Abstract: An apparatus and method for singulating seedlings in which bundled seedlings are contained within a hopper and are intermittently tumbled. Seedlings are singulated by being engaged with a vacuum nozzle, separated from a bundle of seedlings, gripped, and extracted from the hopper.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high speed asynchronous fruit sorter for sorting various types of fruits, such as blueberries, according to maturity. Forming a part of the fruit sorter is an open wire type conveyor having a generally M-shaped profile extending transversely across so as to define a series of laterally spaced and longitudinally extending conveying channels. An illumination source is disposed below the conveyor about an area referred to as a sorting zone. Disposed over the conveyor in the vicinity of the sorting zone is an optical maturity sensing device that continuously derives a differential optical density reading for the underlying passing fruit, and this differential optical density reading is directly related to the maturity of the fruit and is directed to a maturity discriminator circuit. The maturity discriminator circuit is in turn coupled to an air injection sorting apparatus by a series of AND gates.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for metering particles involving circulating particles through a passage, retaining a particle in a particle retention chamber that is part of the passage, and ejecting the retained particle from the particle retention chamber. Particle circulation and retention and ejection are accomplished by fluid flows within the passage.