An automatic storage and retrieval system includes: a delivery vehicle; a storage container carried by the delivery vehicle; and an unloading station for unloading an item from the storage container while it is being carried by the delivery vehicle. The unloading station includes: an unloading device; and a destination conveyor configured to convey the item to a target destination, wherein the unloading device is configured to move the item through a side opening of the storage container to the destination conveyor.

A process and system for handling biological tissue samples through work stations in which at least one work stations includes a plurality of independent work locations. The handling system includes a main transport apparatus operatively connected to input and output stations and to the work stations for moving bidirectionally the samples among these; a plurality of secondary transport apparatuses operatively connected to the main transport apparatus and each respectively operatively connected to independent work locations of one of the work stations and configured to move bidirectionally the samples among these; and a control arrangement of the transport apparatuses for managing routing and handling of the samples in the work stations according to a work protocol associated with the samples and for managing routing and handling of the samples in the work locations according to a workload of the work locations and the work protocol associated with the samples.

A mechanised container for use in a robotic storage and picking system is described. The container includes a base openable to deposit at least one item from the container in to a further container positioned by a load handling device beneath the first container. Each item can be stored in such mechanised containers in stacks within a robotic storage and picking system.

A two-dimensional rail system includes a first set of parallel rails arranged to guide movement of container handling vehicles in a first direction across the top of the frame structure, and a second set of parallel rails arranged perpendicular to the first set of rails to guide movement of the container handling vehicles in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. The first and second sets of parallel rails dividing the rail system into a plurality of grid cells. A container handling vehicle for operation on the rail system includes a wheel base unit including sets of wheels for guiding the container handling vehicle along the rail system in the first and second directions; a body unit; and a lifting device. The body unit includes: a lower section which is provided on the wheel base unit; a support section extending vertically from the lower section; and a cantilever section extending horizontally from the support section. The lower section has a footprint with a horizontal extent which is equal to or less than the horizontal extent of one of the grid cells and a top surface which is at a first height. The support section has a footprint with a horizontal extent which is smaller than the footprint of the lower section. The cantilever section extends beyond the footprint of the lower section. The lifting device includes a lifting frame that is suspended from the cantilever section of the body unit. The lifting frame has a lowermost part at a second height when the lifting frame is docked in an upper position adjacent the cantilever section. The second height of the lowermost part of the lifting frame, when the lifting frame is docked in its upper position, is above the first height of the top surface of the lower section of the body unit.

A process system of a follower fixture for tank moving support is provided and includes a conveying table slidably provided with a bearing platform through a screw slide rail assembly and provided with an outer frame assembly; a lifting platform is slidably installed in the outer frame assembly; positions of the lifting platform and the bearing platform are corresponded up and down; the outer frame assembly is slidably provided with a robot component; both sides of the conveying table are provided with loading platforms; workpieces are placed on one loading platform, and a fixture system is placed on the other loading platform; the fixture system and the workpieces are both placed in the moving range of the robot component, and positions of the fixture system and the workpieces are corresponded. problems including processing flexibility cannot be realized can be solved.

A container handling system includes first and second rotary machines each comprising transport elements for transporting containers along first and second conveying paths, where the second conveying path is downstream of the first conveying path, a memory device, and a control device configured to determine during transport of a container that first and second transport elements transport containers in the first and second rotary machines and to store identifiers assigned to the first and second transport elements in the memory device, to ascertain whether an error is occurring during transport of the container through the container handling system, and to retrieve a stored identifier from the memory device if it is ascertained that the error has occurred.

A method and a device for buffering containers grouped in a single row in a filling system are described. For this purpose, the containers are entered into storage on at least one infeed conveyor belt in the infeed direction, moved in a single row onto a transversely adjoining buffer area by rail-guided and individually driven shuttles with row pushers in a buffering direction running transverse to the infeed direction, and are removed from storage on at least one outfeed conveyor belt transversely adjoining in the buffering direction. Due to the fact that the row pushers receive the containers in a single row in a guide channel formed/defined by an anterior row guide leading in the buffering direction and by a trailing posterior row guide, the groups of containers can be moved in the buffering direction and positioned precisely, quickly and secured against falling over without back pressure.

Provided is an apparatus for transporting objects and in particular containers and/or liquid containers with a first conveyor device which is arranged at least temporarily below the objects to be conveyed and which conveys the objects, wherein the conveyor device includes a point device, and a feed section which conveys the objects to the point device, and wherein the objects are selectively conveyable along at least a first discharge section and a second discharge section by the point device, wherein the feed section extends substantially rectilinearly and wherein the first discharge section follows the feed section in a rectilinear manner and the second discharge section deviates from the rectilinear course of the feed section, and wherein the apparatus includes a selection tool for selectively conveying the objects onto the first discharge section or the second discharge section.

Systems and methods are described for securely monitoring a shipping container for an environmental anomaly using elements of a wireless node network of sensor-based ID nodes disposed within the container and a command node associated with the container. The method has the command node identifying which of the ID nodes are confirmed as trusted sensors based upon a security credential specific to each of the ID nodes; monitoring only the confirmed ID nodes for sensor data broadcast those ID nodes; detecting the anomaly based upon the sensor data from at least one of the confirmed ID nodes; automatically generating an alert notification related to the detected environmental anomaly for the shipping container; and transmitting the alert notification to the external transceiver to initiate a mediation response related to the detected environmental anomaly.

A conveying member for a conveyor includes a conveying element with a main surface, and a roller mechanism having a roller holder and at least one roller with a physical roller pivot. The roller holder can interact with an actuating device, is arranged on the conveying element and is designed such that the roller pivot is movable relative to the main surface of the conveying element between a first position and a second position. In the first and second positions of the roller pivot, the roller projects partly beyond the main surface of the conveying element. In the first position of the roller pivot, the roller assumes an arrested position in which rotation of the roller is arrested, and in the second position of the roller pivot, the roller assumes a freewheel position in which the roller rotates freely.