A transport apparatus is for conveying a shoe last along a conveying direction, and includes a rail unit, a transport device and a transfer device. The rail unit is divided into process, bridge and transfer regions. The transport device is movably mounted to the rail unit, is movable in the process and bridge regions, and includes a gripper for gripping the shoe last. The transfer device is movably mounted to the rail unit, is movable in the bridge and transfer regions, and includes a holding member for holding the shoe last. When the gripper is in the bridge region, the holding member is operable to hold the shoe last and transfer the shoe last from the gripper to the transfer region.

A cart assembly system for handling laundry in a facility, the system including first and second support structures each having arms extending outwardly therefrom. The arms support drive wheels, which in turn support a tow line extending between the first and second support structures. The system may include a drop cord extending downwardly from the tow line and engaging a slot on a tow cart to attach the tow cart to the tow line. The system may also include a mast extending from the cart to the tow line, the mast supporting a clamp assembly for coupling the cart to the tow line. A controller drives one or both of drive wheels to move the tow line and the cart along the line pathway, where the cart transports laundry throughout the facility.

Method for providing a particulate tobacco product and a device of the tobacco processing industry for performing the method. After harvesting tobacco plant, the method includes shredding the harvested tobacco plant and processing the shreds of the tobacco plant to form flat reconstituted tobacco material. The method also includes conveying the flat reconstituted tobacco material in a processing plane to a punching station. Further, the method includes punching tobacco particles out of the tobacco material in the punching station with a punching tool and providing the punched-out tobacco particles as particulate tobacco product.

A lamination device that laminates a plurality of types of workpieces includes supply mechanisms that supply the workpiece to each of supply positions, a movement mechanism including a stator of a linear motor having a predetermined traveling track and a mover of a linear motor that is movable between a plurality of the supply positions along a traveling track, and a controller that controls at least the mover. The mover includes a holding unit that holds the workpiece supplied to the supply positions, and a lamination stage for lamination the workpiece. The controller corrects a relative position of the workpiece with respect to the lamination stage and controls the mover to laminate the workpiece whose relative position is corrected on the lamination stage while the holding unit holds the workpiece supplied to the supply positions and moves to and stops at a next one of the supply positions.

A storage tower for storing storage containers includes a vertically extending supporting structure having a vertical axis, and m horizontally oriented container supports arranged along the vertical axis of the supporting structure and supported by container supporting frameworks to provide different levels where storage containers can be stored. The container supports are distributed at vertical intervals and m is a positive integer of 2 or more. Each container support is rotationally connected to the support structure and configured to support at least one storage container. Each level of the l container supports that are arranged above the remaining levels of ml container supports each displays at least one opening having a size being at least a maximum horizontal cross section of the storage containers to be stored, l being a positive integer of 1 to m1. The l container supports can be rotated about the vertical axis independently such that at least one opening of each level of the l container supports is vertically alignable with at least one opening of the other levels of the l container supports by individual rotation of the container supports.

It is disclosed a storage tower, an automated storage and retrieval system and a method of using same. The storage tower comprises a vertically extending supporting structure having a vertical axis (A.sub.v), and m horizontally oriented container supports arranged along the vertical axis of the supporting structure and distributed at vertical intervals (dV), m being a positive integer of 2 or more. Each container support is rotationally connected to the support structure and configured to support at least one storage container.

Disclosed is a magnetic levitation apparatus that includes a mover including first and second magnetic force units for a magnetic force to act therebetween; a guide unit for supporting the mover; and a control unit. One of the first and second magnetic force units includes a coil, and the other includes a permanent magnet. The control unit controls a current flowing through the coil to control a position and attitude of the mover. When the mover is in contact with the guide unit, the control unit starts position control with respect to the mover in a levitation direction in which the mover is levitated from the guide unit and, when the mover is in contact with the guide unit after the position control, starts zero power control with respect to the mover to levitate the mover from the guide unit.

A linear motor conveyance system includes: at least one carrier that supports an object used for container processing; and a linear motor unit that transports the at least one carrier along a transport track, wherein the transport track includes only a curved track or curved tracks throughout.

A transfer system according to the present invention comprises a first travel rail including a first merging section; a second travel rail merging the first travel rail at a merging point and including a second merging section corresponding to the first merging section; a transfer/loading area defined in the second merging section and located upstream of the merging point; and a controller (OCS) for controlling an operation of at least one transfer vehicle moving along the first travel rail and the second travel rail, wherein a second transfer vehicle moves along the second travel rail and enters the transfer/loading area, the second transfer vehicle starts a transfer/loading operation in the transfer/loading area, the first transfer vehicle moves along the first travel rail and enters the first merging section, and the first transfer vehicle passes through the merging point before the second transfer vehicle.

A system provides a work surface, a configuration space unit, and a magnetic movement system. The work surface has a configuration space associated therewith. In this regard, the configuration space unit is positionable within the associated configuration space of the work surface. The magnetic movement system has unit cells arranged in cooperation with the work surface, where each unit cell comprises an actuator, a magnet coupled to the actuator such that the actuator causes movement of the magnet defining an actuated magnet, and an electromagnetic coil. Moreover, the magnetic movement system is configured such that a magnetic field produced by at least one unit cell performs at least one operation that affects a position of the configuration space unit within the configuration space of the work surface.