Apparatus and method for assigning a material value score to a waste printed circuit board or a portion thereof and system for sorting waste printed circuit boards.

A system for sorting of diamonds is provided. The system comprises a conveying system including a conveyer belt to transport material sample including diamonds. Further, the system comprises an x-ray source configured to fire x-rays at the material sample. Furthermore, the system comprises an x-ray luminescence (XRL) detector configured to measure radiated intensity of the x-rays from the material sample. Additionally, the system comprises an x-ray transmission (XRT) detector configured to measure transmitted intensity of the x-rays through the material sample. Also, the system comprises a processor that is configured to: receive the radiated intensity and the transmitted intensity from the XRL detector and the XRT detector respectively; process the radiated intensity and the transmitted intensity to determine an equivalent absorption coefficient; and identify the material sample as diamond based on a comparison of the equivalent absorption coefficient and a pre-stored model species absorption coefficient.

According to an embodiment, an inspection apparatus includes a communication interface and a processor. The communication interface acquires results of single-item determination, which are inspection results for individual parcels that are successively conveyed, and number-of-items information for identifying, as one parcel group, a plurality of parcels among the individual parcels. The processor identifies a plurality of parcels as one parcel group, based on the number-of-items information, determines a result of multiple-item determination, which is an inspection result for the parcel group, based on the results of the single-item determination for the individual parcels included in the parcel group, and distributes the individual parcels included in the parcel group, based on the result of the multiple-item determination.

A material sorting system sorts materials, such as scrap pieces composed of unknown metal alloys, as a function of their detected x-ray fluorescence. The x-ray fluorescence may be converted into an elemental composition signature that is then compared to an elemental composition signature of a reference material in order to identify and/or classify each of the materials, which are then sorted into separate groups based on such an identification/classification. The material sorting system may include an in-line x-ray tube having a plurality of separate x-ray sources, each of which can irradiate a separate stream of materials to be sorted.

A sorting apparatus is described and which includes a selectively heated avalanche photodiode (APD) which is maintained at a predetermined temperature and which further demonstrates a higher gain and signal-to-noise ratio with greater stability at a predetermined temperature for enhancing sorting efficiency.

An object detection method includes an electromagnetic radiation emitter, and an electromagnetic radiation detector on a first side of an inspection zone, a reflective background on a second side of the inspection zone and a controller operably connected to the emitter and the detector to measure/determine a first time of travel for emitted electromagnetic radiation waves/pulses to travel from the emitter, to the reflective background, and return to the detector, and to measure/determine a second time of travel for emitted electromagnetic radiation waves/pulses to travel from the emitter of electromagnetic radiation to objects of interest passing through the inspection zone along an unsupported path of travel and to be reflected to the electromagnetic radiation detector, and any determined time of travel which varies from the first time of travel is evidence there is an object within the inspection zone and between the emitter and the reflective background.

A method and system for performing characterization of one or more materials. The one or more materials are scanned by means of a sensory unit including an x-ray sensor for obtaining at least one x-ray image. Segmentation of the at least one x-ray image is performed in order to separate one or more distinct objects in the at least one x-ray image. In the at least one x-ray image, segmented objects are selected. For each of the selected segmented objects in the at least one x-ray image, a transformation using a transformatio n model is computed, wherein each transformation is indicative of a three dimensional reconstruction of the respective selected segmented object in the at least one x-ray image. The selected segmented objects are characterized based upon its computed transformation.

Non-destructive X-ray inspection machine for individually packaged products having a bottom and a lid or cap in separate zones. The machine comprises a conveying apparatus having a transport plane adapted to convey products with the bottom resting on the transport plane, at least two X-ray emitters adapted to emit X-rays so that X-rays pass through the products at a top-to-down angle and at a down-to-top angle, respectively, in an inspection zone comprised in the transport plane. In the machine, at least one of the two emitters is freely adjustable in height and/or orientable in angle, within a predetermined range, relative to the transport plane, whereby the bottom of the product is inspectable without the X-rays of the two emitters intercepting the lid or cap of the products and optimal projection of the bottom of the product can be obtained.

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.

An X-ray product quality online inspection device of the present invention comprises: a distributed X-ray source having a plurality of targets and being able to generate X-rays for irradiating an inspected product from the plurality of targets in a predetermined sequence; a detector for receiving the X-rays generated by the distributed X-ray source and outputting a signal representing characteristics of the received X-rays; a transport device which is located between the distributed X-ray source and the detector for carrying the inspected product to pass through an X-ray radiation region, wherein the transport device is arranged as a continuous transport mechanism which matches a production line of the inspected product; and a power supply and control device, which is used to supply power to and control the X-ray product quality online inspection device.