Foreign matter separation system, foreign matter separation method, program, and computer-readable recording medium storing program

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

Foreign matter separation system, foreign matter separation method, program, and computer-readable recording medium storing the program

[0001] The present invention relates to a foreign matter separation system, a foreign matter separation method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program, which separates foreign matter contained in a group of scrap from the scrap.

[0002] In steelworks, increased use of iron-based scrap as a raw material is desired in order to manufacture steel products while reducing the environmental impact. Generally, a group of iron-based scraps, which is made up of multiple iron-based scraps, contains foreign matter such as materials of different types or sizes from the iron-based scrap, taboo materials, sealed materials, and hazardous materials that are undesirable when using the iron-based scrap.

[0003] For example, a steel scrap inspection method disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a method for automatically detecting foreign objects contained in steel scrap piles. The steel scrap inspection method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a method for inspecting steel scrap piles piled on the back of a truck parked at a truck stop location in cooperation with steel scrap yard equipment. This inspection method includes an imaging step of imaging the steel scrap piles piled on the back of a truck parked at a truck stop location, an inspection step in which a detection device uses a trained model to determine whether or not a taboo object that is likely to be contained in the steel scrap is captured in the image data, and if a taboo object is determined to be captured, an inspection step in which the steel scrap pile captured in the image data is inspected by having an operator remove the taboo object, and a moving step in which the inspected steel scrap pile captured in the image data is moved from the back of the truck to a storage area for inspected steel scrap using a lift magnet or the like, and these steps are repeated until the scrap pile is removed from the truck back. This allows for the efficient detection of prohibited materials from among the piles of iron scrap piled up on the back of a truck.

[0004] Furthermore, a foreign object detection device and a foreign object removal device have been proposed for detecting and removing foreign objects mixed in iron-based scrap, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 2. The foreign object detection device disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes an object image acquisition unit that acquires an image of an object containing iron-based scrap, and an image discrimination unit that detects foreign objects by distinguishing between iron-based scrap and foreign objects other than iron-based scrap based on the object image. The foreign object removal device disclosed in Patent Document 2 also includes the 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 from 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 gripper that can move in three dimensions relative to the object containing iron-based scrap. This allows the foreign object detection device to accurately detect foreign objects from iron-based scrap mixed with foreign objects, and the foreign object removal device to remove the foreign objects from the object.

[0005] JP 2020-176909 A JP 2021-163078 A

[0006] However, the conventional iron scrap inspection method disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the foreign matter detection device and foreign matter removal device disclosed in Patent Document 2 have the following problems. In the iron scrap inspection method disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the detection device can detect prohibited objects contained in the iron scrap mass, the prohibited objects must be removed manually by an operator. Furthermore, in the foreign matter detection device and foreign matter removal device disclosed in Patent Document 2, although foreign objects can be removed automatically, the gripping part of the foreign matter removal unit makes it difficult to lift only the foreign objects contained in the iron-based scrap mass, and iron-based scrap that is not to be removed may also be lifted and removed together with the foreign objects.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve this conventional problem, and its object 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 group and reduce the amount of scrap that is removed together with the foreign matter from the scrap group.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a foreign matter separation system that separates foreign matter contained in a pile of scrap from the scrap, and includes a photographing device that photographs the pile of scrap that has been placed on it, a transport device that lifts and transports foreign matter or scrap in the pile of scrap that has been placed on it, and a control device that controls the photographing device and the transport device, and the control device detects foreign matter in the pile of scrap from images taken by the photographing device, and when a foreign matter in the pile of scrap is detected, identifies position information of the foreign matter in the pile of scrap and identification information of the foreign matter in the pile of scrap, sets movement conditions for the transport device based on the identified position information of the foreign matter, sets transport conditions for the foreign matter by the transport device based on the identified identification information of the foreign matter, controls the transport device to move under the set movement conditions for the transport device, and controls the transport device to lift the foreign matter placed on it and transport it to a foreign matter placement location under the set foreign matter transport conditions by the transport device.

[0009] Further, a foreign matter separation method according to another aspect of the present invention is a foreign matter separation method for separating foreign matter contained in a group of scraps from the scrap, the method including a photographing step in which a control device controls a photographing device to photograph the group of scraps on which the control device is placed, and the photographing device photographs the group of scraps; a foreign matter detection step in which the control device detects foreign matter in the group of scraps from the photographed image photographed in the photographing step; a foreign matter position information specifying step in which the control device specifies position information of the foreign matter in the group of scraps when a foreign matter in the group of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step; a foreign matter identification information specifying step in which the control device specifies identification information of the foreign matter in the group of scraps when a foreign matter in the group of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step; a transport device movement condition setting step in which a control device sets movement conditions for the transport device based on the position information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object placement information identifying step; a transport device transport condition setting step in which a control device sets transport conditions for the foreign object by the transport device based on the specific information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object specific information identifying step; a transport device movement condition control step in which the control device controls the transport device so that the transport device moves under the movement conditions for the transport device set in the transport device movement condition setting step; and a transport device transport condition control step in which the control device controls the transport device so that the transport device lifts the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location under the foreign object transport conditions by the transport device set in the transport device transport condition setting step.

[0010] Further, a program according to another aspect of the present invention includes a control device, which includes a photographing step of controlling a photographing device to photograph a pile of scraps placed thereon, a foreign matter detection step of detecting a foreign matter in the pile of scraps from the photographed image photographed in the photographing step, a foreign matter position information specifying step of specifying position information of the foreign matter in the pile of scraps when a foreign matter in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step, a foreign matter specific information specifying step of specifying specific information of the foreign matter in the pile of scraps when a foreign matter in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step, and a control device of a conveying device based on the position information of the foreign matter specified in the foreign matter position information specifying step. The gist of the program is that it is for executing a transport device movement condition setting step for setting movement conditions; a transport device transport condition setting step for setting conditions for transporting the foreign object by the transport device based on the specific information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object specific information identification step; a transport device movement condition control step for controlling the transport device so that the transport device moves under the movement conditions of the transport device set in the transport device movement condition setting step; and a transport device transport condition control step for controlling the transport device so that the transport device lifts the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location under the foreign object transport conditions by the transport device set in the transport 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, which includes a photographing step of controlling a photographing device to photograph a pile of scraps placed thereon, a foreign matter detection step of detecting foreign matter in the pile of scraps from the photographed image photographed in the photographing step, a foreign matter position information specifying step of specifying position information of the foreign matter in the pile of scraps when a foreign matter in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step, a foreign matter position information specifying step of specifying specific information of the foreign matter in the pile of scraps when a foreign matter in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step, and a control device for controlling a conveying device based on the position information of the foreign matter specified in the foreign matter position information specifying step. The gist of the present invention is that the recording medium is computer-readable and stores a program for executing the following steps: a transport device movement condition setting step for setting movement conditions; a transport device transport condition setting step for setting conditions for transporting the foreign object by the transport device based on the specific information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object specific information identification step; a transport device movement condition control step for controlling the transport device so that the transport device moves under the movement conditions of the transport device set in the transport device movement condition setting step; and a transport device transport condition control step for controlling the transport device so that the transport device lifts the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location under the foreign object transport conditions by the transport device set in the transport device transport condition setting step.

[0012] According to the foreign matter separation system, foreign matter separation method, program, and computer-readable recording medium on which the program is stored, foreign matter contained in a scrap group can be automatically removed, thereby reducing the amount of scrap that is removed together with the foreign matter from the scrap group.

[0013] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a foreign matter separation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of the foreign matter separation system shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in FIG. 1. It is a diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of a control device. It is a diagram showing an example of a photographed image of a group of scraps placed on a semi-trailer, photographed by a photographing device, when foreign matter is separated by the foreign matter separation system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting the distance between the magnet surface of a lifting magnet and a foreign matter, as an example of a transport condition for the lifting magnet constituting the transport device. It is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet with respect to the foreign matter, as an example of a transport condition for the lifting magnet constituting the transport device. It is a functional block diagram of a foreign matter separation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in FIG. 14 shows an example of an image captured by a camera of a pile of scrap placed on the bed of a semi-trailer. The upper image shows the initial image of the pile of scrap placed on the bed of the semi-trailer, and the lower image shows an image after removing foreign objects with a high degree of exposure and scrap covering foreign objects with a low degree of exposure from the initial state.

[0033] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the transport conditions for foreign objects when a grapple is used as a transport device.

[0034] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the transport conditions for foreign objects when a shovel is used as a transport device.

[0035] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by a camera of a pile of scrap placed on a semi-trailer when separating foreign objects contained in the pile of scrap from the scrap using a foreign object separation system according to a modified example.

[0036] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of separating foreign objects contained in the pile of scrap from the scrap by controlling a lifting magnet as a transport device using a foreign object separation system according to a modified example when the scrap cannot be lifted due to foreign objects obstructing the lifting.

[0037] In FIG. 14, the upper side shows the bed of the semi-trailer as viewed from above, and the lower side shows the bed of the semi-trailer as viewed from the side.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components in the embodiments described below. Furthermore, the drawings are schematic. Therefore, it should be noted that the relationships and ratios between thicknesses and planar dimensions may differ from the actual ones, and the drawings may also contain portions where the relationships and ratios of dimensions differ from one another.

[0015] First Embodiment FIG. 1 illustrates the overall configuration of a foreign object separation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The foreign object separation system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 separates foreign objects D contained in a scrap group SS from scrap S. In this embodiment, the scrap group SS is transported to a predetermined location on the bed of a semi-trailer 50. The scrap group SS may contain one or more foreign objects D in addition to multiple pieces of scrap (iron-based scrap) S. Here, the foreign object D generally refers to anything undesirable when using the scrap S, such as objects of a different type or size from the scrap S, prohibited objects, sealed objects, hazardous materials, etc. In this embodiment, the foreign object D includes, for example, objects containing tramp elements such as motors, sealed objects where the air inside may be explosive, oversized items or other unusable objects, and non-metallic ferrous objects such as rubber.

[0016] The scrap S in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 is separated and transported to a scrap placement location 51, and the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS is transported to a foreign matter placement location 52 by a foreign matter separation system 1. This foreign matter separation system 1 includes a photographing device 10, a transport device 20, and a control device 30. The photographing device 10 is a camera that photographs the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed.

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

[0018] The control device 30 also controls the imaging device 10 and the lifting magnet 21 serving as the conveying device 20. As shown in FIG. 2 , the control device 30 includes an imaging control unit 31, an image acquisition unit 32, a foreign object detection unit 33, a foreign object position information identification unit 34, a conveying device movement condition setting unit 35, a conveying device movement condition control unit 36, a foreign object identification information identification unit 37, a conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38, a conveying device conveying condition control unit 39, and a conveying control unit 40. The imaging control unit 31 controls the imaging device 10 to capture an image of the scrap pile SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50. The image acquisition unit 32 acquires an image G (see FIG. 5 ) captured by the imaging device 10. FIG. 5 shows an example of the 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 images G acquired by the captured image acquisition unit 32. Any method may be used for detecting foreign objects D from the captured images G by the foreign object detection unit 33, but in this embodiment, the foreign object detection unit 33 uses a learning model that has been trained using captured images of the scrap group SS containing foreign objects D, and inputs the captured images 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 is a foreign object D in the scrap group SS. In the example of FIG. 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 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 transport device movement condition setting unit 35 sets movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport 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 conditions" are position conditions for the horizontal destination of the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport device 20. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , this movement condition is a position V directly above the foreign object D in the placed scrap group SS.

[0021] Furthermore, the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport device 20 moves under the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 set by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves horizontally to a position V directly above the foreign object D in the placed scrap group SS. Furthermore, the foreign object identification information identifying unit 37 identifies the identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS when the foreign object detection unit 33 detects the foreign object D in the scrap group SS. Here, the "identification information" is information that identifies the foreign object D, and is, for example, 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. The foreign object identification information identifying unit 37 may identify the identification information of the foreign object D by any method, but in this embodiment, the foreign object identification information identifying unit 37 inputs the captured image G into a trained model that has been trained with a data set that links images of each type of foreign object D with the name of the type of foreign object D, the weight of the foreign object D, or the length or size of the foreign object D, and identifies the identification information of the foreign object D.

[0022] Furthermore, the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 sets transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20, based on the specific information of the foreign object D identified by the foreign object specific information identifying unit 37. Here, the "transport conditions" refer to conditions for 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 FIG. 6), and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions (e.g., 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 the foreign object D) for the lifting magnet 21 to be able to lift only the foreign object D according to specific information of the foreign object D (e.g., 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).

[0023] The transport device transport condition control unit 39 also controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the placed foreign object D and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the transport conditions for the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38. Specifically, for the example shown in FIG. 5 , the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21, which is located at position V directly above the placed foreign object D in the scrap group SS, vertically downward. The transport device transport condition control unit 39 then moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the placed foreign object D in the scrap group SS under the set transport conditions for the foreign object D (e.g., at least one of the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21 a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign object D). Furthermore, the transfer device transfer condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21 horizontally to a position above the foreign object placement location 52 to weaken the magnetic force, and drops the foreign object D into the foreign object placement location 52.

[0024] Note that when adjusting the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, which is an example of a transport condition for the foreign object D, this is done by adjusting the magnitude of the voltage or current supplied to the lifting magnet 21. 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 a transport condition for the foreign object D (see FIG. 6), for example, the distance d between the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D may be adjusted using a sensor such as a distance measuring sensor, or the distance d may be adjusted based on an image captured by a 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 then the lifting magnet 21 may be pulled up based on that state to control the distance d.

[0025] Furthermore, methods for adjusting the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign object D, which is an example of a transport condition for the foreign object D, include a method of changing the area of ​​the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 by adjusting the supply range of voltage or current, or a method of tilting the magnetic surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 with respect to the foreign object D (see FIG. 7 ). In this way, the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 sets the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 based on the specific information of the foreign object D identified by the foreign object specific information identifying unit 37. Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts and transports the foreign object D placed on it under the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38.

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

[0027] Furthermore, when the foreign object detector 33 does not detect a foreign object D in the scrap group SS, the conveyance control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21, which serves as the conveyance device 20, to lift the scrap S in the scrap group SS and convey it to the scrap placement location 51. A host computer (not shown) is connected to the conveyance control unit 40. Information about the stopping position of the semi-trailer 50 and information about the position of the scrap placement location 51 are input to the conveyance control unit 40 from the host computer. When the foreign object detector 33 does not detect a foreign object D in the scrap group SS, the conveyance control unit 40 moves the lifting magnet 21 horizontally so that the lifting magnet 21 is positioned above a specific piece of scrap S in the scrap group SS that is on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, based on the information about the stopping position of the semi-trailer 50 input from the host computer. Next, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21 to move vertically downward to hold the scrap S, and further moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward to lift the held scrap S. Then, the transport control unit 40 horizontally moves the lifting magnet 21 holding the scrap S to a position above the scrap placement area 51 to weaken the magnetic force, and drops the foreign object D into the scrap placement area 51.

[0028] 4, the hardware configuration of the control device 30 will be described. The control device 30 is composed of an arithmetic processing device 301 having 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 a 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 serving as the transport device 20.

[0029] The external storage device 305 of the control device 30 includes a disk drive capable of reading data from a hard disk drive, solid state drive, or the like, and a drive device for CD, DVD, BD, or the like that reads data from the recording medium 308. The recording medium 308 that stores a program for causing the control device 30 to execute the following functions is set in this external storage device 305, and the read program is installed in the disk drive. The functions described above include an image capture control function by the image capture control unit 31 (step S1, described later), an image capture function by the image capture unit 32 (step S2, described later), a foreign object detection function by the foreign object detection unit 33 (step S3, described later), a foreign object position information identification function by the foreign object position information identification unit 34 (step S4, described later), a transport device movement condition setting function by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S5, described later), a transport device movement condition control function by the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​(step S6, described later), a foreign object identification information identification function by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37 (step S7, described later), a transport device transport condition setting function by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 (step S8, described later), a transport device transport condition control function by the transport device transport condition control unit 39 (step S9, described later), and a scrap transport control function by the transport control unit 40 (step S10, described later). The program may be installed not only using the recording medium 308 but also by downloading the program via a network.

[0030] In accordance with the instructions of the installed programs, the CPU 302 of the control device 30 executes an image capture control function by the image capture control unit 31 (step S1, described later), an image capture image acquisition function by the image capture unit 32 (step S2, described later), a foreign object detection function by the foreign object detection unit 33 (step S3, described later), a foreign object position information identification function by the foreign object position information identification unit 34 (step S4, described later), a transport device movement condition setting function by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S5, described later), a transport device movement condition control function by the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​(step S6, described later), a foreign object identification information identification function by the foreign object identification information identification unit 37 (step S7, described later), a transport device transport condition setting function by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 (step S8, described later), a transport device transport condition control function by the transport device transport condition control unit 39 (step S9, described later), and a scrap transport control function by the transport control unit 40 (step S10, described later). The CPU 302 outputs commands from the transfer device movement condition control unit 36 ​​, the transfer device transfer condition control unit 39 and the transfer control unit 40 to the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transfer device 20 .

[0031] Next, the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in FIG. 1 . First, in step S1, the photography control unit 31 of the control device 30 controls the photography device 10 to photograph the scrap pile SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed, and the photography device 10 photographs the scrap pile SS (photographing step). At the beginning of the foreign matter separation control, the photography control unit 31 sends a photography command to the photography device 10 when information is input from a host computer (not shown) that the semi-trailer 50 carrying the scrap pile SS has stopped at a predetermined stopping position. Furthermore, the photography control unit 31 sends a photography command to the photography device 10 when a photography command is given to the photography control unit 31 in step S11 (described later).

[0032] Next, in step S2, the image acquisition unit 32 of the control device 30 acquires the image G (see FIG. 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 image G acquired in step S2 (foreign object detection step). If foreign objects D are detected in step S3 (if the determination result is YES), the process proceeds to steps S4 and S7, and if foreign objects D are not detected (if the determination result is NO), the process proceeds to step S10.

[0033] In step S4, since a foreign object D is detected in the placed scrap group SS, the foreign object position information identifying unit 34 of the control device 30 identifies the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the photographed image G acquired in step S2 (foreign object position information identifying step). Next, in step S5, the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 of the control device 30 sets movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport device 20 based on the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS identified in step S4 (transport device movement condition setting step). Here, the "movement conditions" refer to the position conditions of the horizontal destination of the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport device 20, as described above.

[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 constituting the transport device 20 moves under the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 set in step S5 (transport device movement condition control step). Furthermore, in step S7, since foreign matter D has been detected in the placed scrap group SS, the foreign matter identification information identifying unit 37 of the control device 30 identifies the identification information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS (foreign matter identification information identifying step). Here, the "identification information" is information that identifies the foreign matter D, such as at least one of the type of foreign matter D, the estimated weight of the foreign matter D, and the length or size of the foreign matter D.

[0035] Next, in step S8, 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 serving as the transport device 20 based on the specific information for the foreign object D identified in step S7 (transport device transport condition setting step). Here, the "transport conditions" refer to the conditions of the lifting magnet 21 when lifting the foreign object D, such as 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 FIG. 6), and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions (e.g., 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 the foreign object D) for the lifting magnet 21 to be able to lift only the foreign object D according to specific information of the foreign object D (e.g., 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).

[0036] Next, in step S9, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D placed on it and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the transport conditions for the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set in step S8 (transport device transport condition control step). If no foreign object D is detected in step S3 and the process proceeds to step S10, the process proceeds to normal operation in step S10, and the transport control unit 40 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the scrap S in the scrap group SS and transports it to the scrap placement location 51 (scrap transport control step). Then, after steps S6, S9, and S10 are completed, the process proceeds 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 photographing instruction to the photography control unit 31 (photography instruction step). This ends the processing in the foreign body separation system 1. Then, by repeating the above steps S1 to S11, all of the scrap S in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 are transported to the scrap placement location 51, and all of the foreign bodies D in the scrap group SS are transported to the foreign body placement location 52.

[0038] Here, the processing flow in the foreign object separation system 1 will be specifically described for the example of the captured image G shown in Figure 5. After step S1 (capturing 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 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. Then, since one foreign object D has been detected in the scrap group SS, the process proceeds to step S4 (foreign object position information identification step) and step S7 (foreign object identification information identification step).

[0039] First, in step S4 (foreign object position information identification step), 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. 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 constituting the transport device 20 based on the identified position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS. In the case shown in Figure 5, the movement condition of the lifting magnet 21 is position V directly above the foreign object D in the placed scrap group SS.

[0040] Next, in step S6 (transport device movement condition control step), the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport device 20 moves under the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 set in step S5. In the case shown in Fig. 5, the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves horizontally to position V directly above the foreign object D in the placed scrap group SS. Furthermore, in step S7 (foreign object identification information identification step), since foreign object D has been detected in the placed scrap group SS, the foreign object identification information identifying unit 37 of the control device 30 identifies identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS (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).

[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 transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20 based on the specific information for the identified foreign object D. Specifically, the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 sets transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 that can lift only the foreign object D (at least one of the magnitude of the magnetic force of the lifting magnet 21, the distance d between the magnet surface 21a of the lifting magnet 21 and the foreign object D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign object D) based on the specific information for 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).

[0042] Next, in step S9 (transport device transport condition control step), the transport device transport condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the placed foreign object D and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set in step S8. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21, which is located at position V directly above the placed foreign object D in the scrap group SS, vertically downward. Then, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the placed foreign object D in the scrap group SS under the set transport 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 the foreign object D). Furthermore, the transfer device transfer condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21 horizontally to a position above the foreign object placement location 52 to weaken the magnetic force, and drops the foreign object D into the foreign object placement location 52.

[0043] Then, in step S11 (photography instruction step), the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​and the transport device transport condition control unit 39 issue a photography instruction to the photography control unit 31. Then, in Fig. 5, steps S1, S2, S3, S10, and S11 are repeated for the remaining scraps S in the scrap group SS, and all of the remaining scraps S are transported by the lifting magnet 21 to the scrap placement location 51.

[0044] As described above, the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a photographing device 10 that photographs the placed scrap group SS, a lifting magnet 21 that serves as a transport device 20 that lifts and transports foreign matter D or scrap S in the placed scrap group SS, and a control device 30 that controls the photographing device 10 and the lifting magnet 21 that serves as the transport device 20. The control device 30 detects foreign matter D in the scrap group SS from the photographed image G taken by the photographing device 10, and, if foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS, identifies positional information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS and specific information about the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS, sets movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 based on the identified positional information of the foreign matter D, and sets transport conditions for the foreign matter D by the lifting magnet 21 based on the identified specific information about the foreign matter D. Furthermore, the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it moves according to the set movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21, and also controls the lifting magnet 21 so that it lifts the foreign object D placed on the lifting magnet 21 and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 according to the set transport conditions of the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21. This makes it possible to automatically remove only the foreign object D contained in the scrap group SS, and to reduce the amount of scrap S that is removed together with the foreign object D from the scrap group SS.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the foreign object separation system 1 of the first embodiment, the specific information of the foreign object D is 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. 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 specified 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 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D on which it is placed and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the set transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21.

[0046] Furthermore, according to the foreign matter separation system 1 of the first embodiment, the control device 30 inputs the captured image G into a trained model that has trained a data set linking images of each type of foreign matter D with the name of the type of foreign matter D, the weight of the foreign matter D, or the length or size of the foreign matter D, to identify specific information about the foreign matter D. This makes it possible to accurately identify specific information about the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS when the foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS.

[0047] Furthermore, in the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment, the transport device 20 is a lifting magnet 21 that magnetically attracts and lifts the foreign matter D or scrap S for transport. The transport conditions for the foreign matter D by the transport device 20 (lifting magnet 21) are at least one of 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 the foreign matter D. This makes it possible to control the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign matter D placed on it and transports it to the foreign matter placement location 52 using at least one of the set 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 matter D, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign matter D.

[0048] Furthermore, the foreign matter separation method according to the first embodiment is a method for separating foreign matter D contained in a scrap group SS from the scrap S, and includes a photographing step (step S1) in which the control device 30 controls the photographing device 10 to photograph the scrap group SS on which it is placed, 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 photographed image G photographed in the photographing step. The foreign matter separation method also includes a foreign matter position information specifying step (step S4) in which the control device 30 specifies position information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS when the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS is detected in the foreign matter detection step, and a foreign matter identification information specifying step (step S7) in which the control device 30 specifies identification information of the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS when the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS is detected in the foreign matter detection step. The foreign object separation method also includes a transport device movement condition setting step (step S5) in which the control device 30 sets movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20 based on the position information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object position information identifying step, and a transport device transport condition setting step (step S8) in which the control device 30 sets transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20 based on the specific information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object specific information identifying step.The foreign object separation method also includes a transport 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 under the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20 set in the transport device movement condition setting step, and a transport 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 object D and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20 set in the transport device transport condition setting step. This allows only the foreign matter D contained in the scrap group SS to be automatically removed, and the amount of scrap S that is removed together with the foreign matter D from the scrap group SS can be reduced.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the program of the first embodiment, the control device 30 includes a photographing step (step S1) of controlling the photographing device 10 to photograph the placed scrap group SS, a foreign object detection step (step S3) of detecting foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the photographed image G photographed in the photographing step, a foreign object position information specifying step (step S4) of specifying position information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS when the foreign object D in the scrap group SS is detected in the foreign object detection step, a foreign object identification information specifying step (step S7) of specifying information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS when the foreign object D in the scrap group SS is detected in the foreign object detection step, and a transporting step of setting movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 as a transporting device based on the position information of the foreign object D specified in the foreign object position information specifying step. This is a program for executing an apparatus movement condition setting step (step S5), a transport apparatus transport condition setting step (step S8) for setting transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as a transport apparatus based on the specific information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object specific information identification step, a transport apparatus movement condition control step (step S6) for controlling the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves under the movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 set in the transport apparatus movement condition setting step, and a transport apparatus transport condition control step (step S9) for controlling the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 set in the transport apparatus transport condition setting step.

[0050] As a result, the control device 30 executes a photography step (step S1), a foreign object detection step (step S3), a foreign object position information identification step (step S4), a foreign object identification information identification step (step S7), a conveying device movement condition setting step (step S5), a conveying device transport condition setting step (step S8), a conveying device movement condition control step (step S6), and a conveying device transport condition control step (step S9) in accordance with the instructions of the program, thereby automatically removing only the foreign objects D contained in the scrap group SS and reducing the amount of scrap S removed together with the foreign objects D from the scrap group SS.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the computer-readable recording medium 308 storing the program according to the first embodiment, the control device 30 includes a photographing step (step S1) of controlling the photographing device 10 to photograph the placed scrap group SS, a foreign object detection step (step S3) of detecting a foreign object D in the scrap group SS from the photographed image G photographed in the photographing step, a foreign object position information specifying step (step S4) of specifying position information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS if the foreign object D in the scrap group SS is detected in the foreign object detection step, a foreign object identification information specifying step (step S7) of specifying information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS if the foreign object D in the scrap group SS is detected in the foreign object detection step, and a transporting step of setting movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 as a transporting device based on the position information of the foreign object D specified in the foreign object position information specifying step. This is a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the following steps: a transport device movement condition setting step (step S5); a transport device transport condition setting step (step S8) for setting transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as a transport device based on the specific information of the foreign object D identified in the foreign object specific information identification step; a transport device movement condition control step (step S6) for controlling the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves under 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) for controlling the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 set in the transport device transport condition setting step.

[0052] As a result, the control device 30 executes a photographing step (step S1), a foreign object detection step (step S3), a foreign object position information identification step (step S4), a foreign object identification information identification step (step S7), a conveying device movement condition setting step (step S5), a conveying device transport condition setting step (step S8), a conveying device movement condition control step (step S6), and a conveying device transport condition control step (step S9) in accordance with the instructions of the program stored on the recording medium 308, and can automatically remove only the foreign objects D contained in the scrap group SS, thereby reducing the amount of scrap S removed together with the foreign objects D from the scrap group SS.

[0053] Second Embodiment Next, a foreign matter separation system, a foreign matter separation method, a program, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10 . FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of a foreign matter separation system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 10 shows an example of an image captured by a photographing device of a pile of scrap placed on the bed of a semi-trailer. The upper image shows the initial image of the pile of scrap placed on the bed of the semi-trailer, and the lower image shows the initial image after foreign matter with a high degree of exposure and scrap covering foreign matter with a low degree of exposure have been removed.

[0054] 8, like the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1, separates foreign matter D contained in a scrap group SS placed on the bed of a semi-trailer 50 from the scrap S. The foreign matter separation system 1 shown in Fig. 8 transports the scrap S in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 to a scrap placement location 51, and transports foreign matter D in the scrap group SS to a foreign matter placement location 52.

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

[0056] 8, like the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment, includes a photographing device 10, a lifting magnet 21 as a conveying device 20, and a control device 30. The photographing device 10 is a camera that photographs the scrap pile SS placed on the bed of a semi-trailer 50 from above the bed.

[0057] Furthermore, when the conveying device 20 detects a foreign object D in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 (when the foreign object detection unit 33 in FIG. 8 detects the foreign object D), it lifts and conveys the foreign object D (which may include not only the foreign object D but also some of the scrap S). When the conveying device 20 does not detect the foreign object D (when the foreign object detection unit 33 does not detect the foreign object D), it lifts and conveys the scrap S in the scrap group SS. As in the first embodiment, the conveying device 20 is a lifting magnet 21 that magnetically attracts the foreign object D or scrap S by magnetic force, lifts it, and conveys it. The lifting magnet 21 as the conveying device 20 is movable in vertical and horizontal directions (see FIG. 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] The control device 30 also controls the imaging device 10 and the lifting magnet 21 serving as the conveying device 20. As shown in Fig. 8 , the control device 30 includes an imaging control unit 31, an image acquisition unit 32, a foreign object detection unit 33, a conveyance feasibility determination unit 41, a foreign object position information identification unit 34, a conveying device movement condition setting unit 35, a conveying device movement condition control unit 36, a foreign object identification information identification unit 37, a conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38, a conveying device conveying condition control unit 39, a coated scrap position identification unit 42, and a conveying control unit 40.

[0059] The photography control unit 31 controls the photography device 10 to photograph the scrap pile SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50. The photographed image acquisition unit 32 acquires the photographed image G (see FIG. 10 ) photographed by the photography device 10. As described above, FIG. 10 shows an example of the photographed image G photographed by the photography device 10 of the scrap pile SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, with the upper side showing the photographed image G when the scrap pile SS was initially placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, and the lower side showing the photographed image G after removing foreign objects D (portions indicated by symbol W) that are highly exposed and scrap S (portions indicated by symbol X) that cover foreign objects D that are less exposed from the initial state.

[0060] Furthermore, the foreign object detection unit 33 detects foreign objects D in the scrap group SS from the photographed images G acquired by the photographed image acquisition unit 32. Any method may be used for detecting foreign objects D from the photographed images G by the foreign object detection unit 33, but in this embodiment, the foreign object detection unit 33 uses a learning model that has been trained using photographed images of the scrap group SS containing foreign objects D, and inputs the photographed images 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 conveyance feasibility determination unit 41 determines whether the foreign object D can be conveyed based on the degree of exposure of the foreign object D in the captured image G. Here, the degree of exposure of the foreign object D can be calculated by comparing the estimated length or size of the foreign object D estimated from foreign object identification information identified using a trained model that has previously trained a data set linking images of each type of foreign object D with the type name of the foreign object D and the length or size of the foreign object D, with the length or size of the foreign object D that is actually visible. Specifically, the exposure degree of the foreign object D can be determined as the ratio (%) of the actually visible length or size of the foreign object D to the estimated length or size of the foreign object. Then, the conveyance feasibility determination unit 41 determines whether the foreign object D can be conveyed based on whether the degree of exposure of the foreign object D is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. That is, when the degree of exposure of the foreign matter D is the ratio (%) of the length or size of the actually visible foreign matter D to the estimated length or size of the foreign matter D, if the ratio (%) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the conveyance feasibility determination unit 41 determines that conveyance is possible, and if the ratio (%) is less than the predetermined threshold, the conveyance feasibility determination unit 41 determines that conveyance is not possible. The threshold in this case is, for example, 20%.

[0062] The degree of exposure of the foreign matter D is determined based on the area (m ２ ) and the area of ​​the actual visible foreign object D (m ２ Specifically, the area of ​​the foreign matter (m) can be calculated by comparing it with the area of ​​the foreign matter (m) that is preset for each type of foreign matter. ２ ) to the area of ​​the foreign object D that is actually visible (m ２ ) numerical value (m ２) can be used as the degree of exposure of the foreign matter D. Then, the conveyance possibility determination unit 41 determines whether or not the conveyance possibility determination unit 41 determines whether or not the foreign matter D is exposed. ２ ) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the conveyance possibility determination unit 41 determines that conveyance is possible, and ２ If the distance between the foreign object D and the motor is less than a predetermined threshold, the conveyance possibility determining unit 41 determines that the foreign object D cannot be conveyed. ２ is.

[0063] Furthermore, when the transport feasibility determination unit 41 determines that the foreign object D is transportable, 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 transport device movement condition setting unit 35 sets movement conditions for the lifting magnet 21 that constitutes the transport 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 conditions" are position conditions for the horizontal destination of the lifting magnet 21 that constitutes the transport device 20.

[0064] Furthermore, the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport device moves under the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 set by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35. Furthermore, the foreign object identification information identifying unit 37 identifies identification information of the foreign object D in the scrap group SS when the transport feasibility determination unit 41 determines that the foreign object D is transportable. Here, the "identification information" is information that identifies the foreign object D, such as 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. The foreign object identification information identifying unit 37 may identify the identification information of the foreign object D by any method. However, in the present embodiment, the foreign object identification information identifying unit 37 inputs the captured image G into a trained model that has trained a data set 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, to identify the identification information of the foreign object D.

[0065] Furthermore, the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 sets transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20, based on the specific information of the foreign object D identified by the foreign object specific information identifying unit 37. Here, the "transport conditions" refer to conditions for 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, and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions (e.g., 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 the foreign object D) for the lifting magnet 21 to be able to lift only the foreign object D according to specific information of the foreign object D (e.g., 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).

[0066] Furthermore, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D placed on it and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under the transport conditions for the foreign object D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38. Furthermore, when the transport feasibility 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, when the foreign object detection unit 33 does not detect a foreign object D in the scrap group SS, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 to lift and transport the scrap S in the scrap group SS. Furthermore, 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 as the transport device 20 to lift the scrap S covering the foreign object D in the scrap group SS and transport it to the scrap placement 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 matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment, and as shown in Fig. 4, the control device 30 is configured by an arithmetic processing device 301 having a CPU 302. Connected to the CPU 302 via an internal bus 303 are an internal storage device 304 such as RAM and ROM, an external storage device 305, an input device 306 such as a keyboard and a 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 serving as the transport device 20.

[0069] The external storage device 305 of the control device 30 includes a disk drive capable of reading data from a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or the like, and a drive device for CD, DVD, BD, or the like that reads data from the recording medium 308. A recording medium 308 storing a program for causing the control device 30 to execute the following functions is set in the external storage device 305, and the read program is installed in the disk drive. Here, the above-mentioned functions include an imaging control function by the imaging control unit 31 (step S21 described later), an imaging image acquisition function by the imaging image acquisition unit 32 (step S22 described later), a foreign object detection function by the foreign object detection unit 33 (step S23 described later), a conveyance feasibility determination function by the conveyance feasibility determination unit 41 (step S24 described later), a foreign object position information identification function by the foreign object position information identification unit 34 (step S25 described later), a conveyance device movement condition setting function by the conveyance device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S26 described later), and a conveyance device movement condition control function by the conveyance device movement condition control unit 36 ​​(step S27 described later), These functions include a foreign matter identification information identifying function by the foreign matter identification information identifying unit 37 (step S28 described later), a transport device transport condition setting function by the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 (step S29 described later), a transport device transport condition control function by the transport device transport condition control unit 39 (step S30 described later), a coated scrap position identifying function by the coated scrap position identifying unit 42 (step S31 described later), a coated scrap transport control function by the transport control unit 40 (step S32 described later), and a scrap transport control function by the transport control unit 40 (step S33 described later). The program may be installed not only using the recording medium 308 but also by downloading the program via a network.

[0070] The CPU 302 of the control device 30, in accordance with the instructions of the installed programs, performs a photography control function by the photography control unit 31 (step S21 described later), a photographed image acquisition function by the photographed image acquisition unit 32 (step S22 described later), a foreign matter detection function by the foreign matter detection unit 33 (step S23 described later), a transport feasibility determination function by the transport feasibility determination unit 41 (step S24 described later), a foreign matter position information identification function by the foreign matter position information identification unit 34 (step S25 described later), a transport device movement condition setting function by the transport device movement condition setting unit 35 (step S26 described later), and a transport device movement function by the transport device movement condition control unit 36. The CPU 302 executes a moving condition control function (step S27 described later), a foreign matter identification information identification function by the foreign matter identification information identification unit 37 (step S28 described later), a conveyance device conveyance condition setting function by the conveyance device conveyance condition setting unit 38 (step S29 described later), a conveyance device conveyance condition control function by the conveyance device conveyance condition control unit 39 (step S30 described later), a coated scrap position identification function by the coated scrap position identifying unit 42 (step S31 described later), a coated scrap conveyance control function by the conveyance control unit 40 (step S32 described later), and a scrap conveyance control function by the conveyance control unit 40 (step S33 described later).The CPU 302 then outputs commands from the conveyance device movement condition control unit 36, the conveyance device conveyance condition control unit 39, and the conveyance control unit 40 to the lifting magnet 21 serving as the conveyance 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 FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow in the foreign matter separation system 1 shown in FIG. 8 . First, in step S21, the photography control unit 31 of the control device 30 controls the photography device 10 to photograph the scrap pile SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed, and the photography device 10 photographs the scrap pile SS (photographing step). At the beginning of the foreign matter separation control, the photography control unit 31 sends a photography command to the photography device 10 when information is input from a host computer (not shown) that the semi-trailer 50 carrying the scrap pile SS has stopped at a predetermined stopping position. Furthermore, the photography control unit 31 sends a photography command to the photography device 10 when a photography command is given to the photography control unit 31 in step S34 (described later).

[0072] Next, in step S22, the captured image acquisition unit 32 of the control device 30 acquires the captured image G (see FIG. 10) captured in step S1 (captured 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). If foreign objects D are detected in step S3 (if the determination result is YES), the process proceeds to step S24, and if foreign objects D are not detected (if the determination result is NO), the process proceeds to step S33.

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

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

[0076] Next, in step S29, 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 serving as the transport device 20 based on the specific information for the foreign object D identified in step S28 (transport device transport condition setting step). Here, the "transport conditions" refer to the conditions of the lifting magnet 21 when lifting the foreign object D, such as 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 FIG. 6), and the contact area of ​​the lifting magnet 21 with the foreign object D. In other words, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions (e.g., 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 the foreign object D) for the lifting magnet 21 to be able to lift only the foreign object D according to specific information of the foreign object D (e.g., 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).

[0077] Next, in step S30, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the foreign object D placed on it and transports it to the foreign object placement location 52 under 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). Also, 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 identifying 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 identifying step).

[0078] Next, in step S32, the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the scrap S covering the foreign object D in the scrap group SS and transports it to the scrap placement location 51 (coated scrap transport control step). If no foreign object D is detected in step S23 and the process proceeds to step S33, the process proceeds to normal operation in step S33, and the transport control unit 40 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts the scrap S in the scrap group SS and transports it to the scrap placement location 51 (scrap transport control step). After steps S27, S30, S32, and S33 are completed, the process proceeds 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 photographing instruction to the photography control unit 31 (photography instruction step). This ends the processing in the foreign body separation system 1. Then, by repeating the above steps S21 to S34, all of the scrap S in the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 are transported to the scrap placement location 51, and all of the foreign bodies D in the scrap group SS are transported to the foreign body placement location 52.

[0080] Here, the processing flow in the foreign object separation system 1 will be specifically described for the example of the captured image G shown in FIG. 10 . When the scrap pile SS is initially placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50, the captured image acquisition unit 32 of the control device 30 acquires the captured image G shown in the upper part of FIG. 10 , captured in step S21, through steps S21 (capturing step) and S22 (capturing 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 pile SS from the captured image G. In the case shown in the upper part of FIG. 10 , two foreign objects D are detected in the scrap pile SS. One of the two foreign objects D (the portion indicated by the symbol W) is not covered by the scrap S, resulting in a large degree of exposure, while the other foreign object D (the portion indicated by the symbol X) is covered by the scrap S, resulting in a small degree of exposure.

[0081] Since two foreign objects D have been detected in the scrap group SS, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24 (transportability determination step), since foreign objects D have been detected in the placed scrap group SS, the transportability determination unit 41 determines whether the foreign objects D can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign objects D in the captured image G. Here, in the case shown in the upper part of FIG. 10 , one of the detected foreign objects D (the portion indicated by symbol W) is not covered by the scrap S and has a large degree of exposure, so the degree of exposure of the foreign object D is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and it is determined that transport is possible. On the other hand, the other detected foreign object D (the portion indicated by symbol X) is covered by the scrap S and has a small degree of exposure, so the degree of exposure of the foreign object D is determined to be less than the predetermined threshold, and it is determined that transport is impossible.

[0082] Since it is determined that one of the foreign objects D (the portion indicated by the symbol W) can be transported, the process proceeds to steps S25 and S28. In step S25 (foreign object position information identification step), the foreign object position information identification unit 34 of the control device 30 identifies the position (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 position 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 constituting the transport device 20 based on the identified position (position coordinates) of one of the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS. In the case of the one of the foreign objects D on the upper side of FIG. 10 , the movement condition of the lifting magnet 21 is position W directly above one of the foreign objects D in the placed scrap group SS.

[0083] Next, in step S27 (transport device movement condition control step), 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 under the movement conditions of the lifting magnet 21 constituting the transport device 20 set in step S26. In the case of one foreign object D on the upper side of Figure 10, the transport device movement condition control unit 36 ​​controls the lifting magnet 21 so that the lifting magnet 21 moves horizontally to position W directly above one foreign object D in the placed scrap group SS.

[0084] Furthermore, in step S28 (foreign matter identification information identification step), the foreign matter identification information identification unit 37 of the control device 30 identifies identification information (at least one of the type of foreign matter D, the estimated weight of the foreign matter D, and the length or size of the foreign matter D) of one of the foreign matters D in the scrap group SS. Next, in step S29 (transport device transport condition setting step), the transport device transport condition setting unit 38 of the control device 30 sets transport conditions for the one of the foreign matters D by the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20 based on the identified identification information of the one of the foreign matters D. Specifically, the conveying device conveying condition setting unit 38 sets the conveying conditions (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 the foreign object D) of the lifting magnet 21 so that only one foreign object D can be lifted according to the specific 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).

[0085] Next, in step S30 (transport device transport condition control step), the transport device transport condition control unit 39 of the control device 30 controls the lifting magnet 21 to lift one of the foreign objects D placed on the lifting magnet 21 under the transport conditions for one of the foreign objects D by the lifting magnet 21 as the transport device 20 set in step S29, and transport it to the foreign object placement location 52. In the case of one of the foreign objects D on the upper side of Fig. 10, the transport device transport condition control unit 39 moves the lifting magnet 21, which is located at position W directly above one of the foreign objects D in the placed scrap group SS, vertically downward. The transport device transport condition control unit 39 then moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts one of the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS that has been placed under the set transport conditions for one of the foreign objects 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 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 location 52 to weaken the magnetic force, and drops the one of the foreign objects D into the foreign object placement location 52.

[0086] 10, since it is determined in step S24 (conveyance possibility determination step) that the other foreign object D cannot be conveyed, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31 (covered scrap position identification step), the covered scrap position identification unit 42 of the control device 30 identifies the position (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 serves as the 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 placement location 51. In the case of the other foreign object D at the top of FIG. 10 , the transport control unit 40 controls the lifting magnet 21 to move horizontally to position X directly above the scrap S covering the other foreign object D in the scrap group SS. The transport control unit 40 then moves the lifting magnet 21, which is at position X, vertically downward. Furthermore, the transport control unit 40 moves the lifting magnet 21 vertically upward so that the magnetic force that lifts the scrap S lifts the scrap S covering the other foreign object D in the scrap group SS. Furthermore, the transport control unit 40 horizontally moves the lifting magnet 21 to a position above the scrap placement area 51 to weaken the magnetic force, and drops the scrap S covering the other foreign object D onto the scrap placement area 51.

[0088] Then, in step S34 (photographing 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 photographing instruction to the photographing control unit 31. Thereafter, the process returns to step S21 (photographing step), where the photographing control unit 31 controls the photographing device 10 to photograph the scrap group SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed, and the photographing device 10 photographs the scrap group SS. Next, in step S22 (photographed image acquisition step), the photographed image acquisition unit 32 acquires the photographed image G photographed in step S21. In this photographed image G, 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 have been removed by the above-mentioned processing, and the other foreign object D with a high degree of exposure and the scrap S remain in the scrap group SS, resulting in the photographed image G shown in the lower part of FIG.

[0089] Thereafter, the other foreign object D is dropped onto the foreign object placement location 52 through step S23 (foreign object detection step), step S24 (transport feasibility determination step), step S25 (foreign object position information identification step), step S26 (transport device movement condition setting step), step S27 (transport device movement condition control step), step S28 (foreign object identification information identification step), step S29 (transport device transport condition setting step), and step S30 (transport device transport condition control step). As a result, the foreign object D is removed from the placed scrap group SS. Thereafter, 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 are transported to the scrap placement location 51, and all of the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS are transported to the foreign object placement location 52. In addition, if scrap S remains that covers the other foreign object D with a smaller degree of exposure, 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 transport feasibility determination unit 41 that, when a foreign matter D is detected in the scrap group SS, determines whether the foreign matter D can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign matter D in the captured image G. When the transport feasibility determination unit 41 determines that the foreign matter D can be transported, the control device 30 performs a process (steps S25 to S30 in FIG. 9 ) to control the lifting magnet 21 serving as the transport device 20 so as to lift the foreign matter D in the placed scrap group SS and transport it to the foreign matter placement location 52. When the transport feasibility determination unit 41 determines that the foreign matter D cannot be transported, the control device 30 performs a process (steps S31 and S32 in FIG. 9 ) to control the transport device so as to transport the scrap S covering the foreign matter D in the scrap group SS to the scrap placement location 51.

[0091] As a result, before lifting and transporting the foreign object D in the scrap group SS, it is determined whether the foreign object D can be transported, and if the foreign object D can be transported, the foreign object D is transported to the foreign object placement location 52, and if the foreign object D cannot be transported, the scrap S covering the foreign object D is transported to the scrap placement location 51, which makes it possible to further prevent the scrap S in the scrap group SS from being removed together with the foreign object D. Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications and improvements can be made.

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

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

[0094] 12 , the conditions for transporting the foreign object D by the shovel 23 serving as the transport device 20 include, for example, the inclination of the boom 23 a of the shovel 23 (the inclination angle θ of the boom 23 a with respect to the horizontal direction) and the inclination of the arm 23 b and the bucket 23 c. The transport device transport condition setting unit 38 sets the conditions for transporting the foreign object D by the shovel 23 (the inclination of the boom 23 a of the shovel 23 (the inclination angle θ of the boom 23 a with respect to the horizontal direction) and the inclination of the arm 23 b and the bucket 23 c) ​​that enable the shovel 23 to lift only the foreign object D in accordance with the specific information about 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). The conveying device conveying condition control unit 39 controls the shovel 23 to lift the foreign object D from the scrap group SS under the set conveying 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 preventing scrap S other than the foreign object D from being lifted up along with the foreign object D when lifting and removing it.

[0095] Furthermore, in the foreign matter separation system 1 according to the first embodiment, the photographing device 10 photographs the scrap group SS, and when the control device 30 detects a foreign matter D in the scrap group SS from the photographed image G, the lifting magnet 21 is controlled so that the lifting magnet 21 lifts up the foreign matter D and transports it to the foreign matter placement location 52. In contrast, as in a foreign matter separation system according to a modified example (not shown), when the photographing device photographs the scrap group SS and the control device detects a foreign matter D in the scrap group SS from the photographed image G, the lifting magnet, which serves as a transport device, may be controlled so that the lifting magnet lifts up only the scrap S in the scrap group SS other than the detected foreign matter D and transports it to the scrap placement location 51.

[0096] 13 , the control device controls the photographing device to photograph the scrap pile SS placed on the bed of the semi-trailer 50 from above the bed, and the photographing device photographs the scrap pile SS. Next, the control device acquires the photographed image G (see FIG. 13 ) photographed by the photographing device. Next, the control device detects a foreign object D in the scrap pile SS from the photographed image G. Next, since a foreign object D has been detected in the placed scrap pile SS in FIG. 13 , the control device identifies the position (position coordinates) of the foreign object D in the scrap pile SS from the photographed image G and also identifies specific information about the foreign object D in the scrap pile SS.

[0097] Next, the control device controls the lifting magnet, which serves as a transport device, to move horizontally to position Z directly above the position (where the scrap S is located) that avoids the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS. Next, the control device moves the lifting magnet, which is currently at position Z directly above the position (where the scrap S is located) that avoids the foreign objects D in the scrap group SS, vertically downward, and then moves the lifting magnet vertically upward so that the lifting magnet lifts the scrap S in the scrap group SS with a magnetic force large enough to lift the scrap S. Furthermore, the control device horizontally moves the lifting magnet to a position above the scrap placement area 51 to weaken the magnetic force, allowing the scrap S to fall into the scrap placement area 51. By repeating the above steps, the scrap S can be transported to the scrap placement area 51 with the foreign objects D remaining.

[0098] Furthermore, in the foreign object separation system according to the modified example, when the foreign object D is in the way and the scrap S cannot be lifted, the foreign object D may be appropriately removed, as shown in FIG. 14 , and the scrap S may be lifted and transported. That is, in FIG. 14 , when the foreign object D is in the way and the scrap S cannot be lifted, a portion T1 of the scrap group SS containing the foreign object D is removed, and the remaining collection U1 of scrap S is lifted and transported. Furthermore, for the portion T1 of the scrap group SS containing the removed foreign object D, a portion T2 of the scrap group SS containing the portion T1 of the scrap group SS containing the removed foreign object D is removed, and the remaining collection U2 of scrap S is lifted and transported. This operation may be repeated. When the foreign object D is removed to the floor or ground, the transport conditions of the transport device are set according to the foreign object identification information, and the foreign object D is lifted and placed on the floor or ground, as in the first and second embodiments. Furthermore, the location where the scrap group SS is placed is not limited to the loading platform of the semi-trailer 50, but may also be a yard or the like.

[0099] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Foreign object separation system 10 Photography device 20 Conveying device 21 Lifting magnet 22 Grapple 22a Gripper 23 Shovel 23a Boom 23b Arm 23c Bucket 30 Control device 31 Photography control unit 32 Photographed image acquisition unit 33 Foreign object detection unit 34 Foreign object position information identification unit 35 Conveying device movement condition setting unit 36 ​​Conveying device movement condition control unit 37 Foreign object identification information identification unit 38 Conveying device transport condition setting unit 39 Conveying device transport condition control unit 40 Transport control unit 301 Arithmetic processing unit 302 CPU 303 Internal bus 304 Internal storage device 305 External storage device 306 Input device 307 Output device 308 Recording medium D Foreign object G Photographed image S Scrap SS Scrap group

Claims

1. A foreign matter separation system for separating foreign matter contained in a pile of scraps from the scrap, comprising: a photographing device for photographing the pile of scraps; a transport device for lifting and transporting foreign matter or scrap in the pile of scraps; and a control device for controlling the photographing device and the transport device, wherein the control device detects foreign matter in the pile of scraps from images taken by the photographing device, and when a foreign matter in the pile of scraps is detected, identifies position information of the foreign matter in the pile of scraps and specific information of the foreign matter in the pile of scraps, sets movement conditions for the transport device based on the identified position information of the foreign matter, sets transport conditions for the foreign matter by the transport device based on the identified specific information of the foreign matter, controls the transport device so that it moves under the set movement conditions for the transport device, and controls the transport device so that the transport device lifts up the foreign matter placed and transports it to a foreign matter placement location under the set transport conditions for the foreign matter by the transport device.

2. The foreign object separation system according to claim 1, wherein the specific information of the foreign object is at least one of the type of the foreign object, the estimated weight of the foreign object, and the length or size of the foreign object.

3. The foreign object separation system of claim 2, wherein the control device inputs the captured image into a trained model that has been trained with a data set that links images of each type of foreign object to the name of the type of foreign object, the weight of the foreign object, or the length or size of the foreign object, to identify specific information about the foreign object.

4. The foreign object separation system described in claim 3, characterized in that the transporting device is a lifting magnet that uses magnetic force to magnetize the foreign object or scrap, lift it up and transport it, and the conditions for transporting the foreign object by the transporting device 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 the foreign object.

5. The foreign object separation system described in claim 3, characterized in that the transport device is a grapple that uses multiple gripping parts to grip, lift and transport the foreign object or scrap, and the conditions for transporting the foreign object by the transport device are at least one of the gripping force of each of the multiple gripping parts of the grapple and the spacing between the gripping parts.

6. The control device is characterized in that, when a foreign object is detected in the scrap group, it is provided with a transport feasibility determination unit which determines whether the foreign object can be transported based on the degree of exposure of the foreign object in the captured image, and when the transport feasibility determination unit determines that the foreign object can be transported, it performs a process of controlling the transporting device to lift the foreign object in the scrap group on which it is placed and transport it to a foreign object placement location, and when the transport feasibility determination unit determines that the foreign object cannot be transported, it performs a process of controlling the transporting device to transport the scrap covering the foreign object in the scrap group to the scrap placement location.

7. A foreign matter separating method for separating foreign matter contained in a group of scraps from the scraps, comprising: a photographing step in which a control device controls a photographing device to photograph the group of scraps on which it is placed, and the photographing device photographs the group of scraps; a foreign matter detection step in which the control device detects foreign matter in the group of scraps from the photographed image photographed in the photographing step; a foreign matter position information identifying step in which the control device identifies position information of the foreign matter in the group of scraps if a foreign matter in the group of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step; a foreign matter identification information identifying step in which the control device identifies identification information of the foreign matter in the group of scraps if a foreign matter in the group of scraps is detected in the foreign matter detection step; a conveying device movement condition setting step in which the control device sets movement conditions of a conveying device based on the position information of the foreign matter identified in the foreign matter position information identifying step; and a conveying device conveying condition setting step in which the control device sets conveying conditions for the foreign matter by a conveying device based on the identification information of the foreign matter identified in the foreign matter identification information identifying step. A foreign object separation method comprising: a transport device movement condition control step in which a control device controls the transport device so that the transport device moves under the movement conditions of the transport device set in the transport device movement condition setting step; and a transport device transport condition control step in which a control device controls the transport device so that the transport device lifts up the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location under the foreign object transport conditions by the transport device set in the transport device transport condition setting step.

8. The control device has: an imaging step of controlling the imaging device to image the pile of scraps placed thereon; a foreign object detection step of detecting a foreign object in the pile of scraps from the image captured in the imaging step; a foreign object position information identification step of identifying position information of a foreign object in the pile of scraps when a foreign object in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign object detection step; a foreign object identification information identification step of identifying information of a foreign object in the pile of scraps when a foreign object in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign object detection step; a conveying device movement condition setting step of setting movement conditions of a conveying device based on the position information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object position information identification step; a conveying device conveying condition setting step of setting conveying conditions for the foreign object by a conveying device based on the specific information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object identification information identification step; and a conveying device movement condition control step of controlling the conveying device so that the conveying device moves under the movement conditions of the conveying device set in the conveying device movement condition setting step. a transport device transport condition control step for controlling the transport device so that the transport device lifts the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location under the foreign object transport conditions set in the transport device transport condition setting step.

9. The control device has: an imaging step of controlling the imaging device to image the pile of scraps placed thereon; a foreign object detection step of detecting a foreign object in the pile of scraps from the image captured in the imaging step; a foreign object position information identification step of identifying position information of a foreign object in the pile of scraps when a foreign object in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign object detection step; a foreign object identification information identification step of identifying information of a foreign object in the pile of scraps when a foreign object in the pile of scraps is detected in the foreign object detection step; a conveying device movement condition setting step of setting movement conditions of a conveying device based on the position information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object position information identification step; a conveying device conveying condition setting step of setting conveying conditions for the foreign object by a conveying device based on the specific information of the foreign object identified in the foreign object identification information identification step; and a conveying device movement condition control step of controlling the conveying device so that the conveying device moves under the movement conditions of the conveying device set in the conveying device movement condition setting step. a transport device transport condition control step of controlling the transport device so that the transport device lifts the foreign object and transports it to a foreign object placement location under the foreign object transport conditions set in the transport device transport condition setting step.