US 12,122,609 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for infeed of accumulator

AssigneeBW Converting, Inc.

InventorsElijah Scriven, Jonathon Zahn

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Abstract

An accumulator has a control system for controlling motion of a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop and logs traversing on a log transfer device. The log transfer device delivers a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator. The bucket infeed receives a log from the log transfer device and allows a bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device. A time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed is determined. Based on the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, the control system controls the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to roll a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed;
and
based on the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device.

A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to deliver a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed;
and
based on the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device;
and further comprising:
with the controller enabled for a continuous motion operation of the continuous loop, with the controller determining an index time to move a bucket in the plurality of buckets from a bucket initial position to the bucket infeed based upon the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed with allocation for acceleration and deceleration of the bucket and with allocation of time for a subsequent log entering the entrance to the log transfer device;
and
enabling the controller to send signals to the drive based upon the index time.

4 more elements

A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to deliver a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed;
and
based on the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device;
and
with the controller enabled for intermittent operation of the continuous loop, determining a next index time to move a bucket in the plurality of buckets from a bucket initial position to the bucket infeed based upon time for the log to move from the entrance to the log transfer device to the bucket infeed with allocation of time for a subsequent log to enter the entrance of the log transfer device, dwell time at the bucket infeed, and with allocation for acceleration and deceleration of a bucket in the plurality of buckets.

2 more elements

A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to deliver a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed;
and
based on the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device;
and
enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop with at least one of an intermittent motion and a continuous motion based upon a comparison of a log cycle time with a bucket cycle time, wherein the log cycle time is based upon the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed and a time for a subsequent log to enter the entrance of the log transfer device, wherein the bucket cycle time is based upon the time for a bucket to move from a bucket initial position to the bucket infeed with allocation for bucket acceleration, bucket deceleration, bucket initial velocity, bucket dwell time at the bucket infeed, and bucket maximum safe operating velocity;
wherein the step of enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop with the intermittent motion includes determining the log cycle time is greater than the bucket cycle time;
and
wherein the step of enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop with the continuous motion includes determining the log cycle time is less than the bucket cycle time.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/944,688Filed 14 Sep 2022 · us provisional application
Priority: 1 Oct 2021
Published: US 2023/0105240 A16 Apr 2023
Granted: 22 Oct 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B65G 43/08
Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting: control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged
B65G 17/126
Comprising a series of individual load-carriers fixed, or normally fixed, relative to traction element: bucket elevators
B65G 47/261
Arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles: accumulating articles
B65G 47/5122
With variable accumulation capacity: by displacement of the conveyor-guiding means, e.g. of the loose pulley-type