An unscrambler machine receives a load of wooden boards in its hopper. The unscrambler steadily dispenses one board at a time onto a grading “waterfall” conveyor. When the board leaves the unscrambler, it is relatively aligned, but not always adequately aligned, perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor. In the case that multiple tiered “waterfall” conveyors are used, the board is cascaded down each waterfall configuration and will continue to be straightened out by nature of the effect of gravity on the board as it slides down to encounter the conveyor chain of each conveyor tier.

An apparatus for unloading tote contents is provided. The apparatus includes an arm assembly, a door assembly connected to the arm assembly, and first and second drivers configured to rotate the arm assembly and the door assembly about first and second axes, respectively. The arm assembly is configured to pick up a tote from a first conveyor belt. The door assembly is configured to secure at least one item within the tote and provide a ramp for unloading the at least one item from the tote onto a second conveyor belt.

Disclosed is device for orienting at least one object, comprising: a fixed frame, conveying means defining a conveying surface to contact a bottom portion of object and convey object along a first direction; and rotating means selectively actuatable for creating on bottom portion a differential speed causing the rotation of object about a first axis transversal to first direction. The rotating means comprise a contact element that is fixed or movable along first direction with a differential speed relative to conveying means. The contact element is selectively movable with respect to conveying surface between: a first configuration, protruding from conveying surface along first axis, so as to contact bottom portion of object and to cause the rotation of object about first axis; and a second configuration, offset from conveying surface along first axis. The contact element is free to oscillate around a second axis parallel to first direction.

A transport system for cylindrical products to be labelled includes a first conveyor and a second conveyor. The first conveyor has pairs of support members for supporting the cylindrical products, which are predisposed parallel to one another and mutually distanced so as to identify a free space between them. The second conveyor is a looped conveyor having an upper branch and arranged with the free space present between the pairs of support members and comprises pairs of idle rollers which, when moving along the upper branch, are interposed with each support member pair. The upper branch has an ascending portion so that the rollers can abut the products transported by the support member pairs and raise the products from the housings so that the products are supported only by idle rollers when they transit at an abutting means of a label applicator.

Disclosed is a production system for spectacle lenses made from spectacle lens blanks, having a left-hand outer transport track, multiple left-hand processing devices which are arranged on the left-hand side next to the left-hand outer transport track, a right-hand outer transport track, and a central transport track which is arranged between the left-hand outer transport track and the right-hand outer transport track. The transport direction of the left-hand outer transport track and the transport direction of the right-hand outer transport track are identical, and the transport direction of the central transport track is opposite to the transport directions of the left-hand outer transport track and the right-hand outer transport track or can be reversed. The multiple right-hand processing devices are arranged on the right-hand side next to the right-hand outer transport track. A processing device pair made of left-hand and right-hand processing devices is paired with a transfer device.

The present invention relates to a conveyor device, comprising a surface for receiving products that is longitudinally wound around drive means in the form of at least one first drive roller and around at least one return roller, characterized in that said receiving surface comprises a first independent section and a second independent section, said first section extending along a first part of the length of said surface, by winding around said first drive roller and around said return roller, said second section extending along a second part of the length of said surface, distinct from said first part, by winding around a second drive roller. The invention further relates to a dedicated method for conveying products, where the advancing speeds of the sections are controlled independently of each other.

Asynchronous conveyor networks serving as inter-process transport mechanisms eliminate transport capacity constraints of vehicle-based systems in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing environments. Demand variability may be buffered without the use of off-line-storage such as stockers. The variability in wait times for transport service is also eliminated. Overall factory cycle times are thus reduced while manufacturing capacity is simultaneously increased. An autonomous conveyor network automated materials handling system combines clean frictionless conveyor principles with a unique network layout to fulfill the logistics requirements of IC manufacturing environments. Mechanical conveyor-to-tool interfaces, also referred to as equipment delivery interfaces (EDi's), bridge the conveyor network to individual tools. An operating software module integrates the functionality of the conveyor network and EDi's. The result is a full capability factory logistics system.

An article storage facility includes a first multilevel rack including first shelves; a second multilevel rack including second shelves; a standby station that is disposed between the first multilevel rack and the second multilevel rack and include a standby conveyor; a transfer shuttle that transfers articles between the standby conveyor, the first shelves, and the second shelves; a first raising and lowering apparatus that is disposed between the first multilevel rack and the standby station and includes a first raising and lowering mechanism that raises and lowers a first raising and lowering conveyor that transfers the articles to and from the standby conveyor- and a second raising and lowering apparatus that is disposed between the second multilevel rack and the standby station and includes a second raising and lowering mechanism that raises and lowers a second raising and lowering conveyor that transfers the articles to and from the standby conveyor.

Example systems and methods for automated delivery of a food and/or beverage from a kitchen may be directed to a first vertically extending elevator configured to transport a payload to and from the kitchen. The payload may include a food and/or a beverage. Example systems also may include a laterally extending conveyor configured to transport the payload laterally from the first elevator to a second elevator. The second elevator is configured to transport the payload from the conveyor to a customer delivery window.

The present invention provides a telescopic conveyor (1) having at least two conveyor belts (10). Said belts are arranged one above the other and can be moved relative to one another in the longitudinal direction. Each conveyor belt (10) here has a frame (11), a circulatory belt (12) and a first deflecting roller (13) at a first end (A), and a second deflecting roller (14) at a second end (B), of the conveyor belt (10), wherein the second end (B) is a transfer end of the conveyor belt (10), and wherein a bridging device (2, 2) is provided between in each case two adjacent conveyor belts (10) located one above the other, and said device bridges, at least to some extent, the difference in height (H) between the two conveyor belts (10) arranged one above the other, it being necessary for said difference in height to be overcome at the transfer end. The bridging device (2) comprises a ramp (3, 3) with a slope (S) and also a first deflecting roller (4), which is arranged at the higher end of the ramp (3, 3), as well as a first holding-down device (5), which is arranged beneath the first deflecting roller (4), and also a second holding-down device (7) at the foot of the ramp (3, 3). The circulatory belt (12) of the respectively lower conveyor belt (10) is guided, from a conveying plane (E1) beneath the second holding-down device (7), over the ramp (3, 3) with the slope (S) and, from there, is deflected over the first deflecting roller (4) and guided back to the conveying plane (E1) beneath the first holding-down device (5). The slope (S) of the ramp (3, 3) continues in stepless fashion tangentially along the circulatory belt (12) of the conveyor belt (10) located above, said circulatory belt being guided over its second end-side deflecting roller (14).