JP3082477B2 - Glass bottle sorting equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a glass bottle sorting apparatus for sorting used glass bottles by color in order to reuse them as resources.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, from the viewpoint of resource saving and effective use, there is a tendency to collect used glass bottles and reuse them as resources. By the way, about half of glass bottles are colorless and transparent, but there are also many that are colored brown, black, green, blue, etc. In order to reuse glass bottles, it is necessary to sort them by color . Conventionally, such a sorting operation has to be performed manually by a human operator.

[0003]

However, the manual operation of sorting glass bottles is not only inefficient, but also because the glass bottles to be sorted are collected as waste or waste, so that they are clean. However, since such a sorting operation is performed in a bad environment such as a large amount of dust, a bad smell, and a high noise, it is not preferable from a sanitary viewpoint. For this reason, there has been a demand for the development of an effective means capable of mechanically efficiently and hygienically selecting the glass bottles by color. In general, sorting by color is based on image processing using a color camera.However, the properties of the used glass bottles to be used are: many types, many sizes, labels attached, and their sizes, sizes, and positions vary. , With caps, the contents inside, dirty, etc., the large amount of processing per day, and the need for processing speed. It is difficult to respond.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and takes into account color sorting of glass bottles and an improvement in processing speed based on the results of a survey of the actual conditions of used glass bottles and the results of experiments. It is an object of the present invention to provide a glass bottle sorting apparatus capable of selectively sorting glass bottles by color.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A glass bottle sorting apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for sorting glass bottles by color, comprising: transfer means for continuously transferring glass bottles to be sorted; and the transfer means. It is composed of image detecting means for photographing the transferred glass bottle, and color discriminating means for discriminating the color of the glass bottle based on an image signal from the image detecting means. And an area setting unit that sets a plurality of detection areas serving as color determination points in the glass bottle, a determination unit that determines the color of the detection area set by the area setting unit, a reference outer shape of the glass bottle, and the glass bottle. A storage unit storing reference color information including a plurality of colors and color tones, wherein the area setting unit stores the detected outer shape of the glass bottle and the storage unit in the storage unit. A size ratio is determined by comparing the reference area with the reference outer shape, and a setting position of the detection area is set proportionally based on the ratio, and the determination unit determines at least one color of the detection area. Is detected, it is determined which of the reference color information stored in the storage unit matches the detected color.

In a glass bottle sorting apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, a teaching mode is provided in the color discriminating means according to the first aspect of the invention. In the teaching mode, the teaching mode is set based on an image signal from the image detecting means. The external shape of the glass bottle determined by the area setting unit is stored in the storage unit as a reference external shape, and the color and tone in the detection area detected by the determination unit are stored in the storage unit as reference color information. Features.

In a third aspect of the present invention, the area setting section of the first or second aspect sets the plurality of detection areas at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the glass bottle, One of these detection areas is set at the bottom of the glass bottle. A glass bottle sorting apparatus according to a fourth invention is characterized in that illumination is provided below the transfer means of the first, second or third invention at a position facing the image detection means.

[0008]

According to the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the first invention, when the glass bottle transferred by the transfer unit is photographed by the image detection unit, the image detection unit outputs an image signal to the color determination unit. Then, based on the image signal from the image detecting means, the area setting unit of the color discriminating means detects the outer shape of the glass bottle, draws the reference outer shape of the glass bottle from the storing unit, and draws the detected outer shape of the glass bottle and the drawing from the storing unit. The size ratio is determined by comparing the size with the reference outer shape, and a plurality of detection areas are set in proportion to the glass bottle based on the determined ratio.

Further, the discriminating unit detects the color of the detection area set by the area setting unit, and if the color of at least one of the detection areas is detected, the detected color is determined. A comparison is made with the reference color information stored in the storage unit to determine which color the color belongs to.

According to the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the second invention,
When the color discriminating unit is set to the teaching mode, the outer shape of the glass bottle detected by the area setting unit is stored in the storage unit as a reference outer shape, and the color and color tone of the detection area detected by the discriminating unit are stored as reference color information. It is stored in the section.

According to the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the third invention,
Since the plurality of detection areas are set at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the glass bottle by the area setting unit, for example, even if a label is affixed to the glass bottle or dirty, even if the plurality of detection areas are dirty. The probability that all color detections will not be possible is extremely low, and reliable color detection is performed. Particularly, since one of the detection areas is set at the bottom of the glass bottle where the possibility of sticking a label or the like is low and the color is dark, the detection performance is further improved.

According to the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the fourth invention,
Since the light from the illumination is transmitted through the glass bottle and supplied to the image detecting means, the image detecting means reliably photographs the glass bottle. That is, it is possible to prevent the glass bottle from being reflected by light and causing a problem in photographing by the image detecting means.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a roller conveyor (transfer means) for continuously transferring the glass bottle G. Above the roller conveyor 1, a television camera (image detecting means) 2 is installed, and the television camera 2 photographs a glass bottle G transferred on the roller conveyor 1.

Further, below the roller conveyor 1,
An illumination 3 is provided at a position facing the television camera 2, and the illumination 3 illuminates the glass bottle G transported by the roller conveyor 1 from below, and supplies the transmitted light to the television camera 2. . Then, the television camera 2 captures the transmitted light of the glass bottle G and transmits it to the color determination device (color determination means) 4 as an image signal.

Next, the configuration of the color discriminating apparatus 4 will be described with reference to a functional block diagram shown in FIG. As shown in the figure,
The color discriminating device 4 determines an outer shape (thickness and length) of the glass bottle G based on an image signal from the television camera 2 and sets a color detection area in the glass bottle G having the outer shape. And a determining unit 12 for determining the color of the detection area set by the area setting unit 11.

The color discriminating device 4 has a storage unit 14.
The storage unit 14 stores the reference outer shape of the glass bottle G, and reference color information including a plurality of colors and colors to be colored on the glass bottle G. A monitor 13 is connected to the color discriminating device 4 having the above-described configuration, and an image of the glass bottle G that has been subjected to the image processing by the color discriminating device 4 is displayed on the monitor 13.

The color discriminating device 4 having the above-described configuration has a teaching mode and a sorting mode, and can be set selectively by a changeover switch (not shown).

Next, the respective operations of the color discriminating device 4 in the teaching mode and the sorting mode will be described. (1) Teaching Mode First, the operation of the color discriminating apparatus 4 in the teaching mode will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, set the changeover switch to teaching mode,
A glass bottle G serving as a sample is placed on the roller conveyor 1, and the glass bottle G is photographed by the television camera 2. Here, as the glass bottle G of the sample, for example, a glass bottle having a transparent shape or a color such as brown, black, green, or blue and having the outer shape most frequently used in the market is used. Then, first, a glass bottle G of one color is used as a sample.

Step S1 An image signal of the glass bottle G serving as a sample taken by the television camera 2 is input to the area setting section 11 of the color discriminating apparatus 4. Thus, the outer shape (length and thickness) of the sample glass bottle G is obtained by the area setting unit 11.

Step S2 The outer shape of the glass bottle G obtained by the area setting unit 11 is stored in the storage unit 14 as a reference outer shape.

Step S3 Further, the area setting unit 11 places a plurality of detection areas A1 and A
.. An are set with the size and position of the detection areas A1, A2... An, as shown in FIG.
It is displayed on the screen of the monitor 13. The number, size and position of the detection areas A1, A2... An can be arbitrarily changed. Here, the number of detection areas is eight (A1, A2... A8), and the position is set along the center line of the glass bottle G.
One of the detection areas A1, A2... A8 is located at the bottom of the glass bottle G, and the other detection areas A2, A3.
Are set at substantially equal intervals toward the tip of the glass bottle G.

Step S4 The colors of the plurality of detection areas A1, A2... A8 set by the area setting unit 11 are detected by the discrimination unit 12, and stored in the storage unit 14 as reference color information.

Step S5 Next, a color tone (color density range) is set. That is, a glass bottle G of a similar color is placed on the roller conveyor 1, the colors in the detection areas A1, A2,... A8 of the glass bottle G are detected, and the glass bottle G of a similar color is darkened on the roller conveyor. 1 on this glass bottle G
Are detected in the detection areas A1, A2,..., A8 to obtain a color tone, and stored in the storage unit 14 as reference color information.

Step S6 Among the set detection areas A1, A2... A8, for example,
The reference color information of the detection area in which the color was detected is copied to the label L (see FIG. 4) attached to the surface of the glass bottle G or the detection area in which the color was not detected due to dirt or the like. That is, the reference color information of the detection area that could not be set is made the same as the reference color information of the detection area that could be set, and is stored in the storage unit 14. Then, setting of one color is completed by steps S1 to S6.

Thereafter, the above procedure is performed for the glass bottle G of the sample of another color to set the reference outer shape, the detection area, and the reference color information. When the setting of the color discriminating device 4 is completed in the teaching mode, the changeover switch is set to the sorting mode, and the glass bottle G continuously transferred by the roller conveyor 1 is sorted.

(2) Sorting Mode The operation of the color discriminating apparatus 4 in this sorting mode will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, a plurality of glass bottles G to be sorted by the roller conveyor 1 are continuously transferred. And these glass bottles G are the lighting 3
The glass bottle G is illuminated from below by the illumination 3, the transmitted light is photographed by the television camera 2, an image signal is output from the television camera 2, and the image signal is The input is input to the area setting unit 11 of the color discriminating device 4, and the outer shape (length, thickness) of the glass bottle G is obtained by the area setting unit 11.

Step S12 Further, the outer shape of the sample glass bottle G stored in the storage unit 14 in the teaching mode, that is, the reference outer shape, is extracted by the area setting unit 11, and the extracted reference outer shape is separated from the glass bottle G to be selected. A8 are compared with each other to determine the size ratio, and the sizes and positions of the detection areas A1, A2,... A8 are set based on the ratio, and the set detection areas A1, A2,. 6 is displayed on the monitor 13. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, when the outer shape of the glass bottle G to be sorted is different from the reference outer shape, the sizes and positions of the detection areas A1, A2,. Is set.

Step S13 When the detection areas A1, A2,..., A8 are set in the above-described step S12, the discrimination unit 12 sets the detection areas A1, A2,.
Each color of A2 ... A8 is detected.

Step S14 Further, the reference color information stored in the storage unit 14 in the teaching mode is extracted by the determination unit 12, and the extracted reference color information and the detection areas A1, A2,.
And the detection areas A1, A2,.
It is determined to which color the color belongs.

At step S15, the detection areas A1, A2,..., A8 are discriminated, and the detection areas A1, A2, A6, A7, A8 matched with the reference color information in the storage section 14 are displayed on the monitor 13. Flashes (see FIG. 6). That is, the blinking enables to confirm at a glance in which detection area the color matching has been achieved.

Here, in the discriminating section 12, the detection area A is determined by the label L affixed to the glass bottle G or the dirt.
Even if some of A1,..., A8 cannot detect a color, if one of the detection areas can detect a color, the other color detection is impossible. The same color is also determined in the detection area.

Step S16 Further, the detection areas A1, A2, A6, A7, and A8, which are aligned and blink on the monitor 13, are set in step S1.
4 is displayed in the color determined.

The operations from step S11 to step S16 are performed for each glass bottle G continuously transferred by the roller conveyor 1, and each glass bottle G is sorted by color. In addition, the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the above-described embodiment is for discriminating the color of the glass bottle G and displaying the same. By attaching a device such as a robot for assembling together, a completely automated glass bottle sorting device can be obtained.

As described above, according to the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the glass bottle G transported by the roller conveyor 1 is photographed by the television camera 2, and based on the image signal from the television camera 2, it is extremely easy. To
In addition, the color of the glass bottle G can be quickly determined, and the glass bottle G can be sorted for each color. That is, the glass bottle G
Can be automatically sorted, so that the dust, stench,
The work by the operator in a bad environment such as high noise can be eliminated, and the efficiency of the sorting operation of the glass bottles G can be greatly improved.

Further, the area setting unit 11 of the color discriminating device 4 detects the outer shape of the glass bottle G, extracts the reference outer shape of the glass bottle G from the storage unit 14, and detects the detected glass bottle G.
Is compared with a reference contour drawn from the storage unit 14 to determine a size ratio, and based on the determined ratio,
A8 are set in the glass bottle G, and the colors of the set detection areas A1, A2,... A8 are compared with the reference color information for determination. The sorting can be performed automatically in response to.

The color discriminating apparatus 4 has an area setting unit 11
Teaching that stores the outer shape of the glass bottle G detected by the storage unit 14 as a reference outer shape in the storage unit 14 and stores the colors and the tones of the detection areas A1, A2,. Since the mode is provided, the reference outer shape and reference color information to be compared can be arbitrarily set. In particular,
Since the reference color information can be set arbitrarily, it is possible to discriminate the glass bottles G of various kinds of colors as required.

A plurality of detection areas A1, A2,.
Are set at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the glass bottle G by the area setting unit 11, so that even if a label is attached to the glass bottle G or the glass bottle G is dirty, for example, a plurality of detection areas A1, A2 ... A8, the probability that all the color detection becomes impossible is extremely low, and therefore, the color detection failure due to label, dirt, etc. can be greatly reduced, and a glass bottle sorting device having high color detection performance can be provided. Can be. In addition, in particular, since one of the detection areas A1, A2,..., A8 is set at the bottom of the glass bottle G where the possibility of sticking a label or the like is low and the color is dark, the detection performance can be further improved. .

Further, since the light from the illumination 3 provided below the roller conveyor 1 is transmitted through the glass bottle G and supplied to the television camera 2, the television camera 2 can reliably photograph the glass bottle G. it can. That is, it is possible to prevent the glass bottle G from being reflected by the light and giving a problem to the photographing by the television camera 2.

The specific configuration and structure of the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the above embodiment are not limited to the embodiment. Also,
The number of detection areas set by the area setting unit 11 is not limited to the embodiment.

[0040]

As described above, according to the glass bottle sorting apparatus of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
The glass bottle transferred by the transfer unit is photographed by the image detection unit, and based on the image signal from the image detection unit, the color of the glass bottle is extremely easily and quickly determined, and the glass bottle is determined for each color. Can be sorted out. In other words, since the glass bottles can be automatically sorted, it is possible to eliminate the work by the operator under the bad environment such as the high dust, the bad smell, and the high noise, and to greatly improve the efficiency of the sorting operation of the glass bottles. it can.

Further, the area setting section of the color discriminating means detects the outer shape of the glass bottle, extracts the reference outer shape of the glass bottle from the storage section, and compares the detected outer shape of the glass bottle with the reference outer shape extracted from the storage section. The size ratio is determined, and based on the determined ratio, a plurality of detection areas are set in the glass bottle, and the color of the set detection area is compared with the reference color information to determine the size. The sorting can be performed automatically corresponding to the glass bottle.

The color discriminating means stores the outer shape of the glass bottle detected by the area setting unit in the storage unit as a reference outer shape, and stores the color and color tone of the detection area detected by the discriminating unit as reference color information. Since the teaching mode for storing the reference size and reference color information to be compared can be arbitrarily set. In particular, since the reference color information can be set arbitrarily, it is possible to discriminate glass bottles of various kinds of colors as required.

Further, since a plurality of detection areas are set at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the glass bottle by the area setting unit, even if a label is attached to the glass bottle or the glass bottle becomes dirty, for example, The probability that all color detections in a plurality of detection areas are not possible is extremely reduced, so that it is possible to greatly reduce the possibility of color detection due to labels, dirt, etc., and to provide a glass bottle sorting device with high color detection performance. be able to. Particularly, since one of the detection areas is set at the bottom of the glass bottle where the possibility of sticking a label or the like is low and the color is dark, the detection performance can be further improved.

Further, since the light from the illumination provided below the transfer means is transmitted through the glass bottle and supplied to the image detecting means, the image of the glass bottle is surely photographed by the image detecting means. That is, it is possible to prevent the glass bottle from being reflected by light and causing a problem in photographing by the image detecting means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a glass bottle sorting device illustrating a configuration of a glass bottle sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration and functions of a color determination device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in a teaching mode of the color determination device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an image of a glass bottle displayed on a monitor in a teaching mode.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the color discriminating apparatus in the selection mode.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an image of a glass bottle displayed on a monitor in the sorting mode.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a detection area setting function by an area setting unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 roller conveyor (transporting means) 2 television camera (image detecting means) 3 lighting 4 color discriminating device (color discriminating means) 11 area setting section 12 discriminating section 14 storage section A1, A2... A8 detection area G glass bottle

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Kinyuki Kubota, Inventor Yoshiyuki Kubota 2-1-1, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo Inside Ishikawa Shima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. Tokyo First Factory (72) Inventor Akira Kawase 1, Mohri, Koto-ku, Tokyo −19−10 Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, Ltd.Koto Office (72) Inventor Hiroshi Murakami 2-2-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries, Ltd. (JP, B1) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B07C 5/00-5/38

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An apparatus for sorting glass bottles by color, comprising: transfer means for continuously transferring glass bottles to be sorted; image detecting means for photographing the glass bottles transferred by the transfer means; A color discriminating means for discriminating a color of the glass bottle based on an image signal from the detecting means, wherein the color discriminating means detects an outer shape of the glass bottle,
An area setting unit that sets a plurality of detection areas serving as color determination points on the glass bottle, a determination unit that determines the color of the detection area set by the area setting unit, a reference outer shape of the glass bottle, and a plurality of colors that are colored on the glass bottle. A storage unit for storing reference color information including the color and the color tone of the glass bottle, wherein the area setting unit compares the detected outer shape of the glass bottle with the reference outer shape stored in the storage unit, and determines a size ratio. The set position of the detection area is set proportionally based on the ratio.When the determination unit detects at least one color in the detection area, the detected color is A glass bottle sorting apparatus characterized by determining which one of the reference color information stored in a storage unit matches. 2. A teaching mode is provided in the color discriminating means. In the teaching mode, the outer shape of the glass bottle obtained by the area setting section based on an image signal from the image detecting means is used as a reference. 2. The glass bottle sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a color and a color tone in the detection area detected by the determination unit are stored in the storage unit as an outer shape, and are stored in the storage unit as reference color information. . 3. The area setting unit sets the plurality of detection areas at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the glass bottle, and sets one of these detection areas at a bottom of the glass bottle. The glass bottle sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The glass bottle sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an illumination is provided below the transfer means at a position facing the image detection means.