US 12,709,488 B2Granted

Method of controlling a conveyor system and a conveyor system

AssigneeINNOMAC Sp. Z o.o.

InventorKhatansukh Bat-Erdene

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Abstract

A conveyor system for products in batches, and a method of controlling the conveyor system. The conveyor system includes at least two conveyors connected in series and a controller. The controller is configured so that when the start conveyor is operating at the start speed, the first variable speed conveyor is operated at a high speed greater than the start speed, thereby transferring the batch of product from the start conveyor to the first variable speed conveyor while increasing the distance between the rows of products in the batch. The second and subsequent variable speed conveyor is operated at a high speed of the subsequent conveyor greater than the high speed of the corresponding preceding conveyor. The speed of each conveyor and its successive conveyor is decreased after the batch of products has fully departed from each conveyor onto each downstream conveyor.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A conveyor system containing at least two variable speed conveyors connected in series and at least one controller, the first conveyor being configured to be placed in series with a preceding start conveyor, downstream which the system is attached, and the last of said at least two conveyors being configured to be placed in series with a target conveyor upstream which the system is attached,

the start conveyor outputting batches of product at a start speed V0, and the target conveyor receiving the batches of product at a target speed Vt, the target speed Vt being lower than the start speed V0,
and wherein the controller is communicatively connected to the first variable speed conveyor and to each of at least the second variable speed conveyor,
wherein in the conveyor system each successive conveyor is shorter, and at least one controller is configured so as,
when the start conveyor operates at the start speed V0,
to operate the first variable speed conveyor in the first step at a high speed of the first conveyor VH1 greater than the start speed V0, thereby transferring a batch of product from the start conveyor to the first variable speed conveyor, at the same time increasing a distance between rows of products in the batch;
to operate in the second step at least the second and subsequent variable speed conveyor at a high speed of the subsequent conveyor (VH2, VH3, . . . ), the high speed of the subsequent conveyor (VH2, VH3, . . . ) being greater than the high speed of the corresponding upstream conveyor (VH1, VH2 . . . );
after the batch of product has fully departed from the start conveyor onto at least the first variable speed conveyor, in the third step, to decrease the speed of the first variable speed conveyor to a low speed of the first conveyor VL1, the low speed VL1 of the first conveyor being lower than the target speed (Vt);
and
after the batch of product has fully departed from each conveyor of the system onto its downstream conveyor (conveyor, in the fourth and subsequent step, to reduce the speed of said downstream variable speed conveyor belonging to the system to a low speed of each its downstream conveyor VL2, VL3, . . . , the low speed of said each its downstream conveyor being less than the target speed (Vt) but greater than the low speed (VL1, VL2, . . . , ) of its upstream conveyor in order to transfer the batch of product from the first variable speed conveyor to at least the second variable speed conveyor and then to the target conveyor so that on the target conveyor the rows of products coming from the same batches and different batches have approximately the same distance.

6 more elements

A method of controlling a conveyor system, wherein the conveyor system includes at least two variable speed conveyors connected in series and at least one controller, the first conveyor being configured to be placed in series with a proceeding start conveyor, downstream which the system is attached, and the last of said at least two conveyors is configured to be placed in series with a target conveyor, upstream which the system is attached,

the start conveyor outputting batches of product at a start speed V0, and the target conveyor receiving the batches of product at a target speed Vt, the target speed Vt being lower than the start speed V0,
and wherein the controller is communicatively connected to the first variable speed conveyor and to each of at least the second variable speed conveyor, and the method is wherein:
in the conveyor system, each successive conveyor is shorter, and when the start conveyor operates at the start speed V0,
in the first step the first variable speed conveyor is controlled at a high speed of the first conveyor VH1 greater than the start speed V0, thereby transferring a batch of product from the start conveyor to the first variable speed conveyor, while increasing a distance between the rows of products in the batch;
in the second step, at least a second variable speed conveyor is controlled at a high speed of the subsequent conveyor (VH2, VH3, . . . ), the high speed of the subsequent conveyor (VH2, VH3, . . . ) being greater than the high speed of the corresponding upstream conveyor (VH1, VH2 . . . );
in the third step, after the batch has fully departed from the start conveyor onto at least the first variable speed conveyor, the speed of the first variable speed conveyor is reduced to a low speed of the first conveyor VL1, the low speed VL1 of the first conveyor being lower than the target speed (Vt) and
in the fourth step, after the batch has fully departed from each conveyor of the system onto its downstream conveyor, the speed of this downstream variable speed conveyor belonging to the system is reduced to a low speed of each said downstream conveyor VL2, Vl3, . . . , the low speed of that each succeeding conveyor being less than the target speed (Vt) but greater than the low speed (VL1, Vl2, . . . , ) of the preceding conveyor to transfer a batch of product from the first variable speed conveyor to at least the second variable speed conveyor and then to the target conveyor so that on the target conveyor the rows of products coming from the same batches and different batches have approximately the same distance.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.