The invention concerns a conveyor system for formatting slice-shaped food products in product stacks. The conveyor system includes an inlet, a lower product conveyor, an upper product conveyor, a vertically swiveling distributor conveyor for distributing the incoming food products selectively to the lower product conveyor or to the upper product conveyor, an output conveyor receiving the food products partially stacked from the lower product conveyor and the upper product conveyor, and an outlet for outputting the stacked food products in product rows. The individual conveying tracks of the distributor conveyor can be swivelled vertically independently of one another in order to forward the incoming food products individually for each conveying track selectively to the lower product conveyor onto the upper product conveyor.

A tray sealer comprises a conveyor arrangement for conveying packaging trays along a conveying direction. The conveyor arrangement comprises a first conveyor device for conveying a first line of packaging trays along the conveying direction, a second conveyor device running laterally alongside the first conveyor device for conveying a second line of packaging trays along the conveying direction, and a center guide which is arranged between the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device and extends along the conveying direction. The conveyor arrangement further comprises a third conveyor device for conveying packaging trays along the conveying direction. The third conveyor device extends adjoining the second conveyor device in terms of the conveying direction laterally alongside the first conveyor device.

A robotic singulation system is disclosed. In various embodiments, sensor data image including data associated with an item present in a workspace in a workspace is received. The sensor data is used to determine and implement a plan to autonomously operate a robotic structure to move and place the item singly in a corresponding location in a singulation conveyance structure. The plan takes into consideration an attribute of the item determined based at least in part on the sensor data.

The invention concerns a conveyor system (2) for formatting slice-shaped food products in product stacks. The conveyor system (2) comprises an inlet (4), a lower product conveyor (8), an upper product conveyor (7, 9), a vertically swivelling distributor conveyor (6) for distributing the incoming food products selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9), an output conveyor (10) receiving the food products partially stacked from the lower prod-uct conveyor (8) and the upper product conveyor (7, 9), and an outlet (11) for outputting the stacked food products in product rows. The invention provides that the individual conveying tracks (6G, 6H) of the distributor conveyor (6) can be swivelled vertically independently of one another in order to forward the incoming food products individually for each conveying track selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9). The invention also includes a corresponding operating method.

The invention relates to a transfer device (20) apparatus (100) for continuously conveying items. The apparatus (100) has a store (10) having storage tracks (11), and a downstream conveyor track (30), wherein the transfer device (20) is arranged between the store (10) and the conveyor track (30) and is designed to transfer conveyable items from a storage track (11) to the downstream conveyor track (30). The transfer device (20) has: a feed component (21) to receive conveyable items from the selected storage track (11); a discharging component (23) to discharge the conveyable items onto the downstream conveyor track (30); and a transfer track (22) to transfer the conveyable items from the feed component (21) to the discharging component (23). The discharging component (23) is designed to be moved relative to the downstream conveyor track (30) so that continuous operation is possible when the storage track (11) is being changed over.

An article transport facility includes a main conveyor device and induction conveyors. The main conveyor device includes belt conveyors and carriage bodies. The induction conveyor includes a first conveyor device for loading article onto a second transport path and a second conveyor device that is provided for an article-loading position on a transport path and loads the article onto the belt conveyor. The first conveyor device adjusts the timing of loading the article to the article-loading position, by controlling the timing of loading the article onto the second conveyor device. The second conveyor device adjusts, on the belt conveyors, loading position of the article loaded onto the belt conveyor by controlling the timing of loading the article onto the belt conveyor.

Transfer system for removing sleeve-shaped workpieces from a first conveyor and for pushing the sleeve-shaped workpieces onto a second conveyor, with a linearly movable coupling rod, with which a gear unit is associated, which includes a swivel body mounted so as to be pivotable about an axis of movement, on which a first workpiece gripper mounted so as to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation and a second workpiece gripper are arranged, wherein the gear unit has an adjuster for initiating an actuating movement for setting a distance between a first gripping region of the first workpiece gripper, which is arranged at a radial distance from the axis of movement, and a second gripping region of the second workpiece gripper, which is arranged at a radial distance from the axis of movement, as well as with a swivel drive for actuating the adjuster for initiating a forced swivel movement connected to the swivel movement of the swivel body onto the first workpiece gripper.

A method for packaging and processing products in a continuously operating production line, including filling individual packaging containers with products in a filling station; dispensing the filled containers to an individualizing device in multiple tracks by a dispensing station, the individualizing device transferring the packaging containers onto a single track of a conveyor; transporting the containers by the conveyor one after another to at least one additional processing station and operating the individualizing device in one of three operating modes, dependent upon the respective situation:

a) a normal mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the dispensing station onto the single track of the conveyor,
b) an on-stock mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the dispensing station to a temporary store, and
c) a low-load mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the temporary store onto the single track of the conveyor.

A method of conveying articles includes moving a first plurality of articles in a first input lane and a moving second plurality of articles in a second input lane in a downstream direction to a lane combiner, and operating the lane combiner to combine the first plurality of articles and the second plurality of articles into a combined plurality of articles in an output lane. The operating the lane combiner includes engaging a first article from the first plurality of articles with a first combiner wheel, engaging a second article from the second plurality of articles with a second combiner wheel that is out of phase with the first combiner wheel, rotating the first combiner wheel and the second combiner wheel to move the first article and then the second article into the output lane, the combined plurality of articles includes the first article and the second article in sequence.

System for transporting items to a packaging station comprising at least a first, a second and a third conveyor, said first conveyor configured for transporting arrangements of one or more items in a first transport direction to the third conveyor, said second conveyor configured for transporting arrangements of one or more items in a second transport direction to the third conveyor, said third conveyor configured for transporting said arrangements from the first and the second conveyor in a third transport direction, a fourth and a fifth transport direction towards a packaging station.