Systems and methods to separate and present items for picking and movement to various downstream systems may include an item separation system, a vision system, and an item picking system controlled or instructed by a control system. The control system may instruct an item separation system comprising a plurality of conveyors at various positions, orientations, or heights to separate and present items at a picking area. The vision system may capture imaging data of items at the picking area. The control system may identify items or pickable surfaces. The control system may further instruct an item picking system to pick and move items from the picking area to various downstream systems and/or may instruct the item separation system to change aspects of movement of items to further separate and present items at the picking area.

Systems and methods to separate and present items for picking and movement to various downstream systems may include an item separation system, a vision system, and an item picking system controlled or instructed by a control system. The control system may instruct an item separation system comprising a plurality of conveyors at various positions, orientations, or heights to separate and present items at a picking area. The vision system may capture imaging data of items at the picking area. The control system may identify items or pickable surfaces. The control system may further instruct an item picking system to pick and move items from the picking area to various downstream systems and/or may instruct the item separation system to change aspects of movement of items to further separate and present items at the picking area.

A processing system is disclosed for processing objects. The processing system includes a perception system for providing perception data regarding an object, and a primary transport system for providing transport of the object along a primary direction toward a processing location that is identified based on the perception data.

A processing system is disclosed for processing objects. The processing system includes a perception system for providing perception data regarding an object, and a primary transport system for providing transport of the object along a primary direction toward a processing location that is identified based on the perception data.

A goods transport system, and a goods transport method and apparatus using the transport system. The system is used for implementing goods transport with a storing shelf (11); the storing shelf (11) comprises a plurality of shelf layers, each shelf layer comprising a goods buffer area and a plurality of goods storage areas, an input transport track (12), used for transporting goods to the storing shelf, the input transport track comprising an input main transport track (121) and a plurality of input sub-transport tracks (122); each input sub-transport track (122) corresponds to one of the shelf layers of the storing shelf, one end of any one of the input sub-transport tracks (122) being connected to the goods buffer area of a shelf layer of the storing shelf, and the other end being connected to the input main transport track (121); and a shuttle trolley (13), used for transporting goods between the goods buffer area and the goods storage areas of a shelf layer.

A disclosed system for transporting items to destination locations, for example automatically placing stacked products at selected locations within a large retail facility, includes a conveyor assembly, an item identifier, a robotic arm with a plurality of end effectors, and a sorter component operable to select one of the plurality of end effectors and remove items selected for diversion from the conveyor assembly with the robotic arm. The sorter component stacks the removed items, and the stacked items are transported to a selected location within the retail facility, for example using an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV).

A sorter including a conveying system to transport items to be sorted. A plurality of lanes are configured to accept the items from the conveying system. A scanner reads information about the items to be sorted. The information including a destination for the item. A controller is in communication with the scanner to receive the destination for the items being sorted and is adapted to open and close selected ones of the plurality of lanes to receive items.

A sorter including a conveying system to transport items to be sorted. A plurality of lanes are configured to accept the items from the conveying system. A scanner reads information about the items to be sorted. The information including a destination for the item. A controller is in communication with the scanner to receive the destination for the items being sorted and is adapted to open and close selected ones of the plurality of lanes to receive items.

A physical distribution system includes first and second conveyance paths, first and second sensors, and a processor. The first sensor detects a package passing along the first conveyance path. The second conveyance path merges with the first conveyance path at a junction. The second sensor detects a package passing along the second conveyance path. The processor counts a first number of packages present in a first convergence monitoring section determined in the first conveyance path upstream the junction, and counts a second number of packages present in a second convergence monitoring section determined in the second conveyance path upstream the junction, determines an order in which packages in the first and second convergence monitoring sections pass the junction, based on the first number and the second number, and control the first and second conveyance paths, such that the packages pass the junction in the determined order.

In one embodiment, a sortation system at a facility has a conveyor system and a mobile drive unit system. The conveyor system has a conveyor surface that transfers payloads to the mobile drive units, and a controller that communicates a payload identifier for each payload to the mobile drive unit system. The payload identifiers are masked such that information about the local destinations are unknown to the conveyor system. The mobile drive unit system determines the local destinations from the payload identifiers by unmasking the payload identifiers, and delivers the payloads to determined local destinations at the facility.