A Solar power plant construction method includes a string formation step of arranging solar modules delivered to an assembly plant on support frames to form planar solar strings, a conveyance step of stacking the solar strings in a container and loading the container on a container truck to convey the container to a power plant site, and a solar string installation step of transferring the container delivered to the power plant site to a site machine and measuring distances and directions between a crane included in the site machine placed at a predetermined position of a stand array group for mounting solar array provided in the power plant site and stands to pull up the solar strings by the crane of the site machine to sequentially distribute the solar strings to respective stand positions measured in the stand position measurement step to form and fix a solar array.

A method for supplying plate elements to a machine for processing the plate elements, from an initial pile of elements, the method includes: pushing a first batch of plate elements, from the top of the pile, downstream until the first batch comes at a storage capable of storing the first pushed batch, and simultaneously, displacing the storage downstream over a distance corresponding to the length of the first batch to separate the first batch from the pile; and thereafter transferring the elements of the first batch one after the other to the machine.

A tilt hoist system for breaking down a lumber stack having tiers of lumber. The tilt hoist system includes a tilt hoist apparatus to successively bring a topmost tier thereof at a release location, an outfeed, a transition assembly for guiding each tier of lumber to the outfeed, and a transition assembly controller. The transition assembly includes an inclined transition track having a top end positioned to receive each tier of lumber from the tilt hoist apparatus, and a bottom end adjacent to the outfeed. The transition assembly also includes movable retaining arms configurable in a top end configuration in which the retaining arms are positioned to hold said topmost tier at the release location and a bottom end configuration in which the retaining arms are positioned past the bottom end of the transition track. A retaining arm actuator is operatively connected to move the retaining arms.

Warehouse automation and methods of handling materials can be used to make depalletization processes more safe and efficient. In some examples, the depalletization systems can include a U-shaped platform lift that supports one or more workers and that defines a location for a pallet of boxes to be unloaded or depalletized. The U-shaped platform lift can be raised and/or lowered to position the workers at the optimal elevations for transferring, with minimal lifting, the boxes from the pallet to a system of conveyors. Such systems are also reconfigurable in multiple ways to further minimize the manual lifting required for the depalletization process as well as the throughput of the depalletization process.

Warehouse automation and methods of handling materials can be used to make depalletization processes more safe and efficient. In some examples, the depalletization systems can include a U-shaped platform lift that supports one or more workers and that defines a location for a pallet of boxes to be unloaded or depalletized. The U-shaped platform lift can be raised and/or lowered to position the workers at the optimal elevations for transferring, with minimal lifting, the boxes from the pallet to a system of conveyors. Such systems are also reconfigurable in multiple ways to further minimize the manual lifting required for the depalletization process as well as the throughput of the depalletization process.

A layer destacking system for destacking layer from stacked layer pallet load, including layer seating platform configured to seat the destacked layer on layer seating platform, conveying surface with conveyance traverse direction traverses the seated destacked layer off layer seating platform, slip sheet detection sensor coupled to layer seating platform and arranged to sense slip sheet in contact with seated destacked layer on uppermost surface and bottom surface of seated destacked layer, slip sheet pickup removal mechanism extending over layer seating platform configured to engage, above layer seating platform, slip sheet contacting one uppermost surface and bottom surface of seated destacked layer controller communicably coupled to slip sheet detection sensor to receive signal from slip sheet detection sensor identifying presence of slip sheet, controller is operably connected to slip sheet pickup removal mechanism to actuate slip sheet pickup removal mechanism engaging slip sheet contacting one uppermost surface and bottom surface.

A solar panel installation system comprising a solar panel presentation system comprising a solar panel dispensing hopper having a hopper enclosure; and a solar panel installation vehicle operable with the solar panel presentation system, and operable to support the solar panel dispensing hopper, and to maneuver about a solar panel support assembly comprising one or more solar panel retention systems which can be oriented transverse to a torque tube of the solar panel support assembly, wherein the installation vehicle is operable to position the solar panel dispensing hopper in an overhead position relative to the one or more solar panel retention systems, and to facilitate installation of a lead solar panel in an installed position in one of the one or more panel retention systems from the overhead position.

An overhead loading and unloading system (1) and method for handling pallets (2). The system comprises a pickup station (3), a loading station (4), a storage station (5) for storing protective sheets (S), and an automatically controlled linear gantry robot (6). The gantry robot comprises a robot arm (12) provided with a gripper (13) comprising forks (23) for handling the pallets and a vacuum gripper (24) for handling the protective sheets. The robot arm transports the pallets on the forks from the pickup station to the loading station and stacks the pallets in several layers (L). The robot arm implements the vacuum gripper for placing the protective sheets between the stacked layers.

A solar panel installation system comprising a solar panel presentation system comprising a solar panel dispensing hopper having a hopper enclosure; and a solar panel installation vehicle operable with the solar panel presentation system, and operable to support the solar panel dispensing hopper, and to maneuver about a solar panel support assembly comprising one or more solar panel retention systems which can be oriented transverse to a torque tube of the solar panel support assembly, wherein the installation vehicle is operable to position the solar panel dispensing hopper in an overhead position relative to the one or more solar panel retention systems, and to facilitate installation of a lead solar panel in an installed position in one of the one or more panel retention systems from the overhead position.

A solar panel installation system comprising a solar panel presentation system comprising a solar panel dispensing hopper having a hopper enclosure; and a solar panel installation vehicle operable with the solar panel presentation system, and operable to support the solar panel dispensing hopper, and to maneuver about a solar panel support assembly comprising one or more solar panel retention systems which can be oriented transverse to a torque tube of the solar panel support assembly, wherein the installation vehicle is operable to position the solar panel dispensing hopper in an overhead position relative to the one or more solar panel retention systems, and to facilitate installation of a lead solar panel in an installed position in one of the one or more panel retention systems from the overhead position.