Abstract: An exemplary method for installing at an installation site a photovoltaic module including a panel and support legs includes disposing the photovoltaic module over a support surface such that the support legs are in a stowed position; lifting the photovoltaic module from a support surface while engaging a magnetic field with the support legs so as to maintain the support legs in the stowed position; disengaging the magnetic field from the support legs of the lifted photovoltaic module so as to release the support legs from the stowed position to an installation position in which the support legs are rotated downwards relative to the stowed position; and lowering the photovoltaic module to the installation site with the support legs in the installation position so as to install the photovoltaic module at the installation site, the support legs supporting the panel at the installation site.

Abstract: A mounting device includes a slope including: a main plate for mounting a wheelchair; a vehicle-side plate provided between a vehicle and an edge of the main plate and having at least one plate; and a ground to be contacted-side plate provided between a surface of ground to be contacted and the other edge of the main plate and having at least one plate. The main plate can be raised and lowered between low and high positions when the ground to be contacted-side plate is in contact with the ground. The mounting device is also provided with: an electric winch that can tow the wheelchair along the slope; a slope driving mechanism that drives the main plate; and a control unit that, on the basis of the drive state of one of the slope driving mechanism and the electric winch, controls the drive state of the other.

Abstract: A trailer for transporting bulk material has a container mounted on a chassis and wheeled suspension. The container has opposing sidewalls, a floor, a front wall, and a rear opening. The trailer further has an unloading system comprising a plow and a plow motor system. The plow is disposed in the container and shaped and sized to span substantially a transverse cross-section of the container. The plow motor system is operable to move the plow longitudinally in the container to urge or push the bulk material in the container toward and out of the rear opening of the container. At least one of the sidewalls comprises a removable panel installed longitudinally along a bottom of the sidewall, wherein an inward-facing surface of the removable panel and an inward-facing surface of the sidewall are substantially coplanar.

Abstract: The present invention pertains to a system of unloading bulk material that comprises at least a silo for receiving a bulk load discharged from a load transport means; and at least a feeder to feed the load from the silo to a conveyor belt. The system comprises a flow control means that regulates the operating parameters of the feeder to make sure that an estimated calibrated flow rate corresponds to a desired flow rate, where the estimated calibrated flow rate is obtained based on a calibration factor calculated by comparing an estimated flow based on an operating parameter of the feeder with a real flow measured downstream of the silo.

Abstract: Provided is a wafer stocker that can prevent the inflow of an external atmosphere, maintain a wafer storage space at a desired atmosphere with a relatively small amount of gas, and prevent dust from being attached to a wafer surface. A shutter portion, including multiple shield plates having the same height as an interval between shelf plates disposed in a storage container, is disposed with a slight space from a body portion, and by supplying clean gas into the storage container, a clean atmosphere of a higher pressure than an external environment is maintained, and a shutter portion is opened and closed by moving up and down the shield plate independently from the shelf plate that supports a wafer.

Abstract: An inventory rack system and a mobile inventory rack apparatus are disclosed. The mobile inventory rack apparatus includes an inventory conveyor configured to translate articles of inventory and a receiving system including a requirement indicator disposed along the inventory conveyor. The requirement indicator has an inventory required state when not in contact with an article of inventory. The mobile inventory rack apparatus further includes a supply system including a pair of spaced stoppers disposed along the inventory conveyor. Each stopper has an extended position preventing translation of the articles of inventory and a retracted position allowing translation of the articles of inventory. The inventory conveyor is configured to receive at least one article of inventory when the requirement indicator is in the inventory required state and to allow removal of at least one article of inventory when one of the stoppers is in the retracted position.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for delivering proppant to a well site has a trailer with a bed thereon and at least one track of rollers extending in parallel relationship to the longitudinal axis of the trailer. The track of rollers extend substantially for an entire length of the bed of the trailer. At least one proppant container is translatably positioned on the track of rollers. The proppant container is movable along the array of rollers from one end of the bed to an opposite end of the bed. A bin can be removably positioned below the bed of the trailer in a position rearward of the front end of the trailer and forward of a rear end of the trailer so as to allow the proppant container to discharge into the bin. A conveyor is cooperative with the bin so as to move proppant from the bin to a location at the well site.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for stocking and purging a wafer at a ceiling. The apparatus includes: a rail that is formed so as to be installed on a ceiling to guide a vehicle; a stock system that is formed so as to be installed on the ceiling and is formed so as to receive a container, which contains wafers, from the vehicle and stock the container; and a purge assembly that is installed so as to communicate with the container through the stock system and is formed so as to purge the wafers, which are contained in the container, with gas.

Abstract: The present invention provides an atmosphere replacement apparatus capable of replacing the atmosphere on the surface of a wafer with a small amount of gas. The apparatus is configured to have a cover capable of facing and covering the wafer to be transported, and a gas supply means that supplies gas having properties different from a surrounding atmosphere from the cover, and replaces the atmosphere on the surface of the wafer by the gas.

Abstract: A lift for attachment to a vehicle is described. The lift includes a hitch assembly with a hitch receiver insert, a first support member, and a second support member. Each of the two support members may include an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion oriented at an angle with respect to the associated lower portion. The support members may be mounted to the hitch assembly, at locations separated by a first offset, and may be mounted to a platform assembly, at locations separated by an equivalent second offset. As a lifting mechanism mounted to the hitch assembly provides a lifting force to one of the support members, the platform assembly is raised from a lowered position to a raised position, with a platform included in the platform assembly being maintained, by way of the two equivalent offsets, in a substantially horizontal orientation over the course of travel.

Abstract: A rack-serving unit for storing boxes having an open box bottom, including a load pick-up device and at least one substantially horizontally telescopic article transport gripper including at least one rest for the articles for gripping under an article, is provided with a single telescopic gripper pin serving as article transport gripper and having a rest for the articles for gripping under the article in a just unstable position and at least one telescopic flank and/or a telescopic hold-down device for setting a stable transport position of the gripped article. In an order-picking warehouse equipped with said rack-serving unit having storing boxes with bottoms which are open in the center thereof, the telescopic gripper pin includes a rest for the articles of a width which is transverse to the telescoping direction for supporting the article in a just unstable position on the rest for the articles and the box bottom opening being just slightly broader than the width.

Abstract: Provided is a cover opening/closing apparatus which includes: a wafer conveyance port having an opening edge and configured to be opened/closed by an opening/closing door; and a cover removal apparatus installed on the opening/closing door and configured to remove a cover of a FOUP which is formed with a substrate outlet having a opening edge. When the cover removal apparatus removes the cover of the FOUP, the opening edge of the substrate outlet is closely contacted with the opening edge of the wafer conveyance port. The cover removal apparatus includes: a latch key which is engaged with the cover of the FOUP, a driving unit configured to drive the latch key, and an accommodation unit configured to accommodate the driving unit. The cover opening/closing apparatus further includes an exhaust system configured to exhaust a space within the accommodation unit.

Abstract: A side lift spreader for handling empty containers, and method for adjusting a main frame of an inverted side lift spreader. The inverted side lift spreader comprises a main carriage connectable to a lifting device, movable along a front side of a mast of the lifting device, the main frame being carried by and sideways movable with respect to the main carriage, and main frame guiding means for guiding movement of the main frame with respect to the main carriage. The main frame guiding means comprises at least two links, one first portion of each link connected to the main frame and one second portion of each link connected to the main carriage. The second portions of the links are arranged at the main carriage at respective points of attachment which are located, in use of the spreader, at an opposite side of the mast compared to the front side.

Abstract: A loading apparatus assists in loading particulate bulk material into a transport container, for example a railcar having a loading opening in a top side thereof. The loading apparatus is used with a main loading spout extending in a longitudinal direction and having a discharge opening at a bottom end for discharging particulate bulk material therethrough. The loading apparatus has a pair of secondary spouts operatively connected with the main loading spout such that: i) a primary flow of the particulate material is discharged into the transport container downwardly through the discharge opening in the longitudinal direction of the main loading spout; and ii) a secondary flow of the particulate material is discharged into the transport container through said at least one secondary spout in a respective lateral direction transversely to the longitudinal direction of the main loading spout.

Abstract: A rotary charging device for a shaft furnace comprising: a stationary housing (16) and a suspension rotor (22) that is supported so that it can rotate about a substantially vertical axis (A), a charge distributor (28) being pivotally suspended to the suspension rotor (22). Rotary drive means are provided for rotating the suspension rotor about its axis (A) and tilting drive means for pivoting the charge distributor (28) about a substantially horizontal pivoting axis (B), independently from said rotary drive means. The tilting drive means are mounted onto the suspension rotor (22) and rotate therewith; they comprise: an electric tilting motor (MB) is installed inside the main casing (36) and having a substantially horizontal output shaft (52); a tilting input gear (54) driven by the tilting motor output shaft; and a tilting output gear (56) rotationally integral with a suspension arm (34) of said chute distributor (28), said tilting input gear meshing with said tilting output gear.

Abstract: A truck having a truck body with lift track and a battery electrically connected to the body and a platform for moving along the lift track. A box holding a hydraulic unit with solenoid valves for moving the platform is attached to the truck body. A movable wireless switch having an internal power source is on the platform. When a user operates a switch the movable wireless switch emits a movement signal from a movable antenna electrically connected to the truck body. A fixed wireless switch is on the truck body. When a user operates a switch the fixed wireless switch emits a movement signal from an antenna electrically connected to the body. A wireless receiver receives the movement signal and then applies control signals to the hydraulic unit. The wireless receiver also receives a sensor signal and emits an alert if the hydraulic unit has a problem.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a conveyor, a slide arm, hooks, and a controller. The conveyor can is configured to transport an article placed on a top surface thereof in the direction parallel or substantially parallel to the article transporting direction. The slide arm is configured to slide and move in the direction parallel or substantially parallel to the article transporting direction. The hooks are attached to the slide arm and are configured to move between action position protruding toward the article placed on the conveyor in a direction crossing a sliding direction of the slide arm and a retract position to avoid contact with the article placed on the conveyor. The controller controls the conveyor to transport the article in the direction opposite to the article transporting direction so that an end of the article in the opposite direction of the article transporting direction reaches a position adjacent to the hook, and then moves the slide arm in the article transporting direction.

Abstract: A container for transporting articles and the method for using the same is disclosed herein. The container preferably has a rear wall with a bottom portion, a pair of sidewalls extending from the rear wall, and a baseplate extending from the bottom portion of the rear wall. An aperture may be placed on the rear wall to secure the container during transport. To allow for nesting of the containers, it is preferable that the sidewalls extend from the rear wall at an angle greater than 90 degrees. The rear wall may also contain a stabilizing rib for stabilizing the container during transport. In an exemplary embodiment, the aperture may contain a ledge which may correspond with a latch on a wheeled apparatus for quickly securing the container to the wheeled apparatus.

Abstract: A die pre-heating system comprises at least one die oven, a robotic hoist and processing structure in communication with the hoist and the at least one die oven. The processing structure is configured to control the hoist to permit an extrusion die to be loaded into the at least one die oven and to be unloaded from the at least one die oven. The processing structure is also configured to cause the at least one die oven to operate according to a production formula for pre-heating an extrusion die loaded therein.

Abstract: This invention discloses a vehicle ramp assembly for secure attachment to a tailgate of a vehicle, which may include a vehicle attachment apparatus with one or more tailgate striker bolts configured attach to and detach from a tailgate latch of the vehicle. This may include a single securement bar attached at opposite ends to the first and second tailgate striker bolts, sized and configured such that the first tailgate striker bolt and the second tailgate striker bolt may be simultaneously attached respectively to the first and second tailgate latches of the vehicle. This invention may further include a ramp configured at a first end to rest on a surface and configured at a second end to be secured to the securement bar.