Grading system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016309728-A1
Application number	US-201615079827-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 24, 2016
Priority date	Apr 21, 2015
Publication date	Oct 27, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A multi-stage grading system and method of grading products. The initial stage comprises a binary grader grading products into a large size and a small size. The small-size products are subsequently graded into a plurality of small-size size grades by a mechanical grader. The large-size products are subsequently separated and graded into a plurality of large-size size grades by a higher precision weight-based grader, such as a vision-based grader or a checkweigher.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A grading system comprising:
a mechanical bulk grader grading products into a plurality of small-size size grades and a large-size size grade; a separator separating the products in the large-size size grade into individual distinguishable products; a precision grader determining the weight of each of the products in the large-sized grade received from the separator and grading each of the products into one of a plurality of large-size grades.

2 . A grading system as in claim 1 wherein the precision grader provides a feedback signal to the mechanical bulk grader to adjust the demarcation between the large-size grade and the small-size grades.

3 . A grading system as in claim 1 wherein the precision grader includes a vision system creating a digital image of each of the products in the large-size grade and estimating a weight for each of the products in the large-size grade from the digital image.

4 . A grading system as in claim 1 wherein the precision grader includes a checkweigher weighing each of the products in the large-size grade individually.

5 . A grading system comprising:
an initial grader sorting a bulk flow of products into large-size products and small-size products; a mechanical bulk grader grading a bulk flow of the small-size products received from the initial grader into a plurality of small-size grades; a separator separating the large-size products received from the initial grader into individually distinguishable products; a precision grader determining the weight of each of the large-sized products received from the separator and grading each into one of a plurality of large-size grades.

6 . A grading system as in claim 5 wherein the precision grader includes a vision system creating a digital image of each of the large-sized products and estimating a weight for each of the large-sized products from the digital image.

7 . A grading system as in claim 5 wherein the precision grader provides a feedback signal to the initial grader to adjust the demarcation between the large-size products and the small-size products.

8 . A grading system as in claim 5 wherein the precision grader includes a checkweigher weighing each of the large-sized products individually.

9 . A grading system as in claim 5 wherein the number of large-size grades is different from the number of small-size grades.

10 . A grading system as in claim 5 wherein the initial grader is a mechanical bulk grader.

11 . A method for grading products, comprising:
(a) sorting a bulk flow of products into a first size range and a second size range in a bulk grader; (b) sorting the products in the second size range into a plurality of second grades in a bulk grader; (c) separating the first size range of products into a flow of individually distinguishable products; (d) determining the weight or a weight-related property of each of the individual products in the first size range; (e) sorting the individual products in the first size range into a plurality of first grades based on weight or a weight-related property.

12 . The method of claim 11 further comprising adjusting the demarcation between the first size range and the second size range.

13 . The method of claim 11 comprising:
visioning each of the individual products in the first size range;
creating a digital image of each of the individual products in the first size range; and
determining the weight or weight-related property of each of the individual products in the first size range from the digital image.

14 . The method of claim 11 comprising determining the weight of each of the products in the first size range by weighing each product.

15 . The method of claim 11 wherein step (b) precedes step (a).

16 . The method of claim 11 wherein step (a) precedes step (b).

Assignees

• Laitram Llc

Inventors

• Ledet Charles J
• Taylor Bruce F

Classifications

• B07C5/32

  with associated check-weighing means {(check-weighing per se G01G15/00)} · CPC title

• A22C29/005 Primary

  Grading or classifying shellfish or bivalves · CPC title

• B07C5/10

  measured by light-responsive means {(sorting according to colour B07C5/342)} · CPC title