Articles are continuously supplied to a robot by control circulation speed. In a supply control device for controlling a circulation device that causes an article to circulate in a system that includes the circulation device, and a robot that retrieves the article during circulation with the circulation device, the supply control device includes: a detection unit that detects the article circulating with the circulation device, and a position of the article; a measurement unit that measures a number of the articles in a predetermined region on the circulation device, based on detection results of the detection unit; and a control unit that controls a speed of circulation of the circulation device according to the number of the articles in the predetermined region measured by the measurement unit.

A system for controlled distribution of components, the system including a vibrating bowl provided with an enclosure having a wall extending right around an axis of revolution of the bowl and in which the components are placed in bulk, and an articulated gripping arm provided to distribute the components to the automatic assembly installation, the vibrating bowl including an ascending helical ramp extending along an internal face of the wall between a base and an upper edge of the vibrating bowl constituting an exit of the ramp, the components being able to travel along this ramp towards a supply platform, particularly a slide, on which at least one component is arranged in advance of its seizure by the articulated gripping arm, the supply platform being connected to the exit and extending above or in the enclosure of the vibrating bowl.

A vial hopper and feeder assembly is used in conjunction with automated prescription filling devices and systems, wherein the vial hopper and feeder assembly is configured to allow an operator to dump a large number of vials into a hopper in a random orientation, and the hopper/feeder assembly has the capability of selecting individual vials, orienting them in the proper direction, and delivering them individually in assembly line fashion, and in proper orientation, to the next step of the prescription filling process. A rotatable singulator receives the vials, feeds each vial individually to a pocket within a rotating turnstile. Sensors detect the presence and orientation of the vial, upright or upside down, and the turnstile rotates either clockwise or counterclockwise, based on the orientation of the vial within the pocket, to release each vial in one single direction.

A vial hopper and feeder assembly is used in conjunction with automated prescription filling devices and systems, wherein the vial hopper and feeder assembly is configured to allow an operator to dump a large number of vials into a hopper in a random orientation, and the hopper/feeder assembly has the capability of selecting individual vials, orienting them in the proper direction, and delivering them individually in assembly line fashion, and in proper orientation, to the next step of the prescription filling process. A rotatable singulator receives the vials, feeds each vial individually to a pocket within a rotating turnstile. Sensors detect the presence and orientation of the vial, upright or upside down, and the turnstile rotates either clockwise or counterclockwise, based on the orientation of the vial within the pocket, to release each vial in one single direction.

An object is to modify, for example, an aligning mechanism such that in a disk rotation type medicine feeder and a tablet splitting apparatus, tablets are successively fed at appropriate Intervals which are not too sparse and not too dense. A turntable is divided into an inner part (50) and an outer part (40). The angular speed of a large-diameter turntable 40 is made higher than the angular speed of a small-diameter turntable 50, and a tablet transfer path 32 of a straightening guide 30 is configured to be a spiral path extending from an inner end portion 32a to an outer end portion 32b. This enables tablets to be successively fed at appropriate intervals. Additionally, a tablet contact, portion (64) of a tablet holding mechanism is reciprocated with respect to a temporary holding area 62 located before the outer end portion 32b. A tablet is temporarily held in the temporary holding area (62) and when a long narrow blade insertion slit 43 in the large-diameter turntable 40 reaches the temporary holding area (62), a tablet cutting blade of a tablet cutting mechanism is reciprocated with respect to the temporary holding area and a blade insertion notch (62, 63) to split the tablet. The resulting cutting dust is dropped from the blade insertion slit 43 or small holes 42 to be separated from the split tablets. The split tablets are then dropped from a discharge port 61.

Bottle caps are oriented and delivered in the proper orientation to a bottle capping machine by an apparatus having a rotating disk and radially extending tabs coupled to the disk such that the disks and radially extending tabs cooperate to carry properly oriented caps through a sort zone to an ejector. Improperly oriented caps fall from the disk without reaching the ejector.

Systems, methods, and devices are described herein for managing item storage using rotating platforms. In some examples, an item can be loaded on to a material conveyance device. The item then can be unloaded from the material conveyance device to a rotating platform. The rotating platform can include a sloped surface. Sensor data that identifies the item can be received. A robotic manipulator can be used to manipulate the item based at least in part on the sensor data.

A drug packaging device includes: a storage in which drug units are stored; a supply channel communicating with the storage through a supply hole formed in a wall of the storage, extending from the storage, and supplying drug units discharged from the storage to a drug packaging member; and an actuator moving up and down and rotating the storage. The actuator moves the storage up or down to a position at which the storage communicates the supply channel, and rotates the storage to generate centrifugal force required to discharge the drug units from the storage to the supply channel. The supply channel includes: an inlet portion hingedly connected to the storage; an outlet portion which is a free end that is unfixed, and a vibrator installed at the inlet portion and vibrating the inlet portion.

A sorting machine, or unscrambler of bulk containers, including a first carousel and a second carousel on which a series of cradles are mounted which are adapted to receive the containers in a horizontal position, a series of straightening dischargers, a series of separation frames, more generally separators, having the function of receiving the container discharged by the overhead discharge channels; and wherein at least one of the series of cradles and/or dischargers and/or separators has at least one element or wall movable in width or in depth. The machine includes automatic actuation devices configured to move the movable element or wall, wherein the devices are arranged outside the first and second carousels.

A supply device includes a replenishment device configured to replenish bolts to a surface of a table, and a supply control device configured to control the replenishment device. A determination region for determining the number of bolts is predetermined in a region where the table is disposed. When the number of bolts detected in the determination region is less than a determination value, the supply control device selects a divided region having the lowest bolt number density from among a plurality of divided regions. The supply control device controls the replenishing device so as to replenish bolts to a region of the table corresponding to the selected divided region.