A receiving bin for a sorting machine is movable between an operative configuration and an inoperative configuration. In the operative configuration, the receiving bin is configurable for receiving a rejected product from the sorting machine. In an inoperative configuration, the receiving bin is configurable for servicing and maintenance. The receiving bin has an inlet chute, a transfer chute, and, optionally, a mechanism of altering the configuration connects the inlet chute and the transfer chute. In one arrangement, the inlet chute and the transfer chute are sufficiently exposed to a waterjet during a cleaning event, for maintaining aseptic conditions and a hygienic environment. This is especially useful the sorting machine is commissioned in a production plant where food items such as meat, fish, or dairy products are processed and packaged.

Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

Device for driving vertical units which are suspended from a guide rail for growing plants, wherein each unit comprises a first engagement element. Drive means cause the displacement members, each of which comprise a row of second engagement elements, to alternatively perform a first, outward movement and a second, inward movement. The first and second engagement elements are configured such that they engage with each other in such a way during this first movement that the units are displaced and are not displaced during the second movement. The second engagement elements are provided across the entire operating area of the one or more displacement members in such a way that the mutual distance increases. In this way, the units are guided through a growing space, with the mutual distance automatically being increased in order to give the plants more space as the growing process progresses.

A system to retain a bag within a container when rotated by a chute is provided. The system includes a linkage that pivots a second arm and a hook between a release position and a holding position, the linkage comprising an input, a first arm, and the second arm that supports the hook, and a fixed plate. The input is connected to a first arm such that movement of the input pivots the first arm. The second arm is pivotably connected to the first arm at a second end of the first arm, a spring is disposed at the pivotable connection between the first and second arms and is provided to bias the second arm toward a position where the second arm extends along a line that is substantially co-linear with a longitudinal axis through the first arm. The hook extends from an extended end portion of the second arm.

A device and a method for separating materials. The device includes a material receiving plate arranged to receive materials to be separated, a first pair of supporting members coupled to opposite sides of the material receiving plate via respective pendulum rods, and a second pair of supporting members coupled to the opposite sides of the material receiving plate via respective pendulum rods and spaced apart from the first pair of supporting members. The device also includes a driving mechanism and a transmission mechanism.

A configurable assembly is provided for conveying products along a longitudinal direction; the assembly has a supporting structure and at least two conveyor units; at least one of said units is provided with at least two tracks which receive, in use, respective products and diverge from or converge towards each other along a lateral direction, proceeding longitudinally from an inlet to an outlet; the units are movable with respect to the supporting structure by the action of an actuator device between a working area and at least one storage area, so as to selectively arrange one of said units in the working area.

The application discloses a method for replacing seedbed culture substrate and a conveyor belt seedbed, the flatbed truck is used to receive the dropped culture substrate at the end of the conveyor belt that has been driven all the time, without manual removal by workers. The conveyor belt continues to drive until the flatbed truck is fully loaded or only when the culture substrate on the conveyor belt is emptied, only need to place the flatbed truck full of culture substrate at the head end of the conveyor belt when placing new culture substrate, and turn on the conveyor belt, which speeds up the efficiency of replacing the culture substrate, and this method only requires one person can complete the replacement of the culture substrate on the seedbed, which solves the technical problem that the existing method of replacing the culture substrate is to manually remove the culture substrate on the seedbed, which leads to the long time for replacing the culture substrate and low work efficiency.

In a textile for a non-woven fabric, the obverse surface side on which the non-woven fabric is conveyed is coated with a rubber resin classified into the R group of JISK6397 (rubber having an unsaturated carbon bond on the main chain).

Device for collecting litter or scrapings, in particular flour or meal, comprising a collecting chute for receiving litter or scrapings, extending in a width direction, a movable catching body extending diagonally from a highest part to a lowest part over an area in which the litter or granule is to be collected and where the lowest part is adjacent to the collecting chute or connects to the collecting chute or discharges into the chute, and a drive unit for moving the receiving body.

An apparatus for conveying articles comprising: a conveying surface comprising a plurality of electrically magnetizable elements; a plurality of units for conveying articles, movable on said conveying surface, each conveying unit being defined by a first transport element and a second transport element configured to be coupled with each other and to define together a seat for housing articles, the first and the second transport element comprising each at least one magnetic element; a control unit, connected to said electrically magnetizable elements of the conveying surface to activate and deactivate them, so as to generate a variable predetermined magnetic field on said conveying surface and to allow consequently the movement of said first transport element and second transport element above said conveying surface.