Abstract:
Apparatus for RFID tagging of packages is provided, including a conveyor, along which tags having microchips and antennae are applied to packages, with the tags being encoded via radio waves, to contain information about packaged identification and other information, with the encoding being done upstream of a palletizer system, and with the palletizer system being provided for receiving encoded packages from the conveyor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     It is known in the prior art to apply product identification to cartons, packages and the like, often by means of application of a bar code or other such identification system.  
         [0002]     Radio frequency identification (RFID) has developed as a technology for identifying packages, to facilitate their tracking and to more readily determine the information that has been applied to the package.  
         [0003]     Typically RFID technology includes the placement of a tag in the form of a microchip with an antenna on the package, such that the microchip can be encoded with information via the antenna, so that one can subsequently use a reader to read data off the microchip. Typically, the technology uses radio waves.  
         [0004]     The RFID tags (or transponders) can either be of the active RFID systems, or they can be passive RFID systems.  
         [0005]     Active RFID systems are ones in which the chip sends out a signal when it approaches a reader. Typically, such active systems must employ batteries, but being active systems, have a wide range, but generally are more costly than passive RFID systems.  
         [0006]     Passive RFID systems employ tags with no power source and no transmitter. However they do employ a microchip and an antenna, to which the microchip is electrically connected.  
         [0007]     Because passive tags operate at generally lower frequencies, and because they do not employ batteries, they have limitations on the distance at which they can be read from a reader. However, because they are less costly than active systems, passive tags can be used to tag packages or other items, and eventually discarded.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for RFID tagging of packages such as boxes of candies or other goods, in which a conveyor is used for transporting the packages, with the RFID tags being applied to the packages, with the RFID tags being encoded via a transmitter, and with the encoding being done in the proximity of a palletizer system that receives packages from the conveyor and delivers them to a pallet.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for RFID tagging of packages as they are delivered along a conveyor, by encoding tags applied to the packages with information related to the goods being packaged, its history, date of manufacture, location of manufacture, or any other information of interest, for use by the manufacturer of the packaged goods, by a customer for such goods, for warehouse control, or for any other purpose.  
         [0010]     It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above object, wherein the system recognizes pre-existing information appearing on the package, such as on a barcode or the like, and for sensing such information, irrespective the height of the package itself, and for delivering such information to a tag either already applied to a package or about to be applied to a package.  
         [0011]     It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein a palletizer system is used, in which a plurality of receiving lines are adapted to receive packages from the conveyor and to deliver them to pallet stations.  
         [0012]     It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein the application of the tags to packages can be vertically adjustable, depending upon the height of the package and/or the height of application of the tag to the package.  
         [0013]     It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein various functions of the tagging are computer-operated.  
         [0014]     It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, whereby application of tags to packages is by means of separating tags from a tape having multiple tags thereon, and delivering them to the packages via fluid-application.  
         [0015]     It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein the encoding of the tags is accomplished at a location proximate the situs of tag application to the package.  
         [0016]     Other objects of the invention will be readily apparent upon a reading of the following brief descriptions of the drawing figures, the detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments, and the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic foreshortened view, in perspective, of a package conveying line, and of a sensing system for sensing information already applied to the packages, and for delivering the information to a computer.  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic vertical elevational view, taken along a remote side of the conveyor from that illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the conveyor and sensing system of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and with conveyor receiving lines and means for discharging packages from the conveyor, to various ones of the receiving lines, with the illustration of  FIG. 3  being fragmentally foreshortened in the longitudinal direction.  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the tag application system in accordance with this invention, looking downstream of the conveyor, and wherein the details of the tag application system are more clearly illustrated.  
         [0021]      FIG. 4A  is a fragmentary diagrammatic view of the fluid-delivery of tags from a tag-carrying tape to a package on the conveyor, with the tag encoding transmitter and the connection of the same to a computer being more clearly shown.  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged fragmentary view of a tag-delivering tape, with a plurality of tags shown thereon, each with a chip and its antenna connected thereto.  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is a diagrammatic top plan view of the left portion of the conveyor system illustrated in  FIG. 3 , wherein means are shown for moving packages being delivered along the conveyor, to receiving lines, which in turn, feed pallet stations for receiving packages already encoded.  
         [0024]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of one of the pallet stations illustrated in  FIG. 6 , in vertical elevation, and with a means for wrapping a plurality of containers on a given pallet with a wrapping material, for retaining them on a pallet for transport. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0025]     Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference is first made to  FIG. 1 , wherein a conveyor  10  is illustrated, mounted on a plurality of rollers such as those  11 , with the conveyor  10  traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow  9 , from right to left, for transporting packages  12 ,  13 ,  14 ,  15 , etc. of various heights, with the packages carrying product identification on the exterior thereof, such as in the form of barcodes  16 ,  17 ,  18  and  20 , and with the packages being at various heights “E”, “F”, “G”, and “H”, as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0026]     Thus, the packages  12 - 15  or the like can be delivered past a sensor  38  at sensing station generally shown at  21 .  
         [0027]     At the sensing station  21  there is a master computer  22 .  
         [0028]     Thus, the infrared or other type of sensor  43  on sensor box  38 , on supports  37  will detect the barcodes  16 ,  17 ,  18  and  20 , for example, and transmit the information read from those barcodes or other indicia back to the computer  22 , via appropriate respective electrical connector line  50 .  
         [0029]     It will also be apparent that the sensor  43  has the ability to cover a range as is shown by the array  43  as indicated in plan view at the right end of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0030]     The applicator system  65  includes its own control box  66 .  
         [0031]     The applicator system  65  is operated from computer  22 , via control line  56 , for controlling the vertical position upwardly and downwardly of the applicator system  65 , in the directions of the arrows  63 ,  64 .  
         [0032]     Such vertical positioning for the applicator mechanism system  65  is by controlling the direction of rotation of a screw-type vertically disposed drive shaft  58 , via a drive motor  57  or the like, which engages with a ball bushing or the like (not shown) inside a vertically moveable applicator lift bar  62 , as the vertical shaft  58  is driven rotationally in one of the directions  60 ,  61 , illustrated by the arrows in  FIG. 4 , to drive the lift bar  62  upwardly or downwardly in the direction of one of the arrows  63 ,  64 , to raise or lower the entire applicator system  65 , as may be desired, to accommodate the placement of a tag at a predetermined vertical height on a box “B” as shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0033]     Mounted on the vertically moveable applicator system  65  is a roll  67  of tape  68 , that carries a plurality of tags  78  at regularly spaced-apart intervals, which tags  78  are adhesively carried on the tape  68 , but are removable therefrom as will be described in detail later herein.  
         [0034]     Thus, the roll  67  is shaft-mounted as shown, for rotation, with the tape  68  passing over an idler roll  70 , to be delivered downwardly, around another idler roll  71 , then upwardly over yet another idler roll  72 , then leftwardly as shown in  FIG. 4 , around idler roll  73 .  
         [0035]     With reference now to  FIG. 4A , the tape  68 , with the tag  78  still carried thereon, passes around idler roll  74 , which is rotating in the direction shown, wherein a means for removal of tag  78  is provided, in the form a doctor blade or scraper blade  79 , which scrapes the surface of the tape  68 , removing a tag  78  therefrom as the tape  78  moves in the downward direction indicated by the arrow  80 . After the tag  78  is scraped from the tape  68 , the tape  68  then moves upwardly as shown by its upwardly moveable tape run  75  traveling in the direction of arrow  81 .  
         [0036]     As the tag  78  is scraped from the tape  68 , a box “B” as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 4 A has been moved along the conveyor  10  in the direction of the arrow  89 , appropriately centrally positioned thereon by means of positioning rollers  82 ,  83 , with the box “B” disposed against a longitudinally oriented guide  84 , whereupon a position sensor  85  detects the position of the box “B” and transfers that information regarding the position of the box via an electric line  86 , to a control zone  87  of the applicator system  65 . The control zone  87  is connected via control line  88 , which controls the delivery of tags via tape, by means of controlling the rotation of roller  74  from inside control zone  66 .  
         [0037]     As a tag  78  is scraped from the tape  68  as shown in  FIG. 4A , by means of the doctor blade  79 , a motor  96  controls the operation of a valve  95 , to deliver compressed air via line  94  to an air delivery plate  90 , in order to provide a fluid drive application of the tag  78  onto a box “B”, as is shown in phantom for the tag  78  in  FIG. 4A .  
         [0038]     The motor  96  is controlled from the computer  22  via control line  97 .  
         [0039]     Substantially contemporaneous with or slightly before or after application of the tag  78  to a box “B” as shown in  FIG. 4A , the computer  22 , having received information regarding the packages being delivered along the conveyor from the barcodes or other information, transforms such information into a code, and transmits the same to a tag  78  via radio waves, which engage the antenna  101  of a tag  78  as shown in  FIG. 5 , for example, for imparting such information onto an electronic chip  100  carried on the tag  78 , such that the encoded information is carried by the tag  78  as shown in phantom in  FIG. 4A , having been encoded thereon via a radio frequency transmitter  91  carried on transmitter mount member  92 , which receives the information from the computer  22  via line  93 .  
         [0040]     With reference now to the left end of  FIG. 3  and to  FIG. 6 , the thus-encoded boxes “B” (not shown) continue to travel along the conveyor  10  in the direction indicated by the arrows  9  in  FIG. 3 , to various discharge stations, wherein the packages or boxes “B” may be transported from the conveyor  10  to various conveyor receiver lines, for further delivery to various pallet stations as will now be described.  
         [0041]     In one embodiment of the invention, the computer  22 , remembering the sequence of various boxes “B” as have already been tagged, can deliver such information via control line  102  to various discharge controllers such as those  106 ,  107 ,  108 ,  110 ,  111 ,  112 ,  113  and  114 , and, with respect to controllers  106 - 108 , via lines  103 - 105 , in order to control the timing of box pushers or like mechanisms  116 ,  117 ,  118 ,  120 ,  121 ,  122 ,  123  and  124 , which, respectively carry box pushers  125 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  130 ,  131 ,  132  and  133 , for pushing boxes from the conveyor  10  onto an appropriate one of the receiver conveyor lines  136 ,  137 ,  138 ,  140 ,  141 ,  142 ,  143  and  144 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 .  
         [0042]     As an alternative to the operation of the discharge pushers  116 ,  117 ,  118 ,  120 ,  121 ,  122 ,  123  and  124  being operated in a predetermined or “remembered” sequence via the computer, the pushers can be actuated individually. In this regard each such pusher,  116 ,  117 ,  118 , etc. may be actuated by its own box or package sensor  128 ,  130 ,  131 , etc. (shown in phantom), operating its respective pusher  116 ,  117 ,  118 , etc. via its own control line  132 ,  133 ,  134 , (shown in phantom) to operate via respectively associated pusher controllers  106 ,  107 ,  108 , etc., and thus push boxes from conveyor  10 , by means of pusher plates  125 ,  126 ,  127 ,  128 ,  130 ,  131 ,  132  and  133  onto a respectively associated receiver conveyor line  136 ,  137 ,  138 ,  140 ,  141 ,  142 ,  143  and  144 , whereby such boxes or other packages may move along those receiver lines in the directions indicated by the arrows  145  in  FIGS. 3 and 6 .  
         [0043]     With reference to  FIG. 6 , it will thus be seen that boxes or other packages being delivered from the receiver conveyor lines  136 ,  137 ,  138 ,  140 ,  141 ,  142 ,  143  and  144 , will be transferred to respective pallet stations  155 ,  156 ,  157 ,  158 ,  160 ,  161 ,  162  and  163  via appropriate transfer mechanisms  146 ,  147 ,  148 ,  150 ,  151 ,  152 ,  153  and  154 , respectively.  
         [0044]     With reference to  FIG. 7 , a typical pallet station  155  is illustrated, wherein a pallet  159  is carried on a rotatable pallet plate  164 , which in turn is shaft-mounted at  166 , onto a floor-mounted pallet rotator mechanism  165 , with the boxes “B” being stacked onto the pallet  159 , in some manner such as that shown, with each of the boxes carrying an encoded tag  78 , as described above.  
         [0045]     It will be understood that the particular pallet station  155  as shown in  FIG. 7 , while being described as being a rotatable pallet station, could, if desired, be a fixed pallet station. However, in some instances it will be convenient to use a rotatable pallet station as shown in  FIG. 7 , especially if a full pallet load is to be wrapped to secure the boxes “B” on the pallet  159 .  
         [0046]     In a situation where the boxes “B” are to be wrapped as shown in  FIG. 7 , a roll  167  of wrapping material, such as a transparent shrink wrap, if desired, may be rotationally carried on a vertically disposed post  168 , such that, when the pallet rotating mechanism  165  is actuated to rotate the pallet plate  164  and the pallet  159  carried thereon, the pallet load of boxes “B”, will rotate, and a web of wrapping material, such as for example, a shrink wrap  169  may be wrapped around the pallet load of boxes “B”, for delivery to a warehouse, for storage or the like.  
         [0047]     In the event that the application of a tag  78 , by means of the applicator system or mechanism  65  should fail, such that if a given box “B” does not properly receive a tag  78 , it would not be desirable for a box “B” to be placed onto a pallet. To this end, the sensors, such as those  128 ,  130 ,  131 , etc. can recognize that a given box “B” either contains no tag  78 , or that the tag  78  is not properly carried by the box “B”, and the sensors  128 ,  130 ,  131 , etc. would not actuate the pusher mechanisms  116 ,  117 ,  118 , etc. and such a box “B” with an inactive tag or improperly applied tag, or no tag at all, would be allowed to continue to pass along the conveyor  10 , without being discharged therefrom to one or more of the receiver conveyor lines described above, such that it does not become stacked on a pallet.  
         [0048]     Alternatively, the computer  22 , itself, at the time that it is controlling the encoded information onto a tag  78  as shown in  FIG. 4A , may recognize that a tag is not properly installed, or has not been properly activated, and the computer  22  can thus be programmed not to activate any of the controllers  106 ,  107 ,  108 ,  110 ,  111 ,  112 ,  113 , or  114 , so that a box “B” without a properly activated tag  78  will not be discharged from the conveyor  10 , onto one of the receiver conveyor lines and will not therefor be delivered to a palletizer station.  
         [0049]     It will be apparent from the foregoing that various modifications may be made in the details of construction as well as in the use and operation of this invention, within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the tags  78  that are carried on the tape  68 , after being removed from the tape  68  via the doctor blade  79 , will stick onto a box “B”, by means of adhesive present on the box-facing surface of the tag  78 , such as by a pressure sensitive adhesive.  
         [0050]     It will also be apparent that in accordance with this invention, the tagging of boxes “B” is being done just prior to the palletizer stations, although such can be done, if desired, at an “upstream” location in production, such as earlier along a production line, rather than at the palletizer station.  
         [0051]     Additionally, it will be understood that in some cases the boxes “B”, may be provided with their chips and antennae already embedded in the boxes, or on the boxes, either in the form of a tag, or in some other form, thereby bypassing the tag applicator system  65  in accordance with this invention. It will also be understood that the boxes “B”, as shown in  FIG. 4  can have the tags applied thereto, either while the boxes are still moving along the conveyor, or the conveyor  10  can be momentarily stopped depending upon the programming of the computer  22  actuated through the applicator system  65  upon detection of a box “B” by the position sensor  85 , for application of the tags  78 , as may be desired.