US5911327A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of automatically discriminating and separating scraps containing copper from iron scraps
Assignee: JAPAN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR METALS
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Filing: 1996-10-02
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Granted: 1999-06-15
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Expires: 2016-10-02
Abstract
Abstract Scrap containing copper is discriminated from iron scrap after being pulverized by imaging iron scrap using a color TV camera, treating RGB signals processed by each of the points in the image as a color vector, and discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap when the saturation value of the color vector is larger than a predetermined value and the hue angle of the color vector lies within a predetermined range.
Inventors
- 👤 Fumio Tanaka
- 👤 Toshio Akagi
- 👤 Shuji Naito
- 👤 Sumitada Kakimoto
- 👤 Michiaki Sakakibara
- 👤 Masahiro Ito
- 👤 Akihiro Senda
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 20:37
CPC Classifications
B; B07; B07C; B07C5/00; B07C5/34; B07C5/342; B07C5/3425; G; G01; G01J; G01J3/00; G01J3/46; G01J3/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap after being pulverized, comprising: imaging iron scrap using a color TV camera; treating RGB signals possessed by each of the points in the image as a color vector; finding a saturation value S represented by the length of said color vector; finding a hue angle H represented by said color vector; discriminating whether the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than a predetermined value of saturation of copper or not; discriminating whether the hue angle H of the color vector lies within a predetermined range of hue angles of copper or not; discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap when the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than the predetermined value and when the hue angle H of the color vector lies within the predetermined range.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap after being pulverized, comprising: imaging iron scrap using a color TV camera; treating RGB signals possessed by each of the points in the image as a color vector; finding a saturation value S represented by the length of said color vector; finding a hue angle H represented by said color vector; discriminating whether the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than a predetermined value of saturation of copper or not; discriminating whether the hue angle H of the color vector lies within a predetermined range of hue angles of copper or not; discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap when the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than the predetermined value and when the hue angle H of the color vector lies within the predetermined range.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
157 words
A method according to claim 1, which further comprises: finding a brightness value I from the RGB signals produced by each of the points in the image; labelling the whole image using the brightness value I which represents the brightness of a pixel to recognize the scrap, and finding the total area St of the scrap, or finding the number of pixels occupied by the scraps; finding the total number of the pixels discriminated to be a copper area SCu or discriminated to be copper in the image region occupied by said scrap; and finding a ratio R=SCu/St of the total area of the scrap St to the copper area SCu in the scrap, discriminating the scrap to be a copper-containing scrap when the ratio R is larger than a preset value Rmin, and finding a pixel address at the center of gravity (X, Y) thereof or at the center of gravity of the total area St.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
112 words
A method according to claim 2, further comprising: providing a conveyor means for conveying scrap to a separator means; outputting position (X,Y) data corresponding to said pixel address at the center of gravity (X,Y) of all copper-containing scrap; separating the scrap with said separator means into copper-containing scrap and iron scrap; receiving position (X,Y) data of all copper-containing scrap in the image and the imaging time from the discrimination processing means; and calculating a time delay of the copper-containing scrap that is conveyed to the separator means based upon the position (X,Y) data and the imaging time, and driving the separator means when the copper-containing scrap has arrived at said separator means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
71 words
A method of discriminating and separating iron and copper from scrap having magnetic properties according to claim 3, further comprising: pulverizing the copper containing scrap that is separated by said separator means at normal temperature; shock-pulverizing the copper-containing scrap by cooling it at a temperature lower than the brittle fracture temperature of iron using a liquefied gas for cooling; and magnetically sorting the shock-pulverized scrap into iron scrap and copper scrap.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined value of the saturation of copper is set as 0.3.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 1 wherein the predetermined value of hue angles of copper is set as 0°≦H≦52° and 329°≦H≦360°.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
150 words
A method for discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap after being pulverized, comprising: imaging iron scrap using a color TV camera; treating RGB signals possessed by each of the points in the image as a color vector in three-dimensional space with R, G, B axes; finding a saturation value S represented by the length of said color vector; finding a hue angle H represented by said color vector; discriminating whether the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than a predetermined value of saturation of copper or not; discriminating whether the hue angle H of the color vector lies within a predetermined range of hue angles of copper or not; discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap when the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than the predetermined value and when the hue angle H of the color vector lies within the predetermined range.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
150 words
A method for discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap after being pulverized, comprising: imaging iron scrap using a color TV camera; treating RGB signals possessed by each of the points in the image as a color vector in three-dimensional space with R, G, B axes; finding a saturation value S represented by the length of said color vector; finding a hue angle H represented by said color vector; discriminating whether the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than a predetermined value of saturation of copper or not; discriminating whether the hue angle H of the color vector lies within a predetermined range of hue angles of copper or not; discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap when the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than the predetermined value and when the hue angle H of the color vector lies within the predetermined range.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
204 words
A method for discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap after being pulverized, comprising: imaging iron scrap using a color TV camera; treating RGB signals possessed by each of the points in the image as a color vector in three-dimensional space with R, G, B axes; providing a unit plane on the space defined by R, G, B being equal to 1 in saturation; projecting the color vector and the R, G, B axes on the unit plane from a direction perpendicular to the unit plane; finding a saturation value S represented by the length of a projected color vector on the unit plane; finding a hue angle H represented by an angle between said projected color vector and a projected R axes; discriminating whether the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than a predetermined value of saturation of copper or not; discriminating whether the hue angle H of the color vector lies within a predetermined range of hue angles of copper or not; discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap when the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than the predetermined value and when the hue angle H of the color vector lies within the predetermined range.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
204 words
A method for discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap after being pulverized, comprising: imaging iron scrap using a color TV camera; treating RGB signals possessed by each of the points in the image as a color vector in three-dimensional space with R, G, B axes; providing a unit plane on the space defined by R, G, B being equal to 1 in saturation; projecting the color vector and the R, G, B axes on the unit plane from a direction perpendicular to the unit plane; finding a saturation value S represented by the length of a projected color vector on the unit plane; finding a hue angle H represented by an angle between said projected color vector and a projected R axes; discriminating whether the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than a predetermined value of saturation of copper or not; discriminating whether the hue angle H of the color vector lies within a predetermined range of hue angles of copper or not; discriminating scrap containing copper from iron scrap when the saturation value S of the color vector is larger than the predetermined value and when the hue angle H of the color vector lies within the predetermined range.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-06-14 | 2002-12-14 | 2003-06-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-06-14 | 2006-12-14 | 2007-06-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-06-14 | 2010-12-14 | 2011-06-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |