Importance

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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. As part of the miniaturization, a plurality of suction cups are associated with a single valve member whereby the position of a single valve member controls the condition of a plurality of suction cups.

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First Claim