A package sort cell includes a robot with an end of arm tool for transporting packages from an in-feed conveyor to a selected one of a plurality of out-feed conveyors or bins, the robot receiving instruction from the package reader as to which of the plurality of conveyors or bins to hand-off the package. An end of arm tool may be in the configuration of a conveyor which may be aligned with the out-feed conveyor on a bottom up movement. The end of arm tool may also be in the configuration of a hanging carriage frame suspending a conveyor in a top down movement. A worker platform may be provided which may be movable between in-use and out-of-use positions whereby upon robot downtime, the platform may move into the in-use position for a worker to temporarily takeover the transfer functions of the robot. A plurality of sort cells may be arranged in side by side relation adjacent a like plurality of package delivery points (e.g., truck bays) and include diverter conveyors to allow diversion of a selected quantity of packages from one cell to an adjacent cell when the adjacent cell has no associated package delivery occurring at that time.

An avoidance conveying device and an avoidance conveying method are provided. The device includes a receiving device, a front lifting device, a transition device, a rear lifting device, and a sending device arranged in sequence along a direction of conveying glass sheets; the receiving device receives the glass sheets conveyed by a front roller conveyor of an original sheet production line; the sending device conveys the glass sheets to a rear roller conveyor of the original sheet production line; an avoidance channel is formed between the front lifting device and the rear lifting device. Pedestrians and forklifts directly pass through the glass production line at any time through the avoidance channel, shortening the travel distance and the travel duration of pedestrians and forklifts. The glass sheets are finally conveyed to the rear roller conveyor by bypassing the avoidance channel, which ensures continuous and uninterrupted transportation of the glass sheets.

Present embodiments include a linear drive transport system. The system includes a plurality of fixed tracks and a junction track disposed on a conveyor configured to align the junction track with each of the plurality of fixed tracks. The plurality of fixed tracks and the junction track include one of electromagnetic coils or permanent magnets arranged in series along the respective plurality of fixed tracks and the junction track. Further, present embodiments include a plurality of movers configured to move along the fixed tracks and configured to transition between each of the plurality of fixed tracks and the junction track when aligned, wherein the movers comprise the other of the electromagnetic coils or the permanent magnets.

The lifting and lowering apparatus includes a plurality of shelf members 6 and 7 and a lifting and lowering mechanism 8. The shelf members 6 and 7 respectively include placing tables A and B positioned on different heights, and each placing table is provided with a conveying unit 10. The shelf members 6 and 7 are lifted and lowered by the lifting and lowering mechanism 8, whereby the placing table A (B) of the shelf member 6 (7) which is one of the shelf members 6 and 7 is adjusted to be on the same height as the placing table B (A) of the other shelf member 7 (6), and with this state, an object is transferred from the placing table of one of the shelf members to the placing table of the other shelf member. The shelf members 6 and 7 are again lifted and lowered to adjust the placing table B (A) of the other shelf member 7 (6) to be on the same height as the placing table A (B) which belongs to the shelf member 6 (7) and which is positioned on a different height, returns the object to the shelf member 6 (7), and transfers the object to the placing table A (B) which is positioned on a different height from the previous placing table A (B).

A method and apparatus for feeding a plurality of tread bands in a process for building tyres for vehicle wheels. Each tread band initially includes, on a side thereof, a service fabric. The tread bands are initially arranged at different heights. The method includes positioning a first auxiliary conveyor belt of an auxiliary collection device including a plurality of juxtaposed auxiliary conveyor belts at a first height corresponding to the height of a first tread band, then, proceeding with the removal of the service fabric from the first tread band while the first tread band is transferred onto the first auxiliary conveyor belt. The method also includes positioning at least one second auxiliary conveyor belt of the auxiliary collection device at at least one second height corresponding to that of at least one second tread band.

Disclosed are various embodiments for robotic item sortation and optimization along the vertical axis in a conveyor-based system. A robotic system may be mounted above or adjacent to a conveyor system that moves items along a conveyor belt or similar device. Once an item is laterally diverted from the conveyor system, the robotic system may collect the item at a respective holding station and move the item along a vertical axis for placement in one of a plurality of vertically-configured item handling devices.

A transfer device for introducing and/or removing articles to a process device includes a basic frame and a conveying unit, which is supported by the basic frame and transfers or receives articles to or from the process device. The conveying unit is designed to be movably positionable in order for the transfer device to be reversibly advanced up to the process device. The conveying unit includes an output element of a magnetic coupling and is designed for reversibly coupling the transfer device to a corresponding drive element of the magnetic coupling, the drive element being provided on the process device. When the drive element and the output element are coupled to one another, the magnetic coupling effectuates a force transmission from a drive unit of the process device to the conveying unit.

A traverser includes a base unit including a rail member, a moving unit configured to reciprocally move on the rail member between a first position and a second position, and a conveyance unit mounted on the moving unit and configured to convey a conveyance target object. The moving unit include a first travel roller that is a drive roller, and a drive mechanism configured to give a rotation driving force to the first travel roller. The drive mechanism includes a travel motor configured to supply the rotation driving force, and a friction transmission mechanism configured to transmit the rotation driving force of the travel motor to the first travel roller by a friction force.

An auxiliary conveyor, which is connected with a main conveyor including at least two conveying paths, the auxiliary conveyor including a conveying part configured to receive a load from one of the at least two conveying paths and convey the load through the other of the at least two conveying paths; and a driving part connected with the conveying part and configured to drive the conveying part to move from one of the at least two conveying paths to the other of the at least two conveying paths.

A transfer apparatus (104) for transferring a workpiece (116) has a support surface (124) for supporting a workpiece (116). The transfer apparatus (104) has a carriage (128) movable with respect to the support surface (124) between a loading location and an unloading location. The transfer apparatus (104) further has a drive mechanism (146, 150) operatively connected to the carriage (128) for moving the carriage (128). The carriage (128) has a lift member (230) moveable between a lowered position and a raised position relative to the support surface (124). The carriage (128) further has a push member (292) operatively connected with the lift member (230) to enable engagement of a workpiece (116) with the push member (292) and the lift member (230) to lift at least a portion of the workpiece (116) from the support surface (124) to decrease the factional engagement between the workpiece (116) and the support surface (124).