Power and free conveyor control system

Abstract

A control system for a conveyor having a plurality of trolley carriers movable along a path of travel and having at least one latching type reed switch whose open or closed condition is sensed in a reading station through which the trolley carrier moves, to effect some desired control function with respect to the trolley carrier. At another station, such as a writing or reset station upstream of the reading station, the switches are latched in an open or closed condition which accompanies the trolley carrier during movement of the trolley carrier along the path of travel and through the reading station. The writing station has a plurality of permanent or electromagnets conditioning each switch separately and remotely; and a reset station may be provided upstream of the writing station for separately initiating each carrier switch to an inoperable condition. Each code reader has a plurality of brushes which sweep the switches reading the condition of the switches by electrical conductivity as the trolley carrier moves along the path of travel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.