A packaging machine includes a main conveyor configured to convey cartons and containers in a conveyance direction from a first end of the main conveyor where partially erected cartons and containers enter the conveyor to a second end where containers inside the cartons exit the conveyor. A plunger is operatively connected to the main conveyor to follow the main conveyor in the conveyance direction and to plunge in a plunge direction lateral to the conveyance direction to position a group of containers within a carton. A carton maintaining tool is operatively connected to the main conveyor to follow the main conveyor in the conveyance direction and to engage the carton to maintain position of the carton along the plunge direction in opposition to the plunger as the plunger positions the group of containers within the carton.

A drug supply device includes a hopper that collects solid drugs discharged from tablet cases on the basis of predetermined prescription data, an inspection device that inspects the solid drugs introduced from the hopper, and a packaging device that fills and packages the inspected solid drugs into a packaging sheet. The inspection device includes inspection containers that each hold a single administration dosage of the solid drugs, a movement mechanism that moves the inspection containers, and an imaging device that captures an image of the solid drugs in the inspection containers. As a result of capturing the image of the solid drugs in the inspection container by the imaging device, when a number of the solid drugs is different from the prescription data, the solid drugs are disposed of.

Methods of positioning a gripper to pick or place a specimen container from a sample rack. One method includes providing a robot including the gripper, the gripper moveable in a coordinate system by the robot and including gripper fingers, providing a sample rack including receptacles containing specimen containers, providing data, obtained by imaging, regarding the specimen containers in the sample rack, and dynamically orienting the gripper based upon the data. The data may include population and/or configuration data and the dynamic orientation may include gripper finger opening distance, gripper finger rotational position, and/or gripper offset distance. Gripper positioning apparatus for carrying out the method are disclosed, as are other aspects.

The invention starts from a conveying device (10c) having at least one transport unit (20′c, 20″c) for transporting packaging blanks (12c) and/or containers (14′c, 14″c) in a transport direction (16c) along a transport path (18c), wherein the transport unit has at least one conveying element (24′c, 24″c) which can be driven along a section (22c) of the transport path (18c). It is proposed that at least one conveying element (24′c, 24″c) has a rear side (26′c, 26″c) which in at least one operating state is intended to pull packaging blanks (12c) and/or containers (14′c, 14″c) in the transport direction (16c), and a front side (28′c, 28″c) which in at least one operating state is intended to push packaging blanks (12c) and/or containers (14′c, 14″c) in the transport direction (16c). The invention also relates to a packing machine comprising such a conveying device.

A compartmentalized container loading and management system for loading compartmentalized containers, such as blister cards. A single system may be utilized to hand-load many different types of blister cards having different numbers of wells arranged in different patterns. Systems of the types described herein may include a docking station, a container locator, and a controller. The docking station may include visible information locations which provide visible information proximate wells of a docked blister card to indicate the well which should be loaded. The visible information locations may be changed to match the number, arrangement and pattern of the wells. A container locator may locate the blister card with wells at known positions of the docking station so that visible information may be associated with each well. A controller may control the visible information locations to provide visible information matching the pattern of the wells of each blister card.

The object of the invention is to realize an apparatus for automatically and precisely filling single containers in succession with a pre-defined amount of products; each container is filled with two distinct loads of products, wherein the first load is determined according to its weight roughly measured, and the second load is determined numerically based on the difference between said first load and a pre-defined conventional weight; the apparatus comprises a first conveyor, a second conveyor loaded automatically with the products transported by the first conveyor, a third conveyor which is loaded with the agricultural products transported by the second conveyor and that transfers the products poured and present onto it inside a succession of single containers, weighing means able of weighing the total weight of the products on the whole present on the second conveyor, wherein the third conveyor is able of transferring the products poured and present on it in a succession of single containers; there is arranged a fourth conveying means preferably “V”-shaped and able of pouring a numerically controlled quantity of similar products onto the third conveying means, which, in the end, pours it onto a container below with a motion of going on and partial rotation.

The object of the invention is to realize an apparatus for automatically and precisely filling single containers in succession with a pre-defined amount of products; each container is filled with two distinct loads of products, wherein the first load is determined according to its weight roughly measured, and the second load is determined numerically based on the difference between said first load and a pre-defined conventional weight; the apparatus comprises a first conveyor, a second conveyor loaded automatically with the products transported by the first conveyor, a third conveyor which is loaded with the agricultural products transported by the second conveyor and that transfers the products poured and present onto it inside a succession of single containers, weighing means able of weighing the total weight of the products on the whole present on the second conveyor, wherein the third conveyor is able of transferring the products poured and present on it in a succession of single containers; there is arranged a fourth conveying means preferably “V”-shaped and able of pouring a numerically controlled quantity of similar products onto the third conveying means, which, in the end, pours it onto a container below with a motion of going on and partial rotation.

A product packaging system comprises a plurality of product sources (2, 4, 6) delivering product to a final collating and packaging line (10). The output from each machine is delivered by separate conveying means (8) delivering the products directly into a collating conveyor (20) which in turn delivers the collated products to a packaging line. The collating conveyor comprising an endless conveyor carrying a plurality of compartments, each compartment receiving from said conveying means products to be packaged. The compartments are configured to enable their sizes to be changed, and the endless conveyor comprises a track arranged in a vertical loop and a plurality of product supporting members mounted for movement along the track, each supporting member being driven along the track and controllable independently of the other supporting members.

A product packaging system comprises a plurality of product sources (2, 4, 6) delivering product to a final collating and packaging line (10). The output from each machine is delivered by separate conveying means (8) delivering the products directly into a collating conveyor (20) which in turn delivers the collated products to a packaging line. The collating conveyor comprising an endless conveyor carrying a plurality of compartments, each compartment receiving from said conveying means products to be packaged. The compartments are configured to enable their sizes to be changed, and the endless conveyor comprises a track arranged in a vertical loop and a plurality of product supporting members mounted for movement along the track, each supporting member being driven along the track and controllable independently of the other supporting members.

An article package filling method, comprising: selecting a packaging container for an order article in an order container; picking out the order article from the order container and putting same into the packaging container; and injecting a filling medium into a filling space of the packaging container by using a filling equipment, wherein the filling medium has a specific shape before being injected into the filling space, and can form a spatial shape consistent with that of the filling space after being injected into the filling space. According to the filling method, various specifications or types of packaging containers storing the order articles can be filled, so that the supporting and protecting effects on the order articles are implemented, and the package filling efficiency and applicability are improved.