Abstract: An automated apparatus and method for identifying, picking up, placing and packaging a plurality of different packaging a plurality of different types of items such as utensils. Utensils are deposited onto a conveyor belt system that separates clusters of utensils and transports them to an identification site where a vision system identifies them by type, location and orientation and to a pick-up site where they are selectively picked up and placed in a collection pan to form a desired utensil set. When the collection pan has a desired utensil set, it is emptied into a placement bucket on a movable bucket conveyor which transports the set to an automatic bagging machine. The set may be supplemented with napkins dispensed from an automated napkin dispenser or other with other items from other machines operatively connected to the system.

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.