Fraunhofer-Institut für Optronik, Systemtechnik und Bildauswertung IOSB

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  • Publication
    GridSort: Image-based Optical Bulk Material Sorting Using Convolutional LSTMs
    ( 2023)
    Reith-Braun, Marcel
    ;
    Bauer, Albert
    ;
    Staab, Maximilian
    ;
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    ;
    Beyerer, Jürgen
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe D.
    Optical sorters separate particles of different classes by first detecting them while they are transported, e.g., on a conveyor belt, and subsequently bursting out particles of undesired classes using compressed air nozzles. Currently, the most promising results are achieved by predictive tracking, a multitarget tracking approach based on extracted midpoints from area-scan camera images that analyzes the particles’ motion and activates the nozzles accordingly. However, predictive tracking requires expert knowledge for setup and preceding object detection. Moreover, particle shapes are only considered implicitly, and the need to solve an association problem rises the computational complexity of the algorithm. In this paper, we present GridSort, an image-based approach that forecasts the scene at the nozzle array using a convolutional long short-term memory neural network and subsequently extracts nozzle activations, thus circumventing the aforementioned weaknesses. We show how GridSort can be trained in an unsupervised fashion and evaluate it using a coupled discrete element–computational fluid dynamics simulation of an optical sorter. We compare our method with predictive tracking in terms of sorting accuracy and demonstrate that it is an easy-to-apply alternative while achieving state-of-the-art results.
  • Publication
    Benchmarking a DEM‐CFD Model of an Optical Belt Sorter by Experimental Comparison
    ( 2023)
    Bauer, Albert
    ;
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Reith-Braun, Marcel
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    ;
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    A DEM-CFD (discrete element method - computational fluid dynamics) model of an optical belt sorter was extensively compared with experiments of a laboratory-scale sorter to assess the model's accuracy. Brick and sand-lime brick were considered as materials. First, the transport characteristics on the conveyor belt, involving mass flow, lateral particle distribution and proximity, were compared. Second, sorting results were benchmarked for varying mixture proportions at differing mass flows. It was found that the numerical model is able to reproduce the experimental results with high accuracy.
  • Publication
    Simulation study and experimental validation of a neural network-based predictive tracking system for sensor-based sorting
    ( 2023)
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Reith-Braun, Marcel
    ;
    Bauer, Albert
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe D.
    ;
    Beyerer, Jürgen
    Sensor-based sorting offers cutting-edge solutions for separating granular materials. The line-scanning sensors currently in use in such systems only produce a single observation of each object and no data on its movement. According to recent studies, using an area-scan camera has the potential to reduce both characterization and separation error in a sorting process. A predictive tracking approach based on Kalman filters makes it possible to estimate the followed paths and parametrize a unique motion model for each object using a multiobject tracking system. While earlier studies concentrated on physically-motivated motion models, it has been demonstrated that novel machine learning techniques produce predictions that are more accurate. In this paper, we describe the creation of a predictive tracking system based on neural networks. The new algorithm is applied to an experimental sorting system and to a numerical model of the sorter. Although the new approach does not yet fully reach the achieved sorting quality of the existing approaches, it allows the use of the general method without requiring expert knowledge or a fundamental understanding of the parameterization of the particle motion model.
  • Publication
    Towards a feed material adaptive optical belt sorter: A simulation study utilizing a DEM-CFD approach
    ( 2022-09-09)
    Bauer, Albert
    ;
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Reith-Braun, Marcel
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    ;
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    In this investigation, a DEM-CFD model of an optical belt sorter is modified to become adaptive to varying belt speeds. For that, the positions and orientations of the nozzle bar and collecting containers are rearranged. Also, the duration of nozzle activation and optimal position of particle ejection are adjusted. For the derivation of optimal velocity-dependent parameters, a two-dimensional model is derived and optimized as a pre-processing step. The derived parameters are applied to the three-dimensional DEM-CFD model. Two optically distinguishable types of demolition waste materials are considered. All conveyor belt velocities are investigated with instantaneously and lagged activated nozzles, which represent fast and realistic triggered nozzle activations. The application of optimized sorting setups shows promising sorting results for a broad range of conveyor belt velocities. The obtained results are discussed in terms of their feasibility in being applied to real optical belt sorters.
  • Publication
    Mixture of Experts of Neural Networks and Kalman Filters for Optical Belt Sorting
    ( 2022)
    Thumm, Jakob
    ;
    Reith-Braun, Marcel
    ;
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe D.
    ;
    Flitter, Merle
    ;
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    ;
    Bauer, Albert
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    In optical sorting of bulk material, the composition of particles may frequently change. State-of-the-art sorting approaches rely on tuning physical models of the particle motion. The aim of this work is to increase the prediction accuracy in complex, fast-changing sorting scenarios with data-driven approaches. We propose two neural network (NN) experts for accurate prediction of a priori known particle types. To handle the large variety of particle types that can occur in real-world sorting scenarios, we introduce a simple but effective mixture of experts approach that combines NNs with hand-crafted motion models. Our new method not only improves the prediction accuracy for bulk material consisting of many particle classes, but also proves to be very adaptive and robust to new particle types.
  • Publication
    Experimental Evaluation of a Novel Sensor-Based Sorting Approach Featuring Predictive Real-Time Multiobject Tracking
    ( 2021)
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Pieper, Christoph
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Noack, Benjamin
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe D.
    ;
    Wirtz, Siegmar
    ;
    Scherer, Viktor
    ;
    Beyerer, Jürgen
    Sensor-based sorting is a machine vision application that has found industrial application in various fields. An accept-or-reject task is executed by separating a material stream into two fractions. Current systems use line-scanning sensors, which is convenient as the material is perceived during transportation. However, line-scanning sensors yield a single observation of each object and no information about their movement. Due to a delay between localization and separation, assumptions regarding the location and point in time for separation need to be made based on the prior localization. Hence, it is necessary to ensure that all objects are transported at uniform velocities. This is often a complex and costly solution. In this paper, we propose a new method for reliably separating particles at non-uniform velocities. The problem is transferred from a mechanical to an algorithmic level. Our novel advanced image processing approach includes equipping the sorter with an area-scan camera in combination with a real-time multiobject tracking system, which enables predictions of the location of individual objects for separation. For the experimental validation of our approach, we present a modular sorting system, which allows comparing sorting results using a line-scan and area-scan camera. Results show that our approach performs reliable separation and hence increases sorting efficiency.
  • Publication
    Predictive tracking with improved motion models for optical belt sorting
    ( 2020)
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Pieper, Christoph
    ;
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Noack, Benjamin
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe D.
    ;
    Wirtz, Siegmar
    ;
    Scherer, Viktor
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    ;
    Beyerer, Jürgen
    Optical belt sorters are a versatile means to sort bulk materials. In previous work, we presented a novel design of an optical belt sorter, which includes an area scan camera instead of a line scan camera. Line scan cameras, which are well-established in optical belt sorting, only allow for a single observation of each particle. Using multitarget tracking, the data of the area scan camera can be used to derive a part of the trajectory of each particle. The knowledge of the trajectories can be used to generate accurate predictions as to when and where each particle passes the separation mechanism. Accurate predictions are key to achieve high quality sorting results. The accuracy of the trajectories and the predictions heavily depends on the motion model used. In an evaluation based on a simulation that provides us with ground truth trajectories, we previously identified a bias in the temporal component of the prediction. In this paper, we analyze the simulation-based ground truth data of the motion of different bulk materials and derive models specifically tailored to the generation of accurate predictions for particles traveling on a conveyor belt. The derived models are evaluated using simulation data involving three different bulk materials. The evaluation shows that the constant velocity model and constant acceleration model can be outperformed by utilizing the similarities in the motion behavior of particles of the same type.
  • Publication
    Characterizing material flow in sensor-based sorting systems using an instrumented particle
    ( 2020)
    Maier, Georg
    ;
    Pfaff, Florian
    ;
    Bittner, Andrea
    ;
    Gruna, Robin
    ;
    Längle, Thomas
    ;
    Beyerer, Jürgen
    ;
    Noack, Benjamin
    ;
    Kruggel-Emden, Harald
    ;
    Hanebeck, Uwe D.
    Sensor-based sorting is a well-established single particle separation technology. It has found wide application as a quality assurance and control approach in food processing, mining, and recycling. In order to assure high sorting quality, a high degree of control of the motion of individual particles contained in the material stream is required. Several system designs, which are tailored to a sorting task at hand, exist. However, the suitability of a design for a sorting task is assessed by empirical observation. The required thorough experimentation is very time consuming and labor intensive. In this paper, we propose an instrumented bulk material particle for the characterization of motion behavior of the material stream in sensor-based sorting systems. We present a hardware setup including a 9-axis absolute orientation sensor that is used for data acquisition on an experimental sorting system. The presented results show that further processing of this data yields meaningful features of the motion behavior. As an example, we acquire and process data from an experimental sorting system consisting of several submodules such as vibrating conveyor channels and a chute. It is shown that the data can be used to train a model which enables predicting the submodule of a sorting system from which an unknown data sample originates. To our best knowledge, this is the first time that this IIoT-based approach has been applied for the characterization of material flow properties in sensor-based sorting.