Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system to detect and characterize individual particles and cells using at least either optic or electric detection as the particle or cell flows through a microfluidic channel. The system also provides for sorting particles and cells or isolating individual particles and cells.

Abstract: A seed sorting system for sorting seeds includes a seed transfer station configured to move seeds through the system. An imaging assembly includes an x-ray camera configured to acquire x-ray images of the seeds as the seeds move through the system. The x-ray camera is configured to produce high quality images at high line scan rates to accommodate a speed and width at which the seeds are moved by the seed transfer station through the system. A sorting assembly is configured to sort the seeds into separate bins based on the acquired x-ray images of the seeds.

Abstract: An article sorting system includes: a sorting container support apparatus including a plurality of sorting container support units; a plurality of sorting containers supported by the sorting container support units; an automatic sorting apparatus that is arranged adjacent to the sorting container support apparatus and configured to automatically sort a plurality of articles into a plurality of articles; a work area that is set up adjacent to the sorting container support apparatus on a side opposite to the automatic sorting apparatus and in which an operator performs a sorting operation to sort articles into the plurality of sorting containers supported by the sorting container support units; and an operation display apparatus. The operation display apparatus displays, toward the work area, operation instruction-related information on each of the plurality of sorting container support units or each of the plurality of sorting containers.

Abstract: Various examples of a system for peanut sorting and grading are disclosed herein. The system for grading peanut maturity, can include: a sample feeder configured to supply individual peanuts to an imaging area; a sorting board comprising a plurality of chutes and a plurality of gates, each chute of the plurality of chutes designated for a grade of peanut; and program instructions to obtain the digital image of the individual peanut; determine the grade of the individual peanut; and sort the individual peanut based on the grade of the individual peanut. A method for grading peanut maturity, can include feeding an individual peanut to an imaging area; obtaining a digital image of the individual peanut; determining a grade of the individual peanut based on an average color; and sorting the individual peanut in a chute of a sorting board based on the grade of the individual peanut.

Abstract: This relates to acoustic microfluidic systems that can generate emulsions/droplets or encapsulate particles of interest (including mammalian cells, bacteria cells, or other cells) into droplets upon detection of the particles of interest flowing in a stream of particles. The systems operate on the detect/decide/deflect principle wherein the deflection step, in a single operation, not only deflects particles of interest from a stream of particles but also encapsulates the particles of interest in an emulsion droplet. The microfluidic systems have an abrupt transition in the channel geometry from a shorter channel to a taller channel (i.e., in the shape of a ‘step’) to break the stream of the dispersed phase into a droplet upon acoustic actuation. When there is no acoustic wave present, no droplets/emulsions are generated and the stream of particles proceeds uninterrupted.

Abstract: Material collection devices, placer recovery systems, and related methods are disclosed. A material collection device includes a filter tube including a wall defining apertures, an inlet through which fluid and material enter the filter tube, protrusions extending inwardly from the wall of the filter tube, the protrusions in front of the apertures from a perspective of the inlet, and an outlet through which the fluid and material exit the filter tube. The material collection device also includes a collector positioned below the filter tube, the collector configured to collect particles of the material that exit the filter tube through the apertures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an air jigging machine for the dry processing of raw materials, particularly coal, comprising at least one material feeding device (1), at least one jigging material carrier (2), which is provided with openings, an air funnel (3), which is arranged below the jigging material carrier (2) and by means of which an air flow can be fed as working air (4) to the jigging material carrier, which working air is composed of a partial flow constantly flowing through the jigging material carrier (2) and a pulsing partial flow superposed thereon, such that the working air (4) can flow through the material fed onto the jigging material carrier (2) and said material can be stratified into a heavy material layer (5) acting as a jig bed and into a light material layer (6) lying thereon, and a discharge device (7) for the heavy material and light material stratified on the jigging material carrier (2) during the jigging process.

Abstract: There is provided technology that enables a microparticle sorting device to be adjusted highly accurately without using adjustment beads. The present technology provides a microparticle sorting device including a light detection unit that optically detects a microparticle flowing through a flow path, a droplet forming unit that forms a droplet containing the microparticle, and a device adjustment unit that adjusts the device, in which, in a process of adjusting the device before actual measurement of the microparticle, the device adjustment unit performs optical axis position calibration for calibrating a relative position of the flow path relative to irradiation light and delay time calibration for calibrating a delay time from light irradiation to the microparticle to formation of the droplet on the basis of information obtained from the microparticle to be measured.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system to detect and characterize individual particles and cells using at least either optic or electric detection as the particle or cell flows through a microfluidic channel. The system also provides for sorting particles and cells or isolating individual particles and cells.

Abstract: Proposed is a film processing system including a supply unit configured to supply a film fabric, a cutting unit configured to cut the film fabric and to form a film product by dividing the film fabric, a transfer unit including a classifier configured to selectively guide the film product along any one of a predetermined non-inverted path and an inverted path, an inverter configured to invert the film product guided along the inverted path up and down, and an inspection transfer device configured to transfer the film product delivered from the classifier in a non-inverted state or the film product delivered from the inverter in an inverted state in a predetermined reference direction, and an inspection unit configured to inspect the film product delivered to the inspection transfer device.

Abstract: A screen cloth for use in a screening device for screening out oversize objects, including oil sands lumps and rocks present in an oil sands slurry is provided, comprising at least one screen segment having a top surface and having a plurality of openings therein; and a plurality of anti-wear tiles attached to the top surface of the at least one screen segment by brazing; whereby each anti-wear tile is separated from an adjacent anti-wear tile by a gap that is about 0.5 mm or less such that a brazing material used to attach the anti-wear tiles to the at least one support structure fills the gap between each anti-wear tile through capillary action thereby connecting each anti-wear tile to its adjacent anti-wear tile.

Abstract: A work cell and method for automatically separating objects disposed in 3D clusters includes dispensing the objects onto a horizontal conveying surface to form a 2D array, reforming the 2D array into a 1D stream in which the objects move in single-file in a predefined moving direction, utilizing a vision-based or other stationary sensing system to identify a selected target object in the 1D stream as the target object passes through an image capture (sensing) region, calculating trajectory data defining the target object's time-based position in the 1D stream, and then utilizing the trajectory data to control a robot arm or other object removal mechanism such that only the selected object is forcibly removed (e.g., swiped or picked-up) from the horizontal conveying surface. A continuous-loop-type conveying mechanism includes two parallel conveyor-belt-type conveying structures and associated belt-switching structures. An AI-powered vision system identifies new object shapes during preliminary learning phases.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a system to detect and characterize individual particles and cells using at least either optic or electric detection as the particle or cell flows through a microfluidic channel. The system also provides for sorting particles and cells or isolating individual particles and cells.

Abstract: A system and method for sizing and separating granular particles within the bulk granular solids by creating a graded granular flow comprising multiple sized fractions with gradation of the particles according to particle size between relatively fine fractions and relatively coarse fractions; and capturing at least a portion of granular flow. The system (11) comprises means (25) for creating the graded granular flow, and means (30) for capturing at least a portion of the graded granular flow. The graded granular flow is split into separate streams, one of which is subsequently captured by intercepting that stream. The intercepted stream may be collected or redirected for further processing.

Abstract: A semi-automated bulk sorting system includes a primary conveyor having a proximate end and a distal end, where the proximate end of the primary conveyor is configured for collecting outbound parcels and cartons that are to be sorted. The system includes a manual sort center coupled downstream from the primary conveyor and configured to partially sort the parcels and cartons. A parcel final sortation zone is coupled downstream from the manual sort center for receiving the partially sorted parcels and is configured to finally sort the parcels for delivery. In addition, the system includes a plurality of carton palletization zones coupled downstream from the manual sort center for receiving the sorted cartons and to palletize the sorted cartons for delivery.

Abstract: Method for automatic sorting of batteries, the method including generating a fan-shaped X-ray beam; scanning the batteries with the fan-shaped X-Ray beam; for each battery, capturing X-rays that pass though the battery with an X-ray detector and converting the X-rays into first and second digital images, wherein the first digital image represents X-rays at a first energy, and the second digital image represents X-rays at a second energy; automatically analyzing the first and second digital images to determine a type of the battery by identifying characteristic features of each battery type based on a gray spectrum of at least 8 bit resolution that is looked up in a model database branch; and sorting the batteries by type.

Abstract: A system and method for separating granular particles according to particle size, and more particularly enhance ore grades by removing unwanted material. The system (10) comprises means (11) for transporting granular material (12) comprising multiple sized fractions with gradation of the particles according to particle size between relatively fine fractions and relatively coarse fractions, in a direction having a horizontal component; and subjecting the granular material (12) to vibration while being so transported to induce some separation of particles according to particle size. The system (10) further comprises means (13) for causing the granular material (12) to subsequently move as a granular flow (14) along a curved path (15) under the influence of gravity to further induce separation of particles according to particle size. The system (10) still further comprises means (16) for dividing the granular flow (14) moving along the curved path (15) into different streams (17) according to their trajectory.

Abstract: A cell sorting system that automatically generates a sorting strategy based on examples of target events provided by an operator. The target events can be selected using measurements ranging from traditional flow cytometry measurements to derived measurements that are computationally expensive to complex measurements such as images.

Abstract: A sorting device for packages includes a fifth wheel mounted on a support structure and rotatable around a vertical axis; a conveyor belt mounted on the fifth wheel and able to rotate therewith about the vertical axis; and at least one sliding surface placed below the plane of the conveyor belt, to close the openings which, during the rotation of the fifth wheel and of the conveyor belt around the vertical axis, are created between the sorting device and the conveyor belts adjacent to it.

Abstract: An elutriation apparatus has a mechanism adapted to move water along a path, the water entraining material particles of different density, and a plurality of elutriation columns interfaced to the mechanism adapted to move the water with entrained particles, the elutriation columns interfaced along the path, each elutriation column having a vertical bore with water controlled to travel up the vertical bore at one velocity and having also a capture element at the bottom of the bore. As the water with entrained particles passes over each interface to an elutriation column along the path, particles of a density sufficient for the particles to settle in the elutriation column at a velocity greater than the upward velocity of water in the bore of the elutriation column, settle to the bottom of the column, and particles of lesser density pass on to a next elutriation column interfaced along the path.