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US 5,628,410 AGranted
Classifying or sorting
AssigneeGersan Establishment
InventorsMartin P. Smith, Robin W. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for classifying or sorting objects by projecting and irradiating an object through an irradiation zone and then examining the radiation emitted by the object to determine its class, the irradiating zone having a length in a vertical plane greater than its width where its length to width ratio is greater than 5:1.
Claims27
A method of classifying an object comprising:
- feeding the object in a free trajectory which is not substantially vertical and which lies in a substantially vertical plane;
- irradiating the object with radiation in an irradiation zone which lies substantially in said substantially vertical plane, the trajectory passing through the irradiation zone, the irradiation zone having a length in said substantially vertical plane substantially greater than its width in said substantially vertical plane;
- wherein the ratio of the length of the irradiation zone in said substantially vertical plane to its width in said substantially vertical plane is greater than about 5:1;
- and
- examining the radiation emitted by the object, and thus deriving the class of the object.
2 more elements
Apparatus for classifying an object, comprising;
- means for feeding the object along a free trajectory which is not substantially vertical and which lies in a substantially vertical plane;
- means for irradiating the object with radiation in an irradiation zone through which the trajectory passes, the irradiation zone lying substantially in said substantially vertical plane, and having a length in said substantially vertical plane substantially greater than its width in said substantially vertical plane;
- wherein the ratio of said length to said width is greater than about 5:1;
- and
- means for giving a signal dependent on the radiation emitted by the object, and thus deriving the class of the object.
2 more elements
Apparatus for classifying an object, comprising;
- means for feeding the object along a free trajectory which is not substantially vertical and which lies in a substantially vertical plane;
- means for irradiating the object with radiation in an irradiation zone through which the trajectory passes, the irradiation zone lying substantially in said substantially vertical plane, and having a length in said substantially vertical plane substantially greater than its width in said substantially vertical plane;
- wherein the irradiating radiation is focused onto the irradiation zone and onto a line focus;
- and wherein the irradiating radiation is produced by a laser, the laser beam being focused by a first cylindrical lens whose axis of curvature is parallel to the axis of the line focus into which the beam is to be focused;
- and
- means for giving a signal dependent on the radiation emitted by the object, and thus deriving the class of the object.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.