Method for Manufacturing Construction Materials Using an AI-Based Waste Fiber Sorting System

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing construction materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system. A method for manufacturing building materials using a disclosed AI-based waste fiber sorting system comprises: a waste fiber transport step of transporting waste fibers supplied from a waste fiber supply unit using a conveyor unit; an image acquisition step of capturing surface images and shape information of the waste fibers in real time using a vision camera unit installed above or to the side of the transported waste fibers and transmitting the captured image data to an image processing unit; a waste fiber analysis step in which an artificial intelligence analysis unit included in the image processing unit analyzes the image data based on a pre-trained waste fiber dataset to determine at least one of the material type, color, degree of contamination, presence of foreign substances, and suitability for manufacturing building materials of the waste fibers, and generates a classification signal according to the determination result; a waste fiber sorting step in which a waste fiber sorter provided on the conveyor unit operates according to the classification signal to separate waste fibers suitable for manufacturing building materials and waste fibers unsuitable for manufacturing into different discharge paths; a fiber disintegration step in which the suitable waste fibers are crushed or disintegrated to a size smaller than a set size using a crusher or a fiber disintegrator to form fiber raw materials; and after mixing the disintegrated fiber raw materials with a binder or additive, a molding die or a compression molding device It is characterized by including a molding step for manufacturing any one of a building material, such as a building board, panel, insulation material, or sound-absorbing material, by applying pressure and molding using [the method].

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, and more specifically, to a method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system that flattens waste fibers stacked on a conveyor through an air separation and mechanical dispersion process, and uniformizes the thickness and overlap state of the waste fibers through contact control and height adjustment of a rotating member, thereby minimizing shape distortion and contrast deviation in the image acquisition stage. Background Technology

[0003] Modern society is experiencing a rapid increase in various types of industrial and household waste due to industrial advancement and rising consumption. In particular, the volume of textile waste is continuously rising due to the development of the textile industry and the spread of fast fashion. Since the disposal of these waste textiles through landfill or incineration causes environmental pollution and carbon emissions, securing resource circulation technologies through recycling has emerged as a critical task.

[0004] Accordingly, technologies for recycling waste fibers into construction materials such as insulation, sound-absorbing materials, and reinforcing materials are being proposed. Generally, a method is used in which collected waste fibers are crushed or defibrated to remove impurities, stacked to a certain thickness on a conveyor, and then formed into a plate-like structure through a heating or pressurizing process. If necessary, a technology is also known in which resin-based adhesives or heat-fusible fibers are mixed to secure bonding strength, followed by a press process to manufacture panels of a certain thickness.

[0005] However, in the method for manufacturing construction materials using the AI-based waste fiber sorting system of the conventional technology described above, waste fibers have inconsistent material, length, thickness, mixing ratio, and degree of contamination, and have the characteristic of easily clumping or tangling during the supply process, making it difficult to stack them uniformly on a conveyor. In particular, if thickness deviations and overlapping phenomena occur during the stacking process, there are problems that lead to density non-uniformity, strength deviations, and appearance defects in the final molded panel.

[0006] Conventionally, there have been attempts to disperse waste fibers using air dispersion methods or simple stirring devices, but these often resulted in only partial disintegration before or during supply, which had limitations in maintaining a uniform state even after stacking. Furthermore, since the determination of the uniformity of the stacking state mostly relied on visual inspection by operators or simple sensor detection, there were insufficient technical means to quantitatively analyze the stacking thickness or degree of overlap and automatically correct process conditions accordingly.

[0007] Recently, attempts have been made to manage quality by acquiring images of the stacking state, but feedback control technology that quantitatively analyzes the thickness or degree of overlap of waste fibers based on image data using artificial intelligence and actively adjusts pressure or dispersion conditions according to the analysis results is still insufficient. Furthermore, although analysis accuracy may decrease when image quality deteriorates due to changes in illumination in the shooting environment, shadow generation, and variations in the irradiation angle, preprocessing and correction technologies to compensate for this have not been sufficiently established.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for the development of intelligent preprocessing technology that can homogenize the stacking state through primary separation at the stage before waste fibers are supplied to the conveyor, and secondary mechanical dispersion and alignment on the conveyor, and further be linked with image-based analysis and process control. Prior art literature

[0010] Republic of Korea Published Patent No. 0-2024-0129389 (Publication Date: August 27, 2024) Republic of Korea Registered Patent No. 10-1886411 (Registration Date: August 1, 2018) The problem to be solved

[0011] The present invention was created to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and aims to provide a method for manufacturing construction materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system that can effectively disperse and align waste fibers by combining air separation and rotational contact dispersion with respect to waste fibers stacked and transported on a conveyor section, and by allowing a rotating member to rotate along the longitudinal direction of the conveyor section and selectively contact the waste fibers through a contact pin member, and by adjusting the upper and lower height of the rotating member in consideration of the stacking thickness of the waste fibers, thereby stably achieving flattening and uniformization of waste fibers while maintaining constant contact pressure.

[0012] In addition, another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing construction materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system that can improve the reliability of foreign object detection and quality judgment by minimizing shape distortion and contrast deviation occurring during the image acquisition stage through dispersion and flattening processes. means of solving the problem

[0014] To achieve the above-mentioned objective, a method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a waste fiber transport step of transporting waste fibers supplied from a waste fiber supply unit using a conveyor unit; an image acquisition step of capturing surface images and shape information of the waste fibers in real time using a vision camera unit installed above or to the side of the transported waste fibers and transmitting the captured image data to an image processing unit; a waste fiber analysis step in which an artificial intelligence analysis unit included in the image processing unit analyzes the image data based on a pre-trained waste fiber dataset to determine at least one of the material type, color, degree of contamination, presence of foreign substances, and suitability for manufacturing building materials of the waste fibers, and generates a classification signal according to the determination result; a waste fiber sorting step in which a waste fiber sorter provided on the conveyor unit operates according to the classification signal to separate waste fibers suitable for manufacturing building materials and waste fibers unsuitable for manufacturing into different discharge paths; and a fiber disintegration step in which the suitable waste fibers are crushed or disintegrated to a size smaller than a set size using a crusher or a fiber disintegrator to form fiber raw materials. and a molding step of manufacturing a building material such as a building board, panel, thermal insulation material, or sound-absorbing material by mixing the above-mentioned defibrated fiber raw material with a binder or additive, and then pressurizing and molding it using a molding die or a compression molding device.

[0015] In addition, the waste fiber transport step of the present invention is characterized by having a waste fiber separator between the waste fiber supply unit and the conveyor unit, and supplying the waste fiber to the conveyor unit while being separated and dispersed by the injection of compressed air as it passes through the waste fiber separator.

[0016] In addition, the waste fiber separation unit in the present invention is characterized by including a cylindrical waste fiber passage installed vertically or obliquely between the waste fiber supply unit and the conveyor unit, and a compressed air injection module that separates and disperses the entanglement of the waste fibers by injecting compressed air into the interior of the cylindrical waste fiber passage.

[0017] In addition, the cylindrical waste fiber passage in the present invention is characterized by being installed at an angle of 30° to 60° with respect to the horizontal plane.

[0018] In addition, the compressed air injection module in the present invention is provided in multiple numbers along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical waste fiber passage, and is characterized by being controlled such that the injection pressure of the compressed air gradually decreases from the inlet side to the outlet side of the cylindrical waste fiber passage.

[0019] In addition, the compressed air injection module in the present invention is configured to be inclined downward along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical waste fiber passage so as to face the discharge side, and is characterized by injecting compressed air in an inclined downward direction along the direction of movement of the waste fiber.

[0020] In addition, the waste fiber conveying step of the present invention is characterized by further providing a waste fiber spreading section on the conveyor section to align and uniformly disperse the waste fibers supplied to the conveyor section after passing through the waste fiber separator section before the image acquisition step, thereby further dispersing and spreading the waste fibers.

[0021] In addition, the waste fiber spreading unit in the present invention is characterized by comprising: a support plate positioned below the conveyor unit to support the conveyor unit; and a waste fiber dispersing unit provided above the conveyor unit, positioned vertically in correspondence with the support plate, and dispersing and aligning waste fibers stacked on the conveyor unit while rotating or turning above the conveyor unit.

[0022] In addition, the waste fiber spreading unit in the present invention is characterized by preventing the waste fibers, which are primarily separated by the waste fiber separating unit, from being unevenly stacked on the conveyor unit, thereby minimizing shape distortion and contrast deviation that occur during the image acquisition stage.

[0023] In addition, the waste fiber dispersion unit of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a rotating member arranged to extend in the left-right direction from the upper side of the conveyor unit and installed to rotate in the front-rear direction along the longitudinal direction of the conveyor unit; and a plurality of contact pin members coupled to the lower side of the rotating member to selectively contact the waste fiber.

[0024] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the rotating member is repeatedly rotated within an angle range set by a cam drive unit or a servo motor, thereby causing the contact pin member to strike or scrape the waste fibers stacked on the conveyor unit to redistribute and align them.

[0025] In addition, the contact pin member in the present invention is characterized by being formed of silicone or urethane.

[0026] In addition, the image acquisition step in the present invention is characterized by further including a lighting unit that irradiates light toward the imaging area of ​​the waste fiber.

[0027] In addition, the lighting unit in the present invention is characterized by being configured to automatically adjust the illuminance or illumination angle based on the AI ​​image analysis results of the image data acquired in the image acquisition step. Effects of the invention

[0029] As described above, the method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to one aspect of the present invention, unlike conventional technology, allows waste fibers to be transported in a state where entanglement is primarily resolved and dispersed by compressed air injection while passing through a waste fiber separation unit before being supplied to a conveyor unit. Consequently, the clumping and localized concentration of waste fibers fed onto the conveyor unit are reduced, and thus surface shape and color information of the waste fibers are more clearly secured, thereby improving the accuracy of AI-based waste fiber analysis and sorting.

[0030] Furthermore, according to the method for manufacturing construction materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present invention, a rotating member rotates along the longitudinal direction of a conveyor section to selectively contact and disperse waste fibers through a contact pin member, and by adjusting the height of the rotating member, the contact strength can be controlled in correspondence with the stacking thickness of the waste fibers, thereby improving dispersion and alignment efficiency while minimizing fiber damage. Accordingly, stable pretreatment of waste fibers in various states becomes possible, and the uniformity and productivity of the entire process are improved. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0032] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a waste fiber separation unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a waste fiber spreading section according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0033] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a method for manufacturing construction materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Since the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and may take various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific disclosed forms, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Similar reference numerals have been used for similar components in the description of each drawing. With respect to the attached drawings, the dimensions of the structures are shown enlarged compared to the actual dimensions for the clarity of the present invention.

[0034] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component.

[0035] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a waste fiber separation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a waste fiber spreading unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to one embodiment of the present invention may largely comprise a waste fiber supply unit (10), a waste fiber separation unit (20) that primarily separates waste fibers supplied from the waste fiber supply unit (10), a conveyor unit (30) that transports waste fibers separated through the waste fiber separation unit (20), a waste fiber spreading unit (40) that spreads waste fibers on the conveyor unit (30), a vision camera unit (50) that photographs the state of waste fibers, a waste fiber sorter (60) that sorts waste fibers based on photographic information, and a crusher (70) that crushes the sorted waste fibers.

[0039] The waste fiber separation unit (20) is provided between the waste fiber supply unit (10) and the conveyor unit (30) and may be configured to primarily separate and disperse tangled waste fibers before the waste fibers fed from the waste fiber supply unit (10) are transported to the conveyor unit (30). For example, the waste fiber separation unit (20) may be configured to allow the waste fibers fed from the waste fiber supply unit (10) to pass through.

[0040] Specifically, the waste fiber separation unit (20) may include a cylindrical waste fiber passage unit (21) installed at an angle between the waste fiber supply unit (10) and the conveyor unit (30), and a compressed air injection module (23) that injects compressed air into the interior of the cylindrical waste fiber passage unit (21).

[0041] The cylindrical waste fiber passage section (21) is arranged to communicate between the lower side of the waste fiber supply section (10) and the upper side of the conveyor section (30), and is formed in a cylindrical shape with a through-hole so that the waste fiber moves downward while passing through the interior.

[0042] For example, the cylindrical waste fiber passage (21) can be installed at an angle of about 30° to 60° relative to the horizontal plane. Accordingly, the waste fiber naturally moves downward by gravity, and moves in a state where entanglement is relieved by the influence of compressed air inside.

[0043] A plurality of compressed air injection modules (23) are provided along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical waste fiber passage (21) and are connected to an external compressed air supply source to inject compressed air into the cylindrical waste fiber passage (21). These compressed air injection modules (23) are controlled so that the injection pressure gradually decreases from the inlet side to the outlet side of the cylindrical waste fiber passage (21).

[0044] Additionally, the compressed air injection module (23) is positioned so as to be inclined downward toward the discharge side along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical waste fiber passage (21), and is configured to inject compressed air along the direction of movement of the waste fiber.

[0045] The waste fiber separation unit (20) is installed with an inclined cylindrical waste fiber passage (21) to ensure a residence time for the waste fibers while enabling smooth transport. By using a compressed air injection module (23), the tangled waste fibers are forcibly separated in the first stage by strongly injecting at high pressure from the inlet side of the cylindrical waste fiber passage (21), and then the pressure is gradually lowered toward the outlet side, thereby maintaining a stable dispersed state without excessive scattering or backflow.

[0046] That is, the waste fiber separation unit (20) can reduce shape distortion in the subsequent image acquisition stage, improve the accuracy of artificial intelligence analysis, and improve the precision of the sorting process by ensuring that the entanglement is resolved and the waste fibers are uniformly dispersed by the injection of compressed air before being supplied to the conveyor unit (30).

[0047] The waste fiber spreading unit (40) according to the present embodiment may be provided on the conveyor unit (30) to prevent waste fibers passing through the waste fiber separation unit (20) from being unevenly stacked on the conveyor unit (30) and to disperse and align them again before image acquisition. This waste fiber spreading unit (40) may include a support plate (41) provided on the conveyor unit (30) and a waste fiber dispersion unit (43) provided on the upper side of the conveyor unit (30) to disperse and spread the stacked waste fibers through rotation.

[0048] A support plate (41) is positioned on the lower side of the conveyor section (30) to correspond to the waste fiber dispersion section (43) and to support the conveyor section (30). This support plate (41) prevents sagging of the conveyor section (30) and stably supports the load of the redistribution operation applied from above.

[0049] The waste fiber dispersion unit (43) is provided on the upper side of the conveyor unit (30) and is positioned vertically in correspondence with the support plate (41), and can be configured to disperse and align the waste fibers stacked on the conveyor unit (30) while rotating or turning. For example, the waste fiber dispersion unit (43) can disperse and spread the waste fibers widely while rotating along the conveying direction on the upper side of the conveyor unit (30).

[0050] Specifically, the waste fiber dispersion unit (43) may include a rotating member (43a) rotatably disposed on the upper side of the conveyor unit (30) and a contact pin member (43b) provided on the rotating member (43a) to contact the waste fibers of the conveyor unit (30). By scraping and dispersing the waste fibers, this waste fiber dispersion unit (43) can spread the waste fibers to a more uniform thickness, thereby increasing sorting precision.

[0051] The rotating member (43a) is positioned to extend in the left-right direction from the upper side of the conveyor section (30) and is installed to rotate in the front-rear direction along the longitudinal direction of the conveyor section (30). This rotating member (43a) can be repeatedly rotated within an angle range set by a cam drive unit or a servo motor.

[0052] A plurality of contact pin members (43b) are coupled to the lower side of the rotating member (43a) and are configured to selectively contact waste fibers on the conveyor section (30). These contact pin members (43b) may be formed of silicone or urethane material. Through the elastic contact pin members (43b), tangled parts can be effectively separated without damaging the waste fibers, and aligned into a flat and uniform state suitable for image analysis.

[0053] The waste fiber sorter (60) is positioned on the conveyor section (30) and has a structure that guides waste fibers to pass through a certain section, and may include a slide gate inside that can separate the waste fiber discharge path. Additionally, the waste fiber sorter (60) is equipped with a plurality of waste fiber discharge ports to enable sorting and discharge according to the type of waste fiber, and unsuitable waste fibers can be continuously transported along the conveyor section (30) and processed at the unsuitable waste fiber discharge section.

[0054] The shredder (70) is a device that crushes or defibrates selected suitable waste fibers to a size smaller than a set size to form a uniform fiber raw material. This shredder (70) may include an input port into which waste fibers that have passed through the waste fiber sorter (60) are fed, and a supply control unit for maintaining a constant amount of input. Additionally, the shredder (70) may be provided with a structure that cuts or unwinds the waste fibers to a set length by means of a rotating blade or a roller.

[0055] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

[0056] The method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present embodiment may largely include a waste fiber transport step (S10), an image acquisition step (S20), a waste fiber analysis step (S30), a waste fiber sorting step (S40), a fiber disintegration step (S50), and a molding step (S60).

[0057] The waste fiber transport step (S10) is a step of transporting waste fibers supplied from the waste fiber supply unit (10) using a conveyor unit (30). At this time, the waste fibers supplied from the waste fiber supply unit (10) are not supplied directly to the conveyor unit (30), but rather pass through the waste fiber separation unit (20) first, and the tangled waste fibers are supplied to the conveyor unit (30) in a state where they are primarily separated and dispersed.

[0058] Specifically, the waste fiber separation unit (20) includes a cylindrical waste fiber passage unit (21) and a compressed air injection module (23), and is configured so that as the waste fiber passes through the cylindrical waste fiber passage unit (21), the tangled waste fiber is unraveled and separated by the injection of compressed air. At this time, the cylindrical waste fiber passage unit (21) may be installed at an angle of approximately 30° to 60° relative to the horizontal plane, and accordingly, the waste fiber can naturally move downward by gravity and come into contact with the compressed air to resolve the tangling.

[0059] Additionally, a plurality of compressed air injection modules (23) are provided along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical waste fiber passage (21), and the injection pressure of the compressed air can be controlled to gradually decrease from the inlet side to the outlet side. Accordingly, the tangled waste fibers can be strongly separated at high pressure at the inlet side, and the waste fibers can be transported to the conveyor section (30) while maintaining a stable dispersion state at relatively low pressure at the outlet side.

[0060] Meanwhile, since waste fibers supplied to the conveyor section (30) after passing through the waste fiber separation section (20) may be unevenly stacked, a waste fiber spreading section (40) may be provided on the conveyor section (30) to disperse and align the waste fibers again before the image acquisition stage.

[0061] The waste fiber spreading section (40) may include a support plate (41) and a waste fiber dispersion section (43). The support plate (41) is positioned below the conveyor section (30) to support the conveyor section (30), and may be configured to prevent sagging of the conveyor section (30) and to stably support the dispersion load acting from above.

[0062] The waste fiber dispersion unit (43) may be configured to be provided on the upper side of the conveyor unit (30) to disperse and align the waste fibers stacked on the conveyor unit (30) through rotation or pivoting motion. For example, the waste fiber dispersion unit (43) may include a pivot member (43a) and a contact pin member (43b), and the pivot member (43a) may rotate in the forward and backward direction along the longitudinal direction of the conveyor unit (30) and scrape or strike the waste fibers through the contact pin member (43b) to spread them out widely.

[0063] The uniformly dispersed waste fibers in this way can undergo an image acquisition step (S20) through the vision camera unit (50).

[0064] In the image acquisition step (S20), waste fibers moving along the conveyor unit (30) are photographed using a vision camera unit (50). The vision camera unit (50) is installed above or to the side of the waste fibers to capture surface images and shape information of the waste fibers in real time, and the captured image data is transmitted to an image processing unit (80).

[0065] At this time, a lighting unit (51) that irradiates light toward the shooting area may be further provided, and the lighting unit (51) may automatically adjust the illuminance or irradiation angle based on the image analysis results. Accordingly, the degradation of image quality caused by changes in illuminance or the occurrence of shadows in the shooting environment can be prevented. The artificial intelligence analysis unit included in the image processing unit analyzes the captured image data based on a pre-trained waste fiber dataset to determine the type of material, color, degree of contamination, presence of foreign substances, or suitability for manufacturing construction materials of the waste fiber.

[0066] In the lung fiber analysis step (S30), a classification signal of the lung fiber is generated according to the image analysis result, and the generated classification signal is transmitted to the lung fiber sorter (60).

[0067] In the waste fiber sorting step (S40), a waste fiber sorter (60) installed on the conveyor unit (30) operates according to the classification signal to separate the waste fibers into waste fibers suitable for manufacturing construction materials and waste fibers unsuitable for manufacturing construction materials.

[0068] The suitable waste fibers selected in this way are supplied to the next step, the fiber disintegration step (S50).

[0069] In the fiber disintegration step (S50), the selected waste fibers are crushed or disintegrated to a size smaller than a set size using a crusher (70) or a fiber disintegrator to form a uniform fiber raw material. Subsequently, in the molding step (S60), the disintegrated fiber raw material is mixed with a binder or additive, and then pressurized and molded using a molding die or a compression molding device to manufacture building materials such as building boards, panels, insulation materials, or sound-absorbing materials.

[0070] Specifically, the fiber raw material formed through the fiber disintegration step (S50) can be mixed with a binder and an additive in a certain ratio. For example, the fiber raw material may be included in a range of about 60% to 90% by weight based on the total mixture.

[0071] The binder is intended to secure the structural strength of the molded article by forming bonding forces between fibers, and may be included in a range of, for example, 5% to 30% by weight. Such a binder may include at least one of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyester (PET), polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, melamine resin, or biodegradable polymer resin, and may be uniformly mixed with the fiber raw material to function to form a bonding structure between fibers during the molding process.

[0072] In addition, additives may be included in a range of 1% to 15% by weight based on the total mixture and may be optionally applied to improve the functional properties of the building material. For example, additives may include flame retardants, water repellents or waterproofing agents, antibacterial or insect repellents, fillers, reinforcing agents, or additives for improving thermal insulation performance.

[0073] Specifically, to improve flame retardancy, inorganic flame retardants such as phosphorus-based flame retardants, aluminum hydroxide, or magnesium hydroxide may be included, and to improve water-repellent performance, silicone-based or fluorine-based water-repellents may be included. Additionally, glass fibers, basalt fibers, or synthetic reinforcing fibers may be additionally included to improve structural strength.

[0074] As one example, a building board or insulation panel can be manufactured by mixing 75% by weight of fiber raw material, 20% by weight of binder, and 5% by weight of additive, and then performing a compression molding process.

[0075] As another embodiment, a sound-absorbing panel for construction with improved sound absorption performance may be manufactured by mixing 80% by weight of fiber raw material, 15% by weight of binder, and 5% by weight of additive.

[0076] In this way, by adjusting the mixing ratio of fiber raw materials, binders, and additives, the strength, thermal insulation, sound absorption, and flame retardancy of building materials can be selectively improved.

[0077] As described above, the method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present invention can accurately determine the material, color, degree of contamination, and suitability for manufacturing building materials of waste fibers by performing vision camera-based image acquisition and artificial intelligence analysis while the waste fibers supplied from a waste fiber supply unit (10) are first separated and dispersed through a waste fiber separation unit (20) and then transported through a conveyor unit, and then the waste fibers are again dispersed and aligned using a waste fiber spreading unit (40).

[0078] In particular, the method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present invention effectively resolves the entanglement of waste fibers by using a cylindrical waste fiber passage (21) and a compressed air injection module (23) provided in the waste fiber separation unit (20), and supplies the waste fibers to the conveyor unit (30) while maintaining a stable dispersion state by controlling the compressed air pressure to gradually decrease from the inlet side to the outlet side.

[0079] In addition, the method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present invention can minimize shape distortion or contrast deviation that may occur during the image acquisition stage by using a rotating member (43a) and a contact pin member (43b) provided in the waste fiber spreading section (40) to disperse and align the waste fibers stacked on the conveyor section, thereby improving the accuracy of the AI-based waste fiber analysis.

[0080] In addition, the method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present invention can improve the automation of the waste fiber sorting process and sorting precision by automatically separating suitable waste fibers and unsuitable waste fibers through a waste fiber sorter based on the results of artificial intelligence analysis, and can stably manufacture building materials such as building boards, panels, insulation materials, or sound-absorbing materials having uniform strength and density by crushing or defibrating the sorted waste fibers to form uniform fiber raw materials, and then mixing them with binders and additives to form molded materials.

[0081] Therefore, the method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system according to the present invention can improve the recycling efficiency of waste fibers and enhance the automation and production efficiency of the building material manufacturing process by systematically linking the separation, alignment, analysis, sorting, and fiber disintegration processes of waste fibers, while simultaneously manufacturing building materials of uniform quality.

[0082] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, this is merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible therefrom.

[0083] Therefore, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the patent claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0085] 10: Waste fiber supply unit 20: Waste fiber separation unit 21: Cylindrical waste fiber passage 23: Compressed air injection module 30: Conveyor section 40: Waste fiber spreading section 41: Support plate 43: Waste fiber dispersion section 43a : Rotating member 43b : Contact pin member 50: Vision Camera Unit 60: Waste Fiber Sorter 70 : Shredder 51 : Lighting unit 80 : Image processing unit

Claims

Claim 1 A waste fiber transport step in which waste fibers supplied from a waste fiber supply unit are transported using a conveyor unit; an image acquisition step in which surface images and shape information of the waste fibers are captured in real time using a vision camera unit installed above or to the side of the transported waste fibers, and the captured image data is transmitted to an image processing unit; a waste fiber analysis step in which an artificial intelligence analysis unit included in the image processing unit analyzes the image data based on a pre-trained waste fiber dataset to determine at least one of the material type, color, degree of contamination, presence of foreign substances, and suitability for manufacturing construction materials of the waste fibers, and generates a classification signal according to the determination result; a waste fiber sorting step in which a waste fiber sorter provided on the conveyor unit operates according to the classification signal to separate waste fibers suitable for manufacturing construction materials and waste fibers unsuitable for manufacturing construction materials into different discharge paths; and a fiber disintegration step in which the suitable waste fibers are crushed or disintegrated to a size smaller than a set size using a crusher or a fiber disintegrator to form fiber raw materials. A method for manufacturing a building material using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, comprising: a molding step of manufacturing a building material such as a building board, panel, insulation material, or sound-absorbing material by mixing the above-mentioned fiber raw material with a binder or additive, and then pressurizing and molding it using a molding die or a compression molding device; wherein the waste fiber transport step comprises a waste fiber separator between the waste fiber supply unit and the conveyor unit, and wherein the waste fiber is separated and dispersed by the injection of compressed air and spread out while passing through the waste fiber separator, and is supplied to the conveyor unit. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 A method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, wherein, in claim 1, the waste fiber separation unit comprises a cylindrical waste fiber passage installed vertically or obliquely between the waste fiber supply unit and the conveyor unit, and a compressed air injection module that separates and disperses the entanglement of the waste fibers by injecting compressed air into the interior of the cylindrical waste fiber passage. Claim 4 A method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, wherein, in claim 3, the cylindrical waste fiber passage is installed at an angle of 30° to 60° with respect to a horizontal plane. Claim 5 A method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, wherein, in claim 3 or 4, the compressed air injection modules are provided in plurality along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical waste fiber passage, and the injection pressure of the compressed air is controlled to gradually decrease from the inlet side to the outlet side of the cylindrical waste fiber passage. Claim 6 A method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, wherein, in claim 5, the compressed air injection module is configured to be inclined downward toward the discharge side along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical waste fiber passage section and injects compressed air inclined downward along the direction of movement of the waste fiber. Claim 7 A method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, wherein, in claim 3 or 4, the waste fiber conveying step further comprises a waste fiber spreading section on the conveyor section to redistribute and spread the waste fibers again, in order to align and uniformly disperse the waste fibers supplied onto the conveyor section after passing through the waste fiber separator section prior to the image acquisition step. Claim 8 In claim 7, the waste fiber spreading unit comprises: a support plate positioned below the conveyor unit to support the conveyor unit; and a waste fiber dispersion unit provided above the conveyor unit, positioned vertically in correspondence with the support plate, and rotating or pivoting above the conveyor unit to disperse and align waste fibers stacked on the conveyor unit; wherein the method of manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system is characterized by preventing the waste fibers primarily separated by the waste fiber separation unit from being unevenly stacked on the conveyor unit, thereby minimizing shape distortion and contrast deviation occurring during the image acquisition stage. Claim 9 In claim 8, the waste fiber dispersion unit comprises: a rotational member arranged to extend in the left-right direction from the upper side of the conveyor unit and installed to rotate in the front-rear direction along the longitudinal direction of the conveyor unit; and a plurality of contact pin members coupled to the lower side of the rotational member to selectively contact the waste fibers; wherein the rotational member is repeatedly driven to rotate within an angle range set by a cam drive unit or a servo motor, thereby causing the contact pin members to strike or scrape the waste fibers stacked on the conveyor unit to redisperse and align them, and wherein the contact pin members are formed of silicone or urethane. Claim 10 A method for manufacturing building materials using an AI-based waste fiber sorting system, wherein, in claim 1, the image acquisition step further includes a lighting unit that irradiates light toward a shooting area of ​​the waste fiber, and the lighting unit is configured so that the illuminance or irradiation angle is automatically adjusted based on the AI ​​image analysis results of the image data acquired in the image acquisition step.

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