Sorting apparatus
AssigneeSortex Limited
InventorJohn Menzies Low
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sorting apparatus for sorting material into desired and undesired pieces or portions includes a moving reflective surface such as a rotating cylindrical drum which is interposed between an illuminated background and a viewing system so that the background is indirectly viewed via the reflective surface. Any liquid or other debris from the product spills onto the reflective surface, rather than the background and is then moved away to be cleaned off. Thus, the viewed optical characteristics of the background remain constant and periodic cleaning of the background is not required.
Claims16
Apparatus for sorting material into desired and undesired pieces or portions according to their optical characteristics, comprising a background, an optical viewing system for viewing the material against the background, a moving reflective surface interposed in the optical path between the viewing system and the background, the moving reflective surface being such that the reflection is substantially unaffected by its motion.
A method of sorting material into desired and undesired pieces or portions comprising viewing the material against a background and separating desired from undesired pieces or potions according to a color relationship between them and the background, wherein the background is viewed indirectly via a moving reflecting surface, and wherein the reflection from said reflecting surface is substantially unaffected by its motion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.