CH702891B1 - Apparatus and method for sorting agricultural particles. - Google Patents

Abstract

There will be provided an apparatus and method for classifying and sorting organic particles, e.g. Grains or seeds disclosed based on imaging spectroscopy. Particles are singulated from the batch and transported individually with a plurality of transport lines (31) to a separating mechanism (14, 15, 16). The separation mechanism simultaneously sorts a plurality of particles received from the transport lines into at least two different collection containers (19, 20, 21). An imaging spectrometer simultaneously records spatially resolved spectra of a plurality of particles while the particles move through measurement areas (10) of the transport lines. Based on these spectra, each particle is assigned a quality class, and particles belonging to the same quality class are sorted into the same collection bin. As a result, agricultural particles can be efficiently sorted into different quality classes on the basis of extended analytical properties, such as biochemical properties or a degree of contamination.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for sorting organic particles having mixed analytical properties, in particular agricultural particles such as grains or seeds, in two or more quality classes. A quality class contains particles with similar analytical properties, which may include sensory properties, biochemical properties or the level of contamination with contaminants or infectious substances. The invention can be used for a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, sorting grains, seeds and kernels of cereals such as wheat, barley, oats, durum wheat, corn, rice or millet. Other applications include sorting soybeans, cocoa beans, coffee beans, etc.

State of the art

The sorting of agricultural particles such as grains or seeds in quality classes may be advantageous for several reasons. Thus, e.g. different trading prices for different quality classes can be achieved, contaminated and / or infected components can be identified and rejected, safety standards can be guaranteed, higher quality product lines can be produced and quality control can be continuously ensured.

The variation of certain analytical properties within grains or seeds of the same batch can be large. In the case of wheat, it is known that even within wheat grains harvested in the same field, large variations in protein content may occur. Such a variation can surprisingly be identified even in wheat grains belonging to the same plant. Therefore, the sorting of wheat grains in terms of their protein content can help the millers to produce higher quality flour, which in turn can be used to produce bread, pasta or any other wheat-based product with higher quality standards. In addition, the sorting of wheat grains can lead to large savings in additives used in flour production.

Another example is the identification of contaminated or infected grains or seeds. Reliable removal of infected seeds or seeds can reduce the dose of insecticides, fungicides or herbicides during production, resulting in healthier and safer products.

It is therefore apparent that the grading of grains or seeds in terms of analytical properties can lead to improved quality, safety and economic and health benefits.

A number of methods and systems for sorting cores or granular material by various criteria have been proposed in the prior art. EP 0 719 598, US 6 078 018, US 4 454 029, US 4 699 273, US 5 638 961 and US 5 085 325 disclose methods and apparatus for sorting objects of small dimensions by color. US 6 635 840 discloses a method to sort seeds by their shape. US 2 015 400 discloses a method to sort grains by shape and size. US 5 429 248 discloses a method to sort grains in size and contaminants. U.S. 4,630,736 and U.S. 5,692,621 disclose methods for sorting grains for desirable / undesirable criteria or appearance. US 5,871,397, US 7,202,434 and US 6,845,326 to sort grains for organic properties (e.g., moisture, density, protein) or composition.

Regardless of the analytical property used to distinguish and sort objects, most of the above methods and apparatuses have a common measurement setup. This structure includes a light source and a receiving sensor, with which the objects to be analyzed are examined individually. In particular, each receive sensor measures the signal reflected or transmitted by each sample being examined. For this purpose, different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum have been used, e.g. the UV, visible (VIS) or near-infrared (NIR) range.

Such a measurement setup is suboptimal for a number of reasons. To increase the throughput of these devices, multiple measurement stations and / or receiving sensors must be implemented and operated in parallel. If n objects are to be sorted in parallel, n receive sensors must be used and arranged so that they are operated in cooperation. The operation of a large number of receiving sensors will result in high cost and complexity and can reduce the performance and competitiveness of the device when integrated in a very demanding industrial processing environment. In addition, many of the prior art designs given above provide only very limited information about the material being tested.

From US 5,956,413 a device is known to simultaneously examine a plurality of cereal grains by video imaging. The device comprises a vibrating conveyor belt having a plurality of transverse grooves. Grain cores are distributed in the grooves of the conveyor belt so that they form a single layer. A video camera produces digital still images of all cores on the conveyor. The nuclei are identified in the images, and for each nucleus, image signals are sent to a neural network. The neural network determines which class each core belongs to. A pneumatic separation mechanism allows all cores of a selected groove to be transferred to a separate container if the neural network has identified at least one of the cores in that groove as belonging to a particular class.

While such a device may be capable of evaluating fast kernels based on the grain type and recognizing damaged kernels, the device is not suitable for detecting more specific analytical properties such as biochemical properties or the presence of infectious substances or contaminants on the kernels. Moreover, it is not possible to separate the cores individually, but only to separate the cores groove by groove, which prevents the cores are sorted individually into predetermined quality classes.

US 7 111 740 discloses a method for sorting seeds wherein a line scan camera is used to photograph the seeds passing through an area below the line scan camera. Mismatched objects, e.g. black seeds, can be removed individually by pneumatic nozzles. This device is not suitable for detecting more specific analytical properties such as biochemical properties, the presence of infectious substances or contamination on the nuclei.

WO 2007/041 755 discloses methods for determining the properties of samples of agricultural products, e.g. Grapes to be determined by near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopy. Such methods can be used to detect the presence of foreign substances on the samples, e.g. of infectious substances. However, no separation or sorting of the samples is performed, and the method can only be applied to one sample at a time, which results in such processes becoming very slow in processing whole batches.

WO 2006/054 154 discloses various embodiments of devices for sorting inorganic mineral particles using reflectance spectroscopy. In one embodiment, particles are fed to a longitudinally grooved conveyor belt and conveyed past a reflectance spectrometer, which in one version may be an imaging spectrometer which provides spatially resolved spectral information. Based on the spectral information obtained from the spectrometer, the mineral particles are classified and individually identified particles can be collected from the conveyor belt with a single pneumatic mini-cyclone. No applications for agricultural products or other organic particles are described. Due to the presence of only a single means for collecting individual particles from the belt, the device is only capable of picking a relatively small number of particles of interest from a large sample of particles; however, such a device is not well suited for sorting particles into different quality classes of similar size.

Presentation of the invention

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a sorter for agricultural particles, such as seeds or seeds, capable of efficiently and rapidly sorting into different quality classes on the basis of extended analytical properties, such as biochemical properties or the level of contamination with certain contaminants Substances or infectious substances allowed. In particular, the present invention provides a sorting apparatus according to claim 1. Further embodiments of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims.

In particular, the present invention according to the first aspect of the invention provides a sorting apparatus for classifying and sorting organic, in particular agricultural, particles according to quality classes, the apparatus comprising: a dispensing mechanism for separating organic particles from an amount; a transport mechanism for receiving the separated particles from the delivery mechanism, the transport mechanism having a plurality of transport lines, each transport line configured to receive successively singulated particles one at a time while the transport lines are formed together to simultaneously receive a plurality of singulated particles to receive and transport; a separation mechanism for receiving the particles from the transport mechanism, the separation mechanism adapted to simultaneously sort a plurality of particles received from the plurality of transport lines into at least two different collection containers; at least one light source to illuminate a measurement area of each transport line; an imaging spectrometer for acquiring spatially resolved spectra of particles transported through the measurement areas, the imaging spectrometer having an image field covering a plurality of measurement areas such that each spatially resolved spectrum covers a plurality of measurement areas; a classification circuit operatively connected to the imaging spectrometer for associating each particle having passed through a measurement range based on the spatially resolved spectra of a quality class; and a drive circuit to drive the separation mechanism so that particles belonging to the same quality class are sorted into a corresponding collection vessel.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a corresponding sorting method which uses the same general principles as the sorting apparatus of the first aspect of the invention. Such a method is specified in claim 11.

In particular, the present invention provides a method for classifying and sorting organic particles, in particular agricultural particles, with respect to quality classes, the method comprising: Separating the organic particles from an amount; Transporting the separated organic particles by means of a plurality of transport lines, each transport line receiving individual particles separated one after the other, the transport lines simultaneously receiving and transporting a plurality of separated particles together; Illuminating a measuring range of each transport line with at least one light source; Recording spatially resolved spectra of particles transported through the measurement areas, each spatially resolved spectrum relating to a plurality of measurement areas; Assigning each particle to a quality class based on the spatially resolved spectra; and simultaneously sorting a plurality of particles received from the plurality of transport lines into at least two different collection containers, thereby sorting particles belonging to the same quality class into the same collection container.

Such an apparatus and method addresses several of the disadvantages of prior art apparatus and methods and overcomes these disadvantages by (a) ensuring high throughput with reduced measurement complexity, (b) reducing costs (c) if desired, allow the measurement of several analytical properties simultaneously, (d) allow the sorting of particles into quality classes, and (e) sort each particle individually. The prior art has not yet been able to combine all of these properties in a single device or method.

The present invention provides a system and method based on imaging spectroscopy to analyze and sort particles such as grains or seeds in terms of their analytical properties. The present device can detect one or more analytical properties simultaneously by measuring spectral properties of the particles being studied (e.g., the dependence on certain optical properties such as reflectivity or transmission from the wavelength). The types of organic or agricultural particles which can be sorted by such a device and method include, but are not limited to: grains, seeds or kernels of cereals such as wheat, rye, oats, rice, corn or spelled ; Soybeans, cocoa beans and coffee beans and more. The types of analytical properties that can be studied include, but are not limited to, biochemical properties, the level of contamination with contaminants and / or infectious substances and / or other pathogenic substances, supplemented by geometric and sensory properties such as size, Shape and color. In particular, biochemical properties are to be understood as properties that reflect the structure, composition and chemical reactions of substances in living organisms. Biochemical properties include, but are not limited to, protein and / or amino acid content, moisture content, polysaccharide content, especially starch content or gluten content, fat or oil content or content of specific biochemical or chemical markers, e.g. Chemical degradation markers generally known in the art. Contaminating or infectious substances include harmful chemicals and microorganisms that can cause disease to the consumer and include, but are not limited to, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pathogens, bacteria and fungi.

A large amount of agricultural particles can be sorted in terms of at least one such analytical property. The value of the selected analytical property can vary considerably within a large amount of particles. Analytical properties are determined by measuring the spectral properties of the particles. If a large number of particles is present, a large variance of analytical properties is correlated with a large dispersion of the measured spectral properties. When the measured values of the spectral properties are grouped together, a measurement distribution is obtained which can be characterized by its mean and standard deviation. If the measurement distribution is segmented into two or more areas, two or more quality classes can be formed. Each quality class contains particles whose spectral properties, and therefore also analytical properties, fall within a range of the original measurement distribution.

In some embodiments, the present invention may be used to sort particles having mixed analytical properties into at least three quality classes: - medium quality: a class of particles characterized by an average of at least one selected analytical property, which average is close to the mean of the general measurement distribution; Low quality: a class of particles characterized by an average of at least one selected analytic property, this mean being less than the mean of the general measurement distribution; - high quality: a class of particles characterized by an average of at least one selected analytical property, this average being greater than the mean of the general measurement distribution.

In such a case, the separation mechanism is suitable for sorting the particles into at least three different collection containers. The number of collection containers corresponds to the number of desired quality classes.

As an example, a large number of wheat grains whose protein content varies between about 12% and 14% can be sorted into three quality classes: a <12.5% grade (low quality), a 12.5% -13, 5% (medium quality), and> 13.5% (high quality). Of course, the boundaries of these classes can be defined differently.

The analytical properties of the particles are determined by imaging spectroscopy. A large number of particles are transported in parallel over a series of transport lines, e.g. sloping channels, which act as slides, where the particles start to migrate due to gravity. Other types of transport lines can be used. The particles reach a measuring range of each transport line. One or more light sources illuminate all grains or seeds in the measuring range of the different transport lines at the same time. Optical properties of the particles are measured in a spectrally resolved manner over a range of wavelengths using an imaging spectrometer with a receiving sensor, the characteristics being resolved over a large number of spatial positions in one or two dimensions. A single image is sufficient to record the spectral properties of interest of all particles in the measurement areas of the different transport lines and then proceed with the classification and sorting, e.g. by correlating the measured spectrally resolved optical properties with the analytical properties that form the desired quality class.

A microprocessor unit can be used to assign a quality signal to each particle, in particular using calibration curves previously stored in look-up tables. Lookup tables can contain multiple calibration curves so that multiple classifications can be performed simultaneously. As the particles migrate from the measuring area to the separating mechanism, the same or another microprocessing unit may activate the separating mechanism in such a manner that all particles of the same quality class are stored in a corresponding container. In this way, a large number of particles can be sorted simultaneously.

The spectral properties that can be examined include transmission, absorption, reflection or diffuse reflection (scattering) at different wavelengths.

The transport lines may be static (for example in the case of gutters) or they may move themselves (as in the case of a conveyor belt). In a preferred embodiment, the transport lines are static, and each transport line comprises a channel or rail which is inclined relative to the horizontal plane, so that the particles are transported along the channels or rails under the effect of their own weight. However, the present invention is not limited to such transport lines, and it may also be provided that the transport lines are equally well formed by one or more conveyor belts. In particular, it is conceivable that in the context of the present invention, a longitudinally grooved conveyor belt is used, as is generally known in the art, wherein each groove of the conveyor belt constitutes a transport line.

In order to facilitate the lighting, an at least partially transparent or translucent area can be formed in each transport line in the measuring area. The light source may be arranged to illuminate the particles through this at least partially transparent or translucent region. For example, in the case of static transport lines, such as gutters or rails, the transparent or translucent area may simply be formed by one or more openings in each transport line or by a transparent or translucent window in each transport line. In the case of a transport line which moves along the transport direction, such as a conveyor belt, the transparent or translucent area preferably extends over the entire length of the transport line.

In particular, the imaging spectrometer may be arranged such that it detects light along a detection direction, which, viewed from the viewing direction of the light source points away from the respective measuring range. In particular, the light source can be arranged such that it illuminates the measuring area from below the transport lines, and the detector can be arranged above the transport lines.

In a preferred embodiment, the separation mechanism comprises: a plurality of pivotable wings, each wing associated with a transport line; and a plurality of pivoting mechanisms, each pivoting mechanism being associated with a wing, each pivoting mechanism receiving drive signals from said drive circuit and being adapted to pivot the associated wing between a plurality of predetermined orientations in accordance with the drive signals, such as each particle coming from each wing is received, to divert into a selected collection container.

The wings may be coated with a shock absorbing layer to dampen the impact of the particles on the wings. The wings can be straight or curved. The pivoting mechanism may comprise an electric motor, in particular an electric stepping motor. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the pivot mechanism is pneumatically operated, for example. Of course, other types of separation mechanisms may be used, such as fully pneumatic separators or other types of mechanical separation devices known per se in the art.

The imaging spectrometer may be operable in at least one of the following ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum: UV, VIS and NIR. The light source is of course designed to emit light in at least the same area in which the imaging spectrometer is operated. Suitable imaging spectrometers and light sources are readily available commercially and known to those skilled in the art. Examples are given, for example, in WO 2007/041 755, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as this document discloses suitable imaging spectrometers and light sources.

The imaging spectrometer generally outputs its data in digital form of a so-called data cube, i. E. a three-dimensional data field, whose first dimension represents the spatial information along a first spatial direction, whose second dimension directly or indirectly represents the spatial information along a second, linearly independent spatial direction, and whose third dimension spectral information (generally wavelength or wavenumber ). The second dimension may indirectly represent spatial information along the second direction by representing temporal information, i. Spectra acquired at different times as the particles move through the measurement range. Each object of the field will generally be an integer or floating point number representing the intensity of the light received by the receiver at a particular spatial location and at a particular wavelength / wavenumber. The apparatus of the present invention will therefore preferably include a first memory for storing one or more such data fields which may then be read out by the classification circuit.

The classification circuit will generally be implemented as a digital circuit, either in the form of a suitably programmed general-purpose computer or as a dedicated digital signal processor. The circuit will therefore generally comprise a microprocessor and a second circuit, the second memory having at least one look-up table for deriving at least one analytical property from the spectra taken by the imaging spectrometer. The classification circuit is then configured to read data from the first memory, derive at least one analytic property from those spectra using information stored in the second memory, and assign each particle to a quality class based on the at least one analytic property. Of course, the first and second memories may be physically implemented in the same or different memory chips.

Suitable algorithms for assigning the particles to the quality classes are known to the person skilled in the art. Examples of suitable data processing algorithms are given, for example, in WO 2007/041 755 or WO 2006/054 154, which have already been mentioned above, and the content of these documents is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as these documents disclose such algorithms.

Brief description of the drawings

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, which are for the purpose of illustrating the present preferred embodiments of the invention only and are not intended to limit the invention. In the drawings shows: <Tb> FIG. 1 <sep> is an illustration of an image spectral cube representing the core data structure behind the classification and sorting procedure; <Tb> FIG. 2 <sep> is a highly schematic side view of a preferred embodiment; and <Tb> FIG. 3 <sep> is a highly schematic perspective view of a preferred embodiment.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative embodiments, a particular embodiment of the invention will be shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular form disclosed herein, but that, by contrast, the invention is to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims Claims is intended to include.

Description of preferred embodiments

Referring first to the drawings, and more particularly first to FIG. 1, a basic data structure of the measurement scheme will first be described. In Fig. 1, a typical image taken by an imaging spectrometer is shown schematically and is referred to herein as an image spectral cube. An image spectral cube is a three-dimensional data structure that has two spatial dimensions and one spectral dimension. The first spatial dimension x contains a number of pixels which correspond to the image field of the sensor: the second spatial dimension y is determined by the relative movement of the target relative to the sensor and has a number of pixels that are the number of images per unit of time be included corresponds. The spectral dimension w of the image spectral cube (i.e., the third dimension) contains the responses of the target to a plurality of quasi-monochromatic light excitations; the number of pixels w1, w2w3, ..., wn in the w-dimension depends on the number of dispersing channels of the imaging spectrometer, each channel containing the measured optical property with respect to a quasi-monochromatic light excitation. A section of the image spectral cube performed in the xy plane is referred to herein as a layer. A section of the image spectral cube performed in the xw plane is referred to herein as a frame. Each layer contains an optical response of the recorded scene to a quasi-monochromatic light excitation. As an example, the optical property may be reflection or transmission. A pixel profile extracted along the w direction of the image spectral cube contains a large number of values of the measured optical property, each value corresponding to a quasi-monochromatic light excitation; this profile is called the spectral signature Sl, ..., Si, ..., Sm. For example, the spectral signature of a pixel represents the reflection or transmission spectrum of the material that was present in that particular pixel. Such a spectrum contains a wavelength-dependent optical property of the material located in the corresponding pixel. The optical properties of each particle in the captured scene can be correlated with one or more biochemical properties and thereby the particles can be classified.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be illustrated. A bunker 1 receives a large number of particles, hereinafter referred to as grains or seeds, for simplicity, with mixed analytical properties, and supplies them to a dispensing mechanism 2. The discharge mechanism 2 arranges a plurality of grains or seeds on a series of inclined rails 31 constituting a transporting mechanism 3 so that the grains or seeds are aligned with each other. Because of their weight, the grains or seeds slide down the rails 31 and reach the measuring regions 10. At this stage, a plurality of grains or seeds are aligned with each other and arranged in the image field 9 of an imaging spectrometer 8. As the grains or seeds move through the image field 9 of the imaging spectrometer 8, the imaging spectrometer 8 captures frames and forms the image spectral cube for these grains or seeds in a manner to be described in more detail below.

In each measuring area 10, a small opening 22 is present in each rail 31, so that the grain or the seed can be illuminated with a light source 4, which is mounted below the rail 31 at a certain distance from the rails 31, and Although relatively close to the measuring areas 10. The light source 4 emits light of different wavelengths in the UV, VIS or NIR spectral range or in a combination of these areas. The emitted light propagates through a series of fiber optic lines 5 and is collimated onto the small apertures 22 by means of a small collimating mirror or lens. All openings 22 are illuminated simultaneously and uniformly. In other words, the grains or seeds in the measurement areas 10 are simultaneously illuminated from below. A photodiode 6 is used to monitor and correct the stability and uniformity of the light excitation 4; with the aid of the photodiode 6, the dependence of the measurement results of any instability of the light source is minimized.

An imaging spectrometer 8 with a light receiver 81 is mounted at a distance above the plane containing the rails 31. The imaging spectrometer 8 records the light signal of the grains or seeds in the measuring regions 10 and breaks this light into a large series of wavelength components by means of a dispersing element, e.g. with the help of a prism or a grid element.

The image field 9 of the imaging spectrometer 8 is selected so that a plurality of grains or seeds in multiple measuring ranges 10 is simultaneously spectrally and spatially mapped. This is a major advantage over prior art methods because only a single sensor 8 is used to simultaneously measure the optical properties of a plurality of grains or seeds. The imaging spectrometer 8 records the light transmitted by the illuminated grains or seeds in a large number of adjacent spectral channels and in multiple spatial positions as the grains or seeds move across the rails. In this way, an image spectral cube is formed and the spectral signatures of all imaged grains or seeds are recorded. The image spectrum cube is then transmitted to a processing unit 11 having an analysis circuit 11a and a drive circuit 11b.

The analysis circuit 11a analyzes the image spectral cube in the following manner: (a) first, the dark signal is removed from each frame; (b) a pattern recognition algorithm identifies the spatial locations of the grains or seeds and assigns them to a predefined spatial grid; (c) finally, a quality flag is assigned to each grain or seed in the measurement area. Quality flags are assigned by correlating the measured optical properties with analytical properties stored as calibration curves in look-up tables. The look-up tables may contain multiple calibration curves.

These look-up tables have previously been generated by calibration procedures which aim to correlate the optical properties of the grains or seeds with one or more analytical properties. It is obvious that such an imaging approach allows the simultaneous measurement of different categories of analytical properties.

While the analyzing circuit 11a assigns quality flags to the inspected grains or seeds, the grains or seeds continue to move toward the end of the rails 31 where they jump down with a certain speed and acceleration. Before the end of the rail is reached, the analysis circuit 11a transmits the results of its analysis to a drive circuit 11b which activates and controls a separation mechanism so that the seeds or seeds are stored in the proper containers 19, 20, 21.

The stepper motor comprises a series of rotary microstepping motors 15. Each stepper motor is equipped with a small shaft 14 which holds a small pivotable wing 16 made of a very light material. This small wing 16 is covered with a thin layer of material whose function is to dampen the impact of the grain or seed. The microstep motor 15, activated by the drive circuitry, can position the small wing 16 at an angle relative to the rail 31. The number of possible angles is at least 3. At each angle, the grain or seed strikes the thin layer covering the wing 16, which layer absorbs the impact and places the grain or seed in a container 19, 20, 21 dropping. Each container 19, 20, 21 collects all the grains or seeds of the same quality class or, in other words, all the grains or seeds corresponding to the same quality flag.

At least three containers 19, 20, 21 are used: a first container 19 receives all grains or seeds of low quality, a second container 20 receives all grains or seeds of medium quality, and a third container 21 takes all grains or seeds high quality.

The processing unit 11 controls all the micro-stepping motors 15 simultaneously. The processing unit 11 activates the microstep motors which orient the wings at an angle relative to the rails such that a grain or seed of the same measured quality can be stored in the proper container 19, 20, 21. For example, if the processing unit has assigned the label "low quality protein content" to the measured grain or seed, the vane 16 is positioned at an angle of 90 ° relative to the end of the rail 31 (position A) and the grain or seed falls into corresponding container 19; if the processing unit has assigned the label "medium grade protein content" to the measured grain or seed, the vane is positioned at an angle of 45 ° relative to the end of the rail 31 and the grain or seed falls into the corresponding container 20 (position B) ); if the processing unit has assigned the label "high quality protein" to the measured grain or seed, the vane 16 is positioned at an angle of 0 ° relative to the end of the rail 31 and the grain or seed falls into the corresponding container 21 (FIG. Position C). However, if more than three quality classes are needed, smaller angles are used.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0049] <Tb> 1 <sep> Bunker <Tb> 2 <sep> delivery mechanism <Tb> 3 <sep> transport mechanism <Tb> 31 <sep> rail <Tb> 4 <sep> Light Source <tb> 5 <sep> fiber optic cable <Tb> 6 <sep> photodiode <tb> 8 <sep> Imaging Spectrometer <Tb> 9 <sep> field <Tb> 10 <sep> Range <Tb> 11 <sep> processing unit <Tb> 11 <sep> Analysis Unit <Tb> 11b <sep> drive unit <Tb> 14 <sep> wave <Tb> 15 <sep> Engine <Tb> 16 <sep> wings <tb> 19, 20, 21 <sep> collection container

Claims (15)

A sorting apparatus for classifying and sorting organic particles according to quality classes, the apparatus comprising: a discharge mechanism (2) for separating organic particles from an amount; a transporting mechanism (3) for receiving the separated particles from the delivery mechanism (2), the transporting mechanism (3) having a plurality of transporting lines (31), each transporting line (31) adapted to receive successively separated particles one by one ; a separation mechanism (14, 15, 16) for receiving the particles from the transport mechanism (3), wherein the separation mechanism (14, 15, 16) is adapted to simultaneously receive a plurality of particles received from the plurality of transport lines (31) were to be sorted into at least two different collection containers (19, 20, 21); at least one light source (4, 5) for illuminating a measuring area (10) of each transport line (31); an imaging spectrometer (8) for acquiring spatially resolved spectra of particles transported through the measurement areas (10), the imaging spectrometer having an image field covering a plurality of measurement areas; a classification circuit (11a) operatively connected to the imaging spectrometer for associating each particle having passed through a measurement region (10) based on the spatially resolved spectra of a quality class; and a drive circuit (11b) for driving the separation mechanism (14, 15, 16) so that particles belonging to the same quality class are sorted into a corresponding collection vessel (19, 20, 21). 2. Sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each transport line (31) has an at least partially transparent or translucent area in its associated measuring area (10), and wherein the light source (4, 5) is arranged such that it at least partially through the particles illuminated through transparent or translucent area. 3. The sorting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the imaging spectrometer (8) is arranged to detect light along a detection direction facing away from the light source (4, 5), in particular, the light source (4, 59) is arranged to illuminate the measuring area from below the transport lines, and wherein the detector (81) is arranged above the transport lines. 4. The sorting device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the imaging spectrometer (8) is designed specifically to record at least one type of spectrum selected from diffuse reflection spectra, reflection spectra and transmission spectra. 5. Sorting device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the separating mechanism (14, 15, 16) is adapted to sort the particles in at least three different collecting container (19, 20, 21). A sorter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport mechanism (3) comprises a plurality of troughs inclined relative to a horizontal plane, each trough forming a transport line (31). 7. A sorter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the separation mechanism (14, 15, 16) comprises: a plurality of pivotable wings (16), each wing associated with a transport line (31); and a plurality of pivotal mechanisms (14,15), each pivoting mechanism being associated with a wing (16), each pivoting mechanism receiving drive signals from the drive circuit (11b) and being adapted to pivot the associated wing (16) between a plurality of predetermined orientations (A B, C) in accordance with the drive signals to deflect each particle received from the respective wing (16) into a selected collection bin (19, 20, 21). 8. The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging spectrometer (8) is designed to record spectra in at least one region selected from the UV, visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and wherein the light source (4) is adapted to emit light in such a range. A sorter according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a first memory having a data structure for storing at least one three-dimensional array of data received from the imaging spectrometer (8), wherein first and second dimensions (x, y) of the data field represents spatial information along two linearly independent spatial directions, and wherein a third dimension (w) of the data field represents spectral information. A sorter as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the classification circuit (11a) comprises a microprocessor and a second memory, the second memory having at least one look-up table for deriving at least one analytic property from the spectra, the classification circuit being adapted to each Assign particles of a quality class based on the at least one analytical property. 11. A method for classifying and sorting organic particles with respect to quality classes, the method comprising: Separating the organic particles from an amount; Transporting the separated organic particles by means of a plurality of transport lines (31), each transport line receiving successively separated particles one at a time; Illuminating a measuring area (10) of each transport line (31) with at least one light source (4); Recording spatially resolved spectra of particles carried by the measurement regions (10), each spatially resolved spectrum relating to a plurality of measurement regions; Assigning each particle to a quality class based on the spatially resolved spectra; and simultaneously sorting a plurality of particles received from the plurality of transport lines (31) into at least two different collection containers (19, 20, 21), thereby sorting particles belonging to the same quality class into the same collection container. The sorting method according to claim 11, wherein the organic particles are agricultural particles selected from cereal grains, cereal seeds, cereal kernels, soybeans, cocoa beans, coffee beans and nuts. The sorting method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the measurement areas (10) are illuminated through a partially transparent or translucent area of each transport line. 14. A sorting method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, comprising: Deriving at least one analytical property of each particle from the spectra; and Assign each particle to a quality class based on the at least one analytical property. 15. The sorting method according to claim 14, wherein the analytical properties are selected from biochemical properties, contaminants, infectious substances and damage.