A conveyor system including a fixed, non-powered rail defining a conveyor path, and a plurality of automated conveyor carriers supported on the rail. Each carrier includes an on-board motor and electrical power source selectively powering the motor to drive the carrier along the rail. Each of the plurality of ACCs operates to power the on-board motor from the on-board electrical power source under the direction of instructions programmed to a local controller on the respective ACC. Wherein each of the local controllers of the respective ACCs is programmed to carry out independent power level management for its own on-board electrical power source and configured to selectively operate an adaptive low power indicator to communicate a low power status based only in part on the power level of the on-board battery and further based on one or more parameters of a current work cycle.

A packaging machine having several work stations, a transport chain and a chain deflection pulley on which the transport chain is mounted. The transport chain comprises chain clips, each chain clip having an upper part and a lower part, wherein the upper part and/or the lower part may be moveable relative to each other to move the chain clips between an open position and a closed position. The material blank may be introduced into the open chain clips and secured in the closed chain clips to transport the material blank in a direction of transport using the transport chain. A chain opening mechanism may be actively and operably changed between an opening state and a closing state in order to open and close at least one chain clip disposed on a planar oriented section of the transport chain and/or to maintain an already opened chain clip in an open state.

A packaging machine having several work stations, a transport chain and a chain deflection pulley on which the transport chain is mounted. The transport chain comprises chain clips, each chain clip having an upper part and a lower part, wherein the upper part and/or the lower part may be moveable relative to each other to move the chain clips between an open position and a closed position. The material blank may be introduced into the open chain clips and secured in the closed chain clips to transport the material blank in a direction of transport using the transport chain. A chain opening mechanism may be actively and operably changed between an opening state and a closing state in order to open and close at least one chain clip disposed on a planar oriented section of the transport chain and/or to maintain an already opened chain clip in an open state.

A conveyor system utilizes a curved, closed-loop pathway defined by a profiled track and a plurality of wheel cars movably contained within and guided by the profiled track. The wheel cars have an attachment side facing towards an open side of the profiled track, and the track is arranged such that its open side faces into a substantially horizontal direction and such that the attachment side of said cars is oriented substantially vertically in any position along the pathway. One or more carriers, each having a carrier rack adapted to support a food product to be transported, are mounted to the attachment side of a respective one of the wheel cars. The carriers can pivot about an axis perpendicular to the attachment side of the corresponding car so as to maintain the carrier rack in a horizontal position as the carrier travels along the pathway.

An apparatus (10, 60) for storage of elongate elements, such as pipes, tubes and conduits. The apparatus (10, 60) includes a frame (12) that supports a plurality of trays (15, 63). The trays (15, 63) are arranged in two vertical columns of storage positions, except for the trays located at the top or bottom of the apparatus as they are moved about sprockets (71, 72) by a drive motor (73). Each tray (15, 63) is configured to support a plurality of elongate items. The trays (15, 63, which may embodied as cradles or racks, may be moved between a storage position and an access position, wherein in the access position, the elongate items can be accessed from substantially vertically above the tray (15, 63).

A conveyor installation (100) includes conveyor sections (111), at least one switch (1111) for switching between the conveyor sections (111), a multiplicity of transportation units (110), which extend along the conveyor sections (111), a radio system (101) for spatially tracking the transportation units (110), and a control unit for controlling the conveyor system. (100), the radio system (101) including radio modules (1013) each assigned to a transportation unit (110) and at least one stationary radio device (1011), which are configured for exchanging radio signals, and a processing unit (109), wherein the processing unit (109) is configured to process the radio signals from the radio signals, and the current position of the transportation units (110) along the conveyor sections (111).

A conveyor system comprising a fixed, non-powered rail defining a conveyor path and an automated conveyor carrier (ACC) supported on the rail to be movable along the conveyor path. The ACC includes an on-board motor and an on-board electrical power source selectively powering the on-board motor to drive the ACC along the rail. The ACC may include a wireless sleep mode module operable to selectively shut off power to an on-board ACC controller.

A container transport and delivery system having at least some of an input tower having an input platform capable of vertical movement within at least a portion of the input tower and an input window providing access to the input platform; an output tower having an output platform capable of vertical movement within at least a portion of the output tower and an output window providing access to the output platform; and a transfer section disposed between the input tower and the output tower, wherein a transfer belt, disposed within the transfer section, is capable of receiving an item from the input platform and transferring the received item to the output platform, and wherein a surface of the transfer belt maintains a substantially horizontal position within the output tower.

A container transport and delivery system having at least some of an input tower having an input platform capable of vertical movement within at least a portion of the input tower and an input window providing access to the input platform; an output tower having an output platform capable of vertical movement within at least a portion of the output tower and an output window providing access to the output platform; and a transfer section disposed between the input tower and the output tower, wherein a transfer belt, disposed within the transfer section, is capable of receiving an item from the input platform and transferring the received item to the output platform, and wherein a surface of the transfer belt maintains a substantially horizontal position within the output tower.

The temporary store has circulating continuous chains on both sides of the product conveyor section, said continuous chains running through vertical chain loops via upper and lower deflections. Product carrier gondolas with product carriers are suspended on the chains, said product carriers being used to receive incoming products and convey the products to a product outlet. Each chain runs through an inlet-side and an outlet-side vertical loop. The upper deflections of the chain loops can be moved vertically in opposite directions.