Sorting system and method for sorting goods to be sorted

Abstract

A sorting system comprises a conveying region in order to convey, in the sorting system, goods to be sorted, comprising a plurality of items of different classes of goods to be sorted, parallel to a conveying surface, on which the plurality of items to be sorted are arranged, along a main movement direction. A classification device is designed to classify each item of the plurality of items to be sorted into one of a plurality of classes of goods to be sorted on the basis of an optical detection of the items to be sorted. A manipulation device is designed to exert a force on one side of at least one of the plurality of items to be sorted in order to influence the position of the item to be sorted parallel to the conveying surface in order to sort the plurality of items to be sorted.

Description

[0001] Sorting system and method for sorting material

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to a sorting system and a method for sorting material. The present invention particularly relates to high-speed sorting along a conveyor belt.

[0004] To recycle recyclable materials in household waste, such as plastic, a large portion is currently laboriously sorted manually, if the sorting work is carried out. As a result, this waste often simply ends up being incinerated. Robots are currently too slow and therefore not cost-effective.

[0005] During the mechanical processing of lightweight packaging (LVP), such as that collected in the so-called yellow bag, in addition to the more or less homogeneous sorting fractions, residual streams are also generated that cannot be automatically processed by existing sorting technologies. These residual streams are currently either used for energy recovery, which results in the loss of valuable resources and high CO2 emissions, or are re-sorted by human personnel. This work is monotonous, tiring, error-prone, and poses serious health risks.

[0006] Current robot-based handling solutions mostly handle single-variety and pre-known objects. Only in this setting can the high speeds required for profitability and technical throughput be achieved.

[0007] What would be desirable is a sorting system and a method for sorting goods in which unknown items can also be sorted and / or in which the sorting takes place at a high speed.

[0008] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a sorting system and a method for sorting items to be sorted which makes it possible to sort unknown objects and / or to carry out the sorting at high speed.

[0009] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. A core idea of ​​the present invention is the recognition that by classifying the items to be sorted, possibly supported by artificial intelligence and / or machine learning, a distinction can be made between the individual items to be sorted, and that with a manipulation device that changes the position of an item to be sorted on a conveyor belt device, sorting can be carried out with little expenditure of time and therefore at high speed.

[0010] According to one embodiment, a sorting system comprises a conveying area for conveying, in the sorting system, goods to be sorted comprising a plurality of items of different goods classes parallel to a conveying surface, such as a curved or non-curved conveyor belt, a curved or non-curved drop surface for the bulk material, or the like, in which the plurality of items of goods to be sorted is arranged, along a main direction of movement. A classification device is designed to classify each item of the plurality of items of goods to be sorted into one of a plurality of goods classes based on an optical detection of the items of goods to be sorted. A manipulation device is designed to unilaterally exert force on at least one of the plurality of items of goods to be sorted in order to influence a position of the item of goods to be sorted parallel to the conveying surface for sorting the plurality of items of goods to be sorted.This allows the position of the objects in the transport area to correspond with their class affiliation and simplifies sorting in the subsequent step.

[0011] According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the manipulation device is designed to displace an individual item to be sorted relative to another item on the conveyor belt. This can be done by means of an impulse, so that the item to be sorted slides along the conveyor belt, but can also be performed by continuous pushing or a combination of both. The advantage of this is that time-consuming and complex gripping of individual items can be dispensed with.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, the manipulation device is configured such that a manipulation element is provided which is designed to displace the individual item to be sorted relative to the other item to be sorted on the conveyor belt device, wherein a position of the manipulation element is variable perpendicular to the path direction and wherein the manipulation element is arranged rotatably with respect to a plane parallel to the path direction. Such movements can be carried out at high speed, thus enabling a movement of the manipulation element between the items to be sorted, as well as an adjustment of a projection surface of the manipulation element during a lateral movement and / or with respect to a size of a contact surface with an item to be sorted.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the manipulation device is designed to learn the movement path of the manipulation element using machine learning or artificial intelligence. This enables the sorting system to adapt to variable and unknown items to be sorted.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the sorting system comprises an evaluation device configured to evaluate at least one of the classification by the classification device, the changed position of the item to be sorted, and a position of other items to be sorted in order to check whether the sorting of the item to be sorted and / or the other items to be sorted is carried out correctly, in order to obtain an evaluation result. Based on the evaluation result, the sorting system performs machine learning and / or artificial intelligence training in order to adapt at least one of the classification by the classification device and the displacement of items to be sorted performed by the manipulation device, for example by adapting the calculation of the path movement and / or the orientation of the manipulation element.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the sorting system is configured for closed-loop control of the classification device and / or the manipulation device based on the evaluation result.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the sorting system is configured to determine a deviation between a position of the item to be sorted on the conveyor belt device and a target position range of the item to be sorted on the conveyor belt device, wherein the manipulation device is configured to displace the item to be sorted on the conveyor belt device in order to change the position within the target position range. For example, a specific area, such as a lane on the conveyor belt device, can be assigned to a respective class of item to be sorted, so that the manipulation device displaces the item to be sorted onto the lane or within the lane when the item to be sorted is positioned outside the lane.According to one embodiment, the manipulation device is designed to move a manipulation element toward the item to be sorted in order to displace the item to be sorted, and to guide a path of the manipulation element between positions of further items to be sorted. This can prevent potentially correctly positioned items to be sorted from being displaced to incorrect positions.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the sorting system is designed to perform a displacement of at least one of the additional items to be sorted toward the target position area assigned to the additional item to be sorted during a movement of the manipulation element on the track. This allows more than just one item to be sorted to be displaced or repositioned during a movement of the manipulation element.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the sorting system is designed to prevent a displacement of at least one of the further items to be sorted away from the target position area assigned to the further item to be sorted during a movement of the manipulation element on the track. This makes it possible to avoid incorrect repositioning. It is particularly preferred if, based on the calculations of the manipulation device and / or the classification device, a movement of the manipulation element from a first lateral region of the conveyor belt device towards a changed lateral region of the conveyor belt device is used to displace more than just one item to be sorted and, at the same time, to leave items to be sorted that are already correctly positioned or that are to be displaced in an opposite direction undisplaced during this movement.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the classification device is designed to classify and sort a plurality of items to be sorted into a plurality of sorted goods classes, which enables a high efficiency of the sorting system.

[0020] According to one embodiment, a position of the item to be sorted on the conveyor belt device, brought about by the manipulation device, is associated with the sorted item class. The sorting system is designed to transport the item to be sorted, based on the brought about position, into a sorting container from a plurality of sorting containers associated with the position. This enables simple sorting of the item to be sorted into different containers that can be easily transported away. Alternatively or in addition to a container, a further conveying area, such as a conveyor belt, can also be arranged, for example, to further process sorted item, for example, to compress it. In such an embodiment, the item to be sorted can be transported to a further conveying area from a plurality of further conveying areas associated with the position.Embodiments are not limited to such forms of target areas; alternatively or additionally, other forms of at least a temporary end station or a branch in the overall system can be provided, which can replace or supplement a sorting container and / or a conveyor belt.

[0021] According to one embodiment, at least a subset of the sorting goods containers can be positioned at an end region of the conveyor belt device in order to pick up the items to be sorted when the items to be sorted fall down at the end region. This enables easy transfer of the items to be sorted into the sorting goods containers.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the manipulation device is designed to move items to be sorted associated with different sorting goods classes into different lateral areas, such as tracks or lanes, on the conveyor belt device, with each area being associated with a subset of the sorting goods classes. This enables precise intervention by additional actuators to filter out the items to be sorted from one sorting goods class and / or precise sorting into different containers, such as containers positioned at the end of a conveyor belt.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the manipulation device is designed to sort items of the same sorting goods classes in a same lateral area on the conveyor belt device, which enables a high sorting speed.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the sorting system comprises an extraction device configured to trigger an extraction of a selected item to be sorted from the conveyor belt device in response to a control signal. The manipulation device is configured to shift the position of the item to be sorted on the conveyor belt device within a lateral range of the extraction device. The extraction device is configured to carry out the extraction at a time interval in which the item to be sorted is arranged within an axial range of the extraction device based on a movement of the conveyor belt device and not to carry out the extraction or to carry out no extraction if the item to be sorted is arranged outside the axial range.The determination of whether the item to be sorted is located in the axial area can be made predictively based on the conveyor belt speed and / or by taking into account the displacement of the item to be sorted, which can be done either as part of a feed-forward control or as part of a feedback control or closed-loop control. This means that, for example, a camera system or the like can be used to check whether the item to be sorted has been moved to the correct position, or, assuming that the movement was carried out correctly, the extraction device can be controlled accordingly.

[0025] According to one embodiment, a method for sorting goods comprises conveying goods to be sorted, comprising a plurality of goods to be sorted of different goods classes, on a conveyor belt along a path direction. The method comprises optically detecting the goods to be sorted and outputting detection information. The method comprises classifying each of the goods to be sorted into one of the different goods classes and providing goods information for a classified goods to be sorted, which information is associated with the goods class assigned to the goods to be sorted. The method comprises displacing the goods to be sorted on the conveyor belt relative to another goods to be sorted based on the goods information, for sorting the goods to be sorted.

[0026] Further advantageous embodiments are the subject of dependent patent claims.

[0027] Particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

[0028] Fig. 1a is a schematic block diagram of a system according to an embodiment;

[0029] Fig. 1b is a schematic block diagram of a system according to an embodiment; Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a sorting system according to an embodiment configured to receive, couple, and / or use one or more sorting containers 34i to 34a;

[0030] Fig. 3a-l schematic views of a sorting system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention with extraction devices in different perspectives and at different times;

[0031] Fig. 4a is a schematic front view of a sorting system according to an embodiment, comprising a drop area;

[0032] Fig. 4b is a schematic side sectional view of the sorting system of Fig. 4a;

[0033] Fig. 5a is a schematic perspective front view of a sorting system according to an embodiment, comprising an inclined conveyor belt;

[0034] Fig. 5b is a side sectional view of the sorting system of Fig. 5a; and

[0035] Fig. 6 is a schematic flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment.

[0036] Before exemplary embodiments of the present invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, it is pointed out that identical, functionally equivalent or equivalent elements, objects and / or structures in the different figures are provided with the same reference numerals, so that the description of these elements shown in different exemplary embodiments is interchangeable or can be applied to one another.

[0037] The exemplary embodiments described below are described in connection with a large number of details. However, exemplary embodiments can also be implemented without these detailed features. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, exemplary embodiments are described using block diagrams as a substitute for a detailed representation. Furthermore, details and / or features of individual exemplary embodiments can easily be combined with one another, unless explicitly described to the contrary. The exemplary embodiments described below relate to a sorting system and to a method for sorting material to be sorted. In the context of the exemplary embodiments discussed here, material to be sorted is understood to mean objects or pieces that differ from one another due to different evaluation criteria.

[0038] A first distinguishing criterion is, for example, the material of the respective object, such as different types of plastic, such as polyethylene, PE, polypropylene, PP, polyvinyl chloride, PVC, polyethylene terephthalate, PET, or others. Different types of plastic can be differentiated or classified from one another, for example, using hyperspectral imaging. Such configurations are used in some embodiments of the present invention for an optical detection device and / or a classification device.

[0039] A second distinguishing criterion is, for example, the size of objects, which can also be easily evaluated visually.

[0040] A third evaluation criterion, for example, is the shape of the sorted item, such as round, polygonal, approximately elliptical, angular, with an overhang, or the like. For example, it is conceivable that items to be sorted should be sorted based on whether a measure of uniformity or non-uniformity exceeds or at least reaches a threshold.

[0041] A fourth distinguishing criterion for different sorting goods can be, for example, the color of the sorting goods and / or whether the sorting goods are transparent or at least partially opaque.

[0042] The described sorting goods classes can easily be combined with each other or grouped together to form an extended group of sorting goods classes.

[0043] Some of the embodiments described herein relate to the sorting of lightweight packaging, which is a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, but is not intended to limit the application of the present invention.

[0044] Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a system 10 according to an embodiment, which can form at least part of a sorting system. The system 10 comprises a conveying area 12, such as a conveyor belt, a material chute and / or a free-fall area. The conveying area 12 is designed to convey, in the system 10, material 14 to be sorted, comprising a plurality of items 161 to 163 to be sorted, parallel to a conveying surface 18 in which the plurality of items 14 to be sorted are arranged, along a main movement direction 22. The conveying surface 18 can be wholly or partially physical and / or wholly or partially virtual. For example, in the case of a conveyor belt that forms at least part of the conveying area 12, a surface of the conveyor belt can provide the conveying surface 18 in parts.If a material chute is used in at least parts of the conveying area 12, a chute surface of the material chute can provide the conveying area 18 in this area in whole or in part. If the material 14 to be sorted is transported, for example, in a free-fall area or by other means, flying or falling, a trajectory of the material 14 to be sorted can virtually define the conveying area 18.

[0045] The system 10 comprises a classification device 24 which is designed to classify each sorting item I61 to I63 of the plurality of sorting items into one of a plurality of sorting item classes based on an optical detection of the sorting items 16, for example due to different shapes, different materials, different weights, different surface qualities or the like.

[0046] For optical detection, the system 10 can have a detection device 26, which can be designed, for example, as a line-scan camera or an area-scan camera. The detection device 26 can be designed to use imaging methods to transmit an unprocessed or preprocessed sensor signal 28 to the classification device 24. Properties of the detection device 26 can be adapted to the items 16 to be sorted or the sorted item classes to be classified. For example, to distinguish between different types of plastic, it can be advisable to use hyperspectral imaging with a correspondingly designed imaging sensor in the detection device 26 in order to provide sensor signals 28 for different items 161 to 163 to be sorted, with correspondingly different information.

[0047] The system 10 further comprises a manipulation device 32, which is designed to unilaterally exert a force F on at least one of the plurality of items to be sorted I61 to 163 in order to influence a position of the corresponding item to be sorted 161 to 163 parallel to the conveying surface 18, i.e., in-plane, for sorting the plurality of items to be sorted I61 to 163. The manipulation device can be designed to facilitate movement along a vertical direction, i.e., out-of-plane or perpendicular to the conveying surface, thereby avoiding lifting of the item to be sorted, as is typically done with a gripper actuator, or to change the position without lifting the item to be sorted.A movement perpendicular to the main movement direction 22 is possible, whereby alternatively or additionally a decelerating force or an accelerating force can be applied to change the position of the items 161 to 163 to be sorted. The position change may also include a purely rotational change in the relative position or orientation in the conveying area 12. A combination of a rotation and a lateral displacement can easily be achieved.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the manipulation device 32 is designed to contact the item to be sorted 16 at most on one side of the item to be sorted at any one time for the one-sided exertion of the force F.

[0049] Fig. 1b shows a schematic block diagram of a sorting system 10' according to an embodiment, in which the system 10 is expanded by an extraction device 54 and at least one target area 33i to 334. The extraction device 54 can be designed to transfer repositioned items to be sorted into the target areas 33i to 334 by means of the manipulation device 32 and is optional, for example, in that items to be sorted, for example, by falling from the conveying area into the correct target area, can also be conveyed further without additional manipulation.

[0050] For example, a sorting bin and / or another transport area, such as a conveyor belt, a material chute, or the like, can be used as the target area 33. This can, for example, enable transport to a sorting bin or a further processing station within or outside the sorting system, for example, to compress, incinerate, or otherwise treat or process the sorted item. A partial path within the sorting system can also be effectively implemented using such a transport area, for example, to enable specific further sorting or manual inspection.

[0051] Fig. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a sorting system 20 according to an embodiment, which can be functionally based on the system or sorting system 10 and has further features. The sorting system 20 is configured to receive, couple, and / or use one or more sorting containers 34i to 34a providing target areas, or can include these. According to the embodiment of the sorting system 20, a position 36i of the item 161 to be sorted, brought about by the manipulation device 32, and / or a brought about position 362 of the item 162 to be sorted, is associated with the sorting item class of the item to be sorted. The sorting system is designed to transport the respective item 161 to 163 to be sorted, based on the brought about position 36i, 362, into a sorting container 34i to 34a associated with the position.As shown, for example, for the item 163 to be sorted of a sorting class C, the manipulation device 32 can also be designed to leave the position of the item 163 to be sorted unchanged, which can also be understood as an effected position.

[0052] Taking into account the main conveying direction 22 and an arrangement of the sorting containers 34i to 34a, for example in an end region of the conveying area 18, such as a conveyor belt or the like, it can be particularly well described that different position areas 38i to 38a can be assigned to the different sorting goods classes A, B and C. By positioning the items to be sorted I61 to 163 in a position area 38i, 382 or 38a assigned to the respective sorting goods class, it can be easily ensured that, for example, if the items to be sorted I61 to 163 fall from the conveying area 12, they are sorted into the correct sorting container 34i, 342 or 34a. By applying the force F from only one side, the time-consuming and complex gripping of individual items to be sorted 161 to 163 can be avoided.A manipulation element 42 of the manipulation device 42 can be designed as a flat or curved slider or the like and can be displaced laterally, for example, along the main conveying direction 22, approximately corresponding to an x-direction, perpendicular thereto, parallel to the conveying surface 18, approximately along a y-direction and / or perpendicular to the conveying surface 18, approximately along a z-direction. The manipulation element 42 is preferably arranged so as to be rotatable at least about an axis parallel to the z-direction and thus with respect to a plane parallel to the main movement direction 22. This enables a precise transmission of the force F to one or more of the items to be sorted 161 to 163 at a time and, at the same time, a precise maneuvering of the manipulation element 42 through items to be sorted that are not to be contacted on a track, if necessary. Instead of or in addition to the items to be sorted container 34, e.g.A further conveying area, such as a conveyor belt, can be arranged between the conveying area and the sorting material container or a further processing system. This can make it possible to feed identified sorted material and / or unrecognized sorted material to an associated processing branch in the system. For example, sorted material of a sorting material class can be compressed or transferred directly from the conveying area to a melting pot, for example to produce a new product there. Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible to feed unidentifiable sorted material or sorted material items assigned to a residual class for thermal recycling. Combinations of these are therefore readily possible.

[0053] In addition to actuator components such as the manipulation element 42 and drive devices for moving the same, the manipulation device 32 can optionally also comprise a sensor device which is designed, for example, to detect a force acting on a piece of material to be sorted, a property of the piece of material to be sorted, such as a surface quality, color or temperature, to detect a position, orientation or speed of the manipulation element and / or to detect other parameters which are of interest for controlling at least part of the sorting system, such as for setting up a control chain or closed-loop control of the manipulation device 32, in particular when using artificial intelligence or machine learning.

[0054] The manipulation device 32 is designed to change the distance of one item to be sorted relative to another item to be sorted in order to influence the positions of items to be sorted. This can be done by lateral displacement perpendicular to the main movement direction 22, by acceleration and / or deceleration parallel to the main movement direction 22, or a combination thereof. Alternatively or additionally, a position of the item to be sorted can be moved based on the item class parallel to the conveying surface, i.e., in-plane with respect to the conveying surface 18 and perpendicular to the main movement direction 22, in order to change the position of the item to be sorted to a changed position 36i, 362 within a position range 38i, 382, ​​or 383 in the conveying area 12 assigned to the item class of the item to be sorted.

[0055] The manipulation device 32 can be configured to decelerate the movement of the item to be sorted with the manipulation element 42 by positioning the manipulation element 42 in front of the item to be sorted relative to the movement direction 22 of the item to be sorted in the conveying area 12, in order to change the distance of the item to be sorted relative to the other item to be sorted. If the next item to be sorted follows the decelerated item to be sorted, the distance can be reduced; conversely, the distance can be increased. However, such a configuration is not absolutely necessary. Thus, in some embodiments, such as in the sorting system 20, it may be sufficient to leave the distance between the objects unchanged as long as they are positioned in the correct paths. A change in the distance can be advantageous in connection with an extraction device described herein, for example, comprising flap mechanisms of the sorting system 30.

[0056] In other words, the manipulation element can decelerate or stop the item to be sorted. According to one embodiment, the conveying area is configured to comprise a conveyor belt, and the manipulation device is designed to change the movement of the item to be sorted with the manipulation element 42 by pushing, decelerating, or pushing it on one side. In an optional embodiment, the manipulation element 42 is configured to displace the item 16 to be sorted perpendicular to the main movement direction 22 parallel to the conveying surface 18 and / or to decelerate the item 16 to be sorted along the main movement direction 22.

[0057] The manipulation device 32 is designed to apply the force F directly or indirectly to a respective item of goods 161 to 163 to be sorted by means of the manipulation element 42 in order to change its position. It is readily possible to use chain reactions or the like for this purpose, for example, to displace or push a first item of goods to be sorted, to then bring the first item of goods into contact with at least one further item of goods to be sorted, or to push or push it to change its position, to displace the thus indirectly repositioned item of goods into a correct position range and / or to push another item of goods to be sorted. The manipulation element 42 can effect a slow displacement, possibly maintaining mechanical contact, but can also comprise a sudden application of force to trigger a sliding movement or a trajectory or the like.

[0058] The manipulation device 32 can be configured to make predictions, based on the positions of the items to be sorted 161 to 163 and the main movement direction 22, about which strategy is most efficient to use in order to sort the plurality of items to be sorted 161 to 163 as precisely as possible within a given time. For example, the manipulation device 32 can be configured to determine a path of movement of the manipulation element 42 based on the positions of the items to be sorted, such as 161, and / or other items to be sorted 162, 163 in the conveying area 18, in order to move the manipulation element 42 to these positions and / or the positions to be maintained of the other items to be sorted, i.e., to carry out path planning.This can be achieved by moving the manipulation element 42 between the items to be sorted, for example while maintaining a height position in a plane of the items to be sorted 161 to 163 and / or by indirectly moving items to be sorted 16.

[0059] The manipulation device 32 can be designed to displace a single item of goods to be sorted or a plurality of items of goods to be sorted at a time relative to the main direction of movement 22 into the conveying area 18 based on the force F using the manipulation element 42. A position of the manipulation element 42 perpendicular to the main direction of movement 22 can be laterally and / or rotationally variable. Particularly suitable for this purpose is the use of a robot arm designed to move the manipulation element 42. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and can also include other implementations of a manipulation device 32 designed to displace at least one item of goods to be sorted at a time relative to the main direction of movement 22 in the conveying area 18. For example, nozzle devices for dispensing a liquid or gaseous fluid can be used for this purpose.

[0060] The sorting system 20, like the sorting system 10, can comprise an evaluation device 44 which is designed to evaluate at least one of the classification of the classification device 24, the changed position 36i, 362 of the item to be sorted 161, 162 and a position of other items to be sorted in order to check whether a change in the distance and / or the position of one or more items to be sorted 16 and / or other items to be sorted, caused by the application of the force F, is carried out correctly in order to obtain an evaluation result.Based on the evaluation result, machine learning and / or artificial intelligence training can be performed to adapt at least one of the classification by the classification device 24 and the displacements of the items to be sorted 16 performed by the manipulation device 32 based on the exerted force 32, for example by adjusting the trajectory of the manipulation element 42 and / or for accelerations, rotations, or force amplitudes. For this purpose, a detection device of the sorting system 20 can be used, for example, to track the object or items to be sorted during movement in the transport area, at least temporarily or even as completely as possible. Such a detection device can be part of the manipulation device 32 or can be arranged and coupled as a standalone device, such as the detection device 74 of the sorting systems 40 and / or 50.

[0061] This allows for an advantageous division of the sorting task within the sorting system. The detection device 26 can enable classification of the items 16 to be sorted by the classification device 24 into sorting goods classes, such as PET, PE, etc. The items 16 to be sorted can then be moved, and without the need for reclassification by the additional detection device, it can be ensured that the repositioning was carried out correctly by the manipulation device 32, which can be optimized by machine learning or artificial intelligence. This does not prevent the implementation of a detection device coupled to both the classification device 24 and the manipulation device 32.

[0062] The evaluation device 44 can be implemented entirely or partially in the classification device 24, entirely or partially in the manipulation device 32, and / or entirely or partially as an individual device. This also includes distributed systems that, for example, enable permanent or interval-like monitoring of changed positions of the items 16 to be sorted, for example to implement a control loop or the like. Alternatively or additionally, the success of the sorting of the items 14 to be sorted into the sorting containers 34i to 34a can be monitored in order to detect errors that need to be corrected. One possible implementation is, for example, monitoring the conveying area 12 by means of a camera, which can be implemented by the detection device 26 and / or can comprise another detection device.

[0063] The sorting system 20 can execute closed-loop control of the classification device 24 and / or the manipulation device 32 based on the evaluation result. The classification device 24 can be configured to classify a plurality of items to be sorted into a plurality of sorted-goods classes, wherein the sorting system is configured to sort the items to be sorted into the plurality of sorted-goods classes. This does not preclude the possibility of unclassified items to be sorted being transported and, for example, being guided into a reject container, as described, for example, in connection with the sorting system 30. In an advantageous embodiment, items to be sorted that would otherwise not be assigned to any other sorted-goods class can also be actively classified into a residual class or a class comprising residual items.

[0064] In the sorting system 20, for example, at least a subset of the sorting goods containers 34 can be positioned at an end region of the conveying region 12 in order to receive the sorting goods 16 when the sorting goods fall down at the end region.

[0065] Fig. 3a shows a schematic perspective view of a sorting system 30 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The conveying surface 18 comprises, for example, a conveyor belt, to which the manipulation device 32, comprising a possibly, but not necessarily, articulated robot arm, is arranged perpendicular to the main conveying direction 22. The robot arm 46 can be coupled to the manipulation element 42 and configured to move it in the x / y plane parallel and perpendicular to the main movement direction 22 and parallel to the conveying surface 18, to rotate the z-axis or an axis parallel thereto, and possibly to raise it along the z-direction.

[0066] The detection device 26 comprises, for example, a line scan camera which is designed to monitor or scan a monitoring area 48 of the conveying surface 18, for example an area adjacent to a volume 52, such as a container, a bin or the like, in which the goods 14 to be sorted can be located and from which the goods to be sorted are placed onto the conveying surface 18 in the sorting area.

[0067] The sorting system 30 includes an optional configuration that can also be readily used in the sorting system 10 and / or 20, just as the specific implementations of the detection device 26 and / or the manipulation device can be transferred independently of one another into the sorting systems 10 and / or 20. The sorting system 30 includes one or more extraction devices 54i to 544, wherein an exemplary number of four extraction devices is not limiting, since only one extraction device, a number of two, three, or even more than four extraction devices, such as five, six, or more, can be arranged. Each of the extraction devices 54i to 544 is configured to cause a selected item to be sorted from the conveying area 12 in response to a control signal from a control device (not shown).For example, the extraction devices 54i to 544 can each comprise a switch structure or flap structure that, in response to the control signal, moves into the conveying area 12, preferably above along the positive z-direction of the conveying surface 18, so that a sorting item moving along the main movement direction 22 is deflected by the element and sorted into an associated or associated sorting container. In other words, to extract one or more sorting items with an extraction device 54, a movable element, also referred to as an intercepting rake, can be introduced into the conveying area to deflect a path of the sorting item and extract the sorting item from the conveying area.

[0068] The manipulation device 32 can be designed to shift the position of at least one item to be sorted within a lateral range 56i to 564 of the respective extraction device 54i to 544 in the conveying area 12, wherein the extraction device 54i to 544 is designed to carry out the extraction in an extraction time interval in which the item to be sorted is arranged in an axial range 58i to 584 of the extraction device based on a movement of the item to be sorted relative to the extraction device 54i to 544 and not to carry out the extraction or to carry out no extraction if the item to be sorted is arranged outside the axial range.For example, by means of the manipulation device 32, items to be sorted that are assigned to sorting classes A and B can be moved into the lateral range 56i, 562, which can describe a corresponding position range 38i. By means of the extraction devices 54i and 542, items to be sorted of sorting class A can be extracted if they are arranged in the axial range 58i, and items to be sorted of sorting class B can be extracted if they have been conveyed further into the axial range 582, in which the extraction device 54i or 544 moves the respective extraction element at the respective time.

[0069] In a comparable manner, items to be sorted that are assigned to the sorting goods classes C and D can, for example, be moved so that the extraction device 54a and 544 carries out an extraction into the sorting goods containers 34a and 344 when the respective item to be sorted arrives in the axial range 583 and 584, respectively.

[0070] At least a part of a remaining position area 383, in simplified terms a middle lane or the like, can be used to drop unsorted sorting goods with respect to the sorting goods classes A to D into a sorting goods container 34s, whereby this can also be done based on an active classification into a fifth sorting goods class.

[0071] In this embodiment, the position areas 38 can correspond to lateral areas or tracks in the conveying area 12, so that the manipulation device 32 is designed to move items to be sorted associated with different sorting goods classes into different lateral areas or tracks in the conveying area 12. A respective area can be associated with one or more sorting goods classes; conversely, in a preferred embodiment, a respective sorting goods class is associated with only one lateral area. The manipulation device 32 can be designed to sort items to be sorted of the same sorting goods class in the same lateral area in the conveying area, and to sort items to be sorted of at least one other sorting goods class in a different lateral area, for example, a different track or the like.

[0072] Fig. 3b shows a schematic top view of the sorting system 30 in the scenario of Fig. 3a. Lateral boundaries 62i and 622 are also shown there, which can prevent the sorted material from falling off the conveying surface 18.

[0073] Fig. 3c shows a schematic perspective view of the sorting system 30 in the perspective of Fig. 3a at, for example, a later point in time, at which items 161 to 16e to be sorted are transported from the volume 52 to the conveying surface 18.

[0074] Fig. 3d shows a schematic plan view of a section of the conveying area 18 corresponding to the illustration in Fig. 3b, where it can be seen that, for example, the item 161 to be sorted, which is assigned to the item class B, is arranged outside the positioning area 38i, which is why the manipulation element 42 pushes or shoves the item 161 to be sorted toward the positioning area 38i. Fig. 3e shows a schematic representation of the sorting system 30 in a perspective identical to Figs. 3a and 3c, in which the items 161 to 16e to be sorted are moved further along the main movement direction 22, and additional items to be sorted are located on the conveying surface 18.

[0075] Fig. 3f shows a perspective of the sorting system 30 comparable to Figs. 3b and 3d at a time corresponding to Fig. 3e, where it can be seen that the item 16i to be sorted has been pushed into the position area 38i, while the items 162, 163 and 164 to be sorted are still in their original position.

[0076] Fig. 3g shows a schematic perspective view of the sorting system 30 in a perspective identical to Figs. 3a, 3c, and 3e at a later point in time. Compared to Figs. 3a-f, a higher number of items 16n to 1619 to be sorted is arranged on the conveying surface 18, with, for example, items 1614 to 1617 being assigned to a first class A, item 1619 to be sorted to a class B, items 1616 and 1618 to be sorted to a class C, and item 1613 to be sorted to a class 1613. It should again be mentioned that the designations A, B, C, and D are merely placeholders for any type of classification within the scope of the invention discussed herein.

[0077] The sorting system 30 is designed to move items to be sorted of class A and class B into the position area 38i, and to move items to be sorted of class C and D into the position area 382, ​​for example, a corresponding path on a conveyor belt. Items to be sorted that are unclassified or assigned to another item class, such as item 1615, can be conveyed into a position area 383 by means of the manipulation element 42. This is an optional feature, since, for example, when using the extraction devices 54i to 544, a failure to actuate the extraction elements can result in the corresponding items to be sorted, such as item 16n in Fig. 3g, being conveyed into the item container 34s even if it is positioned outside the position area 383.

[0078] The extraction devices 54I-544 can each comprise at least one movable element and be designed to move the movable element into the axial reach range in response to the control signal during the extraction time interval in which the item to be sorted is positioned to match the extraction device, and to move the movable element out of the axial reach range for a time outside the extraction time interval.

[0079] The extraction device can be arranged at an edge of the conveyor belt, although other implementations are also possible. For example, in connection with the sorting system 40 and the sorting system 50, it is described that the extraction device can also include nozzles configured for extraction.

[0080] Fig. 3h shows an exemplary top view of the sorting system 30 in the perspective of Figs. 3b, 3d, and 3f. A path 55 of the manipulation element through the space can be determined by the manipulation device 32, wherein different criteria can be considered alternately, in groups, or globally simultaneously, such as an indirect or direct positioning of each successfully classified item to be sorted into the correct position area 38, as well as the planning of which item should be moved first and which next and / or which items should be excluded from repositioning. The manipulation device 32 can be configured to determine the path 55 of the movement of the manipulation element 42 using machine learning and / or artificial intelligence, wherein, among other methods, reinforcement learning has proven advantageous.

[0081] The manipulation device 42 can be designed to move the manipulation element 42 towards the sorting material in order to exert the force unilaterally, and to guide a path of the manipulation element between positions of further items of sorting material, for example in order not to change these with regard to their position and / or orientation.

[0082] The sorting system can be designed to move at least one of the further items to be sorted toward the position area assigned to the item class of the further item to be sorted during a movement of the manipulation element 42 on the track 55. For example, in Fig. 3h, the item to be sorted 1617 could first be moved toward the item to be sorted 16ig and then moved into the position area 38i, so that both items to be sorted 1617 and 16ig could possibly be moved simultaneously. Fig. 3i shows, in a perspective identical to Figs. 3a, 3c, 3e, and 3g, a representation of the sorting system 30 at a later point in time compared to Fig. 3g, at which the item to be sorted is transported further along the main movement direction 22 and, at the same time, its position is further changed by the manipulation device 32.For example, the manipulation element 42 can be used by the manipulation device 32 to push the item to be sorted 1617 with a force F1 within a time interval such that it slides over the conveying area 18 and continues to move, even when the mechanical contact between the item to be sorted 1617 and the manipulation element 42 ends, for example, to convey the item to be sorted 1619 up to the boundary 62i. This enables a rapid reversal of direction and rapid interaction with the item to be sorted 1618, since a short distance is covered by the manipulation element 42.

[0083] In Fig. 3i, it can also be seen that the extraction devices 54i and 544 are controlled simultaneously in order to extract items to be sorted 1614 and 1613, respectively. Due to the movement of, for example, the item to be sorted 16ie, the extraction device 54a can also be controlled at the corresponding time, since the displacement by the manipulation device 32 ensures that the items to be sorted 1613 and 16ie are spaced apart from one another, approximately along the main movement direction 22, such that the extraction devices 54a and 544 can be controlled in such a way that error-free sorting into the items to be sorted containers is possible.

[0084] Fig. 3j shows an exemplary top view of the sorting system 30 in the perspective of Figs. 3b, 3d, 3f and 3h.

[0085] Fig. 3k shows a schematic perspective view of the sorting system 30 in a perspective identical to Figs. 3a, 3c, 3e, 3g, and 3i at a further changed point in time, at which items to be sorted 1621 to 1629 are transported on the conveying area 18. It is shown that, for example, the extraction devices 54i, 54a, and 544 are simultaneously activated to extract items to be sorted 1621, 1622, 1623, and 1624, which were previously positioned in the conveying area 18 by means of the manipulation device 32, while an item to be sorted 1620 falls into the item to be sorted container 34s.

[0086] The change in the distance between items to be sorted caused by the manipulation device 32 can comprise a reduction in the distance to another item to be sorted with the same sorting class, as is achieved, for example, for items to be sorted 1622 and 1623. Alternatively or additionally, an increase in the distance to another item to be sorted with a different sorting class can be carried out, as is shown, for example, for items to be sorted 1613 and 161e in Fig. 3i, for example, in order to achieve a sufficiently large distance for the extraction devices 54.

[0087] Fig. 3I shows a schematic plan view of the sorting system 30 according to the perspective of Figs. 3b, 3d, 3f, 3h and 3j.

[0088] In Fig. 3I it can be seen that the manipulation element 42 is raised for movement relative to the items to be sorted, that is to say, moved along the z-direction, whereby moving around individual items to be sorted can be avoided, although this is also within the scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0089] Fig. 4a shows a schematic front view of a sorting system 40 according to an embodiment. The conveying area 12 comprises, for example, a drop area 64, which is shown in the schematic side sectional view of Fig. 4b. The manipulation device 32 can be designed to, by means of distributed openings 661 to 66 n , for example on a front side or a back side, to provide sources of force F in the form of an outflowing fluid, such as air, distributed in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional field in order to sort items 161 to 16 malong the main movement direction 22 from a volume 52 towards sorting containers 34i and 342, for example by the fall area being delimited on two opposite sides by delimiting structures 681 and 682, so that an outflow of fluid for generating the force F enables a movement parallel to a conveying surface which is at least partially defined, for example, by the delimiting structure 681 or 682.

[0090] For this purpose, the sorting system 40 can, for example, have one or more air pressure nozzles 72i to 72 x to convey fluid through the openings 66.

[0091] The detection device 26 can be used for classifying the items 16 to be sorted and can optionally also be used for monitoring the conveying area 12. Alternatively, a further detection device 74 can also be used to at least partially monitor the conveying area 12. Possibly, at least one of the boundary structures 74i and 742 is porous or otherwise transparent, for example, using transparent material, to enable detection of the conveying area 12 through the boundary structures 68i and / or 682.

[0092] By means of the detection device 74, it can be monitored whether a trajectory of one or more items 16 to be sorted is correct or within a permissible tolerance range that leads to correct sorting of the item to be sorted. The trajectory can be based, for example, on a classification result of the classification device 24 and / or a current position of the items 16 to be sorted and can be determined initially, at a later point in time, continuously, or at time intervals. By means of the detection device, the actual trajectory can be monitored against a desired trajectory or a desired trajectory section in order to enable corresponding control of the manipulation device 32 in order to adjust and / or correct the trajectory accordingly.

[0093] In other words, Figs. 4a and 4b show views of a free-fall sorter with a lateral deflection, approximately perpendicular to the main conveying direction 22 and substantially parallel to the boundary structures 681 and / or 682.

[0094] Fig. 5a shows a schematic perspective front view of a sorting system 50 according to an embodiment. Therein, the conveying area 12 is provided, for example, with several sections, wherein a first section may comprise, for example, a conveyor belt 76, which is scanned, detected, or monitored by the detection device 26 to provide information for the classification device 24. The detection device 26 may possibly be a hyperspectral camera. Items to be sorted I61 to I6; can be conveyed from the conveyor belt 76 to a chute device 78, for example by being discharged by means of a drop at the end of the conveyor belt 76.

[0095] The chute device 78 can be designed purely passively for sliding down the items 16 to be sorted, but can also be designed actively, for example as an inclined conveyor belt, to at least partially generate a movement.

[0096] The manipulation device 32 can have one or more rotatable elements or manipulation elements 82i to 824, which can be formed, for example, as rotatable levers or bars, but can also comprise paddle elements or the like. Based on a rotation 84, the force F can be applied unilaterally to items to be sorted in order to cause the items to be sorted to move into different sub-paths 861 or 862, for example as a pre-sorting, in which items to be sorted of a first item class A essentially follow a sub-path 861 and items to be sorted of a item class B follow another sub-path 862, wherein a larger number of sub-paths is readily possible, for example for sorting further item classes.

[0097] Optionally, the manipulation device 32 can comprise a nozzle array 88 with one or more nozzles 92i to 92 pwhich can, for example, be formed in correspondence with the nozzles 72, although a different implementation is also possible. Alternatively or in addition to being implemented in the manipulation device 32, the nozzles 92 can also be part of an extraction device.

[0098] By means of the nozzle array 88 or another sub-device of the manipulation device 32, re-sorting can be performed, for example, such that the sorting class A is assigned to the sorting container 34i, which can be arranged at the end of the sub-path 861. Items to be sorted that are still moving incorrectly along the sub-path 861, such as the item to be sorted 164, can be sorted out of the stream of items to be sorted by means of the nozzle array 88, for example, by exerting a force on the item to be sorted 164 in order to convey the item to be sorted 164 into a sorting container 34a, as can be seen in Fig. 5b, which shows a side sectional view of the sorting system 50. Complementary control is readily possible.

[0099] At the end of the partial path 862, a complementary arrangement of collecting containers 342, which can be assigned to sorting material class B, and 344, which can be assigned to sorting material class A, can be arranged, so that sorting material pieces of sorting material class A can be sorted out from the sorting material flow of the partial path 862 using the nozzle array 88. This allows standard classes or default classes, the sorting material class A of the partial path 861 or the sorting material class B of the partial path 862, to be separated from the reject classes B of the partial path 861 or A of the partial path 862, which are valid for the respective partial path.

[0100] Fig. 5b also shows the detection device 74 with which the conveying area 12 can be at least partially monitored. For example, by means of one or more nozzles 92i, the trajectory of the item 16i to be sorted can be changed as it falls into a trajectory 94 toward the item to be sorted container 34a.

[0101] Embodiments of the present invention can be classified in the chain of sorting goods comprising a) sensory detection and classification, b) (pre-)sorting, and c) separation in the area of ​​pre-sorting or sorting, whereby this serves merely to improve understanding and does not limit the invention. While the separation can also have air pressure nozzles, for example in an array, flaps as described in connection with the extraction device, or various outputs, within the scope of the exemplary embodiments described herein, using an actuator and / or manipulation element, an object or item to be sorted can be extremely well sorted by means of a displacement within the plane of movement with the aid of the movable actuator, possibly with continuous detection of the object movements.

[0102] Aspects of the use of partial paths of the sorting system 50 described herein can also be readily used for the implementation of target areas described herein, for example, in the sorting system 10'. Instead of the sorting container 34 of the sorting system 40, a partial path for further sorting or further processing can also be arranged, so that these elements can be combined with one another as desired within the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0103] Fig. 6 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 600 according to an exemplary embodiment. A step 610 comprises conveying sorted goods comprising a plurality of items of different sorted goods classes parallel to a conveying surface and along a main movement direction in a conveying area.

[0104] A step 620 comprises an optical detection of the items to be sorted.

[0105] A step 630 comprises classifying the items to be sorted into one of the different sorted item classes based on the optical detection and providing sorted item information for a classified item to be sorted, which is associated with the sorted item class assigned to the item to be sorted. A step 640 comprises changing a position of the item to be sorted in the conveying area parallel to the conveying surface and perpendicular to the main movement direction for sorting the item to be sorted.

[0106] An optional additional step involves extracting the item to be sorted from the transport area for the purpose of separating the individual materials. This may include a final sorting step.

[0107] The embodiments described herein enable the handling of unknown and highly diverse, often deformed objects or fragments of objects while maintaining the efficiency of the sorting systems. Since some sorted goods include low-value material, it may be necessary to handle high mass flows. This requirement is met by the sorting systems and method described herein and enables the widespread use of robot-based handling in recycling.

[0108] Some of the embodiments described herein are based on a Class-based classification of the objects, the position of which is manipulated by a robot. However, instead of attempting to explicitly grab objects from the conveyor belt, embodiments relate to a unilateral exertion of force in order to skillfully move the items to be sorted using the robot on the conveyor belt in an advantageous method into areas so that they can be guided into the designated sorting containers directly or by means of intercepting rakes that are responsible for sub-areas of the belt. Various constellations can be implemented, such as one robot taking over the entire task, i.e. objects are classified and moved appropriately. Alternatively, it is also possible to perform the task in a distributed manner, i.e. one robot places or moves the objects appropriately on the conveyor belt and another robot pushes them around.This means that a manipulation device 32 according to embodiments is not limited to the use of a single manipulation element 42.

[0109] The exemplary embodiments described herein make it possible to transfer a robot-assisted approach with potentially AI-supported characterization and optimized real-time planning into a real sorting system, which can drastically increase recycling rates and conserve resources. This achieves the goal of enabling the combination of novel and innovative robotic handling methods with AI-supported object recognition and characterization for automated and profitable sorting of residual streams and achieving high recycling rates, for example of lightweight packaging (LVP), without exposing people to unnecessary stress.

[0110] To manipulate the items to be sorted, a robot with AI-based object handling coupled with online path planning can be used, for example using reinforcement learning or transfer learning.

[0111] Examples of implementations enable improvements in efficiency, precision, flexibility, occupational safety, and sustainability, for example, in the sorting of lightweight packaging through the use of robotics and AI technologies. This can unlock significant innovation potential and environmental protection, eliminating the bottleneck of manual sorting in existing sorting systems.

[0112] Although some aspects have been described in connection with a device, it is understood that these aspects also represent a description of the corresponding method, so that a block or component of a device can also be understood as a corresponding method step or as a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in connection with or as a method step also represent a description of a corresponding block, detail, or feature of a corresponding device.

[0113] Depending on specific implementation requirements, embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware or software. The implementation may be performed using a digital storage medium, such as a floppy disk, a DVD, a Blu-ray Disc, a CD, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, or a FLASH memory, a hard disk, or other magnetic or optical storage device storing electronically readable control signals that can interact or cooperate with a programmable computer system to perform the respective method. Therefore, the digital storage medium may be computer-readable.Some embodiments according to the invention thus comprise a data carrier having electronically readable control signals capable of interacting with a programmable computer system such that one of the methods described herein is carried out. In general, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as a computer program product with program code, wherein the program code is effective to carry out one of the methods when the computer program product is run on a computer. The program code can also be stored, for example, on a machine-readable medium.

[0114] Other embodiments include the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein, wherein the computer program is stored on a machine-readable carrier.

[0115] In other words, one embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a computer program comprising program code for performing one of the methods described herein when the computer program is run on a computer. Another embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a data carrier (or a digital storage medium or a computer-readable medium) on which the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is recorded.

[0116] A further embodiment of the method according to the invention is thus a data stream or a sequence of signals that represents the computer program for carrying out one of the methods described herein. The data stream or the sequence of signals can be configured, for example, to be transferred via a data communication connection, for example, via the Internet.

[0117] A further embodiment comprises a processing device, for example a computer or a programmable logic device, which is configured or adapted to carry out one of the methods described herein.

[0118] A further embodiment comprises a computer on which the computer program for performing one of the methods described herein is installed.

[0119] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (e.g., a field-programmable gate array, an FPGA) may be used to perform some or all of the functionalities of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field-programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor to perform any of the methods described herein. In general, in some embodiments, the methods are performed by any hardware device. This may be general-purpose hardware such as a computer processor (CPU) or method-specific hardware such as an ASIC.

[0120] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. It is understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to others skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the following claims and not by the specific details presented in the description and explanation of the embodiments herein.

Claims

Patent claims 1 . Sorting system comprising: a conveying area (12) for conveying, in the sorting system, goods (14) comprising a plurality of items (16) to be sorted of different goods classes (A, B, C, D) parallel to a conveying surface (18) in which the plurality of items (16) to be sorted are arranged, along a main movement direction (22); a classification device (24) configured to classify each item of the plurality of items (16) to be sorted into one of a plurality of goods classes (A, B, C, D) based on an optical detection of the items (16) to be sorted;a manipulation device (32) which is designed to exert a force (F) on at least one of the plurality of items to be sorted (16) in order to influence a position of the item to be sorted (16) parallel to the conveying surface (18) for sorting the plurality of items to be sorted (16) in order to obtain a changed position of the item to be sorted in the conveying area; 2. Sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation device (32) is designed to influence the position in order to a) change a distance of the item to be sorted (16) with respect to another item to be sorted; and / or b) move a position of the item to be sorted (16) based on the item class (A, B, C, D) parallel to the conveying surface (18) and perpendicular to the main direction of movement (22) in order to change the position of the item to be sorted (16) into the changed position (36) within a position range (38) in the conveying area (12) assigned to the item class (A, B, C, D) of the item to be sorted (16).

3. Sorting system according to claim 2, wherein the change in the distance comprises a reduction in the distance to the other item to be sorted with a same sorting class (A, B, C, D) or an increase in the distance to the other item to be sorted with a different sorting class (A, B, C, D).

4. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which the conveying area (12) comprises a conveyor belt (76) which at least partially provides the conveying surface (18); in which the conveying area (12) comprises a material chute (78) which at least partially provides the conveying surface (18); and / or in which the conveying area (12) comprises a free-fall area (64) within which juxtaposed reference trajectories of items (16) to be sorted at least partially define the conveying surface (18).

5. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which the manipulation device (32) is designed to displace at least one item of goods to be sorted (16) relative to the main direction of movement (22) in the conveying area (12) at a time.

6. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the manipulation device (32) comprises a manipulation element (42; 82) configured to displace the at least one item of goods (16) to be sorted relative to the main movement direction (22) in the conveying area (12) based on the force (F); wherein a position of the manipulation element (42) is variable at least perpendicular to the main movement direction (22).

7. Sorting system according to claim 6, wherein the manipulation element (42; 82) is arranged to be rotatable with respect to a plane parallel to the main movement direction (22).

8. Sorting system according to one of claims 5 to 7, comprising a robot arm (46) adapted to move the manipulation element (42).

9. Sorting system according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the manipulation device (32) is designed to determine a path (55) of a movement of the manipulation element (42; 82) based on positions of further items to be sorted (16) in the the conveying area (12) in order to move the manipulation element (42; 82) based on positions of the further items to be sorted.

10. Sorting system according to claim 9, wherein the manipulation device (32) is designed to determine the path (55) of movement of the manipulation element (42) using machine learning or artificial intelligence.

11. Sorting system according to claim 9 or 10, comprising an evaluation device which is designed to select at least one of: • the classification of the classification device (24); • the changed position of the item to be sorted (16); and • to evaluate a position of other items to be sorted (16); to check whether a change in the distance and / or position of the item to be sorted (16) and / or the other items to be sorted, caused by the application of the force (F), is carried out correctly; to obtain an evaluation result; and to carry out machine learning and / or artificial intelligence training based on the evaluation result in order to adapt at least one of the classification by the classification device (24) and a displacement of items to be sorted (16) carried out by the manipulation device (32) based on the applied force (F).

12. Sorting system according to claim 10 or 11, which is set up for a closed-loop control of the classification device (24) and / or the manipulation device (32) based on the evaluation result.

13. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which the manipulation device (32) is designed to move a manipulation element (42) of the manipulation device (32) towards the item to be sorted (14) in order to exert the force (F) on one side, and to guide a path (55) of the manipulation element (42) between positions of further items to be sorted (16).

14. Sorting system according to claim 13, which is designed to carry out a displacement of at least one of the further items to be sorted towards the position area (38) assigned to the item class (A, B, C, D) of the further item to be sorted during a movement of the manipulation element (42) on the track (55).

15. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the classifying device (24) is designed to classify a plurality of items to be sorted (16) into a plurality of sorting goods classes (A, B, C, D), wherein the sorting system is designed to sort the items to be sorted (14) into the plurality of sorting goods classes (A, B, C, D).

16. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the changed position (36) of the item to be sorted (16) in the conveying area (12) caused by the manipulation device (32) is associated with that of the item to be sorted class (A, B, C, D); and wherein the sorting system is designed to transport the item to be sorted (16) based on the changed position (36) caused to a target area (331-334) associated with the position.

17. Sorting system according to claim 16, wherein at least a subset of the sorting containers (34) can be positioned at an end region of the conveying area (12); in order to receive the sorted items (16) when the sorted items (14) fall down at the end region.

18. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the manipulation device (32) is designed to move items (16) to be sorted associated with different sorting goods classes (A, B, C, D) into different lateral regions (38) in the conveying region (12); wherein a respective region (38) is associated with the sorting goods class (A, B, C, D).

19. Sorting system according to claim 18, wherein the manipulation device (32) is designed to sort items (16) of the same sorting goods class (A, B, C, D) into a same lateral area (38) in the conveying area (12) and to sort items (16) of at least one other sorting goods class (A, B, C, D) into a different lateral area (38).

20. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: an extraction device (54) which is designed to effect an extraction of a selected item (16) to be sorted from the conveying area (12) in response to a control signal from a control device.

21. Sorting system according to claim 20, wherein the manipulation device (32) is designed to shift the position of the item to be sorted (16) within a lateral reach range (56) of the extraction device (54) in the conveying area (12); wherein the extraction device (54) is designed to carry out the extraction in an extraction time interval in which the item to be sorted (16) is arranged in an axial reach range (58) of the extraction device (54) based on a movement of the item to be sorted (16) relative to the extraction device (54); and not to carry out the extraction or to carry out no extraction if the item to be sorted (16) is arranged outside the axial reach range (58).

22. Sorting system according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the extraction device (54) comprises a movable element and is designed to move the movable element into the axial reach area (58) in response to the control signal during the extraction time interval and to move the movable element out of the axial reach area (58) for a time outside the extraction time interval.

23. Sorting system according to one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the conveying area (12) comprises a conveyor belt (76) and the extraction device (54) is arranged at an edge of the conveyor belt (76).

24. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which the manipulation device (32) is designed to brake a movement of the item to be sorted (16) with a manipulation element (42) by positioning the manipulation element (42) in front of the item to be sorted (16) with respect to a direction of movement of the item to be sorted (16) in the conveying area (12) in order to change the distance of the item to be sorted (16) with respect to the other item to be sorted.

25. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, in which the conveying area (12) comprises a conveyor belt (76) and the manipulation device (32) is designed to change a movement of the item to be sorted (16) with a manipulation element (42; 82) by pushing, braking or pushing on one side.

26. Sorting system according to claim 25, wherein the manipulation element (42; 82) is configured for a displacement of the item to be sorted (16) perpendicular to the main movement direction (22) parallel to the conveying surface (18) and / or for a braking of the item to be sorted (16) along the main movement direction (22).

27. Sorting system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the manipulation device (32) is designed to contact the item to be sorted (16) at any one time at most on one side of the item to be sorted (16).

28. Method (600) for sorting material to be sorted, comprising the following steps: Conveying (610) sorted goods with a plurality of sorted goods items of different sorted goods classes parallel to a conveying surface and along a main direction of movement in a conveying area; optically detecting (620) the sorted goods items; Classifying (630) the items to be sorted into one of the different sorted goods classes based on the optical detection; and providing sorted goods information for a classified item to be sorted, which is associated with the sorted goods class assigned to the item to be sorted; and Changing (640) a position of the item to be sorted in the conveying area into a changed position and parallel to the conveying surface and perpendicular to the main direction of movement for sorting the item to be sorted.

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