Intelligent accumulation conveyor track

An accumulation conveyor line having a plurality of conveyor line segments, each of the segments comprising:

• a conveying means for moving the conveyed goods thereon at a substantially constant speed along the segment in a conveying direction oriented parallel to a longitudinal direction of the segment;
• a sensor to detect conveyed goods transported onto the segment;
• and
• a controlling unit coupled to the sensor in order to move and stop the conveying means, dependent on the detection signal of the sensor, and which is adapted to determine a geometrical length of incoming conveyed goods in the conveying direction, and to not move the conveying means further, dependent on the respectively determined length, if the segment cannot take additional conveyed goods any more.

A method for operating a conveyor line in an accumulation mode, wherein the conveyor line comprises more than one segment, each of which is assigned to a sensor, and wherein conveyed goods are transported in a normal mode on a conveying means of each segment in a conveying direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of each segment at a substantially constant speed, the method comprising:

• driving at least one of the conveyed goods onto a first segment if a traffic jam condition is present at a second segment located downstream relative to the first segment;
• determining a geometric length of the incoming conveyed goods along the conveying direction;
• and
• judging whether the first segment can receive other conveyed goods.