Containers with multiple sensors

A computer-implemented method for determining a position of a lid portion of a trashcan assembly, the method comprising:

• generating a first command that instructs a first transmitter of a sensor assembly to emit a first signal, wherein the trashcan assembly comprises the sensor assembly;
• receiving, from one or more receivers of the sensor assembly, a first indication that an object is detected in a first region;
• after the first indication is received, determining whether a second indication has been received from the one or more receivers in response to emission of a second signal by a second transmitter of the sensor assembly, a transmission axis of the first transmitter being generally vertical and the transmission axis of the second transmitter being generally horizontal;
• and
• generating a second command that instructs a power-operated drive mechanism in response to receiving at least the first indication, wherein the second command causes the power-operated drive mechanism to move the lid portion from a closed position to an open position;
• said method performed under control of program instructions executed by one or more computing devices.

A trashcan assembly comprising:

• a body comprising a top end, bottom end, sidewall, and internal cavity;
• a lid unit coupled with the top end of the body, the lid unit comprising a lid and a motor, the motor configured to move the lid between an open position and a closed position;
• a sensor assembly comprising:
• a first sensor configured to emit first signals generally vertically to produce a first sensing region;
• a second sensor configured to emit second signals generally horizontally to produce a second sensing region;
• a receiver configured to receive one or more reflected signals, the reflected signals comprising the first or second signals reflected off an object in the first or second sensing regions;
• and
• a lens cover positioned over the first sensor, second sensor, and receiver;
• a controller operably connected with the sensor assembly and the motor;
• the trashcan assembly being configured such that, in response to the receiver receiving one or more reflected signals, the trashcan assembly moves the lid from the closed position to the open position;
• and
• the trashcan assembly being further configured to detect the presence of contaminants on the lens covering.

A trashcan assembly comprising:

• a body portion;
• a lid portion pivotably coupled with the body portion;
• a microphone coupled to the body portion, wherein the microphone is configured to receive an utterance and transform the utterance into an audio signal;
• and
• a sensor assembly coupled to the body portion, the sensor assembly comprising a controller, wherein the controller comprises one or more hardware processors and memory and is configured to:
• receive the audio signal from the microphone;
• perform speech recognition on the audio signal to identify an uttered keyword;
• retrieve a stored keyword from the memory;
• compare the stored keyword with the uttered keyword;
• and
• transmit an instruction to a power-operated drive mechanism in response to a determination that the stored keyword matches the uttered keyword, wherein the instruction causes the power-operated drive mechanism to move the lid portion from a closed position to an open position.

A trashcan assembly comprising:

• a body portion;
• a lid portion pivotably coupled with the body portion;
• a power-operated drive mechanism coupled with the body portion, wherein the power-operated drive mechanism comprises a motor, a shaft driven by the motor, and an adaptor coupled to the shaft and the lid portion, wherein rotation of the shaft causes a change in voltage output by a variable-resistance position sensor;
• and
• a sensor assembly coupled to the body portion, the sensor assembly comprising a controller, wherein the controller comprises one or more hardware processors and is configured to:
• detect an object in a first region;
• and
• transmit an instruction to the power-operated drive mechanism in response to the detection of the object, wherein the instruction causes the power-operated drive mechanism to move the lid portion from a closed position to an open position.