Conveyor system with automated carriers

A conveyor system comprising:

• a fixed, non-powered first rail defining a conveyor path;
• a carrier including first and second trolleys supported on the first rail, wherein at least one of the first and second trolleys is a self-driving trolley including an on-board motor and electrical power source;
• a load bar extending between the first and second trolleys;
• and
• a second rail branched from the first rail at a branch point;
• wherein the carrier defines a length and a width measured transverse to the length, the width measuring substantially less than the length,
• wherein, in a first configuration, the carrier is supported entirely by the first rail and configured to be driven by the self-driving trolley so that the length extends along the first rail, and
• wherein, in a second configuration, the carrier is jointly supported by the first and second rail such that the length does not extend along the first rail, thus reducing an occupancy of the carrier along the first rail.

A conveyor system comprising:

• a fixed, non-powered first rail defining a conveyor path;
• a carrier including first and second trolleys supported on the first rail, wherein at least one of the first and second trolleys is a self-driving trolley including an on-board motor and electrical power source;
• a load bar extending between the first and second trolleys;
• and
• a second rail branched from the first rail at a branch point, the carrier being drivable with both the first and second trolleys on the first rail in a first configuration and the carrier being drivable with the first and second trolleys on the respective first and second rails in a second configuration;
• a pivot provided between the carrier and the load bar, the pivot being selectively lockable into a fixed orientation.