Patent ID: 7111740
Filing Date: 2006-09-26
Classification: B07C

Abstract:
1. A sorting apparatus comprising: an alignment apparatus that aligns a plurality of articles to be sorted in a plurality of rows while transporting the articles in a first direction; a transport apparatus that transports said plurality of articles to be sorted supplied from said alignment apparatus in said first direction in the state of plurality of rows; a line sensor that photographs a linear measurement region along a second direction perpendicular to said first direction in said transport apparatus; a suction device having a plurality of suction units arranged along said second direction in a downstream side of said measurement region of said transport apparatus to suck said articles to be sorted in the respective plurality of rows transported by said transport apparatus; a determiner that determines whether each of said articles to be sorted in the plurality of rows transported by said transport apparatus is to be selected or not selected based on an output signal from said line sensor, and outputs a determination result; and a controller that controls suction operation of each of said plurality of suction units of said suction device based on the determination result output from said determiner, wherein said alignment apparatus includes: an alignment member having a plurality of grooves extending in parallel with one another along said first direction; a vibration generation device that vibrates said alignment member so that the plurality of said articles to be sorted supplied on said alignment member move along said plurality of grooves, and an opening is provided in a bottom surface of each of said plurality of grooves of said alignment apparatus, and the width of the opening is set to form a bottom-surface region on which said articles to be sorted can pass on a side of the opening of each of the grooves.