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US 11,440,744 B2Granted
Conveyor package-flow measuring system
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorsWilliam S. Murray, Jeremiah E. Oertling
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
System and methods for estimating the number of packages in a measurement zone to gauge package flow. A linear array of distance-measuring sensors measures the height profile of a mass of packages conveyed past. The profile is differentiated, and steps in the differentiated profile are counted to detect package edges and to produce an estimate of the number of packages in the measurement zone. The estimate can be used to adjust the speed of the conveyor to provide a constant package flow.
Claims32
A conveyor system comprising:
- a conveyor extending in width from a first side to an opposite second side and advancing packages in a conveying direction;
- a distance-measuring system measuring the profile of the packages at discrete spots extending across the width of the conveyor to produce a series of sequential profile measurements at each discrete spot;
- a controller programmed to execute instructions to:
- (a) compute derivatives of the series of profile measurements for each of the discrete spots;
- (b) detect edges of the packages from steps in the derivatives of the series of profile measurements;
- a speed sensor producing speed measurements of the speed of the conveyor in the conveying direction and wherein the controller is programmed to repeat steps (a) and (b) at a repetition rate proportional to the speed of the conveyor.
3 more elements
A conveyor system comprising:
- a conveyor extending in a width direction from a first side to an opposite second side and advancing a mass flow of packages in a conveying direction perpendicular to the width direction;
- an array of distance-measuring sensors disposed above and across the conveyor along the width direction, wherein each of the distance-measuring sensors produces sequential distance measurements representing its distance from the top of the mass flow of packages passing below;
- a controller programmed to execute instructions to:
- (a) receive the distance measurements;
- (b) convert the distance measurements of the distance-measuring sensors into series of profile measurements indicative of the depth of the mass flow below the distance-measuring sensors in a measurement zone of predetermined length;
- (c) compute derivatives of the series of profile measurements;
- (d) estimate the number of packages in the measurement zone from the count of the number of steps in the derivatives of the series of profile measurements.
4 more elements
A method for sizing packages on a conveyor, the method comprising:
- measuring the profile of packages on a conveyor advancing the packages in a conveying direction at discrete spots extending across the width of the conveyor with distance-measuring sensors to produce a series of sequential profile measurements at each discrete spot;
- computing first derivatives of the series of profile measurements for each of the discrete spots in a programmed controller;
- detecting edges of the packages from steps in the first derivatives of the series of profile measurements in the programmed controller;
- conveying the packages on the conveyor in a mass flow;
- taking the series of sequential profile measurements at each discrete spot to cover a predetermined number of spots that correspond to the length of a measurement zone downstream of the distance-measuring sensors in the conveying direction;
- counting the number of the steps in the first derivatives of the series of profiles;
- and
- estimating the number of packages in the measurement zone from the count of the number of steps in the first derivatives of the series of all the discrete spots.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.