Determination of characteristics of material
First Claim
1. A method of automatically inspecting matter for varying composition, comprising advancing a stream of said matter through a detection station, irradiating with electromagnetic radiation a section of said stream at said station, scanning said section and determining the intensity of electromagnetic radiation of selected wavelength(s) received from portions of said stream, and obtaining detection data from said detection station, wherein said scanning is performed in respect of a plurality of discrete detection zones distributed across said stream and said determining is performed for each detection zone in respect of a plurality of said wavelengths simultaneously.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for automatically inspecting matter for varying composition comprises one or more detection stations through which one or more streams of matter are advanced and particular materials therein are detected through their diffusely reflected IR spectra, if any, and/or through their variation of an electromagnetic field by their metallic portions, if any. A row of light sources distributed across the overall width of one or more belt conveyors may cause desired portions of the stream to reflect light diffusely onto a part-toroidal mirror extending over that overall width, whence the light is reflected, by a rotating, polygonal mirror through optical filters dedicated to differing IR wavelengths, onto detectors the data output of which is utilized in controlling solenoid valves operating air jet nozzles which separate-out the desired portions. Alternatively or additionally, an oscillator and an antenna which extends over that overall width generate an electromagnetic field through the belt and sensing coils sense variations therein produced by metallic portions of the stream passing through the detection station and the detection data produced by the sensing coils is used to control the solenoid valves operating the nozzles to separate-out the metallic portions.
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Citations
27 Claims
- 1. A method of automatically inspecting matter for varying composition, comprising advancing a stream of said matter through a detection station, irradiating with electromagnetic radiation a section of said stream at said station, scanning said section and determining the intensity of electromagnetic radiation of selected wavelength(s) received from portions of said stream, and obtaining detection data from said detection station, wherein said scanning is performed in respect of a plurality of discrete detection zones distributed across said stream and said determining is performed for each detection zone in respect of a plurality of said wavelengths simultaneously.
- 3. A method of automatically inspecting matter for varying composition, comprising passing through a detection station a first stream of matter, emitting detection medium to be active at a transverse section of said stream at said detection station, wherein said medium is varied by variations in the composition of said matter at said transverse section, obtaining from said detection station first detection data as to a constituent of said first stream, passing a second stream of matter through said detection station simultaneously with said first stream, emitting detection medium to be active at a transverse section of said second stream at said detection station, wherein the latter medium is varied by variations in the composition of matter of said second stream at the latter transverse section, and obtaining from said detection station second detection data as to a constituent of said second stream, and wherein the varied medium from both of the first and second streams is received by a receiving device common to both streams.
- 11. Apparatus for automatically inspecting matter for varying composition, comprising a detection station through which first and second streams of matter pass simultaneously with each other, first and second emitting means serving to emit detection medium to be active at respective transverse sections of said first and second streams at said detection station, a receiving device serving to receive detection medium varied by variations in the composition of said matter at said sections and thus being common to both of the first and second streams, and detecting means arranged to be in communication with said receiving device and serving to produce first detection data and second detection data as to respective constituents of said first and second streams at said station.
- 24. Apparatus for automatically inspecting a stream of matter for varying composition, comprising a detection station through which said stream passes, emitting means serving to emit a detection medium to be active at a transverse section of said stream at said station, receiving means at said station arranged to extend physically across substantially the width of said stream serving to receive detection medium varied by variations in the composition of said matter at said section, detecting means arranged to be in communication with said receiving means and serving to generate detection data in dependence upon the variations in said medium, and data-obtaining means connected to said detecting means and serving to obtain said detection data therefrom, wherein said station is a metal-detection station, said emitting means serves to emit electromagnetic field and is connected to an oscillator, whereby said electromagnetic field oscillates, and said receiving means comprises a multiplicity of electromagnetic field frequency sensing devices arranged to be distributed across said stream.
Specification