Enhanced system and method for conveyor maintenance

A conveyor system comprising:

• a conveyor frame;
• a plurality of slats disposed on the conveyor frame;
• a plurality of shoes, each of the plurality of shoes disposed on one of the plurality of slats;
• a plurality of radio frequency transceivers, each of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers associated with one of the plurality of shoes;
• and
• a radio frequency reader configured to establish communication with the plurality of radio frequency transceivers;
• wherein the reader is configured to operate in each of:
• a setup mode in which the reader determines what one or more radio frequency transceivers are in any one or more of the plurality of shoes;
• an operational mode in which the reader actively monitors a status of one or more of the plurality of radio frequency transceivers;
• maintenance mode in which computer system can request notification when a particular one of the plurality of shoes is at the reader and the reader can respond to the computer system with a shoe status notification;
• and
• a broken shoe presentation mode in which an identified broken shoe can be moved to a maintenance area.

A conveyor system comprising:

• a conveyor frame;
• at least one slat disposed on the conveyor frame;
• at least one shoe disposed on the slat, the shoe comprising at least one first radio frequency transceiver;
• and
• a read station configured to establish communication with the first radio frequency transceiver.

A conveyor system comprising:

• a conveyor frame;
• at least one slat disposed on the conveyor frame;
• at least one shoe disposed on the slat, the shoe comprising at least one first radio frequency transceiver;
• and
• a read station configured to establish communication with the first radio frequency transceiver.