The invention relates to a method for configuring a control unit in a conveyor, wherein a control unit controls one or more conveyor segments and each conveyor segment comprises a conveyor drive for conveying an object through the conveyor segment, said conveyor drive being in signal communication with the control unit via a motor connection socket, and a sensor for detecting an object at a position within the conveyor segment, said conveyor being in signal communication with the control unit via a sensor connection socket. According to the invention, the control unit self-configures itself, said self-configuration comprising the steps of i) activating a configuration mode in the control unit, ii) receiving a signal from each motor connection socket or sensor connection socket of the control unit in a processor unit of the control unit, iii) comparing the received signal(s) with a comparative value stored in the control unit, and iv) determining whether a conveyor drive or a sensor is connected to a motor connection socket or a sensor connection socket of the control unit, respectively, based on the comparison of the signal(s) with the comparative value.

Plant for additively manufacturing at least one three-dimensional object, comprising at least one process station being configured to perform an additive manufacturing process and/or at least one preprocessing process for an additive manufacturing process and/or at least one postprocessing process for an additive manufacturing process; at least one conveying device configured to convey an item between at least two positions (P1, P2) of the plant, the conveying device comprising at least one conveying element, the at least one conveying element being at least partially bound to ground, and at least one conveying carriage being connectable or connected with the conveying element so as to be moveable between at least two positions (P1, P2) of the plant, the at least one conveying carriage comprising at least one supporting interface for supporting at least one item.

A transport system comprising linear motor modules utilized both straight and curved track modules, with movers displaced on the track modules by control of power applied to coils of the modules. Curved track modules have modified spline geometries to provide desired acceleration and jerk characteristics. The modified spline geometries may be defined by more than one generators, such as an equation generator and a spline fit between the equation-generated segment and one or more constrained points or locations. The curved track modules may be divided into 180 degree modules, or may be reduced to 90 degree, 45 degree or other fractional arcs to provide for modular assembly, mirror-image geometries and motion profiles, and the like. The system may be adapted to provide improved motion characteristics based on modification of a conventional spline geometry.

Methods and systems for sorting hides are provided. In particular, one or more embodiments comprise a tanning control system that enhances the traceability of hides by capturing and utilizing data related to the unloading, tanning, sorting, and packaging of hides. Furthermore, one or more embodiments enable the tanning control system to improve efficiency by sorting hides based, at least in part, on data generated during prior tanning processes. Additionally, one or more embodiments facilitate the tanning control system in customizing the sorting and packaging of hides based, at least in part, on one or more hide characteristics and/or customer specifications.

A system for processing device parts of simulated smoking devices, such as cartridges of electronic cigarettes, said system comprising a processing station to perform a processing operation on each of the device parts of a batch of device parts, which batch has a batch number of device parts being larger than one, an evaluation station to evaluate the result of the processing operation on each device part of the batch, which evaluation station is configured to provide an evaluation signal for each device part of the batch, a transport device to move the device parts of the batch along a production trajectory, which production trajectory extends through the processing station, the evaluation station and an isolating station, and a controller which is in communication with the evaluation station and the isolating station.

Controlling a conveyor installation of a real warehouse having automated machines and persons that are virtualized in a central computer for storing a virtual model of the conveyor installation having the dimensions of the individual conveyor components and the movement parameters thereof. Images of the objects to be conveyed, automated machines and persons in the conveyor installation are captured by sensors at predefined short time intervals and identified by image recognition, and the positions thereof in the conveyor installation are determined. The virtual model is continuously updated with the identification and position determination of the objects in the central computer such that a virtualized real-time model is generated, and the real conveyor installation is centrally controlled with the aid of the model, where material flow control commands are generated for the real actuators for controlling the conveying movement of the automated machines to avoid endangering the persons.

A system and method for controlling movement of transporting devices arranged to transport containers, the containers being stored in stacks arranged in a facility. A facility having pathways arranged in a grid-like structure above stacks, the transporting devices being configured to operate on the grid-like structure. A control unit configured to determine at least one task to be performed by at least one transporting device, wherein the at least one task is determined based on at least one of: transporting device battery condition, transporting device damage, transporting device maintenance issues, and transporting device service issues.

A transport system is provided. The transport system includes a stocker configured to store an assigned wafer carrier and having a gate port. The transport system also includes a semiconductor apparatus configured to transmit a request signal including a processed time according to a processing wafer carrier loaded on the semiconductor apparatus. The transport system further includes a vehicle configured to transport the assigned wafer carrier from the gate port to the semiconductor apparatus and a control system configured to control the vehicle. When the control system receives the request signal, the control system controls the stocker to transport the assigned wafer carrier inside of the stocker to the gate port at a start time, which is earlier than the processed time, and the control system controls the vehicle to transport the assigned wafer carrier from the gate port to the semiconductor apparatus.

A substrate processing method is provided. The substrate processing method includes placing a substrate storage container storing a substrate on a load port; automatically determining a type of the substrate stored in the placed substrate storage container; by referring to a storage unit that stores a parameter data set related to a transport condition for each substrate type, controlling transport of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container based on the parameter data set corresponding to the automatically determined type of the substrate to process the substrate, and, after automatically determining the type of the substrate, and before transporting the substrate stored in the substrate storage container, performing mapping based on conditions set in the parameter data set to detect an abnormality of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container.

A component mounting line control system controls a component mounting line. The component mounting line includes a component mounting device and a board retrieving unit. The component mounting line control system includes an acquirer and a controller. The acquirer acquires information from the board retrieving unit. The controller controls the component mounting device based on the information acquired by the acquirer. The controller lengthens a time taken for a manufacturing process in the component mounting device in a case where the acquirer acquires first warning information, which indicates that a board accommodation limit is about to be reached, from the board retrieving unit.