Engineering condition management device, engineering condition management program, engineering condition management method, and method for creating an index database

Abstract

To provide a process condition management device, a process condition management program, a process condition management method and an index database creation method which reduce the labor and time required for sorting processing of a sorting object and improve efficiency of sorting processing.SOLUTION: There is provided a process condition management device which manages a process and a condition in sorting processing of a sorting object using a plurality of sorters. The process condition management device includes arithmetic processing means which decides a sorting process including a drive condition of each sorter on the basis of physical property relevant information including information indicating the physical property of the sorting object and sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristic of each of the sorters.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a process condition management device, a process condition management program, a process condition management method, and a method for creating an index database for managing sorting processes for waste to be recycled.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, recycling of waste household appliances, electronic circuit boards, etc. has been carried out, and for such waste recycling, a sorting process using a sorter has been adopted (for example, see Patent Document 1). The recycling system of Patent Document 1 obtains a final product through a plurality of sorting steps performed using various sorters.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, although various components are mixed in waste products and waste parts, in the conventional system, the operation of each sorter is manually performed by an operator. For example, since the operating conditions of the sorter are determined by the operator's rule of thumb, not only is it impossible to judge the quality of the operating efficiency, but the operation is time-consuming and differences can occur among operators.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a process condition management device, a process condition management program, a process condition management method, and a method for creating an index database that reduce the labor and time required for the sorting process of sorting objects and realize the efficiency of the sorting process.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The process condition management device according to one aspect of the present invention is a process condition management device that manages processes and conditions in the sorting process of sorting objects using a plurality of sorting machines, and is based on physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the sorting objects and sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines. It has arithmetic processing means for determining a sorting process including the operating conditions of each sorting machine.

[0007] The process condition management device according to one aspect of the present invention is a process condition management device that manages processes and conditions in the sorting process of sorting objects using a plurality of sorting machines, and based on physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the sorting objects and sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines, obtains a plurality of sorting processes combining the order of use of the sorting machines and the operating conditions of the sorting machines, and obtains predicted values of sorting indices for evaluating each of the obtained plurality of sorting processes, and has arithmetic processing means for creating an index database associating the sorting processes with the predicted values of the sorting indices.

[0008] The process condition management program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer mounted on a process condition management device that manages processes and conditions in the sorting process of sorting objects using a plurality of sorting machines to function as arithmetic processing means for determining a sorting process including the operating conditions of each sorting machine based on physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the sorting objects and sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines.

[0009] The process condition management method according to one aspect of the present invention is a process condition management method that manages processes and conditions in the sorting process of sorting objects using a plurality of sorting machines, and acquires physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the sorting objects and sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines, and determines a sorting process including the operating conditions of each sorting machine based on the acquired physical property-related information and sorting characteristic data.

[0010] A method for creating an index database according to one aspect of the present invention is such that a process condition management device that manages processes and conditions in a sorting process of an object to be sorted using a plurality of sorting machines obtains a plurality of sorting processes that combine the order of use of the sorting machines and the operating conditions of the sorting machines based on physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the object to be sorted and sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines, obtains predicted values of sorting indices for evaluation of each of the obtained plurality of sorting processes, and creates an index database in which the sorting processes are associated with the predicted values of the sorting indices.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, since the operating conditions of each sorting machine are automatically determined based on the physical property-related information and the sorting characteristic data of each of the plurality of sorting machines, manual work by workers can be reduced, and the operating efficiency of each sorting machine can be improved. Therefore, the labor and time required for the sorting process of the object to be sorted can be reduced, and the efficiency of the sorting process can be realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Embodiment 1. First, with reference to FIG. 1, an overall configuration example of the multi-conveyor sorting system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-conveyor sorting system 100 includes a supply conveyor unit 10, a control device 70, and a process condition management device 80. The supply conveyor unit 10 is configured by combining a plurality of components and a plurality of drive mechanisms in order to sort the objects to be sorted. The objects to be sorted are the objects before sorting, that is, the objects to be subjected to the sorting process. The objects to be sorted are various electronic components and parts peeled and recovered from electronic boards in waste electrical products or waste electronic products. The objects to be sorted are, for example, the crushed products of waste household electrical appliances, and various electronic components peeled from waste household electrical appliance boards correspond to this.

[0014] The control device 70 controls the operations of various actuators mounted on the supply conveyor unit 10. The process condition management device 80 manages the entire sorting process for the objects to be sorted. In FIG. 1, the process condition management device 80 and the control device 70 are communicably connected via a network N such as the Internet. However, the process condition management device 80 and the control device 70 may be connected by wire using a LAN cable or the like, or may perform data communication according to a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi (registered trademark).

[0015] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, an example of the supply conveyor unit 10 in FIG. 1 will be specifically described. The supply conveyor unit 10 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a sorter Z1 and a sorter Z2, and a distribution unit X connected to the sorter Z1 and the sorter Z2. Hereinafter, when referring to the sorter Z1 and the sorter Z2 without distinction, these are also collectively referred to as the sorter Z. However, the supply conveyor unit 10 may have three or more sorters Z. That is, the supply conveyor unit 10 includes a plurality of sorters Z and a distribution unit X connected to the plurality of sorters Z.

[0016] As the sorting machine Z, a vibrating screen, a specific gravity sorting machine (such as an air current sorting machine), a shape sorting machine, a magnetic separator (such as a suspended magnetic separator, a drum type magnetic separator, etc.), an eddy current sorting machine, etc. are assumed. The sorting machine Z has a feeder unit 25 that quantitatively supplies the object to be sorted or the sorted product to the sorting machine main body. The sorted product refers to the product recovered by the sorting process in the sorting machine Z. In the first embodiment, since each sorting machine Z is driven by automatic control by the control device 70, the operator does not need to perform manual operation of the sorting machine Z while the control device 70 controls the operation of each sorting machine Z.

[0017] The supply and conveyance unit 10 connects a plurality of sorting machines Z and the distribution unit X, and has a recovery path 30 for recovering the sorted product in the sorting machine Z to the distribution unit X. The recovery path 30 is a conveyance path for recovering the sorted product after sorting in the sorting machine Z to the distribution unit X. The recovery path 30 in FIG. 2 has a first recovery path 31 provided on the sorting machine Z1 side, a second recovery path 32 provided on the sorting machine Z2 side, and a third recovery path 33 provided on the distribution unit X side. A flow path switching device 39 that is connected to the first recovery path 31, the second recovery path 32, and the third recovery path 33 and switches the flow path from the sorting machines Z1 and Z2 to the distribution unit X is provided in the recovery path 30. The flow path switching device 39 is constituted by, for example, an air type three-way valve such as a three-way ball valve.

[0018] The first recovery path 31 extends from the flow path switching device 39 toward the sorter Z1. At the end on the sorter Z1 side, two recovery hoppers 35a and 35b for recovering sorted products from the sorter Z1 are provided. The first recovery path 31 has a main path 31a, a branch path 31b that branches off to one of the recovery hoppers 35a, and a branch path 31c that branches off to the other recovery hopper 35b. The second recovery path 32 extends from the flow path switching device 39 toward the sorter Z2. At the end on the sorter Z2 side, two recovery hoppers 35c and 35d for recovering sorted products from the sorter Z2 are provided. The second recovery path 32 has a main path 32a, a branch path 32b that branches off to one of the recovery hoppers 35c, and a branch path 32c that branches off to the other recovery hopper 35d. When referring to the recovery hoppers 35a to 35d without distinction, these are also collectively referred to as the recovery hopper 35.

[0019] On the branch paths 31b, 31c, 32b, and 32c, there are provided opening and closing devices 38 controlled by the control device 70. The opening and closing device 38 is constituted by, for example, an air-operated two-way valve such as a knife gate valve. The third recovery path 33 extends from the flow path switching device 39 toward the distribution unit X and is connected to the distribution unit X. The third recovery path 33 is a conveyance path for conveying the sorted product in the sorter Z1 or the sorter Z2 to the distribution unit X.

[0020] Here, in the elbow portions (curved portions) of the branch paths 31c and 32c where the sorted product is relatively likely to clog, a three-way branch pipe (so-called branch cheese) may be employed. Then, the pipe that branches off to the side opposite to the flow path switching device 39 from the opening and closing device 38 (the end of the pipe that does not belong to the flow path connecting the opening and closing device 38 and the flow path switching device 39) may be kept in an open state to serve as an air intake port to prevent clogging of the sorted product.

[0021] The supply and conveyance unit 10 is connected to each of the distribution unit X and the plurality of sorters Z, and has a supply path 20 for supplying sorted products to the sorter Z. The supply path 20 is a conveyance path for supplying the sorted products in the distribution unit X to the sorter Z. The supply and conveyance unit 10 in Fig. 2 has two supply paths 20. One supply path 20 extends from the distribution unit X toward the sorter Z1, and the other supply path 20 extends from the distribution unit X toward the sorter Z2. However, when the object to be sorted is input into the distribution unit X, the supply path 20 will supply the object to be sorted to the sorter Z.

[0022] The distribution unit X in Fig. 2 is installed on the upper part of the base portion 15 to ensure the height with respect to the sorter Z. The height difference between the distribution unit X and the sorter Z is set such that when the sorted products and the like freely fall from the distribution unit X to the sorter Z through the supply path 20, the sorted products and the like can be smoothly conveyed to the sorter Z. In Fig. 2, the base portion 15 is extremely simply illustrated, but the base portion 15 may be configured such that the height difference between the distribution unit X and the sorter Z is of the above-mentioned degree, and the shape and the like do not matter.

[0023] The distribution unit X has a solid-gas separation device 11 and a distributor 12. An inlet 13 into which the sorted products flow is provided between the solid-gas separation device 11 and the distributor 12, and a distribution opening / closing device 13a is arranged at the inlet 13. The solid-gas separation device 11 is, for example, a cyclone-type solid-gas separation device and is controlled by a control device 70. The solid-gas separation device 11 suppresses the inflow of dust into the distributor 12 by removing the dust of the recovered sorted products. The solid-gas separation device 11 delivers the sorted products recovered through the recovery path 30 to the distributor 12 through the inlet 13. The distribution opening / closing device 13a opens and closes the inlet 13. In the closed state, the distribution opening / closing device 13a blocks the inflow of the sorted products recovered by the solid-gas separation device 11 into the distributor 12. For example, when the sorted products are suction-conveyed to the solid-gas separation device 11 through the recovery path 30, the distribution opening / closing device 13a prevents the sorted products from flowing into the distributor 12.

[0024] The distributor 12 has a nozzle 14 that operates by the drive of a motor (not shown) and a plurality of discharge ports (not shown). The nozzle 14 rotates about the end on the inlet 13 side, and the other end is arranged corresponding to one of the plurality of discharge ports. One supply path 20 is connected to one discharge port, and the other supply path 20 is connected to another one discharge port. When the nozzle 14 is associated with the discharge port connected to the supply path 20 leading to the sorter Z1, the sorted product falling from the solid-gas separation device 11 is supplied to the sorter Z1 via the nozzle 14. When the nozzle 14 is associated with the discharge port connected to the supply path 20 leading to the sorter Z2, the sorted product falling from the solid-gas separation device 11 is supplied to the sorter Z2 via the nozzle 14.

[0025] The supply and conveyance unit 10 has two terminal paths 40 connected to any one of the plurality of discharge ports provided in the distributor 12. Each terminal path 40 extends toward a collection container 60 for collecting the final product. The final product is what has been finally determined to be collected and what has been finally determined to be removed among the sorted products in the sorter Z. That is, the final product is the combination of the object to be collected and the object to be removed. Here, the object to be collected refers to components such as valuable items existing in the object to be sorted that one wants to collect. That is, the object to be collected is an electronic element or the like that the user wants to collect for recycling or the like. The object to be removed refers to components such as harmful substances existing in the object to be sorted that one wants to remove. As the object to be collected and the object to be removed, for example, various electronic elements peeled from a waste household electrical appliance substrate are assumed.

[0026] The supply and conveyance unit 10 has a suction device Y that operates under the control of the control device 70. The suction device Y is arranged downstream of the distribution unit X and performs air transportation of the sorted products. The suction device Y and the distribution unit X are connected via a suction path 41. The suction device Y is constituted by, for example, a blower such as a blower that gives energy to a gas to increase the pressure and the flow rate and then sends it out. The suction device Y sucks the sorted products in the sorter Z to the distribution unit X side, that is, the solid-gas separation device 11 side, via the recovery path 30.

[0027] In the first embodiment, the supply and conveyance unit 10 has a height difference between the distribution unit X and the recovery container 60 such that the sorted products and the like can be conveyed to the recovery container 60 by free fall in the terminal path 40. This height difference is set such that the sorted products (final products) in the distribution unit X fall freely in the terminal path 40 and are conveyed to the recovery container 60. That is, the terminal path 40 is inclined such that the sorted products or objects in the distribution unit X can be conveyed to the recovery container 60 by free fall.

[0028] The supply and conveyance unit 10 is provided in at least one of the feeder units 25 of each sorter Z and each recovery hopper 35, and has a level meter 37 (not shown in FIG. 2) that measures the amount of sorted products stored in the feeder unit 25 or the recovery hopper 35. The level meter 37 sequentially or periodically transmits level information indicating the measured amount of sorted products to the control device 70.

[0029] The supply and conveyance unit 10 has a compressor 65 (not shown in FIG. 2) that functions to operate the distribution opening / closing device 13a and a plurality of opening / closing devices 38. The compressor 65 in the first embodiment is an air compressor that serves as a power source for various machines by discharging compressed air, and is connected to the distribution opening / closing device 13a and a plurality of opening / closing devices 38. Note that the supply and conveyance unit 10 may have a retraction hopper (not shown in FIG. 2) that is connected to the discharge port and temporarily stores the sorted products conveyed to the distribution unit X. The supply and conveyance unit 10 may be configured to provide the level meter 37 in the retraction hopper.

[0030] Here, the positional relationship of each component in the flow of the sorted product during suction by the suction device Y is defined. During suction (recovery) by the suction device Y, due to the operation of the suction device Y, the sorted product in the sorter Z flows from the sorter Z into the solid-gas separation device 11 through the recovery path 30. That is, during recovery, the sorter Z is on the upstream side and the suction device Y is on the downstream side with respect to the solid-gas separation device 11. On the other hand, when the sorted product (final product) is conveyed from the solid-gas separation device 11 to the sorter Z or the recovery container 60 through the distributor 12, that is, during conveyance, the sorter Z and the recovery container 60 are on the downstream side with respect to the solid-gas separation device 11 and the distributor 12.

[0031] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, another configuration example of the supply and conveyance unit 10 in FIG. 1 will be described. Components equivalent to those in the example of FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. The supply and conveyance unit 10 in FIG. 3 is an example of a six-stage sorting system using air transportation (a system combining one sorter as the starting point and six sorters with variable sorting order). In FIG. 3, some of the reference numerals are omitted to avoid complication. The supply and conveyance unit 10 in FIG. 3 includes sorters Z1 to Z7 and a distribution unit X connected to the sorters Z1 to Z7. When referring to the sorters Z1 to Z7 without distinction, these are collectively referred to as the sorter Z.

[0032] The supply and conveyance unit 10 has a recovery path 30 that connects a plurality of sorters Z and the distribution unit X and causes the sorted product in the sorter Z to be recovered by the distribution unit X. A plurality of flow path switching devices 39 are provided in the recovery path 30. By the control device 70 controlling each flow path switching device 39, the flow path configuration of the recovery path 30 is changed, and the sorted product is conveyed by airflow due to the suction of the suction device Y.

[0033] The distribution unit X in Fig. 3 has two distributors 12 including an inlet 13 into which the sorted product flows in, a distribution nozzle 14, and a plurality of outlets 12a. The distribution nozzle 14 is movable and is for flowing the sorted product taken in through the recovery path 30 in the distribution unit X into the corresponding outlet 12a. The distributor 12 has a motor 14a for operating the distribution nozzle 14. The distributor 12 in Fig. 3 has nine outlets 12a, five of which are connected to the supply path 20 extending toward each sorting machine Z.

[0034] The distribution unit X has a relay path 21 connecting one outlet 12a of the distributor 12 and the inlet 13 of the distributor 12 disposed below it. The distribution unit X in Fig. 3 has two distributors 12, and the relay path 21 connects one outlet 12a of the upstream distributor 12 and the inlet 13 of the downstream distributor 12. Here, the upstream and downstream refer to those during conveyance. The distributor 12 in Fig. 3 has two spare outlets 12a (enclosed by a dashed line in Fig. 3). The spare outlets 12a are for accommodating the addition of sorting machines Z or distributors 12, and there may be one, or three or more.

[0035] The distribution unit X has a solid-gas separation device 11 connected to the inlet 13 of the most upstream distributor 12, and the recovery path 30 is connected thereto. A distribution opening / closing device 13a is provided at the inlet 13 of the upstream distributor 12. The distribution opening / closing device 13a is also provided at the inlet 13 of the downstream distributor 12 to which the relay path 21 is connected.

[0036] Here, since the sorting machine Z6 in the supply and conveyance unit 10 in FIG. 3 is arranged at a relatively high position (at approximately the same height as the discharge port of the upstream distributor 12 in FIG. 3), it is not possible to supply the sorted product to the feeder section 25 of the sorting machine Z6 by free fall from the upstream distributor 12. Therefore, in the distribution unit X in FIG. 3, the solid-gas separation device 11 is provided above the sorting machine Z6. That is, in the supply and conveyance unit 10, the recovery path 30 is branched by a flow path switching device 39 (the flow path switching device 39 provided most downstream) provided at the uppermost part of the recovery path 30. One of the branched recovery paths 30 is connected to the solid-gas separation device 11 connected to the distributor 12, and the other of the branched recovery paths 30 is connected to the solid-gas separation device 11 arranged above the sorting machine Z6.

[0037] A dust collection device 110 for collecting dust such as fine particles is provided on the downstream side of the two solid-gas separation devices 11, that is, on the side of the suction device Y, in the supply and conveyance unit 10. The dust collection device 110 is a cyclone-type solid-gas separation device equipped with a dust collection filter and also functions as a dust collector. The dust collection device 110 has a dust box 110a in which dust is collected.

[0038] The distribution unit X may have one or more evacuation hoppers 26. In the distribution unit X in FIG. 3, three evacuation hoppers 26 are respectively connected to the three discharge ports 12a of the downstream distributor 12. The evacuation hopper 26 is for temporarily storing the sorted product. Level gauges 37 are provided in the feeder section 25, the evacuation hopper 26, and the recovery hopper 35, respectively. Therefore, the control device 70 can adjust the timing for moving the sorted product from the evacuation hopper 26 to the solid-gas separation device 11 or the like, and the timing for moving the sorted product from the distributor 12 to the sorting machine Z or the like based on the level information transmitted from each level gauge 37, so that the efficiency of the sorting process can be improved.

[0039] The supply and conveyance unit 10 is disposed below the dispenser 12 and has a collection container 60 connected to the discharge port 12a via a terminal path 40. The collection container 60 collects the final product fed from the dispenser 12 and temporarily stores it. The dispensing unit X in FIG. 3 has four collection containers 60, and each collection container 60 is connected one-to-one to the four discharge ports 12a of the downstream dispenser 12 via a terminal path 40. In the supply and conveyance unit 10 of FIG. 3 as well, similar to the example of FIG. 2, an opening / closing device 38 (not shown) is provided near each collection hopper 35 of the collection path 30.

[0040] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the functional configuration of the process condition management device 80 will be described. The process condition management device 80 manages the processes and conditions in the sorting process in the supply and conveyance unit 10. The process condition management device 80 is constituted by a PC (Personal Computer) or the like used by an administrator or the like who manages the multi-conveyance sorting system 100. The PC includes a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, and the like. As shown in FIG. 4, the process condition management device 80 has a communication unit 81, a storage unit 82, a control unit 83, a database unit 84, an input unit 85, and a display unit 86.

[0041] The communication unit 81 is an interface for performing wired or wireless communication with external devices such as the control device 70. In the storage unit 82, in addition to the operation program of the control unit 83 such as the process condition management program 82p, various information such as physical property-related information 82m and sorting characteristic data 82n is stored. The physical property-related information 82m includes information indicating the physical properties of the object to be sorted. That is, the physical property-related information 82m includes information such as the electrical conductivity, magnetism, specific gravity, and conductivity of components such as electronic elements included in the object to be sorted. The physical property-related information 82m includes configuration data indicating the configuration of the object to be sorted. The configuration data is, for example, information indicating the existence ratio for each size of components such as electronic elements constituting the object to be sorted. The physical property-related information 82m may include information such as the size, shape, and weight of the object to be sorted and components such as electronic elements included therein.

[0042] More specifically, the physical property-related information 82m includes information such as the electrical conductivity, magnetism, specific gravity, and conductivity of one or more target objects to be recovered included in the object to be sorted. The physical property-related information 82m may include information such as the size, shape, and weight of one or more target objects to be recovered included in the object to be sorted. The information on the size of the target object to be recovered may include, for example, size information such as "width × depth × height" of the target object to be recovered. The physical property-related information 82m may include information such as the electrical conductivity, magnetism, specific gravity, and conductivity of one or more objects to be removed included in the object to be sorted, and may also include information such as the size, shape, and weight of one or more target objects to be recovered included in the object to be sorted.

[0043] The sorting characteristic data 82n is information indicating the characteristics of the sorter Z and is set for each sorter Z. For example, the sorting characteristic data 82n includes information indicating the incompleteness of the sorting process by the sorter Z. More specifically, the sorting characteristic data 82n includes conditional correspondence data, which is table information in which a plurality of operating conditions of the sorter Z and the extraction rate of each element included in the object to be sorted are associated with each other. The conditional correspondence data is, for example, information associating a plurality of operating conditions of the sorter Z, a plurality of electronic elements, and the sorting results of the electronic elements under each operating condition of the sorter Z. The conditional correspondence data is organized for each element size and is set for each sorter Z. The sorting characteristic data 82n may include a performance table, which is table information associating the operating conditions and the sorting performance for each sorter Z. The storage unit 82 can be configured by a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable ROM) such as a flash memory, or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0044] The database unit 84 is a storage device that stores an index database 84a in which a plurality of sorting processes and sorting indices for each sorting process are associated. More specifically, the index database 84a is a database in which predicted values of sorting indices are organized for each sorting process. The database unit 84 can be configured by a RAM, a ROM, a PROM such as a flash memory, or an HDD or the like.

[0045] In the first embodiment, the sorting process is a combination of the order of use of the sorter Z and the operating conditions of the sorter Z. More specifically, the elements constituting the sorting process include the type of the sorter Z used for the sorting process, the order of use of the sorter Z, and the operating conditions of the sorter Z. The sorting index is an index for evaluating the sorting process and is for the user to evaluate the recovery status of the object to be recovered. The sorting index includes at least one of the recovery rate of the object to be recovered, the grade (purity) of the object to be recovered, and the separation efficiency of the object to be recovered. Hereinafter, the recovery rate of the object to be recovered is also referred to as the "recovery rate", and the grade of the object to be recovered is also referred to as the "target grade". The separation efficiency of the object to be recovered is specifically the separation efficiency between the object to be recovered and other objects in the object to be sorted, and is hereinafter also referred to as the "separation efficiency".

[0046] The recovery rate is the ratio of the amount of the object to be recovered contained in the final product to the amount of the object to be recovered contained in the object to be sorted. The target grade is the ratio of the amount of the object to be recovered contained in the final product to the total amount of the final product. The separation efficiency is a value obtained by subtracting the mixing rate of things other than the object to be recovered in the final product from the recovery rate of the object to be recovered in the final product.

[0047] As the sorting index, the total processing volume may be adopted. The total processing volume is the total amount of the objects to be sorted or the sorted products processed by the sorting machine Z used in one sorting process. Since the total processing volume is related to the total operating time of the sorting machine Z, it is information serving as a standard for power saving and the like. As the sorting index, the number of operating units of the sorting machine Z may be adopted. The fact that the number of operating units of the sorting machine Z is small serves as a standard for maintenance and energy saving of the sorting machine Z. As the sorting index, the grade of the object to be removed may be adopted. The grade of the object to be removed is the ratio of the recovery amount of the object to be removed contained in the final product to the total amount of the final product.

[0048] The input unit 85 is configured to include, for example, a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball. The input unit 85 receives an input operation by the user and transmits an operation signal corresponding to the received content to the control unit 83. The display unit 86 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display), and displays various information according to an instruction from the control unit 83. The user can perform the input process of the physical property related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n via the input unit 85 while visually recognizing the display unit 86. However, the process condition management device 80 may have a touch panel including a display panel that displays characters, images, etc., and a detection means that is laminated on the display panel and detects a touch operation, instead of the input unit 85 and the display unit 86. The process condition management device 80 may have both a touch panel and the input unit 85.

[0049] The user can set sorting conditions according to the purpose of the sorting process by the multi-conveyance sorting system 100. The sorting conditions are conditions for optimizing the sorting process by the multi-conveyance sorting system 100 according to the user's needs. For example, the user can use an index setting screen (not shown) that the control unit 83 displays on the display unit 86 and set sorting conditions based on the sorting index via the input unit 85. The sorting conditions are conditions having at least one sorting index as an element, and can be appropriately added, changed, etc. The user can set the object to be recovered and the object to be removed via the input unit 85.

[0050] The sorting conditions include the following (1) to (10), etc., and these may be registered in advance so as to be selectable. (1) The condition under which the separation efficiency between the object to be recovered and other objects in the object to be sorted is maximized (maximum separation efficiency condition). (2) The condition under which the separation efficiency between the object to be recovered and other objects in the object to be sorted is equal to or higher than the efficiency threshold value (superior separation efficiency condition). (3) The condition under which the recovery rate of the object to be recovered in the sorted product is maximized (maximum recovery rate condition). (4) The condition under which the grade of the object to be recovered in the sorted product is maximized (maximum grade condition). (5) The condition under which the grade of the object to be recovered in the sorted product is equal to or higher than the grade threshold value and the recovery rate is maximized (priority recovery rate condition). (6) The condition under which the recovery rate of the object to be recovered in the sorted product is equal to or higher than the recovery threshold value and the grade is maximized (priority grade condition). (7) The condition under which the grade of the object to be removed is equal to or lower than the removal threshold value and the recovery rate of the object to be recovered is maximized (removal recovery rate condition). (8) The condition under which the grade of the object to be removed is equal to or lower than the removal threshold value and the grade of the object to be recovered is maximized (removal grade condition). (9) The condition under which the grade of the object to be recovered in the sorted product is equal to or higher than the grade threshold value, the recovery rate is equal to or higher than the recovery threshold value, and the sorting machine to be used is minimized (number of sorting machines condition). (10) The condition under which the grade of the object to be recovered in the sorted product is equal to or higher than the grade threshold value, the recovery rate is equal to or higher than the recovery threshold value, and the total processing amount in each sorting machine is minimized (processing amount condition). Furthermore, the sorting conditions may be a combination of a plurality of the conditions as described in the above (1) to (10).

[0051] The efficiency threshold value is set based on, for example, the maximum value of the separation efficiency. That is, for example, a derivation coefficient indicating the ratio to the maximum value of the separation efficiency may be set, and the control unit 83 may obtain the efficiency threshold value by multiplying the maximum value of the separation efficiency by the derivation coefficient. The derivation coefficient is set to, for example, 0.80 (80%) and can be changed as appropriate. The grade threshold value and the recovery threshold value are preset according to the type of the object to be recovered, etc., and can be changed as appropriate. The removal threshold value is preset according to the type of the object to be removed, etc., and can be changed as appropriate. Each threshold value may be a different value for each sorting condition, or may be a value common to each sorting condition.

[0052] The control unit 83 includes an input processing means 83a, an output processing means 83b, and an arithmetic processing means 83c. When the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n are directly input via the input unit 85, the input processing means 83a stores the input physical property-related information 82m and sorting characteristic data 82n in the storage unit 82. The physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n are not limited to direct input by the user. For example, when the input processing means 83a receives the input of target information (such as the year model or model number of the substrate) indicating the type of the object to be sorted, such as a substrate, the input processing means 83a may acquire the physical property-related information 82m associated with the target information from the outside via the network N. The input processing means 83a may acquire the physical property-related information 82m associated with a plurality of pieces of target information from manual input by the user or via the network N, and generate table information (physical property table) associating the target information with the physical property-related information 82m and store it in the storage unit 82. Then, when the user inputs the target information, the input processing means 83a may read out the physical property-related information 82m in light of the physical property table. The input processing means 83a may acquire the sorting characteristic data 82n from the outside based on the model number of the sorting machine Z or the like.

[0053] The output processing means 83b causes the display unit 86 to display a screen including various information in response to an operation of the input unit 85 by the user. The output processing means 83b has a function of causing the display unit 86 to display at least one sorting process that meets the sorting conditions and a predicted value of the sorting index corresponding thereto. The user can perform a selection operation of the sorting process via the input unit 85 while visually recognizing the display unit 86. The arithmetic processing means 83c generates supply sorting data indicating the processing content of the selected sorting process in response to the selection operation of the sorting process. Here, the process condition management device 80 may include a light emitting unit including a light source such as an LED (light emitting diode) and a notification unit including a speaker. In this case, the output processing means 83b may cause the light emitting unit to emit light in various modes and cause the notification unit to notify sound or voice.

[0054] The arithmetic processing means 83c determines a sorting process including the operating conditions of each sorting machine Z based on the physical property related information 82m including information indicating the physical properties of the objects to be sorted and the sorting characteristic data 82n indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines Z. The arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of determining which sorting machine Z to use and which not to use based on the physical property related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n, that is, a function of selecting the sorting machine Z to be used for the sorting process of the objects to be sorted. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of selecting at least one sorting machine Z to be used. The arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of determining the order of use of the selected plurality of sorting machines Z as an element of the sorting process based on the physical property related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of determining in which order to use the selected plurality of sorting machines Z.

[0055] The arithmetic processing means 83c derives a plurality of sorting processes based on the physical property related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c obtains the predicted value of the sorting index for evaluating each sorting process, and selects a sorting process that matches the externally input sorting conditions based on the predicted value of the sorting index for each obtained sorting process. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c selects one or more sorting processes by performing a relative comparison between the plurality of sorting processes based on the predicted value of the sorting index. The arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of obtaining the recovery rate of the object to be recovered in the final product as the predicted value of the sorting index. The arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of obtaining the separation efficiency, which is a value obtained by subtracting the mixing rate of things other than the object to be recovered in the final product from the recovery rate, as the predicted value of the sorting index. The arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of obtaining the target grade, which is the ratio of the recovery amount of the object to be recovered included in the final product to the total amount of the final product, as the predicted value of the sorting index.

[0056] The arithmetic processing means 83c obtains a plurality of sorting processes that combine the order of use of the sorting machine Z and the operating conditions of the sorting machine Z based on the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n, and obtains predicted values of sorting indexes for evaluating each of the obtained plurality of sorting processes. It has a function of creating an index database 84a that associates the sorting process with the predicted value of the sorting index. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c compares the predicted values of the sorting indexes of the plurality of sorting processes in the index database 84a based on the externally input sorting conditions, and has a function of selecting a sorting process that matches the sorting conditions. The arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of extracting supply sorting data indicating the processing content of the selected sorting process from the index database 84a. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c has a sorting simulator function of extracting supply sorting data indicating the processing content of a sorting process that conforms to the sorting conditions by sorting the data in the index database 84a based on the sorting conditions. And the arithmetic processing means 83c is configured to transmit the extracted supply sorting data to the control device 70.

[0057] In FIG. 3, a distribution unit X having two distributors 12 is illustrated, but it is not limited thereto. The distribution unit X may be configured to have one distributor 12, or may be configured to have three or more distributors 12. The number of discharge ports 12a of the distributor 12 can be appropriately changed. For example, if a distributor 12 having more discharge ports 12a than the example in FIG. 3 is used, a system that functions in the same manner as in FIG. 3 can be constructed by one distributor 12. The database unit 84 may be a storage device provided outside the process condition management device 80, or may be provided in a cloud server based on cloud computing, a physical server, or the like. However, the process condition management device 80 may be configured without providing the database unit 84, and the index database 84a may be stored in the storage unit 82.

[0058] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the functional configuration of the control device 70 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 70 includes a communication unit 71, a storage unit 72, and a drive processing unit 73. The communication unit 71 is an interface for performing wired or wireless communication with the process condition management device 80. In the storage unit 72, in addition to the operation programs of the drive processing unit 73 such as the supply conveyance program 72p, various information is stored. The storage unit 72 can be configured by a RAM, a ROM, a PROM such as a flash memory, or an HDD or the like.

[0059] Based on the supply selection data transmitted from the process condition management device 80, the drive processing unit 73 controls the distribution unit X, the suction device Y, the plurality of selection machines Z, the flow path switching device 39, the compressor 65, and the like. The drive processing unit 73 controls the opening and closing operations of the distribution opening and closing device 13a and the opening and closing device 38 via the compressor 65. Note that the supply conveyance unit 10 includes a plurality of selection machines Z, a plurality of level gauges 37, and a plurality of opening and closing devices 38, but in FIG. 5, only one of these is illustrated for simplification. Also, in FIG. 5, one compressor 65 is illustrated, but the supply conveyance unit 10 may include a plurality of compressors 65. In short, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the drive processing unit 73 can individually control the opening and closing operations of the distribution opening and closing device 13a and each opening and closing device 38.

[0060] More specifically, the drive processing unit 73 includes an information processing means 73a, a flow path processing means 73b, a conveyance processing means 73c, and a selection processing means 73d. The information processing means 73a outputs a command signal based on the supply selection data transmitted from the process condition management device 80 to the flow path processing means 73b, the conveyance processing means 73c, and the selection processing means 73d. The information processing means 73a adjusts the timing for outputting the command signal using the level information transmitted from each level gauge 37.

[0061] The flow path processing means 73b controls the opening and closing operations of the distribution opening / closing device 13a and the opening / closing device 38 by controlling the compressor 65 in response to a command signal from the information processing means 73a. The flow path processing means 73b may be configured to gradually open the opening / closing device 38, such as first setting the opening degree of the opening / closing device 38 to a set opening degree and then setting it to 100% after the elapse of a standby time. When a large amount of sorted products are input into the elbow portion or the branching portion at once, that is, clogging is likely to occur. However, if the opening / closing device 38 is gradually opened, the input amount of the sorted products can be suppressed, so that clogging of the sorted products can be prevented. Such control is also useful when a three-way branch pipe is adopted for the elbow portion of the branch path 32c.

[0062] The set opening degree and the standby time may be set on the condition that, for example, when the conveying process is performed with the sorting products stored in the recovery hopper 35 up to the upper limit of the capacity, clogging of the pipe does not occur. Specifically, the set opening degree is set to, for example, 50% and can be changed as appropriate. The standby time can be set according to the capacity of the recovery hopper 35, such as 20 seconds for a recovery hopper 35 with a capacity of about 20 liters. However, the standby time may be adjusted according to the type of the sorting machine Z, the type of the sorted products, etc.

[0063] Also, the flow path processing means 73b performs switching control of the opening / closing state of the flow path switching device 39 in response to a command signal from the information processing means 73a. The conveying processing means 73c controls the operation of the suction device Y in response to a command signal from the information processing means 73a. The conveying processing means 73c controls the operations of the solid-gas separation device 11 and the distributor 12 in response to a command signal from the information processing means 73a. The sorting processing means 73d controls the operations of one or a plurality of sorting machines Z in response to a command signal from the information processing means 73a.

[0064] The control device 70 may have an operation unit that receives an instruction to change the control content by the drive processing unit 73. In this case, the information processing means 73a may output a signal indicating the content of the operation by the operation unit to at least one of the flow path processing means 73b, the conveyance processing means 73c, and the sorting processing means 73d. The control device 70 may have a display unit that displays various information. In this case, the information processing means 73a may cause the display unit to display a screen or the like including information related to the operation by the operation unit. That is, the information processing means 73a may change the operating state of various actuators or perform display processing on the display unit in cooperation with the flow path processing means 73b, the conveyance processing means 73c, and the sorting processing means 73d. However, instead of the input unit and the display unit, the control device 70 may have a touch panel including a display panel that displays characters or images, etc., and a detection means that is laminated on the display panel and detects a touch operation. The control device 70 may have both a touch panel and an input unit.

[0065] The drive processing unit 73 can be configured by an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a supply conveyance program 72p that cooperates with such an arithmetic device to realize the above various functions. That is, the supply conveyance program 72p is a program for causing the drive processing unit 73 and the storage unit 72 as a computer to function as the information processing means 73a, the flow path processing means 73b, the conveyance processing means 73c, and the sorting processing means 73d.

[0066] Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12, a specific example of the method for predicting sorted products by the sorting simulator function of the arithmetic processing means 83c will be described. In FIGS. 6 to 12, sorting characteristic data 82n is exemplified, which simplifies the types of electronic components included in the object to be sorted and the operating conditions for each sorting machine Z. That is, FIG. 6 is a table exemplifying the sorting characteristic data 82n related to the vibrating screen and includes the constituent data included in the physical property-related information 82m. FIGS. 7 to 12 are tables exemplifying a plurality of condition-corresponding data included in the sorting characteristic data 82n. In FIGS. 7 to 12, for the sake of convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the object to be sorted (sample before sorting) is composed of element A, element B, and element C.

[0067] Since FIGS. 7 to 9 are condition-corresponding data corresponding to the air current sorting machine as the sorting machine Z, the integrated floating rate is adopted as the extraction rate. The air current sorting machine here is assumed to be a double-tube air current sorting machine capable of sorting by two-stage wind speeds in one sorting process. In FIGS. 7 to 9, the integrated floating rates of elements A to C are associated with each of the four wind speed conditions, and the ratio of each element that does not float even when set to the maximum wind speed is also recorded. Since FIGS. 10 to 12 are condition-corresponding data corresponding to the suspended magnetic separator as the sorting machine Z, the integrated magnetic adhesion rate is adopted as the extraction rate. The suspended magnetic separator here is assumed to be a two-stage magnetic separator capable of sorting by two-stage magnetic flux densities in one sorting process. In FIGS. 10 to 12, the integrated magnetic adhesion rates of elements A to C are associated with each of the four magnetic flux density conditions, and the ratio of each element that does not magnetically adhere even when set to the maximum magnetic flux density is also recorded.

[0068] The composition ratios of elements A to C illustrated in FIG. 6 are as follows: element A is 25.0%, element B is 35.0%, and element C is 40.0%. And for the composition ratio of element A, the size less than 1 mm accounts for 2.0% of the entire sorting object, the size of 1 mm or more and less than 2 mm accounts for 3.0% of the entire sorting object, and the size of 2 mm or more and less than 4 mm accounts for 20.0% of the entire sorting object. For the composition ratio of element B, the size less than 1 mm accounts for 8.0% of the entire sorting object, the size of 1 mm or more and less than 2 mm accounts for 12.0% of the entire sorting object, and the size of 2 mm or more and less than 4 mm accounts for 15.0% of the entire sorting object. For the composition ratio of element C, the size less than 1 mm accounts for 16.0% of the entire sorting object, the size of 1 mm or more and less than 2 mm accounts for 18.0% of the entire sorting object, and the size of 2 mm or more and less than 4 mm accounts for 6.0% of the entire sorting object.

[0069] In FIG. 6, three types of sizes (less than 1 mm, 1 mm or more and less than 2 mm, 2 mm or more (and less than 4 mm)) are assumed. Therefore, when taking out one of these, the number of cases is 3 (3C1), when taking out two, the number of cases is 3 (3C2), and when taking out three, the number of cases is 1 (3C3). Thus, the total number of combinations of size sorting by the vibrating screen is 7. The arithmetic processing means 83c obtains the 7 results of size sorting by the vibrating screen as the sorting machine Z based on the configuration data illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0070] In FIGS. 7 to 9, the number of combinations of dividing into floating matter (light product) and falling matter (heavy product) at one wind speed is 4 (4C1). For this, there are cases where the light product is treated as the required product and cases where the heavy product is treated as the required product, so there are 8 cases (4×2). Also, in FIGS. 7 to 9, the conditions for sorting at two wind speeds, that is, the condition of floating at one wind speed and falling at the other wind speed, are 6 (4C2). Thus, the total number of combinations of air current sorting by the air current sorting machine is 14. The arithmetic processing means 83c obtains the 14 results of specific gravity sorting by the air current sorting machine as the sorting machine Z based on the condition correspondence data illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0071] In FIGS. 10 to 12, there are four combinations (4C1) of separating magnetic and non-magnetic materials at one magnetic flux density. For this, there are two cases: treating the magnetic material as the required product and treating the non-magnetic material as the required product. So, there are eight cases (4×2). Also, in FIGS. 10 to 12, the conditions for separation using two magnetic flux densities, that is, the condition of making one magnetic flux density non-magnetic and the other magnetic, are six cases (4C2). Therefore, the total number of combinations of air current separation by the magnetic separator is 14 cases. The arithmetic processing means 83c obtains the 14 results of magnetic separation by the suspended magnetic separator as the separator Z based on the condition corresponding data illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12.

[0072] Here, assume the case where the supply and conveyance unit 10 includes three different separators Z, and a method for determining the separator Z to be used, the order of use of the separator Z, and the operating conditions of the separator Z will be described. Here, assume the case where the supply and conveyance unit 10 has a vibrating screen, an air current separator, and a magnetic separator as the three separators Z, and assume that the vibrating screen is always used. When multiple separators Z are used, assume that size separation by the vibrating screen is always carried out first. The use of the air current separator and the magnetic separator is optional, and the order of the separation processes by these is variable.

[0073] Then, the number of cases of selecting one separator Z is one case, which is the vibrating screen. The number of cases of selecting two separators Z is two cases, which are the combinations of the vibrating screen and the air current separator, or the vibrating screen and the magnetic separator. The number of cases of selecting three separators Z is one case. Therefore, for these four cases, the order of use of the separator Z, the operating conditions of the separator Z, and their combinations will be described. Hereinafter, the combination of the order of use of the separator Z and the operating conditions of the separator Z will also be referred to as the "separation process". When only one separator Z is used, the operating conditions of the separator Z to be used correspond to the separation process.

[0074] [One separator Z] When only a vibrating screen is used as the sorting machine Z, there is no combination of sorting machines Z, so the order of use of the sorting machine Z (the combination of sorting machines Z) is one way, and the operating conditions of the vibrating screen are seven ways. Therefore, the total number of sorting processes is seven ways.

[0075] [Two sorting machines Z] Next, consider the sorting process when using a vibrating screen and an air current separator as two sorting machines Z. Here, it is always assumed that the air current separator is used after the vibrating screen, so the order of use of the sorting machine Z is one way. Also, the total number of combinations of the operating conditions of each sorting machine Z is the product of the seven operating conditions of the vibrating screen and the fourteen operating conditions of the air current separator (7×14 = 98). Therefore, the total number of sorting processes is 98 ways.

[0076] When using a vibrating screen and a magnetic separator as two sorting machines Z, based on the same premise as above, the order of use of the sorting machine Z is one way. Also, the total number of combinations of the operating conditions of each sorting machine Z is the product of the seven operating conditions of the vibrating screen and the fourteen operating conditions of the magnetic separator (7×14 = 98). Therefore, the total number of sorting processes is 98 ways.

[0077] [Three sorting machines Z] When using a vibrating screen, an air current separator, and a magnetic separator as three sorting machines Z, since the order of the air current separator and the magnetic separator can be swapped, the order of use of the sorting machine Z is two ways. Also, the total number of combinations of the operating conditions of each sorting machine Z is the product of the seven operating conditions of the vibrating screen, the fourteen operating conditions of the air current separator, and the fourteen operating conditions of the magnetic separator (7×14×14 = 1372). Therefore, the total number of sorting processes is 2744 ways (2×1372).

[0078] From the above, in the supply and conveyance unit 10 having three different sorters Z, the total number of combinations of the sorters Z to be used, the order of use of the sorters Z, and the operating conditions of the sorters Z is 2,947 cases (7 + 98 + 98 + 2,744). That is, according to the above premise, it can be seen that there are 2,947 sorting processes when performing sorting processing using at least one of the three different sorters Z.

[0079] Subsequently, based on the sorting process illustrated in FIG. 13, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12, FIG. 14, and FIG. 15, a method for calculating the predicted value of the sorting result will be described. In FIG. 13, it is assumed that three sorters Z (vibrating screen, air classifier, suspended magnetic separator) are used. The sorting process illustrated in FIG. 13 is for recovering element A.

[0080] FIG. 14 is a table showing the weights of the respective elements recovered as the final product and the calculation method thereof when a sorting process is performed on 100 kg of the object to be sorted by the sorting process of FIG. 13. Each recovery rate shown in FIG. 14 corresponds to FIGS. 6 to 12. The arithmetic processing means 83c calculates the weight distributed as the final product of each element by multiplying the weight of the object to be sorted by the recovery rate of each element in each sorter Z (see the calculation method in FIG. 14).

[0081] From the configuration data illustrated in FIG. 6, it is predicted that in the sieving for recovering elements of 2 mm to 4 mm by the vibrating screen, 20.0% of element A, 15.0% of element B, and 6.0% of element C will be recovered as the sorting product. Note that the other sizes (~1 mm, 1 mm to 2 mm) will be waste. The sorting product recovered by the vibrating screen is distributed to the air classifier via the recovery path 30, the distribution unit X, and the supply path 20.

[0082] In the air current separator, as shown in Fig. 9, 98.0% of element A, 90.0% of element B, and 2.0% of element C are lifted by an air current of 15 m / s, and 2.0% of element A and 80.0% of element B are lifted by an air current of 10 m / s. Element C does not lift at all with an air current of 10 m / s. Thus, most of element A can be left, and most of element B and element C can be removed.

[0083] More specifically, referring to Fig. 15, the sorting process in the air current separator will be described. In Fig. 15, the lifted portion by an air current of 15 m / s is defined as lift (1), and the dropped portion is defined as drop (1). Also, the lifted portion by the subsequent air current of 10 m / s is defined as lift (2), and the dropped portion is defined as drop (2). For element A, 98.0% is lifted in the sorting with an air current of 15 m / s, and 96.0% drops in the sorting with an air current of 10 m / s with respect to the lifted portion. For element B, 90.0% is lifted in the sorting with an air current of 15 m / s, and 10.0% drops in the sorting with an air current of 10 m / s with respect to the lifted portion. For element C, the 2.0% that was lifted in the sorting with an air current of 15 m / s drops as it is in the sorting with an air current of 10 m / s.

[0084] That is, as shown in Fig. 14, for each element, by subtracting the lift rate at 10 m / s from the lift rate at 15 m / s, the amount of the sorted product (intermediate product) in the air current separator can be obtained. Note that drop (1) in Fig. 15 corresponds to the heavy product in Fig. 13, drop (2) in Fig. 15 corresponds to the intermediate product in Fig. 13, and lift (2) in Fig. 15 corresponds to the light product in Fig. 13. The sorted product recovered by the air current separator is distributed to the suspended magnetic separator via the recovery path 30, the distribution unit X, and the supply path 20.

[0085] When magnetic separation is performed at a magnetic flux density of 100 mT in the suspended magnetic separator, as shown in Figs. 12 and 14, 95.0% of element A, 100.0% of element B, and 5.0% of element C become non-magnetically attached. That is, in the sorting process by the magnetic separator at a magnetic flux density of 100 mT, element B cannot be reduced, but while ensuring the remaining amount of element A, most of element C can be made into unwanted substances.

[0086] From the above, as shown in Fig. 14, for each element included in the final product, the amount of element A is 18.240 kg, the amount of element B is 1.500 kg, and the amount of element C is 0.006 kg. Here, the recovery rate of element A can be calculated by the following formula (1), the target grade of element A can be calculated by the following formula (2), and the separation efficiency between element A and other elements can be calculated by the following formula (3).

[0087] [Equation 1] Recovery rate = Amount of recovered element A / Amount of element A in the object to be separated...(1)

[0088] [Equation 2] Target grade = Amount of recovered element A / Total amount of the final product...(2)

[0089] [Equation 3] Separation efficiency = Amount of recovered element A - Contamination rate of other elements...(3)

[0090] The amount of recovered element A in Equations 1 to 3 refers to the amount of recovered element A in the final product, which is 18.24 kg here. The amount of element A in the object to be separated is 25.00 kg (100 kg × 0.25) from Fig. 6. The total amount of the final product is 19.746 kg (18.240 + 1.500 + 0.006). The contamination rate of other elements than element A can be obtained by dividing the amount of other elements than element A in the final product by the amount of other elements than element A in the object to be separated, and it is 2.0% (1.506 kg / 75).

[0091] Therefore, the recovery rate of element A is 72.3% (18.24 kg / 25.00 kg) by the calculation of formula (1). The target grade of element A is 92.4% (18.240 kg / 19.746 kg) by the calculation of formula (2). The separation efficiency between element A and other elements is 70.3% (72.3% - 2.0%) by the calculation of formula (3).

[0092] Here, the total processing amount by the supply and conveyance unit 10 and the processing amounts at each sorting machine Z in the above sorting process are organized. Since the object to be sorted is 100 kg, the processing amount by the vibrating screen is 100 kg. Also, from the above calculations, the processing amount by the air current sorter is 41 kg, and the processing amount by the suspended magnet separator is approximately 21 kg (20.82 kg). Therefore, since the total processing amount by the supply and conveyance unit 10 is 162 kg, the ratio of the total processing amount to the object to be sorted is 1.62.

[0093] That is, in the above assumed case based on FIGS. 6 to 15, the arithmetic processing means 83c executes the calculation of the predicted values of sorting indexes (recovery rate, grade, separation efficiency, total processing amount, etc.) for 2,947 sorting processes. However, the arithmetic processing means 83c may select the operating conditions with low sorting performance for each sorting machine Z alone and exclude the selected operating conditions from the calculation targets. In this way, the amount of calculation by the arithmetic processing means 83c can be reduced.

[0094] FIG. 16 is a table partially exemplifying an index database 84a in which the calculation results of the predicted values of sorting indexes are organized for each sorting process. The arithmetic processing means 83c in the first embodiment of the present invention obtains the predicted value of the sorting index for each sorting process and constructs an index database 84a in which the sorting process is associated with the predicted value of one or more sorting indexes. The index database 84a is, for example, table information in which the unique identification information of the sorting process, the processing content of each sorting process, and one or more sorting indexes are associated. The arithmetic processing means 83c compares the predicted values of the sorting indexes in the index database 84a based on the externally input sorting conditions and evaluates each sorting process. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c extracts the supply sorting data indicating the processing content of the sorting process that matches the sorting conditions by sorting the data in the index database 84a based on the set sorting conditions or the like.

[0095] In FIG. 16, as the sorting criteria in the index database 84a, the recovery rate, grade, separation efficiency, number of sorting machines, and total throughput are exemplified. The arithmetic processing means 83c may construct the index database 84a by obtaining predicted values of the sorting criteria for all assumed sorting processes, or may select a sorting process with good sorting results by the sorting machine Z alone and construct the index database 84a by obtaining only the predicted values of the sorting criteria of the selected sorting process.

[0096] The processing content of each sorting process in the index database 84a includes process detail data, which is detailed information in each sorting process. FIG. 17 is a table exemplifying the process detail data associated with the index database of FIG. 16. The process detail data includes information on the processing order of each sorting machine Z, sorting criterion data serving as the basis for the sorting process in each sorting machine Z, and information on the object to be recovered. In the sorting process W illustrated in FIG. 17, the sorting process is set to be performed in the order of a vibrating screen and an air classifier. In the sorting processes X and Y, the sorting process is set to be performed in the order of a vibrating screen, an air classifier, and a magnetic separator.

[0097] In the vibrating screen, in the sorting processes W and X, a setting is made to use two sieve meshes (screens) with different mesh sizes. In the sorting process Y, a setting is made to use one sieve mesh. The lower size corresponds to the mesh size of the sieve mesh with the smaller mesh, and the upper size corresponds to the mesh size of the sieve mesh with the larger mesh. When one sieve mesh is used in the vibrating screen as in the sorting process Y, the mesh size of the sieve mesh may be associated with the upper size or the lower size.

[0098] In the vibrating screen, in the sorting process W, the object to be sorted is sorted into three sizes: less than 4 mm, 4 mm or more and less than 5.6 mm, and 5.6 mm or more. In the sorting process X, the object to be sorted is sorted into three sizes: less than 2 mm, 2 mm or more and less than 4 mm, and 4 mm or more. In the sorting process Y, the object to be sorted is sorted into two sizes: less than 4 mm and 4 mm or more.

[0099] In sorting processes W and X, the air classifier performs the sorting process using two wind speeds, a lower limit wind speed and an upper limit wind speed. In sorting process Y, the air classifier is set to perform the sorting process using one wind speed (corresponding to the lower limit wind speed in Fig. 17). When these are associated with Fig. 15, the intermediate products obtained in sorting processes W and X correspond to the fall (2) in Fig. 15. The heavy products obtained in sorting process Y correspond to the fall due to the airflow at 13 m / s.

[0100] In sorting process X, the magnetic separator performs the sorting process using one magnetic flux density (corresponding to the lower limit magnetic flux density in Fig. 17). In sorting process Y, the magnetic separator is set to perform the sorting process using two magnetic flux densities, a lower limit magnetic flux density and an upper limit magnetic flux density. In sorting process W, the magnetic separator is not used. In the magnetic separator, in sorting process X, the object to be sorted is sorted into a magnetic adherent that adheres at a magnetic flux density of 100 mT and a non-magnetic adherent that does not adhere at a magnetic flux density of 100 mT. In sorting process Y, the object to be sorted is sorted into a magnetic adherent that adheres at a magnetic flux density of 50 mT, an intermediate magnetic adherent that does not adhere at a magnetic flux density of 50 mT but adheres at a magnetic flux density of 200 mT, and a non-magnetic adherent that does not adhere even at a magnetic flux density of 200 mT.

[0101] However, the arithmetic processing means 83c may be configured to construct an index database 84a including overall information in each sorting process as shown in Fig. 16, and separately construct a detailed database including detailed information in each sorting process in the database unit 84 or the like. The detailed database may be table information in which each sorting process is associated with the processing order and sorting criterion data of each sorting machine Z, for example, as shown in Fig. 17.

[0102] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a sorting process when collecting a plurality of targets by the sorting process using the supply and conveyance unit 10 of FIG. 1. That is, in FIG. 13, a sorting process for collecting one collected object from the object to be sorted as the final product is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. The process condition management device 80 can derive a sorting process for collecting a plurality of collected objects from the object to be sorted, and cause the supply and conveyance unit 10 to perform a sorting process based on the derived sorting process.

[0103] FIG. 18 is an example of a sorting process in the supply and conveyance unit 10 having a vibration screen, a drum magnetic separator, an inclined multi-stage weak magnetic separator, and a multi-tube air current separator as the sorting machine Z. In FIG. 18, the sample supply speed from the feeder unit 25 is cited as an operating condition common to all the sorting machines Z. As the operating conditions of the vibration screen, there are, for example, frequency conditions. As the operating conditions of the drum magnetic separator, there are parameter conditions such as the rotation speed of the drum and the position of the divider. As the operating conditions of the inclined multi-stage weak magnetic separator, there are parameter conditions such as the belt speed, the belt inclination, the height of the magnet, and the height of the feeder unit 25. As the operating conditions of the multi-tube air current separator, there are conditions such as the wind speed of the first air tunnel and the wind speed of the second air tunnel.

[0104] When collecting a plurality of collected objects, the arithmetic processing means 83c compares the predicted values of the final products for each of the derived sorting processes for each of the plurality of collected objects. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c adjusts the balance of each collected object based on the set sorting conditions, derives a sorting process predicted to be optimal for the sorting conditions, and generates supply sorting data based on the derived sorting process.

[0105] Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 19, a method for creating the index database 84a by the process condition management device 80 will be described. First, the arithmetic processing means 83c acquires the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n stored in the storage unit 82 by the input processing means 83a (step S101). Next, the arithmetic processing means 83c derives a plurality of sorting processes based on the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. In the case of the above-described premise, the arithmetic processing means 83c derives all 2,947 sorting processes. However, the arithmetic processing means 83c may exclude sorting processes including operating conditions with low sorting performance for each sorting machine Z alone, and derive only significant sorting processes (step S102).

[0106] Next, the arithmetic processing means 83c obtains predicted values of sorting indices for each of the derived plurality of sorting processes. If, in step S102, the extraction process of the sorting process based on the sorting performance of each sorting machine Z alone has not been performed, the arithmetic processing means 83c may perform the extraction process of the sorting process in this step. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c selects, from the plurality of sorting processes derived in step S102, sorting processes in which the sorting performance of each sorting machine Z alone is equal to or higher than the set standard based on the performance table, and may obtain predicted values of sorting indices for the selected sorting processes. The arithmetic processing means 83c of the first embodiment of the present invention has a function of obtaining a recovery rate, a target grade, a separation efficiency, the number of operating units of the sorting machine Z, the grade of the object to be removed, and the total processing amount as predicted values of the sorting indices. The arithmetic processing means 83c obtains at least one of the recovery rate, the target grade, the separation efficiency, the number of operating units of the sorting machine Z, the grade of the object to be removed, and the total processing amount according to the setting (step S103).

[0107] Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c creates an index database 84a in which the sorting process is associated with the predicted value of the sorting index. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c creates an index database 84a in which, for each sorting process for which the predicted value of the sorting index has been obtained, unique identification information indicating the sorting process, the content of the sorting process in the identification process, and the predicted value of the sorting index in the identification process are associated (step S104).

[0108] Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 20, an example of the operation related to the process condition management method will be described. When the control unit 83 receives the setting of the sorting condition via the input unit 85 (step S201), it accesses the index database 84a of the database unit 84 (step S202).

[0109] The control unit 83 compares the predicted values of the sorting indexes of each sorting process based on the set sorting conditions, and selects a sorting process that meets the sorting conditions. For example, if the sorting condition is the maximum efficiency condition, the control unit 83 sorts the data in the index database 84a in descending order of the separation efficiency of the object to be recovered, and selects the sorting process arranged at the top. If the sorting condition is the recovery rate priority condition, the control unit 83 extracts from the data in the index database 84a those with a target grade equal to or higher than the grade threshold, sorts the extracted data in descending order of the recovery rate of the object to be recovered, and selects the sorting process arranged at the top. If the sorting condition is the grade priority condition, the control unit 83 extracts from the data in the index database 84a those with a recovery rate of the object to be recovered equal to or higher than the recovery threshold, sorts the extracted data in descending order of the target grade, and selects the sorting process arranged at the top. The control unit 83 executes the same selection process for other set conditions. When a plurality of sorting conditions are set, the control unit 83 selects a sorting process that meets each sorting condition (step S203).

[0110] The control unit 83 causes the display unit 86 to display the predicted values of one or more sorting indexes related to the selected one or more sorting processes. At this time, the control unit 83 may also display information indicating the content of the sorting process in the sorting process. The control unit 83 may also display the predicted values of one or more sorting indexes related to a sorting process that meets other sorting conditions (step S204).

[0111] The control unit 83 waits until it receives an execution instruction from the user who has checked the display unit 86 (step S205 / No). When it receives an execution instruction (step S205 / Yes), it causes the supply and conveyance unit 10 to perform the sorting process. When the control unit 83 causes the display unit 86 to display information about a plurality of sorting processes, the user can select one sorting process based on the predicted values of the one or more displayed sorting criteria. In the first embodiment, the control unit 83 controls the supply and conveyance unit 10 via the control device 70 by transmitting supply sorting data indicating the processing content of the sorting process to the control device 70 (step S206). However, if the control unit 83 receives a non-execution instruction from the user who has checked the display unit 86, it ends the series of processes.

[0112] The operation example in FIG. 20 is merely an illustration, and the operations related to the process condition management method can be changed as appropriate. For example, steps S204 and S205 in FIG. 20 may be omitted. That is, one sorting process may be selected in step S203, and the supply and conveyance unit 10 may be caused to perform the sorting process based on the selected sorting process (step S206).

[0113] Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 21 and the explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 22 to 32, an operation example of the supply and conveyance method according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, an example of the supply and conveyance method using the supply and conveyance unit 10 in FIG. 2 will be described.

[0114] First, as shown in FIG. 22, the object to be sorted is input into the sorting machine Z1 serving as the starting point. At this time, the opening / closing devices 38 at the lower parts of the recovery hoppers 35a and 35b are in the closed state (step S301: raw material input step). When the user instructs the implementation of the sorting process from the process condition management device 80 or the control device 70, the drive processing unit 73 drives the sorting machine Z1, and as shown in FIG. 23, sorting of the object to be sorted by the sorting machine Z1 is performed. That is, the sorting machine Z1 is configured to discharge the coarsely grained sorted product into the recovery hopper 35a and the finely grained sorted product into the recovery hopper 35b. When a specified amount of the sorted product has accumulated in the recovery hopper 35a or when the sorting process for all the objects to be sorted in the sorting machine Z1 is completed, the drive processing unit 73 opens the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35a and closes the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35b for the first conveying step (step S302: first sorting step).

[0115] Next, the drive processing unit 73 closes the distribution opening / closing device 13a and sets the flow path switching device 39 in a state where the first recovery path 31 and the third recovery path 33 communicate. At that time, the drive processing unit 73 may close the second recovery path 32 side of the flow path switching device 39 so that air is not sucked from the second recovery path 32 side. Then, the drive processing unit 73 drives the suction device Y, and as shown in FIG. 24, conveys the coarsely grained sorted product stored in the recovery hopper 35a to the solid-gas separation device 11. When the conveyance of the sorted product is completed, the drive processing unit 73 stops the drive of the suction device Y (step S303: first conveying step). The drive processing unit 73 associates the nozzle 14 with the discharge port 12a connected to the supply path 20 extending to the sorting machine Z2, opens the distribution opening / closing device 13a, and conveys the sorted product stored in the solid-gas separation device 11 to the sorting machine Z2 by free fall or the like as shown in FIG. 25 (step S304: supply step).

[0116] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 26, the drive processing unit 73 drives the sorter Z2. As a result, the sorter Z2 sorts the sorted products. That is, the sorter Z2 is configured to discharge the magnetically attached objects as sorted products into the recovery hopper 35c and discharge the non-magnetically attached objects as sorted products into the recovery hopper 35b. At this time, the opening / closing devices 38 at the lower parts of the recovery hopper 35c and the recovery hopper 35d are in the closed state. When a specified amount of sorted products has accumulated in the recovery hopper 35c or when the sorting process for all the objects to be sorted in the sorter Z2 is completed, the drive processing unit 73 opens the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35c and closes the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35d for the third conveyance step (step S305: second sorting step).

[0117] Also, the drive processing unit 73 opens the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35b, closes the distribution opening / closing device 13a, and sets the flow path switching device 39 to a state where the first recovery path 31 and the third recovery path 33 communicate. At that time, the drive processing unit 73 may close the second recovery path 32 side of the flow path switching device 39 so that air is not sucked from the second recovery path 32 side. Additionally, the drive processing unit 73 may close the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35a. Then, the drive processing unit 73 drives the suction device Y and conveys the fine-grained sorted products stored in the recovery hopper 35b to the solid-gas separation device 11 as shown in FIG. 27. When the conveyance of the sorted products is completed, the drive processing unit 73 stops the drive of the suction device Y (step S306: second conveyance step).

[0118] The drive processing unit 73 associates the nozzle 14 with the discharge port 12a connected to the terminal path 40 extending to the recovery container 60 for copper product recovery and opens the distribution opening / closing device 13a. Then, as shown in FIG. 28, the drive processing unit 73 conveys the fine-grained sorted products stored in the solid-gas separation device 11 to the recovery container 60 for copper product recovery by free fall or the like (step S307: first recovery step).

[0119] Next, the drive processing unit 73 closes the distribution opening / closing device 13a and sets the flow path switching device 39 to a state in which the second recovery path 32 and the third recovery path 33 communicate with each other. At this time, the drive processing unit 73 may close the first recovery path 31 side of the flow path switching device 39 so that air is not sucked from the first recovery path 31 side. Then, the drive processing unit 73 drives the suction device Y and conveys the magnetic adherends as sorted products stored in the recovery hopper 35c to the solid-gas separation device 11 as shown in FIG. 29. When the conveyance of the sorted products is completed, the drive processing unit 73 stops the drive of the suction device Y (step S308: third conveyance step).

[0120] The drive processing unit 73 associates the nozzle 14 with the discharge port 12a connected to the terminal path 40 extending to the recovery container 60 for iron product recovery, and opens the distribution opening / closing device 13a. Then, as shown in FIG. 30, the drive processing unit 73 conveys the magnetic adherends as sorted products stored in the solid-gas separation device 11 to the recovery container 60 for iron product recovery by free fall or the like (step S309: second recovery step).

[0121] Next, the drive processing unit 73 opens the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35d, closes the distribution opening / closing device 13a, and sets the flow path switching device 39 to a state in which the second recovery path 32 and the third recovery path 33 communicate with each other. At this time, the drive processing unit 73 may close the first recovery path 31 side of the flow path switching device 39 so that air is not sucked from the first recovery path 31 side. In addition, the drive processing unit 73 may close the opening / closing device 38 at the lower part of the recovery hopper 35c. Then, the drive processing unit 73 drives the suction device Y and conveys the non-magnetic adherends as sorted products stored in the recovery hopper 35d to the solid-gas separation device 11 as shown in FIG. 31. When the conveyance of the sorted products is completed, the drive processing unit 73 stops the drive of the suction device Y (step S310: fourth conveyance step).

[0122] The drive processing unit 73 associates the nozzle 14 with the discharge port 12a connected to the terminal path 40 extending to the recovery container 60 for copper products, and sets the distribution opening / closing device 13a to the open state. Then, as shown in FIG. 32, the drive processing unit 73 conveys the non-magnetically attached material as the sorted product stored in the solid-gas separation device 11 to the recovery container 60 for copper products by free fall or the like (step S311: the third recovery step).

[0123] The above operations have been described in the order of the step numbers attached to FIG. 21, but the order of each process can be changed as appropriate. For example, the process of step S305 and the processes of steps S306 and S307 can be performed in parallel. In the above, the capacity and specified amount of the recovery hopper 35a have been mainly described. That is, when the specified amount of the sorted product has accumulated in the recovery hopper 35a, it has been described on the premise that the sorted product accumulated in the recovery hopper 35b is below the capacity, but it is not limited to this. The drive processing unit 73 may perform processing based on the capacity and specified amount of the recovery hopper 35b in the first sorting step. Similarly, in the above, when the specified amount of the sorted product has accumulated in the recovery hopper 35c, it has been described on the premise that the sorted product accumulated in the recovery hopper 35d is below the capacity, but it is not limited to this. The drive processing unit 73 may perform processing based on the capacity and specified amount of the recovery hopper 35d in the second sorting step. The specified amount of each recovery hopper 35 can be set arbitrarily. And in the multi-conveyance sorting system 100, until the sorting process of the object to be sorted in each sorting machine Z is completed, the sorting process and each conveyance process in each sorting machine Z are repeatedly executed. In FIG. 21, in order to clearly associate each process with FIGS. 22 to 32, reference numerals are attached to each component member. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, even in the supply conveyance unit 10 having three or more sorting machines Z, the same supply conveyance method as in the example of FIG. 21 can be implemented.

[0124] As described above, the process condition management device 80 in the first embodiment has an arithmetic processing means 83c that determines a sorting process including the operating conditions of each sorting machine Z based on the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. That is, since the process condition management device 80 automatically determines the operating conditions of each sorting machine Z by the arithmetic processing means 83c, it is possible to reduce manual work by workers and improve the operating efficiency of each sorting machine Z. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the labor and time required for the sorting process of the object to be sorted and realize the efficiency improvement of the sorting process. Thus, any worker can perform an efficient sorting process regardless of the worker's rule of thumb. Note that in the case of a sorting process using only one of the plurality of sorting machines Z, the arithmetic processing means 83c determines the operating condition of "not driving" for the sorting machines Z that are not used.

[0125] By the way, in the conventional system, since the conveyance route of the object to be sorted is fixed to one route, when it is desired to use the sorting machines Z in a different order, it is necessary to use another system. That is, one system with the conventional configuration cannot perform a sorting process according to each of different types of objects to be sorted. In this regard, the arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of determining the order of use of the sorting machines Z as an element of the sorting process based on the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. That is, since the process condition management device 80 can freely rearrange the order of using the plurality of sorting machines Z according to the object to be sorted, it can flexibly respond to fluctuations in various products. However, when only one sorting machine Z is used, since there is only one order of using the sorting machine Z, the arithmetic processing means 83c does not need to determine the order of using the sorting machine Z.

[0126] Also, depending on the sorting conditions, it may be preferable not to use all of the sorters Z provided in the supply and conveyance unit 10. In this regard, the arithmetic processing means 83c has a function of selecting a sorter Z to be used in the sorting process as an element of the sorting process based on the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. That is, since the process condition management device 80 can make a selection of not using at least one sorter Z depending on the sorting conditions, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the sorting process and to achieve energy savings for the entire system.

[0127] The arithmetic processing means 83c derives a plurality of sorting processes based on the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c obtains a predicted value of a sorting index for evaluating each sorting process, and selects a sorting process that matches the externally input sorting conditions based on the predicted value of the sorting index for each obtained sorting process. That is, since the arithmetic processing means 83c can perform a relative comparison between a plurality of sorting processes based on the predicted value of the sorting index, the sorting process can be accurately determined.

[0128] The arithmetic processing means 83c obtains a plurality of sorting processes that combine the order of use of the sorting machine Z and the operating conditions of the sorting machine Z based on the physical property-related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n, and obtains predicted values of sorting indexes for evaluating each of the obtained plurality of sorting processes. It has a function of creating an index database 84a that associates the sorting process with the predicted value of the sorting index. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c compares the predicted values of the sorting indexes of the plurality of sorting processes in the index database 84a based on the externally input sorting conditions, and has a function of selecting a sorting process that matches the sorting conditions. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c can easily and quickly select a sorting process that matches the sorting conditions through processing such as sorting the data in the index database 84a, so that the efficiency of the processing can be improved. However, the index database 84a may be provided to a PC, a server, etc. via the network N. In this case, the index database 84a may be provided as a data file such as an XLS file of MICROSOFT EXCEL (registered trademark), a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file, or a text file. However, the index database 84a may be printed out on a paper medium and provided.

[0129] The process condition management device 80 has output processing means 83b that causes the display unit 86 to display at least one sorting process that matches the sorting conditions and the predicted value of the corresponding sorting index. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c generates supply sorting data indicating the processing content of the selected sorting process in response to an operation of selecting the sorting process. Therefore, the process condition management device 80 can cause the control device 70 to execute a sorting process based on the supply sorting data, and cause the supply conveyance unit 10 to perform an optimal sorting process according to the externally input sorting conditions.

[0130] The arithmetic processing means 83c may obtain the recovery rate of the object to be recovered in the final product as the predicted value of the sorting index. By doing so, the arithmetic processing means 83c can select a sorting process that is predicted to be able to recover the object to be recovered most efficiently. The arithmetic processing means 83c may obtain the separation efficiency between the object to be recovered and other objects in the object to be sorted as the predicted value of the sorting index. By doing so, the arithmetic processing means 83c can select a sorting process that is predicted to have an optimal separation state of the object to be recovered. Further, the arithmetic processing means 83c can select a sorting process based on sorting conditions that combine the recovery rate and the separation efficiency. In the first embodiment, the arithmetic processing means 83c obtains the separation efficiency by subtracting the mixing rate of substances other than the object to be recovered in the final product from the recovery rate. The arithmetic processing means 83c may obtain the target grade, which is the ratio of the recovery amount of the object to be recovered contained in the final product to the total amount of the final product, as the predicted value of the sorting index. By doing so, the arithmetic processing means 83c can select a sorting process that is predicted to be able to recover the object to be recovered in the highest purity state. Further, the arithmetic processing means 83c can select a sorting process based on sorting conditions that combine the recovery rate, the separation efficiency, and the target grade.

[0131] The physical property-related information 82m includes configuration data indicating the configuration of the object to be sorted. Further, the sorting characteristic data 82n includes condition correspondence data in which a plurality of operating conditions of the sorter Z are associated with the extraction rate of each element contained in the object to be sorted. Therefore, the arithmetic processing means 83c can derive a plurality of sorting processes based on the combination of the configuration data and the condition correspondence data, and select one or more significant sorting processes from a rich variety of sorting processes by comparison processing of the predicted values of the sorting index and the like. An example of the configuration data is shown in FIG. 6, and examples of the condition correspondence data are shown in FIGS. 7 to 12.

[0132] The supply and conveyance unit 10 has a plurality of sorting machines Z and a distribution unit X connected to the plurality of sorting machines Z. The supply and conveyance unit 10 connects the plurality of sorting machines Z and the distribution unit X, and has a recovery path 30 for recovering the sorted products in the sorting machines Z to the distribution unit X, and a supply path 20 for connecting the distribution unit X to each of the plurality of sorting machines Z and supplying the sorted products to the sorting machines Z. Therefore, the sorted products in the sorting machines Z can be recovered to the distribution unit X via the recovery path 30, and the sorted products can be distributed from the distribution unit X to any sorting machine Z via each supply path 20. Accordingly, it is possible to flexibly change the selection and use order of the sorting machines Z, so that the variations in the sorting process for the objects to be sorted can be expanded without much effort.

[0133] The technology for converting waste products and waste parts mixed with various components in the recycling intermediate process into raw materials has not been established yet, and the operator determines the operating conditions of the sorting machine Z based on empirical rules. The operation based on the operator's empirical rules requires the operator's skills and cannot be operated only by introducing the sorting machine Z, etc., which has hindered the popularization of the sorting machine Z, etc. Also, when the object to be sorted is changed, the operator has to reconsider the use order of the sorting machine Z and the operating conditions of the sorting machine Z from scratch, so it is difficult to cope with the variations of various products. For example, the conventional sorting system introduced into a recycling factory is in a form where the object to be sorted is conveyed from one sorting machine Z to another sorting machine Z according to each step of a predetermined single sorting process, and is sequentially processed by the sorting machines Z.

[0134] On the one hand, according to the multi-conveyor sorting system 100 of the first embodiment, for example, in a recycling intermediate processing factory, manual labor is eliminated from the sorting process that uses the existing sorter Z, and an operation with minimized labor costs becomes possible. Also, according to the multi-conveyor sorting system 100, system control that does not rely on the experience of operators becomes possible. Furthermore, according to the multi-conveyor sorting system 100, since the sorting process adapted to product variations and component composition variations can be realized by the automatic control of the supply conveyor unit 10, it is possible to stably perform the optimal recovery of the object to be recovered that satisfies the sorting conditions according to the user's needs.

[0135] Note that the process condition management device 80 may be composed of a cloud server based on cloud computing, a physical server, or a system combining these. In this case, the process condition management device 80 may be configured to have, for example, a communication unit 81, a storage unit 82, and a control unit 83, and realize each of the above functions through cooperation with a management terminal (PC) used by an administrator or the like who manages the multi-conveyor sorting system 100.

[0136] Embodiment 2. Referring to FIG. 33, an overall configuration example of the multi-conveyor sorting system 200 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals will be given to the configurations equivalent to those of the multi-conveyor sorting system 100 of the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0137] As shown in FIG. 33, the multi-conveyor sorting system 200 is composed of a supply conveyor unit 10, a control device 170, a process condition management device 180, and an index server device 90. The index server device 90 has at least a database unit 84 in which an index database 84a is stored. The index server device 90 is composed of a cloud server based on cloud computing, a physical server, or a system combining these. The control device 170 is configured such that the arithmetic processing means 183c of the control unit 183 creates the index database 84a in the database unit 84 of the index server device 90.

[0138] The display unit 76 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information according to an instruction from the drive processing unit 173. The input unit 75 includes operation buttons for operating the supply and conveyance unit 10, a keyboard for inputting information to the display screen of the display unit 76, and the like. The input unit 75 receives an input operation by the user and transmits an operation signal corresponding to the received content to the drive processing unit 173. The control device 170 may have a touch panel including a display panel that displays characters, images, or the like, and a detection means that is laminated on the display panel and detects a touch operation, instead of the input unit 75 and the display unit 76. The control device 170 may have an input unit 75 that receives an input operation, separately from the touch panel.

[0139] The information processing means 173a of the drive processing unit 173 causes the display unit 76 to display a condition setting screen (not shown) for allowing the user to set sorting conditions. When the information processing means 173a receives a setting operation of sorting conditions by the user, it refers to the index database 84a, selects a sorting process that matches the sorting conditions, and extracts supply sorting data indicating the processing content of the selected sorting process. That is, the information processing means 173a functions in the same manner as the arithmetic processing means 83c of the first embodiment, and has a sorting simulator function that selects a sorting process that matches the sorting conditions and extracts supply sorting data indicating the processing content of the selected sorting process. Then, the information processing means 173a outputs a command signal based on the extracted supply sorting data to the flow path processing means 73b, the conveyance processing means 73c, and the sorting processing means 73d.

[0140] The drive processing unit 173 can be composed of an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a supply and conveyance program 172p that cooperates with such an arithmetic device to realize the above various functions. That is, the supply and conveyance program 172p is a program for causing the drive processing unit 173 and the storage unit 72 as a computer to function as the information processing means 173a, the flow path processing means 73b, the conveyance processing means 73c, and the sorting processing means 73d. Other configurations, alternative configurations, and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0141] As described above, in the multi-conveyance sorting system 200 of the second embodiment, since the index database 84a is constructed in the database unit 84 of the index server device 90, the control device 70 can mainly perform the selection process of the sorting process and the generation process of the supply sorting data. And the control device 70 can cause the supply conveyance unit 10 to perform an optimal sorting process on the object to be sorted, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, by realizing the flexible change of the selection and use order of the sorting machine Z, the variations of the sorting process for the object to be sorted can be expanded without much effort. Other effects and the like are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0142] Embodiment 3. With reference to FIG. 34, an overall configuration example of the multi-conveyance sorting system 300 in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are given to the configurations equivalent to those of the multi-conveyance sorting system 100 or 200 in each of the above-described embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 34, the multi-conveyance sorting system 300 is composed of a supply conveyance unit 10 and a process condition management device 280. The control unit 283 of the process condition management device 280 has drive processing means 273 that functions in the same manner as the drive processing unit 73 in the first embodiment. Although not shown in FIG. 34, the drive processing means 273 has information processing means 73a, flow path processing means 73b, conveyance processing means 73c, and sorting processing means 73d.

[0144] That is, the process condition management device 280 is configured to directly control the supply and conveyance unit 10 by the drive processing means 273. Therefore, the arithmetic processing means 83c outputs the supply selection data to the drive processing means 273 or stores the supply selection data in the storage unit 82. The drive processing means 273 controls the operations of various actuators of the supply and conveyance unit 10 using the supply selection data output from the arithmetic processing means 83c or the supply selection data read from the storage unit 82. The process condition management program 282p is a program for causing the control unit 283 and the storage unit 82 as a computer to function as the input processing means 83a, the output processing means 83b, the arithmetic processing means 83c, and the drive processing means 273. Other configurations, alternative configurations, and operations are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

[0145] As described above, the process condition management device 280 in the third embodiment has a drive processing means 273 that executes a sorting process according to supply selection data indicating the processing content of the sorting process generated by the arithmetic processing means 83c. The drive processing means 273 causes the supply and conveyance unit 10 to perform a sorting process on the sorting target according to the supply selection data. Therefore, the process condition management device 280 can directly control the operation of the supply and conveyance unit 10 based on an optimal sorting process. When the output processing means 83b causes the display unit 86 to display at least one sorting process that meets the sorting conditions and a predicted value of the corresponding sorting index, the arithmetic processing means 83c can generate supply selection data according to the selection operation of the sorting process. Other effects and the like are the same as those in the first and second embodiments described above.

[0146] Here, each of the above-described embodiments is a specific example of the supply conveyance unit and the multi-conveyance sorting system, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects. For example, the distribution unit X may be configured without the distributor 12. In this case, instead of the distributor 12, the distribution unit X may have a multi-way valve such as a three-way valve, or a combination of a plurality of multi-way valves. Further, a solid-gas separation device 11 may be connected upstream of the sorting machine Z, and the sorted product recovered by the solid-gas separation device 11 via the recovery path 30 may be directly supplied to the sorting machine Z. The distribution opening / closing device 13a is not limited to an air-operated one, and may be an electromagnetic two-way valve or the like. Similarly, the opening / closing device 38 is not limited to an air-operated one, and may be an electromagnetic two-way valve or the like. In FIGS. 2 and 3 and the like, an example in which a recovery container 60 is provided for each object to be recovered is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the recovery container 60 may be divided into a plurality of parts and capable of accommodating a plurality of objects to be recovered.

[0147] In each of the above embodiments, an example in which the control devices 70 and 170 control the operation of each sorting machine Z is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The control devices 70 and 170 may be configured not to have a function of controlling the operation of each sorting machine Z, that is, to control the operation of actuators other than the sorting machine Z in the supply conveyance unit 10. In this case, the multi-conveyance sorting system 100 may be configured to have another control device (hereinafter referred to as a "sorting processing device") that controls the operation of each sorting machine Z. Then, the process condition management device 80 may transmit supply sorting data to the sorting processing device as well. Note that the multi-conveyance sorting system 100 may be configured without providing a sorting processing device, and the operator may operate each sorting machine Z each time.

[0148] When collecting a plurality of objects to be collected, the control units 83, 183, and 283 may gradually construct the components of the sorting process. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c or 183c may derive a sorting process useful for collecting the objects to be collected by one or more upstream sorting machines Z and generate supply sorting data. The drive processing unit 73, 173, or the drive processing means 273 may, based on the supply sorting data, transmit residual product data, which is information on the remaining sorted products, to the arithmetic processing means 83c or 183c when the sorting process using one or more upstream sorting machines Z is completed. Then, the arithmetic processing means 83c or 183c may derive a sorting process again based on the residual product data, generate supply sorting data, and cause the drive processing unit 73, 173, or the drive processing means 273 to execute a sorting process using the subsequent sorting machine Z. The number of times of the cooperation process between the arithmetic processing means 83c or 183c and the drive processing unit 73, 173, or the drive processing means 273 can be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the multi-conveyor sorting system 100 and the type of the objects to be collected, etc.

[0149] In each of the above embodiments, an example in which the multi-conveyor sorting systems 100, 200, and 300 transport the sorted products by air is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The supply conveyor unit 10 may be configured to have a conveyor such as a belt conveyor, a chain conveyor, or a screw conveyor in part or all of the transport path of the sorted products. In the case of air transport, the solid-gas separation device 11 connected to the recovery path 30 is connected to the distributor 12, but in the case of conveyor transport, the discharge destination of the conveyor may be connected to the distributor 12. The distribution unit X may adopt a configuration without the distributor 12. In this case, the discharge destination of the conveyor may be connected to each sorting machine Z.

[0150] However, for the multi-conveyor sorting systems 100, 200, and 300, conveyor transportation may be applied to either the transportation from the distribution unit X to the sorting machine Z or the transportation from the distribution unit X to the collection container 60. Also, for the multi-conveyor sorting systems 100, 200, and 300, at least one of the one or more transportation routes from the distribution unit X to the sorting machine Z and the one or more transportation routes from the distribution unit X to the collection container 60 may be configured to be a route for performing conveyor transportation.

[0151] In FIGS. 2 and 3, one suction device Y is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The supply and conveyance unit 10 may have a plurality of suction devices Y. For example, the supply and conveyance unit 10 may be such that one suction device Y is associated with each of the plurality of sorting machines Z, or one suction device Y may be associated with each group of several sorting machines Z (including the case of one machine). Further, the supply and conveyance unit 10 may adopt a configuration that uses the suction device Y for supplying the sorted products to the sorting machine Z.

[0152] The arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c do not necessarily have the function of selecting at least one sorting machine Z to be used. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c may determine the order of use of the sorting machines Z and the operating conditions of the sorting machines Z on the premise of using all the sorting machines Z provided in the supply and conveyance unit 10. Also, the arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c do not necessarily have the function of determining the order of use of the sorting machines Z. That is, the arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c may determine the operating conditions of each of the plurality of sorting machines Z whose order of use has been determined in advance.

[0153] In the first embodiment, an example in which the multi-conveyor sorting system 100 includes the process condition management device 80 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-conveyor sorting system 100 may be configured by the supply conveyor unit 10 and the control device 70, and may not have the process condition management device 80. Similarly, in the second embodiment, an example in which the multi-conveyor sorting system 200 includes the process condition management device 180 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The multi-conveyor sorting system 200 may be configured by the supply conveyor unit 10 and the control device 170, or may be configured by the supply conveyor unit 10, the control device 170, and the index server device 90.

[0154] Further, the input processing means 83a may have a function of deriving physical property-related information 82m from the image information of the object to be sorted (such as a 2D image obtained by imaging the object to be sorted, an X-ray transmission image, etc.). In this case, the input processing means 83a may obtain the physical property-related information 82m by using, for example, the analysis data obtained by performing pre-processing such as analysis processing on the image information of the object to be sorted as the input to the physical property prediction model which is a learned model. Furthermore, the input processing means 83a may have a function of constructing a physical property prediction model by using the learning data obtained by performing pre-processing such as analysis processing on the image information of a plurality of objects to be sorted. The input processing means 83a constructs a physical property prediction model by supervised learning using, for example, a DNN (Deep Neural Network). The input processing means 83a may construct a physical property prediction model by unsupervised learning or semi-supervised learning. The physical property prediction model may be stored in the storage unit 82, or may be stored in an external storage device.

[0155] In the above description, an example was shown in which the control units 83, 183, and 283 use the sorting characteristic data 82n obtained by performing the sorting process in advance with each sorting machine Z, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sorting characteristic data 82n may be generated by the control units 83, 183, and 283 based on the physical property related information 82m. In this case, the physical property related information 82m may include information such as the type of electronic element included in the object to be sorted, the elemental composition of each member constituting the electronic element, the size, shape, magnetism, conductivity, etc. of the electronic element. Then, for example, the arithmetic processing means 83c or 183c simulates the movement of the electronic element when processed by each sorting machine Z from the physical property related information 82m, and derives the type of sorted product collected for each operating condition of the object to be sorted and each sorting machine Z, thereby generating the sorting characteristic data 82n. Note that the movement simulation program for each sorting machine Z for simulating the movement of the electronic element is included in the process condition management program 82p or 282p.

[0156] The arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c may obtain the sorting process or the supply sorting data by machine learning based on the physical property related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n. In this case, the arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c may, for example, select the sorting process by using the analysis data generated by performing preprocessing such as analysis processing on the physical property related information 82m and the sorting characteristic data 82n as the input of the process prediction model for selecting the sorting process, or obtain the supply sorting data by using it as the input of the data prediction model for obtaining the supply sorting data. The arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c may construct a process prediction model or a data prediction model by using the learning data generated by performing preprocessing such as analysis processing on a plurality of physical property related information 82m and sorting characteristic data 82n. The arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c construct a process prediction model or a data prediction model by supervised learning using, for example, DNN or the like. The arithmetic processing means 83c and 183c may construct a process prediction model or a data prediction model by unsupervised learning or semi-supervised learning. The process prediction model or the data prediction model may be stored in the storage unit 82 or may be stored in an external storage device.

Explanation of Signs

[0157] 10 Supply and conveyance unit, 11 Solid-gas separation device, 12 Distributor, 12a Discharge port, 13 Inlet 13a Distribution opening / closing device, 14 Distribution nozzle, 14a Motor, 15 Base part, 20 Recovery path, 21 Relay path, 25 Feeder part, 26 Retraction hopper, 30 Recovery path, 31 First recovery path, 31a, 32a Main path, 31b, 31c, 32b, 32c Branch path, 32 Second recovery path, 33 Third recovery path, 35, 35a - 35d Recovery hopper, 37 Level gauge, 38 Opening / closing device, 39 Flow path switching device, 40 Terminal path, 41 Suction path, 60 Recovery container, 65 Compressor, 70 Control device, 71 Communication part, 72 Memory part, 72p Supply and conveyance program, 73 Drive processing part, 73a Information processing means, 73b Flow path processing means, 73c Conveyance processing means, 73d Sorting processing means, 75 Input part, 76 Display part, 80, 180, 280 Process condition management device, 81 Communication part, 82 Memory part, 82m Physical property-related information, 82n Sorting characteristic data, 82p Process condition management program, 83, 183, 283 Control part, 83a Input processing means, 83b Output processing means, 83c, 183c Arithmetic processing means, 84 Database part, 84a Sorting database, 84a Index database, 85 Input part, 86 Display part, 90 Index server device, 100, 200, 300 Multi-conveyance sorting system, 110 Dust recovery device, 110a Dust box, 170 Control device, 172p Supply and conveyance program, 173 Drive processing part, 173a Information processing means, 273 Drive processing means, 282p Process condition management program.

Claims

1. A process condition management device for managing processes and conditions in the sorting process of sorting objects using a plurality of sorting machines, Based on the physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the sorting object and the sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines, a plurality of types, usage orders, and operating conditions of each of the plurality of sorting machines used in the sorting process are obtained, and a plurality of predicted values of a plurality of sorting indicators for evaluating each of the obtained sorting processes are obtained. It has arithmetic processing means for obtaining, The arithmetic processing means is Based on the externally input sorting conditions with at least one of the sorting indicators as an element, the predicted values of the plurality of sorting processes are compared with each other, and one or a plurality of sorting processes that match the sorting conditions are selected. A process condition management device.

2. The sorting characteristic data is The process condition management device according to claim 1, comprising condition correspondence data associating a plurality of operating conditions of the sorting machine, a plurality of elements included in the sorting object, and sorting results of electronic elements under each operating condition of the sorting machine.

3. The arithmetic processing means is Among the plurality of obtained sorting processes, select the operating conditions with low sorting performance for each sorting machine alone, and have a function of excluding the sorting processes including the selected operating conditions from the objects for obtaining the predicted values. The process condition management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The process condition management device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising output processing means for causing the display unit to display information indicating the content of the sorting process in the sorting process together with the predicted values corresponding to one or a plurality of the sorting processes selected by the arithmetic processing means.

5. The output processing means is When a plurality of the sorting processes are selected by the arithmetic processing means, information indicating each of the plurality of sorting processes, in which the predicted values corresponding to each of the plurality of sorting processes are associated, is selectively displayed on the display unit, The arithmetic processing means is In response to the selection operation of the sorting process, it shows the processing content of the selected sorting process, and generates supply sorting data for controlling a plurality of the sorting machines used in the sorting process related to the selected sorting process. The process condition management device according to claim 4.

6. The sorting conditions are The process condition management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the recovery rate of the object to be recovered, the purity of the object to be recovered in the final product, and the separation efficiency of the object to be recovered is used as the selection index.

7. It includes a storage unit that stores information enabling selection of a plurality of the sorting conditions, The arithmetic processing means, The process condition management device according to claim 1 or 2, which selects one or more of the sorting processes using the selected sorting conditions.

8. A computer installed in a process condition management device that manages the processes and conditions in the sorting process of an object to be sorted using a plurality of sorting machines, Based on the physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the object to be sorted and the sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines, a plurality of sorting processes including the types, order of use, and respective operating conditions of the plurality of sorting machines used in the sorting process are obtained, and at the same time, predicted values of a plurality of sorting indices for evaluating each of the obtained plurality of sorting processes are obtained, and it functions as arithmetic processing means, The arithmetic processing means, Based on the externally input sorting conditions including at least one of the sorting indices, the predicted values of the plurality of sorting processes are compared with each other, and one or more sorting processes that match the sorting conditions are selected. This is a process condition management program.

9. A process condition management method for managing the processes and conditions in the sorting process of an object to be sorted using a plurality of sorting machines, Obtain physical property-related information including information indicating the physical properties of the object to be sorted and sorting characteristic data indicating the characteristics of each of the plurality of sorting machines, Based on the obtained physical property-related information and the sorting characteristic data, a plurality of sorting processes including the types, order of use, and respective operating conditions of the plurality of sorting machines used in the sorting process are obtained, and at the same time, predicted values of a plurality of sorting indices for evaluating each of the obtained plurality of sorting processes are obtained, Based on the externally input sorting conditions including at least one of the sorting indices, the predicted values of the plurality of sorting processes are compared with each other, and one or more sorting processes that match the sorting conditions are selected. This is a process condition management method.

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