A conveyor system for processing items, such as manufacturers' products or boxes, from a three-dimensional arrangement to a two-dimensional arrangement includes inclined and declined conveyors. The inclined conveyor may include vacuum through perforations in the belt. A collimating conveyor includes parallel belts that operate at different speeds to space the items longitudinally apart and then align the items against sidewalls.

Embodiments herein describe a chute for temporarily buffering packages when, for example, a container disposed at the end of the chute has been removed. The chute includes a flap that activates to hold packages in an accumulation area when the container is removed. In one embodiment, the flap is disposed at an end of the chute at a decline so that during normal operation packages slide off the flap into the container. An actuator can rotate the flap from a decline position into a vertical position such that the flap serves as a stop to prevent packages from sliding off the chute when containers are being swapped out. Once a new container is disposed at the end of the chute, the actuator can rotate the flap back to the decline position so that any accumulated packages are then ejected into the container.

An auxiliary carrier includes a first base, a first supporting base mounted on the first base and having a plurality of receiving grooves receiving a plurality of components of an electrical connector, and a first coupling portion mounted on the first base or the first supporting base. The first coupling portion is adapted to be coupled with a second coupling portion of a main carrier so that the auxiliary carrier is movable along with the main carrier.

A conveying system is disclosed. The conveying system may have a first conveying apparatus that conveys a first article to a first location. The conveying system may also have a second conveying apparatus that conveys a second article to a second location. The conveying system may have a frame, a chute connected to the frame, and a third conveying apparatus. The chute may convey the first article received from the first conveying apparatus to a discharge location. The third conveying apparatus, disposed below the chute, may convey the second article received from the second conveying apparatus to the discharge location. The chute may be movable relative to the to the third conveying apparatus, such that the first or second article may be selectively conveyed to the discharge location via the chute or third conveying apparatus, depending on the position of the chute relative to the third conveying apparatus.

A loading/unloading unit (100) for loading/unloading profiles (1) having a longitudinal main axis (A-A) of extension, at least one predefined section (Sp) being defined on said profile (1) transverse to said longitudinal axis (A-A), said unit loading/unloading unit (100) comprising a platform (10) extending longitudinally along a first axis (X-X) and transversely along a second axis (Y-Y) perpendicular to the first axis (X-X), said platform (10) being configured to receive one or more profiles (1) along said first axis (X-X), said platform (10) having a loading area (11) configured to receive one or more profiles (1) to be machined, an unloading area (12) and a pick-up area (13) spaced apart from said loading area (11) and from said unloading area (12) along the second axis (Y-Y); handling means (20) associated with said platform (10) and configured to carry said profiles (1) between the loading area (11) and the unloading area (12). The loading/unloading unit (100) comprises one or more orientation devices (30) that can be pulled up from said platform (10) along a third axis (Z-Z) perpendicular to the first axis (X-X) and the second axis (Y-Y) and are configured to rotate a profile (1) about its respective longitudinal axis (A-A).

A robotic system includes: a control unit configured to: receive an object set including one or more object entries, wherein: the object entries correspond to source objects of an object source, each of the object entries are described by one or more object entry properties; receive sensor information representing one or more detectable object properties for detectable source objects of the object source; calculate an object match probability between the detectable source objects and the object entries based on a property correlation between the detectable object properties of the detectable source objects and the object entry properties of the object entries; generate an object identity approximation for each of the detectable source objects based on a comparison between the object match probability for each of the detectable source objects corresponding to a particular instance of the object entries; select a target object from the detectable source objects; generate an object handling strategy, for implementation by an object handling unit, to transfer the target object from the object source based on the object entry properties of the object entries corresponding to the object identity approximation; update the object set to indicate that the target object corresponding to a specific instance of the object entries has been removed from the object source; and a storage unit 204, coupled to the control unit, configured to store the object set.

A transfer apparatus includes first and second holding portions, a hand, a hand moving portion, and fluid pressure driving and control units. The control unit acquires an inter-holding portion distance between the first and second holding portions for holding a workpiece. The control unit makes the hand moving portion move the hand to a predetermined position such that the distance between the first and second holding portions becomes the inter-holding portion distance when the first holding portion moved by the fluid pressure driving unit is brought into contact with a contact portion provided at a work field, the predetermined position being located away from the contact portion. With the hand located at the predetermined position, the control unit makes the fluid pressure driving unit move the first holding portion to contact with the contact portion, and the control unit stops driving of the fluid pressure driving unit.

A tilting tray products sorting apparatus employing belt and/or driven rollers conveyors for traversing tilting tray carriages between loading and unloading stations. A latch member between the carriage carrying tray and base is pivotable between a latched position for maintaining the tray level, and an unlatched position for tilting the tray. Tipping elements at each unloading station are selectively extended for engaging and pivoting the latch member to its unlatched position and tipping the tray. The tipping tray center of gravity maintains the tray in its tipped position. Leveling arms adjacent the conveyor engage tipped trays for pivoting them back to a level position and thereby pivoting the latch member to its latched position. The carriages gravitationally rest on and frictionally engage the conveyor carrying and traversing surface. Side walls along the conveyor maintain the carriages on the conveyor carrying and traversing surface.

A method of arranging articles can comprise moving a first article and a second article along a respective first lane and second lane toward a respective first output end of the first lane and second output end of the second lane, and guiding the first article from the first output end onto a stacking conveyor. The guiding the first article can comprise engaging the first article with first guide features. The method further can comprise moving the first article on the stacking conveyor past the second output end, and forming a stack by guiding the second article from the second output end onto the first article on the stacking conveyor as the stacking conveyor moves the first article past the second output end. The guiding the second article can comprise engaging the second article with second guide features. The method also can comprise moving the stack on the stacking conveyor.

The present invention relates to a picking system for order-related picking of goods stockpiled in racks, with an automated picking cell including a gripper for gripping and picking the goods and a cell control unit for actuating the gripper, with a transport system for conveying the racks to a picking position near the picking cell, wherein the racks have shelves and/or containers on and/or in which goods are stored, wherein at least one shelf and/or container of a rack arranged in the picking position can be conveyed from a storage position inside the rack into a removal position in which the at least one shelf and/or container is at least partially arranged in front of the rack, wherein the gripper is actuated by the cell control unit to grip the goods stockpiled on the shelf and/or in the container while the shelf and/or container is in the removal position.