Design and Implementation of a Real-Time Embedded Automation System for Industrial Sorting Applications

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a real-time embedded automation system designed for small to medium-sized industrial settings. It uses an ARM Cortex-M4-based microcontroller to manage a sensor-driven sorting mechanism on a conveyor system. Real-time task management is achieved with FreeRTOS. The system supports remote data monitoring through IoT using NodeMCU and the MQTT protocol. This solution reduces manual effort, improves sorting accuracy, and boosts overall production efficiency.

Introduction

1. Objective

The project aims to develop a real-time, automated material sorting system for industrial environments using embedded systems, FreeRTOS, and IoT. The goal is to improve efficiency, reduce human error, and enable remote monitoring.

2. Background & Motivation

• Traditional automation handled specific tasks (e.g., motion or temperature control) but lacked real-time responsiveness and remote monitoring.

• This project combines a real-time operating system (FreeRTOS) with MQTT-based IoT communication to bridge that gap.

3. System Components

Hardware:

• STM32F407VG microcontroller (ARM Cortex-M4)

• Infrared proximity sensors & TCS3200 color sensor

• L298N motor driver and DC motors

• ESP8266 (NodeMCU) for Wi-Fi

• 12V power supply

Software:

• FreeRTOS for task scheduling

• STM32CubeIDE and Arduino IDE for programming

• MQTT Dashboard for remote monitoring

System Flow:

• Sensors → STM32 MCU → Motor driver

• NodeMCU → MQTT Server → Remote Dashboard

4. Task Implementation

• Sensor Polling Task: Continuously reads sensor data.

• Sorting Task: Controls actuators based on sensor input.

• IoT Task: Sends updates to the cloud via MQTT.

• FreeRTOS Scheduler: Ensures all tasks run concurrently without delay.

5. Results

• Latency: ≤ 50 ms from object detection to sorting.

• Accuracy: 98.5% in 200 sample tests.

• IoT Updates: Every 2 seconds via MQTT.

• Key Benefits: Real-time control, modular design, remote accessibility.

Conclusion

The proposed system illustrates how embedded technologies and real-time operating systems can improve industrial automation tasks. It successfully automates a sorting process with minimal human involvement while allowing for remote oversight. Future enhancements may include AI-based decision-making and networked nodes for larger systems.

References

[1] FreeRTOS Documentation: https://www.freertos.org [2] MQTT Protocol Info: https://mqtt.org [3] STM32CubeIDE Documentation: https://www.st.com [4] ESP8266 Community Resources: https://www.arduino.cc

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Kamal R Krishna, Roshini Joy R. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.