The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 16, 1979
Filed:
Jul. 12, 1976
John D Jones, Houston, TX (US);
Miles A Smither, Houston, TX (US);
Elias H Codding, Houston, TX (US);
Geosource Inc., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A sorting apparatus for sorting articles randomly disposed across a wide path is characterized by a plurality of side-by-side viewer elements each assigned a corresponding side-by-side sector of an illuminated viewed area through which the articles to be sorted pass. Electrical signals indicative of the instantaneous average value of light reflected from articles at two predetermined wavelengths as those articles pass through a sector of the viewed area are multiplexed and a classification signal functionally related to the ratio of the two signals is determined. The classification signal is compared to a reference signal indicative of an article having a predetermined physical characteristic, and a reject signal is generated if the compared signals differ by a predetermined amount. The reject signal is stored in an assigned memory location corresponding to the sector of the viewed area through which the article passed. At a predetermined later time, corresponding to the time necessary for an article to free-fall from the viewed area to the proximity of an ejector, the previously stored reject signal is read from memory and an ejector corresponding to the viewed sector through which article passed is actuated to remove the article from the article stream.