Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Separating means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-16
2001-10-23
Matecki, Katherine A. (Department: 3653)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Separating means
C209S642000, C209S579000, C193S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305551
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a sorting apparatus for granular products, such as peas, nuts, raisins and suchlike, with a detection system, a removal system and a transport device, where said transport device is characterised by a sloping distribution surface over which said products are moved.
In existing sorting apparatuses, serious problems can arise with separating off low-quality products and foreign bodies from the continuous stream of products, mainly due to the irregularity of said stream of products.
This results in significant quantities of foreign bodies or low-quality products not being removed from the stream of products.
Canadian patent 1 158 748 describes a sorting apparatus for radioactive ores, in which said ores are moved over a curved plate. Said plate is equipped with channels through which the ores are guided towards a detection system. Said channels ensure that the ores do not move across the width of the plate, so preventing them falling outside the range of the detector. The use of such channels has the disadvantageous consequence that only a limited capacity or flow rate of products to be sorted can be handled. Also, the construction of a plate with several channels extending alongside each other is complex and expensive, due to the plate being curved. Furthermore, the shape of said curved plate is such that, in order to permit detection, it is also necessary to carry out a speed measurement or separate determination of the position of the products to be sorted, with the help of extra sensors, which increases the complexity of the apparatus and the risk of inaccuracies in its operation.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention intends to overcome this and other disadvantages, by proposing a transport device which enables substantially all low -quality products and foreign bodies to be removed from the product stream in an efficient, fast and extremely accurate way, so that a high- quality product is obtained, with the loss of good products being minimal. Thus according to the invention, no extra position determination or speed determination for each product has to be carried out in the transport device, and furthermore the construction of said transport device is extremely simple, permitting it to process a higher flow rate of products to be sorted.
To this end, said surface is convex over at least a certain distance, according to the direction of travel of said products, such that said surface has a curvature in the direction of fall of the products concerned, where said curvature is equal to or slightly smaller than that of the path which the products should follow at said surface, in free fall, independently of the surface.
Advantageously, said curved surface has a decreasing curvature in the downwards direction.
In a particular embodiment of the sorting apparatus according to the invention, the apparatus has means for adjusting the curvature of said curved surface to match the type of aforementioned products.
In a specific embodiment of the sorting apparatus according to the invention, said surface is a curved plate.
The invention also concerns the transport device itself, which can possibly be used in other applications.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of the sorting apparatus and transport device according to the invention; this description is given by way of example only and does not limit the scope of the protection claimed; the figures used below refer to the attached drawings.
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patent: 5638961 (1997-06-01), Satake et al.
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patent: 6013887 (2000-01-01), Satake et al.
patent: 6100488 (2000-08-01), Satake et al.
patent: 0 418 389 (1991-03-01), None
patent: 0 443 769 (1991-08-01), None
patent: 2 067 924 (1981-08-01), None
Browdy and Neimark
Matecki Katherine A.
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