Abstract: A postal item collating system is disclosed. The system includes a postal item feeding path (3), a plurality of grippers (8) receptive of a postal item (2) from the feeding path (3), and a drive (11) for driving the plurality of grippers (8) along a circulation path (10). A collector (12) is disposed downstream from the postal item feeding path (3) and removes a received postal item (2) from a gripper (8) as it proceeds past the stationary collector (12). A controller (21) in signal communication with the drive (11) is responsive to a property signal (31, 34) based upon a property of the received postal item (2) to adjust a velocity of the string of grippers (8).

Abstract: A sensor for measuring sheet-like objects has a contact member and a screening member screening off light from a light source from a section of an array of photo sensitive elements. During an output cycle, output signals representing the light intensities received by the respective photo sensitive elements indicate where a transition from the exposed to the screened off section of the array is located. This location is determined by the position of the contact member, which is, in turn, determined by the thickness of the object with which it is in contact. When a timer is started simultaneously with the output cycle of the array and stopped when a predetermined trigger level is reached, the timer value represents a measure of the thickness of a measured object.