Method for sorting products and sorting apparatus with a flow of granular products (1) moving in an inspection zone (4), wherein a light beam (8) is moved over the product flow in order to generate a reflected stream of light (12), wherein at least one detector unit (13) is provided to detect light reflected by the products (1) in order to generate detection signals, wherein this detector unit (13) cooperates with a control unit in order to sort the products (1) by means of these detection signals. The invention is characterised in that the detector unit (13) contains at least two sensors (19,20) that are provided one after the other in said reflected stream of light (12) so that a sensor (19) is placed upstream of a downstream sensor (20), wherein each sensor (19,20) detects a different part of the reflected stream of light (12).

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 system has a conveyor for carrying at least two categories of scrap particles positioned at random on a surface of the conveyor, with at least some of the particles comprising metal. The system has a sensor array with a series of analog inductive proximity sensors arranged transversely across the conveyor. An active sensing end face of each sensor lies in a sensing plane, and the sensing plane is generally parallel with the surface of the conveyor. A control system of is configured to sample and quantize analog signals from the series of sensors in the array, and locate and classify a scrap particle on the conveyor passing over the array into one of at least two categories of material based on the quantized signals. A method for sorting the particles is also provided.

Systems and methods for vacuum extraction for material sorting applications are provided. In one embodiments, a vacuum object sorting system comprises: a vacuum extraction assembly that includes at least one vacuum extractor device having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the at least one vacuum extractor device is configured to convert a controlled compressed air stream into a channeled vacuum airflow entering the inlet and exiting the outlet; and an object recognition device coupled to sorting control logic and electronics, wherein the controlled compressed air stream is controlled in response to a signal generated by the object recognition device; wherein the at least one vacuum extractor device is configured to capture a target object identified by the sorting control logic and electronics utilizing the channeled vacuum airflow, and further utilizing the channeled vacuum airflow, to pass the target object through the inlet and outlet to a deposit location.

This disclosure concerns methods for processing and grading food articles including x-raying the food articles a first time and taking a 3D image of the food articles.

Machine and method to separate wood-based materials from other materials. A conveyor belt conveys the group of materials to be separated toward detection members that detect the presence of materials with an organic origin and/or metal materials. Compressed air nozzles selectively thrust downward the materials with an organic origin and/or the metal materials detected by the detection members, under the control of an electronic control unit. A blowing device is disposed downstream of the nozzles to blow air toward the wood-based materials that transit due to inertia above them and thrust them beyond a separation element disposed downstream of the blowing device, while the inert materials, which have a bigger specific weight than the wood-based materials, fall downward due to gravity.

Embodiments conveyed herein seek to disclose a mobile sorting system. The system can include a mobile platform having one or more storage housings. The mobile sorting system can include a mobile platform having a storage area(s) and first and second motorized actuating assemblies. The second motorized actuating assembly can be positioned proximate to the first motorized actuating assembly. The storage areas includes a storage housing(s). The first and second motorized actuating assemblies each include end effectors that can prehend storage housings and containers, respectively. The first and second motorized actuating assemblies each include prehension elements. Each motorized actuating assembly has a firsts mode to prehend object using the end effectors, a second mode to translate the object, and a third mode to release the object.

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 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.

A sorting apparatus, system, and related methods are described and which include a selectively heated avalanche photodiode (APD) which is maintained at a stable and substantially constant predetermined temperature and which further demonstrates a higher gain and signal-to-noise ratio with greater stability at the predetermined temperature for enhancing sorting efficiency.