EP1243350B1 - Dispositif et procédé d'inspection automatique d'objets défilant en flux sensiblement monocouche - Google Patents

Dispositif et procédé d'inspection automatique d'objets défilant en flux sensiblement monocouche Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1243350B1
EP1243350B1 EP02360092A EP02360092A EP1243350B1 EP 1243350 B1 EP1243350 B1 EP 1243350B1 EP 02360092 A EP02360092 A EP 02360092A EP 02360092 A EP02360092 A EP 02360092A EP 1243350 B1 EP1243350 B1 EP 1243350B1
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Prior art keywords
plane
objects
radiation
detection
elementary
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
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EP1243350A1 (fr
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Antoine Bourely
Roger Pellenc
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Pellenc SAS
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Pellenc SAS
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
    • B07C5/342—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
    • B07C5/342—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour
    • B07C5/3422—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour using video scanning devices, e.g. TV-cameras
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/36—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
    • B07C5/363—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution by means of air
    • B07C5/367—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution by means of air using a plurality of separation means
    • B07C5/368—Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution by means of air using a plurality of separation means actuated independently

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the characterization, and optionally the sorting, of objects, in particular of recyclable household packaging, according to their constituent materials and / or according to their color, the combination of a constituent material or substance and of a color being called in the following a category.
  • It relates to a device and a method of automatic inspection of moving objects with characterization and discrimination according to their chemical composition.
  • the machine according to the invention is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for the inspection and, where appropriate, the sorting, at a high rate, of different recyclable plastic packaging, in particular bottles made of PET, HDPE, PVC, PP and PS, as well as paper / cardboard packaging, composite (beverage brick) or metal packaging.
  • this machine may also be used for the inspection and discrimination of all other articles or articles containing organic chemical compounds and scrolling with a substantially monolayer planar presentation, such as for example fruit (discrimination by sugar level) , and the discrimination can be performed on the basis of a majority or minority chemical compound, or a plurality of chemical compounds.
  • said discrimination can result in a separation of the object stream by categorical sorting or simply in counting and characterizing said stream.
  • EP-A-0 706 838 in the name of the applicant, discloses a machine and a sorting method adapted to planar flow objects.
  • This machine uses at least one artificial vision system to locate the objects, as well as to recognize their shape and their color, a robotic arm for grasping and handling objects, and at least one complementary sensor for recognizing their constituent material.
  • This complementary sensor is advantageously an infrared spectrometer.
  • This system has the advantage of being multimaterial in principle, since the main packages are sorted by material, and / or by color, and they are distributed in a plurality of appropriate containers.
  • One machine can sort up to eight different categories.
  • the individual gripping of the objects guarantees an excellent quality of sorting, typically a defect for 1000 sorted objects.
  • the sorting rate of this system is limited by the individual gripping of the sorted objects and does not exceed 60 to 100 kg / h per sorting module.
  • the only way to increase this rate is to cascade several identical sorting modules, which increases the overall size of the machine, as well as its cost price.
  • US-A-5,260,576 discloses a planar sorting machine emitting over the flow of electromagnetic radiation, received by transmission below the flow of objects.
  • the intensity of these radiations makes it possible to distinguish the materials according to their relative opacity in transmission.
  • the radiation is X-rays
  • this document mentions a satisfactory separation of PVC, which contains an X-ray opaque chlorine atom, compared with other plastics, which do not contain them, in particular PET.
  • a row of nozzles ejects or not down one of the object classes.
  • EP-A-0 776 257 discloses a high throughput planar sorting machine, capable of recognizing one of several materials.
  • the material to be recognized is chosen at the time of construction of the machine by a suitable, fixed calibration.
  • a near-infrared light is emitted from above and the sensor is also placed above it, so that it analyzes the light backscattered vertically by the objects.
  • the reception is done by means of a semicircular planar or concave mirror extending over the entire width of the carpet, then a polygonal rotating mirror. There is thus cyclical scanning of the measuring point over the entire width of the carpet.
  • the light received from the measurement point is then divided by a montage of semi-reflective mirrors in several streams. Each flow passes through an interference filter centered on a specific wavelength, and then leads to a detector. Each detector therefore measures the proportion of the light received contained in the bandwidth of the filter.
  • the analysis of the relative intensities measured by the various detectors makes it possible to decide whether or not the material present at the measuring point is the one one is looking for.
  • the number of filters mentioned in this document is between 3 and 6.
  • the detection algorithm must perform a two-dimensional reconstruction of the objects to be sorted before proceeding with their ejection, which assumes a relatively large distance between the detection zone and the ejection zone, increasing the risks of erroneous ejection of the makes a movement of objects between detection and ejection.
  • the document WO 99/26734 presents a high-speed planar sorting machine, with an architecture quite similar to the preceding document, but announces multimaterial recognition.
  • this document addresses the problem of the quantity of light differently: it proposes an upstream vision system on the infra-red detection conveyor, a system quite comparable to that mentioned in document EP-A-0 706. 838 cited above.
  • This system makes it possible to locate each object present, and allows, at the level of the infrared detection, to control by a set of mirrors enslaved by position a single measuring point that follows the scrolling object.
  • the available analysis time becomes relatively long, of the order of 3 to 10 ms, since only one point per object is analyzed.
  • the implementation although unspecified, can then use a known technology compatible with this analysis time. For example, a spectrometer with a strip of photodetectors (typically 256 elements, each corresponding to one wavelength), with a resolution of 4 to 6 nm per detector, can be used.
  • DE-A-1 96 09 916 discloses a miniaturized spectrometer for a planar plastic sorting machine, operating with a diffraction grating for spreading the infrared spectrum on an output band, and a small number of sensors corresponding to wavelengths irregularly distributed in this output band. It is stated in this document that one can be satisfied with ten well-chosen sensors, instead of the 256 sensors of a conventional photodiode array. However, each of these ten sensors has a surface equivalent to each sensor of a bar, typically a rectangle of 30 x 250 microns 2 . Such a surface harvests little light and limits the rate of analysis to 200 measurements / second. Such a spectrometer can not therefore analyze all the points of a fast conveyor with the speeds and resolutions mentioned above.
  • the main object of the present invention is to provide a machine and a method of inspection, and if necessary sorting, operating at high speed and for substantially single-layered object streams, this machine and this process being capable of to reliably discriminate objects with significant heights, while at the same time demonstrating construction and implementation that remain simple and economical.
  • the invention will have to dispense with an independent vision system to locate the objects, minimize the number of sensors required, maintain good reliability, especially in case of sorting, when the objects move relative to the support that the transports and has an optimized efficiency of exploitation of the emitted radiation.
  • the superposition of the lighting and scanning (detection) planes gives a good depth of field and their inclination with respect to the plane of the objects analyzed makes it possible to effectively eliminate the parasitic light that is the specular reflection.
  • the receiving device comprises a movable reflecting member carrying the optical input center, directly receiving the radiation reflected at the level of the sweeping elementary measuring zone and having dimensions of substantially the same size. order of magnitude that the dimensions of said elementary measurement zone which it ensures the displacement, preferably slightly higher.
  • the application means consist of broad-spectrum lighting means, the applied radiation consisting of a mixture of electromagnetic radiation of the visible range and the infrared range, and said lighting means comprise members concentrating the radiation transmitted, at the level of the conveying plane, on a transverse detection band periodically scanned by the elementary measurement zone and whose longitudinal median axis corresponds to the detection line.
  • the means for applying radiation are preferably constituted by two application units spaced apart and arranged in a transverse alignment with respect to the direction or direction of movement of the objects, each unit comprising an elongated emission member associated with a shaped member shaped reflector elliptical section member.
  • each elongate transmission member is substantially positioned at the focal point close to the elliptical reflector associated therewith, the means for applying radiation being positioned and the reflectors being shaped and dimensioned in such a way that the second remote focus is located at a distance from the conveying plane substantially corresponding to the average height of the objects to be sorted.
  • the reflection walls of the radiation emitted by the application means are arranged along the lateral edges of the conveyor (for example conveyor belts or belts), in particular at the ends of the detection strip, extending, horizontally and vertically, substantially up to the height of said radiation application means ( s).
  • the receiving device is in the form of a reception head located at a distance above the conveying plane and carrying, on the one hand, a movable reflecting member under the shape of a plane mirror (whose geometric center is advantageously substantially coincident with the input optical center), disposed substantially centrally with respect to the conveying plane of the conveyor and oscillating by pivoting with a sufficient amplitude so that the zone mobile elementary measurement unit can explore the entire detection band during a half-oscillation and, on the other hand, a focusing means, for example in the form of a lens, of the fraction of radiation (s) reflected by an elementary part of the detection band and transmitted by the oscillating mirror towards said means, said head also carrying the end having the opening of the e means for transmitting said fraction of radiation (s), after focusing by the means, towards at least one spectrum analysis device.
  • a reception head located at a distance above the conveying plane and carrying, on the one hand, a movable reflecting member under the shape of a plane mirror (whose geometric center is advantageously substantially
  • the movable elementary measuring zone which progressively sweeps the entire surface of the traveling conveying support, is defined, in combination, by the characteristics of the input opening of the transmission means and the characteristics of the transmission means. focusing, and by their relative arrangement, the focusing means and the consecutive transmission means being located outside the exploration field of the oscillating mirror (defined by its optical or geometric center), located in the scanning plane, the mirror alignment axis / focusing means / input aperture being located in said plane containing said field.
  • the fraction of detection or measurement surface reflected by the oscillating mirror will advantageously be at least slightly larger in area than the elementary measurement zone, centered with respect to the latter and of the same shape or not.
  • the oscillating plane mirror forming the movable reflecting member is situated between the two units forming the radiation application means and in a relative arrangement such that said units do not interfere with the field of exploration of said mirror.
  • the scanning plane containing said exploration field and the plane containing the reflector foci elliptic are merged and this coincidence of the illuminated and analyzed areas allows an optimal consideration of objects with significant heights.
  • the mirror will preferably be located at a greater distance from the conveying plane than the units of the application means, in the form of halogen lamps for example. However, it can also be arranged at the same height or even closer to this plane than said units, without the effectiveness of the detection station being influenced.
  • the transmission means preferably consist of a bundle of optical fibers 10 "all or a majority of which is connected to an analysis device that decomposes the radiation reflected in its different spectral components and determines the intensities some of said components having wavelengths characteristic of the materials of the objects to be sorted, and a minority of which may be advantageously connected to an analysis device detecting the respective intensities of the three fundamental colors, said optical fibers having at the level of the entrance opening a square or rectangular arrangement in section.
  • a first analysis device is constituted, on the one hand, by a diffraction grating spectrometer decomposing the multispectral light flux received from the elementary measurement zone into its constituent spectral components, particularly in the infrared field, on the other hand, by means of recovery and transmission of elementary luminous flux corresponding to different irregularly spaced spectral ranges characterizing the substances and chemical compounds of the objects to be discriminated, for example in the form of separate optical fiber bundles, and finally by photoelectric conversion means providing an analog signal for each of said elementary luminous fluxes.
  • the multispectral luminous flux from the elementary measurement zone is introduced into the spectrometer at an entrance slit and the elementary luminous fluxes are recovered at exit slits having a shape and dimensions identical to those of the slit input and positioned according to the dispersion factor and the spectral ranges to be recovered, the output end portions of the fibers of the majority component of the fiber bundle forming the transmission means and the input end portions of the fiber optics recovery and transmission means having identical linear arrangements and being respectively mounted in the entrance slot and the exit slots.
  • the input end portions of the optical fibers of the beams forming the recovery and transmission means are mounted in thin wafers provided with adapted receiving recesses, preferably associated with retaining and blocking platelets, so as to form mounting and positioning supports for said optical fibers in the body of the spectrometer.
  • the body of the spectrometer comprises a rigid structure for receiving and holding with locking said supports, allowing their implementation by sliding and their installation by stacking, with possibly interleaving of adjusted shims, so as to position said supports at the locations corresponding to impact zones of elementary luminous flux to be taken up.
  • Such an arrangement allows a fast, easy and accurate adaptation of the inspection machine to detect different groups of materials, characterized by groups of different specific wavelength ranges, depending on the type of objects and the selectivity to operate.
  • the first spectral analysis device therefore consists mainly of a means for distributing the light without significant losses according to its constituent wavelengths, as well as a small number of detectors (10 to 20) in the form of means. unit-specific photoelectric conversion circuit, each of these detectors being specific to a wavelength range (PLO), these PLOs being suitably chosen for a robust and simultaneous identification of several chemical substances or compounds, corresponding, for example, to several materials.
  • PLO wavelength range
  • a second analysis device carrying out the color recognition of the objects is associated with the preceding device by taking a small part of the light flux of the fiber bundle to convey it to three sensors each sensitive to one of the fundamental colors, c Red, Green, or Blue.
  • the latter also comprises a unit for processing and operating management of the detection station, such as a computer controlling in particular the movement of the movable reflecting member and possibly of the conveyor, sequencing the acquisition of the reflected radiation at the mobile elementary measurement zone and processing and evaluating the signals delivered by the analysis devices, for example by comparison with programmed data, for the purpose of determining the composition the chemical object of each of the objects inspected or the presence of a chemical substance in said objects, while correlating the results of said determination with a determination of the spatial location of said objects.
  • a unit for processing and operating management of the detection station such as a computer controlling in particular the movement of the movable reflecting member and possibly of the conveyor, sequencing the acquisition of the reflected radiation at the mobile elementary measurement zone and processing and evaluating the signals delivered by the analysis devices, for example by comparison with programmed data, for the purpose of determining the composition the chemical object of each of the objects inspected or the presence of a chemical substance in said objects, while correlating the results of said determination with a determination of the spatial location of said objects.
  • the detection strip is in the form of an elongated rectangular surface of small width extending perpendicularly to the median axis and transversely over the entire width of the conveying plane. of the conveyor, for example in the form of a belt or belt whose upper surface is merged with said conveying plane.
  • the detection-discrimination distance can be limited to about 100 mm, which minimizes the probability that an unstabilized object on the carpet will move before it is discriminated, for example by evacuation.
  • the invention also relates to a machine for automatic sorting of objects according to their chemical composition, these objects moving in a substantially monolayer manner on a conveyor, this sorting machine comprising an upstream detection station functionally coupled to a downstream station for active separation of said objects. according to the results of measurements and / or analyzes carried out by said detection station, characterized in that the detection station is a detection station as described above.
  • the detection station or its processing and operation management unit, delivers actuation signals to a control module of the ejection means, in transverse alignment, of the active separation station according to the results of said analyzes. , a burst of actuating signals being emitted after each complete exploration of a transverse detection band by the moving elementary measurement zone.
  • the detection line is located in the immediate vicinity (for example less than 30 cm ) ejection means, for example by lifting, in the form of a row of nozzles delivering jets of gas, preferably air.
  • said method consists in particular in concentrating the radiations, preferably of the visible and infrared range, at the level of the conveying plane on a periodically scanned transversal detection band. by the elementary measuring zone and whose longitudinal median axis corresponds to the detection line, so as to obtain a high radiation intensity and substantially homogeneous over the entire surface of said detection strip.
  • said method may consist in sequentially scanning the detection band with the moving elementary measurement zone by pivoting oscillation of a plane mirror forming the reflecting member, in focusing the luminous flux originating from the elementary measurement zone on the opening input of the transmission means in the form of a bundle of optical fibers, to bring the majority of the multispectral luminous flux captured to the input slot of a spectrometer forming part of a first analysis means, to decompose this luminous flux in its various elementary spectral components, to recover the luminous flux of some of these components corresponding to specific narrow wavelength ranges at output slots and to transmit them via means adapted to means photoelectric conversion circuit for providing first measurement signals, to bring, if necessary, simultaneously a a small part of the multispectral light flux picked up to a second analysis means determining the respective intensities of the three fundamental colors and providing second measurement signals, to process said first and possible second measurement signals, at a processing unit and computer management system including controlling the movement of the movable reflective member, sequencing the acquisition of the reflected radiation at the mobile elementary measurement zone
  • the inspection method When the inspection method is implemented in relation to a sorting machine as described above, it may further consist in having the processing and management unit issue, depending on the results of the signal processing. measuring, actuating signals to an ejection means control module of a separation station located downstream of the detection station with respect to the flow of objects, and, finally, to eject or not to eject each of the different objects scrolling on the support plane conveying of the conveyor according to the actuation signals delivered.
  • a burst of actuating signals is emitted after completion of each scan of the detection band and processing of the corresponding measurement signals, if necessary taking into account the measurement signals of the detector. previous scan.
  • the emitted radiation is concentrated in the vicinity of the illumination plane Pe and said illumination plane Pe and the scanning plane Pb coincide, this common plane Pe, Pb being inclined with respect to the perpendicular D Pc conveying plan.
  • transverse in relation to the detection line 7, is meant an extension over the entire width of the conveying plane Pe defined by the conveyor 3 ce, preferably but not exclusively, in a rectilinear manner and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the objects 2 .
  • the conveying plane Pc will correspond for a flat conveying support on the surface of the latter and for non-planar supports, such as buckets mounted on chains (for individualized transport, for example). example for fruits), at a median plane characterizing the scrolling of said objects.
  • the detection station 4 is identical for these two machines, the sorting machine further comprising a separation station 5.
  • Figure 1 shows the general structure of the automatic sorting machine 1 by chemical composition or material.
  • the objects 2 arrive in rapid scrolling (2 to 3 m / s) on a conveying means or conveyor 3 so that they are substantially spread on a single layer.
  • the surface of the conveyor 3 is dark, and its constituent material (usually matte black rubber) is chosen different from the chemical materials or compounds to be recognized.
  • This region is substantially delimited by broad-spectrum lighting means 6 (visible and infrared), which concentrate via reflectors. 6 'the luminous flux, to strongly illuminate a zone 7' in the form of a narrow band of effective detection, whose width is 25 to 40 mm.
  • the zone 7 ' is analyzed at a high rate by means of an oscillating mirror 8', driven by a computer 23, and which cyclically directs the measurement towards each of the constituent elementary zones 12 'of the zone 7'.
  • a full scan cycle of the zone 7 ' takes about 8 ms.
  • the conveyor 3 has advanced a distance substantially equal to the width of said zone 7 ', so that there is no "hole" of detection: any point of the conveyor 3, or the plane Pc conveyor belt is analyzed.
  • the light collected by the mirror 8 ' is focused by a lens forming a focusing means 9 on the input opening 10' of a bundle 10 of optical fibers 10.
  • the bundle 10 is subdivided into two parts: the first brings the majority of the luminous flux to a spectrometer 14, forming part of a first analysis device 11 and subdividing this part of flux according to its constituent wavelengths in the near-infrared range (NIR).
  • NIR near-infrared range
  • Appropriately selected PLO Wavelength ranges
  • This module converts the light signals into as many analog electrical signals, which are then analyzed by the computer 23.
  • the second part of the beam 10 is fed to a second analysis device 11 'corresponding to a color detection module.
  • This module allows to isolate the Red, Green and Blue components by filtering, then convert the light signals into electrical signals and amplify them. After conversion, the output signals are also analyzed by the computer 23.
  • the latter makes it possible to combine all the preceding information to define categories of objects to be ejected or not, and then controls the separation station 5 and each of the ejection means 5 'in the form of nozzles in a row, by means of a piloting module 24.
  • a first decisive advantage of the machine 1 is that the reflected light receiving device (mirror assembly 8 'and lens 9) does not extend physically over the entire width of the conveying plane Pc corresponding, for example, to the surface of a carpet of a conveyor 3, but is unique and implanted only in the center of the centerline of the conveyor 3. This avoids inhomogeneities between different reception points which would harm the uniformity of the signal through the detection zone 7 '.
  • a second decisive advantage of the geometry of the machine 1 is that the detection zone is placed closer to the row of ejection nozzles 5 '.
  • the distance detection-ejection d can be limited, with appropriate computer means, to about 100 mm, which minimizes the probability that an unstabilized object on the carpet moves before ejection. It is limited only by the software processing time, which is very fast since it relates to the information of a single line of measurements or even two contiguous lines only. This distance is significantly lower than that existing in known planar flow machines described above.
  • the aim is to bring maximum light to the detection zone 7 'with the constraint of moving the lamps sufficiently away from the circulating objects 2 to allow these objects to circulate without interference.
  • the amount of light is summarily estimated in electric W / cm 2 , with reference to a 3400 K color temperature halogen lamp.
  • the inventors have determined that the best intensity distribution is obtained using only two sufficiently long, vacuum-separated reflectors 6 'as shown in FIG.
  • the average density obtained is 2 x 1000 / (80 X 4) ⁇ 6 W / cm 2 , about 60 times more than the sun in daylight.
  • Such a concentration is only compatible with a carpet 3 in rapid motion to avoid burning it. Electrical safety devices are provided to automatically cut the lighting in case of stopping said carpet.
  • the aim is to analyze about 40 to 80 elementary surfaces inside the zone 7 'by means of an elementary measuring zone 12 mobile.
  • These elementary surfaces 12 ' have a rectangular shape, with dimensions of 10 x 20 mm to 20 x 20 mm.
  • such an elementary surface 12 ' is called a "pixel", all of said pixels corresponding to the detection zone 7'.
  • the inventors have chosen a mobile assembly that sequentially scans all the pixels. A single sensor then allows all measurements, provided that the measurement is performed very quickly.
  • the preferred solution is an oscillating mirror 8 '30 mm in diameter, mounted in a detection head 8 and oscillating with an angular amplitude c between the positions shown in Figure 4A.
  • an oscillating mirror 8 '30 mm in diameter mounted in a detection head 8 and oscillating with an angular amplitude c between the positions shown in Figure 4A.
  • the instantaneous angle delta (FIG. 4C)
  • it sends back the light of a pixel 12 'towards the fixed lens 9 which focuses it in a bundle 10 of optical fibers 10 ", the pixel 12' has been represented as punctual for the readability of FIGS.
  • the number of measurements per second is obtained as a function of the speed of movement of the carpet 3 and the chosen pixel size.
  • a pixel of 20 mm x 20 mm there are 40 measurements per line for a width of 800 mm.
  • 125 x 40 5000 measurements / second.
  • the lens 9 is disposed as much as possible under the mirror 8 ', without interfering with the scanning field C (angle b). It must not be too low above the conveyor belt 3.
  • the design of the illumination with a blank space in the center above the carpet 3 is used to coincide the plane of oscillation or scanning Pb of the mirror 8 '(including the exploration field C) with the plane Pe (plane containing the focal points F and F 'and passing through the median axis of the detection zone 7'.) With dimensions and a suitably chosen arrangement, the measurement zone (angle b) does not interfere with the tubes 6 "or the reflectors 6 '.
  • This design is very advantageous for analyzing objects 2 of significant height (up to 200 mm high), because regardless of the height of the object, the illuminated area and the analyzed area coincide.
  • the illumination and the measuring spot are no longer focused, the detection remains reliable despite a decrease in the sharpness of the pixel, because the brightness remains substantially identical .
  • the illumination disperses well over a larger area, but at the same time the object approaches the halogen tube and therefore receives a larger direct flow, and the mirror / object distance decreases, which increases the density received on the mirror 8 '.
  • the illumination must be scattered over a large angle to effectively illuminate a tall object, and the available intensity is reduced accordingly.
  • the common plane (lighting plane Pe and scanning plane Pb) of the lighting means 6 and the mirror 8 oscillating is inclined at an angle alpha with respect to the vertical to the conveying plane Pc. It can be seen that there is a gamma angle between the closest specular ray and the axis of the sensor (mirror axis 8 '/ lens 9 / aperture 10'). This gamma angle must be at least 5 °, and preferably greater than 10 ° for good security (see Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings).
  • the lens 9 serves to limit the size of the pixel 12 'analyzed, even at a great distance from the conveyor belt 3.
  • the magnification that is to say the ratio between the size of the pixel 12 'and that of the input 10' of the beam 10 is equal to the ratio of the distances to the lens.
  • the light flux captured is optimal. Indeed, it can be shown mathematically that it is almost independent of the mirror-conveyor distance, and that it is identical to the flux captured by a fiber bundle of the same surface, placed near the conveyor and under the same illumination, and without any optics.
  • the inventors have retained the third solution, because it is proven, without physical movements, and with a very good light output: from 60 to 90% in the spectrum of interest.
  • a diffraction grating In a diffraction grating, light is scattered through the output slot in the manner of a rainbow as a function of wavelengths.
  • the grating is characterized by a dispersion, which is the ratio between the wavelength changes expressed in nm, and the distance on the exit slot, expressed in mm.
  • the inventors have chosen a dispersion of between 20 nm / mm and 30 nm / mm.
  • the optical fiber bundle 10 transports the reflected light received from the pixel 12 '(multispectral light flux 14 ") from the square section end carrying the aperture 10', of a shape identical to the pixel, to the entrance slit 17 of the spectrometer 14, where the fibers are re-arranged in a vertical thin slot 17 '.
  • the image of the input slot 17 for each PLO selected at the network output 14 ' is a slot 17' of the same shape and dimensions only in entrance.
  • the various elementary luminous fluxes 14 "'corresponding to the various PLOs are collected by output slots 17', at this level there is provided a network of fiber bundles 15 'forming reception and transmission means 15 and these fibers are rearranged. at the other end in circles 15 ", each of which is fixed in contact with an InGaAs photodiode 16, with an active surface area of approximately 1 mm 2 .
  • the spectral width of the PLOs is fixed, and is approximately 5 nm, which makes it possible to use identical photodiodes. But it is also possible to construct beams 15 of different sections, associated with photodiodes 16 of corresponding surface (for example a spectral width of 10 nm with two rows of contiguous optical fibers, for a photodiode area of about 2 mm 2 ). It is thus possible to increase the received luminous flux or to refine the resolution.
  • the quantity of light is divided only once: if we double the number of output beams, each of them will have as much light as in the original assembly.
  • PLO rearrangement is then simply to remove ferrules 18, 19 and shims 22 of the holding housing 21, then replace some shims by those of different sizes, and finally put them back in the housing.
  • the operation is easy, fast (one work session), and reversible.
  • the photodiodes of the conversion means 16 provide an intensity proportional to the number of incident photons on their entire surface for a given time. This current is converted into voltage and amplified before it is delivered to the computer 23.
  • the inventors have preferred the first implementation, which is the simplest and least restrictive for the computer processing system 23.
  • the active surface of the photodiodes 16 used actually size the entire design of the recovery / transmission / analysis. Indeed, it is useless to make an output beam 15 of the diffraction grating 14 'which is larger than the surface of the associated diode 16: the additional surface would not be exploited.
  • the laws of optics dictate that the dimensions of the input slot 17 of the array 14 'are the same as the dimensions of the exit slot 17'.
  • the optical fiber bundle 10 it obviously keeps the active surface unchanged, ie about 1 mm 2 .
  • the flux received on the input aperture end 10 'of this beam depends only on its surface, and the intensity of illumination at the level of the conveying plane Pc (for example surface of the belt of a conveyor 3), subject to a suitable dimensioning of the optical assembly 8 'and 9.
  • FIG. 5, in relation with FIGS. 1, illustrates a possible embodiment of the second analysis device 11 '(color analysis).
  • This second device 11 'could also be realized by means of a diffraction grating.
  • the wavelength selectivity need not be very fine. Bandwidths of 60 nm are quite sufficient. Moreover, there is no question of flexibility, since the three fundamental colors are based on the perception of the human eye: the PLO never change. Rather than using a diffraction grating, it is therefore simpler and cheaper to use colored filters to be placed in front of each receiving diode. These are the filters 6R, 6V, 6B indicated, specific respectively of red, green, and blue.
  • the photodiodes 27 associated with the aforementioned filters are made of silicon and cover the entire visible range: this material is very inexpensive and has a very good detectivity, about 100 times higher than InGaAs in the infrared. Thanks to this high sensitivity, it is unnecessary to bring a fiber bundle in front of the diode: a single fiber diameter 200 microns gives a sufficient signal.
  • the end comprising the inlet opening 10 ' may thus comprise about twenty fibers, of which sixteen or seventeen are found at the penetrating end in the inlet slot 17 of the spectrometer 14, and three of which penetrate into the device analysis 11 'or color module. Given the amount of visible light available, one can even consider using a single fiber for color and distribute its light on three filters: thus, it leaves a maximum sensitive surface for the part of the beam 10 connected to the spectrometer 14.
  • a conventional amplification stage not shown, makes it possible to bring the analog signals to a level sufficient to acquire them in the computer 23.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
  • Investigating Materials By The Use Of Optical Means Adapted For Particular Applications (AREA)
  • Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)
EP02360092A 2001-03-19 2002-03-18 Dispositif et procédé d'inspection automatique d'objets défilant en flux sensiblement monocouche Expired - Lifetime EP1243350B1 (fr)

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FR0103700A FR2822235B1 (fr) 2001-03-19 2001-03-19 Dispositif et procede d'inspection automatique d'objets defilant en flux sensiblement monocouche
FR0103700 2001-03-19

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EP1243350A1 EP1243350A1 (fr) 2002-09-25
EP1243350B1 true EP1243350B1 (fr) 2007-02-07

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EP (1) EP1243350B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JP4203319B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
AT (1) ATE353253T1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
AU (1) AU2002247822B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA2442737C (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (2) DE60217985T2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
ES (1) ES2206085T3 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
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WO (1) WO2002074457A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2822235A1 (fr) 2002-09-20
ATE353253T1 (de) 2007-02-15
EP1243350A1 (fr) 2002-09-25
WO2002074457A1 (fr) 2002-09-26
DE02360092T1 (de) 2004-04-22
US7113272B2 (en) 2006-09-26
US20040095571A1 (en) 2004-05-20
AU2002247822B2 (en) 2006-08-24
JP4203319B2 (ja) 2008-12-24
DE60217985D1 (de) 2007-03-22
DE60217985T2 (de) 2008-02-28
CA2442737A1 (fr) 2002-09-26
ES2206085T1 (es) 2004-05-16
JP2004529334A (ja) 2004-09-24
ES2206085T3 (es) 2007-09-16
CA2442737C (fr) 2010-02-09
FR2822235B1 (fr) 2004-10-22

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