A foreign object separation system, a foreign object separation method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium in which the program is stored.

Abstract

Provided is a foreign matter separation system, for example, capable of reducing scrap which is removed together with foreign matter in a scrap group by automatically removing the foreign matter contained in the scrap group. A control device (30) in a foreign matter separation system (1) identifies position information of foreign matter (D) in a scrap group (SS) and identification information of the foreign matter (D) when the foreign matter (D) in the scrap group (SS) is detected from a captured image (G) captured by an imaging device (10), sets a movement condition of a conveyance device (20) on the basis of the identified position information of the foreign matter (D), and sets a condition for conveying the foreign matter (D) by the conveyance device (20) on the basis of the identification information of the identified foreign matter (D). The control device (30) controls the conveyance device (20) so that the conveyance device (20) moves under the movement condition of the conveyance device (20) and so that the conveyance device (20) lifts up and conveys the placed foreign matter (D) to a foreign matter placement location (52) under the condition for conveying the foreign matter (D) by the conveyance device (20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a foreign object separation system, a foreign object separation method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program for separating foreign objects included in a scrap group from the scrap.

Background Art

[0002] In steelworks, in order to manufacture steel products while reducing the environmental load, an increase in the use of iron-based scrap as an iron raw material is desired. Generally, among an iron-based scrap group composed of a plurality of iron-based scraps, there are foreign objects such as objects of different types and sizes from the undesirable iron-based scraps when using iron-based scraps, prohibited items, sealed objects, dangerous goods, etc.

[0003] Conventionally, for example, an iron scrap inspection method shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a method for automatically detecting foreign objects included in an iron-based scrap group. The iron scrap inspection method shown in Patent Document 1 is to inspect an iron scrap group piled up on the loading platform of a truck parked at a truck parking position in cooperation with an iron scrap yard facility. This inspection method includes an imaging step of imaging an iron scrap group piled up on the loading platform of a truck parked at a truck parking position, and a detection device using a learned model for each of the prohibited items highly likely to be included in the iron scrap group to determine whether a prohibited item appears in the imaging data. If it is determined that a prohibited item appears, the operator is made to remove the prohibited item, and an inspection step of inspecting the iron scrap group shown in the imaging data, and a moving step of moving the inspected iron scrap group shown in the imaging data from the loading platform of the truck to an inspected iron scrap placement area using a lift magnet or the like, and repeating these steps until there is no scrap group left on the truck loading platform. Thereby, prohibited items can be efficiently detected from the iron scrap group piled up on the loading platform of the truck.

[0004] Furthermore, to detect foreign matter mixed in iron scrap and remove the detected foreign matter, a foreign matter detection device and a foreign matter removal device, such as the one shown in Patent Document 2, have been proposed in the past. The foreign object detection device shown in Patent Document 2 includes an object image acquisition unit that acquires an object image of an object containing iron scrap, and an image discrimination unit that detects foreign objects by distinguishing between iron scrap and other foreign objects from the object based on the object image. The foreign object removal device shown in Patent Document 2 also includes this foreign object detection device, a foreign object position identification unit that identifies the position of the foreign object in real space based on the determination result by the type determination unit, and a foreign object removal unit that removes the foreign object from the object based on the position of the foreign object identified by the foreign object position identification unit. The foreign object removal unit has a gripping unit that can move in three dimensions with respect to the object containing iron scrap. This allows the foreign matter detection device to accurately detect foreign matter from iron-based scrap containing foreign matter, and the foreign matter removal device to remove the foreign matter from the target material. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-176909 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-163078 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, the conventional iron scrap inspection method shown in Patent Document 1, and the foreign matter detection device and foreign matter removal device shown in Patent Document 2, had the following problems. In other words, in the iron scrap inspection method shown in Patent Document 1, although the detection device can detect prohibited substances contained in the iron scrap group, the removal of the prohibited substances had to be done manually by the worker. Furthermore, in the case of the foreign matter detection device and foreign matter removal device shown in Patent Document 2, although foreign matter can be removed automatically, depending on the gripping part of the foreign matter removal unit, it is difficult to lift only the foreign matter contained in the group of iron scrap, and iron scrap that is not the target of removal may be lifted and removed together with the foreign matter.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve this conventional problem, and its objective is to provide a foreign matter separation system, a foreign matter separation method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is stored, which can automatically remove foreign matter contained in a scrap collection and reduce the amount of scrap that is removed along with the foreign matter in the scrap collection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, a foreign matter separation system according to one aspect of the present invention is a foreign matter separation system for separating foreign matter contained in a scrap group from scrap, comprising: an imaging device for photographing the scrap group on which it is placed; a conveying device for lifting and conveying foreign matter or scrap in the scrap group on which it is placed; and a control device for controlling the imaging device and the conveying device, wherein the control device detects foreign matter in the scrap group from the image captured by the imaging device, and when foreign matter is detected in the scrap group, it identifies the location information of the foreign matter in the scrap group and the identification information of the foreign matter in the scrap group, sets the movement conditions of the conveying device based on the identified location information of the foreign matter, sets the conveying conditions of the conveying device for transporting the foreign matter based on the identified identification information of the foreign matter, controls the conveying device so that it moves according to the set movement conditions of the conveying device, and controls the conveying device so that it lifts the foreign matter on which it is placed and transports it to the foreign matter placement location according to the set conveying conditions of the conveying device.

[0009] Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention relates to a foreign matter separation method for separating foreign matter contained in a scrap group from scrap, comprising: a shooting step in which a control device controls a camera to photograph the scrap group on which it is placed, causing the camera to photograph the scrap group; a foreign matter detection step in which the control device detects foreign matter in the scrap group from the image captured in the shooting step; a foreign matter location information identification step in which the control device identifies the location information of the foreign matter in the scrap group when foreign matter is detected in the scrap group in the foreign matter detection step; a foreign matter identification information identification step in which the control device identifies the identification information of the foreign matter in the scrap group when foreign matter is detected in the scrap group in the foreign matter detection step; and the control device identifies the location information of the foreign matter The gist of this is that it includes: a conveying device movement condition setting step in which the conveying device sets the movement conditions of the conveying device based on the location information of the foreign object identified in the location information identification step; a conveying device transport condition setting step in which the control device sets the transport conditions of the foreign object by the conveying device based on the identification information of the foreign object identified by the foreign object identification information step; a conveying device movement condition control step in which the control device controls the conveying device so that the conveying device moves according to the movement conditions of the conveying device set in the conveying device movement condition setting step; and a conveying device transport condition control step in which the control device controls the conveying device so that the conveying device lifts the foreign object and transports it to the foreign object placement location according to the transport conditions of the conveying device by the conveying device set in the conveying device transport condition setting step.

[0010] Furthermore, a program according to another aspect of the present invention includes: a shooting step in which a control device controls a camera to photograph a group of scraps that are placed on it; a foreign object detection step in which a foreign object is detected in the shooting step in which a foreign object is detected in the group of scraps; a foreign object location information identification step in which, if a foreign object is detected in the group of scraps in which a foreign object is detected in the foreign object detection step in which a foreign object location information identification step in which a foreign object is identified in the group of scraps in which a foreign object is identified; and a conveying device based on the location information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object location information identification step. The gist of the program is that it is a program for executing a conveying device movement condition setting step, which sets the movement conditions of a conveying device; a conveying device transport condition setting step, which sets the transport conditions for a foreign object by the conveying device based on the foreign object identification information identified in the foreign object identification information step; a conveying device movement condition control step, which controls the conveying device so that the conveying device moves according to the movement conditions of the conveying device set in the conveying device movement condition setting step; and a conveying device transport condition control step, which controls the conveying device so that the conveying device lifts the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location according to the transport conditions for a foreign object by the conveying device set in the conveying device transport condition setting step.

[0011] Furthermore, a computer-readable recording medium storing a program according to another aspect of the present invention includes a control device, a shooting step that controls a shooting device to photograph a group of scraps placed on it, a foreign object detection step that detects foreign objects in the group of scraps from the image captured in the shooting step, a foreign object location information identification step that identifies the location information of the foreign object in the group of scraps when a foreign object is detected in the foreign object detection step, a foreign object identification information identification step that identifies the identification information of the foreign object in the group of scraps when a foreign object is detected in the group of scraps when a foreign object is detected in the foreign object detection step, and a conveying device based on the location information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object location information identification step. The gist of this invention is a computer-readable recording medium that stores a program for executing the following steps: a conveying device movement condition setting step for setting movement conditions; a conveying device transport condition setting step for setting transport conditions for foreign objects by the conveying device based on the foreign object identification information identified in the foreign object identification information step; a conveying device movement condition control step for controlling the conveying device so that the conveying device moves according to the movement conditions set in the conveying device movement condition setting step; and a conveying device transport condition control step for controlling the conveying device so that the conveying device lifts the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location according to the transport conditions for foreign objects by the conveying device set in the conveying device transport condition setting step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the foreign matter separation system, foreign matter separation method, program, and computer-readable recording medium storing the program of the present invention, foreign matter contained in a group of scrap can be automatically removed, thereby reducing the amount of scrap that is removed along with the foreign matter in the group of scrap. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is an overall configuration diagram of a foreign matter separation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of the foreign matter separation system. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of the control device. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of a captured image obtained by capturing a scrap group placed on a semi-trailer by an imaging device when separating foreign matter by the foreign matter separation system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 6] It is a diagram for explaining, as an example of the conveyance condition of foreign matter by a lifting magnet constituting a conveyance device, a method of adjusting the distance between the magnet surface of the lifting magnet and the foreign matter. [Figure 7] It is a diagram for explaining, as an example of the conveyance condition by a lifting magnet constituting a conveyance device, a method of adjusting the contact area of the lifting magnet with respect to foreign matter. [Figure 8] It is a functional block diagram of the foreign matter separation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in FIG. 8. [[ID=二十一]] [Figure 10] [[ID=二十二]]An example of a captured image obtained by capturing a scrap group placed on the loading platform of a semi-trailer by an imaging device is shown. On the upper side, the original captured image of the scrap group placed on the loading platform of the semi-trailer is shown, and on the lower side, the captured image after removing the scrap covering the foreign matter with a large exposure degree and the foreign matter with a small exposure degree from the original state is shown. [Figure 11] It is a diagram for explaining the conveyance condition of foreign matter when using a grapple as a conveyance device. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining the conveyance condition of foreign matter when using a shovel as a conveyance device. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of a captured image obtained by capturing a scrap group placed on a semi-trailer by an imaging device when separating foreign matter contained in the scrap group from the scrap using the foreign matter separation system according to the modification. [Figure 14]This figure shows an example of how, when foreign objects are obstructing the lifting of scrap, foreign objects contained in a group of scraps can be separated from the scrap using a modified foreign object separation system, by controlling a lifting magnet as a conveying device. In Figure 14, the upper part shows a top view of the semi-trailer's cargo bed, and the lower part shows a side view of the semi-trailer's cargo bed. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are illustrative examples of devices and methods for realizing the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments in terms of the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the components. Furthermore, drawings are schematic representations. Therefore, it should be noted that the relationship and ratios between thickness and planar dimensions may differ from those in reality, and there may be differences in dimensional relationships and ratios between drawings themselves.

[0015] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 shows the overall configuration of a foreign matter separation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The foreign matter separation system 1 shown in Figure 1 separates foreign matter D contained in the scrap group SS from the scrap S. In this embodiment, the scrap group SS is transported to a predetermined location while loaded onto the cargo bed of a semi-trailer 50. The scrap group SS includes multiple scraps (iron-based scrap) S, as well as, in some cases, one or more foreign matter D. Here, foreign matter D refers to anything undesirable when using scrap S, and includes items of different types or sizes from scrap S, prohibited items, sealed items, hazardous materials, etc. In this embodiment, foreign matter D includes, for example, items containing trump elements such as motors, items that may cause the air inside to explode, such as sealed items, items unsuitable for use such as oversized items, and non-metallic iron materials such as rubber.

[0016] The scrap S in the scrap group SS, which is loaded onto the bed of the semi-trailer 50, is separated and transported to the scrap loading area 51 by the foreign matter separation system 1, and the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS is separated and transported to the foreign matter loading area 52. This foreign object separation system 1 comprises an imaging device 10, a transport device 20, and a control device 30. The camera 10 is a camera that photographs the scrap metal SS, which is placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, from above the bed.

[0017] Furthermore, the conveying device 20, when it detects foreign matter D in the scrap group SS placed on the cargo bed of the semi-trailer 50 (when the foreign matter detection unit 33, described later, detects foreign matter D), lifts and conveys the foreign matter D (which may include not only foreign matter D but also some scrap S), and when it does not detect foreign matter D (when the foreign matter detection unit 33, described later, does not detect foreign matter D), it lifts and conveys the scrap S in the scrap group SS. In this embodiment, the conveying device 20 is a lifting magnet 21 that uses magnetic force to magnetically attach to and lift and convey foreign matter D or scrap S. In this embodiment, the conveying device 20 is a lifting magnet 21 that lifts and conveys foreign matter D and a lifting magnet 21 that lifts and conveys scrap S, but a dedicated conveying device that conveys and removes foreign matter D separately from the lifting magnet 21 that conveys scrap S may also be used. Note that the conveying device 20 is not limited to the lifting magnet 21, but may also be a grapple 22 as shown in Figure 11 or a shovel 23 as shown in Figure 12, as will be described later. The lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 is movable in the vertical and horizontal directions, as shown in Figure 1. The lifting magnet 21 moves vertically downward to hold the foreign object D or scrap S, moves vertically upward to lift the held foreign object D or scrap S, and moves horizontally to convey the lifted foreign object D or scrap S.

[0018] Furthermore, the control device 30 controls the imaging device 10 and the lifting magnet 21, which serves as the transport device 20. As shown in Figure 2, the control device 30 includes an image capture control unit 31, an image acquisition unit 32, a foreign object detection unit 33, a foreign object position information identification unit 34, a transport device movement condition setting unit 35, a transport device movement condition control unit 36, a foreign object identification information identification unit 37, a transport device transport condition setting unit 38, a transport device transport condition control unit 39, and a transport control unit 40. The shooting control unit 31 controls the shooting device 10 to take pictures of the scrap metal group SS that is placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50. The image acquisition unit 32 acquires the captured image G (see Figure 5) captured by the imaging device 10. Figure 5 shows an example of the captured image G acquired by the image acquisition unit 32.

[0019] Furthermore, the foreign object detection unit 33 detects foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G acquired by the captured image acquisition unit 32. The method for detecting foreign objects D from the captured image G by the foreign object detection unit 33 can be any method, but in this embodiment, the foreign object detection unit 33 uses a learning model that has been trained on captured images of the scrap group SS containing foreign objects D, and inputs the captured image G acquired by the captured image acquisition unit 32 into the learning model to detect foreign objects D in the scrap group SS. In other words, the foreign object detection unit 33 determines whether or not there are foreign objects D in the scrap group SS. In the example shown in Figure 5, one foreign object D is detected in the scrap group SS.

[0020] Furthermore, when the foreign object detection unit 33 detects a foreign object D in the scrap group SS, the foreign object location information identification unit 34 identifies the location (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G. Furthermore, the conveying device movement condition setting unit 35 sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 that constitutes the conveying device 20 based on the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS identified by the foreign object position information identification unit 34. Here, the "movement condition" is the position condition of the horizontal destination of the lifting magnet 21 that constitutes the conveying device 20. In the example shown in Figure 5, this movement condition is the position V directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed.

[0021] Furthermore, the conveying device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 that constitute the conveying device 20, as set by the conveying device movement condition setting unit 35. In the example shown in Figure 5, the conveying device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves horizontally to a position V directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed. Furthermore, when the foreign object identification information unit 37 detects a foreign object D in the scrap group SS by the foreign object detection unit 33, it identifies the identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS. Here, "identification information" is information that identifies the foreign object D, and is, for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D. The identification of the identification information of the foreign object D by the foreign object identification information unit 37 may be done by any method, but in this embodiment, the foreign object identification information unit 37 identifies the identification information of the foreign object D by inputting the captured image G into a trained model that has been trained on a dataset that links images for each type of foreign object D with the type name of the foreign object D, the weight of the foreign object D, or the length or size of the foreign object D.

[0022] Furthermore, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20, based on the foreign object identification information of the foreign object D identified by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37. Here, the "conveying conditions" are the conditions of the lifting magnet 21 when lifting the foreign object D, and are, for example, at least one of the following: the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D (see Figure 6), and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 (for example, the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D) so that only the foreign object D can be lifted according to the identification information of the foreign object D (for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D).

[0023] Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and transport it to the foreign object placement location 52, according to the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as a transport device 20 set in the transport device transport condition setting unit 38. Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 5, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21, which is located at position V directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed, in a vertical downward direction. Then, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21 in a vertical upward direction so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed, according to the set transport conditions for the foreign object D (for example, the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and at least one of the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D). Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 horizontally moves the lifting magnet 21 to a position above the foreign object placement area 52 to weaken the magnetic force, causing the foreign object D to fall onto the foreign object placement area 52.

[0024] Furthermore, when adjusting the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, which is an example of the transport conditions for foreign matter D, the voltage and current supplied to the lifting magnet 21 are adjusted. Furthermore, when adjusting the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, which is an example of the transport conditions for the foreign object D (see Figure 6), the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D may be adjusted using sensors such as distance measuring sensors, or the distance d may be adjusted based on the image captured by the camera. Alternatively, the lifting magnet 21 may be brought into contact with the foreign object D once with the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21 turned off, and the distance d may be controlled by lifting the lifting magnet 21 based on that state.

[0025] Furthermore, as an example of the transport conditions for foreign matter D, methods for adjusting the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to foreign matter D include changing the area of ​​the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 by adjusting the voltage and current supply range, or tilting the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign matter D (see Figure 7). In this manner, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20, based on the foreign object identification information of the foreign object D identified by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37. Furthermore, the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift and convey the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed, according to the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20, as set by the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38.

[0026] This makes it possible to suppress the accidental lifting and transport of scrap S other than foreign object D when the lifting magnet 21 lifts and transports foreign object D from the scrap group SS. In other words, it is possible to reduce the amount of scrap S that is removed along with foreign object D in the scrap group SS. If the foreign object D is a non-magnetic material, it may not be attracted to the magnet of the lifting magnet 21. In this case, the non-magnetic foreign object D can be lifted together with the surrounding scrap S, or a conveying device that lifts the foreign object D without relying on magnetic force, such as a grapple (see Figure 11) or crane, can be used.

[0027] Furthermore, if the foreign object detection unit 33 does not detect any foreign objects D in the scrap group SS, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift the scrap S in the scrap group SS and transport it to the scrap storage area 51. A host computer (not shown) is connected to the transport control unit 40. The transport control unit 40 receives input from the host computer regarding the stopping position information of the semi-trailer 50 and the position information of the scrap storage area 51. If the foreign object detection unit 33 does not detect any foreign object D in the scrap group SS, the transport control unit 40 moves the lifting magnet 21 horizontally based on the stopping position information of the semi-trailer 50 input from the host computer so that the lifting magnet 21 is positioned above a specific piece of scrap S in the scrap group SS on the bed of the semi-trailer 50. Next, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21 to move vertically downward to hold the scrap S, and then to move vertically upward to lift the held scrap S. Finally, the transport control unit 40 moves the lifting magnet 21 holding the scrap S horizontally to a position above the scrap storage area 51 to weaken the magnetic force and cause the foreign object D to fall into the scrap storage area 51.

[0028] Next, the hardware configuration of the control device 30 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. The control device 30 consists of an arithmetic processing unit 301 equipped with a CPU 302. The CPU 302 is connected via an internal bus 303 to internal storage devices 304 such as RAM and ROM, external storage devices 305, input devices 306 such as a keyboard and mouse, and an output device 307 that outputs commands from the transport device movement condition control unit 36, the transport device transport condition control unit 39, and the transport control unit 40 to the lifting magnet 21 which serves as the transport device 20.

[0029] The external storage device 305 of the control device 30 includes a read-only disk drive such as a hard disk drive or solid-state drive, and a drive device such as a CD, DVD, or BD that reads data from the recording medium 308. The recording medium 308, which stores a program to cause the control device 30 to perform the following functions, is set in this external storage device 305, and the read program is installed on the disk drive. Here, the aforementioned functions are the shooting control function by the shooting control unit 31 (step S1 described later), the shooting image acquisition function by the shooting image acquisition unit 32 (step S2 described later), the foreign object detection function by the foreign object detection unit 33 (step S3 described later), the foreign object location information identification function by the foreign object location information identification unit 34 (step S4 described later), the transport device movement condition setting function by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S5 described later), the transport device movement condition control function by the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​(step S6 described later), the foreign object identification information identification function by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37 (step S7 described later), the transport device transport condition setting function by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 (step S8 described later), the transport device transport condition control function by the transport device transport condition control unit 39 (step S9 described later), and the scrap transport control function by the transport control unit 40 (step S10 described later). The installation of this program is not limited to using the recording medium 308, but may also be done by downloading the program via a network.

[0030] The CPU 302 of the control device 30 executes the following functions in accordance with the instructions of the installed program: the shooting control function by the shooting control unit 31 (step S1 described later), the shooting image acquisition function by the shooting image acquisition unit 32 (step S2 described later), the foreign object detection function by the foreign object detection unit 33 (step S3 described later), the foreign object location information identification function by the foreign object location information identification unit 34 (step S4 described later), the transport device movement condition setting function by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S5 described later), the transport device movement condition control function by the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​(step S6 described later), the foreign object identification information identification function by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37 (step S7 described later), the transport device transport condition setting function by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 (step S8 described later), the transport device transport condition control function by the transport device transport condition control unit 39 (step S9 described later), and the scrap transport control function by the transport control unit 40 (step S10 described later). The CPU 302 then outputs commands from the transport device movement condition control unit 36, the transport device transport condition control unit 39, and the transport control unit 40 to the lifting magnet 21, which serves as the transport device 20.

[0031] Next, the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in Figure 1. First, in step S1, the imaging control unit 31 of the control device 30 controls the imaging device 10 to photograph the scrap metal group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed, and the imaging device 10 photographs the scrap metal group SS (imaging step). Initially in the foreign matter separation control, the imaging control unit 31 sends an imaging command to the imaging device 10 when it receives information from a higher-level computer (not shown) that the semi-trailer 50 carrying the scrap metal group SS has stopped at a predetermined stopping position. Furthermore, the imaging control unit 31 sends an imaging command to the imaging device 10 when it receives an imaging instruction in step S11, which will be described later.

[0032] Next, in step S2, the image acquisition unit 32 of the control device 30 acquires the captured image G (see Figure 5) captured in step S1 (image acquisition step). Next, in step S3, the foreign object detection unit 33 of the control device 30 detects foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G acquired in step S2 (foreign object detection step). If foreign object D is detected in step S3 (the result is YES), the process proceeds to steps S4 and S7. If foreign object D is not detected (the result is NO), the process proceeds to step S10.

[0033] In step S4, since a foreign object D is detected in the scrap group SS that is placed on top, the foreign object position information identification unit 34 of the control device 30 identifies the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G acquired in step S2 (foreign object position information identification step). Next, in step S5, the conveying device movement condition setting unit 35 of the control device 30 sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnets 21 that constitute the conveying device 20 based on the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS identified in step S4 (conveying device movement condition setting step). Here, the "movement conditions" are, as mentioned above, the position conditions of the horizontal destination of the lifting magnets 21 that constitute the conveying device 20.

[0034] Next, in step S6, the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 that constitute the transport device 20 set in step S5 (transport device movement condition control step). Furthermore, in step S7, since a foreign object D is detected in the scrap group SS that is placed on top, the foreign object identification information identification unit 37 of the control device 30 identifies the identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS (foreign object identification information identification step). Here, "identification information" is information that identifies the foreign object D, and is, for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D.

[0035] Next, in step S8, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 of the control device 30 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 based on the identification information of the foreign object D identified in step S7 (conveying device conveying condition setting step). Here, the "conveying conditions" are the conditions of the lifting magnet 21 when lifting the foreign object D, and are, for example, at least one of the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D (see Figure 6), and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 (for example, the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D) so that only the foreign object D can be lifted according to the identification information of the foreign object D (for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D).

[0036] Next, in step S9, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and transport it to the foreign object placement location 52, according to the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set in step S8 (transport device transport condition control step). Furthermore, if no foreign matter D is detected in step S3 and the process proceeds to step S10, in step S10 the process proceeds to normal operation, and the transport control unit 40 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift the scrap S in the scrap group SS and transport it to the scrap storage area 51 (scrap transport control step). Then, once steps S6, S9, and S10 are completed, proceed to step S11.

[0037] In step S11, the transport device movement condition control unit 36, the transport device transport condition control unit 39, and the transport control unit 40 issue a shooting instruction to the shooting control unit 31 (shooting instruction step). This completes the processing in the foreign matter separation system 1. Then, by repeating steps S1 to S11 above, all of the scrap S in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 is transported to the scrap storage area 51, and all of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS is transported to the foreign matter storage area 52.

[0038] Here, we will specifically explain the processing flow in the foreign object separation system 1 using an example of the captured image G shown in Figure 5. After step S1 (shooting step) and step S2 (captured image acquisition step), the captured image acquisition unit 32 of the control device 30 acquires the captured image G shown in Figure 5, which was captured in step S1. Next, in step S3 (foreign object detection step), the foreign object detection unit 33 of the control device 30 detects a foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G. In the case shown in Figure 5, one foreign object D is detected in the scrap group SS. Since one foreign object D has been detected in the scrap SS, the process proceeds to step S4 (foreign object location information identification step) and step S7 (foreign object identification information identification step).

[0039] First, in step S4 (foreign object location information identification step), the foreign object location information identification unit 34 of the control device 30 identifies the location (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G. Next, in step S5 (transport device movement condition setting step), the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 of the control device 30 sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 that constitutes the transport device 20 based on the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the identified scrap group SS. In the case shown in Figure 5, the movement condition of the lifting magnet 21 is the position V directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed.

[0040] Next, in step S6 (conveyor device movement condition control step), the conveyor device movement condition control unit 36 ​​of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 that constitute the conveyor device 20 set in step S5. In the case shown in Figure 5, the conveyor device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves horizontally to a position V directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed. Furthermore, in step S7 (foreign object identification information step), since foreign object D is detected in the scrap group SS that is placed there, the foreign object identification information unit 37 of the control device 30 identifies the identification information of foreign object D in the scrap group SS (at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of foreign object D, and the length or size of foreign object D).

[0041] Next, in step S8 (transport device transport condition setting step), the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 of the control device 30 sets the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 based on the identification information of the identified foreign object D. Specifically, the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 sets the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 (at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D) so that only the foreign object D can be lifted.

[0042] Next, in step S9 (conveying device conveying condition control step), the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and convey it to the foreign object placement location 52, according to the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 set in step S8. In the case shown in Figure 5, the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21, which is located at position V directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed, vertically downward. Then, the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed, according to the set conveying conditions for the foreign object D (at least one of the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D). Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 horizontally moves the lifting magnet 21 to a position above the foreign object placement area 52 to weaken the magnetic force, causing the foreign object D to fall onto the foreign object placement area 52.

[0043] Then, in step S11 (shooting instruction step), the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​and the transport device transport condition control unit 39 issue a shooting instruction to the shooting control unit 31. Then, in Figure 5, the remaining scrap S in the scrap group SS is transported to the scrap storage area 51 by the lifting magnet 21 by repeating steps S1, S2, S3, S10, and S11.

[0044] As described above, the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment includes an imaging device 10 for imaging the scrap group SS that is placed on it, a lifting magnet 21 as a transport device 20 for lifting and transporting foreign matter D or scrap S in the scrap group SS, and a control device 30 for controlling the imaging device 10 and the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20. The control device 30 detects foreign matter D in the scrap group SS from the image G captured by the imaging device 10, and when foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS, it identifies the location information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS and the identification information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS, sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 based on the identified location information of the foreign matter D, and sets the transport conditions of the foreign matter D by the lifting magnet 21 based on the identified identification information of the foreign matter D. Furthermore, the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves according to the set movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21, and also controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it lifts the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 according to the set transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21. This allows for the automatic removal of only the foreign matter D contained in the scrap group SS, thereby reducing the amount of scrap S that is removed along with the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the foreign matter separation system 1 of the first embodiment, the identification information of the foreign matter D is at least one of the following: the type of foreign matter D, the estimated weight of the foreign matter D, and the length or size of the foreign matter D. As a result, the control device 30 can set the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 based on at least one of the identified type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D, and control the lifting magnet 21 to lift the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and transport it to the foreign object placement location 52 according to the set transport conditions for the lifting magnet 21.

[0046] Furthermore, according to the foreign object separation system 1 of the first embodiment, the control device 30 inputs the captured image G into a trained model that has been trained on a dataset linking images of each type of foreign object D with the type name of the foreign object D, the weight of the foreign object D, or the length or size of the foreign object D, in order to identify the specific information of the foreign object D. This allows for accurate identification of the specific foreign substance D in the scrap SS when it is detected within the scrap SS.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the foreign matter separation system 1 of the first embodiment, the conveying device 20 is a lifting magnet 21 that magnetically attaches to foreign matter D or scrap S using magnetic force, lifts it up, and conveys it. The conditions for conveying foreign matter D by the conveying device 20 (lifting magnet 21) are at least one of the following: the magnitude of the magnetic force, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign matter D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign matter D. This allows the lifting magnet 21 to be controlled to lift the foreign object D on which it is placed and transport it to the foreign object placement location 52, based on at least one of the set magnitude of the magnetic force provided by the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the foreign matter separation method of the first embodiment, the foreign matter separation method is for separating foreign matter D contained in a scrap group SS from scrap S, and includes a shooting step (step S1) in which the control device 30 controls the shooting device 10 to photograph the scrap group SS on which it is placed, and the shooting device 10 photographs the scrap group SS, and a foreign matter detection step (step S3) in which the control device 30 detects foreign matter D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G taken in the shooting step. Furthermore, the foreign matter separation method includes a foreign matter location information identification step (step S4) in which the control device 30 identifies the location information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS when foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS in the foreign matter detection step, and a foreign matter identification information identification step (step S7) in which the control device 30 identifies identification information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS when foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS in the foreign matter detection step. Furthermore, the foreign object separation method includes a conveying device movement condition setting step (step S5) in which the control device 30 sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 as a conveying device 20 based on the position information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object position information identification step, and a conveying device transport condition setting step (step S8) in which the control device 30 sets the transport conditions of the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as a conveying device 20 based on the identification information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object identification information identification step. Furthermore, the foreign matter separation method includes a conveying device movement condition control step (step S6) in which the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves according to the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 as a conveying device 20 set in the conveying device movement condition setting step, and a conveying device transport condition control step (step S9) in which the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign matter D and transports it to the foreign matter placement location 52 according to the transport conditions of the lifting magnet 21 as a conveying device 20 set in the conveying device transport condition setting step. This allows for the automatic removal of only the foreign matter D contained in the scrap group SS, thereby reducing the amount of scrap S that is removed along with the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the program of the first embodiment, the control device 30 controls the camera 10 to photograph the scrap SS that is placed on it in a shooting step (step S1), a foreign object detection step (step S3) to detect foreign objects D in the scrap SS from the captured image G taken in the shooting step, a foreign object location information identification step (step S4) to identify the location information of the foreign object D in the scrap SS when a foreign object D is detected in the foreign object detection step, a foreign object identification information identification step (step S7) to identify the foreign object D in the scrap SS when a foreign object D is detected in the scrap SS in the foreign object detection step, and a transport to set the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 as a transport device based on the location information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object location information identification step. This program is for executing the following steps: a device movement condition setting step (step S5); a transport device transport condition setting step (step S8) which sets the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as a transport device based on the foreign object identification information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object identification information step; a transport device movement condition control step (step S6) which controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 set in the transport device movement condition setting step; and a transport device transport condition control step (step S9) which controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it lifts the foreign object D and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 according to the transport conditions for the lifting magnet 21 set in the transport device transport condition setting step.

[0050] As a result, the control device 30 executes the following steps in accordance with the program's instructions: an imaging step (step S1), a foreign object detection step (step S3), a foreign object location information identification step (step S4), a foreign object identification information identification step (step S7), a transport device movement condition setting step (step S5), a transport device transport condition setting step (step S8), a transport device movement condition control step (step S6), and a transport device transport condition control step (step S9). This allows the control device 30 to automatically remove only the foreign object D contained in the scrap group SS, thereby reducing the amount of scrap S that is removed along with the foreign object D in the scrap group SS.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the computer-readable recording medium 308 on which the program according to the first embodiment is stored, the control device 30 includes: an imaging step (step S1) in which the imaging device 10 controls the mounted scrap group SS to take an image; a foreign object detection step (step S3) in which foreign objects D in the scrap group SS are detected from the image G taken in the imaging step; a foreign object location information identification step (step S4) in which the location information of foreign objects D in the scrap group SS is identified when foreign objects D in the scrap group SS are detected in the foreign object detection step; a foreign object identification information identification step (step S7) in which the identification information of foreign objects D in the scrap group SS is identified when foreign objects D in the scrap group SS are detected in the foreign object detection step; and a transport device that sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 as a transport device based on the location information of foreign objects D identified in the foreign object location information identification step. This is a computer-readable recording medium that stores a program for executing the following steps: a conveying device movement condition setting step (step S5); a conveying device transport condition setting step (step S8) for setting the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as a conveying device based on the foreign object identification information identified in the foreign object identification information step; a conveying device movement condition control step (step S6) for controlling the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 set in the conveying device movement condition setting step; and a conveying device transport condition control step (step S9) for controlling the lifting magnet 21 so that it lifts the foreign object D and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 according to the transport conditions for the lifting magnet 21 set in the conveying device transport condition setting step.

[0052] As a result, the control device 30 executes the following steps in accordance with the instructions of the program stored in the recording medium 308: an imaging step (step S1), a foreign object detection step (step S3), a foreign object location information identification step (step S4), a foreign object identification information identification step (step S7), a transport device movement condition setting step (step S5), a transport device transport condition setting step (step S8), a transport device movement condition control step (step S6), and a transport device transport condition control step (step S9). This allows the control device 30 to automatically remove only the foreign object D contained in the scrap group SS, thereby reducing the amount of scrap S that is removed along with the foreign object D in the scrap group SS.

[0053] (Second Embodiment) Next, a foreign matter separation system, foreign matter separation method, program, and computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. Figure 8 is a functional block diagram of the foreign matter separation system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in Figure 8. Figure 10 shows an example of an image taken by a camera of a group of scrap placed on the bed of a semi-trailer. The upper image shows the initial image of the scrap group placed on the bed of the semi-trailer, and the lower image shows the image after removing scrap covering foreign matter with a high degree of exposure and foreign matter with a low degree of exposure from the initial state.

[0054] The foreign matter separation system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, shown in Figure 8, separates foreign matter D contained in a group of scrap SS placed on the cargo bed of a semi-trailer 50 from scrap S, similar to the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in Figure 1. The foreign matter separation system 1 shown in Figure 8 transports the scrap S in the group of scrap SS placed on the cargo bed of the semi-trailer 50 to a scrap storage area 51, and transports the foreign matter D in the group of scrap SS to a foreign matter storage area 52.

[0055] The foreign matter separation system 1 according to the second embodiment shown in Figure 8 differs from the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment in that the control device 30 includes a transportability determination unit 41 (see Figure 8) that determines whether or not a foreign matter D can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign matter D in the captured image G (see Figure 10) when a foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS. The control device 30 then performs a process (steps S25 to S30 in Figure 9) to control the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS and transport it to the foreign matter storage area 52 if the transportability determination unit 41 determines that the foreign matter D cannot be transported. The control device 30 also performs a process (steps S31 and S32 in Figure 9) to control the transport device 20 to transport the scrap S covering the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS to the scrap storage area 51 (see Figure 1) if the transportability determination unit 41 determines that the foreign matter D cannot be transported.

[0056] To explain in more detail, the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the second embodiment shown in Figure 8, like the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment, includes an imaging device 10, a lifting magnet 21 as a conveying device 20, and a control device 30. The camera 10 is a camera that photographs the scrap metal SS, which is placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, from above the bed.

[0057] Furthermore, the conveying device 20, when it detects a foreign object D in the scrap group SS placed on the cargo bed of the semi-trailer 50 (when the foreign object detection unit 33 in Figure 8 detects a foreign object D), lifts and conveys the foreign object D (which may include not only the foreign object D but also some of the scrap S). If it does not detect a foreign object D (when the foreign object detection unit 33 does not detect a foreign object D), it lifts and conveys the scrap S in the scrap group SS. The conveying device 20 is a lifting magnet 21 that, like the first embodiment, magnetically attaches to the foreign object D or scrap S and lifts and conveys them. The lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 is movable in the vertical and horizontal directions (see Figure 1). The lifting magnet 21 moves vertically downward to hold the foreign object D or scrap S, moves vertically upward to lift the held foreign object D or scrap S, and moves horizontally to convey the lifted foreign object D or scrap S.

[0058] Furthermore, the control device 30 controls the imaging device 10 and the lifting magnet 21, which serves as the transport device 20. As shown in Figure 8, the control device 30 includes an image capture control unit 31, an image acquisition unit 32, a foreign object detection unit 33, a transport feasibility determination unit 41, a foreign object position information identification unit 34, a transport device movement condition setting unit 35, a transport device movement condition control unit 36, a foreign object identification information identification unit 37, a transport device transport condition setting unit 38, a transport device transport condition control unit 39, a covered scrap position identification unit 42, and a transport control unit 40.

[0059] The shooting control unit 31 controls the shooting device 10 to take pictures of the scrap metal group SS that is placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50. The image acquisition unit 32 acquires the captured image G (see Figure 10) taken by the imaging device 10. As mentioned above, Figure 10 shows an example of a captured image G taken by the imaging device 10 of a group of scrap metal SS placed on the bed of a semi-trailer 50. The upper part shows the initial captured image G of the group of scrap metal SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, and the lower part shows the captured image G after removing foreign objects D (indicated by the symbol W) with a high degree of exposure and scrap metal S (indicated by the symbol X) covering foreign objects D with a low degree of exposure from the initial state.

[0060] Furthermore, the foreign object detection unit 33 detects foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G acquired by the captured image acquisition unit 32. The method for detecting foreign objects D from the captured image G by the foreign object detection unit 33 may be any method, but in this embodiment, the foreign object detection unit 33 uses a learning model that has been trained on captured images of the scrap group SS containing foreign objects D, and inputs the captured image G acquired by the image acquisition unit 32 into the learning model to detect foreign objects D in the scrap group SS.

[0061] Furthermore, when the foreign object detection unit 33 detects a foreign object D in the scrap group SS, the transport feasibility determination unit 41 determines whether the foreign object D can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign object D in the captured image G. Here, the degree of exposure of foreign object D can be calculated by comparing the estimated length or size of foreign object D, which is estimated from foreign object identification information obtained using a pre-trained model that has been trained on a dataset that links images of each type of foreign object D with the type name of foreign object D and the length or size of foreign object D, with the actual length or size of the foreign object D that is visible. Specifically, the degree of exposure of foreign object D can be defined as the ratio (%) of the length or size of the actual foreign object D that is visible to the estimated length or size of the foreign object. The transportability determination unit 41 then determines whether or not foreign object D can be transported based on whether or not the degree of exposure of foreign object D is above a predetermined threshold. In other words, if the degree of exposure of foreign object D is the ratio (%) of the length or size of the actual foreign object D that is visible to the estimated length or size of the foreign object, the transportability determination unit 41 determines that it can be transported if the ratio (%) is above a predetermined threshold, and if the ratio (%) is below the predetermined threshold, the transportability determination unit 41 determines that it cannot be transported. In this case, the threshold is, for example, 20%.

[0062] Furthermore, the degree of exposure of foreign matter D is determined by the area of ​​the foreign matter (m²) which is set in advance for each type of foreign matter. 2 ) and the area (m²) of the foreign object D that is actually visible. 2 It can also be calculated by comparing it with the area of ​​the foreign object (m²) which is set in advance for each type of foreign object. 2 The area of ​​the foreign object D that is actually visible relative to (m²) 2 ) the value (m 2 ) can be used as the degree of exposure of the foreign object D. Then, the transportability determination unit 41 determines the value (m 2 If the value (m) is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the transport feasibility determination unit 41 determines that transport is possible, and the numerical value (m) 2 If the value is less than a predetermined threshold, the transport feasibility determination unit 41 determines that transport is not possible. In this case, the threshold is, for example, 0.1m if the foreign object D is a motor. 2 That is the case.

[0063] Furthermore, if the transportability determination unit 41 determines that the foreign object D can be transported, the foreign object position information identification unit 34 identifies the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G. Furthermore, the conveying device movement condition setting unit 35 sets the movement conditions for the lifting magnets 21 that constitute the conveying device 20 based on the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS identified by the foreign object position information identification unit 34. Here, "movement conditions" are the position conditions for the horizontal movement destination of the lifting magnets 21 that constitute the conveying device 20.

[0064] Furthermore, the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnets 21 so that they move according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnets 21 that constitute the transport device, as set by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35. Furthermore, the foreign object identification information unit 37 identifies the identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS when the transportability determination unit 41 determines that the foreign object D is transportable. Here, "identification information" is information that identifies the foreign object D, and is, for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D. The identification of the foreign object by the foreign object identification information unit 37 may be done by any method, but in this embodiment, the foreign object identification information unit 37 identifies the identification information of the foreign object D by inputting the captured image G into a trained model that has been trained on a dataset that links images of each type of foreign object D with the type name of the foreign object D, the weight of the foreign object D, or the length or size of the foreign object D.

[0065] Furthermore, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 based on the foreign object identification information of the foreign object D identified by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37. Here, the "conveying conditions" are the conditions for the lifting magnet 21 when lifting the foreign object D, and are, for example, at least one of the following: the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 (for example, the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D) so that only the foreign object D can be lifted according to the identification information of the foreign object D (for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D).

[0066] Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and transport it to the foreign object placement location 52, according to the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as a transport device 20 set in the transport device transport condition setting unit 38. Furthermore, if the transportability determination unit 41 determines that the foreign object D cannot be transported, the covered scrap position identification unit 42 identifies the position (position coordinates) of the scrap S covering the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G.

[0067] Furthermore, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift and transport the scrap S in the scrap group SS when the foreign object detection unit 33 does not detect any foreign object D in the scrap group SS. Also, when the covered scrap position identification unit 42 identifies the position (position coordinates) of the scrap S covering the foreign object D in the scrap group SS, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift the scrap S covering the foreign object D in the scrap group SS and transport it to the scrap storage location 51.

[0068] Next, the hardware configuration of the control device 30 is the same as that of the control device 30 of the foreign object separation system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the control device 30 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit 301 equipped with a CPU 302. The CPU 302 is connected via an internal bus 303 to an internal storage device 304 such as RAM and ROM, an external storage device 305, an input device 306 such as a keyboard and mouse, and an output device 307 that outputs commands from the transport device movement condition control unit 36, the transport device transport condition control unit 39, and the transport control unit 40 to the lifting magnet 21 which serves as the transport device 20.

[0069] The external storage device 305 of the control device 30 is configured to include a read-only disk drive such as a hard disk drive or solid-state drive, and a drive device such as a CD, DVD, or BD that reads data from the recording medium 308. The recording medium 308, which stores a program to cause the control device 30 to execute the following functions, is set in this external storage device 305, and the read program is installed on the disk drive. Here, the aforementioned functions are: shooting control function by the shooting control unit 31 (step S21 described later), shooting image acquisition function by the shooting image acquisition unit 32 (step S22 described later), foreign object detection function by the foreign object detection unit 33 (step S23 described later), transportability determination function by the transportability determination unit 41 (step S24 described later), foreign object position information identification function by the foreign object position information identification unit 34 (step S25 described later), transport device movement condition setting function by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S26 described later), and transport device movement condition control function by the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​(described later). Step S27) is the foreign object identification information identification function by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37 (step S28 described later), the conveying device conveying condition setting function by the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 (step S29 described later), the conveying device conveying condition control function by the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 (step S30 described later), the covered scrap position identification function by the covered scrap position identification unit 42 (step S31 described later), the covered scrap conveying control function by the conveying control unit 40 (step S32 described later), and the scrap conveying control function by the conveying control unit 40 (step S33 described later). Installation of this program is not limited to using the recording medium 308, but may also be done by downloading the program via a network.

[0070] The CPU 302 of the control device 30 performs the following functions in accordance with the instructions of the installed program: the shooting control function by the shooting control unit 31 (step S21 described later), the shooting image acquisition function by the shooting image acquisition unit 32 (step S22 described later), the foreign object detection function by the foreign object detection unit 33 (step S23 described later), the transport feasibility determination function by the transport feasibility determination unit 41 (step S24 described later), the foreign object position information identification function by the foreign object position information identification unit 34 (step S25 described later), the transport device movement condition setting function by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S26 described later), and the transport device movement condition control unit 36. The CPU 302 executes the following functions: dynamic condition control function (step S27, described later), foreign object identification information identification function by foreign object identification information unit 37 (step S28, described later), conveying device conveying condition setting function by conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 (step S29, described later), conveying device conveying condition control function by conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 (step S30, described later), covered scrap position identification function by covered scrap position identification unit 42 (step S31, described later), covered scrap conveying control function by conveying control unit 40 (step S32, described later), and scrap conveying control function by conveying control unit 40 (step S33, described later). The CPU 302 then outputs commands from the conveying device movement condition control unit 36, the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39, and the conveying control unit 40 to the lifting magnet 21, which acts as the conveying device 20.

[0071] Next, the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system 1 shown in Figure 8. First, in step S21, the imaging control unit 31 of the control device 30 controls the imaging device 10 to photograph the scrap metal group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed, and the imaging device 10 photographs the scrap metal group SS (imaging step). Initially in the foreign object separation control, the imaging control unit 31 sends an imaging command to the imaging device 10 when it receives information from a higher-level computer (not shown) that the semi-trailer 50 carrying the scrap metal group SS has stopped at a predetermined stopping position. Furthermore, in step S34, which will be described later, the imaging control unit 31 sends an imaging command to the imaging device 10 when it receives an instruction to take an image.

[0072] Next, in step S22, the image acquisition unit 32 of the control device 30 acquires the captured image G (see Figure 10) that was captured in step S1 (image acquisition step). Next, in step S23, the foreign object detection unit 33 of the control device 30 detects foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G acquired in step S22 (foreign object detection step). In step S3, if foreign object D is detected (the result of the judgment is YES), the process proceeds to step S24; if foreign object D is not detected (the result of the judgment is NO), the process proceeds to step S33.

[0073] In step S24, since a foreign object D is detected in the scrap group SS that is placed on top, the transportability determination unit 41 determines whether the foreign object D can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign object D in the captured image G (transportability determination step). The degree of exposure of the foreign object D and the criteria for determining whether it can be transported are as described above. Then, in step S24, if it is determined that transport is possible (the result of the determination is YES), the process proceeds to steps S25 and S28. If it is determined that transport is not possible (the result of the determination is NO), the process proceeds to step S31.

[0074] In step S25, since it has been determined that the foreign object D can be transported, the foreign object position information identification unit 34 of the control device 30 identifies the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G acquired in step S22 (foreign object position information identification step). Next, in step S26, the conveying device movement condition setting unit 35 of the control device 30 sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnets 21 that constitute the conveying device 20 based on the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS identified in step S25 (conveying device movement condition setting step). Here, the "movement conditions" are, as described above, the position conditions of the horizontal destination of the lifting magnets 21 that constitute the conveying device 20.

[0075] Next, in step S27, the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 that constitute the transport device 20 set in step S26 (transport device movement condition control step). Furthermore, in step S28, since it is determined that the foreign object D can be transported, the foreign object identification information unit 37 of the control device 30 identifies the identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS (foreign object identification information identification step). Here, "identification information" is information that identifies the foreign object D, and is, for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D.

[0076] Next, in step S29, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 of the control device 30 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 based on the identification information of the foreign object D identified in step S28 (conveying device conveying condition setting step). Here, the "conveying conditions" are the conditions of the lifting magnet 21 when lifting the foreign object D, and are, for example, at least one of the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D (see Figure 6), and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 (for example, the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D) so that only the foreign object D can be lifted according to the identification information of the foreign object D (for example, at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D).

[0077] Next, in step S30, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and transport it to the foreign object placement location 52, according to the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set in step S29 (transport device transport condition control step). Furthermore, if it is determined in step S24 that transport is impossible and the process proceeds to step S31, in step S31, the covered scrap position identification unit 42 of the control device 30 identifies the position (position coordinates) of the scrap S covering the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G (covered scrap position identification step).

[0078] Next, in step S32, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift the scrap S covering the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS and transport it to the scrap storage location 51 (covered scrap transport control step). Furthermore, if no foreign matter D is detected in step S23 and the process proceeds to step S33, in step S33 the process transitions to normal operation, and the transport control unit 40 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift the scrap S in the scrap group SS and transport it to the scrap storage area 51 (scrap transport control step). Then, once steps S27, S30, S32, and S33 are completed, the process moves on to step S34.

[0079] In step S34, the transport device movement condition control unit 36, the transport device transport condition control unit 39, and the transport control unit 40 issue a shooting instruction to the shooting control unit 31 (shooting instruction step). This completes the processing in the foreign matter separation system 1. Then, by repeating steps S21 to S34 above, all of the scrap S in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 is transported to the scrap storage area 51, and all of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS is transported to the foreign matter storage area 52.

[0080] Here, we will specifically explain the processing flow in the foreign object separation system 1 using an example of the captured image G shown in Figure 10. Initially, when the scrap metal group SS is placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, the image acquisition unit 32 of the control device 30 acquires the captured image G shown in the upper part of Figure 10, which was taken in step S21, via steps S21 (photography step) and S22 (image acquisition step). Next, in step S23 (foreign object detection step), the foreign object detection unit 33 of the control device 30 detects foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G. In the case shown on the upper side of Figure 10, two foreign objects D are detected in the scrap group SS. One of the two foreign objects D (the part indicated by the symbol W) is not covered by the scrap S and has a large degree of exposure, while the other foreign object D (the part indicated by the symbol X) is covered by the scrap S and has a small degree of exposure.

[0081] Since two foreign substances D have been detected in the scrap SS, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24 (transportability determination step), since foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS that is placed on top, the transportability determination unit 41 determines whether foreign matter D can be transported based on the degree of exposure of foreign matter D in the captured image G. Here, in the case shown on the upper side of Figure 10, one of the detected foreign matter D (the part indicated by the symbol W) is not covered by the scrap S and the degree of exposure of foreign matter D is large, so the degree of exposure of foreign matter D is determined to be above a predetermined threshold and it is determined to be transportable. On the other hand, the other detected foreign matter D (the part indicated by the symbol X) is covered by the scrap S and the degree of exposure of foreign matter D is small, so the degree of exposure of foreign matter D is determined to be below a predetermined threshold and it is determined to be untransportable.

[0082] Since it has been determined that the foreign object D (the part indicated by the symbol W) can be transported, the process proceeds to steps S25 and S28. In step S25 (foreign object location information identification step), the foreign object location information identification unit 34 of the control device 30 identifies the location (position coordinates) of one of the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G acquired in step S22 (foreign object location information identification step). Next, in step S26 (transport device movement condition setting step), the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 of the control device 30 sets the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 that constitutes the transport device 20 based on the position (position coordinates) of one of the foreign objects D in the identified scrap group SS. In the case of the upper foreign object D in Figure 10, the movement condition of the lifting magnet 21 is the position W directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed.

[0083] Next, in step S27 (conveyor device movement condition control step), the conveyor device movement condition control unit 36 ​​of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves according to the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 that constitute the conveyor device 20 set in step S26. In the case of the upper foreign object D in Figure 10, the conveyor device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves horizontally to a position W directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed.

[0084] Furthermore, in step S28 (foreign object identification information step), the foreign object identification information unit 37 of the control device 30 identifies identification information for one of the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS (at least one of the following: the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of foreign object D, and the length or size of foreign object D). Next, in step S29 (transport device transport condition setting step), the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 of the control device 30 sets the transport conditions for one of the foreign objects D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20, based on the identification information of one of the identified foreign objects D. Specifically, the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 sets the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 (at least one of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D) so that only one of the foreign objects D can be lifted according to the identification information of one of the foreign objects D (at least one of the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D).

[0085] Next, in step S30 (conveying device conveying condition control step), the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift the foreign object D on which the lifting magnet 21 is placed and convey it to the foreign object placement location 52, according to the conveying conditions for the lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 set in step S29. In the case of the upper foreign object D in Figure 10, the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21, which is located at position W directly above the foreign object D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed, in a vertical downward direction. Then, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward so that it lifts one of the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS that is placed there, according to the set transport conditions for one of the foreign objects D (the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and at least one of the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D). Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21 horizontally to a position above the foreign object placement area 52 to weaken the magnetic force, causing one of the foreign objects D to fall onto the foreign object placement area 52.

[0086] Furthermore, regarding the other foreign object D on the upper side of Figure 10, since it was determined in step S24 (transportability determination step) that it cannot be transported, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31 (covered scrap location identification step), the covered scrap location identification unit 42 of the control device 30 identifies the location (position coordinates) of the scrap S covering the other foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G.

[0087] Next, in step S32 (covered scrap transport control step), the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21, which acts as a transport device 20, to lift the scrap S covering the other foreign object D in the scrap group SS and transport it to the scrap storage location 51. In the case of the other foreign object D on the upper side of Figure 10, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21 to move horizontally to a position X directly above the scrap S covering the other foreign object D in the scrap group SS. Then, the transport control unit 40 moves the lifting magnet 21 at that position X vertically downward. Furthermore, the transport control unit 40 moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the scrap S covering the other foreign object D in the scrap group SS with the magnetic force that lifts the scrap S. Furthermore, the transport control unit 40 horizontally moves the lifting magnet 21 to a position above the scrap placement area 51 to weaken its magnetic force, causing the scrap S covering the other foreign object D to fall into the scrap placement area 51.

[0088] Then, in step S34 (shooting instruction step), the transport device movement condition control unit 36, the transport device transport condition control unit 39, and the transport control unit 40 issue a shooting instruction to the shooting control unit 31. Then, returning to step S21 (photography step), the photography control unit 31 controls the photography device 10 to photograph the scrap metal group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed, and the photography device 10 photographs the scrap metal group SS. Next, in step S22 (image acquisition step), the image acquisition unit 32 acquires the image G captured in step S21. At this time, the scrap S covering one foreign object D with a high degree of exposure and the other foreign object D with a low degree of exposure has been removed by the aforementioned processing, and the scrap group SS is left with the other foreign object D with a high degree of exposure and the scrap S, resulting in the lower image G of Figure 10.

[0089] Subsequently, the other foreign object D is dropped into the foreign object placement area 52 by steps S23 (foreign object detection step), S24 (transport feasibility determination step), S25 (foreign object location information identification step), S26 (transport device movement condition setting step), S27 (transport device movement condition control step), S28 (foreign object identification information identification step), S29 (transport device transport condition setting step), and S30 (transport device transport condition control step). This removes foreign matter D from the scrap SS that is placed on top. Subsequently, by repeating steps S21 to S34, all of the scrap S in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 is transported to the scrap storage area 51, and all of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS is transported to the foreign matter storage area 52. Furthermore, if there is scrap S remaining that covers the other foreign object D which is less exposed, the remaining scrap S can be transported by repeating steps S21, S22, S23, S24, S31, and S32.

[0090] As described above, according to the foreign matter separation system 1 of the second embodiment, the control device 30 includes a transportability determination unit 41 that determines whether or not a foreign matter D can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign matter D in the captured image G when a foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS. When the transportability determination unit 41 determines that the foreign matter D can be transported, the control device 30 performs a process (steps S25 to S30 in Figure 9) to control the lifting magnet 21, which is a transport device 20, to lift the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS where it is placed and transport it to the foreign matter placement area 52. When the transportability determination unit 41 determines that the foreign matter D cannot be transported, the control device 30 performs a process (steps S31 and S32 in Figure 9) to control the transport device to transport the scrap S covering the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS to the scrap placement area 51.

[0091] This allows the system to determine whether foreign object D can be transported before lifting and transporting it from the scrap pile SS. If foreign object D can be transported, it is transported to the foreign object placement area 52. If foreign object D cannot be transported, the scrap S covering the foreign object D is transported to the scrap placement area 51. This further reduces the risk of accidentally removing scrap S from the scrap pile SS along with the foreign object D. Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements can be made.

[0092] For example, the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first and second embodiments uses a lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20, but is not limited to the use of a lifting magnet 21. For example, as shown in Figure 11, a grapple 22 may be used as the conveying device 20, or as shown in Figure 12, a shovel 23 may be used as the conveying device.

[0093] When a grapple 22 is used as the conveying device 20 shown in Figure 11, the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the grapple 22 as the conveying device 20 are, for example, at least one of the gripping force of each of the multiple gripping parts 22a of the grapple 22 and the distance B between the gripping parts 22a. The conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the grapple 22 (at least one of the gripping force of each of the multiple gripping parts 22a of the grapple 22 and the distance between the gripping parts 22a) so that only the foreign object D can be lifted according to the identification information of the foreign object D (at least one of the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D). Furthermore, the conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 controls the grapple 22 to lift the foreign object D from the scrap group SS according to the set conveying conditions for the foreign object D (at least one of the gripping force of each of the multiple gripping parts 22a of the grapple 22 and the spacing between the gripping parts 22a), thereby preventing other scrap S from being lifted along with the foreign object D when lifting and removing the foreign object D.

[0094] Furthermore, when using a shovel 23 as the conveying device 20 shown in Figure 12, the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the shovel 23 as the conveying device 20 are, for example, the inclination of the boom 23a of the shovel 23 (the angle of inclination of the boom 23a with respect to the horizontal direction θ), the arm 23b, and the bucket 23c. The conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object D by the shovel 23 (the inclination of the boom 23a of the shovel 23 (the angle of inclination of the boom 23a with respect to the horizontal direction θ), the arm 23b, and the bucket 23c) so that only the foreign object D can be lifted according to the identification information of the foreign object D (at least one of the type of foreign object D, the estimated weight of the foreign object D, and the length or size of the foreign object D). Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 controls the shovel 23 to lift the foreign object D from the scrap group SS according to the set transport conditions for the foreign object D (the inclination of the boom 23a of the shovel 23 (the inclination angle θ of the boom 23a relative to the horizontal direction), the inclination of the arm 23b, and the bucket 23c), thereby suppressing the lifting of other scrap S along with the foreign object D when lifting and removing the foreign object D.

[0095] Furthermore, in the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment, when the imaging device 10 photographs the scrap group SS and the control device 30 detects a foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G, the lifting magnet 21 is controlled to lift the foreign object D and transport it to the foreign object placement area 52. In contrast, as in the modified foreign matter separation system shown (not illustrated), the camera may photograph the scrap group SS, and when the control device detects foreign matter D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G, the lifting magnet, acting as a transport device, may be controlled to lift only the scrap S other than the detected foreign matter D in the scrap group SS and transport them to the scrap storage area 51.

[0096] Specifically, referring to Figure 13, the control device controls the camera to photograph the scrap metal group SS, which is placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, from above the bed, and the camera photographs the scrap metal group SS. Next, the control device acquires the captured image G (see Figure 13) taken by the imaging device. Next, the control device detects foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the captured image G. Next, in Figure 13, since a foreign object D is detected in the scrap pile SS, the control device identifies the location (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap pile SS from the captured image G, and also identifies the identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap pile SS.

[0097] Next, the control device controls the lifting magnet, which acts as a conveying device, to move horizontally to a position Z directly above a position that avoids foreign matter D in the scrap group SS on which it is placed (where scrap S is present). Next, the control device moves the lifting magnet, which is located at position Z directly above the position where the scrap S is located (avoiding the foreign object D in the placed scrap group SS), vertically downward, and then moves the lifting magnet vertically upward so that the lifting magnet lifts the scrap S in the placed scrap group SS with a magnetic force strong enough to lift the scrap S. Furthermore, the control device moves the lifting magnet horizontally to a position above the scrap placement area 51 to weaken the magnetic force, causing the scrap S to fall into the scrap placement area 51. By repeating the above process, it becomes possible to transport the scrap S to the scrap storage area 51 while leaving the foreign matter D behind.

[0098] Furthermore, in the modified foreign matter separation system, if the foreign matter D is in the way and prevents the scrap S from being lifted, the foreign matter D may be moved aside as appropriate, and the scrap S may be lifted and transported, as shown in Figure 14. In other words, in Figure 14, if the foreign matter D is in the way and prevents the scrap S from being lifted, a portion T1 of the scrap group SS containing the foreign matter D is moved aside, and the remaining collection U1 of scrap S is lifted and transported. Also, for the portion T1 of the scrap group SS containing the moved foreign matter D, a portion T2 of the scrap group SS containing the portion T1 of the scrap group SS containing the foreign matter D is moved aside, and the remaining collection U2 of scrap S is lifted and transported. This operation may be repeated. When moving the foreign matter D to the floor or ground, the transport conditions of the transport device are set according to the foreign matter identification information, as in the first and second embodiments, and the foreign matter D is lifted and placed on the floor or ground. Furthermore, the location where the scrap metal SS is placed is not limited to the bed of the semi-trailer 50; it may also be in a yard or other location. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0099] 1. Foreign Matter Separation System 10. Imaging device 20 Conveying device 21 Lifting Magnets 22 Grapple 22a Gripping part 23 Shovel 23a Boom 23b Arm 23c bucket 30 Control device 31. Image capture control unit 32 Image acquisition unit 33 Foreign object detection unit 34 Foreign object position information identification section 35 Conveyor device movement condition setting unit 36. Conveyor device movement condition control unit 37 Foreign object identification information identification department 38 Conveying device conveying condition setting unit 39. Conveying device conveying condition control unit 40 Conveying Control Unit 301 Arithmetic Processing Unit 302 CPU 303 Internal Bus 304 Internal storage 305 External storage device 306 Input device 307 Output device 308 Recording media D Foreign object G Photographed image S Scrap SS Scrap Collection

Claims

1. A foreign matter separation system for separating foreign matter contained in a group of scrap materials from the scrap, A camera for photographing the pile of scrap metal that is placed there, A conveying device that lifts and transports foreign objects or scrap from a pile of scrap materials, The system comprises a control device for controlling the aforementioned imaging device and the aforementioned transport device, The control device detects foreign objects in the scrap collection from the captured images taken by the imaging device, and when foreign objects are detected in the scrap collection, it identifies the location information and identification information of the foreign objects in the scrap collection, sets the movement conditions of the conveying device based on the identified location information of the foreign objects, sets the transport conditions of the conveying device for the foreign objects based on the identified identification information of the foreign objects, controls the conveying device so that it moves according to the set movement conditions of the conveying device, and controls the conveying device so that it lifts the foreign objects on which it is placed and transports them to the foreign object placement location according to the set transport conditions of the conveying device for the foreign objects. The conveying device is a lifting magnet that magnetically attaches to and lifts the foreign matter or scrap by magnetic force, and the conditions for conveying the foreign matter by the conveying device are at least one of the following: the magnitude of the magnetic force, the distance between the magnetic surface of the lifting magnet and the foreign matter, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet with the foreign matter.

2. The foreign matter separation system according to claim 1, characterized in that the information identifying the foreign matter is at least one of the following: the type of foreign matter, the estimated weight of the foreign matter, and the length or size of the foreign matter.

3. The foreign object separation system according to claim 2, characterized in that the control device identifies the foreign object by inputting the captured image to a trained model that has been trained on a dataset linking images of each type of foreign object with the name of the type of foreign object, the weight of the foreign object, or the length or size of the foreign object.

4. The control device includes a transportability determination unit that, when a foreign object is detected in the scrap collection, determines whether the foreign object can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign object in the captured image; if the transportability determination unit determines that the foreign object can be transported, it controls the transport device to lift the foreign object in the scrap collection and transport it to the foreign object placement location; and if the transportability determination unit determines that the foreign object cannot be transported, it controls the transport device to transport the scrap covering the foreign object in the scrap collection to the scrap placement location.

5. A method for separating foreign matter contained in a group of scraps from the scrap, The control device controls the camera to photograph the group of scrap metal on which it is placed, and the camera photographs the group of scrap metal in the photographing step, A foreign object detection step in which the control device detects foreign objects in the scrap group from the captured image taken in the aforementioned shooting step, When the control device detects a foreign object in the scrap group in the foreign object detection step, it performs a foreign object location information identification step to identify the location information of the foreign object in the scrap group, When the control device detects a foreign object in the scrap group in the foreign object detection step, it performs a foreign object identification information identification step to identify the foreign object in the scrap group, A conveying device movement condition setting step in which the control device sets the movement conditions of the conveying device based on the location information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object location information identification step, A conveying device conveying condition setting step in which the control device sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object based on the foreign object identification information identified in the foreign object identification information step, A conveying device movement condition control step in which the control device controls the conveying device so that the conveying device moves according to the movement conditions of the conveying device set in the conveying device movement condition setting step, A conveying device conveying condition control step in which the control device controls the conveying device so that the conveying device lifts the foreign object and conveys it to the foreign object placement location under the foreign object conveying conditions set in the conveying device conveying condition setting step, Includes, The method for separating foreign matter is characterized in that the conveying device is a lifting magnet that magnetically attaches to and lifts the foreign matter or scrap by magnetic force, and the conveying conditions for the foreign matter by the conveying device set in the conveying device conveying condition setting step are at least one of the magnitude of the magnetic force, the distance between the magnetic surface of the lifting magnet and the foreign matter, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet with respect to the foreign matter.

6. In the control device, A shooting step in which the camera controls the camera to photograph the stack of scrap materials, A foreign object detection step is performed to detect foreign objects in the scrap group from the captured images taken in the aforementioned shooting step, If a foreign object is detected in the scrap group in the foreign object detection step, the foreign object location information identification step identifies the location information of the foreign object in the scrap group. If a foreign object is detected in the scrap group in the foreign object detection step, the foreign object identification information in the scrap group is identified in the foreign object identification information step. A conveying device movement condition setting step, which sets the movement conditions of the conveying device based on the location information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object location information identification step, A conveying device conveying condition setting step, which sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object by the conveying device based on the foreign object identification information identified in the foreign object identification information step, A conveying device movement condition control step controls the conveying device so that it moves according to the movement conditions set in the conveying device movement condition setting step, A conveying device conveying condition control step controls the conveying device so that it lifts the foreign object and conveys it to the foreign object placement location under the foreign object conveying conditions set in the conveying device conveying condition setting step, A program to execute, The conveying device is a lifting magnet that magnetically attaches to and lifts the foreign object or scrap by magnetic force, and the program is characterized in that the conveying conditions for the foreign object by the conveying device, set in the conveying device conveying condition setting step, are at least one of the following: the magnitude of the magnetic force, the distance between the magnetic surface of the lifting magnet and the foreign object, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet with respect to the foreign object.

7. In the control device, A shooting step in which the camera controls the camera to photograph the stack of scrap materials, A foreign object detection step is performed to detect foreign objects in the scrap group from the captured images taken in the aforementioned shooting step, If a foreign object is detected in the scrap group in the foreign object detection step, the foreign object location information identification step identifies the location information of the foreign object in the scrap group. If a foreign object is detected in the scrap group in the foreign object detection step, the foreign object identification information in the scrap group is identified in the foreign object identification information step. A conveying device movement condition setting step, which sets the movement conditions of the conveying device based on the location information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object location information identification step, A conveying device conveying condition setting step, which sets the conveying conditions for the foreign object by the conveying device based on the foreign object identification information identified in the foreign object identification information step, A conveying device movement condition control step controls the conveying device so that it moves according to the movement conditions set in the conveying device movement condition setting step, A conveying device conveying condition control step controls the conveying device so that it lifts the foreign object and conveys it to the foreign object placement location under the foreign object conveying conditions set in the conveying device conveying condition setting step, A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for executing is stored, The conveying device is a lifting magnet that magnetically attaches to and lifts the foreign object or scrap by magnetic force, and the recording medium is characterized in that the conveying conditions for the foreign object by the conveying device set in the conveying device conveying condition setting step are at least one of the magnitude of the magnetic force, the distance between the magnetic surface of the lifting magnet and the foreign object, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet with respect to the foreign object.

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