A tray feeding system having a buffer conveyor for trays including a belt with spaced apart free running rollers having a rotation axis perpendicular to the conveying direction. These rollers extend upward from the belt such that the trays partly rest on the rollers. A tray conveyor receiving end is adjacent to an outputting end of the buffer conveyor where items are placed into the trays by a tray filler. A roller interactor is positioned below and adjacent to the surface of the buffer conveyor belt at an outputting end to engage with the rollers at the outputting end area when the buffer conveyor belts move forward rotating the rollers positioned within the outputting end area accelerating the trays on the buffer conveyor within the outputting end area of the buffer conveyor towards the receiving end of the tray conveyor.

A tray feeding system having a buffer conveyor for trays including a belt with spaced apart free running rollers having a rotation axis perpendicular to the conveying direction. These rollers extend upward from the belt such that the trays partly rest on the rollers. A tray conveyor receiving end is adjacent to an outputting end of the buffer conveyor where items are placed into the trays by a tray filler. A roller interactor is positioned below and adjacent to the surface of the buffer conveyor belt at an outputting end to engage with the rollers at the outputting end area when the buffer conveyor belts move forward rotating the rollers positioned within the outputting end area accelerating the trays on the buffer conveyor within the outputting end area of the buffer conveyor towards the receiving end of the tray conveyor.

A split shaft screw system includes a screw configured to convey an article along a movement path. The screw includes a plurality of threads, each thread having a crest, a root and a pair of sidewalls, wherein the root and pair of sidewalls are configured to capture the article. Provided are a first screw segment connected to a first drive shaft configured to be driven by a first motor, and a second screw segment immediately adjacent to the first screw segment and connected to a second drive shaft concentric to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft configured to be driven by a second motor independently of the driving of the first screw segment.

A split shaft screw system includes a screw configured to convey an article along a movement path. The screw includes a plurality of threads, each thread having a crest, a root and a pair of sidewalls, wherein the root and pair of sidewalls are configured to capture the article. Provided are a first screw segment connected to a first drive shaft configured to be driven by a first motor, and a second screw segment immediately adjacent to the first screw segment and connected to a second drive shaft concentric to the first drive shaft, the second drive shaft configured to be driven by a second motor independently of the driving of the first screw segment.

In one embodiment, a conveyor system reorients objects from a side-by-side orientation to a sequential orientation. The system has an upper conveyor level and a subsequent conveyor level disposed below the upper level. The upper level has an upper conveyor segment that has an upstream end, a downstream end opposite the upstream end along a flow direction, a pair of lateral sides, a top side, and a bottom side. The upper conveyor segment defines an conveying surface that is between the pair of lateral sides and that carries objects aligned therewith along the flow direction. The upper conveyor segment also defines a discharge opening that is between the conveying surface and one of the lateral sides. The discharge opening extends through the upper conveyor segment along a vertical direction so as to discharge objects onto the subsequent conveyor level that are aligned with the discharge opening.

In one embodiment, a conveyor system reorients objects from a side-by-side orientation to a sequential orientation. The system has an upper conveyor level and a subsequent conveyor level disposed below the upper level. The upper level has an upper conveyor segment that has an upstream end, a downstream end opposite the upstream end along a flow direction, a pair of lateral sides, a top side, and a bottom side. The upper conveyor segment defines an conveying surface that is between the pair of lateral sides and that carries objects aligned therewith along the flow direction. The upper conveyor segment also defines a discharge opening that is between the conveying surface and one of the lateral sides. The discharge opening extends through the upper conveyor segment along a vertical direction so as to discharge objects onto the subsequent conveyor level that are aligned with the discharge opening.

Loading units are collections of goods to be placed in sequence and compiled, as onto a pallet, for shipment. An apparatus is provided for sequencing loading units in a predetermined order. The apparatus includes a sequencing zone with a plurality of belts for receiving units to be sequenced, and a feeding device for units arranged upstream of the sequencing zone. Also included is a separation device with intakes for loading units. A distribution device distributes units onto the belts; a relocation device conveys separated units toward a downstream conveying device. The distribution device and the relocation device include a transverse pusher for pushing the units transversely to the belts or the intakes.

A method for operating an overhead conveyor for successive goods is disclosed, in which the goods are loaded onto the overhead conveyor one by one by means of an inward transfer means and are transferred outward at a predefined point of the overhead conveyor by means of a switch, the distance between successive goods on the overhead conveyor either being minimised if said successive goods are to be transferred outward at the same switch, or the distance between the successive goods on the overhead conveyor being increased in such a way that said distance corresponds to the minimum outward transfer distance if the successive goods are not to be transferred outward at the same switch.

Disclosed herein are an automatic infeed tipper and an apparatus and method for controlling the automatic infeed tipper. The apparatus for controlling an automatic infeed tipper includes an article infeed control unit for allowing a pallet loaded with multiple articles to be installed on the tipper and controlling an angle of the tipper so that the articles loaded onto the pallet are fed into a conveyor unit, and a conveyor control unit for sequentially driving a transport conveyor belt and a plurality of tipper-use conveyor belts, which are provided in the conveyor unit, so as to disperse the articles fed into the conveyor unit.

Disclosed herein are an automatic infeed tipper and an apparatus and method for controlling the automatic infeed tipper. The apparatus for controlling an automatic infeed tipper includes an article infeed control unit for allowing a pallet loaded with multiple articles to be installed on the tipper and controlling an angle of the tipper so that the articles loaded onto the pallet are fed into a conveyor unit, and a conveyor control unit for sequentially driving a transport conveyor belt and a plurality of tipper-use conveyor belts, which are provided in the conveyor unit, so as to disperse the articles fed into the conveyor unit.