Back to results
US 10,328,464 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for sorting heterogeneous material
AssigneeJJG IP Holdings, LLC
InventorsJohn F. Green, Peter A. Mendre
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system is provided for the identification and separation of heterogeneous material, the system comprising: a hyperspectral identification system for capturing spectra of material; a computer receiving and analyzing data from the hyperspectral identification system and selecting desired materials from the heterogeneous materials; and an ejection system, whereby the desired materials are ejected from the system.
Claims15
A system for the identification and sorting of heterogeneous material, the system comprising:
- a hyperspectral identification system for capturing spectra of material, said hyperspectral identification system comprises at least one hyperspectral camera said hyperspectral camera receiving a plurality of selected spectral bands of infrared and visible light corresponding to spectral signatures of target materials to be identified if present in said heterogeneous material;
- said camera capturing hyperspectral images comprising spectral and spatial data for articles within said heterogeneous material;
- said camera disposed proximate to a visible or infrared light source, said light source and said at least one hyperspectral camera are disposed on the same side of a stream of said heterogeneous material;
- a solid belt having first and second ends, said belt running beneath said hyperspectral identification system and upon which said heterogeneous material is conveyed from said first end to said second end, said belt traveling at a preset rate, said hyperspectral identification system being disposed over said second end of said belt;
- a computer receiving and analyzing data from said hyperspectral identification system and selecting materials of a first user defined category from said materials;
- and
- an ejection system disposed immediately after said second end of said belt, whereby said desired materials are separated from said heterogeneous material, said ejection system being triggered by said computer at a preset time delay equal to the distance between said camera and said ejection system divided by the rate of travel of the belt.
4 more elements
A method for sorting heterogeneous material, said method comprising:
- reflecting visible or infrared light from the surface of said heterogeneous material disposed on a conveyer;
- conveying said heterogeneous material at a predetermined rate through a hyperspectral imager;
- generating hyperspectral images of said heterogeneous material comprising spectral and spatial data for articles within said heterogeneous material by receiving a plurality of selected spectral bands of infrared and visible light corresponding to spectral signatures of target materials to be identified if present in said heterogeneous material as said heterogeneous material passes on said conveyer beneath said hyperspectral imaginer;
- comparing said hyperspectral images of said heterogeneous material to hyperspectral images of known materials;
- identifying said target materials;
- after a preset time interval from said identifying said target material, said interval equal to the distance between said hyperspectral imager and a separating system divided by the predetermined rate, physically isolating target material from said heterogeneous material by separating said target material from said heterogeneous material as it leaves said conveyer immediately after said hyperspectral imager.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.