A raising/lowering conveyance device for a container for conveying an article has container supports that can move toward or away from a container in the horizontal direction and up and down with respect to the container. The container supports have a plurality of container support pins that can advance/retreat in the horizontal direction from the container and that are forcibly held at a position protruding from a front surface of the container support. The container supports are configured to lift the container by the container support pins which protrude under a downward step surface formed on the outside of the container. A pin main body of the container support pins protrudes from the front surface and has a flat tip perpendicular to the center axis of the pin main body, and has a tapered shape that increases in diameter toward the flat tip and is thicker toward the end.

A raising/lowering conveyance device for a container for conveying an article has container supports that can move toward or away from a container in the horizontal direction and up and down with respect to the container. The container supports have a plurality of container support pins that can advance/retreat in the horizontal direction from the container and that are forcibly held at a position protruding from a front surface of the container support. The container supports are configured to lift the container by the container support pins which protrude under a downward step surface formed on the outside of the container. A pin main body of the container support pins protrudes from the front surface and has a flat tip perpendicular to the center axis of the pin main body, and has a tapered shape that increases in diameter toward the flat tip and is thicker toward the end.

In an apparatus for overturning sheets and/or panels, a bearing structure carries a loading plane, and roto-translation means vertically translate the loading plane and rotate the same with respect to an axis. A grab device carried by the loading plane serves to transfer a sheet and/or panel from a supply station, when stopped upstream of the apparatus, on an operating surface. A command and control unit in alternatively activating and de-activating the roto-translation means, the stabilization and transfer and the grab device, defines for the loading plane a collection position, an overturning position and an unloading position of a sheet and/or panel to be overturned by the supply station placed upstream of the apparatus, over an unloading station downstream of the apparatus.

In an apparatus for overturning sheets and/or panels, a bearing structure carries a loading plane, and roto-translation means vertically translate the loading plane and rotate the same with respect to an axis. A grab device carried by the loading plane serves to transfer a sheet and/or panel from a supply station, when stopped upstream of the apparatus, on an operating surface. A command and control unit in alternatively activating and de-activating the roto-translation means, the stabilization and transfer and the grab device, defines for the loading plane a collection position, an overturning position and an unloading position of a sheet and/or panel to be overturned by the supply station placed upstream of the apparatus, over an unloading station downstream of the apparatus.

An article loading facility includes: a transport unit; a loading unit; a setting unit; a first control unit; and a second control unit. The transport unit transports second supporting members from storage units to a transfer position. The loading unit loads target articles that are supported by the second supporting members, onto the first supporting member. The setting unit performs an arrangement setting process to set arrangement information for each of the plurality of target articles that are to be loaded onto the first supporting member, the arrangement information indicating the orientation and the position of the corresponding target article relative to the first supporting member, and performs an arrangement order setting process to set a type arrangement order that, when target articles of a plurality of types are to be loaded according to the arrangement information, indicates the order in which the plurality of types are to be arranged. The second control unit controls the transport unit to transport the second supporting members to the transfer position according to the type arrangement order. The first control unit controls the loading unit to load the target articles onto the first supporting member according to the arrangement information that has been set in the arrangement setting process.

An article loading facility includes: a transport unit; a loading unit; a setting unit; a first control unit; and a second control unit. The transport unit transports second supporting members from storage units to a transfer position. The loading unit loads target articles that are supported by the second supporting members, onto the first supporting member. The setting unit performs an arrangement setting process to set arrangement information for each of the plurality of target articles that are to be loaded onto the first supporting member, the arrangement information indicating the orientation and the position of the corresponding target article relative to the first supporting member, and performs an arrangement order setting process to set a type arrangement order that, when target articles of a plurality of types are to be loaded according to the arrangement information, indicates the order in which the plurality of types are to be arranged. The second control unit controls the transport unit to transport the second supporting members to the transfer position according to the type arrangement order. The first control unit controls the loading unit to load the target articles onto the first supporting member according to the arrangement information that has been set in the arrangement setting process.

An automated storage and retrieval system includes a storage array of storage locations for case units. An in-out case conveyor is capable of bi-directionally transporting case units to and from the storage array, and an in-out loaded pallet conveyor is capable of bi-directionally transporting loaded pallets towards and away from the storage array. A palletizer-depalletizer cell includes a bi-directional pallet transport system with more than one independently driven pallet transports, each with a different pallet holder independently movable relative to a cell frame. Placement of case units commissioning a pallet layer loading a pallet, and removal of case units decommissioning a pallet layer unloading another pallet are both effected at the common pallet layer interface at a predetermined level of the cell frame. The pallet transports independently index a first and a second of the different pallet holders, each independently holding the pallet loading at the common pallet layer interface.

A stacking storage arrangement and method of operating stacking storage arrangement. The stacking storage arrangement includes multiple container receiving spaces and a loading space arranged below the container receiving spaces. A loading vehicle that is movable in the loading space includes a chassis and a container seat that is height-adjustable relative to the chassis. A holding device is arranged between each container receiving space and the loading space and a hold-open device is arranged on the chassis separately from the container seat.

System for storing and organizing materials, comprising:

a storage system, at least a first layer comprising a plurality of storage locations, which are preferably arranged in rows in two horizontal directions perpendicular to one another and serve to receive boxes in stacks, at least one transport device which has a receiving area for individual boxes or stacks of boxes for or from the storage system, a transport system, in particular a rail arrangement, on which the at least one transport device is mounted so that it can be moved to and within the storage system and can be delivered for individual stacking of boxes, and a re-sorting device with at least one gripper, which is connected to the storage system via the transport system and is designed to pick up a subset of boxes or all boxes of a stack of boxes from the transport device, lift them and return them to the transport device or another transport device.

The present invention provides an automatic analysis device and an automatic specimen processing system having a component-rack supply mechanism that, in a state where a plurality of component racks each having a disposable component mounted thereon are stacked, separates only a component rack at the leading stage of the stack from the other component racks, and supplies the separated component rack to the automatic analysis device or the automatic specimen processing system. Specifically, the automatic analysis device and the automatic specimen processing system have a supply mechanism including a separation mechanism that, in a state where a plurality of component racks are stacked, separates only a component rack at the leading stage of the stack from the other component racks, where the separation mechanism includes a movable mechanism having a pair of downward-movement prevention members that can separate the leading stage from the second stage of the stacked component racks; and a correction mechanism having a pair of correction members that correct a positional deviation of the component racks in order to avoid an influence of the positional deviation of the stacked component racks.