Conveyor belt assembly including an imaging system and systems and methods using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005620-B2
Application number	US-201715633944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 24, 2016
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

Various embodiments provide an improved conveyor belt comprising: a visible surface having a primary axis oriented in a machine direction; a plurality of first stripes having a first visible appearance, each of the plurality of first stripes at least in part defining the visible surface and being oriented perpendicular to the primary axis; and a plurality of second stripes having a second visible appearance, each of the plurality of second stripes at least in part defining the visible surface and being oriented perpendicular to the primary axis, wherein: the second visible appearance provides a contrasting appearance relative to the first visible appearance; and each of the plurality of second stripes are located intermediate two of the plurality of first stripes such that the plurality of first and second stripes collectively define an alternating contrasting pattern on the visible surface of the improved conveyor belt.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An improved conveyor belt assembly for facilitating improved automated handling of a plurality of packages, said improved conveyor belt assembly comprising:
a conveyor belt comprising:
a visible surface configured, during movement, to receive thereon each of said plurality of packages;
a plurality of first stripes having a first visible appearance, each of said plurality of first stripes partially defining said visible surface;
a plurality of second stripes having a second visible appearance, each of said plurality of second stripes partially defining said visible surface,
wherein:
said first visible appearance of said plurality of first stripes is a solid pattern defined by a first color; and
said second visible appearance of said plurality of second stripes is a striped pattern defined by a second and a third color, said second color being a contrasting color relative to said first color; and

an imaging system comprising a plurality of cameras positioned in a plurality of locations relative to said visible surface of said conveyor belt, said imaging system being configured to provide continuous visibility of each of said plurality of packages received on said visible surface during movement thereof.

2. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 1 , wherein said first color is white and said second color is black.

3. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said visible surface of said conveyor belt has a width defined perpendicular to a primary axis of the visible surface; and
each of said plurality of first and second stripes extend across at least 80% of said width.

4. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said plurality of first stripes has a first width defined parallel to a primary axis of the visible surface; and
each of said plurality of second stripes has a second width defined parallel to said primary axis, said second width being substantially the same as said first width.

5. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 4 , wherein said first and second widths are in a range between five centimeters and fifteen centimeters.

6. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said plurality of first stripes is made of a first material; and
each of said plurality of second stripes is made of a second material, said second material being different than said first material, said first and second materials being connected to each other so as to define together said visible surface of said conveyor belt.

7. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
each of said plurality of second stripes is defined by a material of said visible surface of said conveyor belt; and
each of said plurality of first stripes is defined by a contrasting paint applied onto said visible surface of said conveyor belt.

8. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 7 , wherein said contrasting paint has a lumen factor of at least 0.85.

9. The improved conveyor belt assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
a first set of said plurality of cameras are positioned above and in a first plane substantially perpendicular to said visible surface; and
a second set of said plurality of cameras are positioned beside said visible surface and in a second plane substantially perpendicular to said visible surface, said first and second planes being intersecting planes, so as to collectively provide, via the first and the second sets of said plurality of cameras, coverage of sides and tops of each of said plurality of packages placed on said visible surface and traveling on said conveyor belt.

10. A system comprising:
a conveyor belt comprising:
a visible surface configured, during movement, to receive thereon each of said plurality of packages;
a plurality of first stripes having a first visible appearance, each of said plurality of first stripes at least in part defining said visible surface;
a plurality of second stripes having a second visible appearance, each of said plurality of second stripes at least in part defining said visible surface, wherein the second visible appearance provides a contrasting appearance relative to the first visible appearance;
an imaging system comprising a plurality of cameras positioned in a plurality of locations relative to said visible surface of said conveyor belt;
one or more computer processors configured for:
during operation of said improved conveyor belt, capturing, via said imaging system a visual sequence containing each of said plurality of packages received on said visible surface during movement thereof;
extracting at least one screen shot containing at least one image of at least one of said plurality of packages; and
calculating, based upon at least one characteristic of said plurality of first and second stripes appearing in said at least one extracted screen shot, one or more dimensions of said at least one of said plurality of packages; and

one or more memory storage areas configured to associate and store said extracted screen shot and said calculated dimensions with said at least one of said plurality of packages.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein said system further comprises a network and said one or more computer processors are further configured for, in response to a request to access said associated and stored extracted screen shot and said calculated dimensions, transmitting said requested data over a distributed network.

12. A computer-implemented method for facilitating improved automated handling of a plurality of packages, said method comprising the steps of:
operating an improved conveyor belt, said improved conveyor belt comprising:
a visible surface being movably configured to receive thereon each of said plurality of packages;
a plurality of first stripes having a first known dimensional characteristic and a first visible appearance, each of said plurality of first stripes at least in part defining said visible surface; and
a plurality of second stripes having a second known dimensional characteristic and a second visible appearance, each of said plurality of second stripes at least in part defining said visible surface, wherein the second visible appearance provides a contrasting appearance relative to the first visible appearance;

during said operation of said improved conveyor belt, capturing, via an imaging system a visual sequence containing each of said plurality of packages received on said visible surface during movement thereof;
extracting, via at least one computer processor and from said visual sequence, at least one screen shot containing at least one image of at least one of said plurality of packages;
calculating, via said at least one computer processor and based at least upon said first and second known dimensional characteristics of said plurality of first and second stripes appearing in said at least one extracted screen shot, one or more dimensions of said at least one of said plurality of packages; and
associating and storing, in at least one memory storage area, said extracted screen shot and said calculated dimensions with said at least one of said plurality of packages.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , further comprising the steps of:
prior to calculating said one or more dimensions, determining, via said at least one computer processor and based at least upon the first and second known dimensional characteristics of said plurality of first and second stripes appearing in said at least one extracted screen shot, whether one or more of said plurality of packages received on said visible surface is insufficiently spaced relative to another one o

Assignees

• United parcel service america inc

Inventors

• Janicki Piotr

Classifications

• B07C3/14 Primary

  using light-responsive detecting means {(for information carriers G06K7/14)} · CPC title

• B65G43/08 Primary

  Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)} · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• H04N7/181

  for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources · CPC title

• B65G15/30

  Belts or like endless load-carriers (co-operating with rails or the like B65G21/22; {co-operating} with rollers B65G39/20) · CPC title