A picking facility is realized that can shorten the time required to transfer an article from a first support body to a second support body. Of a plurality of articles 50 supported by the first support body 51, the article 50 located at the highest position and the article 50 whose upper face T1 is present in a range of a set distance D downward from the upper face T1 of the article 50 located at the highest position are set as transfer-target articles 50A, and the control device performs a selection control to preferentially select, from the transfer-target articles 50A, a transfer-target article 50A in the normal orientation SC, and a transfer control to control the transfer device so as to transfer the transfer-target article 50A selected through the selection control from the first support body 51 to the second support body.

An automatic tray loading system and a use method of the same are provided, which includes a stacked tray assembly, including at least one tray which is stacked up, where the at least one tray is provided with several locating slots; a tray lifting platform which includes a tray supporting table being connected with a elevating mechanism; a tray pick and place platform having a working region covers a tray input module, where the tray pick and place platform includes a manipulator which is connected with a multidimensional motion mechanism; and a delivery table including a tray placement plate, where each of the tray placement plate is provided with a groove which is configured to place the at least one layer of trays, and each of the tray placement plates is connected with a linear driving mechanism.

The technology is directed to training a system to generate pick instructions. A teleoperator system may receive data corresponding to a robot attempting a picking task including picking an item of an identified product type from a container. The data may include imagery of an end effector of the robot after the attempted picking task. The teleoperator system may display the imagery on a display and an input indicating whether the picking task was successfully or unsuccessfully performed by the robot may be received. The data may be labeled based on the input and transmitted to a processor for training a learning algorithm for use in generating future pick instructions.

A waste sorting robot can include a manipulator comprising a suction gripper for interacting with one or more waste objects to be sorted within a working area, and wherein the manipulator is moveable within the working area. There is a controller configured to send control instructions to the manipulator. At least one pressure sensor is in fluid communication with the suction gripper and configured to generate a pressure signal in dependence on a fluid pressure in the suction gripper. The controller is configured to receive the pressure signal and to determine manipulator instructions in dependence on the pressure signal.

A handling device for a handling of products (14), in particular food products, which are conveyed by means of a transport device (12), has at least one handling unit (16) comprising a plurality of movably supported movement carriages (18), in particular movers, and a plurality of, in particular movably supported, handling elements (20), in particular vacuum grippers, wherein on each movement carriage (18) respectively at least one handling element (20) is arranged, and has at least one carrier structure (22), which in particular extends at least partially transversally over the transport device (12) and has at least one carrier element (24) on which the movement carriages (18) are supported in such a way that they are drivable, independently from each other in terms of speed and/or position, at least along a direction (28) running at least substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis (26) of the carrier element (24), the handling elements (20) being supported on the movement carriages (18) so as to be movable, in particular individually movable, the handling elements (20) in each case having a movement axis (30, 32) that extends transversally to the longitudinal axis (26) of the carrier element (24), and/or the carrier structure (22) comprising at least one bearing unit (34), in particular a rotary bearing unit and/or a linear bearing unit, by means of which the carrier element (24), in particular together with the movement carriages (18) arranged thereon, is supported so as to be vertically movable, wherein for a movement of the handling elements (20) relative to the movement carriages (18), the movement axes (30) of the handling elements (20) in each case run at least substantially parallel to a product support surface (60) of the transport device (12), wherein the handling device further comprises at least one electromagnetic drive unit (68) for an individual movement of the movement carriages (18) relative to the carrier element (24), the electromagnetic drive unit (68) being realized as a linear motor system, wherein the handling unit (16) comprises fluidic drives (42), in particular hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, or electromagnetic drives, in particular electromagnetic drives assigned to a further linear motor system of the handling device, for a translational movement of the handling elements (20) along the respective movement axis (30) of the handling elements (20).

A system for aligning items, which includes a packaging box transfer device to transfer a packaging box accommodating items therein, a fixing device to fix, at a withdrawal position where the items are taken out of the packaging box, the packaging box transferred by the packaging box transfer device with its top open, a withdrawal device to move to a space in which the items are accommodated in the packaging box so as to suck and take out the items, an item transfer device to transfer the items taken out by the withdrawal device with the items placed on the item transfer device, a sensor mounted on the withdrawal device to detect directions of the items taken out by the withdrawal device, and a rotating device to rotate the items taken out by the withdrawal device with the items placed on the rotating device.

There is provided a conveying device that reliably discharges only scrap when simultaneously conveying the scrap and a pressed product without sacrificing cycle time. A conveying device for use in press forming includes: a conveying part that holds a product part and a scrap part of a workpiece after a cutting process, and conveys the product part and the scrap part to a next process; a nozzle part that is provided in the conveying part, and discharges compressed fluid toward the scrap part; and a controller that performs a control to release holding of the scrap part during conveyance of the workpiece and to blow compressed fluid toward the scrap part.

Techniques are disclosed to use a robotic arm to palletize or depalletize diverse items. In various embodiments, data associated with a plurality of items to be stacked on or in a destination location is received. A plan to stack the items on or in the destination location is generated based at least in part on the received data. The plan is implemented at least in part by controlling a robotic arm of the robot to pick up the items and stack them on or in the receptacle according to the plan, including by for each item: using one or more first order sensors to move the item to a first approximation of a destination position for that item at the destination location; and using one or more second order sensors to snug the item into a final position.

A method for controlling a vacuum generator (3) in a vacuum system (10) for transportation of objects, which vacuum system (10) comprises a vacuum generator (3) driven by a compressed air flow via a first on/off valve (1), wherein the vacuum generator (3) is arranged to be brought in flow connection with the vacuum gripper means (6) comprised in the vacuum system (10), in order to supply vacuum to the vacuum gripper means (6) in result of the compressed air flow, wherein the vacuum system (10) comprises a second valve (2), which is arranged to supply compressed air into the vacuum system (10); one centralized pressure sensor (4) used for monitoring a system pressure (P) inside the vacuum system (10) and for adaptive blow-off; and a vacuum system controller (5), wherein if the on/off valve (1) is not flowing air to the vacuum generator (3), the vacuum system controller (5) indicates a state of no vacuum generation, and the second valve (2) is activated, allowing an amount of compressed air to flow into the vacuum-system (10) for blow-off, using vacuum system properties being characterized with respect to volume and flow-restriction in relation to the blow-off capacity of the blow-off function and for every release cycle wherein blow-off is terminated and excessive air injected into the system is released through the vacuum gripper means, analyzing pressure propagation following blow-off for calculating a duration of when the vacuum system (10) is being fully pressure-equalized (E) in parts of the vacuum gripper means by using a compensation factor (k), wherein the compensation factor (k) is stored and used for the next release cycle.

The disclosure relates to a device for automatically lifting a packing material comprising a lifting element movable between a lower removal position and an upper transfer position, a vacuum source configured to create a negative pressure, a drive element, and a suction element, which has at least one opening of a vacuum line and is mechanically connected to the lifting element and is fluidically connected to the vacuum source by means of the vacuum line. The lifting element is configured to place the suction element on an uppermost packing material of a stack of packing materials by its weight force in the lower removal position, wherein the opening of the vacuum line can be closed in an airtight manner, and wherein the lifting element is configured to move together with the sucked packing material into the upper transfer position.