Conveyor Belt Sorting System 

This project was done as the final design project for MECH 458: Mechatronics.

Demo: In-lab Project Demo

Design problem: This project is centered around the design and development of a conveyor belt material sorting system while focusing on precision and accuracy. The system sorts items into their respective compartments based on their reflectivity, which determines what kind of material it is, while ensuring that the speed of both the conveyor belt and the bucket are synchronized. The final goal was to optimize the identification and sorting system to sort 48 (12 pieces per type) items within 60 seconds with zero errors.  

Solution: A microcontroller-driven system was designed integrating reflective and optical sensors to classify materials by their reflectivity. A stepper motor with an optimized s-curve acceleration profile was implemented, improving sorting accuracy and efficiency by precisely synchronizing the conveyor belt and sorting buckets. Iterative testing and refinement resulted in a robust sorting mechanism that accurately sorted items at an average speed of one item per second.

Role: My responsibilities included designing and implementing software using an ATmega 2560 microcontroller, creating interrupt-driven sensor routines, and optimizing real-time sorting algorithms for precise material identification. I extensively tested and refined the s-curve acceleration profile to synchronize the conveyor belt and sorting bucket efficiently, significantly improving sorting accuracy and operational speed. Additionally, I documented the system's performance thoroughly, identifying limitations and providing clear recommendations for future enhancements.