A system enables management of dispensable units by supporting functions such as retrieval, scheduled distribution, analysis, and notifications. To this end, a dispensable retrieval mechanism may be programmed to carry out blind retrievals of dispensable units using a retrieval strategy with a predetermined sequence of retrieval attempts (e.g., fixed or varying two-dimensional retrieval patterns), which may be open loop or closed loop. Techniques may also include the identification of dispensable units through optical sensors and weight measurement devices that can detect, e.g., a texture, a shape, and a size of dispensable units. Such identification can be used to program retrieval attempts by a retrieval robot and in the formulation of the retrieval pattern. Additionally, networked notification systems for dispensable units can be used for updating rules or schedules related to the dispensable units, or alerting users and remote resources of any potential misuse or hazards of the dispensable units.

Devices for separating piece goods such as pharmaceutical product packages to be stored in a picking device are provided. The device includes a feed device for piece goods, a recording device for recording 3D images of piece goods, a control device for evaluating 3D images and for determining a piece good to be picked, a conveyor for picking a piece good, a deposit surface, and a lateral recording device. The control device is configured so that the orientation of the picked piece good is ascertained and the preferred storage surface is established and that the conveyor is activated in such a way that a picked piece good is situated on a preferred storage surface on the deposit surface. Methods of separating piece goods to be stored in a picking device are also provided.

An apparatus and method for manufacturing glass containers handles the containers individually after a hot forming process and annealing to prevent glass-to-glass contact. By handling the containers individually and preventing glass-to-glass contact damage to the containers in the form of checks and scratches is avoided. To prevent contact of the containers and damage arising from the contact, the equipment including conveyors, pushers, starwheels, shuttles, and transfer heads that move the glass containers through the apparatus maintains the glass containers in uniform spaced relationship at each stage of container processing until the containers are packaged.

A picking facility includes a first conveyor for transporting a container that includes an opening portion provided on an upper side thereof and can contain an article, and a second conveyor for transporting a target article. The height level of a transport face of the first conveyor is set to be lower than the height level of a transport face of the second conveyor, and a difference between the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor and the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is determined based on the height of the container.

According to one embodiment, a transfer apparatus includes a suction hand, a moving device, a first detector, and a controller. The suction hand includes a first and second suction units. The first and second suction units are configured to contact with an article in a first direction and a second direction, respectively. the first suction unit and the second suction unit each are provided multiply in a third direction. The controller performs at least a first operation and a second operation. In the first operation, the first suction units respectively suction first surfaces of the articles, the second suction units respectively suction second surfaces of the articles, and the articles are moved. In the second operation, one of the first suction units suctions the first surface of one of the articles, the second suction units do not suction the articles, and the one of the articles is moved.

An electrical connection device for connecting a plug, preferably a HV pin header, to a printed circuit board in a motor vehicle, having the following: at least one first electrical connection-device for contacting at least one assigned plug-connector contact; at least one second electrical connection-device contact for contacting at least one assigned printed-circuit-board contact wherein at least one first connection-device contact at least one second connection-device contact are connected to one another, wherein the electrical connection device is configured in such a manner that at least one printed-circuit-board contact is able to be selectively connected to assigned plug-connector contacts which differ in terms of the relative disposal thereof in relation to the printed-circuit-board contact and/or differ from one another in that said plug-connector contacts are a component part of plug connectors which differ from one another in terms of the configuration of the respective plug-connector contacts thereof.

Robotic assembly systems and methods of assembling products using planar robots. Planar movers cooperate magnetically with stators to pick products provided on an infeed and place them in a pattern on an outfeed system, wherein the movers having a clamp having at least two opposing clamping surfaces whose relative positions are continuously adjustable by a force from an object external to the mover and the stator. Sensors and controllers cooperate to precisely move the movers on the stator, particularly as a group, for the movers to pick respective products at respective picking locations. Some systems permit packaging of multiple products.

According to one embodiment, an unloading apparatus includes a first sucking portion sucking an upper surface of a package, a second sucking portion sucking a side surface of the package, a first moving device moving the first sucking portion and the second sucking portion, a rotation portion rotatably connecting the first and second sucking portions to the first moving device, and a processor configured to control the first moving device. In a state in which the upper and side surfaces of the package are sucked, the processor is configured to control the first moving device to move the first moving device upward along a direction intersecting the side surface of the package sucked by the second sucking portion or a surface obtained by virtually extending the side surface.

A pouch feeding assembly includes a conveyor lane having a load end and a transfer end, wherein the conveyor lane includes a conveyor operable to move pouches in a conveyance direction from the load end to the transfer end, wherein the transfer end of the conveyor lane includes a downwardly facing pouch transfer window over which pouches at the transfer end are positioned. A transfer subassembly including a first transfer mechanism and a second transfer mechanism, the first transfer mechanism configured to engage a lower face of a pouch, pull at least part of the pouch down through the pouch transfer window and transfer the pouch to an infeed point of the second transfer mechanism.

A transfer system for removing articles from trays includes a supply conveyor and a discharge conveyor A separation and transfer arrangement, including an article transport member, is interposed between a downstream end of the supply conveyor and an upstream end of the article discharge conveyor. The article transport member. Which may be a vacuum conveyor, acts on an upper end defined by each article to suspend the articles therebelow, and advances the articles from the downstream end of the supply conveyor to the upstream end of the discharge conveyor, which are at generally the same elevation. A tray transport member extends from the downstream end of the supply conveyor, and advances the trays downwardly in an upstream-to-downstream direction so that the trays are positioned below the upstream end of the discharge conveyor as the articles are deposited on the upstream end of the discharge conveyor by the article transport member.