A cleaning device is provided with a three-dimensional circulation route for circulating workpiece holding tools that hold a workpiece, and this three-dimensional circulation route is formed by an endless conveyor chain bendable in various directions being disposed within a rectangular parallelepiped space following along the upper and lower sides thereof. The conveyor chain circulates from an upper side horizontal transport path portion via a falling side transport path portion, a lower side horizontal transport path portion, and a rising side transport path portion, and the workpiece held in the workpiece holding tools is treated by ultrasonic cleaning, shower cleaning, steam cleaning, drying and the like. Thus, it is possible to suitably dispose a workpiece transport route in a limited rectangular parallelepiped space, and carry out cleaning operations for the workpiece efficiently.

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 an 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 method and installation for picking items from storage units into one or more outbound units. The installation has a small parts store in which the storage units are stored, and a pick area, in which storage units from the parts store are presented at several pickup points. Assigned to the pick area is a conveyor track via which the outbound units can be moved in or out of the pick area, such that items can be picked from the storage units disposed in the pickup points and into the outbound units. The installation has a pick location, at which one or more receiving locations for outbound units and a conveyor device for storage units from the parts store are disposed such that items can be picked from the storage units delivered on the conveyor device and into the outbound units disposed at the receiving locations.

Methodologies, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for relocating pallets and receptacles. A shipping motor vehicle has a weight sensor within a cargo area that measures a weight of a pallet or a receptacle. A location sensor located within the cargo area identifies available storage locations within the cargo area, and a computing device equipped with a processor computes a destination location within the cargo area for the pallet or receptacle based, at least in part, on the weight of the pallet or receptacle measured by the weight sensor. An internal conveyor system located within the shipping motor vehicle receives the pallet or receptacle from an external conveyor system and automatically relocates the pallet or receptacle to the destination location within the cargo area.

The present application proposes an improved position sensor, a conveying device comprising the same and a method for position correction by using the same. The position sensor includes at least two light emitters, a light receiver array and a pedestal, the pedestal having a central plane and at least two sloping surfaces tilting towards a center of the pedestal at opposite edges, the at least two light emitters being arranged on the at least two sloping surfaces respectively, and the light receiver array being arranged on the central plane of the pedestal.

Methods and apparatus for shutting down a conveyor when an article moves past a discharge point are provided. A shutdown device includes a contact member disposed in a spaced relationship with a discharge end of a conveyor comprising a conveyor belt, wherein the contact member extends substantially across a width of the conveyor belt, wherein the contact member is positionable between a first position and a second position, a force regulator coupled to the contact member configured to set a minimum threshold force for moving the contact member from the first position to the second position, and a switch operably connected to the contact member, wherein the contact member causes the switch to toggle the conveyor between an operating mode when the contact member is in the first position and a shutdown mode when the contact member is in the second position.

A method for controlling a variable production line using a skid-type variable workbench and an apparatus for the same. According to the method, a process group including multiple variable workbenches may be organized based on a design, each of the multiple variable workbenches may be mounted on an upper part of a skid board, the skid board may be loaded on a powered line that moves at a regular speed in a fixed direction, the skid board may be moved in consideration of a position of a worker responsible for each process and a work state of the process group, and movement of a target variable workbench may be stopped by removing a skid board, on which the target variable workbench corresponding to an unload instruction in the process group is mounted, from the powered line when the unload instruction is input by a worker.

A variable spacing device includes a support member, a driving member, a number of movable graspers, a limiting block, and a pushing block. The movable graspers are slidably mounted in a line on the support member. Each movable grasper grasps a workpiece. The limiting block is mounted on the support member and arranged in parallel with the pushing member. The limiting block defines first sliding grooves having a length gradually decreasing along a same direction. The pushing block defines second sliding grooves having a length gradually increasing along a same direction. Each movable grasper moves within a corresponding one of the first sliding grooves and a corresponding one of the second sliding grooves. Two sidewalls of each first sliding groove and two sidewalls of each second sliding groove resist movement of the corresponding movable grasper.

A system for robotic sorting includes a bin system comprising a plurality of bins for holding items to be sorted, where each bin is configured to hold more than one of the items. The system further includes an item handling system configured to travel to each of the plurality of bins. The item handling system utilizes a vacuum force to remove an item held in one of the plurality of bins. The item handling system further utilizes one or more curvature generation devices to enable card manipulation. Additionally, the system includes a drive system coupled to the item handling system. The drive system is configured to move and position the item handling system over each of the plurality of bins. The system also includes a control system coupled to the drive system and the item handling system. The control system controls movement of the item handling system and the drive system.

A holding nozzle is provided with a suction member including a suction portion which comes into contact with a panel and a shaft portion communicated with the suction portion, an accommodation portion in which the shaft portion is accommodated, a suction member support portion supporting the shaft portion such that the suction member is movable with respect to the accommodation portion, a negative pressure connection portion to which a negative pressure generator is connected, and a communication member accommodated in the accommodation portion between the negative pressure connection portion and the suction member support portion and has a hollow portion which is a portion of a flow path through which a fluid is flowed. The communication member includes a first connection portion connected to the negative pressure connection portion, a second connection portion connected to the shaft portion, and a contractible portion installed between the first and second connection portions.