Patent ID: 8550234

Claim:
A zoned conveyor system for transporting a series of loads, comprising: a series of conveyor zones including a downstream conveyor zone and a plurality of upstream conveyor zones, each conveyor zone including at least one drive motor for operating each respective conveyor zone to advance the loads along the conveyor system; and a control circuit in communication with each conveyor zone at least one drive motor, wherein the control circuit is configured to monitor during start-up for a respective conveyor zone at least one of: (i) current draw and speed of a respective drive motor as the motor goes from an unpowered state to an operational state; or (ii) a number of revolutions of a respective drive motor as the motor goes from an unpowered state to an operational state, and wherein the control circuit is configured, after operation of the upstream and the downstream conveyor zones are stopped to maintain stationary any loads carried by the upstream and downstream conveyor zones, to resume operation of the upstream and downstream conveyor zones by first initiating operation of the downstream conveyor zone, and subsequently sequentially controlling initiation of operation of each upstream conveyor zone, wherein the control circuit is configured to initiate operation of one of the upstream conveyor zones based on one of the following: (i) when the drive motor of the conveyor zone downstream therefrom reaches a defined current draw and speed; or (ii) when the drive motor of the conveyor zone downstream therefrom has reached a defined number of rotations, so that operation of each conveyor zone is initiated in a controlled sequential manner in response to when the drive motor of the conveyor zone downstream therefrom reaches the defined current draw and speed or the motor has turned the defined number of revolutions.