Identification Device

Abstract

To provide an identification apparatus which can generate a control signal that can be accurately distinguished on the basis of the condition of a sample including manner information.SOLUTION: An identification apparatus for identifying the condition of a specimen carried at a predetermined carrying rate by a carrying unit includes: an identification unit for identifying a material in the specimen and acquiring the length of the specimen in the carrying direction; and a command unit for generating a control signal for controlling a discriminator so that a discrimination operation will be performed at a predetermined intensity appropriate for the length. The command unit changes the intensity of the discrimination operation for the length according to the length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

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 on a transport path along which the specimen is 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 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 does not use transmitted light and is therefore less susceptible to the effects of light attenuation, and is therefore used to identify waste with variations in specimen size and transmittance.

[0005] The properties of a specimen to be identified include characteristic information, including material and physical properties, and morphological information, including size, shape, and orientation. In order to identify a specimen with high throughput, including discrimination, both the characteristic information and morphological information may be acquired in a linked manner.

[0006] There is known an identification device that identifies the material and size of a specimen by combining a camera that captures an image of the specimen and a spectroscopic identification unit to obtain the shape of the specimen. Patent Document 1 discloses a waste sorting device that includes a spectroscopic unit that collects light from a predetermined area on a belt conveyor on which multiple specimens are placed and acquires spectroscopic information, and a video camera that captures a predetermined area downstream in the conveying direction of the light collecting area of ​​the spectroscopic unit.

[0007] There is known a sorting device that refers to a predetermined target condition and sorts the identified specimen based on whether the specimen's properties satisfy the condition. Patent Document 2 discloses a waste bottle sorting device having a conveying unit that aligns waste bottles in a line in the conveying direction and conveys them, a camera that captures the conveyed waste bottles, an image processing device that estimates the center of gravity position, and a valve driving device that blows compressed air onto the waste bottles. The sorting device of Patent Document 2 discloses that it identifies the type and center of gravity of the waste bottle based on the color and size of the waste bottle acquired from the camera image, and releases compressed air toward the center of gravity of the waste bottle to discriminate it. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2002-540397 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-197609 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In the identification device of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to adjust the estimated value of the mass of the sample and the time when the center of gravity of the sample passes through the discrimination operation area depending on the size of the identified sample. However, in the identification device of Patent Document 2, even if the sample is strictly identified, the mass and passing time of the sample are estimated, and discrimination is performed based on the estimated mass and passing time of the sample, there are cases where the samples cannot be accurately sorted. It has been confirmed that, as a cause of such erroneous discrimination, when discrimination is performed by discharging compressed air, the accuracy of discrimination may decrease when the size or specific gravity of the sample is small.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide an identification device capable of generating a control signal that enables accurate selection based on the properties of a specimen, including morphological information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] An identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention is an identification device for identifying properties of a specimen transported at a predetermined transport speed by a transport unit, the identification unit identifying a material contained in the specimen and acquiring a length of the specimen in a transport direction, and a discrimination device for performing the discrimination operation at a predetermined intensity corresponding to the length so that the intensity of the discrimination operation per length is changed according to the length. to the discrimination device a command unit that generates a control signal for controlling the length; and a first storage unit that stores a control condition for the intensity of the discrimination operation corresponding to the length, the control conditions include a first control condition that increases the intensity of the discrimination operation per length in response to the decrease in the length, and a second control condition that decreases the intensity of the discrimination operation per length in response to the decrease in the length or keeps the intensity constant with respect to the decrease in the length; the discriminator is configured such that the discriminatory action is performed by dispensing a fluid; the intensity of the discrimination operation is controlled by an operation time of the discrimination operation corresponding to a discharge time of the fluid; The command unit ,before When it is detected that a plurality of the specimens pass through a discrimination operation area of ​​the discriminator at a time interval shorter than the operation time determined under the first control condition, Generated Control signal to instruct the discriminator The present invention is characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an identification device capable of generating a control signal that enables accurate selection based on the properties of a specimen, including morphological information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recognition device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the identification device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a graph showing control conditions according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a graph showing control conditions according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 5]13 is a graph showing control conditions according to the third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a recognition device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a graph showing control conditions according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a graph showing control conditions (a) and (b) according to the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] <First embodiment> The operation of the identification device and the identification unit according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an identification device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0017] The identification device 100 has an identification unit 10 that identifies the properties of a sample 900i transported by a transport unit 200 at a predetermined transport speed vc, and a command unit 40 that generates a control signal to control the discrimination operation of the discrimination device 300 based on the identified properties of the sample 900i.

[0018] The transport unit 200 is a unit that transports a plurality of specimens 900i (i=1, 2, . . . ) sequentially supplied from the sorter 500 in a transport direction (x direction in FIG. 1 ) at a predetermined transport speed vc. The transport unit 200 moves the specimen 900i so as to pass through the photographing field of view 700 of the camera 76 and the light collection area of ​​the light collection unit 20, and may be referred to as a placement unit 200. The transport unit 200 in this embodiment is a belt conveyor that transports the specimen 900i linearly. As a modified example, the transport unit 200 can be replaced with a turntable type feeder that transports specimens outward in a spiral shape, a vibration type feeder provided with a vibrator that moves the specimen in a predetermined direction, or the like.

[0019] The identification unit 10 has a light collecting unit 20 arranged downstream of the sorter 500 of the transport unit 200 so as to collect light from the transport unit 200 or the specimen 900i, and an acquisition unit 30 that acquires spectral information of the light collected by the light collecting unit 20. The identification unit 10 of this embodiment further includes a laser light source 25 optically connected to an irradiation optical system arranged coaxially with the light collecting optical system of the light collecting unit 20 in order to receive Raman scattered light.

[0020] The light collecting unit 20 is optically coupled to the spectroscopic unit 30 so that the spectroscopic unit 30 can obtain optical information reflecting the material contained in the specimen 900i. The spectroscopic unit 30 includes a spectroscopic element and a two-dimensional imaging device (not shown), and obtains spectroscopic information Si by dispersing the collected light. The identification unit 10 refers to a material database (not shown) in which reference data of the Raman scattered light is recorded, based on the spectroscopic information Si of the specimen 900i, and identifies the material contained in the specimen 900i based on the similarity with the reference data, thereby obtaining material information Mi.

[0021] The identification unit 10 has a length measurement unit 70 including a camera 76 arranged so that the imaging field of view 700 overlaps with the transport unit 200 in order to acquire the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction (x), and an image processing unit 78 that processes the image captured by the camera 76. The image processing unit 78 performs image processing including contrast and contour extraction to acquire the length Lci of each specimen 900i in the transport direction. In other words, the image processing unit 78 may be a processing unit that acquires information regarding the size of each specimen 900i. The length measurement unit 70 may be equipped with a photointerrupter or a laser interferometer instead of the camera 76.

[0022] The identification device 100 includes a control unit 400 that includes a command section 40 that controls the discrimination operation of the discrimination device 300 based on the characteristics of each 900i, a first memory section 60 that stores control conditions 1 for the discrimination operation, and a second memory section 60 that stores the characteristics of each specimen 900i.

[0023] The first storage unit 60 is configured to store control conditions for controlling the intensity Is of the discrimination operation of the discriminator 300, which corresponds to the length Lci of each specimen 900i in the transport direction. The control conditions are stored in the first storage unit 60 in the form of a look-up table, a general formula expressed algebraically, statistical information, or the like. Meanwhile, the second storage unit 80 is configured to store the length Lci of each specimen 900i in the transport direction, which is information on the properties from the identification unit 10, the material information Mi, and the timing tp of passing through the light collecting unit 20, in association with each other. The control unit 400 includes a display unit 140 that provides a GUI that allows a user to specify the control conditions. The display unit 140 may display information acquired by the identification unit 10.

[0024] By referring to the first memory unit 60 and the second memory unit 80, the command unit 40 generates a command to control the discrimination operation of the discrimination device 300 according to the material and size of each specimen 900i, i.e., the material information Mi and the length Lci in the transport direction of each specimen 900i.

[0025] The discriminator 300 has an air nozzle 330 for discharging compressed air at a predetermined discharging time, discharging speed, and discharging 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 discharging 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 into the target collection basket 620 and the non-target collection basket 600 according to the properties of the specimen 900i including the material information Mi and the morphological information Fi based on the control signal commanded from the command unit.

[0026] In addition, in the discrimination device 300, the discharge device that discharges 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 discrimination section 10, the control unit 400, the specimen device 300, and their components that constitute the discrimination device 100 can be arranged in parallel at different positions in the conveying width direction of the conveying section 200 to consolidate the system and increase the processing speed. Such a parallel arrangement may be referred to as a multi-row arrangement or a multiple row arrangement. The discrimination device 300 is a means for applying an external force to change the moving direction or moving speed of the conveyed specimen 900i at the outlet of the conveying section 200, and therefore may be referred to as a force applying means.

[0027] Next, the control of the discrimination device 300 by the discrimination device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the discrimination of the discrimination section 10 of the discrimination device 100 and each operation commanded to the command section 40. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing control condition 1 of the discrimination device 100. Control condition 1 of this embodiment is a control condition for changing the discharge time T of the compressed air of the discrimination device 300 according to the size of the specimen 900i. That is, control condition 1 of this embodiment is a control condition for setting the discharge time T of the compressed air of the discrimination device 300 as the discrimination operation intensity Is, and changing the discrimination operation intensity according to the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction.

[0028] (Step S100) In this step, the transportation of a plurality of specimens 900i (i=1, 2, . . . j-1, j, j+1 . . . ) is started. In this embodiment, the plurality of specimens 900i are sequentially supplied to the transport unit 200 from a sorter 500 placed on the upstream side of the transport unit 200, which is equipped with a rotationally driven belt conveyor. This step can be said as a step of placing the specimens 900i on the transport unit 200.

[0029] (Step S200) In this step, the camera 76 captures an image of the specimen 900i being transported on the transport section 200.

[0030] (Step S300) In this step, the image processor 78 processes the camera image to obtain the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction. The camera image may be captured through a predetermined optical filter in consideration of the light reflection characteristics of the specimen group and the conveyor belt in the background, or an appropriate image processing filter may be applied to emphasize the contour of the specimen 900i.

[0031] (Step 320) In this step, the projected area and mass of the specimen 900i are estimated from the contour of the extracted specimen 900i. This step is a step that is selectively performed, and the obtained estimated mass can be associated with the setting of the intensity Is of the discrimination operation, the projected shape and projected area of ​​the injected specimen 900i, and used as learning data for machine learning.

[0032] (Step 340) In this step, the position P of the center of gravity of the specimen 900i is obtained from the contour of the extracted specimen 900i. The position P of the center of gravity is used to calculate the time when the center of gravity P of the specimen 900i passes through the discrimination operation area of ​​the discrimination device 300, together with the conveying speed vc and the discrimination distance dc corresponding to the discrimination time. Note that the order of performing steps S300, S320, and S340 can be interchanged, or they may be performed simultaneously.

[0033] (Step S350) In this step, the morphological information Fi of the specimen 900i acquired in each of steps S300, S320, and S340 is stored in the second storage unit 80 so as to be usable when generating a control signal, which will be described later. That is, in step S500, the morphological information Fi is stored in the second storage unit 80 in association with the imaging time.

[0034] The imaging data acquired in step S200 may be linked to the imaging time and the morphological information Fi and stored in the second storage unit 80. In addition, a modification of this embodiment may be implemented in which the imaging data acquired in step S200 is linked to the imaging time and stored in the second storage unit 80, and the morphological information Fi such as the length Lci and the center of gravity position P is obtained by calculation after being read from the second storage unit 80.

[0035] (Step S400) In this step, the light collecting section 20 collects scattered light from the specimen 900i, and the spectroscopic section 30 acquires a spectral image of the light, thereby acquiring spectral information Si of the specimen 900i.

[0036] (Step S500) In this step, the material of the specimen 900i is identified and material information Mi is obtained. The identification unit 10 refers to a material database (not shown) in which reference data of the Raman scattered light is recorded based on the spectroscopic information Si of the specimen 900i, and identifies the material of the specimen 900i based on the similarity with the reference data to obtain the material information Mi.

[0037] (Step S550) In this step, the material information Mi of the specimen 900i acquired in step S500 is stored in the second storage unit 80 so as to be usable when generating a control signal, which will be described later. That is, in step S500, the material information Mi is stored in the second storage unit 80 in association with the light collection time or the morphological information Fi.

[0038] In step S550 of this embodiment, the spectral image or the optical spectrum acquired in step S400 may be stored in the second storage unit 80 in association with the light collection time and the morphological information Fi.

[0039] (Step S610) In this step, the material information Mi corresponding to the sample 900i is read from the second storage unit 80.

[0040] (Step S630) In this step, the morphological information Fi corresponding to the specimen 900i is read from the second storage unit 80.

[0041] (Step S650) In this step, the control condition 1 shown in FIG. 3 is read out from the first storage unit.

[0042] (Step S670) In this step, a discharge time T corresponding to the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction is determined. The determined discharge time is included in the intensity of the discrimination operation of the discriminator 300. The discharge time determined in this step corresponds to the operation time of the discrimination operation of the discriminator 300.

[0043] (Step S690) In this step, a control signal including the discharge time T determined in step S670 is generated and is issued to the discrimination control unit 350.

[0044] (Step S700) In this step, the discriminator 300 sorts the specimens 900i based on the control signal.

[0045] In this embodiment, the discharge time T, which is the discrimination operation determined in step S670, is determined based on the control condition 1 stored in the first storage unit 60. The discharge time T of compressed air from the air nozzle 330 is the discrimination operation intensity Is, and the control condition changes the discrimination operation intensity Is according to the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction. In other words, the control condition 1 according to this embodiment has a control pattern on the low side of the length Lci that increases the discrimination operation intensity per length Lci in the transport direction of the specimen 900i according to the decrease in the length Lci. In other words, the control condition 1 according to this embodiment has a control pattern that changes the discrimination operation intensity per length Lci in the transport direction of the specimen 900i according to the decrease in the length Lci.

[0046] As shown by the solid line profile in Figure 3, control condition 1 of this embodiment is such that the ejection time T does not asymptotically approach 0 on the side where the sample length Lci decreases, and the ejection time T exhibits a nonlinear profile with respect to the sample length Lci with the shortest ejection time Tmin as the lower limit.

[0047] In the graph of FIG. 3, T / Lci, which corresponds to the discharge time T per length Lci of the specimen, is plotted with a dashed line. The numerical value of T / Lci can be read from the vertical axis on the right. From this graph, the discharge time T / Lci per length Lci in the transport direction of the specimen 900i is large on the low Lci side, indicating that the smaller the size of the specimen detected, the greater the discrimination operation intensity per length Lci of the specimen is commanded in step S690. Control condition 1 of this embodiment improves the recycling recovery rate in an identification device that uses waste with a variety of sizes of specimen groups as specimens.

[0048] Second Embodiment The operation of the discrimination unit of the discrimination device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. In this embodiment, control condition 1 is a control condition in which the discharge time T of compressed air from the discrimination device 300 is set as the discrimination operation intensity Is, and the discrimination operation intensity Is is changed according to the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction.

[0049] As shown by the solid line profile in Figure 3, control condition 1 in this embodiment exhibits a nonlinear profile with respect to the specimen length Lci, in which the ejection time T does not asymptotically approach 0 on the side where the specimen length Lci decreases, and the ejection time has the shortest ejection time Tmin as its lower limit.

[0050] Control condition 1 according to this embodiment differs from control condition 1 according to the first embodiment in that there is no section where the sample length Lci is constant in the nonlinear profile of the compressed air ejection time T versus the sample length Lci. However, even in this embodiment, the ejection time T / Lci per sample length is large on the low Lci side, indicating that the smaller the sample 900i detected to be in size, the greater the intensity of the discrimination operation per sample length Lci is controlled.

[0051] <Third embodiment> The operation of the discrimination unit of the discrimination device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the control condition 1 is a control condition in which the discharge flow rate F of the compressed air of the discrimination device 300 is set as the discrimination operation intensity Is, and the discrimination operation intensity Is is changed according to the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction. The control condition 1 according to this embodiment differs from the control condition 1 according to the first embodiment in that the type of discrimination operation intensity Is is the compressed air flow rate F (lpm). In this embodiment as well, the discharge flow rate F / Lci per specimen length is large on the low Lci side, indicating that the smaller the size of the specimen 900i detected, the greater the discrimination operation intensity per specimen length Lci is controlled to be.

[0052] <Fourth embodiment> The operation of the recognition device and recognition unit according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0053] The identification device 160 according to this embodiment identifies the length Lci based on the sampling period (seconds) for acquiring the spectroscopic information Si acquired by the identification unit 10, the number of samplings N, and the transport speed vc (m / second). The identification device 160 differs from the identification device 100 in that it does not include a camera or an image processing unit for detecting the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the transport direction. In other words, the identification device 160 according to this embodiment estimates the size of the specimen 900i based on the number of consecutive detections Ni for acquiring the spectroscopic information Si acquired by the identification unit 10. The number of samplings N may be rephrased as the number of consecutive detections.

[0054] 7, the control condition 1 of this embodiment is a control condition that is discretely set by plotting the number of consecutive detections Ni corresponding to the common material information Mi on the horizontal axis instead of the length Lci of the specimen 900i in the control condition 1 of the first to third embodiments. The number of consecutive detections Ni of the specimen corresponds to the number of consecutive acquisitions of the spectroscopic information Si corresponding to the common material information Mi.

[0055] As shown by the square plot in Figure 7, control condition 1 of this embodiment exhibits a nonlinear profile in which the ejection time T does not asymptotically approach 0 and takes the shortest ejection time Tmin on the side where the number of consecutive detections Ni corresponding to a decrease in the sample length Lci is small.

[0056] In the graph of FIG. 7, T / Ni, which corresponds to the discharge time T per number of consecutive detections Ni, is plotted as a triangle. The value of T / Ni can be read from the vertical axis on the right. This graph shows that the discharge time T / Ni per number of consecutive detections Ni, which is correlated with the length of the specimen 900i in the transport direction, is large on the low Ni side, and the smaller the size of the specimen detected, the more the discrimination operation with a higher intensity per size of the specimen 900i is commanded. As with the other embodiments, control condition 1 of this embodiment improves the recycling recovery rate in an identification device that uses waste specimens with a variety of sizes as specimens.

[0057] The identification unit 10 and length measuring unit 70 in the fourth embodiment can be replaced with a hyperspectral camera or a multiband camera capable of acquiring the length and spectral information of a specimen from a captured image. That is, the identification device 160 according to the second embodiment acquires material information Mi and morphological information Fi of the specimen 900i by utilizing the history of the spectral data to overcome the lack of distribution information in the spectral data. In contrast, the identification device (not shown) according to the modified example can be said to be equipped with a detection system that acquires multidimensional data capable of reading out material information and morphological information.

[0058] <Fifth embodiment> The operation of the identification unit of the identification device according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 8(a) and (b). The configuration of the identification device of this embodiment is common to that of the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the control condition 1 is changed to another control condition when it is detected from the image captured by the camera 76 that the multiple specimens 900i are close to each other in the transport direction.

[0059] Control condition 2A shown in FIG. 8(a) is a control pattern in which the minimum intensity Is of the discrimination operation asymptotically approaches 0 in the decreasing direction of the length Lci of the specimen 900i.

[0060] The control condition 2A includes a control pattern in which the intensity Is of the discrimination operation per length Lci of the specimen 900i is decreased in accordance with the decrease in the length Lci. That is, the control condition 2A includes a control pattern in which the discharge time T / Lci of the compressed air per length Lci of the specimen 900i is decreased in accordance with the decrease in the length Lci.

[0061] On the other hand, control condition 2B shown in FIG. 8(b) is a control pattern in which the discrimination strength exhibits a constant value 0 regardless of the length Lci of the specimen 900i, and corresponds to a command to stop the discharge of compressed air.

[0062] Control condition 2A of this embodiment reduces the ejection accuracy of small-sized samples compared to control condition 1, but reduces the possibility of multiple samples being separated by a single airflow when multiple samples are close to each other in the transport direction. Control condition 2B of this embodiment can reduce the possibility of multiple samples being erroneously collected due to their close proximity.

[0063] Control condition 2A of this embodiment or 2 B is used to reduce the risk of erroneous discrimination when the command unit 40 detects that multiple samples pass through the discrimination operation area of ​​the discrimination device 300 at a time interval shorter than the compressed air discharge time T under control condition 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 100 Identification device 10 Identification section 40 Command Department Lci Length of specimen in transport direction

Claims

1. An identification device for identifying properties of a specimen transported at a predetermined transport speed by a transport unit, the identification device comprising: an identification unit that identifies a material contained in the specimen and acquires a length of the specimen in a transport direction; a command unit that generates a control signal for controlling the discriminator by commanding the discriminator to perform the discrimination operation at a predetermined intensity corresponding to the length so that the intensity of the discrimination operation per length is changed according to the length; and a first memory unit that stores control conditions for the intensity of the discrimination operation corresponding to the length, the control conditions include a first control condition that increases the intensity of the discrimination operation per length in response to the decrease in the length, and a second control condition that decreases the intensity of the discrimination operation per length in response to the decrease in the length or keeps the intensity of the discrimination operation constant with respect to the decrease in the length; the discriminator is configured such that the discriminatory action is performed by dispensing a fluid; the intensity of the discrimination operation is controlled by an operation time of the discrimination operation corresponding to a discharge time of the fluid; when it is detected that a plurality of the specimens pass through a discrimination operation area of ​​the discrimination device at a time interval shorter than the operation time determined under the first control condition, the command unit commands the discrimination device using a control signal generated based on the second control condition.

2. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid includes at least one of air, nitrogen, an inert gas, and water.

3. The identification device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification section includes a light collecting section that collects light from the transport section or the sample.

4. The identification device according to claim 3 , wherein the identification unit includes an acquisition unit that acquires spectral information of the light collected by the light collecting unit.

5. The identification device according to claim 4 , wherein the light collecting unit collects light at a predetermined sampling period.

6. The identification device according to claim 5 , further comprising a length measuring unit for acquiring the length.

7. The identification device according to claim 6 , wherein the length measuring unit obtains the length based on the material and a sampling count of the light collecting unit corresponding to the material.

8. The identification device according to claim 1 , further comprising a length measuring unit for acquiring the length.

9. The identification device according to claim 8 , wherein the length measuring unit includes at least one of a camera, a photointerrupter, and a laser interferometer.

10. The identification device according to claim 1 , wherein the command unit generates the control signal for changing the strength of the discrimination operation per length according to the length by referring to the first memory unit.

11. The identification device according to claim 1 or 10, further comprising a second storage unit that stores information relating to the length.

12. 7. The identification device according to claim 3, wherein the light collecting section collects Raman scattered light from the sample or the transport section.

13. The identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising the discrimination device.

14. The identification device according to claim 13 , wherein the discrimination device changes a moving direction or a moving speed of the transported sample.

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

Images