EP0479756B1 - Sorting device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a sorting device, in particular for broken glass, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such sorting devices generally have only very narrow slides or slides divided into narrow sections by partition walls, via which the flow of the material to be sorted out, e.g. Broken glass, which is mixed with foreign bodies, such as metal parts or ceramic parts, is moved, the material flow moving in a relatively thin layer being monitored by means of the detectors. All transmitters and the associated receivers are activated starting from one end of the detector device until the last transmitter or receiver in the row is activated, after which this process is repeated.

The disadvantage of these known solutions is that larger pieces can get stuck in the narrow slides or between the boundary walls of the individual slide sections and this leads to malfunctions. A widening of the slides or the distance between the dividing walls delimiting the individual sections of the same is hardly possible over a width of approx. 10 cm, since otherwise the speed of the material flow to be sorted out would have to be reduced considerably in order to be able to ensure a correct detection of foreign bodies of relevant size . This is due to the fact that the individual transmitters and receivers must be arranged very close to one another in order to be able to recognize even small foreign bodies. However, this means that the scanning of a certain width of the slide requires a corresponding time, since the individual pulses last a finite time and the activation of the individual transmitters and receivers also requires a corresponding time. On the other hand, the same transmitter must be reactivated within a certain time, because otherwise larger foreign objects cannot be detected due to the feed rate of the material flow to be monitored.

In order to enable a sufficiently high conveying speed of the material flow to be sorted out, the chutes have so far mostly been divided into narrower sections separated from one another by walls, but this results in the above-mentioned problems with larger pieces in the material flow.

Furthermore, DE-OS 36 11 926 proposed a device for sorting mixed products, such as ores and secondary rocks or beets and arable soil, in which a slide is also divided into narrow tracks by vertical walls. A radiation device is provided in each of these tracks, which radiates perpendicularly to the slide and a detector is arranged underneath it, the signals of which allow a statement about the irradiated material.

This radiation device is followed by a detector device consisting of several transmitters and receivers in the conveying direction, the light beams of which run transversely to their longitudinal extent and parallel to the surface of the slide and serve to detect the size of the individual irregularly shaped bodies.

With this solution, however, the same problems arise if too large pieces get caught and get stuck between two vertical walls. In addition, it can be assumed that the transmitters and receivers of the detector devices assigned to the individual tracks are continuously activated to detect the size of the bodies moving past the detectors.

The aim of the invention is to avoid these disadvantages and to propose a sorting device of the type mentioned at the outset, in which sorting out is perfectly possible even with a current having a wide and high feed rate, without resulting in incorrect sorting.

According to the invention this is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1.

In this way it is achieved that a wide stream of material can be monitored sufficiently at the usual feed rate in order to be able to recognize foreign bodies of a relevant size, since the stream of material has a correspondingly fine one Rasterization of the pulses emitted by the transmitters is sampled.

Due to the features of claim 2, the slide can be divided into relatively narrow groups with regard to their monitoring, without the need for complicated control of the individual transmitters and receivers. In addition, it is also possible in this way to widen or narrow the slide if necessary and to connect or disconnect a corresponding number of detector devices in parallel.

It can further be provided that in each case 10 transmitters are combined to form a group, which can be controlled sequentially starting from one edge of the group.

In principle, however, it is also possible to control the transmitters and receivers in such a way that the transmitters are controlled in sequence starting from one end of the transmitter arrangement, the transmitters arranged at a certain distance from the respectively controlled transmitter also being controlled. For example, this could be done in such a way that the tenth transmitters are controlled simultaneously.

• Fig. 1 schematisch eine Sortiereinrichtung,
• Fig. 2 schematisch die Anordnung der Sender der Sortiereinrichtung.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. Show:

• 1 schematically shows a sorting device,
• Fig. 2 shows schematically the arrangement of the transmitters of the sorting device.

Fig. 1 shows schematically a sorting device for sorting out foreign bodies, such as metal pieces, ceramic or stoneware pieces from a broken glass stream. In this device, a chute 2 adjoining the feed station 1 is provided, in the lower area of which a detector device consisting of transmitters 3 and receivers 4 is arranged for detecting foreign bodies in the flow of broken glass. this detector device controls nozzles 5 arranged at the end of the chute 2, which are arranged below the broken glass stream following the course of a throwing parabola in this area. and when activated, deflect the foreign bodies upward so that they fall into the waste container 6 and are therefore separated from the broken glass falling into the container 7.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the transmitters 3 are combined in groups A, B, C, D, E, each of ten transmitters, to which a corresponding number of receivers 4 lie.

The control of the individual transmitters 3 is carried out in such a way that the other transmitters are activated in sequence starting with the first transmitter in a group. The transmitters 3 of the same name of each group A, B, C, D, E are connected in parallel, so that e.g. the first transmitters and their assigned receivers of each group are always activated simultaneously.

After activating the last transmitter 3 of each group, the cycle repeats.

Claims (3)

1. A sorting device, in particular for broken glass, with an optical detector device extending at an angle to a stream of the material to be sorted out and used for detecting parts to be separated, which detector device is provided with a number of transmitters, e.g. LEDs, arranged in a row closely adjacent to one another and being successively triggerable with pulses, and with receivers associated therewith, whereby each receiver which is each associated with one transmitter is activatable only during the transmitting period of the associated transmitter, characterized in that several transmitters (4) which are distanced from one another by an integral multiple, which is more than one, of the distance between two adjacent transmitters (4) are activatable simultaneously, whereby the transmitters (4) are subdivided into adjacently disposed groups (A to E) and said simultaneously activatable transmitters (4) are arranged in adjacently disposed groups (A to E) and the transmitters (4) of each group (A to E) are triggerable in a successively individual way in a repetitive cycle.
2. A sorting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the transmitters (4) of all groups (A to E) which are similar in the sequence of triggering are triggerable in a parallel way.
3. A sorting device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that ten transmitters (4) each are combined into a group which starting from the edge of the group are successively continuously triggerable.

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