Patent ID: 8600545

Claim:
A method for qualifying an automated system for inspecting and sorting particles, seed particles, and undesirable particles comprising: forming a conformal surface layer on the particles to produce coated seed particles to impart at least one property with a value or range of values that is the same as or about the same as a value or range of values of a corresponding property of undesirable particles; calibrating the system to identify or distinguish between particles, seed particles and undesirable particles according to a predetermined property value or range of property values; introducing a predetermined quantity of the seed particles to a process stream comprising a plurality of particles and undesirable particles; monitoring the process stream as it is transported along a moving surface; identifying the seed particles and the undesirable particles in the process stream; removing the undesirable particles and the seed particles from the process stream; determining whether the number of seed particles removed is equal to the predetermined quantity of seed particles which were introduced to the process stream; and recalibrating the system to maximize the removal of undesirable particles from the process stream based upon the determining result.