Embodiments provide systems, methods and apparatuses for positioning boards and other wood pieces in preparation for sawing/trimming. In embodiments, a continuous track loop conveys board stops slideably mounted to board stop guides positioned perpendicular to the direction of flow. A horizontal frame member provides a series of positioning guides through which a cam follower coupled to a board stop is diverted, thus adjusting the position of board stops in a direction perpendicular to the direction of flow without the use of braking devices or other added sources of mass, friction or vibration.

A transfer and feed unit for parisons, in particular for PET bottles. The transfer and feed unit can be loaded with parisons at the upstream end thereof and feeds the parisons to a conveying unit arranged at the downstream end of the transfer and feed unit. The transfer and feed unit has a first conveyor belt and a second conveyor belt, and the second conveyor belt is arranged at the downstream end of the first conveyor belt, and the first conveyor belt feeds the parisons to the second conveyor belt, and the second conveyor belt feeds the parisons to the conveying unit arranged at the downstream end thereof and a distance sensor is arranged in the downstream end region of the second conveyor belt.

An article induction system for preparing a stream of articles, such as mail parcels, for processing employs a series of conveyors operating under control of a controller for feeding articles to an operator at a cull belt at an optimal paced rate. The article induction system includes a destacking section, a separation and alignment section, a buffer section and a culling section manned by an operator. A controller controls the speed of each component based on measurements provided by sensors so as to feed articles to the operator at a desired paced rate.

Disclosed is a method for presenting in a longitudinal line packages initially arranged in rows i, at a determined isolated-package pace D, using at least a regulating conveyor belt and two line-forming conveyor belts. After separating rows adjacent in the longitudinal direction, rows are sequentially presented onto the regulating conveyor belt, the dimensions of the spaces between end packages of the row and the reference inside and outside dimensions with respect to the regulating conveyor belt and the number of packages on the belt are measured optically, the speed of the line-forming conveyor belts for maintaining the determined pace D is calculated, the paths of the packages are calculated and the moment at which to release the packages of row from the regulating belt onto the line-forming conveyor belts so that the inside package of row i does not meet the outside package of row i1 is determined.

A parcel processing system (400) includes infeed conveyors (404, 406, 408) each conveying parcels (106) with an assigned orientation class, a merging conveyor (410) configured to merge parcels fed by the infeed conveyors into a single stream of parcels, and an induction conveyor (200) configured to feed the merged stream of parcels along an induction feed path (202) to a sorting conveyor (100). The infeed paths (404a, 406a) of the infeed conveyors are arranged at different angular orientations in relation to a merging feed path (412) of the merging conveyor such that each parcel in the merged stream of parcels has an orientation that is dependent upon its assigned orientation class. The merging conveyor (410) includes a multi-axis transport mechanism configured to move parcels along a principal axis parallel to the merging feed path and a secondary axis perpendicular to the principal axis, the merging conveyor being operable to selectively activate movement along the secondary axis for centering parcels being loaded thereon.

An automated method and system for transporting vials from multiple upstream locations to a downstream location and for combining N number of conveyor lanes from N number of upstream location (e.g., capping stations) down to one conveyor lane. The system is adapted to transport vials from a more-distant upstream location faster than vials from a closer upstream location so that they reach the downstream location at approximately the same time. Guide members placed at an angle to the traveling axis of the conveyor lanes divert the vials onto a single conveyor lane for transporting the vials to a downstream location.

Various embodiments described herein generally relate to techniques for conveying articles on a conveyor system of a robotic material handling system in a material handling environment. In accordance with an embodiment, the robotic material handling system includes a front portion and a rearward conveyor. The front portion may be expandable to a first configuration and retractable to a second configuration. On detecting a jam on the front portion, the robotic material handling system may actuate expansion of the front portion to the first configuration, and attempt to dislodge the jammed articles by causing one or more of (i) separating the jammed articles by activating one or more of a plurality of zones of the front portion under the jammed articles, and/or (ii) activating one or more of the plurality of zones under the jammed articles in a reverse direction.

An article induction system for preparing a stream of articles, such as mail parcels, for processing employs a series of conveyors operating under control of a controller for feeding articles to an operator at a cull belt at an optimal paced rate. The article induction system includes a destacking section, a separation and alignment section, a buffer section and a culling section manned by an operator. A controller controls the speed of each component based on measurements provided by sensors so as to feed articles to the operator at a desired paced rate.

A divider system for diverting objects from an infeed lane into one or more discharge lanes includes a dividing screw set, a discharge screw set, and a diverting mechanism. The dividing screw set conveys a sequence of objects to an output end of the screw set where the objects are divided by rotation of the dividing screw set and outputted alternately to first and second discharge screws of the discharge screw set to form a first series of objects conveyed by the first discharge screw and a second series of objects conveyed by the second discharge screw. The divider system includes a diverting mechanism which can be selectively actuated to divert objects from one discharge screw to the other discharge screw to form a diverted group.

Disclosed is a conveyor device for conveying along a conveyor plane, in order to transform a wide flow of products into a downstream single-file flow, including an intake conveyor, suitable for conveying the wide flow, an output conveyor suitable for conveying the single-file flow, an acceleration conveyor positioned between the intake conveyor and the outlet conveyor and including a plurality of conveyor units with a speed gradient, and also including a guide for guiding the products transversely from the intake conveyor to the outlet conveyor and positioned downstream from the flow of products so that the products are moved against same under the effect of the consecutive conveyors. Also disclosed is a corresponding method.