Device and method for the treatment and/or handling of piece goods moved in at least one row

A handling device or layer forming device (10), comprising:

• at least one horizontal conveying device (16) for conveying piece goods (14) in rows from a packaging station or equipping station or another upstream handling device or conveying device to a grouping station or layer forming station (12), wherein piece goods (14) are distanced uniformly or differently from one another, wherein the grouping station or layer forming station (12) has a seizing range (22) that defines or spatially delimits a movement range of at least one manipulator (20), wherein the at least one manipulator (20) can seize in a work cycle at least one piece good (14) from the at least one supplied row and move it into a target position or target alignment as part of forming a piece good layer,
• wherein the at least one horizontal conveying device (16), which is arranged upstream of the grouping station or layer forming station (12) in the transport direction (18) of the piece goods (14), has at least one sensor device (24) that is an optical or electromagnetic wave-based or mechanical sensor device,
• wherein the sensor device (24) generates electronic output signals (26) from the positional data or dimensional data or alignment data obtained for the piece goods (14) that are being transported on the horizontal conveying device (16) and wherein the sensor device (24) comprises adjustable lateral guiding rails (44) on both sides of a transport path of the piece goods (14) on the horizontal conveying device (16), wherein a piece good width (42) can be derived by detecting torques of actuators (46) for the adjustable lateral guiding rails (44),
• which output signals (26) are processed in a control device (28), which control device (28) controls the movements of the manipulator (20) for the purpose of the layer formation from piece goods (14).