An apparatus is described for implementing a physical distance between a group of contiguous packages (1) in continuous advancement on a conveyor belt (3) and a series of accumulated packages (2) on an accumulator belt (4) connected in series to the conveyor belt (3), the apparatus comprising: the conveyor belt (3) driven by a first motor (30); the accumulator belt (4) driven by a second motor (40); a controller (5) of the motion of the accumulator belt (4); first detection means (51) of the group of contiguous packages (1); second detection means (52) of the series of accumulated packages (2); and a robot (6) equipped with gripping means (61) to move the group of contiguous packages (1) on the conveyor belt (3).

An example pallet auto box with robot palletizer includes a conveyor to move a pallet into a loading area adjacent a robot for loading bags onto the pallet. The example pallet auto box with robot palletizer also includes an auto box having at least one wall, and in an example four walls, that can be raised and lowered. The at least one wall is raised as the robot stacks bags onto the pallet to maintain a border around the edge of the pallet for the bags to be stacked on the pallet. At least one wall opens as a door or gate after the pallet has been loaded with bags so that the loaded pallet can be moved out of the loading area and a next pallet moved into the loading area. The at least one wall is lowered again for stacking bags onto the next pallet.

The present invention discloses a palletizing apparatus, wherein when a pile of plurality of bundles to be stacked is received, the pile is processed and passed towards the layer formation unit such that more than one bundle may be separated and/or accumulated and/or turned simultaneously at the same time in accordance with the desired layer stacking pattern, said apparatus comprising:a receiving station for receiving the pile of plurality of bundles and connected to a palletizing station;a plurality of separators arranged and sequentially connected between the receiving station and the palletizing station, said plurality of separating means comprising: a first separator extending towards and between the receiving station and a first side transfer conveyor; a second separator connected to the first separator through a first conveyor mean including at least the first side transfer conveyor; and a third separator connected to the second separator through a second conveyor means extending towards the palletizing station, the second conveyor means comprising a side transfer conveyor and one or more buffer conveyors;a turntable unit for changing the orientation of one or more separated bundles received thereon, the turn table unit connected to the third separator through a third conveyor mean extending between the third separator and the palletizing station;a layer formation unit for receiving the one or more separated bundles and forming a desired layer stacking pattern, the layer formation unit extending between the turn table unit and the palletizing station.

The invention relates to a conveyor device (10) for conveying food products on a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks and for formatting the food products in a specific product format, especially for conveying and formatting stacks or interleaved units made of a plurality of slices of cheese or meat products. It is proposed that the conveyor device (10) fills a product gap on one of the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side with a food product so that on the output side all parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products. The invention also includes a corresponding method.

The invention relates to a palletizing apparatus (10) and a method for conveying articles (16), piece goods, and/or bundles (18) and/or palletizable article layers, piece good layers, and/or bundle layers (20) with at least two conveyor line sections (12, 14), each in a particular conveying direction (28, 29). Each conveyor line sections include consecutive handling stations, grouping stations, and/or transfer stations (32, 33, 40, 44, 48, 50), which lead to a central loading station (24), where the article layers, piece good layers, and/or bundle layers (20) are stacked on top of each other and/or palletized in a common loading place (25). The loading station (24) is located between at least two vertically adjustable support surfaces and/or conveying surfaces (52). The common loading place (25) is supplied with article layers, piece good layers, and/or bundle layers (20).

The invention relates to an apparatus (10) and method for handling moved piece goods (2), and a conveying, processing, and/or packaging plant including the apparatus (10). The apparatus (10) comprises at least one manipulator (5) for piece goods (2), at least one transport device (3) by which the moved piece goods (2) are transportable to a seizing range (4) of the at least one manipulator (5), and at least one movable optical detection device (40) assigned to the seizing range (4) and/or to a movement range of the at least one manipulator (5). The optical detection device (40) obtains space coordinates and/or position data and/or contour data of at least one piece good (2) that is being moved. The at least one manipulator (5) and/or further conveyor components of the apparatus (10) can be calibrated and/or controlled based on the detected space coordinates and/or position data and/or contour data.

An example pallet auto box with robot palletizer includes a conveyor to move a pallet into a loading area adjacent a robot for loading bags onto the pallet. The example pallet auto box with robot palletizer also includes an auto box having at least one wall, and in an example four walls, that can be raised and lowered. The at least one wall is raised as the robot stacks bags onto the pallet to maintain a border around the edge of the pallet for the bags to be stacked on the pallet. At least one wall opens as a door or gate after the pallet has been loaded with bags so that the loaded pallet can be moved out of the loading area and a next pallet moved into the loading area. The at least one wall is lowered again for stacking bags onto the next pallet.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for handling piece goods (2) moved one after another being transported to a seizing range (4) of at least one manipulator (5). Hereby at least two transported piece goods (2) are seized, spatially separated from the closed formation (F) and brought into a specified relative first target position (P1) and/or target alignment in relation to the subsequent piece goods (2). There at least one of the piece goods (2) is released. The at least one second piece good (2) seized from the formation (F) is seized again and is brought into a specified relative second target position and/or target alignment that is spaced apart from the first target position (P1).

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus (10) for handling piece goods (2) moved one after another, with the piece goods (2) being transported to a seizing range (4) of a manipulator (5). At least one transported piece good (2) is seized in a clamping and/or force-locking and/or form-locking manner by at least two clamping elements and/or gripping elements (22) located opposite each other. The piece good is spatially separated from the subsequent piece goods (2) and is brought into a specified relative target position (P) and/or target alignment relative to subsequent piece goods (2). A first vertical symmetry plane and which is oriented about perpendicular to a transport direction (TR), is spaced apart from a second vertical symmetry plane aligned about parallel thereto, with the second vertical symmetry plane being defined by the manipulator (5) or by the manipulator clamping elements and/or gripping elements (22).

An article accumulation pattern building load plate assembly is provided. The assembly includes a deck for support of patterned articles, a stop for retaining deck supported articles, and spaced apart guides adjustably positionable in relation to the deck so as to transversely guide articles thereacross towards the stop. Articles of the patterned articles are received at an ingress portion of the assembly from a metered article source, the articles extendable at least across a width of the deck in a direction transverse to an article ingress direction. The stop is adjacent the deck, extending in a direction transverse to the article ingress direction, the stop delimiting an egress portion of the assembly.