An apparatus and method to be used for the automated selection, inspection, analysis, and disposition of tools that are installed on milling drums used by an asphalt milling machine to remove a layer of asphalt from a road surface that is being resurfaced is disclosed. Asphalt milling machines are also known as cold planer, pavement planer, pavement recycler, or roto-mill machines. The disclosed apparatus and method comprises a robot, one or more 3-dimensional scanners, one or more digital 2-dimensional cameras, and a controller. A work surface is provided for where the robot may select a tool to be inspected, place the tool on a rotating pedestal, inspect the tool while rotating the tool to capture all aspects of the tool, perform an analysis on the images captured, and depending on the analysis, classify the tool as reusable, degraded, or scrap.

A method for sorting and comprehensively utilizing municipal solid waste includes steps of: 1) feeding the municipal solid waste into a feeding tank through a feeding inlet, then outputting into a breaking device; 2) breaking refuse bags and large blocks by the breaking device; 3) transporting broken refuse into a two-stage roller screen for screening out dusts with a particle size of less than 3 mm, and hanging strips; and 4) transporting mixed refuse screened by the two-stage screen into a vibrating screen; screening oversize products by a heavy winnowing machine for separating inorganic blocks, large plastics and paper; transporting underflow products into a two-room multi-functional winnowing machine for dividing into heavy materials, light materials and medium materials. By effectively combining sorting devices, effective sorting and reutilization of mixed refuse are achieved. Thereafter, paper, fibers, plastics and kitchen organic refuse are respectively for producing refuse derived fuel, wood-plastic composite and fertilizer.

Automated sorting of a sealable bag includes contactlessly scanning a surface or surfaces of a sealable bag (upper or lower surface or both) as the sealable bag is conveyed past an inspection station; obtaining a surface profile topology of the scanned surface; calculating apparent volume of the sealable bag from the surface profile topology; determining whether the apparent volume is within volume thresholds of over filled, under filled and unsealed bags; and sorting the sealable bag to a discard station responsive to a determination that the apparent volume of the sealable bag does not fit within the selected threshold(s).

Automated sorting of a sealable bag includes contactlessly scanning a surface or surfaces of a sealable bag (upper or lower surface or both) as the sealable bag is conveyed past an inspection station; obtaining a surface profile topology of the scanned surface; calculating apparent volume of the sealable bag from the surface profile topology; determining whether the apparent volume is within volume thresholds of over filled, under filled and unsealed bags; and sorting the sealable bag to a discard station responsive to a determination that the apparent volume of the sealable bag does not fit within the selected threshold(s).