WO2024159322A1

WO2024159322A1 - Sorting device

Info

Publication number: WO2024159322A1
Application number: PCT/CA2024/050126
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bruno LAGACÉ; Jonathan Arsenault; Nicholas AUBIE
Original assignee: Sparta Manufacturing Inc
Current assignee: Sparta Manufacturing Inc
Priority date: 2023-02-01
Filing date: 2024-02-01
Publication date: 2024-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2025-08-01
Also published as: EP4658426A1

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a sorting device to sort through 2D and 3D materials and is further comprised of at least one pair of blades and a drive mechanism to actuate the pair of blades. The drive mechanism extends along one end of the blades, and the blades are offset along the axis of the drive mechanism. Rotation of the drive mechanism actuates the blades (who due to the offset travel in opposed directions) to rotate them along the circumference of the drive mechanism, or up and down along the axis of the drive mechanism to dynamically displace 3D materials towards an end of the sorting device. The drive mechanism also rotates a conveyor belt of each blade to displace 2D materials to the opposed end of the sorting device, away from the 3D materials.

Description

SORTING DEVICE

FIELD

The disclosure relates to the field of waste management , and more speci fically to a sorter for materials that includes 2D and 3D materials .

BACKGROUND

The recycling industry is an ever-increasing industry with communities wanting to reduce their waste footprint and accompanying harm to the environment when landfills continue to grow in si ze . In addition to being an eye sore , landfills emit odors and leak toxic material s into the soil which could eventually contaminate groundwater used by surrounding communities . The need for recycling is ever-increasing requiring sorters which can manage large amounts of waste to be recycle rather than put in a landfill .

Common sorters in the recycling industry use either rotating rubber discs , manual sorting or oscillating paddle screens to separate 2D and 3D recyclables from single stream recycling collection from household waste . While each approach has its advantages , a common problem with rotating rubber discs sorters is that they will j am with wrapable material requiring the sorters to be shut down and cleaned with the use of manual labor . The manual sorting is done with the use of manual labor and reduces the ef ficiency and recovery rates of waste material being sorted . While the oscillating paddle screens approach does not require much maintenance , clean up and has a proper separation of 2D and 3D, its throughput is less than hal f the one of a rotating rubber disc taking roughly the same footprint . There is a need for a single stream 2D/ 3D sorter, which is close to maintenance free (no wrapping) , provides great separation of 2D/ 3D and has a throughput rate equal or greater than the traditional rotating rubber discs that combines oscillating action with active conveying paddles to achieve high throughput .

SUMMARY

In an aspect , the present disclosures provides a sorting device to sort materials , comprising : at least one pair of blades comprising a first blade and a second blade , each one of the first and second blades further comprising a conveyor belt , the at least one pair of blades configured to displace the materials ; and, a drive mechanism operatively engaged with the at least one pair of blades to di splace the materials , wherein the drive mechanism rotates the conveyor belts to provide static movement o f the materials to a first location, and wherein the drive mechanism actuates the first and second blades to provide dynamic movement of the materials to a second location .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures serve to illustrate various embodiments of features of the disclosure . These figures are illustrative and are not intended to be limiting .

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sorting device , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 2 is another perspective view of the sorting device of Figure 1 without four pairs of blades , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 2A is a s ide view of the sorting device with arrows showing the material flow within the sorter, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 2B is a perspective view of the sorting device with arrows showing the material flow within the sorter, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 2C is a front view of three pairs of blades positioned within a sorter according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3A1 is a side view of a pair of blades within a first position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 3A2 is a front view of the pair of blades of Figures 3A1 , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 3B1 is a side view of a pair of blades within a second position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ; Figure 3B2 is a front view of the pair of blades of Figures 3B1 , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 3C1 is a side view of a pair of blades within a third position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 3C2 is a front view of the pair of blades of Figures 3C1 , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 3D1 is a side view of a pair of blades within a fourth position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 3D2 is a front view of the pair of blades of Figures 3D1 , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a pair of of fset belts of the sorting device of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of the pair of of fset belts of Figure 4 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 6 is another enlarged perspective view of one end of the pair of of fset belts of Figure 4 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 7A is a side view of a pair of blades within a first position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ; Figure 7B is a side view of a pair of blades within a second position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 7C is a side view of a pair of blades within a third position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 7D is a side view of a pair of blades within a fourth position within a cycle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 8 is a side view of one blade of the pair of of fset belts of Figure 4 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 9 is a side view of a takeup system used in a sorting device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a pair of blades with a vacuum within a sorting device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of another sorting device having a flexible surface linking two pairs of blades according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 12 is a side view of another sorting device having a flexible surface linking two pairs of blades according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure ;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of another sorting device without the flexible surface linking two pairs of blades according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure ; Figure 14 is a perspective view of another sorting device having an air unit according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure ; and

Figure 15 is a back perspective view of another sorting device having an air unit with a side panel removed according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting . It will be appreciated that various modi fications and/or alterations to the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the disclosure and any modi fications and/or alterations are within the scope of the contemplated disclosure .

With reference to Figures 1 and 2 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , a sorting device 10 is shown . The sorting device 10 is comprised of a housing, the housing having two opposed plates 15 , 17 to contain the sorting device 10 . The sorting device 10 is also comprised of a plurality of pairs of longitudinal blades 20 positioned within the housing and in between plates 15 , 17 . In this embodiment , five pairs of longitudinal blades 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 are shown, although other numbers of pairs may be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure . For conciseness , the present disclosure will refer to one pair of blades 20 ; however, the mechanics , functioning and purpose of one pair of blades 20 is applicable to each other pair of blades 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 without departing from the scope of the disclosure . The present disclosure may refer to a sorting device or a sorter, and a worker skilled in the art would appreciate they are the same .

With reference to Figures 2 , 2A and 2B and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , the blades 20 extend from a front end 50 of the sorting device 10 to a rear end 45 of the sorting device 10 . The sorting device 10 is also comprised of first and second motors 30 , 32 that are operatively engaged with the pair of blades 20 . More speci fically, the first motor 30 is operatively engaged with the rear end 45 of the pair of blades 20 , whereas the second motor 32 is operatively engaged with the front end 50 of the pair of blades 20 . The first motor 30 has a drive mechanism 35 that actuates the pair of blades 20 . The actuation by the drive mechanism 35 provides two simultaneous movements as follows : movement of the conveyor belts (not shown) on the pair of blades 20 for static movement of materials to a first position FP, and further movement of the pair of blades 20 along a radial axis of the drive mechanism 35 to provide dynamic movement of the materials to a second position SP . For the purpose of this disclosure , static movement is defined as movement of material at rest on a moving surface . For the purpose of this disclosure dynamic movement is defined as movement away from a surface .

With further speci fic reference to Figures 2A and 2B and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , during operation of the sorting device 10 , materials are deposited onto the pair of blades 20 . These materials are typically either 2D items ( e . g. paper and film plastic ) or 3D items ( e . g. containers ) , although other types of materials may be sorted . The pair of blades 20 are operational and therefore each one of the pair of blades 20 move up and down along the radius of the drive mechanism (not shown) in opposed directions , and the conveyor belts (not shown) also travel clockwise from the rear end 45 of the sorting device 10 to the front end 50 of the sorting device 10 .

With further speci fic reference to Figure 2 and according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , the second motor 32 also has a drive mechanism 37 that actuates the pair of blades 20. A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that the first and second motors 30, 32 are synchronized so that the pair of blades 20 rotate at the same time; however, only a single motor 30 is needed to operate the sorting device 10 if required. For example, a single motor at one end of the sorting device 10 having a gear with a chain connected to the opposed end of the sorting device 10 could replace the present dual synchronous motor system. The first blade in the pair of blades 20 is offset from the second blade along the drive mechanisms 35, 37. As such, rotation of the drive mechanisms 35, 37 will correspondingly rotate each blade of the pair of blades 20 up and down along the circumference of the drive mechanisms 35, 37, in opposed directions. Due to the high speed at which the motors 30, 32 and drive mechanisms 35, 37 operate, the up and down motion of the pair of blades 20 serves to provide dynamic movement in an upward motion to displace certain objects from the sorting device 10.

With reference to Figure 2C and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the presence of an offset between pair of blades 20 and 22 (specifically the adjacent blades in the pair of blades) as well as the presence of an offset between each blade 60 and 62 provides a shear force that can shear material to be sorted by the sorting device. The continuous movement between the single blades 60 and 62 and pair of blades 20 and 22 provide the shearing force as a continuous uneven surface is created with the movement of the blades 60, 62 and pair of blades 20, 22.

With reference to Figures 3A1, 3A2, 3B1, 3B2, 3C1, 3C2, 3D1 and 3D2 and according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a cycle travelled by a pair of blades is shown. With specific reference to Figures 3A1 and 3A2, the pair of blades 20 has two blades 60 and 62 that complete a cycle defined by the four key steps. The first step has blade 60 at a lowered position in comparison to blade 62 with each blade having their tips not offset along the length of the blades.

With reference to Figures 3B1 and 3B2, the second step of the cycle has blades 60 and 62 at the same height to one another while blade 62 is offset along the length of blade 60.

With reference to Figures 3C1 and 3C2, the third step of the cycle has blade 60 higher in comparison to blade 62 with each blade having their tips not offset along the length of the blades .

With reference to Figures 3D1 and 3D2, the fourth and final step in the cycle has the blades 60 and 62 at the same height, while blade 60 extends away from blade 62. The displacement of the blades 60, 62 is shown through the arrows in Figures 3A1, 3B1,3C1 and 3D1, providing a full clockwise rotation of each one of the blades 60, 62 in a cycle. For greater clarity, the arrows indicate the movement required to arrive at the step shown in each figure. By way of example, the arrows in Figure 3A1 show the upcoming rotation of each blade 60, 62, said arrows pointing to the eventual position of each blade 60, 62 shown in Figure 3B1.

With further reference to Figures 3A2 and 3C2 and according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the blades 60, 62 are shown in a 12-6 configuration (Figure 3A2 ) and a 6-12 configuration (Figure 3C2) . The numbers used in defining the configurations are references to positions on a clock. As such, a 12-6 configuration (as shown in Figure 3A2 ) will have blade 60 lower than blade 62, and conversely a 6-12 configuration (as shown in Figure 3C2) will have blade 60 higher than blade 62. These two configurations; namely, 12-6 and 6-12 provide an angular difference of 180 degrees between each blade 60, 62. In a preferred embodiment, each pair of blades in the present disclosure has an angular difference of 180 degrees between each blade; however, other angular differences are also possible to reduce unwanted vibrations. In a sorter having five pairs of blades as the one presently described, a preferred configuration of the five pairs of blades can be as follows: first pair of left-most blades: 12-6; second pair of left blades: 12-6; third pair of central blades: 2-8; fourth pair of right blades: 6-12; and, fifth pair of right-most blades: 6-12.

It is preferred to have an uneven number of pair of blades within a sorter as this allows for a better balance of the sorter. For the above example describing five pairs of blades in a sorter, it is also preferred to have first and second pair of blades be opposite in "clocked configuration" when compared to the position of fourth and fifth pair of blades. Indeed, if all the pairs of blades have the same configuration, for example a 12-6 configuration, the entire sorter would be subject to high vibration forces on the sorter housing. To further balance the sorter, the third pair of blades in a five pair blade sorter is configured with a 2-8 configuration rather than a 12-6 or 6-12 configuration. The central pair of blades still has a 180 degrees di f ference between the two blades ; however, when the first and second pair of blades are at a 12- 6 configuration, the central pair of blades is at a 2- 8 configuration, providing the mechanical balancing as described above to reduce the source of vibrations in the sorter . In a preferred embodiment , the central pair of blades is configured at 2- 8 . Other embodiments of the present sorter could have the central pair of blades configured between 12-3 and 6- 9 , which would still provide the preferred 180-degree di f ference in the configuration .

With further reference to Figures 2 , 2A and 2B and according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , the sorting device 10 is also pivotable about the rear end 45 of the sorting device 10 . Indeed, the second motor 32 is comprised of electrical actuators 40 secured to the plate 15 . Although electrical actuators are shown, a hydraulic system could also be used . When actuated, the electrical actuators 40 extend or retract , which pushes or pulls the second motor 32 either upwardly or downwardly . As the second motor 32 is engaged with the front end 50 of the pair of blades 20 , the pair of blades 20 tilt to increase or decrease their angle relative to the rear end 45 of the housing . The adj ustability of the angle of the pair of blades 20 is desirable for the sorting device 10 to further facilitate the flow of materials , such as waste or recyclables to flow out to either a first position FP or a second position SP away from the sorting device 10 . With speci fic reference to Figures 2A and 2B, the pivot point 42 is closer to the rear end of the sorter and preferably not past the mid-way point of the sorter housing . Pivot point 42 is independent of the front and rear ends 45 and 50 , which have the shafts and motors 30 and 32 . A worker skilled in the relevant art would be familiar with the positioning of a suitable pivot point allowing to increase or decrease the angle within the sorter .

ADD HERE REGARDING ANGLE AND REFERENCE TO SLOT - It is an obj ect of the disclosure that 2D materials follow the movement of the conveyor belts (not shown) of the pair of blades 20 towards the front end 50 , whereas 3D materials are propelled away from the sorting device 10 by the of fset displacement of the pair of blades 20 themselves , which provide for dynamic movement of the materials . Having an inclination of the sorting device 10 by means of the electrical actuators (not shown) allows for ad ustability of the angle of the sorting device 10 , therefore improving the ability of the sorting device 10 to sort through materials . More speci f ically, an operator or an Al algorithm of the sorting device 10 can adj ust the angle of the pair of blades 20 to be lower relative to the ground, which will increase the sorting of 2D materials , whereas a higher angle relative to the ground will increase the sorting of 3D materials . Indeed, 3D materials are propelled away from the sorting device 10 and downwardly, by the agitation ( i . e . the of fset displacement ) of the pair of blades 20 . This 3D material is barely af fected by the rotational movement of the conveyor belts (not shown) as the contact time is short . Meanwhile , 2D materials have a large surface area and low mass , therefore do not carry far in the air ( due to high drag, slow terminal velocity, low inertia ) when agitated . As such, the 2D materials stay near the surface of the sorting device 10 and have more contact time with the conveyor belts (not shown) and are conveyed upwardly towards the front end 50 . Put another way, adj usting the angle of the sorting device 10 favors either 2D or 3D separation . A steeper angle of the sorting device 10 will favor 3D going where it is supposed to go, by further discouraging 3D climbing, which does happen sometimes but is not desirable . However, climbing of 2D materials will also be more di f ficult . In the other case , i f the angle of the sorting device 10 is smaller, more of the 2D materials will climb up the sorting device 10 towards the front end 50 , as the climb is easier to make . Conversely, the downside of this setup is that more of the 3D materials will also climb, which is not desirable .

With reference to Figures 4 , 5 and 6 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , a worker skilled in the art would appreciate that it is preferable to have the blades work in pairs . As such, the pair of blades 20 is comprised of first and second blades 60 , 62 , the first and second blades 60 , 62 being separate and of fset from one another along a radial axis of a shaft 64 of the first drive mechanism (not shown) and a shaft 66 of the second drive mechanism (not shown) .

With further speci fic reference to Figures 4 and 5 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , first blade 60 is comprised of first and second pulleys 65 , 67 and second blade 62 is comprised of third and fourth pulleys 70 , 72 . The first blade 60 is also comprised of a first conveyor belt 80 and first grate 85 , while the second blade 62 is comprised of second conveyor belt 82 and second grate 87 . The first pulley 65 and the third pulley 70 are positioned at a rear end 45 of the first and second blades 60 , 62 , whereas the second pulley 67 and the fourth pulley 72 are positioned at a front end 50 of the first and second blades 60 , 62 . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that first and second pulleys 65, 67 are connected to and therefore configured to displace and provide movement to the first belt 80, whereas the third and fourth pulleys 70, 72 are connected to and therefore configured to displace and provide movement to the second belt 82. Each one of the pulleys 65, 67, 70, 72 are further comprised of an aperture (not shown) configured to receive the shafts of the drive mechanisms (not shown) . The pulleys 65, 67, 70 and 72 are also configured to ensure the rotational speed of the pulleys 65, 67, 70, 72, are the same as the conveyor belts 80 and 82. In other words, the pulleys 65, 67, 70, 72 and conveyor belts 80, 82 are directly linked and not independent of one another as movement of the belts 80, 82 is powered by the movement of the pulleys 65, 67, 70, 72, which in turn are powered by a shaft 64, 66 connected to a motor (not shown) .

For illustrative purposes, a worker skilled in the art would appreciate that in the present Figures 4, 5 and 6, only the aperture 75 of the first pulley 65 is shown to better explain the functioning of the sorting device (not shown) . During rotation of the first shaft 64 by the first motor (not shown) , the first and third pulleys 65, 70 are correspondingly rotated and therefore displace and provide movement to first and second belts 80, 82 of the first and second blades 60, 62, respectively. As the first and second motors (not shown) are synchronized, the second shaft 66 is similarly rotated by the second motor (not shown) , which correspondingly displaces and provides movement to the second and fourth pulleys 67, 72. In turn, the second and fourth pulleys 67, 72 also actuate and displace and provide movement to the first and second belts 80, 82 of the first and second blades 60, 62, respectively. As shown, the belts 80, 82 are displaced in a clockwise manner . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that although there are two motors and drive mechanisms , only one is required .

With further reference to Figures 4 , 5 and 6 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , as the first pulley 65 of first blade 60 is of fset from third pulley 70 of the second blade 62 , rotation of the shaft 64 will also force the first and second blades 60 , 62 to be displaced along the circumference of the pulleys , or put another way, up and down along the radius of the drive mechanisms (not shown) , in opposed directions as shown with the arrows in Figures 3A1 , 3B1 , 3C1 and 3D1 . Speci fically, the first blade 60 will travel around the circumference of the first pulley 65 , whereas the second blade 62 will travel around the circumference of the third pulley 70 . Similarly, the second pulley 67 of first blade 60 is of fset from fourth pul ley 72 of the second blade 62 , so rotation of the second shaft 66 will also force the first and second blades 60 , 62 to be displaced along the circumferences of the second and fourth pulleys 67 , 72 . As the first and second motors (not shown) are synchroni zed, the first blade 60 will travel in the opposite direction of the second blade 62 along the radial axis of the first and second shafts 64 , 66 . This movement of the blades 60 , 62 is desirable as it provides for dynamic movement and easier separation of materials from those that are 2D to those are 3D .

With reference to Figure 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D and according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , a full blade cycle will be further described . With speci fic reference to Figure 7A, a blade 60 will start a cycle with shaft 64 at the top of a circular traj ectory shown as position A. With speci fic reference to Figure 7B, blade 60 will then travel in a circular motion ( as shown by the arrow in Figure 7A) with shaft 64 now positioned at position B . Blade 60 will continue its cycle with shaft 64 moving to position C as shown in Figure 7C and then on to position D as shown in Figure 7D . The cycle is completed when shaft 64 returns to position A of the circular traj ectory . It is to be noted shaft 66 at the opposite end of blade 60 travels in an identical circular traj ectory as shaft 64 .

With further reference to Figures 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , the movement of a pair of blades in relation to one another will be further described . When a first blade within a pair of blades commences a cycle at position A, the second blade is at position C . As the first blade continues its movement within the circular traj ectory each blade ' s position is as follows :

- Figure 7A - first blade at position A then second blade is at position C with the tips of each blade being aligned to one another (no of fset between the two blades ) and as also shown in Figure 3A1 ;

- Figure 7B - first blade at position B then second blade is at position D with the tips of each blade not being aligned to one another ( an of fset between the two blades ) and as also shown in Figure 3B1 ;

- Figure 7C - first blade at position C then second blade is at position A with the tips of each blade being aligned to one another (no offset between the two blades) and as also shown in Figure 3C1; and

- Figure 7D - first Blade at position D then second blade is at position B with the tips of each blade not being aligned to one another (an offset between the two blades) to complete the cycle and as also shown in Figure 3D1.

With further reference to Figures 4, 5 and 6 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the 2D materials need to be moved by the blades 60, 62 towards the front end 50, whereas the 3D materials need to be flow away from the clockwise direction of the belts 80, 82 of blades 60, 62, towards the rear end 45. As the first and second blades 60, 62 are also comprised of first and second grates 85, 87, materials known as Fines are also able to fall through such grates 85, 87, to further assist in the separation of materials. Indeed, the mesh structure of the first and second grates 85, 87 is able to further separate materials by allowing small items ("Fines" - typically 1-2 inches in width) to fall through for sorting. It should be noted that the sorting device (not shown) is not comprised of a crankshaft, but rather single straight shafts 64, 66 as presently described to actuate the pulleys 65, 67, 70, 72. In another embodiment, a crankshaft or similar mechanism could be utilized. The first and second belts 60, 62 are further comprised of teeth 88, 89 positioned along a length of the belts 60, 62. A purpose of the teeth 88, 89 is to further ensure 2D materials flowing upwardly to a first location along the blade 20 and conversely not affect the desired downward flow of the 3D materials to a second location . The shape of the teeth 88 , 89 will facilitate cooperation with said 2D materials .

With reference to Figure 8 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , the first blade 60 has a crown shape along a longitudinal length thereof . In other words , the central portion 90 of the first blade 60 is higher and more elevated than the front and rear section 50 , 45 of the first blade 60 . This creates two sloped surfaces , the first from the rear section 45 to the central portion 90 , and the second from the central portion 90 to the front section 50 . A purpose of this crown shape is to limit what is referred to in the art as "belt slap" . Indeed, as the blade 60 goes up and down very fast , the inertia of the belt 60 wants to li ft the belt (not shown) every time the belt 60 changes direction . When the belt (not shown) comes down onto the body at high speed a " slapping" ef fect happens , and the crown shape of the belt 60 reduces that unwanted ef fect .

With reference to Figure 9 and according to an embodiment of the present disclosure , a takeup mechanism 95 of the belt 60 is shown . The takeup mechanism 95 is further comprised of two smaller stationary pulleys 102 , 104 and one smaller pivotable pulley 106 , actuatable by a gas strut mechanism 110 . The gas strut mechanism 110 is configured to expand or retract , which in turn pivots the pivotable pulley 106 . A base 115 of the hydraulic mechanism 110 is comprised of grooves 120 to receive a piston arm 125 to further adj ust the takeup mechanism 95 . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that tension adj ustment is a problem in pulleys , such that the movement of the takeup mechanism 95 allows for the adj ustment of the tension of the f irst conveyor belt 80 . A person skilled in the art would appreciate that the gas strut mechanism could also be a hydraulic system . The presence of the takeup mechanism 95 also provides the ability to replace conveyor belt 80 quickly and ef ficiently allowing for less down time of the sorting device according to the present invention .

With reference to Figure 10 and according to another embodiment of the present disclosure , a pair of blades 20 are shown having a first and second blade 60 and 62 . For illustrative purposes , the first blade 60 is shown having a conveyor belt 80 whereas the second belt 62 is shown with the conveyor belt (not shown) removed, exposing vacuum ports 200 on a sublayer 205 . The conveyor belt 80 may be made of mesh material . Having a conveyor belt 80 with openings (not shown) allows air to flow through the openings (not shown) from vacuum ports 200 positioned within the channel 210 . The channel 210 is defined as the area below the belt 80 , in between two opposed plates of the blades 60 , 62 . A worker skilled in the art would appreciate that vacuum ports 200 can be present underneath all conveyor belts used in the present disclosure or can be omitted from each blade , or only present in a number of blades as desired . The addition of these vacuum ports 200 can increase the sorting of 2D materials by loosely securing the 2D materials onto the conveyor belts and allowing those materials to travel and fall at the front end (not shown) . Indeed, the presence of the vacuum ports 200 can increase the ef ficiency of sorting of 2D materials at the front end of the sorter .

With further reference to Figure 10 and according to another embodiment of the present disclosure , blade 62 has pulley 70 with a gear surface such as having a number of teeth 71 present on said surface . The presence of a gear surface allows for movement of a conveyor belt for embodiments that only have a single motor for example .

With reference to Figures 11 , 12 and 13 and according to another embodiment of the present disclosure , a sorter 300 is shown with a flexible surface 310 linking two pair of blades 320 and 322 . In this embodiment , the sorter 300 does not have pairs of blades all adj acent to one another but rather has each pair of blades separated with a flexible surface 310 . The use of flexible surface 310 al lows to produce sorters 300 with less pair of blades , which require less power to operate and can sort material that has a higher stickiness factor while still sorting materials as described in the present disclosure . The flexible surface 310 is secured to the pairs of blades through angle brackets 312 and 314 , wherein an edge of flexible surface 310 can be secured along the length of brackets 312 and 314 . By securing two edges of flexible material 310 within angle brackets 312 and 314 , it allows to position the flexible material 310 between two pair of blades . In operation the flexible material 310 will bend in an upward and downward manner based on the rotational movement of the blades as described in the present disclosure . The material used as the flexible material 310 may be any material that is tear resistant and malleable allowing for it to bend without any resistance within the material .

With reference to Figures 14 and 15 and according to another embodiment of the present disclosure , a sorting device 10 could also have an air unit 400 positioned at rear end 45 . The presence of the air unit 400 provides added control for 1 displacing materials within sorting device 10 . For example , 2D materials will be pushed towards front end 50 of sorting device 10 while 3D material will travel towards rear end 45 of sorting device 10 . Air unit 400 can consist of a number of individual fans 410 or can consist of a single fan based on the requirements of the sorting device . The air unit can be configured to provide the required air flow moving from rear end 45 to front end 50 of sorting device 10 . The only requirement of air unit 400 is the presence of enough air to move 2D material as required .

With further reference to Figure 15 and according to one embodiment of the present disclosure , an operator or an AT algorithm of the sorting device 10 can adj ust the angle of the pair of blades 20 to be lower relative to the ground, which will increase the sorting of 2D materials , whereas a higher angle relative to the ground will increase the sorting of 3D materials . The adj ustment of the angle is provided through the presence of electrical actuator 500 and angle slots within outer walls 600 and 700 . Angle slots 610 and 710 are shown wherein electrical actuator 500 is connected to the front end of the pair of blades allowing to rai se or lower said front end of pair of blades . The angle slots 610 , 710 define a range within which the sorting device 10 can pivot . Indeed, 3D materials are propelled away from the sorting device 10 and downwardly, by the agitation ( i . e . the of fset displacement ) of the pair of blades 20 . This 3D material is barely af fected by the rotational movement of the conveyor belts (not shown) as the contact time is short . Meanwhile , 2D materials have a large surface area and low mass , therefore do not carry far in the air ( due to high drag, slow terminal velocity, low inertia ) when agitated . As such, the 2D materials stay near the surface of the sorting device 10 and have more contact time with the conveyor belts (not shown) and are conveyed upwardly towards the front end 50 . Put another way, adj usting the angle of the sorting device 10 with the adj ustment of air flow favors either 2D or 3D separation . A steeper angle of the sorting device 10 will favor 3D going where it is supposed to go , by further discouraging 3D climbing, which does happen sometimes but is not desirable . However, climbing of 2D materials will also be more di f ficult . In the other case , i f the angle of the sorting device 10 is smaller, more of the 2D materials will climb up the sorting device 10 towards the front end 50 , as the climb is easier to make . Conversely, the downside of this setup is that more of the 3D materials will also climb, which is not desirable . The combination of air flow and the angle can increase the sorting ef ficacy . The present invention can also consist of a sorting device without an air unit , having an air unit without any modi fication to the angle of the pair of blades , or having an air unit and ability to modi fy the angle of incline for the pair of blades in a sorting device .

Many modi fications of the embodiments described herein as well as other embodiments may be evident to a person skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings . It is understood that these modi fications and additional embodiments are captured within the scope of the contemplated disclosure which is not to be limited to the speci fic embodiment disclosed .

Claims

1 . A sorting device to sort materials , comprising : at least one pair of blades compri sing a first blade and a second blade , each one of the first and second blades further comprising a conveyor belt , the at least one pair of blades configured to displace the materials ; and, a drive mechanism operatively engaged with the at least one pair of blades to displace the materials , wherein the drive mechanism rotates the conveyor belts to provide static movement of the materials to a first location, and wherein the drive mechanism actuates the first and second blades to provide dynamic movement of the materials to a second location .

2 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the first blade is of fset from the second blade .

3 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the first blade is of fset from the second blade along a radial axis of the drive mechanism .

4 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the first and second blades travel in opposed directions along the radial axis of the drive mechanism .

5 . The sorting device of Claim 4 wherein the drive mechanism is further comprised of a rotatable driveshaft , the driveshaft extending from one side of the sorting device to the other opposed side along a width of the f irst and second blades , each one of the first and second blades further comprised of pulleys through which the driveshaft is inserted to actuate the first and second blades .

6 . The sorting device of Claim 1 comprising a plurality of pairs of blades , each one of the plurality of pairs of blades being of fset from the other .

7 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the at least one pair of blades is tiltable about a pivot point such that the first location is positioned above the second location .

8 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the first blade and the second blade are crown-shaped .

9 . The sorting device of Claim 1 further comprising a takeup mechanism to adj ust a tension in the conveyor belts .

10 . The sorting device of Claim 9 wherein the takeup mechanism is further comprised of : a plurality of pulleys ; and, a piston engaged with the plurality of pulleys , the piston moveable to adj ust the tension .

11 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the at least one pair of blades are further comprised of grates , the grates having openings through which fines fall to further optimi ze sorting of the materials .

12 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the at least one pair of blades are further comprised of teeth positioned along a length of the first and second blades to assist in the sorting of materials towards the first location .

13 . The sorting device of Claim 1 wherein the conveyor belts are further comprised of apertures configured to cooperate with a vacuum to provide suction to the sorting device .

14 . The sorting device of Claim 1 further comprising a flexible surface to link two pairs of blades of the at least one pair of blades .

15 . The sorting device of Claim 1 further comprising an air unit to further sort the materials .

16 . The sorting device of Claim 15 wherein the air unit is comprised of a plurality of fans to provide airflow from a first end to a second opposed end of the sorting device .

17 . The sorting device of Claim 1 being pivotable about a pivot point .

18 . The sorting device of Claim 17 further comprising an actuator engageable with angle slots to pivot the sorting device , the angle slots defining a range within which the sorting device can pivot .