A loading vehicle detects the position of a receiving vehicle relative to the loading vehicle and determines whether the receiving vehicle is to be repositioned. If so, it sends a repositioning message to the receiving vehicle and receives acknowledgement that the loading vehicle has remote control of the positioning mechanisms in the receiving vehicle. A loading vehicle operator input is detected and a position control signal is sent to the receiving vehicle to reposition it relative to the loading vehicle.

An article supplying apparatus includes a retention unit configured to retain an article, a robot hand configured to insert the article retained in the retention unit into a container, and a control unit configured to control operation of the robot hand. The robot hand has a holding portion for holding the article. The control unit executes holding control in which the article is held by the holding portion; and stand-by insertion control in which after the holding portion is temporarily disposed at a stand-by position different from a position immediately above an article insertion port in the container and set on a movement path from a start position of the holding through the holding control to the position immediately thereabove, the holding portion is moved to the position immediately thereabove, and the article is inserted into the container via the article insertion port.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a dispenser vane comprising a flexible outer surface and a plurality of flexible teeth arranged along the length of the outer surface. The flexible outer surface and flexible teeth are radially moveable.

An unloader for a shipping container includes a supporter having a frame structure and a pallet base supported by the frame structure and configured to receive the pallet and support the shipping container in an elevated position. A gate moving mechanism is supported by the pallet base and configured to engage the moveable gate assembly when the full shipping container is positioned onto the pallet base. A material director has a first end located beneath the pallet base subjacent of the gate moving mechanism. The material director extends downwardly from the pallet base and terminates at a second end opposite the first end. Bulk material is dispensed from the shipping container into the first end and is discharged from the second end of the material director. Shipping containers may be positioned onto and removed from the pallet base without disassembly of the unloader.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a dispenser vane comprising a flexible outer surface and a plurality of flexible teeth arranged along the length of the outer surface. The flexible outer surface and flexible teeth are radially moveable.

A proppant metering and loading apparatus for a hydraulic fracturing blender unit is provided. A continuous loop conveyor belt receives proppant from a source location on the blender, such as a hopper, and delivers the proppant to a blender device of the blender. A measurement device (e.g. weigh scale) measures and provides an indication of amount (e.g. weight, volume and/or density) of the proppant delivered to the blender device by the conveyor belt.

A bulk material discharging system includes a transmission station including a transmitting vessel having a transmitting vessel inlet configured to receive bulk material from an outlet of a bulk material transporter, and a transmitting vessel outlet to transmit bulk material therefrom. The system also includes a transporter handling station located operatively upstream of the transmission station and including at least a portion of a transporter handler including at least one carriage with transporter couplings configured to engage corresponding carriage couplings of the bulk material transporter and configured to convey the bulk material transporter over the transmitting vessel.

A bulk material tender is described. The bulk material tender includes a hopper. The hopper includes one or more side walls defining a top opening and a bottom opening. The bulk material may also include a frame connected to and supporting the hopper. The bulk material tender may also include a rotary airlock for receiving material from the hopper. The bulk material tender may also include a pneumatic conveyor coupled to the rotary airlock for conveying the material to a desired location. The bulk material tender may also include a slide gate valve between the rotary airlock and the hopper. The bulk material tender may also include support legs and jacks for self-loading and self-unloading from a vehicle.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure includes a solid dispenser including dispensing vanes coupled rotationally about respective parallel horizontal axes. The two dispensing vanes including a surface at a radial distance from the corresponding parallel horizontal axis with teeth arranged on and projecting from the surface. The surfaces of the dispensing vanes may be in contact between the parallel horizontal axes and are flexible in radial directions of the dispensing vanes. In one example embodiment, the dispensing vanes are configured to rotate in opposing directions about the respective parallel horizontal axes to selectively dispense ingredients from a hopper.

A system for continuously loading utility vehicles with material may include a multiple chute that is switchable into different states to load different utility vehicles successively with material, at least two utility vehicles arranged in a front row and at least one utility vehicle in at least one subsequent row, wherein at least one utility vehicle in the front row is followed, counter to its direction of travel, by the utility vehicle unfilled in the subsequent row, a drive-through control system with each utility vehicle being assigned a drive-through control element, a presence sensor system with each utility vehicle being assigned a presence sensor, a material filling level-sensing system, wherein each utility vehicle in the front row is assigned a material filling level-sensing sensor, and a computer system for controlling the state of the multiple chute based on data from the presence sensor system and the material filling level-sensing system.