A maintenance system is disclosed for assisting in maintaining an automated carrier system for moving objects to be processed. The maintenance system includes a plurality of automated carriers that are adapted to move on an array of discontinuous standard track sections, each said automated carrier including a carrier body that is no larger in either a length or width direction that a standard track section, and an automated maintenance carrier that is adapted to move on the array of discontinuous track sections, said automated maintenance system including a maintenance body that is larger in at least one of a length or width direction than the standard track section.

A roller assembly comprises a first axle having a first inner shaft and a second axle having a second inner shaft. The roller assembly may further comprise a plurality of roller elements between the first inner shaft and the second inner shaft. The roller assembly may further comprise a roller disposed between a first tension strap and a second tensions strap.

A modular loading and unloading system wherein modular units can be simply added to a base unit, or main unit, in a desired configuration that fulfill capacity and footprint needs of a manufacturer at any moment, for example when the manufacturer's business expands, thus considerably reducing the time and cost of modifying existing manufacturing systems, such as a laser-based parts cutting system.

When one of the objects placed on a placement board is sucked and held by a suction nozzle and is taken out by an actuator under the control of an operation controller, a first acquirer acquires a difference M between a first moment M1 applied to the suction nozzle and a second moment M2 applied to the suction nozzle when the object is taken out by the suction nozzle by a first taking-out movement distance. The operation controller performs control, based on the acquired difference between the moments, whether the taking-out operation is to be further continued.

Disclosed is an automatic container-emptying device. The device is equipped with means for collecting and gravity-emptying containers and comprising a product collection zone. The device includes a dripper equipped with at least one element for supporting upside down containers. The dripper has two operating positions: a first positon for holding the containers to allow the product to drip onto the product collection zone and a second positon for ejecting said containers.

A storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects is disclosed. The storage, retrieval and processing system includes a plurality of storage bins providing storage of a plurality of objects, where the plurality of storage bins is in communication with a bin conveyance system for moving selected storage bins to a storage bin processing location, a programmable motion device in communication with the bin processing location for receiving a selected storage bin from the plurality of bins, where the programmable motion device includes an end effector for grasping and moving a selected object out of a selected storage bin, and a plurality of destination bins in communication with the bin conveyance system for moving a selected destination bin from a destination bin processing location that is proximate the programmable motion device to the plurality of destination bins.

An article supplying apparatus includes a retention unit configured to retain an article, a robot hand configured to insert the article retained in the retention unit into a container, and a control unit configured to control operation of the robot hand. The robot hand has a holding portion for holding the article. The control unit executes holding control in which the article is held by the holding portion; and stand-by insertion control in which after the holding portion is temporarily disposed at a stand-by position different from a position immediately above an article insertion port in the container and set on a movement path from a start position of the holding through the holding control to the position immediately thereabove, the holding portion is moved to the position immediately thereabove, and the article is inserted into the container via the article insertion port.

An automated carrier system is disclosed for moving objects to be processed. The automated carrier system includes a discontinuous plurality of track sections on which an automated carrier may be directed to move, and the automated carrier includes a base structure on which an object may be supported, and at least two wheels assemblies being pivotally supported on the base structure for pivoting movement from a first position to a second position to effect a change in direction of movement of the carrier.

A robotic item retrieval and transport apparatus includes at least one item retrieval mechanism that is minimally exposed while stored and/or engaged in loading or unloading of objects relative to a deck (e.g., upper surface) thereof. Actuators and at least major portions of one or more movable implements are arranged below the deck. Loading and/or unloading of objects may include lateral sliding, such as by pulling the object while it is supported by an extrinsic support surface. At least substantial portions of an item retrieval mechanism may remain outside a central target area of a deck, to provide a unobstructed or minimally obstructed deck surface for holding objects. The apparatus may be used with at least one movable pallet element. A pallet element and/or a retrievable item may include one or more features detectable by a sensor.

A storage device disclosed in the present description includes an acquisition section and a management section. When a case accommodating multiple accommodatable objects is loaded into a storage container, the acquisition section performs wireless communication with both a first wireless tag attached to the case and a second wireless tag attached to each of the multiple accommodatable objects. The acquisition section acquires specific information for specifying the case memorized in the first wireless tag and identification information for identifying each of the multiple accommodatable objects memorized in the second wireless tag. The management section associates the specific information and the identification information acquired by the acquisition section with each other to manage a correspondence relationship between the specific information and the identification information.