System for characterizing a material or substance of a moving object or body, and associated object collection or sorting installation

Abstract

The invention relates to a characterization system (1) for characterizing a material or substance of a moving object or body, comprising a measurement chamber (12) of closed tubular section delimited by a reflective wall (3) able to reflect the radar waves and by a support wall mounted on upper edges of the reflective wall and on which is mounted a radar wave emitter / receiver device (5), wherein the reflective wall has a concave trough overall shape and has a main cross section which passes through the radar wave emitter / receiver device and which is inscribed in an ellipse having a first focus (81) and a second focus (82), and an ellipse axis (80) passing through the first focus and the second focus; and the first focus is positioned on the radar wave emitter / receiver device and the second focus is positioned within the measurement chamber.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] TITLE: System for characterizing a material or matter of an object or moving body and associated object collection or sorting installation

[0003] [Technical field]

[0004] The invention relates to a characterization system for characterizing a material or matter of an object or body, and in particular a moving object or body.

[0005] The invention finds a preferred, and non-limiting, application for characterizing the materials of objects which are waste, in particular in a waste collection or sorting facility.

[0006] Other applications are however conceivable, such as the characterization of materials of objects other than waste such as the contents of parcels, bags or luggage in terms of security, or parts circulating on conveyor lines. Another application is the characterization of a material constituting a body or present in a body, in this case solid, liquid, pasty or viscous bodies; with an example of application in tests on a liquid (such as water) aimed at evaluating the concentration or presence of a component (such as a pollutant, such as a micro-plastic, a hydrocarbon, others) in the liquid.

[0007] [State of the art]

[0008] As is known in the non-limiting context of the preferred application cited above, a waste collection or sorting facility, such as a selective sorting container, is intended to receive waste of the same nature, that is to say waste made from the same materials, or at least from materials belonging to the same recycling stream, such as for example plastic materials, cardboard or paper materials, metal materials or glass materials. Thus, it is the user who carries out the sorting by selecting the container adapted to the waste that he wishes to see recycled.

[0009] However, waste is sometimes placed in unsuitable recycling containers, for example plastic waste in a glass container or metal waste in a plastic container. There is therefore a need for a reliable solution to characterize the waste material in order to determine whether the container is polluted by unsuitable waste, and thus to inform the recycling operator of the presence and quantity of unsuitable waste. Such a solution would also be of interest for informing users who place their waste in unsuitable recycling containers, as part of an educational awareness-raising approach, or even for rewarding users who place their waste in suitable recycling containers as part of an incentive-based reward approach.

[0010] [Summary of the invention]

[0011] The invention therefore proposes a reliable characterization solution, suitable for characterizing the materials or matter of objects or bodies in motion, and in particular of waste which falls towards the inside of a selective sorting container.

[0012] Another goal is to have a repeatable characterization with sufficient sensitivity to distinguish at least plastic materials, metallic materials and glass materials, or even a characterization extended to all types of materials or materials, such as bio-waste materials, paper and cardboard, organic oils and vegetable oils.

[0013] To this end, the invention proposes a characterization system for characterizing a material or matter of an object or a moving body, this characterization system comprising a measuring chamber equipped with a radar wave transmitter / receiver device, this measuring chamber comprising a reflective wall capable of reflecting the radar waves and a support wall on which the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is mounted, in which:

[0014] - the reflective wall has a general shape of a concave trough extending along a longitudinal axis, having a given length measured along this longitudinal axis and forming a guide for the moving object or body;

[0015] - the reflective wall has two upper edges extending opposite each other, and the support wall is fixedly mounted on these upper edges so that the reflective wall and the support wall together delimit the measuring chamber which thus has a closed tubular section for concentrating the radar waves inside this measuring chamber;

[0016] - the reflective wall has a main cross-section, in a main transverse plane which is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and which passes through the radar wave transmitter / receiver device, which is inscribed in an ellipse having a first focus and a second focus, and an ellipse axis passing through the first focus and the second focus; and

[0017] - the first focus is positioned on the radar wave transmitter / receiver device and the second focus is positioned inside the reflective wall and therefore inside the measuring chamber. Thus, the invention proposes to use characterization by radar waves, preferably in frequencies between 30 GHz and 100 GHz, by exploiting an elliptical shape of the reflective wall such that the radar waves, emitted by the radar wave transmitter / receiver device at the first focus, are concentrated inside the measuring chamber to interact with the object (or body) to be characterized, and these radar waves return to the first focus due to the elliptical shape of the reflective wall.In this way, the radar waves, after interacting with the object (or body) to be characterized, are concentrated on the first focus, where the transmitter / receiver device is located, which helps to increase the power of the received signals that will be used to characterize the material or matter.

[0018] It is therefore advantageous to note that the radar waves emitted at the first focus can return there after one (or more) crossing(s) of the object (or body) and / or one (or more) reflection(s) on the reflecting wall, or else a reflection on the object (or body) followed or not by reflection(s) on the reflecting wall and / or crossing(s) of the object. Thus, thanks to the conformation of the measuring chamber as described previously, all the radar waves received at the first focus by the transmitter / receiver device, whatever their path, are used.In other words, this characterization system makes it possible to maximize the passage of radar waves on or through the object (or body) without worrying about its positioning inside the measuring chamber; the important point being that these radar waves, which have interacted with this object (or body) are redirected, by one or multiple reflections on the reflecting wall, towards the first focus where they will be received by the transmitter / receiver device.

[0019] Furthermore, the reflective wall fulfills a guiding function for the object (or body) to be characterized, in other words a sort of ramp along which the object (or body) descends, thus passing through the measuring chamber for its characterization; and during its passage through the measuring chamber, the object (or body) is subjected to the radar waves with which it interacts, and these radar waves can be redirected onto the transmitter / receiver device. It is also quite clear that the reflective wall is said to be reflective in the sense that it allows radar waves to be reflected.

[0020] According to one feature, the reflective wall has, over its entire length and continuously, cross-sections, including the main cross-section, in transverse planes which are orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, and in which the cross-sections are all inscribed in ellipses.

[0021] Thus, this elliptical shape is continuous over the entire length of the reflecting wall, for an optimization of the concentration of radar waves on the second focus, and of the concentration of reflected radar waves on the first focus. Indeed, the surface of the object (or body) in motion, the surface of the emission of radar waves and the surface of the reception (or detection) of reflected radar waves are not point surfaces, and it is therefore advantageous to extend in length this elliptical shape to maximize the powers in emission and in reflection, in other words to increase the exploitation of the angle of emission of radar waves thanks to the length of the reflecting strip.

[0022] In a first embodiment, the ellipses are all geometrically identical so that the reflective wall is inscribed in an elliptical cylinder.

[0023] In other words, the reflecting wall has a truncated elliptical cylinder shape. Thus, the reflecting wall has a simple elliptical curvature. This elliptical cylinder shape is advantageous with a radar wave emission surface and a reception (or detection) surface for the reflected radar waves that are extended longitudinally.

[0024] In a second embodiment, the ellipses evolve geometrically and continuously along the longitudinal axis so that the reflective wall is inscribed in an ellipsoid.

[0025] In other words, the reflecting wall has a truncated ellipsoid shape. Thus, the reflecting wall has a double elliptical curvature. This ellipsoid shape is advantageous for increasing the concentrations of radar waves emitted on the second focus (or on a restricted area around the second focus) and increasing the concentrations of radar waves reflected on the first focus (or on a restricted area around the first focus).

[0026] Advantageously, the ellipse axis is an axis of symmetry of the ellipsoid.

[0027] Thus, the first focus and the second focus define an axis of symmetry of the ellipsoid, and therefore the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is positioned to receive a maximum of reflected radar waves.

[0028] According to one possibility, the principal transverse plane is a first plane of symmetry of the ellipsoid.

[0029] In other words, the first focus and the second focus are in this first plane of symmetry of the ellipsoid, to increase the concentrations on these two foci. Alternatively, the ellipsoid has a second plane of symmetry that includes the longitudinal axis and passes through the first focus and the second focus.

[0030] Alternatively, the reflecting wall has a longitudinal section in the second plane of symmetry which is inscribed in an ellipse having the first focus and the second focus as foci.

[0031] In this case, the concentrations of radar waves on the first focus are optimized, because the ellipse in the first plane of symmetry and the ellipse in the second plane of symmetry have their foci merged.

[0032] In a particular embodiment, the longitudinal axis is non-horizontal for use when characterizing the material or matter of the moving object or body.

[0033] Thus, the reflective wall provides a slope and thus allows the moving object (or body) to be guided, sliding down the reflective wall due to this slope, preferably towards a container.

[0034] Advantageously, the radar wave transmitter / receiver device has a radar wave emission cone having a cone angle of between 50 and 120 degrees, and for example between 60 and 90 degrees.

[0035] Such a cone angle is indeed advantageous for characterizing a large part of the object (or body) which passes through the measuring chamber, whatever its size and / or position.

[0036] In a particular embodiment, the reflective wall has an external layer transparent to radar waves and having a coefficient of friction less than 0.2.

[0037] Such an outer layer thus provides a sliding surface for the moving object or body, allowing it to pass through the measuring chamber without difficulty and without risk of blockage.

[0038] According to one possibility, the outer layer is made of polytetrafluoroethylene or polyoxymethylene.

[0039] In a particular embodiment, the length of the reflective wall, measured along the longitudinal axis, is between 0.1 and 10 centimeters.

[0040] Such a length is in fact sufficient to obtain good characterization results, given the multiple reflections which can take place on the reflective wall.

[0041] According to one possibility, the reflective wall has a height, called reflective height, given measured along the ellipse axis to its upper edges, the first focus is positioned at a given distance, called first distance, from the reflective wall measured along the ellipse axis.

[0042] It is therefore clear that the measurement of this height is carried out on this axis of the ellipse, therefore starting from a first point of intersection between the axis of the ellipse and the reflecting wall, up to a second point of intersection between the axis of the ellipse and an upper plane which is coplanar with the upper edges.

[0043] In a first embodiment, the ratio of the reflective height to the first distance is between 0.5 and 1.0.

[0044] Thus, the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is located above the reflective wall and therefore outside the measuring chamber, and the reflective height is at least greater than half of the first distance, which means that the reflective wall rises high, thus increasing the reflective surface offered by this reflective wall, and therefore increasing the reflections of the radar waves on it, thus contributing to improving the sensitivity of the characterization.

[0045] Alternatively, the ratio of the reflective height to the first distance is between 0.80 and 0.95.

[0046] In a second embodiment, the ratio of the reflective height to the first distance is greater than or equal to 1.0; and thus the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is located inside the measuring chamber.

[0047] In other words, the reflective wall goes back almost to the first focus, for a larger reflective surface.

[0048] According to one possibility, the reflective wall is formed of a reflective coating (such as for example a reflective layer or strip) which is arranged on a concave internal face of a frame wall, itself having a general shape of a concave trough of cross-section inscribed in an ellipse, and this frame wall also comprises upper frame edges, and the reflective coating extends to these upper frame edges, on which the support wall is fixedly mounted.

[0049] In other words, in this embodiment, the reflective coating matches the shape of the concave inner face of this chassis wall. The chassis wall therefore forms a structural element for the measuring chamber, on which the reflective coating forming the reflective wall is arranged. In this case, and in a non-limiting manner, the reflective coating is advantageously flexible (or at least deformable) and thus capable of matching the shape of the concave inner face of the chassis wall; by way of illustration, this reflective coating may be in the form of a sheet of reflective material, for example metallic.In a particular embodiment, the support wall has a lower face facing the reflective wall, and an upper face opposite the lower face, and in which the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is arranged on the side of the upper face of the support wall, opposite an opening made in the support wall for the passage of radar waves.

[0050] So, the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is outside the measuring chamber and it sends / receives the radar waves that pass through the opening.

[0051] Alternatively, the opening in the supporting wall is covered by a panel made of a material transparent to radar waves.

[0052] This way, the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is tightly protected from anything passing into the measuring chamber, thus preventing damage to the device.

[0053] Alternatively, the underside of the supporting wall is a reflective face capable of reflecting radar waves, or the underside of the supporting wall is covered with a reflective upper wall capable of reflecting radar waves.

[0054] In this way, radar waves can also be reflected at the lower face of the supporting wall, thus helping to obtain multiple reflections which will improve the characterization.

[0055] Alternatively, the characterization system comprises a housing inside which the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is arranged, where the support wall is a bottom wall of this housing.

[0056] This box protects the electronics contained in the radar wave transmitter / receiver device.

[0057] According to one feature, the characterization system comprises an upstream conduit extending the reflective wall and forming a guide path for guiding the moving object or body towards the measuring chamber.

[0058] Thus, the object (or body) slides into the upstream conduit to enter the measuring chamber.

[0059] The invention also relates to an installation for collecting or sorting objects comprising a container provided with a front provided with an orifice (for inserting the objects) and on which is mounted a characterization system as described previously.

[0060] This facade therefore delimits an orifice opening into the measuring chamber. Thus, in situation, the object (or body) is introduced into the orifice and is guided into the measuring chamber to be characterized there. This facade can optionally be equipped with a hatch or a valve to close the orifice.

[0061] The invention also relates to a characterization method, for characterizing a material or matter of an object or a moving body, this characterization method being implemented by means of a characterization system as described previously, with the following steps:

[0062] - the moving object or body moves along the longitudinal axis to cross the measuring chamber while being guided in its movement by the reflective wall;

[0063] - the radar wave transmitter / receiver device emits radar waves which interact with the moving object or body during its passage through the measuring chamber;

[0064] - the radar wave transmitter / receiver device receives radar waves which have interacted with the moving object or body, for analysis leading to the characterization of the material or matter of the moving object or body.

[0065] Regarding the analysis of the signal received by the transmitter / receiver device to characterize the material or matter, it is possible to use a calculation unit implementing a signal processing algorithm, such as for example an artificial intelligence algorithm whose parameters have been determined by a learning phase.

[0066] The computing unit and therefore the signal processing algorithm can then receive the values ​​of the signal received by the transmitter / receiver device as input data and provide a signal representative of the material making up the object (or the body), for example a signal at a first value (or in a first range of values) in the absence of an object, at a second value (or in a second range of values) when the object is in a first material, at a third value (or in a third range of values) when the object is in a second material, and so on for any type of material.

[0067] [Brief description of the figures]

[0068] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the detailed description below, of a non-limiting example of implementation, made with reference to the appended figures in which:

[0069] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an object collection or sorting installation equipped with a characterization system (not visible in this Figure 1) mounted on an upper part of the installation; Figure 2 is a partial schematic perspective view of the installation of Figure 1 without its upper part, in order to visualize the characterization system which is coupled to a facade;

[0070] Figure 3 is another schematic perspective view of the characterization system of Figure 2, with the facade;

[0071] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective and exploded view of the characterization system of Figure 2, with the facade;

[0072] Figure 5 is a schematic perspective and exploded view of the characterization system of Figure 2, without the facade;

[0073] Figure 6 is a schematic sectional view of the characterization system of Figure 2, in a sectional plane corresponding to the main transverse plane in which the first focus and the second focus are positioned;

[0074] Figure 7 is a schematic sectional view of the characterization system of Figure 2, in the same sectional plane as in Figure 6, and in which only the radar wave transmitter / receiver device and the reflective wall are illustrated;

[0075] Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the characterization system of Figure 2, where the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is clearly visible because the housing, the support wall and the reflective upper wall are not illustrated;

[0076] Figure 9 is a partial schematic view, in perspective and in axial section of the characterization system of Figure 2, according to a longitudinal section plane including the longitudinal axis and the ellipse axis;

[0077] Figure 10 is a schematic perspective and axial sectional view of the characterization system of Figure 2, with the facade, along the same longitudinal sectional plane as in Figure 9;

[0078] Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the characterization system illustrating the radar wave emission cone;

[0079] Figure 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the characterization system illustrating radar waves passing through or penetrating a body to be characterized;

[0080] Figure 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the characterization system illustrating radar waves being reflected by a body to be characterized.

[0081] [Detailed description of an embodiment of the invention]

[0082] The following description concerns a characterization system 1 installed within an object collection or sorting installation 2 such as for example illustrated in Figure 1. Thus, this characterization system 1 is used for characterizing a material or matter of an object or body in motion and previously introduced into the object collection or sorting installation 2; it may be, as illustrative and non-limiting examples, a characterization of plastic materials, metallic materials and glass materials, or even paper and cardboard, as well as bio-waste materials, organic oils and vegetable oils.

[0083] This object collection or sorting facility 2 includes a container

[0084] 20 topped with an upper part 24 on which is mounted a facade 21 on which is mounted the characterization system 1, with reference to figure 2. The facade

[0085] 21 delimits an orifice 22 provided for introducing an object (generally waste), and this orifice 22 is provided with a trapdoor 23 (or valve).

[0086] This characterization system 1 comprises a frame 10 which comprises two successive parts which are an upstream conduit 11 and a frame wall 110 which partly delimits a measuring chamber 12, as explained later. The upstream conduit 11 is fixed on the facade 21 in the extension of its orifice 22, so that the object introduced into the orifice 22 of the facade 21 enters inside the upstream conduit 11. This upstream conduit 11 forms a tunnel which defines a guide path which is inclined relative to the horizontal so that the object can slide by gravity in this upstream conduit 11 until reaching the measuring chamber 12.

[0087] The measuring chamber 12 comprises a reflective wall 3 capable of reflecting radar waves, where this reflective wall 3 has a general shape of a concave “U” trough. Thus, the reflective wall 3 has two upper edges 31 extending opposite each other. The reflective wall 3 is part of the frame 10 or can be attached to the frame 10, and more precisely to the frame wall 110, and it is thus possible to envisage the use of a reflective coating 32 to provide this capacity to reflect radar waves. In other words, in this embodiment, the reflective wall 3 is formed from this reflective coating 32.

[0088] Also, in the illustrated example, the reflective coating 32 (which forms the reflective wall 3) is arranged on a concave internal face 112 of the chassis wall 110, this concave internal face 112 having a general shape of a concave trough with a cross-section inscribed in an ellipse. This reflective coating 32 is pressed against this concave internal face 112, for example by gluing, welding or other fixing technique. The reflective coating 32 therefore matches the shape of the concave internal face 112 of this chassis wall 110.

[0089] This frame wall 110 is open on top and comprises upper frame edges 111 delimiting an empty space, and the reflective coating 32 extends to these upper frame edges 111 which are flat and coplanar. The measuring chamber 12 also comprises a support wall 4 which is fixed on the frame 10, above the reflective wall 3, in order to close the measuring chamber 12 in the manner of a cover. More precisely, the support wall 4 is fixedly mounted on the upper edges of the frame 111 of the frame wall 110, and therefore this support wall 4 is also fixedly mounted on the upper edges 31 of the reflector wall 3, so that the reflector wall 3 and the support wall 4 together delimit the measuring chamber 12. Thus, this support wall 4 is not part of the frame 10 and it is fixedly attached to this frame 10, for example by screwing, welding, or other fixing means.

[0090] It should be noted that, in the illustrated version, the reflective wall 3 is attached to the concave internal face 112 of the chassis wall 110, so this chassis wall 110 can be considered as also participating in the delimitation of the measuring chamber 12.

[0091] The measuring chamber 12 is equipped with a radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5, which is in the form of a system on a chip (or in English "system on a chip", abbreviated to SoC) having at its center the transmitter / receiver 50 and integrating one or more antenna(s) on a chip (or in English "antenna on a chip"). This radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 is mounted on the support wall 4 which has an opening 40 (or window) for the passage of the emitted and reflected radar waves.

[0092] Thus, the transmitter / receiver 50 of the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 is arranged above and opposite the reflective wall 3 for:

[0093] - emit radar waves inside the measuring chamber 12, these radar waves passing through the object and being reflected by the reflective wall 3; and

[0094] - receive the reflected radar waves for analysis used to characterize the material of the object (or the material of the body).

[0095] More specifically, the support wall 4 has a lower face 41 facing the reflecting wall 3, and an upper face 42 opposite the lower face 41, and the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 is arranged on the side of the upper face 42 of the support wall 4, opposite the opening 40 provided in the support wall 4 for the passage of the radar waves. The radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 is in particular housed inside a housing 6 closed by a cover 60, where the support wall 4 is a bottom wall of this housing 6; that is to say that the support wall 4 is part of the housing 6, and this housing 6 is fixed on the chassis 10.

[0096] This opening 40 of the support wall 4 is covered by a panel 43 made of a material transparent to radar waves, thus making it possible to seal this opening 40 in a watertight manner while allowing the passage of radar waves. This panel 43 is for example made of polytetrafluoroethylene or polyoxymethylene.

[0097] The lower face 41 of the support wall 4 is covered with a reflective upper wall 44 (such as a film or a coating) capable of reflecting radar waves, in order to have a reflective face capable of reflecting radar waves. In this case, this reflective upper wall 44 is also provided with an opening 45, which coincides with the opening 40 provided in the support wall 4 and which is also covered by the panel 43 transparent to radar waves. Alternatively, the lower face 41 of the support wall 4 is a reflective face capable of reflecting radar waves.

[0098] The remainder of the description relates to the reflective wall 3, and in particular to its geometric shape. This reflective wall 3 therefore has a general shape of a concave “U” shaped chute which extends along a longitudinal axis 30; this longitudinal axis 30 being advantageously inclined relative to the horizontal to have a slope promoting sliding and falling of the object.

[0099] It should be noted that, in the example illustrated, the reflective wall 3 is formed by the reflective coating 32 which matches the shape of the concave internal face 112 of the chassis wall 110. Also, the shape of the reflective wall 3 results from the shape of the concave internal face 112 of the chassis wall 110.

[0100] This reflective wall 3 has a given length L3 measured along this longitudinal axis 30 and it forms a guide for the moving object or body. In the illustrated example, the reflective wall 3 comprises, as a reminder, the reflective coating 32, and the length L3 corresponds to the length of this reflective coating 32. This length L3 can be between 0.1 and 10 centimeters. It should be noted that the frame wall 110 can be longer than this reflective coating 32, so that the concave internal face 112 of the frame wall 110 can protrude from the reflective coating 32.

[0101] With reference to Figure 7, the reflective wall 3 (or the reflective coating 32) has a main cross-section, in a main transverse plane which is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 30 and which passes through the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 (and in particular through the transmitter / receiver 50), which is inscribed in an ellipse 8 having a first focus 81 and a second focus 82, and an ellipse axis 80 passing through the first focus 81 and the second focus 82. The first focus 81 is positioned on the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5, and more precisely on the transmitter / receiver 50, and the second focus 82 is positioned inside the reflective wall 3.

[0102] With reference to Figure 7, the reflective wall 3 has a height, called reflective height H3, given measured along the ellipse axis 80 up to the upper edges 31, the first focus 81 is positioned at a given distance, called first distance D1, from the reflective wall 3 measured along the ellipse axis 80, and the second focus 82 is positioned at a given distance, called second distance D2, from the reflective wall 3 measured along the ellipse axis 80, and the ellipse 8 has a given ellipse height H8 measured along the ellipse axis 80.

[0103] The reflective height H3 is comparable to the height of the measuring chamber 12 and is less than the ellipse height H8.

[0104] In the illustrated example, the first focus 81 is located above the upper edges 31 of the reflective wall 3, in the sense that the first distance D1 is greater than the reflective height H3. In this case, the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 is in some way located outside the measuring chamber 12, above the latter. In this example, the ratio of the reflective height H3 to the first distance D1, i.e. H3 / D1, is less than 1 and can be between 0.5 and 1.0, and for example this ratio H3 / D1 is between 0.80 and 0.95. Thus, the reflective height H3 is almost equivalent to the first distance D1, which contributes to increasing the reflective surface and therefore the sensitivity of the detection.

[0105] In a variant not illustrated, the first focus 81 is located below the upper edges 31 of the reflective wall 3, in the sense that the first distance D1 is less than or equal to the reflective height H3. In this case, the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 is in some way located inside the measuring chamber 12. In this example, the ratio of the reflective height H3 to the first distance D1, i.e. H3 / D1, is greater than or equal to 1.

[0106] The second distance D2 can be between 1 and 50 centimeters, and for example between 2 and 20 centimeters, in the application to the object collection or sorting installation 2.

[0107] The reflective wall 3 (or the reflective coating 32) has, over its entire length L3 and continuously, cross-sections, including the main cross-section, in transverse planes which are orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 30, and in which the cross-sections are all inscribed in ellipses. Thus, two variants are possible:

[0108] - first variant: the ellipses are all geometrically identical so that the reflective wall 3 (or the reflective coating 32) is inscribed in an elliptical cylinder, in other words the reflective wall 3 has the general shape of an elliptical cylinder sectioned according to a cut which passes through the upper edges 31;

[0109] - second variant: the ellipses evolve geometrically and continuously along the longitudinal axis 30 so that the reflective wall 3 (or the reflective coating 32) is inscribed in an ellipsoid, in other words the reflective wall 3 has a general shape of an ellipsoid having the first focus 81 and the second focus 82, and sectioned according to a cut which passes through the upper edges 31, the ellipse axis 80 being an axis of symmetry of the ellipsoid.

[0110] In the first variant, the reflective wall 3 has a simple elliptical curvature around the longitudinal axis 30.

[0111] In the second variant, the reflecting wall 3 has a double elliptical curvature, namely a first elliptical curvature around the longitudinal axis 30 and a second elliptical curvature around a transverse axis 39 which is orthogonal to both the longitudinal axis 30 and the ellipse axis 80; this transverse axis 39 also forming an axis of symmetry of the ellipsoid.

[0112] As visible in Figures 7 and 8, in the main transverse plane, the radar waves 55 emitted by the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 (and in particular by the transmitter / receiver 50) on the first focus 81, are concentrated inside the measuring chamber 12 and pass, directly or after one or more reflections on the reflecting wall 3, through the object 9 or the body (shown schematically by a circle) and / or are reflected by the object 9 or the body; and the transmitted and / or reflected waves return to the radar wave transmitter / receiver device 5 (and in particular to the transmitter / receiver 50) on the first focus 81.

[0113] This principle extends to the two variants described above, both based on an elliptical geometry, in order to confine the radar waves inside the measuring chamber 12 and to focus them on the first focal point 81 in reception, so as, on the one hand, to maximize the passages of the waves on or through the materials to be analyzed and, on the other hand, to maximize the power of the signal received; in other words these elliptical cylinder and ellipsoid shapes make it possible to optimize the power of the signal received after multiple reflections in the measuring chamber 12 and consequently multiple passages on or through the object 9 (or the body) to be characterized. With reference to Figure 11, the radar wave transmitter / receiver device is designed to emit an emission cone 52 of the radar waves having a cone angle A5 of between 50 and 120 degrees, and for example between 60 and 90 degrees as in the example illustrated.With reference to Figure 12, the radar waves 55 can pass through or penetrate the object 9 (or the body) to be characterized, and in this figure are illustrated some paths of these radar waves 55 inside the measuring chamber 12, showing the phenomenon of maximization of the radar waves in the object 9, regardless of its positioning relative to the second focus 82. With reference to Figure 13, the radar waves 55 can be reflected by the object 9 (or the body) to be characterized, and in this figure are illustrated some paths of these radar waves 55 inside the measuring chamber 12, showing the multiplication of the reflections on the object 9 and on the reflecting wall 3 which accentuates the probabilities of receiving relevant information on the first focus 81.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Characterization system (1) for characterizing a material or matter of an object (9) or a moving body, said characterization system (1) comprising a measuring chamber (12) equipped with a radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5), said measuring chamber (12) comprising a reflective wall (3) capable of reflecting the radar waves and a support wall (4) on which the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5) is mounted, in which: - the reflective wall (3) has a general shape of a concave chute extending along a longitudinal axis (30), having a given length (L3) measured along this longitudinal axis (30) and forming a guide for the object (9) or the moving body; - the reflective wall (3) has two upper edges (31) extending opposite each other, and the support wall (4) is fixedly mounted on these upper edges (31) so that the reflective wall (3) and the support wall (4) together delimit the measuring chamber (12) which thus has a closed tubular section for concentrating the radar waves inside this measuring chamber (12); - the reflective wall (3) has a main cross-section, in a main transverse plane which is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (30) and which passes through the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5), which is inscribed in an ellipse (8) having a first focus (81) and a second focus (82), and an ellipse axis (80) passing through the first focus (81) and the second focus (82); and - the first focus (81) is positioned on the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5) and the second focus (82) is positioned inside the reflective wall (3) and therefore inside the measuring chamber (12).

2. Characterization system (1) according to claim 1, in which the reflective wall (3) has, over its entire length (L3) and continuously, cross sections, including the main cross section, in transverse planes which are orthogonal to the longitudinal axis (30), and in which the cross sections are all inscribed in ellipses.

3. Characterization system (1) according to claim 2, in which the ellipses are all geometrically identical so that the reflective wall (3) is inscribed in an elliptical cylinder.

4. Characterization system (1) according to claim 2, in which the ellipses evolve geometrically and continuously along the longitudinal axis (30) so that the reflective wall (3) is inscribed in an ellipsoid.

5. Characterization system (1) according to claim 4, wherein the ellipse axis (80) is an axis of symmetry of the ellipsoid.

6. A characterization system (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the longitudinal axis (30) is non-horizontal in use when characterizing the material or matter of the moving object or body.

7. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5) has a radar wave emission cone (52) having a cone angle (A5) of between 50 and 120 degrees, and for example between 60 and 90 degrees.

8. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the reflective wall (3) has an external layer transparent to radar waves and having a coefficient of friction less than 0.

2.

9. Characterization system (1) according to claim 8, wherein the outer layer is made of polytetrafluoroethylene or polyoxymethylene.

10. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the length (L3) of the reflective wall (3), measured along the longitudinal axis (30), is between 0.1 and 10 centimeters.

11. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the reflective wall (3) has a height, called reflective height (H3), given measured along the ellipse axis (80) up to its upper edges (31), the first focus (81) is positioned at a given distance, called first distance (Dl), from the reflective wall (3) measured along the ellipse axis (80).

12. Characterization system (1) according to claim 11, in which the ratio of the reflective height (H3) to the first distance (Dl) is between 0.5 and 1.0, and for example between 0.80 and 0.

95.

13. Characterization system (1) according to claim 11, wherein the ratio of the reflective height (H3) to the first distance (Dl) is greater than or equal to 1.

0.

14. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reflective wall (3) is formed of a reflective coating (32) which is arranged on a concave inner face (112) of a frame wall (110), and this frame wall (110) comprises upper frame edges (111), and the reflective coating (32) extends to these upper frame edges (111) on which the support wall (4) is fixedly mounted.

15. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the support wall (4) has a lower face (41) facing the reflective wall (3), and an upper face (42) opposite the lower face (41), and in which the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5) is arranged on the side of the upper face (42) of the support wall (4), opposite an opening (40) formed in the support wall (4) for the passage of the radar waves.

16. Characterization system (1) according to claim 15, wherein the opening (40) of the support wall (4) is covered by a panel (43) made of a material transparent to radar waves.

17. Characterization system (1) according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the lower face (41) of the support wall (4) is a reflective face capable of reflecting radar waves, or the lower face (41) of the support wall (4) is covered with a reflective upper wall (44) capable of reflecting radar waves.

18. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a housing (6) inside which the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5) is arranged, where the support wall (4) is a bottom wall of this housing (6).

19. Characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an upstream conduit (11) extending the reflective wall (3) and forming a guide path for guiding the object (9) or the moving body towards the measuring chamber (12).

20. Installation for collecting or sorting objects (2) comprising a container (20) provided with a front (21) provided with an orifice (22) and on which is mounted a characterization system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

21. Characterization method, for characterizing a material or matter of an object (9) or a moving body, said characterization method (1) being implemented by means of a characterization system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 19, with the following steps: - the object (9) or the moving body moves along the longitudinal axis (30) to pass through the measuring chamber (12) while being guided in its movement by the reflective wall (3); - the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5) emits radar waves which interact with the object (9) or the moving body, during its passage through the measuring chamber (12); - the radar wave transmitter / receiver device (5) receives radar waves which have interacted with the object (9) or the moving body, for an analysis leading to the characterization of the material or matter of the object (9) or the moving body.

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