A transport bag for the hanging transportation of goods by a transport device extending in a transport direction, the transport bag having a rear wall oriented in a transverse direction to the transport direction and a front wall oriented in a transverse direction to the transport direction, which are moveably connected to one another at an upper bag end and a lower bag end in such a way that the front wall can move relative to the rear wall between a filling position in which same is at a first distance to the rear wall, and an empty position in which same is at a second distance to the rear wall, which second distance is smaller than the first distance, and which transport bag can be connected in a hanging manner to the transport device by a connection means attached at the top on the rear wall.

A device for inspecting transport bags (14) that can be conveyed in a suspended manner with a bag interior (16) for receiving piece-goods units (5), the transport bag having a bag opening (17) of the bag interior, includes a device for opening and/or keeping open the bag opening of a transport bag that is to be inspected; and a detection device (70) that is configured to receive at least one two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional image of at least part of the bag interior of the transport bag to be inspected.

A device for inspecting transport bags (14) that can be conveyed in a suspended manner with a bag interior (16) for receiving piece-goods units (5), the transport bag having a bag opening (17) of the bag interior, includes a device for opening and/or keeping open the bag opening of a transport bag that is to be inspected; and a detection device (70) that is configured to receive at least one two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional image of at least part of the bag interior of the transport bag to be inspected.

The present invention relates to a method for removing a rod-like element from a loading position of a hanging line in which the rod-like element can successively be loaded with sausage-shaped products, each of which contain a flowable filling material in a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing provided with a suspension element through which the sausage-shaped products can be suspended on the rod-like element in the loading position. The method comprises the steps of feeding successively sausage-shaped products to a take-up position of the hanging line at a basic feeding speed, taking up one sausage-shaped product being positioned in the take-up position, by one of several transportation elements of a transport device of the hanging line, the transportation elements circulating along a circulation path at a basic transportation speed, loading by the transportation elements a predefined number of sausage-shaped products on the rod-like element being positioned in the loading position by the transportation elements, and replacing the loaded rod-like element by an empty rod-like element after the final sausage-shaped product has been suspended on said rod-like element. The method further comprises the steps of varying the basic transportation speed of the transport device or the basic feeding speed, or both, after the final sausage-shaped product to be stored on the rod-like element, has been picked up by a transportation element, such that the subsequent transportation element remains empty, and setting back the varied transportation speed and/or the varied feeding speed to the basic transportation speed and/or the basic feeding speed during loading of the subsequent rod-like element.

The present invention relates to a method for removing a rod-like element from a loading position of a hanging line in which the rod-like element can successively be loaded with sausage-shaped products, each of which contain a flowable filling material in a tubular or bag-shaped packaging casing provided with a suspension element through which the sausage-shaped products can be suspended on the rod-like element in the loading position. The method comprises the steps of feeding successively sausage-shaped products to a take-up position of the hanging line at a basic feeding speed, taking up one sausage-shaped product being positioned in the take-up position, by one of several transportation elements of a transport device of the hanging line, the transportation elements circulating along a circulation path at a basic transportation speed, loading by the transportation elements a predefined number of sausage-shaped products on the rod-like element being positioned in the loading position by the transportation elements, and replacing the loaded rod-like element by an empty rod-like element after the final sausage-shaped product has been suspended on said rod-like element. The method further comprises the steps of varying the basic transportation speed of the transport device or the basic feeding speed, or both, after the final sausage-shaped product to be stored on the rod-like element, has been picked up by a transportation element, such that the subsequent transportation element remains empty, and setting back the varied transportation speed and/or the varied feeding speed to the basic transportation speed and/or the basic feeding speed during loading of the subsequent rod-like element.

The invention relates to an unloading station (4) for automated unloading of an article container (2), which comprises an overhead conveying device (1) for transporting the article container (2) into the unloading station and for transporting the article container out of the unloading station, an opening and closing device (40) for adjusting a bag body between the closed position and the opened position and an unloading device (39) for unloading the bag body. The unloading device comprises an actuation device (56), by means of which the article container with the bag body can be tilted about a tilting axis (57) extending essentially in parallel to the longitudinal extension of the overhead conveying device between a provisioning position (58) and an unloading position (59), wherein in the unloading position an article (28) can be discharged from the article container through the unloading opening (29). Moreover, the invention relates to a method for the automated unloading of an article container.

The invention relates to an unloading station (4) for automated unloading of an article container (2), which comprises an overhead conveying device (1) for transporting the article container (2) into the unloading station and for transporting the article container out of the unloading station, an opening and closing device (40) for adjusting a bag body between the closed position and the opened position and an unloading device (39) for unloading the bag body. The unloading device comprises an actuation device (56), by means of which the article container with the bag body can be tilted about a tilting axis (57) extending essentially in parallel to the longitudinal extension of the overhead conveying device between a provisioning position (58) and an unloading position (59), wherein in the unloading position an article (28) can be discharged from the article container through the unloading opening (29). Moreover, the invention relates to a method for the automated unloading of an article container.

A transport system includes transport vehicles, and a controller to control traveling of the transport vehicles. The track includes a first main track, junction points on the first main track and spaced apart from each other, and branch tracks each connected to the first main track via the junction points different from one another. The junction points are spaced apart from each other on the first main track. On each of the branch tracks, a stop position corresponding to a delivery port for each transport vehicle to deliver and receive a load is provided. The controller controls the respective transport vehicles stopping at the stop positions of the branch tracks to control a transport vehicle on a downstream branch track to start simultaneously with or before a transport vehicle on an upstream branch track.

An apparatus for feeding hanging conveyable articles into a hanging conveying installation includes a feeding unit for the individualized feeding of the hanging conveyable articles into a conveying system of the hanging conveying installation with a variably settable transport spacing. The feeding unit has an individualizing element for stopping the hanging conveyable articles (4), and a detection unit for detecting the thickness of the individual hanging conveyable articles.

An apparatus for feeding hanging conveyable articles into a hanging conveying installation includes a feeding unit for the individualized feeding of the hanging conveyable articles into a conveying system of the hanging conveying installation with a variably settable transport spacing. The feeding unit has an individualizing element for stopping the hanging conveyable articles (4), and a detection unit for detecting the thickness of the individual hanging conveyable articles.