Waste management device
AssigneeRecycleSmart Solutions Inc.
InventorsCarl Michael Anderson, Colin Edward Bell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a waste management device including a housing attached to a waste bin. A plurality of sensors are configured to sense contents of the waste bin. The plurality of sensors are encased by the housing. A processor is electrically coupled to the plurality of sensors. The processor is configured to collect sensory information related to the contents of the waste bin from the plurality of sensors. The processor is encased by the housing. A wireless transmitter is electrically coupled to the processor. The wireless transmitter is configured to send the sensory information to a server, wherein the wireless transmitter is encased by the housing.
Claims18
A waste management device comprising:
- a housing having at least one mounting point for attaching the waste management device to a waste bin;
- at least three sensors configured to sense contents of the waste bin, wherein the sensors include a camera sensor and an ultrasonic transducer,
- the ultrasonic transducer comprising:
- an ultrasonic actuator configured to emit ultrasonic waves;
- and
- an ultrasonic sensor configured to detect ultrasonic waves;
- the housing further comprising:
- a cone shaped to direct ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic actuator in a direction of interest;
- and
- a shroud extension configured to reduce signal received by the ultrasonic sensor from angles not of interest;
- wherein the cone is arranged between the ultrasonic transducer and the shroud extension;
- a processor encased by the housing and electrically coupled to the sensors, the processor configured to:
- collect sensory information related to the contents of the waste bin from the sensors;
- determine a fill level of the waste bin based on the sensory information from the ultrasonic sensor;
- verify the fill level of the waste bin based on an image from the camera sensor;
- add an offset to the ultrasonic sensor, the offset based on the fill level as verified by the image from the camera sensor;
- and
- a wireless transmitter electrically coupled to the processor, wherein the wireless transmitter configured to send the sensory information to a server.
A method of managing waste comprising:
- attaching a waste management device having plurality of sensors to a waste bin, the sensors including a camera sensor and an ultrasonic transducer, the ultrasonic transducer comprising:
- an ultrasonic actuator configured to emit ultrasonic waves;
- and
- an ultrasonic sensor configured to detect ultrasonic waves;
- the waste management device further comprising:
- a cone shaped to direct ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic actuator in a direction of interest;
- and
- a shroud extension configured to reduce signal received by the ultrasonic sensor from angles not of interest,
- wherein the cone is arranged between the ultrasonic transducer and the shroud extension;
- collecting sensory information from the plurality of sensors;
- determining a fill level of the waste bin based on the sensory information from the ultrasonic sensor;
- verifying the fill level of the waste bin based on an image from the camera sensor;
- and
- adding an offset to the ultrasonic sensor, the offset based on the fill level as verified by the image from the camera sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.