System and a method for sorting veneer sheets

A system for sorting veneer sheets, the system comprising:

• an assembly section for handling accepted veneer sheets;
• a reject section for handling rejected veneer sheets;
• a feeding section comprising a feeding hoisting device configured to receive a stack of veneer sheets and to adjust the height of the stack of veneer sheets in the vertical direction so that the top surface of the topmost veneer sheet of the stack is at a scanning height, wherein the feeding section is arranged between the assembly section and the reject section;
• at least one detection device configured to scan the top surface of the topmost veneer sheet of the stack of veneer sheets to provide a plurality of successive scan lines of the top surface of the topmost veneer sheet while moving over the stack of veneer sheets in the horizontal direction between the assembly section side of the feeding section and the reject section side of the feeding section;
• at least two parallel transfer devices for transferring the topmost veneer sheet from the stack of veneer sheets to the assembly section or to the reject section;
• and
• a control system configured to provide a surface scan image from the plurality of successive scan lines provided by the at least one detection device, determine one or more properties of the veneer sheet based on the surface scan image, and to control the at least two transfer devices to:
• move from an avoidance position to a pick-up position determined based on the surface scan image, wherein the avoidance position is a position, where the at least two transfer devices are away from a scanning path of the at least one detection device;
• pick up the topmost veneer sheet of the stack of veneer sheets;
• and
• transfer the picked-up veneer sheet to the assembly section in response to detecting that each of the determined one or more properties of the veneer sheet meets a respective predetermined criterion, or otherwise transfer the picked-up veneer sheet to the reject section.