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Validation Modes Overview

GateKeeper Conveyor validates products on conveyor lines by reading barcodes, RFID tags, and production data, then comparing them against expected values. The type of validation performed depends on the validation mode configured for each site.

How Validation Works

  1. A case (box) passes a sensor on the conveyor line.
  2. A camera reads barcodes on the case. Some modes also read an RFID tag.
  3. The system compares what was read against expected production data.
  4. If everything matches, the case passes. If not, it fails and may be rejected.

Validation Mode Comparison

Mode What It Checks Sites Key Hardware Data Source
AV50 Barcode presence (count) Hormel Austin, Beloit, Barron Cognex DataMan cameras None (checks count only)
CargillRfid GTIN + Expiration + RFID tag Cargill St. Clair, Sidney, Gainesville, Fullerton Cognex DataMan + FX9600 RFID Matthews TCP message
CargillSalt Expiration date via OCR Cargill Hersey Cognex Insight camera Network file import
Teasdale GTIN + Lot + PackDate + RFID tag Teasdale Carrollton Zebra DS9908R hybrid scanner JSON file import
Zfl EPC barcode match Zebra Futures Lab Zebra FS40 scanner ZPL TCP message

Validation Results

Every validation produces one of three results:

Result Meaning What Happens
Passed All checks matched Green light, case continues on conveyor
Rejected Checks failed, reject is enabled Red light, case is diverted off conveyor
Failed Checks failed, reject is disabled Red light shown, but case is NOT diverted

The difference between "Rejected" and "Failed" is whether the Reject.Enabled setting is turned on. When reject is disabled, the system still flags failures but does not physically divert the case.

Common Behaviors Across All Modes

  • NOREAD filtering: Barcodes with values like NOREAD, NO READ, ERROR, ERR, or FAIL are automatically filtered out and not counted as valid reads.
  • Consecutive failure threshold: If a configurable number of cases fail in a row, the system can automatically stop the conveyor and alert operators.
  • Stack lights: All modes use stack lights to show pass/fail status visually. The exact pattern depends on the stack light profile configured for the site (see Stack Lights).

How to Identify the Current Mode

  1. Look at the main screen of the GateKeeper application.
  2. The current validation mode is displayed near the top of the screen.
  3. The mode can also be found in the site's appsettings.json under the DefaultValidationMode setting.

Changing the Validation Mode

Validation mode changes require editing the site configuration file and restarting the application. Do not change the mode without authorization from the site lead or engineering team.