A sorting device and a method for sorting articles at delivery points are shown, the sorting device having a conveying device comprising transport platforms that are movable along a transport direction for transporting the articles and for delivering the articles to the delivery points, with the transport platforms having a bearing surface for the articles and with at least one transport platform having a first delivery device for vertically delivering the articles from the bearing surface to at least one first delivery point. To provide a sorting device for reliable and careful joint sorting of articles with different transport and delivery requirements, at least one transport platform has a second delivery device for laterally delivering the articles from the bearing surface to at least one second delivery point.

Systems and methods are provided for conveyor operation and maintenance that employ one or both of a “smart shoe” technology where one or more conveyor shoes incorporate features, such as an RFID tag, and a “missing pin detection” technology where one or more pin components of conveyor shoes incorporate features, such as an RFID tag, allowing selective wireless tracking and identification capability. A conveyor system comprises a shoe management system allowing interactions directly with one or more RFID readers, which can detect, store and/or monitor information associated with “smart shoe” and/or “missing pin detection” RFID tags, where interface between this application and the reader can be implemented via a socket interface. System and method also or optionally provide for unique slat installation and removal.

A method, electromagnetic switch, controller and program product, when energizing an electromagnetic coil to urge a selected shoe into a diverting path downstream of the electromagnetic switch, reverse current flow during at least a portion of the time that the electromagnetic coil is energized to recover energy from the electromagnetic coil.

Device for loading, conveying and discharging of objects, which device is provided with: trays each intended for carrying an object from a loading position to a discharge position,—a pusher arm arranged on the tray for by means of pushing away, discharging an object present on the tray,—a drive system for conveying the trays in a conveyance direction from the loading position to the discharge position, wherein for the purpose of conveying the trays along a path, the drive system comprises a series of linked driving elements, and—a drive for driving the drive system, wherein, considered in the conveyance direction, a first tray precedes with respect to a subsequent second tray, wherein the first tray is fixedly connected with one of the driving elements, and wherein the second tray is fixedly connected to the driving element to which the first tray is connected.

A discharging station of a conveyor for deposit tables disposed to be movable along a conveying path and having pushers which can move transversely to the movement direction of the deposit tables includes a frame, a rail arrangement having a first rail track and a second rail track extending in parallel therewith, along which the deposit tables are movably disposed, and a guide element disposed on the frame for guiding an entrainer of the pushers, with which the objects to be conveyed can be pushed down from the respective deposit table in the direction of at least one of the rail tracks. The guide element is fixed to the frame such that it can be lowered from an operational position into a decoupling position.

A sortation conveyor has an endless apron supported for longitudinal movement on an elongate frame. An induction conveyor deposits articles on an offset lateral portion of a top conveying run of the apron. A pin guide assembly is coupled between the elongate frames and is upwardly presented to selectively receive the pin of pushers that laterally move across the apron. An upstream pre-sort section thereof positions articles from the offset lateral portion to an opposite lateral portion of the top conveying run. A downstream divert section of the pin guide assembly selectively diverts the articles to a divert target on the corresponding lateral side to the selected one of offset lateral position and the opposite lateral position.

A row sweep system is configured to allow a sweep pusher arm such as a roller to travel around a station such as a row-forming station of a palletizer at a substantially constant velocity. The row sweep system may include a pair of semi-concentrically continuous drive members such as inner and outer drive chain loops that are connected through inner and outer pivot arrangements to the sweep pusher arm. The inner pivot arrangement may define a slide pivot that allows for varying an effective length of a driven arm defined between the inner and outer pivot arrangements to accommodate movement of the sweep pusher arm through a corner while maintaining a substantially constant velocity.

A shoe sorter is described. The shoe sorter can include a switch plate that supports movement of a shoe pin of a pusher shoe, a finger, and an actuation arm. In some examples, the finger can be configured to be moved in a first direction in response to a portion of the shoe pin contacting a portion of the finger. The actuation arm can be pivotably engaged to the finger so that a movement of the finger in the first direction can cause a movement of the actuation arm in a second direction. In this regard, the actuation arm in the second direction can cause a change in a signal outputted by the photoelectric sensor coupled to the shoe sorter. This change in the signal can be used by a processor to determine that the shoe pin is misaligned.

An apparatus and a method convey and sort articles. The apparatus contains a link conveyor, having link elements, pushing-off elements, drive elements, and a control device. The link conveyor runs along a belt-movement line and has along the belt-movement line the link elements which are arranged to follow one after the other and form a conveying surface for the articles. In each case one pushing-off element can be arranged on one of the link elements, above the conveying surface, and therefore the pushing-off element runs along the belt-movement line together with the link element, and the pushing-off element can be moved, and stopped, along a pushing-off-line, which is arranged transversely to the belt-movement line. The drive elements each drive one or more pushing-off elements individually, and therefore the operations of moving and stopping these pushing-off elements, which are arranged to follow one after the other, are independent of one another.

A method, electromagnetic switch, controller and program product, when energizing an electromagnetic coil to urge a selected shoe into a diverting path downstream of the electromagnetic switch, reverse current flow during at least a portion of the time that the electromagnetic coil is energized to recover energy from the electromagnetic coil.