Gunson's Sortex Limited

Other

Illycaffe' S.p.a.

Ronald C Wainwright

Robert M Pettigrew

John D Bradbrook

William S Maughan

Furio Suggi-Liverani

Lawrence R Beesley

A sorting machine is disclosed for sorting objects by examining light from the objects in at least two different parts of the spectrum. The objects to be sorted are fed to a viewing zone where they are illuminated in at least two different parts of the spectrum. The objects passing through the viewing zone are viewed against at least one background which is illuminated by at least first and second lighting units which are separate from the lighting employed to illuminate the viewing zone, the first and second lighting units being respectively arranged to cause the respective background to emit light in the at least two different parts of the spectrum. A discriminator is employed for determining whether objects which have been so viewed are desired, and there is an object separator controlled by the discriminator, for effecting relative separation between desired and undesired objects.

Sorting machine

A method of controlling the cutting of an object comprising pressurizing a fluid; forming from said pressurized fluid a fluid jet adapted to cut the object; directing the said object-cutting jet towards the object and, when it is not desired to cut the object, preventing the object-cutting jet from reaching the object while maintaining the pressurization of the fluid.

Method and apparatus for controlling the cutting of an object

A thermoplastics data storage member carries information which can be imaged using non-coherent light and, in addition to and distinct from that information, control data which defines a two-coordinate system for the member which controls random access to the information. A reading apparatus comprises a non-laser optical system for imaging selected areas of the information and a servo-system, including a microprocessor and transducers for reading the control data, for positioning a reading head of the optical system in desired locations relative to the storage member. The invention affords cheap optical data bases readable by apparatus not requiring a laser optical system.

Optical data storage

Growing community of inventors

Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Ronald C Wainwright