JP7071191B2 - Granule sorting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a granule sorting apparatus that optically evaluates the quality state of granules passing through a passage path and sorts granules.

The granule sorting device irradiates the granules passing through the passage path in a predetermined passing direction with light by an illuminating means, and receives light reflected from the granules, transmitted light transmitted through the granules, and the like as a light receiving sensor. Based on the light receiving information, it is determined whether the granular material is a good product or a defective product, and the particles are selected.

In this type of granular material sorting apparatus, for example, fluorescent lamps and LED linear arrays (those in which a large number of LED elements (light emitting diodes) are arranged side by side to uniformly illuminate a wide range) are used as lighting means. Will be. In such a lighting means, the amount of light may change due to, for example, a change in the external environment such as a secular change or a difference in the outside air temperature. However, if the amount of light of the lighting means changes each time the sorting operation is performed, the amount of light that serves as a reference for determining the quality when determining the quality based on the light receiving information of the light receiving sensor changes, so that accurate selection can be performed. There is no risk.

Therefore, conventionally, before performing the sorting work for the granular material, a sample of the granular material whose quality ratio is known in advance is prepared, and the light intensity of the lighting means is changed by manual setting to execute the inspection. As a result, adjustment work was performed to set the light intensity of the lighting means by manual setting so that an appropriate determination result can be obtained (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2015-203620

In the above-mentioned conventional configuration, since the amount of light of the lighting means is manually set, the adjustment work is troublesome and time-consuming. Then, the worker must visually judge whether or not the judgment result is appropriate, which is a heavy burden on the worker. Further, even if the adjustment work is performed prior to the sorting work, if the amount of light of the lighting means changes as the sorting work is executed, there is a disadvantage that the sorting work cannot be performed with high accuracy.

Therefore, it has been desired to reduce the burden of the adjustment work while being able to perform the sorting process of the granular material with high accuracy.

The characteristic configuration of the granular material sorting apparatus according to the present invention is a granular material sorting apparatus that irradiates the granular material with light and performs a sorting operation of sorting the granular material into good products and defective products based on the light acting on the granular material. Therefore, the transfer means for transferring the granule group so as to pass through the detection point, the lighting means for illuminating the detection point, the light receiving means for receiving the light from the detection point, and the light receiving amount of the light receiving means. The amount of light that does not act on the granules among the light that determines whether the granules are normal or abnormal based on the light and the light that is illuminated by the lighting means and illuminates the detection point. A light amount detecting sensor for detecting and a light amount adjusting means for changing and adjusting the light amount of the lighting means so that the light amount detected by the light amount detecting sensor becomes an appropriate amount while the sorting operation is being performed are provided. It is in the point that it is.

According to this configuration, the light amount detection sensor detects the light amount of the lighting means. The light amount adjusting means adjusts the light amount of the lighting means to an appropriate amount based on the detection information of the light amount detection sensor. The amount of light includes a wide range of light flux emitted from the lighting means, illuminance at a location irradiated by the lighting means, brightness, and the like. With this configuration, with the use of the device, for example,
As described above, even if the lighting means is operated under the same operating conditions due to differences in the external environment such as changes over time and differences in the outside air temperature, the amount of light of the lighting means may change. Since the light intensity adjusting process is automatically performed by the light intensity adjusting means, the lighting means is always appropriate when performing the sorting work for the granular material, even if the operator does not manually perform the adjusting work. Granules can be illuminated with the amount of light.

By the way, as a configuration for detecting the amount of light of the lighting means, it is conceivable to detect based on the light receiving information of the light from the detection point detected by the light receiving means. However, the light from the detection point is the light reflected from the granules by the lighting means, the background light in the background part as seen from the light receiving means for the detection point, and the lighting means after illuminating the background. Various lights such as reflected light are included. As a result, even if the light amount of the lighting means is adjusted based on the light receiving information of the light receiving means, there is a possibility that accurate adjustment processing according to the actual light amount of the lighting means cannot be performed. On the other hand, according to this configuration, since the light amount detection sensor detects the light amount of the lighting means, accurate adjustment processing according to the light amount of the actual lighting means is possible.

Therefore, it has become possible to reduce the burden of the adjustment work while being able to perform the sorting process of the granular material with high accuracy.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light amount detection sensor is provided at a position laterally deviated from the passage path through which the granule group passes at the detection point.

According to this configuration, the light intensity detection sensor does not interfere with the passage of the granular body group when it passes through the passage path. Moreover, since the light amount detection sensor does not hinder the detection of the light amount by the granules passing through the passing path, the light amount of the lighting means can be detected accurately. Here says "
The "lateral side" means the lateral side in a direction orthogonal to both the passing movement direction of the granules and the irradiation direction of light by the lighting means.

In the present invention, the lighting means is a front side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from one side across the detection point, and a back side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from the other side across the detection point. It is preferable that the light amount detecting sensor has a front side detecting unit for detecting the light amount of the front side lighting means and a back side detecting unit for detecting the light amount of the back side lighting means. be.

According to this configuration, the front-side lighting means and the back-side lighting means irradiate the granules passing through the detection point with light from one side and the other side of the detection point, so that light is received. When the light from the granules is received by the means, there is little possibility of causing illumination unevenness that tends to occur when irradiating from only one side, and the quality of the granules can be accurately determined. Then, the front side detection unit and the back side detection unit can separately detect the amount of light of the front side lighting means and the amount of light of the back side lighting means, and can accurately adjust the amount of light for each of them.

Therefore, the granules can be illuminated with an appropriate amount of light from each of the one side and the other side, and the granules can be sorted in a more accurate state.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light amount detection sensor is provided inside the housing of the lighting means.

According to this configuration, the light intensity detection sensor is provided in a simple configuration by using the housing of the lighting means without incurring the complexity of the configuration such as providing a dedicated support member for supporting the light intensity detection sensor. Can be done.

In the present invention, a light reflector that reflects the light emitted from the illuminating means is provided so as to face the illuminating means, and the light receiving means is reflected by the light reflector as the light amount detecting sensor. It is preferable to detect the amount of light emitted.

According to this configuration, the illuminating means illuminates the detection point and also illuminates the light reflector. Then, the light receiving means receives the light from the granules at the detection point and also receives the light reflected by the reflector.

The discriminating means determines whether the granules are normal or abnormal based on the light receiving information of the light from the granules detected by the light receiving means. On the other hand, the light amount adjusting means changes and adjusts the light amount of the lighting means based on the light receiving information of the light amount of the light reflected by the reflector detected by the light receiving means.

Therefore, the light receiving means can also be used as the light amount detecting means, and the light amount can be changed and adjusted with a simple configuration by using the members as well.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light reflector is provided at a position laterally deviated from the passage path through which the granule group passes at the detection point.

According to this configuration, the light reflector does not interfere with the passage of the granule group as it passes through the passage. Moreover, the light reflected by the light reflector is detected by the light amount detecting means as it is without being hindered by the granules. Therefore, the amount of light of the lighting means can be detected with high accuracy.

In the present invention, a light transmitting body that transmits light emitted from the lighting means is provided so as to face the lighting means, and the light receiving means is transmitted by the light transmitting body as the light amount detection sensor. It is preferable to detect the amount of light emitted.

According to this configuration, the illuminating means illuminates the detection point and illuminates the light transmitter. Then, the light receiving means receives the light from the granules at the detection point and also receives the light transmitted through the light transmitting body.

The discriminating means determines whether the granules are normal or abnormal based on the light receiving information of the light from the granules detected by the light receiving means. On the other hand, the light amount adjusting means changes and adjusts the light amount of the lighting means based on the light receiving information of the light amount transmitted by the light transmitting body detected by the light receiving means.

Therefore, the light receiving means can also be used as the light amount detecting means, and the light amount can be changed and adjusted with a simple configuration by using the members as well.

In the present invention, the lighting means is a front side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from one side across the detection point, and a back side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from the other side across the detection point. And have
From the light reflector that reflects the light emitted from one of the front-side lighting means and the back-side lighting means, and from the other of the front-side lighting means and the back-side lighting means. A light transmitting body that transmits the irradiated light is provided so as to face the lighting means, and the light receiving means serves as the light amount detecting sensor, the light amount of the light reflected by the light reflecting body, and the light receiving means. It is preferable to detect the amount of light transmitted by the light transmitter.

According to this configuration, the light emitted from either the front side lighting means or the back side lighting means is reflected by the light reflector and received by the light receiving means. Further, the light emitted from any one of the front side lighting means and the back side lighting means passes through the light transmitting body and then is received by the light receiving means.

The light amount adjusting means changes and adjusts the light amount of one of the above lighting means based on the light receiving information of the light amount reflected by the light reflecting body detected by the light receiving means, and the light detected by the light receiving means. The light amount of the other lighting means is changed and adjusted based on the light receiving information of the light amount of the light transmitted by the transmitter.

Therefore, the light receiving means can also be used as the light amount detecting means, and it is possible to change and adjust the light amount of each of the front side lighting means and the back side lighting means with a simple configuration by using the members as well. became.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body is formed in a curved surface.

According to this configuration, the light illuminated by the illuminating means and reflected by the light reflector is reflected by the curved light reflecting surface. For example, if it is a concave curved surface, it is reflected in a condensed state. or,
If it is a convex curved surface, it will be reflected in a widely diffused state. When the collected light is received by the light receiving means, the amount of light received by the light receiving means can be increased to improve the detection accuracy. When the diffused light is received by the light receiving means, it is easy to diffuse the reflected light over a wide range so that the light can be received regardless of the position of the light receiving means.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body is formed in a planar shape.

According to this configuration, since the light reflecting surface is formed in a plane shape, the structure of the light reflecting body is simple and easy to create.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light reflector is painted white or black.

According to this configuration, the light reflector is painted with a white paint or painted with a black paint depending on the color difference of the granules to be sorted. For example, when a normal granular body has a white color, if a black color is contained, the grain is determined to be abnormal. In that case, by applying a white coating to the light reflector, even if the light reflected from the light reflector is received by the light receiving means and the discrimination process is performed, it is erroneously discriminated as an abnormal granular body. You can avoid the disadvantage. When the normal granules have a blackish hue, the disadvantage of erroneously distinguishing them from abnormal granules can be avoided by applying a blackish coating to the light reflector.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light incident surface of the light transmitting body is formed in a curved surface.

According to this configuration, the light illuminated by the illuminating means and incident on the light transmitting body is incident on the curved light incident surface and then transmitted. Since the light incident surface is curved, the light is diffused over a wide range,
It is received by the light receiving means. As a result, it is easy to make it possible to receive light regardless of the position of the light receiving means.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the light incident surface of the light transmitting body is formed in a plane.

According to this configuration, since the light incident surface is formed in a planar shape, the configuration of the light transmitting body is simple and easy to create.

It is an overall side view of the granular material sorting apparatus. It is a longitudinal side surface of the granular material sorting device at the detection point. It is a top view which shows the arrangement of the optical element schematically. It is a control block diagram. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an optical inspection. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the judgment criteria of normality and abnormality in an optical inspection. It is a cross-sectional plan view of the lighting means of another embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the lighting means of another embodiment. It is a top view which shows typically the arrangement of the optical element of another embodiment. It is a top view which shows the light reflector of another embodiment. It is a top view which shows the light reflector of another embodiment. It is a top view which shows the light transmitting body of another embodiment. It is a top view which shows the light transmitting body of another embodiment. It is an overall side view of the granular material sorting apparatus of another embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The granular material sorting device of this embodiment is an apparatus for inspecting translucent resin pellets having a white color as granules, and a large number of resin pellets are sent to the inspection area as inspection objects to be normal products (non-defective products). ) And an evaluation process that optically evaluates whether it is an excluded product (defective product),
Sorting between normal products and excluded products is performed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a shooter in an inclined posture as a transport member that guides the pellets to flow down so as to pass through the first inspection region TA1 and the second inspection region TA2 spaced in the vertical direction in a single layer and wide state. 11 is provided. The pellets are vibrated and conveyed by the vibration feeder 13 from the storage hopper 12 provided on the upper side of the shooter 11 and charged into the shooter 11. The charged pellets flow down the upper surface (surface) of the shooter 11 and flow down to the first inspection region TA.
It is released before 1 and passes through the first inspection region TA1 and the second inspection region TA2, and the branch point TP.
It is sorted into normal and abnormal ones. Therefore, the vibration feeder 13 and the shooter 11
A transfer means IS for transferring a group of granules so as to pass through the detection points (first inspection area TA1 and second inspection area TA2) is configured.

The storage hopper 12 in which pellets supplied from the outside are stored is formed in a cylindrical shape that tapers toward the lower end side in a side view, and the vibration feeder 13 receives and mounts pellets discharged from the lower part of the storage hopper 12. Vibration generator 13A that gives vibration to the placement portion 14 and its receiving and mounting portion 14.
And have. By applying vibration to the receiving mounting portion 14 by the vibration generator 13A, the pellets are substantially in a single layer state over the entire width in the (transverse direction) width direction of the shooter 11 from one end of the receiving mounting portion 14. It spreads and is supplied on the shooter 11. The shooter 11 is configured as a flat plate-shaped shooter 11 forming a flat flow guide surface over the entire width in the width direction, and forms the first half path of the pellet passage path G.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pellets that are guided down by the shooter 11 are inspected while popping out from the lower end of the shooter 11. In the passage path G, the first inspection region TA1 and the second inspection region TA2 as detection points for inspecting the passing pellets are arranged at intervals in the passage direction from each other.

An air blowing device 15 is arranged below the second inspection area TA2. The air blowing device 15 has an injection nozzle 15b that opens toward the passage path G (see FIG. 2).
.. The normal pellets that have passed through the first inspection area TA1 and the second inspection area TA2 are dropped and collected as they are on the normal material collection unit 16 on the lower side. The abnormal substance is separated by the blowing action of the air blowing device 15, and is collected by the abnormal substance collecting unit 17. The shooter 11 is inclined at an inclination angle α so that the pellets flow smoothly along the flow guide surface, and the passage path G is also inclined at the same inclination angle α.

First Optical Unit 1A for Inspecting Pellets at Positions Corresponding to First Inspection Area TA1
Is provided, and a second optical unit 1B for inspecting pellets is provided at a position corresponding to the second inspection region TA2. The first optical unit 1A and the second optical unit 1B are supported by the machine body in a state of being housed in the storage case 18.

The first optical unit 1A is on the right side of the passage path G (corresponding to one side with respect to the detection point).
That is, the first front lighting unit 4A (an example of the front lighting means) and the first light receiving unit 6A as the light receiving means are arranged on the rear side of the device, and the left side (corresponding to the other side with respect to the detection point) sandwiching the passage path G. A first rear lighting unit 5A (an example of rear lighting means) is arranged on the front side of the apparatus. The optical axis OA1 of the first optical unit 1A is orthogonal to the passage path G, and is orthogonal to the passage path G.
It is tilted at an inclination angle α with respect to the horizon.

The second optical unit 1B is on the left side of the passage path G (corresponding to one side with respect to the detection point).
That is, the second front lighting unit 4B (an example of the front lighting means) and the second light receiving unit 6B as the light receiving means are arranged on the front side of the device, and the right side (corresponding to one side with respect to the detection point) across the passage path G, that is, A second rear lighting unit 5B (an example of rear lighting means) is arranged on the rear side of the device. Since the optical axis OA2 of the second optical unit 1B is also orthogonal to the passage path G, as a result, the optical axis OA2 of the second optical unit 1B is also inclined at an inclination angle α with respect to the horizontal line. .. Therefore, the first front lighting unit 4A, the first back lighting unit 5A, the second front lighting unit 4B, and the second back lighting unit 5B constitute a lighting means M for illuminating the detected portion.

The first optical unit 1A and the second optical unit 1B are arranged facing each other by a predetermined distance in the extending direction of the passage path G, and are arranged in an upward irradiation optical axis posture and a downward irradiation optical axis posture, respectively. .. However, since the structures of the first optical unit 1A and the second optical unit 1B are substantially the same, only the first optical unit 1A will be described here, and the second optical unit 1B will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first front lighting unit 4A is the line lighting module 41.
As a result, two LED linear array modules 41a and 41b are arranged so as to sandwich the optical axis OA1 which is also the illumination center line, and the two LED linear array modules 41a and 41b are arranged.
A curved and plate-shaped diffusion member 42 bulging toward the two LED linear array modules 41a and 41b is arranged so as to cover the irradiation side of the above. The LED linear array modules 41a and 41b each have a form in which LED elements are arranged in one or more rows and have a length corresponding to the width of the passage path G. The LED linear array modules 41a and 41b and the diffusion member 42 are fixed to the mounting frame 18a in the storage case 18. that time,
The diffusion member 42 has LED linear array modules 41a and 41 on the curved surface side having a convex shape.
It is in a posture facing b, and the optical axis OA1 which is also the illumination center line passes through the top of the diffusion member 42. A glass plate 44 is fitted on the concave curved surface side of the diffusion member 42, that is, on the TA1 side of the first inspection region, in order to prevent the pellets from entering.

The first light receiving unit 6A is composed of a photographing camera, and includes a lens cylinder 63 having a built-in lens unit 61 and a sensor pack 64 having a built-in line sensor unit 62. A filter 66 is arranged immediately in front of the lens cylinder 63. The filter 66 is a storage case 18
It is sandwiched and supported by a holding frame body 67a attached to a filter bracket 67 fixed to. The optical axis OA1 of the first light receiving unit 6A is refracted by a pair of elongated plate-shaped mirrors 60. The mirror 60 is fixed to the camera holder 18b that fixes the camera by using the bracket piece 60a.

The optical axis OA1 of the first light receiving unit 6A is the upper and lower LEDs of the first front lighting unit 4A.
It passes between the linear array modules 41a and 41b, and further passes through the slit 43 and the glass plate 44 formed at the top of the diffusion member 42, and reaches the first inspection region TA1. A light transmitting body 46 having a split processing film 46a formed on a surface on the passage path G side is fitted in the slit 43.

The first rear lighting unit 5A has a surface light emitting unit 53. As shown in FIG.
In the surface light emitting unit 53, an LED linear array module as a line illumination module 51 is attached to each of the four side surfaces of the plate-shaped light guide member 52. Further, a glass plate 54 as a light transmission protective plate is arranged on the light emitting surface side of the light guide member 52.

As shown in FIG. 4, a control device H having a sorting control function in the granular material sorting device is provided. The first front lighting unit 4A, the second front lighting unit 4B, the first rear lighting unit 5A, and the second rear lighting unit 5B are connected to the control device H via the light amount adjusting circuit 71. A manual operation panel 80 (see FIG. 1) incorporating a touch panel is also connected to the control device H.

The line sensor unit 62 of the first light receiving unit 6A and the line sensor unit 62 of the second light receiving unit 6B are connected to the control device H. The line sensor unit 62 is divided into a plurality of sections, and channels are assigned to each section. Therefore, the first light receiving unit 6
The light receiving signal from A and the light receiving signal from the second light receiving unit 6B are sent to the control device H in a plurality of channels, respectively, and each process in the control device H is also performed in channel units.

In the control device H, as a functional unit for selecting an abnormal substance (failed product), the pellet is a normal substance based on the light receiving signal from the first light receiving unit 6A and the light receiving signal from the second light receiving unit 6B. A discriminating unit 81 as a discriminating means for discriminating whether the substance is present or an abnormal substance, and a separation operating unit 82 for operating the air blowing device 15 based on the discriminating result of the discriminating unit 81 are provided.
The discriminating unit 81 and the separation operating unit 82 are substantially constructed of software, hardware, or both.

The control device H has a first light receiving signal (information on the amount of light received) acquired by the line sensor unit 62 of the first light receiving unit 6A and a second light receiving signal (information on the amount of light received) acquired by the line sensor unit 62 of the second light receiving unit 6B. Information on the amount of received light) is input. The discrimination unit 81 evaluates whether the pellet is a normal product (passed product) or an abnormal product (failed product) based on the first light receiving signal and the second light receiving signal.

The method of evaluating the pellets will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
As shown in FIG. 5, each light receiving element of the line sensor unit 62 detects light from the granules in the minute compartment p by a scanning line extending in the transverse direction with respect to the passing direction of the pellet, and corresponds to the quality state of the pellet. Output the amount of light received. This received light amount (signal amplitude value) is compared with a predetermined threshold value. As shown in FIG. 6, as the threshold value, an upper limit threshold value THH and a lower limit threshold value THL set based on the amount of received light obtained in a normal granular material are used. An appropriate light amount range ΔE is set between the upper limit threshold value THH and the lower limit threshold value THL, and if the measured light receiving amount falls within this appropriate light amount range ΔE, it is considered normal, and if it deviates from this appropriate light amount range ΔE, It is considered abnormal.

For example, when there is an abnormal part whose density is different from that of the normal substance in a part of the outer periphery of the granular material, the amount of light received by the line sensor unit 62 for the evaluation unit that receives the reflected light from the abnormal part is increased.
If it deviates from the appropriate light amount range ΔE, it is regarded as the presence detection of an abnormal substance. FIG. 6 schematically shows the output of the line sensor unit 62 when an abnormal object is detected. In FIG. 6, e0 is the output voltage level for standard reflected light from normal granules. E1 and e2, which have an output voltage level at which the output voltage of the light receiving element is smaller than the lower limit threshold value THL, indicate an abnormal substance whose reflectance is too smaller than that of a normal granular material. The e3, which is an output voltage level at which the output voltage of the light receiving element is larger than the upper limit threshold value THH, indicates an abnormal substance whose reflectance is too large as that of a normal granular material.

Then, when the target pellet is determined to be abnormal in at least one of the determination based on the first light receiving signal and the determination based on the second light receiving signal, the separation operating unit blows air at the timing when the branch point TP is reached. The device is operated to branch the abnormal substance to the exclusion path Z and have the abnormal substance collecting unit 17 collect the abnormal substance. Whether or not the pellet determined to be abnormal reaches the branch point TP is determined, for example, when the passing speed of the granules is set in advance by the measured value or the like, the pellet passes through the second inspection region TA2. It can be determined by whether or not the set time has elapsed since then. The measured value may be measured prior to the work, and the pellet is in the first inspection area TA1 during the work.
It may be measured from the timing of passing through the second inspection area TA2 and the timing of passing through the second inspection region TA2, and may be used in the subsequent work.

Air from an air compressor (not shown) is injected through the solenoid valve 15a to the injection nozzle 15b.
Is supplied to. The air blowing device 15 blows air from the injection nozzle 15b when pellets evaluated as abnormal substances (for example, pellets burnt and colored in the resin treatment process, pellets of different colors, etc.) pass through the branch point TP. , The pellet is branched into the exclusion path Z. The length of the air supply on-time (on-time of the solenoid valve 15a), which is the operating time of each injection nozzle in the air blowing device 15, that is, the duration of injection can be changed and set.

Next, the automatic adjustment of the amount of light in the lighting means M will be described.
This granular material sorting device includes a light amount detection sensor 20 that detects the light amount of the lighting means M, and a light amount adjustment that changes and adjusts the light amount of the lighting means M so that the light amount detected by the light amount detection sensor 20 becomes an appropriate amount. A light amount adjusting unit 83 is provided as a means.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the light amount detection sensor 20 has a first inspection region T as a detection point.
It is provided at a position laterally deviated from the passage path G through which the granule group passes in A1 and the second inspection region TA2. That is, as the light amount detection sensor 20, a first light amount detection sensor 21 provided in the first inspection area TA1 and a second light amount detection sensor 22 provided in the second inspection area TA2 are provided.

The first light amount detection sensor 21 has a first front side detection unit 21A for detecting the light amount of the front lighting unit 4A and a first back side detection unit 21B for detecting the light amount of the first rear lighting unit 5A. .. The second light amount detection sensor 22 provided in the second inspection area TA2 detects the light amount of the second front lighting unit 4B, the second front side detection unit 22A, and the second back surface of the second rear lighting unit 5B. It has a side detection unit 22B. As shown in FIG. 3, the first light intensity detection sensor 21 is supported by a support member 24 fixedly extended from the mounting frame 18a. Although not shown, the mounting structure of the second light amount detection sensor 22 is the same as that of the first light amount detection sensor 21.

To add an explanation, as shown in FIG. 3, in the first inspection region TA1, the pellets are guided down by the shooter 11 so as to flow in a state of spreading in the lateral direction and in a single layer state. The first light amount detection sensor 21 is provided at a position closer to one side outer side (an example of the lateral side) of the pellet arrangement direction of the passage path G through which the pellets pass. Although not shown, the second inspection area TA
In 2, the second light amount detection sensor 22 is provided at the same position.

The first light amount detection sensor 21 has a first front side detection unit 21A installed so that the first front lighting unit 4A side is the detection action area, and the first rear lighting unit 5A side is the detection action area. It is provided with the installed first back surface side detection unit 21B in a back-to-back state. Like the first light amount detection sensor 21, the second light amount detection sensor 22 also includes a second front side detection unit 22A and a second back side detection unit 22B in a back-to-back state. The first light amount detection sensor 21 and the second light amount detection sensor 22 are composed of well-known photoelectric sensors capable of outputting a current value, a voltage value, etc. according to the light amount.

As shown in FIG. 4, the outputs of the first light amount detection sensor 21 and the second light amount detection sensor 22 are input to the control device H. The control device H is a light amount adjusting unit 8 that changes and adjusts the light amount of the lighting means.
Has 3. The light amount adjusting unit 83 is substantially constructed by software and / or hardware. The light amount adjusting circuit 71 is configured so that the line lighting modules 41 and 51 of the first front lighting unit 4A, the second front lighting unit 4B, the first rear lighting unit 5A, and the second rear lighting unit 5B can be individually driven and controlled. ing.

Based on the detection results of the first light amount detection sensor 21 and the second light amount detection sensor 22, the light amount adjustment unit 83 outputs a control signal to the light amount adjustment circuit 71 so that the light amount becomes an appropriate amount, and each of the above lighting units. Each line lighting module 41, 51 of is individually driven and controlled. To add an explanation, the light amount adjusting unit 83 changes and adjusts the light amount of the first front lighting unit 4A and the first rear lighting unit 5A so that the light amount detected by the first light amount detection sensor 21 becomes an appropriate amount. , The second front lighting unit 4B so that the amount of light detected by the second light amount detection sensor 22 becomes an appropriate amount.
And adjust the amount of light of the second rear lighting unit 5B. Such a light amount adjusting process is always performed while the pellet sorting work is being performed. The appropriate amount of the above-mentioned light amount is determined and set in advance by an experiment or the like so that a good discrimination process can be performed on the pellet to be detected.

With this configuration, the light intensity of the lighting means M of the first optical unit 1A and the second optical unit 1B is adjusted to be the same, so that the threshold value for discrimination in the first optical unit 1A and the first 2 The threshold value for discrimination in the optical unit 1B can be set to the same value suitable for the discrimination processing. As a result, the setting process performed prior to the sorting work can be easily performed.

[Another Embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, the light amount detection sensor 20 is provided at a position closer to one side outer side (an example of the lateral side) of the pellet arrangement direction of the passage path G through which the pellets pass. Instead of the configuration, the light intensity detection sensor 20 may be integrally provided inside the housing of the front lighting unit 4A (4B) as follows.

As schematically shown in FIG. 7, the front lighting unit 4A (4B) is integrally supported by the housing 25 in a state where the LED linear array module 41a and the diffusion member 42 are separated from each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a light amount detection sensor 20 may be provided on the lateral side surface inside the housing 25 on one side in the arrangement direction of the LEDs in a state where the light amount of the LED linear array module 41a can be detected. .. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the light amount detection sensor 20 may be provided at a position facing the LED linear array module 41a.

(2) In the above embodiment, the light amount detection sensor 2 dedicated to the light receiving unit (6A, 6B) is separated from the light receiving unit (6A, 6B).
Although the configuration is provided with 0, instead of this configuration, the front side lighting means (front lighting unit 4A)
And the light reflector 30 that reflects the light emitted from one of the lighting means on the rear side (rear lighting unit 5B), and the light that transmits the light emitted from the other lighting means. The transmissive body 50 is provided so as to face the lighting means, and the light receiving unit (6A,
6B) may be a light amount detection sensor that detects the amount of light reflected by the light reflector and the amount of light transmitted by the light transmitter. The light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body 30 is painted white.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the light emitted from the front lighting unit 4A (4B) is reflected at a position closer to one side outer side (lateral side) of the pellet arrangement direction of the passage path G through which the pellets pass. A light reflecting body 30 is provided, and the light reflected by the light reflecting body 30 is received by the light receiving unit 6A.
The optical path is set so as to be introduced in (6B), and further, at a position closer to the other side (lateral side) of the pellet arrangement direction of the passage path G from the rear lighting unit 5A (5B). A light transmitter 50 that transmits the irradiated light is provided, and the detection element on one end side of the line sensor unit 62 in the light receiving unit 6A (6B) is configured to detect the light reflected by the light reflector 30. The detection element on the other end side of the line sensor unit 62 in the light receiving unit 6A (6B) is configured to detect the light transmitted through the light transmitter 50. Then, these detection elements function as a light amount detection sensor. As shown in FIG. 9, the light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body is formed in a plane shape, and the light incident surface of the light transmitting body is formed in a curved surface shape in which the light incident surface is recessed.

Instead of the configuration shown in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 10, it may be formed in a curved surface shape in which the light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body is recessed, and as shown in FIG. 11, the light reflecting body may be formed. The light reflecting surface of the above may be formed in a curved surface shape that bends in a convex shape. When the inspection target is a black granular material, the light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body 30 may be coated with black.

Instead of the configuration shown in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 12, the light incident surface of the light transmitting body may be formed in a planar shape, and as shown in FIG. 13, the light incident surface of the light transmitting body is convex. It may be formed in the shape of a curved surface that bends in a shape.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the light reflector 30 and the light transmitter 50 are provided respectively, but a configuration may be provided in which only one of them is provided.

(3) In the above embodiment, the amount of light from the granules is detected in the minute compartment p by the light receiving means.
The discriminating means (discrimination unit 81) determines that the measured light receiving amount falls within this appropriate light amount range as a normal object, and if it deviates from the appropriate light amount range ΔE, it is regarded as an abnormal object. It is not limited to.
For example, a granular image is photographed using an image pickup camera capable of acquiring a two-dimensional image having the same resolution as a minute section, and the amount of light received by the pixel is binarized by a threshold value by an image processing method, resulting in a defect. It may be determined whether the grain is a normal grain or an abnormal grain based on the number of pixels determined to be. Further, the light receiving means acquires the amount of light for each wavelength of red, green, and blue (RGB) as the light from the granular material, and for example, compares the amount of light for each wavelength with the threshold value to obtain a normal product. It may be possible to discriminate whether the substance is present or abnormal, and various discriminating methods can be adopted.

(4) In the above embodiment, the first inspection region TA1 and the second inspection region TA2 are set with a vertical interval along the passage path, and a pair of light receiving means is provided in each inspection region. It was separately configured to receive light from the detection points, but instead of this configuration, as shown in FIG. 14, only one detection point is set, and a pair of light receiving means receives light from one detection point. It may be configured to receive light.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used not only for a granular material sorting device for a resin pellet as an inspection target, but also for a granular material sorting device for various granular materials such as paddy as an inspection target.

6A, 6B Light receiving means 20 Light amount detection sensor 21A, 22A Front side detection part 21B, 22B Back side detection part 25 Housing 30 Light reflector 50 Light transmitter 83 Light amount adjustment means G Passage path M Lighting means TA1, TA2 Detection point

Claims (13)

It is a granule sorting device that irradiates the granules with light and performs a sorting operation to sort the granules into non-defective products and defective products based on the light acting on the granules.
A transfer means for transporting a group of granules so as to pass through the detection point,
Lighting means for illuminating the detection point and
A light receiving means that receives light from the detection point and
A discriminating means for determining whether the granules are normal or abnormal based on the amount of light received by the light receiving means, and
A light amount detection sensor that detects the amount of light that does not act on the granules among the light that is illuminated by the lighting means and illuminates the detection portion .
A granular material sorting apparatus provided with a light amount adjusting means for changing and adjusting the light amount of the lighting means so that the light amount detected by the light amount detection sensor becomes an appropriate amount while the sorting work is being performed. .. The granular material sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount detection sensor is provided at a position laterally deviated from a passage path through which the granular material group passes at the detection point. The lighting means has a front-side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from one side across the detection point, and a back-side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from the other side across the detection point.
The first or second aspect of claim 1 or 2, wherein the light amount detection sensor has a front side detection unit that detects the light amount of the front side lighting means and a back side detection unit that detects the light amount of the back side lighting means. Granular sorting device. The granular material sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount detection sensor is provided inside the housing of the lighting means. A light reflector that reflects the light emitted from the lighting means is provided so as to face the lighting means.
The granular body sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving means detects the amount of light reflected by the light reflector as the light amount detection sensor. The granular material sorting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the light reflector is provided at a position laterally deviated from a passage path through which the granular material group passes at the detection point. A light transmitting body that transmits light emitted from the lighting means is provided so as to face the lighting means.
The granular body sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving means detects the amount of light transmitted by the light transmitting body as the light amount detecting sensor. The lighting means has a front-side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from one side across the detection point, and a back-side lighting means that illuminates the detection point from the other side across the detection point.
From the light reflector that reflects the light emitted from either one of the front side lighting means and the back side lighting means, and from the other of the front side lighting means and the back side lighting means. A light transmitter that transmits the irradiated light is provided so as to face the lighting means.
The granular material selection according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving means detects the amount of light reflected by the light reflector and the amount of light transmitted by the light transmitter as the light amount detection sensor. Device. The granular material sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 5, 6 and 8, wherein the light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body is formed in a curved surface. The granular material sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 5, 6 and 8, wherein the light reflecting surface of the light reflecting body is formed in a planar shape. The granular material sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10, wherein the light reflector is painted white or black. The granular material sorting apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the light incident surface of the light transmitting body is formed in a curved surface. The granular material sorting apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the light incident surface of the light transmitting body is formed in a planar shape.

Images