Optical sorter

An optical sorter comprising:

• a first light source configured to emit first light toward a plurality of sorting targets in transit and disposed on a first side with respect to a transit route of the plurality of sorting targets;
• a second light source configured to emit second light having the same wavelength as the first light toward the plurality of sorting targets in transit and disposed on a second side opposite from the first side;
• an optical sensor disposed on at least one of the first side and the second side and configured to detect light associated with one sorting target among the plurality of sorting targets in transit during a plurality of scan periods including a first scan period and a second scan period;
• and
• a processor,
• wherein the processor is configured to:
• determine a foreign object and/or a defective product with respect to the one sorting target based on a signal acquired by the optical sensor;
• and
• control the first light source and the second light source,
• the processor is further configured to control the first light source and the second light source during the first scan period so as to turn on the first light source and/or the second light source in a first lighting pattern, which is a lighting pattern arbitrarily selected from a lighting pattern in which the first light source and the second light source are at least partially on, a lighting pattern in which only one of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on, and a lighting pattern in which only the other of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on, and is further configured to control the first light source and the second light source during the second scan period so as to turn on the first light source and/or the second light source in a second lighting pattern, which is a lighting pattern selected arbitrarily except for the first lighting pattern from the lighting pattern in which the first light source and the second light source are at least partially on, the lighting pattern in which only the one of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on, and the lighting pattern in which only the other of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on,
• the first light and the second light are red light,
• the optical sensor includes a first optical sensor disposed on the first side and a second optical sensor disposed on the second side,
• the first light source and the second light source are at least partially on in the first lighting pattern, and only the first light source out of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on in the second lighting pattern, and
• the processor is configured to control the first light source and the second light source in such a manner that a lighting period and a non-lighting period of each of the first light source and the second light source are provided in the first scan period, and the lighting period and the non-lighting period of the first light source are provided in the second scan period.

An optical sorter comprising:

• a first light source configured to emit first light toward a plurality of sorting targets in transit and disposed on a first side with respect to a transit route of the plurality of sorting targets;
• a second light source configured to emit second light having the same wavelength as the first light toward the plurality of sorting targets in transit and disposed on a second side opposite from the first side;
• an optical sensor disposed on at least one of the first side and the second side and configured to detect light associated with one sorting target among the plurality of sorting targets in transit during a plurality of scan periods including a first scan period and a second scan period;
• and
• a processor,
• wherein the processor is configured to:
• determine a foreign object and/or a defective product with respect to the one sorting target based on a signal acquired by the optical sensor;
• and
• control the first light source and the second light source,
• the processor is further configured to control the first light source and the second light source during the first scan period so as to turn on the first light source and/or the second light source in a first lighting pattern, which is a lighting pattern arbitrarily selected from a lighting pattern in which the first light source and the second light source are at least partially on, a lighting pattern in which only one of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on, and a lighting pattern in which only the other of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on, and is further configured to control the first light source and the second light source during the second scan period so as to turn on the first light source and/or the second light source in a second lighting pattern, which is a lighting pattern selected arbitrarily except for the first lighting pattern from the lighting pattern in which the first light source and the second light source are at least partially on, the lighting pattern in which only the one of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on, and the lighting pattern in which only the other of the first light source and the second light source is at least partially on,
• the optical sensor is configured to detect two types of light out of reflected light, which is light reflected by the sorting target, transmitted light, which is light transmitted through the sorting target, and reflected and transmitted light, which is light acquired by combining the reflected light and the transmitted light, based on the first lighting pattern and the second lighting pattern, and
• the processor is configured to determine the foreign object and/or the defective product based on two types of images corresponding to the two types of light detected by the optical sensor out of a reflected image, which is an image expressed by the reflected light, a transmitted image, which is an image expressed by the transmitted light, and a reflected and transmitted image, which is an image expressed by the reflected and transmitted light, and remaining one type of image acquired by a calculation carried out based on a result of the detection of the two types of light.