초록 ▼

In apparatus for sorting potatoes a roller table conveyor conveys potatoes beneath a television camera which produces on a television monitor screen a picture of an inspection area of the roller table. An operator watching the monitor screen selects potatoes to be rejected by pointing a light pen at

In apparatus for sorting potatoes a roller table conveyor conveys potatoes beneath a television camera which produces on a television monitor screen a picture of an inspection area of the roller table. An operator watching the monitor screen selects potatoes to be rejected by pointing a light pen at the monitor screen. The light pen feeds to a microcomputer a signal indicative of the light pen position on the television monitor screen, which corresponds to a transient position of the potato in the inspection area. Sensors deriving signals from sprocket-wheels coupled to the conveyor feed to the microcomputer a signal dependent upon the conveyor speed, and the microcomputer actuates selectively a bank of deflector fingers to deflect reject potatoes. The choice of deflector fingers actuated is determined by one orthogonal co-ordinate of the light pen, and the timing of actuation of the deflector fingers is determined by the other orthogonal co-ordinate of the light pen and the speed of the conveyor.

대표청구항 ▼

Article sorting apparatus comprising: conveying means for conveying articles to be sorted through an inspection area; image means comprising a television camera and a television monitor screen for displaying at the monitor screen an image of the inspection area simultaneously showing two or more art

Article sorting apparatus comprising: conveying means for conveying articles to be sorted through an inspection area; image means comprising a television camera and a television monitor screen for displaying at the monitor screen an image of the inspection area simultaneously showing two or more articles to be sorted; selection means for selecting an article from the two or more articles displayed at the monitor screen and for generating signals indicative of the selected article, including a hand-held light pen movable relative to the screen for indicating a location on the screen corresponding to a location of a selected article in the inspection area and for generating a location signal indicative of the location on the screen indicated by the light pen, and switch means positioned on the light pen and operable by touch of pressure of the light pen on the screen to generate at a chosen time a signal indicative of the transient position of the selected article in the inspection area; deflector means for selectively deflecting articles conveyed by the conveying means; and control means for actuating the deflector means in dependence upon signals generated by the selection means to effect selective deflection of articles in response to article selection by an operator observing the monitor screen.