Sorting apparatus
AssigneeKey Technology, Inc.
InventorJohan Calcoen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sorting apparatus is described and which includes a substantially continuous source of a product to be sorted; and a downwardly oriented supporting surface for guiding the source of product for movement, at least in part, under the influence of gravity, along a path of travel through a first inspection station which is oriented along the supporting surface, and where the product is first inspected, and then travels to a second location or station, which is located off the supporting surface, and where, at the second location or station, individual defective products are removed from the substantially continuous source of product to be sorted.
Claims32
A sorting apparatus, comprising:
- a substantially continuous source of a product to be sorted;
- and
- a downwardly oriented supporting surface for guiding the source of product for movement, at least in part, under the influence of gravity, along a path of travel through a first location which is oriented along the supporting surface, and where the product is first inspected, and then travels to a second location, which is located off the supporting surface, and where, at the second location, individual defective products are removed from the substantially continuous source of product to be sorted.
A sorting apparatus, comprising:
- a substantially continuous source of a discrete product to be sorted, and which includes a multiplicity of both acceptable products, and unacceptable products;
- a supporting surface for guiding the continuous source of the discrete product along a downwardly directed path of travel through a first inspection station, and a second sorting station, and wherein the supporting surface simultaneously facilitates the acceleration of the substantially continuous source of product to about a free-fall speed, and further orients the multiplicity of both acceptable and unacceptable products into a single layer, and wherein the supporting surface is discontinuous and defines a gap in the first inspection station;
- a stream of compressed air which is introduced into the gap, and which is effective in supporting the substantially continuous source of discreet product for movement across the gap, while not substantially changing the respective downwardly directed paths of travel of the multiplicity of both acceptable and unacceptable products;
- a visual inspection assembly which is located in spaced relation relative to the first inspection station, and which illuminates and images along a line of reference which is positioned within the gap, and substantially transversely relative to the respective downwardly directed paths of travel of the multiplicity of both acceptable and unacceptable products, and wherein the visual inspection assembly provides a signal which identifies unacceptable products which move through the gap;
- and
- a product rejection assembly positioned in the second sorting station, and which is coupled in signal receiving relation relative to the visual inspection assembly, and where, in response to a signal received from the visual inspection station, the product rejection station removes identified unacceptable products from the downwardly directed paths of travel so as to produce a continuous source of product having only individual acceptable products.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.