WO2004101178A1

WO2004101178A1 - Plastic automatic separation apparatus and the automatic separation method

Info

Publication number: WO2004101178A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/001999
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yongmoo Lee; Hyeongki Choi; Jaesong Koh; Junghoon Jhang; Kangil Seo; Janghyun Chung
Original assignee: IONIA CO Ltd; KOREAN AGENCY FOR TECHNOLOGY AND STANDARDS
Current assignee: IONIA CO Ltd; KOREAN AGENCY FOR TECHNOLOGY AND STANDARDS
Priority date: 2003-04-01
Filing date: 2003-09-30
Publication date: 2004-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 2005-10-01
Also published as: AU2003264993A1; KR20040085703A; AU2003264993A8; KR100528403B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically analyzing and sorting plastic, and more particularly, to an apparatus for automatically sorting same kind of plastic into sorting cartridge using analyzed data after analyzing a lot of plastics simultaneously and a method using the apparatus.

Description

PLASTIC AUTOMATIC SEPARATION APPARATUS AND THE AUTOMATIC

SEPARATION METHOD

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically analyzing and sorting plastic, and more particularly, to an apparatus for automatically sorting same kind of plastic into sorting cartridge using analyzed data after analyzing a lot of plastics simultaneously and a method using the apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, a plastic analyzing system means a system for determining kinds of plastics (for example, PET, PP, PE, PVC, PS, ABS, and the like) that determines the plastics by detecting an absorption spectrum of organic materials projected at near infrared ray zone (1100~2200nm) by using the difference of an absorption spectrum depending on an optical reflection angle of the near infrared ray proj ected onto a plastic sample.

The system correctly sorts and separates the plastics by the kinds of plastics in a sort time by scanning and analyzing the infrared ray by wavelength after separating the

reflected near infrared ray (wavelength zone: 1~1.5 μm) onto the plastic sample, and more

specially can be easily utilized in a plastic recycling field that should sorts and treats every kinds of wasted plastics .

Thus, the applicant of this application has filed Korean Patent Application No. 10-

2001-0030330 entitled "Plastic Sorting Apparatus Using Near Infrared Ray" (hereinafter referred to conventional art).

However, according to the conventional art, since the plastic must be sorted and

treated one by one and it takes a lot of time for change the plastic sample, the conventional

art has disadvantages difficult to sort and treat a great amount of plastics in the plastic

recycling field. Moreover, since the conventional art cannot sort a great amount of plastics at once but only a system for sorting the plastics by kinds, the conventional art has also disadvantages not to automatically sort the plastics by kinds using the analyzed data.

DISCLOSURE OFINVENTON

Accordingly, the present invention is made to overcome the above described problems of the conventional art, and its object is to provide an optical connector of a plastic sorting apparatus for maximizing the processing efficiency without installment of a plurality of identical whole systems by sequentially processing reflected near infrared rays inputted from a plurality of input lines by using single sorting system, and an apparatus for automatically sorting only same kind of plastic into a corresponding sorting container depending on analyzed data by the sorting system.

Other object of the present invention is to provide an automatic sorting apparatus for automatically sorting a plurality of plastic using the above-described automatic sorting apparatus at once and a method for automatically sorting plastics using the same.

In order to achieve other object of the present invention, the present invention provides an apparatus for automatically sorting a plastic including a hopper for accommodating a waste resource including a plastic sample, a plurality of conveyors for transferring the plastic sample downward sequentially by free falling, at least one probe unit, installed to at least one of the plurality of conveyors, for sorting a specific kind of the plastic from the waste resource, an optical connector connected to the probe unit, an analyzer connected to the optical connector, a pneumatic device for ejecting a high pressure air, a plurality of nozzles being connected with the pneumatic device and installed at a free falling place of a conveyor including the probe unit, a plurality of electronic valves, installed between the pneumatic device and the plurality of nozzles, for ejecting the high pressure air to a corresponding nozzle, a plurality of accommodating vessels, installed at places opposite to the plurality of nozzles, for accommodating same kind of plastics, a takeaway vessel, disposed at an ending portion of a conveyor of the plurality of conveyors where the transferring is completed, for taking away the waste resource again, and a controlling section, connected a plurality of conveyor motors constructing the plurality of conveyors, the analyzer, the pneumatic device, and the plurality of electronic valves, for totally controlling the same.

It is preferred that the plurality of conveyors includes a first conveyor, disposed at a lower side of the hopper, for transferring the plastic sample upwardly, a second conveyor disposed at a place where the plastic sample is freely fallen from the first conveyor, and a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh conveyors disposed at a lower side of the second conveyor so as for the plastic sample to be freely fallen and sequentially transferred downwardly.

The sorting vessels are disposed at a place near to a place where the plastic sample is freely fallen from the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors, respectively. It is preferred that the first conveyor is installed with a permanent magnet at a driving roller where the plastic sample is freely fallen.

Preferably, the driving speed of the second conveyor is set to be faster than the driving speed of the first conveyor.

The probe unit preferably includes a plurality of input optical fibers disposed at a place near to the place where the plastic sample is freely fallen from the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors, and disposed at a same distance across widths of belts of the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors, and a near infrared ray source installed at a place near to the input optical fibers.

It is preferred that the plurality of nozzles is more than one per the input optical fiber, and connected with a corresponding electronic valve. Moreover, it is preferred that the optical connector includes a close-shaped cylindrical casing, the plurality of input optical fibers, inserted into an outer circumferential surface of the casing at ending portion thereof by penetrating the outer circumferential surface horizontally so as to be advanced into an inside of the casing, for transferring each of reflected near infrared light obtained from a plurality of plastic samples, a total reflecting mirror, disposed inside the casing so as to be opposite to ending portions of the plurality of input optical fibers, for reflecting reflected light emitted from the input optical fibers upwardly in a perpendicular direction, a driving motor, installed to a lower side of the total reflecting mirror by a shaft, for rotating the total reflecting mirror at a predetermined angle so as for each of the input optical fibers to be lined up in a row sequentially, and an output optical fiber, penetrating an upper side of the casing vertically and disposed to be opposite to the total reflecting mirror, for transferring the reflected near infrared ray to the analyzer.

It is preferred that the input optical fibers and the output optical fiber are provided with a convex lens at an ending portion, and a condensing means having a concave lens and a convex lens at other ending portion.

Preferably, the ending portion of the input optical fibers having the convex lens is opposite to the total reflecting mirror and the other ending portion of the input optical fibers having the condenser is constructed with the probe unit, so that the input optical fibers can approach the plastic sample in transferring along the plurality of conveyors. Preferably, the output optical fiber is constructed that the ending portion thereof having the convex lens is opposite to the total reflecting mirror and the other ending portion thereof having the condenser is constructed with the probe unit.

It is preferred that the driving motor comprises a step motor, a servo motor, and an index drive motor, and is rotated and/or stopped at 10° to 90° in a predetermined direction continuously. Preferably, the input optical fibers are 4-32.

Meanwhile the controlling section described above totally controls, based on analyzed data for the plastic detected by at least one probe unit an the analyzer, for totally controlling a rotating speed of conveyor motors for driving the plurality of conveyors, ON/OFF of the pneumatic device, and opening and closing of the plurality of electronic valves.

Preferably, if the plastic sample to be sorted is detected by the input optical fiber, the controlling section controls a corresponding electronic valve connected with a corresponding nozzle after a predetermined unit time when the plastic sample to be sorted is freely fallen through the conveyor, so that the high pressure air is ejected so as for same kind of plastics to be sorted into the sorting vessel.

A method for automatically sorting a plastic by using the automatic plastic sorting apparatus includes the steps of a) transferring only nonmagnetic substances to a sorting zone and sorting only kind of metal reactive with a magnetism into a corresponding take- away vessel, b) automatically sorting same kind of plastic samples into a corresponding sorting vessel, and c) accommodating waste resource that the step b) is completed into the take-away vessel.

The step b) includes a first sorting step of automatically sorting PET or PP into a first sorting vessel, a second sorting step of automatically PE or ABS into a second sorting vessel, and a third sorting step of automatically PVC or PS into a third sorting vessel.

The term "to analyze" described above means that the plastic sample such as PET, PP, PE, PVC, PS, and ABS resin are determined and sorted by a kind.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram showing an apparatus for automatically sorting plastics according to the present invention;

FIG. IB is a detail view showing the relationship of a pneumatic device and an electronic valve group in FIG. 1 A;

FIG. 2A is a front view showing mechanical construction of the apparatus for automatically sorting plastics according to the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a right-side view omitting a sorting container in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 A is a schematic view showing the construction of a system of an analyzer in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing an optical connector in FIG. 3A; and FIG. 3C is a vertical sectional view showing main parts in FIG. 3B.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Although, hereinafter, an apparatus for automatically sorting plastics according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention cannot be limit or restricted by these embodiments.

FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram showing an apparatus for automatically sorting plastics according to the present invention, FIG. IB is a detail view showing the relationship of a pneumatic device 300 and an electronic valve group 500 in FIG. 1A, FIG. 2A is a front view showing mechanical construction of the apparatus for automatically sorting plastics according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a right-side view omitting a sorting container in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIGS. 1A to 2B, the apparatus for automatically sorting plastics according to the present invention includes a probe group 400 having a first, second, third probe units 420, 440, and 460 that every fives of a plurality of optical fibers 11a through llo make a set, a pneumatic device 300 for automatically sorting plastics by air ejection, an electronic valve group 500 having a first, second, and third electronic valve units 520, 540, and 560 that are connected with the pneumatic device 300 and control an air ejecting portion, a conveyor motor unit 600 having a plurality of conveyors for transporting plastic samples and a plurality of conveyor motors for driving the conveyors, and a controller (PCL) 200, connected with the components, for performing overall control for the components.

Referring to FIGS. IB to 2B, the detail description of the mechanical construction of the apparatus according to the present invention follows. The apparatus for automatically sorting plastics further includes a hopper 810 for accommodating waste resource such as plastic sample, a first conveyor 820 for transporting the plastic sample freely falling from the hopper 810 upward, and a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh conveyors 830, 840, 850, 860, 870, and 880 for receiving the plastic sample freely falling from the first conveyor 820 and sequentially transporting the plastic sample downward.

The second, fourth, and sixth conveyors 830, 850, and 970 are installed with a first, second, and third probe units 420, 440, and 460 for analyzing kinds of the plastic sample being transporting respectively, and a first, second, and third nozzle units 522, 542, and 562 are installed where the plastic sample is freely fallen by the operation of the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors 830, 850, and 870. The seventh conveyor 880 is installed with a taking vessel 989 at a place of the seventh conveyor 990 where the plastic sample is freely fallen. Moreover, the first, second, and third nozzle units 522, 542, and 562 are connected with the pneumatic device 300 so as to be provided with high pressure air. Detailed description for this follows. The first, second, and third nozzles 522, 542, and 562 respectively have a construction that a first through fifteenth electronic valves (no reference numerals) are connected with a plurality of nozzles 522a~522j, 542a~542j, and 562a~562j respectively. Therefore, the first through the fifteenth electronic valves (no reference numerals) are opened and closed, so that the air can be ejected through the plurality of nozzles 522a~522j, 542a~542j, and 562a~562j by the control of the controller (PLC) 200.

Meanwhile, a first, second, and third sorting vessels 892, 894, 896 are respectively installed at a place near to the first, second, and third nozzle units 522, 542, and 562. Described in detain with reference to FIGS. 2 A and 2B, the first conveyor 820 is installed where the plastic is freely fallen from the hopper 810 so as to transport the plastic sample upward. At that time, a driving roller 822 of the first conveyor 820 has a construction that a permanent magnet is installed on inner side or outer circumference thereof. This is for separating metal substances from the waste resource supplied from the hopper 810, and is functions for magnetic substances such as a can to be separated into a separated metal vessel (not shown) without free falling onto the second conveyor 830 described later by a magnetism of the driving roller 822.

At a lower side of the driving roller 822 of the first conveyor 820, the second conveyor 830 is installed for transferring the plastic sample in free falling from the first conveyor 820 in horizontal. At that time, since a rotating speed of a conveyor motor (not shown) for driving the second conveyor 830 is set to be faster than that a conveyor motor (not shown) for driving the first conveyor 820, the plastic sample in free falling is widely spread on the second conveyor 830, and this is totally controlled by the controller 200.

Meanwhile, the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors 830, 850, and 870 are installed with the first, second, and third probe units 420, 440, and 460 for analyzing the plastic sample by kind, which are located on conveyor belts of the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors 830, 850, and 870, that is, on places of the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors 830, 850, and 870 near to where the plastic sample is freely fallen, respectively.

The first, second, and third probe units 420, 440, and 460 are further installed with lighting lamps 700 for emitting a near infrared ray. The first, second, and third probe units 420, 440, and 460 are constructed that a plurality of optical fibers lla~llo connected with an input optical connector (no reference numeral) of an analyzer 100 described below mate by every fives. Every fives of the plurality of input optical fibers lla~llo are installed at the first, second, and third probe units 420, 440, and 460, and every end portions thereof face conveyor belts (no reference numerals) of the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors 830, 850, and 870, so that reflected lights from the plastic sample being transferred by the conveyor belts (no reference numerals) are transferred to the analyzer 100.

Therefore, the first probe unit 420 is installed with the input optical fibers lla~lle, the second probe unit 440 is installed with the input optical fibers llf~llj, and the third probe unit 460 is installed with the input optical fibers llk-llo, while the input optical fibers lla~llo are disposed at a same distance across the width of the conveyor belts (no reference numerals).

Moreover, the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors 830, 850, and 870 are installed with the first, second, and third nozzle units 522, 542, 562 respectively having a plurality of nozzles 522a~522j, 542a~542j, and 562a~562j at lower sides thereof, respectively.

As shown FIGS. IB and 2B, every two nozzles are installed each positions corresponding to five optical fibers lla~lle, llf~llj, and llk~llo, and the first to fifteenth electronic valves (no reference numerals) are installed every between the pneumatic device 300 and the nozzles, so that the high pressure air is ejected through the two nozzles when the electronic valves (no reference numerals).

Undoubtedly, the above described electronic valves (no reference numerals) are opened and disclosed a command from the controller 200, and its operational principle is described later. The first, second, and third sorting vessels 892, 894, and 896 are located at places opposite to every nozzles 522a~522j, 542a~542j, so that if 562a~562j, the high pressure air is ejected from the nozzles 522a~522j, 542a~542j, and 562a~562j, the plastic samples freely falling to be sorted are accommodated into each of the first, second, and third sorting vessels 892, 894, and 896. Preferably, the nozzles 522a~522j_s 542a~542j, and 562a-562j are installed that the ejecting portions have an upward slope of about 3-30° facing the first, second, and third sorting vessels 892, 894, and 896.

FIG. 3 A is a schematic view showing the construction of a system of the analyzer 100 in FIG. 1A, FIG. 3B is a perspective, view showing an optical connector (no reference numeral) in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a vertical sectional view showing main parts in FIG. 3B.

Referring to FIGS. 3 A to 3C, the analyzer 100 includes input optical fibers lla~llp for transferring each near infrared ray obtained from the sixteen plastic samples

10a~101p, a casing 10 in which every optical fibers lla-llp are connected around a circumference of the casing 10, a total reflection mirror 20, disposed on a central line of the casing 10, for reflecting a reflected ray emitted from the input optical fibers lla-llp upwardly in a perpendicular direction, a servo motor as a driving motor 14, installed at a lower side of the total reflection mirror 20 by a shaft, for rotating the total reflection mirror 20 by a predetermined angle so as to be lined up in a row with each of input optical fibers lla-llp, a driver 13 for controlling the servo motor, an output optical fiber 12, connected on an upper central portion of the casing 10, for sequentially transferring the near infrared ray reflected by the total reflection mirror 20 to a monochromatic light processing section 120 disposed outside the casing 10, and a condensing means 40, installed on a line connecting the total reflection mirror 20 with the output optical fiber 12, for condensing the reflected near infrared ray. In the construction described above, in the inside of the casing 10, it is a state that the reflected near infrared ray is continuously incident about the center of the casing 10 by the fifteen input optical fibers lla-llo of the first, second, and third probe units 420, 440, and 460.

At that time, since the total reflection mirror 20 provided inside the casing 10 of the optical connector is rotated and stopped successively by the predetermined angle, 22.5°, sixteen reflected lights with different frequency band transferred to the optical connector (no reference numeral) is reflected in a perpendicular direction sequentially one by one.

In other word, as shown in FIG. 3B, the incident reflected light through a first optical fiber among the input optical fibers lla-llp connected to the casing 10 passes a convex lens 30, then is totally reflected in a perpendicular direction by the total reflection mirror 20.

At that time, a loss rate of the reflected light by the total reflection mirror 20 can be minimized by the output condenser 40.

Moreover, the total reflection mirror 20 is rotated in the clockwise direction by a predetermined angle by the servo motor.

Referring to the accompanying FIGS. 3B and 3C, considering that the sixteen input optical fibers lla-llp are connected to the outer circumferential surface of the casing 10 in the circumferential direction, it can be understood that the servo motor as the driving motor

14 is rotated by 22.5° in the clockwise direction in the figures according to the control of the driver 13.

Thus, the incident reflected near infrared ray from every input optical fibers lla-llp is reflected upwardly in the perpendicular direction and emitted to the monochromatic light processing section 120 outside the casing 10 through the output optical fiber 12 while the servo motor is rotated by the predetermined angle by the control of the driver 13. Therefore, the output optical fiber 12 transfers the reflected near light from the sixteen plastic samples 101a~101p the monochromatic light processing section outside the casing 10 sequentially.

Moreover, number of the input optical fibers lla-llp connectable to the casing 10 can be increased or reduced according to the designed items. For example, if the input optical fibers lla-llp where the near infrared ray is incident is increased to 32, 36 input optical fibers lla-llp are connected to the circumference of the casing 10 so that the driver 13 controls the servo motor to rotate by exact 10.5° in the clockwise direction (or the counterclockwise direction). The reflected near infrared ray emitted from the output optical fiber 12 is transferred to the monochromatic light processing section 120 so that each input reflected light is sequentially processed and analyzed by a sorting system.

By doing this, without increasing the plastic sorting system to 16 plastic sorting systems, it is possible to process a plurality of plastic transfer lines by using single sorting system at same time zone, so that as well the cost for increasing total system and the maintenance fee, and the cost related them can be reduced as the installation space can be remarkably reduced.

The present invention is constructed with the first, second, and third probe units

420, 440, and 460 having the input optical fibers of identical numbers. Though the sixteenth input optical fiber 1 lp is not connected, since servo motor is rotated at a high speed of 10 to

50 revolutions per second, it does not matter that the not-connected input optical fiber lip is ignored.

Moreover, even though a plurality of input optical fibers are increased, the plastic samples are reasonably analyzed at once. Hereinafter, the method for automatically sorting a plastic by the apparatus for automatically sorting a plastic characterized by the above described construction will be described in detail.

If the automatic plastic sorting apparatus according to the present invention is started, by the command of a control program processing section 220 of the controller 200, the analyzer 100 and an analyzing program processing section 151 constructing the analyzer 100, and the probe group 400 connected to the analyzer 100, that is, a plurality of lighting lamps 700 further installed at the first, second, and third probe units 420, 440, and 460, the pneumatic device 300, the conveyor motor unit 600 installed with a plurality of motors for driving each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh conveyors 820, 830, 840, 850, 860, and 870 are operated.

At that time, since the waste resource accommodated in the hopper 810 is freely fallen on the first conveyor 820 and the driving roller 822 of the first conveyor 820 is installed with a permanent magnet, a kind of metal among the waste resource reactive to a magnetism is rotated with the driving roller 822 in a state of adhered on the driving roller 822 so as not to be freely fallen on the second conveyor 830 as well as to be freely fallen into a metal sorting container (not shown) installed on a bottom (not shown) during rotation together with the driving roller 822 (a metal sorting step).

After this, a kind of nonferrous metal is transferred along the second conveyor 830 horizontally, and then passes the first probe unit 420. At that time, since the first probe unit 420 is installed with the five input optical fibers lla-lle disposed at a same distance across the width of the conveyor belt of the second conveyor 830, a light from the lighting lamp 700 as a near infrared ray source passing the input optical fibers 11 a~l 1 e is incident onto the waste resource and the reflected light is incident onto the optical connector (no reference numeral) installed in the analyzer 100 through the input optical fibers lla-lle, the frequency of the incident light is converted and the incident light is converted into a digital signal so as to be inputted into the analyzing program processing section (PC) 151 embodied by a computer (PC), so that the information of the incident reflected light is analyzed and compared with a database 152 including data by a kind of plastic. As a result of comparing and analyzing, if the information of the reflected light incident by the plurality of input optical fibers lla-lle is identical or similar with the data stored in the database 152, the first electronic valve (no reference numeral) is opened so as for the high pressure air to be ejected to the nozzles 522a and 522b corresponding to the input optical fibers (for example, 11a) detecting the comparing and analyzing result, so that the freely-falling plastic sample to be sorted is threw into the first sorting vessel 892 so as for same kind of plastics to be accommodated.

This operational principle is identical with the operational principle of the second and third probe units 440 and 460 and the second and third nozzle units 542 and 562 installed to the forth and sixth conveyors 850 and 870. Therefore, it is possible to accommodate different kinds of plastics into the second and third sorting vessels 894 and 896, and this total program control is processed by the control program processing section 220 of the controller 200.

Completed the plastic sorting step by the described above, a waste accommodating step for accommodating the waste resource after the plastic sorting step into a take-away vessel 898 is performed by the seventh conveyor 880, and whole sorting processing is completed.

Preferably, in the plastic sorting step, a first sorting step for automatically sorting PET and PP into the first sorting vessel 892, a second sorting step for automatically sorting PE and ABS into the second sorting vessel 894, and a third sorting step for automatically sorting PVC and PS into the third sorting vessel 896 are sequentially processed, and it can be set to sort the plastic not sorted (for example, PET, PE, and PVC in a state of completing the sorting, and the plastic such as PP, ABS, and PS not sorted) in the first, second, and third sorting steps again by installing a separated conveyor system (not shown) so as to automatically insert the waste resource taken away into the take-away vessel 898 into the hopper 810 again, after finished the sorting step.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, according to the present invention, since same kind of plastics only is automatically sorted into the corresponding sorting vessel as well as a lot of plastic is automatically sorted by the automatic plastic sorting apparatus described above at once, the automatic plastic sorting apparatus has advantages that the plastic harmful to environment is reprocessed conveniently as well as labor cost can be remarkably reduced by the automation of whole processing.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and sprit of the invention, scope of the present invention which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatically sorting a plastic comprising: a hopper for accommodating a waste resource including a plastic sample; a plurality of conveyors for transferring the plastic sample downward sequentially by free falling; at least one probe unit, installed to at least one of the plurality of conveyors, for sorting a specific kind of the plastic from the waste resource; an optical connector connected to the probe unit; an analyzer connected to the optical connector; a pneumatic device for ejecting a high pressure air; a plurality of nozzles being connected with the pneumatic device and installed at a free falling place of a conveyor including the probe unit; a plurality of electronic valves, installed between the pneumatic device and the plurality of nozzles, for ejecting the high pressure air to a corresponding nozzle; a plurality of accommodating vessels, installed at places opposite to the plurality of nozzles, for accommodating same kind of plastics; a take-away vessel, disposed at an ending portion of a conveyor of the plurality of conveyors where the transferring is completed, for taking away the waste resource again; and a controlling section, connected a plurality of conveyor motors constructing the plurality of conveyors, the analyzer, the pneumatic device, and the plurality of electronic valves, for totally controlling the same.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of conveyors comprises: a first conveyor, disposed at a lower side of the hopper, for transferring the plastic sample upwardly; a second conveyor disposed at a place where the plastic sample is freely fallen from the first conveyor; and a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh conveyors disposed at a lower side of the second conveyor so as for the plastic sample to be freely fallen and sequentially transferred downwardly.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the sorting vessels are disposed at a place near to a place where the plastic sample is freely fallen from the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors, respectively.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first conveyor is installed with a permanent magnet at a driving roller where the plastic sample is freely fallen.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a driving speed of the second conveyor is set to be faster than the driving speed of the first conveyor.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the probe unit comprising: a plurality of input optical fibers disposed at a place near to the place where the plastic sample is freely fallen from the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors, and disposed at a same distance across widths of belts of the second, fourth, and sixth conveyors; and a near infrared ray source installed at a place near to the input optical fibers.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 6, wherein the plurality of nozzles is more than one per the input optical fiber, and connected with a corresponding electronic valve.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 6, wherein the optical connector comprises: a close-shaped cylindrical casing; the plurality of input optical fibers, inserted into an outer circumferential surface of the casing at ending portion thereof by penetrating the outer circumferential surface horizontally so as to be advanced into an inside of the casing, for transferring each of reflected near infrared light obtained from a plurality of plastic samples; a total reflecting mirror, disposed inside the casing so as to be opposite to ending portions of the plurality of input optical fibers, for reflecting reflected light emitted from the input optical fibers upwardly in a perpendicular direction; a driving motor, installed to a lower side of the total reflecting mirror by a shaft, for rotating the total reflecting mirror at a predetermined angle so as for each of the input optical fibers to be lined up in a row sequentially; and an output optical fiber, penetrating an upper side of the casing vertically and disposed to be opposite to the total reflecting mirror, for transferring the reflected near infrared ray to the analyzer.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the input optical fibers and the output optical fiber are provided with a convex lens at an ending portion, and a condensing means having a concave lens and a convex lens at other ending portion.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or claim 9, wherein the ending portion of the input optical fibers having the convex lens is opposite to the total reflecting mirror and the other ending portion of the input optical fibers having the condenser is constructed with the probe unit, so that the input optical fibers can approach the plastic sample in transferring along the plurality of conveyors

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the output optical fiber is constructed that the ending portion thereof having the convex lens is opposite to the total reflecting mirror and the other ending portion thereof having the condenser is constructed with the probe unit.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the driving motor comprises a step motor, a servo motor, and an index drive motor, and is rotated and/or stopped at 10° to 90° in a predetermined direction continuously.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or claim 12, wherein the input optical fibers are 4-32.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controlling section totally controls, based on analyzed data for the plastic detected by at least one probe unit an the analyzer, for totally controlling a rotating speed of conveyor motors for driving the plurality of conveyors, ON/OFF of the pneumatic device, and opening and closing of the plurality of electronic valves.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 6, wherein if the plastic sample to be sorted is detected by the input optical fiber, the controlling section controls a corresponding electronic valve connected with a corresponding nozzle after a predetermined unit time when the plastic sample to be sorted is freely fallen through the conveyor, so that the high pressure air is ejected so as for same kind of plastics to be sorted into the sorting vessel.

16. A method for automatically sorting a plastic comprising the steps of: a) transferring only nonmagnetic substances to a sorting zone and sorting only kind of metal reactive with a magnetism into a corresponding take-away vessel; b) automatically sorting same kind of plastic samples into a corresponding sorting vessel; and c) accommodating waste resource that the step b) is completed into the take-away vessel.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step b) comprises: a first sorting step of automatically sorting PET or PP into a first sorting vessel; a second sorting step of automatically PE or ABS into a second sorting vessel; and a third sorting step of automatically PVC or PS into a third sorting vessel.