A system for diverting objects traveling along a conveyor includes an upstream conveyor segment having an inlet end and an outlet end and a downstream conveyor segment having an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end of the downstream conveyor segment is located to receive items from the outlet end of the upstream conveyor segment. A conveyor shift mechanism is linked to both the outlet end of the upstream conveyor segment and the inlet end of the downstream conveyor segment for carrying out lateral movement of the outlet end of the upstream conveyor segment in one lateral direction while simultaneously carrying out lateral movement of the inlet end of the downstream conveyor segment in an opposite lateral direction.

A modular deflection device comprises a housing and at least two steering elements for applying a steering action on discrete products moving along a conveyor plane. Each steering element has a swivel section formed about a swivel axis with an associated steering section. A drive with a drive element is provided in the housing for each steering element, each drive element being coupled or capable of being coupled to the swivel section of the associated steering element in such a way that the steering element is set into a swivelling movement about the swivel axis by an advancing movement of the drive element. The steering elements are arranged with their swivel sections outside the housing and a section of each drive element can be pushed in an advancing movement along a straight advancing direction with respect to the housing through its own passage opening leading out of the housing.

A material handling system includes a very high speed linear sortation conveyor that receives articles at an operating speed of 650 to 700 feet per second (fps) and up to 100 fps with gapping as small as one inch. In one or more embodiments, a recirculation sortation conveyor receives articles that are not diverted by the linear sortation conveyor with dynamic capacity sufficient to handle a high speed shutdown of the linear sortation conveyor. The recirculation sortation conveyor is itself a very high speed linear sortation conveyor having a pusher pre-sort feature that can distribute received articles at different lateral positions on an endless conveyor to align with more than one recirculation sortation conveyors that may be operating at a slower operating speed. In an exemplary embodiment, the recirculation sortation conveyor has a divert section for diverting articles to a divert target on a lateral side.

A reservoir (1) for rod-like elements (R) for tobacco industry, configured to be connected to a first feeding duct (2), to a second feeding duct (3) and to a receiving duct (10) for receiving the rod-like elements (R) from the reservoir (1), wherein the reservoir (1) has adjustable capacity and is coupled with filling level sensing means (14, 15) for sensing a filling level of the reservoir (1). The reservoir comprises two chambers (12, 13) having adjustable capacity and separated by a partition (24). The first chamber (12) is coupled with a first filling level sensing means (14) for sensing a filling level of the first chamber (12), and the second chamber (13) is equipped with a second filling level sensing means (15) for sensing a filling level of the second chamber (13).

The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus, and the transfer apparatus includes: a first transfer module holding an object to be transferred on the top thereof and transferring the object to be transferred at a first speed in a longitudinal direction; a second transfer module disposed in parallel with the first transfer module and holding the object to be transferred on the top thereof and transferring the object to be transferred at a second speed in the longitudinal direction; and a blowing module causing air to flow upward/downward below at least one of the first transfer module and the second transfer module.

An orientation changing apparatus includes a transport path along which a transport object is transported and that includes a portion having a space; a changing unit that changes an orientation of the transport object transported toward the space, the changing unit changing the orientation in the space by applying a rotational force to the transport object in a direction that crosses a transporting direction in which the transport object is transported; and a receiving unit that receives the transport object after the orientation of the transport object is changed by the changing unit.

A switch for a conveying line for transporting a laboratory diagnostic vessel carrier is presented. The conveying line comprises a first line portion and a second line portion. The switch comprises a curved first guiding surface and a second guiding surface. The switch is moveable between a first position, in which the laboratory diagnostic vessel carrier is transportable along the curved first guiding surface from the first line portion to the second line portion, and a second position, in which the laboratory diagnostic vessel carrier is further transportable along the second guiding surface on the first line portion. A switch assembly and a conveying line are also disclosed.

A material handling system includes a belted conveyor that longitudinally transports low profile articles. An actuating mechanism selectively positions a counter rotating cylindrical roller brush diagonal across the conveyor surface to divert the low profile articles to a lateral destination off a side of the belted conveyor and can position the cylindrical roller brush away the belted conveyor to allow the low profile articles to transport to a longitudinal destination at a terminal end of the belted conveyor.

The invention relates to device, method and packaging facility having a transport section (17) for feeding article arrangements (5) in a transport direction (TR) to a packaging module (18). The transport section (17) comprises a transfer plate (15), on which the articles (2) of the article arrangements (5) are movable in a sliding manner. Located above the transfer plate (15) are pushing devices (16) for moving the articles (2) on the transfer plate (15), with the pushing devices (16) being movable in transport direction (TR) at least in some areas. The transport section (17) furthermore comprises outer guide elements (20) and inner guide elements (21) disposed on the transfer plate (15), with the outer guide elements (20) laterally delimiting the transport section (17) and, with the inner guide elements (21) being readjustable by at least one readjustment mechanism that is disposed at least partly below the transfer plate (15).

A material handling system includes a very high speed linear sortation conveyor that receives articles at an operating speed of 650 to 700 feet per second (fps) and up to 100 fps with gapping as small as one inch. In one or more embodiments, a recirculation sortation conveyor receives articles that are not diverted by the linear sortation conveyor with dynamic capacity sufficient to handle a high speed shutdown of the linear sortation conveyor. The recirculation sortation conveyor is itself a very high speed linear sortation conveyor having a pusher pre-sort feature that can distribute received articles at different lateral positions on an endless conveyor to align with more than one recirculation sortation conveyors that may be operating at a slower operating speed. In an exemplary embodiment, the recirculation sortation conveyor has a divert section for diverting articles to a divert target on a lateral side.