A container transport device for transporting containers in a container handling system includes a chassis for supporting the container transport device on a track. The chassis is equipped with a frame on which at least one tray for transporting the containers is provided in a vertically adjustable manner. The at least one tray has a transport surface with multiple transport elements arranged in a substantially parallel manner for temporarily storing and conveying containers in rows, and each transport element is drivable in a controlled and/or closed-loop manner independently of one another in two different conveying directions.

A conveying apparatus having a buffering unit extending between a receiving end and output end, including, a base conveyor, a distributing unit adapted to distribute a at least one incoming line of articles received at the receiving end into buffering lanes configured onto the base conveyor, and including a first closed loop track at the receiving end of the base conveyor. The first closed loop track having a distributing lugs, an accumulator unit extending away through the buffering to accumulate positioned on a base conveyor and oriented generally transversally to the first closed loop track, the second closed loop track including a plurality of accumulating lugs, Articles received at the buffering unit are moved along by distributing lugs and dropped into buffering lanes merging into a output lane, and having a second closed loop track on a base conveyor oriented transversally to the first closed loop track having accumulating lugs.

Instead of a loading line consisting only consisting of conventional belt conveyors or strap conveyors, the invention uses—in addition to a conventional feed conveyor unit (10)—a large number of vehicles (F) which move independently of one another, freely on a driving surface (3″), and are driven from below the driving surface (3″), which each carry a packaging element (V) such as a tray, which—loaded with a single slice (S) or a portion—very flexibly permit the specific assembly of portions (P), but also the buffering of partial portions.

The buffer possibility can be supplemented by a (known) buffer (17) in the form of a vertical buffer with a vertically movable storage rack (17).

A processing and buffering device compatible with various conveying lines is disclosed and includes a fixing and installation mechanism, a jacking component and a clamping component. The fixing and installation mechanism is used for fixing the processing and buffering device on a lateral side of a conveying line. The jacking component is disposed on the fixing and installation mechanism, and includes a jacking cylinder and a connection element, wherein the jacking component is allowed moving up and down in a vertical direction under the action of the jacking cylinder. The clamping component is disposed on the fixing and installation mechanism, connected to the jacking component through the connection element, and includes a horizontal displacement cylinder and two clamping elements. The clamping component is driven by the jacking component to move. The clamping elements are driven by a horizontal displacement cylinder to perform a clamping operation or a releasing operation.

A storage station, a process for storing, and a bottle tray (5) configured for receiving a bottle layer (7) are provided. The bottle tray has an upright side wall (12), with an upper tray opening (13) and a tray bottom (15) connected to the side wall (12). The bottle tray (5) has a movable lifting bottom (18) that lies in the loaded state (5) on the tray bottom (15) and which has a plurality of passage openings (16) for a lifting device (34) for a relative lift between the side wall (12) and the lifting bottom (18). The tray bottom (15) has a perforated plate or a plurality of struts (17) located spaced apart and enclosing the passage openings (16). The struts are fastened to the side wall (12). The bottle tray (5) has a bottom centering (19) acting between the tray bottom (15) and the lifting bottom (18).

A row-forming device (10) together with processes form a bottle row (8) from a bottle layer (7). The row-forming device (10) is configured to pick up and transport away, in rows, the respectively frontmost layer row (61) of the bottle layer (7) moved in a conveying direction (60), in a transverse transport direction (72). One or more layer conveyors (59) moves the bottle row (7) in a conveying direction (60) and adjoins the transport device (62), which has a plurality of parallel conveyor belts (63, 66) that extend in the transport direction (72) and are driven independently and also exhibit mutually different transport speeds. The transport device (62) has a guide strip (68) oriented obliquely to the transport direction (72). The guide strip (68) extends over a part of the conveyor belts (63, 66) and is arranged downstream of the layer conveyor (59) in the transport direction (72).

A conveyor system with a diverting conveyor belt crossing and intersecting a main conveyor line. The diverting conveyor belt has rollers on its outer side that rotate freely in the main conveying direction of the line. The downstream edge of the diverting conveyor is selectably tilted between a lowered, untilted position level with the main conveyor line and a raised, tilted position above the level of the main conveyor line. When the diverting belt is untilted and stopped, an article passes over the belt's rollers without being diverted. When the diverting belt is tilted and running, it diverts articles off the side of the conveyor line. In another version the rollers include an electrically conductive or magnetic material. A linear-motor stator under the diverting belt selectively actuates the conductive or magnetic rollers to draw undiverted articles across the belt.

A method for removing a piece good from a conveying means of a sorting system, wherein the sorting system includes the conveying means for conveying the piece good in a transport direction along a conveyor line, and wherein the conveying means is configured in such a way that a piece good arranged in a cell area on the conveying means is movable at right angles to the transport direction, includes the steps generating image data by means of a camera arranged on the conveyor line, wherein the image data represent at least the conveying means in one section of the conveyor line; by means of a controller, detecting a piece good not placed completely in the cell area on the conveying means on the basis of the image data generated; generating a blowoff command for a blowoff device arranged on the conveyor line, wherein the blowoff command is generated while considering a time of the generation of the image data, a conveying speed of the conveying means, and an arrangement of the camera, the conveyor line and the blowoff device relative to one another; and by means of the blowoff device, blowing off the piece good not placed completely in the cell area on the conveying means on the basis of the blowoff command.

The object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of an apparatus for palletizing which serves a plurality of conveyors transporting respective successions of cases, realising a storage means on the unloading area of each conveyor, so that during the period of storage of the cases coming from the same conveyor, the palletizer is transferred in correspondence of another conveyor wherein the respective storage has already been completed, so as to use a sole palletizer for a plurality of distinct conveyors.

This apparatus for palletizing a plurality of cases comprises a conveyor with an unloading area, an open structure composed of a plurality of support planes basically identical and arranged vertically one on top of the other, and separated by respective hollow spaces, first pushers which displace the cases from said unloading area of said mobile conveyor, towards and into a respective one of said hollow spaces, a transferring plate in a position adjacent to said open structure, displacement means, in particular second pushers apt at transferring said cases contained in respective one of said hollow spaces from it towards and on a palletizing means.

An article conveying equipment includes: a carrying apparatus, configured to carry one or more articles to be transported; a travelling apparatus, where the travelling apparatus includes at least two driving wheels located at the bottom of the travelling apparatus, the at least two driving wheels are configured to control the travelling apparatus to rotate in a first rotation direction; and a rotation supporting apparatus, which is located between the carrying apparatus and the travelling apparatus and connected to the carrying apparatus and the travelling apparatus respectively, where the rotation supporting apparatus is configured to rotate in a direction opposite to the first rotation direction when the travelling apparatus rotates in the first rotation direction.