Patent ID: 7113272

Claim:
Machine for automatically inspecting objects travelling substantially in a single layer on or over a plane of conveyance of a conveyor, for discriminating between these objects by their chemical composition, said machine comprising at least one detection station through or beneath which the flow of objects passes, said detection station comprising: means for applying electromagnetic radiation in the direction of the plane of conveyance, emitting said radiation so as to define a lighting plane, the intersection of said lighting plane and said plane of conveyance defining a lighting line extending transversely to the direction of travel of the objects, a receiver device periodically scanning each point on said lighting line and receiving radiation reflected by an elementary measuring zone located in the region of the point scanned at this instant, the plane defined by said lighting line and the optical input centre of said device being known as the detection plane, means for transmitting to at least one analysis device said radiation reflected in the region of the scanning elementary measuring zone, wherein the emitted radiation is concentrated in the region of the lighting plane and wherein said lighting plane and the detection plane coincide as a common plane being inclined to the perpendicular to the plane of conveyance.