US 8,077,050 B2Granted

Transport system evaluator

AssigneeUnited Parcel Service of America, Inc.

InventorSteven L. Smith

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Abstract

An evaluating apparatus arranged to evaluate an item-transport system having a flow path. The apparatus includes one or more position markers adjacent the path and an evaluating device for sensing the markers and conditions of the transport system. The evaluating device has at least one evaluation sensor configured to (A) sense conditions of the transport system and (B) produce evaluation-sensor data based on the sensed conditions. The evaluating device also has a position-marker sensor configured to sense the position markers and produce position-marker data. The apparatus further includes a distance meter configured to produce distance data and at least one computing device configured to determine a particular location at which the evaluating device was along the path of the item-transport system when a particular condition of the item-transport system was sensed based on the evaluation-sensor data, the position-marker data, and the distance data.

Claims32

Dependent claims

An evaluating apparatus arranged to evaluate an item-transport system having a flow path along which items are transported, the apparatus comprising:

one or more position markers positioned adjacent the flow path of the item-transport system;
an evaluating device configured to sense the position markers and conditions of the item-transport system while the evaluating device is being transported along the flow path through the item-transport system, the evaluating device including:
an evaluating-device body;
at least one evaluation sensor connected adjacent the evaluating-device body and configured to:
(A) sense conditions of the item-transport system while the evaluating device is being transported through the item-transport system and (B) produce evaluation-sensor data based on the sensed conditions;
a position-marker sensor connected adjacent the evaluating-device body and configured to sense said position markers and produce position-marker data;
and
a distance meter connected adjacent the evaluating-device body and configured to produce distance data;
and
at least one computing device configured to receive said data from the evaluation sensor, the position-marker sensor, and the distance meter and determine a particular location at which the evaluating device was along the flow path of the item-transport system when a particular condition of said conditions of the item-transport system was sensed, wherein the computing device is configured to determine said particular location based at least in part on the evaluation-sensor data, the distance data, and the position-marker data.

7 more elements

A method for evaluating an item-transport system utilizing an evaluating apparatus including one or more position markers positioned adjacent a flow path of the item-transport system, an evaluating device including at least one evaluation sensor and a position-marker sensor, a distance meter, and at least one computing device, the method comprising:

transporting the evaluating device along the flow path through the item-transport system;
sensing the position markers utilizing the position-marker sensor as the evaluating device is transported along the flow path to produce position-marker data;
measuring at least one parameter selected from a group of parameters consisting of distance traveled by the evaluating device and speed of the evaluating device utilizing the distance meter and producing distance data based on the measured parameter;
sensing one or more conditions associated with the item-transport system utilizing the evaluation sensor and producing evaluation-sensor data based on the conditions sensed;
and
determining in the computing device a particular location of the evaluating device along the flow path of the item-transport system at which a particular condition of said one or more conditions was sensed by considering the distance data, the evaluation-sensor data, and the position-marker data.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.