Identification Device

Abstract

To provide an identification device or an identification method that, despite variations in size and shape of a specimen to be conveyed, hardly causes a reduction in the number of times of inspection processing and a reduction in identification accuracy by reducing a variation in the distance between a light detection surface and a light irradiation unit.SOLUTION: An identification device comprises: a plurality of irradiation units that are arranged at different positions in a conveyance width direction to irradiate a specimen conveyed by a conveying unit in a predetermined conveyance direction with converging light in different irradiation conditions; a plurality of light collection units that correspond to the plurality of irradiation units and collect scattered light from the specimen; an acquisition unit that acquires identification information for identifying the properties of the specimen based on the light collected by the light collection units; and a placement unit that places the specimen at a position corresponding to any one of the plurality of irradiation units on the upstream side of the plurality of irradiation units in the conveyance direction according to the characteristic value of the specimen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an identification device for identifying the properties of a specimen. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an identification device that optically identifies the properties of a specimen by using spectroscopic analysis. Such an identification device is disposed in the middle of a transport section along which a specimen is transported, and is used for inspecting manufactured products, separating waste materials, etc. Spectroscopic analysis does not necessarily require the vacuum decompression process, the atmosphere control process, the immersion process in liquid, and the drying process, which limit the throughput of the analysis, and can identify the properties of a specimen in the air. In recent years, attempts have been made to apply spectroscopic analysis to the separation of waste resins, since spectroscopic analysis can identify the properties of a specimen in the air without necessarily requiring the vacuum decompression process, the atmosphere control process, the immersion process in liquid, and the drying process, which limit the throughput of the analysis.

[0003] Known spectroscopic analyses include absorption spectroscopy, which obtains the absorption spectrum of a specimen against incident light, and scattering spectroscopy, which obtains the scattering spectrum of a specimen against incident light. Scattering spectroscopy is less affected by light attenuation in the thickness direction of the specimen, and is therefore used to identify wastes whose specimens vary in size and materials. Raman scattering spectroscopy, which disperses Raman scattered light, is suitable for identifying resins, as it utilizes the Raman shift specific to the interatomic bonds that make up hydrocarbons, etc.

[0004] A sorting device is known that sorts identified samples based on whether or not the properties of the samples satisfy predetermined target conditions. The Raman scattering light used in Raman scattering spectroscopy has an intensity several orders of magnitude lower than that of the elastic scattering component (Rayleigh scattered light) contained in the secondary light, so a method is used in which the primary light is focused and irradiated onto the specimen to increase the detection sensitivity per unit area. While the focusing method can obtain a sensitizing effect, the intensity of the detection light fluctuates in response to fluctuations in the working distance, which is the distance between the light irradiating part and the irradiated surface (detection surface) of the specimen, and thus the discrimination performance fluctuates. To remedy this fluctuation in the intensity of the detection light and discrimination performance, it is desirable to keep the working distance constant in scattering spectroscopy.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses an identification device that maintains a constant distance (working distance) between the sample and the light irradiating unit by providing a transport unit that aligns and transports the samples in a line, an identification unit that identifies the material of the sample based on the scattered light from the transported sample, and a guide mechanism and a light-transmitting plate. Patent Document 1 discloses that the working distance is set to a predetermined value by receiving scattered light from the sample pressed against the light-transmitting plate by the guide mechanism, via the light-transmitting plate.

[0006] There is known an identification device that stabilizes the working distance by aligning the distance between the transported specimen and the light irradiation unit. Patent Document 2 discloses an identification device that includes a pressurizing unit arranged with a gap parallel to the conveyor belt, upstream of a light collecting unit that collects Raman scattered light, and optically identifies specimens at a working distance that is equal to or smaller than a predetermined variation. The pressurizing unit included in the identification device described in Patent Document 2 pressurizes and molds the specimen on the transport surface or tilts it onto the transport surface to set the working distance to or smaller than a predetermined variation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-323450 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2014-141045 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In identification devices that employ the guide form for pressing the sample as described in Patent Document 1 or the pressing part form as described in Patent Document 2, there is a concern that the sample may get caught in the guide or pressing part, limiting the number of identification processes, or that the sample may elastically deform, causing the position of the light irradiation surface to fluctuate.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide an identification device or identification method that is unlikely to cause a decrease in the number of test processes or a decrease in identification accuracy by stabilizing the distance (working distance) between the light detection surface and the light irradiation unit even if there is variation in the size and shape of the samples being transported. That is, the object of the present invention is to provide an identification device or identification method that is unlikely to cause a decrease in the number of test processes or a decrease in identification accuracy by reducing the variation in the distance between the light detection surface and the light irradiation unit even if there is variation in the size and shape of the samples being transported. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] An identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of irradiation units arranged at different positions in a transport width direction to irradiate focused light under different irradiation conditions toward a sample transported in a predetermined transport direction by a transport unit, a plurality of light collecting units corresponding to the plurality of irradiation units and collecting scattered light from the sample, an acquisition unit acquiring identification information for identifying a property of the sample based on the light collected by the light collecting units, and a placement unit that places the sample at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units in accordance with a characteristic value of the sample, upstream of the plurality of irradiation units in the transport direction. The irradiation conditions include at least one of a focal plane height, a focal length, and a working distance of the irradiation unit. It is characterized by: Moreover, an identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of irradiation units arranged at different positions in the transport width direction to irradiate focused light under different irradiation conditions toward a sample transported by a transport unit in a predetermined transport direction, a plurality of light collecting units corresponding to the plurality of irradiation units and collecting scattered light from the sample, an acquisition unit acquiring identification information for identifying characteristics of the sample based on the light collected by the light collecting units, and a placement unit placing the sample at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units upstream of the plurality of irradiation units in the transport direction in accordance with a characteristic value including the height of the sample, wherein the irradiation condition includes the height of the focal plane of the focused light. Furthermore, an identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of irradiation units arranged at different positions in the transport width direction to irradiate focused light under different irradiation conditions toward a sample transported in a predetermined transport direction by a transport unit, a plurality of light collecting units corresponding to the plurality of irradiation units and collecting scattered light from the sample, an acquisition unit acquiring identification information for identifying properties of the sample based on the light collected by the light collecting units, and a placement unit which places the sample at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units in accordance with a characteristic value of the sample, upstream of the plurality of irradiation units in the transport direction, wherein the transport unit transports the sample and has a transport surface on which the sample is placed, and the placement unit has a static gap gate including a portion in the transport width direction where the height conditions from the transport surface through which the sample can pass are different. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an identification device or identification method that reduces variation in the distance between the light detection surface and the light irradiation unit, even if there is variation in the size and shape of the samples being transported, and is less likely to result in a decrease in the number of test processes or a decrease in identification accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1A to 1D are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a discrimination device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a spectral information acquisition unit according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing modified examples (a) to (c) of the mounting part and a modified example (d) of the irradiation part according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 5A to 5E are diagrams showing other modified examples (a) to (e) of the mounting section according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 10(a) to (c) are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a discrimination device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 13(a) to (d) are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a discrimination device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] 13(a) to 13(e) are views showing the opening and closing operation of a selection gate provided on a mounting part according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the focal plane and focal depth in focused light from a single irradiation unit and multiple irradiation units. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] <First embodiment> The identification device 1000 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 1(a) is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the identification device 1000 according to this embodiment. Fig. 1(b) is a plan view of the identification device 1000 shown in Fig. 1(a) viewed from the positive side of the z-direction. Figs. 1(c) and 1(d) are schematic configuration diagrams of the placement unit 50 according to the feature of the present invention and the emission unit 22 viewed from the positive side of the x-axis to the negative direction. Figs. 1(a), 1(c), and 1(d) correspond to the cross sections B-B', CC', and D-D' in Fig. 1(b), respectively.

[0015] In this embodiment, the -z direction corresponds to the vertical direction and the direction of gravity, the x direction corresponds to the conveying direction dc, the y direction corresponds to the conveying width direction dw, and the xy plane corresponds to the horizontal plane. The conveying width direction dw is parallel to the conveying surface 200S and coincides with a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction dc.

[0016] (Identification device) As shown in Figs. 1(a), (b) and (d), the identification device 1000 includes a plurality of irradiators 22-k (k:1 to 4) that irradiate focused light 220-k (k:1 to 4) having different heights of focal planes 65-k (k:1 to 4) toward a specimen 900i transported in a transport direction dc. The plurality of irradiators 22-k (k:1 to 4) are disposed at different positions in the transport width direction dw so as to correspond to the transport tracks TRk (k:1 to 4). The heights of the focal planes 65-k (k:1 to 4) are included in the irradiation conditions of the plurality of irradiators 22-k (k:1 to 4). The specimen 900i is supplied to the transport unit 200 by the feeder 500 and transported by the transport unit 200 along the transport direction dc.

[0017] The irradiation conditions include at least one of the height of the focal plane 65-k (k: 1 to 4), the irradiation light intensity i, the irradiation time, the focal length DF, and the working distance (WD) of the irradiation unit. Note that the transport track TRk may be referred to as the transport path TRk.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1(a), the identification device 1000 includes a plurality of light collecting units 20-k (k: 1 to 4) that collect scattered light from the specimen 900i corresponding to a plurality of irradiation units 22-k (k: 1 to 4) at different positions in the transport width direction dw. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the identification device 1000 includes an acquisition unit 30 that acquires identification information for identifying the properties of the specimen 900i based on the light collected by the light collecting units 20-k (k: 1 to 4). Note that the height of the focal plane 65-k may be replaced with the height of the detection plane 65-k, the height of the irradiated surface 65-k of the specimen 900i, or the like, in a mode in which the positional relationship between the irradiation unit 22 and the light collecting unit 20 of the light collecting unit 27 described later is set in common between the transport tracks TRk.

[0019] 1(a), (b) and (c), the identification device 1000 includes a mounting unit 50 that mounts the specimen 900i at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units 22-k (k: 1 to 4) according to the height hi of the specimen 900i. The mounting unit 50 of this embodiment is disposed upstream of the plurality of irradiation units 22-k (k: 1 to 4) in the conveying direction dc, and includes a plurality of gap gates 50-k (k: 1 to 4) having different gaps (gap heights) from the conveying surface 200S.

[0020] In this embodiment, the position where the specimen 900i is placed on the mounting unit 50 corresponding to any one of the multiple irradiation units 22-k (k: 1 to 4) is determined according to a characteristic value of the specimen 900i. The characteristic value in this embodiment is the height hi of the specimen 900i, which is included in the geometric characteristics of the specimen 900i.

[0021] The type of characteristic value is not limited to the geometric characteristic, and other characteristics may be adopted as the geometric characteristic. The characteristic values ​​to which the mounting unit 50 responds include geometric characteristics, mechanical characteristics, and optical characteristics. The geometric characteristics include at least one of the size of the specimen 900i, the outer shape including the aspect ratio, the surface roughness, the specific gravity, and the mass. The mechanical characteristics include at least one of the elastic modulus, the viscosity coefficient, the linear expansion coefficient, the Poisson's ratio, the rigidity, the stress, and the strain distribution of the specimen 900i. The optical characteristics include at least one of the spectral reflectance including the reflection spectrum of the specimen 900i, the haze value, the refractive index, and the optical density.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the identification device 1000 includes a conveying unit 200 equipped with a conveyor belt that conveys a specimen 900i in the x direction at a conveying speed vc, and a discrimination device 300 downstream of the conveying unit 200 in the conveying direction dc.

[0023] In addition, the multiple irradiation sections 22-k (k:1 to 4), the multiple light collecting sections 20-k (k:1 to 4), and the multiple gap gates 50-k (k:1 to 4) provided corresponding to the transport track TRk (k:1 to 4) are collectively referred to as the irradiation section 22, the light collecting section 20, and the placement section 50, respectively.

[0024] Next, each of the components included in the identification device 1000 will be described in detail.

[0025] (Spectral information acquisition section) The identification device 1000 has a spectral information acquisition unit 100 that acquires spectral information of light collected from a specimen 900i. The spectral information acquisition unit 100 is a unit that acquires a Raman shift from the wave number difference between the Raman scattered light contained in the secondary light from the specimen 900i and the excitation light contained in the primary light.

[0026] 1(a) and 2, the spectral information acquisition unit 100 includes an irradiation unit 22 that irradiates the specimen 900i with primary light 220, and a light collection unit 20 that collects secondary light from the specimen 900i. In this embodiment, the irradiation unit 22 and the light collection unit 20 are arranged coaxially, and the irradiation unit 22 is optically coupled to a light source 25 including a laser light source via an optical fiber 190. The light collection unit 20 is optically coupled to the spectral image acquisition unit 10 so that the spectral information acquisition unit 100 can acquire optical information reflecting the material contained in the specimen 900i.

[0027] (Light gathering unit) 2 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the configuration of the spectral information acquisition section 100. The spectral information acquisition section 100 includes a light collection unit 27 having an irradiation section 22 that irradiates light onto the specimen 900i, and a light collection section 20 that collects Raman scattered light from the specimen 900i. The irradiation section 22 and the light collection section 20 are arranged coaxially on the specimen side (objective side) as viewed from the dichroic mirror, and even if there is a difference in height or inclination on the irradiation surface of the specimen 900i, positional deviation is unlikely to occur between the center of the irradiation spot and the center of the light beam of the collected scattered light.

[0028] (Irradiation unit) As shown in Figures 1(b) and (d), the irradiation unit 22 is equipped with multiple irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4 that are arranged above the conveying unit 200 at different predetermined distances WD-1 to WD-4 from the conveying surface 200S of the conveyor belt, for each of the conveying tracks TR1 to TR4.

[0029] The irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4 are arranged to focus the irradiation light 220-1 to 220-4 toward the upper surface of the specimen 900i, respectively, thereby increasing the scattering intensity of the Raman scattered light, which is weaker than the Rayleigh scattered light by several orders of magnitude. A unit including the irradiation unit 22 and the light source 25 may be referred to as an irradiation optical system. Note that the reference numerals indicating the focal plane 65-k in Figs. 1(b) to (d), 3(a) to (d), 4(a) to (e), 5(a) to (c), 6(d), and 8(b), which illustrate a plurality of elements arranged in the transport width direction dw, are partially omitted for ease of understanding.

[0030] 2, the irradiation unit 22 includes an objective lens 260, a dichroic mirror 250, a collimator lens 230, a cylindrical lens, and a reflecting mirror 210. The objective lens 260 may be a convex lens, a collimator lens, a concave lens, a zoom lens, or the like.

[0031] Synthetic quartz can be used as the glass material of the collimator lens 230, the cylindrical lens 240, the objective lens 260, etc. These lenses are irradiated with high-output light from the semiconductor laser 25, and by using lenses made of synthetic quartz as the glass material, the background components of the fluorescence and Raman scattered light can be reduced.

[0032] The objective lens 260 acts as a condenser lens that condenses the light from the laser light source 25 on the specimen 900i in the irradiation unit 22. The objective lens 260 forms a focal plane 65, a focal spot with a focal diameter φ (not shown), and a focal depth ΔDF at a position away from the objective lens 260 by a focal distance DF corresponding to the numerical aperture NA. The collimator lens 230 and the cylindrical lens 240 reduce the spread of the light emitted from the laser light source 25 and shape it into parallel light. The cylindrical lens 240 may use other collimating optical elements such as an anamorphic prism pair. In addition, the irradiation unit 22 may have a wavelength filter such as a laser line filter disposed at the position of its pupil plane. This can improve the wavelength characteristics of the light irradiated to the specimen 900i by the irradiation unit 22.

[0033] 2, at least a portion of the illumination unit 22 can be shared with the light collecting unit 20. Since the light collecting unit 20 and the illumination unit 22 in this embodiment are arranged coaxially, the objective lens 260 and the dichroic mirror 250 are shared by the light collecting unit 20 and the illumination unit 22.

[0034] (light source) The light source 25 is a light source that emits excitation light to the irradiation unit 22 via the optical fiber 180. In the irradiation optical system that disperses the Raman scattered light, a laser light source with a wavelength of 400 to 1100 nm is used as the light source 25. The shorter the wavelength of Raman scattering, the higher the excitation efficiency, and the longer the wavelength, the more the fluorescent components that become background are reduced.

[0035] The excitation wavelength of the laser light source applied to the light source 25 is preferably selected so that a clear difference in Raman shift between the target material and the non-target material can be obtained, but at least one of 532, 633, and 780 nm may be used. Note that, although the case where the semiconductor laser 25 is used as the light source of the irradiation unit 22 has been described here, the present invention is not limited to this, and other laser light sources such as a semiconductor pumped solid-state laser or a gas laser may also be used.

[0036] (Light gathering section) The light collecting unit 20-k is disposed above the transport surface 200S so as to collect secondary light from the upper surface of the specimen 900i transported by the transport unit 200. In other words, the light collecting unit 20-k is disposed above the transport track TRk corresponding to the irradiation area so as to collect secondary light from the upper surface of the specimen 900i passing through the irradiation area of ​​the irradiation light 220-k from the irradiation unit 22-k.

[0037] Light collecting unit 20 includes objective lens 260, dichroic mirror 250, imaging lens 270, and optical fiber 190. Objective lens 260 of light collecting unit 20 includes a convex lens, a collimator lens, a concave lens, a zoom lens, etc., similar to irradiation unit 22. Light collecting unit 20 may include a wavelength filter such as a bandpass filter or a longpass filter that reduces the excitation light component contained in the primary light, in order to reduce unnecessary light in spectroscopic measurement.

[0038] The light collecting unit 20 is provided with an objective lens with a large numerical aperture to ensure light collecting efficiency. The numerical aperture of the objective lens of the light collecting unit 20 is 0.25 or more and 0.5 or less. More specifically, a SCHOTT B-270 with an effective lens diameter of φ25 mm, a focal length of 20 mm, and a numerical aperture of 0.5 can be used as the objective lens.

[0039] (Spectral image acquisition unit) 2, the spectral image acquisition section 10 includes, in order from the light collecting section 20 side, an imaging lens 110, a long-pass filter 120, a spectroscopic element 150, and an imaging device 170. The spectroscopic element 150 and the imaging device 170 are arranged so as to disperse the light collected by the light collecting section 20 via the imaging lens 160 and project a continuous spectrum along the row direction or column direction of the light receiving element array of the imaging device 170. The imaging device 170 may be a CCD, a CMOS, or the like in which light receiving elements are arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. The spectroscopic element 150 may be called a diffraction grating.

[0040] The imaging lens 110 converts the light transmitted from the light collecting unit 20 via the optical fiber 190 into parallel light. The long pass filter 120 attenuates the excitation light component contained in the collected light and transmits the Raman scattered light. The spectroscopic element 150 disperses the collected light into wavelength components in a fan shape. The imaging lens 160 projects the light dispersed by the spectroscopic element 150 onto the imaging device 170. The spectroscopic element 150 employs a Rowland arrangement or a Czerny-Turner system.

[0041] The imaging device 170 acquires the spectral information Si of the specimen 900i in consideration of the captured spectral image, the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the imaging element of the imaging device 170, the transmission characteristics of the optical system, and the like. The spectroscopic element 150 may calculate the spectral spectrum by performing Fourier transform processing after acquiring an interference image by a photodetector, in addition to the method of using a dispersion element (e.g., a diffraction grating) and an image sensor as in this embodiment. Also, the spectroscopic element 150 may have a plurality of different bandpass filters and acquire the spectral information by detecting the intensity of each transmitted light. Furthermore, the spectroscopic element 150 may acquire the spectral spectrum by detecting the intensity while changing the wavelength of the light source 25, which is also included in the modified example of this embodiment. In addition, the spectroscopic element 150 may acquire polarization information including circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion together with the spectral spectrum.

[0042] (Material information reference section) The spectral information acquisition unit 100 has a material information reference unit 180 that acquires material information of the specimen 900i based on the spectral information Si acquired by the spectral image acquisition unit 10. The material information reference unit 180 refers to a material database (not shown) in which reference data of Raman scattered light is recorded, and acquires material information Mi in which the material contained in the specimen 900i is identified based on the similarity between the spectral information Si and the reference data. The spectral information acquisition unit 100 stores at least one of the spectral information Si and the material information Mi in the first storage unit 60 via the command unit 40 described later.

[0043] Furthermore, the material database referred to by the material information reference unit 180 may be stored in a local server included in the identification apparatus 1000, or may be a remote server accessible via the Internet or an intranet.

[0044] In this manner, the spectroscopic information acquiring section 100 can acquire material information Mi on the materials, additives, impurity components, and the like contained in the specimen 900i.

[0045] (morphological information acquisition unit) 1(a) and 1(b), the morphological information acquisition unit 70 includes a camera 76 arranged so that an imaging field of view 700 is superimposed on the transport unit 200, and an image processing unit 78 that processes the specimen image captured by the camera 76, and acquires morphological information Fi of the specimen 900i. The morphological information Fi is information related to the properties of the specimen 900i, similar to the material information Mi.

[0046] The image processing unit 78 performs image processing including contrast and contour extraction to acquire the length in the transport direction, reflection color, shape, degree of material mixing, etc. of each specimen 900i. In other words, the image processing unit 78 is an element that performs processing to acquire information regarding the size of each specimen 900i. The morphological information acquisition unit 70 can be equipped with a photointerrupter and a laser interferometer instead of the camera 76. The morphological information acquisition unit 70 may be referred to as an imaging unit.

[0047] (Acquisition Department) The acquisition unit 30 acquires identification information Di for each specimen 900i, indicating whether it is a target specimen or a non-target specimen, based on the material information Mi or the spectral information Si acquired by the spectral information acquisition unit 100 and the morphological information Fi acquired by the morphological information acquisition unit 70. The acquisition unit 30 outputs the acquired identification information Di to the command unit 40. A non-target specimen is identified as a specimen having a low content of the target material, but the acquisition unit 30 can assign further identification information Di according to the content of the second target material.

[0048] In other words, the acquisition unit 30 identifies the properties of the specimen 900i based on the Raman spectrum contained in the secondary light collected by the light collection unit 20. In other words, the acquisition unit 30 of this embodiment identifies the properties of each specimen 900i based on the specimen image acquired from the camera 76 and the Raman spectrum contained in the secondary light collected by the light collection unit 20.

[0049] In addition, the spectral information acquiring unit 100 and the morphological information acquiring unit 70 in this embodiment can be replaced with a hyperspectral camera or a multiband camera capable of acquiring morphological information and spectral information from a captured image in a modified embodiment. In other words, it can be said that the identification device (not shown) according to the modified embodiment is equipped with a detection system that acquires multidimensional data capable of reading out material information and morphological information.

[0050] (Control Unit) The identification device 100 includes a control unit 400 including a command section 40 for controlling the discrimination operation of the discrimination device 300 based on the properties of each specimen 900i, a second storage section 80 for storing control conditions for the discrimination operation, and a first storage section 60 for storing the properties of each specimen 900i. The control unit 400 includes a display section 140 for providing a GUI that allows a user to specify the control conditions. The display section 140 may display information acquired by the acquisition section 30.

[0051] (Storage part) The first storage unit 60 is configured to store, for each specimen 900i, the identification information Di, the material information Mi, the spectroscopic information Si, and the morphological information Fi, in association with the timing tp at which the specimen 900i passed through the irradiation area 220.

[0052] On the other hand, the second storage unit 80 is configured to store, for each specimen 900i, a control condition for controlling the intensity Is of the discrimination operation of the discriminator 300, which corresponds to the identification information Di. The control condition includes formats such as a referable table, a general formula expressed algebraically, and statistical information obtained by machine learning.

[0053] (Command Department) The command unit 40 estimates a passing time tp of the specimen 900i through the processing area where the specimen 900i passes through the area subjected to discrimination processing by the discriminator 300 according to the identification information Di from the acquisition unit 30 and according to the material and size of each specimen 900i, and generates a command to control the discrimination operation of the discriminator 300. The passing time tp of the specimen 900i through the processing area can be estimated based on at least one of a signal from the morphological information acquisition unit 70, a signal from the spectral information acquisition unit 100, and a signal from a specimen sensor (not shown) provided in the transport unit 200.

[0054] (Discrimination device) As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5(a), the discriminator 300 has an air nozzle 330 for discharging compressed air at a predetermined discharge time, discharge speed, and discharge flow rate, and a discrimination control unit 350 for controlling a solenoid valve (not shown) equipped in the air nozzle 330. The discrimination control unit 350 receives a control signal from the command unit 40 of the identification device 100. The discrimination operation of the discriminator 300 of this embodiment includes an operation of discharging a fluid. The fluid for the discharge operation includes air, dry nitrogen, inert gas such as rare gas, liquid, gas-liquid mixture fluid (aerosol), etc. The discriminator 300 collects the specimen 900i in the target collection basket 620, the non-target collection basket A600, and the non-target collection basket B640 according to the properties of the specimen 900i based on the control signal commanded from the command unit 40.

[0055] In the discriminator 300, the ejection device that ejects the fluid can be replaced with a flap gate that opens and closes at a predetermined angular velocity, a shutter that opens and closes at a predetermined speed, etc. In addition, the morphological information acquisition unit 70, the spectral information acquisition unit 100, the discriminator 300, and their components that configure the identification device 1000 can be arranged in parallel at different positions in the conveying width direction of the conveyor 200, thereby consolidating the system and achieving high-speed processing.

[0056] (Transportation section) The transport section 200 is a transport unit that transports a plurality of specimens 900i (i=1, 2,...) sequentially supplied from the feeder 500 in a transport direction dc (x direction in FIG. 1) at a predetermined transport speed vc. The transport section 200, together with the feeder 500, constitutes a transport unit that transports the specimens 900i.

[0057] The transport unit 200 of this embodiment has a conveyor belt that transports the specimen 900i supplied from the feeder 500 in a transport direction dc at a speed vc, and transports the specimen linearly on the transport surface 200S. As a modified example, the transport unit 200 can be replaced with a turntable type feeder that transports the specimen outward in a spiral shape, a vibration type feeder provided with a vibrator that moves the specimen in a predetermined direction, a conveyor roller composed of multiple rollers, or the like.

[0058] The transport unit 200 moves the specimen 900i so that the specimen 900i passes through the field of view 700 of the camera 76, and may be referred to as a placement unit 200 for the morphological information acquisition unit 70.

[0059] In this embodiment, the transfer speed vc of the transfer section 200 can be 0.1 to 5 m / s in the case of a conveyor belt.

[0060] Also, a classification process for filtering the shape and size of the specimen 900i can be performed as a pre-processing of the supplying process of the feeder 500, which is a modified form of the identification method using the identification device 1000 of this embodiment. A vibrating conveyor, a vibrating sieve, a crushing and grain preparation machine, etc. are used as a means for performing the pre-processing.

[0061] (Height correspondence between the placement part and the irradiation part) Next, the positional relationship between the placement unit 50 and the irradiation unit 22 according to the feature of the present invention will be described. The first characteristic value of the placement unit 50 of this embodiment is the height hi of the specimen 900i from the conveying surface 200S when placed on the conveying surface 200S. The placement unit 50 of this embodiment does not place the specimen 900i at a predetermined position in the conveying width direction dw based on the measurement value of the height hi of the specimen 900i. The placement unit 50 of this embodiment is installed in the identification device 1000 so that the relative position with respect to the conveying unit 200 does not change, and is provided with a plurality of gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 with different gaps from the conveying surface 200S. The placement unit 50 provided with the gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 places the specimen 900i at a predetermined position in the conveying width direction dw. In other words, the placement unit 50 is a static placement unit that places the specimen 900i at a predetermined position in the conveying width direction dw due to the geometric arrangement relationship with the conveying unit 200.

[0062] 1(b) and 1(c), the placement unit 50 of this embodiment is a static gap gate in which the height through which the specimen 900i can pass varies in the transport width direction dw. The placement unit 50, which is a static gap gate, is disposed obliquely with respect to both the transport direction dc and the transport width direction dw of the transport unit 200 so that the height through which the specimen 900i can pass varies not only in the transport width direction dw but also in the transport direction dc.

[0063] The placement section 50 is provided with a plurality of gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 so that the gap from the conveying surface 200S of the conveying section 200 gradually increases in the conveying direction dc from the upstream side toward the downstream side. On the other hand, the placement section 50 is provided with a plurality of gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 so that the gap from the conveying surface 200S of the conveying section 200 gradually increases in the conveying width direction dw from the conveying track TR1 close to the feeder 500 toward TR4.

[0064] The difference in the gap between the gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 is set to match the difference ΔWD in the working distances WD between the irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4, as shown in Fig. 1(c)(d). That is, the heightwise gaps of the gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 through which the specimen 900i can pass corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 match the heights of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-4. Also, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the height of the transport track TRk of the gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 matches the height of the focal planes 65-k (k: 1 to 4) of the transport track TRk.

[0065] The placement unit 50 of this embodiment sorts the multiple specimens 900i supplied from the feeder 500 and transported along the transport track TR1 into four height levels corresponding to the static gap gates 50-1 to 50-4, and places them on any of the transport tracks TR1 to TR4. That is, the placement unit 50 is provided with static gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 including portions in which the height conditions (gap conditions) for the transport surface 200S through which the specimens 900i can pass are different in the transport width direction dw. As shown in Figs. 1(a), (c), and (d), the heights of the static gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 correspond to the heights of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-4 of the irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4 arranged on the transport tracks TR1 to TR4. The static gap gates 50-k (k: 1 to 4) may be referred to as stationary gates 50-k (k: 1 to 4).

[0066] Irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4 irradiate focal planes 65-1 to 65-4 with condensed light to increase the intensity of detection light per unit irradiation area. Spectral information acquisition unit 100, which corresponds to the detection unit, includes light collecting units 20-1 to 20-4 arranged coaxially with irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4 on transport tracks TR1 to TR4. Light collecting units 20-1 to 20-4 include objective lenses that form an image on a detection plane so as to efficiently collect scattered light from focal planes 65-1 to 65-4 of irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4.

[0067] Therefore, the height of the detection plane of each transport track TR1 to TR4 is equal to the height of the focal plane 65-1 to 65-4 of the irradiation unit 22-1 to 22-4, respectively. That is, the height of each gap gate 50-1 to 50-4 is equal to the height of the focal plane 65-1 to 65-4 of each transport track TR1 to TR4, as shown in Figures 1(c) and (d). In other words, the height of each gap gate 50-1 to 50-4 is equal to the height of the detection plane 65-1 to 65-4 of each transport track TR1 to TR4, as shown in Figures 1(c) and (d).

[0068] The specimen 900i, which is supplied from the feeder 500 through the supply area 550 and begins to be transported, is placed on a predetermined transport track TR1-TR4 according to the height hi of the specimen 900i through the successively expanding gaps of the gap gates 50-1-50-4. The height hi of the specimen 900i transported to the transport track TRk among the transport tracks TR1-TR4 is matched to the height of the focal plane 65-k of the irradiation unit 22-k provided in the spectral information acquisition unit 100. Therefore, the specimen 900i placed on the transport track TRk by the placement unit 50 has the irradiation light 220-k focused on its upper surface, and the light collection unit 20-k can collect the scattered light from the specimen 900i with sufficient scattered light intensity. FIG. 1(a) corresponds to the case where the transport track number k is 1.

[0069] By arranging the placement unit 50 and the detection unit (spectral information acquisition unit) in this way, even if the size of the specimens 900i varies, the variation in the spot diameter of the irradiated light 220 on the light irradiation surface of the specimens 900i is reduced, and the variation in the intensity of the Raman scattered light is reduced. The working distance WD of the irradiation unit 22-k is determined taking into consideration the light collecting effect of the irradiation unit 22-k, the variation in the spectral reflectance of the specimens 900i, etc., and is set to 2 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

[0070] Unlike conventional identification devices having a pressing unit, the identification device 1000 does not have a pressing force applying mechanism that deforms the specimen, and is therefore capable of collecting secondary light from a predetermined focal plane with high detection intensity without being affected by fluctuations in the height of the detection plane due to specimen deformation. Therefore, the identification device 1000 of this embodiment is an identification device that is unlikely to experience a decrease in the number of test processes or a decrease in identification accuracy even if the sizes and shapes of the transported specimens vary.

[0071] (Modification) Next, modified examples 51 to 53 of the static mounting section 50 will be described with reference to Figs. 3(a) to (c), and the irradiation section 23 corresponding to the mounting section 53 will be described with reference to Fig. 3(d).

[0072] The placement unit 51 shown in FIG. 3(a) has the same difference ΔWD in the working distance between the gap gates 51-1 to 51-4 corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 as the placement unit 50. That is, the heightwise gaps of the gap gates 51-1 to 51-4 through which the specimens 900i can pass corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 coincide with the height of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-4. On the other hand, the placement unit 51 differs from the placement unit 50 in that the difference in the gap between the gap gates 51-2 and 51-3 corresponding to the vicinity of the median of the height distribution of the specimens 900i group is smaller than the difference in the gap between the gap gates 50-2 and 50-3 of the placement unit 50. That is, the placement unit 51 differs in that the gap between the gap gates 50-1 to 50-4 of the placement unit 50 changes linearly in the transport width direction dw, whereas the placement unit 51 changes nonlinearly.

[0073] According to this mounting unit 51, when the size of the sample 900i group is of a normal distribution type, it is possible to increase the distribution ratio for sorting the high-frequency components of the sample group to the transport tracks TR1 and TR4 rather than concentrating them only on the transport tracks TR2 and TR3, compared to the mounting unit 50.

[0074] In other words, the modified example of the identification device 1000 equipped with the placement unit 51 makes it possible to equalize the number of transports per unit time of the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 between the transport tracks, and the transport speed is less likely to be limited by the identification capability of a particular transport track.

[0075] 3(b), the difference in the gap corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 of the mounting unit 52 is the same as the difference ΔWD in the working distance of the irradiation unit 22, as in the mounting unit 50. That is, the heightwise gaps of the gap gates 52-1 to 52-4 through which the specimen 900i can pass corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 are the same as the heights of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-4. On the other hand, the mounting unit 52 differs from the mounting unit 50 in that the mounting unit 52 is provided with a single blade whose gap changes linearly in the transport width direction dw.

[0076] Since the gap of the placement unit 52 changes continuously in the conveying width direction dw, the specimen 900i is less likely to get caught at the gap step (discontinuous part), and it is expected to increase the operating rate of the conveying operation of the conveying unit 200. When the angle θ that a single blade of the placement unit 52 makes with the conveying surface 200S along the conveying width direction dw is expressed as 90°±α (where 0<α<90°), 15°<α<80° is selected. α is appropriately set based on the track interval of the conveying track TR-k, the conveying speed vc, the geometric characteristics of the group of specimens 900i (i=1, 2, . . .), statistical information of the mechanical characteristics, and the like. The geometric information of the specimen 900i includes the diameter and cross-sectional area, and the mechanical characteristics of the specimen 900i include at least one of the elastic modulus, the rigidity modulus, and the fracture toughness. The statistical information of the specimen 900i includes the average value, the median, the standard deviation, the covariance, and the like.

[0077] 3(c), the difference in the gap corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 of the mounting unit 53 shown in FIG. 3(c) is the same as that of the mounting units 50 to 52, and corresponds to the difference ΔWD in the working distance of the irradiation unit 22. That is, the heightwise gap of the gap gates 53-1 to 53-4 through which the specimen 900i can pass corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 corresponds to the height of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-4. On the other hand, the mounting unit 53 differs from the mounting unit 50 in that the mounting unit 53 includes the gap gates 53-1 to 53-4 so as to correspond to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 whose track intervals are unevenly arranged.

[0078] The placement section 53 and irradiation section 23 shown in Figures 3(c) and (d) are arranged to correspond to the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 having nonlinear track spacing, in which the distance between the transport tracks TR2 and TR3 is narrower than the distance between the transport tracks TR1 and TR2 and the distance between the transport tracks TR3 and TR4.

[0079] The placement unit 23 and transport tracks TR2 to TR4 of this modified example are configured so that the width of the gap gates 53-2 to 53-4 in the transport width direction increases sequentially with an increase in the gap from the gap gate 53-2 to the gap gate 53-4. As a result, the placement unit 23 and transport tracks TR1 to TR4 of this modified example take into consideration the distribution of the shapes of the specimens 900i group whose specimen width and height have a positive correlation, and it becomes possible to arrange the transport tracks at a higher density in the transport width direction dw.

[0080] Next, other modified examples 54 to 58 of the static mounting portion 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(a) to 4(e).

[0081] 4(a) is the same as the placement unit 52 in that the gap is continuously expanded across the transport tracks TR1 to TR4. On the other hand, the placement unit 54 is different from the placement unit 52 in that the placement unit 54 has a circular rubber belt 54b rotatably provided around the gap blade 54a that controls the placement unit 52.

[0082] According to the placement unit 54, when the sample 900i transported in the direction from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport section 200 abuts against the placement unit 54, the rotation of the rubber belt 54b enables the sample 900i to move in the transport width direction dw more smoothly than in the placement unit 52. In addition, in Figures 3(a) to (d) and Figures 4(a) to (e), the transport direction dc coincides with the direction from the back to the front of the paper.

[0083] The placement units 55 to 58 shown in FIGS. 4(b) to 4(e) are modified examples of the placement unit 54 that promotes the movement of the specimen 900i in the transport width direction dw.

[0084] The mounting section 55 differs from the mounting section 54 in that, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the mounting section 55 is provided with a base 55a arranged to straddle the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 with an inclined gap relative to the transport surface 200S, and a nine-wheel disk 55b arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base 55a.

[0085] 4(c), the placement unit 56 differs from the placement unit 54 in that it includes a support shaft 56a inclined with respect to the conveying surface 200S across the conveying tracks TR1 to TR4, and a rubber roller 56b supported rotatably around the support shaft 56a. The roller 56b can be replaced with another flexible elastic body, sponge, or the like.

[0086] 4(d), the placement unit 57 is a modified example of the placement unit 56. The placement unit 57 differs from the placement unit 56 in that the placement unit 57 includes a support shaft 57a arranged parallel to the conveying surface 200S, and rubber rollers 57b to 57e rotatably supported by the support shaft 57a and having different radii so as to form different gaps for each of the conveying tracks TR1 to TR4.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 4(e), the placement unit 58 is a modified example of the placement unit 56. The placement unit 58 differs from the placement unit 56 in that the placement unit 58 includes a support shaft 58a arranged at an angle to the transport surface 200S, and a brush roller 58b rotatably supported by the support shaft 58a and arranged so that the gap between the support shaft 58a and the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 increases in sequence. The brush roller 58b is made of an elastic brush made of resin, metal, or the like. The placement unit 58 including the brush roller 58b is expected to sort the height of the specimens 900i without being affected by adhesions, protrusions, or the like that protrude locally from the surface of the specimens 900i.

[0088] <Second embodiment> The identification device 1200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 5(a) to (c). Figures 5(a) to (c) are diagrams that diagrammatically show the configuration of the identification device 1200 according to this embodiment.

[0089] (Identification device) The identification device 1200 differs from the identification device 1000 in that the size conditions for sorting the specimens 900i by the mounting unit 59 include not only the specimen height (z direction) but also the specimen width in the transport width direction dw (y direction).

[0090] The identification device 1200 has a placement unit 59 that sorts the specimens 900i into the transport tracks TR1 to TR8 according to the specimen height, and an oblique guide 590 for sorting the specimens 900i into the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 and the transport tracks TR5 to TR8 according to the specimen width.

[0091] The placement section 59 is provided with gap gates 59-1 to 59-8 arranged in a chevron shape (V-shape) having a bending point bp between the adjacent transport tracks TR1 and TR5 in the transport width direction dw. The bending point bp coincides with the boundary between the adjacent gap gates 59-1 and 59-5.

[0092] As shown in Fig. 5(b), the gap gates 59-1 to 59-4 are installed in this order so that the gap between them and the conveying surface 200S increases linearly in the direction from the center to the outside in the conveying width direction dw of the conveying section 200. Similarly, the gap gates 59-5 to 59-8 are installed in this order so that the gap between them and the conveying surface 200S increases linearly in the direction from the center to the outside in the conveying width direction dw of the conveying section 200, as shown in Fig. 5(b).

[0093] Also, the gap gates 59-1 to 59-4 have a gap with respect to the transport surface 200S so as to correspond to the difference ΔWD in the working distance between the irradiation units 24-1 to 24-4 shown in Fig. 5(c). Similarly, the gap gates 59-5 to 59-8 have a gap with respect to the transport surface 200S so as to correspond to the difference ΔWD in the working distance between the irradiation units 24-5 to 24-8 shown in Fig. 5(c). That is, the heightwise gaps of the gap gates 59-1 to 59-8 through which the specimen 900i can pass corresponding to the transport tracks TR1 to TR8 coincide with the height of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-8.

[0094] The oblique guide 590 is a guide member provided obliquely with respect to the transport width direction dw and the transport direction dc so as to guide the specimen 900i from the supply area 550 between the transport tracks TR3 and TR4 toward the vicinity of the middle between the transport tracks TR1 and TR5. The oblique guide 590 is installed so that the specimen 900i can slide from the upstream to the downstream side in the transport direction dc and from the transport track TR4 side to the TR1 side. The downstream end ge of the oblique guide 590 in the transport width direction is shifted toward the transport track TR1 side by a predetermined offset width ds with respect to the bending point bp of the chevron-shaped placement unit 59.

[0095] The specimen 900i having a width larger than twice the offset width ds is sorted to the side of the transport track TR5 farther from the end ge, based on the bending point bp of the mounting section 59. On the other hand, the specimen 900i having a width smaller than twice the offset width ds is sorted to the side of the transport track TR1 closer to the diagonal guide 590, based on the bending point bp of the mounting section 59. By changing the offset width ds between the end ge of the diagonal guide 590 and the bending point bp of the chevron-shaped mounting section 59, it is possible to adjust the sorting conditions of the specimen width of the specimen 900i in the transport width direction.

[0096] The irradiation units 24-5 to 24-8 shown in FIG. 5(b) have a higher illuminance on the focal plane of the irradiation light than the irradiation units 24-1 to 24-4 so as to correspond to the difference in the specimen width wi sorted by the diagonal guide 590. That is, the focal diameter and irradiation intensity of the irradiation light 224-5 to 224-8 are increased. A specimen having a large projected area as viewed from the transport direction is irradiated with a higher intensity of irradiation light than a specimen having a small projected area. Here, the projected area Spi of the specimen 900i as viewed along the transport direction dc is in other words the projected area as viewed along the transport direction dc. Moreover, the projected area Spi of the specimen 900i as viewed from the downstream side of the transport direction dc is equal to the product of the height hi of the specimen and the width wi of the specimen.

[0097] The identification device 1200 according to this embodiment includes a chevron-shaped mounting unit 59 that mounts the specimen 900i at different positions in the transport width direction dw according to the height hi of the specimen 900i so as to correspond to the height 65 of the focal plane of the irradiation unit 29. The identification device 1200 also includes an oblique guide 590 that mounts the specimen 900i at different positions in the transport width direction dw so as to correspond to the light irradiation intensity of the irradiation unit 29 according to the width di of the specimen 900i.

[0098] Therefore, the identification device 1200 according to this embodiment is an identification device that is unlikely to experience a decrease in the number of test processes or a decrease in identification accuracy even if there is variation in size and shape of the samples being transported, similar to the identification device 1000 according to the first embodiment. Unlike identification devices according to conventional techniques that have a pressing unit, the identification device 1200 does not have a pressure application mechanism that deforms the sample, and is therefore able to collect secondary light from a predetermined focal plane with high detection intensity without being affected by fluctuations in the height of the detection plane due to deformation of the sample.

[0099] <Third embodiment> The identification device 1400 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 6(a) to (d) and Figs. 7(a) to (e). Figs. 6(a) to (d) are diagrams that diagrammatically show the configuration of the identification device 1200 according to this embodiment. Figs. 7(a) to (e) are diagrams that diagrammatically explain the operation of the placement unit according to this embodiment.

[0100] (Identification device) The identification device 1400 differs from the identification devices 1000 and 1200 in that it is provided with a mounting unit 50AG having a plurality of movable gates that selectively open and close to distribute the sample 900i to one of the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 based on the detected sample size.

[0101] The identification apparatus 1400 also differs from the identification apparatuses 1000 and 1200 in that a morphological information acquisition unit 90 for detecting the size of the specimen 900i is arranged only on the transport track TR1 and upstream of the mounting unit 50AG in the transport direction dc. The morphological information acquisition unit 90 corresponds to the morphological information acquisition unit 70 of the identification apparatus 1000 and the morphological information acquisition unit 74 of the identification apparatus 1200. The morphological information acquisition unit 90 includes a stereo camera 92 arranged on the transport track TR1 so as to overlap the imaging fields, and an image processing unit 94 that processes the specimen image captured by the stereo camera 92, and acquires morphological information Fi including the height hi of the specimen 900i.

[0102] The identification device 1400 also differs from the identification device 1000 in that the command unit 40 commands the placement unit 50AG to control the open / closed state of the movable gate 50AG-k (k: 1 to 4) based on information regarding the height hi of the specimen 900i acquired by the morphological information acquisition unit 90.

[0103] Next, the identification operation of the identification device 1400 will be described along with the flow of transport of a group of specimens 900i with reference to FIGS. 6(a), 6(b), and 6(c).

[0104] As in the first embodiment, the feeder 500 sequentially supplies a group of the contained specimens 900i at a predetermined time interval to the supply area 550 of the transport track TR1 of the transport section 200. The specimens 900i supplied onto the transport surface 200S of the conveyor belt by the feeder 500 are transported along the transport track TR1 in the transport direction dc and pass through the imaging field 920 of the stereo camera 92.

[0105] The morphological information acquisition unit 90 acquires morphological information Fi including the height hi of the specimen 900i based on the images captured by the stereo camera 92, and outputs the acquired morphological information Fi to the command unit 40.

[0106] The command unit 40 estimates the time tr at which the specimen 900i will arrive at the movable gate 50AG-1 based on the length Li of the specimen 900i included in the morphological information Fi and the transport speed vc. Next, the command unit 40 outputs a command signal to the receiver 50AG so that the movable gate 50AG-k (k: 1 to 4) is in one of the open / closed states shown in Fig. 7(a) to (e) at the estimated arrival time tr based on the height hi of the specimen 900i included in the morphological information Fi. In other words, the command unit 40 is a gate control unit that controls the open / closed state of the movable gate 50AG-k (k: 1 to 4) of the receiver 50AG. As a result, the specimen 900i is placed on one of the transport tracks TR1 to TR4 whose height hi is approximately the same as the height of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-4 of the irradiation units 22-1 to 22-4. As shown in Figures 7(b) to (e), when the movable gates 50AG-k (k: 1 to 4) are in the open state, the heights (gap) of the lower ends of each movable gate relative to the conveying surface 200S correspond to the heights of the focal planes 65-1 to 65-4.

[0107] In addition, in Fig. 6(a), the height hi of the specimen 900i is indicated as height hj, with the reference symbol j indicating the order of transport of the specimen on the transport track TRk of interest. Similarly, in Fig. 6(a), the length Li of the specimen 900i is indicated as height Lj, with the reference symbol j indicating the order of transport of the specimen.

[0108] Specimen groups 900j-2 to 900j+1 shown in Fig. 6(a) are specimen groups that have passed through movable gate 50AG-1 shown in Fig. 7(b) at different times and have been transported on transport track TR1. In the example shown in Fig. 6(a), specimen 900j that has passed through movable gate 50AG-1 is irradiated with focused light (primary light) from irradiation unit 22-1 in a focused state, and scattered light (secondary light) is collected by light collecting unit 20-1.

[0109] In this specification, the focused state corresponds to a state in which the height of the focal plane 65-k of the focused light 220-k of the irradiator 22-k and the height of the irradiated surface of the specimen 900i are approximately the same. In addition, in this specification, the focused state corresponds to a state in which the focal depth ΔDF of the focused light 220-k of the irradiator 22-k and the height of the irradiated surface of the specimen 900i overlap in the optical axis direction of the focused light 220-k.

[0110] The spectral image acquisition unit 10 included in the spectral information acquisition unit 100 acquires the spectral information Si of the specimen 900i based on the light collected by the light collection unit 20-1, as in the first embodiment. Next, the material information reference unit 180 included in the spectral information acquisition unit 100 acquires the material information Mi of the specimen 900i based on the acquired spectral information Si. The material information reference unit 180 refers to a material database (not shown) in which reference data of the Raman scattered light is recorded, and acquires the material information Mi in which the material contained in the specimen 900i is identified based on the similarity between the spectral information Si and the reference data. The spectral information acquisition unit 100 stores at least one of the spectral information Si and the material information Mi in the first storage unit 60 via the command unit 40.

[0111] In this manner, the spectroscopic information acquiring section 100 acquires material information Mi on the materials, additives, impurity components, and the like contained in the specimen 900i, similarly to the first embodiment.

[0112] Next, the command section 40 included in the control unit 400 outputs a command signal to the discriminator 300 to command the discrimination operation of the air nozzle 330-1 based on the morphology information Fi, the material information Mi, and the estimated passage time tp, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As a result, based on the discrimination result acquired by the acquisition section 30, the sample 900i is discriminated by the air nozzle 330-1 into any of the predetermined collection baskets 600, 620, 640.

[0113] Therefore, the identification device 1400 according to this embodiment is an identification device that is unlikely to suffer from a decrease in the number of test processes or a decrease in identification accuracy even if there is variation in the size and shape of the samples being transported, similar to the identification devices 1000 and 1200 according to the first and second embodiments. Unlike identification devices according to the conventional technology having a pressing unit, the identification device 1400 does not have a pressing force application mechanism that causes deformation of the sample, and is capable of matching the height of the light irradiation surface (detection surface) corresponding to the height hi on the sample 900i with the height of the focal plane 65 of the irradiation unit 22. Therefore, the identification device 1400 is capable of collecting secondary light from a predetermined focal plane with high detection intensity without being affected by fluctuations in the height of the detection surface due to deformation of the sample.

[0114] The movable gates 50AG-k (k: 1 to 4) may be replaced with other movable gates, such as a flap type having a shutter that rotates around a predetermined axis of rotation, or a folding type that can be rolled up in a blind shape.

[0115] 1(a), 2, 3(d), 5(c), and 6(d), the light fluxes of the focused light 220, 224 irradiated from the irradiation units 22, 24 are illustrated using an isosceles triangle based on a cone model for convenience in order to indicate the position of the focal plane 65. On the other hand, the light fluxes of the focused light 220, 224 irradiated from the irradiation units 22, 24 have a shape of a bipolar surface of rotation in implementation, and form a focal spot having a predetermined focal diameter φ and a focal depth ΔDF on the focal plane 65.

[0116] 8(a) shows a cross section parallel to the yz plane of the focused light 220 that forms the focal plane 65 at the position of the focal distance DF from the objective lens of the irradiation unit 22. The focused light 220 is expressed as a region between hyperbolae on the yz plane. In this specification, the focal depth ΔDF is defined as the range of the length on the optical axis of the light beam corresponding to the condition of SQRT(2)×φ light beam diameter obtained by multiplying the focal diameter φ by the square root of 2, that is, the light intensity of 0.5 or more times the light intensity per unit irradiation area on the focal plane 65.

[0117] When the height hi of the specimen 900i is at a position overlapping with the focal depth ΔDF of the focal plane 65k corresponding to any of the transport tracks TRk, the specimen 900i is in focus with any of the focused beams 220-k (k=1 to 4). Therefore, the identification devices 1000, 1200, and 1400 according to the first to third embodiments of the present application can collect light with high scattered light intensity and identify the specimen 900i with high spectroscopic accuracy even if the specimen 900i varies in height.

[0118] 8(b), by shifting the height of the focal plane 65 so that the focal depth ΔDF of the focal plane 65-k of the irradiation units 22-k and 24-k is continuous in the height direction, identification devices 1000, 1200, and 1400 with substantially extended focal depth ΔDF are provided. The ratio of the focal depth ΔDF to the focal length DF is limited by the numerical aperture NA of the objective lens, but when the irradiation units with focal length DF are arranged in multiple rows (K rows), a focal depth extended by up to K times can be obtained.

[0119] When the height hi of the specimen 900i overlaps with the focal depth ΔDF of the focal plane 65-k corresponding to the transport track TRk, it can be said that the height hi of the specimen 900i and the height of the focal plane 65-k corresponding to the transport track TRk are approximately equal. When the height hi of the specimen 900i overlaps with the focal depth ΔDF of the focal plane 65-k corresponding to the transport track TRk, it can be said that the height hi of the specimen 900i and the height of the focal plane 65-k corresponding to the transport track TRk correspond to each other.

[0120] Furthermore, a modified embodiment in which the placement unit is implemented by combining a static gap gate and a movable gate whose open / closed state is controlled is included in the embodiments of the identification device of the present invention.

[0121] In addition, a modification of the third embodiment is to obtain the reflection spectrum (color) of the specimen acquired using a hyperspectral camera as the morphological information acquisition unit 90 as the characteristic value of the specimen, and change the irradiation conditions of the irradiation unit or the light collection conditions of the light collection unit for each transport truck TRk. It is known that there is a positive correlation between the reflection spectrum in the visible range and the Raman scattering intensity, and for black specimens with low Raman scattering intensity, it is possible to remedy the insufficient spectral identification ability by increasing the light intensity per unit irradiation area of ​​the focused light from the irradiation unit. Similarly, for white specimens with high Raman scattering intensity, it is possible to relatively weaken the light intensity per unit irradiation area of ​​the focused light from the irradiation unit, making it difficult for the detector or the amplifier that amplifies the signal from the detector to be saturated, thereby ensuring the spectral identification ability.

[0122] Also included in the modified embodiment of the present invention is a configuration in which a light irradiating unit (not shown) capable of switching between irradiating and not irradiating light having an emission spectrum in the range from the blue region to the ultraviolet region is provided at a position overlapping with the observation field of view 920 of the morphological information acquiring unit 90 to acquire fluorescence information from the specimen. In such a modified embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which irradiation conditions such as the irradiation spectrum from the irradiating unit are changed in response to the fluorescence information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0123] 1000, 1200, 1400 Identification device 22, 24 Irradiation unit 20 Lighting section 30 Acquisition Department 50, 59, 50AG Placement section

Claims

1. the sample transported in a predetermined transport direction by a transport unit includes a plurality of irradiation units arranged at different positions in the transport width direction to irradiate focused light under different irradiation conditions toward the sample; a plurality of light collecting units corresponding to the plurality of irradiation units and collecting scattered light from the sample; an acquisition unit acquiring identification information for identifying a property of the sample based on the light collected by the light collecting units; and a placement unit which is upstream of the plurality of irradiation units in the transport direction and places the sample at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units in accordance with a characteristic value of the sample, The illumination condition includes at least one of a focal plane height, a focal length, and a working distance of the illumination unit.

2. an identification device comprising: a plurality of irradiation units arranged at different positions in a transport width direction to irradiate focused light under different irradiation conditions toward a sample transported in a predetermined transport direction by a transport unit; a plurality of light collecting units corresponding to the plurality of irradiation units and collecting scattered light from the sample; an acquisition unit acquiring identification information for identifying characteristics of the sample based on the light collected by the light collecting units; and a placement unit which places the sample at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units upstream of the plurality of irradiation units in the transport direction in accordance with a characteristic value including a height of the sample, wherein the irradiation condition includes a height of the focal plane of the focused light.

3. the sample transported in a predetermined transport direction by a transport unit includes a plurality of irradiation units arranged at different positions in the transport width direction to irradiate focused light under different irradiation conditions toward the sample; a plurality of light collecting units corresponding to the plurality of irradiation units and collecting scattered light from the sample; an acquisition unit acquiring identification information for identifying a property of the sample based on the light collected by the light collecting units; and a placement unit which is upstream of the plurality of irradiation units in the transport direction and places the sample at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units in accordance with a characteristic value of the sample, The transport section transports the sample and has a transport surface on which the sample is placed, and the placement section has a static gap gate that includes a portion where the height conditions from the transport surface through which the sample can pass vary in the transport width direction.

4. The identification device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transport section transports the sample and has a transport surface on which the sample is placed.

5. The identification device according to claim 4 , wherein the transport width direction is parallel to the transport surface and perpendicular to the transport direction.

6. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light collecting sections are arranged at different positions in the transport width direction corresponding to the plurality of irradiation sections.

7. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport section has a plurality of transport paths in the transport width direction, the transport paths corresponding to the plurality of irradiation sections, respectively.

8. The identification device according to claim 7 , wherein the placement unit places the sample on any one of the plurality of transport paths.

9. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the characteristic value relates to at least one of a geometric characteristic, a mechanical characteristic, and an optical characteristic of the specimen.

10. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the characteristic value includes at least one of a height, a width, a length, and a reflection spectrum of the specimen.

11. The identification device according to claim 2 , wherein the illumination conditions include at least one of a focal plane height, a focal length, and a working distance of the illumination unit.

12. 6. The identification device according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic value includes a height of the specimen, and the irradiation condition includes a height of a focal plane of the focused light.

13. 13. The identification device according to claim 1, wherein the placement unit places the sample at a position in the transport width direction corresponding to one of the plurality of irradiation units where a height at which the sample is passed and a height of the focal plane are approximately equal to each other.

14. 6. The identification device according to claim 4, wherein the placement section has a static gap gate including a portion in which a height condition from the transport surface through which the sample can pass varies in the transport width direction.

15. 3. The identification device according to claim 1, wherein the placement unit has a plurality of movable gates that place the sample at a predetermined position in the transport width direction according to a height of the sample.

16. 16. The identification device according to claim 15, further comprising a gate control unit that outputs a command signal for controlling an open / closed state of the plurality of movable gates.

17. 17. The identification device according to claim 1, further comprising a spectroscopic image acquisition unit that acquires spectral information of the sample based on a spectroscopic image including a spectroscopic element that disperses light collected by the light collecting unit and an imaging device that acquires a spectral image dispersed by the spectroscopic element.

18. 18. The identification device according to claim 17, further comprising an information reference unit that acquires material information of the specimen based on the spectroscopic information.

19. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the identification information for identifying a property of the sample based on a Raman spectrum contained in the scattered light.

20. The identification device according to claim 1 , further comprising an imaging unit that images the specimen.

21. The identification device according to claim 20 , wherein the acquisition section identifies a property of the specimen based on the specimen image acquired from the imaging section and a Raman spectrum contained in the scattered light.

22. The identification device according to claim 1 , further comprising the transport unit.

23. 23. The identification device according to claim 1, further comprising a command unit that outputs a command for a discrimination operation to a discrimination device that discriminates the sample, based on the identification information identified by the acquisition unit.

24. 24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising the discriminator.

25. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the identification information includes information for identifying whether the sample is a target sample or not.

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