Patent · US Expired

Cereal grain color sorting apparatus

US5638961A · kind A · utility

41Cited by
19References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 13, 1995
Grant dateJun 17, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 13, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
  • CPC primaryB07C5/366
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

In a color sorting apparatus comprising: a grain guide device); a grain feed device; optical detecting devices including illuminating devices for illuminating the grain, light-receiving sensors for receiving the intensity of light from the illuminated grain and backgrounds; and an ejector device for removing the grain, the illuminating devices comprise first light sources having a spectral energy distribution in a visible light region and second light sources having a spectral energy distribution in a near-infrared region, and the light-receiving sensors comprise a first light-receiving sensor portion having a high sensitivity to light in the visible light region and a second light-receiving sensor portion having a high sensitivity to light in the near-infrared region, so as to detect and remove foreign matter having a different color from the good grain in visible light region as well as to separate and remove other foreign matter having the same color as the good grain or being transparent in near-infrared region with one color sorting apparatus.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.