A material conveyor apparatus is described comprising a conveyer device having a material receiving end suitable for receiving material such as overburden or mineral at a working site, a material discharge end distal of the material receiving end, and a material transport system disposed between the material receiving end and the discharge end so as in use to cause material received at the material receiving end to be conveyed to the material discharge end; an scanning system comprising a scanning device disposed to scan the material being conveyed to the material discharge end and obtain a response from the material from which the material may be classified at least into two classes comprising at least a waste class and a useable ore class based on the response; a chassis supporting the conveyor device and the scanning device; a transport carriage supporting the chassis and adapted to cause the chassis to be movable across a surface for deployment in use.

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to a plant trimming machine. Plants are placed in a tumbler. As the tumbler rotates, leaves are sucked through the tumbler by a vacuum assembly and cut by at least one rotatable blade adjacent to the tumbler. The tumbler and blade are housed in separate cartridges so that they can be easily removed and inserted. Thereby, it is relatively easy to clean and replace a tumbler or blade with minimal downtime to the machine.

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to a plant trimming machine. Plants are placed in a tumbler. As the tumbler rotates, leaves are sucked through the tumbler by a vacuum assembly and cut by at least one rotatable blade adjacent to the tumbler. The tumbler and blade are housed in separate cartridges so that they can be easily removed and inserted. Thereby, it is relatively easy to clean and replace a tumbler or blade with minimal downtime to the machine.

A modular, scalable prescription dispensing and verification system includes a four-tiered central conveyor, dispensing control system with stored patient orders for creating dispensing and routing itineraries, carriers transporting itineraries and dispensed medications, induction station, pairs of processing stations divided by the conveyor, including automated and manual dispensing, verification, cold chain, and ambient packaging. Crossover conveyors transport carriers between dispensing station pair members for dispensing multiple products per station pair. One conveyor tier returns empty carriers to induction, another transports carriers from each dispensing station to verification, then to packaging, another transports carriers from induction to dispensing, then to additional dispensing, another conveys carriers from induction to dispensing stations. Carrier stops halt carriers at stations for removal for processing, replacement, and transport to the next station, or deposit on another tier and transport to a different station. The system may include two conveyor modules, one for refrigerated or ambient unit-of-use items, another for ambient countables.

A modular, scalable prescription dispensing and verification system includes a four-tiered central conveyor, dispensing control system with stored patient orders for creating dispensing and routing itineraries, carriers transporting itineraries and dispensed medications, induction station, pairs of processing stations divided by the conveyor, including automated and manual dispensing, verification, cold chain, and ambient packaging. Crossover conveyors transport carriers between dispensing station pair members for dispensing multiple products per station pair. One conveyor tier returns empty carriers to induction, another transports carriers from each dispensing station to verification, then to packaging, another transports carriers from induction to dispensing, then to additional dispensing, another conveys carriers from induction to dispensing stations. Carrier stops halt carriers at stations for removal for processing, replacement, and transport to the next station, or deposit on another tier and transport to a different station. The system may include two conveyor modules, one for refrigerated or ambient unit-of-use items, another for ambient countables.

A conveyance system includes a feeding means, a reading means, a weight measuring means, a storage means, a notification means, and an arithmetic control means. Article-related information includes a unit weight of articles, the number of incoming orders of the articles, and a reference weight value derived by measuring or calculating a weight of a container storing the articles. The arithmetic control means compares the number of pickings of the articles obtained by dividing a difference between the reference weight value and a measurement value after operation as a weight of the container after picking of the articles by the unit weight, with the number of incoming orders, determines whether there is an excess or deficiency, and when there is an excess or deficiency, notifies the excessive or deficient number of articles by the notification means.

Systems and methods are disclosed for automatic item picking stations. In one embodiment, an example automated item picking station may include a first set of container slots configured to support a first set of containers, and a second set of container slots configured to support a second set of containers. The item picking station may include a first item handling device configured to transport a first item to a container in the first set of containers or the second set of containers, a first empty container shuttle disposed adjacent to the first set of container slots, and an optional second empty container shuttle disposed adjacent to the second set of container slots. The item picking station may include a takeaway conveyor disposed between the first set of container slots and the second set of container slots, the takeaway conveyor configured to transport full containers to a downstream processing station.

Systems and methods are disclosed for automatic item picking stations. In one embodiment, an example automated item picking station may include a first set of container slots configured to support a first set of containers, and a second set of container slots configured to support a second set of containers. The item picking station may include a first item handling device configured to transport a first item to a container in the first set of containers or the second set of containers, a first empty container shuttle disposed adjacent to the first set of container slots, and an optional second empty container shuttle disposed adjacent to the second set of container slots. The item picking station may include a takeaway conveyor disposed between the first set of container slots and the second set of container slots, the takeaway conveyor configured to transport full containers to a downstream processing station.

In a picking facility, if both a first picking operation and a second picking operation are performed based on order information, a third container is transported from a housing portion to a second picking portion, a fourth container is transported from the housing portion to the second picking portion, after the second picking operation has been performed, the fourth container in which a target article has been housed by the second picking operation is transported as a second container to a first picking portion, a first container is transported from the housing portion to the first picking portion, and, after the first picking operation has been performed, the second container in which the target articles have been housed by the first picking operation and the second picking operation is transported to a shipping portion.

In a picking facility, if both a first picking operation and a second picking operation are performed based on order information, a third container is transported from a housing portion to a second picking portion, a fourth container is transported from the housing portion to the second picking portion, after the second picking operation has been performed, the fourth container in which a target article has been housed by the second picking operation is transported as a second container to a first picking portion, a first container is transported from the housing portion to the first picking portion, and, after the first picking operation has been performed, the second container in which the target articles have been housed by the first picking operation and the second picking operation is transported to a shipping portion.