SYSTEM FOR CLASSIFYING OBJECTS BY COLOR ON A CONVEYOR BELT

A prototype of a system for sorting objects by color has been developed, consisting of two main parts: a conveyor belt and a diverter mechanism. Unlike humans, who, thanks to their developed vision, easily recognize colors and shapes, in industrial production manual sorting becomes laborious, slow and unreliable in the long term, especially when it is necessary to maintain the same quality. In this system, an artificial pneumatic muscle is used to drive the diverter – a type of actuator developed through the combination of robotics and biology. The pneumatic muscle enables the diverter to rotate and represents an interesting technical solution for this application. When an object passes under a color sensor, the sensor recognizes its color. If the color is appropriate, the control unit activates the diverter, which redirects the object to the appropriate container. Objects of other colors simply continue along the belt and end up in another container. The entire sorting process includes: activating the valve, moving the object using the diverter, and then turning off the valve and returning the diverter to its starting position. Automation of such processes in industry greatly contributes to greater efficiency, accuracy and production speed.