US 11,947,346 B2
Apparatus and method for improving the communication of modular conveyor systems
Claudio Uriarte, Bremen (DE); Ivan Kuznetsov, Bremen (DE); and Miguel Bande Firvida, Bremen (DE)
Assigned to CELLUMATION GMBH, Bremen (DE)
Appl. No. 17/600,495
Filed by CELLUMATION GMBH, Bremen (DE)
PCT Filed Apr. 2, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/059381
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/201413, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 8, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 102019204709.2 (DE), filed on Apr. 2, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0171369 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. G05B 19/418 (2006.01); H04L 12/40 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/4189 (2013.01) [G05B 19/4185 (2013.01); H04L 12/40 (2013.01); G05B 2219/31145 (2013.01); G05B 2219/40304 (2013.01); G05B 2219/45054 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A modular conveyor system comprising:
multiple individual conveyor modules, wherein each individual conveyor module comprises:
at least one conveyor device;
at least one power supply;
at least one actuator for driving the conveyor device;
an output unit for controlling the at least one actuator; and
an integrated control unit,
wherein the integrated control unit comprises a computing unit for processing information, and a communication unit, and wherein the communication unit is configured to carry out communication in such a way that communication of the individual conveyor modules with one another is implemented in two logical communication levels, wherein the two logical communication levels are implemented by two separate and independent communication interfaces, wherein a first communication level of the two logical communication levels is used for layout recognition and configuration of the conveyor system,
wherein the first communication level is used to perform a self-configuration process where each conveyor module determines its own conveyor module identifier based on information received from a neighboring conveyor module, and
wherein a second communication level of the two logical communication levels is provided for controlling the conveyor modules based on the conveyor module identifiers.