Rapistan Systems Advertising Corp.

Dematic Gmbh

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Charles W. Bozarth

Frank W. Veit

Rhonda J. Verploegen

Andrew R. Black

Clyde Miin-arng Ko

David W. Zeitler

Andrew R Black

David W Zeitler

Clyde Miin-Arng Ko

Frank W Veit

Rhonda J Verploegen

Charles W Bozarth

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.

Tiered control architecture for material handling

A positive displacement sorter apparatus and method includes providing a plurality of slats being interconnected in an endless web, an upper run of the web defining a conveying surface, and a plurality of pusher shoes gliding along at least some of the slats to laterally displace articles on the conveying surface. A linear motor system is provided to propel the web and includes a plurality of linear motor secondaries at the slats and at least one primary for propelling the secondaries. A control system controls the primaries.

Positive displacement shoe and slat sorter apparatus and method

An automated guided vehicle system and method includes providing at least one automated-guided vehicle (AGV) and a pathway for the AGV. A sensor assembly on the AGV senses magnet assemblies on the pathway as the AGV is transported over that magnet assembly. A navigation and guidance system determines the location of the maximum magnitude of the magnetic field by mathematically fitting a curve to the magnitude of portions of the magnetic field sensed by said magnetic sensors and determines a maximum value of the curve. At least some of the said magnet assemblies each produce a bipolar magnetic field extending generally transverse to the pathway and the sensor assembly produces an output indicative of magnitude and polarity of respective portions of the bipolar magnetic field. The navigation and guidance system determines a location of maximum magnitude of the opposite polarities of the bipolar magnetic field and a correction factor. The correction factor corrects for offset of the maximum magnitudes of the field from a predetermined location on that magnet assembly including correcting for any skew of the bipolar magnetic field with respect to said pathway.

Automated guided vehicle (AGV) with bipolar magnet sensing

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Fremont, MI, United States of America

Andrew R Black