Identification Device

Abstract

To provide an identification apparatus that reduces the influence between adjacent spectral images acquired by an imaging unit without reducing the projection density of an optical spectrum on the imaging unit.SOLUTION: An identification apparatus 1000 comprises: a plurality of light collection units; a first spectroscopic unit that disperses light from part of the plurality of light collection units; a second spectroscopic unit that disperses light from the remainder of the plurality of light collection units; an imaging unit that includes at least a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a first direction and acquires a first optical spectrum projected from the first spectroscopic unit and a second optical spectrum from the second spectroscopic unit; and an acquisition unit that acquires spectroscopic information on a specimen based on an output signal from the imaging unit. The wave number in the first direction increases in one of the first optical spectrum and the second optical spectrum and decreases in the other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an identification device that identifies properties of a specimen, such as its composition and contained ingredients, based on scattered light from the 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 along a transport path along which a plurality of specimens are transported, and is used for inspecting manufactured products, separating waste, and the like.

[0003] Spectroscopic analysis does not necessarily require atmospheric management processes such as vacuum decompression processes, atmospheric control processes, immersion processes in liquids, and drying processes that limit throughput, and can identify the properties of samples in an atmospheric environment. In recent years, attempts have been made to apply this method to the separation of waste resins.

[0004] Known spectroscopic analyses include infrared absorption spectroscopy, which obtains an absorption spectrum of a specimen for incident light including an infrared wavelength range, and Raman scattering spectroscopy, which obtains a scattering spectrum of a specimen for incident light including an ultraviolet wavelength range. Raman scattering spectroscopy is used to identify waste with a variety of specimen sizes because it is less susceptible to the effects of light attenuation due to the thickness of the sample. Raman scattering spectroscopy, which disperses Raman scattered light, is suitable for identifying resins because it utilizes the Raman shift specific to the interatomic bonds that constitute hydrocarbons, etc.

[0005] Since the intensity of Raman scattered light is several orders of magnitude lower than that of the elastic scattering component (Rayleigh scattered light) contained in the secondary light, a method is used in which the primary light is focused and irradiated onto the specimen to increase the detection sensitivity per unit area. A sorting device is known that sorts specimens into target specimens and others based on whether or not the detected spectrum satisfies a predetermined target condition.

[0006] Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a waste resin sorting device equipped with an identification device that simultaneously acquires the spectrum of a specimen over an observation wavenumber range without wavelength sweeping by projecting a spectrum from a spectroscopic element onto a two-dimensionally arranged CCD imaging element. It is disclosed that the identification device disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 acquires a spectral image at high speed by projecting the spectrum from the spectroscopic element along the longitudinal direction (row direction) of the CCD imaging element and reading out the spectrum projected by the spectroscopic element in the column direction.

[0007] Meanwhile, in recent years, due to the development of semiconductor manufacturing technology, imaging elements such as CMOS capable of high-resolution and high-speed readout of 2K x 4K or more have become available. By using an imaging element and a spectroscopic element capable of high-speed and high-resolution imaging, it is possible to provide an identification device having high-speed and large-volume identification capabilities with a small device. Patent Document 1 discloses an identification device equipped with a spectroscopic element that disperses light from multiple light-collecting units in parallel and a CMOS imaging element that captures multiple spectroscopic spectra from the spectroscopic element in parallel. The identification device of Patent Document 1 discloses that the device after the multiple light-collecting units is compactly constructed by consolidating the device into one spectroscopic element and one two-dimensional imaging unit. In addition, the identification device of Patent Document 1 discloses that the influence between adjacent spectroscopic spectra projected in parallel in the column direction is reduced by driving the CMOS imaging element with a rolling shutter and rolling reset. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] BUNSEKI KAGAKU Vol.61,No.12,pp.1027-1032(2012) [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-105628 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] In the identification device described in Patent Document 1, in order to improve the number of identification processes per unit time, it is assumed that a method of projecting multiple spectral spectra by arranging the imaging element in multiple rows and columns in both the row direction and column direction is adopted. In this case, it is expected that the mutual influence of the spectral spectra projected on adjacent areas can be reduced by increasing the angle of view of the imaging element and the number of mounted elements and maintaining the number of spectra (projection density) per unit area of ​​the imaging element. However, it has been found that the accuracy of the identification process may decrease even if the number of projections is increased while maintaining the projection density of the spectral spectra. As a result, it has been found that the number of processes per unit time in which the identification process is performed while maintaining the identification accuracy may not increase as much as expected. As a result of the study by the inventors of the present application, it has been found that the projected spectral spectrum is influenced by adjacent spectral spectra in the wave number direction.

[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide an identification device in which the mutual influence between adjacent spectral images acquired by an imaging unit is reduced without reducing the projection density of the spectral spectrum onto the imaging unit. The projected spectral spectrum is projected along the row direction of the imaging element and the main scanning direction of the imaging element from the viewpoint of synchronization of imaging and readout. Therefore, in other words, an object of the present invention is to provide an identification device in which the mutual influence between adjacent spectral images in the row direction or main scanning direction of the imaging unit is reduced without reducing the projection density of the spectral spectrum onto the imaging unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A first identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention is an identification device comprising: a plurality of light collecting sections that collect scattered light from a plurality of specimens; a first spectroscopic section that disperses light from some of the plurality of light collecting sections; a second spectroscopic section that disperses light from the remaining portion of the plurality of light collecting sections; an imaging section that has a plurality of light receiving elements arranged at least in a first direction and acquires a first spectroscopic spectrum projected from the first spectroscopic section and a second spectroscopic spectrum from the second spectroscopic section; and an acquisition section that acquires spectroscopic information of the specimen based on an output signal from the imaging section, wherein one of the first spectroscopic spectrum and the second spectroscopic spectrum increases and the other decreases at wavenumbers in the first direction.

[0013] Moreover, a second identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention is an identification device comprising: a transport unit having a plurality of transport tracks and transporting a plurality of specimens in parallel; a first light collecting unit and a second light collecting unit provided corresponding to different transport tracks of the plurality of transport tracks; a first spectroscopic unit dispersing light from the first light collecting unit; a second spectroscopic unit dispersing light from the second light collecting unit; an imaging unit having a plurality of light receiving elements arranged at least in a first direction and acquiring a first spectroscopic spectrum projected from the first spectroscopic unit and a second spectroscopic spectrum from the second spectroscopic unit; and an acquisition unit acquiring spectroscopic information of the specimen based on an output signal from the imaging unit, wherein the first spectroscopic spectrum and the second spectroscopic spectrum have mutually opposite increasing directions of wavenumber with respect to element addresses of the light receiving elements in the first direction. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an identification device in which the mutual influence between adjacent spectral images acquired by the imaging unit is reduced without reducing the projection density of the spectral spectrum onto the imaging unit. Also, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an identification device in which the mutual influence between adjacent spectral images in the row direction or main scanning direction of the imaging unit is reduced without reducing the projection density of the spectral spectrum onto the imaging unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are two views showing a schematic configuration of a discrimination device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing (a) a projection area of ​​a spectrum onto an imaging unit according to the first embodiment, and (b) a correspondence relationship between projected wave numbers and row-direction addresses. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing (a) a projection area of ​​a spectrum onto an imaging unit according to the second embodiment, and (b) a correspondence relationship between projected wave numbers and row-direction addresses. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing (a) a projection area of ​​a spectrum onto an imaging unit according to the third embodiment, and (b) a correspondence relationship between projected wave numbers and row-direction addresses. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 shows the Raman scattering spectra of ABS resin, polystyrene, and polypropylene (a), and the relationship between the row direction addresses of the projected spectroscopic spectra (b) and (c). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] <First embodiment> The identification device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to each of Figs. 1(a), (b), 2(a), and (b). Fig. 1 is a two-sided view that shows a schematic configuration of an identification device 1000 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2(a) is a partial detailed view showing a spectral information acquisition unit 100 included in the identification device 1000 shown in Fig. 1(a). Fig. 2(b) is a view showing the projection of the optical spectrum 280sa (odd) and the optical spectrum 280sb (even) onto the imaging unit 170. Fig. 2(c) is a projection wave number-light receiving element address map diagram showing the relationship between the numbers (row direction numbers) of the light receiving elements arranged in the row direction 172r of the imaging unit 170 and the wave numbers of the optical spectrum projected in the row direction 172r. The light receiving element number may be rephrased as the row direction address of the light receiving element or the row direction number of the light receiving element.

[0018] 1A, the -z direction corresponds to the vertical direction, i.e., 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.

[0019] (Identification device) As shown in Fig. 1(a), the identification device 1000 includes an irradiation unit 22 that irradiates irradiation light 220 in a condensed manner toward a specimen 900i transported in a transport direction dc. The specimen 900i is supplied to a transport unit 200 by a feeder 500, and is transported along the transport direction dc by the transport unit 200. The irradiation light 220 may be referred to as focused light 220 or primary light 220. Furthermore, the identification device 1000 includes a light collecting unit 20 that collects scattered light from the specimen 900i in correspondence with the irradiation unit 22, and an acquisition unit 30 that acquires identification information that identifies the properties of the specimen 900i based on the light collected by the light collecting unit 20.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1(a), the identification device 1000 includes a transport unit 200 having a conveyor belt that transports a specimen 900i in the x direction at a transport speed vc, and a discrimination device 300 downstream of the transport unit 200 in the transport direction dc. Fig. 1(b) is a diagram showing the transport unit 200 and a plurality of transport tracks TR-p, (p=1 to 4). Fig. 1(b) corresponds to a projection of the daylight collecting unit 20 and the discrimination device 300 of the identification device 1000 onto the plane AA' in Fig. 1(a) as the projection plane. The cross section B-B' in Fig. 1(b) corresponds to the schematic configuration diagram in Fig. 1(a).

[0021] Next, the spectral information acquisition unit 100, which is included in the identification device 1000 and which has a spectroscopic element and an imaging unit according to a feature of this embodiment, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2(a), 2(b) and 2(c).

[0022] (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.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1(a) and Fig. 2(a), the spectral information acquisition unit 100 includes irradiation units 22a(p) and 22b(p) that irradiate the specimen 900i with irradiation light 220a(p), and light collecting units 20a(p) and 20b(p) that collect secondary light from the specimen 900i. Fig. 1(a) is a schematic diagram of the xz plane corresponding to the transport track TRp whose track number p is odd as shown in Fig. 1(b) viewed from the y direction. Fig. 1(a) shows the feeder 500, camera 76p, light collecting unit 22a(p), irradiation unit 22a(p), and air nozzle 330p arranged on the transport track TRp of the odd row p. Although not shown in Fig. 1(a), the feeder 500, camera 76p, light collecting unit 22b(p), irradiation unit 22b(p), and air nozzle 330p are also arranged on the transport track p corresponding to the even row p.

[0024] The plan view of FIG. 1(b) is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the AA' plane of FIG. 1(a) as viewed from the z direction.

[0025] The light collecting unit 22a(p) and the irradiation unit 22a(p) are arranged coaxially, and the irradiation unit 22a(p) is optically coupled to the light source 25a including the laser light source via the optical fiber 130p. Similarly, the irradiation unit 22b(p) and the light collecting unit 20b(p) are arranged coaxially. For simplicity, the subscript (p) of the track number p of the transport track TRp may be omitted. Light collecting sections 20a and 20b are optically coupled to spectroscopic image acquiring section 10 so that spectroscopic information acquiring section 100 can acquire optical information reflecting materials contained in specimen 900i. Light collecting unit 27a includes irradiation section 22a and light collecting section 20a, and light collecting unit 27b includes irradiation section 22b and light collecting section 20b.

[0026] In this embodiment, the subscripts a and b immediately following the reference numerals correspond to different daylighting units 27a and 27b. That is, the subscripts (a, b, c, d, . . . ) immediately following the reference numerals are used to associate multiple components provided to process in parallel the light collected in parallel from different daylighting sections.

[0027] (Light gathering unit) 2(a) 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 27a having an irradiation section 22a that irradiates light onto one of the specimens 900i and a light collection section 20a that collects Raman scattered light from the specimen 900i. Similarly, the spectral information acquisition section 100 includes a light collection unit 27b having an irradiation section 22b that irradiates light onto another of the specimens 900i and a light collection section 20b that collects Raman scattered light from another of the specimens 900i. The irradiation section 22a and the light collection section 20a are arranged coaxially on the specimen side (objective side) as viewed from the dichroic mirror 250a, and even if the specimen 900i has a height difference or tilt, positional deviation is unlikely to occur between the center of the irradiation spot and the center of the light beam of the scattered light to be collected. Similarly, irradiation section 22b and light collecting section 20b are coaxially arranged on the specimen side (objective side) when viewed from dichroic mirror 250b.

[0028] In order to identify different specimens in parallel, the light collecting units 27a and 27b guide collected light from the different specimens to spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b (described later) via optical fibers 190a and 190b, respectively.

[0029] In this embodiment, the light collecting unit 27a and the light collecting unit 27b are disposed on the transport tracks TRp and TRp+q, respectively. With this arrangement, the identification process is performed in parallel on two specimens transported in parallel on the different transport tracks TRp and TRp+q, using a common imaging unit 170. A form in which the light collecting unit 27a and the light collecting unit 27b are disposed on the upstream and downstream sides of the same transport track TRp and light is collected from two different specimens, respectively, is also included in the scope of the present invention as a modified form of this embodiment.

[0030] (Irradiation unit) As shown in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 2(a), the irradiation units 22a and 22b have a focal length DF so as to form a focal plane 65 at a position separated by a predetermined distance WD from the transport surface 200S, and are disposed above the transport unit 200. The irradiation units 22a and 22b are disposed so as to focus the irradiation light 220 toward the upper surface of the specimen 900i, 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 22a and the light source 25a may be referred to as an irradiation optical system. The light source 25a and the light source 25b can be replaced with a form using a common light source (not shown).

[0031] 2(a), the irradiation units 22a and 22b each include an objective lens 260a, 260b, a dichroic mirror 250a, 250b, a collimator lens 230a, 230b, a cylindrical lens 240a, 240b, and a reflecting mirror 210a, 210b. The objective lenses 260a and 260b may be a convex lens, a collimator lens, a concave lens, a zoom lens, or the like.

[0032] Synthetic quartz can be used as the glass material of the collimator lenses 230a and 230b, the cylindrical lenses 240a and 240b, the objective lenses 260a and 260b, 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.

[0033] The objective lenses 260a, 260b act as condenser lenses that condense light from the laser light sources 25a, 25b onto the specimens 900i (i=0, 1, 2,...) in the irradiation units 22a, 22b. The objective lenses 260a, 260b form a focal plane 65, a focus (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 height of the focal plane 65 with respect to the conveying surface 200S is set in consideration of the distribution of heights hi of the specimen group 900i (i=1, 2, 3,...).

[0034] The collimating lenses 230a, 230b and the cylindrical lenses 240a, 240b reduce the spread of the emitted light from the laser light sources 25a, 25b and shape the light into parallel light. The cylindrical lenses 240a, 240b may use other collimating optical elements such as an anamorphic prism pair. The irradiating units 22a, 22b may have wavelength filters such as laser line filters disposed at the positions of their respective pupil planes. This allows the wavelength characteristics of the light irradiated by the irradiating units 22a, 22b to the specimen 900i to be adjusted.

[0035] 2(a), the illumination units 22a and 22b can share at least a portion with the light collecting units 20a and 20b. Since the light collecting units 20a and 20b and the illumination units 22a and 22b in this embodiment are arranged coaxially, the objective lenses 260a and 260b and the dichroic mirrors 250a and 250b are shared by the light collecting unit 20 and the illumination unit 22.

[0036] (light source) The light sources 25a and 25b are light sources that emit excitation light to the irradiation units 22a and 22b via the optical fibers 130a and 130b, respectively. In the irradiation optical system that disperses the Raman scattered light, the light sources 25a and 25b use laser light sources having an excitation wavelength of 400 to 1100 nm. The shorter the wavelength of Raman scattering, the higher the excitation efficiency, and the longer the wavelength, the lower the background fluorescent components.

[0037] The excitation wavelength of the laser light source applied to the light sources 25a and 25b is preferably selected so that the difference in Raman shift between the target material and the non-target material is clear. The excitation wavelength of the laser light source may be at least one of 532, 633, 780, and 1064 nm. Here, the case where the semiconductor lasers 25a and 25b are used as the light sources of the irradiation units 22a and 22b has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other laser light sources such as semiconductor pumped solid-state lasers and gas lasers can also be used.

[0038] (Light gathering section) The light collecting units 20a and 20b are 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 units 20a and 20b are disposed above the transport unit 200 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 220a and 220b from the irradiation units 22a and 22b, respectively.

[0039] The light collecting units 20a, 20b include objective lenses 260a, 260b, dichroic mirrors 250a, 250b, imaging lenses 270a, 270b, and optical fibers 190a, 190b. The objective lenses 260a, 260b of the light collecting units 20a, 20b include a convex lens, a collimator lens, a concave lens, a zoom lens, etc., similar to the irradiation unit 22. The 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 the spectroscopic measurement.

[0040] For the light collecting sections 20a and 20b, an objective lens with a large numerical aperture is used to ensure light collecting efficiency, and an objective lens with a small numerical aperture is used to ensure working distance and focal depth. More specifically, a SCHOTT B-270 with an effective lens diameter of φ25 mm, focal length of 20 mm, and numerical aperture of 0.5 can be used as the objective lens.

[0041] (Spectral image acquisition unit) In the spectral image acquisition section 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2(a), light from two light collecting units 27a, 27b is guided in parallel via optical fibers 190a, 190b. The spectral image acquisition section 10 includes, in order from the light collecting units 27a, 27b side, imaging lenses 110a, 110b, long pass filters 120a, 120b, spectroscopic elements 150a, 150b, imaging lenses 160a, 160b, and an image capturing section 170. In this embodiment, the suffixes a and b affixed to each element correspond to the light collecting units 27a, 27b. The suffixes a and b may correspond to two specimens that are subjected to identification processing in parallel.

[0042] The light dispersing elements 150a and 150b are arranged to disperse the light collected by the light collecting units 27a and 27b, respectively, and project the resulting spectra onto the imaging section 170 along the arrangement of the light receiving elements 350 in the row direction 172r.

[0043] 2(a) and (b), a light-collecting spectrum 280sa (odd) corresponding to the light-collecting unit 27a (odd) and a light-collecting spectrum 280sb (even) corresponding to the light-collecting unit 27b (even) are projected at different positions in the row direction 172r of the light-receiving element 350. Symbols or numbers in parentheses are numbers assigned to the light-collecting units of the imaging section 170. In this embodiment, the light-collecting units correspond to track number p of the transport track TRp shown in FIG. 1(b).

[0044] The daylighting unit 27a (odd) is arranged corresponding to the transport track TRp (p=1, 3, 5, 7) whose track number p is odd. That is, the daylighting units 27a (1), 27a (3), 27a (5), and 27a (7) are arranged corresponding to the transport track TRp (p=1, 3, 5, 7). Similarly, the daylighting unit 27b (even) is arranged corresponding to the transport track TRp (p=2, 4, 6, 8) whose track number p is even. That is, the daylighting units 27b (2), 27b (4), 27b (6), and 27b (8) are arranged corresponding to the transport track TRp (p=2, 4, 6, 8).

[0045] In this embodiment, optical spectra 280sa(1), 280sb(2), ~280sa(7), and 280sb(8) corresponding to eight light collecting units 27a(1), 27b(2), ~27a(7), and 27b(8) are projected onto the imaging section 170 in an array of 4 rows and 2 columns.

[0046] In addition, the spectrum 280sa (odd) corresponding to the daylighting unit 27a and the spectrum 280sb (even) corresponding to the daylighting unit 27b are arranged in the row direction 172r with the boundary between element numbers 1341 and 1361 as shown in Fig. 2(b). At this time, the spectrum 280sa (odd) and the spectrum 280sb (even) have mutually opposite increasing directions of wave numbers with respect to the element addresses of the light receiving elements as shown in Fig. 2(b). In other words, the spectrum 280sa (odd) and the spectrum 280sb (even) according to this embodiment have one increasing and the other decreasing in wave number in the row direction 172r as shown in Fig. 2(b).

[0047] Similarly, the spectrum 280sa(odd) and the spectrum 280sb(even) are projected at different positions on the imaging section 170, and are projected at different positions in the row direction 172r of the imaging section 170. The spectrums 280sa(1), 280sa(3), 280sa(5), and 280sa(7) are projected at different positions on the imaging section 170 in the column direction 172c. Similarly, the spectrums 280sb(2), 280sb(4), 280sb(6), and 280sb(8) are projected at different positions on the imaging section 170 in the column direction 172c. The row direction and the column direction indicating the arrangement of the light receiving elements 350 are orthogonal to each other, but are rephrased as a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction.

[0048] The spectrum 280sa (odd) and the spectrum 280sb (even) are adjacent to each other at the low wavenumber ends in the element numbers 1341 and 1361 in the row direction 172r. That is, the projected spectrums 280sa (odd) and 280sb (even) for the addresses of the light receiving elements 350 in the row direction 172r increase in the opposite directions. The spectrums 280sa (odd) and 280sb (even) in which the projected wavenumber-element address correspondence is in the opposite direction as shown in FIG. 2(c) are realized by the arrangement of the spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b in a mirror relationship as shown in FIG. 2(a). That is, the spectroscopic element 150a projects the spectral components corresponding to a large diffraction angle onto the side of the light receiving elements 350 with a smaller row address. On the other hand, the spectroscopic element 150b is arranged so as to project the spectral components corresponding to a large diffraction angle onto the side of the light receiving elements 350 with a larger row address.

[0049] The identification device of this embodiment has light collecting units 27a(p), 27b(p), i.e., light collecting sections 22a(p), 22b(p) corresponding to odd and even track numbers p of the transport track TRp. The identification device 1000 of this embodiment has a plurality of optical fibers 190a as a first light guiding section, which guides a plurality of light from a plurality of light collecting sections 22a(p), which are a part of the plurality of light collecting sections, to the spectroscopic element 150a(p). Similarly, the identification device 1000 of this embodiment has a plurality of optical fibers 190b(p), which guide a plurality of light from a plurality of light collecting sections 22b(p), which are the remaining part of the plurality of light collecting sections, to the spectroscopic element 150b(p), as a second light guiding section. Here, the spectroscopic elements 150a(p) and 150b(p) that are arranged on different transport tracks TRp and have opposite projected wave numbers relative to the element address of the imaging unit 170 may be referred to as a first spectroscopic element and a second spectroscopic element. Similarly, the spectroscopic elements 150a(p) and 150b(p) may be referred to as a first spectroscopic section and a second spectroscopic section. The first spectroscopic section and the second spectroscopic section are also referred to as including the spectroscopic element 150a and the spectroscopic element 150b that have different inclination angles relative to the imaging unit 170, respectively. Next, the technical significance of projecting in the opposite direction to the wave number direction will be explained below.

[0050] The wavenumber dependency of Raman scattered light will be described. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the wavenumber dependency of the intensity of Raman scattered light shows a tendency to decline to the right with respect to the wavenumber axis, that is, to be nearly monotonically decreasing. In order to increase the number of identifications that can be processed in parallel, it is possible to arrange a plurality of optical spectra in parallel in the forward direction along the row direction of the image sensor 170. The forward direction is rephrased as the same direction or a common direction. In this case, it was found that the high wavenumber end and the low wavenumber end of two adjacent optical spectra are close to each other as shown in FIG. 5(b), and the intensity difference of the detection signal of the Raman scattered light between the adjacent light receiving elements becomes large.

[0051] As shown in the wavenumber-element address map in Fig. 5(c), in a parallel configuration in which two optical spectra are projected in parallel in the forward direction (same direction), there is a risk of an influence between adjacent optical spectra. The influence between adjacent optical spectra is referred to as crosstalk between optical spectra. Crosstalk between adjacent optical spectra includes at least one of electrical and optical influences.

[0052] The imaging unit 170 is composed of low impedance lines, but the distribution of electrical constants on the lines is not zero, and there is a certain amount of distribution, so high-speed reading is also required. In addition, the imaging unit 170 is not a perfect light absorber for the Raman scattered light components, or the excitation light components and fluorescent components that are not completely removed by the filter and enter the imaging unit 170. Therefore, electrical crosstalk is considered to affect the periphery of the original projection position in the form of a part of the charge photoelectrically converted by the light receiving element 350 propagating along the wiring with parasitic capacitance. On the other hand, optical crosstalk is considered to affect the periphery of the original projection position as a halo pattern noise due to the backscattered light from the light receiving unit 171 being recurrently incident in a concentric circle. In either case of electrical or optical influence, the low-intensity detection signal acquired by the light receiving element with low Raman scattering signal intensity is easily affected by crosstalk.

[0053] The two optical spectra 280sa(odd) and 280sb(even) according to this embodiment have their high wavenumber ends adjacent to each other in the row direction 172r. In other words, the optical spectra 280sa(odd) and 280sb(even) have fingerprint regions adjacent to each other where the average signal intensity of the Raman scattered light is relatively high. The two optical spectra 280sa(odd) and 280sb(even) are adjacent to each other in the row direction 172r under the condition that the difference in Raman signal intensity is small and they are unlikely to be influenced by each other.

[0054] Therefore, according to the identification device 1000 of the present embodiment, the mutual influence between the spectral components of the imaging units in the wave number direction is reduced, compared to the parallelization method in which two spectral components are adjacent to each other in the row direction under conditions in which the intensity difference between the detection signals of Raman scattered light is large.

[0055] (Imaging unit) An imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS in which light receiving elements are arranged two-dimensionally is used as the imaging unit 170. The multiple light receiving elements 350 of the imaging unit 170 are arranged in a matrix, but in the case of a delta arrangement or the like, the row direction and the column direction correspond to the directions of two of the three axes, or correspond to a composite direction in which the direction of one of the three axes is combined with the remaining two axes.

[0056] Here, the identification device 1000 identifies the properties of the specimen 900i while transporting the specimen 900i by the transport unit 200, and discriminates the specimen 900i by the discrimination device 300 described later according to the identification result. Therefore, in order to increase the throughput of the discrimination process, it is preferable to increase the transport speed vc of the transport unit 200. The optical spectra 280sa(odd) and 280sb(even) projected on the imaging unit 170 are due to Raman scattered light generated from the specimen 900i moving on the transport surface 200S. Therefore, while the transported specimen 900i is in the irradiation area of ​​the irradiation light 220 from the irradiation unit 22, the optical spectra 280sa(odd) and 280sb(even) are formed on the imaging unit 170. For example, when the conveying speed vc of the conveying unit 200 is 2 m / sec and the length of the specimen 900i in the conveying direction dc is 10 mm, the time required for the imaging unit 170 to detect the spectrum formed by the Raman scattered light generated from the specimen 900i is 5 milliseconds or less. Therefore, the imaging unit 170 is required to have a high frame rate. An example of an imaging unit with such a high frame rate is a CMOS image sensor, and a CMOS image sensor is preferably used as the imaging unit 170.

[0057] As described above, the intensity of the Raman scattered light generated from the specimen 900i is extremely weak, so the intensity of the light incident on each element of the light receiving element 350 of the imaging unit 170 is also extremely weak. Therefore, it is preferable to use an imaging unit 170 having high sensitivity in the wave number region in which the optical spectrum 280sa (odd) and 280sb (even) are acquired. In general, a rolling shutter type image sensor has a simpler pixel structure and a higher aperture ratio than a global shutter type image sensor, and the photoelectric conversion element can be made larger, so that the sensitivity and dynamic range can be improved. In addition, since the pixel structure is simple, the rolling shutter type image sensor has the advantage of being less expensive than the global shutter type image sensor. For these reasons, in this embodiment, a rolling shutter type CMOS image sensor is used as the imaging unit 170.

[0058] The imaging unit 170 may employ a rolling reset type image sensor that sequentially performs a reset operation for each row of the light receiving elements 350. This allows the exposure time of each row of the light receiving elements 350 to be as long as possible, thereby increasing sensitivity.

[0059] The imaging section 170 of this embodiment has a crop readout function for performing a readout operation for a specific row in the light receiving section 171 in which the light receiving elements 350 are arranged two-dimensionally in the row direction 172r and the column direction 172c. This makes it possible to perform a readout operation for a specific row in the light receiving section 171 corresponding to the light collecting section 20 when the morphological information acquiring section 70 described later detects that the specimen 900i has reached the light collecting area of ​​the light collecting section 20.

[0060] The imaging section 170 has a readout circuit 173, a horizontal scanning circuit 174, a vertical scanning circuit 175, and an output circuit 176, and sequentially reads out signals from a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, row by row. The vertical scanning circuit 175 selects and drives an arbitrary row in the light receiving section 171. The readout circuit 173 reads out signals output from pixels in a row selected by the vertical scanning circuit 175, and transfers them to the output circuit 176 under the control of the horizontal scanning circuit 174. This performs readout in the main scanning direction (row direction). In addition, the row selected by the vertical scanning circuit 175 is shifted, and the readout circuit 173 performs readout in the main scanning direction under the control of the horizontal scanning circuit 174. By repeating this and shifting the selected row in the sub-scanning direction (column direction), signals can be read out from the entire light receiving section 171. The readout signal is output as an output signal to the material information reference section 180 located outside the imaging section 170 via an output terminal 177 of the output circuit 176. At this time, scanning in the main scanning direction is performed at high speed, but scanning in the sub-scanning direction is slower than the scanning in the main scanning direction.

[0061] The imaging lenses 110a and 110b convert the light collected by the light collecting units 20a and 20b into parallel light, respectively, by the light guided through the optical fibers 190a and 190b. The long-pass filters 120a and 120b attenuate the excitation light component contained in the collected light and transmit the Raman scattering light component. The spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b disperse the spectral components obtained by dispersing the collected light into a fan shape. At this time, the spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b are arranged with respect to the imaging unit 170 so that the increasing directions of the projected wavenumber on the element address map are mutually inverted. In other words, the spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b are arranged with respect to the imaging unit 170 so that the wavenumber directions of the projection spectra projected on the imaging unit 170 are mutually inverted. In other words, the spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b mutually invert the direction of change in wavenumber of the projection spectra projected onto the imaging section 170.

[0062] The imaging lenses 160a and 160b project the light split by the spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b onto the imaging unit 170. The spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b are transmissive diffraction gratings. A reflective diffraction grating may also be used, in which case the spectroscopic elements are configured in a Rowland arrangement or a Czerny-Turner system. The spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b may be referred to as diffraction gratings 150a and 150b.

[0063] The image capturing section 170 acquires the spectroscopic information Si of the specimen 900i in consideration of the captured spectroscopic spectrum, the photoelectric conversion characteristics of the light receiving element of the image capturing section 170, the transmission characteristics of the optical system, etc. In addition, the spectroscopic elements 150a and 150b may acquire polarization information including circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion together with the spectroscopic spectrum.

[0064] In this embodiment, the dispersing element 150a is regarded as an optical element included in the first dispersing section, and the dispersing element 150b is regarded as an optical element included in the first dispersing section.

[0065] In the first embodiment, the direction of change in the wavenumber of each of the projected spectra is inverted by providing a plurality of dispersing elements 150a, 150b for the imaging unit 170. As a modification of the first embodiment, it is possible to invert the direction of change in the wavenumber of each of the projected spectra by using one dispersing element for one imaging unit. The modified form of the first embodiment is realized by the following configuration. Regarding this modified form, the differences from the first embodiment will be described. A light-collecting optical system having two light-collecting channels A and B is provided so that two light-collecting beams from two light-collecting optical systems are collimated into small-diameter beams by fiber collimators and the collimated beams are incident on one dispersing element (diffraction grating) at a predetermined distance d. Diffracted light from the output side (opposite the incident side) of one dispersing element is emitted from positions spaced a distance d apart from each other in correspondence with the two small-diameter beams. One of the two diffracted beams is imaged on the imaging unit by one lens A1. The other is relayed by two lenses B1 and B2 and then imaged on the imaging unit by a third lens B3. This is realized by devising a focus for the optical system on the projection side.

[0066] For example, one diffracted light is imaged on the imaging section by cylindrical lens A1 with in-plane power, and the other diffracted light is imaged on the imaging section by cylindrical lenses B1, B2, and B3. In this case, if the focal length of cylindrical lens A1 is 100 mm, and the focal lengths of cylindrical lenses B1 and B2 are 25 mm and 50 mm, respectively, two projection spectra can be imaged on the imaging section with the wavenumber change directions reversed.

[0067] In this modified embodiment, the incidence area of ​​channel A on one dispersing element (diffraction grating) and the cylindrical lens A1 can be regarded as optical elements included in the first dispersing section. The incidence area of ​​channel B on one dispersing element (diffraction grating) and the cylindrical lenses B1 to B3 can be regarded as optical elements included in the second dispersing section. In other words, the first dispersing section and the second dispersing section share a dispersing element (diffraction grating) having different irradiation areas. In other words, the first dispersing section and the second dispersing section share a dispersing element so that light from a plurality of light collecting optical systems is irradiated to different positions.

[0068] (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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] (morphological information acquisition unit) As shown in Figs. 1(a) and (b), the morphological information acquisition unit 70 includes a camera 76p arranged so that an imaging field of view 700p is superimposed on a transport track TRp (p = 1 to 8) of the transport unit 200. The morphological information acquisition unit further includes an image processing unit 78 that processes the specimen image captured by the camera 76p. The morphological information acquisition unit 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.

[0072] The image processing unit 78 performs image processing including contrast and contour extraction to acquire the length in the transport direction, the reflected color, the shape, the degree of material mixing, and the like, of each specimen 900i. In other words, the image processing unit 78 is an element that performs processing to acquire information related to the size of each specimen 900i. The morphological information acquisition unit 70 can be equipped with a photointerrupter or a laser interferometer (not shown) instead of the camera 76p. The morphological information acquisition unit 70 may be referred to as an imaging unit. In addition, the morphological information acquisition unit 70 is an element that is selectively adopted in the identification device 1000.

[0073] (Acquisition Department) 1(a), the acquisition unit 30 acquires identification information Di indicating whether each specimen 900i 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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 the morphological information Fi and the spectral information Si from the captured image in a modified form. In other words, it can be said that the identification device (not shown) according to the modified form is equipped with a detection system that acquires multidimensional data capable of reading out material information and morphological information.

[0076] (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.

[0077] (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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] (Command Department) The command unit 40 estimates the passing time of the specimen 900i through the processing area where the specimen 900i passes through the area where discrimination processing is performed by the discriminator 300 according to the identification information Di from the acquisition unit 30 and the material and size of each specimen 900i, and generates a command to control the discrimination operation of the discriminator 300. The passing time 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 spectroscopic information acquisition unit 100, and a signal from a specimen sensor (not shown) provided in the transport unit 200.

[0080] (Discrimination device) As shown in FIG. 1(a), the discriminator 300 has an air nozzle 330p (p=1 to 8) for discharging compressed air at a predetermined discharge time, discharge speed, and discharge flow rate, and a discrimination control unit 340 for controlling a solenoid valve (not shown) equipped in the air nozzle 330p. The discrimination control unit 340 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 and the non-target collection basket 600 or 640 according to the properties of the specimen 900i, based on the control signal commanded from the command unit 40.

[0081] In addition, 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 dw of the conveying unit 200 to consolidate the system and achieve high-speed processing. The discriminator 300 may be regarded as an element of the identification device 1000 and may be referred to as the discriminator 300.

[0082] (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. The feeders 500 are arranged so as to form a supply section 550p for each transport track TRp (p=1 to 8) upstream of the light collecting sections 22a(p), 22b(p).

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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 therefore may be referred to as a mounting unit 200 for the morphological information acquisition unit 70. Similarly, the transport unit 200 moves the specimen 900i so that the specimen 900i passes through the effective light collection area 22R of the light collection unit 20, and therefore may be referred to as a mounting unit 200 for the light collection unit 20.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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.

[0087] <Second embodiment> Next, an identification device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3(a) and (b). Fig. 3(a) is a diagram showing a projection of a spectrum onto an image capturing section 170 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 3(b) is a diagram showing a projected wave number-light receiving element address map showing a relationship between the light receiving element numbers arranged in a row direction 172r of the image capturing section 170 according to the present embodiment and the wave numbers of the spectrum projected in the row direction 172r.

[0088] The classification device according to the second embodiment projects three columns of spectral spectra in parallel in the row direction, and can be said to be a modified form of the classification device 1000 according to the first embodiment. The classification device according to this embodiment differs from the classification device 1000 according to the first embodiment in that the spectral spectra 280sa(3n-2), 280sb(3n-1), and 280sa(3n) are projected onto the imaging unit 170 in parallel in three columns in the row direction 172r.

[0089] In this embodiment as well, three dispersive elements (not shown) are arranged relative to the imaging section 170 in a row direction 172r such that the tendency of the diffraction angles to disperse in a sector shape is reversed, thereby realizing the relationship between the projected wavenumbers of adjacent dispersive spectra and the element addresses as shown in FIG. 3(b).

[0090] The spectrum 280sa(3n-2) is projected onto the light receiving elements 350 whose element addresses are 101 to 1301 in the row direction 172r, and the spectrum 280sb(3n-1) is projected onto the light receiving elements 350 whose element addresses are 1401 to 2601. As shown in FIG. 3B, the spectrum 280sa(3n-2) and the spectrum 280sb(3n-1) are close to each other at their high wavenumber ends, and the spectrum 280sa(3n-2) and the spectrum 280sb(3n-1) are farther from each other at their low wavenumber ends. That is, the spectrum 280sa(3n-2) and the spectrum 280sb(3n-1) are projected onto the imaging section 170 with their high wavenumber ends closer to each other than their low wavenumber ends.

[0091] Similarly, the spectrum 280sa(3n) is projected onto the light receiving elements 350 whose element addresses in the row direction 172r are 2701 to 3901. The spectrum 280sb(3n-1) and the spectrum 280sa(3n) are close to each other at their low wavenumber ends, and the spectrum 280sa(3n-2) and the spectrum 280sb(3n-1) are farther from each other at their high wavenumber ends, as shown in FIG. 3B. That is, the spectrum 280sb(3n-1) and the spectrum 280sa(3n) are projected onto the imaging section 170 with their low wavenumber ends closer to each other than their high wavenumber ends.

[0092] That is, the optical spectrum 280sa(3n-2) and the optical spectrum 280sb(3n-1) are adjacent to each other in the CH stretch region where the average signal intensity of the Raman scattered light is relatively low. In other words, the optical spectrum 280sa(3n-2) and the optical spectrum 280sb(3n-1) are parallel to each other in the row direction 172r under the condition that the difference in the Raman signal intensity is small and they are unlikely to be influenced by each other. Similarly, the optical spectrum 280sb(3n-1) and the optical spectrum 280sa(3n) are adjacent to each other in the fingerprint region where the average signal intensity of the Raman scattered light is relatively high. The optical spectrum 280sb(3n-1) and the optical spectrum 280sa(3n) are parallel to each other in the row direction 172r under the condition that the difference in the Raman signal intensity is small and they are unlikely to be influenced by each other.

[0093] Therefore, also in the identification device 1000 of this embodiment, the mutual influence between the spectral components of the imaging units in the wave number direction is reduced, compared to the parallelization method in which two spectral components are adjacent in the row direction under conditions in which the intensity difference between the detection signals of Raman scattered light is large.

[0094] In the identification device according to the second embodiment, crosstalk between adjacent optical spectra 280sa(3n-2), 280sb(3n-1), and 280sa(3n) is also reduced compared to the forward projection method in which parallel projection is performed in the forward direction.

[0095] <Third embodiment> Next, an identification device according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 4(a) and (b). Fig. 4(a) is a diagram showing a projection of a spectrum onto an image capturing section 170 according to a third embodiment. Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing a projected wave number-light receiving element address map showing a relationship between the light receiving element numbers arranged in a row direction 172r of the image capturing section 170 according to this embodiment and the wave numbers of the spectrum projected in the row direction 172r.

[0096] This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that light collected by a plurality of light collecting units 27a (odd) corresponding to the transport tracks TRp of the odd-numbered rows p is projected by the spectroscopic element 150a in parallel at intervals in the row direction 172c onto the imaging section 170. Similarly, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that light from the specimens on the transport tracks TRp of the even-numbered rows p is collected in parallel, and a plurality of spectroscopic spectra are projected in parallel at different positions in the row direction 172c on the imaging section 170 by the spectroscopic element 150b.

[0097] Also common to the first embodiment is that adjacent optical spectrum 208sa (odd) and optical spectrum 208sb (even) are in opposite directions in the correspondence relationship between projected wavenumber and element address, and have bands projected at different positions in the row direction 172r.

[0098] On the other hand, the plurality of optical spectra 208sa (odd) and the plurality of optical spectra 208sb (even) are shifted from each other not only in the row direction 172r but also in the column direction 172c, and are alternately projected onto the imaging section 170, which is different from the first embodiment. Also, the plurality of optical spectra 208sa (odd) and the plurality of optical spectra 208sb (even) are different from the first embodiment in that they have bands projected at positions where the addresses of the light receiving elements 350 in the row direction 172r overlap each other.

[0099] In this embodiment as well, the spectrum 208sa (odd) and the spectrum 208sb (even) are projected onto the imaging section 170 with their high wavenumber ends closer to each other than their low wavenumber ends in the row direction 172r. For this reason, the intensity difference between the detection signals of the Raman scattered light on the adjacent high wavenumber sides of the spectrum 208sa (odd) and the spectrum 208sb (even) is small, and crosstalk between adjacent spectral images is reduced.

[0100] In the identification device according to the third embodiment, the adjacent spectra 280sa (odd) and 280sb (even) projected in the row direction 172r are projected in the opposite directions to each other in terms of the correspondence between the projected wavenumbers and the addresses of the light receiving elements. Therefore, the identification device according to the third embodiment reduces crosstalk between the spectra compared to the forward projection method in which the spectra are projected in parallel in the forward direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 20 Lighting section 30 Acquisition Department 150a, 150b Spectroscopic element (spectroscopic section) 350 Photodetector 170 Imaging unit 172r row direction 172c Column direction 1000 Identification Device

Claims

1. an identification device comprising: a plurality of light collecting units that collect scattered light from a plurality of specimens; a first spectroscopic unit that disperses light from some of the plurality of light collecting units; a second spectroscopic unit that disperses light from the remaining portion of the plurality of light collecting units; an imaging unit that has a plurality of light receiving elements arranged at least in a first direction and that acquires a first spectroscopic spectrum projected from the first spectroscopic unit and a second spectroscopic spectrum from the second spectroscopic unit; and an acquisition unit that acquires spectroscopic information of the specimen based on an output signal from the imaging unit, 11. An identification device, comprising: a first optical spectrum and a second optical spectrum, the first optical spectrum increasing and the second optical spectrum decreasing in wave numbers in the first direction.

2. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical spectrum and the second optical spectrum are projected at different positions on the imaging unit.

3. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical spectrum and the second optical spectrum are projected at different positions in the first direction.

4. 4. The identification device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light receiving elements are also arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and the first optical spectrum and the second optical spectrum are projected at different positions in the second direction.

5. 5. The identification device according to claim 4, wherein when the first direction is a row direction and the second direction is a column direction, the first optical spectrum and the second optical spectrum are projected at positions where row direction addresses of the light receiving elements overlap.

6. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second optical spectra are projected in the first direction such that the low wavenumber ends are closer to each other than the high wavenumber ends.

7. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the first spectrum and the second spectrum are projected in the first direction such that the high wavenumber ends are closer to each other than the low wavenumber ends.

8. The identification device according to claim 4 , wherein the first optical spectrum and the second optical spectrum are projected alternately in the first direction and the second direction.

9. 9. The identification device according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of first light-guiding sections that guide light from some of the plurality of light-collecting sections to the first light-splitting section; and a plurality of second light-guiding sections that guide light from the remaining portions of the plurality of light-collecting sections to the second light-splitting section.

10. The identification device according to claim 1 , further comprising a placement unit for placing the plurality of specimens in a light-collecting area in which the plurality of light-collecting units can collect light.

11. 11. The identification device according to claim 10, wherein the mounting section is configured to move the sample in a predetermined direction.

12. The identification device according to claim 11 , further comprising a discrimination unit that is located downstream of the light collecting unit in the predetermined direction and that discriminates the plurality of specimens.

13. The identification device according to claim 12 , wherein the acquisition unit controls the discrimination operation of the discrimination unit based on the spectral information.

14. 14. The identification device according to claim 11, wherein the placement unit includes a transport section having a predetermined transport direction and a transport width direction intersecting the transport direction, and the transport section has a plurality of transport tracks that transport the plurality of samples placed at different positions in the transport width direction in parallel.

15. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the first spectroscopic unit and the second spectroscopic unit respectively include a first spectroscopic element and a second spectroscopic element having different inclination angles with respect to the imaging unit.

16. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the first spectroscopic unit and the second spectroscopic unit share a spectroscopic element such that the light from the plurality of light collecting units is irradiated onto different positions.

17. an identification device comprising: a transport section having a plurality of transport tracks and transporting a plurality of specimens in parallel; a first light collecting section and a second light collecting section provided corresponding to different transport tracks of the plurality of transport tracks; a first spectroscopic section that disperses light from the first light collecting section; a second spectroscopic section that disperses light from the second light collecting section; an imaging section having a plurality of light receiving elements arranged at least in a first direction and acquiring a first spectroscopic spectrum projected from the first spectroscopic section and a second spectroscopic spectrum from the second spectroscopic section; and an acquisition section that acquires spectroscopic information of the specimen based on an output signal from the imaging section, The identification device, wherein the first optical spectrum and the second optical spectrum have mutually opposite increasing directions of wave numbers with respect to addresses in the first direction of the light receiving element.

18. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the light collecting unit collects Raman scattered light from the specimen.

Images