In order to achieve a higher material throughput and/or a higher sorting speed in a sorting installation (10) for use in plastics recycling, it is provided, in the case of an apparatus which is intended for separating one or more material fractions from at least one material stream of free-flowing bulk material and which has a directing device (12), via which the material stream is guided under the action of gravitational force, also has an optical sensing device (16) for the spectroscopic detection of composition- or condition-dependent properties of individual fractions (13) contained in the material stream, and additionally has a separation device (14), by which the individual fractions (13) contained in the material stream are separated mechanically in dependence on detection results of the optical sensing device (16). Here, the directing device (12) is designed in the form of a shell surface of a rotational solid or truncated pyramid, which widens downwards, and the optical sensing device (16) is arranged in a scanning plane below the rotational solid or truncated pyramid.

A sorter for agricultural items comprising a main frame with a circular horizontal plate having an outer edge cam surface. A circular sub-frame is mounted for rotation about the plate's vertical axis, in parallel relation to the plate. The sub-frame includes plural item cups pivotally mounted on its periphery. The cam surface tilts the cups from a raised loading position, to a horizontal viewing position, to a lowered ejection position. A loading zone includes means for loading an individual item into a respective cup. A viewing zone has camera means for optically viewing individual items as each rolls through the cup, producing an output signal corresponding to reflectivity characteristics. Computer means compares the output signal to predetermined values and produces a corresponding ejection signal. A re-direction zone includes plural ejectors, whereby a selected one of the ejectors ejects the item out its cup in response to an ejection signal.

An apparatus for treating horticultural products, such as blueberries and the like, includes in series at least one station for loading the horticultural products, at least one preliminary checking station, at least one alignment station for their subsequent advancement aligned on at least one row, at least one viewing station for acquiring information related to at least one parameter of interest of each horticultural product, such as the color, size, shape, sugar content, defectiveness, and the like, at least one distribution station for sorting the products into uniform subgroups as a function of the information acquired by the viewing station, and at least one recirculation apparatus for returning, at least to the viewing station, any horticultural products that have not been sorted by the distribution station.

An apparatus for treating horticultural products, such as blueberries and the like, includes in series at least one station for loading the horticultural products, at least one preliminary checking station, at least one alignment station, for their subsequent advancement aligned on at least one row, at least one viewing station, for acquiring information related to at least one parameter of interest of each horticultural product, such as the color, size, shape, sugar content, defectiveness, and the like, at least one distribution station, for sorting the products into uniform subgroups, as a function of the information acquired by the viewing station, and at least one recirculation apparatus for returning, at least to the viewing station, any horticultural products that have not been sorted by the distribution station.

Systems and methods for sorting recyclable items and other materials are provided. In one embodiment, a system for sorting objects comprises: at least one imaging sensor; a controller comprising a processor and memory storage, wherein the controller receives image data captured by the image sensor; and at least one pusher device coupled to the controller, wherein the at least one pusher device is configured to receive an actuation signal from the controller. The processor is configured to detect objects travelling on a conveyor device and recognize at least one target item traveling on a conveyor device by processing the image data and to determine an expected time when the at least one target item will be located within a diversion path of the pusher device. The controller selectively generates the actuation signal based on whether a sensed object detected in the image data comprise the at least one target item.

An optical sorter includes a transport means for transporting sorting targets, a discrimination means for optically discriminating the sorting targets, a sorting means for sorting the sorting targets based on the result of discrimination of the discrimination means, and a guide plate adapted to be contacted by the sorting targets thrown out from the transport means so as to guide the sorting targets to fall in a given falling direction, in which the guide plate includes a guide face and an opening, the guide face being capable of being contacted by the sorting targets, and the opening being provided to the guide face and penetrating the guide plate, the sorting means is arranged around the opening, and the position of the guide plate relative to the fall-down path of the sorting targets is adjustable together with the sorting means.

Controller of an optical sorter is configured to receive an input of a candidate for a target quality condition regarding an allowable mix rate of defective products in sorting targets discharged from the optical sorter as acceptable products, receive an input of quality information indicating a mix rate of the defective products regarding at least a part of the sorting targets, simulate, based on the information, a sorting result regarding a quantity and/or a yield of the sorting targets discharged as the acceptable products that is expected to be acquired when sorting is conducted by a sorting device to achieve the candidate for the target quality condition and output a result of the simulation, receive an input of a final target quality condition to be employed when conducting the sorting, and conduct the sorting based on a sorting control parameter that allows the final target quality condition to be achieved.

The present invention discloses a multi-channeled grading machine with trajectory tracking sensor network for grading objects into multiple grades in a single pass based on external characteristics viz. size, shape, color, texture, surface properties or any other possible external characteristics by continuously tracking the trajectory of objects. The grading machine comprises of hopper; at least one feeding unit; multiple optics units multiple conduits; multiple sensor networks in multiple conduits; at least one master controller; at least one ejector unit comprising of arrays of single-angled or multiple angle ejectors in each conduit; multiple vacuum creators placed respectively opposite to each ejector; multiple collecting chutes; and multiple collecting locations. The grading machine is extremely simple, accurate, and automated, power-efficient and cost-effective.

A food article defect removal apparatus includes a manifold that defines one or more chambers for holding pressurized fluid. First channels extend from a first side of the manifold into fluid communication with the chambers. Second channels extend from the first side of the manifold to a second side of the manifold. Valves selectively connect corresponding first channels and second channels together to dispense the pressurized fluid from the manifold. The manifold can have an exterior wall that at least partially defines a first chamber and a second chamber, with an interior wall disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber. The interior wall can define the second channels. The valves can be included with a valve assembly, which includes a driver operably coupled with the valves. The valves can be pluggably coupled with the driver.

Dynamic bale creation is disclosed, including: a plurality of sorting facility devices configured to capture objects from a material stream based at least in part on target sorting metrics specified by a bale recipe; and one or more processors configured to: determine current sorting metrics associated with captured objects that are to be added to a collection mechanism at a sorting facility; and determine whether to trigger reconfiguration of at least a subset of the plurality of sorting facility devices based at least in part on a comparison between the target sorting metrics and the current sorting metrics.