초록 ▼

A maintenance cart in a maintenance system is substituted for a material handling cart in a continuous train of material handling carts circulating on a closed track. The maintenance cart includes both inspection and cleaning functions which may be divided among separate maintenance carts, as desire

A maintenance cart in a maintenance system is substituted for a material handling cart in a continuous train of material handling carts circulating on a closed track. The maintenance cart includes both inspection and cleaning functions which may be divided among separate maintenance carts, as desired. Inspection includes location sensing (preferably with a bar-code reader), inspection with one or more television-like cameras and clearance measurements. Cleaning functions include removal of dust and debris from a channel-like track by a vacuum arrangement. The maintenance cart or carts may be continuously left in place or substitute as needed in the train and provide continuous cleaning service and system diagnostics for scheduling repairs prior to failure while in use. The system is particularly advantageous for application to mail sorting systems which are largely unaccessible and which permit only brief time windows during which maintenance, repair and inspection can otherwise be carried out.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A maintenance cart for a material handling system having a track and a plurality of similarly dimensioned material handling carts connected in a continuous train, said maintenance cart comprisinga chassis similarly dimensioned to a chassis of a material handling cart, an inspection and illuminati

1. A maintenance cart for a material handling system having a track and a plurality of similarly dimensioned material handling carts connected in a continuous train, said maintenance cart comprisinga chassis similarly dimensioned to a chassis of a material handling cart, an inspection and illumination system including at least one camera, and an illumination source, a position locating system for identifying a location of said at least one camera relative to said track, and a telemetry transmitter for transmitting a signal representing an indication of said location and an image from said camera.