A maintenance system is disclosed for assisting in maintaining an automated carrier system for moving objects to be processed. The maintenance system includes a plurality of automated carriers that are adapted to move on an array of discontinuous standard track sections, each said automated carrier including a carrier body that is no larger in either a length or width direction that a standard track section, and an automated maintenance carrier that is adapted to move on the array of discontinuous track sections, said automated maintenance system including a maintenance body that is larger in at least one of a length or width direction than the standard track section.

Methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer program products are disclosed for container transportation. An example system includes a conveyor network that includes a plurality of conveyors and each conveyor supports one or more containers thereon. Each conveyor defines a conveyor length and a conveyor operating speed. The system further includes a computing device operably coupled to the conveyor network. The computing device receives a starting location and a destination location of a first container within the conveyor network and receives an operating density for each conveyor in the conveyor network. The computing device determines a first travel path for the first container between the starting location and the destination location based upon the conveyor length, the conveyor operating speed, and the operating density for each conveyor in the conveyor network. The first travel path minimizes a total travel time for the first container between the starting location and the destination location.

A finishing system includes a workpiece carrier configured to hold a workpiece, and a plurality of work stations arranged in a row along an axis defining a process line, each of the plurality of work stations configured to receive the workpiece and treat the workpiece. A hoist runway, including fixed and movable rail sections, extends along the plurality of work stations of the process line. A hoist is movable along the hoist runway to traverse the plurality of work stations, the hoist coupled to the workpiece carrier to raise and lower the workpiece carrier and to move the workpiece carrier along the process line. A side transfer mechanism moves the movable rail section, with the hoist situated thereon, in a direction transverse to the axis so that the hoist is movable out of the process line.

An automated carrier system is disclosed for moving objects to be processed. The automated carrier system includes a discontinuous plurality of track sections on which an automated carrier may be directed to move, and the automated carrier includes a base structure on which an object may be supported, and at least two wheels assemblies being pivotally supported on the base structure for pivoting movement from a first position to a second position to effect a change in direction of movement of the carrier.

A battery transmission system may comprise: a material incoming structure to receive batteries; a first transfer structure to transfer the batteries to a first pallet so as to convey the batteries on a first transmission line, wherein the first transmission line has an unloading position for which at least one second transmission line is provided correspondingly; and a second transfer structure to transfer batteries at the unloading position to a first starting position of the second transmission line so as to transmits, when the number of batteries at the first starting position reaches N, the N batteries to a first termination position of the second transmission line, wherein N1.

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 bin exchange system is disclosed that includes a plurality of automated carriers, each of which is adapted to be remotely movable on an array of track sections, at least one input station by which bins may be introduced to the array of track sections, at least one processing station in communication with the array of track sections wherein objects may be moved between bins, and at least one output station by which bins may be removed from the array of track sections.

A transfer system according to the present invention comprises a first travel rail including a first merging section; a second travel rail merging the first travel rail at a merging point and including a second merging section corresponding to the first merging section; a transfer/loading area defined in the second merging section and located upstream of the merging point; and a controller (OCS) for controlling an operation of at least one transfer vehicle moving along the first travel rail and the second travel rail, wherein a second transfer vehicle moves along the second travel rail and enters the transfer/loading area, the second transfer vehicle starts a transfer/loading operation in the transfer/loading area, the first transfer vehicle moves along the first travel rail and enters the first merging section, and the first transfer vehicle passes through the merging point before the second transfer vehicle.

An object processing system is disclosed that includes a plurality of track sections, and a plurality of remotely actuatable carriers for controlled movement along at least portions of the plurality of track sections, wherein each of the remotely controllable carriers is adapted to support and transport an object processing bin.

An object processing system is disclosed that includes a plurality of track sections, and a plurality of remotely actuatable carriers for controlled movement along at least portions of the plurality of track sections, each of the actuatable carriers being instructed at any time to move a limited number of track section only.