Control of ejection using a gaseous media

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an arrangement (10) for sorting items (101, 102) using a gaseous media, the arrangement (10) comprising: a sorting arrangement (16) for sorting items (101, 102) using a gaseous media; a fluid supply device (15) for supplying a flow of gaseous media; a transport arrangement (11) for transporting a material flow comprising items (101, 102) to be sorted to a sorting zone via a detection zone; a receiving arrangement (14) for receiving sorted items (101, 102) in one or more receiving zones (141, 14N) based on item category; a sensor arrangement (12) configured to provide sensor data of an item (101, 102) to be sorted present in said detection zone, and configured to detect at least one feature of said item associating said item with an item category of at least one item category; wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to establish, based at least on said sensor data and item category, an ejection estimation indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item (101, 102) to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones (141, 14N), wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to, based at least on said ejection estimation, provide an ejection impulse by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from a plurality of flow outlets (162) so as to eject items (101, 102) to be sorted in the sorting zone to one of said one or more receiving zones (141, 14N) corresponding to said item category with which said at least one feature of said item is associated A method (1000) is also disclosed.

Description

[0001] CONTROL OF EJECTION USING A GASEOUS MEDIA

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to an arrangement for sorting items using a gaseous media and a method of sorting items using a gaseous media.

[0004] Background of the Invention

[0005] A sorting machine may be used in e.g. mining, recycling, or the scrapping industry to sort items such as e.g. plastics, metals, stones, gems and diamonds from a material flow. A sorting machine may also be used in the food industry for sorting different kind of food articles such as e.g. potatoes or fresh vegetables. The sorting machine typically comprises a nozzle device with nozzles through which a gaseous media is ejected towards the items to be sorted, and some sort of receiving means for receiving the sorted items.

[0006] In order to determine which of the items that is to be sorted out of the material flow, the sorting machines commonly operate using transmitter and receiver units, such as e.g., optical or inductive transmitter and receiver units. For example, as described in AT 395 545 B, the transmitter units comprise light sources, such as diode light sources, emitting light beams, which are bundled in the receiver unit onto a photocell via a lens system. The transmitter and the receiver units are typically connected to a central computing unit which processes the incoming data and determines the position, size, and type of the individual items in the material flow based on the light beams received by the receiver units and emitted by the transmitter units.

[0007] Subsequently, the sorting of the individual items is carried out based on the completed identification / determination of the individual items in the material flow. This sorting operation is performed by ejecting a gaseous or liquid media against the individual items, based on the identification / determination of the individual items by the computing unit. The sorting machine, comprising: the nozzle and thereto leading flow channel may be controlled by valves, such as solenoid valves, operated by the computing unit.

[0008] One type of a sorting machine, for example the sorting machine described in AT 395,545 B, use a nozzle arranged to eject the gaseous media in a direction "bottom up", meaning that the nozzles are arranged to eject the gaseous media in a direction having a component opposite to the force of gravity. The material flow is transported towards the nozzles by e.g. a conveyer belt, where after the items in the material flow are allowed to fall over the edge of the conveyer belt. During the descent of the falling items, a nozzle ejects a gaseous media towards the items to be sorted whereby the falling path of the item is changed, for example by forcing the item into a container or onto a separated conveyor belt.

[0009] Sorting machines having nozzles arranged "bottom up" have several advantages compared to nozzles being arranged to eject the gaseous or liquid media in a direction having a component coinciding with the force of gravity. For example, "bottom up" arrangement generally provides a higher sorting accuracy and less consumption of the gaseous or liquid media. However, the nozzles arranged "bottom up" has the disadvantage that dust and particles more easily may be transported into the nozzle and thereby cause clogging of the nozzle and / or the deterioration of components, such as valves, arranged inside, or prior to, the nozzle.

[0010] A solution to one of these problems is for example disclosed in 25 DE 202008 017 7 48 U 1 , where the sorting machine is provided with a particle trap arranged inside the nozzles in order to collect incoming particles and prevent them from entering further into the nozzle. However, such particle trap needs maintenance, e.g. emptying the particle trap, and further complicates the structure of the nozzle. There is thus a need for improving the state of the art and to provide an improved or at least better adapted nozzle and / or sorting machine.

[0011] WO 2017 / 005772 A1 discloses a nozzle device and a system comprising the same for sorting items by ejecting a gaseous media towards said item. The nozzle device comprises: a nozzle unit comprising at least one nozzle; a nozzle bar comprising gas supply means for providing a gaseous media to said nozzle unit; and a nozzle fixation bracket adapted for holding said nozzle unit in place. The at least one nozzle comprises: an inlet for receiving the gaseous media; and having one outlet, having an outlet area, for ejecting the gaseous media towards an item to be sorted; a channel extending between said inlet and said outlet; an outlet portion surrounding at least said outlet, wherein said outlet portion comprises a flexible material, which deflects upon ejection of the gaseous media, received from said nozzle bar, through said outlet whereby said outlet area increases. Summary of the Invention

[0012] An object of the present disclosure is to alleviate at least some of the above problems, and to provide a solution that to at least some extent, improves the prior art in one or more regards. This, and other items, which will become apparent in the following, is accomplished by means of the solutions defined in the accompanying claims.

[0013] The present disclosure relates to a solution involving a sorting arrangement configured to sort items based on item category by means of providing a flow of gaseous media towards a sorting area through which items to be sorted are transported. Thereby, with the flow of gaseous media, items may be ejected towards at least a first receiving area for receiving a respective item category. The gaseous media is provided by a source of gaseous media, such as a compressor, which gaseous media is then guided towards items by means of a plurality of flow control modules. Thus, an item to be sorted may be sorted using “ejection sorting”, a term which in the following refers to sorting an item by means of providing a flow of gaseous media so as to eject an item towards a receiving zone corresponding to an identified item category of the item in question being sorted. Moreover, a sorting arrangement configured to sort items by means of ejection sorting may be referred to as an ejection sorter. In any case, by controlling the plurality of flow control modules and optionally the compressor also, flow characteristics of the flow of gaseous media may be adjusted as desired, thereby enabling sorting of a great variety of items.

[0014] However, an important aspect of such a solution is energy consumption. A great portion of the energy used during ejection sorting is typically attributed to the operation of the compressor. In order to reduce energy consumption and by extension, improve energy efficiency, reducing the amount of gaseous media used during ejection sorting is one key area the inventors of this disclosure have elected to improve.

[0015] The present disclosure is based on the insight that energy consumption of ejection sorting can be reduced by providing a more precise control of flow of gaseous media, thereby allowing a more economic use of gaseous media during ejection sorting. A first option for achieving this is to improve the sorting arrangement in terms of structure and / or functionality. For instance, as will be detailed in the following, this may be exemplified by modifying control valves of the sorting arrangement to allow adjustment of flow of gaseous media used during ejection sorting. A second option for achieving this is to improve a method of controlling operation of the sorting arrangement. For instance, as will be detailed in the following, this may be exemplified by determining a target sub-region of an item to be sorted and control the flow of gaseous media to direct the flow of gaseous media towards the target sub-region. Each of these options may be implemented independently from one another or be implemented in combination, optionally with further features and / or method steps. In view of the options above, the amount of gaseous media may be used in a more economic manner, thereby resulting in reduced energy consumption and improved energy efficiency.

[0016] According to a first aspect of the disclosure, an arrangement for sorting items using a gaseous media is provided. The arrangement comprises: a sorting arrangement for sorting items using a gaseous media; a gaseous supply device for supplying a flow of gaseous media; a transport arrangement for transporting a material flow with items to be sorted to a sorting zone via a detection zone; a receiving arrangement for receiving sorted items in one or more receiving zones based on item category; a sensor arrangement configured to provide sensor data of an item to be sorted present in said detection zone, and configured to detect from said sensor data at least one feature of said item associating said item with an item category of at least one item category. The arrangement is configured to establish, based at least on said sensor data and item category, an ejection estimation indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones. The sorting arrangement comprises: a plurality of flow control modules. Each flow control module comprises: at least one flow inlet adapted to be connected to the fluid supply device; a flow outlet for guiding flow of gaseous media provided from the fluid supply device towards said sorting zone; a control valve arranged between the at least one flow inlet and the flow outlet, wherein the control valve is adapted to adjust flow of gaseous media from said at least one flow inlet to said flow outlet in response to a control signal. The arrangement is configured to, based at least on said ejection estimation, provide an ejection impulse by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets so as to eject items to be sorted in the sorting zone to one of said one or more receiving zones corresponding to said item category with which said at least one feature of said item is associated.

[0017] The ejection estimation is indicative of a required ejection impulse. When providing a flow of gaseous media to eject an item to a receiving zone, the flow of gaseous media is provided for a certain time duration, which henceforth may be referred to as an ejection flow duration. As is known, when providing a flow of gaseous media towards a surface, such as a surface of an item, said item experiences a force resulting from the flow of gaseous media acting on said surface of said item, which henceforth may be referred to as an ejection force. Thus, depending on pressure of the flow of gaseous media and the size of the surface impacted, the ejection force can be varied as desired. Moreover, the ejection flow duration can be varied as well. As is known, an impulse delivered by a (varying) force is the integral of the force with respect to time. Thus, an ejection impulse can be defined. The ejection impulse delivered by the ejection force is the integral of the ejection force with respect to the ejection flow duration. As a non-limiting example, the ejection force may be substantially constant over at least a first portion of the ejection flow duration or wholly overt the ejection flow duration. As a non-limiting example, the ejection force may vary over at least a second portion of the ejection flow duration or wholly over the ejection flow duration. As a non-limiting example, the ejection force may be substantially constant over at least a first portion of the ejection flow duration and vary over at least a second portion of the ejection flow duration, the order of which may be any, including alternating said at least first portion and said at least second portion in some manner. As a non-limiting example, the ejection force may increase over a first portion of the ejection flow duration, then remain constant over a second portion of the ejection flow duration, then decrease over a third portion of the ejection flow duration. Optionally, the ejection force may remain constant over a fourth portion of the ejection flow duration, then decrease down to substantially no ejection force over a fifth portion of the ejection flow duration. Thus, the ejection impulse may be varied in a plurality of ways, thus allowing calibration of said ejection more precisely, thereby reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency. The ejection estimation may be based at least one parameter for ejecting an item to a specific receiving zone associated with an item category of said item. The ejection estimation at least indicate said ejection impulse. Said at least one parameter for ejecting said item may include any one of, or any combination of: a target flow rate of gaseous media of at least one flow control module; an ejection flow duration of at least one flow control module; selection of at least one flow control module; control of at least one flow control module; operational pressure of the flow of gaseous media; an estimated flow rate provided depending on control of the fluid supply device and / or the control of at least one flow control module; item information such as item material, item weight, item geometry, item position, item orientation; a target sub-region of an item to be sorted (which target sub-region is detailed elsewhere in the present disclosure), including position of the target sub-region, size of target sub-region, shape of target sub-region; obstacles, such as other items at least partially obstructing an intended ejection path of an item.

[0018] When providing the flow of gaseous media to eject an item, said item may be ejected to travel during an ejection travel duration. Ejection travel duration may refer to the duration of time from a first timepoint at which an item is ejected to a second timepoint at which the item reaches a pre-determined destination, such as a receiving zone, or when said item comes to rest. It should be noted that ejection flow duration indicates the time duration during which a flow of gaseous media is provided, whereas ejection travel duration indicates the time duration during which an item travels as a result of ejection. Typically, the ejection flow duration and the ejection travel duration will not be equal but may be so depending on configuration.

[0019] Preferably, the ejection flow duration is shorter than the ejection travel duration, since the flow of gaseous media may transfer momentum to an item to be ejected more effectively the closer said item is to the flow outlets of the flow control modules.

[0020] Thus, by establishing an ejection estimation indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones, the amount of gaseous media may be more economically used.

[0021] By a required ejection impulse, it is meant the ejection impulse which is required to at least in theory eject an item to be sorted to one of said one or more receiving zones. Each of said one or more receiving zones may be for receiving items of a particular item category. Thus, depending on the item and its item category, which may be inferred from said at least one feature, the ejection impulse may correspondingly differ. For instance, the receiving arrangement may comprise a first receiving zone for receiving items of a first item category and a second receiving zone for receiving items of a second item category. The first receiving zone and the second receiving zone may be located differently with respect to a sorting zone, thus the ejection impulse may depend on whether an item to be sorted appears to be or is an item of said first item category or an item of said second item category.

[0022] Advantageously, the arrangement can be configured based on feedback of ejection sorting so as to improve control of the flow of gaseous media. For instance, the flow control valves may be controlled so as to provide the required ejection impulse while reducing, preferably minimizing, the time the flow control valves are open to contribute to the flow of gaseous media. Thus, the amount of gaseous media used may be reduced, and consequently, energy consumption may be reduced and energy efficiency may be increased.

[0023] Further, said control of flow control valves may be distributed from a first sorting arrangement to one or more further sorting arrangement(s). Thereby, improvements in ejection sorting for items of one or more item categories can be distributed quickly to any number of further sorting arrangements.

[0024] In addition, with age, sorting arrangements may experience reduced ejection sorting performance. This may for instance be due to wear and tear of flow control valves which have been operational for a while. Thus, said control of flow control valves may implement “age compensation”, i.e. , compensate ejection sorting with reduced performance. As a non-limiting example, age compensation may include controlling flow control valves so that a given sorting specification is met by compensating with an increased consumption of gaseous media. Thereby, the arrangement may advantageously enable ejection sorting to meet a given sorting specification, thus extending the time between maintenance. Moreover, since sorting arrangements may age at different rates and / or be installed and / or receive maintenance at different times, age compensation allow various sorting arrangement to synchronize in terms of sorting performance. This may be advantageous when planning to provide maintenance to a plurality of sorting arrangements in close succession, thus reducing the frequency of overall maintenance needed (more sorting arrangements receive maintenance approximately at the same time). In addition, the performance of a sorting arrangement may be monitored based on fluid consumption, which can be used as an indicator of need of maintenance. Thus, proactive maintenance may be implemented, i.e. , maintenance is provided before a sorting arrangement malfunctions, thereby allowing planning of when to provide maintenance at a more favourable time.

[0025] While the arrangement is disclosed in the context of using gaseous media, the arrangement may nonetheless be equally adapted for liquid media. As a collective term, fluid media may be used. Fluid media refers to a substance (such as a liquid or gas) tending to flow or conform to the outline of a boundary through which the substance is provided. Thus, fluid media includes gaseous media and / or liquid media. The gaseous media may e.g. be compressed air and the liquid media may e.g. be water. The gaseous or liquid media may be ejected through the flow outlets e.g. in the form of a pulse or e.g. in the form of a flow such as e.g. a continuous flow.

[0026] Gaseous media provided by the fluid supply device has an operating pressure. The operating pressure may be a pressure setting of the fluid supply device. The operating pressure may be a pressure of gaseous media as received by the flow control modules. The operating pressure is preferably in the range of 1 .5 bars to 10 bars, more preferably in the range of 2 bars to 10 bars. The operating pressure may be adjusted to an operating pressure selected from at least a first operating pressure. The fluid supply device may e.g., include a compressor for providing gaseous media at a given or selected operating pressure.

[0027] The transportation arrangement may comprise at least a first transport arrangement module. The transport arrangement may comprise a plurality of transport arrangement modules. The transport arrangement modules of the transport arrangement may be arranged so as to transport items at least partially in any of the following configurations: from a material input zone to a detection zone; from a detection zone to a sorting zone; from a sorting zone to a receiving zone; and / or from a receiving zone to a further receiving zone.

[0028] One or more transport arrangement modules of the transport arrangement may include any of the following: a conveyer belt for transporting the material flow with items to be sorted; a chute arranged for transporting the material flow with items to be sorted; a free-falling segment; an ejection space through which items may travel following ejection.

[0029] The receiving arrangement may be configured to provide at least a first receiving zone. Each receiving zone of said at least a first receiving zone may be adapted with a chute and / or a boundary delimiting said each receiving zone. A transport module may be arranged to transport items from one or more receiving zones to a respective further receiving zone. A further receiving zone may be provided by a storage arrangement, which may include container. The receiving arrangement may comprise one or more containers, each container corresponding to a receiving zone.

[0030] The sensor arrangement is configured to provide sensor data of an item to be sorted present in said detection zone. The detection zone may be an area through which items are placed or transported. As a non-limiting example, items may be transported through said detection zone by means of said transport arrangement. The sensor arrangement is configured to detect from said sensor data at least one feature of said item associating said item with an item category of at least one item category. Thus, as a non-limiting example, the arrangement may be provided with items including metal scrap and non-metal debris, wherein the sensor arrangement provides sensor data of said items, and detects at least one feature, such as a spectrum, from which item material can be determined, thus allowing sorting of items into a first item category (metals) and a second item category (non-metals). Moreover, said at least one feature may include two or more features, from which precise categorization of items into different item categories is enabled.

[0031] The sorting arrangement comprises a plurality of flow control modules. Each flow control module comprises at least one flow inlet adapted to be connected to the fluid supply device. Each flow control module comprises a flow outlet for guiding flow of gaseous media provided from the fluid supply device towards said sorting zone. Each flow control flow module comprises a control valve arranged between the at least one flow inlet and the flow outlet. The control valve is adapted to adjust flow of gaseous media from said at least one flow inlet to said flow outlet in response to a control signal. Each flow control module may comprise a channel fluidly connecting said at least one flow inlet to the control valve. Each flow control module may comprise a channel fluidly connecting said flow control valve to the flow outlet. Thereby, operation of the flow control valve may advantageously regulate pressure of gaseous media provided by the fluid supply device at an operating pressure. Each flow control valve may be controlled by means of an actuator or the like which is configured to actuate an adjustment of said each flow control valve in response to a control signal. Said control signal may be any suitable signal, such as an electrical signal or an optical signal.

[0032] The plurality of flow control modules may be adapted as separately units configured to be removably installed to a sorting arrangement configured to operate as an ejection sorter. In such a case, each flow control module may comprise a housing for housing said flow control valve. The housing may be adapted to provide said flow outlet. The housing may be adapted to provide said at least one flow inlet. The housing may be adapted with said channel fluidly connecting said at least one flow inlet to the control valve. The housing may be adapted with said channel fluidly connecting said flow control valve to the flow outlet. The flow control module may be adapted with at least one flow inlet connection port configured for connecting a channel element between at least one flow inlet and the fluid supply device. The flow control module may be adapted with a flow outlet connection port configured to connect with a channel for establishing fluid connection between said flow outlet and the sorting zone.

[0033] Alternatively, the plurality of flow modules are integrated in a main valve module. The main valve module may be configured to be removably installed to a sorting arrangement configured to operate as an ejection sorter, or be directly integrated with the sorting arrangement configured to operate as an ejection sorter. As a non-limiting example, the sorting arrangement of the arrangement according to the present disclosure may further include a nozzle device as disclosed in WO 2017 / 005772 A1 which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The pressure level adjustment means of said nozzle device may include a flow control module according to the present disclosure.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is further configured so that said adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets, by which said ejection impulse is provided, includes: controlling the control valves of said plurality of flow control modules to adjust flow rate of gaseous media from one or more flow outlets of said flow outlets to provide an active set of flow outlets, wherein the number of flow outlets in the active set of flow outlets is proportional to said ejection impulse; and / or flow rate of gaseous media from each of flow outlet in the active set of flow outlets is selected from a group comprising at least two different active flow rates and optionally an idle flow rate. Thereby, the ejection impulse may be provided by only a selection of flow outlets so as to facilitate a more concentrated flow of gaseous media to an item to be sorted. Advantageously, this may further reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency.

[0035] Moreover, by active set, it is meant a set including at least one flow outlet through which the flow of gaseous media is provided. By active flow rate, it is meant a non-zero flow rate different from an idle flow rate. By idle flow rate, it is meant the resulting flow rate when a flow control valve is closed or adapted to allow substantially unregulated flow of gaseous media, the latter being controllable by said fluid supply device.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is configured to sort items in a continuous stream of matter. In the context of the application, a stream of matter and material flow are used as synonyms. A continuous stream of matter may be provided continuously or by providing each material batch of the at least one material batch in a sequential manner.

[0037] A material batch may have a limited quantity of matter including items. A material batch may be provided e.g., by means of a container, as a plastic bale, or may be provided from a warehouse storing a material batch or a plurality of material batches. Said matter including items may be provided in form of whole items, damaged items, fragmented items and / or the like. A plurality of material batches may be provided so as to provide a continuous stream of items. The method and arrangement of the present disclosure may be adapted for processing a continuous stream of material batches.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the control valve of at least one flow control module includes: a proportional valve adapted to adjust flow rate of gaseous media in response to the control signal. A proportional may be adapted to enable continuous or stepwise regulation of flow rate of gaseous media in response to the control signal. As a non-limiting example, a proportional valve may enable at least two different active flow rates, preferably three, four, five, six, seven, eight, night, ten, or more different active flow rates. By providing flow control modules with proportional valves, improved control of flow of gaseous media may be achieved, thus further reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the control valve of at least one flow control module includes: a binary valve adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate, and / or a plurality of binary valves, each connected to a separate flow inlet of the at least one flow control module and the flow outlet of the at least one flow control module, wherein each binary valve is adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate; and / or a switch valve adjustable between at least k different active flow rates, wherein k > 2. By this, improved control of flow of gaseous media may be achieved, thus further reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency. Binary valves, either one per flow control module or a plurality per flow control module, may depending on ejection flow duration, provide a desired ejection impulse in a more cost-efficient manner than proportional valves. Moreover, switch valves may be used so as to be able to switch between using binary valve and proportional valve, depending on energy consumption and / or items to be sorted.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is adapted to control the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject from the sorting zone items of a N-th item category towards a N-th receiving zone of the receiving means, wherein N > 2. Thereby, the arrangement may enable sorting of items into a greater number of item categories.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is further configured so that: the ejection estimation indicates a target sub-region of an item to be sorted, which target sub-region is smaller than an targetable region of the item to be sorted, wherein position of the target sub-region and / or extension of the target sub-region is at least determined based on a material density and / or a geometry of said item to be sorted, wherein said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets. By providing flow of gaseous media primarily to a target sub-region, the flow of gaseous media is provided in a more concentrated manner, thus limiting the amount of gaseous media provided which does not substantially impact ejection sorting. Thereby, a more economic use of gaseous media is provided, thus reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is configured to: determine a boundary sub-region of the item to be sorted adjacent to said target sub-region, which boundary sub-region is smaller than the targetable region of the item to be sorted, wherein a first portion of said ejection impulse is provided to said target subregion and a second portion of said ejection impulse is provided to the boundary subregion by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets. By this, an even more concentrated flow of gaseous media may be provided, thereby further reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.

[0043] According to one embodiment, said target area and / or said ejection estimation is adjusted based on spatial information of said item so as to reduce an amount of gaseous media and / or an amount of energy estimated to be required to eject said item to a receiving zone corresponding to the item category of said item for a given sorting specification. As a non-limiting example, a sorting specification may include a desired sorting accuracy for items of at least one item category at a given throughput. As a non-limiting example, a desired sorting accuracy may be 95% for items of a first item category and 93% for items of a second item category at a throughput of 4.5 kt / year per sorting arrangement. Thus, if the sorting accuracy is 99% for items of the first item category and 91% for items of the second item category at a throughput of 4.5 kt / year per sorting arrangement, the amount of fluid used when sorting items of the first category may be reduced while the amount of fluid used when sorting items of the second category may be increased, so as to improve a balance between an overall sorting accuracy and an overall energy consumption.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is further configured to: determine a center of gravity of said item, wherein said position of the target subregion is determined so as to be substantially centered with respect to said center of gravity of said item. By this, the ejection impulse is provided in a manner so as to conserve as much momentum transfer as possible in a desired ejection direction, thus reducing the momentum transferred to rotation of an item which does not substantially benefit in ejecting an item to a target receiving zone.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is configured to provide said ejection estimation by: determining a plurality of theoretical item trajectories of said item to be sorted from a pre-ejection position towards said one of one or more receiving zones corresponding to item classification of said item to be sorted, wherein each theoretical item trajectory corresponds to a particular selection and / or control of the control valves and a setting of the fluid supply device; determining theoretical gas supply requirements to eject said item to be sorted along each item trajectory of the plurality of item trajectories; selecting the item trajectory associated with the smallest theoretical gas supply requirement; selecting and / or controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject the item to be sorted along the selected item trajectory. This may advantageously further reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency. The number of theoretical item trajectories of said item may depend on available processing capability.

[0046] According to one embodiment, the ejection impulse is adjustable by: adjusting a time period during which the flow of gaseous media flows to the item, and / or adjusting a flow rate of the flow of gaseous media. Said time period, i.e. , the ejection flow duration, may be adjusted. Said flow rate of the flow of gaseous media may be adjusted. By adjusting the ejecting impulse, it may be meant that the ejection impulse is adjusted indirectly by adjusting at least one other parameter, such as control of flow control module and / or operational pressure of gaseous media provided by the fluid supply device.

[0047] According to one embodiment, said sensor arrangement is further configured to: detect items using item detection and / or semantic segmentation. Either alternative, or a combination thereof, may advantageously reliably identify items to be sorted, and positions thereof, so as to provide more accurate information for estimating the ejection estimation. Thus, the ejection estimation may advantageously be more reliable, thus improving precision and consequently reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the sensor arrangement is further configured to: use instance segmentation to add at least a boundary indicating a shape of a detected item. By this, a reliable shape of items to be ejected may be provided in a reliable manner, which is advantageous when determining a target sub-region of an item to be sorted. This may result in more accurate information for estimating the ejection estimation. Thus, the ejection estimation may advantageously be more reliable, thus improving precision and consequently reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the sensor arrangement is configured to: determine, by means of instance segmentation, at least a boundary of an item to be sorted; based on said at least boundary and item category of said item to be sorted, determine an item weight of the item to be sorted and optionally a center of gravity of the item to be sorted; wherein the ejection estimation is established based on item weight and optionally center of gravity of the item to be sorted.

[0050] According to one embodiment, said sensor arrangement is further configured to: based on said at least one feature detected of said item, classify said item as an item of said item category of said at least one item category. Said at least one feature of said item may include any one of, or any combination of: at least one visual feature, material information, material density, material shape, material weight, color, condition (whole, damaged, clean, etc.), consistence. According to one embodiment, the sensor arrangement comprises: an optical sensor arrangement configured to receive and analyze light reflected and / or scattered by items in a detection zone through which the items are provided, wherein the arrangement is configured to determine item positions of said items and / or material information and / or item category of said items based on an analysis provided by the optical sensor arrangement.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the sensor arrangement comprises: a spatial detection system including at least one of: i) a laser triangulation arrangement configured to: illuminate, by means of laser emitting unit, at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided; capture, by means of a light sensor, at least a part of laser light reflected by a surface of an item within said detection zone, and determine, based on an analysis of said captured laser light, at least spatial information of said item; ii) a time-of-flight detection arrangement configured to: emit, by means of a signal emitting unit, a signal to at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided; capture, by means of a signal sensor, a reflected signal reflected from a surface of an item within said detection zone, and determine, based on a time between the emission of said signal and the capture of the reflected signal, at least spatial information of said item; iii) a stereo vision detection arrangement configured to: capture, by means of a first imaging sensor associated with a first vantage point, a first image of an item within said detection zone; capture, by means of a second imaging sensor associated with a second vantage point, a second image of said item within said detection zone, and determine, based on a comparison of the first image and the second image, at least spatial information of said item; iv) structured light detection arrangement configured to: project, by means of a structured light source, a light pattern to at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided; capture, by means of an imaging sensor, an image of an item within said detection zone onto which at least a portion of the light pattern is projected, and determine, based on a distortion of said light pattern as a result of the geometry of said item, at least spatial information of said item; v) sequence-of-light-pattern detection arrangement configured to: project, by means of light source such as a structured light source, a sequence of light pattern to at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided; capture, by means of an imaging sensor, a plurality of images of an item within said detection zone onto which at least a portion of the sequence of light patterns is projected, determine, based on said sequence of light patterns projected on said item, at least spatial information of said item.

[0052] According to one embodiment, said spatial information of said item includes: 3D information, and / or height information, and / or footprint area, and / or position, and / or shape, and / or volume, and / or weight, and / or density, and / or relative distances to nearby items to be sorted.

[0053] According to one embodiment, the sensor arrangement comprises: a spectroscopy system including a spectrometer, wherein the spectroscopy system is adapted to receive and analyse light reflected and / or scattered by items in the detection zone. The arrangement may be configured to determine item instance segmentation based on analysis provided by the spectroscopy system.

[0054] The spectroscopy system may include near-infrared, NIR, spectroscopy system. NIR spectroscopy may advantageously enable detection of characteristics of surfaces of TLF-feed material. In the context of the application, NIR refers to nearinfrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. As a non-limiting example, nearinfrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum is in the interval of 780 nm to 2500 nm. As an alternative, or in combination, such a spectroscopy system may be configured to use region of the electromagnetic spectrum outside NIR, such as the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum or medium infrared. The spectroscopy system may be configured to use both NIR spectroscopy and X-ray spectroscopy. The spectroscopy system may be a VIS / NIR spectroscopy system configured to detect visible spectrum and / or near-infrared spectrum.

[0055] The spectroscopy system may be configured to analyse light in the wavelength interval 400 - 1000 nm. The spectroscopy system may be configured to analyse light in the wavelength interval 500 - 1000 nm. The spectrometer may be configured to analyse light in the wavelength interval 1000 - 1900 nm. The spectroscopy system may be configured to analyse light having a wavelength above 900 nm. The spectroscopy system may be configured to analyse light in the wavelength interval 1900 - 2500 nm. The spectroscopy system may be configured to analyse light in the wavelength interval 2700 - 5300 nm. The spectroscopy system may be configured to analyse light in the wavelength interval 900 - 1700 nm. The spectroscopy system may be configured to analyse light in the wavelength interval 700 - 1400 nm. The spectroscopy system may analyse visible light. The spectroscopy system may analyse NIR light. The spectroscopy system may analyse IR light. Different types of spectroscopy system may be used depending on characteristics of the matter to be detected.

[0056] According to one embodiment, The arrangement further comprises: a monitoring arrangement configured to monitor sorting of items, optionally, by monitoring item ejection and / or at least one receiving zone and / or an outgoing stream from said at least one receiving zone, wherein the arrangement is configured to: determine a sorting accuracy of items of a first item category, and control the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject items of said first item category based on feedback of said sorting accuracy to improve sorting accuracy.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the arrangement further comprising: at least two sorting arrangements configured to sort items into a respective one or more receiving zones depending on item category, wherein at least two of said two sorting arrangements are configured to sort based on sensor data of said sensor arrangement.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the arrangement comprises: a plant control arrangement configured to control at least two sorting arrangements to sort items to a respective receiving zone based on itemed category based on said sensor data provided by said sensor arrangement.

[0059] According to one embodiment, said sensor arrangement is trained using an auxiliary sensor arrangement configured to detect said at least one feature, wherein, optionally, said auxiliary sensor arrangement includes an X-ray sensor arrangement configured to provide X-ray sensor data, wherein, optionally, training of the sensor arrangement is distributed to at least one other sensor arrangement of the arrangement configured to detect items in a further detection zone different from said detection zone. The sensor arrangement may include an X-ray sensor arrangement configured to provide X-ray sensor data. Implementing the sensor arrangement with an X-ray sensor arrangement is advantageous since X-ray sensor data can be used to provide a wide plurality of item information, such as spatial information and / or weight information and / or density information.

[0060] According to one embodiment, said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, wherein the arrangement is configured to determine, using an image comparison algorithm and a matching criteria, if said at least one image of said item matches with any of at least one reference image, each reference image indicating a visual appearance of an item of at least one item category.

[0061] According to one embodiment, said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, wherein the arrangement is configured to determine, using an image classification engine trained to detect items of at least one item category, if said image matches with at least one of said at least item category, wherein the image classification engine is trained using labeled image data indicating item of at least one item category and / or using unlabeled image data in combination with sorting feedback.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the arrangement further comprises: further comprising: a failure detection arrangement including: at least one microphone and / or at least one accelerometer arranged in the vicinity of a flow outlet or a control valve, wherein the failure detection arrangement is configured to: detect an acoustic signal and / or a mechanical vibration signal, determine, based on the acoustic noise signal and / or the mechanical vibration signal, turbulence characteristics with air ejected via one or more flow outlets, and determine, based on the determined turbulence characteristics, whether one or more flow outlets and / or control valves is subject of a failure.

[0063] By this, the arrangement may advantageously enable monitoring of performance of one or more flow control valves and / or one or more flow outlets. For instance, dust and debris may build up within a sorting arrangement, which may reduce flow of gaseous media. Alternatively, or in combination, one or more flow control valves may fail. Hence, by monitoring performance by means of the failure detection arrangement, it is possible to proactively provide maintenance before a failure occurs at an inopportune moment. Moreover, the failure detection arrangement may be used in order to provide data on which age compensation is to be based.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is configured to: provide a flow visualization of gaseous media from the flow outlets of the flow control module, wherein said ejection impulse is provided by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets based on said flow visualization. This may advantageously allow for creation of a more reliable model of the environment, i.e. , environmental model, in which items are being ejected for sorting. The environmental model may be used as a parameter when providing the ejection estimation, for instance, information derived of the environment via the environmental model may be used to enhance the ejection estimation. For instance, information derived of the environment via the environmental model may include ambient air flow and / or behaviour of flow of gaseous media provided by the sorting arrangement in the environment per the environmental model. Thus, ejection precision may be improved and consequently reducing energy consumption and improving energy efficiency.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is configured for sorting items using a gaseous media based at least on density and / or geometry. Item categories can be categorized at least partly based on density and / or geometry. Thus, a first item having a first density may be ejection sorted to a first receiving zone, whereas a second item having a second density may be ejection sorted to a second receiving zone. If geometry is also considered, then weights of items can be determined. Thus, a first item having a first weight may be ejection sorted to a first receiving zone, whereas a second item having a second weight may be ejection sorted to a second receiving zone. Density information of items can be provided by the sensor arrangement, for instance by means of an X-ray sensor arrangement. Geometry information of items can be provided by a spatial detection system which is discussed in more detail at a later section of the present disclosure. According to one embodiment, ejection sorting includes sorting items into at least a first item category, said first item category based on a first material property set and / or a second material property set.

[0066] According to one embodiment, the first property set is indicative of at least one of a spectral response of the matter, a material type of the matter, a colour of the matter, a fluorescence of the matter, a ripeness of the matter, a dry matter content of matter, a water content of the matter, a fat content of the matter, an oil content of the matter, a calorific value of the matter, a presence of bones or fishbones of the matter, a presence of pest of the matter, a mineral type of the matter, an ore type of the matter, a defect level of the matter, a detection of hazardous biological materials of the matter, a presence of matter, a non-presence of matter, a detection of multilayer materials of the matter, a detection of fluorescent markers of the matter, a quality grade of the matter, a physical structure of the surface of the matter and molecular structure of the matter.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the second property set is indicative of at least one of a height of the matter, a height profile of the matter, a 3D map of the matter, an intensity profile of reflected and / or scattered light, a volume centre of the matter, an estimated mass centre of the matter, an estimated weight of the matter, an estimated material of the matter, a presence of matter, a non-presence of matter, a detection of isotropic and anisotropic light scattering of the matter, a structure and quality of wood, a surface roughness and texture of the matter and an indication of presence of fluids in the matter.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the arrangement is configured to estimate motion of items to be sorted. Estimating motion of items to be sorted, i.e. , motion estimation, refers to the concept of estimating at least a future position of an item to be sorted based at least on one or more current and / or pre-current position of the item to be sorted, wherein pre-current position refers to a position where an item was located before being located at the current position. As a first non-limiting example, a future position may be estimated based on a current position and a motion vector. As a second non-limiting example, a future position may be estimated based on a current position and a pre-current position, from which a motion vector is estimated indicating said at least a future position at a future timepoint from said current position at a current timepoint. Motion estimation may be further enhanced by implementing other motion parameters such as acceleration (due to gravity or otherwise) and / or motion relative a transport arrangement. By determining item position by means of motion estimation, position of items may be more accurately determined, thereby allowing ejection sorting to be carried out more precisely. In particular, a more precise position allows for even more reduced extension of a target sub-region. Thus, the gaseous media is used in a more economic manner, thereby resulting in reduced energy consumption and improved energy efficiency.

[0069] Moreover, a future position at a future timepoint may be compared to a current position at said future timepoint. This allows for estimating an error in position due to one or more parameters used in said motion estimation. Motion estimation may be further enhanced by adjusting said one or more parameters so as to reduce said error in position.

[0070] Said at least on one or more current and / or pre-current position of the item to be sorted may be provided by sensor data. As a non-limiting example, a sensor arrangement may comprise a first high resolution detector and a second high resolution detector may be configured for movement estimation of an item while a low resolution detector is responsible for material category of the item. The detected items of the first high resolution detector are searched and mapped to correspondent items in the second high resolution detector. Based on the correspondent positions of the item in the first and the second high resolution detector, the position of the item is interpolated for the low resolution detector. The sensor data of the low resolution detector is combined into the interpolated image position. The position of the first and second high resolution detectors is disjoint, while the low resolution detector can be mounted everywhere. The interpolated position reduces error for ejection and convergence for rolling items.

[0071] The sensor arrangement may also comprise several lasers of different wavelength, which enables for determination of further optical properties such as the colour of the items and analysis of other parameters based on spectroscopy. Lasers at different positions can be used for this purpose, but also multiple pulsed lasers at the same optical plane is a possibility. The sensor arrangement may also combine different laser polarizations to filter portions of the reflected electromagnetic radiation and more easily distinguish properties of the items in the item stream. The sensor arrangement may for instance comprise several lasers with different polarizations or a polarization camera.

[0072] It will be appreciated that motion detection and / or motion information of an item may be recorded as motion artifacts. Such motion artifacts may be translated to motion estimates using Artificial Intelligence (Al) including deep learning techniques. In more detail, the movement of an item (in case of deviation from nominal) may for instance be calculated by comparing two neighbouring images in the sequence of images and determining vertical and / or horizontal deviation of pixels e.g. reflecting a particular feature of the item.

[0073] According to at least one exemplifying embodiment, the sensor arrangement may comprise a control unit configured to estimate motion of the items and / or tracking a trajectory of the items when the items are passing through said at least one detection zone.

[0074] The control unit may be a single control unit or a plurality of control units. The control unit may control the equipment of the arrangement. The control unit may control associated equipment, such as for example transportation arrangement and / or ejection sorter. The control unit may comprise a processing unit adapted to process and or analyse the sequence of images of the at least a first detection zone. The control unit may estimate motion of the items and / or track a trajectory of the items when the items are passing through said at least a first detection zone. Motion estimation can be based on vertical and or horizontal deviation in pixels or features between respective images in the sequence of images.

[0075] In an alternative exemplifying embodiment, motion estimation can be achieved through detected motion artifacts. Such motion artifacts may be translated to motion estimates using Artificial Intelligence (Al) including deep learning techniques. Said estimated movement and / or trajectory may provide more precise ejection. Said estimated movement may be used to compensate for movement artifacts in the images, thereby providing higher quality images.

[0076] On transport arrangements, such as those including conveyor belts, items are typically not faster than the conveyer belt, therefore, all parts of the items are detected by the sensor arrangement, such as a camera-based sensor arrangement, potentially several times. For slow items, block matching techniques might be used for motion estimation. Movements sideways lead to an offset between detected image slices and are only visible in a silhouette or local textures. These estimations can be used to eject moving items, in the simplest form by adapting the blow window of the valves to these estimations.

[0077] The movement estimations can also be used to reconstruct an image of the non-moving item, which might be beneficial for the classification of the item. As an alternative, the deep learning model which is trained to classify item can be trained on data which introduces artificial movement artifacts in the augmentation step.

[0078] In addition, a strong presence of motion indicates that the infeed of the sorting machine is not optimal, e.g. conveyor belt speed, conveyor belt length and / or item type is not optimal. Therefore, the movement information is valuable for the customer to identify optimization potential in a sorting plant.

[0079] According to a second aspect of the disclosure, a method of sorting items using a gaseous media is provided. The method comprises: transporting, by means of a transport arrangement, items to be sorted to a sorting arrangement via a detection zone, which sorting arrangement sorts items using a gaseous media; receiving sorted items in one or more receiving zones of a receiving arrangement based on item category; providing, by means of a sensor arrangement, sensor data of an item to be sorted present in said detection zone; detect at least one feature of said item associated said item with an item category of at least one item category; establishing, based at least on said sensor data and item category, an ejection estimation indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones; supplying, by means of a fluid supply device, a flow of gaseous media; providing, based at least on said ejection estimation, an ejection impulse by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from flow outlets of said sorting arrangement so as to eject items to be sorted in the sorting zone to one of said one or more receiving zones corresponding to said item category with which said at least one feature of said item is associated.

[0080] According to one embodiment, the sorting arrangement is a sorting arrangement comprising: a plurality of flow control modules, wherein each flow control module comprises: at least one flow inlet adapted to be connected to the fluid supply device; a flow outlet for guiding flow of gaseous media provided from the fluid supply device towards said sorting zone; a control valve arranged between the at least one flow inlet and the flow outlet, wherein the control valve is adapted to adjust flow of gaseous media from said at least one flow inlet to said flow outlet in response to a control signal, wherein the method further comprises: controlling the control valves of said plurality of flow control modules to adjust flow rate of gaseous media from one or more flow outlets of said flow outlets to provide an active set of flow outlets, wherein the number of flow outlets in the active set of flow outlets is proportional to said ejection impulse; and / or flow rate of gaseous media from each of flow outlet in the active set of flow outlets is selected from a group comprising at least two different active flow rates and optionally an idle flow rate.

[0081] According to one embodiment, the control valve of at least one flow control module includes: a proportional valve adapted to adjust flow rate of gaseous media in response to the control signal, wherein the method further comprises: providing the control signal based on the ejection estimate; adjusting the proportional valve of at least one flow control module in response to said control signal.

[0082] According to one embodiment, the control valve of at least one flow control module includes: a binary valve adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate, and / or a plurality of binary valves, each connected to a separate flow inlet of the at least one flow control module and the flow outlet of the at least one flow control module, wherein each binary valve is adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate; and / or a switch valve adjustable between at least k different active flow rates, wherein k > 2, wherein the method further comprises: providing the control signal based on the ejection estimate; adjusting the control valve of at least one flow control module in response to said control signal.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises: controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject from the sorting zone items of a N-th category towards a N-th receiving zone of the receiving means, wherein N > 2.

[0084] According to one embodiment, the ejection estimation indicates a target subregion of an item to be sorted, which target sub-region is smaller than an targetable region of the item to be sorted, wherein position of the target sub-region and / or extension of the target sub-region is at least determined based on a material density and / or a geometry of said item to be sorted, wherein said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets.

[0085] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: determining a boundary sub-region of the item to be sorted adjacent to said target sub-region, which boundary sub-region is smaller than the targetable region of the item to be sorted, wherein a first portion of said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region and a second portion of said ejection impulse is provided to the boundary sub-region by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets.

[0086] According to one embodiment, said target area and / or said ejection impulse is adjusted based on spatial information of said item so as to reduce an amount of gaseous media and / or an amount of energy estimated to be required to eject said item to a receiving zone corresponding to the item category of said item.

[0087] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: determining a center of gravity of said item, wherein said position of the target sub-region is determined so as to be substantially centered with respect to said center of gravity of said item.

[0088] According to one embodiment, said ejection estimation is provided by: determining a plurality of theoretical item trajectories of said item to be sorted from a pre-ejection position towards said one of one or more receiving zones corresponding to item category of said item to be sorted, wherein each theoretical item trajectory corresponds to a particular selection and / or control of the control valves and a setting of the fluid supply device; determining theoretical gas supply requirements to eject said item to be sorted along each item trajectory of the plurality of item trajectories; selecting the item trajectory associated with the smallest theoretical gas supply requirement; selecting and / or controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject the item to be sorted along the selected item trajectory.

[0089] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: adjusting the ejection impulse by adjusting a time period during which the flow of gaseous media flows to the item, and / or adjusting a flow rate of the flow of gaseous media.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: detecting items using item detection and / or semantic segmentation.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: using instance segmentation to add at least a boundary indicating a shape of a detected item.

[0092] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: determining, by means of instance segmentation, at least a boundary of an item to be sorted; based on said at least boundary and item category of said item to be sorted, determining an item weight of the item to be sorted and optionally a center of gravity of the item to be sorted; wherein the ejection estimation is established based on item weight and optionally center of gravity of the item to be sorted.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the method comprises: based on said at least one feature detected of said item, classifying said item as an item of said item category of said at least one item category.

[0094] According to one embodiment, said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, and the method comprises: determining, using an image comparison algorithm and a matching criteria, if said at least one image of said item matches with any of at least one reference image, each reference image indicating a visual appearance of an item of at least one item category. According to one embodiment, said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, and the method comprises: determining, using an image classification engine trained to detect items of at least one item category, if said image matches with at least one of said at least item category, wherein the image classification engine is trained using labeled image data indicating an item of at least one item category and / or using unlabeled image data in combination with sorting feedback.

[0095] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises: monitoring sorting of items, optionally, by monitoring item ejection and / or at least one receiving zone and / or an outgoing stream from said at least one receiving zone, determining a sorting accuracy of items of a first item category, and controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject items of said first item category based on feedback of said sorting accuracy to improve sorting accuracy.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises: detecting, by means of at least one microphone and / or at least one accelerometer arranged in the vicinity of a flow outlet or a control valve, an acoustic signal and / or a mechanical vibration signal, determining, based on the acoustic noise signal and / or the mechanical vibration signal, turbulence characteristics with air ejected via one or more flow outlets, and determining, based on the determined turbulence characteristics, whether one or more flow outlets and / or control valves is subject of a failure.

[0097] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises: providing a flow visualization of gaseous media from the flow outlets of the flow control module, wherein said ejection impulse is provided by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets based on said flow visualization.

[0098] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises: estimating a future position of an item to be sorted by means of motion estimation. By determining item position by means of motion estimation, position of items may be more accurately determined, thereby allowing ejection sorting to be carried out more precisely. In particular, a more precise position allows for even more reduced extension of a target sub-region. Thus, the gaseous media is used in a more economic manner, thereby resulting in reduced energy consumption and improved energy efficiency.

[0099] According to a third aspect of the disclosure, a computer program is provided. The computer program comprises instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to the second aspect or any embodiments thereof.

[0100] According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to the first aspect or any embodiments thereof.

[0101] Effects and features of the second and third and fourth aspects are largely analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second and third and fourth aspects. Hence, all advantages detailed in disclosure pertaining to the first aspect or any embodiments thereof applies to the second and third and fourth aspect or any embodiments thereof. It is further noted that the disclosures relate to all possible combinations of features unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0102] The invention is defined by the appended independent claims, with embodiments being set forth in the appended dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described as such device and method may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore, the words "comprising", "including", "containing" and similar wordings do not exclude other elements or steps.

[0103] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to “a / an / the [element, device, component, means, step, etc.]” are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0104] Brief description of the drawings

[0105] The present disclosure will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing example embodiments, wherein:

[0106] Fig. 1a illustrates an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0107] Fig. 1 b illustrates at least a part of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

[0108] Fig. 2a-2c illustrate various example embodiments of at least a part of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

[0109] Fig. 3a illustrates an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0110] Fig. 3b illustrates an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0111] Figs. 4a-4f illustrate working principles of an arrangement and method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0112] Figs. 5a-5f illustrate working principles of an arrangement and method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0113] Figs. 6a-6e illustrate working principles of an arrangement and method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0114] Figs. 7a-9c illustrate working principle of an arrangement and method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0115] Figs. 10a-10b illustrate an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; Figs. 11a-12c illustrate various examples of ejection impulses provided by an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0116] Fig. 13a illustrates at least a part of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

[0117] Fig. 13b illustrates a flow control valve of an arrangement according to one embodiment of present disclosure as said flow control valve is being switched between different flow rates over time;

[0118] Fig. 13c illustrates age compensation according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

[0119] Fig. 14 illustrates a perspective view of at least a part of a sorting arrangement of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0120] Fig. 15 illustrates a perspective view of at least a part of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0121] Fig. 16 illustrates a side view of at least a part of a sensor arrangement of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0122] Fig. 17 illustrates a perspective view of at least a part of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0123] Fig. 18 illustrate a flow chart of a method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0124] Fig. 19a illustrates a perspective view of at least a part of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0125] Fig. 19b illustrates the concept of motion estimation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0126] Fig. 20a-20d illustrates how the concept of motion estimation can be applied according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0127] All figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the disclosure, wherein other parts may be omitted or merely suggested. Throughout the figures, the same reference signs designate the same, or essentially the same features.

[0128] Detailed description of the drawings

[0129] In the following description, the present disclosure is described with reference to a system for sorting items using a gaseous media. The present disclosure is also described with reference to a method of sorting items using a gaseous media. It should be noted that this by no means limits the scope of the disclosure, which is also applicable in other circumstances for instance with other types or variants of devices than the embodiments shown in the appended drawings. Further, that specific components are mentioned in relation to an embodiment of the disclosure does not mean that those components cannot be used to an advantage together with other embodiments of the disclosure.

[0130] Features illustrated in the attached drawings or described in the following as part of one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. Various structures, systems and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation only and so as to not obscure the description with details that are well known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attached drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the disclosed subject matter.

[0131] The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e. , a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase.

[0132] Fig. 1a illustrates an arrangement 10 for sorting items 21 , 22 using a gaseous media. It should however be noted that as an alternative to gaseous media, liquid media may be used. The arrangement 10 comprises a sorting arrangement 16 for sorting items 21 , 22 using a gaseous media. Although not shown, the arrangement 10 may comprise two or more sorting arrangements 16, wherein a first sorting arrangement 16 is arranged upstream of a second sorting arrangement 16 or wherein the two or more sorting arrangements are arranged to sort parallel streams of matter. The arrangement 10 comprises a fluid supply device 15 for supplying a flow of gaseous media. The arrangement 10 comprises a transport arrangement 11 for transporting a material flow including items 21 , 22 to be sorted to a sorting zone via a detection zone. Sorting zone may be a zone wherein items are sortable by ejection sorting, i.e. , targetable by at least one flow outlet. The arrangement 10 comprises a receiving arrangement 14 for receiving sorted items 21 , 22 in one or more receiving zones 141 , 14N based on item category. The arrangement 10 comprises a sensor arrangement 12. The sensor arrangement 12 is configured to provide sensor data of an item 21 , 22 to be sorted present in said detection zone. The sensor arrangement 12 is configured to detect at least one feature of said item associating said item with an item category of at least one item category.

[0133] The arrangement 10 is configured to establish, based at least on said sensor data and item category, an ejection estimation. The ejection estimation is indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item 21 , 22 to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones 141 , 14N.

[0134] Fig. 1 b illustrates various elements of a sorting arrangement 16 according to one example embodiment of the present disclosure. The sorting arrangement 16 comprises a plurality of flow control modules 160. Each flow control module 160 comprises at least one flow inlet 161 adapted to be connected to the fluid supply device 15. Each flow control module 160 comprises a flow outlet 162 for guiding flow of gaseous media provided from the fluid supply device 15 towards said sorting zone. Each flow control module comprises a control valve 163 arranged between the at least one flow inlet 161 and the flow outlet 162, wherein the control valve 163 is adapted to adjust flow of gaseous media from said at least one flow inlet 161 to said flow outlet 162 in response to a control signal.

[0135] The arrangement 10 is configured to, based at least on said ejection estimation, provide an ejection impulse by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets 162 so as to eject items 21 , 22 to be sorted in the sorting zone to one of said one or more receiving zones 141 , 14N corresponding to said item category with which said at least one feature of said item is associated. The arrangement 10 is further configured so that said adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets 162, by which said ejection impulse is provided, includes controlling the control valves 163 of said plurality of flow control modules 160 to adjust flow rate of gaseous media from one or more flow outlets of said flow outlets 162 to provide an active set of flow outlets. As a non-limiting example, the number of flow outlets in the active set of flow outlets is proportional to said ejection impulse. As a non-limiting example, the flow rate of gaseous media from each flow outlet in the active set of flow outlets is selected from a group comprising at least two different active flow rates and optionally an idle flow rate. The arrangement 10 may be configured to implement either of these two non-limiting examples or a combination of these two non-limiting examples.

[0136] Figs. 2a-2b illustrate various exemplary embodiments of at least a portion of a sorting arrangement 16. As a non-limiting example, as illustrated in Fig. 2a, the control valve 163 of at least one flow control module 160 includes a proportional valve adapted to adjust flow rate of gaseous media in response to the control signal. The proportional valve 163 may be adjustable continuously or in a step-like manner between a plurality of flow rates. As a non-limiting example, the control valves 163 of all control modules 160 of the sorting arrangement 16 may be proportional valves.

[0137] As a non-limiting example, as illustrated in Fig. 2a, the control valve 163 of at least one flow control module 160 includes a binary valve adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate. As a non-limiting example, the control valves 163 of all control modules 160 of the sorting arrangement 16 may be binary valves.

[0138] As a non-limiting example, as illustrated in Fig. 2b, the control valve 163 of at least one flow control module 160 includes a plurality of binary valves 163a, 163b, 163n, each connected to a separate flow inlet 161a, 161 b, 161 n of the at least one flow control module 160 and the flow outlet 162 of the at least one flow control module, wherein each binary valve 163a, 163b, 163n is adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate. As a non-limiting example, all control modules 160 of the sorting arrangement 16 may include a plurality of binary valves.

[0139] Moreover, as a non-limiting example, as illustrated in Fig. 2c, the control valve 163 of at least one flow control module 160 includes a switch valve adjustable between at least k different active flow rates, wherein k > 2. In the example embodiment of Fig. 2c, the switch valve includes at least 2 different active flow rates, a first being provided by a binary valve and a second being provided by a proportional valve, which proportional valve may be controlled to provide a plurality of active flow rates. As a non-limiting example, all control modules 160 of the sorting arrangement 16 may include a switch valve.

[0140] Fig. 3a illustrates a system 10 for sorting items 21 , 22 using a gaseous media. Generally, the arrangement 10 illustrated in Fig. 3a may be adapted as the arrangement 10 detailed with reference to Fig. 1a. However, the arrangement 10 in Fig. 3a is adapted to control the control valve to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject from the sorting zone items of N-th item category towards a N-th receiving zone 14N of the receiving means 14, wherein N > 2.

[0141] Fig. 3b illustrates a system 10 for sorting items 21 , 22 using a gaseous media. Generally, the arrangement 10 illustrated in Fig. 3b may be adapted as the arrangement 10 detailed with reference to Fig. 1a. Although omitted from view, the arrangement 10 of Fig. 3b may comprise a gas supply means connected to the plurality of valve control modules. Moreover, the arrangement in Fig. 3b comprises a sorting arrangement 16 including the flow control modules (omitted from view). The sorting arrangement 16 in Fig. 3b is exemplified as being adapted with two rows of flow outlets. Thereby, by controlling the control valves of the flow control modules, the active set of flow outlets may be adjusted. As exemplified in Fig. 3b, the item 21 is being ejected from the sorting zone by means of an active set of flow outlets including four flow outlets. The selection of the active set of flow outlets may be made based at least on an identified feature of the item to be sorted.

[0142] Fig. 4a illustrates an item 21 to be sorted by means of an arrangement and method of the present disclosure. The arrangement is configured so that: the ejection estimation indicates a target sub-region TSR of an item 21 , 22 to be sorted. In Figs. 4a-4f and elsewhere, items are illustrated as boxes. However, this is just an exemplary shape used for illustrative purposes. It should be understood that the arrangement and method disclosed in the present disclosure may be used to sort items of any item category, as long as said items are of appropriate sizes. In any case, the target sub-region is smaller than a targetable region of the item to be sorted. The position of the target sub-region and / or extension of the target sub-region is at least determined based on a material density and / or a geometry of said item to be sorted. The position of the target sub-region and / or extension of the target subregion is at least determined based on item category, which may be at least partly based on a first material property set and / or a second material property set. The present disclosure lists various examples of the first material property set and the second material property set in the Summary of the present disclosure. Said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region TSR by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets. As exemplified n Fig. 4b, the ejection impulse is provided by providing an active set comprising two flow outlets, whereas the other flow outlets are not selected to provide said ejection impulse.

[0143] In Fig. 4c, the position of the target sub-region TSR is offset from a center of an item 21 . This may be preferable if the item is attributed with an overall uneven material density. As illustrated in Fig. 4d, a different active set of flow outlets are used for providing the ejection impulse, the selection made based on the location and extension of the target sub-region.

[0144] In Fig. 4e, the extension of the target sub-region TSR is increased compared to the target sub-region. This may be preferable if the item 21 is attributed with a more significant weight. As illustrated in Fig. 4f, a different active set of flow outlets are used for providing the ejection impulse, now including three flow outlets, wherein the selection here is also made based on the location and extension of the target sub-region.

[0145] In Fig. 5a, the target sub-region includes a plurality of portions, TSR1 , TSR2, TSR3, wherein each portion is intended to be targeted by a different flow of gaseous media. As illustrated in Fig. 5b, the active set of flow outlets used for providing the ejection impulse includes three flow outlets, wherein the flow of gaseous media from each flow outlet is different, the flow characteristics and selection of flow outlets to incorporate in the active set of flow outlets being made based on the location and extension of the target sub-region.

[0146] In Fig. 5c, the target sub-region TSR is offset to a lower left quadrant of the item 21 . In addition, as shown in Fig. 5d, a flow of gaseous media is provided around the item. This may be advantageous so as to provide a more predictable ejection path of an item to be sorted.

[0147] The arrangement 10 may be configured to: determine a boundary sub-region of the item 21 to be sorted adjacent to said target sub-region TSR, which boundary sub-region is smaller than the targetable region of the item to be sorted. This is illustrated in Fig. 5e. A first portion of said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region TSR and a second portion of said ejection impulse is provided to the boundary sub-region by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets. This is illustrated in Fig. 5f.

[0148] Said target sub-region and / or said ejection estimation is adjustable based on spatial information of said item so as to reduce an amount of gaseous media used and / or an amount of energy estimated to be required to eject said item to a receiving zone corresponding to the item category of said item for a given sorting specification. Moreover, the arrangement may be configured to determine a center of gravity of said item, wherein said position of the target sub-region is determined so as to be substantially centered with respect to said center of gravity of said item.

[0149] Fig. 6a-6e show additional variants of how the concept of target sub-region TSR may be applied in case of items of different item categories. In particular, Fig. 6e illustrates a case wherein two different items are ejection sorted simultaneously. In such a case, a first set of active flow outlets is selected for the first item 21 and a second set of active flow outlets is selected for the second item 22 so as to provide respective ejection impulses.

[0150] Figs. 7a-7c, Figs. 8a-8c, and Figs. 9a-9c show how adjustment of flow of gaseous media impacts ejection sorting of an item 21 to be sorted. In Fig.7a, an item 21 to be sorted is attributed a target sub-region TSR. To hit this target sub-region TSR, the selection of active flow outlets is adjusted. Pre-selection, five flow outlets are used in the active set, which translates to a first ejection impulse which ejects the item 21 along the trajectory shown in Fig. 7c depicted with a dashed line. Since the item when ejected along said trajectory significantly overshoots the splitter 17, the selection of active flow outlets is adjusted so as to remove two flow outlets, thus netting only three flow outlets in the active set of flow outlets. The new selection of active flow outlets is selected so as to be able to subject the target sub-region TSR of item 21 to an ejection impulse. The adjusted flow of gaseous media then results in a second ejection impulse which ejects the item 21 along the trajectory shown in Fig. 7c depicted with a solid line.

[0151] However, the item 21 still overshoots the splitter 17 when ejected along the new trajectory. Thereby, the target sub-region is further adjusted so as to concentrate the target sub-region around a center of mass of item 21 which is located towards a lower left quadrant, as shown in Fig. 8a. This adjusted target sub-region results in a new selection of active set of flow outlets, namely, the new selection only comprises two flow outlets, as shown in Fig. 8b, each of which are selected so as to be able to subject the target sub-region TSR of item 21 to an ejection impulse. The adjusted flow of gaseous media then results in a second ejection impulse which ejects the item 21 along the trajectory shown in Fig. 8c.

[0152] But the item 21 still slightly overshoots the splitter 17 when ejected along the new trajectory. As an alternative to adjusting the target sub-region, the flow rate of the flow control modules associated with the two flow outlets is decreased, as shown in Fig. 8a with flow arrows being more narrow as compared to Fig. 8b. This adjusted target flow rate does not as such yield a new selection of active set of flow outlets, so the selection is maintained to only comprises the two flow outlets, as shown in Fig. 8b. The adjusted flow of gaseous media then results in a third ejection impulse which ejects the item 21 along the trajectory shown in Fig. 9c. This time, the item just barely ejects over the splitter 17, thus indicating that a more economic configuration has been found.

[0153] It should be further explained that the order of adjusting target-sub region and flow rate may be carried out in any order, or be performed in isolation from one another, or in combination as herein detailed.

[0154] In order to arrive at a satisfactory control setting of a sorting arrangement, depending on the gas supply device setting and items to be sorted, a calibration of ejection sorting may be implemented. Calibration may be ejection sorting using real data or simulated data. Further, ejection sorting may be improved in terms of reducing consumption based on sorting feedback during normal operations. Control of one sorting arrangement may be used to improve control of at least one other sorting arrangement.

[0155] As indicated in Fig. 10a, the arrangement 10 may be configured to provide said ejection estimation by determining a plurality of theoretical item trajectories of said item to be sorted from a pre-ejection position towards said one of one or more receiving zones 141 , 142, 14N corresponding to item category of said item to be sorted, wherein each theoretical item trajectory corresponds to a particular selection and / or control of the control valves and a setting of the fluid supply device. The arrangement may then determine theoretical gas supply requirements to eject said item to be sorted along each item trajectory of the plurality of item trajectories. The arrangement may then select the item trajectory associated with the smallest theoretical gas supply requirement. The arrangement may select and / or control the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject the item to be sorted along the selected item trajectory. Said selection of item trajectory may include discarding one or more theoretical item trajectory from further consideration. This is shown in Fig. 10b, wherein only one theoretical item trajectory is kept and every other is discarded.

[0156] The ejection impulse may be adjustable by adjusting a time period during which the flow of gaseous media flows to the item and / or adjusting a flow rate of the flow of gaseous media. Figs. 11 a-11 c illustrate a plurality of ejection impulses Imp1- Imp6, which differ in shape, maximum ejection force and / or ejection flow duration. In Fig. 11a, a first ejection impulse Imp1 is illustrated, which reaches a first force level F1 for a certain time period. In Fig. 11b, a second ejection impulse Imp2 is illustrated, which reaches a second force level F2. The duration of this ejection impulse is not altered, so the second ejection impulse Imp2 is increased as compared to the first ejection impulse Imp1. In Fig. 11c, a third ejection impulse Imp3 is illustrated, which reaches the first force level F1 . However, the duration of this ejection impulse is reduced as compared to the first ejection impulse Imp1 , so the third ejection impulse Imp3 is decreased compared to the first ejection impulse Imp1. In Fig. 12a-12c, various ejection impulses Imp4, Imp5, Imp6 are illustrated, each of which reaches the first force level F1 , but each have different shapes. Control of flow control valves may involve providing an ejection impulse according to any of Figs. 11 a-12c. It should further be understood that these ejection impulses are merely exemplary ejection impulses, shown to illustrate the working principle of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to any particular ejection impulse.

[0157] Fig. 13a illustrate at least a part of a sorting arrangement 16 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Each flow control valve 163 may be controlled so as to provide at least a portion of an ejection impulse for ejection sorting an item to a receiving area corresponding to the item’s item category. Each flow control valve 163 may be opened / closed in a successive manner, as shown in Fig. 13b, wherein valve state is over time changed between closed state sO and open state s1 . Thereby, the flow control valve may contribute when open to providing a desired ejection impulse. While Fig. 13b shows only two different valve states, open and closed, and how the valve state changes between these two over time, it should be understood that flow control valves may, depending on configuration, be controlled to switch between any of two or more active flow rates. As a non-limiting example, if a flow control valve is a proportional valve, then many more valve states may be enabled, either in a step-like manner or a continuous manner. Further, it should also be noted that Fig. 13b indicates that the change between closed state sO and open state s1 is instantaneous (likewise for open state s1 -> closed state sO). However, this is merely an ideal simplification, it should be understood that a flow control valve cannot adjust instantaneously between states. In terms of flow rate, it will increase from an idle flow rate to an active flow rate over a small time period as the flow control valve is adjusted.

[0158] Fig 13c illustrates a concept of age compensation. Age compensation may refer to how much compensation must be added to compensate for reduced performance over time. For instance, age compensation may be based on how much additional gaseous media consumption is required in order to achieve a given sorting specification. In Fig. 13c, since startup, a sorting arrangement has experienced some age compensation until today to, as shown by line C1. Based on this line, the arrangement may estimate a timepoint wherein said age compensation indicates it is time for maintenance M. The estimated line c2 crosses the maintenance level M at timepoint t1 , thus the arrangement may proactively indicate maintenance is required at a specific future date depending on past historic data. Fig. 14 illustrates a nozzle device 100 comprising a plurality of nozzles for sorting items using a gaseous or liquid media in accordance with at least one example embodiment of the present disclosure. The nozzle device 100 comprises a nozzle bar 102 comprising gas or liquid supply means 104. The nozzle device 100 further comprises a nozzle holder 106 for holding the plurality of nozzles 101 , each nozzle 101 in the plurality of nozzles 101. As illustrated in Fig. 14, the plurality of nozzles 101 is arranged “bottom-up”, i.e. , each nozzle 101 in the plurality of nozzles 101 is arranged to eject the gaseous media or liquid media in a direction having a component being opposite to the force of gravity (i.e., each nozzle 101 is arranged to direct the gaseous or liquid media partly upwards as compared to a horizontal arrangement of the nozzle device 100).

[0159] Each nozzle 101 in the plurality of nozzles 101 is arranged to receive the gaseous or liquid media from the gas or liquid supply means 104. The gas or liquid supply means 104 may e.g., comprise a plurality of conduits 104, as illustrated in Fig. 14, where each conduit 104 is in fluid communication with a respective nozzle 101.

[0160] The distance, or the pitch, between two neighboring nozzles 10T, 101” may be between 1 mm and 100 mm. The pitch is here defined as the distance between the centerlines of the two neighboring nozzles 10T, 101”.

[0161] The nozzle device 100 may comprise a pressure level adjustment means 108 arranged to control the pressure of the gaseous or liquid media supplied to the plurality of nozzles 101. For example, the pressure level adjustment means 108 may be arranged to increase and / or decrease the pressure level of the supplied gaseous or liquid media. The pressure level adjustment means 108 may e.g., comprise a flow control module as disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0162] Fig. 15 illustrates a system 200 comprising a nozzle device 100 as described with relation to Fig. 14 for sorting items 202 using a gaseous or liquid media 231 . The arrangement 200 in Fig. 15 comprises transportation means 204 in the form of a conveyer belt 204 for transporting a material flow with items 202 to be sorted. The arrangement 200 further comprising receiving means 206 in the form of two containers 206A, 206B, for receiving the sorted items 202’. The arrangement 200 may also comprise a computing unit and a receiver and transmitting units (not shown) in order to determine which items 202 that is to be sorted out of the material flow. The computing unit then typically controls, possibly together with the pressure level adjustment means discussed in relation to Fig. 14, the flow of the gaseous or liquid media supplied to the nozzles in the nozzle device 100, based on the determ ination / identification of the items 202.

[0163] In Fig. 15, the material flow of items 202 is transported towards the nozzle device 100 by the conveyer belt 204, where after the items 202 in the material flow are allowed to fall over the edge of the conveyer belt 204. During the descent of the falling items 202, a certain nozzle 10T in the nozzle device 100 ejects the gaseous or liquid media towards the item 202’ to be sorted whereby the falling path of the item 202’ is changed compared to a falling path of an item which is not manipulated by the gaseous or liquid media. The sorted item 202’ may thereby be forced and sorted towards, preferably into e.g., a container 206B as illustrated in Fig. 15.

[0164] The arrangement 200 in Fig. 15 is designed such that some items 202 in the material flow, e.g., items of a certain size, are not causing the nozzle device 100 to eject a gaseous or liquid media. These items may e.g., fall naturally from the conveyer belt 204 into the container 206A. The items 202 not causing the nozzles device to eject a gaseous or liquid media may also be so large compared to the items 202’ to be sorted, that they are to a very low degree affected by the ejected gaseous or liquid media.

[0165] The items 202’ to be sorted may e.g., be identified / determined by the computing unit, the transmitting unit and the receiving unit described previously. Based on this identification / determination of the item 202’ to be sorted, the appropriate nozzle 10T in the nozzle device is activated and thereby allowed to eject the gaseous or liquid media 31 towards the item 202’.

[0166] Fig. 16 illustrates an example embodiment of a sensor arrangement 12 according to the present disclosure. The sensor arrangement 12 may generally be based on the apparatus as disclosed in yVQ23104834 A1 which is herein incorporated Field C in its entirety. As a non-limiting example, the sensor arrangement 12 is configured to: detect items using item detection and / or semantic segmentation. Alternatively, or in combination, the sensor arrangement 12 is configured to: use instance segmentation to add at least a boundary indicating a shape of a detected item. Moreover, according to one embodiment, the sensor arrangement 12 is configured to: determine, by means of instance segmentation, at least a boundary of an item to be sorted; based on said at least boundary and item category of said item to be sorted, determine an item weight of the item to be sorted and optionally a center of gravity of the item to be sorted; wherein the ejection estimation is established based on item weight and optionally center of gravity of the item to be sorted. In addition, according to one exemplary embodiment, the sensor arrangement 12 is further configured to: based on said at least one feature detected of said item, classify said item as an item of said item category of said at least one item category. Said at least one feature of said item may include any one of, or any combination of: at least one visual feature, material information, material density, material shape, material weight, color, condition (whole, damaged, clean, etc.), consistence. The sensor arrangement 12 may comprise: an optical sensor arrangement configured to receive and analyze light reflected and / or scattered by items in a detection zone through which the items are provided, wherein the arrangement is configured to determine item positions of said items and / or material information and / or item category of said items based on an analysis provided by the optical sensor arrangement. The sensor arrangement 12 may include any one, or any combination of: i) a laser triangulation arrangement 12a, 12c; ii) a time-of-flight detection arrangement; iii) a stereo vision detection arrangement 12b; iv) structured light detection arrangement; v) sequence-of-light- pattern detection arrangement; an imaging device, such as a RGB camera; X-ray sensor arrangement; VIS and / or NIR spectroscopy system 12d. Said spatial information of said item includes: 3D information, and / or height information, and / or footprint area, and / or position, and / or shape, and / or volume, and / or weight, and / or density, and / or relative distances to nearby items to be sorted.

[0167] Fig. 17 illustrates a perspective schematic view of an arrangement 700 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The arrangement 700 is fed with a material batch including items 710. The items 710 is conveyed through a detection zone 720. However, the items may be provided through the detection zone by any suitable means or manually without any technical means. A light source arrangement 730 and a NIR spectroscopy system 222 are provided. The NIR spectroscopy system is adapted to receive and analyze 732, from the light source arrangement 730, which is reflected and / or scattered by the pieces light source arrangement 730, which is reflected and / or scattered by the items in the detection zone 720. Hence, the NIR spectroscopy system 222 typically acquires a spectrum of the Items from the material batch stream that is conveyed through the detection zone 720. The NIR spectroscopy system 222 of the arrangement 700 is configured to discriminate items from other material and / or items based on the acquired spectrum. In other words, the NIR system 222 is typically set up such that a specific type of items is discriminated form other types of the items owing from its spectrum.

[0168] The arrangement 700 may further comprise a spectroscopy system 760, such as a NIR spectroscopy system, configured to acquire a spectrum of the Items originating from the material batch stream that is conveyed through the detection zone 720. The ejection unit 224 of the arrangement 700 may be further configured to divert said Items originating from the material batch stream based on the acquired spectrum thereby sorting the Items based on color. The spectroscopy system 760 may through the acquired spectrum determine the different colors of the Items that is conveyed through the detection zone 720. An advantage of determining the colors of the items is that it may be sorted into different fractions.

[0169] The arrangement 700 may further comprise a laser triangulation system 740 configured to determine height information of Items that is conveyed through the detection zone 720. The ejection unit 224 of said at least one arrangement may be further configured to divert said items based on the determined height information. The laser triangulation system 740 is typically configured to emit a line of laser light 742 towards the detection zone 720. The depicted laser triangulation system 740 includes a camera-based sensor arrangement 744 configured to receive and analyze light 746 which is reflected and / or scattered by the Items in the detection zone 720. By means of the laser triangulation system 740 the arrangement 700 may be able to detect Items that the NIR spectroscopy system 222 have difficulties to detect. By detecting height differences on a conveyor belt used to convey the material batch being sorted, the arrangement may combine such height information with the acquired information from the NIR spectroscopy system 222 to determine if there is any items that is hard to detect on the conveyor belt. Accordingly, further items may be recycled. The arrangement 700 may further comprise a camera 750 configured to acquire images of items originating from the material batch stream that is conveyed through the detection zone 720. The arrangement 700 may comprise an artificial neural network in combination with the camera 750. Such artificial neural network may be configured to detect different characteristics of items that is conveyed through the detection zone 720 based on images acquired by the camera 750. The ejection unit 224 of the arrangement 700 may in this case be further configured to divert Items that is conveyed through the detection zone 720 based on the detected characteristics of Items. In other words, characteristics of Items may thus be determined by the artificial neural network from the, by the camera, acquired images. The characteristics may be a shape, a color, features at the surface or anything in the visual appearance of the Items that may be determined and classified by the artificial neural network. The camera 750 may provide the possibility to further sort Items into different fractions. With the help of the artificial neural network it may be possible to sort Items of the same material composition into different fractions depending on quality and origin.

[0170] Fig. 18 illustrates a flow chart of a method according to the present disclosure. The method is a method 100 of sorting items using a gaseous media, such as gaseous media. However, liquid media may be used as an alternative. The method comprises: a step 1001 of transporting, by means of a transport arrangement 11 , items 21 , 22 to be sorted to a sorting arrangement 16 via a detection zone, which sorting arrangement sorts items using a gaseous media; a step 1002 of receiving sorted items in one or more receiving zones 141 , 14N of a receiving arrangement 14 based on item category; a step 1003 of providing, by means of a sensor arrangement 12, sensor data of an item 21 , 22 to be sorted present in said detection zone; a step 1004 of detecting at least one feature of said item associated said item with an item category of at least one item category; a step 1005 of establishing, based at least on said sensor data and item category, an ejection estimation indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item 21 , 22 to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones 141 , 14N; a step of 1006 of supplying, by means of a fluid supply device 15, a flow of gaseous media; a step 1007 of providing, based at least on said ejection estimation, an ejection impulse by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from flow outlets 162 of said sorting arrangement so as to eject items 21 , 22 to be sorted in the sorting zone to one of said one or more receiving zones 141 , 14N corresponding to said item category with which said at least one feature of said item is associated.

[0171] Fig. 19a shows at least a part of an arrangement according to the present disclosure. In this particular figure, items are represented by pieces of matter. However, everything discussed in relation to items represented as boxes applies likewise for items illustrated in Fig. 19a and vice versa. Said arrangement comprises a plurality of parallel line illuminations 302, set up to create a plurality of parallel laser lines. This enables for one, as in this case, or several cameras 301 to detect reflected electromagnetic radiation from the plurality of parallel line laser lines in a plurality of detection regions 305 at different positions in the free-fall path 306 of the item stream 307. In this way, the positions of the items in the different detection regions 305 can be determined, to determine a motion, or trajectory, of the items in the item stream 307.

[0172] In sorting arrangements, the item speed and moving direction is normally assumed to be constant in-between detection and ejection and if items move with non-constant speed, there is a risk for unprecise removal of rejected items. In some situations, the ejection window is increased in order to compensate the variation in movement. This leads to a stable ejection, but also an increase of unwanted removal of items from the item stream 307.

[0173] An alternative to all of the detection zones being in the free-fall path of the item stream is that one or more of them being in the item stream on the conveyor belt, prior to being in a free-fall path.

[0174] The minimum distance between detection and ejection is determined by pixel size and latency. For systems with big pixel sizes the minimum distance between detection and ejection can be quite large. If two detectors are combined, the movement of items reduces the performance of convergence algorithms and thus also the ejection performance. By determining the trajectory of the items in the item stream more precise ejection of the item may be performed, and a better overall sorting can be achieved. Alternatively, or complementary to using the classification data for sorting as described above, the data from the classification step can be used in the same apparatus or transferred to another device in order to do various operations, such as sorting, in later stages, as well as for statistical analysis.

[0175] Fig. 19b shows a motion estimation of an item performed by an arrangement according to Fig. 19a. Two high resolution detectors A, C are responsible for movement estimation of the item while a low resolution detector B is responsible for material classification of the item. The detected items of the first high resolution detector A are searched and mapped to correspondent items in the second high resolution detector C. Based on the correspondent positions of the item in the first and the second high resolution detector A, C the position of the item is interpolated for the low resolution detector B and for an ejection sorter D. The sensor data of the low resolution detector B is combined into the interpolated image position. The ejection sorter D uses an interpolated position for ejection. The position of the first and second high resolution detectors A, C is disjoint, while the low resolution detector B can be mounted everywhere. The interpolated position reduces error for ejection and convergence for rolling items.

[0176] The apparatus may also comprise several lasers of different wavelength, which enables for determination of further optical properties such as the color of the items and analysis of other parameters based on spectroscopy. Lasers at different positions, such as in Fig. 19a, can be used for this purpose, but also multiple pulsed lasers at the same optical plane is a possibility.

[0177] The arrangement may also combine different laser polarizations to filter portions of the reflected electromagnetic radiation and more easily distinguish properties of the items in the item stream. The arrangement may for instance comprise several lasers with different polarizations or a polarization camera.

[0178] Figs. 20a-20d illustrate parts of an arrangement according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. An item 21 is transported to a sorting arrangement 16 by means of a transport arrangement 11 . The sorting arrangement 16 is configured to provide a flow of gaseous media to eject the item 21 towards a receiving zone (not shown). Depending on the relative position of the item 21 to the sorting arrangement 16 at the time of ejection, the trajectory of the item 21 may vary greatly. Thus, it is preferable to know the position of an item 21 as precisely as possible so that the selection of active flow outlets and the ejection impulse are selected appropriately. For some applications, it is desired to provide the flow of gaseous media so that the ejection impulse is provided in a direction intersecting the centre of gravity as close as possible. This may be favourable in order to reduce, preferably minimize, the momentum transferred into a rotational component of the item 21. However, due to the geometry of the item 21 and the relative angle between a targeted surface of the item 21 and the direction of ejection impulse applied, it may be more difficult to reduce how much of the ejection impulse is transferred to a rotational component. Thus, the method may comprise a step of timing the flow of gaseous media so that the item 21 is positioned and / or oriented more preferable so as to reduce the among of gaseous media used to eject the item 21. To enable this, and improve ejection accuracy generally, it is advantageous to apply motion estimation when sorting items 21 by means of ejection sorting.

[0179] In Fig. 20a, the item 21 is transported to a sorting arrangement 16 in order to be ejection sorted towards a receiving zone (not shown). The relative position of the item 21 relative the transport arrangement 11 , as determined by sensor data, may be known with only a first precision illustrated by a position space of probable centre of mass positions for an item 21 , which position space may be based on or more of the following: transport speed provided by the transport arrangement 11 ; relative movement of the item 21 to a transporting surface of the transport arrangement 11 ; relative position and / or orientation of item 21 to a transporting surface of the transport arrangement 11 ; mass of item 21 ; geometry of item 21 ; one or more ejection impulses provided by a sorting arrangement (in case there are a plurality of flow outlets arranged to provide a sequential flow of gaseous media by a changing active set of flow outlet based on item position relative transport arrangement in a transport direction). In Fig. 20a, the position space gxz is shown as seen in an XZ-plane, with Z-axis being parallel with the initial direction of flow of gaseous media and X-axis being orthogonal with the Z-axis and at least partly parallel with transport direction of the transport arrangement 11). Five different centre-of-mass positions of item 21 is illustrated within the centre-of-mass space gxz. Due to the uncertainty in position, the timepoint at which the sorting arrangement 16 provides the ejection impulse may vary, thus resulting in the centre-of-gravity position being located at different points in space, which in turn result in five different trajectories T1-T5 (XZ-component is shown in Fig. 20a whereas YZ-components are shown in Fig. 20b). Due to the precision of centre-of-mass position of item 21 , the target sub-region TSR is selected (here illustrated as a circle with a radius R, however the shape of TSR is not limited to a circle but may take on many different forms based on layout of flow outlets).

[0180] In Fig. 20c, the concept of motion estimation according to the present disclosure is applied, thereby resulting in that the relative position of item 21 relative the transport arrangement 21 is known at a greater position, which is illustrated by a smaller position space. In Fig. 20a, the position space gyz is shown as seen in an YZ-plane, with Y-axis being orthogonal to both the X-axis and the Z-axis and aligned according to right-handed coordinate system. Three different trajectories TT-T3’ are illustrated (XZ-component is shown in Fig. 20c whereas YZ-components are shown in Fig. 20d). Since the precision of centre-of-mass position of item 21 is improved, the target sub-region TSR can be reduced from R to R’, hence a smaller set of active flow outlets may be needed, and the ejection impulse may be provided more closely at a point intersecting the centre-of-mass position. Thus, by applying motion estimation, the amount of flow of gaseous media may be reduced, thus leading to lower consumption and improved energy efficiency.

[0181] Generally, and in particular when applying motion estimation, the present disclosure herein provides for a solution which allows for reducing a target region into which an ejection impulse is to be provided to a region which correspond more closely to the real shape of items to be sorted, and in particular to a sub-region of items to be sorted.

[0182] For systems where particles have not a constant motion in the flow of matter including items to be sorted, typically the ejection window is adapted to compensate with a conservative large ejection window I configuration (Free fall systems; round I light input particles; short belt). This is necessary to maintain a satisfactory ejection sorting, but using a lot of compressed air.

[0183] One approach to lower air consumption is to: i) apply a method of motion estimation to calculate a motion vector of each item ii) estimate an expected trajectory of the item to the sorting arrangement (speed in transport direction and lateral direction); iii) determine at least a first position along the expected trajectory corresponding to a trajectory to a receiving zone corresponding to an item category of said item; iv) determine a timepoint corresponding to when the item is located at said at least a first position; v) ejecting the item by means of ejection sorting when present at one of said at least a first position.

[0184] Said at least a first position may be a position range along said trajectory. The method may comprise a step of correlating one or more of said at least a first position with an expected consumption of gaseous media. Based on the expected consumption of gaseous media, a timepoint may be selected corresponding to a reduced, preferably minimized, consumption of gaseous media. Said timepoint may be adjusted based on other parameters, such as orientation of said item or other parameters specified in the present disclosure, so as to provide the ejection impulse at a more favourable surface orientation of the item. This may further improve sorting accuracy and reduce consumption of gaseous media and improve energy efficiency.

[0185] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the disclosure, other and further embodiments may be devised without parting from the disclosure discussed herein. The scope of the invention is however determined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . An arrangement (10) for sorting items (101 , 102) using a gaseous media, the arrangement (10) comprising:- a sorting arrangement (16) for sorting items (101 , 102) using a gaseous media;- a fluid supply device (15) for supplying a flow of gaseous media;- a transport arrangement (11 ) for transporting a material flow comprising items (101 , 102) to be sorted to a sorting zone via a detection zone;- a receiving arrangement (14) for receiving sorted items (101 , 102) in one or more receiving zones (141 , 14N) based on item category;- a sensor arrangement (12) configured to provide sensor data of an item (101 , 102) to be sorted present in said detection zone, and configured to detect at least one feature of said item associating said item with an item category of at least one item category;- wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to establish, based at least on said sensor data and item category, an ejection estimation indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item (101 , 102) to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones (141 , 14N),- wherein the sorting arrangement (16) comprises: o a plurality of flow control modules (160), wherein each flow control module (160) comprises:■ at least one flow inlet (161 ) adapted to be connected to the fluid supply device (15);■ a flow outlet (162) for guiding flow of gaseous media provided from the fluid supply device (15) towards said sorting zone;■ a control valve (163) arranged between the at least one flow inlet (161 ) and the flow outlet (162), wherein the control valve (163) is adapted to adjust flow of gaseous media from said at least one flow inlet (161 ) to said flow outlet (162) in response to a control signal,- wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to, based at least on said ejection estimation, provide an ejection impulse by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets (162) so as to eject items (101 , 102) to be sorted in the sorting zone to one of said one or more receiving zones(141 , 14N) corresponding to said item category with which said at least one feature of said item is associated.

2. The arrangement (10) according to claim 1 , further configured so that said adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets (162), by which said ejection impulse is provided, includes:- controlling the control valves (163) of said plurality of flow control modules (160) to adjust flow rate of gaseous media from one or more flow outlets of said flow outlets (162) to provide an active set of flow outlets, wherein o the number of flow outlets in the active set of flow outlets is proportional to said ejection impulse; and / or o flow rate of gaseous media from each flow outlet in the active set of flow outlets is selected from a group comprising at least two different active flow rates and optionally an idle flow rate.

3. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein the control valve (163) of at least one flow control module (160) includes:- a proportional valve adapted to adjust flow rate of gaseous media in response to the control signal.

4. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein the control valve (163) of at least one flow control module (160) includes:- a binary valve adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate, and / or- a plurality of binary valves, each connected to a separate flow inlet of the at least one flow control module and the flow outlet of the at least one flow control module, wherein each binary valve is adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate; and / or- a switch valve adjustable between at least k different active flow rates, wherein k > 2.

5. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, adapted to control the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject from the sortingzone items of a N-th item category towards a N-th receiving zone (14N) of the receiving means (14), wherein N > 2.

6. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, further configured so that:- the ejection estimation indicates a target sub-region (TSR) of an item (101 , 102) to be sorted, which target sub-region (TSR) is smaller than a targetable region of the item to be sorted, wherein position of the target sub-region and / or extension of the target sub-region is at least determined based on a material density and / or a geometry of said item to be sorted,- wherein said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region (TSR) by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets.

7. The arrangement (10) according to claim 6, wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to:- determine a boundary sub-region of the item to be sorted adjacent to said target sub-region (TSR), which boundary sub-region is smaller than the targetable region of the item to be sorted,- wherein a first portion of said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region (TSR) and a second portion of said ejection impulse is provided to the boundary sub-region by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets.

8. The arrangement (10) according to any of claims 6-7, wherein said target area and / or said ejection estimation is adjusted based on spatial information of said item so as to reduce an amount of gaseous media and / or an amount of energy estimated to be required to eject said item to a receiving zone corresponding to the item category of said item for a given sorting specification.

9. The arrangement (10) according to any of claims 6-8, wherein the arrangement (10) is further configured to:- determine a center of gravity of said item, wherein said position of the target sub-region is determined so as to be substantially centered with respect to said center of gravity of said item.

10. The arrangement (10) according to any of the preceding claims, configured to provide said ejection estimation by:- determining a plurality of theoretical item trajectories of said item to be sorted from a pre-ejection position towards said one of one or more receiving zones (141 , 142, 14N) corresponding to item classification of said item to be sorted, wherein each theoretical item trajectory corresponds to a particular selection and / or control of the control valves and a setting of the fluid supply device;- determining theoretical gas supply requirements to eject said item to be sorted along each item trajectory of the plurality of item trajectories;- selecting the item trajectory associated with the smallest theoretical gas supply requirement;- selecting and / or controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject the item to be sorted along the selected item trajectory.11 . The arrangement (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the ejection impulse is adjustable by:- adjusting a time period during which the flow of gaseous media flows to the item, and / or- adjusting a flow rate of the flow of gaseous media.

12. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein said sensor arrangement (12) is further configured to:- detect items using item detection and / or semantic segmentation.

13. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein the sensor arrangement (12) is further configured to:- use instance segmentation to add at least a boundary indicating a shape of a detected item.

14. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein the sensor arrangement (12) is configured to:- determine, by means of instance segmentation, at least a boundary of an item to be sorted;- based on said at least boundary and item category of said item to be sorted, determine an item weight of the item to be sorted and optionally a center of gravity of the item to be sorted;- wherein the ejection estimation is established based on item weight and optionally center of gravity of the item to be sorted.

15. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein said sensor arrangement (12) is further configured to:- based on said at least one feature detected of said item, classify said item as an item of said item category of said at least one item category.

16. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein the sensor arrangement (12) comprises:- an optical sensor arrangement configured to receive and analyze light reflected and / or scattered by items in a detection zone (Z) through which the items are provided,- wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to determine item positions of said items and / or material information and / or item category of said items based on an analysis provided by the optical sensor arrangement.

17. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein the sensor arrangement (12) comprises:- a spatial detection system including at least one of: o a laser triangulation arrangement configured to:■ illuminate, by means of laser emitting unit, at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided;■ capture, by means of a light sensor, at least a part of laser light reflected by a surface of an item within said detection zone, and■ determine, based on an analysis of said captured laser light, at least spatial information of said item, o a time-of-flight detection arrangement configured to:■ emit, by means of a signal emitting unit, a signal to at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided;■ capture, by means of a signal sensor, a reflected signal reflected from a surface of an item within said detection zone, and■ determine, based on a time between the emission of said signal and the capture of the reflected signal, at least spatial information of said item, ereo vision detection arrangement configured to:■ capture, by means of a first imaging sensor associated with a first vantage point, a first image of an item within said detection zone;■ capture, by means of a second imaging sensor associated with a second vantage point, a second image of said item within said detection zone, and■ determine, based on a comparison of the first image and the second image, at least spatial information of said item,ctured light detection arrangement configured to:■ project, by means of a structured light source, a light pattern to at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided;■ capture, by means of an imaging sensor, an image of an item within said detection zone onto which at least a portion of the light pattern is projected, and■ determine, based on a distortion of said light pattern as a result of the geometry of said item, at least spatial information of said item; uence-of-light-pattern detection arrangement configured to:■ project, by means of light source such as a structured light source, a sequence of light pattern to at least a portion of the detection zone through which the items are provided;■ capture, by means of an imaging sensor, a plurality of images of an item within said detection zone onto which at least a portion of the sequence of light patterns is projected,■ determine, based on said sequence of light patterns projected on said item, at least spatial information of said item.

18. The arrangement (10) according to claim 17, wherein said spatial information of said item includes:- 3D information, and / or- height information, and / or- footprint area, and / or- position, and / or- shape, and / or- volume, and / or- weight, and / or- density, and / or- relative distances to nearby items to be sorted.

19. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises:- a spectroscopy system including a spectrometer, wherein the spectroscopy system is adapted to receive and analyze light reflected and / or scattered by items in the detection zone,- wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to determine item instance segmentation based on analysis provided by the spectroscopy system.

20. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, further comprising:- a monitoring arrangement configured to monitor sorting of items, optionally, by monitoring item ejection and / or at least one receiving zone and / or an outgoing stream from said at least one receiving zone,- wherein the arrangement (10) is configured to: o determine a sorting accuracy of items of a first item category, ando control the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject items of said first item category based on feedback of said sorting accuracy to improve sorting accuracy.

21. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, further comprising:- at least two sorting arrangements configured to sort items into a respective one or more receiving zones depending on item category, wherein at least two of said two sorting arrangements are configured to sort based on sensor data of said sensor arrangement.

22. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, comprising:- a plant control arrangement configured to control at least two sorting arrangements to sort items to a respective receiving zone based on itemed category based on said sensor data provided by said sensor arrangement (12).

23. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein said sensor arrangement (12) is trained using an auxiliary sensor arrangement configured to detect said at least one feature, wherein, optionally, said auxiliary sensor arrangement includes an X-ray sensor arrangement configured to provide X- ray sensor data, wherein, optionally, training of the sensor arrangement (12) is distributed to at least one other sensor arrangement (12) of the arrangement (10) configured to detect items in a further detection zone different from said detection zone.

24. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, wherein arrangement (10) is configured to determine, using an image comparison algorithm and a matching criteria, if said at least one image of said item matches with any of at least one reference image, each reference image indicating a visual appearance of an item of at least one item category.

25. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, wherein said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, wherein arrangement (10) isconfigured to determine, using an image classification engine trained to detect items of at least one item category, if said image matches with at least one of said at least item category, wherein the image classification engine is trained using labeled image data indicating item of at least one item category and / or using unlabeled image data in combination with sorting feedback.

26. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, further comprising:- a failure detection arrangement including: o at least one microphone and / or at least one accelerometer arranged in the vicinity of a flow outlet or a control valve,- wherein the failure detection arrangement is configured to: o detect an acoustic signal and / or a mechanical vibration signal, o determine, based on the acoustic noise signal and / or the mechanical vibration signal, turbulence characteristics with air ejected via one or more flow outlets, and o determine, based on the determined turbulence characteristics, whether one or more flow outlets and / or control valves is subject of a failure.

27. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, configured to:- provide a flow visualization of gaseous media from the flow outlets of the flow control module, wherein said ejection impulse is provided by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets (162) based on said flow visualization.

28. The arrangement (10) according to any preceding claims, configured to:- estimate motion of items to be sorted.

29. Method of sorting items using a gaseous media, the method comprising:- transporting, by means of a transport arrangement (11), items (101 , 102) to be sorted to a sorting arrangement (16) via a detection zone, which sorting arrangement sorts items using a gaseous media;- receiving sorted items in one or more receiving zones (141 , 14N) of a receiving arrangement (14) based on item category;- providing, by means of a sensor arrangement (12), sensor data of an item (101 , 102) to be sorted present in said detection zone;- detect at least one feature of said item associated said item with an item category of at least one item category;- establishing, based at least on said sensor data and item category, an ejection estimation indicative of at least a required ejection impulse to eject said item (101 , 102) to be sorted into one of said one or more receiving zones (141 , 14N);- supplying, by means of a fluid supply device (15), a flow of gaseous media;- providing, based at least on said ejection estimation, an ejection impulse by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from flow outlets (162) of said sorting arrangement so as to eject items (101 , 102) to be sorted in the sorting zone to one of said one or more receiving zones (141 , 14N) corresponding to said item category with which said at least one feature of said item is associated.

30. Method according to claim 29, wherein the sorting arrangement (12) is a sorting arrangement (12) comprising:- a plurality of flow control modules (160), wherein each flow control module (160) comprises: o at least one flow inlet (161 ) adapted to be connected to the fluid supply device (15); o a flow outlet (162) for guiding flow of gaseous media provided from the fluid supply device (15) towards said sorting zone; o a control valve (163) arranged between the at least one flow inlet (161 ) and the flow outlet (162), wherein the control valve (163) is adapted to adjust flow of gaseous media from said at least one flow inlet (161 ) to said flow outlet (162) in response to a control signal, wherein the method further comprises:- controlling the control valves (163) of said plurality of flow control modules (160) to adjust flow rate of gaseous media from one or more flow outlets of said flow outlets (162) to provide an active set of flow outlets, wherein o the number of flow outlets in the active set of flow outlets is proportional to said ejection impulse; and / oro flow rate of gaseous media from each of flow outlet in the active set of flow outlets is selected from a group comprising at least two different active flow rates and optionally an idle flow rate.31 . Method according to claim 30, wherein the control valve (163) of at least one flow control module (160) includes:- a proportional valve adapted to adjust flow rate of gaseous media in response to the control signal, wherein the method further comprises:- providing the control signal based on the ejection estimate;- adjusting the proportional valve of at least one flow control module in response to said control signal.

32. Method according to any of claims 30-31 , wherein the control valve (163) of at least one flow control module (160) includes:- a binary valve adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate, and / or- a plurality of binary valves, each connected to a separate flow inlet of the at least one flow control module and the flow outlet of the at least one flow control module, wherein each binary valve is adjustable between an active flow rate and an idle flow rate; and / or- a switch valve adjustable between at least k different active flow rates, wherein k > 2, wherein the method further comprises:- providing the control signal based on the ejection estimate;- adjusting the control valve of at least one flow control module in response to said control signal.

33. Method according to any of claims 29-32, further comprising:- controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject from the sorting zone items of a N-th category towards a N-th receiving zone(14N) of the receiving means (14), wherein N > 2.

34. Method according to any of claims 30-33, wherein the ejection estimation indicates a target sub-region (TSR) of an item (101 , 102) to be sorted, which target sub-region (TSR) is smaller than an targetable region of the item to be sorted (101 , 102), wherein position of the target sub-region and / or extension of the target sub-region is at least determined based on a material density and / or a geometry of said item to be sorted, wherein said ejection impulse is provided to said target sub-region (TSR) by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets.

35. Method according to claim 34, further comprising:- determining a boundary sub-region of the item to be sorted adjacent to said target sub-region (TSR), which boundary sub-region is smaller than the targetable region of the item to be sorted, wherein a first portion of said ejection impulse is provided to said target subregion (TSR) and a second portion of said ejection impulse is provided to the boundary sub-region by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets.

36. Method according to any of claims 30-35, wherein said target area and / or said ejection impulse is adjusted based on spatial information of said item so as to reduce an amount of gaseous media and / or an amount of energy estimated to be required to eject said item to a receiving zone corresponding to the item category of said item.

37. Method according to any of claims 30-36, further comprising:- determining a center of gravity of said item, wherein said position of the target sub-region is determined so as to be substantially centered with respect to said center of gravity of said item.

38. Method according to any of claims 30-37, wherein said ejection estimation is provided by:- determining a plurality of theoretical item trajectories of said item to be sorted from a pre-ejection position towards said one of one or more receiving zones (141 , 142, 14N) corresponding to item category of saiditem to be sorted, wherein each theoretical item trajectory corresponds to a particular selection and / or control of the control valves and a setting of the fluid supply device;- determining theoretical gas supply requirements to eject said item to be sorted along each item trajectory of the plurality of item trajectories;- selecting the item trajectory associated with the smallest theoretical gas supply requirement;- selecting and / or controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject the item to be sorted along the selected item trajectory.

39. Method according to any of claims 29-38, comprising:- adjusting the ejection impulse by o adjusting a time period during which the flow of gaseous media flows to the item, and / or o adjusting a flow rate of the flow of gaseous media.

40. Method according to any of claims 29-39, further comprising:- detecting items using item detection and / or semantic segmentation.41 . Method according to any of claims 29-40, further comprising:- using instance segmentation to add at least a boundary indicating a shape of a detected item.

42. Method according to claim 41 , further comprising:- determining, by means of instance segmentation, at least a boundary of an item to be sorted;- based on said at least boundary and item category of said item to be sorted, determining an item weight of the item to be sorted and optionally a center of gravity of the item to be sorted;- wherein the ejection estimation is established based on item weight and optionally center of gravity of the item to be sorted.

43. Method according to any of claims 29-42, further comprising:- based on said at least one feature detected of said item, classifying said item as an item of said item category of said at least one item category.

44. Method according to any of claims 29-43, wherein said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, and the method comprises:- determining, using an image comparison algorithm and a matching criteria, if said at least one image of said item matches with any of at least one reference image, each reference image indicating a visual appearance of an item of at least one item category.

45. Method according to any of claims 29-44, wherein said sensor data includes at least one image of said item, and the method comprises:- determining, using an image classification engine trained to detect items of at least one item category, if said image matches with at least one of said at least item category, wherein the image classification engine is trained using labeled image data indicating an item of at least one item category and / or using unlabeled image data in combination with sorting feedback.

46. Method according to any of claims 29-45, comprising:- monitoring sorting of items, optionally, by monitoring item ejection and / or at least one receiving zone and / or an outgoing stream from said at least one receiving zone,- determining a sorting accuracy of items of a first item category, and- controlling the control valves to adjust flow of gaseous media to eject items of said first item category based on feedback of said sorting accuracy to improve sorting accuracy.

47. Method according to any of claims 29-45, further comprising:- detecting, by means of at least one microphone and / or at least one accelerometer arranged in the vicinity of a flow outlet or a control valve, an acoustic signal and / or a mechanical vibration signal,- determining, based on the acoustic noise signal and / or the mechanical vibration signal, turbulence characteristics with air ejected via one or more flow outlets, and- determining, based on the determined turbulence characteristics, whether one or more flow outlets and / or control valves is subject of a failure.

48. Method according to any of claims 30-47, further comprising:- providing a flow visualization of gaseous media from the flow outlets of the flow control module, wherein said ejection impulse is provided by adjusting the flow of gaseous media from said flow outlets (162) based on said flow visualization.

49. Method according to any of claims 29-47, further comprising:- estimating a future position of an item to be sorted by means of motion estimation.

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