US 12,280,964 B2
Method and device for grouping packages
Stefan Diesner, St. Leon-Rot (DE); Stefan Helfrich, Heppenheim (DE); Ralf Kretschmann, Monsheim (DE); Adil Kuscu, Worms (DE); Tobias Laubscher, Hochspeyer (DE); and Christoph Wiesenack, Mainz (DE)
Assigned to KHS GmbH, Dortmund (DE)
Appl. No. 18/250,434
Filed by KHS GMBH, Dortmund (DE)
PCT Filed Oct. 25, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/079505
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 25, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/090136, PCT Pub. Date May 5, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 128 041.6 (DE), filed on Oct. 26, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0399180 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 43/10 (2006.01); B65G 43/08 (2006.01); B65G 47/26 (2006.01); B65G 47/31 (2006.01); B65G 57/02 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 43/10 (2013.01) [B65G 43/08 (2013.01); B65G 47/261 (2013.01); B65G 47/31 (2013.01); B65G 57/02 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0235 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0233 (2013.01); B65G 2203/025 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0291 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for grouping packages into a predefined package group, the method comprising
providing a conveyor device formed of a plurality conveyors, the conveyors being individually controllable, being arranged behind one another, and having an inlet-side end and a discharge-side end;
delivering the packages one after another to the conveyor device at its inlet-side end;
carrying out a control algorithm when at least one package of the package group which is to be formed is present on the conveyor device, the control algorithm comprising following steps:
interpolating and/or detecting the position and/or the speed of each individual package on the conveyor device;
determining a target speed for each individual package on the conveyor device dependent on the detected and/or interpolated position and/or speed of the package for forming the predefined package group;
determining a target speed of the individual conveyors for attaining the target speed of the respective package for adjusting a predefined spacing interval to the preceding and/or following package at the discharge-side end of the conveyor device; and
controlling the speed of the individual conveyors to the respective target speed of the conveyor which has been determined in each case, in order to achieve the grouping of the packages to the predefined package group without any accumulation pressure, and controlling the speed of the individual conveyors such that a slip is produced between a package and a conveyor to group the packages without accumulation pressure.