A production line including a chain conveyor for moving part transporting pallets through an electronically controlled workstation. The workstation includes an implement for use by a workstation user which is freely movable along the transport direction of the pallets within the workstation. The workstation may further include a plurality of automated drawers containing components for manual assembly operations in the workstation. The chain conveyor includes front hook and rear hook units to engage the pallet for movement along the production line. When the pallet is prevented from further movement by an obstacle, the chain rear hook moves from a pallet engaged position to a position whereby an optical beam is interrupted. On interruption of the optical beam, a command signal is generated which causes the conveyor to stop.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure an object transportation device is described. The device includes a continuous belt having an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface interacts with a belt transport system. The device also includes a number of attachment devices disposed on the outer surface of the belt. An object attaches to the belt via an attachment device. An attachment device includes two angled protrusions extending from the outer surface from a common joint.

A carrier basket support and stabilizing system for a carrier basket having increased weight carrying capacity is provided. The system includes a plurality of cars configured to travel along a pathway, with at least some support groups including two of the cars having a carrier basket support connected thereto. The carrier basket support has a support plate connected to the first car via a pivoting connection and connected to the second car by a pivoting and sliding connection such that the cars can pivot relative to the support plate and a distance between the first and second cars can change during traversal of curves along the pathway. A support connection on the support plate is configured for connection to a mating connection on a back support of the carrier basket to allow pivoting of the carrier basket so its support surface can remain generally horizontal during movement on the pathway.

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.

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.

A transportation system for production, packaging, filling, assembly and/or processing installation, comprising a carrier system having a conveying section and having a multiplicity of carrier elements, a first drive device, wherein the carrier elements have in each case one coupling mechanism by which the carrier elements are capable of being coupled to the first drive device for a movement along the conveying section, at least one second drive device, wherein the carrier elements can be coupled to the at least one second drive device by the coupling mechanism for a movement along the conveying section, and at least one switching mechanism that is positioned on the conveying section, wherein the coupling mechanisms of the carrier elements are capable of being coupled selectively to one of the drive devices by the at least one switching mechanism for a movement along the conveying section.

Conveying equipment includes carriages having a frame with front and rear ends coupled to adjacent carriages by vertical support shafts and having a floor board which is supported by the frame. A floor board main portion has a protruding arc-shaped end edge concentric with one of the vertical support shafts and a floor board sub-portion which has a recessed arc-shaped end edge concentric with the other vertical support shaft. The protruding arc-shaped end edge in one carriage and the recessed arc-shaped end edge in an adjacent carriage are relatively rotatable around the common vertical support shaft located at the arc centers of each of the edges. The floor board main portion overhangs from one end of the frame in each of the carriages and is supported on an overhanging portion which overhangs from the floor board sub-portion in the adjacent carriage so as to be freely relatively rotated.

An electric pallet conveyor includes a slide moveably supported on a guide-rail of a track. The electric pallet includes a motor for propelling the slide along the guide rail. A first gear pulley is attached to the slide and rotatable about a first gear pulley axis of rotation in response to a rotational torque output from the motor. A second gear pulley displaced from the first gear pulley is rotatable about a second gear pulley axis of rotation. A pulley belt connects the first gear pulley to the second gear pulley and is operable for transferring a rotational torque from the first gear pulley to the second gear pulley. A drive pulley fixedly attached to the second gear pulley engages a drive rail of the track to propel the slide along the guide-rail.

A conveyor device for advancing articles adapted to contain a pourable product and having an input station, at which the articles are fed to the conveyor device; an output station, at which the articles exit the conveyor device; a fixed endless track defining an endless path passing through the input station and the output station; and at least one article-holding device movably coupled to the track and configured to receive and support one article at a time and to advance the article along the endless path from the input station to the output station. The endless path comprises a rotation branch arranged downstream of the input station and upstream of the output station, relative to the direction of advancement of the articles along the endless path. Each article is rotatable about its longitudinal axis along the rotation branch by magnetic-inductive interaction between the article-holding device and the track.

An electric guide rail type conveying system comprises a driving motor, a guide rail, a main transmission case, an auxiliary transmission case, a conveying member, and a moving trolley. Both ends of the conveying member are elastically deformably wound on the first rotating member and the second rotating member of a main transmission case body in two opposite winding direction. Before installation, the conveying member is basically wound on the first rotating member and the second rotating member. When a relative outer portion of the conveying member wound on the first rotating member is separated from the rotating member, a first elastic resilience opposite to one of the two opposite winding direction is generated; with the increase of a portion, separated from the first rotating member, of the conveying member, the first elastic resilience will increase; otherwise, the first elastic resilience will decrease.