A system (500) for distributing a stream of articles (100) at a fix pitch (P) includes a belt assembly (250) with belt segments (252) carrying a stream of articles (100), a sensor assembly (510) with sensors (512), a control system (550) interfacing with the belt assembly (250) and the sensor assembly (510), wherein the sensor assembly (510) provides measurements of initial positions of each article of the stream of articles (100) and transmits the measurements to the control system (550), wherein the control system (550) utilizes the measurements to determine deficits of the initial positions to final positions for each article based on a predefined pitch value (P), and wherein the control system (550) controls a speed of the plurality of belt segments (252) to provide the final positions for each article according to the predefined pitch value (P).

A steel plate suspension conveying device and method thereof, includes an initial suspension module, an intermediate transfer module and a tail end unloading module that are respectively provided with a plurality of electromagnets, wherein the electromagnets (5-6) of the initial suspension module controls the steel plate for suspension, the electromagnets (7-14) of the intermediate transfer module controls the motion of the steel plate toward the tail end unloading module, and the electromagnets (15-17) of the tail end unloading module controls the landing of the steel plate; sensor modules (18) installed on the electromagnets, and are capable of detecting the position, speed and temperature information of the steel plate conveyed by the electromagnets; a central processing unit (4) receiving the information sent by the sensor modules (18) and adjusts the magnitude of a current/voltage flowing into the electromagnets, thereby adjusting the magnitude of the electromagnet attraction applied by the electromagnets to the steel plate. The steel plate is conveyed by using suspension, and the steel plate is sufficiently cooled in the conveying process, so that the grain size and grain distribution of the steel plate are more uniform, thereby improving the consistency of the steel plate and enhancing the performance of the steel plate.

A conveyor system for conveying and delivering conveyed goods and including a tray conveyor having a plurality of conveyor trays displaceable along a conveyor track. The conveyor trays each include at least one conveyor tray element. The system further includes at least one sensor device disposed along the conveyor track of the conveyor trays for detecting conveyed goods. The at least one conveyor tray element has at least one pass-through opening. The sensor device is implemented and disposed such that a measuring beam path of the sensor device is aimed through the at least one pass-through opening on the at least one conveyor tray element in a defined conveying position of the at least one conveyor tray element.

A sample handling system for handling samples is disclosed. The sample handling system comprises sample holders, each receives a sample container; a sample transport device for moving the sample holders; a control unit for controlling functionality of the sample handling system, and a monitoring system for monitoring the samples during movement. The monitoring system comprises a camera module for continuously capturing images of a part of the sample transport device, wherein the camera module is at a distance from the sample transport device such that the camera module has a free field of view to the sample transport device, and a processor for processing the captured images and determining an item of information about the sample transport device and/or the sample container and/or the sample from the captured images. The control unit retrieves the item of information from the processor. The controlling is based on the retrieved item of information.

The invention includes a method (100) and an apparatus to handle irregularly conveyed and/or irregularly aligned and/or non-upright articles of an article stream under prevention of disturbances. The method (100) comprises the following steps: identifying at least one non-upright article in an article stream as an error; performing a correction step to resolve the error, the correction step comprising removal from the article stream of the at least one irregularly aligned article, or transfer to an upright orientation of the at least one irregularly aligned article, with a defined action being exerted temporally before and/or in temporal overlap with the correction step upon the at least one irregularly aligned article or upon regularly conveyed articles of the article stream.

A conveyor apparatus includes a supporting plate and a conveyor module. The supporting plate is connected to the conveyor module. The supporting plate includes a first power and communication terminal that is configured to provide the conveyor module with power and a communication connection. The conveyor module is connected to the supporting plate. The conveyor module is detachable and includes a second power and communication terminal that is connected to the first power and communication terminal to receive the power and to perform the communication connection. The first and second power and communication terminals are detachable, with an ability to be connected to and disconnected from each other.

A method and device for grouping packages into specified package groups in an interference-free and fault-free manner with a conveyor having multiple individually actuatable conveyors arranged one behind the other with an inlet-side and a discharge-side end. The packages are supplied to the conveyor device at the inlet-side end one after the other, and a control algorithm is carried out to interpolate and/or detect the position and/or the speed of each individual package. A target speed is determined for each individual package based on the detected and/or interpolated position and/or speed of the package. A target speed is determined for the individual conveyors to achieve the target speed for each package to set a specified distance to the leading and/or following package at the discharge-side end. The speed of the individual conveyors is controlled to the respective determined target speed for the conveyor.

A non-contact support platform with open-loop control, including: a surface, to support a workpiece by fluid-bearing of fluid flowing through a plurality of nozzles, a supply system, connected to the surface and configured to maintain the fluid-bearing by applying pressure to cause flow of the fluid out of a subset of the plurality of nozzles, and a controller, to control fluid flow in the supply system with an open-loop circuit to support the workpiece while it moves over the non-contact support platform, wherein the fluid flow is controlled based on at least parameter of a group of workpiece parameters consisting of a position of the workpiece, dimenions of the workpiece and a velocity of the workpiece while supported by the surface.

Methods and apparatuses for performing article singulation are provided. An article singulator can include an intake conveyor, an out-take conveyor, and multiple intermediate conveyors. The intake conveyor can receive multiple articles and convey the articles to the multiple intermediate conveyors. Further, the out-take conveyor may convey singulated articles from amongst the multiple articles (e.g. to an outfeed). Further, the multiple intermediate conveyors may include successive conveyors to convey the articles and provide the singulated articles to the out-take conveyor. In some examples, each successive conveyor of the multiple intermediate conveyors may be positioned at a lower level than a preceding conveyor. Further, each successive conveyor can convey the articles in a different direction and at a different speed than a preceding conveyor such that the articles are singulated upon conveyance by the article singulator.

An intensive quenching (IQ) apparatus and method of quenching heated parts is provided. The IQ apparatus includes a chute for placing parts into a tank including liquid quenchant. The parts fall through the quenchant in the chute and are received by a conveyor belt. The parts are then transported on the conveyor through an inner channel of a conduit. An agitation rate of the quenchant in the inner channel is increased by an agitator.