Drying device and drying system

Abstract

[Problem] To dry an item by appropriately measuring the moisture content and focusing on an appropriate region. [Solution] This drying device comprises an irradiation unit, an imaging unit, an information processing unit, and a control unit. The irradiation unit emits light including a band that is absorbed by moisture. The imaging unit acquires image information of regions irradiated by the irradiation unit. The information processing unit acquires information on the moisture content for each region from the image information acquired by the imaging unit. The control unit performs control for performing region-by-region drying on the basis of the moisture content acquired for each region.

Description

Drying equipment and drying systems

[0001] The present disclosure relates to drying devices and drying systems.

[0002] Technology for drying items, including food and clothing, is a necessary and desirable technology in various fields. Recently, devices have been developed that control the airflow rate and other parameters according to the dryness level of the object. While some methods for measuring dryness, such as measuring the temperature or humidity of the space in which the object is located, are not accurate. Furthermore, while there are devices that can dry the entirety of a stationary object, it is difficult to meet the demand for localized drying of a moving object.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-184420

[0004] Therefore, one non-limiting problem that the embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve is to properly measure the moisture content and dry the appropriate area. As some further non-limiting examples, the problem that the embodiments of the present disclosure aim to solve can also be a problem corresponding to the effects described in the embodiments. In other words, a problem that corresponds to at least one of the effects described in the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be a problem that the present disclosure aims to solve.

[0005] According to one embodiment, the drying device includes an irradiation unit, an imaging unit, an information processing unit, and a control unit. The irradiation unit irradiates light including a band absorbed by moisture. The imaging unit acquires image information of the area irradiated by the irradiation unit. The information processing unit acquires information regarding the moisture content of each area from the image information acquired by the imaging unit. The control unit controls drying for each area based on the moisture content of each area.

[0006] The irradiating section may irradiate light including an infrared band, and in this case, the imaging section may be capable of receiving at least the light in the infrared band.

[0007] The irradiating section may irradiate light including a short-wave infrared band, and in this case, the imaging section may be capable of receiving at least light in the short-wave infrared band.

[0008] The control unit may control the wind power to be output for each of the regions based on the moisture content of each of the regions.

[0009] The control unit may control the amount of heat to be output to each of the regions based on the moisture content of each of the regions.

[0010] The information processing unit may perform a filter process for each region on the image information relating to light including a band absorbed by the moisture acquired by the imaging unit, and acquire information relating to the moisture content of each region.

[0011] The filter may be a filter that calculates a weighted average of an index indicating the moisture content of pixels belonging to the region.

[0012] The filter may be a filter that calculates a weighted average of an index indicating a moisture content that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value in pixels that belong to the region.

[0013] According to one embodiment, a drying system includes an irradiation device, an imaging device, an information processing device, and a control device. The irradiation device irradiates light including a band absorbed by moisture. The imaging device acquires image information of the area irradiated by the irradiation unit. The information processing device acquires information regarding the moisture content of each area from the image information acquired by the imaging unit. The control device controls drying for each area based on the moisture content of each area.

[0014] The irradiation device of the drying system may have any of the features of the irradiation unit described above.

[0015] The imaging device of the drying system may have any of the features of the imaging unit described above.

[0016] The imaging device of the drying system may have any of the features of the imaging unit described above.

[0017] The information processing device of the drying system may have any of the features of the information processing unit described above.

[0018] The control device of the drying system may have the features of the control unit described above.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of a drying device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing processing of a drying device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image including information related to acquired moisture content according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a filter for an image including information related to acquired moisture content according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a filter for an image including information related to acquired moisture content according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a drying unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic view of air volume according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of scanning an image according to an embodiment.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings are used for explanation purposes, and the shape, size, and size ratio of each component in an actual device do not necessarily have to be the same as those shown in the drawings. Furthermore, since the drawings are simplified, components necessary for implementation other than those shown in the drawings are also assumed to be appropriately provided.

[0021] In the present disclosure, the term "moisture content" is used, but this may be an absolute amount or a relative amount relative to a predetermined index. More specifically, the term moisture content may be used as a relative amount for measuring the degree of drying. In the context of the present disclosure, the degree of drying of an object can be calculated from this moisture content. In other words, when simply referring to moisture content in the following context, please note that it can be appropriately read as an index related to moisture content.

[0022] 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a drying device according to one embodiment. The drying device 1 includes an irradiation unit 10, an imaging unit 12, an information processing unit 14, a control unit 16, and a drying unit 18. The drying device 1 acquires information related to the moisture content of an object to be dried, and dries the object based on the acquired information related to the moisture content.

[0023] The irradiating unit 10 irradiates the target with light for obtaining the moisture content. The irradiating unit 10 irradiates light including a band for obtaining information about the moisture content, such as a band absorbed by moisture or a band with high moisture reflectance. The irradiating unit 10 may include a light source such as a light-emitting diode (LED), but the light source is not limited thereto.

[0024] As a specific example, the irradiation unit 10 may include a light source that irradiates light including the infrared (IR) band. More specifically, the irradiation unit 10 may include a light source that irradiates light including the short-wave infrared (SWIR) band. By using light in the SWIR band, it is possible to obtain an infrared image with higher resolution than by using light with a longer wavelength. Note that the irradiation unit 10 may irradiate light including white light in addition to light in these bands.

[0025] The imaging unit 12 includes an image sensor capable of receiving light for obtaining the moisture content irradiated by the irradiation unit 10. That is, the imaging unit 12 can obtain image information in a band for obtaining the moisture content from light including the band for obtaining the moisture content. The imaging unit 12 captures an image of the area irradiated by the irradiation unit 10, allowing the drying device 1 to obtain image information corresponding to the moisture content.

[0026] As a specific example, the imaging unit 12 may include an image sensor that acquires image information in the IR band. More specifically, the imaging unit 12 may include an image sensor that acquires image information in the SWIR band.

[0027] The band for which an image is acquired by the image sensor of the imaging unit 12 may include a band corresponding to the band of light for acquiring the moisture content irradiated by the irradiation unit 10. For example, if the irradiation unit 10 irradiates light in a certain IR band, the image sensor of the imaging unit 12 is configured to be able to receive light in that band. As a more specific example, if the irradiation unit 10 irradiates light in the SWIR band, the image sensor of the imaging unit 12 may be configured to be able to receive light in the SWIR band.

[0028] The image capturing unit 12 may also include an image sensor that captures image information in the visible light band in addition to the IR and SWIR light bands. In this case, the image capturing unit 12 can capture image information based on the moisture content and also capture image information in the visible light band.

[0029] The information processing unit 14 acquires information about the moisture content from the image information acquired by the imaging unit 12. For example, the information processing unit 14 can acquire information about the moisture content for each partial area of ​​the entire area imaged by the imaging unit 12. The information processing unit 14 may have a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or may have a general-purpose circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and software-based information processing may be specifically realized by hardware resources such as the CPU or GPU.

[0030] The control unit 16 controls the operation of the drying unit 18 based on the information on the moisture content acquired by the information processing unit 14. The control unit 16 can control drying based on the moisture content of the target by, for example, controlling the air force or the amount of heat output from the drying unit 18.

[0031] For example, when the information processing unit 14 acquires information about the moisture content of the target for each region, the control unit 16 can control the drying so that the regions with a higher moisture content determined for each region of the target progress more rapidly. In other words, the control unit 16 can control the drying for each region.

[0032] The drying unit 18 performs a drying process on the target in response to a request from the control unit 16. The drying unit 18 promotes drying by, for example, blowing air onto the target, heating the target, or blowing warm air onto the target. The drying unit 18 may also be configured to be able to perform a drying process on a region-by-region basis.

[0033] Next, the operation of each component will be described in more detail using a flowchart. Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the process of the drying device according to one embodiment.

[0034] The irradiation unit 10 irradiates an area where the object is present, i.e., an area to be dried by the drying device 1 (S100). The drying device 1 may be installed in a fixed location or may be portable. If the drying device 1 is fixed, the irradiation unit 10 may irradiate a fixed predetermined area. If the drying device 1 is portable, the irradiation unit 10 may irradiate, for example, a predetermined area relative to the housing of the drying device 1.

[0035] The imaging unit 12 captures an image of an area including the area irradiated by the irradiation unit 10 (S102). The imaging unit 12 is equipped with an image sensor that can receive light in the band irradiated by the irradiation unit 10, and therefore can obtain image information of the light reflected and absorbed by the irradiation unit 10 in an area where a target is likely to exist.

[0036] For example, the imaging unit 12 can acquire image information about light irradiated by the irradiation unit 10 and including a band absorbed by moisture (e.g., IR band, SWIR band, etc.), thereby acquiring an image in which the brightness decreases in areas with more moisture. For example, the imaging unit 12 can acquire image information about light irradiated by the irradiation unit 10 and including a band having a higher reflectance for moisture, thereby acquiring an image in which the brightness increases in areas with more moisture.

[0037] The information processing unit 14 calculates the moisture content in the target area and / or extracts areas with high moisture content by referring to the image information including information regarding the moisture content acquired by the imaging unit 12 (S104).

[0038] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image acquired by the imaging unit 12, but is not limited to this example. This figure shows an image in which the brightness decreases as the moisture content increases using SWIR light, but similar processing can be performed on other examples. It is desirable that the background area be made of a material with a brightness that makes the moisture content easily visible. The image acquired by the imaging unit 12 is considered to be the entire area, and the information processing unit 14 calculates the moisture content for each area, for example, delimited by dotted lines.

[0039] The pixel values ​​can be inverted as needed, i.e., the magnitude relationship can be reversed to indicate the moisture content. For example, in the case of an image in which the brightness value decreases due to moisture, by inverting the brightness value, it is possible to calculate that the higher the inverted brightness value, the greater the moisture content.

[0040] For example, the information processing unit 14 can acquire images of a target substance having two or more different moisture contents, each of which is known, using the irradiation unit 10 and the imaging unit 12, and use this data to calculate the moisture content of each pixel. That is, the drying device 1 acquires in advance the relationship between the moisture content of the target object and the image output value, and using this, the information processing unit 14 can determine the moisture content from the brightness value of the image. The information processing unit 14 can acquire the moisture content for each pixel from the moisture content corresponding to the brightness value of the pixel that has been acquired in advance.

[0041] Furthermore, it is also possible to calculate the moisture content based on the environment in which the drying device 1 is used. The drying device 1 can obtain in advance the relationship between the pixel brightness value in the environment in which it is used and the degree of drying required, and can obtain a conversion function from brightness value to moisture content based on this relationship. In this way, it is possible to achieve appropriate drying according to the environment.

[0042] Figure 4 shows an extracted region on the far right of Figure 3. The information processing unit 14 can calculate the moisture content for each region by summing or averaging the pixel values ​​for each region calculated as described above, but bias may occur depending on the air output and temperature adjustment in the drying unit 18. A filter can be applied to reduce the influence of this bias.

[0043] The information processing unit 14 can obtain the moisture content by further dividing the region and multiplying each divided portion by a value and calculating the sum, as shown in Fig. 4. The filter value is, for example, as shown in the right diagram, and the information processing unit 14 can obtain the moisture content for each region using a filter that calculates a so-called weighted average.

[0044] The information processing unit 14 may, for example, calculate the sum or average value of the moisture content calculated from the brightness values ​​for each divided area, multiply this calculated value by the filter value corresponding to the area, and calculate the sum of the products obtained for each area, thereby obtaining the moisture content of the area.

[0045] The information processing unit 14 can calculate the moisture content of a region from the moisture content of each area, but can also calculate the moisture content directly from the brightness value (sum, average, etc.) of each area via a filter. In this case, a function that converts the brightness value into the moisture content can be used as the filter, and it is also possible to calculate the weighted average as shown in FIG. 4.

[0046] The drying device 1 can also calculate the moisture content by comparing the brightness value with a threshold value depending on the extent of drying in advance. In this case, the information processing unit 14 can calculate the moisture content by comparing the brightness value with a threshold value for each pixel, area, or region, and can also calculate the moisture content by performing the above-mentioned filtering process.

[0047] The above processing can be realized by, for example, a function, but as another example, it can also be realized by an LUT (Look Up Table) or the like.

[0048] Figure 5 is a diagram showing another example of a filter. The information processing unit 14 can, for example, extract areas where an object is present and change the coefficient for each area to calculate the moisture content of the area. For example, as shown in Figure 5, if the area includes areas where an object is present and areas where an object is not present, the information processing unit 14 can change the filter coefficient taking into account only the areas where the object is present.

[0049] For example, the information processing unit 14 can calculate the filter coefficients so that the sum in the area where the object exists is 1 while keeping the numerator of the filter, i.e., the proportional distribution ratio of the weighted average, the same. By calculating the moisture content of the area in this way, even when objects are sparsely present, the information processing unit 14 can calculate an appropriate moisture content regardless of the size of the background against the object.

[0050] Furthermore, the information processing unit 14 may perform object authentication on the image acquired by the imaging unit 12 and calculate the moisture content from the brightness values ​​of only pixels determined to contain an object. Object authentication can be achieved using any of a variety of methods, such as pattern matching, correlation calculation, or a trained model (including a neural network). By processing in this manner, it is possible to obtain the moisture content of only the area where the object is present. Note that for object authentication, a visible light image acquired using visible light may be used in addition to or instead of an infrared image.

[0051] 2, the control unit 16 determines whether or not the target needs to be dried (S106) based on the moisture content calculated by the information processing unit 14. For example, the control unit 16 compares a predetermined threshold value with the moisture content of each region acquired by the information processing unit 14, and if the moisture content in all regions does not exceed the predetermined threshold value, the control unit 16 determines that drying is not necessary (S106: NO) and completes the process.

[0052] On the other hand, if it is determined that drying is necessary in any of the regions (S106: YES), the control unit 16 calculates the degree of dryness (S108) and controls the drying unit 18 (S110). The degree of dryness is an index that indicates, for example, the amount of air output by the drying unit 18, the temperature controlled by the drying unit 18, etc. The control unit 16 can send, for example, a signal to the drying unit 18 to control the amount of air output by the drying unit 18 to the region, based on the moisture content of the region acquired by the information processing unit 14.

[0053] 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drying unit according to one embodiment. The drying unit 18 includes, for example, a fan and a heating unit. Air heated by the heating unit is blown to each area by the fan. Whether or not air is blown to each area is determined by the opening and closing doors indicated by dotted lines. The opening and closing doors can be opened and closed in response to a request from the control unit 16.

[0054] The door opens and closes based on the moisture content of each area, allowing air or hot air to be blown only to the desired area. Depending on the environment, cold air may be blown instead of hot air.

[0055] Furthermore, the opening degree of the door may be controlled based on the moisture content. This configuration makes it possible to blow air into each area based on the moisture content. Note that this diagram is a deformed illustration, so it goes without saying that a configuration that can more accurately output the same amount of air into each area is desirable.

[0056] Returning to FIG. 2, after the control of the air volume (dryness level) is completed, the drying device 1 can repeatedly execute the process from S100.

[0057] As described above, according to this embodiment, by using light in the SWIR band, which is a short wavelength that is particularly absorbed by water, it is possible to acquire a high-resolution image including the water content, and by providing this image sensor, it is possible to perform drying for each area to be dried in the drying device. In cases where localized drying is required, more accurate processing can be achieved.

[0058] (First Modification)

[0059] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the strength of the wind output from the drying unit 18 in the state shown in Fig. 6, and an example of the wind volume in the AA cross section. The horizontal axis represents the horizontal coordinate in Fig. 6, and the vertical axis represents the strength (volume) of the wind output from the drying unit 18.

[0060] As shown in this figure, the same maximum airflow strength may be output to each area. Of course, this airflow volume can be changed depending on the moisture content. In such a case, the airflow volume may be weaker at the end of the area, which may prevent proper drying.

[0061] 8 shows an embodiment in which air is newly added to correct the air volume. The drying unit 18 may further have a structure capable of outputting air in the area indicated by the dotted line. By adopting such a structure, the drying unit 18 can blow air of a uniform intensity over the entire area where images are to be acquired.

[0062] Of course, even in this case, it is possible to blow air based on the moisture content of each region. Furthermore, in this case, the information processing unit 14 may simply calculate the moisture content of each region based on the average moisture content of each area, and may calculate the air volume to be output from the drying unit 18 based on this moisture content.

[0063] The information processing unit 14 may calculate the moisture content by setting an appropriate filter. For example, in the configuration shown in Fig. 8, the left and right regions in Fig. 6 have a smaller air volume output across the region than the central region. Therefore, for example, the information processing unit 14 may use a filter that applies a higher coefficient to the left area of ​​the left region.

[0064] (Second Modification)

[0065] The drying unit 18 may be configured to dry any area within the entire area, rather than drying each area individually. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of scanning the entire area of ​​the image acquired by the imaging unit 12. As shown in this figure, the information processing unit 14 may scan the entire image and extract areas with high moisture content.

[0066] In such a case, the information processing unit 14 can extract areas that particularly require drying by scanning areas with high moisture content, for example, by scanning the areas indicated by dotted lines in the direction of the arrows, rather than areas divided into predetermined sections as in Figure 3. For example, the information processing unit 14 can calculate the moisture content in each area by applying a moving average filter (which may be weighted) to the entire image, and extract areas corresponding to pixels with large values ​​after filtering as areas with high moisture content.

[0067] The control unit 16 can control the drying unit 18 to blow strong air into the area based on the area and the moisture content in the area. As a simple example, the control unit 16 can control the air direction of the drying unit 18 to blow air to the appropriate area.

[0068] The area extracted by the information processing unit 14 is not limited to one, and may extract multiple areas. The same applies to the drying unit 18, which may be configured to dry multiple areas simultaneously or sequentially. If the areas extracted by the information processing unit 14 overlap, the control unit 16 can control the drying unit 18 to achieve higher drying performance for the areas depending on the degree of overlap.

[0069] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to perform the drying process on a more flexible area rather than a fixed area.

[0070] Although the above description is of an apparatus, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, it may be configured as a drying system including an irradiation device, an imaging device, an information processing device, a control device, and a dryer. Such a configuration may operate as a system that dries objects on a belt conveyor based on their moisture content. In this case, the designation of the area may be calculated taking into account the speed of the belt conveyor.

[0071] As another example, the imaging unit 12, the information processing unit 14, and the control unit 16 may be mounted on the same image sensor chip.

[0072] The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0073] (1) A drying device comprising: an irradiation unit that irradiates light including a band absorbed by water; an imaging unit that acquires image information of the area irradiated by the irradiation unit; an information processing unit that acquires information regarding the water content of each area from the image information acquired by the imaging unit; and a control unit that controls drying of each area based on the water content of each area.

[0074] (2) The drying device according to (1), wherein the irradiation unit irradiates light including an infrared band, and the imaging unit is capable of receiving light at least in the infrared band.

[0075] (3) The drying device according to (2), wherein the irradiation unit irradiates light including a short-wave infrared band, and the imaging unit is capable of receiving light at least in the short-wave infrared band.

[0076] (4) The drying device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the control unit controls the wind power output for each of the regions based on the moisture content of each of the regions.

[0077] (5) The drying device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the control unit controls the amount of heat output to each of the regions based on the moisture content of each of the regions.

[0078] (6) The drying device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the information processing unit performs a filter process for each region on the image information relating to light including a band absorbed by the moisture acquired by the imaging unit, and acquires information relating to the moisture content of each region.

[0079] (7) The drying device according to (6), wherein the filter is a filter that calculates a weighted average of an index indicating the moisture content of pixels belonging to the region.

[0080] (8) The drying device according to (6), wherein the filter is a filter that calculates a weighted average of an index indicating a moisture content equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value in pixels belonging to the region.

[0081] (9) A drying system comprising: an irradiation device that irradiates light including a band absorbed by water; an imaging device that acquires image information of the area irradiated by the irradiation device; an information processing device that acquires information regarding the water content of each area from the image information acquired by the imaging device; and a control device that controls drying of each area based on the water content of each area.

[0082] (10) The drying system according to (9), wherein the irradiation device has the characteristics of the irradiation unit according to any one of (2) to (9).

[0083] (11) The drying system according to (9) or (10), wherein the imaging device has the characteristics of the imaging unit according to any one of (2) to (9).

[0084] (12) The drying system according to any one of (9) to (11), wherein the imaging device has the characteristics of the imaging unit according to any one of (2) to (9).

[0085] (13) The drying system according to any one of (9) to (12), wherein the information processing device has the characteristics of the information processing unit according to any one of (2) to (9).

[0086] (14) The drying system according to any one of (9) to (13), wherein the control device has the characteristics of the control unit according to any one of (2) to (9).

[0087] The aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments and include various conceivable modifications, and the effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described contents. The components in each embodiment may be appropriately combined and applied. In other words, various additions, modifications, and partial deletions are possible within the scope of the conceptual idea and intent of the present disclosure, which is derived from the content defined in the claims and their equivalents.

[0088] 1: drying device, 10: irradiation unit, 12: imaging unit, 14: information processing unit, 16: control unit, 18: drying unit

Claims

1. A drying device comprising: an irradiation unit that irradiates light including a band absorbed by water; an imaging unit that acquires image information of the area irradiated by the irradiation unit; an information processing unit that acquires information regarding the water content of each area from the image information acquired by the imaging unit; and a control unit that controls drying of each area based on the water content of each area.

2. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit irradiates light including an infrared band, and the imaging unit is capable of receiving light at least in the infrared band.

3. The drying device according to claim 2, wherein the irradiation unit irradiates light including a short-wave infrared band, and the imaging unit is capable of receiving light at least in the short-wave infrared band.

4. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the air force output to each of the regions based on the moisture content of each of the regions.

5. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the amount of heat output to each of the regions based on the moisture content of each of the regions.

6. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing unit performs a filter process for each region on the image information relating to light including a band absorbed by the moisture acquired by the imaging unit, thereby acquiring information relating to the moisture content of each of the regions.

7. The drying device according to claim 6, wherein the filter is a filter that calculates a weighted average of an index indicating the moisture content of pixels belonging to the region.

8. The drying device according to claim 6, wherein the filter is a filter that calculates a weighted average of an index indicating a moisture content that is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value in pixels belonging to the region.

9. A drying system comprising: an irradiation device that irradiates light including a band absorbed by water; an imaging device that acquires image information of the area irradiated by the irradiation device; an information processing device that acquires information regarding the water content of each area from the image information acquired by the imaging device; and a control device that controls drying of each area based on the water content of each area.

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