US 9,802,728 B1Granted

Rotatable tamp head and automated dimension determination

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsTyler B Rodgers, Patrick Joseph Houlihan, David Arthur Ogle, II

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Printing systems may include a rotatable tamp head that may be repositioned, as necessary, in order to cause a label to be printed in a specific location or in a certain alignment on an object. Such tamp heads may be repositioned as necessary where the label may cross a seam, a crease, a fold or another surface feature which might cause the label to be bowed or damaged in transit. The tamp head may be positioned in a manner that would enable any information, markings or bar codes thereon to remain legible and intact even if the label is applied across such a surface feature. An orientation of the object may be determined using one or more sensors aligned at various angles with respect to a direction of travel of the object.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A labeling system comprising:

a first sensor configured to determine first information regarding an object on a conveyor at a first time, wherein the first sensor is horizontally aligned substantially perpendicular to a direction of travel of the conveyor and configured to transmit at least one first sensing beam along a first axis, wherein the first axis extends transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor and in a horizontal plane that is substantially parallel to a plane of an upper surface of the conveyor;
a second sensor configured to determine second information regarding the object on the conveyor at a second time, wherein the second sensor is aligned at an acute angle with respect to the first sensor and configured to transmit at least one second sensing beam along a second axis, wherein the second axis extends in the horizontal plane that is substantially parallel to the plane of the upper surface of the conveyor;
a rotatable tamp head comprising a substantially horizontal application surface with at least one label having a one-dimensional bar code applied thereto;
and
a controller configured to rotate based at least in part on at least one of the first information regarding the object on the conveyor at the first time or the second information regarding the object on the conveyor at the second time;
and
at least one computer processor configured to at least:
determine that the object comprises a discontinuity within a surface of the object based at least in part on the first information or the second information, wherein the surface is bounded by four edges, each edge being approximately perpendicular to an adjacent edge, and wherein the discontinuity is located within the four edges of the surface;
determine a first orientation of the discontinuity within the surface of the object based at least in part on the first information or the second information;
determine a second orientation of the one-dimensional bar code;
determine whether the first orientation is parallel to the second orientation;
and
in response to determining that the first orientation is parallel to the second orientation,
cause the controller to rotate the substantially horizontal application surface about a vertical axis by approximately ninety degrees;
and
cause the controller to lower the substantially horizontal application surface into contact with a portion of the surface of the object.

13 more elements

A labeling system comprising:

a first sensor aligned substantially perpendicular to a direction of travel of a conveyor and configured to transmit at least one first sensing beam along a first axis, wherein the first axis extends transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor and in a horizontal plane that is substantially parallel to a plane of an upper surface of the conveyor;
a second sensor aligned at an acute angle with respect to the first sensor and configured to transmit at least one second sensing beam along a second axis;
a rotatable tamp head comprising an application surface;
a controller configured to cause the rotatable tamp head to rotate within a plane;
and
a computer processor configured to at least:
cause first information regarding an object on the conveyor at a first time to be determined using the first sensor;
cause second information regarding the object on the conveyor at a second time to be determined using the second sensor;
determine a first orientation of a surface discontinuity within a surface of the object based at least in part on the first information regarding the object at the first time and the second information regarding the object at the second time, wherein the surface is bounded by at least two edges, and the surface discontinuity is located within the at least two edges of the surface;
determine a second orientation of the rotatable tamp head within the plane;
determine whether the second orientation of the rotatable tamp head is preferred for the first orientation of the surface discontinuity within the surface of the object;
and
in response to determining that the second orientation is not preferred for the first orientation,
cause the controller to rotate the rotatable tamp head from the second orientation to a third orientation within the plane based at least in part on the first information and the second information;
and
cause a placement of a label provided on the application surface onto the surface of the object using the tamp head in the third orientation at a third time.

13 more elements

A labeling system comprising:

a conveyor;
a first sensor aligned along a first axis with respect to a direction of travel of the conveyor and configured to transmit at least one first sensing beam along the first axis, wherein the first axis extends transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor and in a horizontal plane that is substantially parallel to a plane of an upper surface of the conveyor;
a second sensor aligned along a second axis with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor and configured to transmit at least one second sensing beam along the second axis;
a rotatable tamp head comprising an application surface with at least one label applied thereto;
a controller configured to cause the rotatable tamp head to rotate within a plane;
and
at least one computer processor,
wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to at least:
sense a container at a first position on the conveyor at a first time using the first sensor;
sense the container at a second position on the conveyor at a second time using the second sensor;
determine at least a width of the container based at least in part on the first position, the first time, the second position and the second time;
determine an orientation of a surface discontinuity within a surface of the container based at least in part on the width of the container, wherein the surface is bounded by at least two edges, and the surface discontinuity is located within the at least two edges of the surface;
determine an orientation of printed information on the at least one label to be applied to the container,
determine whether the orientation of the printed information is preferred for the orientation of the surface discontinuity within the surface of the container;
in response to determining that the orientation of the printed information is not preferred for the orientation of the surface discontinuity within the surface of the container,
cause a rotation of the tamp head by approximately ninety degrees within the plane using the controller;
initiate contact between the application surface and a portion of the container at a third time;
and
cause the label to be applied to the portion of the container.

16 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/622,134Filed 13 Feb 2015 · continuation in part
Priority: 26 Mar 2014
Granted: 31 Oct 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B65C 9/40
Details of labelling machines or apparatus: controls; Safety devices
B65C 1/021
Affixing labels to one flat surface of articles, e.g. of packages, of flat bands: the label being applied by movement of the labelling head…
B65C 9/02
Details of labelling machines or apparatus: devices for moving articles, e.g. containers, past labelling station
B65C 9/26
Details of labelling machines or apparatus: devices for applying labels