US 12,293,315 B2
System and method for load balancing carrier devices among stations in a packing system
Scott Swindells, Chesterfield, MO (US)
Assigned to Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc., St. Louis, MO (US)
Filed by Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc., St. Louis, MO (US)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/973,829.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/272,671, filed on Oct. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0126344 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01); G06Q 10/08 (2024.01)
CPC G06Q 10/06312 (2013.01) [G06Q 10/08 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A load balancing system for a pharmaceutical packing system, the load balancing system comprising:
carrier devices configured to carry containers in which pharmaceutical products are placed;
task stations configured to perform different tasks involved in placing the products into the containers carried by the carrier devices;
tracks extending between the task stations in loops and on which the carrier devices are configured to move;
route communication devices disposed at different locations along the routes and configured to optically communicate with the carrier devices; and
a system controller configured to identify locations of the carrier devices in the packing system based on communications between the carrier devices and the route communication devices, the system controller configured to identify zones associated with different segments of the routes in the packing system in which one or more of the carrier devices is disposed based on the locations that are identified, the system controller configured to determine whether one or more of a number or density of the carrier devices in one or more of the zones exceeds a threshold associated with the one or more zones, and, responsive to determining that the one or more of the number or the density of the carrier devices in the one or more zones exceeds the threshold, the system controller is configured to one or more of (a) reduce the one or more of the number or the density of the carrier devices in the one or more zones to no more than the threshold of the one or more zones by directing the carrier devices to move or (b) change which task is performed by one or more of the task stations of the packing system.