An automated warehouse has a main path, secondary paths, a main vehicle movable along the main path, one or more auxiliary vehicles movable along the secondary paths, and an access point. On each vehicle a wireless device receiving and sending wireless signals and a control unit associated with safety modules including a safety-certified watchdog timer and a counter are installed. The wireless devices send check signals containing the value of the counter of the respective vehicle to the access point, which sends signals in response to received check signals When a response signal is received from a wireless device, the respective counter is incremented and the associated watchdog timer starts to measure time when the value of the counter differs from the value received via check signals. Each control unit de-energizes the respective vehicle when a time longer than a predetermined time is detected via the watchdog timer.

A transport conveyor includes an upstream conveyor section, a downstream conveyor section, and a relay conveyor section having an orientation changeable between a connecting orientation, in which the relay conveyor section in a gap region to connect the upstream conveyor section to the downstream conveyor section, and an open orientation, in which the relay conveyor section is in a non-overlapping region that does not overlap a movement path to open the gap region. A support axis is above a drive axis, and a link mechanism is configured such that when the relay conveyor section is in the connecting orientation, a first pivot axis is below a reference virtual plane connecting the drive axis to a second pivot axis.

A control unit provided in an automated warehouse system includes a misalignment determination unit that, after storage of an article in a storage rack, determines whether or not an article is estimated to have been subjected to vibration exceeding a predetermined threshold value, and a misalignment correction instruction unit that, if the misalignment determination unit determined that the article is estimated to have been subjected to vibration exceeding the predetermined threshold value, outputs a control signal to a transport device to drive the transport device to execute a misalignment correction operation with respect to the placement position of the article.

A transportation system having a transportation space including destinations distributed in the transportation space, multiple independent automated vehicles configured for free roving through the transportation space to and between the destinations so that the vehicles are dynamically distributed through the transportation space, a control system communicably connected via a remote communication link to each of the vehicles and having a system controller that addresses each vehicle to different destinations, and the control system having a vehicle accountant controller separate and distinct from the system controller and configured to independently register a dynamic location of at least one of the vehicles, selected from the multiple vehicles in the transportation space, and command shutdown, via the remote communication link, to only the selected at least one vehicle at the registered location if the registered location corresponds to a predetermined location.

The invention relates to a rack storage system comprising storage racks which form storage locations for unit loads, which storage locations are arranged next to one another on storage planes located on top of one another (4), which storage racks comprise either exclusively outer storage racks (2a) or outer storage racks (2a) and inner storage racks (2b) and are installed in a stationary manner on a bottom plate (9), one or multiple rack aisles between the storage racks in an x-direction, automated storage and retrieval units (7) for transporting unit loads and building walls (30, 32) which are mounted on the outer storage racks via a support structure and form wall elements (31). The support structure comprises profiled support elements (36) affixed, by means of spacers (35, 35a, 35b), to the outer storage rack. The wall elements are mounted on the profiled support elements. Each profiled support element is affixed, by means of respectively one spacer, to the outer storage rack (2a) in mounting regions (37) provided separate from one another. An adjustment means (50, 50a, 50b, 51) is additionally provided per spacer, by means of which adjustment means (50, 50a, 50b, 51) a horizontal distance (40) between a profiled support element (36) and the outer storage rack (2a) is adjustable, and one fixing means (53) is additionally provided per spacer, by means of which fixing means (53) the adjusted horizontal distance is fixable.

A materials handling vehicle includes a camera, an odometry module to generate odometry data, a processor, and a drive mechanism. The camera captures images of an identifier for a racking system aisle and at least a rack leg portion positioned in the aisle. The processor uses the identifier to generate information indicative of an initial rack leg position and rack leg spacing in the aisle, generate an initial vehicle position using the initial rack leg position, generate a vehicle odometry-based position in the aisle using odometry data and the initial vehicle position, detect a subsequent rack leg using a captured image, correlate the detected subsequent rack leg with an expected vehicle position using rack leg spacing, generate an odometry error signal based on a difference between the expected vehicle position and the vehicle odometry-based position, and update the vehicle odometry-based position using the odometry error signal.

A belt conveyor device for conveying food products includes a frame, a conveyor belt and a drive device configured to drive the conveyor belt. The drive device includes a drive roller configured to drive the conveyor belt, a first deflecting roller configured to guide the conveyor belt, a second deflecting roller configured to guide the conveyor belt, and a first locking device configured to secure the first deflecting roller in an operating position, and a first engagement guard configured to cover a first gap between the first deflecting roller and the conveyor belt when the first locking device secures the first deflecting roller in the operating position.

The present invention relates to an automatic height adjusting manifold, and in particular to a manifold that is adjustable to be located adjacent to a workpiece. A conveyor can have an overhead structure that supports a concealer such as a canopy or removable doors. A sizing device measures the height of a workpiece. The sizing device is outside of the work areas of the machine. A height safety is provided to make sure that no workpieces taller than the measured piece enter the machine. There are liquid bays and blowoff bays within the machine. The blowoff bay has an air knife or other manifold device. A height system is provided and is adjustable to correlate with the measured height at the sizing device. A string potentiometer can be used for an air knife position feedback to the programmable logic controller (PLC).

A robotic line kitting system is disclosed. In various embodiments, a sensor reading associated with a force sensor associated with a robotic instrumentality comprising the robotic line kitting system is received. It is determined based at least in part on the sensor reading that a condition requiring human intervention has been detected. A task to be performed by a human worker to correct the condition is scheduled.

A robotic line kitting system is disclosed. In various embodiments, data indicating for each of a plurality of operating zones comprising a workspace with which the robotic line kitting system is associated a corresponding safety state information is stored. The data is used to dynamically schedule and perform tasks associated with a higher level objective, including by operating the one or more robotic instrumentalities in one or more operating zones, if any, indicated by said data to currently be available to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities and by not operating the one or more robotic instrumentalities in one or more operating zones, if any, indicated by said data to not currently be available to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities.