Method of detecting plastics articles, and a detector device
AssigneeSolystic
InventorDian Jean-Raoul
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The method of detecting plastics material, in particular for a postal sorting installation through which articles pass, is intended to distinguish automatically between articles having an outside surface made of plastics material and articles having an outside surface made of paper. The method consists in moving each article past an electrostatic generator, and then past a member for evaluating electrostatic charge so as to compare the charge on the article with a reference value in order to detect whether the article is a plastics article or a paper article. The method increases the reliability of detection.
Claims6
A method for automatically detecting postal articles having an outside surface made of plastics material and postal articles having an outside surface made of paper in a postal sorting installation in which said articles pass, the method comprising the steps of:
- electrostatically charging each postal article by moving it past and in contact with an electrostatic charging member;
- evaluating electrostatic charge of said postal article by moving it past and in contact with an evaluating electrostatic charge member;
- and
- comparing said evaluated electrostatic charge with a reference value in order to determine whether said postal article is a plastics article or a paper article.
A postal sorting installation comprising a detector for automatically detecting postal articles having an outside surface made of plastics material and postal articles having an outside surface made of paper, said detector comprising a first conductive surface mounted on a support and electrically connected to a voltage generator constituting an electrostatic charging member, and a second conductive surface also mounted on the support and electrically connected to a processor unit forming an evaluating electrostatic charge member, said first and second conductive surfaces being separated from each other along said support to come successively into contact with each postal article moving through said postal sorting installation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.