JP5815498B2 - Resin sorting apparatus and resin sorting method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to resin recycling, and more particularly to a resin sorting apparatus and a resin sorting method characterized by a transport method for identifying recycled resin by composition using an optical technique.

  In the recycling of resin in used home appliances, the portion where the resin can be dismantled by hand is limited. Therefore, a small part or a part having a complicated configuration needs to be mechanically pulverized to select a metal or a resin, and then used as a recycled material.

  In this case, since it is required to separate each material from the pulverized and mixed state, an advanced sorting technique is required. Among these, metals are selected by specific gravity or electrical or magnetic force. On the other hand, since resins cannot be sorted by electric or magnetic force, classification based on specific gravity, electrostatic charge amount, etc. has been proposed.

  However, it is difficult to identify similar resin types by these methods. Therefore, an identification method has been proposed that focuses on the difference in wavelength (wave number) dependence of the resin absorptivity or reflectance in near-infrared or mid-infrared light.

  Here, when a black resin containing carbon black or the like is identified, it is difficult to identify the black resin because it has a large absorption in the near infrared band and a required signal intensity cannot be obtained. For this reason, it is desirable to use the mid-infrared band, which is less affected by the absorption of carbon black, for identifying the black resin.

  As a method of identifying individual pulverized resin pieces using a mid-infrared band, a sample is sequentially flowed on a conveyor, and from above the sample, FT-IR (Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy: Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry) (Infrared spectroscopy) that is measured by a reflection method using a meter (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In general, when a resin piece is identified using FT-IR, measurement is performed so that the measurement region of the measurement optical system is positioned on the surface of the resin piece (hereinafter referred to as a sample) that is a measurement target. It is necessary to accurately align the optical system and the measurement sample (hereinafter simply referred to as alignment).

  This is because if the sample is misaligned, the proportion of the sample in the measurement region is reduced, so that the infrared reflection intensity from the sample is reduced and the infrared reflection from the sample specimen stage is mixed. In addition, this reduces the S / N ratio of the infrared reflection spectrum caused by the sample (the magnitude of noise relative to the peak height caused by the resin), so that the resin piece cannot be accurately identified.

  Specifically, since the size of the measurement region when using FT-IR by specular reflection or diffuse reflection method is generally several mm to 1 cm, when the sample size is 1 cm or less, A deviation of several mm of the sample causes the resin piece to be mistakenly identified. Note that the size of the measurement region depends on the light source size, the size of the light receiving portion of the detector, and the optical system.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-089732 JP-A-8-300354

However, the prior art has the following problems.
In the identification method using FT-IR in the prior art described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a plurality of samples must be separated and individually transported to the optical measurement system, and the individual samples must be accurately aligned. In this case, the resin piece cannot be accurately identified.

  However, in the prior art, when the sample is smaller than the measurement region, it is difficult to individually convey, and furthermore, it is difficult to align the individual samples in a short time. was there. Therefore, as a result, it took a lot of time to accurately identify the resin piece.

  Further, in the identification method using near infrared light or Raman light, alignment can be made virtually unnecessary by arranging a plurality of array sensors in a row. However, since an identification system using FT-IR uses an interference optical system, it is difficult to arrange a plurality of detectors in a row as compared with an identification system using near infrared light or Raman light.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and can accurately perform individual identification processing and sorting processing of individual resin pieces sequentially using one optical detector. An object is to obtain a resin sorting apparatus and a resin sorting method.

  The resin sorting apparatus according to the present invention has a pocket for stocking resin pieces supplied from the outside, and a plurality of suction holes arranged on a circumference equidistant from the center of its own rotation axis, and rotates itself. Thus, an identification device is installed that sequentially holds and holds the resin pieces stocked in the pockets in each of the plurality of suction holes, and performs the process of identifying the resin type of the suction resin pieces sucked and held in the respective suction holes. A rotating stage that sequentially conveys the identification area, and a sorting area in which a plurality of collection containers for collecting and collecting the adsorption resin pieces according to the result of the identification process are installed, and the adsorption resin pieces are conveyed from the pocket to the identification area. It is installed at multiple locations until it is in contact, and by sequentially contacting the adsorption resin pieces, the adsorption resin pieces are aligned when they reach the identification area. In order to return unnecessary resin pieces other than the adsorbing resin pieces to the pocket, the guide part that slides down from the rotary stage and the resin pieces stocked in the pocket are sequentially controlled as adsorbing resin pieces. The identification device is caused to execute identification processing at the timing when it arrives at, and the adsorption resin piece is detached from the adsorption hole at the timing when the adsorption resin piece reaches the selection area according to the identification result input from the identification device. A rotation controller, and the rotation stage is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane so that unnecessary resin pieces are slid down and stored in the pockets. The pocket can store unnecessary resin pieces that slide down along a rotary stage that is tilted at a predetermined angle before being transferred to the identification area. It is arranged in the guide section, the circumferential periphery side and the inner peripheral side of the aligned plurality of suction holes, in which are installed one by at least one.

  Further, the resin sorting method in the present invention is a resin sorting method executed by a resin sorting device, and the first step of stocking resin pieces supplied from the outside in the pocket and the stocking in the pocket in the first step. The resin pieces are sequentially sucked and held in each of the plurality of suction holes, and the suction resin pieces sucked and held in the respective suction holes are classified according to the identification area for identifying the resin type of the resin piece and the result of the identification processing. Between the second step of sequentially transporting the adsorption resin pieces to the sorting area where the adsorption resin pieces are sorted and collected by the rotation of the rotary stage, and between the time when the adsorption resin pieces are conveyed from the pocket to the identification area in the second step, the guide and the adsorption resin piece In order to align the adsorption resin pieces when they reach the identification area, and to remove unnecessary resin pieces other than the adsorption resin pieces to be aligned. The third step of sliding down from the rotary stage to return it into the ket, and the resin pieces stocked in the pocket in the first step are sequentially conveyed as adsorption resin pieces, and identification processing is performed at the timing when the adsorption resin pieces reach the identification area. And a fourth step of sorting and collecting each resin type by detaching the adsorption resin piece from the adsorption hole at a timing when the adsorption resin piece reaches the selection area according to the result of the identification processing executed. Is.

  According to the present invention, the resin pieces sucked and held one by one in the plurality of suction holes of the rotary stage are individually and sequentially conveyed to the spectroscopic analysis unit and the resin sorting unit, which are optical systems, by the rotation of the rotary stage. As a result, it is possible to obtain a resin sorting apparatus and a resin sorting method capable of sequentially performing accurate identification processing and sorting processing of individual resin pieces using one optical detector.

1 is an overall view of a resin sorting apparatus in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the inclination of the rotation stage in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the rotation mechanism and adsorption holding mechanism of the rotation stage in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the suction holding mechanism of the rotation stage in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the case where the resin which the resin sorter in Embodiment 1 of this invention identified identified for every kind. It is explanatory drawing which showed the case where a 2nd resin piece is mounted on the upper part of the 1st resin piece adsorbed-held at the adsorption | suction hole of the rotation stage in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the case where the 3rd resin piece and the 4th resin piece are adsorbed-held with respect to one adsorption hole of the rotation stage in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed the case where the 5th resin piece was adsorbed-held by the influence of static electricity etc. in the part which is not the adsorption hole of the rotation stage in Embodiment 1 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a resin sorting apparatus and a resin sorting method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an overall view of a resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, the resin sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment can sort the resin pieces to be sorted by material. Hereinafter, in order to specifically illustrate and explain the resin sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment, PP (PolyProline: Polypropylene) resin, PS (Polystyrene: Polystyrene) resin, and ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene resin). : Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer) Assume a case where three types of resins are used as resin pieces to be sorted and these resin pieces are sorted by material.

Resin sorting apparatus in FIG. 1, the transport controller 10, a supply unit 20, a pocket 30, a rotary stage 40, a first guide 51, the guide portion having a second guide 52 and third guide 53 (hereinafter, guide and parts 50 and hereinafter), the spectral analyzer 60, the identification controller 70, the first duct 81, the first collection container 82, the second duct 83, the second collection container 84, the third duct 85 and the third collection container 86, a resin sorting unit (hereinafter referred to as a resin sorting unit 80 ), and an air blow mechanism unit (hereinafter, referred to as an air blow mechanism unit 90 ) having five air blows from the first air blow 91 to the fifth air blow 95. Is provided. Among these, as will be described later as features 1 to 3, the resin sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment performs overall control related to transport, identification, and sorting with the transport mechanism unit by the pocket 30, the rotary stage 40, and the guide unit 50. The transport controller 10 has particularly technical features.

  The rotary stage 40 is arranged in a circle around the rotation axis (that is, a state in which the rotation stage 40 is arranged on a circumference equidistant from the rotation axis center, and is hereinafter arranged on the same center circumference). It has a plurality of suction holes. Here, as a specific example, the rotary stage 40 has 16 suction holes composed of suction holes 41a, 41b,..., 41p.

  The guide unit 50 includes a first guide 51, a second guide 52, and a third guide 53, and the resin sorting unit 80 includes a first duct 81, a first collection container 82, a second duct 83, and a second collection. It has a container 84, a third duct 85 and a third collection container 86. Further, the air blow mechanism 90 has five air blows of the first air blow 91 to the fifth air blow 95.

Here, the resin sorting apparatus in the present invention has the following technical features.
(Feature 1)
Resin pieces stocked in the pocket 30 are sucked and held in the plurality of suction holes of the rotary stage 40, and the individual suction resin pieces sucked and held in the suction holes are sequentially conveyed to the identification area and the sorting area by rotation. Is done.
(Feature 2)
Positions for enabling the resin pieces to be identified in the identification area by bringing the guides 51 to 53 and the adsorption resin pieces into contact before the adsorption resin pieces are conveyed to the identification area. By aligning and contacting with unnecessary resin pieces other than the adsorbing resin piece to be aligned, such unnecessary resin pieces are slid down into the pocket.
(Feature 3)
Based on the identification result of the adsorption resin piece whose resin type is identified in the identification area, the adsorption resin piece is separated and sorted for each resin type.

  Next, the function and operation of each part of the resin sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the inclination of the rotary stage 40 in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a rotation mechanism and a suction holding mechanism of the rotary stage 40 in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the suction holding mechanism of the rotary stage 40 in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where the resin identified by the resin sorting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is sorted for each type.

  1 and 4 show a front view of the resin sorting apparatus in the first embodiment, and FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 show side views of the resin sorting apparatus in the first embodiment, respectively. In the figure, the description of each part that is not necessary for the explanation using the figure is omitted.

The transport controller 10 controls operations of the supply unit 20, the rotary stage 40, the identification controller 70, and the air blow mechanism unit 90. In FIG. 1, the cooperation between the conveyance controller 10 and the rotary stage 40 and the cooperation between the conveyance controller 10 and the identification controller 70 are illustrated, but the cooperation between the conveyance controller 10 and the supply unit 20, The illustration of the cooperation of the air blow mechanism 90 is omitted for convenience.

  The supply unit 20 supplies the resin pieces for sorting to the pockets 30 based on instructions from the transport controller 10. For example, a feeder or the like is used as the supply unit 20, and the resin piece is supplied to the pocket 30 by vibrating the feeder. In addition, the timing at which the supply unit 20 supplies the resin piece to the pocket 30 is determined based on the amount of the resin piece in the pocket 30 so that the resin piece in the pocket 30 does not harden.

  Specifically, the transport controller 10 monitors the amount of resin pieces in the pocket 30 with an optical height sensor or the like (not shown), and when the amount of resin pieces reaches the first predetermined amount, the supply unit A second predetermined amount of the resin piece is supplied from 20 to the pocket 30.

  In addition, the first air blow 91 may be installed in the vicinity of the pocket 30 in order to prevent the resin pieces in the pocket 30 from solidifying as much as possible. In this case, the resin piece in the pocket 30 is agitated by air being jetted from the first air blow 91 based on a command from the transport controller 10. As a result, the resin pieces in the pocket 30 are less likely to harden, so that the phenomenon that the resin pieces are not attracted to the suction holes of the rotary stage 40 can be suppressed as much as possible, and one resin piece is provided for each suction hole. It becomes easy to be adsorbed.

  Instead of the first air blow 91 or in combination with the first air blow 91, a pin (not shown) inserted in a hole formed in the lower portion of the pocket 30 is moved by a piston to move a resin piece in the pocket 30. The resin piece may be moved so that does not harden.

  As described above, the rotary stage 40 has a plurality of suction holes arranged on the same center circumference, and further, a rotation mechanism for rotating the rotation shaft, and a resin piece is sucked and held in each suction hole. An adsorbing and holding mechanism. In the resin sorting apparatus in FIG. 1, only the rotary stage 40 rotates, and the other parts are fixed without rotating. Further, the rotational speed of the rotary stage 40 may be constant or may be changed.

  Further, the rotation stage 40 rotates counterclockwise while adsorbing and holding the resin pieces in the pockets 30 in the respective adsorption holes based on a command from the conveyance controller 10. As the rotary stage 40 rotates counterclockwise, the resin pieces sucked and held in the suction holes in the pocket 30 are sequentially sorted in the order of the identification area where the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 is located and the sorting area where the resin sorting unit 80 is located. Be transported.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotary stage 40 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane by a predetermined angle θ (for example, 45 degrees). The predetermined angle θ may be adjusted so that a resin piece that has been placed on the rotary stage 40 without sliding into each suction hole of the rotary stage 40 slides into the pocket 30. The value is not particularly limited. Further, as the material of the rotary stage 40, for example, a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum having a high reflectance with respect to infrared light may be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a gap is provided between the pocket 30 and the rotary stage 40 so that the rotation of the rotary stage 40 is not hindered, and the resin piece in the pocket 30 passes through this gap. It is adjusted so as not to spill from the gap.

  Note that this gap may be closed by attaching a plastic sheet to the pocket 30. In this case, since the plastic sheet and the rotary stage 40 come into contact with each other, a thin or soft plastic sheet that is easily deformable may be used so as not to prevent the rotation of the rotary stage 40.

  As an example of the rotation mechanism of the rotary stage 40, as shown in FIG. 3, the motor 42 is used to rotate the rotary stage 40 by the shaft rotation of the motor 42. As the motor, for example, a stepping motor or a servo motor attached with an encoder is used.

  Further, as an example of the suction holding mechanism of the rotary stage 40, as shown in FIG. 3, a closed region portion (cross-section) in which the lower sides of a plurality of suction holes penetrating from the front side to the back side of the rotary stage 40 are connected to one. A space A and a space B shown as) are provided. And if this closed area | region part is exhausted with the vacuum pump 43 and it is set as a vacuum area | region, since a pressure difference will arise between the upper part side and lower part side of an adsorption | suction hole, a resin piece can be adsorbed | sucked to an adsorption | suction hole.

  Further, the shape of the closed region portion is a horseshoe-shaped shape 44 surrounded by a broken line as shown in FIG. 4 when the front side of the rotary stage 40 is used as a reference. Note that the shape of the closed region area exhausted by the vacuum pump 43 may be, for example, a donut shape in addition to the horseshoe shape 44 shown in FIG.

  The guide unit 50 includes a first guide 51, a second guide 52, and a third guide 53. These guides 51, 52, and 53 are installed between the pocket 30 and the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 (identification area) as shown in FIG. In addition, the guide unit 50 is brought into contact with the conveyed resin piece until the resin piece adsorbed and held in the adsorption hole of the rotary stage 40 is conveyed to the identification area, whereby the resin piece is adsorbed and held. adjust.

  Here, the adjustment of the suction holding state means a state in which one resin piece is sucked and held by positioning suitable for the identification process with respect to one suction hole. Such adjustment enables accurate measurement by the spectroscopic analysis unit 60. Details of the adjustment of the resin piece adsorption holding state by the guide unit 50 will be described later.

  The spectroscopic analysis unit 60 which is an optical system in the identification area is applied with a measurement method using FT-IR and is controlled by the identification controller 70. In addition, by adjusting the adsorption holding state of the resin piece by the guide unit 50, each adsorption hole of the rotary stage 40 is aligned so that accurate measurement by the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 is possible. The resin piece is held by suction. Therefore, individual resin pieces can be accurately identified by causing the resin pieces individually attracted and conveyed to reach the identification area while contacting the plurality of guides. Note that the spectral analysis unit 60 and the identification controller 70 are collectively referred to as an identification device as necessary.

  When one resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole of the rotary stage 40 is conveyed to the identification area, the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 irradiates the resin piece with infrared light as measurement irradiation light, and performs measurement. A measurement spectrum of infrared reflected light, which is reflected light with respect to the irradiation light for use, is acquired. Further, the identification controller 70 individually identifies resin pieces based on the spectrum of the infrared reflected light acquired by the spectroscopic analysis unit 60.

  Specifically, the transport controller 10 collects the spectrum at a timing when the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole approaches the identification area of the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 (or reaches the identification area) with respect to the identification controller 70. When the start signal is input and the resin piece is slightly separated (or separated) from the identification area, a spectrum collection end signal is further input.

  That is, the identification controller 70 performs measurement by the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 during the period from when the spectrum acquisition start signal is input to when the spectrum acquisition end signal is further input. Then, the identification controller 70 identifies the resin piece based on the measurement spectrum of the infrared reflected light, and corresponds to one of the resin pieces (here, PP resin, PS resin, and ABS resin). Signal) is input to the transport controller 10.

  In addition, the resin piece that has been identified by the identification device is conveyed to the sorting area as the rotary stage 40 further rotates counterclockwise.

  For example, mid-infrared light or near-infrared light may be used as the infrared light that the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 irradiates the resin piece. Further, the measurement irradiation light may be laser light instead of infrared light. In the case of laser light, the identification controller 70 identifies the resin piece based on, for example, the Raman scattering spectrum of the laser light. You just have to do it.

  Here, when the rotational accuracy of the rotation stage 40 is always constant and when the rotational speed is changed, the identification accuracy of the resin pieces by the identification controller 70 is compared as follows. That is, as an example of changing the rotation speed, the rotation is stopped for a predetermined time when the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole 41a of the rotary stage 40 enters the identification area, and the next to the suction hole 41a. The resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole 41b rotates at high speed until it enters the identification area. When such a stop-high speed movement is repeated, the resin piece is measured in a state where the rotation is stopped.

  Further, as another example of changing the rotation speed, the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole 41a does not stop rotating when entering the identification area, and rotates at a low speed near the identification area. When the suction hole 41a moves away from the identification area, it moves at a high speed. When such low-speed movement-high-speed movement is repeated, the resin piece is measured while rotating at a low speed.

  When the rotational speed of the rotary stage 40 is changed as in these specific examples, the time for measuring one resin piece is made longer even when the measurement time interval is the same as compared with the case of rotating at a constant speed. be able to. Therefore, the S / N ratio of the measurement spectrum of the infrared reflected light in the resin piece is increased, and the identification accuracy of the resin piece can be improved. Further, if the S / N ratio is the same, the measurement time interval can be shortened.

  Moreover, when repeating low speed movement-high speed movement, the different position of one resin piece can be measured. That is, since the measurement position of one resin piece is not a single point but a plurality of points, by selecting the measurement spectrum that can be easily identified among the measurement spectra obtained from the plurality of points, the identification accuracy of the resin piece can be improved. Further improvement can be achieved.

  In particular, when the resin piece to be identified is a flat resin piece, or when many flat resin pieces are included among the resin pieces to be identified, the normal direction of the surface of the inclined rotation stage 40 is inclined. If the measurement irradiation light and the reflected light are symmetrical, it is desirable to configure the optical system so as to coincide with the normal direction of the surface of the rotary stage 40. That is, one detector included in the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 is installed on the optical axis of the reflected light with respect to the incident light of the measurement irradiation light.

  In addition, even if the measurement irradiation light and the reflected light are coaxial with respect to the normal direction of the surface of the inclined rotation stage 40, the optical system is similarly matched with the normal direction of the surface of the rotation stage 40. It is desirable to configure. By configuring the optical system in this manner, more measurement spectra in the resin piece can be detected, so that the S / N ratio can be further increased.

  Next, the rotation controller 40 further rotates counterclockwise so that the identified resin piece is conveyed to the selection area, and then the conveyance controller 10 determines the type of the resin piece input from the identification controller 70. Based on the received signal, the resin piece to be conveyed is selected.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance controller 10 injects air from the air blow installed corresponding to each of a some collection container, in order to sort and collect the resin piece conveyed. As a result, the resin pieces adsorbed and held in the adsorption holes are desorbed and placed in a desired collection container for each type of resin piece. In addition, what is necessary is just to perform operation of each air blow by the conveyance controller 10 by providing a solenoid valve between pressure air piping and each air blow, and opening and closing a valve, for example.

  Specifically, when the transport controller 10 determines that the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole is PP resin based on the signal according to the type of the resin piece input from the identification controller 70, By ejecting air from the third air blow 93, the adsorbed and held resin pieces are desorbed and put into the first collection container 82 via the first duct 81.

  Similarly, when the transport controller 10 determines that the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole is PS resin, as shown in FIG. 5, air is jetted from the fourth air blow 94 to suck and hold. The resin piece thus removed is put into the second collection container 84 through the second duct 83.

  Similarly, when the transport controller 10 determines that the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole is ABS resin, the transport controller 10 ejects air from the fifth air blow 95 to remove the sucked and held resin piece. Desorbed and put into the third collection container 86 via the third duct 85.

  The rotation stage 40 further rotates counterclockwise, so that the resin piece in the pocket 30 is newly sucked and held in the suction hole where the resin piece is not sucked and held, and a series of operations as described above are performed. Repeated.

  In addition, although the case where three types of resin, PP resin, PS resin, and ABS resin are selected according to the material is illustrated here, it can be divided into arbitrary types and numbers. In addition, here, the resin pieces that are held by adsorption are detached by air blow and are put into the collection container for each type of resin pieces, but instead of air blow, an instrument that performs piston motion is used. The resin piece may be mechanically removed from the suction hole and placed in the collection container. Further, the transport controller 10 and the identification controller 70 may be integrated.

  Next, adjustment of the resin piece adsorption / holding state by the guide portion 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where the second resin piece 2 is placed on the upper part of the first resin piece 1 sucked and held in the suction hole of the rotary stage 40 in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where the third resin piece 3 and the fourth resin piece 4 are held by suction with respect to one suction hole of the rotary stage 40 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a case where the fifth resin piece 5 is sucked and held by the influence of static electricity or the like in a portion that is not the suction hole of the rotary stage 40 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Here, as described above, the guide unit 50 adjusts the adsorption holding state of the resin pieces and removes unnecessary resin pieces so that accurate measurement by the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 is possible. In other words, it is desirable that the resin pieces in the pocket 30 be in an adsorption holding state in which accurate measurement by the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 is possible at the stage where the resin pieces are adsorbed in the adsorption holes, but the following cases are also conceivable.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the case where the 2nd resin piece 2 mounts on the upper part of the 1st resin piece 1 adsorbed and hold | maintained at the adsorption hole can be considered. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the case where two or more resin pieces (here 3rd resin piece 3 and 4th resin piece 4) are adsorbed and hold | maintained with respect to one adsorption | suction hole can be considered. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, the case where the 5th resin piece 5 is adsorbed-held by the influence of static electricity etc. to the part which is not an adsorption | suction hole can be considered.

  In such an adsorption holding state, since accurate measurement by the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 cannot be performed, it is not possible to accurately identify and sort the resin pieces, resulting in a factor of reducing the sorting accuracy. . Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the suction holding state by providing the guide portion 50.

  That is, in the case shown in FIG. 6, the suction holding state of the first resin piece 1 is adjusted, and the second resin piece 2 that is an unnecessary resin piece unnecessary for the identification process is removed. Further, in the case shown in FIG. 7, the suction holding state of either the third resin piece 3 or the fourth resin piece 4 is adjusted, and the suction holding state is not adjusted, which is unnecessary for the identification process. Remove the resin piece. In the case shown in FIG. 8, the resin piece sucked and held in the portion that is not the suction hole is removed as an unnecessary resin piece unnecessary for the identification process.

  Next, the rotation of the rotary stage 40 divides the resin piece into the suction holding state assumed until the resin piece moves from the pocket 30 to the first guide 51 of the guide portion 50, and the first guide 51 in each suction holding state. The function will be described. Here, the 1st guide 51 is installed in the inner peripheral side (inner side) rather than the position of the suction hole located in a line with the same center circumference.

  First, consider a case where the first guide 51 is moved in a state where one resin piece is sucked and held in the suction hole. In this case, the resin piece comes into contact with the first guide 51, and only the position of the resin piece is shifted outward while being sucked and held in the suction hole. Further, when the resin piece is small or when the resin piece is biased and held outward with respect to the suction hole, the resin piece passes through without being in contact with the first guide 51.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, when the second resin piece 2, which is an unnecessary resin piece, is placed on the first resin piece 1 sucked and held in the suction hole, the case moves to the first guide 51. Think. In this case, the second resin piece 2 is pushed out by the first guide 51 to lose the balance and falls from the rotary stage 40 to the pocket 30, while the position of the resin piece 1 is also shifted to the outside. It remains sucked and held in the suction hole.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, a case is considered in which the third resin piece 3 and the fourth resin piece 4 move to the first guide 51 in a state where the third resin piece 3 and the fourth resin piece 4 are sucked and held in one suction hole. In this case, since the third resin piece 3 and the fourth resin piece 4 are moved by contacting the first guide 51, all the resin pieces are detached from the suction holes, and the rotary stage. There is a case where only one resin piece is sucked and held in the suction hole and the remaining unnecessary resin piece falls from the rotary stage 40 to the pocket 30.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, a case is considered where the fifth resin piece 5, which is an unnecessary resin piece, is attracted and held by a static electricity or the like in a portion that is not the suction hole, and moved to the first guide 51. In this case, the fifth resin piece 5 falls from the rotary stage 40 to the pocket 30 with slight stimulation by contacting the first guide 51.

  As described above, only one resin piece is sucked and held in the suction hole by the first guide 51, and unnecessary resin pieces can be removed. Thereby, the resin pieces can be individually conveyed in the order of the spectroscopic analysis unit 60 and the resin sorting unit 80. Moreover, since the removed unnecessary resin piece falls to the slope portion of the pocket 30 (left side of the pocket 30 in FIG. 1), the unnecessary resin piece slides on the slope portion and gathers again at the bottom of the pocket 30. That is, the resin piece that has fallen into the pocket 30 waits for an opportunity to be sucked and held again in the suction hole of the rotary stage 40.

  Further, the resin piece moves from the first guide 51 to the second guide 52 by the rotation of the rotary stage 40. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the first guide 51 is installed on the inner peripheral side with respect to the position of the suction holes arranged on the same center circumference of the rotary stage 40, whereas the second guide 52 is installed in the outer peripheral side (outside) rather than the position of the suction holes arranged on the same center circumference.

  Further, since the shape of the second guide 52 is bilaterally symmetric with the shape of the first guide 51, just like the first guide 51, only one resin piece is sucked and held in the suction hole by the second guide 52. In addition, unnecessary resin pieces can be removed. In other words, the second guide 52 plays an auxiliary role of the first guide 51 and is installed to more reliably remove unnecessary resin pieces and the like that could not be removed by the first guide 51.

  In this way, by providing the second guide 52 in addition to the first guide 51, only one resin piece is sucked and held in the suction hole, and unnecessary resin pieces can be removed more reliably. . It should be noted that it is sufficient that at least one is installed on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side of the plurality of suction holes arranged on the same center circumference, such as the first guide 51 and the second guide 52. Depending on the situation, a plurality of guides may be installed.

  Here, in the 1st guide 51 and the 2nd guide 52, as shown in FIGS. 6-8, the shape of the part which contacts a resin piece is a smooth curve, and the resin piece is the rotation direction of the rotation stage 40. As shown in FIG. It is desirable to have a shape such that the resin piece and each guide approach each other as it moves. Further, in order to prevent the resin piece falling from above from being placed on the first guide 51, as shown in FIG. 1, the first guide 51 is not provided with a flat portion, and a slope is formed so that the resin piece slides down. It is desirable to provide it.

  Further, since the surfaces of the first guide 51 and the second guide 52 are curved surfaces, the direction of the force applied to the resin piece due to the contact between the resin piece and these guides as the resin piece moves due to the rotation of the rotary stage 40. Changes every moment. Furthermore, since most of the unnecessary resin pieces are supported by points, the unnecessary resin pieces are out of balance by being displaced by contact with these guides and fall into the pocket 30.

  On the other hand, the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole is also supported at almost the point of the suction hole, but this resin piece can be supported even if the position is shifted by contact with these guides. Will not fall into the pocket 30. Furthermore, even if the flat resin piece with small surface irregularities is displaced by contact with these guides, the force held by suction in the suction hole does not change, so it is difficult to fall.

  On the other hand, in the case where only the resin pieces sucked and held in the suction holes are allowed to pass by installing obstructions such as ridges instead of the first guide 51 and the second guide 52, contact with these obstructions The direction of the force applied to the resin piece coincides with the direction in which the resin piece moves. Accordingly, if the unnecessary resin pieces and the resin pieces adsorbed and held in the suction holes are in that direction, it is difficult to remove the unnecessary resin pieces.

  Further, in addition to the first guide 51 and the second guide 52, if the second air blow 92 or gate described later is additionally installed, the following effects can be obtained.

  That is, you may install the 2nd air blow 92 so that air can be injected to the resin piece which passed the 2nd guide 52. FIG. By injecting air with the second air blow 92, the resin piece stably adsorbed and held in the adsorption hole does not detach from the adsorption hole, but the flat resin piece adsorbed and held while standing in the adsorption hole is removed. Can be removed. Furthermore, the unnecessary resin piece that rarely passes through the first guide 51 and the second guide 52 can be removed. The same effect can be obtained even if the second air blow 92 is installed at a position between the first guide 51 and the second guide 52 or in front of the first guide 51 (on the pocket 30 side).

  In addition, by installing a gate (not shown) for providing a height limit between the front of the first guide 51 and the rear of the second air blow 92, preferably, in front of the first guide 51, The flat resin piece adsorbed and held in a standing state can be removed. In this case, the resin piece may fall from the standing state to the sleeping state in addition to dropping into the pocket 30. The second air blow 92 or the gate may be installed based on the state of the resin piece or the accuracy required for identification.

  Next, the function of the third guide 53 will be described. Here, the 3rd guide 53 is installed in the inner peripheral side rather than the position of the suction hole arranged on the same center circle. Further, only one resin piece is sucked and held in the suction hole by the first guide 51 and the second guide 52, and the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole is further moved after the unnecessary resin piece is removed. To do. The resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole is pushed upward (outer peripheral side) by coming into contact with the third guide 53. Here, as described above, the type of the resin piece is identified based on the reflected light when the measurement irradiation light is irradiated to the resin piece pushed to the outer peripheral side.

  In this case, since the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole is pushed inward by contacting the second guide 52 and then pushed outward by contacting the third guide 53, the third guide 53 And at least a part of the resin piece exists at a position between the suction hole for sucking and holding the resin piece. Therefore, by irradiating measurement irradiation light aiming at this position, the resin piece can be measured more reliably. Thereby, since it is not necessary to reduce the spot diameter of the irradiation light for measurement, a large amount of detected light can be obtained, and higher-speed measurement becomes possible.

  Similarly to the first guide 51 and the second guide 52, the surface of the third guide 53 is also a curved surface. Therefore, as the resin pieces move due to the rotation of the rotary stage 40, the resin pieces come into contact with these guides. The direction of the force applied to the resin piece changes every moment. Furthermore, since most of the unnecessary resin pieces are supported by dots, if there is an unnecessary resin piece, the balance is lost due to contact with these guides, and it falls into the pocket 30.

  In the first embodiment, since the third guide 53 can also function as the first guide 51 without installing the first guide 51, similarly, only one resin piece has an adsorption hole. In addition, the unnecessary resin pieces can be removed. In this case, at least the left end of the slope portion of the pocket 30 is extended further than at least the left end of the third guide 53 so that the resin piece falling from the rotary stage 40 can be collected again in the pocket 30 by contacting the third guide 53. There is a need.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the resin sorting device uses the guide portion having a plurality of guides while transporting the resin piece sucked and held in the suction hole of the rotary stage from the pocket to the identification area. The suction holding state is adjusted so that the suction holes are sucked and held one by one, and the adjusted individual resin pieces are individually and sequentially conveyed to the identification area and the sorting area. As a result, the resin sorting apparatus can sequentially perform accurate identification processing and sorting processing of individual resin pieces using one optical detector.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st resin piece, 2nd 2nd resin piece, 3rd 3rd resin piece, 4th 4th resin piece, 5th 5th resin piece, 10 conveyance controller, 20 supply part, 30 pocket, 40 rotation stage, 41a-41p adsorption hole , 42 motor, 43 vacuum pump, 44 horseshoe shape, 50 guide section, 51 first guide, 52 second guide, 53 third guide, 60 spectroscopic analysis section, 70 identification controller, 80 resin sorting section, 81 first duct , 82 First collection container, 83 Second duct, 84 Second collection container, 85 Third duct, 86 Third collection container, 90 Air blow mechanism, 91 First air blow, 92 Second air blow, 93 Third air blow, 94 4th air blow, 95 5th air blow.

Claims (8)

A pocket for stocking resin pieces supplied from the outside;
Each of the plurality of suction holes has a plurality of suction holes arranged on a circumference equidistant from the center of its own rotation axis, and the resin pieces stocked in the pocket are rotated by itself. The adsorption resin pieces adsorbed and held in succession in each of the adsorption holes are identified according to the identification area where an identification device for identifying the resin type is installed and the result of the identification process. A rotary stage that sequentially conveys the waste to a sorting area where a plurality of collection containers for sorting and collecting are installed,
The adsorbing resin pieces are installed at a plurality of positions between the pockets until the adsorbing resin pieces are transported to the identification area, and sequentially contact with the adsorbing resin pieces to reach the identification area. And a guide part that slides down from the rotary stage to return unnecessary resin pieces other than the adsorbing resin piece to be aligned in the pocket,
The resin pieces stocked in the pockets are sequentially conveyed and controlled as the adsorption resin pieces, and the identification device is caused to execute the identification process at a timing when the adsorption resin pieces reach the identification area. A transport controller that sorts and collects each of the plurality of collection containers by detaching the adsorption resin piece from the adsorption hole at a timing when the adsorption resin piece reaches the selection area according to the identification result input from When,
With
The rotary stage is tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane so that the unnecessary resin piece is slid down and stored in the pocket.
The pocket is arranged at a position where the unnecessary resin pieces sliding down along the rotary stage tilted by the predetermined angle before being conveyed to the identification area can be stocked,
At least one guide portion is installed on each of an outer peripheral side and an inner peripheral side of a circumference in which the plurality of suction holes are arranged. In the resin sorter according to claim 1,
The guide portion is
An outer peripheral side guide portion installed on the outer peripheral side so as to align the adsorption resin piece before reaching the identification area from the outer peripheral side toward the inner peripheral side;
An inner guide portion installed on the inner circumference side and positioned in the identification area so as to align the adsorbing resin piece that has reached the identification area from the inner circumference side toward the outer circumference side; , Having a resin sorting device. In the resin sorter according to claim 1 or 2,
In the case where the identification device is configured as an optical system that performs identification processing of the resin type based on reflected light obtained by irradiating measurement light to the adsorption resin piece that has reached the identification area, The optical system is arranged such that the measurement light and the reflected light are symmetrical with respect to the normal direction of the rotary stage, or the measurement light and the reflected light are in a position coincident with the normal direction. Placed resin sorting device. In the resin sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A plurality of air blow mechanisms installed corresponding to each of the plurality of collection containers and for collecting the adsorption resin pieces adsorbed and held in the adsorption holes by injecting air into a desired collection container; Have
The transfer controller controls the plurality of air blow mechanisms in accordance with the identification result input from the identification device, thereby detaching the adsorption resin piece conveyed to the selection area from the adsorption hole and performing a desired collection. A resin sorter that collects in a container. In the resin sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the conveyance controller sequentially controls the adsorption resin pieces, the conveyance controller stops rotating the rotation stage when the adsorption resin pieces enter the identification area, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, A resin sorting device that rotates and moves the rotary stage until the adsorbed resin piece to be conveyed next enters the identification area. In the resin sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The transport controller when successively conveying controlling the adsorption resin piece, at the point in front of the adsorbent resin piece enters the identification area, Rutotomoni rotating the rotary stage at a first rotational speed, apart from the identification area in time, the rotary stage resin sorting device you want to rotate. in the second rotation speed is faster than the first rotation speed.
In the resin sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A resin sorting apparatus further comprising a mechanism for air stirring the resin pieces stocked in the pocket. A resin sorting method executed by the resin sorting apparatus according to claim 1,
A first step of stocking the resin pieces supplied from the outside in the pockets;
The resin pieces stocked in the pocket in the first step are sequentially adsorbed and held in each of the plurality of adsorption holes, and the adsorbed resin pieces adsorbed and held in the respective adsorption holes are identified as resin types of the resin pieces. A second step of sequentially transporting by rotation of the rotary stage to an identification area for performing processing, and a selection area for sorting and collecting the adsorption resin pieces according to the result of the identification processing;
The suction when reaching the identification area by sequentially contacting the guide and the adsorption resin piece until the adsorption resin piece is conveyed from the pocket to the identification area in the second step. A third step of aligning the resin pieces and sliding off unnecessary resin pieces other than the adsorbing resin pieces to be aligned from the rotary stage in order to return them into the pockets;
The resin pieces stocked in the pocket in the first step are sequentially conveyed as the adsorption resin pieces, and the identification process is executed at a timing when the adsorption resin pieces reach the identification area. According to the result, the fourth step of sorting and collecting each of the resin types by detaching the adsorption resin piece from the adsorption hole when the adsorption resin piece reaches the selection area;
A resin sorting method comprising:

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