📑 DIRECTORY TERMINAL (TABLE OF CONTENTS)
- Executive System Overview
- System Datasheet & Engineering Targets
- Hybrid Sensor Fusion & Boolean Control Logic
- Hardware Fabrication & Bill of Materials
- Actuator Synchronization & PLC Pipeline
- Repository Architecture & CI/CD
- Empirical Validation Matrix (Development Log)
- Deployment & Reproducibility
- Industrial Partnership & Janatics Challenge
- Academic Trajectory
- Academic Citation
This repository contains the system configurations, control logic, and architectural frameworks for an automated, multi-material industrial segregation system. Developed as an industry-sponsored build for the Janatics India Automation Skill Challenge, the system bridges the gap between theoretical mechatronics and 24/7 rugged industrial deployment, replacing slow, error-prone manual sorting with an automated, high-throughput mechatronic sorting line.
By rejecting standard single-sensor models, this architecture utilizes a hybrid sensor-fusion array (Inductive, Capacitive, Optical) paired with microcontrollers for preprocessing. By reading multiple physical properties of an object simultaneously, the Siemens PLC controller eliminates material ambiguities in real-time, executing high-speed, sub-150ms sorting commands via synchronized pneumatic actuators.
The architecture focuses on deterministic latency, ensuring the physical actuators trigger precisely as the targeted material enters the ejection zone.
| Subsystem | Specification | Engineering Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Control Architecture | Siemens S7 / TIA Portal Ladder Logic | Rugged, deterministic, 24/7 continuous runtime stability. |
| Sensor Matrix | Optical, Capacitive, & Inductive Array | Multi-modal material identification (Metal, Plastic, Organic). |
| Actuator Latency |
|
High-speed pneumatic ejection without conveyor line jamming. |
| Preprocessing | Microcontroller ADC Filtering | Smooth raw sensor analog voltages before PLC ingestion. |
| Sorting Mechanisms | Fast-Acting Pneumatic Solenoids / Ejectors | Clean trajectory routing into designated material bins. |
| Project Status | PROTOTYPE VALIDATED | Closed-loop integration and heavy-load endurance confirmed. |
To achieve near-perfect sorting accuracy, the system relies on overlapping sensor detection zones. The PLC evaluates a Boolean logic state machine to determine material composition. Let $S_{ind}$ represent the Inductive Sensor (detects metals), $S_{cap}$ represent the Capacitive Sensor (detects dense non-metals/moisture), and $S_{opt}$ represent the Optical Break-Beam (detects object presence).
The system executes the following real-time logic gates for material classification:
Metallic Material Identification:
Dense Plastic / Moisture-heavy Organic Identification:
Low-Density / Dry Non-Metal Identification:
Once a Boolean state evaluates to True, the PLC initiates a highly calibrated timer block ($T_{delay}$), calculated by the conveyor velocity ($v$) and the distance to the ejection gate ($d$), ensuring the pneumatic solenoid ($A_{eject}$) fires at the exact millisecond of arrival:
Built entirely from scratch, the physical structure had to withstand the continuous mechanical vibration of industrial conveyor motors and high-PSI pneumatic actuation without sensor misalignment.
- 🛡️ Frame Dynamics: Rigid multi-axis mechanical frame assembly designed for rapid conveyor belt maintenance and modular actuator alignment.
- ⚡ Electrical Routing: Industrial-grade grounding architecture isolating high-voltage motor EMF from the low-voltage sensor matrix to prevent false positive triggers.
- 🌬️ Pneumatic Plumbing: Optimized pneumatic hose lengths and localized manifolds to reduce air-pressure drop and maximize solenoid punch speed.
Primary Hardware Bill of Materials (BOM):
| Component | Material / Specification | Subsystem |
|---|---|---|
| Master Controller | Siemens S7-1200 PLC | Central Logic Engine |
| Sensor Array 1 | 12V Inductive Proximity Sensor | Metal Detection |
| Sensor Array 2 | Adjustable Capacitive Sensor | Density / Moisture Detection |
| Actuation Gates | 5/2 Way Pneumatic Solenoid Valves | Physical Ejection Routing |
| Transport | High-Torque DC Gear Motor + Belt | Main Conveyor Line |
A standard software loop is insufficient for industrial sorting; PLC Ladder Logic provides deterministic, cyclic execution.
- Hardware Ingestion: The multi-sensor array feeds continuous 24V discrete signals into the PLC input registers.
- State Machine Execution: The Ladder Logic evaluates the Boolean material states against an active shift register, tracking the physical location of the object as it moves down the belt.
- Actuator Trigger: The corresponding pneumatic gate fires. The system logic includes mechanical retraction timers to prevent subsequent items from colliding with an open sorting gate.
Structured for absolute transparency, providing the complete transition from raw electrical schematics to compiled logic blocks.
📁 Automated-Waste-Segregation/
│
├── 📁 .github/workflows/ # CI/CD: Automated linting for any Python/C++ preprocessing scripts
├── 📁 plc/ # Central Logic Engine
│ ├── main_state_machine.ap16 # Exported Siemens TIA Portal Project
│ └── memory_mapping.csv # IO Tag assignments
│
├── 📁 hardware/ # Physical Build Assets
│ ├── schematics/ # Altium/KiCad wiring diagrams and industrial grounding plans
│ ├── CAD_models/ # Custom sensor mounting brackets (STEP/STL)
│ └── pneumatics_layout.pdf # Air line routing and manifold distribution
│
├── 📁 docs/ # System documentation
│ ├── sensor_calibration.xlsx # Empirical logs of sensor thresholds for distinct materials
│ └── SOP_startup.pdf # Standard Operating Procedure for industrial power-on
│
├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies for offline data analysis (if applicable)
└── README.md # Main system dossier