IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0208355
(2002-07-30)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Neary, James
- Whitney, Charles
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출원인 / 주소 |
- Lockheed Martin Corporation
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대리인 / 주소 |
Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, P.C.
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
14 인용 특허 :
58 |
초록
▼
A method and an apparatus are provided for singulating articles received in a slug and/or manipulating such articles to create a controlled gap between a trailing edge of a leading article and a leading edge of a successive article, while targeting a desired throughput. For singulation, a plurality
A method and an apparatus are provided for singulating articles received in a slug and/or manipulating such articles to create a controlled gap between a trailing edge of a leading article and a leading edge of a successive article, while targeting a desired throughput. For singulation, a plurality of belts are mounted adjacent to each other with a slide chute between each pair of adjacent belts, articles moving from an infeed belt and passing from one belt to another through the chute therebetween. A plurality of sensors are positioned such that there is a single control sensor for at least selected ones of the belts, each control sensor sensing article position on a corresponding belt. Controls are provided for operating each belt in response to a corresponding control sensor, an operative state of a downstream belt and/or a difference between the desired throughput and detected throughput. For creating controlled gaps between successive articles, a plurality of belts are provided, mounted adjacent each other, articles being received on a first of the belts and passing from one belt to an adjacent belt. A plurality of control sensors are sensing article position relative to each belt and controls are provided which operate each belt in response to a corresponding control sensor, an operative state of a downstream belt and/or the difference between the desired throughput and the detected throughput. The controls are also operative to initiate stopping of a belt if a detected trailing-edge to leading-edge gap is smaller than the desired minimum gap.
대표청구항
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1. An apparatus for manipulating articles, comprising: at least one belt arranged such that articles received on the at least one belt travel along a path defined at least in part by the at least one belt; and at least one controller configured to selectively alter an operational parameter of t
1. An apparatus for manipulating articles, comprising: at least one belt arranged such that articles received on the at least one belt travel along a path defined at least in part by the at least one belt; and at least one controller configured to selectively alter an operational parameter of the at least one belt from a first state to a second state for intervals of a predetermined duration and to alter the operational parameter of the at least one belt from the second state to the first state after each such interval has elapsed, the at least one controller being further configured and arranged to receive a signal indicative of a measured operational state of the apparatus and to adjust the predetermined duration of the intervals in response to the signal. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to alter the operational parameter of the at least one belt from the first state to the second state by initiating stopping a of the at least one belt, and is configured to alter the operational parameter of the at least one belt from the second state to the first state by initiating restarting of the at least one belt.3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the apparatus comprises at least first and second belts arranged such that articles received on the first belt pass to the second belt, thereby traveling along a path defined by at least the first and second belts; and the at least one controller is further configured to selectively initiating stopping of at least one of the first and second belts for stop time intervals of the predetermined duration and to initiate restarting of the at least one of the first and second belts after each such stop time interval has elapsed. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to selectively initiate stopping of one of the first and second belts for stop time intervals of the predetermined duration without also initiating stopping the other of the first and second belts.5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to initiate stopping of the first belt for a stop time interval of the predetermined duration in response to determining that a detected gap time between successive articles in the path is smaller than a minimum desired gap time, and to initiate restarting of the first belt after the stop time interval has elapsed.6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the predetermined duration of the stop time interval is a function of a difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time.7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, at least under certain circumstances, the predetermined duration of the stop time interval is different than the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time.8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measured operational state of the apparatus comprises a measured throughput of the apparatus.9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to adjust the predetermined duration of the intervals upward if the measured throughput is larger than a desired throughput, and to adjust the predetermined duration of the intervals downward if the measured throughput is smaller than the desired throughput.10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to adjust the predetermined duration of the intervals according to an adjustment schedule.11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to adjust the predetermined duration of the intervals according to an adjustment schedule.12. An apparatus for manipulating articles, comprising: at least one belt arranged such that articles received on the at least one belt travel along a path defined at least in part by the at least one belt; and at least one controller configured to selectively initiate it stopping of the at least one belt for stop time intervals of a predetermined duration and to initiate restarting of the at least one belt after each such stop time interval has elapsed, wherein the predetermined duration of the stop time intervals is such that the at least one belt has not completely stopped when the at least one controller initiates starting of the at least one belt after each stop time interval has elapsed. 13. In an apparatus for manipulating articles comprising at least one belt arranged such that articles received on the at least one belt travel along a path defined at least in part by the at least one belt, a method comprising a step of: selectively initiating stooping of the at least one belt for stop time intervals of a predetermined duration and initiating restarting of the at least one belt after each such stop time interval has elapsed, wherein the predetermined duration of the stop time intervals is such that the at least one belt has not completely stopped when the at least one controller initiates starting of the at least one belt after each stop time interval has elapsed. 14. A computer-readable medium for use with a processor included in an apparatus for manipulating articles, the apparatus comprising at least one belt arranged such that articles received on the at least one belt travel along a path defined at least in part by the at least one belt, the computer-readable medium having plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a step of: selectively initiating stopping of the at least one belt for stop time intervals of a predetermined duration and initiating restarting of the at least one belt after each such stop time interval has elapsed, wherein the predetermined duration of the stop time intervals is such that the at least one belt has not completely stopped when the at least one controller initiates starting of the at least one belt after each stop time interval has elapsed. 15. An apparatus for manipulating articles, comprising: at least first and second belts arranged such that articles received on the first belt pass to the second belt, thereby traveling along a path defined by at least the first and second belts; and at least one controller configured to initiate stopping of the first belt for stop time intervals of a predetermined duration in response to determining that a detected gap time between successive articles in the path is smaller than a minimum desired gap time, and to initiate restarting of the first belt after each such stop time interval has elapsed, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to calculate the predetermined duration of a stop time interval by: (a) setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be equal to the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time if the difference is larger than a determined fraction of the minimum desired gap time; and (b) setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be equal to a fraction of the minimum desired gap time if the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time is less than a determined fraction of the minimum desired gap time. 16. In an apparatus for manipulating articles comprising at least first and second belts arranged such that articles received on the first belt pass to the second belt, thereby traveling along a path defined by at least the first and second belts, a method comprising steps of: in response to determining that a detected gap time between successive articles in the path is smaller than a minimum desired gap time, initiating stopping of the first belt for a stop time interval of a predetermined duration and initiating restarting of the first belt after the stop time interval has elapsed; and setting the predetermined duration of the stay time interval to be a function of a difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time by: (a) setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be equal to the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time if the difference is larger than a determined fraction of the minimum desired gap time; and(b) setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be equal to a fraction of the minimum desired gap time if the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time is less than a determined fraction of the minimum desired gap time.17. A computer-readable medium for use with a processor included in an apparatus for manipulating articles, the apparatus comprising at least first and second belts arranged such that articles received on the first belt pass to the second belt, thereby traveling along a path defined by at least the first and second belts, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps of: in response to determining that a detected gap time between successive articles in the path is smaller than a minimum desired gap time, initiating stopping of the first belt for a stop time interval of a predetermined duration, and initiating restarting of the first belt after the stop time interval has elapsed; and setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be a function of a difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time by: (a) setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be equal to the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time if the difference is larger than a determined fraction of the minimum desired gap time; and(b) setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be equal to a fraction of the minimum desired gap time if the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time is less than a determined fraction of the minimum desired gap time.18. In an apparatus for manipulating articles comprising at least one belt arranged such that articles received on the at least one belt travel along a path defined at least in part by the at least one belt, a method comprising steps of: measuring an operational state of the apparatus; and selectively altering an operational parameter of the at least one belt from a first state to a second state for intervals of a predetermined duration and altering the operational parameter of the at least one belt from the second state to the first state after each such interval has elapsed, the duration of the intervals being determined based upon the measured operational state of the apparatus. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the operational parameter of the at least one belt is altered from the first state to the second state by initiating stopping of the at least one belt, and the operational parameter of the at least one belt is altered from the second state to the first state by initiating restarting of the at least one belt.20. The method of claim 18, wherein the measured operational state of the apparatus comprises a measured throughput of the apparatus.21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals comprises: adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals upward if the measured throughput is larger than a desired throughput; and adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals downward if the measured throughput is smaller than the desired throughput. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals further comprises: adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals according to an adjustment schedule. 23. The method of claim 18, further comprising a step of; adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals according to an adjustment schedule. 24. The method of claim 18, wherein the apparatus comprises at least first and second belts arranged such that articles received on the first belt pass to the second belt, thereby traveling along a path defined by at least the first and second belts, and wherein the step of selectively altering the operational parameter of the at least one belt comprises selectively initiating stopping of at least one of the first and second belts for stop time intervals of the predetermined duration and initiating restarting of the at least one of the first and second belts after each such stop time interval has elapsed.25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of selectively initiating stopping of at least one of the first and second belts comprises selectively initiating stopping of one of the first and second belts for stop time intervals of the predetermined duration without also initiating stopping the other of the first and second belts.26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of selectively initiating stopping of at least one of the first and second belts comprises initiating stopping of the first belt for a stop time interval of the predetermined duration in response to determining that a detected gap time between successive articles in the path is smaller than a minimum desired gap time, and initiating restarting of the first belt after the stop time interval has elapsed.27. The method of claim 26, further comprising a step of: setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be a function of a difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time. 28. The method of claim 26, wherein, at least under certain circumstances, the predetermined duration of the stop time interval is different than the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time.29. A computer-readable medium for use with a processor included in an apparatus for manipulating articles, the apparatus comprising at least one belt arranged such that articles received on the at least one belt travel alone a path defined at least in part by the at least one belt, and the processor being configured and arranged to receive a signal indicative of a measured operational state of the apparatus, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform steps of: selectively altering an operational parameter of the at least one belt from a first state to a second state for intervals of a predetermined duration and altering the operational state of the at least one belt from the second state to the first state after each such interval; and adjusting the duration of the intervals in response to the signal indicative of the measured operational state of the apparatus. 30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to alter the operational parameter of the at least one belt from the first state to the second state by initiating stopping of the at least one belt, and cause the processor to alter the operational parameter of the at least one belt from the second state to the first state by initiating restarting of the at least one belt.31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the measured operational state of the apparatus comprises a measured throughput of the apparatus.32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the step of adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals comprises: adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals upward if the measured throughput is larger than a desired throughput; and adjusting the predetermined duration of the intervals downward if the measured throughput is smaller than the desired throughput. 33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the step of adjusting the predetermined duration of the stop time intervals further comprises: adjusting the predetermined duration of the interva ls according to an adjustment schedule. 34. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the computer-readable medium has further instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the further step of: adjusting the predetermined duration of the step-time intervals according to an adjustment schedule. 35. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the apparatus comprises at least first and second belts arranged such that articles received on the first belt pass to the second belt, thereby traveling along a path defined by at least the first and second belts, and wherein the step of selectively altering an operational parameter of the at least one belt comprises selectively initiating stopping of at least one of the first and second belts for stop time intervals of the predetermined duration and initiating restarting of the at least one of the first and second belts after each such stop time interval has elapsed.36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the step of selectively initiating stopping of at least one of the first and second belts comprises selectively initiating stopping of the one of the first and second belts for stop time intervals of the predetermined duration without also initiating stopping the other of the first and second belts.37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the step of selectively initiating stopping of at least one of the first and second belts comprises initiating stopping of the first belt for a stop time interval of the predetermined duration in response to determining that a detected gap time between successive articles in the path is smaller than a minimum desired gap time, and initiating restarting of the first belt after the stop time interval has elapsed.38. The computer-readable medium of claim 37, wherein the computer-readable medium has further instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the further step of: setting the predetermined duration of the stop time interval to be a function of a difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time. 39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein, at least under certain circumstances, the predetermined duration of the stop time interval is different than the difference between the detected gap time and the minimum desired gap time.
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