# US 11,440,743 B2 · Networked motorized drive roller conveyor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,440,743 B2 - Document ID: US11440743B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/735,900 - Filed: 2020-01-07 - Published: 2020-05-07 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2010-07-29 - Assignees: Matthews International Corporation - Applicants: Matthews International Corporation - Inventors: Darin L. Danelski; Melvin W. Henry - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440743B2 ## CPC - B65G 43/08: Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)} - B65G 13/02: having driven rollers - B65G 43/10: Sequence control of conveyors operating in combination - B65G 47/261: {Accumulating articles} - B65G 2811/0673: Control of conveying operations - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) ## Abstract A motorized drive roller conveyor includes an upstream zone and a downstream zone, with each zone having a drive roller, an idler roller that is driven by the drive roller, and a sensor. The upstream zone and the downstream zone are controlled by a card, which measures a gap between a first item on the conveyor and a second item on the conveyor by beginning a counter when a trailing edge of the first item passes the sensor of the upstream zone and stopping the counter when a leading edge of the second item passes the sensor of the upstream zone to generate a counter value. If the first item is stopped in the downstream zone, the card of the upstream zone causes the drive roller of the upstream zone to advance the second item into the downstream zone for a distance derived from the counter value before stopping the transportation of the second item. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A motorized drive roller conveyor comprising: one or more cards, each card configured to control an upstream zone and a downstream zone, each zone comprising a motorized drive roller assembly and a sensor configured to detect items on the conveyor, wherein each card is configured to: measure a gap between a first item and a second item positioned consecutively on the conveyor by beginning a counter when a trailing edge of the first item passes the sensor and stopping the counter when a leading edge of the second item passes the sensor to generate a counter value indicating a length of the gap, and in response to the first item being stopped, advance the second item a distance derived from the counter value to adjust the length of the gap. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 1, wherein the one or more cards comprises a plurality of networked cards. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 1, wherein the gap is measured by counting the rotations of a drive roller. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 1, wherein the distance is equal to the length of the gap in order to eliminate the gap. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 1, wherein the distance is less than the length of the gap in order to adjust the length of the gap to a predetermined length. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 5, wherein the card is further configured to receive user input to define the predetermined length. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 1, wherein each card is further configured to: stop the counter when the first item is stopped in the downstream zone, prior to the leading edge of the second item passing the sensor, to generate the counter value; and cause the motorized drive roller assembly of the upstream zone to advance the second item a distance derived from the counter value. ### Claim 8 A motorized drive roller conveyor comprising: a first zone and a second zone downstream of the first zone, each zone including a drive roller and a sensor; and a card comprising a first driver that controls the first zone and a second driver that controls the second zone, the card configured to: measure a gap between a first item and a second item positioned consecutively on the conveyor by beginning a counter when a trailing edge of the first item passes the sensor and stopping the counter when a leading edge of the second item passes the sensor to generate a counter value indicating a length of the gap, and in response to the first item being stopped, advance the second item a distance derived from the counter value to adjust the length of the gap. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 8, wherein the distance is equal to the length of the gap in order to eliminate the gap. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 8, wherein the distance is less than the length of the gap in order to adjust the length of the gap to a predetermined length. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 10, wherein the card is further configured to receive user input to define the predetermined length. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The motorized drive roller conveyor of claim 8, wherein the card is further configured to: stop the counter when the first item is stopped in the downstream zone, prior to the leading edge of the second item passing the sensor, to generate the counter value; and cause the motorized drive roller assembly of the upstream zone to advance the second item a distance derived from the counter value. ### Claim 13 A method for controlling a gap between items on a motorized drive roller conveyor comprising: beginning a counter responsive to detecting a trailing edge of a first item at a predetermined location in a first zone; stopping the counter responsive to one of: (i) detecting a leading edge of a second item at the predetermined location, and (ii) the first item being stopped in a second zone downstream of the first zone; generating a counter value indicated a length of the gap; and advancing the second item on the conveyor by a distance derived from the counter value while the first item is stopped to adjust the length of the gap. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the distance is equal to the length of the gap in order to eliminate the gap. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the distance is less than the length of the gap in order to adjust the length of the gap to a predetermined length. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving user input to define the predetermined length. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the method is implemented using a networked card.