A filling machine includes a rotor comprising plural container-filling positions, an inflow star upstream from the rotor, and a linear conveyor downstream of the rotor that receives the container from the rotor at an outflow point after the container has been filled but before the container has been closed. An interface having a curved portion receives the container at the outflow point and conveys the container toward the linear conveyor.

A filling machine includes a rotor comprising plural container-filling positions, an inflow star upstream from the rotor, and a linear conveyor downstream of the rotor that receives the container from the rotor at an outflow point after the container has been filled but before the container has been closed. An interface having a curved portion receives the container at the outflow point and conveys the container toward the linear conveyor.

A system for storing and transporting storage containers includes an automated storage and retrieval grid including vertical members defining multiple storage columns for storing storage containers on top of each other in vertical stacks. The vertical members are interconnected at their upper ends by a container handling vehicle rail system arranged to guide at least one container handling vehicle being configured to raise storage containers from, and lower storage containers into, the storage columns, and to transport the storage containers above the storage columns. The container handling vehicle rail system includes a first set of parallel rails arranged in a first horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and a second set of parallel rails arranged in the first horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the first horizontal plane including a plurality of adjacent container handling vehicle grid cells. Each container handling vehicle grid cell includes a container handling vehicle grid opening defined by a pair of neighboring rails of the first set of rails and a pair of neighboring rails of the second set of rails. A transfer column is adapted for transport of a storage container between the container handling vehicle and a delivery space is situated at a lower end of the transfer column. A delivery system includes a first delivery rail system having at least one set of parallel rails arranged in a second horizontal plane guiding at least one delivery vehicle thereon. The delivery vehicle is adapted to receive and/or deliver a storage container at a storage container delivery location arranged below the delivery space of the transfer column and to move between the storage container delivery location and a second location, the first delivery rail system covers at least an area extending from the storage container delivery location to the second location. A vehicle lift device is for transfer of the at least one delivery vehicle between a first lift stop position adjacent the second location in the second horizontal plane and a second lift stop position adjacent a third location arranged in a third horizontal plane being at a different vertical level than the second horizontal plane.

An unloading apparatus for horticultural products such as blueberries and the like, which are conveyed along a predefined advancement path by respective movement units includes at least one dispenser of pressurized fluid, which can be activated on command during the transit of each product in order to send a jet of the pressurized fluid toward the product and consequently cause its fall from the respective movement unit. The apparatus also includes at least one deflector screen arranged facing and proximate to the dispenser, on the opposite side with respect to the predefined trajectory in order to intercept the products struck by the jet. The screen is inclined so as to define, between its face directed toward the dispenser and a vertical plane that passes through the dispenser, a work angle one and ninety degrees configured for the optimum downward deflection of the products.

A movement apparatus for objects configured for receiving an object from an infeed station and moving the object towards an outfeed station, comprising a movement surface comprising movement cells positioned on in a matrix fashion, positioned to operate with the object, wherein each movement cell has a direction of movement which can be individually controlled; a control system configured for defining a conveying trajectory in the movement surface for conveying the object from the infeed to the outfeed station; identifying trajectory cells belonging to the conveying trajectory and directing the direction of movement of each trajectory cell to move the object in the conveying trajectory; identifying, between the movement cells, convergence cells, defining a convergence zone adjacent to the conveying trajectory and, for each convergence cell, directing the direction of movement towards a central line of the conveying trajectory to maintain of the object inside the conveying trajectory.

In an article transfer facility, a drive portion includes a first Z-axis drive portion to move a holding portion in a Z direction, a first X-axis drive portion configured to move the holding portion in an X direction, a first Y-axis drive portion configured to move the holding portion in a Y direction, and a second X-axis drive portion configured to move a placement portion in the X direction. A control portion executes first control in which an article at a first position is placed on the placement portion, and second control in which the article placed on the placement portion is arranged at a second position. In the first control, the drive portion is controlled such that the holding portion picks up the article at the first position and moves to a position on an upper side of the placement portion, and thereafter releases the article to place the article on the placement portion.

In an article transfer facility, a drive portion includes a first Z-axis drive portion to move a holding portion in a Z direction, a first X-axis drive portion configured to move the holding portion in an X direction, a first Y-axis drive portion configured to move the holding portion in a Y direction, and a second X-axis drive portion configured to move a placement portion in the X direction. A control portion executes first control in which an article at a first position is placed on the placement portion, and second control in which the article placed on the placement portion is arranged at a second position. In the first control, the drive portion is controlled such that the holding portion picks up the article at the first position and moves to a position on an upper side of the placement portion, and thereafter releases the article to place the article on the placement portion.

A device for selecting and discarding pucks (2,3) for holding bottles (1) with a support and travel plane (110), a plurality of teeth (120) where the teeth (120) are arranged in the plane (110) to form a routing path towards a discarding path (OUT2) for discarding empty pucks (2) without a bottle (1) and a routing path towards an exit path (OUT3) for outputting full pucks (3) containing a bottle (1).

A system and method for moving a plurality of eggs from a distal end of a feeder to a proximal end of a conveyor for loading the eggs onto the conveyor. The conveyor comprises a plurality of egg-receiving positions. The distal end of the feeder and the proximal end of the conveyor are aligned such that the plurality of egg-receiving positions accepts the plurality of eggs as the conveyor moves past the distal end of the feeder. A nozzle emitting a stream of fluid is positioned proximal to the distal end of the feeder so that the stream of fluid urges the plurality of eggs toward the distal end of the feeder.

A method for transporting structural elements of packagings includes transferring a group of structural elements to a holding device, wherein each structural element of the group of structural elements is received by an associated holding element of the holding device after the transfer, and adjusting the holding elements relative to each other such that the structural elements of the group of structural elements received by the holding elements are disposed before the adjusting in a first format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in a plan view in a first spacing grid relative to each other, and are disposed after the adjusting in a second format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in the plan view in a second spacing grid relative to each other, the second spacing grid being different from the first spacing grid.