Method and apparatus for sorting disc-shaped objects

A device for sorting disc-shaped objects, in particular coins, comprising:

• a conveying device which is configured to convey individual disc-shaped objects along a conveying path;
• and
• a removal unit with a pivotable diversion element for the selective removal of individual ones of the objects conveyed along the conveying path in dependence upon an assigning, to the objects, of a respective previously determined category within a classification which distinguishes between good parts and defective parts;
• wherein the diversion element is arranged to be pivoted into the conveying path by means of a drive in such a way that, for the removal of an object, it transfers a mechanical momentum to the object to be removed by means of the pivoting movement, which mechanical momentum has, with respect to the direction of movement of the object at the time of the momentum transfer, both a momentum component which is directed perpendicular thereto, as well as a momentum component which is directed anti-parallel thereto, which momentum components are chosen in such a way that the direction of movement of the object is changed by the momentum and the object is thereby removed from the conveying path;
• wherein the removal unit is configured to effect a sorting of good parts and defective parts in such a way that only those of the conveyed objects are removed by means of the diversion element which have been classified as good parts according to the classification;
• wherein the diversion element is configured in such a way that its pivoting movement takes place about a real or virtual axis and that the surface portion of the diversion element which is intended for the transfer of momentum to the disc-shaped objects has, in a direction parallel to the axis, a height which is at least equal to the thickness of the disc-shaped objects which are intended for sorting so that, during the transfer of the mechanical momentum from the diversion element to the object that is to be removed, there is contact between the diversion element and the object over the entire thickness of the latter, and
• wherein the device further comprises a position sensor which is configured to detect a measure of the deflection of the diversion element and to output a corresponding position signal, wherein the device is configured to return the diversion element to a predefined initial position on the basis of the position signal, from which predefined initial position its respective pivoting movements for the selective removal of objects from the conveying path take place.