When a person picks up a nut and checks it from all sides before deciding if it’s good or bad, they naturally rotate it in their hand. But how does a machine do that — especially when nuts are rolling quickly along a conveyor?
Smart sorting machines use a clever design to make each nut spin while it moves. This spinning action helps the cameras take enough photos from different angles, giving the AI a full picture to make better decisions. Let’s look at how it works.
1. The Soft Rubber Rollers The nuts sit on soft, rotating rubber wheels arranged along the conveyor. These wheels gently grip each nut and make it roll. Because they are soft and slightly flexible, they don’t damage delicate products like pistachios, walnuts, or dates. As the rollers turn, the nut spins along its axis.
2. The Plastic Gear Strip Below Below the rubber rollers, there is a plastic strip with small teeth — like a gear rack. As the rollers move forward, the gear teeth engage with the rollers and create a twisting force. This twisting motion turns each roller at the right speed, so the nuts on top rotate in a controlled way.
Image from: Nut sorting machine from JGY Vision Technology
3. Perfect Timing for the Camera As the nuts spin, they pass through the visual recognition area. Here, high-definition industrial cameras take multiple photos of each nut — from different sides and angles. Thanks to the rotation, the AI doesn’t just see one surface, but many. This is important because a nut may look fine on one side but have cracks or mold on another.
Why This Matters Without this smart rotation design, the machine would miss hidden defects. By rotating each nut and taking multiple images, the system gives the AI all the information it needs to sort accurately. This means fewer mistakes, better product quality, and happier customers.
It’s a small mechanical trick — soft wheels plus a gear strip — but it plays a big role in making sorting smart and reliable.
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