Abstract: Apparatus for feeding poorly flowable dry particulate materials includes a rotary supply hopper having an interior chamber for receiving and containing a quantity of material and an annular sidewall open at a lower edge, a stationary platform having a circular groove formed in a top surface of the platform encircling an upright central axis and an opening extending through the platform adjacent to the circular groove, spaced from the central axis and defined between the circular groove and central axis, a support structure supporting the hopper above the platform to undergo rotation relative to the platform about the upright central axis with the lower edge of the supply hopper being spaced from and extending downward into the circular groove of the platform such that the platform serves as a stationary bottom for the rotary supply hopper, and an annular discharge spout attached at an open upper end to the platform below and encircling the opening through the platform and having a transfer passage extending f

Abstract: An apparatus and method for picking up and manipulating randomly oriented and randomly positioned objects moving on an object belt and transferring them to randomly oriented and randomly positioned destinations moving on a destination belt. An image processing unit using a vision system identifies and locates objects and destinations in successive overlapping vision windows up to a predetermined optimum number of objects. The locations of those objects and destinations are entered in an output queue which is transmitted to the object and destination location queues of a first robot motion controller. The first robot picks up and deposits to destinations all the objects it can in the time available while the objects and destinations pass, and enters the locations of the objects not picked up and destinations to which no object is placed in an output queue which is transmitted to the object and destination location queues of a second robot motion controller.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for picking up and manipulating randomly oriented and randomly positioned objects moving on a belt. An image processing unit using a vision system identifies and locates objects in successive overlapping vision windows up to a predetermined optimum number of objects. The locations of those objects is entered in an output queue which is transmitted to the object location queue of a first robot motion controller. The first robot picks up and deposits all the objects it can in the time available while the objects pass, and enters the locations of the objects not picked up in an output queue which is transmitted to the object location queue of a second robot motion controller. The robots can be arranged in a series of any number and the image processing units and vision systems can also be arranged in a series.