Abstract: A conveyor system includes a power and free section transporting product carriers on power and free type trolleys and a monorail section transporting utility carriers about a fixed loop. The monorail system is connected to the power and free section to receive and transport the trolleys with the product carriers interspaced between the utility carriers.

Abstract: A conveyor system includes a power and free section transporting product carriers on power and free type trolleys and a monorail section transporting utility carriers about a fixed loop. The monorail system is connected to the power and free section to receive and transport the trolleys with the product carriers interspaced between the utility carriers.

Abstract: An apparatus for selectively storing a thin tray or sheet in an elongate storage location, and retrieving trays therefrom, includes a tray extractor and a transport assembly. The tray extractor comprises a tray engagement mechanism and a tray linear movement actuator. The tray engagement mechanism operates as a hand to selectively grip or release trays which are being handled by the apparatus. The tray linear movement actuator acts as an arm to position the tray engagement mechanism and, when operated, to move an engaged tray. The tray linear movement actuator comprises a linear movement link and pulley arrangement which moves an engaged tray along a linear path of motion, and which maintains the tray engagement mechanism in a selected orientation with respect to that path of movement. The tray engagement mechanism comprises an X-shaped scissors mechanism having a plurality of jaws thereon. Scissors motion of the mechanism opens and closes the pairs of jaw members to selectively engage or disengage a tray.

Abstract: An automatic storage and retrieval system including a storage bin, having a mechanism for positioning a vehicle at the storage bin including a rough positioning mechanism with an encoder having a rotatable member which rotates through an arc less than a complete revolution in response to movement of the vehicle and generates a signal with a different value at each of various member positions which correspond to respective vehicle rough position zones. A control device receives the signal and selectively causes the vehicle to move to a rough position zone at the storage bin. A fine positioning mechanism repositions the vehicle within a particular position zone after rough positioning and utilizes a light source and photoelectric sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting a target mounted in a fixed relation with respect to the storage bin. The control mechanism receives an electrical signal generated by the photoelectric sensor and causes the vehicle to stop at the fine position location at the storage bin.

Abstract: An automatic storage and retrieval system including a storage bin, having a mechanism for positioning a vehicle at the storage bin including a rough positioning mechanism with an encoder having a rotatable member which rotates through an arc less than a complete revolution in response to movement of the vehicle and generates a signal with a different value at each of various member positions which correspond to respective vehicle rough position zones. A control device receives the signal and selectively causes the vehicle to move to a rough position zone at the storage bin. A fine positioning mechanism repositions the vehicle within a particular position zone after rough positioning and utilizes a light source and photoelectric sensor mounted on the vehicle for detecting a target mounted in a fixed relation with respect to the storage bin. The control mechanism receives an electrical signal generated by the photoelectric sensor and causes the vehicle to stop at the fine position location at the storage bin.

Abstract: An article handling system and, more particularly, a box or container picker system having miniaturized components for detecting the presence as well as the orientation of various sizes of boxes and containers in a pallet layer of product including suction cups and associated pneumatically-operated sensing structure arranged in arrays for detecting the presence or absence of a box or container therebeneath during a cycle and controls for determining the coordinates at which box presence is detected and also for activating those suction heads which are to function to pick a box from a layer of product. The vacuum pickup head including the suction cup has a casing with an interior vacuum chamber controlled by a motor-operated valve member which, in one position, connects an operating negative pressure to a suction cup and, in another position, closes off the negative pressure and connects the suction cup to atmosphere.

Abstract: A vacuum pickup head used with a stacker crane or similar structure wherein a plurality of the heads are suitably arranged on a movable support. The vacuum pickup head has a casing with an interior vacuum chamber and a depending container-engaging sealing element to seal the space between the casing and a container. A bottom wall of the casing has an annular air passage to provide a large airflow connection of said space with the vacuum chamber. A linearly-movable valve plate is positioned beneath the bottom wall for movement relative to the bottom wall to open and close said annular passage and fluid-powered motor means are positioned within the casing for moving the valve plate.

Abstract: A stacker crane is movable along horizontally spaced and vertically stacked bins to deposit and retrieve palletized loads comprised of stacked articles, at least some of which contain an inventory label. To take a physical inventory, an inventory pallet is carried on the transfer forks of the stacker crane. The inventory pallet contains a laser beam scanner which directs a scanning beam toward the rear of the palletized load. The stacker crane is automatically driven through a sequence which causes it to pass each bin in the warehouse. When the crane reverses direction, the laser beam scanner is driven along guides to an end location, and rotated 180.degree., to scan bins on the opposite side of the aisle. The scanned inventory data is remotely transmitted with the bin address data to an off-crane data recorder.