Optical Material Separation System for Precise Mass Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing weighing systems struggle to accurately separate a predetermined mass of commingled pieces of material due to difficulties in managing materials by mass, especially with granular, powdered, or food items.
Innovation Solution
A material separation system that acquires a composite image of commingled pieces of material, sets candidate separation positions, identifies subsets of material, calculates estimated masses, and determines the optimal separation position based on comparisons with a predetermined mass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing weighing systems are used to separate commingled pieces of material, then the separation process can be performed, but the measurement precision of mass is insufficient leading to inaccurate separation of predetermined mass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical weighing systems with an optical measurement system. A camera captures images of the commingled pieces of material, and image processing algorithms calculate the number of pieces in each pile. This optical system substitutes the mechanical weighing process, enabling more precise determination of material quantities for separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy (image) of the physical material piles and processes this copy to determine separation positions. By working with the image data rather than directly measuring the physical mass, the system can accurately count pieces and calculate quantities without the limitations of traditional weighing systems.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If traditional separation methods are used for granular, powdered, or food items, then separation can be performed, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring mass increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical weighing and measurement methods with optical imaging and image processing. For granular, powdered, or food items that are difficult to measure by mass, the system captures images and uses algorithms to count pieces or estimate volumes, making quantity detection feasible where traditional methods fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from mass to visual characteristics (area, volume, piece count) that can be extracted from images. By transforming the measurement approach from weighing to imaging, the system can handle materials that are otherwise difficult to quantify.
3Manufacturing precision
If candidate separation positions are not evaluated, then the separation process is simpler, but the manufacturing precision of separation position is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary evaluation of multiple candidate separation positions before executing the actual separation. The system calculates the number of pieces for various potential separation points, compares these values against the target quantity, and selects the optimal position. This preliminary analysis ensures precise separation while maintaining manageable system complexity through systematic evaluation.
Data Source
AI summary
A material separation system includes circuitry configured to acquire a composite image capturing a plurality of commingled pieces of material, and sets a number of candidate separation positions based on the composite image. The circuitry is further configured to identify, for each of the candidate separation positions, a subset of the plurality of commingled pieces of material, and calculate an estimated mass of each subset of the plurality of commingled pieces of material. The circuitry is further configured to determine a position for separating a predetermined mass of pieces of material from the plurality of commingled pieces of material, as a separation position, based on a comparison of the predetermined mass with the estimated mass corresponding to each of the candidate separation positions, and separate the predetermined mass of pieces of material from the plurality of commingled pieces of material at the separation position.