Described in detail herein is an automated fulfilment system including a computing system programmed to receive requests from disparate sources for physical objects disposed at one or more locations in a facility. The computing system can combine the requests, and group the physical objects in the requests based on object types or expected object locations. Autonomous robot devices can receive instructions from the computing system to retrieve a group of the physical objects and deposit the physical objects in storage containers.

Conveyor system, for instance for conveying goods, packages and the like including at least two wired motor-roller controllers, wherein each wired motor-roller controller has at least one motor-roller control port and at least one wired signal bus port, at least two wireless motor-roller controllers, wherein each wireless motor-roller controller has at least on motor-roller control port and a wireless port, and wherein the two wired motor-roller controllers are connected in series along the signal bus via the signal bus port, wherein at each wired motor-roller controller senses a signal strength of wireless signals of the wireless motor-roller controllers, and the wired motor-roller controllers exchange information about the sensed signal strengths.

A robot and work equipment are disposed near a work table including a work table-side controller and a process planning and designing controller capable of being operated by a user. The work table-side controller executes a work process in which the robot and the work equipment operate in conjunction, by receiving signals carrying identification and state monitoring information from a robot-side controller and the work equipment and then sending these signals to the process planning and designing controller, and by sending operation command signals to the robot-side controller and the work equipment in accordance with the aforementioned work process and then receiving operation status signals from the robot-side controller and the work equipment. Based on the signals carrying the identification and state monitoring information on the robot and the work equipment, the process planning and designing controller plans and designs the aforementioned work process.

A method is disclosed for replacing a defective control unit in a conveying device interconnected by a bus.

Conveying devices are used in logistics processes for fully automated and semi-automated conveying of goods by means of conveyor segments. These conveyor segments are controlled and monitored by control units. In order to minimise the downtimes of the conveyor device, the described method for replacing a defective control unit in a conveying device interconnected by a bus can be used to ensure that a control unit can be replaced promptly and reliably.
The method according to the invention allows automatic detection of a defect in a control unit, as well as initial configuration of a replacement control unit with an individual bus address or additional parameters.

A substrate processing system comprising, a frame forming a substrate transport space within the substrate processing system, a substrate transport apparatus operably coupled to the frame with a movable arm and a drive section configured to move the movable arm and transport a substrate, held on an end effector of the arm, through the transport space from a first position of the substrate processing system to a second position of the substrate processing system different than the first position; and a controller operably coupled to the movable arm and drive section so as to effect movement of the movable arm to the different system positions, the controller is communicably coupled to at least one arm motion sensor and at least one system metrology sensor, and the at least one system metrology sensor senses system metrology predetermined characteristics, different that the arm motion predetermined characteristics.

A method includes: obtaining one or more images of a facility containing objects; detecting positions of the objects in the images; determining, from the detected positions, respective locations in a facility coordinate system for each detected object; for each detected object, generating a trajectory based on the determined location; obtaining a set of computing device identifiers and corresponding computing device locations in the facility coordinate system; based on the identifiers and device locations and at least one of (i) the locations of the objects, (ii) the trajectories, or (iii) the image, detecting associations between the objects and the devices; detecting, based on the trajectories, a potential collision between a first detected object and a second detected object; in response to detecting the potential collision, selecting a computing device associated with at least one of the first and second detected objects; and transmitting a collision notification to the selected computing device.

A conveyance apparatus information teaching system includes an acquisition section and a display section. The acquisition section acquires conveyance apparatus information including information related to the movement of a conveyance apparatus configured to convey an article used in a predetermined board work to a board production line including a board working machine configured to produce a board product by performing the board work on a board. When an operator visually recognizes a target region which is at least a part region of the board production line via an augmented reality device capable of displaying virtual information in accordance with a real world visually recognized by the operator, the display section displays the virtual information including the conveyance apparatus information acquired by the acquisition section in an overlapping manner on a real target region visually recognized by the operator via the augmented reality device.

A method for transporting inventory items includes moving a mobile drive unit to a first point within a workspace. The first point is a location of an inventory holder. The method further includes docking the mobile drive unit with the inventory holder and moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to a second point within the workspace. The second point is associated with conveyance equipment. The method further includes moving the inventory holder to a third point within the workspace using the conveyance equipment.

An imaging unit has its imaging field of view containing the conveyor, and images a subject in the imaging field. The imaging unit generates a luminance image representing the subject and a range image including height information indicating a height of at least one point on the subject from the conveyor by imaging the subject. A measurement unit measures a position of each workpiece in the luminance image. An obtaining unit obtains an overlap order of the workpieces based on the height information in the range image corresponding to the position of each workpiece in the luminance image. A determination unit determines the workpiece pickup order to allow a workpiece having a highest place in the overlap order to be picked up with a higher priority than other workpieces.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device. The apparatus includes a portable device. The portable device includes first and second sensors that respectively measure first and second fabrication process parameters. The first fabrication process parameter is different from the second fabrication process parameter. The first and second sensors may communicate the parameters using different and incompatible protocols. The portable device also includes a wireless transceiver that is coupled to the first and second sensors. The wireless transceiver receives the first and second fabrication process parameters and transmits wireless signals containing the first and second fabrication process parameters.