A flow rack unit for providing stock material units includes at least two rack bays and one control system. Each rack bay has a removal side and a storage side opposite the removal side and is configured to provide the stock material units in a respective bay level arranged next to one another starting in the direction of the storage side. A respective sensor arrangement of the control system is associated with each rack bay. Each sensor arrangement is arranged at the storage side of the associated rack bay and connected to a control unit of the control system via a common data line. The sensor arrangements each include an occupancy sensor configured as a distance sensor. Each occupancy sensor has a measurement zone that is aligned to measure a distance from a rearmost stock material unit stored in the associated rack bay and disposed closest to the occupancy sensor.

System and method are provided where parcels or packages are associated or grouped, into logical group or logical containerization of parcels or packages, without need for physical container, such that parcels or packages can be tracked as a group, for example with a unique group ID. Logical group may be tracked within specified logical zone on conveyor, transported, sorted and/or otherwise processed as unique logical group without need to be contained in physical container. System and method for automated sortation can accumulate set number or set volume of packages, and then process the accumulated set number or volume of packages, including automatically closing a container filled with the packages.

A separating device for the provision of one or more conveyed materials, in particular lids, in a predetermined positional state comprises a conveyor device for receiving and transporting lids in one transport direction, with a conveyor belt and several receiving areas formed on the conveyor belt for receiving at least one lid each, the conveyor device being inclined with respect to the horizontal at least in a pre-separation section in such a way that the transport direction is designed for the upward transport of the lids, and wherein the receiving areas are each limited at least downwards by a stud, and a detection device with a detection area for detecting a predetermined positional state and/or for detecting a number of the lids arranged on the conveyor in a respective receiving area.

An apparatus that forms bundles of glass articles includes a glass article infeed station including an infeed conveyor that continuously transports individual glass articles to a layer separating conveyor. The layer separating conveyor includes a conveyor belt that forms a layer of side-by-side glass articles. A robotic lift assembly is configured to place the layer of side-by-side glass articles together on a layer separation insert. The layer separation insert has side-by-side slots that each receive a single glass article of the layer of side-by-side glass articles.

A system for transporting and depositing of piece goods, in particular detergent pods, comprising at least one transport conveyor with a transporting surface, for transporting of piece goods in a transport direction with a transport speed from a receiving location to a downstream located deposit station, said deposit station, for the receiving of the piece goods, provided with at least one area for receiving the piece goods, which area at least partly locates under the transport surface of the transport conveyor and extends under a receiving length in the transport direction of the transport conveyor, wherein a deposit location, where the transport conveyor deposits the piece goods in the area in the deposit station, is adjustable over the receiving length, a detector, for outputting a signal that indicates if at a certain moment piece goods can be deposited in the deposit station, wherein a controller for determining the deposit location depending on the detection signal, wherein the controller moves the deposit location upstream or remains at the same position when the detection signal indicates that piece goods can be received and wherein the controller moves the deposit location downstream when the detection signal indicates that piece goods cannot be received and wherein the at least one transport conveyor is provided with a fast-retracting nose bar, for setting the deposit location over the receiving length; and wherein the deposit station comprises a guide, in the shape of a funnel, which forms a through channel that has a receiving opening on one side which opening extends over at least the receiving length.

An automated storage and retrieval system stores multi-stock bins each holding different stock-keeping units (SKUs). Records dynamically track which SKUs are in each bin. A controller tracks a stock waitlist indicating quantities of SKUs still required to be delivered to a workstation in order to fulfil current orders assigned to the workstation. When a robot is available, the controller selects a multi-stock bin that has a highest number of unique ones of the required SKUs indicated on the stock waitlist and commands the robot to fetch and deliver the selected bin to the workstation. For new orders, the controller may determine if direct assignment can be done to a workstation without additional bins being scheduled. For other pending orders, the controller may assume each pending order is assigned to the workstation and then pick the order that would require a lowest number of bins to be delivered to the workstation.

An automated method for distributing closure elements with screwing and/or stopping means structure, comprising including supplying a turntable with a plurality of closure elements arranged on the turntable, including detecting the format of each closure element arranged on the turntable and gripping each closure element for which the format has been detected in order to distribute it to a transfer device capable of transporting a plurality of closure elements with screwing and/or stopping structure.

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.

An example bulk material dispensing apparatus includes: a frame; a hopper supported in the frame, the hopper configured to contain a bulk material for dispensing by the dispensing apparatus and having a hopper outlet; a feeding unit interconnected with the hopper outlet, the feeding unit configured to receive the bulk material from the hopper outlet and comprising: a feeding tube; and an auger disposed in the feeding tube, the auger configured to rotate to drive the bulk material received from the hopper outlet to be dispensed from a dispensing outlet; and a controller interconnected with the auger, the controller configured to: receive a dispensing request specifying a quantity of bulk material to dispense; and control the auger to rotate to dispense the quantity of bulk material.

An automatic tray loading system and a use method of the same are provided, which includes a stacked tray assembly, including at least one tray which is stacked up, where the at least one tray is provided with several locating slots; a tray lifting platform which includes a tray supporting table being connected with a elevating mechanism; a tray pick and place platform having a working region covers a tray input module, where the tray pick and place platform includes a manipulator which is connected with a multidimensional motion mechanism; and a delivery table including a tray placement plate, where each of the tray placement plate is provided with a groove which is configured to place the at least one layer of trays, and each of the tray placement plates is connected with a linear driving mechanism.