Sensor Fusion
Combining Different Sensors for Optimized Results
Sensor fusion is an innovative technology used in many industrial applications to optimize results by combining different sensor and camera technologies. This means that information from different cameras and sensors is combined to reach application-specific sorting decisions.
It is, therefore, possible to combine an EVK HELIOS hyperspectral camera (to classify materials based on their chemical composition), an EVK ABAS metal sensor (to detect ferrous and non-ferrous metals), and a color camera to achieve maximum sorting results. This advanced method helps to collect more accurate data and make more informed decisions. Sensor fusion has proven to be extremely effective, especially in the recycling, food, and mining industries.
EVK HELIOS hyperspectral cameras capture light in the near-infrared (NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) range from 930 nm to 1700 nm. This wavelength range is ideal for determining the material based on its chemical composition. This wavelength range is imperceptible to conventional cameras, as well as to the human eye, which means hyperspectral cameras make the invisible visible.
Moreover, hyperspectral cameras cannot detect the spectrum visible to the human eye (400 nm to 780 nm). Therefore, for some applications, the fusion of hyperspectral camera and color camera makes sense – materials can then be classified based on their color as well as their chemical composition.
Complemented by an EVK ABAS metal sensor, materials can additionally be detected based on their electrical and magnetic properties. The metal scanner provides spatially resolved information about ferrous and non-ferrous metals in a bulk stream and enables selective sorting.
Combination of Hyperspectral Camera and Inductive Sensor
The fusion of a hyperspectral camera and an inductive sensor bar proves to be extremely useful, especially in the field of recycling. That´s because different types of plastic and other materials can be precisely sorted based on their chemical composition, regardless of their color. In addition, inductive sensors are able to detect metals and remove them from the product stream, so that they can be recycled, too.
Combining Hyperspectral Cameras and Color Cameras
Combining color and hyperspectral cameras allows for more accurate decisions in the sorting process, for example in the mining sector. In the recycling industry it is possible to sort by fraction (color as well as chemical composition). EVK HELIOS is ideal, for example, to distinguish between plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Combined with an RGB camera, it is possible to separate plastics by color. In the food and recycling industries, sensor fusion can help sort products based on their color, seize as well as their quality. In many other industrial applications, results can be optimized by combining different intelligent sensor and camera technologies.
Sensor Fusion:
The Solution for Complex Sorting Tasks
Sensor fusion is an effective solution for complex sorting tasks where sensor data must be fused to image different wavelength ranges. By combining different sensor technologies, accurate information about the chemical composition and color of materials can be obtained. As a result companies can sort materials more efficiently and optimize processes.
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