Molded article material discrimination machine

Abstract

To provide a molded article material discrimination machine which can quickly and appropriately perform level determination of quality of a molded article composed of a resin material.SOLUTION: A molded article material discrimination machine for determining recycling of a molded article composed of a resin material includes: a sensor for visible light having a spectroscopic filter for visible light which can spectrally disperse light in a visible light wavelength region, and a light-receiving element for visible light which receives light spectrally dispersed by the spectroscopic filter for visible light; a sensor for near infrared light having a spectroscopic filter for near infrared light which can spectrally disperse light in a near infrared wavelength region, and a light-receiving element for near infrared light which receives light spectrally dispersed by the spectroscopic filter for near infrared light; a light guiding part for making light reflected from the molded article incident on the spectroscopic filter for the visible light and the spectroscopic filter for near infrared light; a chromaticity information calculation part; a spectral information calculation part; and a determination part for performing level determination of quality of the molded article.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a molded product material discriminator. [Background technology]

[0002] Reuse and recycling of resin products is being promoted. Technologies relating to the reuse and recycling of resin products are disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described below.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a device for sorting waste plastic materials. This waste plastic material sorting device has a spectroscopic means for spectroscopically separating light reflected from waste plastic illuminated by an illumination means or light transmitted through the waste plastic, an imaging means for capturing images of the light dispersed by the spectroscopic means, and an image information processing means for, from the image information captured by the imaging means, classifying as PVC candidates those that have a difference in light intensity in a first characteristic absorption band, which is the characteristic absorption band of PVC, and for sorting out as PVC from the PVC candidates those that do not have a difference in light intensity in a second characteristic absorption band, which is the characteristic absorption band of waste plastics other than the PVC.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a plastic identification device. As shown in Figures 1 and 7 of Cited Document 2, this plastic identification device recovers plastic using a blade to scrape off the surface of the plastic, a hose to collect the scraped plastic, and a capture unit, measures the plastic by pressing it against a detection unit in the device main body which has a light source and an infrared spectrum measurement system built in, compares the spectrum obtained by the infrared spectroscopy with the infrared spectrum patterns of various plastics that have been determined in advance, and has an identification means 7 that identifies plastics with matching infrared spectrum patterns, and a suction device that automatically removes the plastics after identification is complete. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-121587 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-168777 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The waste plastic material sorting device described in Patent Document 1 is only capable of determining whether the plastic material is PVC or something else, and is not suitable for separating plastic materials used in, for example, home appliances, etc.

[0007] Furthermore, the plastic identification device described in Patent Document 2 is limited to identifying black plastics when it comes to identifying plastic materials, and is not suitable for determining whether a plastic should be reused or recycled, as it is unable to obtain information on color or the degree of deterioration that is necessary for determining whether a plastic should be reused or recycled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The molded product material discriminator of the present invention is a molded product material discriminator that determines whether a molded product made of a resin material can be reused, and a visible light sensor including a visible light spectral filter capable of separating light in the visible light wavelength range and a visible light light receiving element that receives light separated by the visible light spectral filter; a near-infrared light sensor having a near-infrared light spectral filter capable of spectrally separating light in a near-infrared wavelength range and a near-infrared light receiving element that receives light spectrally separated by the near-infrared light spectral filter; a light guide section that causes reflected light from the molded article to enter the visible light spectral filter and the near-infrared light spectral filter; a chromaticity information calculation unit that calculates chromaticity information based on information from the visible light sensor; a spectral information calculation unit that calculates spectral information based on information from the near-infrared light sensor; and a determining unit that determines the level of quality of the molded product based on at least one of the chromaticity information and the spectral information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a molded product material discriminator of the present invention, and includes a block diagram in part. [Figure 2] 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the molded product material discriminator shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the molded product material discriminator shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the molded product material discriminator shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A molded article material discriminator according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0011] <Embodiment> Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a molded product material discriminator of the present invention, and part of the diagram includes a block diagram. Fig. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the molded product material discriminator shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the molded product material discriminator shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the molded product material discriminator shown in Fig. 1.

[0012] The molded product material discriminator 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that inspects the reuse of molded products W made of resin material, in particular inspecting the quality level of the molded products W, in other words, inspecting the deterioration of the quality of the molded products W.

[0013] The molded product W is not particularly limited as long as it is made of a resin material, and examples thereof include various products, various parts, various intermediate products, and the like.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the molded product material discriminator 1 has a visible light sensor 2, a first sensor 3 which is a near-infrared light sensor, a second sensor 4 which is also a near-infrared light sensor, a light irradiation unit 5 which irradiates light onto the molded product W, a light guide unit 6 which causes reflected light from the molded product W to enter the visible light spectral filter 21 of the visible light sensor 2, the first spectral filter 31 of the first sensor 3, and the second spectral filter 41 of the second sensor 4, and a device main body 10 which performs various judgments about the molded product W.

[0015] Furthermore, the visible light sensor 2, the first sensor 3, the second sensor 4, the light irradiation unit 5, the light guide unit 6, and the device main body 10 are arranged, for example, in a common housing or in separate housings.

[0016] The visible light sensor 2 also has a visible light spectral filter 21 capable of spectrally separating light in the visible light wavelength range, and a visible light receiving element 22 that receives the light spectrally separated by the visible light spectral filter 21 .

[0017] The first sensor 3 also has a first spectral filter 31, which is a spectral filter for near-infrared light capable of spectrally separating light in the near-infrared wavelength range, and a first light receiving element 32 that receives the light spectrally separated by the first spectral filter 31.

[0018] The second sensor 4 also has a second spectral filter 41, which is a spectral filter for near-infrared light capable of spectrally separating light in the near-infrared wavelength range, and a second light receiving element 42 that receives the light spectrally separated by the second spectral filter 41.

[0019] Furthermore, the first sensor 3 and the second sensor 4 constitute a near-infrared light sensor. The first spectral filter 31 and the second spectral filter 41 constitute a near-infrared light spectral filter. The first light receiving element 32 and the second light receiving element 42 constitute a near-infrared light light receiving element.

[0020] In this specification, the first sensor 3 will also be simply referred to as the "sensor 3," the first spectral filter 31 will also be simply referred to as the "spectral filter 31," and the first light receiving element 32 will also be simply referred to as the "light receiving element 32." Furthermore, the second sensor 4 will also be simply referred to as the "sensor 4," the second spectral filter 41 will also be simply referred to as the "spectral filter 41," and the second light receiving element 42 will also be simply referred to as the "light receiving element 42."

[0021] The visible light spectral filter 21 is not particularly limited as long as it is a spectral filter capable of separating light in the visible light wavelength range, but for example, a spectral filter capable of separating light in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 700 nm is used. The visible light spectral filter 21 may, for example, be a Fabry-Perot tunable filter.

[0022] Furthermore, the visible light spectral filter 21 is not limited to a general spectral filter, and for example, an RGB filter that extracts the three primary colors red, green, and blue may be used as the spectral filter.

[0023] The visible light photodetector 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is a photodetector capable of receiving light dispersed by the visible light spectral filter 21, and examples thereof include a photomultiplier tube and an image sensor having sensitivity in the wavelength range of 400 nm or more and 700 nm or less.

[0024] The spectral filter 31 is not particularly limited as long as it is a spectral filter capable of dispersing light in the near-infrared wavelength range, but in this embodiment, a spectral filter capable of dispersing light in the wavelength range of 900 nm to 1700 nm is used. This makes it possible to appropriately determine the material of the molded article W when the color of the molded article W is other than black, and to appropriately determine the quality level of the molded article W. The spectral filter 31 may be, for example, a Fabry-Perot tunable filter.

[0025] The light receiving element 32 is not particularly limited as long as it is a light receiving element that can receive light dispersed by the spectral filter 31, and examples thereof include an InGaAs photodiode or an image sensor that has sensitivity in the wavelength range of 900 nm or more and 1700 nm or less.

[0026] The spectral filter 41 is not particularly limited as long as it is a spectral filter capable of dispersing light in the near-infrared wavelength range, but in this embodiment, a spectral filter capable of dispersing light in the wavelength range of 2000 nm to 3000 nm is used. This makes it possible to properly determine the material of the molded article W when the molded article W is black, and to properly determine the quality level of the molded article W. The spectral filter 41 may be, for example, a Fabry-Perot tunable filter.

[0027] The light receiving element 42 is not particularly limited as long as it is a light receiving element that can receive light dispersed by the spectral filter 41, and examples thereof include a Pbs photoconductive element having sensitivity in the wavelength range of 2000 nm or more and 3000 nm or less, an image sensor, etc. The light irradiation section 5 also has a function of irradiating the molded article W with light, that is, illumination light.

[0028] 1, two light irradiation units 5 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the molded article W. However, the number and arrangement of the light irradiation units 5 are not limited to this, and the number of light irradiation units 5 may be one, or may be three or more.

[0029] Furthermore, the light irradiating unit 5 is not particularly limited as long as it has the above-mentioned function, and examples of the light source of the light irradiating unit 5 include a halogen lamp and an LED light source. Furthermore, the light source of the light irradiating unit 5 is preferably one that has high light intensity in the three wavelength ranges that can be separated by the visible light spectral filter 21, the spectral filter 31, and the spectral filter 41, in this embodiment, the wavelength ranges of 400 nm to 700 nm, 900 nm to 1700 nm, and 2000 nm to 3000 nm.

[0030] The light guide section 6 also has a function of guiding the light reflected from the molded article W to the visible light spectral filter 21, the spectral filter 31 and the spectral filter 41, that is, a function of making the light incident thereon.

[0031] Furthermore, the light guide section 6 is not particularly limited as long as it has the above-mentioned functions, and may be composed of various optical components such as an optical waveguide, a reflector, a half mirror, a beam splitter, a prism, a lens, or a combination thereof.

[0032] The device main body 10 also has a control unit 8 that controls the operation of the molded product material discriminator 1, a memory unit 9 that stores various types of information and various programs, a chromaticity information calculation unit 11 that calculates chromaticity information based on information from the visible light sensor 2, a spectral information calculation unit 12 that calculates spectral information based on information from sensors 3 and 4, a feature value calculation unit 13 that calculates spectral feature values ​​at predetermined characteristic wavelengths based on the spectral information, a judgment unit 14 that makes various judgments, a display unit 15 that displays various types of information, and an operation unit 16 that is an input unit for entering various instructions and making various inputs.

[0033] Furthermore, the device main body 10 is communicably connected to the visible light spectral filter 21, the visible light photodetector 22, the spectral filter 31, the photodetector 32, the spectral filter 41, the photodetector 42, and the light emitting unit 5. The device main body 10, the visible light photodetector 22, the photodetector 32, the photodetector 42, and the light emitting unit 5 may be communicably connected to each other in a wired manner using, for example, a cable, or may be communicably connected to each other in a wireless manner. Furthermore, the various units included in the device main body 10 are similarly communicably connected to each other.

[0034] In addition, the judgment unit 14 is configured to include an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and can be realized as one or more processors, and reads and executes various programs, etc. stored in the memory unit 9.

[0035] The determination unit 14 also performs various determinations as described below. That is, the determination unit 14 performs various determinations, such as a determination of whether the molded product W can be reused, i.e., a determination of the quality level of the molded product W, a determination of the material of the molded product W, i.e., the material quality, and a determination of the color of the molded product W. In this specification, the level determination is also referred to as a "level determination," the material determination is also referred to as a "material determination," and the color determination is also referred to as a "color determination."

[0036] Furthermore, determining the material of the molded product W means, for example, determining the composition of the resin material that constitutes the molded product W.

[0037] In this embodiment, the judgment unit 14 judges the quality level of the molded product W, judges the material of the molded product W, and judges the color of the molded product W. For this reason, in this embodiment, the judgment unit 14 has the functions of a quality level judgment unit that judges the quality level of the molded product W, a material judgment unit that judges the material of the molded product W, and a color judgment unit that judges the color of the molded product W. In this specification, the quality level judgment of the molded product W will also be simply referred to as "quality level judgment" or "quality level judgment," the material judgment of the molded product W will also be simply referred to as "material judgment," and the color judgment of the molded product W will also be simply referred to as "color judgment."

[0038] Furthermore, the determination unit 14 determines the quality level of the molded product W based on at least one of chromaticity information and spectral information. In this case, the determination unit 14 preferably determines the quality level based on spectral information, and more preferably determines the quality level based on both chromaticity information and spectral information. In this embodiment, the determination unit 14 determines the quality level based on both chromaticity information and spectral information.

[0039] Furthermore, the determination unit 14 determines the degree of deterioration of the molded article W in determining the quality level. In this embodiment, the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is classified into three levels: "small," "medium," and "large" based on the spectral information. The "small" degree of deterioration of the molded article W includes cases where there is no deterioration. If the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "small," the molded article W is subjected to "reuse: reuse," if it is "medium," the molded article W is subjected to "recycling: reuse, regeneration," and if it is "large," the molded article W is subjected to "thermal recycling: disposal, for example, burning and recovering as thermal energy." Recycling includes material recycling and chemical recycling. The number of levels to be classified is not limited to three levels, but may be, for example, two levels, four levels, or even five or more levels. In other words, the number of levels to be classified may be multiple levels. The quality level determination is not limited to determining the degree of deterioration of the molded article W.

[0040] Furthermore, the determining unit 14 determines the material based on the spectral information when determining the material of the molded product W. Note that the determining unit 14 may also determine the material based on chromaticity information and spectral information.

[0041] Furthermore, the determining unit 14 determines the composition of the resin material that constitutes the molded product W in the material determination.

[0042] Furthermore, the determination unit 14 performs color determination based on chromaticity information when determining the color of the molded product W. Note that the determination unit 14 may perform color determination based on spectral information, or may perform color determination based on both chromaticity information and spectral information.

[0043] In addition, in the color judgment, the judgment unit 14 judges whether the color of the molded product W is black or a color other than black.

[0044] The control unit 8 is configured to include an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and can be realized as one or more processors, and reads and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 9. This allows the operation of the molded article material discriminator 1 to be controlled and various processes such as various calculations and judgments to be performed.

[0045] The storage unit 9 also stores various programs that can be executed by the control unit 8 and other components, as well as information such as thresholds, reference values, and reference data used in various types of judgment, such as quality level judgment, material judgment, and color judgment. The storage unit 9 is also capable of storing various types of data input from the outside. The storage unit 9 includes, for example, a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 9 is not limited to being non-detachable, and may instead be configured to include a detachable external storage device.

[0046] The chromaticity information calculation unit 11 is configured to include an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and can be realized as one or more processors, and reads and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 9. The chromaticity information calculation unit 11 also performs various processes such as calculation of chromaticity information, as will be described later.

[0047] The spectral information calculation unit 12 is configured to include an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and can be realized as one or more processors, and reads and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 9. The spectral information calculation unit 12 performs various processes such as calculation of spectral information, as will be described later.

[0048] The feature value calculation unit 13 is configured to include an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and can be realized as one or more processors, and reads and executes various programs stored in the storage unit 9. As will be described later, the feature value calculation unit 13 performs various processes such as calculation of spectral feature values ​​at predetermined feature wavelengths.

[0049] The processors that realize the control unit 8, the chromaticity information calculation unit 11, the spectral information calculation unit 12, the feature value calculation unit 13, and the judgment unit 14, etc., may be provided separately, or all or part of them may be shared.

[0050] The display unit 15 has a function of displaying various types of information, for example. The display unit 15 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include direct-view display devices such as liquid crystal display devices and organic EL display devices, and projection display devices such as projectors.

[0051] The operation unit 16 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, an operation button, an operation switch, an operation dial, etc. By operating the operation unit 16, the operator can issue, for example, various instructions and input various information to the molded article material discrimination device 1.

[0052] Furthermore, instead of the display unit 15 and the operation unit 16, a display input unit having the functions of both the display unit 15 and the operation unit 16 may be used. As the display input unit, for example, a touch panel or the like may be used.

[0053] The molded product material discriminator 1 also has the function of learning and registering information about the color and optical spectrum that serve as the criteria for each judgment.

[0054] For example, regarding color, the system learns the relationship between color fading of molded product W and quality, and registers threshold values ​​that are the criteria for judging whether to reuse in the case of high quality, recycle in the case of medium quality, or thermal recycle in the case of low quality.Then, the applicability of each is judged based on the measurement and analysis results.

[0055] Similarly, for materials, the system learns the relationship between the spectral spectrum, absorption wavelength, and spectral feature values ​​and quality, and registers threshold values ​​that serve as the criteria for judging whether a material should be reused for high quality, recycled for medium quality, or thermally recycled for low quality. The system then determines whether each threshold is applicable based on the results of measurement and analysis.

[0056] Next, the operation and control of the molded article material discriminator 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0057] The molded product material discriminator 1 executes the steps shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 under the control of the control unit 8 to inspect the quality level of the molded product W, that is, inspect for deterioration.

[0058] (Steps S101, S201, S301) As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the molded article material discriminator 1 performs measurements.

[0059] In this measurement, the light irradiation unit 5, visible light sensor 2, sensor 3, and sensor 4 are driven. This causes illumination light to be emitted from the light irradiation unit 5, and the illumination light is irradiated onto the molded article W. The reflected light from the molded article W is guided by the light guide unit 6 to the visible light sensors 2, 3, and 4, and is measured by the visible light sensors 2, 3, and 4.

[0060] That is, light reflected from the molded article W is incident on the visible light spectral filter 21, the spectral filter 31, and the spectral filter 41, and light of a specific wavelength passes through the visible light spectral filter 21, the spectral filter 31, and the spectral filter 41 and is received by the visible light photodetector 22, the photodetector 32, and the photodetector 42. The molded article material discriminator 1 also changes the wavelength of the light passing through the visible light spectral filter 21, the spectral filter 31, and the spectral filter 41, and similarly performs measurements as many times as necessary.

[0061] In this way, the visible light sensor 2, the sensor 3, and the sensor 4 measure the molded product W for each preset wavelength to obtain data, i.e., measurement data. The measurement data is stored in the memory unit 9 and read out as needed. Although not explained further below, each piece of data, each value, etc. obtained by calculation is similarly stored in the memory unit 9 and read out as needed. In this specification, data is also referred to as "information."

[0062] The information obtained by measurement using sensor 3 is used when the color of the molded product W is other than black, and the information obtained by measurement using sensor 4 is used when the color of the molded product W is black.

[0063] In this way, measurements are simultaneously performed by the visible light sensor 2, the sensor 3, and the sensor 4. This makes it possible to shorten the time required for inspection.

[0064] The measurement conditions for the visible light sensor 2, the sensor 3, and the sensor 4 are each set to an appropriate condition. The measurement conditions may be the same or different. Examples of the measurement conditions include the spectral wavelength and the light receiving time.

[0065] (Step S102) The chromaticity information calculation unit 11 calculates chromaticity information based on the information from the visible light sensor 2.

[0066] That is, the chromaticity information calculation unit 11 calculates chromaticity information for a plurality of measurement points on the molded product W included in the inspection range.

[0067] Furthermore, the chromaticity information calculation unit 11 calculates the arithmetic average of the chromaticity information of multiple measurement points on the molded article W as average chromaticity information, and calculates color density information for each color based on the average chromaticity information. This makes it possible to obtain more appropriate color information than if judgments were made at a single point, thereby enabling appropriate judgment of the quality level of the molded article W.

[0068] Furthermore, the chromaticity information calculation unit 11 calculates the color of the molded article W based on the color density information of each color, thereby making it possible to determine whether the color of the molded article W is black or a color other than black.

[0069] Furthermore, the chromaticity information calculation unit 11 calculates the arithmetic average of the chromaticity information of multiple measurement points on the molded article W as average chromaticity information, and calculates the yellowness of the molded article W as color density information based on the average chromaticity information. This makes it possible to obtain more appropriate information on yellowness than if it were determined at a single point, and also makes it possible to use the degree of yellowing to determine the quality level of the molded article W, thereby making it possible to appropriately determine the quality level of the molded article W.

[0070] The chromaticity information calculation unit 11 also calculates a color difference, which is the difference between the yellowness of the molded article W and a predetermined reference value. This color difference can be used to determine the quality level of the molded article W. The reference value is a predetermined value when the quality level of the molded article W is appropriate, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 9.

[0071] (Step S103) The determining unit 14 determines the quality level based on the yellowness level calculated in step S102.

[0072] That is, the determination unit 14 compares the color difference calculated in step S102 with a predetermined threshold A to determine the level of quality based on the color difference. If the color difference is equal to or less than the threshold A, the process proceeds to step S104. The threshold A is stored in the storage unit 9 in advance.

[0073] Furthermore, if the color difference is greater than the threshold value A, the determining unit 14 determines that the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "high," and the molded article W is subjected to "thermal recycling."

[0074] The quality level may be determined based on the color density information of each color instead of the yellowness level. In this case, for example, the difference between the color density of each color and a predetermined reference value is calculated, and the quality level is determined based on the color density difference.

[0075] (Step S104) The determination unit 14 performs a color determination of the molded article W to determine whether the color of the molded article W is black or not based on the chromaticity information calculated in step S102, that is, the color of the molded article W.

[0076] If the color of the molded product W is black, the process proceeds to step S107, where a determination is made as to the resin material of the molded product W. If the color of the molded product W is other than black, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0077] Next, steps S202 to S204 will be described. (Step S202) The spectral information calculation unit 12 calculates spectral information based on the information from the sensor 3 .

[0078] (Step S203) The characteristic value calculation unit 13 calculates a spectral characteristic value at a predetermined characteristic wavelength as a characteristic amount indicating the degree of deterioration of the molded article W based on the spectral information calculated in step S202.

[0079] The spectral feature value is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the amount of light absorbed at the absorption peak wavelength corresponding to the resin material of the molded product W is used. By determining the quality level of the molded product W based on such a spectral feature value, i.e., the amount of light absorbed at the absorption peak wavelength, the quality level can be determined appropriately.

[0080] Other examples of the spectral characteristic value include the second derivative of the spectrum at the absorption peak wavelength corresponding to the resin material of the molded product W.

[0081] Furthermore, the feature value calculation unit 13 calculates a feature value corresponding to the composition of the resin material of the molded product W based on the spectral information calculated in step S202.

[0082] (Step S204) The feature value calculation unit 13 calculates the difference Δ1 between the spectral feature value calculated in step S203 and a predetermined reference value. This difference Δ1 can be used to determine the quality level of the molded product W. The reference value is set according to the composition of the resin material, is a predetermined value when the quality level of the molded product W is appropriate, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 9.

[0083] Next, steps S302 to S304 will be described. (Step S302) The spectral information calculation unit 12 calculates spectral information based on the information from the sensor 4 .

[0084] (Step S303) The characteristic value calculation unit 13 calculates a spectral characteristic value at a predetermined characteristic wavelength as a characteristic amount indicating the degree of deterioration of the molded article W based on the spectral information calculated in step S302.

[0085] The spectral feature value is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the amount of light absorbed at the absorption peak wavelength corresponding to the resin material of the molded product W is used. By determining the quality level of the molded product W based on such a spectral feature value, i.e., the amount of light absorbed at the absorption peak wavelength, the quality level can be determined appropriately.

[0086] Other examples of the spectral characteristic value include the second derivative of the spectrum at the absorption peak wavelength corresponding to the resin material of the molded product W.

[0087] Furthermore, the feature value calculation unit 13 calculates a feature value corresponding to the composition of the resin material of the molded product W based on the spectral information calculated in step S302.

[0088] (Step S304) The feature value calculation unit 13 calculates the difference Δ2 between the spectral feature value calculated in step S303 and a predetermined reference value. This difference Δ2 can be used to determine the quality level of the molded product W. The reference value is set according to the composition of the resin material, is a predetermined value when the quality level of the molded product W is appropriate, and is stored in advance in the storage unit 9.

[0089] Next, steps S105 to S108 will be described. (Step S105) This step S105 is a process performed when the color of the molded product W is other than black, and the material of the resin material of the molded product W is determined based on the spectral information calculated in step S202, or more precisely, the feature corresponding to the composition of the resin material of the molded product W calculated in step S203, to identify the composition of the resin material of the molded product W.

[0090] (Step S106: Determining the Degree of Deterioration of Molded Product W) The determining unit 14 determines the quality level based on the optical spectrum information calculated in step S202, more precisely, based on information calculated based on the optical spectrum information.

[0091] That is, the determination unit 14 determines the quality level based on the spectral feature values ​​calculated in step S203, more precisely, based on the difference Δ1 calculated in step S204 based on the spectral feature values, thereby making it possible to appropriately determine the quality level.

[0092] Specifically, the judgment unit 14 compares the difference Δ1 with predetermined thresholds B1 and B2, and judges the quality level based on the difference Δ1. The thresholds B1 and B2 are set according to the composition of the resin material and are stored in advance in the storage unit 9. The threshold B1 is smaller than the threshold B2.

[0093] If the difference Δ1 is equal to or smaller than the threshold value B1, the determining unit 14 determines that the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "small," and the molded article W is offered for "reuse."

[0094] Furthermore, if the difference Δ1 is greater than the threshold value B1 and equal to or less than the threshold value B2, the determining unit 14 determines that the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "medium," and the molded article W is subjected to "recycling: material recycling, chemical recycling."

[0095] Furthermore, if the difference Δ1 is greater than the threshold value B2, the determining unit 14 determines that the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "high," and the molded article W is subjected to "thermal recycling."

[0096] (Step S107) This step S107 is a process when the color of the molded product W is black, and the material of the resin material of the molded product W is determined based on the spectral information calculated in step S302, or more precisely, the feature corresponding to the composition of the resin material of the molded product W calculated in step S303, to identify the composition of the resin material of the molded product W.

[0097] (Step S108: Determining the Degree of Deterioration of Molded Product W) The determining unit 14 determines the quality level based on the optical spectrum information calculated in step S302, more precisely, based on information calculated based on the optical spectrum information.

[0098] That is, the determination unit 14 determines the quality level based on the spectral feature value calculated in step S303, more precisely, based on the difference Δ2 calculated in step S304 based on the spectral feature value, thereby making it possible to appropriately determine the quality level.

[0099] Specifically, the determination unit 14 compares the difference Δ2 with predetermined thresholds C1 and C2, and determines the quality level based on the difference Δ2. The thresholds C1 and C2 are set according to the composition of the resin material and are stored in advance in the storage unit 9. The threshold C1 is smaller than the threshold C2.

[0100] If the difference Δ2 is equal to or smaller than the threshold value C1, the determining unit 14 determines that the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "small," and the molded article W is offered for "reuse."

[0101] Furthermore, if the difference Δ2 is greater than the threshold C1 and equal to or less than the threshold C2, the determining unit 14 determines that the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "medium," and the molded article W is subjected to "recycling: material recycling, chemical recycling."

[0102] Furthermore, if the difference Δ2 is greater than the threshold value C2, the determining unit 14 determines that the degree of deterioration of the molded article W is "high," and the molded article W is subjected to "thermal recycling."

[0103] The test results are displayed on the display unit 15. This allows the test results to be ascertained. However, this display of the test results may be omitted. Instead of the display unit 15, the test results may be notified by another notification unit that notifies by voice or the like, or the display of the test results by the display unit 15 and notification of the test results by another notification unit may be used in combination.

[0104] As described above, the molded product material discriminator 1 can quickly and appropriately determine the quality level of the molded product W, thereby allowing for quick and appropriate inspection of the quality level of the molded product W, i.e., inspection of deterioration.

[0105] In other words, the light guide unit 6 allows the reflected light from the molded product W to be incident on the visible light sensor 2, sensor 3, and sensor 4 simultaneously, thereby enabling the quality level of the molded product W to be quickly determined.

[0106] In addition, by performing both a color judgment of the molded product W and a material judgment of the molded product W, and then judging the quality level of the molded product W based on the results of the color judgment and the material judgment, the quality level judgment can be performed appropriately.

[0107] Furthermore, when the color of the molded product W is black or other than black, each process is performed using information from a near-infrared sensor that is appropriate for each case. Therefore, whether the color of the molded product W is black or other than black, i.e., for each color, the material of the molded product W can be appropriately determined, and thereby the quality level of the molded product W can be appropriately determined.

[0108] As explained above, the molded product material discriminator 1 is a molded product material discriminator that discriminates whether or not a molded product W made of a resin material can be reused. The molded product material discriminator 1 also includes a visible light sensor 2 having a visible light spectral filter 21 capable of spectrally separating light in the visible light wavelength range and a visible light photodetector 22 that receives light spectrally separated by the visible light spectral filter 21, a near-infrared light sensor 3 having spectral filters 31 and 41 that are near-infrared light spectral filters capable of spectrally separating light in the near-infrared wavelength range, and a near-infrared light photodetector 32 and a near-infrared light photodetector 42 that receive light spectrally separated by the near-infrared light spectral filters 31 and 41, respectively. The optical system includes a sensor 4, a light guide unit 6 that directs reflected light from the molded product W into a spectral filter 21 for visible light and a spectral filter 31 and a spectral filter 41 for near-infrared light, a chromaticity information calculation unit 11 that calculates chromaticity information based on information from the visible light sensor 2, a spectral spectrum information calculation unit 12 that calculates spectral information based on information from sensors 3 and 4 that are near-infrared light sensors, and a judgment unit 14 that judges the quality level of the molded product W based on at least one of the chromaticity information and the spectral information.

[0109] Such a molded product material discriminator 1 can quickly and appropriately determine the quality level of the molded product W, thereby enabling inspection of the quality level of the molded product W, i.e., inspection of deterioration, to be performed quickly and appropriately.

[0110] In the molded article material discriminator 1, the near-infrared light sensor includes a sensor 3 having a spectral filter 31 capable of dispersing light in a wavelength range of 900 nm to 1700 nm and a light-receiving element 32 that receives the light dispersed by the spectral filter 31, and a sensor 4 having a spectral filter 41 capable of dispersing light in a wavelength range of 2000 nm to 3000 nm and a light-receiving element 42 that receives the light dispersed by the spectral filter 41. The determination unit 14 determines whether the molded article W is black based on the chromaticity information. If the molded article W is black, the spectral information calculation unit 12 calculates spectral information based on information from the sensor 4, and the determination unit 14 determines the level of the molded article W based on the spectral information. If the molded article W is other than black, the spectral information calculation unit 12 calculates spectral information based on information from the sensor 3, and the determination unit 14 determines the level of the molded article W based on the spectral information.

[0111] This allows the material to be properly determined whether the molded product W is black or other than black, i.e., for each color, and thereby allows the quality level of the molded product W to be properly determined.

[0112] In addition, in the molded product material discriminator 1, the chromaticity information calculation unit 11 calculates the arithmetic average of the chromaticity information of multiple measurement points on the molded product W as average chromaticity information, and calculates color density information for each color based on the average chromaticity information.

[0113] This allows the judgment to be based on the average of chromaticity information from multiple locations on the molded product W, making it possible to obtain more appropriate color information than if the judgment were based on a single location, thereby allowing the quality level of the molded product W to be judged appropriately.

[0114] Furthermore, in the molded product material discriminator 1, the judgment unit 14 judges the quality level of the molded product W based on the color density information. This makes it possible to appropriately judge the quality level of the molded product W.

[0115] In addition, in the molded product material discriminator 1, the chromaticity information calculation unit 11 calculates the arithmetic mean of the chromaticity information of multiple measurement points on the molded product W as average chromaticity information, and calculates the yellowness of the molded product W as color density information based on the average chromaticity information. In addition, the judgment unit 14 judges the level of the molded product W based on the level of yellowness.

[0116] This allows the degree of yellowing to be used to judge the quality level of the molded article W, making it possible to appropriately judge the quality level of the molded article W.

[0117] The molded article material discriminator 1 also has a characteristic value calculation unit 13 that calculates a spectral characteristic value at a predetermined characteristic wavelength based on the spectral information. The judgment unit 14 judges the level of the molded article W based on the spectral characteristic value. This allows the quality level of the molded article W to be appropriately judged.

[0118] Furthermore, in the molded article material discriminator 1, the spectral feature value is the amount of light absorbed at the absorption peak wavelength, which allows the quality level of the molded article W to be appropriately determined.

[0119] While the molded article material discriminator of the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each part can be replaced with any configuration having a similar function. Also, any other components may be added.

[0120] Furthermore, the applications of the molded product material discriminator are not particularly limited, and examples include recycling sorting devices, spectroscopic analyzers, etc. Furthermore, the present invention also allows for the application of the molded product material discriminator to fields such as agriculture and the environment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...molded product material discriminator 2...visible light sensor 21...visible light spectral filter 22...visible light light receiving element 3...first sensor 31...first spectral filter 32...first light receiving element 4...second sensor 41...second spectral filter 42...second light receiving element 5...light irradiation unit 6...light guide unit 8...control unit 9...storage unit 10...device main body 11...chromaticity information calculation unit 12...spectral spectrum information calculation unit 13...characteristic value calculation unit 14...determination unit 15...display unit 16...operation unit W...molded product

Claims

1. A molded product material discriminator that determines whether a molded product made of a resin material can be reused, a visible light sensor including a visible light spectral filter capable of separating light in the visible light wavelength range and a visible light light receiving element that receives light separated by the visible light spectral filter; a near-infrared light sensor having a near-infrared light spectral filter capable of spectrally separating light in a near-infrared wavelength range and a near-infrared light receiving element that receives light spectrally separated by the near-infrared light spectral filter; a light guide section that causes reflected light from the molded article to enter the visible light spectral filter and the near-infrared light spectral filter; a chromaticity information calculation unit that calculates chromaticity information based on information from the visible light sensor; a spectral information calculation unit that calculates spectral information based on information from the near-infrared light sensor; a determining unit that determines a quality level of the molded product based on at least one of the chromaticity information and the spectral information.

2. The near-infrared light sensor includes a first sensor having a first spectral filter capable of separating light in a wavelength range of 900 nm or more and 1700 nm or less, and a first light receiving element that receives light separated by the first spectral filter; a second sensor including a second spectral filter capable of separating light in a wavelength range of 2000 nm or more and 3000 nm or less, and a second light receiving element that receives light separated by the second spectral filter; the determination unit determines whether the molded article is black based on the chromaticity information, When the molded product is black, the spectral information calculation unit calculates the spectral information based on information from the second sensor, and the determination unit performs the level determination based on the spectral information, 2. The molded product material discriminator according to claim 1, wherein, when the molded product is other than black, the spectral information calculation unit calculates the spectral information based on information from the first sensor, and the determination unit makes the level determination based on the spectral information.

3. 2. The molded product material discriminator according to claim 1, wherein the chromaticity information calculation unit calculates an arithmetic average of chromaticity information of a plurality of measurement points on the molded product as average chromaticity information, and calculates color density information for each color based on the average chromaticity information.

4. The molded product material discriminator according to claim 3 , wherein the determining unit determines the level based on the color density information.

5. the chromaticity information calculation unit calculates an arithmetic average of chromaticity information of a plurality of measurement points on the molded article as average chromaticity information, and calculates a yellowness index of the molded article as color density information based on the average chromaticity information; The molded product material discriminator according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines the level based on the level of yellowness.

6. a feature value calculation unit that calculates a spectral feature value at a predetermined feature wavelength based on the spectral information; The molded product material discriminator according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit performs the level determination based on the spectral feature value.

7. The molded product material discriminator according to claim 6, wherein the spectral characteristic value is an amount of light absorption at an absorption peak wavelength.

Images