A transport system which is suited for providing a number of person-transport services has a conveyor arrangement, a number of stationary stations and a controllable drive arrangement. A control unit system controls operation of the drive arrangement. The control unit system is configured to control a multitude of person-transport services which are requestable via an interface arrangement by non-touch, acoustical or electromagnetic signals. The number of such services is at least 50% of the person-transport services which may be provided by the transport system.

A system and an apparatus capable of independently driving movers are described herein. The system and apparatus includes: a track that forms a path for movers; a plurality of movers movably mounted on the track for moving along the path; and a plurality of drive elements fixedly arranged along the track. The drive elements each have a surface that is oriented to contact a driven member of the movers. The drive elements are configured to sequentially engage the driven member of a plurality of the movers to provide controlled independent motion of the movers along the track. The drive elements may be driven by rotary motors. A method of independently driving movers is also described herein.

An animal interaction device is provided that includes a food access component which allows and disallows access to at least a portion of the food. In various embodiments, the allowing and disallowing of access to at least a portion of the food is dependent upon the animal's condition. A method is also provided such that the device above is provided to an animal, one or more indicators are optionally activated, the animal's first condition is sensed via one or more sensors, and based upon the animal's condition, the previously protected food is made accessible, and subsequently the protected food is made available again based upon the animal's second condition. A system is also provided for automatically interacting with an animal including at least one animal interaction device each of which comprises an initial interaction algorithm to automatically interact with the animal. Other aspects of the invention are provided.

The present invention relates to a single integrated multi-function apparatus for programming and repackaging programmable devices comprising: input means operable to provide a plurality of un-programmed devices; programming means operable to program the un-programmed devices; checking means operable to inspect predefined characteristics of devices programmed by the programming means; moving means operable to convey programmed devices to the checking means in a path of movement defining a first (X) axis of the apparatus, and placement means operable to move devices to and from the programming means in a path of defining a second (Y) axis of the apparatus. The moving means further conveys programmed devices along the first (X) axis to checking means operable to inspect predefined characteristics of devices programmed by the programming means, and operation of the input means, programming means, moving means, placement means and checking means are coordinated and controlled by software control means.

A transfer operation of moving the slider between one fixed linear module and a movable linear module while locating the movable linear module in the facing range facing the one fixed linear module is performed. At this time, it is judged whether or not the coordinate axis of the one fixed linear module and the coordinate axis of the movable linear module are continuous If it is judged before the transfer operation that the coordinate axes are not continuous, the transfer operation is performed after the coordinate axes are made continuous in the direction by changing the coordinate axis. Thus, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where the transfer operation of moving the slider between the fixed linear module and the movable linear module cannot be performed due to the discontinuity of the coordinate axes respectively set for the fixed and movable linear modules.

A conveying apparatus that facilitates setting of an operation mode and setting of appropriate conditions during teaching is provided. An input determination section determines whether or not a combination of a conveyable weight and an operation mode input from an input portion is appropriate. A motor parameter determination section determines one or more motor parameters of at least one servoamplifier for one or more servomotors based on the operation mode and the conveyable weight determined as appropriate by the input determination section. The one or more motor parameters include a maximum speed and a maximum acceleration of the one or more servomotors. A parameter change section allows a speed and an acceleration of the one or more servomotors to be changed up to the maximum speed and the maximum acceleration, respectively.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, the apparatus including a stage configured to hold and move the substrate, a conveying unit configured to hold and convey the substrate between conveying unit and the stage, an accumulation unit configured to accumulate control information concerning the stage and the conveying unit which is generated by processing the substrate, and a determination unit configured to determine a conveying procedure when conveying the substrate between the stage and the conveying unit by selecting one of a plurality of conveying procedures which can be set for the stage and the conveying unit based on control information accumulated in the accumulation unit.

An information acquisition system includes a transmission device configured to transport a carrier carrying a number of products, an information acquisition device configured to obtain identification information of a corresponding one of the plurality of products when the carrier stops moving, a control device, and a positioning device. The positioning device includes a positioning member, a number of elastic members, a number of blocking members spaced apart and mounted on the positioning member, and a driving member fixedly coupled to the positioning member and configured to drive the positioning member to move telescopically between an extended position and a retracted position. When the positioning member is in the extended position, one of the blocking members blocks the carrier from moving. When the positioning member is in the retracted position, the blocking member that was blocking the carrier unblocks the carrier to allow the carrier to move.

Conveyer device including a local controller provided in each zone for controlling a transport operation of the zone, and host controller that reports information relating to a cause of non-transport are included. Host controller includes mouse and the like for receiving, from a user, a selection instruction through which one of a plurality of zones is selected, and report processor that obtains, as clue information, information relating to a phenomenon that can be the cause of the non-transport of a conveyed object, from local controller of the target zone, and reports cause information corresponding to information relating to the cause based on the clue information, when the clue information satisfies a determination condition previously set.

Method for merging, within a logistical warehouse, k incoming flows of payloads, transported respectively by k FIFO conveyor lanes α.sub.i with i∈{1, . . . , k} into one outgoing flow of payloads transported by a collector conveyor. The k lanes are distributed along the collector and numbered a.sub.1 to a.sub.k. Δ.sub.i is a time-related distance between the lanes a.sub.i and a.sub.k. A control system obtains a set L having n payloads distributed on the k lanes and having to be injected into the collector to form an exit sequence; computes a date t.sub.0 at which the first payload σ.sub.1 of the exit sequence σ passes in front of the lane a.sub.k; and computes n dates of injection of the n payloads into the collector, as a function of t.sub.0; and commands the collector and the k alleys, for an injection of the n payloads into the collector in compliance with the injection dates.