Patent ID: 11872596
Assignee: BOMILL AB
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A method for sorting a plurality of objects comprising an object that is one of a grain, a nut, a tree nut, or a bean, the method comprising:
conveying the plurality objects along a guide plate having at least two channels between a first end and a second end of the corresponding channels, wherein the at least two channels each comprise a first aperture provided at a first longitudinal position thereof and an additional aperture provided at a second longitudinal position on the guide plate located downstream of the first aperture;
conducting an optical measurement associated with a property of the object of the plurality of objects via the first aperture when the object passes the first aperture towards the second end with an object measurement unit; and
ejecting the object, with at least one ejector unit, conveyed on the corresponding channel when reaching the second longitudinal position based on the measured property of the object and a timing signal associated with a conveying velocity of the object being conveyed along the channel,
wherein the at least two channels comprise a longitudinally extending base and a pair of sidewalls arranged along the base for limiting the movement of the object in a lateral direction when being conveyed longitudinally along the base, and wherein the additional aperture is configured to receive a fluid jet stream,
wherein conducting the optical measurement associated with the property of the object via the first aperture when the object passes the first aperture towards the second end with the object measurement unit comprises:
optically detecting the object entering the first aperture at an associated first time instant and calculating a time at which the object will pass the second longitudinal position by using measurements only from the first aperture.