone does not include a data reader, and
- in operation, the conveyor section of the first zone is configured to transport the item to at least the second zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.