A tie plate straightener includes a plurality of rollers having varying cross-section and differing elevations. The tie plate straightener includes directional wheels between the rollers and disposed in alignment with the lower elevations of the rollers. The straightener receives tie plates at an input and rotates the tie plates when the tie plate engages the directional wheels. The tie plate is thereby oriented and/or positioned so that the tie plate is supported above the directional wheels.

Systems and methods are disclosed for a package delivery platform. The package delivery platform may be configured to receive a package from a drone. The package may include a magnetic material. The package delivery platform may include a platform body, a plurality of magnets disposed about the platform body, and a controller configured to control the plurality of magnets in order to secure the package to the platform body.

Systems and methods are disclosed for a package delivery platform. The package delivery platform may be configured to receive a package from a drone. The package may include a magnetic material. The package delivery platform may include a platform body, a plurality of magnets disposed about the platform body, and a controller configured to control the plurality of magnets in order to secure the package to the platform body.

In one embodiment, an inventory storage module has a pair of upper tracks and a pair of lower tracks that are connected to one another so as to define a closed movement path in a vertical plane. The module has a plurality of carriers arranged end-to-end along the upper and lower tracks. Each carrier is elongate along a direction that extends between a pair of the upper or lower tracks so as to carry a set of the storage containers that are arranged side-by-side. Each carrier has first and second first wheel assemblies that couple the carrier to the pairs of upper tracks and lower tracks when supported by the pairs of upper tracks and lower tracks, respectively. The storage module can move the inventory carriers around the movement path until a desired one of the inventory carriers is presented at one of the first and second ends.

A goods transport facility for transporting goods along a transportation path including a curved part, and in particular a goods transport facility provided with a plurality of transport carriages that move along a pair of left and right rails, which are provided along the transportation path, so as to transport goods. A rail width adjusting mechanism capable of changing a rail width between the left and right rails and is provided in at least one of a curving region and an S-curve region in the curved part of the transportation path.

A media transport system, includes a transport path, a drive gear at one end of the transport path, a driven gear at an opposite end of the transport path, an endless loop transmission element engaged with the drive gear and the driven gear, a media clamp secured to the endless loop transmission element, and a one-way clutch coupled with the driven gear. The endless loop transmission element is to rotate in one direction to move the media clamp and transport media from the one end of the transport path toward the opposite end of the transport path, and the one-way clutch is to allow rotation of the driven gear in the one direction and resist rotation of the driven gear in an opposite direction.

A media transport system, includes a transport path, a drive gear at one end of the transport path, a driven gear at an opposite end of the transport path, an endless loop transmission element engaged with the drive gear and the driven gear, a media clamp secured to the endless loop transmission element, and a one-way clutch coupled with the driven gear. The endless loop transmission element is to rotate in one direction to move the media clamp and transport media from the one end of the transport path toward the opposite end of the transport path, and the one-way clutch is to allow rotation of the driven gear in the one direction and resist rotation of the driven gear in an opposite direction.

Systems, methods, devices, and an apparatus for capping blood sample tubes after they are processed in an automated blood sample analysis processing system are provided. One aspect describes an automated blood sample tube capping assembly configured to automatically cap a plurality of sample tubes after they are processed in an automated blood sample analysis processing system.

A conveyor belt system for forming a predetermined arrangement of a plurality of products (provided to the conveyor individually or in respective groups) that are intended for an infeed process on a packaging machine. The plurality of products may be oriented in a row transversely to the conveying direction. The conveyor belt system may include a distributing belt module that takes up products from an upstream positioned product provider, a buffer belt module arranged downstream of the distributing belt module and configured to convey in a plurality of tracks extending side by side along the conveying direction a respective plurality of products one after the other, and an orienting belt module that can position the products in at least one row transversely oriented to the conveying direction according to the predetermined arrangement, the orienting belt module being positioned downstream of the buffer belt module in the conveying direction.

An automated conveying device for tablet-shaped products, for example confectionery products, pharmaceutical tablets or capsules, includes a line-forming conveyor belt, on which the tablet-shaped products are stored in separate lines transversely to a conveying direction of the conveyor belt and are transported in the conveying direction, as well as a feeding device, which is arranged at a first end of the conveyor belt for feeding the tablet-shaped products on the conveyor belt, and a filling device, which is arranged at a second end opposite the first end of the conveyor belt, by which the tablet-shaped products can be transferred from the conveyor belt into a filling container. The automated conveying device also includes an optical detection device for the automated detection of individual tablet-shaped products on the conveyor belt. The feeding device has a track-forming separation device, b which the tablet-shaped products are fed in a plurality of tracks next, to one another onto the upper side of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt can include at least in the region of the feed opening of the feeding device an alignment rising upwardly in the conveying direction.