System and method for managing empty carriers in an automated material handling system
US5838566A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 10, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 17, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 10, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06Q10/08
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method for managing empty carriers in an automated material handling system. The system includes a plurality of material carriers, some of which are empty, and a plurality of stock areas which store the carriers while waiting for the contained material to be processed or after having been processed. The system also includes a transportation system for moving the carriers between the stock areas. The system also includes a control system which receives status information from the transportation system and stock areas and controls the movement of carriers, in particular empty carriers, within the system in order to avoid production inefficiencies due to time delays introduced by an empty carrier not being available at a stock area when needed. The control system accomplishes this by calculating status variables, such as the empty percentage of each stock area, the current move rate of carriers in the system, and the current empty move rate in the system. The control system controls the movement of empty carriers based on the status information in relation to control parameters. The empty carrier control system attempts to keep the empty percentage of each stock area with…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.