# US 10,245,621 B2 · Sorting installation and method for separating material fractions > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,245,621 B2 - Document ID: US10245621B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/504,907 - Filed: 2015-08-19 - Published: 2017-09-14 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2014-08-20 - Assignees: Unisensor Sensorsysteme GmbH - Applicants: Unisensor Sensorsysteme GmbH - Inventors: Jurgen Bohleber; Alfred Schmidt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245621B2 ## CPC - B07C 5/342: according to optical properties, e.g. colour {(according to radiation transmittivity B07C5/3416)} - B07C 5/02: Measures preceding sorting, e.g. arranging articles in a stream orientating {(sorting and transport of caps B67B3/06)} - B07C 5/368: {actuated independently} - B07C 2501/0054: Sorting of waste or refuse - Y02W 30/62: Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling - B07C: POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A43D33/06, B23Q7/12) - Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT ## Abstract In order to achieve a higher material throughput and/or a higher sorting speed in a sorting installation (10) for use in plastics recycling, it is provided, in the case of an apparatus which is intended for separating one or more material fractions from at least one material stream of free-flowing bulk material and which has a directing device (12), via which the material stream is guided under the action of gravitational force, also has an optical sensing device (16) for the spectroscopic detection of composition- or condition-dependent properties of individual fractions (13) contained in the material stream, and additionally has a separation device (14), by which the individual fractions (13) contained in the material stream are separated mechanically in dependence on detection results of the optical sensing device (16). Here, the directing device (12) is designed in the form of a shell surface of a rotational solid or truncated pyramid, which widens downwards, and the optical sensing device (16) is arranged in a scanning plane below the rotational solid or truncated pyramid. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device for separating one or a plurality of material fractions from at least one material stream of free-flowing bulk material, the device comprising: a directing apparatus (12) by way of which the material stream is guided under the influence of gravity; an optical scanning apparatus (16) for spectroscopic identification of at least one of composition-dependent or consistency-dependent properties of individual fragments (13) that are contained in the material stream; and a separation apparatus (14) for mechanically separating the individual fragments that are contained in the material stream, depending on identification results of the optical scanning apparatus (16); the directing apparatus (12) is configured as a shell surface of a downwardly widening rotational solid or truncated pyramid; and the optical scanning apparatus (16) has a light source (17), disposed within a base area of an axial projection of the rotational solid or truncated pyramid, that generates a light beam, and a rotating optical deflection element (19) which is disposed so as to deflect the light beam in such a manner that the light beam intersects the material stream that is distributed across the shell surface of the directing apparatus (12) in a scanning plane below the rotational solid or truncated pyramid; wherein a plurality of the silos which are sector-shaped silos (11a-11h) from which a plurality of material streams are routed by way of the directing apparatus (12) are disposed above the directing apparatus (12), and two or more respective selection channels (15a, 15b) that are disposed on different radii from the axis of the rotational solid or truncated pyramid are provided for each of the silos (11a-11h) below the directing apparatus (12), and the directing apparatus has substantially vertically running separation webs for separating dissimilar material streams en route along the directing apparatus (12). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating optical deflection element (19) is disposed so as to deflect the light beam in such manner that the light beam intersects the material stream in a scanning plane that is parallel with the base area of the rotational solid or truncated pyramid. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the optical deflection element (19) is arranged to rotate about the axis of the rotational solid or the truncated pyramid, so as to deflect the light beam out of the axis of the rotational solid or truncated pyramid into the scanning plane. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein an incidence direction of the light beam runs along the axis of the rotational solid or truncated pyramid, and the optical deflection element (19) is inclined by approximately 45° in relation to an axially parallel direction, so as to deflect the light beam into the scanning plane by approximately 90°. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a partially transparent mirror (22) which deflects fluorescent and scattered light that is reflected from the material stream in a reverse direction via the deflection element (19) to a spectroscopic evaluation unit (18), the partially transparent mirror is located in the light path between the light source (17) and the rotating optical deflection element (19). ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising; an optical focusing unit (21) which focuses the light beam onto a circle in which said light beam intersects the material stream is provided in the light path. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: at least one silo (11a-11h), and a vibration conveyor (11′) assigned to the silo (11a-11h) and which is disposed for infeeding bulk material from the silo (11a-11h) to the directing apparatus (12), above the directing apparatus (12). ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the separation apparatus has a multiplicity of compressed-air nozzles (14) that are disposed along a circumferential line that is below that of the directing apparatus and that are selectively actuatable by way of respective valves, so as to deflect the individual fragments (13) that are contained in the material stream using compressed-air surges. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein mutually opposing compressed-air nozzles (14) are attached in front of and behind the material stream that drops down from the directing apparatus (12), so as to by way of deflection into dissimilar directions simultaneously sort two or more dissimilar material fractions from the material stream. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical scanning apparatus (16) is configured for identifying and distinguishing fragments (13) of a particle size up to 200 mm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating optical deflection element (19) has a drive which is configured for driving the deflection element (19) at a frequency of more than 2000 revolutions per minute. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The device as claims in claim 1, wherein the material stream comprises recyclable plastics.