A method of lining up portions of slices of food, the portions are transported by a belt conveyor on a plurality of tracks along a conveying direction, one of the plurality of tracks is selected as a first reference track, conveying speeds of a remainder of the plurality of tracks excluding the first reference track are adapted in such a way that the portions are arranged in straight rows arranged orthogonally to the conveying direction when the portions reach a lining-up position, and when the lining-up position is reached, the conveying speeds of the plurality of tracks including the first reference track are aligned to one another.

A method and a device for opening a transport bag for loading and/or unloading, wherein the transport bag is conveyed along a conveying path by a conveyor system, in a suspended manner, to a device for opening the transport bag. The transport bag has a front and rear wall and a movable push element, which effects a relative movement of the front and rear wall with respect to one another between a closed bag state and an open bag state. An actively moved push device exerts a pushing force on a first end of the push element of the transport bag and the push element is converted from an idle conformation into a conformation subjected to a pushing force. The front and rear wall are thus moved relative to one another in the direction of an open bag state and the transport bag is opened for loading and/or unloading.

A method for transferring conveyed items from at least one feed conveyor onto an outgoing conveyor, in a transfer region, wherein the at least one feed conveyor includes a conveying member that is driven along a feed conveying stretch, for conveying conveyed items into the transfer region, and the outgoing conveyor includes conveying containers that are movable along a transfer conveying stretch for taking over the conveyed items that are delivered by the at least one feed conveyor. The conveyed items that lie on the conveying member are accelerated relative to the conveying member along the feed conveying stretch towards the transfer region via an acceleration device and for the purpose of delivery of the conveyed items are brought into a cyclically synchronous side-by-side conveying with a conveying container of the outgoing conveyor.

Driverless transport vehicles or DTVs, which are automatically guided vehicles, are gaining importance in the sorting of cargo. A method for loading a driverless transport vehicle with a cargo item in a transfer point, includes loading the DTV with the cargo item by using a known delivery system during the journey of the DTV. In order to prevent cargo items from falling during loading, a higher-level control sets the delivery speed of the cargo item and the speed of travel before the cargo item is transferred to the transport vehicle, such that the delivery speed component of the transport direction is equal to the speed of travel of the transport vehicle. In this way, the continued use of existing delivery systems such as are known under the term HSI (high speed induction) is possible. A system for loading a driverless transport vehicle is also provided.

A material transfer system for a machine having a conveyor adapted to transfer material into a material holding space of a receptacle. The material transfer system also includes an adjustable deflector positioned proximate to a discharge end of the conveyor. The material transfer system further includes a sensor positioned proximate to the discharge end of the conveyor. The sensor is configured to monitor the material holding space of the receptacle. The material transfer system includes a controller communicably coupled with the adjustable deflector and the sensor. The controller is configured to receive a first input signal from at least one of the sensor and a machine operator for adjusting a position of the adjustable deflector, determine an optimal position of the adjustable deflector based on receipt of the first input signal, and generate a first command signal for adjusting the position of the adjustable deflector to the optimal position.

Warehouse automation and methods of automatically sorting and sequencing items can be implemented to streamline and expedite order fulfillment and store replenishment processes in a cost-effective manner. Some embodiments described herein include: (i) picking or retrieving items from an inventory storage area, (ii) decanting individual items and placing them on carriers of a high-speed sorting and conveyance system, and (iii) final sortation as per customer orders. In some embodiments, the high-speed sorting and conveyance system includes multiple shuttles that each carry an individual item to a designated final order sortation system.

Disclosed is an example material transfer vehicle comprising a feeder having a hydraulic motor, a chain actuated by the hydraulic motor, and loading hopper configured to provide material to the chain; a sensor configured to detect a presence of a truck; and an electronic control module, wherein the electronic control module is configured to automatically increase a speed at which the chain is actuated when the sensor detects a presence of a truck.

A conveyor system and method for controlling the same. The conveyor system includes: at least one moving element; a track including: a straight track section with a first mechanism for moving the moving element; and a curved track section connected to the straight track section including a second mechanism for moving the moving element; and a controller configured to control a speed of the moving element as the moving element moves from the straight track section to the curved track section and vice versa such that a velocity profile of the moving element includes a sinusoidal portion to provide a transition from straight to rotary motion or from rotary to straight motion having a linear position profile. In the method, the controller controls at least one of the first mechanism and the second mechanism to move the moving element according to the velocity profile including the sinusoidal portion.

A handling device for a transfer of products, in particular food products, includes at least one transport unit, in particular a conveyor belt unit, with at least one electrodynamic conveying unit comprising at least one electrodynamically movable mover and at least one product receiving unit, which is arranged at the mover and has at least one sidewall extending transversally to a support surface of the product receiving unit and at least partially delimiting a product receiving space of the product receiving unit, and including at least one transfer unit for a product transfer of products between the transport unit and the mover, wherein viewed in a plane extending at least substantially perpendicularly to a main extension plane of the product receiving unit, the product receiving unit has at least one front face that is at least partially open.

The present application discloses a system, a method, and a computer system for moving items deemed to be too heavy to be picked up by a robotic arm. The method includes (i) receiving image data associated with a workspace, wherein the workspace includes a source of items to be placed singly each in a respective corresponding location on a segmented conveyance structure adjacent to at least a portion of the source of items, (ii) receiving an indication that a first item in the source of items is too heavy to be picked up by a first robotic arm the one or more processors are configured to control, (iii) determining, based at least in part on the image data, a plan to use the first robotic arm to push the first item onto an associated corresponding location on the segmented conveyance structure as the associated corresponding location on the segmented conveyance structure moves past the source of items, and (iv) controlling the first robotic arm to implement the plan.