US 11,945,002 B2
Automatic metal sorting system and method using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy
Sung Ho Jeong, Gwangju (KR); Sung Ho Shin, Gwangju (KR); Young Min Moon, Gwangju (KR); and Jae Pil Lee, Gwangju (KR)
Assigned to GIST(Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology), Gwangju (KR)
Filed by GIST(Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology), Gwangju (KR)
Filed on Apr. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/711,540.
Application 17/711,540 is a continuation of application No. PCT/KR2020/008124, filed on Jun. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2019-0122274 (KR), filed on Oct. 2, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0219205 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. B07C 5/34 (2006.01); B07C 5/342 (2006.01); B07C 5/36 (2006.01)
CPC B07C 5/342 (2013.01) [B07C 5/365 (2013.01); B07C 2501/0054 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automatic metal sorting system using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, the automatic metal sorting system comprising:
a conveyer configured to move waste metals at a constant speed;
a shape measurer configured to measure a position and a shape of at least one waste metal on the conveyer;
a laser induced breakdown spectroscopic device configured to determine the kind of the waste metal by emitting a laser to the waste metal and receiving and analyzing a plasma spectrum signal generated by the emitted laser; and
a discharger configured to separate and discharge the waste metal in accordance with the determined kind of the waste metal,
wherein the laser induced breakdown spectroscopic device includes:
a laser emitter configured to emit the laser;
a focusing module configured to receive the laser from the laser emitter, and adjust a focal length of the laser in accordance with a change in positions and shapes of the waste metals;
a dichroic mirror configured to receive the laser having the adjusted focal length from the focusing module, and transmit the received laser; and
a galvano-scanner configured to receive the laser from the dichroic mirror, and direct the laser to the waste metals located on the conveyer by changing a direction of the laser emitted from the laser emitter by adjusting an angle of a mirror disposed in the galvano-scanner, and
wherein the focusing module is positioned between the dichroic mirror and the laser emitter, and the dichroic mirror is positioned between the focusing module and the galvano-scanner.