Systems and methods for sorting material on a conveyor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11123749-B2
Application number	US-201916504797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2019
Priority date	Jul 9, 2018
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for sorting material on a conveyor of a conveyor system, such as a conveyor system for material including non-ferrous metals. The conveyor system includes a conveyor belt and a separator system. The conveyor belt is adapted to convey the material. The separator system includes a separator below the conveyor belt and is configured to selectively apply a separating force onto the material on the conveyor belt such that at least one piece of the material is lifted off of the conveyor belt. A method of sorting material on a conveyor belt includes receiving the material on the conveyor belt, conveying the material with the conveyor belt, and applying the separating force onto the material with the separator such that at least one piece of the material is lifted off of the conveyor belt.

First claim

That which is claimed:

1. A conveyor system comprising:
a conveyor belt comprising a conveying surface, wherein the conveyor belt is adapted to convey material on the conveying surface;
a separator system comprising a separator below the conveying surface, wherein the separator is configured to apply a separating force onto the material on the conveyor belt such that at least one piece of the material is lifted off of the conveying surface, wherein the separator comprises a plurality of magnetic sources, and wherein the separating force is a magnetic field applied by each of the plurality of magnetic sources;
a sensor upstream from the separator; and
a controller communicatively connected to the sensor and the separator,
wherein the sensor is adapted to detect at least one piece of material of the material on the conveyor belt,
wherein the controller is adapted to classify the detected piece of material into a predefined classification, and
wherein the controller is adapted to selectively control the separating force from at least one of the magnetic sources of the separator based on the classification of the detected piece of material.

2. The conveyor system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first roller; and
a second roller downstream from the first roller,
wherein the conveyor belt is movably supported on the first roller and the second roller,
wherein the second roller is at an end of the conveyor belt, and
wherein the separator is between the first roller and the second roller.

3. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the separator is configured to apply the separating force onto non-ferrous metals of the material.

4. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy sensor, an x-ray fluorescence sensor, an x-ray transmitter sensor or a near-infrared spectroscopy sensor.

5. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the separator is adapted to apply the separating force onto the material on the conveyor belt such that at least some of the material is lifted off of the conveying surface and in a direction substantially parallel to a conveying direction.

6. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the separator is adapted to apply the separating force onto the material on the conveyor belt such that at least some of the material is lifted off of the conveying surface in a direction transverse to a conveying direction.

7. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the separator is adapted to apply the separating force onto the material on the conveyor belt such that at least some of the material is lifted off of the conveying surface to a separated distance, and wherein the separated distance is greater than 0 inches.

8. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magnetic sources of the separator comprises a plurality of electromagnets, and wherein the separating force is a magnetic field applied by each of the plurality of electromagnets.

9. The conveyor system of claim 8 , wherein the separator further comprises a first region comprising a first subset of the plurality of electromagnets and a second region comprising a second subset of the plurality of electromagnets, and wherein the magnetic field generated by at least one of the electromagnets of the first subset is different from the magnetic field generated by at least one of the electromagnets of the second subset.

10. The conveyor system of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to detect a position of at least one non-ferrous piece of metal of the material on the conveying surface, and wherein the controller is configured to control the separator based on the position of the at least one non-ferrous piece of metal on the conveying surface.

11. The conveyor system of claim 1 , wherein the separator is a primary separator, and wherein the separator system further comprises a secondary separator configured to apply a sorting force on the material lifted off of the conveying surface by the separating force.

12. A method of sorting material on a conveyor belt comprising:
receiving the material on a conveying surface of the conveyor belt;
conveying the material with the conveyor belt;
detecting at least one piece of material of the material on the conveyor belt with a sensor;
classifying, using a controller, the detected piece of material into a predefined classification
applying a separating force onto the material with a separator arranged below the conveying surface such that at least one piece of the material is lifted off of the conveying surface, wherein the separator comprises a plurality of magnetic sources, and wherein the separating force is a magnetic field applied by each of the plurality of magnetic sources, and wherein applying the separating force comprises selectively control the separating force from at least one of the magnetic sources of the separator based on the classification of the detected piece of material.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least some of the material comprises non-ferrous metal, and wherein the separating force is applied on the non-ferrous metal.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of magnetic sources of the separator comprises at least one electromagnet, and wherein the method further comprises controlling the magnetic field by controlling at least one of a strength of the magnetic field, a frequency of the magnetic field, or a direction of the magnetic field.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising detecting a position of a non-ferrous metal of the material on the conveying surface before applying the separating force.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein applying the separating force comprises applying the separating force at the position on the conveying surface corresponding to the detected position of the non-ferrous metal.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the separator is a primary separator, and wherein the method further comprises applying a sorting force by a secondary separator on the material lifted off of the conveying surface by the separating force.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the secondary separator is adapted to apply the sorting force in a direction transverse to a conveying direction.

Assignees

• Novelis Inc

Inventors

• Thakur Adwait A
• Kosmicki Michael R

Classifications

• B65G15/00

  Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration (having load-conveying surfaces formed by interconnected longitudinal links B65G17/06) · CPC title

• B07C5/3416

  according to radiation transmissivity, e.g. for light, x-rays, particle radiation (detecting hidden objects G01V) · CPC title

• B07C5/361

  Processing or control devices therefor, e.g. escort memory · CPC title

• B07C5/36 Primary

  Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution {(sorting according to destination B07C3/003, B07C3/02)} · CPC title

• B03C2201/20

  Magnetic separation of bulk or dry particles in mixtures · CPC title