JP6017390B2 - Single plate sorting and deposition apparatus and single plate sorting method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for selecting thin wood-based veneers, which are raw materials for stacking and manufacturing plywood, and depositing them for each section.

The plywood is manufactured by laminating thin wood veneers having a thickness of about 0.3 to 5 mm. Alternatively, a single plate having a thickness of about 1.0 to 5 mm is used to form a LVL plate by laminating the fibers in the same direction.
The raw material for plywood is changing from southern hardwood logs such as Lauan to northern conifer logs imported from Siberia, and cedar logs in Japan. Southern ocean logs such as lauan are large-diameter materials, and from a single log, parts with irregularities and rot can be obtained in the initial stage, and high-quality materials with almost no defects such as nodes can be obtained in the intermediate stage. The veneer with the thinned central part can be roughly divided such that it is easy to break, and the initial and final parts are mainly used for the core material of plywood, and the middle and high quality materials on the front and back We were able to use properly such as using. When using conifers such as northern conifers and Japanese cedar as raw wood, it has become necessary to finely deposit and deposit the parts that can be used as the front and back materials of plywood because of their small diameter and many nodes and spears.
A single plate has been conventionally subjected to visual sorting, but in recent years, an automatic sorting technique has been proposed.

Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-145914) uses a one-dimensional television camera and binarizes and determines the luminance. This has the problem that the brightness difference between the defective part and the non-defective part cannot be obtained sufficiently and cannot be detected stably, and the appearance in the captured image differs depending on the defect state. May not be performed reliably. This can be attributed to factors such as the surface state and moisture content that depend on the inspection target and factors that depend on the luminance level of the defect portion.
In Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-95109), a grayscale image obtained by imaging a wood surface with a monochrome line sensor camera is binarized, and a defect candidate area is extracted by a defect candidate extraction unit using the binary image. Then, the defect candidate area is re-extracted using the threshold value set for each piece, the primary defect is determined, and the portion leaked from the primary defect determination is connected to perform the re-defect determination. An invention is disclosed in which defects are detected with high accuracy by connecting defect candidate regions that can be regarded as the same defect even when the luminance change is large and the possibility of being divided by binarization is high.
In Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-40913), reflected light from the front surface and transmitted light from the back surface are photographed by one camera, and the obtained image is separated into an image by reflected light and an image by transmitted light. Thus, there is disclosed an invention for detecting a node having no hole based on a reflected light image and detecting the shape and size of a separated transmitted light portion. The method for inspecting wood is that “the image of the reflected light portion from the first illumination means is separated from the image of the transmitted light portion from the second illumination means, and a hole is formed by the separated image of the reflected light portion. Measure the shape and dimensions of the untransmitted nodes and measure the shape and dimensions of the separated transmitted light portions. ”Using RGB for color determination, the image of the reflected light portion and the image of the transmitted light portion are measured. The shape and dimensions of the separated nodes without holes are measured every time, and the measurement accuracy is improved by changing the color of the transmitted light and utilizing the characteristics of RGB.
In Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-147442), color photographing of wood is performed by a photographing unit, a color distribution of a color image photographed by the photographing unit is obtained by an image processing unit, and the obtained color distribution is obtained. Compared with the color distribution of the normal wood of the target tree species, the color distribution obtained is more than a predetermined value from the color distribution of the normal wood as an abnormal color distribution, and the abnormal color distribution is photographed by the photographing means Further, an invention has been disclosed in which an area on a wood surface that is larger than a predetermined value is detected as a wood defect.
Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-203223) discloses an invention for accurately detecting defects due to unevenness on the inspection surface based on images obtained by using reflected light irradiated at different angles. Has been.

  Other proposals have advantages and disadvantages in speed and accuracy. As mentioned above, when Japanese conifers are made of plywood, they are small-diameter trees, so there are frequent replacements of processed logs, and there is a high frequency of defects such as knots, spears and missing knots. For this reason, it is difficult to improve productivity and maintain selected quality. In domestic timber, in addition to differences in tree species such as cedar, pine, and larch, as well as the basic color tone of each timber, technologies that identify and identify basic data for each target material are the mainstream. The compatibility with the variability of each timber hinders the improvement of efficiency and accuracy.

JP-A-8-145914 JP 2011-95109 A JP 2007-40913 A JP 2007-147442 A JP 2011-203223 A

  The present inventors have been engaged in research and development of plywood technology for many years, and as a result of repeated studies based on their experience and knowledge, the attention has been paid to the fact that timber has a set of properties and colors for each group such as production area. We considered processing using the commonality. An object of the present invention is to develop a sorting and depositing technique that realizes the sorting and deposition of a single plate efficiently and with high accuracy under such an eye.

  According to the present invention, a color line sensor type imaging device generates a color image while transporting a single plate, and uses a color image and a gray image subjected to light and dark processing to perform collation determination and selection using a prepared determination parameter. Technology. A determination parameter prepared in advance is created based on commonality such as the production area. In the inspection using a color image, the data is processed with HSV data close to a human visual image. By these, it was possible to make a judgment and sort in a short time based on the same criteria as visual sorting.

The gist of the present invention is as follows.
(1) A method for selecting a single plate by comparing reference data prepared in advance with measurement data obtained by photographing,
The measurement data is measurement data based on a color image and a grayscale image created based on imaging data obtained by combining information by reflected light and information by transmitted light, and the measurement data is transmitted light data. Is not separated
It is a method of comparing the measurement data and reference data prepared in advance by HSV data to determine the grade of a single plate, and to select,
A method for judging and selecting a grade of a single plate characterized by having a judgment item based on a color image and a judgment item based on a grayscale image as judgment items.
(2) The single plate sorting method according to (1), wherein the reference data prepared in advance is set based on a group to which a single wood log to be sorted belongs.
(3) A single plate sorting and depositing device that transports a single plate with a transport device, performs a sorting determination process during the transport, and deposits the single plate based on the determination result,
An imaging device for imaging a single plate with a color line sensor type imaging device;
An image generation processing mechanism that generates a color image of an entire single plate based on a line image obtained by a color line sensor type imaging device, and generates a grayscale image from the color image. The processing mechanism is a mechanism that generates an image without separating transmitted light,
Compared with determination parameters prepared for each of a plurality of determination items based on a color image, color image determination processing for determining a grade for each item, and prepared for each of a plurality of determination items based on a grayscale image A determination processing mechanism comprising a grayscale image determination process for determining a grade for each item in comparison with a determination parameter, and a determination processing mechanism having an item determination based on a color image and an item determination based on a grayscale image determination,
Comprehensive determination processing mechanism that determines the final grade by comparing the determination grade for each item obtained by the determination processing step with the comprehensive determination parameter prepared in advance,
An output processing mechanism that outputs a signal for selecting and depositing based on the overall grade, and outputting a signal for displaying each item determination result and the total determination result,
And a deposition processing device for depositing according to the grade based on the selection signal,
A single plate sorting and depositing apparatus, wherein each item determination and comprehensive determination are collated using HSV data.
(4) The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to (3), wherein the determination processing mechanism is provided with a mechanism for performing a combined determination process on determination items common to both color image determination and grayscale image determination. .
(5) A single plate sorting and depositing device that transports a single plate with a transport device, performs a sorting determination process during the transport, and deposits the single plate based on the determination result,
The transport device includes a front conveyor and a rear conveyor, an imaging processing device is provided between the front conveyor and the rear conveyor, a single plate detector that detects a single plate is disposed in the front conveyor, and the rear conveyor A single plate detector that detects a single plate is arranged in the part, and an encoder that outputs a single plate conveyance synchronization signal in conjunction with the conveyance amount of the front conveyor and the rear conveyor is arranged,
The imaging apparatus includes: a first illuminating unit that illuminates a single plate surface side; a second illuminating unit that illuminates a single plate back surface side; and a single plate surface above the single plate conveyance path. A plurality of color line sensor type photographing means for photographing are arranged in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction so as to cover the entire width of the single plate, and the image generation processing mechanism converts the line image obtained by the photographing means to the synchronization signal of the encoder. The images are synthesized through the imaging process step of performing synchronous shooting based on the image and correcting each shading and sequentially storing them in the memory, and the calibration step of matching the position coordinates of the images stored in the memory. An image generation processing step for generating a gray image from the color image and a grayscale image from the color image,
The determination processing mechanism compares and collates inspection data extracted from the color image based on specific elements of the item with a determination parameter of the item prepared in advance for each of the determination items. A color determination process for determining the grade of each item and determining the grade of each item,
For a plurality of judgment items, the grade for each item is judged by comparing and collating the inspection data extracted from the grayscale image based on the specific elements of the item with the judgment parameters of the item prepared in advance. And a light / dark determination process for determining the grade of each item,
The comprehensive determination processing mechanism is a mechanism for comparing each item determination result of color determination and each item determination result of density determination with a comprehensive determination parameter prepared in advance to determine a comprehensive grade,
The output processing mechanism is a mechanism that outputs a signal for selecting and depositing a single plate based on the overall grade to the deposition device, and outputting each item determination result and the overall determination result to the display device,
The veneer stacker is equipped with a transfer device that takes over the veneer from the rear conveyor of the transfer device, and a stacker that stacks and stores the veneers by grade opposite the transfer device. The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to (3) or (4), further comprising a mechanism for separating the single plate at the stacker.
(6) For the hole determination, a step of comparing the result of the color determination process with the result of the light / dark determination process to determine whether or not the hole exists in the node before the comprehensive determination is provided. The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to (5), wherein a step of sending to the comprehensive judgment is provided.
(7) The conveyor part of the transport device is equipped with a single plate moisture content detector and / or strength detector,
The veneer stacker is equipped with a small veneer stocker, high moisture content veneer stocker, front veneer stocker, back plate veneer stocker, mid plate veneer stocker, and other veneer stockers. The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to any one of (3) to (6), wherein

1. The single plate sorting method and apparatus of the present invention can efficiently sort single plates at high speed and with high accuracy. Since the line sensor type imaging device is used, the conveyance of the single plate can be continued, and the time for intermittent conveyance is not lost.
2. Since reference data focusing on groups of tree species and production areas are prepared in advance, a simple process of comparing with extracted defect candidates can be performed by a computer, and the processing speed can be made efficient. it can. Since it is a standard corresponding to a group of groups, qualitative displacement is small and accuracy is improved. Since the reference data according to the user specifications can be used, it is possible to respond finely according to the demands of consumers. The processing target logs are suitable for processing conifers, particularly Japanese small diameter conifers with many selection elements such as knots, and logs with a large change between production areas.
3. Since data comparison is performed using HSV data, the compatibility with human visual determination is good, and a sorting result with less discomfort compared to conventional visual observation is obtained.
4). Since the comparison processing is simple, it is not necessary to increase the scale of the control processing system even if the number of selection elements increases, and a compact design is possible.

The figure which shows Example 1 of the single-plate selection deposition apparatus of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the imaging device of this invention. The figure which shows the determination processing flowchart of this invention. The figure which shows the example of the detailed flowchart of this invention. Explanatory drawing of HSV for image processing of this invention. The figure which shows the example of extraction of the blue mold discoloration part using HSV display. The figure which shows the extraction reference example of the blue mold discoloration part by RGB display. The figure which shows the example of a clause and a crab decision flow. The figure which shows the example of the classification determination flow of a hole. The figure which shows Example 2 of the single-plate selection deposition apparatus of this invention.

The present invention is a method and apparatus for selecting and depositing a wood veneer having knots, mold discoloration, holes, cracks, and the like. According to the present invention, a color image is generated by a color line sensor type imaging device while a single plate is conveyed, and the color image and the grayscale image subjected to further grayscale processing are used to perform collation determination based on a determination parameter prepared in advance. Technology. A determination parameter prepared in advance is created based on commonality such as the production area. Then, the data is processed with HSV data close to a human visual image. By these, the sorting process can be performed continuously without stopping the conveyance of the single plate, and it has been realized that the sorting is performed in a short time by the same standard as the visual sorting. The target trees are conifers with many knots and discoloration, and Japanese conifers with small diameter trees and large variations between localities. They are effective for processing veneer materials that are provided to consumers who demand fine quality.
The present invention is also a deposition apparatus that separates and stocks a dried veneer into a grade suitable for use as a veneer such as a plywood front, back, core, or cosmetic veneer. It is also important to add a process for detecting and selecting insufficient drying and insufficient strength.
The main processing step of the present invention is a mechanism in which an image processing apparatus is installed in a conveyance path for conveying a single plate, and a single plate deposition apparatus is arranged following the conveyance path, and is obtained by the image processing apparatus. A mechanism for performing the next determination processing on the information obtained is provided. The main determination processing flow (see FIG. 3) includes an imaging processing step, an image generation processing step, a determination processing step, a comprehensive determination processing step, and an output processing step. The present invention does not process the color image data obtained from the image pickup means with the three primary colors RGB of light, but preliminarily samples such as blue mold, hole data, length, width, cracks, and knots are HSV data closer to the human visual image. Prepared in advance as a determination parameter and processed as a determination parameter based on this determination parameter, and processing is simply performed by comparison and determination. Therefore, the determination processing speed and the selection processing accuracy are improved. In addition, the production area (domestic / overseas) and tree species (cedar, firewood, larch, etc.) of the veneer processed at each factory will change, but it will be possible to select only by switching judgment parameters prepared in advance for each production area and tree species. Even if a new production area or tree species is generated, it is only necessary to register the determination parameters in advance by passing the image pickup means of this apparatus, and the operability can be greatly improved.
The raw wood to be processed is usually similar because it is cut from a nearby forest and brought into the factory. However, since there is a possibility that raw wood from an unexpected production area may be carried in, there is a need for irregular processing.

An example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a single plate sorting and depositing apparatus.
A single plate sorting and depositing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a deposition device D disposed at a subsequent stage of the transport device A, an imaging device B is provided in the middle of the transport device A, and a single plate is determined and the transport device A A determination / control device C for controlling the device B and the deposition device D is provided.
In the transport device A, the transport path of the veneer 10 is constructed by the front conveyor 21 and the rear conveyor 22. The imaging device B is disposed between both conveyors. Single plate detectors 42 and 44 are arranged on the front and rear conveyors 21 and 22. The signal from the front single plate detector 42 is used as a synchronization signal for combining images obtained from the color line sensor type photographing means, and the signal from the rear single plate detector 44 is used as a drive system for the subsequent deposition apparatus. It is used as an operation signal.

In the imaging apparatus B, the first illumination unit 32 that illuminates the front surface side of the single plate is disposed above the conveyance path of the single plate, and the second illumination unit 33 that illuminates the back surface side of the single plate is conveyed by the single plate. It arrange | positions below a path and arrange | positions the several color line sensor type imaging | photography means 31 so that the full width of a single plate may be covered.
In the single-plate stacking device D, a stacking conveyor 51 that transports the single plate 10 following the rear conveyor 22 of the transport device A is disposed, and a plurality of stackers 56a, 56b, 56c,. Is provided. Drop-off machines 55a, 55b, 55c,... For separating the single plates from the stacking conveyor 51 and storing the stackers are provided. In this example, the stacking conveyor 51 is a type that sucks and holds a single plate, and a plurality of vacuum chambers 52a, 52b, 52c,... Are provided in order to generate a suction force.
The determination / control device C includes encoders 43 and 45 that detect the conveyance speed of a single plate, and single plate detectors 42 and 44 that detect the single plate that is carried in and out, and based on the image obtained from the imaging means. A mechanism for generating an image of the single plate 10 and a determination processing mechanism for determining a grade are provided.

FIG. 2 shows a main configuration of the imaging apparatus B.
The imaging apparatus B includes a first illumination unit 32 that illuminates the front side of the single plate 10, a second illumination unit 33 that illuminates the back side of the single plate, and a conveyance path of the single plate 10. A plurality of color line sensor type photographing means 31 for photographing the surface of the single plate are arranged in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction so as to cover the entire width of the single plate. In the illustrated example, the photographing means 31a and 31b are arranged transversely.
The 1st illumination means 32 irradiates the surface of a single plate, and inputs reflected light into an imaging means. Although the arrangement of the irradiation device can be set as appropriate, it is preferable to irradiate from an oblique direction so as not to compete with the imaging device. Further, it can be provided in one or both directions of the imaging device. Since it is preferable that the light source of an illumination means irradiates uniformly, LED can be used. In the illustrated example, the first illumination means 32a and 32b are arranged diagonally upward so that the entire area of the photographing means 31 can be illuminated uniformly.
The second illumination means 33 is disposed on the back surface of the single plate, and is disposed so as to pass through the holes and thin portions of the single plate and input to the imaging means. This illumination means can also use LEDs for uniform illumination. Transmitted light and reflected light are processed as separate information on a single plate without being separated.
The image pickup means 31 is of a line sensor type, and shoots the single plate 10 for every minute width by dividing it into the number of pixels in a line shape in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the single plate 10. Without stopping the conveyance of the single plate 10, images are continuously taken while being conveyed, and the information is sent to the image processing selection signal processor 41. The input information is synthesized by an image generation processing mechanism to construct video information of the entire veneer.

The image generation processing mechanism generates a color image of the entire single plate based on the line image obtained by the color line sensor type imaging device 31, and generates a grayscale image from the color image. The image generation processing mechanism synchronously captures a line image obtained by the photographing means based on the synchronization signal of the encoder 43, corrects shading and sequentially stores them in the memory, and positions of the images stored in the memory Each image is synthesized through a calibration process in which coordinates are adjusted to generate one color image, and a gray image is generated from this color image. This process is performed by a computer using a commonly used image composition technique.
The following determination processing is performed using the combined color image of the entire single plate and the grayscale image generated from this color image.

The determination processing mechanism compares a determination parameter prepared in advance for each of a plurality of determination items based on the color image, and determines a grade for each item, and determines each grade based on the grayscale image. And a grayscale image determination process for determining the grade for each item in comparison with the determination parameter prepared in advance.
In the color determination step, for each of the plurality of determination items, the inspection data extracted from the color image based on a specific element of the item is compared with the determination parameter of the item prepared in advance and checked for each item. The grade of each item is judged and the grade of each item is judged.
In the density determination step, for each of the plurality of determination items, the inspection data extracted from the grayscale image based on the specific elements of the item and the determination parameters of the item prepared in advance are compared and collated. The grade of each item is judged and the grade of each item is judged.
The overall grade is determined by combining these item determinations. If there is a common item between the color image determination item and the gray image item, the common item adjustment determination may be performed before the comprehensive determination.

The determination processing mechanism compares a determination parameter prepared in advance for each of a plurality of determination items based on the color image, and determines a grade for each item, and determines each grade based on the grayscale image. And a grayscale image determination process for determining the grade for each item in comparison with the determination parameter prepared in advance.
In the color determination step, for each of the plurality of determination items, the inspection data extracted from the color image based on a specific element of the item is compared with the determination parameter of the item prepared in advance and checked for each item. The grade of each item is judged and the grade of each item is judged.
In the density determination step, for each of the plurality of determination items, the inspection data extracted from the grayscale image based on the specific elements of the item and the determination parameters of the item prepared in advance are compared and collated. The grade of each item is judged and the grade of each item is judged.
The overall grade is determined by combining these item determinations. If there is a common item between the color image determination item and the gray image item, the common item adjustment determination may be performed before the comprehensive determination.

The determination is made based on the number of corresponding pixels. It is determined that elements such as the same defect are continuous in adjacent pixels, and the size and length are determined. For example, when a state in which small holes are concentrated in a narrow area is observed, but not adjacent pixels, it is determined to be a bug hole.
HSV data is suitable for color analysis. Since it can be set in a state similar to a visual sense, it has good consistency with a professional engineer who has performed visual selection, and is suitable for quality control before and after the present invention is adopted on site.
The parameter of the determination item is set according to the group to which the processing target log belongs. Depending on the tree type and age, the color and other properties may differ. In addition, the material characteristics such as the core material color, the balance between the core material and the side material, and the presence or absence of addressing also differ depending on the production area. By setting a standard parameter based on the nature of the target raw wood and determining a single plate to be inspected based on the parameter, it is possible to reduce the load of the determination process and process in a short time.
For example, in a determination method in which a single plate to be inspected is evaluated, a reference value is set, and a deviation is observed with respect to the reference (for example, a node appears in the shape of a darker arc than the whole), Since a reference value is created for each sheet, time and processing amount are increased, a large control device is required, and time is required. The apparatus configuration is increased in size, and the conveyance speed is limited by the determination processing time. In the process of forming a raw veneer that has been thinly cut from raw wood using a rotary lace, etc., drying, and stocking by grade, this inspection process becomes a bottleneck and production efficiency may be limited.

The present invention can avoid such a limiting factor by focusing on a group of tree species, tree age, production area, and the like.
For example, the Young's modulus, which indicates strength, is larger among the production areas, such as the cedar in the Tohoku region has a higher Young's modulus than the cedar in the Kyushu region. Cedar cores tend to be brown in the Tohoku region and black in the Kyushu region. Furthermore, the elapsed time after logging is also a factor to consider, such as when the period after logging becomes long, the nodes turn black and easily fall off.
Alternatively, the grade selection varies depending on the policy of the wood processing company. For example, there is an example in which determination parameters for the number of knot holes are set as shown in Table 1 as Company A and Company B.

An example of the image processing of the single plate is shown in FIG.
FIG. 5A is an image diagram of lines to be imaged. “A * b” in which the length unit in the conveyance direction of the single plate is a and the length unit in the width direction is b is one pixel. Since it is necessary to cover the entire width of the single plate, the width direction is set to a number divided by the number of the single plate width / b or more. The pitch of a is determined by the conveyance speed.
FIG. 5B is an image diagram in which pixels are distributed vertically and horizontally on one single plate. Y1 to ym to yn are combined with line units that are imaged by dividing the line in the transport direction, and the entire single plate information is divided into pixels.
For example, if a * b is 0.5 mm * 0.5 mm, when processing a single plate of 100 cm * 200 cm, a is 20000 or more, b is 40000 or more, and 8 million or more pixels. Thus, one single plate is covered. a and b are not limited to 0.5 mm, but are determined by the number of pixels of the camera, the width of the target single plate, and the conveyance speed.
Each pixel is converted into data according to HSV data. The HSV of each pixel is a numerical value indicating the hue, S is the saturation, and V is the lightness according to a conventional method. H, S, and V are expressed by 256-step numerical values from 0 to 255. HSV data (HSV model) is a color space composed of three components of hue (Hue), saturation (Saturation / Chroma), and lightness (Value / Lightness / Brightness).
In the single plate 10 shown in FIG. 5B, for example, perforated nodes are observed at e1, e4, e5, and e8, and dark colored portions (including living nodes) at e2, e3, e6, and e7. Etc. are recognized.
This figure shows a part of a single plate, and the pixels are shown schematically in a large size, so that they are actually divided more finely.

The comprehensive determination processing mechanism determines the final grade by comparing the determination grade for each item obtained in the determination processing step with the comprehensive determination parameter prepared in advance. Taking the front and back of a basic plywood as an example, a single plate of a grade that can be used for the front plate, a single plate of a grade that can be used for the back plate, a single plate of a grade that can be used for the middle layer other than the front and back, lack of dimensions or repair is required Other grades of veneer are judged. Furthermore, it is possible to improve the beauty grade of the front plate according to the application and needs.
The front plate may be used as it is as the surface of the plywood or may be coated with a paint or a decorative material. The front plate is required to be uniform. If there are knots, holes, or chips, the paint and adhesive tend to become uneven, which is not suitable. The veneer used for the middle layer is basically satisfactory in terms of strength, and is acceptable even with joint repairs and joints. The back plate is not required to look and be as uniform as the front plate, but it is often attached to a reinforcing material such as a crosspiece, so if there are many hard parts of the knot, nailing will be difficult or the knot will be missing. Do n’t be too many.

The output processing mechanism outputs a signal to be sorted and deposited based on the overall grade determined by the image processing sorting processing mechanism 41 constituting the determination / control device C to the deposition device D, and each item determination result and overall determination result Outputs a signal for display as a day play or recording. In order to transfer a single plate from the rear conveyor 22 to the deposition conveyor 51 of the deposition apparatus, a single plate detector 44 is provided on the rear conveyor 22, and the conveyance speed of the rear conveyor 22 is detected by the encoder 45, and a single plate detector 44 is installed. The plate grade signal and the inherited single plate are synchronized, and the driving of the drop-off machines 55a, 55b and 55c of the deposition apparatus D is controlled.
Furthermore, when a single plate having a high moisture content or a single plate having a poor strength is identified, these single plates are also output as a signal for selection.

The deposition apparatus D illustrated in FIG. 1 deposits a single plate according to the grade based on the selection signal determined by the comprehensive determination processing mechanism. The veneer stacking device D includes a stacking conveyor 51 that takes over the veneer 10 from the rear conveyor 22 of the transfer device and conveys it, and a stacker 56 that accumulates and stores the veneers by grade facing the transfer device. Based on this, a mechanism for separating the single plate from the stacking conveyor 51 at the corresponding stacker is provided.
The single plate is conveyed while being sucked to the stacking conveyor 51 provided with a number of small holes arranged on the lower surface of the suction chamber 52, and when the single plate to be deposited reaches the stacking position, it is operated to drop it by operating the driving device 55. And accumulate. Separation and deposition are facilitated by stopping the suction of the chamber at the corresponding site when dropping. In the illustrated example, three chambers (52a, 52b, 52c) and a stacker (56a, 56b, 56c) are shown, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The type of the stacker is determined according to the type of single plate to be finally selected. For example, types for front plate, back plate, middle plate, single plate with insufficient dimension, high water content single plate, and the like can be mentioned.

A flow of determination processing according to the present invention will be described. A schematic flow is shown in FIG. 3, and a detailed flow is shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 shows a main flow of a determination process including an imaging process step SI, an image generation process step SII, a determination process step SIII, a comprehensive determination process step SIV, and an output process SV.

FIG. 4 shows detailed steps.
In the imaging processing step SI, an example in which two cameras for imaging are used is given, but this number is arbitrary. Capture one line image from the color line sensors 1 and 2 (S11, S12), capture the synchronization signal from the encoder (S13), correct the shooting of the line image (S15, S14), and store them sequentially in the memory of the image processing device (S17, S18) is performed.

  In the image generation processing step SII, the line image is calibrated (alignment of positional information between images) (S21), and the line image is synthesized to generate one color image (image generation) (S22). A grayscale image is generated from the color image (S23).

In the determination processing step SIII, determination for each item using a color image and determination for each item using a gray image are performed, and adjustment determination is performed if determination items common to both the color image determination and the gray image determination are necessary. Done.
The item determination using the color image is illustrated in FIG. 4 for the items of blue mold, rotting / skin, missing corners, and through holes. Describing according to the steps in the figure, a blue mold color extraction inspection is performed to extract a discoloration portion due to blue mold (S31), an area is obtained based on the number of pixels of the extracted blue mold discoloration portion, and a separately prepared blue mold is obtained. The grade regarding blue mold is determined by collating with the reference parameter (p11) concerning (S32).
As for the rot and skin, the color extraction inspection for rot and skin is performed in the same manner as the blue mold determination to extract the colored portion due to rot and skin (S33). An area based on the number of colored pixels is obtained, and a grade related to rot and skin is determined by comparing with a separately prepared reference parameter (p12) related to rot and skin (S34).
Similarly to the blue mold determination, the corners are also subjected to a color extraction inspection for corner missing to extract a colored portion due to corner missing (S35). An area based on the number of colored pixels is obtained, and a grade related to corner chipping is determined by comparing with an separately prepared reference parameter (p13) related to corner chipping (S36).
Similarly to the blue mold determination, the through hole is subjected to a color extraction inspection for the through hole to extract a colored portion due to the through hole (S37). An area based on the number of colored pixels is obtained, and a grade relating to the through hole is determined by comparing with an separately prepared reference parameter (p14) relating to the through hole (S38).
The determination grade of each of these items is stored as a color extraction inspection determination result in the next process (S71).
However, in the illustrated example, the hole determination is sent to a step (S60) that is adjusted with the hole determination for density determination. For example, a through hole is determined using color, and a recessed hole is determined using shading. When both are treated as defects as the same type, both judgments are integrated to make a hole judgment.

The item determination using the grayscale image is illustrated in FIG. 4 for the items of the length of the veneer, the width of the veneer, the number of cracks, the number of nodes, the saw marks, and the recessed holes.
Explaining according to the steps in the figure,
A region of the entire end of the single plate is set, an edge is detected by a projection operation, a value of each coordinate is acquired, and a regression line of the left end line and the right end line is calculated. The value of the X coordinate for each Y coordinate of the obtained regression line is calculated. The distance between two points at an equal ratio from the edge of the veneer is obtained. Of the distances calculated from the regression line, the mth shortest portion is set as the length dimension (S41). A length-related grade is determined by comparing with a separately prepared length-related reference parameter (p21) (S42).
Similarly to the length judgment, the width of the veneer is set as the entire area of the veneer edge, the edge is detected by the projection operation, the value of each coordinate is obtained, and the regression line of the front line and the rear line Is calculated. The value of the Y coordinate for each X coordinate of the obtained regression line is calculated. The distance between two points at an equal ratio from the edge of the veneer is obtained. Of the distances calculated from the regression line, the mth shortest portion is set as the width dimension (S43). The grade relating to the width is determined by comparing with the separately prepared reference parameter (p22) relating to the width (S44).
The crack means a crack extending with openings at the left and right ends, and the number of consecutive x-axis pixels that can be identified as a crack with the y coordinate in common is detected as the crack length (S45). A grade related to cracking is determined by comparing with a separately prepared reference parameter (p23) related to cracking (S46).
Regarding the number of nodes, the defect of the middle part of the single plate is extracted, the projection width is calculated by the xy ratio, and an object having a certain area and a small xy ratio is determined as a node (S47). The grade relating to the number of clauses is determined by collating with a reference parameter (p24) relating to the number of clauses prepared separately (S48).
In addition, although it becomes another determination item, various items can be determined based on the xy ratio of the extracted defect. For example, what is recognized as an inner hole of a node is determined as a node hole. An object that is recognized as a hole and has a small area is determined to be a pinhole or bug. An object that is not a hole but has a large defect xy ratio (= elongated shape) is determined to be a crucible.
Regarding saw marks, narrow and long marks of the same width exist as defects in the middle part of a single plate on a straight line. Pixels detected as defects are detected as a saw mark if they are continuous in the x direction or y direction, and are detected as saw marks if they exist in an oblique direction, and the projected width xy is the area (A1). The number is the area of the saw mark (A2), and an object having a small A2 / A1 is detected as a saw mark (S49). A grade related to the saw mark is determined by comparing with a separately prepared reference parameter (p25) related to the saw mark (S50).
As for the hole, binarization processing is performed to extract the hole, and an object having a large area and a small ratio is processed as a nodal hole by xy, and the small hole is detected as a pinhole or an insect hole (S51). The grade for the hole is determined by comparing with the separately prepared reference parameter (p26) for the hole (S52).
The determination grade of each of these items is stored as a result of determination of grayscale image processing in the next process (S73).
However, in this illustrated example, the hole determination is sent to the step (S60) of adjusting the hole determination of the item determination using the color image.

In this example, the hole inspection composite grade determination (S60) for adjustment is performed based on the grade determination performed for both the color determination and the density determination for the hole. The combined determination result is stored as a color extraction & grayscale image processing combined determination result (S72).
For example, the grade is determined by integrating the holes into one through hole and the other recessed hole. As another example, adjustment is performed such as excluding the hole adjacent to the node detected in the color image and the hole adjacent to the node of the grayscale image from the hole determination, and setting this as the determination of the dead node.

In the comprehensive determination processing step SIV, the overall grade is determined by combining the color image determination, the determination based on the grayscale image, and each item determination of the common item determination.
Stored as color extraction inspection determination result (S71), combined determination result stored as color extraction and grayscale image processing combined determination result (S72), and stored as grayscale image processing determination result (S73) Based on parameters such as the item grade determination on the plate and the specific gravity of each item clade separately prepared in advance, it is determined which grade the single plate belongs to.
For example, the grade is classified into a grade corresponding to the front plate, a grade corresponding to the back plate, a grade corresponding to the middle plate, reprocessing or disposal. Each grade can be set arbitrarily according to the application and user.

  In the output process SV, the grade signal of the single plate determined based on the overall grade determination is output to the deposition apparatus D (S81) to control the deposition apparatus. In addition, an image for displaying each item determination result and the overall determination result is generated (S80) and displayed as a display or a record (S82).

An example of grade determination focusing on blue mold using HSV display will be described for the process for item determination by HSV display using a color image. This can be applied to a method of extracting a discoloration portion due to blue mold by performing a color extraction test for blue mold from the color image performed in step 31.
FIG. 6A shows a discolored portion caused by blue mold that is a target of a single plate. In the patent drawing, the color is difficult to understand because it is displayed in black and white, but there is a discoloration due to blue mold in the circled portion.
Use Photoshop to check the HSV values of several parts of the blue mold discoloration part using the eyedropper tool (see FIG. 6B). The results confirmed were the first point (H: 44 °, S: 51%, V: 58%), the second point (H: 43 °, S: 55%, V: 65%), It was 3 points (H: 50 °, S: 54%, V: 53%). With reference to the measurement results, the blue mold discoloration extraction criteria were set to H: 42 ° to 52 °, S: 0.45 to 0.55, and V: 0.55 to 0.70. When this reference is applied and the corresponding single plate is color-extracted, it is detected as white as shown in FIG. This detected part is calculated and set as the area of the blue mold discoloration part.

On the other hand, although an attempt was made to extract the blue mold discoloration portion by the RGB display method, separation from the grain and the like was insufficient, and it was difficult to improve accuracy.
For example, FIG. 7 shows an example in which the arithmetic expression is set to R * 0.5 + G * 0.4 + B * 0.39, + threshold value 160 to 120, −threshold value 50 to 102, and error absorption 9 × 9.
In this result, surroundings of wood grain and nodes were also detected. Although other arithmetic expression settings were adjusted, the blue mold discoloration part and other parts were mixed and it was difficult to improve the extraction accuracy.

An example of determination of a node or a crucible focused on the defective part will be described.
Defects that are colored dark colors such as knots and spears are extracted using HSV display. Focusing on the XY ratio of the defects, the node and the crucible are distinguished. Since the node is a trace of a branch, it is close to a circle and the XY ratio is close to 1. On the other hand, the crab has a horizontally long distribution of oil and fat along the grain. Focusing on this, it can sort according to the flow shown in FIG. The ratio of XY can be set according to the tree species, the production area, and the user's judgment.

Example of Hole Type Determination An example of determining pinholes, saw marks, and joint holes using hole detection will be described.
Focusing on the area, holes smaller than the reference value are distinguished as pinholes and bug holes. For holes larger than the reference value, pay attention to the projected width XY ratio, and those larger than the reference value are detected as saw marks. And a thing with small XY ratio is detected as a nodal hole (refer FIG. 9).

  Description of other determination items is omitted.

Another embodiment of the single plate sorting and depositing apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 10 shows an example of the overall configuration of the single plate sorting and depositing apparatus 200. The same reference numerals are used for the devices common to the sorting / deposition apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus 200 arranges the deposition device D in the subsequent stage of the transport device A, and provides an imaging device B in the middle of the transport device A to determine a single plate and to transport the device A, the imaging device B, and the deposition device D. Is provided. The basic functions of each apparatus are the same as those of the sorting / deposition apparatus 100 of FIG.
A moisture content detector 61 and an intensity detector 62 for the transported veneer 10 are added to the front conveyor 21 of the transport device A of the veneer sorting and depositing apparatus 200.
In the determination / control apparatus C, an image generation processing / image determination mechanism 46, an intensity determination mechanism 47, a moisture content determination mechanism 48, and a manual determination mechanism 49 are arranged in front of the image processing selection signal processor 41. The image generation processing / image determination mechanism 46 generates a single-plate color image and grayscale image from the line image obtained from the imaging device B, and performs comprehensive determination based on each item determination and image. Based on the measurement result input from the strength detector 62, the strength determination mechanism 47 determines whether the strength required for the target plywood is satisfied. Based on the measurement result input from the moisture content detector 61, the moisture content determination mechanism 48 determines whether or not the target plywood can be used satisfies a dry state (below the specified moisture content). The manual determination mechanism 49 is a mechanism that is determined by an operator.

Information output from these determination mechanisms is input to the image processing selection signal processor 41. The image processing selection signal processor 41 adjusts each determination and outputs the target single plate selection information to the deposition apparatus D. In this adjustment, for example, when the strength deficiency or excessive moisture content is inappropriate as a single veneer for a product, this is preferentially determined as a defective veneer and sorting information is output. A single plate detector 44 and an encoder 45 are arranged on the rear conveyor 22, and a signal is input to the image processing selection signal processor 41. These signals are used as information for synchronizing the single plate inherited from the rear conveyor 22 to the stacking conveyor 51 and the single plate to be subjected to the sorting signal.
The veneer stacking device D conveys the veneer following the rear conveyor 22 of the conveying device A, and deposits it according to the sorting section. The deposition apparatus is arranged on a plurality of single plate stackers 56 and a deposition conveyor 51 corresponding to the single plate stacker. A drop-off controller 50 for controlling conveyance and deposition is provided, and is controlled based on information received from the image processing selection signal processor 41.
The plurality of stacking conveyors (51a, 51b, 51c, 51d) are driven independently but are continuously arranged, and can be transported while delivering a single plate, and the corresponding stackers (56a, 56b, 56c, It is dropped at 56d) and deposited.
Paying attention to the leftmost stacker 56a, the suction chamber 51a and the punching machine 55a, the single plate detector 54a, the conveyor intermittent drive device 53a, and the punching controller 50a, which generate a suction force in the vacuum chamber 52a and have many small holes, are provided. I have. This device configuration is the same for the stackers 56b, 56c, and 56d.

When the single plate inherited from the rear conveyor 22 corresponds to the single plate deposited on the stacker 56a when the rear end of the single plate is detected by the single plate detector 54a, the image processing selection signal processor 41 Based on the output and the information of the single plate detector 54a, the driving of the deposition conveyor 51a is stopped by the intermittent drive device 53a, and the drop controller 50a is operated to separate the single plate from the conveyor to form the stacked single plate 13a. In addition, the veneer is taken over by the adjacent stacking conveyors 51b, 51c, 51d, and similarly controlled at the corresponding locations.
The single plates that are sorted and deposited on the stackers 56a, 56b, 56c, and 56d of the sorting / depositing device 200 include a single plate 13a that is insufficient in size and strength, a high moisture content single plate 13b, a single plate 13c for a back plate, and a front plate. It is divided into a single plate 13d for use and deposited.
In the sorting / depositing apparatus 200, the grade of a single plate can be determined and sorted / deposited including factors such as manual priority, moisture content, and strength.
Portions that are not specifically described in the sorting / deposition apparatus 200 have the same configuration as that of the sorting / deposition apparatus 100, and thus redundant description is omitted.

100, 200: Single plate sorting and depositing apparatus 10: Single plate 13a: Single plate 13b having insufficient dimensions and insufficient strength: High moisture content single plate 13c: Single plate for back plate 13d: Single plate for front plate 21: Front conveyor 22: Rear conveyor 31: photographing means 31a, 31b, 31c: photographing means 32: first illumination means 33: second illumination means 42: single plate detector 43: encoder 44: single plate detector 45: encoder 46: image generation Processing / image determination mechanism 47: strength determination mechanism 48: moisture content determination mechanism 49: manual determination mechanism 50, 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d: drop-off controllers 51, 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d: stacking conveyors 52, 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d: vacuum chambers 55, 55a, 55b, 55c, 55d: strikers 56, 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d: stacker 61 Water content detector 62: intensity detector SI: imaging processing step SII: image generation processing step SIII: determination process SIV: comprehensive determination process SV: Output processing

Claims (7)

A method of selecting a veneer by comparing standard data prepared in advance and measurement data obtained by photographing,
The measurement data is measurement data based on a color image and a grayscale image created based on imaging data obtained by combining information by reflected light and information by transmitted light, and the measurement data is transmitted light data. Is not separated
It is a method of comparing the measurement data and reference data prepared in advance by HSV data to determine the grade of a single plate, and to select,
A method for judging and selecting a grade of a single plate characterized by having a judgment item based on a color image and a judgment item based on a grayscale image as judgment items.   2. The veneer sorting method according to claim 1, wherein the reference data prepared in advance is set based on a group to which the raw wood of the veneer to be sorted belongs. A single plate sorting and depositing device that transports a single plate with a transport device, performs a sorting determination process during the transport, and deposits the single plate based on the determination result,
An imaging device for imaging a single plate with a color line sensor type imaging device;
An image generation processing mechanism that generates a color image of an entire single plate based on a line image obtained by a color line sensor type imaging device, and generates a grayscale image from the color image. The processing mechanism is a mechanism that generates an image without separating transmitted light,
Compared with determination parameters prepared for each of a plurality of determination items based on a color image, color image determination processing for determining a grade for each item, and prepared for each of a plurality of determination items based on a grayscale image It is a determination processing mechanism that includes a grayscale image determination process that determines a grade for each item in comparison with a determination parameter, and a determination processing mechanism that includes item determination based on color image determination processing and item determination based on grayscale image determination processing. There,
Comprehensive determination processing mechanism that determines the final grade by comparing the determination grade for each item obtained by the determination processing step with the comprehensive determination parameter prepared in advance,
An output processing mechanism that outputs a signal for selecting and depositing based on the overall grade, and outputting a signal for displaying each item determination result and the total determination result,
And a deposition processing device for depositing according to the grade based on the selection signal,
A single plate sorting and depositing apparatus, wherein each item determination and comprehensive determination are collated using HSV data.   4. The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determination processing mechanism is provided with a mechanism for performing a combined determination process on determination items common to both color image determination and grayscale image determination. A single plate sorting and depositing device that transports a single plate with a transport device, performs a sorting determination process during the transport, and deposits the single plate based on the determination result,
The transport device includes a front conveyor and a rear conveyor, an imaging processing device is provided between the front conveyor and the rear conveyor, a single plate detector that detects a single plate is disposed in the front conveyor, and the rear conveyor A single plate detector that detects a single plate is arranged in the part, and an encoder that outputs a single plate conveyance synchronization signal in conjunction with the conveyance amount of the front conveyor and the rear conveyor is arranged,
The imaging apparatus includes: a first illuminating unit that illuminates a single plate surface side; a second illuminating unit that illuminates a single plate back surface side; and a single plate surface above the single plate conveyance path. A plurality of color line sensor type photographing means for photographing are arranged in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction so as to cover the entire width of a single plate,
The image generation processing mechanism captures a line image obtained by the image capturing means synchronously based on the synchronization signal of the encoder, and performs shading correction and sequentially stores them in the memory, and the position of the image stored in the memory Each of the images is synthesized through a calibration process for adjusting the coordinates to generate one color image, and an image generation processing process for generating a gray image from the color image is provided.
The determination processing mechanism compares and collates inspection data extracted from the color image based on specific elements of the item with a determination parameter of the item prepared in advance for each of the determination items. A color determination process for determining the grade of each item and determining the grade of each item,
For a plurality of judgment items, the grade for each item is judged by comparing and collating the inspection data extracted from the grayscale image based on the specific elements of the item with the judgment parameters of the item prepared in advance. And a light / dark determination process for determining the grade of each item,
The comprehensive determination processing mechanism is a mechanism for comparing each item determination result of color determination and each item determination result of density determination with a comprehensive determination parameter prepared in advance to determine a comprehensive grade,
The output processing mechanism is a mechanism that outputs a signal for selecting and depositing a single plate based on the overall grade to the deposition device, and outputting each item determination result and the overall determination result to the display device,
The veneer stacker is equipped with a transfer device that takes over the veneer from the rear conveyor of the transfer device, and a stacker that stacks and stores the veneers by grade opposite the transfer device. 5. The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a mechanism for separating the single plate at the stacker.   Regarding the determination of holes, before the comprehensive determination, a step of comparing the result of the color determination step with the result of the density determination step to determine whether or not there is a small hole in the node is provided for the comprehensive determination. 6. The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a feeding step. The conveyor part of the transport device is equipped with a single plate moisture content detector and / or strength detector,
The veneer stacker is equipped with a small veneer stocker, high moisture content veneer stocker, front veneer stocker, back plate veneer stocker, mid plate veneer stocker, and other veneer stockers. The single plate sorting and depositing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6.