Waste area identification device, method and program thereof, and waste incinerator control device, method and program thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a waste area identification device, method, and program that can more accurately identify waste areas even when opaque objects are present in the field of view during imaging, as well as a waste incineration furnace control device, method, and program equipped with these. [Solution] The waste area identification device of the present invention acquires an image taken inside a combustion furnace that burns waste, and identifies the first image area and the second image area from the acquired image by using an identification model that identifies a first image area of ​​the waste and a second image area of ​​a predetermined opaque object that is in the field of view at the time of imaging. The waste combustion furnace control device of the present invention is equipped with the above waste area identification device, and when the waste area identification device detects a boundary line, it generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the amount of change in size in the first image area and outputs this control signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a waste area identification device, a waste area identification method, and a waste area identification program for identifying the area of waste in a combustion furnace, and a waste combustion furnace control device, a waste combustion furnace control method, and a waste combustion furnace control program that include these and control the combustion furnace.

Background Art

[0002] Waste that is determined by the owner to have no utility value or to be unnecessary and is discarded as garbage is generally burned in a combustion furnace and incinerated. In the combustion of this waste, in order to achieve stable combustion in the combustion furnace, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the combustion furnace is controlled.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when identifying the waste (the area of waste) in the combustion furnace based on an image of the inside of the combustion furnace, when imaging the inside of the combustion furnace, if there is an object opaque to the wavelength band imaged by the imaging unit in the field of view of the imaging unit that generates the image, the object may be reflected in the area where the waste is reflected in the image (the image area of the waste). Therefore, the accuracy of identifying the area of waste deteriorates. In particular, in a so-called rotary stoker type combustion furnace, since a connecting pipe for guiding and draining water to the water pipes of the furnace body is provided at the outlet of the furnace body, the connecting pipe may be reflected in the image area of the waste in the image.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a waste area identification device, a waste area identification method, and a waste area identification program that can identify the waste area with greater accuracy even when there are opaque objects in the field of view during imaging, as well as a waste incinerator control device, a waste incinerator control method, and a waste incinerator control program equipped with these. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a result of various studies, the inventors have found that the above objective can be achieved by the present invention as described below. That is, a waste area identification device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the inside of a combustion furnace for burning waste, and an image area identification unit that identifies the first image area and the second image area from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using an identification model that identifies a first image area of ​​the waste and a second image area of ​​a predetermined opaque object that is in the field of view at the time of imaging. Preferably, in the above-described image area identification device, the predetermined object moves as its position changes over time. Preferably, in the above-described image area identification device, the identification model is a machine learning model that has been trained. Preferably, the machine learning model is a convolutional neural network (CNN) of deep learning.

[0007] Such a waste area identification device distinguishes between a first image area of ​​waste and a second image area of ​​opaque objects. Therefore, even when there are opaque objects within the field of view during imaging, such as when the device is located between a combustion furnace and the imaging unit, it can identify the waste area with greater accuracy.

[0008] In another embodiment, the waste area identification device described above further includes a boundary detection unit that detects the boundary line between the first image area and the combustion furnace based on the first image area and the second image area identified by the image area identification unit.

[0009] Such a waste area identification device detects the boundary line between the first image area and the incinerator (the boundary line between the waste and the incinerator) based on the first image area of ​​the waste and the second image area of ​​the opaque object. Since the boundary line can be detected by taking the second image area into consideration, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy.

[0010] In another embodiment, in the waste area identification device described above, the boundary line detection unit extracts an edge from at least one predetermined detection area set in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by predetermined image processing, and detects the boundary line by determining that the extracted edge is the boundary line if the extracted edge is not the boundary line between the first image area and the second image area identified by the image area identification unit, and does not detect the boundary line by determining that the extracted edge is not the boundary line if the extracted edge is the boundary line between the first image area and the second image area identified by the image area identification unit.

[0011] When an opaque object overlaps the waste near the boundary between the waste and the incinerator within the field of view during imaging, the boundary is obscured by the opaque object, and the edge extracted from the image is no longer the boundary between the waste and the incinerator. The waste area identification device determines that the edge is the boundary line and identifies it if the edge is not the boundary between the first image area and the second image area, and determines that the edge is not the boundary line and does not identify it if the edge is the boundary between the first image area and the second image area. Therefore, the waste area identification device can appropriately detect the boundary line with the incinerator in the first image area.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a waste area identification method comprising: an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of the inside of a combustion furnace incinerating waste; and an image area identification step of identifying the first image area and the second image area from the image acquired in the image acquisition step by using an identification model that identifies a first image area of ​​the waste and a second image area of ​​a predetermined opaque object that is in the field of view at the time of imaging.

[0013] This waste area identification method distinguishes between a first image area of ​​waste and a second image area of ​​opaque objects. Therefore, even when opaque objects are present in the field of view during imaging, such as when they are located between a combustion furnace and the imaging unit, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is a waste area identification program that causes a computer to function as a waste area identification device as described above.

[0015] According to this, a waste area identification program can be provided, and this waste area identification program will have the same effects as the waste area identification devices described above.

[0016] A waste incinerator control device according to another aspect of the present invention comprises any of the above-described waste area identification devices and a combustion furnace control unit that, when the boundary line detection unit detects the boundary line, generates a control signal for controlling the combustion furnace based on the size of a first image area identified by the image area identification unit, and outputs the generated control signal. Preferably, in the above-described waste incinerator control device, the combustion furnace control unit generates a control signal for controlling the combustion furnace using a predetermined control algorithm when the boundary line detection unit does not detect the boundary line, and outputs the generated control signal. Preferably, the predetermined control algorithm is an algorithm that generates the control signal so as to maintain the control at the previous control timing.

[0017] Waste can be categorized into types that are relatively easy to burn and types that are relatively difficult to burn. When the amount of waste fed into the incinerator remains constant over time, if a large amount of easily combustible waste is mixed in, the size of the waste in the first image region will decrease, and if a large amount of difficult-to-burn waste is mixed in, the size of the waste in the first image region will increase. Therefore, the combustion status of the waste can be recognized based on the size of the waste in the first image region, making it possible to control the incinerator. The above-mentioned waste incinerator control device is equipped with one of the above-mentioned waste region identification devices, so it can utilize the first image region of the waste that has been identified with greater accuracy, thus enabling more accurate control of the incinerator.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a waste incineration furnace control device in which the incineration furnace burns the waste while moving it from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, and comprises the above-described waste area identification device, in which an upstream detection area is set on the upstream side as at least one predetermined detection area, and a combustion furnace control unit that generates a control signal to control the incineration furnace based on the detected boundary line when the boundary line detection unit detects the boundary line, and outputs the generated control signal, wherein the control signal is a signal to control the amount of waste supplied to the incineration furnace based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area, or a signal to control the amount of primary gas supplied to the incineration furnace based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area.

[0019] Such a waste incinerator control device generates a control signal based on a boundary line in the upstream detection area that depends on the amount of waste upstream, making it possible to generate a control signal in anticipation of the combustion conditions downstream. When the waste incinerator control device controls the amount of waste, it can optimize the amount of waste fed into the incinerator. Furthermore, when the waste incinerator control device controls the supply amount of primary gas, it can properly burn the waste fed into the incinerator.

[0020] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a waste incineration furnace control device, wherein the incineration furnace burns the waste while moving it from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, and comprises the above-described waste area identification device, which has an upstream detection area set on the upstream side as at least one predetermined detection area, and a combustion furnace control unit that, when the boundary line detection unit detects the boundary line, generates a control signal to control the incineration furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal, wherein the control signal is a signal to control the amount of waste supplied to the incineration furnace based on the amount of waste on the downstream side predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area, or a signal to control the amount of primary gas supplied to the incineration furnace based on the amount of waste on the downstream side predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area.

[0021] Since this type of waste incinerator control device generates a control signal based on the amount of waste downstream predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area, it becomes possible to generate a control signal that more accurately anticipates the combustion conditions downstream.

[0022] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a waste incineration furnace control device, wherein the incineration furnace burns the waste while moving it from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, and comprises the above-described waste area identification device, wherein at least one predetermined detection area is set, with an upstream detection area on the upstream side or a downstream detection area on the downstream side, and a combustion furnace control unit that, when the boundary line detection unit detects the boundary line, generates a control signal to control the incineration furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal, wherein the control signal is a signal to control the amount of post-combustion gas supplied to a post-combustion device provided below the downstream side of the incineration furnace based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area or the downstream detection area, or a signal to control the amount of secondary gas supplied to a secondary combustion chamber provided above the downstream side of the incineration furnace based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area or the downstream detection area.

[0023] When such a waste incinerator control device controls the supply amount of post-combustion gas in the post-combustion device, it generates a control signal based on the boundary line in the upstream detection area that depends on the upstream waste amount or the boundary line in the downstream detection area that depends on the downstream waste amount. Therefore, it is possible to generate a control signal for controlling the supply amount of post-combustion gas in anticipation of the combustion situation of the post-combustion device. Also, when the waste incinerator control device controls the supply amount of secondary gas, it generates a control signal based on the boundary line in the upstream detection area that depends on the upstream waste amount or the boundary line in the downstream detection area that depends on the downstream waste amount. Therefore, it is possible to generate a control signal for controlling the supply amount of secondary gas in anticipation of the combustion situation of the secondary combustion chamber.

[0024] A waste incinerator method according to another aspect of the present invention includes the above-described waste area identification method, a boundary line detection step of detecting a boundary line between the combustion furnace in the first image area based on the first image area and the second image area identified in the image area identification step, and when the boundary line detection step detects the boundary line, based on the size of the first image area identified in the image area identification step, a combustion furnace control step of generating a control signal for controlling the combustion furnace and outputting the generated control signal.

[0025] Such a waste incinerator control method includes the above-described waste area identification method, so that the first image area of the waste identified with higher accuracy can be used, and thus more accurate control of the combustion furnace becomes possible.

[0026] A waste incinerator control program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the waste incinerator control device described in any of the above.

[0027] According to this, a waste incinerator control program can be provided, and this waste incinerator control program exhibits the same operational effects as the above-described waste incinerator control device.

[0028] In another embodiment, in the waste area identification device described above, the first image area of ​​the waste is configured to include a plurality of sub-image areas of the waste, the identification model is a model that identifies the plurality of sub-image areas and the second image area of ​​the object, the image area identification unit identifies the plurality of sub-image areas and the second image area from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using the identification model, and the boundary line detection unit detects a boundary line between at least one of the plurality of sub-image areas and the combustion furnace in that sub-image area based on the sub-image area identified by the image area identification unit and the second image area.

[0029] Such a waste area identification device identifies multiple sub-image areas and a second image area, and detects the boundary line between the sub-image area and the incinerator (the boundary line between the waste and the incinerator) based on the sub-image area of ​​the waste and the second image area of ​​the opaque object. Since the boundary line can be detected by taking the second image area into consideration, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy for each sub-image area.

[0030] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a waste incineration furnace control device, wherein the incineration furnace burns the waste while moving it from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, and comprises the above-described waste area identification device and a combustion furnace control unit that, when the boundary line detection unit detects the boundary line, generates a control signal to control the incineration furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal.

[0031] Since such a waste incinerator control device is equipped with the aforementioned waste area identification device, it can utilize sub-image areas of waste that have been identified with greater accuracy, thereby enabling more precise control of the incinerator.

[0032] In another embodiment, in the waste area identification device described above, the identification model divides the inside of the combustion furnace into a plurality of areas, and for each of the plurality of areas, it is a model that identifies a sub-image area of ​​the waste and a second image area of ​​the object in that area, the image area identification unit identifies the plurality of sub-image areas and the second image area from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using the identification model, the first image area of ​​the waste is formed by the plurality of sub-image areas, and the boundary line detection unit detects a boundary line between the combustion furnace and at least one of the plurality of sub-image areas based on the sub-image area and the second image area identified by the image area identification unit.

[0033] Such a waste area identification device divides the inside of the incinerator into multiple areas, identifies a sub-image area and a second image area of ​​waste in each area, and detects the boundary line between the sub-image area and the incinerator (the boundary line between the waste and the incinerator) based on the sub-image area of ​​waste and the second image area of ​​opaque objects. Since the boundary line can be detected by taking the second image area into consideration, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy for each sub-image area (area).

[0034] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a waste incineration furnace control device, wherein the incineration furnace burns the waste while moving it from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, and comprises the above-described waste area identification device and a combustion furnace control unit that, when the boundary line detection unit detects the boundary line, generates a control signal to control the incineration furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal.

[0035] Since such a waste incinerator control device is equipped with the aforementioned waste area identification device, it can utilize sub-image areas of waste that have been identified with greater accuracy, thereby enabling more precise control of the incinerator. In the above waste incinerator control device, the inside of the incinerator is divided into multiple areas, and the division into multiple areas can be done considering the structure of the incinerator. [Effects of the Invention]

[0036] The waste area identification device, waste area identification method, and waste area identification program according to the present invention can identify waste areas with greater accuracy even when opaque objects are present in the field of view during imaging. According to the present invention, a waste incinerator control device, a waste incinerator control method, and a waste incinerator control program equipped with these can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0037] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a waste incinerator control device equipped with a waste area identification device in an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a rotary stoker type combustion system controlled by the aforementioned waste incinerator control device. [Figure 3] As an example, this is a diagram illustrating the first image region of the combustion furnace and waste, and the second image region of the double connecting pipe. [Figure 4] As an example, this is a diagram illustrating the extraction of edges from an image. [Figure 5] As an example, this figure shows the time evolution of the boundaries of each sub-image region in both the upstream and downstream areas. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the operation of the waste incineration furnace control device. [Figure 7] As an example, this figure shows the time evolution of the boundary line in the upstream detection region. [Figure 8] As another example, this is a diagram illustrating the first image region of the combustion furnace and waste, and the second image region of the double connecting pipe. [Figure 9] Another example is a diagram illustrating the multiple sections that make up the interior of a combustion furnace. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0038] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In each figure, components denoted by the same reference numerals are identified as identical components, and their descriptions are omitted where appropriate. In this specification, general reference numerals are used without subscripts, while individual components are indicated by subscripts.

[0039] The waste area identification device in the embodiment is a device that identifies and detects a first image area of ​​waste in an image of the inside of a combustion furnace, and comprises an image acquisition unit and an image area identification unit. The image acquisition unit acquires an image of the inside of a combustion furnace in which waste is burned. The image area identification unit identifies the first image area and the second image area from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using an identification model that identifies the first image area of ​​waste and the second image area of ​​a predetermined opaque object that is in the field of view at the time of imaging. The waste combustion furnace control device in the embodiment is a device that controls a combustion furnace in which waste is burned, and comprises a waste area identification device and a combustion furnace control unit. The waste area identification device further detects the boundary line between the first image area of ​​waste and the combustion furnace. When the waste area identification device detects the boundary line, the combustion furnace control unit generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the size of the first image area identified by the image area identification unit, and outputs the generated control signal. The following provides a more detailed description of the waste area identification device, the waste area identification method and waste area identification program implemented therein, and the waste incinerator control device, the waste incinerator control method and waste incinerator control program implemented therein.

[0040] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a waste incinerator control device equipped with a waste area identification device in an embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a rotary stoker type combustion system controlled by the waste incinerator control device. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, an image of the inside of the incinerator and a first image area of ​​waste and a second image area of ​​the double connecting pipe. Figure 3A shows the image PC inside the incinerator, and Figure 3B shows the first image area PWK of waste and the second image area P116 of the double connecting pipe in the image PC shown in Figure 3A. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, an edge extracted from an image. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, the time change of each boundary line in the upstream detection area and the downstream detection area, respectively. The upper part of Figure 5 shows the time change of the boundary line in the upstream detection area, and the lower part of Figure 5 shows the time change of the boundary line in the downstream detection area. Each horizontal axis represents the time (elapsed time) from 8:00 to 20:00, and each vertical axis represents the X coordinate [pixel] representing each boundary line.

[0041] In the embodiment, the waste incinerator control device 1000 equipped with a waste area identification device comprises, for example, an image acquisition unit 1, a control processing unit 2, an input unit 3, an output unit 4, an interface unit (IF unit) 5, and a storage unit 6, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 also illustrates the dust supply device SD, the first air supply device SA1, and the second air supply device SA2 in the rotary stoker type combustion system 2000 to be controlled. As will be described later, the dust supply device SD supplies waste WK to the incinerator, the first air supply device SA1 adjusts the supply amount of gas (e.g., air) supplied to the incinerator 100 (e.g., primary air amount) and the supply amount of gas supplied to the post-combustion device 123 (e.g., post-combustion air amount), and the second air supply device SA2 adjusts the supply amount of gas (e.g., secondary air amount) supplied to the secondary combustion chamber.

[0042] First, the combustion furnace controlled by the waste combustion furnace control device 1000 will be described. The combustion furnace to be controlled may be any suitable furnace capable of burning waste, but in this embodiment, for example, it is a furnace that burns waste while moving the waste from the upstream side of the inlet where the waste is introduced to the downstream side of the outlet where the waste after primary combustion is discharged, and here, as an example, it is a rotary stoker type combustion furnace. The rotary stoker type combustion system 2000 equipped with this rotary stoker type combustion furnace 100 is a power generation system that includes, for example, a rotary stoker type combustion furnace (RC furnace) 100, a boiler 200, a steam turbine generator 300, and a chimney 400, as shown in Figure 2, and generates heat in the RC furnace 100 that burns waste WK, uses the generated heat to generate steam in the boiler 200, and uses the generated steam to generate electricity in the steam turbine generator 300.

[0043] The RC furnace 100 comprises a furnace body 111 formed in a cylindrical shape and rotating around its axis as the center of rotation. The furnace body 111 has an inlet 111a for waste (material to be incinerated) WK on the upstream side and an outlet 111b for the ash of the waste WK on the downstream side. The furnace body 111 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction such that the inlet 111a is higher than the outlet 111b. Therefore, the upstream side is higher than the downstream side. The furnace body 111 is formed from a metal such as carbon steel.

[0044] The furnace body 111 is housed in a cover casing 112. The furnace body 111 has a plurality of water tubes 113 extending axially, which are sequentially provided in the circumferential direction at predetermined intervals around the axis. Metal fins 114 extending radially are provided across two adjacent water tubes 113 along the circumferential direction. Therefore, the water tubes 113 and fins 114 are arranged alternately along the circumferential direction. The fins 114 have a plurality of pores 115 that penetrate radially. The grate is formed by these water tubes 113 and fins 114. The water tubes 113 are connected to a double connecting pipe 116, which has a first pipe and a second pipe inside the first pipe, by first to fourth branch connecting pipes 116a that branch into four in a roughly cross shape (X shape) at one end of the double connecting pipe 116. A rotary joint 117 is provided at the other end of the double connecting pipe 116 to allow rotation. Water for cooling is introduced from the water supply device SW into the water pipe 113 via the rotary joint 117 and the double connecting pipe 116, and returns to the water supply device SW through the same path. The double connecting pipe 116 is made of a metal such as stainless steel.

[0045] The furnace body 111 is provided with rotational transmission members (not shown) on the inlet 111a side and the outlet 111b side of the furnace body 111. These rotational transmission members are configured to rotate around their axis (furnace central axis) as the center of rotation by a drive device (not shown). The furnace body 111 rotates in accordance with this rotation.

[0046] A hopper HP is provided on the inlet 111a side of the furnace body 111. The waste WK fed into the hopper HP is supplied to the furnace body 111 by a dust supply device SD. The dust supply device SD is, for example, a pusher type.

[0047] Multiple wind boxes 121 are provided on the lower side of the furnace body 111, communicating with the lower end of the cover casing 112. Primary gas (e.g., air) supplied to the wind boxes 121 is introduced into the interior of the furnace body 111 from the lower part of the furnace body 111 through vents 115. The amount of primary gas supplied to the furnace body 111 (e.g., the amount of primary air, etc.) and the supply ratio of primary gas to each combustion area in the furnace body 111 can be adjusted using a first air supply device SA1 such as the rotation speed of a forced-air blower (not shown) or a damper (not shown). The amount of primary gas supplied and the supply ratio of primary gas to each combustion area in the furnace body 111 are configured to be changeable, for example, according to the composition, quantity, and distribution of waste WK in the furnace body 111. In this embodiment, the first air supply device SA1, through its damper (not shown), etc., allows the supply amount of post-combustion gas (e.g., post-combustion air) supplied to the post-combustion device 123 to be adjusted independently of the supply amount of primary gas.

[0048] The waste WK is supplied into the furnace body 111 while the combustion furnace 100 is rotating at a low speed. The waste WK supplied to the furnace body 111 is agitated in accordance with the rotation of the furnace body 111 and gradually moves downstream. While the waste WK is moving within the furnace body 111, primary gas is introduced into the furnace body 111 from the wind box 121. The amount of primary gas supplied is preferably set to an amount that maintains the slow combustion of the waste WK. Unburned gas is generated during slow combustion, and this unburned gas is introduced into a secondary combustion chamber 122 located above the rear combustion chamber 124, which is located downstream of the furnace body 111. A secondary gas, such as air, is supplied to the secondary combustion chamber 122 along with the unburned gas. This burns the unburned gas. The amount of secondary gas supplied to the secondary combustion chamber 122 (e.g., secondary air amount) can be adjusted using the rotation speed of a forced-air blower (not shown) or a second air supply device SA2 such as a damper (not shown). Unburned components contained in the ash of waste WK discharged from the furnace body 111 are burned in a post-combustion stoker (an example of a post-combustion device) 123 located below a post-combustion chamber 124 provided downstream of the furnace body 111. The post-combustion chamber 124 is provided with an observation window 125 so that the inside of the furnace body 111 can be viewed from the outside of the post-combustion chamber 124 via the outlet 111b from the downstream side. The observation window 125 is made of a material that is transparent to the wavelength band used for imaging. In the near-infrared range, it is difficult to identify the first image region of the waste due to the effect of the flame, so in this embodiment, mid-infrared (2.5 μm to 4 μm) is used for imaging so that it can be identified more preferably. For this reason, the observation window 125 is made of, for example, Corning's Bycor®. Metals such as carbon steel that form the furnace body 111 and metals such as stainless steel that form the double connecting pipe 116 are opaque to mid-infrared.

[0049] The boiler 200 is located above the secondary combustion chamber 122 and connected to it, and generates steam by utilizing the heat of the exhaust gas discharged from the furnace body 111, the rear combustion chamber 124, and the secondary combustion chamber 122. Water is supplied to the boiler 200 from the feedwater device SW, and steam is generated through heat exchange with the exhaust gas.

[0050] The steam turbine generator 300 is supplied with steam generated by the boiler 200, and the steam rotates the turbine to generate electricity. The exhaust gas from which heat has been recovered in the boiler 200 is cooled and subjected to dust removal by a dust removal device installed in the exhaust gas route between the boiler 200 and the chimney 400 before being discharged out of the system through the chimney 400.

[0051] The feedwater system SW includes a condenser that cools and condenses the low-pressure wet steam discharged from the turbine outlet of the steam turbine generator 300, returning it to saturated water for storage, and a deaerator that deaerates the saturated water returned from the condenser to the boiler 200 by a pump.

[0052] Returning to Figure 1, the waste incinerator control device 1000 will be described.

[0053] The image acquisition unit 1 is connected to the control processing unit 2 and is a device that acquires images according to the control of the control processing unit 2. In this embodiment, a waste area identification device is provided in the waste incineration furnace control device 1000 and controls the RC furnace 100, so in order to image the furnace body 111 of the RC furnace 100 in near real time, the image acquisition unit 1 is an imaging unit 1 such as a digital camera that generates images using mid-infrared light. This imaging unit 1 is connected to the control processing unit 2 so as to be able to transmit image data by wire or wireless. The imaging unit 1 is positioned outside the post-combustion chamber 124 so as to be able to image the inside of the furnace body 111 of the RC furnace 100 from the downstream side through the observation window 125 of the RC furnace 100 and through the outlet 111b.

[0054] The image acquisition unit 1 may be configured to include, for example, an interface circuit for inputting and outputting data to and from an external device. The external device is a storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or SD card (registered trademark) that stores the image of the object to be detected. Alternatively, the external device is a drive device that reads data from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disc Recordable) that records images of the inside of the combustion furnace incinerating waste. In such a case, the combustion status of the RC furnace 100 can be verified at a later date by the waste area identification device. Alternatively, the image acquisition unit 1 may be, for example, a communication interface circuit that sends and receives communication signals to and from an external device, and the external device is a server device that manages images of the inside of the combustion furnace incinerating waste, and is connected to the communication interface circuit via a network (WAN (Wide Area Network, including a public communication network)) or LAN (Local Area Network). In this case, if the image acquisition unit 1 is an interface circuit or a communication interface circuit, the image acquisition unit 1 may also be used in conjunction with the IF unit 5 (i.e., the IF unit 5 may be used as the image acquisition unit 1). In such a case, the combustion status of the RC furnace 100 can be recognized in near real time via the server device, or the combustion status of the RC furnace 100 can be verified at a later date.

[0055] The input unit 3 is connected to the control processing unit 2 and is a device that inputs various commands, such as commands to instruct the start of detection, and control target names such as the name of the rotary stoker type combustion system 2000, to the waste incineration furnace control device 1000 equipped with a waste area identification device. Examples of input units include a keyboard, mouse, and multiple input switches assigned to predetermined functions. The output unit 4 is connected to the control processing unit 2 and is a device that outputs commands and data input from the input unit 3, as well as images, identification results, and detection results acquired by the image acquisition unit 1, in accordance with the control of the control processing unit 2. Examples of output units include display devices such as CRT displays, LCDs (liquid crystal displays), and organic EL displays, and printing devices such as printers.

[0056] The input unit 3 and output unit 4 may be configured as touch panels. In this configuration, the input unit 3 is a position input device that detects and inputs the operating position, such as a resistive or capacitive touch panel, and the output unit 4 is a display device. In this touch panel, a position input device is provided on the display surface of the display device, and one or more candidate input contents that can be input to the display device are displayed. When the user touches the display position that displays the input content they wish to input, the position input device detects that position, and the display content displayed at the detected position is input to the waste incinerator control device 1000 as the user's operation input. With such a touch panel, the user can easily understand the input operation intuitively, thus providing the waste incinerator control device 1000 that is easy for the user to use.

[0057] The IF unit 5 is connected to the control processing unit 2 and, in accordance with the control of the control processing unit 2, is a circuit that inputs and outputs data to and from external devices, for example. Examples include an RS-232C serial communication interface circuit, an interface circuit using the Bluetooth® standard, and an interface circuit using the USB standard. Alternatively, the IF unit 5 may be a communication interface circuit that sends and receives communication signals to and from external devices, such as a data communication card or a communication interface circuit conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

[0058] The storage unit 6 is connected to the control processing unit 2 and is a circuit that stores various predetermined programs and various predetermined data in accordance with the control of the control processing unit 2. The various predetermined programs include, for example, a control processing program, and the control processing program includes, for example, a control program, an image region identification program, a boundary line detection program, and a combustion furnace control program. The control program is a program that controls each of the parts 1, 3 to 6 of the waste combustion furnace control device 1000 according to the function of each part. The image region identification program is a program that identifies the first image region and the second image region from an image acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 by using an identification model that identifies the first image region of waste and the second image region of an opaque predetermined object that is in the field of view when imaging is performed. The boundary line detection program is a program that detects the boundary line between the first image region and the combustion furnace based on the first image region and the second image region identified by the image region identification program. The combustion furnace control program is a program that, when the boundary line detection program detects the boundary line, generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the size of the first image region identified by the image region identification program and outputs the generated control signal. The aforementioned various predetermined data include, for example, images acquired by the image acquisition unit 1, the name of the controlled object, the results of each process during processing, identification results, detection results, model information representing the identification model, and boundary information representing the boundary line, which are all data necessary for executing each of these programs.

[0059] Such a storage unit 6 may include, for example, a non-volatile memory element such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or a rewritable non-volatile memory element such as EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). Furthermore, the storage unit 6 includes RAM (Random Access Memory) which serves as the working memory of the control processing unit 2, storing data generated during the execution of the predetermined program. The storage unit 6 may also be configured to include a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) with a relatively large storage capacity.

[0060] The memory unit 6 functionally includes a model information memory unit 61. The model information memory unit 61 stores model information representing the discrimination model. For example, if the discrimination model is a neural network, the model information represents each node in each layer (number of layers and number of nodes in each layer) and each weight (values ​​acquired by machine learning) associated with each edge connecting each node in the fully connected network.

[0061] The control processing unit 2 is a circuit for controlling the waste incinerator by controlling each of the parts 1, 3 to 6 of the waste incinerator control device 1000 according to the function of each part. The control processing unit 2 is configured, for example, with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. When the control processing program is executed, the control unit 21, image area identification unit 22, boundary line detection unit 23, and incinerator control unit 24 are functionally configured in the control processing unit 2.

[0062] The control unit 21 controls each of the parts 1, 3 to 6 of the waste incinerator control device 1000 according to the function of each part, and is in charge of the overall control of the waste incinerator control device 1000.

[0063] The image region identification unit 22 identifies a first image region of waste and a second image region of a predetermined object from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 by using an identification model. The identification model is a model that identifies the first image region of waste and the second image region of the object, and is, for example, a machine learning model that has been trained. For example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) of deep learning is used as the machine learning model. The predetermined object is an object that is opaque to the wavelength band used for imaging and is within the field of view when imaging the inside of the combustion furnace. Preferably, the predetermined object moves as its position changes over time. In the example shown in Figure 2, the inside of the RC furnace 100 is imaged by the imaging unit 1 in mid-infrared light through the observation window 125, so for example, an image PC as shown in Figure 3A is generated by the imaging unit 1, and the double connecting pipe 116 that exists between the imaging unit 1 and the furnace body 111 of the RC furnace 100 is captured in the image PC, and this double connecting pipe 116 corresponds to an example of the predetermined object. As described above, the double connecting pipe 116 is connected to the water pipe 113 of the furnace body 111 and rotates with the rotation of the furnace body 111, causing the branch connecting pipe 116a to change position over time and move circumferentially. The rotation speed is, for example, one rotation per hour (1 rph) or two rotations per hour (2 rph). Therefore, even if the imaging unit 1 is fixedly positioned relative to the observation window 125, the position of the second image region P116 of the double connecting pipe 116, particularly the position of the image region P116a of the branch connecting pipe 116a, which is captured in the image PC during imaging will vary, and the identification model needs to distinguish between the first image region PWK of the waste WK and the second image region P116 of the double connecting pipe 116, which change over time in this manner.

[0064] Therefore, in the machine learning of the identification model, multiple sets of training data, such as those shown in Figure 3, are prepared by the designer, manufacturer, and user (operator), and a training dataset comprising these multiple sets of training data is prepared. The training data includes, for example, an image PC generated by imaging the inside of the RC furnace 100 as shown in Figure 3A, and training data representing the first image region PWK of the waste WK and the second image region P116 of the double connecting pipe 116, obtained by manually identifying each region PWK and P116 from the image PC, as shown in Figure 3B. In this embodiment, annotation is performed manually. Then, an untrained identification model is trained using the training dataset thus created, and a trained identification model is generated. Model information representing this trained identification model is stored in the model information storage unit 61 of the storage unit 6. The image region identification unit 22 reads model information stored in the model information storage unit 61 from the storage unit 6 to functionally configure a machine learning-based identification model. By using this identification model, the unit identifies the first image region PWK of waste WK and the second image region P116 of the double connecting pipe 116 from the image PC acquired by the image acquisition unit 1.

[0065] The boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line between the first image region and the combustion furnace based on the first image region and the second image region identified by the image region identification unit 22. More specifically, the boundary line detection unit 23 extracts an edge from at least one predetermined detection region set in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 by predetermined image processing, and detects the boundary line between the first image region and the combustion furnace based on the extracted edge and the first image region and the second image region identified by the image region identification unit 22.

[0066] More specifically, the predetermined detection area is first set appropriately in advance by, for example, a user. For example, as shown in Figure 4, an XY Cartesian coordinate system is set in the image PC acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 to indicate the position of pixels. In this XY Cartesian coordinate system, the coordinate origin (0,0) is set at the position of the pixel in the upper left corner of the image PC, the X axis is set along the horizontal direction (left-right direction, width direction) of the image PC, and the Y axis is set along the vertical direction (up-down direction, height direction) of the image PC. In the RC furnace 100, as described above, the furnace body 111 rotates around its axis as the center of rotation, so the boundary line between the first image area PWK of the waste WK and the furnace body 111 of the RC furnace 100 will have different X coordinates depending on the combustion status of the waste WK. Therefore, the predetermined detection area is set by defining the Y coordinate and including the entire range of the X coordinate in the image PC. At least one predetermined detection area is set in advance. As described above, when the imaging unit 1 is arranged as an example of the image acquisition unit 1, and the XY Cartesian coordinate system is set as described above, the image area with a relatively smaller Y coordinate becomes the upstream image area, and the image area with a relatively larger Y coordinate becomes the downstream image area. For this reason, when the image PC is 640 pixels × 480 pixels, the detection area set on the upstream side (upstream detection area) DA1 is set to a range of 30 pixels to 80 pixels in the Y coordinate (0 pixels to 640 pixels in the X coordinate), and the detection area set on the upstream side (upstream detection area) DA2 is set to a range of 425 pixels to 440 pixels in the Y coordinate (0 pixels to 640 pixels in the X coordinate). The detection area information representing the upstream detection area DA1 and the detection area information representing the downstream detection area DA2 are stored in the storage unit 6 as one of the various predetermined data. The boundary detection unit 23 applies an image filter for detecting edges, such as a Prewitt filter or a Sobel filter, to the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 (or the image of the detection region DA (detection region image)) to extract the edges EG of the detection region DA.When an opaque object overlaps the waste near the boundary between the waste and the incinerator within the field of view during imaging, the boundary between the waste and the incinerator is obscured by the opaque object, and the edge extracted from the image is no longer the boundary between the waste and the incinerator. In the example above, when the double connecting pipe 116 overlaps the waste WK near the boundary between the waste WK and the furnace body 111 of the RC furnace 100, the second image region P116 of the double connecting pipe 116 overlaps the first image region PWK of the waste WK. Therefore, the edge EG extracted from the image PC is not the boundary between the waste WK and the furnace body 111 of the RC furnace 100, but the boundary between the waste WK and the double connecting pipe 116. For this reason, the boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line by determining that the extracted edge EG is the boundary line if it is not the boundary between the first image region PWK and the second image region P116 identified by the image region identification unit 22. On the other hand, if the extracted edge EG is the boundary between the first image region PWK and the second image region P116 identified by the image region identification unit 22, the boundary detection unit 23 determines that the extracted edge EG is not the boundary and therefore does not detect the boundary. In addition, if the extracted edge EG is not detected across the entire detection region DA in the Y direction (for example, if a part of the boundary between the waste WK and the furnace body 111 of the RC furnace 100 is hidden by the double connecting pipe 116), the boundary detection unit 23 may determine that it does not detect the boundary.

[0067] When the boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the size of the first image region identified by the image region identification unit 22, and outputs the generated control signal. For example, a control signal is generated so that the size of the first image region PWK (area in image PC (visual area)) is constant or within a predetermined range. Alternatively, for example, a control signal is generated so as to cancel out the amount of change per unit time in the size of the first image region PWK (area in image PC (visual area)) relative to a preset size. The control signal is generated at each control timing at a preset interval (control interval). Therefore, the image acquisition unit 1 acquires an image at each control timing, the image region identification unit 22 identifies the first and second image regions respectively at each control timing, the boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line at each control timing, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 controls the combustion furnace at each control timing. The combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a control signal for controlling the combustion furnace using a predetermined control algorithm when the boundary line detection unit 23 does not detect the boundary line, and outputs the generated control signal. For example, the predetermined control algorithm is an algorithm that generates the control signal in such a way as to maintain the control at the previous control timing. This control signal is output to the combustion furnace, and the combustion furnace operates and is controlled according to the control signal. The size of the first image region may be determined from the first image region itself by counting the number of pixels belonging to the first image region, but the size of the first image region is proportional to the X coordinate of the boundary line and is expressed by the X coordinate of the boundary line. As the amount of waste decreases, the size of the first image region decreases, and in the above XY Cartesian coordinate system, the X coordinate of the boundary line decreases. In this case, the X coordinate of the boundary line is, for example, the average value of the X coordinates of each pixel constituting the boundary line.

[0068] Control signals can take the form of various types, and the combustion furnace (e.g., RC furnace 100) is controlled by each control signal of each type, or by a combination of each control signal of each type.

[0069] The control signal (first control signal) of the first embodiment is a signal that controls the amount of waste supplied to the combustion furnace based on a boundary line detected in the upstream detection area. In this case, the upstream detection area DA1 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. More specifically, an appropriate tolerance range for the X coordinate (first tolerance range) is set in advance, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 compares the boundary line detected by the boundary line detection unit 23 with the first tolerance range. As a result of this comparison, if the detected boundary line is within the first tolerance range, the combustion furnace control unit 24 maintains the current control because the supply of waste and combustion are in balance. That is, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a first control signal that supplies a preset amount of waste (default first waste amount) corresponding to the first tolerance range to the combustion furnace. If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the first allowable range and is smaller than the lower limit of the first allowable range, the amount of waste is small, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a first control signal to supply the combustion furnace with a waste amount greater than the default first waste amount (or the amount of waste currently supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a first control signal to supply the combustion furnace with an amount equal to the default waste amount (or the amount of waste currently supplied to the combustion furnace) plus a preset increase. If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the first allowable range and is larger than the upper limit of the allowable range, the amount of waste is large, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a first control signal to supply the combustion furnace with a waste amount less than the default first waste amount (or the amount of waste currently supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a first control signal to supply the combustion furnace with an amount equal to the default first waste amount (or the amount of waste currently supplied to the combustion furnace) minus a preset decrease. This first control signal is output to the dust feeder SD of the RC furnace 100.

[0070] The control signal of the second embodiment (second control signal) is a signal that controls the amount of primary gas supplied to the combustion furnace based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area. In this case, the upstream detection area DA1 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. More specifically, an appropriate tolerance range for the X coordinate (second tolerance range) is set in advance, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 compares the boundary line detected by the boundary line detection unit 23 with the second tolerance range. As a result of this comparison, if the detected boundary line is within the second tolerance range, the combustion furnace control unit 24 maintains the current control because the supply of waste and combustion are in balance. That is, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a second control signal that supplies a preset amount of primary gas (default first primary gas supply amount) corresponding to the second tolerance range to the combustion furnace. If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the second allowable range and is smaller than the lower limit of the second allowable range, the primary gas supply is too high, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a second control signal to supply the combustion furnace with a supply amount less than the default first primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently being supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a second control signal to supply the combustion furnace with an amount obtained by subtracting a preset reduction amount from the default first primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently being supplied to the combustion furnace). If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the second allowable range and is larger than the upper limit of the second allowable range, the primary gas supply is too low, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a second control signal to supply the combustion furnace with a supply amount greater than the default first primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently being supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a second control signal that supplies the combustion furnace with an amount equal to the default first primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace) plus a preset increase. Such a second control signal is output to the first air supply device SA1 of the RC furnace 100.

[0071] The control signal of the third embodiment (third control signal) is a signal that controls the amount of waste supplied to the combustion furnace based on the amount of waste on the downstream side predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area. In this case, the upstream detection area DA1 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. As shown in Figure 5, for example, the fact that the amount of waste on the downstream side can be estimated by the amount of waste on the upstream side at a predetermined time prior to this is shown in Figure 5. As shown by the ellipses in Figure 5, the trend that appeared in the time change of the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area DA1 appears in the time change of the boundary line detected in the downstream detection area DA2 about one hour later. Therefore, the amount of waste on the downstream side at a predetermined time can be predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area. More specifically, an appropriate tolerance range (third tolerance range) for the amount of waste on the downstream side is set in advance, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 compares the predicted amount of waste on the downstream side with the third tolerance range. As a result of this comparison, if the predicted downstream waste volume is within the third allowable range, the waste supply and combustion are balanced, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 maintains the current control. That is, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a third control signal that supplies a preset waste volume (default second waste volume) corresponding to the third allowable range to the combustion furnace. As a result of the comparison, if the predicted downstream waste volume deviates from the third allowable range and is smaller than the lower limit of the third allowable range, the waste volume is small, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a third control signal that supplies a larger amount of waste to the combustion furnace than the default second waste volume (or the amount of waste currently being supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a third control signal that supplies the combustion furnace 100 with an amount equal to the default third waste volume (or the amount of waste currently being supplied to the combustion furnace) plus a preset increase. If, as a result of the comparison, the predicted downstream waste volume deviates from the third permissible range and is greater than the upper limit of the third permissible range, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a third control signal to supply a smaller amount of waste to the combustion furnace than the default second waste volume (or the amount of waste currently being supplied to the combustion furnace), because the waste volume is large.For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a third control signal that supplies the combustion furnace with an amount obtained by subtracting a preset reduction amount from the default second waste amount (or the amount of waste currently being supplied to the combustion furnace). Such a third control signal is output to the dust feeder SD of the RC furnace 100.

[0072] The control signal of the fourth embodiment (fourth control signal) is a signal that controls the amount of primary gas supplied to the combustion furnace based on the amount of downstream waste predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area. In this case, the upstream detection area DA1 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. More specifically, an allowable range (fourth allowable range) for the amount of downstream waste is set in advance, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 compares the predicted amount of downstream waste with the fourth allowable range. As a result of this comparison, if the predicted amount of downstream waste is within the fourth allowable range, the combustion furnace control unit 24 maintains the current control because the supply of waste and combustion are in balance. That is, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a fourth control signal that supplies a preset amount of primary gas (default second single gas supply amount) corresponding to the fourth allowable range to the combustion furnace. If, as a result of the comparison, the predicted amount of waste on the downstream side deviates from the fourth allowable range and is smaller than the lower limit of the fourth allowable range, the primary gas supply is too high, so the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a fourth control signal to supply the combustion furnace with a supply amount less than the default second primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a fourth control signal to supply the combustion furnace with an amount obtained by subtracting a preset reduction amount from the default second primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace). If, as a result of the comparison, the predicted amount of waste on the downstream side deviates from the fourth allowable range and is larger than the upper limit of the fourth allowable range, the primary gas supply is too low, so the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a fourth control signal to supply the combustion furnace with a supply amount greater than the default second primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a fourth control signal that supplies the combustion furnace with an amount obtained by adding a preset increase to the default second primary gas supply amount (or the amount of primary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace). Such a fourth control signal is output to the first air supply device SA1 of the RC furnace 100.

[0073] The control signal of the fifth embodiment (fifth control signal) is a signal that controls the amount of after-combustion gas supplied to the after-combustion device based on a boundary line detected in the upstream detection area or the downstream detection area. In this case, for example, the upstream detection area DA1 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. Alternatively, for example, the downstream detection area DA2 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. More specifically, an appropriate tolerance range for the X coordinate (fifth tolerance range) is set in advance, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 compares the boundary line detected by the boundary line detection unit 23 in the upstream detection area (or downstream detection area) with the fifth tolerance range. As a result of this comparison, if the detected boundary line is within the fifth tolerance range, the combustion furnace control unit 24 maintains the current control because the supply of waste and combustion are in balance. That is, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a fifth control signal that supplies a preset amount of after-combustion gas (default after-combustion gas supply amount) corresponding to the fifth tolerance range to the combustion furnace. If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the fifth tolerance range and is smaller than the lower limit of the fifth tolerance range, then the unburned component supplied from the furnace body 111 to the after-combustion device 123 is small, and the furnace control unit 24 generates a fifth control signal to supply the furnace with a supply amount less than the default after-combustion gas supply amount (or the amount of after-combustion gas currently supplied to the furnace). For example, the furnace control unit 24 generates a fifth control signal to supply the furnace with an amount obtained by subtracting a preset reduction amount from the default after-combustion gas supply amount (or the amount of after-combustion gas currently supplied to the furnace). If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the fifth tolerance range and is larger than the upper limit of the fifth tolerance range, then the unburned component supplied from the furnace body 111 to the after-combustion device 123 is large, and the furnace control unit 24 generates a fifth control signal to supply the furnace with a supply amount greater than the default after-combustion gas supply amount (or the amount of after-combustion gas currently supplied to the furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a fifth control signal that supplies to the combustion furnace an amount obtained by adding a preset increase to the default amount of after-combustion gas supplied (or the amount of after-combustion gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace).Such a fifth control signal is output to the first air supply device SA1 of the RC furnace 100.

[0074] The control signal of the sixth embodiment (sixth control signal) is a signal that controls the amount of secondary gas supplied to the secondary combustion chamber based on a boundary line detected in the upstream detection area or the downstream detection area. In this case, for example, the upstream detection area DA1 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. Alternatively, for example, the downstream detection area DA2 is set as the at least one predetermined detection area. More specifically, an appropriate tolerance range for the X coordinate (sixth tolerance range) is set in advance, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 compares the boundary line detected by the boundary line detection unit 23 in the upstream detection area (or downstream detection area) with the sixth tolerance range. As a result of this comparison, if the detected boundary line is within the sixth tolerance range, the combustion furnace control unit 24 maintains the current control because the supply of waste and combustion are in balance. That is, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a sixth control signal that supplies a preset amount of secondary gas (default secondary gas supply amount) corresponding to the sixth tolerance range to the combustion furnace. If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the sixth permissible range and is smaller than the lower limit of the sixth permissible range, then the amount of unburned gas supplied from the furnace body 111 to the secondary combustion chamber 122 is small, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a sixth control signal to supply the combustion furnace 100 with a supply amount less than the default secondary gas supply amount (or the amount of secondary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a sixth control signal to supply the combustion furnace with an amount obtained by subtracting a preset reduction amount from the default secondary gas supply amount (or the amount of secondary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace). If, as a result of the comparison, the detected boundary line deviates from the sixth permissible range and is larger than the upper limit of the sixth permissible range, then the amount of unburned gas supplied from the furnace body 111 to the secondary combustion chamber 122 is large, and the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a sixth control signal to supply the combustion furnace with a supply amount greater than the default secondary gas supply amount (or the amount of secondary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace). For example, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a sixth control signal that supplies the combustion furnace with an amount obtained by adding a preset increase to the default secondary gas supply amount (or the amount of secondary gas currently supplied to the combustion furnace).This sixth control signal is output to the second air supply device SA2 of the RC furnace 100.

[0075] Furthermore, at least two of the first to sixth control signals may be combined. For example, the first control signal and the fifth control signal may be combined. In this case, for example, an upstream detection region DA1 and a downstream detection region DA2 are set as the at least one predetermined detection region, the first control signal is generated based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection region DA1, and the fifth control signal is generated based on the boundary line detected in the downstream detection region DA2.

[0076] The control processing unit 2, input unit 3, output unit 4, IF unit 5, and storage unit 6 in the waste incinerator control device 1000 can be configured by, for example, a desktop or notebook computer.

[0077] The image acquisition unit 1, the image area identification unit 22, and the boundary line detection unit 23 of the control processing unit 2 in the waste incineration furnace control device 1000 are examples of waste area identification devices.

[0078] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the waste incinerator control device.

[0079] When the waste incinerator control device 1000, configured in this manner, is powered on, it performs the initialization of each necessary part and begins operation. The control processing unit 2 is functionally configured with a control unit 21, an image area identification unit 22, a boundary line detection unit 23, and an incinerator control unit 24 through the execution of its control processing program.

[0080] When the control of the combustion furnace is started, the waste combustion furnace control device 1000 repeatedly performs the following processes at predetermined control intervals until the control of the combustion furnace is completed.

[0081] When the current control timing is reached, in Figure 6, the waste incinerator control device 1000 first acquires an image of the inside of the incinerator where the waste is burned from the image acquisition unit 1 (image acquisition unit 1 in the example shown in Figure 2) by the control unit 21 of the control processing unit 2, and stores it in the storage unit 6 (S1). The image may be stored in the storage unit 6 in association with information representing the current control timing (control timing information, such as the serial number of the time control timing).

[0082] Next, the waste incinerator control device 1000 uses the image region identification unit 22 of the control processing unit 2 to identify the first image region and the second image region from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 (imaging unit 1 in the example shown in Figure 2) using the identification model, and stores the result of this identification in the storage unit 6 (S2).

[0083] Next, the waste incinerator control device 1000 uses the boundary line detection unit 23 of the control processing unit 2 to detect the boundary line between the first image region and the incinerator based on the first image region and the second image region identified by the image region identification unit 22, and stores the detected boundary line in the storage unit 6. The boundary line may be stored in the storage unit 6 in association with control timing information representing the current control timing.

[0084] More specifically, following process S2, the waste incinerator control device 1000 uses the boundary line detection unit 23 to extract edges from a predetermined detection area set in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 (image acquisition unit 1 in the example shown in Figure 2) by predetermined image processing, and stores these extracted edges in the storage unit 6 (S3).

[0085] Next, the waste incinerator control device 1000 detects the boundary line by determining that the extracted edge EG is the boundary line if it is not the boundary line between the first image region PWK and the second image region P116 identified by the image region identification unit 22, using the boundary line detection unit 23. On the other hand, the waste incinerator control device 1000 does not detect the boundary line by determining that the extracted edge is not the boundary line if it is the boundary line between the first image region PWK and the second image region P116 identified by the image region identification unit 22, using the boundary line detection unit 23 (S4).

[0086] Next, the waste incinerator control device 1000 stores the detection result in the boundary information storage unit 62 of the storage unit 6 using the boundary line detection unit 23 (S5). If the boundary line is detected, boundary line information representing this boundary line is stored in the boundary line information storage unit 62 in association with control timing information representing the current control timing. If the boundary line is not detected, information indicating that the boundary line was not detected (non-detection information) is stored in the boundary line information storage unit 62 as boundary line information in association with control timing information representing the current control timing.

[0087] Then, the waste incinerator control device 1000, using the incinerator control unit 24 of the control processing unit 2, generates a control signal to control the incinerator based on the size of the first image region identified by the image region identification unit 22 when the boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line (more specifically, it generates a control signal based on the boundary line detected by the boundary line detection unit 23), and outputs this generated control signal to the incinerator. On the other hand, the waste incinerator control device 1000, using the incinerator control unit 24, generates a control signal to control the incinerator using a predetermined control algorithm when the boundary line detection unit 23 does not detect the boundary line, and outputs this generated control signal to the incinerator (S6), thus ending this process for the current control timing.

[0088] Through these processes, each region is identified from the image, and the combustion furnace is controlled accordingly.

[0089] Next, an embodiment will be described. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the time change of the boundary line in the upstream detection area as an example. The horizontal axis of Figure 7 is the time (elapsed time) from 0:00 to 0:40, the left vertical axis is the X coordinate [pixel] representing the boundary line in the upstream detection area DA1, and the right vertical axis is the double connecting pipe passage signal. Graph α is the boundary line, and graph β is the double connecting pipe passage signal. The double connecting pipe passage signal is set to "0" when the boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line, indicating that the double connecting pipe 116 does not overlap the boundary line in the field of view, and the double connecting pipe passage signal is set to "1" when the boundary line detection unit 23 does not detect the boundary line, indicating that the double connecting pipe 116 overlaps the boundary line in the field of view.

[0090] As shown in Figure 7, when the double connecting pipe 116 crosses the boundary between the waste WK and the furnace body 111 within the field of view during imaging, the boundary is hidden by the double connecting pipe 116 in the image PC captured by the imaging unit 1, which is an example of the image acquisition unit 1. Therefore, the boundary detection unit 23 does not detect the boundary in the upstream detection area DA1. In this case, in Figure 7, graph α is shown as a dashed line. When the size of the first image area PWK is determined when this boundary is not detected, the size of the first image area PWK is smaller than the apparent size of the waste WK (the size seen in the field of view of the imaging unit 1), so that error is included in the size of the first image area PWK. For this reason, if the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the boundary in the upstream detection area DA1 and controls the combustion furnace, the combustion furnace will not be controlled properly. Therefore, in this embodiment, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a control signal to maintain the control at the previous control timing as a predetermined control algorithm, and controls the combustion furnace with this generated control signal. In Figure 7, during the period when the dual-connection pipe pass signal is "1", the boundary line detected at the previous control timing is used to generate the control signal, and in graph α, it is shown as a solid line parallel to the X axis. This allows for handling outliers of the boundary line.

[0091] As described above, the waste area identification device provided in the waste incinerator control device 1000 in the embodiment, as well as the waste area identification method and waste area identification program implemented therein, distinguish between a first image area of ​​waste and a second image area of ​​opaque objects. Therefore, even when there are opaque objects in the field of view during imaging, such as when they are located between the incinerator and the imaging unit, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy.

[0092] The above-described waste area identification device, waste area identification method, and waste area identification program detect the boundary line between the first image area and the incinerator (the boundary line between the waste and the incinerator) based on the first image area of ​​the waste and the second image area of ​​the opaque object. Since the boundary line can be detected by taking the second image area into consideration, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy.

[0093] The waste area identification device, waste area identification method, and waste area identification program described above determine that an edge is the boundary line when it is not the boundary between the first image area and the second image area, and identify the boundary line when it is the boundary between the first image area and the second image area, and determine that the edge is not the boundary line when it is, and do not identify the boundary line. Therefore, the waste area identification device, waste area identification method, and waste area identification program described above can appropriately detect the boundary line with the incinerator in the first image area.

[0094] Waste can be categorized into types that are relatively easily combustible and types that are relatively difficult to combust. When the amount of waste fed into the incinerator remains constant over time, if a large amount of easily combustible waste is mixed in, the size of the waste in the first image region will decrease, and if a large amount of difficult-to-combustible waste is mixed in, the size of the waste in the first image region will increase. Therefore, the combustion status of the waste can be recognized based on the size of the waste in the first image region, and the incinerator can be controlled based on these changes.

[0095] In the embodiment, the waste incinerator control device 1000 equipped with a waste area identification device, and the waste incinerator control method and waste incinerator control program implemented therein, are equipped with a waste area identification device, so that a first image area of ​​waste identified with greater accuracy can be used, thereby enabling more accurate control of the incinerator.

[0096] The waste incinerator control device 1000, waste incinerator control method, and waste incinerator control program described above generate the first and second control signals, respectively, based on a boundary line in the upstream detection area that depends on the amount of waste upstream. This makes it possible to generate the first and second control signals in anticipation of the combustion status downstream. When the waste amount is controlled, the waste incinerator control device 1000, waste incinerator control method, and waste incinerator control program can optimize the amount of waste fed into the incinerator. Furthermore, when the primary gas supply amount is controlled, the waste fed into the incinerator can be properly burned.

[0097] In the third and fourth control signals of the third and fourth embodiments described above, the waste incinerator control device 1000, waste incinerator control method, and waste incinerator control program generate control signals based on the amount of waste downstream predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area, thereby enabling the generation of control signals to more accurately anticipate the combustion conditions downstream.

[0098] In the waste incinerator control device 1000, waste incinerator control method, and waste incinerator control program described above, the fifth control signal of the fifth embodiment enables the generation of a control signal that controls the amount of post-combustion gas supplied in anticipation of the combustion status of the post-combustion device.

[0099] In the sixth control signal of the sixth embodiment described above, the waste incinerator control device 1000, waste incinerator control method, and waste incinerator control program are capable of generating a control signal that controls the amount of secondary gas supplied in anticipation of the combustion status of the secondary combustion chamber.

[0100] In the above embodiment, the identification model identified the waste in the combustion furnace as a single unit, but it is also possible to identify the waste in the combustion furnace by dividing it into multiple units.

[0101] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, an image of the inside of a combustion furnace, the first image region of waste, and the second image region of the double connecting pipe. Figure 8A shows the image PC1 inside the combustion furnace, and Figure 8B shows the first image regions PWK1 and PWK2 of waste and the second image region P116a of the double connecting pipe in the image PC1 shown in Figure 8A.

[0102] For example, in the first modified embodiment, the first image region of the waste is configured to include a plurality of sub-image regions of the waste. In the example shown in Figure 8, as shown in Figure 8B, the first image region of the waste is configured to include two sub-image regions of the waste on the upstream side, PWK1, and a sub-image region of the waste on the downstream side, PWK2. The first image region is formed by these two sub-image regions PWK1 and PWK2. The identification model is a model that identifies the plurality of sub-image regions and the second image region of the object. In the machine learning of the identification model, for example, a plurality of training data sets, such as those shown in Figure 8, are prepared, and a training dataset comprising the plurality of training data sets is prepared. The aforementioned training data includes, for example, an image PC generated by imaging the inside of the RC furnace 100 as shown in Figure 8A, and training data representing the first image region PWK (PWK1, PWK2) of the waste WK and the second image region P116 of the double connecting pipe 116, obtained by manually identifying each region PWK, P116 from this image PC, as shown in Figure 8B. For example, the brightness of a pixel determines whether it is the sub-image region PWK1 of the waste on the upstream side or the sub-image region PWK2 of the waste on the downstream side. Then, an untrained identification model is trained using the training dataset thus created, and a trained identification model is generated.

[0103] The image region identification unit 22 identifies the plurality of sub-image regions and the second image region from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 1 by using the identification model. The boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line between the sub-image region and the combustion furnace in at least one of the plurality of sub-image regions, based on the sub-image region identified by the image region identification unit 22 and the second image region. When the boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal to the combustion furnace. As described above, the upstream detection region DA1 and the downstream detection region DA2 are set as appropriate, and one of the first to sixth control signals, or a combination thereof, is generated to control the combustion furnace 100.

[0104] The waste area identification device in this first modified form, as well as the waste area identification method and waste area identification program implemented therein, identify multiple sub-image areas and a second image area, and detect the boundary line between the sub-image area and the incinerator (the boundary line between the waste and the incinerator) based on the sub-image area of ​​the waste and the second image area of ​​the opaque object. Since the boundary line can be detected by considering the second image area, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy for each sub-image area.

[0105] In this first modified form, the waste incinerator control device 1000, as well as the waste incinerator control method and waste incinerator control program implemented therein, are equipped with the aforementioned waste area identification device. This allows for the use of sub-image areas of waste that have been identified with greater accuracy, thus enabling more precise control of the incinerator.

[0106] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, the division of a combustion furnace into multiple zones.

[0107] Alternatively, for example, in the second modified embodiment, the identification model divides the inside of the combustion furnace into multiple areas, and for each of the multiple areas, it is a model that identifies the sub-image area of ​​the waste and the second image area of ​​the object in that area. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the inside of the RC furnace is divided into two areas by a plane formed by the axis (furnace central axis) and diameter of the furnace body 111, and in each of these two areas, the wind box 121 is divided into four zones from upstream to downstream, and a primary gas (e.g., air) is supplied to the furnace body 111 in each zone. First, it is divided into six areas A-1, B-1, C-1, A-2, B-2, and C-2, which are further divided into three from upstream to downstream, and then into two areas C-3 and C-4 downstream of areas C-1 and C-2, respectively. Therefore, the inside of the RC furnace is divided into eight areas. The number of zones is arbitrary and can be set appropriately according to, for example, the location of waste within the RC furnace that is referenced to control the RC furnace 100. In creating training data, for each zone, the sub-image region of the waste WK and the second image region P116 of the double connecting pipe 116 are identified, and training data is created.

[0108] The image region identification unit 22 identifies the plurality of sub-image regions and the second image region from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using the identification model. Here, the first image region of the waste is formed by the plurality of sub-image regions. The boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line between the sub-image region and the combustion furnace in at least one of the plurality of sub-image regions, based on the sub-image region identified by the image region identification unit 22 and the second image region. When the boundary line detection unit 23 detects the boundary line, the combustion furnace control unit 24 generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal to the combustion furnace. As described above, the upstream detection region DA1 and the downstream detection region DA2 are set as appropriate, and one of the first to sixth control signals, or a combination thereof, is generated to control the combustion furnace 100. In the example shown in Figure 9, the upstream area consists of four areas A-1, B-1, A-2, and B-2. One of these is selected in advance, and the upstream detection area DA1 is defined in the area corresponding to the sub-image region within the selected area. In the example shown in Figure 9, the downstream area consists of four areas C-1, C-3, C-2, and C-4. One of these is selected in advance, and the downstream detection area DA2 is defined in the area corresponding to the sub-image region within the selected area.

[0109] In this second modified form, the waste area identification device, the waste area identification method, and the waste area identification program implemented therein divide the inside of the incinerator into multiple areas, identify a sub-image area and a second image area of ​​waste for each area, and detect the boundary line between the sub-image area and the incinerator (the boundary line between the waste and the incinerator) based on the sub-image area of ​​waste and the second image area of ​​opaque objects. Since the boundary line can be detected by taking the second image area into consideration, the waste area can be identified with greater accuracy for each sub-image area (area).

[0110] In this second modified form, the waste incinerator control device 1000, the waste incinerator control method, and the waste incinerator control program implemented therein are equipped with the above-mentioned waste area identification device, so that the sub-image areas of the waste that have been identified with greater accuracy can be used, thereby enabling more accurate control of the incinerator. In the above-mentioned waste incinerator control device 1000, waste incinerator control method, and waste incinerator control program, the inside of the incinerator is divided into multiple areas, so the division into multiple areas can be done considering the structure of the incinerator.

[0111] To illustrate the present invention, the embodiments have been adequately and fully described above with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art should recognize that it is easy to modify and / or improve upon the embodiments described above. Therefore, unless such modifications or improvements implemented by those skilled in the art fall outside the scope of the claims, such modifications or improvements shall be considered to be included within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 1000 Waste Incineration Furnace Control Device 2000 Rotary Stoker Combustion System 1 Image acquisition unit 2 Control Processing Unit 6 Memory section 21 Control Unit 22 Image region identification unit 23 Boundary line detection unit 24 Combustion Furnace Control Unit 61 Model Information Storage Unit 100-rotation stoker type combustion furnace 116 Dual connecting pipe 125 Observation window SD dust supply device SA1 First Air Supply System SA2 Second Air Supply System

Claims

1. An image acquisition unit that acquires images of the inside of a combustion furnace where waste is burned, The system includes an image region identification unit that identifies the first image region and the second image region from an image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using an identification model that identifies the first image region of the waste and the second image region of a predetermined opaque object that is in the field of view during imaging. Waste area identification device.

2. The system further includes a boundary detection unit that detects the boundary line between the first image region and the combustion furnace based on the first image region and the second image region identified by the image region identification unit. The waste area identification device according to claim 1.

3. The boundary line detection unit extracts an edge from at least one predetermined detection region set in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by predetermined image processing, and detects the boundary line by determining that the extracted edge is the boundary line if the extracted edge is not the boundary line between the first image region and the second image region identified by the image region identification unit, and does not detect the boundary line by determining that the extracted edge is not the boundary line if the extracted edge is the boundary line between the first image region and the second image region identified by the image region identification unit. The waste area identification device according to claim 2.

4. An image acquisition process to obtain images of the inside of a combustion furnace where waste is burned, The system includes an image region identification step that identifies the first image region and the second image region from the image acquired in the image acquisition step by using an identification model that identifies the first image region of the waste and the second image region of a predetermined opaque object that is in the field of view during imaging. Method for identifying waste areas.

5. A waste area identification program for causing a computer to function as a waste area identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A waste area identification device according to claim 2 or claim 3, The combustion furnace control unit comprises a boundary detection unit that, when it detects the boundary line, generates a control signal for controlling the combustion furnace based on the size of the first image region identified by the image region identification unit, and outputs the generated control signal. Waste incinerator control device.

7. The aforementioned combustion furnace is a furnace that burns the waste while moving the waste from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, A waste area identification device according to claim 3, wherein an upstream detection area is set on the upstream side as the at least one predetermined detection area, The combustion furnace control unit comprises a boundary line detection unit that, when it detects a boundary line, generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal. The control signal is a signal that controls the amount of waste supplied to the combustion furnace based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area, or a signal that controls the amount of primary gas supplied to the combustion furnace based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area. Waste incinerator control device.

8. The aforementioned combustion furnace is a furnace that burns the waste while moving the waste from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, A waste area identification device according to claim 3, wherein an upstream detection area is set on the upstream side as the at least one predetermined detection area, The combustion furnace control unit comprises a boundary line detection unit that, when it detects a boundary line, generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal. The control signal is a signal that controls the amount of waste supplied to the combustion furnace based on the amount of waste on the downstream side predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area, or a signal that controls the amount of primary gas supplied to the combustion furnace based on the amount of waste on the downstream side predicted based on the boundary line detected in the upstream detection area. Waste incinerator control device.

9. The aforementioned combustion furnace is a furnace that burns the waste while moving the waste from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, A waste area identification device according to claim 3, wherein, as the at least one predetermined detection area, an upstream detection area is set on the upstream side, or a downstream detection area is set on the downstream side. The combustion furnace control unit comprises a boundary line detection unit that, when it detects a boundary line, generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal. The control signal is a signal that controls the amount of after-combustion gas supplied to a after-combustion device located downstream of the combustion furnace, based on a boundary line detected in the upstream detection area or the downstream detection area, or a signal that controls the amount of secondary gas supplied to a secondary combustion chamber located upstream of the combustion furnace, based on a boundary line detected in the upstream detection area or the downstream detection area. Waste incinerator control device.

10. The waste area identification method according to claim 4, A boundary detection step for detecting the boundary line between the first image region and the combustion furnace based on the first image region and the second image region identified in the image region identification step, The combustion furnace control step includes, when the boundary line detection step detects the boundary line, generating a control signal for controlling the combustion furnace based on the size of the first image region identified in the image region identification step, and outputting the generated control signal. A method for controlling a waste incinerator.

11. A waste incinerator control program for causing a computer to function as a waste incinerator control device according to claim 6.

12. A waste incinerator control program for causing a computer to function as a waste incinerator control device according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

13. The first image region of the waste is configured to include a plurality of sub-image regions of the waste, The aforementioned identification model is a model that identifies the plurality of sub-image regions and the second image region of the object, The image region identification unit identifies the plurality of sub-image regions and the second image region from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using the identification model. The boundary line detection unit detects a boundary line between the sub-image region and the combustion furnace in at least one of the plurality of sub-image regions, based on the sub-image region identified by the image region identification unit and the second image region. The waste area identification device according to claim 2.

14. The aforementioned combustion furnace is a furnace that burns the waste while moving the waste from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, A waste area identification device according to claim 13, The combustion furnace control unit comprises a boundary line detection unit that, when it detects a boundary line, generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal. Waste incinerator control device.

15. The identification model divides the inside of the combustion furnace into multiple areas, and for each of the multiple areas, it identifies the sub-image area of ​​the waste and the second image area of ​​the object in that area. The image region identification unit identifies the plurality of sub-image regions and the second image region from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit by using the identification model. The first image region of the waste is formed by the plurality of sub-image regions, The boundary line detection unit detects a boundary line between the sub-image region and the combustion furnace in at least one of the plurality of sub-image regions, based on the sub-image region identified by the image region identification unit and the second image region. The waste area identification device according to claim 2.

16. The aforementioned combustion furnace is a furnace that burns the waste while moving the waste from the upstream side of the inlet to the downstream side of the outlet, A waste area identification device according to claim 15, The combustion furnace control unit comprises a boundary line detection unit that, when it detects a boundary line, generates a control signal to control the combustion furnace based on the detected boundary line and outputs the generated control signal. Waste incinerator control device.

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