Abstract: A robotic device has various drives which move a pickup/release mechanism along a compound path of movement between pickup and release positions. Individual drives contribute individually to the compound motion and each is associated with counting unit/memories which control the drives so that the drives initiate motion in rapid mode followed by slow mode and then termination. The apparatus is constructed to minimize inertia forces so that the drives are not required to have high power input and so that the construction may be of light weight.

Abstract: An improved palletizer is provided for receiving successive groups of articles in a pattern forming area and transferring the groups in succession to a stacking area on a pallet. A servocontrolled sweep system transfers article groups from the pattern formings to the stacking area for stacking one group on top of the other as the pallet is indexed downward by a hoist system after each successive group, and a carriage system interleaves separator sheets between successive groups. A programmable logic controller controls the servocontrolled sweep system in accordance with a velocity characteristic designed to increase machine speed and efficiency.

Abstract: To transfer cartons (12) arriving on delivery conveyors (13, 14) onto pallets (10, 11), a pivoting conveyor (15) (robot) is used, and this takes up the cartons (12) by a suction head (17) and, by pivoting and moving up and down, feeds them to the pallet (10, 11). To reduce the lifting movements of an articulated arm (16) which are thereby necessary, by platforms (30, 31) movable up and down the cartons (12) are conveyed upwards or downwards to the articulated arm (16), so that the lifting movements of the latter are reduced correspondingly.

Abstract: An apparatus is designed to rotate a vehicle by ninety degrees for repair of the under carriage of the vehicle and other parts accessible from the bottom. The preferred vehicle is a forklift, and a mast support is provided to be secured to the mast of the forklift. Wheel supports are provided which may be rotated out of engagement with the wheels when the vehicle is vertical to allow unobstructed access to the vehicle. Removable support bars may be used in place of the wheel supports to engage the bottom of the vehicle during rotation. The apparatus sits on a flat floor and does not require approach ramps or the like. The apparatus may be moved to any location and is symmetrical so that it may be placed against a wall on the left or right by a simple interchange of parts. A jib is provided which may be used to hoist heavy parts of the vehicle.

Abstract: A direction controlling mechanism for an extendible boom forklift or the like controls the direction of movement of a predetermined point, such as a fork section connected to the distal end of the boom sections, relative to the forklift frame during retraction or extension of the boom members. The direction controlling mechanism is disposed between the proximal end of the boom sections and the main frame section of the forklift. The direction controlling mechanism includes an extendible member disposed between an upper shaft provided on the boom sections and a lower shaft provided on the vehicle frame. The length of the extendible member can be fixed during retraction or extension of the booms, and a driving mechanism moves the fixed length extendible member along the upper and lower shafts.

Abstract: In a tailgate assembly for a dump box of the type comprising a front inner section and a rear outer section adapted for telescopic movement one with respect to the other with the inner section slidably engaging an interior surface of the outer section. The relative position of the inner and outer sections between an expanded and a collapsed position thereof is controlled by hydraulic cylinders. The tailgate assembly comprises a tailgate hingedly mounted to the rear of the outer section. A push rod has a front end thereof fixedly mounted at a front side of the inner section of the dump box. The push rod extends rearwards from its front end through a guide mounted on a sidewall of the outer section and towards the tailgate. A chain assembly connects a lower free end of the tailgate with a rear end of the push rod. The chain assembly is adapted to be in a substantially extended position thereof when the dump box is in its expanded position.

Abstract: A pallet dispenser to dispense pallets one at a time for the bottom front of a support frame for a stack of pallets. A vertically movable support outside the frame and an element biassing the support to an elevated work position where front and rear linearly movable pallet engaging fingers on the support are aligned with the outer edges of the top battens of the second lowest pallet in a pallet stack in the frame. Biassing structure operative upon raising the pallet stack relative to the support by an outside agency to engage the fingers under the top battens of the second lowest pallet in the stack and engage releasable lock structure to retain the support in an elevated work position.

Abstract: A stacking apparatus for forming groups of face-to-face contacting flat items comprises a supply conveyor for advancing a column of serially arranged, flat-lying items; a stack-forming unit situated in a charging station and arranged for sequentially receiving the items from the supply conveyor; a plurality of stacking containers for acommodating a stack of the items; an arrangement for positioning an empty stacking container in the charging station; a stop arranged in the charging station for arresting each item in the stack-forming unit upon delivery by the supply conveyor; an intermittent drive for causing the stack-forming unit to cyclically deposit an item in the stacking container to form an article stack therein; and a sensor which generates a signal indicating a presence of an item to be deposited by the stack-forming unit and which is situated upstream of the stack-forming unit. The signal is applied to the intermittent drive for actuating the same.

Abstract: A wafer positioning apparatus includes at least first, second and third optical position detectors for detecting a circumference portion of a wafer. The first to third optical position detectors are arranged on a circumference of a circle having a diameter identical to that of the wafer. A transportation robot is used for holding the wafer and moving the held wafer with respect to the first to third optical position detectors. A control circuit controls the transportation robot in accordance with output signals of the first to third optical position detectors so that all of the first to third optical position detectors detect the circumference portion of the wafer at the same time.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling a manipulator employs a control device, first to third detectors, a producing device and a driving device. The first detector detects an operating force/torque generated by the control device and the second detector detects a deflecting amount of the control device from a reference position. The third detector detects an end force applied on an end portion of the manipulator and reaction signals are generated by the producing device. The reaction signal corresponds to a function of the deflecting amount and the end force. A force/torque corresponding to the difference between output signals from the first detector and the producing device are generated by the driving device and applied on the control device.

Abstract: A device for pivoting a structural member about the axle of a hinge, and hinge being fitted to the structural member and to an object so as to permit pivoting of the member relative to the object, the member having at least one edge portion which is magnetic and which swings along a planar path when the member pivots about the hinge axle relative to the object, the device including: an arm pivoted for rotation about an axis which is parallel to the hinge axle; at least one magnet carried by the arm, the arrangement being such that, upon pivoting of the arm, the magnet moves in a path parallel to the path of the magnetic edge portion of the member and spaced a small distance from the path of the magnetic edge portion to provide an air gap between the magnet edge portion and the magnet, whereby the magnet and the magnetic edge portion are out of contact with each other but can be magnetically coupled so as to move simultaneously in their respective paths upon pivoting of the member relative to the body; and a m

Abstract: In a precision operable robot arm comprising four levers pivotally connected with each other into a paralle arranged link form, when one ends of first and second levers aligned vertically, for example, are driven respectively by two motors such that the levers are swung around the alignment axis in a horizontal plane, for example, a work supporting device provided at an outwardly extending end of the fourth lever is also moved in a horizontal plane.A first pulley is fixedly secured to a position aligning with the driving shafts of the two motors, while second and third pulleys, which are integrally rotatable, are rotatably supported by a pivot pin coupling the second and fourth levers, and fourth pulley rotatably supported at the outer end of the fourth lever is fixed to the work supporting device.

Abstract: Remote control of a micromanipulator employs laterally inextensible metal bellows, connected by flexible tubing of constant intermal diameter, in both the micromanipulator and the remote controller. Variations in the length of one bellows is communicated to the other bellows by variations in hydraulic volume, as opposed to variations in hydraulic pressure.

Abstract: A method of supplying cartons to a carton-packaging machine, comprising the steps of providing flattened cartons stacked in a line in a container package so that two cutouts on the cartons are lined to form two grooves on two parallel sides of the cartons; inserting two bar-shaped forks into the grooves respectively in the stacking direction of the cartons; pressing the cartons to be together along the inserting direction of the bar-shaped forks by pressers, which are adjustable for a different stacking amount of the cartons, so that the cartons are placed at the central portion of the bar-shaped forks; pulling out the cartons from the package with the bar-shaped forks; and supplying the cartons to the carton-packaging machine with the bar-shaped forks.

Abstract: Apparatus which enhances the load carrying capacity of a dump truck without interfering with dumping of the dump bed. A rigid frame which is added to the back end of the truck includes a beam carrying an axle and a pair of wheels. A hydraulic cylinder pivots the beam between a load bearings position in which the wheels travel on the roadway to bear part of the dump bed load and a raised position in which the beam extends vertically between a pair of side by side tail gates. A hinged door operates in the space between the two tail gates to prevent spillage of the load through the space while accommodating extension of the beam through the space when the dump bed is raised to dump its load. A diverter in the dump bed deflects material away from the space and toward the tail gate openings.

Abstract: A shingle stacking machine including a shingle stacking station, a shingle bundling station, and a conveyor for removing bundled shingles from the machine. The shingle stacking station includes a pair of parallel and elongated wheel assemblies rotatably mounted to a frame of the machine. A drive mechanism is provided for rotatably indexing each wheel assembly during a drive mode of operation and permits free wheeling of the wheel assemblies during a jam mode of operation. The drive mechanism includes a motor for continuously driving a vacuum operated clutch assembly. The clutch assembly includes a pair of electromagnetic valves for controlling operation of a drive shaft which is connected to the wheel assemblies through an elastomeric belt drive. The shingle bundling station is disposed beneath the shingle stacking station and includes a pair of shelf-like supports pivotally carried on the machine frame.

Abstract: A bale carrier or accumulator includes a cradle assembly to receive a bale transversely over the front of the carrier or accumulator which may be pulled immediately behind a baler, and then swing the bale through 90.degree. so that it lies longitudinally relative to the carrier or accumulator. The bale is then engaged upon the ground so that when the carrier or accumulator is moved forwardly with the baler, pickup rails engage under the rounded sides of the bale and elevate it as the carrier or accumulator is raised to the transport position, with the bale ready to be moved rearwardly along the rails by the next succeeding bale ejected from the baler machine.

Abstract: An extender is positioned on the forward ends of the boom arms of a tractor loader. The extender includes a frame which is pivotally mounted on the forward ends of the boom arms and a slide which is vertically movably mounted on the extender frame. A cable is connected at one end thereof to the slide and extends therefrom over a pulley arrangement which causes the slide to be vertically moved relative to the extender frame as the boom arms are vertically moved relative to the tractor.

Abstract: In order to markedly reduce the necessary installation area for a device for feeding rodlike workpieces to a machine tool with at least one rod feed tube for a rodlike workpiece (15) to be processed, feedable from a magazine (16) into the rod feed tube, it is suggested that the rod feed tube is formed by two guide elements which can be lifted off each other for inserting the rodlike workpiece (15) and that the magazine (16) is arranged parallel, below beside or above the guide elements.

Abstract: An unloader having a vertical screw conveyer suspended from the head of the boom for conveying bulk cargoes from a ship, and a boom conveyer disposed above the boom for conveying the cargoes to the ground. The vertical screw conveyer is not only swingable within a plane parallel to the boom-hoisting plane but also able to pivot about the axis of the boom. Thus, this arrangement makes the vertical screw conveyer swingable in two directions. Accordingly, the vertical screw conveyer can reach locations below a hatch both in the transverse direction of the ship and in the longitudinal directions thereof, thereby enhancing the efficiency of unloading operation particularly with respect to these locations which have been out of reach with a conventional unloader.