Abstract: Driverless transport vehicles or DTVs, which are automatically guided vehicles, are gaining importance in the sorting of cargo. A method for loading a driverless transport vehicle with a cargo item in a transfer point, includes loading the DTV with the cargo item by using a known delivery system during the journey of the DTV. In order to prevent cargo items from falling during loading, a higher-level control sets the delivery speed of the cargo item and the speed of travel before the cargo item is transferred to the transport vehicle, such that the delivery speed component of the transport direction is equal to the speed of travel of the transport vehicle. In this way, the continued use of existing delivery systems such as are known under the term HSI (high speed induction) is possible. A system for loading a driverless transport vehicle is also provided.

Abstract: A cloth spreading apparatus is capable of eliminating the troublesome work of pulling a cloth when the cloth is held by feeding chucks to reduce burden of the worker and operation time. A cloth spreading apparatus includes a pair of feeding chucks grasping adjacent corners of a cloth, a moving device for moving the pair of feeding chucks between a feeding position and a delivery position of the cloth to draw the cloth, and spreading chucks for receiving the cloth directly or indirectly from the pair of feeding chucks and spreading the cloth in a direction of separating the adjacent corners from each other. The moving device has separate moving trajectories corresponding to the respective feeding chucks so that the pair of feeding chucks can move between the feeding position and the delivery position independently of each other.

Abstract: A device (1) designed as a chuck-jaw discharge system for conveying elongate objects includes two chains (3, 4) equipped with chuck jaws (5). The chains (3, 4) are driven by two drives (10). Each of the drives (10) includes an endless roller chain (11), in which toothed edges (13) that are fastened to the chains (3, 4) equipped with chuck jaws (5) engage. The roller chains (11) of the drives (10) are coupled to the straight, adjacent strands of the chains (3, 4) equipped with chuck jaws (5).

Abstract: Six first holes into which lead pins of a first semiconductor laser are inserted are arranged to form a parallelogram having line segments each connecting two first holes arranged in an X direction as first short sides, and line segments each connecting three first holes arranged in an intersecting direction intersecting with the X direction as first long sides. Six second holes into which lead pins of a second semiconductor laser are inserted are arranged to form a parallelogram having line segments each connecting two second holes arranged in the X direction as second short sides, and line segments each connecting three second holes arranged in the intersecting direction intersecting with the X direction as second long sides.

Abstract: A device for launching products into a feeding path, including a launcher; a detection sensor to detect the passage of products launched by the launcher; a launcher central control unit; conveyors to move forward the products in the feeding path, associated with a drive member; and at least one movement sensor to detect the position of the products moved by the conveyors. The central control unit is programmed to control the start position taken by each group of products, downstream of the detection sensor, and to impose on each group of products a forward movement according to the length of the group of products and to an adjustment factor determined by the error, if any, between the detected start position and a desired start position.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing food products is provided. The product conditioning system includes an inlet assembly, a pressurizeable tunnel and an outlet assembly. The inlet assembly and outlet assembly include a pair of vertically extending pressure vessels having entry and exit openings which are both sealable by doors to provide liquid and gaseous tight seals. The inlet and outlet assembly pressure vessels further include a pair of vertically extending parallel screws for transporting food products from one end of the pressure vessel to the other. The pressurizeable tunnel includes a heating stage having microwave sources for irradiating food products so as to pasteurize or sterilize prepackaged food. The pressurizeable tunnel further includes a heat maintenance stage and product cooling stage. Both the heat maintenance stage and product cooling stage include vertically extending pressure vessels.

Abstract: A system for conveying mailpieces along a feed path including first and second conveyances. A first conveyance is operative to convey mailpieces along the feed path and includes a singulating and drive belt. The singulating and drive belts define a throat or singulating a mailpiece from the stack of mailpieces. A second conveyance accepts mailpieces from the first conveyance and conveys singulated mailpiece downstream of the first conveyance. The system further includes a series of sensors extending from the first to the second conveyance for issuing a gap signal indicative of the relative spacing between sequential mailpieces along the feed path. Additionally, the system includes a means to vary the velocity of the drive belt based upon the location of the gap signal along the series of sensors.

Abstract: A machine for sealing containers by applying a covering film or a lid, which is located downstream of an infeed system for feeding containers to be sealed, the infeed system including an accumulation unit driven by motor and located downstream relative to a feeder unit driven by motor the feeder unit feeding containers to the accumulation unit.

Abstract: A virtual lug loader includes a lug loader for loading workpieces in a flow direction into the spaced apart lugs on a lugged conveyor, wherein the workpieces are transversely oriented relative to the flow direction. The lug loader includes an array of pairs of endless conveyors for conveying the workpieces downstream, wherein each pair of endless conveyors in the array include first and second endless conveyors. The first and second endless conveyors are spaced laterally apart across the flow direction. Each are aligned substantially in the flow direction. The array forms a continuous upper surface in the flow direction for supporting the workpieces translating downstream in the flow direction. Each pair of endless conveyors in the array overlap adjacent pairs of endless conveyors in the array. At least one pair of endless conveyors in the array include independently actuable first and second drives independently driving their corresponding first and second endless conveyors.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for regulating the operation of a chain driven conveyor to minimize the effect of chain stretch. The system includes a chain conveyor having a chain and a plurality of indexing pins mounted to the chain, a signature feeder, at least one sensor adapted to detect variations in chain length; and a controller adapted to control the speed of rotation of the signature feeder in response to the variations in chain length to minimize variations in the spacing of the signatures and the indexing pins. The signature feeder may include a disk separator and a drum conveyor or a crank-type conveyor, among others. Methods of operating the system are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for feeding book blocks, books or similar printed products (2), in step with the working cycle, to a subsequent processing machine. The infeed device comprises a continuous-drive accumulating conveyor (3); an arrestor (5), arranged at the downstream end of the continuous-drive accumulating conveyor (3), for cycled release of individual printed products (2); and a continuous-drive onward conveyor (11), which transports the printed products (2) by means of frictional force, for onward conveying of the separated printed products (2) to a defined transfer position (13) from which the printed products (2) are taken over, in step with the working cycle, by an infeed system (17) of the subsequent processing machine.

Abstract: A free flow conveyance system includes a plurality of linear conveyance apparatuses each having a plurality of unit conveyors linearly arranged, and a pivot conveyance apparatus having a unit conveyor which is arranged between the linear conveyance apparatuses being so arranged as to form a predetermined angle, wherein product sensors are arranged at the conveying-in side as well as at the conveying-out side of the respective unit conveyors of the linear conveyance apparatuses and the pivot conveyance apparatus, when a product is conveyed to a unit conveyor of the upstream side along the conveyance direction and product sensors of the unit conveyor become of the sensing-product state, in case respective product sensors of a unit conveyor of the downstream side along the conveyance direction are of the not-sensing-product state, these unit conveyors are driven respectively to convey the product, and when the product is consequently conveyed to the unit conveyor of the downstream side along the conveyance direc

Abstract: A method and apparatus for tracking a load on a conveyor system using the trailing edge of the load. The method includes the steps of sensing the trailing edge of the load with a first sensor and updating a load record for the load in response to sensing the trailing edge of the load with the first sensor. The apparatus may include a conveyor, a controller, and a sensor in communication with the controller for sensing the trailing edge of a load on the conveyor.

Abstract: An electronic-component conveying device includes a conveying plate which moves in one conveying direction and has a plurality of component-holders arranged at a predetermined pitch along the conveying direction. This conveying device further includes component-containers each containing a plurality of electronic components for supplying the components to the holders. The electronic components are held by the holders while being conveyed by the conveying plate. Cameras, i.e. a component-detecting unit, are provided for detecting the presence of the electronic components in the holders. A controller, i.e. a component-feeding unit, is provided for feeding additional electronic components to each of the containers based on the detection of the presence of the electronic components.

Abstract: A collating system having a plurality of feeders to release enclosure materials onto a deck and a plurality of pusher finger pairs moving along the deck for collating the released materials. The pusher finger pairs are mounted on a pair of moving belts at pre-determined positions. A sensing device is used to monitor whether any pusher finger is missing, broken or out of alignment, thereby rendering a pusher finger pair non-functioning. If a pusher finger pair is not functioning, the cell or pocket associated with that pusher finger pair will be marked “damaged” so that the feeders release enclosure materials only to the cells associated with functional pusher finger pairs.

Abstract: A novel feeder construction, and method of operation, that is easily interfaced to a variety of conventional pick-and-place machines and can readily and reliably feed components suspended from a carrier for pickup at a pickup location by the pick-and-place machine. In a preferred embodiment, the carrier with suspended components is fed in a line spaced laterally from the pickup location. The lead component when separated from the strip must then be moved laterally to the pickup location. By laterally spacing the carrier strip of components from the pickup location it is ensured that the feeder parts involved in separating the component from the carrier do not obstruct movement of the vacuum nozzle of the pick-and-place machine during the pickup operation and advancement of the carrier to present the next component.

Abstract: A sheet processing system comprises a high speed printer operative to print sheets fed through the printer longer edge first, and a downstream processor for performing a subsequent operation using the printed sheet fed shorter edge first. A sheet feeder for feeding the sheet to the downstream processor with its shorter edge first, comprises a sheet feed conveyor extending to said downstream processor, and input feed means for feeding the sheet from the printer laterally onto the sheet conveyor so that the longer edges of the sheet extend in a longitudinal direction of the sheet feed conveyor. Guide surfaces ensure alignment of the longer edges of the sheet in the longitudinal direction of the sheet feed conveyor during feeding to the downstream processor.

Abstract: The device for individually transferring flat objects from an entry conveyor (2) on which the objects travel in series edge-on in a first direction (A), into buckets (6) of an exit conveyor (5), comprises an intermediate conveyor (7) arranged in the continuation of the entry conveyor above the exit conveyor and equipped with receptacles (9) which, over at least part of their path, can move in a second direction (B) perpendicular to said first direction, each flat object leaving the entry conveyor being injected edge-on into a receptacle of the intermediate conveyor which comes up to face the exit of the entry conveyor so as to be transferred edge-on into a bucket of the exit conveyor. It further comprises an injection system (14) comprising elastically deformable wheels (15) at the exit end of the entry conveyor and designed to accelerate and then retard the movement of each flat object in said first direction before injecting it into a receptacle of the intermediate conveyor.

Abstract: A control system and method for a conveyor line having a conveyor for moving a plurality of hangars configured to carry units through processing areas for processing by equipment in the processing areas includes loading stations for entering process control variables corresponding to units loaded at the loading stations, a pair of conveyor sensors for sensing movement of the hangars and outputting signals indicating the passage of hangars, and a controller. The controller determines, based on the process control variables, the time required for the processing equipment to reach steady state conditions. The controller further determines, based on the signals from the conveyor sensors, the appropriate time for loading units onto hangars such that the unit reaches the processing equipment when the equipment has reached the steady state conditions.

Abstract: A method of moving a plurality of tortilla stacks from a counter-stacker machine to a packaging area comprises the steps of receiving a stack of tortillas at a location elevationally above a loading zone, sensing an initial position of a conveyor block in fixed spacial relationship with the loading zone, sensing a moving position of the conveyor block in relation to the initial position, determining that the block has entered the loading zone, and moving the stack of tortillas on to the conveyor block.

Abstract: A tortilla stack transfer system for moving a plurality of tortilla stacks from a counter-stacker machine to a packaging area comprises a plurality of transfer finger sets, a plurality of transfer stack supports corresponding to the transfer finger sets, a plurality of finger set actuators adapted to move each of the transfer finger sets from a loaded position to an unloaded position, a transfer conveyor located elevationally below the transfer finger sets and carrying a plurality of conveyor blocks, a block position detector, a conveyor position counter, and a processor in electrical communication with the finger set actuators, the block position detector, and the conveyor position counter.

Abstract: An interlock system prevents collision of handling equipment and damage to wafers in an automated wafer transport apparatus during manual control by an operator. Sensors are used to sense when wafer transport arms and wafer stage are both in their home positions. A controller is responsive to the sensors for operating the lockout system such that attempted activation of the transport arm by the operator is locked out unless both the stage and the arms are in their home positions. The lockout system preferably comprises normally closed electrical relays.

Abstract: A conveyor induct system includes a control point subsystem for measuring the point at which control of an article transitions from one conveyor to another. The induct system also includes a subsystem for accurately creating or controlling the gaps between articles on the conveyor system. The control point subsystem monitors the location, and changes in the speed, of an article as it passes between two conveyors operating at different speeds. The gap control subsystem provides real time monitoring and measuring of the package gaps. The measured package gaps are fed into a feedback control system which alters the speed of a conveyor in order to change the gapping as desired.

Abstract: A conveyor has a rotary encoder for measuring the amount of rotation of a driven sprocket having an intermittently drivable chain reeved therearound, and a processor for processing the measurement obtained by the encoder as operation support operating data corresponding to the amount of rotation of the driven sprocket. The processor determines a reference position of the chain in time series when the chain is moved a distance at a time by intermitting driving, computes the actual position of the chain corresponding to the reference position based on the measurement obtained by the encoder, and computes the deviation of the actual position of the chain from the reference position.