A high-speed method and system for inspecting a stream of parts using at least one transparent traveling carrier of a conveyor subsystem are provided. The subsystem has a forward reach and a return reach. The method includes controllably receiving a stream of parts in rapid succession on the at least one traveling carrier and utilizing the subsystem to transfer the stream of parts in rapid succession to a part inspection station. The bottom surface of each part is illuminated through its traveling carrier with radiant energy when the part is located at the inspection station to generate reflected radiation signals which travel through its traveling carrier. A bottom image of each illuminated bottom surface is formed from the reflected radiation signals at an imaging location between the forward and return reaches at the inspection station. The bottom images are detected at the imaging location.

A plurality of three-dimensional (3D) cameras is deployed about a zone through which freight is conveyed to a shipping container. The 3D cameras have sensors with fields of view over which a plurality of point clouds of voxels are captured from the freight. A server combines the point clouds to obtain a composite point cloud of the freight, encloses the composite point cloud with a bounding box having dimensions, and dimensions the freight from the dimensions of the bounding box. An optional scale weighs the freight while it is being dimensioned and moved through the zone.

A production method and system performing the production method, the method includes detecting integrity of a hermetic seal of a container that is being transported by a conveyor, the container including an elastically deformable cup containing a product and a fluid, and having an open mouth and a deformable lid attached around the open mouth of the cup, the detecting including squeezing the cup to pressurize the fluid contained in the container; and determining with a detector whether the squeezing caused the lid to deform; and when it is determined that the squeezing failed to deform the lid, removing the container from the conveyor.

A road barrier transfer machine includes an improved capstan control system that reduces unwanted migration of road barrier spans without requiring inaccurate visual observations and reliance on outdated scripts. The barrier transfer machine includes a moveable chassis, an entry snout, an exit snout, a conveyor system, a capstan system, and the capstan control system. The capstan control system automatically operates the capstan system or provides instructions to an operator of the machine to maintain the tension and compression of a road barrier span within desired ranges to reduce unwanted migration of the span.

An article processing apparatus includes: a configuration determination unit configured to determine a configuration of at least one transport unit including articles and stacked article groups each including a pallet, and at least one of the articles placed on the pallet, wherein first article groups are article groups excluding uppermost one of the stacked article groups; a palletizing mechanism configured to place the at least one of the articles on the pallet so as to form each of the stacked article groups; and a stacking mechanism configured to stack the article groups formed by the palletizing mechanism so as to form the transport unit, wherein the configuration determination unit is configured to determine the configuration of the at least one transport unit such that a load applied to each of the first article groups is smaller than a load index set to each of the first article groups.

A storage setup and method for robotic delivery and retrieval of crates from shelving blocks are disclosed. At least one shelving block in the setup comprises non-uniformly spaced apart storage surfaces. The storage surfaces are accessible to lift-robots. A computerized control system is configured to differentiate between storage locations based on which crate sizes from at least two different ranges of crate sizes a storage location can store. The storage may be automatically optimized by routing robots to store crates in storage locations sized in correlation with the size of the crate to be stored.

A method and a system for detecting consignments or items which cannot be conveyed by a conveying system cost-effectively detect non-conveyable items for a materials handling system. A conveyor section and a light grid or curtain or comparable measuring assembly are configured and disposed in such a way that a consignment or item can be conveyed on the conveyor section through the light grid or curtain, so that a data structure characterizing the consignment or item can be generated by the light grid or curtain and fed into the detection system. The detection system is adapted to judge whether the consignment or item is conveyable or not based on the data structure.

A system is provided. The system includes a conveyor apparatus configured for conveying a material and a water content measurement system positioned about the conveyor apparatus for determining water content in the material. A dimension characteristic measurement system for detecting one or more dimension characteristics of the material is provided and a computer device is configured to manipulate data received from the water content measurement system and the dimension characteristic measurement system to determine a water content of the material.

An arrangement and method for storing items is provided which may be applied, for example, in the storage of postal packages and the like. The size of an item to be stored is detected and the item is placed inside a storage structure in sufficient, but not excessive, space. In the arrangement and method, at least two, preferably three, dimensions of the item in directions perpendicular to each other are considered to determine the space in which to store it. Correspondingly, the storage structure of the arrangement comprises a plurality of vertical racks in which rack groups are present in which compartments of different width, and possibly of different depth, can be defined. The racks can possibly be mounted on rotatable platforms to further increase the capacity of the storage structure.

A conveyor system (4, 5) moves vertical poles (2) in an agricultural facility between a growing area (20) and a workstation (W). Each pole carries plant growing containers (3) at multiple levels (H1-H9). An irrigation reservoir (30) may be mounted atop each pole. Irrigation lines (31-33) from the reservoir may be individually metered (35) at each level to compensate for differing water pressure with height. Sensors (40) in the reservoir and at each level of the poles may provide a controller (36) with data input. The controller may impose different growing conditions in different areas of the facility, including vertically different grow areas (20A, 20B), and controls pole movements and locations selectively to provide a sequence of poles at the workstation ready to harvest on a demand schedule. The workstation may have multiple heights (W1, W2, W3) for tall poles that increase plant density per facility footprint.