Disclosed are techniques for determining object throughput. A method may include obtaining first data representing a first image corresponding to a first time, identifying a first portion of the first data that depicts a first object at a first location, obtaining second data representing a second image corresponding to a second time, identifying a second portion of the second data that depicts the first object at a second location, obtaining third data indicating a counting threshold, determining based at least on the third data and the second location, that the first object satisfies the counting threshold, generating a value indicating a number of objects satisfying the counting threshold, the number of objects including the first object, generating a data value indicating a throughput of the number of objects based on the value indicating the number of objects satisfying the counting threshold and elapsed time between the first and second times.

A drive-through transaction system disposed within a drive-through window, the drive-through transaction system including a drawer assembly, including a drawer body, a tray movably disposed within at least a portion of the drawer body to receive at least one item thereon, and a plurality of cup holders disposed on and within at least a portion of the tray to receive at least one beverage cup therein, and a transaction device connected to the drawer assembly to receive input of an order and display a price of the order, such that the drawer body is ejected from the drive-through window in response to completion of the order.

A handling system according to an embodiment handles/processes plural kinds of articles. The handling system includes first and second conveyance devices, and a control device. The first conveyance device transports a processing target article among the articles to a work area for a robot to handle/process the target article. The second conveyance device transports the target article to a work area for as operator to handle/process the target article. The control device determines by which of the robot or the operator the target article is processed according to process information generated based on an article handling/processing result by the robot in past. The control device transports the target article to the first conveyance device when the target article is determined to be processed by the robot and transports the target article to the second conveyance device when the target article is determined to be processed by the operator.

The invention relates to a conveyor arrangement, comprising a motor-operated conveyor roller, comprising a roller body which is mounted so as to be rotatable about a roller axis, a drive unit which is arranged within the roller body and is mechanically coupled between the roller body and an axle element and is designed to generate a torque between the axle element and the roller body, and a control data interface which is connected in a signal-transmitting fashion to the drive unit. The invention is characterized by an electronic addressing model which can be coupled in a signal-transmitting fashion to the sensor and to the bus line and is designed to encode a sensor signal, which is generated by the sensor and received in the addressing module, to form a bus-encoded sensor data block which comprises a digital sensor signal data block which characterises the sensor signal and a sensor address data block, and to transmit the bus-encoded sensor data block into the bus line.

A method for configuring a control unit in a conveyor, wherein a control unit controls one or more conveyor segments comprising a conveyor drive 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. The conveyor is in signal communication with the control unit via a sensor connection socket. The control unit self-configures itself by: (i) activating a configuration mode in the control unit, (ii) receiving a signal from each motor connection socket or sensor connection socket, (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.

The invention relates to a modular conveyor system, comprising multiple individual conveyor modules, wherein an individual conveyor module comprises at least one conveyor device, at least one power supply, at least one actuator for driving the conveyor device, an output unit for the control of the actuator and an integrated control unit, wherein the integrated control unit has a computing unit for processing information and a communications unit, and wherein the communications unit is designed to carry out the communication of the individual conveyor modules with a central control system, on the one hand, and/or the communication of the individual conveyor modules with one another, on the other hand, in such a way that the communication of the individual conveyor modules with one another is implemented at two logical communication levels. The invention further relates to a method for controlling modular conveyor systems.

An automated packing system is disclosed for placing a plurality of objects into a shipping container. The system includes a supply bin receiving conveyor for receiving a supply bin at a supply station, a destination container location assessment system for positioning a destination container, a detection system for detecting a plurality of objects within the supply bin responsive to the position of the supply bin on the receiving conveyor as aligned by the alignment system, an object selection system for selecting a selected object from the plurality of objects to be placed into the shipping container, and a programmable motion device for grasping and acquiring the selected object from the plurality of objects at the supply station, and for placing the selected object into the shipping container in a selected orientation.

The invention relates to a method for the position determination of an object (6, 6a . . . 6d), which is conveyed on a conveying device (1a . . . 1c). In this process, a deviation (ΔP) between a position (P.sub.sig) of the object (6, 6a . . . 6d), which is calculated with the aid of rotation signals from the drives (M) for conveyor elements (2, 2.sub.M, 2.sub.L) of the conveying device (1a . . . 1c), and a position (P.sub.1 . . . P.sub.5) of a detection area (E.sub.1,E.sub.2) of a sensor (L.sub.1 . . . L.sub.5) fixedly installed on the conveying device (6, 6a . . . 6d) is determined and used for calculating a corrected position (P.sub.korr) of the object (6, 6a . . . 6d) during a movement of the object (6, 6a . . . 6d) away from this detection area (E.sub.1,E.sub.2). Furthermore, a conveying device (1a . . . 1c) for performing the presented method is indicated.

The invention relates to a conveyor arrangement, comprising a motor-operated conveyor roller, comprising a roller body which is mounted so as to be rotatable about a roller axis, a drive unit which is arranged within the roller body and is mechanically coupled between the roller body and an axle element and is designed to generate a torque between the axle element and the roller body, and a control data interface which is connected in a signal-transmitting fashion to the drive unit. The invention is characterized by an electronic addressing model which can be coupled in a signal-transmitting fashion to the sensor and to the bus line and is designed to encode a sensor signal, which is generated by the sensor and received in the addressing module, to form a bus-encoded sensor data block which comprises a digital sensor signal data block which characterises the sensor signal and a sensor address data block, and to transmit the bus-encoded sensor data block into the bus line.

The invention relates to a conveyor arrangement (1) for conveying a conveyed material, comprising a motor-driven conveyor roller (100), comprising a roller body (10) mounted so as to be able to rotate about a roller axis (A), a drive unit (20) arranged inside the roller body (10), coupled mechanically to the roller body (10) and an axle element (16) and designed to generate a torque between the axle element (16) and the roller body (10), a sensor function unit (40) arranged inside the roller body (10) and designed to sense a conveyed material to be conveyed by the motor-driven conveyor roller (100), and a control unit (30) that is connected to the sensor function unit (40) in order to transmit signals, wherein the control unit (30) is designed to receive a sensor signal from the sensor function unit and to transmit a control signal to the drive unit (20) depending on the sensor signal, wherein the control signal contains data for driving the motor-driven conveyor roller, in a conveyor mode, with a characteristic profile that is predefined by the control signal.