WO2003013745A1 - Method and apparatus for selecting different products and recyclable waste - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for selecting different products and recyclable waste Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2003013745A1
WO2003013745A1 PCT/EP2002/008659 EP0208659W WO03013745A1 WO 2003013745 A1 WO2003013745 A1 WO 2003013745A1 EP 0208659 W EP0208659 W EP 0208659W WO 03013745 A1 WO03013745 A1 WO 03013745A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
waste
products
belt
conveyor belt
ejection
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2002/008659
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Gabriele Canestrini
Original Assignee
Gabriele Canestrini
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Gabriele Canestrini filed Critical Gabriele Canestrini
Publication of WO2003013745A1 publication Critical patent/WO2003013745A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
    • B07C5/342—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour
    • B07C5/3422—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour using video scanning devices, e.g. TV-cameras
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/36—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
    • B07C5/363—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution by means of air
    • B07C5/367—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution by means of air using a plurality of separation means
    • B07C5/368—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution by means of air using a plurality of separation means actuated independently

Definitions

  • a method for selecting different products and recyclable waste characterized in that it comprises the steps of: arranging said products and/or waste on a conveyor belt; making said products and/or waste pass through a first control station and identifying, by means of a central unit, interfaced with a personal computer, a sensing system and an encoder, the contour of each single product and/or waste viewed from above; determining the exact position of said products and/or waste on said conveyor belt; moving said conveyor belt towards at least one quality control station where said products and/or waste are classified in succession according to given characteristics previously determined, before the products and/or waste arrive at at least an ejection station.
  • the conveyor belt 1 is constituted by a net of a suitable type or by a uniformly perforated belt, between the two straight outgoing and return portions of said belt there is one or more rows of nozzles 8, which are arranged transversely, are mounted on manifolds 9 for the compressed air, are orientated toward the overlying ejection station 4, and are provided with electric valves whose interventions are controlled by the central unit, on the basis of the sensing operations performed in the stations 2 and 3, in order to act from beldw directly against the elements selected in each instance and with air jets that are sufficient to lift them in order to transfer them from the belt 1 onto the overlying ejection belt 7, which lies transversely to the first one, which it intersects at the station 4, where a conveyor 5 and a chute 6 ensure that the selected products arrive on the ejection belt 7. Since the elements conveyed by the belt have their own inertia of motion, it is sufficient for them to be lifted by the air jets of the nozzles 8 and they

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
  • Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)
  • Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)

Abstract

A method for selecting different products and recyclable waste, comprising the steps of: arranging said products and/or waste on a conveyor belt (1); making said products and/or waste pass through a first control station (2) and identifying, by means of a central unit, interfaced with a personal computer, a sensing system and an encoder, the contour of each single product and/or waste viewed from above; determining the exact position of said products and/or waste on said conveyor belt (1); moving said conveyor belt (1) towards at least one quality control station (3) where said products and/or waste are classified in succession according to given characteristics previously determined, before the products and/or waste arrive at at least an ejection (4) station.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING DIFFERENT PRODUCTS AND RECYCLABLE WASTE Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for selecting different products and recyclable waste. Background Art
Currently there are various selecting machines capable of selecting and separating some products from others according to their shape, dimensions, quality, color and many other characteristics. However, regardless of the kind of selection performed, these machines are particularly bulky and onerous because they are forced to operate by means of several sorting operations and with a considerable number of conveyor belts which are all equipped with their own discharge device and must also be equipped to locate each time, on each belt, the elements to be selected even if they have already been located during their travel on the preceding belts. Disclosure of the Invention
The aim of the present invention is to obviate the described drawbacks and thus reduce not only the excessive dimensions but also the high costs that currently penalize any selecting apparatus, including the apparatus for selecting recyclable waste or waste meant for differentiated processing.
The above aim and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a method for selecting different products and recyclable waste, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: arranging said products and/or waste on a conveyor belt; making said products and/or waste pass through a first control station and identifying, by means of a central unit, interfaced with a personal computer, a sensing system and an encoder, the contour of each single product and/or waste viewed from above; determining the exact position of said products and/or waste on said conveyor belt; moving said conveyor belt towards at least one quality control station where said products and/or waste are classified in succession according to given characteristics previously determined, before the products and/or waste arrive at at least an ejection station. Brief description of the Drawings
Further features of the present invention will become better apparent from the description of preferred but not limitative embodiments thereof, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 illustrates a longitudinal cross-section; and
Figure 2 illustrates an enlarged-scale transverse cross-section X-X of a new selecting apparatus that operates according to the invention and is used in the specific case to select waste meant for various treatments. Ways of carrying out the Invention
These drawings show first of all that, differently from any known solution, selection occurs directly on the first conveyor belt 1 on which all the waste that arrives from an appropriate feeding station travels in a random distribution. The devised apparatus in fact provides a central unit, interfaced with a personal computer, which by virtue of a known sensing system and an encoder that moves rigidly with the advancement of the belt 1, during the passage of said belt with the waste through the station 2, can identify the contour of each individual element viewed from above by the appropriately provided video camera and also determine its exact position on said belt.
The elements thus identified and located continue, conveyed by the belt
1, toward one or more stations 3, which, in succession and by using quality control means which are also known and connected to the central unit interfaced with a personal computer, sort them according to given characteristics before they reach corresponding ejection stations 4, which complete the selection.
At this point it should be specified that since the conveyor belt 1 is constituted by a net of a suitable type or by a uniformly perforated belt, between the two straight outgoing and return portions of said belt there is one or more rows of nozzles 8, which are arranged transversely, are mounted on manifolds 9 for the compressed air, are orientated toward the overlying ejection station 4, and are provided with electric valves whose interventions are controlled by the central unit, on the basis of the sensing operations performed in the stations 2 and 3, in order to act from beldw directly against the elements selected in each instance and with air jets that are sufficient to lift them in order to transfer them from the belt 1 onto the overlying ejection belt 7, which lies transversely to the first one, which it intersects at the station 4, where a conveyor 5 and a chute 6 ensure that the selected products arrive on the ejection belt 7. Since the elements conveyed by the belt have their own inertia of motion, it is sufficient for them to be lifted by the air jets of the nozzles 8 and they will continue to advance by inertia along the same direction of the belt 1.
Therefore, both the nozzles 8 and the compartment for accessing the ejection station 4 are arranged so as to precede the belt 7 for which the selected elements are intended.
In practice, any selection apparatus operating according to the invention is provided with a number of ejection stations 4 that matches the number of selections required, whereas the number of quality control stations 3 can vary according to the characteristics that the selection aims to detect. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, as an alternative to the conveyor belt 1, which is preferably constituted by a net of a suitable type or by a uniformly perforated belt, one might resort to a plurality of mutually parallel belts or chains, spaced enough to allow the passage of the air jets in order to transfer the selected elements onto the overlying ejection belt 7. One might also resort to laser beams to be combined with a video camera and an encoder in order to locate exactly the elements to be selected and determine their contour.
Another embodiment might consist in providing the conveyor belt 1 with fixed notches, which during advancement can be detected by a sensor while a video camera identifies the object and a software program determines the coordinates according to which the air jets are to be activated at the appropriate time for ejection.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. FO2001A000019 from which this apphcation claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A method for selecting different products and recyclable waste, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: arranging said products and/or waste on a conveyor belt; making said products and/or waste pass through a first control station and identifying, by means of a central unit, interfaced with a personal computer, a sensing system and an encoder, the contour of each single product and/or waste viewed from above; determining the exact position of said products and/or waste on said conveyor belt; moving said conveyor belt towards at least one quality control station where said products and/or waste are classified in succession according to given characteristics previously determined, before the products and/or waste arrive at at least an ejection station.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said step of determining the exact position of said products and/or waste and the step of identifying their contour are carried out by a video camera.
3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that said step of determining the exact position of said products and/or waste and the step of identifying their contour are carried out by a video camera combined with laser beams and with said encoder.
4. An apparatus for selecting different products and recyclable waste, characterized in that it comprises: a conveyor belt; a first control station provided with a central unit comprising a sensing system, an encoder and a video camera, adapted to identify the contour of each product and/or waste arranged on the belt and to determine the exact position thereof; at least one quality control station; at least one ejection station.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said conveyor belt is constituted by a net or by a uniformly perforated net.
6. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one row of nozzles are arranged transversely between two straight outgoing and return portions of said belt, said nozzles being mounted on compressed air manifolds and being provided with electric valves controlled by said central unit, said nozzles directing jets of air through the belt from below, in order to free said belt of products and/or waste arranged thereon.
7. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of ejection stations, the number of said ejection stations being equal to the number of selections to be made on said products and/or waste.
8. The apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said at least one ejection station comprises at least one ejection belt arranged above said conveyor belt and transversely with respect to said conveyor belt.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a second conveyor adapted to direct products and/or waste onto said ejection belt and a chute adapted to guarantee that the products and/or waste fall onto said ejection belt.
10. The apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said conveyor belt comprises a plurality of mutually parallel belts or chains, spaced so as to allow the passage of the jets of air.
PCT/EP2002/008659 2001-08-07 2002-08-02 Method and apparatus for selecting different products and recyclable waste WO2003013745A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITFO20010019 ITFO20010019A1 (en) 2001-08-07 2001-08-07 SYSTEM AND MEANS FOR SELECTING DIFFERENT PRODUCTS AND RECYCLABLE WASTE.
ITFO2001A000019 2001-08-07

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2003013745A1 true WO2003013745A1 (en) 2003-02-20

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2002/008659 WO2003013745A1 (en) 2001-08-07 2002-08-02 Method and apparatus for selecting different products and recyclable waste

Country Status (2)

Country Link
IT (1) ITFO20010019A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2003013745A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2249123A1 (en) * 2004-03-25 2006-03-16 Vicente Segui Pascual Machine for automatic extraction and classification of recyclable materials e.g. plastic, has transporting tape, vision system, extraction system, and control closet, where extraction system is operated by robots and/or manipulators
ES2323617A1 (en) * 2007-03-05 2009-07-21 Picvisa Machine Vision Systems S.L. Machine with artificial vision for the automatic elimination of impurities in the glass scrap and the separation of the same by colors, with multispectral vision. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
WO2011035927A1 (en) 2009-09-22 2011-03-31 Ecp Entwicklungsgesellschaft Mbh Fluid pump having at least one impeller blade and a support device
WO2015164471A1 (en) * 2014-04-24 2015-10-29 Laitram, L.L.C. Shrimp processing system and methods
US9930896B2 (en) 2012-12-19 2018-04-03 Laitram, L.L.C. Shrimp processing system and methods

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5794788A (en) * 1993-04-30 1998-08-18 Massen; Robert Method and device for sorting materials
WO1999026734A1 (en) * 1997-11-22 1999-06-03 Lutz Priese Method and device for identifying and sorting objects conveyed on a belt

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5794788A (en) * 1993-04-30 1998-08-18 Massen; Robert Method and device for sorting materials
WO1999026734A1 (en) * 1997-11-22 1999-06-03 Lutz Priese Method and device for identifying and sorting objects conveyed on a belt

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2249123A1 (en) * 2004-03-25 2006-03-16 Vicente Segui Pascual Machine for automatic extraction and classification of recyclable materials e.g. plastic, has transporting tape, vision system, extraction system, and control closet, where extraction system is operated by robots and/or manipulators
ES2323617A1 (en) * 2007-03-05 2009-07-21 Picvisa Machine Vision Systems S.L. Machine with artificial vision for the automatic elimination of impurities in the glass scrap and the separation of the same by colors, with multispectral vision. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
WO2011035927A1 (en) 2009-09-22 2011-03-31 Ecp Entwicklungsgesellschaft Mbh Fluid pump having at least one impeller blade and a support device
US9930896B2 (en) 2012-12-19 2018-04-03 Laitram, L.L.C. Shrimp processing system and methods
WO2015164471A1 (en) * 2014-04-24 2015-10-29 Laitram, L.L.C. Shrimp processing system and methods
US9622492B2 (en) 2014-04-24 2017-04-18 Laitram, L.L.C. Shrimp processing system and methods

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITFO20010019A1 (en) 2003-02-07

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