Sorting apparatus including a chute, on which objects are moved in succession by gravitational force, the chute having a cutout with a measuring region. An LIBS laser device is arranged adjacent to the cutout to carry out spectroscopic measurement on the moving objects. A separating device separates out certain objects, and a control device controls and/or adjusts the separating device as a function of the measurement results of the LIBS laser device. The chute includes at least a first portion, through which the objects can be moved first and centered normal to the conveying direction by gravitational force, and a second portion that is flat. The cutout includes the measuring region is arranged in the second portion.

An identification apparatus 1000 includes a light collecting unit 20 configured to collect scattered light from a sample, spectroscopic elements 150l and 150h configured to disperse light from the light collecting unit 20, an imaging unit 170 that includes a plurality of light detection elements arrayed in a row direction 172r and a column direction 172c and to which optical spectra from the spectroscopic elements 150l and 150h are projected along the row direction 172r, and an acquisition unit 30 configured to acquire spectral information about the sample based on an output signal from the imaging unit 170. The optical spectra corresponding to the sample are projected to the imaging unit 170 discontinuously in at least one of the row direction 172r and the column direction 172c.

A method of sorting is described and which includes a step of acquiring a multiplicity of synchronized image signals of a product stream which is to be sorted; generating a multiplicity of fused sensor signals; forming an image model previously acquired from the objects to be sorted; identifying objects in the product stream, and generating object presence and defect signals; determining a spatial orientation of the objects in the product stream; detecting the defects and removing the defects from the product stream.

To provide an optical grain sorter that can reduce the proportion of non-defective grains blown off collaterally, and even in a case in which a plurality of defective grains or the like fall down in a state overlapping each other, can blow off all the defective grains or the like.

The optical granular matter sorter includes a control unit configured to control an ejection time of a compressed gas from an air ejecting unit based on a result of detection obtained by an optical detecting unit, in which the control unit has a comparing unit configured to compare a defect detection time for an object to be sorted by the optical detecting unit and a single-granular matter passage set time set in advance, and a calculating unit configured to multiply the defect detection time by a predetermined coefficient based on a result of comparison obtained by the comparing unit to calculate the ejection time, and in a case in which the defect detection time is less than or equal to the single-granular matter passage set time as the result of comparison obtained by the comparing unit, the calculating unit multiplies the defect detection time by a small coefficient as compared to a case in which the defect detection time exceeds the single-granular matter passage set time to calculate the ejection time, and controls the ejection time of the compressed gas from the air ejecting unit based on a result of calculation.

An object sorting system is presented which includes a hopper, a feeder, a roller pair, a pair of orientation flaps, an adjustable assembly, a first and second camera boxes and an ejection assembly. Feeder receives the shells from the hopper and feeds them uniformly over the gap between the rollers which guides and provides fixed orientation to the shells passing through them and conveys the shells which are relatively bigger than the gap between the rollers to one side of the pair of rollers towards the first collection chute by inclining the roller assembly in the range of 0 to 15 degrees towards the first collection chute. A pair of orientation flaps is placed parallel and exactly below the pair of rollers to avoid the deflection of shells caused immediately after passing through the roller gaps.

A paddy discriminator includes a downflow gutter in which mixed grains including paddy and brown rice are aligned and flow down, a light emission source that irradiates the mixed grains discharged from the downflow gutter with light, and light receiving means capable of receiving reflected light and transmitted light from the mixed grains irradiated with light by the light emission source, wherein the light emission source includes first illumination means that is provided on a light receiving means side of the mixed grains and is capable of irradiating the mixed grains with light of a red component, and second illumination means that is provided on a side away from the light receiving means of the mixed grains and is capable of irradiating the mixed grains with light of a green component.

Methods and devices for sorting cottonseeds. Methods include the use of an optical sorter to sort cottonseed by color. Additionally, methods include sorting cottonseed using a gravity table to collect high-density seed (“accepts”) and mid-density seed (“middlings”), followed by sorting the mid-density, and optionally, the high-density seed using an optical sorter to collect dark cottonseed, thereby providing high-quality cottonseed for packaging. Devices and systems comprising one or more gravity tables and one or more optical sorters are provided.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical sorter which enables to eliminate occurrence of welding distortion on a frame and simply attain high positional accuracy of component members attached to the frame. There is provided an optical sorter according to the present invention, comprising: a chute arranged to slope and to allow a raw material as objects to be sorted out to flow down; optical detection means for detecting the objects to be sorted out dropping from a lower end of the chute; ejector means for sorting out and excluding the objects to be sorted out on the basis of a detection result by the optical detection means; and a discharge hopper that separately discharges the objects sorted out by the ejector means, wherein further comprising a frame having a pair of right and left sidewalls which are screw-fixed to a base, the chute, the optical detection means, the ejector means and the discharge hopper are attached to the frame, and the sidewalls of the frame are coupled with braces in a diagonal shape.

Methods and devices for sorting cottonseeds. Methods include the use of an optical sorter to sort cottonseed by color. Additionally, methods include sorting cottonseed using a gravity table to collect high-density seed (“accepts”) and mid-density seed (“middlings”), followed by sorting the mid-density, and optionally, the high-density seed using an optical sorter to collect dark cottonseed, thereby providing high-quality cottonseed for packaging. Devices and systems comprising one or more gravity tables and one or more optical sorters are provided.

Sorting apparatus including a chute, on which objects are moved in succession by gravitational force, the chute having a cutout with a measuring region. An LIBS laser device is arranged adjacent to the cutout to carry out spectroscopic measurement on the moving objects. A separating device separates out certain objects, and a control device controls and/or adjusts the separating device as a function of the measurement results of the LIBS laser device. The chute includes at least a first portion, through which the objects can be moved first and centered normal to the conveying direction by gravitational force, and a second portion that is flat. The cutout includes the measuring region is arranged in the second portion.