Apparatus for, and method of, classifying objects in a waste stream

1. An apparatus for classifying objects in a mixed waste stream including multiple material types, the apparatus comprising;

a sensor wherein the sensor is a hyperspectral sensor responsive in at least ten spectral bands;

a conveyor for moving objects in the waste stream relative to the sensor and through a sensing region thereof;

a processor for classifying objects of multiple material types in the waste stream on the basis of signals output from the sensor to the processor; and

a broadband camera arranged to generate pixellated image data of a region of the input waste stream and to provide said pixellated image data to the processor, and wherein the processor is arranged to

(i) classify material within each pixel of the pixellated image data using the pixellated image data and signals output from the hyperspectral sensor;

(ii) associate a group of contiguous pixels identified as involving the same material with an object; and

(iii) associate a material with the object and wherein the processor is arranged to identify material within each pixel of the pixellated image data by performing spectral signature analysis by means of a Support Vector Machine algorithm using said image data and signals output from the hyperspectral sensor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the processor is arranged to classify material within a pixel as belonging to a certain material-type only when said material has been identified with a minimum level of confidence.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the processor is arranged to output data corresponding to the material, shape, color, orientation, position in the waste stream and time of identification of classified objects as data packets each of which corresponds to an object in the input stream.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus further comprises a metal detector array and the processor is arranged to classify material on the basis of data output from both the hyperspectral sensor and the metal detector array.

5. The apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the hyperspectral sensor is responsive in the short-wave infra-red band of the electromagnetic spectrum.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the hyperspectral sensor is responsive in 100 or more wavelength bands.

7. A method of classifying objects in a mixed waste stream including multiple material types, comprising the steps of:

(i) moving objects in the waste stream relative to a sensor, wherein the sensor is a hyperspectral sensor responsive in at least ten spectral bands, and through a sensing region thereof; and

(ii) classifying objects of multiple material types in the waste stream on the basis of signals output from the sensor to the processing means by the further steps of;

(1) generating pixellated image data of a region of the waste stream;

(2) classifying material within each pixel of the pixellated image data by spectral signature analysis by means of a Support Vector Machine algorithm using said image data and signals output from the hyperspectral sensor;

(3) associating a group of contiguous pixels identified as involving the same material with an object; and

(4) associating a material with the object.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein material within a pixel is classified as belonging to a certain material-type only when said material has been identified with a minimum level of confidence.

9. The method of claim 8 farther comprising the step of outputting a data packet corresponding to the material, shape, colour, orientation, position in the waste stream and time of identification of a classified object in the input stream.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein classification is carried out using output data from a hyperspectral sensor and from a metal detector array.

11. A method according to claim 7 wherein classification is carried out by analysis of radiation received from the objects in the short-wave infra-red band of the electromagnetic spectrum.

12. A method according to claim 7 wherein classification is carried out by analysis of radiation received from objects in 100 or more wavelength bands.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said mixed waste stream includes papers and plastics, and wherein said processing means classifies both paper and plastics on the basis of signals output from the hyperspectral sensor.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operational waveband of the hyperspectral sensor includes the range from 0.94 μm to 1.6 μm.

15. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said mixed waste stream includes papers and plastics, and wherein both papers and plastics are classified on the basis of signals output from the hyperspectral sensor.

16. The method according to claim 7 wherein the operational waveband of the hyperspectral sensor includes the range from 0.94 μm to 1.6 μm.