Article transport apparatus

An article transport apparatus comprising:

• a rotary transport mechanism configured to rotationally transport a plurality of article holding members along an annular trackway having a pair of parallel portions, wherein the plurality of article holding members have equidistant spacing;
• a reciprocating drive mechanism configured to cause the rotary transport mechanism to reciprocate back and forth along an axis parallel to axes of the parallel portions, wherein the article holding members have a velocity of travel that is a combination of a velocity of reciprocating motion and a velocity of rotary transport;
• a first drive source configured to drive the rotary transport mechanism such that the article holding members rotate in one direction along the annular trackway;
• a second drive source configured to drive the reciprocating drive mechanism and to cause reciprocal movement of the rotary transport mechanism back and forth along the axis, the second drive source distinct from the first drive source;
• and
• a controller configured to control rotations of the first drive source and the second drive source, wherein the controller is configured to control rotations of the first drive source and the second drive source such that:
• the velocity of rotary transport and the velocity of reciprocating motion are controlled by the controller, and
• the article holding members travel along the parallel portions in an intermittent manner, each time covering a distance that is an integral multiple of the equidistant spacing of the article holding members.