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GateKeeper Conveyor - System Overview

What is GateKeeper Conveyor?

GateKeeper Conveyor is a quality assurance system that automatically inspects products as they move along a conveyor belt. It scans barcodes and RFID tags on each item, compares the scanned data against expected production data, and determines whether the item passes or fails inspection. Items that fail can be automatically rejected (diverted off the conveyor) or flagged for manual review.

The system runs on a touchscreen computer mounted near the conveyor line. It operates continuously during production shifts, validating every item that passes through the scan zone.

What Problem Does It Solve?

In food manufacturing and packaging facilities, every item on the line must have the correct label information -- product codes, lot numbers, expiration dates, and RFID tags must all match the current production run. Manual inspection is slow and error-prone.

GateKeeper Conveyor automates this inspection by:

  • Scanning barcodes and RFID tags at line speed
  • Comparing scanned data against the expected production job
  • Immediately flagging mismatches (wrong product code, wrong date, missing tag)
  • Optionally rejecting failing items by activating a diverter mechanism
  • Providing a real-time count of passed and failed items
  • Logging every scan result for traceability and compliance

How Validation Works

The basic flow for every item on the conveyor:

  1. An item reaches the scan zone and triggers a sensor (photoeye)
  2. Cameras and/or RFID readers scan the item's barcodes and tags
  3. GateKeeper compares the scanned data against expected production data
  4. The result is determined: Pass or Fail
  5. The stack light changes color to indicate the result (green for pass, red for fail)
  6. If reject is enabled and the item failed, a reject signal fires to divert the item
  7. The result is recorded in the scan history and log files

This entire process takes less than one second per item.

Hardware Components

GateKeeper Conveyor works with several types of hardware. Not every site uses all of these -- the configuration depends on what validation is needed.

Cameras (Barcode Scanners)

Cameras read barcodes on passing items. Different camera types are used depending on the site:

  • Cognex DataMan -- Industrial barcode reader connected over the network. Used at most sites.
  • Cognex Insight -- Camera with built-in OCR (optical character recognition). Used at Cargill Hersey for reading printed dates.
  • Zebra FS40 -- Fixed-mount barcode scanner connected over the network.
  • Zebra DS9908 -- Hybrid scanner that reads both barcodes and RFID tags through a USB connection. Used at Teasdale sites.

RFID Readers

RFID readers detect radio-frequency tags embedded in product labels:

  • Zebra FX9600 -- Overhead RFID reader connected over the network. Used at Cargill sites.
  • Zebra DS9908 -- Also reads RFID tags (see Cameras above). Used at Teasdale sites.

Conveyor Controller (Arduino)

The Arduino controller is the bridge between GateKeeper software and the physical conveyor hardware:

  • Stack lights -- Green, yellow, and red lights that show the current system and validation status
  • Horn/alarm -- Audible alert that sounds on certain events (like consecutive failures)
  • Reject signal -- Activates a diverter mechanism to push failing items off the line
  • Stop signal -- Can stop the conveyor belt if too many consecutive failures occur
  • Photoeye trigger -- A sensor that detects when an item enters the scan zone

The Arduino connects either over the network (TCP) or through a USB cable (serial), depending on the hardware at the site.

Validation Modes

GateKeeper supports different validation modes for different customer requirements. Each site is configured to use a specific mode. The active mode is shown on the top bar of the application.

Mode Used At What It Checks
AV50 Hormel sites Barcode presence from cameras (are barcodes readable?)
CargillRfid Cargill Oil sites, Cargill St. Clair Barcode data + RFID tag match + GTIN/dates vs. production data
CargillSalt Cargill Hersey OCR-read date vs. imported file data
Teasdale Teasdale Carrollton DataMatrix + UCC-128 barcode + RFID tag match + GTIN/Lot/Date
Zfl Zebra Futures Lab Barcode-to-EPC matching from ZPL print data

You do not need to memorize these modes. The system is pre-configured for each site. What matters is knowing which mode your site uses, so you can reference the correct documentation when troubleshooting.

Who Uses GateKeeper?

  • Line operators -- Monitor the touchscreen during production. They watch for pass/fail results and respond to alerts. They do not typically change settings.
  • Line supervisors -- May start/stop validation, reset counts at the beginning of a shift, or complete partial pallets (Teasdale mode).
  • IT support (you) -- Troubleshoot issues remotely or on-site. Access the diagnostics panel and settings using the PIN.
  • Installation technicians -- Set up new deployments and configure hardware pin mappings using the Pin Wizard.

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