Conveying device with configuration change

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399792-B2
Application number	US-201615567738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 20, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a conveying device for conveying objects comprising a plurality of conveyor segments, each conveyor segment having a control unit for controlling the conveyor drive, and a bus communication, wherein each control unit is connected to the bus communication. Each control unit has a microprocessor for processing control signals, a first electronic memory connected to the microprocessor, in which a first control configuration is stored, and a second electronic memory in which a second control configuration is stored. The microprocessor is adapted to control the conveyor drive in a first operating mode with the control configuration stored in the first memory, to load the second control configuration from the second memory into the first memory when a configuration change command is received, and to control the conveyor drive in a first operating mode with the control configuration stored in the first memory.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conveying device for conveying objects comprising:
a plurality of conveyor segments, each conveyor segment having a conveyor drive and a control unit for controlling the conveyor drive; and
a bus communication,
wherein each control unit is integrated into the bus communication to send and/or to receive control signals via bus communication, and
wherein each control unit comprises:
a microprocessor for processing control signals;
a first electronic memory connected to the microprocessor, in which a first control configuration is stored;
a second electronic memory, in which a second control configuration different from the first control configuration are stored; and
a manual user interface connected to the microprocessor;
wherein the microprocessor is adapted:
to control the conveyor drive in a first operating mode with the control configuration stored in the first memory;
to process a signal received as a configuration change command via the manual user interface;
to load the second control configuration different from the first from the second memory into the first memory when the configuration change command is received from the manual user interface; and
to control the conveyor drive in a second operating mode with the second control configuration different from the first.

2. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is adapted to replace the first control configuration from the first electronic memory with the second control configuration different from the first and loaded from the second memory into the first memory, when the configuration change command is received.

3. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the first control configuration includes a first bus protocol for configuring a data communication via the bus communication, and the second control configuration different from the first includes a second bus protocol different from the first for configuring the data communication via the bus communication.

4. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the first control configuration includes a first control method which configures the microprocessor to receive control commands via bus communication and to route said control commands to the conveyor drive in a central control mode, and
the second control configuration different from the first includes a second control method different from the first, which configures the microprocessor to receive a busy signal and/or a conveying signal from a control unit of a neighbouring conveyor segment and to logically generate a control command in the microprocessor from said busy signal and/or conveying signal and to send said control command to the conveyor drive in a decentral control mode.

5. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the first control configuration includes a first control method which configures the microprocessor to control a first conveying mode, and
the second control configuration different from the first includes a second control method different from the first, which configures the microprocessor to control a second conveying mode different from the first;
wherein the first and/or second conveying mode is selected from the group consisting of:
a single take-off mode in which the microprocessor activates the conveyor drive of a conveyor segment when it receives a signal indicating that a neighbouring downstream conveyor segment is not busy;
a block take-off mode in which the microprocessor activates the conveyor drive of a conveyor segment when it receives a signal indicating that the conveyor drive or a neighbouring downstream conveyor segment is activated;
a transfer mode in which the microprocessor is configured to control a conveyor drive and a transfer drive which horizontally inserts or ejects the conveyed object from the conveyor segment;
a lift mode in which the microprocessor is configured to control a conveyor drive and a lift drive which vertically inserts or ejects the conveyed object from the conveyor segment; or
a sort mode in which the microprocessor is configured to receive a sorting signal and to control a conveyor drive and a sorting drive which sorts the conveyed object according to the received sorting signal into a plurality of different exits from the conveyor segment.

6. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the manual user interface is a switch which can be triggered with a magnetic signal, including a Reed contact or a Hall sensor.

7. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a visual user interface connected to the microprocessor for visually displaying signals, and the microprocessor is adapted to display via the visual user interface an indication and/or a selection of the first and second or other different control configuration.

8. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the first electronic memory is a volatile or non-volatile memory, and the second electronic memory is a non-volatile memory.

9. The conveying device pursuant to claim 8 , wherein the non-volatile memory of either or both of the first electronic memory or the second electronic memory is a flash memory.

10. The conveying device pursuant to claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is adapted to receive via the manual user interface a selected control configuration displayed on the visual user interface.

11. The conveying device pursuant to claim 10 , wherein the microprocessor is adapted to control via the manual user interface and to indicate via the visual user interface a first selection level for selecting between bus protocol selection or control method selection, and
when bus protocol selection is selected in the first selection level, to control and to display on the visual user interface a second selection level for selecting between different bus protocols, and
when control method selection is selected in the second selection level, to control and to display on the visual user interface the second selection level for selecting between a control method which configures the microprocessor to receive control commands via bus communication and to route said control commands to the conveyor drive in a central control mode or different control mode selected from the group consisting of:
a single take-off mode in which the microprocessor activates the conveyor drive of a conveyor segment when it receives a signal indicating that a neighbouring downstream conveyor segment is not busy;
a block take-off mode in which the microprocessor activates the conveyor drive of a conveyor segment when it receives a signal indicating that the conveyor drive or a neighbouring downstream conveyor segment is activated;
a transfer mode in which the microprocessor is configured to control a conveyor drive and a transfer drive which horizontally inserts or ejects the conveyed object from the conveyor segment;
a lift mode in which the microprocessor is configured to control a conveyor drive and a lift drive which vertically inserts or ejects the conveyed object from the conveyor segment; or
a sort mode in which the microprocessor is configured to receive a sorting signal and to control a conveyor drive and a sorting drive which sorts the conveyed object according to the received sorting signal into a plurality of different exits from the conveyor segment.

12. A method for controlling a conveying device for conveying objects, said conveying device comprising:
a plurality of conveyor segments, each conveyor segment having a conveyor drive and a control unit with a microprocessor for controlling the conveyor drive; and
a bus communication to which the control un

Assignees

• Interroll Holding Ag

Inventors

• Henze Herbert

Classifications

• G05B2219/23193

  Memory stores lifetime, different settings, configurations of controlled device · CPC title

• G05B19/4186

  by protocol, e.g. MAP, TOP · CPC title

• G05B19/41845

  characterised by system universality, reconfigurability, modularity · CPC title

• G05B19/056

  Programming the PLC · CPC title

• G05B2219/25092

  Customized control features, configuration · CPC title