A sorting conveyor has pivotally mounted flaps for sorting articles into sorting outlets as a function of a sorting indication affixed to each of the articles. The conveyor includes a monitoring and control unit designed to cause each flap to pivot between a closed position in which the flap forms a conveyor portion suitable for conveying an article in a certain conveying direction and an open position in which the flap interrupts conveying of an article on the conveyor to deflect it towards an appropriate sorting outlet. The monitoring and control unit is also arranged to retrieve thickness data from a memory giving a certain thickness for the article to be deflected, and to respond by causing the flap to pivot into an open position through a certain opening amplitude determined as a function of the thickness data about the article that is to be deflected.

The meat processing apparatus includes a conveying line including a plurality of conveying units arranged in series, at least one processing station for processing the meat conveyed by the conveying line, and a controller for controlling the conveying units. The plurality of conveying units include: a first conveying unit having a first conveyor and a first sensor for detecting the meat placed on the first conveyor; and a second conveying unit located downstream of the first conveying unit, and having a second conveyor and a second sensor for detecting the meat placed on the second conveyor. The controller is configured to drive and control the first conveyor and the second conveyor based on a detection result of the second sensor.

A transport device for conveying products (12), in particular packaged and/or non-packaged food, comprises at least one transport unit (14) which comprises at least one endless transport element (16), in particular an endless conveyor belt, which has a product support surface (18) for receiving products (12) to be conveyed, the transport device further comprising at least one guide unit (20) for guiding the transport element (16) and which has at least one, in particular movably supported, guide element (22), in particular a guide roller, and comprising at least one bearing unit (24) for pivotable or tiltable support of the guide unit (20) together with the transport unit (14) relative to a frame unit (26) of a production installation, in particular around a movement axis (30) of the guide unit (20), running at least essentially parallel to the product support surface (18), wherein the guide unit (20) has at least one further guide element (32) for guiding, in particular deflecting, an endless further transport element (34), in particular an endless further conveyor belt, wherein for the purpose of guiding the transport element (16) the further guide element (32) is supported by means of the bearing unit (24) so that it can be pivoted or tilted together with the guide element (22) and with the transport unit (14) relative to the frame unit (26).

A conveying device has: a main conveyor unit; a sub conveyor unit; and a lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers at least one of the main conveyor unit and the sub conveyor unit, wherein the main conveyor unit has a main conveying passage disposed in a fixed region, the main conveying passage conveying a conveyance object, wherein the sub conveyor unit has a sub conveying passage disposed in the fixed region, the sub conveying passage conveying the conveyance object in an intersecting direction with respect to a conveying direction of the main conveying passage, wherein a conveyance attitude is capable of being changed between a main conveyance attitude in which a conveying surface of the sub conveying passage is located below a conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and a sub conveyance attitude in which both ends in the intersecting direction of the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage are located above the conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and in the sub conveyance attitude, the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage is inclined in a height direction.

In a belt buffer including a plurality of buffer belts arranged one above the other, receiving edges of the buffer belts at entry and delivery edges of the buffer belts at an exit of the belt buffer are height-adjustable. The buffer belts can include a plurality of belt modules arranged one after the other.

A product distribution unit removes rows of products from a production flow conveyed on a main conveyor and conveys them by a distribution device to a packaging machine. A waiting belt, which is arranged beneath the main conveyor and can be displaced in the main direction of conveyance, is used for taking over rows of products from the main conveyor and delivering the rows of products to a discharge belt desynchronized from the main conveyor.

A belt conveyor comprises a belt with a drive roller, a deflection roller that can be adjusted relative thereto upwardly and/or downwardly, and an upper run extending therebetween for transporting the food products. The belt conveyor comprises a deflection element arranged between the drive roller and the deflection roller and configured for adjustment in the direction of transport. The upper and/or the associated lower run of the belt transitions from a first longitudinal section running in the direction of transport to a second longitudinal section tilted relative thereto when the deflection roller has been adjusted. The second longitudinal section can be quickly tilted and flexibly adapted to the dimensions of the food products and their transport distances inbetween.

In a belt buffer including a plurality of buffer belts arranged one above the other, receiving edges of the buffer belts at entry and delivery edges of the buffer belts at an exit of the belt buffer are height-adjustable. The buffer belts can include a plurality of belt modules arranged one after the other.

According to various embodiments, the transporting arrangement may have the following: a multi-level transporting section, which has a first transporting level and a second transporting level (102b) arranged above it; a feeding conveyor for feeding a container in the direction of the multi-level transporting section; a distributing conveyor between the feeding conveyor and the multi-level transporting section, the distributing conveyor (106) being mounted at the multi-level transporting section pivotably between the first transporting level and the second transporting level and intended for distributing the container to the first transporting level or the second transporting level; a sensor arrangement, which is configured to sense at least one physical property of the container; a pivoting control device, which is configured to pivot the distributing conveyor between the first transporting level and the second transporting level if the at least one property satisfies a predetermined criterion.

An automated system for transferring articles from a container. An item transfer system includes a rotatable tray rotary assembly, a translatable and rotatable intermediate rotary assembly, and a translatable and rotatable output rotary assembly. The system is configured to transfer articles from the tray to processing equipment by an automated process including rotationally transferring the articles from the tray to the intermediate rotary assembly and rotationally transferring the articles from the intermediate rotary assembly to the output rotary assembly. The output rotary assembly can move to align with a shelf or other input of the processing equipment and a paddle assembly can slide the items from the output rotary assembly onto the shelf or other input of the processing equipment.