System and method for independently routing vehicles and delivering containers and closures to unit operation systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11584628-B2
Application number	US-201715698673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Feb 21, 2023
Grant date	Feb 21, 2023

Abstract

A system and method for independently routing vehicles and delivering containers and closures to unit operation stations are disclosed. The containers and closures can, in some cases, be transported on the same vehicle. In other cases, the containers and closures can be transported on different vehicles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for independently routing vehicles and delivering containers and closures to a unit operation station, said system comprising:
at least one container for holding a fluent material, said container having an opening;
a closure for selectively sealing the opening of the at least one container;
a track system;
a plurality of unit operation stations disposed along the track system, one of the unit operation stations being configured for applying the closure onto the container;
a plurality of vehicles propellable along the track system, wherein:
the at least one container is disposed on a respective vehicle;
wherein the track system allows the plurality of vehicles to move from a first unit operation station to a second unit operation station without leaving the track system; and
the plurality of vehicles are independently routable along the track system to deliver the at least one container and the closure on the same vehicle without the closure on the container to the at least one unit operation station for applying the closure onto the at least one container.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the track system is a linear synchronous motor system wherein the plurality of vehicles comprise a magnet, and the vehicles are propellable along the track system using electromagnetic force.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the track system comprises:
a primary transport portion that defines a primary path that forms a closed loop; and
a secondary transport portion that extends from the primary transport portion and defines a secondary path that intersects the primary path at an ingress location and an egress location, wherein:
the secondary transport portion comprises at least one unit transport segment; and
one of the unit operation stations is disposed along the at least one unit transport segment.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein one of the unit operation stations comprises a loading station that is configured to facilitate loading of the at least one container and/or the closure onto one of the plurality of vehicles.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein one of the unit operation stations comprises a decoration station that is configured to decorate the at least one container and/or the closure.

6. The system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of first containers wherein each first container has a shape and a volume and a plurality of second containers wherein each of said second containers has a shape and a volume that is different from one or more of the shape and the volume, respectively, of said first containers.

7. The system of claim 1 comprising a plurality of first closures wherein each first closure has a shape, a size, and appearance and a plurality of second closures wherein each of said second closures has a shape, a size, and appearance that is different from one or more of the shape, size, and appearance, respectively, of said first closures.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Orndorff Jason Matthew
• Lyman Christopher Robert
• Fikes Elizabeth Marie
• Royce Daniel Richard
• Burkhard Ryan Andrew
• Moore Nathan E

Classifications

• G05D1/243

  Means capturing signals occurring naturally from the environment, e.g. ambient optical, acoustic, gravitational or magnetic signals (using passive navigation aids external to the vehicle G05D1/244; using signals from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle G05D1/249) · CPC title

• B65G2201/0235

  Containers · CPC title

• B67B1/00

  Closing bottles, jars or similar containers by applying stoppers (stoppers per se B65D39/00) · CPC title

• B65G54/02 Primary

  electrostatic, electric, or magnetic · CPC title

• B67C7/0006

  Conveying; Synchronising · CPC title