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US 2022/0176414 A1Published application
Systems and methods for sorting balls
OwnerWilliam Vaughn Jenkinsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments of the disclosure can relate to systems and methods for sorting balls. The systems and methods may involve the use of a ball-feeding mechanism for receiving one or more balls, and feeding the one or more balls to a projection element. The projection element may be located beneath the ball-feeding mechanism such that the balls drop from the ball-feeding mechanism to the projection element, and the balls then project from the projection element to a ball-sorting apparatus. The balls may then subsequently be sorted into a sorting container of one or more sorting containers based on the projected height of the ball.
Claims24
A system for sorting balls, the system comprising:
- a ball-feeding mechanism for receiving a first ball;
- a projection element comprising an angled surface, wherein the projection element is located below the ball-feeding mechanism, and wherein the projection element receives the first ball on the angled surface from the ball-feeding mechanism;
- one or more sorting containers that are separate from the projection element, wherein the one or more sorting containers receive the first ball after it is projected from the angled surface of the projection element;
- a sorting element configured to receive the first ball;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
- determine that a first sensor of one or more first-type sensors is triggered instead of a second sensor by the first ball passing by the first sensor at a first time, wherein the first sensor is located at a first height;
- determine that the first height is above a threshold height;
- send, based on the determination that the first height is above the threshold height, an indication to make a first adjustment to the sorting element, wherein making the first adjustment to the sorting element causes the sorting element to deposit the first ball in a first sorting container;
- determine that a second sensor of the one or more first-type sensors is triggered, wherein the second sensor is located at a second height;
- determine that the second height is below the threshold height;
- and
- send, based on the determination that the second sensor is triggered and the determination that the second height is below the threshold height, an indication to make a second adjustment to the sorting element, wherein making the second adjustment causes the sorting element to deposit the first ball in a second sorting container.
11 more elements
(canceled)
(canceled)
6-7. (canceled)
An apparatus for sorting balls, the apparatus comprising:
- one or more first-type sensors;
- a sorting element configured to receive a first ball;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions, that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
- determine that a first sensor of the one or more first-type sensors is triggered by the first ball passing by the first sensor, wherein the first sensor is located at a first height;
- determine that the first height is above a threshold height;
- and
- send, based on the determination that the first height is above the threshold height, an indication to make a first adjustment to the sorting element, wherein making the first adjustment to the sorting element causes the sorting element to deposit the first ball in a first sorting container;
- determine that a second sensor of the one or more first-type sensors is triggered, wherein the second sensor is located at a second height;
- determine that the second height is below the threshold height;
- and
- send, based on the determination that the second sensor is triggered and the determination that the second height is below the threshold height, an indication to make a second adjustment to the sorting element, wherein making the second adjustment causes the sorting element to deposit the first ball in a second sorting container.
10 more elements
(canceled)
12-13. (canceled)
A computer-implemented method comprising:
- determining that a first sensor of one or more first-type sensors of a ball-sorting apparatus is triggered by a first ball passing by the first sensor, wherein the first sensor of the ball-sorting apparatus is located at a first height, wherein the first ball is projected from a projection element, wherein the projection element receives the first ball from a ball-feeding mechanism, and wherein the projection element is located below the ball-feeding mechanism;
- determining that the first height is above a threshold height;
- and
- sending, based on the determination that the first height is above the threshold height, an indication to make a first adjustment to a sorting element of the ball-sorting apparatus, wherein making the first adjustment to the sorting element causes the sorting element to deposit the first ball in a first sorting container;
- determining that a second sensor of the one or more first-type sensors is triggered, wherein the second sensor is located at a second height;
- determining that the second height is below the threshold height;
- and
- sending, based on the determination that the second sensor is triggered and the determination that the second height is below the threshold height, an indication to make a second adjustment to the sorting element, wherein making the second adjustment causes the sorting element to deposit the first ball in a second sorting container.
5 more elements
18-19. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.