Patent ID: 7413071
Filing Date: 2008-08-19
Classification: B65G

Abstract:
1. An induction subsystem for a conveyor sortation system, said induction subsystem comprising: a conveying surface defining a plurality of tandem conveying surface portions, wherein speeds of said conveying surface portions are individually controllable; at least one sensor for sensing at least one parameter of articles on at least one of said conveying surface portions; and a control responsive to said at least one sensor, said control adapted to determine relative positions of articles on said conveying surface as a function of said at least one parameter, said control adapted to adjust the speeds of said conveying surface portions in a manner that repeatedly controls relative positions of articles on said conveying surface, wherein said control is adapted to adjust the relative positions of particular articles in response to adjustments made to the relative positions of other articles, said control defining a plurality of feedback-gapping algorithms, each of said feedback-gapping algorithms defined between adjacent conveying surface portions for adjusting relative speeds of those adjacent conveying surface portions as a function of the relative positions of the articles on those adjacent conveying surface portions, wherein said control repeatedly controls relative positions of all articles on said conveying surface with said feedback-gapping algorithms beginning with a pair of adjacent conveying surface portions and cascading through adjacent pairs of adjacent conveying surface portions.