An improved method for sorting bulk goods could lead to significant costs savings in industries ranging fromBelt sorting line. Credit: Fraunhofer IOSB chemicals to food. The researchers that designed the new system also suggested a way to update existing sorting systems.

Current sorting systems use cameras to scan material on the belt. Unwanted material is removed. The problem with this system is that the cameras scan a small sample of the belt, resulting in a rougher sorting process.

Uwe Hanebeck from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Thomas Längle of the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, Systems Technology and Image Evaluation (IOSB) designed a system where cameras have multiple perspectives on the sorting belt. This change increases object identification precision. Along with the cameras, software has algorithms that can predict how the objects being sorted will move along the sorting belt. Existing sorting lines can be improved by installing new software.

The new system offers several advantages. Benjamin Noack of KIT explained using the example of of spheres and hemispheres: “When seen from the top, they look alike. While hemispheres normally remain on the belt, spheres are restless, thus additionally aggravating the sorting process. However, when seen from the side, spheres and hemispheres can be distinguished.”

The researchers report that this system is attracting interest from industry.