Abstract: A control architecture for material handling includes multiple tiers of controllers, such as three. The lowest-level controllers interact directly with sensors and actuators used in the material handling system, such as photo-eyes and motors used with conveyors. The lowest-level controllers receive higher level commands from one or more mid-level controllers. The mid-level controllers, in turn, receive still higher level commands and information from at least one upper level controller. Each mid and low level controller is designed to include sufficient intelligence to deal with many of the signals and messages it receives without having to forward those signals or messages to the next higher level controller and await instructions from that higher level controller. The system thus distributes intelligence amongst the controllers. The system is well-adapted for application to conveyor control systems.

Abstract: A diverter system includes a conveying surface with a conveying direction for conveying an article at a conveying speed, a first diverter assembly at a first side of the conveying surface, and a second diverter assembly at the second side of the conveying surface. In addition, each of the diverter assemblies includes an arm mounted for pivotal movement between a non-diverting position and a diverting position. When actuated the arm of the actuated diverter assembly is pivoted across at least a portion of the conveying surface. The system further includes a first driver for selectively moving the arm of the first diverter assembly between its diverting position and its non-diverting position and a second driver for selectively moving the arm of the second diverter assembly between its diverting position and its non-diverting position.

Abstract: A belt conveyor or belt accumulator includes at least two tandem zones, each of which is defined by a motorized roller and at least one idler roller positioned along and between opposite sidewalls of the conveyor and a continuous belt routed around the motorized roller and the idler roller or rollers. The motorized roller is operable to drive the belt around the rollers to move articles along the respective zone. The belt may have a low modulus characteristic and may be initially stretched at least 0.75% in its lengthwise direction when the belt is reeved or routed around the rollers. The motorized roller of each zone may be independently operable, such as in response to an article sensor at each zone, to convey or accumulate articles on the respective zone of the belt conveyor.

Abstract: An accumulation conveyor system and method of accumulating articles includes providing an accumulation assembly that is adapted to accumulating a plurality of articles into a slug of articles. Slugs of articles are discharged to a transport line which transports the slugs and accumulates the slugs as required. The accumulation assembly is made up of a slug forming section which forms slug portions and discharges slug portions into slugs. The accumulation assembly accumulates articles in zones and reduces gaps between articles in sequence from upstream gaps to downstream gaps.

Abstract: A diverter system for diverting articles being conveyed along the diverter system includes a plurality of diverter wheels arranged between opposite sidewalls of the diverter system. The diverter wheels are rotatably driven by a motorized roller and a plurality of drive members or bands reeved around the motorized roller and respective ones of the diverter wheels. The diverter wheels are steerable in response to pivotal or rotational movement of a drive gear that engages a gear plate of at least one of the wheels. The resulting pivotal movement of the at least one wheel causes a translational movement of a rack member extending along the row of diverter wheels which, in turn, causes a corresponding pivotal movement of the other wheels engaged with the rack member.

Abstract: A depalletizer includes an input assembly for supporting a loaded pallet loaded with at least one product, a lift assembly, and a product take-away assembly. The input assembly presents the loaded pallet to the lift assembly, which moves the loaded pallet to a product unloading elevation. The product take-away assembly is positioned for receiving a product from the pallet at the unloading elevation. The depalletizer assembly also includes a pallet take-away assembly. After the product is unloaded from the pallet, the lift assembly moves the unloaded pallet to a pallet discharge elevation, where the pallet take-away assembly is positioned to receive an unloaded pallet from the lift assembly.

Abstract: A conveyor system, and method of controlling the conveyor system, includes providing a conveying surface, at least one motor propelling the conveying surface and a plurality of lower-level controllers. At least one of the lower-level controllers adapted to control the at least one motor. An upper-level controller is provided in communication with the plurality of lower-level controllers. The upper-level controller is adapted to send communications to the lower-level controllers for controlling the at least one motor. A communications bus is provided that carries the communications between the upper-level controller and the lower-level controllers. The upper-level controller is adapted to automatically assign each lower-level controller a unique communications address. The unique communications address enables the upper-level controller to send messages over the communications bus to individual ones of the lower-level controllers.

Abstract: A conveyor roller or pulley includes an axle portion mountable to opposite sidewalls of a conveyor and a roller portion rotatable relative to said axle portion. The roller includes a braking device positioned at least partially within said roller portion and selectively operable to restrict rotation of said roller portion relative to said axle portion. The braking device may be biased to restrict rotation, such that the braking device restricts rotation when an actuator of the braking device is deactivated, and allows substantially unrestricted rotation when the actuator is activated. The actuator may be activated when a drive motor of the conveyor is activated to drive one of the rollers of the conveyor, and may be deactivated when the drive motor is deactivated. The conveyor may comprise a roller conveyor or a belted conveyor.

Abstract: A positive displacement sorter includes a conveying surface, a plurality of pusher shoes capable of traveling laterally of the conveying surface travel direction, a diverting assembly selectively diverting the pusher shoes and a control. The pusher shoes are generally separated from each other and the travel of direction by a shoe pitch. The diverting assembly includes a plurality of diverting rails extending generally diagonally under the conveying surface and a plurality of actuators associated with the diverting rails. The control is capable of controlling at least two of the actuators in a manner that selectively diverts at least two of the pusher shoes that are spaced apart in integer increments of the shoe pitch notwithstanding that the actuators are separated from each other by more than the shoe pitch.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sequencing articles via a single sort pass or process includes a plurality of article receivers or collators positioned along a conveying or transport path and a plurality of carriages movable along the path. The carriages receive articles from at least one induct in a generally random manner and discharge the articles at the appropriate collators. The collators are operable to selectively receive the articles at an appropriate one of a plurality of bins of the collators, such that the articles are positioned within the bins of the collators in a sequenced manner. The articles may be unloaded to a plurality of collecting devices and/or manually unloaded and placed or stacked in a container in the desired sequence. The collecting devices may be manually unloaded while the collators simultaneously selectively receive articles during a subsequent sort wave or process.

Abstract: A control architecture for material handling includes multiple tiers of controllers, such as three. The lowest-level controllers interact directly with sensors and actuators used in the material handling system, such as photo-eyes and motors used with conveyors. The lowest-level controllers receive higher level commands from one or more mid-level controllers. The mid-level controllers, in turn, receive still higher level commands and information from at least one upper level controller. Each mid and low level controller is designed to include sufficient intelligence to deal with many of the signals and messages it receives without having to forward those signals or messages to the next higher level controller and await instructions from that higher level controller. The system thus distributes intelligence amongst the controllers. The system is well-adapted for application to conveyor control systems.

Abstract: A curved belt conveyor includes at least two zones, each of which may be defined by a motorized roller and at least one idler roller which are positioned along and between opposite sidewalls of the conveyor, and a continuous belt reeved around the rollers. The conveyor includes a tracking means for tracking the belt on the rollers. The tracking means is substantially contained between the sidewalls of the conveyor and laterally inward of the outer and inner ends of the rollers. The tracking means may comprise a tracking roller positioned along a lower surface of one of the rollers and may engage the lower run of the belt with an upper surface of the tracking roller to maintain the belt in a proper position around the rollers.

Abstract: A curved belt conveyor includes at least two zones, each of which may be defined by a motorized roller and at least one idler roller which are positioned along and between opposite sidewalls of the conveyor, and a continuous belt reeved around the rollers. The conveyor includes a tracking means for tracking the belt on the rollers. The tracking means is substantially contained between the sidewalls of the conveyor and laterally inward of the outer and inner ends of the rollers. The tracking means may comprise a tracking roller positioned along a lower surface of one of the rollers and may engage the lower run of the belt with an upper surface of the tracking roller to maintain the belt in a proper position around the rollers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sorting articles to a delivery point sequence includes at least one article sorter adapted to sort articles and a conveying system operable to arrange and convey containers of articles sorted in a first sort pass to an induct of the article sorter for a second sort pass or process of the articles. The conveying system may include at least one transport conveyor and a plurality of zone conveyors or staging zones. The transport conveyor conveys trays from the discharge of the article sorter to the induct of the article sorter, and the zone conveyors are positioned along the transport conveyor. The conveying system is operable to arrange and accumulate trays in a sequenced manner on the transport conveyor. The transport conveyor is operable to discharge the sequenced trays to the induct of the article sorter.

Abstract: A conveyor sorter and method of laterally displacing articles for diverting articles from a conveying surface includes providing a plurality of movable pushers that are associated with the conveying surface and adapted to move transversely across the conveying surface. A plurality of diverting rails are configured to guide selected ones of the movable pushers across the conveying surface. A plurality of diverters are adapted to selectively divert at least one movable pusher to the diverting tracks when activated into a diverting state. The diverting tracks may include segments that are oriented at different angles with respect to the direction of movement of the conveying surface. This causes selected pusher shoes to be laterally displaced at a first rate during an initial portion of the travel and at a second rate during a subsequent portion of the travel.

Abstract: A method of assigning device identification in a switched network, and the resulting switched network, includes designing a network having a design topology made up of network devices, constructing a network from the designed network and discovering the actual topology of the constructed network. The discovered topology is compared with the design topology to assign identifications to network devices of the constructed network.

Abstract: A method for handling trays for use with an article sorter includes providing a conveying surface along a plurality of sorter units and conveying empty trays along the conveying surface. The empty trays that are being conveyed along the conveying surface are stopped with a tray stopping device that is positioned at least partially below the conveying surface and operable to project a portion of the tray stopping device above the conveying surface to engage and stop an empty tray. The stopped empty trays are moved from the conveying surface to the tray support areas in a direction generally transverse to the conveying surface. The empty trays are at least partially filled at the tray support areas, and the partially filled trays are moved from the tray support area onto the conveying surface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sorting articles to a delivery point sequence includes at least one sortation assembly adapted to sort articles and a buffer. The buffer is operable to arrange and convey containers of articles sorted in a first sort pass to an induct of the at least one sortation assembly for a second sort pass or process of the articles. The buffer automatically arranges the containers in an arranged manner prior to conveying the containers and articles to the induct of the at least one sortation assembly for the second sort process. The second sort process is then performed to sort the articles to a delivery point sequence or carrier walk sequence depth of sort. A conveyor assembly may be operable to convey containers to an appropriate one of multiple sortation assemblies and/or buffers to increase the sequencing matrix capability of the apparatus.

Abstract: A sortation system and method includes providing a sorter assembly and a slug-building assembly. Product is received by the sorter assembly and sorted to a series of sortation lanes. The slug-building assembly includes a plurality of supply lines supplying product for sorting by the sorter assembly. At least one of the supply lines includes an accumulation conveyor and a slug conveyor. Product is accumulated in slug portions at the accumulation conveyor. Slug portions are combined into product slugs at the slug conveyor. Product slugs are discharged from the slug conveyor for sorting by the sorter assembly.

Abstract: A control architecture for material handling includes multiple tiers of controllers, such as three. The lowest-level controllers interact directly with sensors and actuators used in the material handling system, such as photo-eyes and motors used with conveyors. The lowest-level controllers receive higher level commands from one or more mid-level controllers. The mid-level controllers, in turn, receive still higher level commands and information from at least one upper level controller. Each mid and low level controller is designed to include sufficient intelligence to deal with many of the signals and messages it receives without having to forward those signals or messages to the next higher level controller and await instructions from that higher level controller. The system thus distributes intelligence amongst the controllers. The system is well-adapted for application to conveyor control systems.