GAPPING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

摘要

Various embodiments provide systems and methods for providing a desired gap between articles within a continuously flowing train of articles. Various embodiment methods may include operating a material handling system including a plurality of conveying units, by generating motion profiles for a plurality of articles to provide a pre-determined gap between the articles, and controlling the plurality of conveying units to move each article in accordance with its motion profile as the plurality of articles move through the material handling system.

主权项

1. A method for operating a material handling system to achieve desired gapping of conveyed articles, the method comprising:
sensing, on an infeed conveyor, an initial gap between a lead article and a following article; prior to the lead and following articles transporting onto a series of variable speed conveying units, generating, by a computing device, a motion profile for the following article based at least in part on the initial gap between the articles and a target final gap as the articles are discharged from the series of variable speed conveying units; and for each interval of time as the lead and following articles are conveyed across the series of variable speed conveying units:
determining an assigned velocity and a resulting distance that the following article has conveyed on the series of variable speed conveying units based upon the motion profile at the particular interval of time;determining a particular conveying unit that corresponds to the resulting distance; andcontrolling, by the computing device, the particular conveying unit to operate at the assigned velocity,wherein the motion profile includes a selected one of: (i) an initial gap that is less than the target final gap, (ii) an initial gap that is equal to the target final gap to maintain a gap, and (iii) an initial gap that is greater than the target final gap to create headroom as a gap bank for subsequently received articles.