Method, device and computer program for managing units of bulk material of an ore mine with a throughput of a few tons of bulk material per minute, wherein a material property of each unit, in particular on a conveyor system, is determined, an entry for each unit containing the respective material property of the unit and the position of each unit are stored in a database, and additional includes at least one (i) determining a transport path downstream for the each unit based on the respective entry in the database, (ii) adapting the subsequent processing of each unit based on the material property of the unit, and creating a virtual model of the repository if a unit is supplied to a repository, where a position of each unit is stored, together with its respective material property, in the database.

Shipment receiving systems and methods are disclosed. Invoice and store inventory management data is provided to an invoice processor for assigning expected destinations to lanes of a material transporter having and a plurality of outlet lanes that each have an indicator. A scanner determines a case identifier for each case which is routed accordingly. One or more notifications is provided to the indicator of one or more of the plurality of outlet lanes. Received shipment data enables reconciliation of upstream supply change management systems and downstream store inventory systems.

A post compression carton rejection system for receiving cartons in-line from a carton assembly system having a compression conveying section for compressing folded and glued cartons for delivery to a packing system. The post compression carton rejection system comprise a frame adapted to be supported between the compression conveying section and the packing system. An infeed conveyor is mounted to the frame and has an infeed belt for transporting folded and glued cartons from the compression conveying section and an infeed drive for driving the infeed belt. An outfeed conveyor is mounted to the frame between the infeed conveyor and a conveyor exit proximate the packer, in use, and comprises a nose extension conveyor having an outfeed belt including a dump gate controllably retractable at the conveyor exit to selectively dump folded and glued cartons, an outfeed drive for driving the outfeed belt and a dump gate actuator for opening and returning the dump gate. A controller operatively controls the infeed drive, the outfeed drive and the dump gate actuator to selectively create gaps before and after a stream of defective folded and glued cartons and dump the defective folded and glued cartons at the dump gate.

A conveying system, such as a conveying system for material including non-ferrous metals, includes a conveying belt and a stabilizer. The conveying belt includes a conveying surface and is adapted to convey the material on the conveying surface. The stabilizer is configured to apply a stabilizing force onto the material on the conveyor belt such that the material is stabilized while being conveyed. A method of stabilizing material on a conveyor belt includes receiving the material on the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, conveying the material at a conveying speed with the conveyor belt, and applying the stabilizing force onto the material with a stabilizer such that vertical displacement of at least some of the material is dampened and/or minimized at the conveying speed.

An autonomous robot with a modular conveyor belt moves materials in a warehouse or other industrial environment. Its load cells detect items on its conveyor belt and its cameras detect loading stations with stationary conveyor belts throughout the warehouse. It guides itself to a loading station using visual cues until it is close enough to load or unload items from its conveyor belt. The cart orients itself relative to the stationary conveyor belt based on the conveyor belt's direction of motion and tracks its position using wheel or visual odometry. It unloads by running the conveyor belt, which may be about 1.5 m long, at a speed of about 1 m/s for about 2 seconds. For loading, the cart detects an item on a stationary conveyor belt using a camera, positions itself next to the stationary conveyor belt, then triggers the stationary conveyor belt and its own conveyor belt to load the item.

A computer-implemented method for assigning one or more conveyor belts to convey a plurality of items. The computer-implemented method determines an availability of one or more conveyor belts, determines a quantity of a plurality of items to be loaded onto the one or more conveyor belts, and assigns the one or more conveyor belts to convey the plurality of items, based on the determined quantity of the plurality of items to be loaded onto the one or more conveyor belts. The computer-implemented method further tracks a location of each of the plurality of items on the assigned one or more conveyor belts, associates each of the plurality of items with a user, and directs the user to the one or more conveyor belts based on the tracked location of each of the plurality of items associated with the user.

A computer-implemented method for assigning one or more conveyor belts to convey a plurality of items. The computer-implemented method determines an availability of one or more conveyor belts, determines a quantity of a plurality of items to be loaded onto the one or more conveyor belts, and assigns the one or more conveyor belts to convey the plurality of items, based on the determined quantity of the plurality of items to be loaded onto the one or more conveyor belts. The computer-implemented method further tracks a location of each of the plurality of items on the assigned one or more conveyor belts, associates each of the plurality of items with a user, and directs the user to the one or more conveyor belts based on the tracked location of each of the plurality of items associated with the user.

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.

An induction station for conveying packages in a storage facility is provided. The induction station includes a plurality of parallel feed conveyors including at least first and second conveyors, and one or more buffer conveyors including at least a third conveyor for conveying the packages from the first and second conveyors to the third conveyor. The induction station further includes sensors for measuring a height, a weight, a length, and a width of each package. The induction station further includes sensors for detecting each package as one of a first package type or a second package type. The induction station further includes a controller to control a first, a second speed, and a third speed of the first through third conveyors, respectively, based on the detected package type of each package and at least one of the weight, height, length, and width of each package.

A conveying system, such as a conveying system for material including non-ferrous metals, includes a conveying belt and a stabilizer. The conveying belt includes a conveying surface and is adapted to convey the material on the conveying surface. The stabilizer is configured to apply a stabilizing force onto the material on the conveyor belt such that the material is stabilized while being conveyed. A method of stabilizing material on a conveyor belt includes receiving the material on the conveying surface of the conveyor belt, conveying the material at a conveying speed with the conveyor belt, and applying the stabilizing force onto the material with a stabilizer such that vertical displacement of at least some of the material is dampened and/or minimized at the conveying speed.