Power management apparatus and methods for container recycling drop-off building

Abstract

A standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers is provided. In some embodiments, the building includes an electronically controlled access and temperature control equipment. The building further includes at least one renewable energy harvester, and a controller configured to control operation of the electronically controlled access and temperature control equipment based on predicted energy needs.

Description

POWER MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONTAINER RECYCLING DROP-OFF BUILDINGCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 615,975, filed on December 29, 2023, under Attorney Docket No. E0406.70012US00 and entitled "PREDICTIVE POWER MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY STATIONS," which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUNDField

[0002] Aspects of the technology described herein relate to power management apparatus and methods for recycling drop-off buildings.Related Art

[0003] Some recyclable containers have an associated deposit amount. For example, certain beverage cans and bottles have an associated deposit amount, which in some instances is prescribed by law. The amount is sometimes 5 cents or 10 cents per can or bottle. The consumer pays the deposit when purchasing the beverage bottles / cans at the grocery store and can return the bottles / cans after use to be refunded their deposit. Some recycling systems which refund the deposit on the recyclable bottles / cans are account-based systems. A patron establishes an account with the entity which processes the recyclable bottles / cans. After processing the returned bottles / cans to determine which ones are entitled to a refund, the entity deposits money into the account-holder’s account based on how many bottles / cans the patron returned.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0004] According to an aspect of the present technology, a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable items such as beverage containers is provided. The building comprises an enclosed space for housing the bundles of post-use, recyclable items. The building furthercomprises an electronically controlled access point unlockable to provide access to the enclosed space for depositing the bundles of the post-use, recyclable items. The building further comprises temperature control equipment configured to adjust a temperature of the enclosed space, a renewable energy harvester, and an energy storage component (e.g., a battery) coupled to the renewable energy harvester and configured to store energy harvested by the renewable energy harvester. The building further comprises a controller configured to receive predictive weather information and an indication of energy stored in the energy storage component, and further configured to predict future energy usage by the building and to control an operational state of the electronically controlled access point and an operational state of the temperature control equipment in response to predicting the future energy usage by the building.

[0005] According to an aspect of the present technology, a method of operating the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered buildings of the types described herein is provided. The method may involve operating the buildings to provide power management to balance available energy from renewable energy sources and batteries. The operation of one or more components of the building may be adjusted, such as by adjusting temperature control equipment, access point equipment, or other components.

[0006] According to an aspect of a system for managing the return of recyclable items is provided. The system comprises a control center, and a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers as in any preceding claim, wherein the building is communicatively coupled to the control center. The standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building may be any of the types described herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] Various aspects and embodiments of the technology will be described with reference to the following figures. It should be appreciated that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Items appearing in multiple figures are indicated by the same reference number in all the figures in which they appear.

[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology.

[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates front view of the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers of FIG. 1.

[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates operation of a drop-off door of the building of FIG. 2 according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology.

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates an enclosed space within the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers.

[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates a renewable energy harvester and an environmental sensor of the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 6 illustrates a controller of the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of FIG. 1.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the electronic components of a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of operating a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology.

[0016] FIG. 9 illustrates one non-limiting method of operating an intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable or reusable items.

[0017] FIG. 10 illustrates another non-limiting method of operating an intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable or reusable items.

[0018] FIG. 11 illustrates another non-limiting method of operating an intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable or reusable items.

[0019] FIG. 12 illustrates a computing system configured to perform aspects of the present technology.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Aspects of the present technology provide intelligent, self-powered standalone buildings for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable or reusable items,such as beverage containers having an associated monetary deposit. The standalone building may provide various electrical functions facilitating the ability of patrons to return their valuable, post-use recyclable and reusable items both safely and effectively, facilitating safe and effective temporary storage of the bundles, and facilitating employee interactions with the building to retrieve the bundles. The building may include a combination of renewable energy harvesters, environmental sensors, and control equipment which allow it to manage its power consumption over a range of environmental conditions without the need for grid-based or fossilfuel based power. The building may operate to predict future energy harvesting capability and future power needs and adjust its operation to ensure power consumption will remain within the available energy limits. For example, ON / OFF cycles of components may be adjusted and / or power levels may be adjusted.

[0021] As described above and further below, the drop-off building may be a standalone building in at least some embodiments. The building may be mobile, such that it can be moved to different positions within a site or moved to different sites. In some embodiments, the building may have or be on wheels, facilitating relocation of the building.

[0022] Both patrons seeking to drop off recyclable and / or reusable items (e.g., beverage containers such as cans and bottles) and workers access the building, but potentially in different ways. To deposit their post-use recyclable or reusable items, the patron bundles the items together, for example in a bag, box, tote or other container, scans or otherwise enters identification information (e.g., on a card, tag, or sticker) at the building and then, upon approval, deposits the bundle(s) through an access point (e.g., an electronically controlled access point) of the building, such as a door. Periodically, a worker picks up the bundles stored in the building for transport to a processing facility. The worker may enter the building through an employee-only access door, different from where the bundles of items are deposited by patrons. The bundles of items may be transported to and processed at a recyclable item processing facility (e.g., a warehouse with high speed recyclable item sorting equipment), for example by unbundling the items and scanning them individually to count them and determine the associated deposit amount(s), and an account-holder (e.g., the patron) having an account with the recycling entity may be credited for the deposit via their account.

[0023] As should be appreciated from the foregoing, the building may provide various electrical functionality. For example, the building may include electronic components controlling access by the patrons or workers. Such electronic components may include, for example, scanners permitting scanning of an access card or a tag on a bundle of recyclable items, and electronic locks for locking and unlocking electronically controlled access points tothe building. The building may include various electronic components facilitating safety and security, such as lighting, motion detection, electronic locks, security cameras, and alarm systems. The building may also include various electronic components for facilitating temporary storage of the returned recyclable and / or reusable items, such as temperature control equipment (e.g., heating and / or air conditioning), moisture sensors, dehumidifiers, and capacity monitors detecting the amount of returned items and / or remaining available capacity within the storage space. The building may include various electronic components for communicating with outside systems, such as networked devices via network communication circuitry. For example, electronic communication circuitry may include wireless communication circuitry in the form of cellular circuitry, satellite communication circuitry, or WiFi communication circuitry, as nonlimiting examples. The building may further include sensors for sensing conditions of the building, such as surrounding environmental conditions of temperature, humidity, light level, or wind levels. The building may include circuitry for processing information relating to one or more of the electrical components of the building, and for controlling operation of the various electrical components. Thus, the building may be an intelligent building, and control of the various functions may facilitate safe and effective use of the building by patrons and workers.

[0024] The various electrical functions of a standalone building described above require power. To facilitate quick and low-cost deployment of the standalone building, as well as to support mobility of the building - that is, the ability to move the building from one location to a new location - the building is designed as a compact modular unit with an integrated infrastructure requiring minimal site development and installation. In at least some embodiments, the building relies entirely (or at least substantially) on renewable energy such as solar and wind energy, with the power infrastructure integrated into the modular building. For example, the building may include solar panels and / or wind energy harvesters integrated thereon.

[0025] The environmental conditions of the building and the characteristics of the building itself implicate intelligent power management operation. The building may be deployed in a variety of geographic locations and outdoor environments. For example, the building may be deployed in cold areas, cloudy areas, partially wooded areas, areas partially or fully blocked from sunlight or wind, and may need to operate during day and / or night in various environmental conditions. Moreover, the characteristics of the building, including its form factor, may place practical limits on the renewable energy collection capacity (e.g., solar and wind collection capacity) and / or the battery storage capacity. For example, the building may be compact and modular so as to be mobile, involve minimal installation effort, and be resistant tovandalism, and such characteristics may place practical limits on the renewable energy collection capacity and energy storage capacity for usage when energy collection is low (e.g., during times of little wind, or during overcast days). Moreover, the building may be required to exhibit flexibility to, for example, provide heat during cold periods, air conditioning during hot periods, and lighting during low light conditions. For this variety of reasons, intelligent, proactive management of the power stored in the building’s batteries and used by the building’s electronic components may be provided to maintain the necessary environmental conditions inside the building and to operate the building’s electronics in support of patrons use of the building during business hours, which for recycling drop-off locations can be as long as 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. That is, supporting patron interactions and supporting storage of the deposited recyclable items may require continuous operation of the building in terms of continuous operation of some electronic components or collectively continuous operation in that there may be at least one electronic component operating at any given time.

[0026] Aspects of the present technology provide predictive power management (PPM) for a standalone building that uses data about anticipated future local conditions - conditions at the site of the building - in the near term (e.g., over the next several days) and about equipment power needs for the electrical components of the building to define and execute a plan for managing current and near-term operation of the equipment so that the voltage stored in the building’s batteries will be sufficient to support the building’s operations. The PPM solution gathers information about upcoming local conditions (e.g., local weather conditions) and the energy collection capacity of the building to predict available energy resources (such as solar and wind power) and to predict energy needs to support operations at the building, and then manages equipment power consumption, such as by controlling equipment duty cycles, as needed to ensure the continuity of operations at the building in a manner that supports convenient and safe patrons and worker use of the building during planned hours of operation.

[0027] The ability of the standalone building to provide its own power and manage its operations without using grid-based power or fossil fuels in at least some embodiments means that the building may constitute a sustainability station.

[0028] In some embodiments, the standalone building communicates with a central system, such as a control center situated remotely from the standalone building. The control center may host an account management system for managing accounts of individuals, companies, or other organizations who return recyclable items for a refund (monetary or otherwise). The control center may communicate with the standalone building, for example about the status of the standalone building or components within the building.

[0029] The aspects and embodiments described above, as well as additional aspects and embodiments, are described further below. These aspects and / or embodiments may be used individually, all together, or in any combination of two or more, as the disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0030] The term “patron” is used herein to describe an individual who deposits recyclable and / or reusable items (e.g., beverage containers such as cans and bottles) at a recycling drop-off location. The patron may or may not be the person who purchased the recyclable and / or reusable items and may or may not be the person who used the recyclable and / or reusable items. Moreover, in an account-based recycling system in which accountholders have an account for receiving refunded money (or other forms of redemption) upon the return of recyclable items, the patron may or may not be the account-holder.

[0031] As described above, aspects of the present technology provide an intelligent, electrically functional, standalone building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable and / or reusable items, such as beverage containers. The building may include various electrical functionality and may include renewable energy harvesters to harvest energy for powering the various electrical functionality. The building may exhibit PPM functionality to predict power usage needs, renewable energy collection capacity and / or battery storage capacity, and to develop a plan for controlling the electrical components of the building based on the predictions. FIG. 1 illustrates a non-limiting example of an intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable and / or reusable items according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. For simplicity of description the recyclable and / or reusable items are described as being beverage containers (e.g., bottles and cans) in this embodiment, although various aspects of the present technology apply to other types of recyclable and / or reusable items.

[0032] The building 100 may be disconnected from other buildings and may lack access to grid-based power. In the illustrated example, the building 100 is in a parking lot 102 and accessible to patrons 104. For instance, the parking lot 102 may be the parking lot of a retail establishment, such as a grocery store. However, the building may alternatively be located next to a road, in a field, a partially wooded area, or near a transfer station, among other possibilities. In any such locations, the building 100 may lack access to grid-based power but may have wireless communication capabilities allowing it to communicate with a central station (e.g., control center) or other communication partner. The building may be situated at the location on atemporary or semi-permanent basis, and may be mobile, for instance being capable of being lifted and moved to a different location or wheeled to a different location.

[0033] The building 100 may have a suitable size to temporarily store bundles of postuse beverage containers while being sufficiently small to be movable (e.g., by suitable equipment) and to not consume too much space in a parking lot or other location. For example, the building 100 may be 800 square yards or less in size in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the building falls within the range of 10 square yards to 800 square yards. FIG. 1 illustrates a length LI and a width Wl, such that the area Area = L1 x W1 may fall within the listed range. In some embodiments, LI may be between 10 feet and 50 feet. In some embodiments, Wl may be between 5 feet and 15 feet.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the building 100 may include walls 106 and a roof 108. As will be described further below, the building 100 may include renewable energy harvesters, environmental sensors, and various electronics for controlling operation of the building 100. Such items may be positioned at various locations of the building 100, including on the walls 106 and roof 108, or within the building as appropriate.

[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of postuse, recyclable beverage containers of FIG. 1. As shown, the building 100 includes a plurality of patron access points 202a, 202b, 202c, and 202d, as well as respective scanners 204a, 204b, 204c, and 204d associated with respective patron access points. The access points may be electronically controlled in at least some embodiments. The number, type, and size of the patron access points is non-limiting. In this example, four patron access points are provided, but fewer or more may be provided in alternative embodiments. In this example, each of the patron access points is a door. However, alternative forms of the patron access points may be used in alternative embodiments. For example, a sliding panel, a chute, or a hinged panel may be used in some embodiments. Moreover, not all the patron access points need be the same type in a given embodiment. That is, in some embodiments, different forms of patron access points may be provided on the building.

[0036] The scanners 204a-204d permit a patron to operate the access points 202a- 202d. In this example, each of the access points 202a-202d may be locked by an electronic lock. Such locks prevent unauthorized individuals from depositing items in the building 100. The lock may be unlocked by a patron with an authorized account. For example, account-holders may have an account with an associated identifier (ID). The ID, or other account identification information, may be represented on a card, sticker, or other item which the patron may scan using one of thescanners 204a- 204d. The scanner may scan the item with the account identifier, and the account may be verified by the control circuitry of the building 100, for example by comparison to a lookup table. It should be understood that the patron depositing the recyclable beverage containers may not be the holder of the account, for example if a family member or friend is depositing the recyclable beverage containers for the account holder. Therefore, the control circuit of the building 100 may verify the account, but not the patron in at least some embodiments. Upon successful authentication of the account, the access point (e.g., a door) corresponding to the scanner used by the patron may be unlocked and the patron may deposit the bundle(s) of recyclable or reusable items through the access point. FIG. 3 illustrates an example.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, a patron 104 may operate the access point 202c to deposit a bundle 302 of recyclable items. The patron 104 may scan an ID item using the scanner 204c and, after the building control circuitry authenticates the scanned ID, the access point 202c may be unlocked. In this example, the access point 202c is a door. The patron may open the door and deposit the bundle 302 of recyclable items inside the building 100.

[0038] FIG. 4 illustrates an enclosed space within the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of FIG. 1 for temporarily storing the bundles of recyclable and / or reusable items. As shown, the room 400 within the building 100 may store a plurality of bundles 402 of recyclable and / or reusable items, such as recyclable beverage containers. The bundles 402 may have been deposited into the room 400 through the access point 202c on a wall of the building 100.

[0039] The room 400 may include various electrical components facilitating safe and effective temporary storage of the bundles 402 deposited therein. For example, the room 400 may include temperature control equipment 404 and monitoring equipment 406.

[0040] The temperature control equipment 404 may be configured to control a temperature within the room 400. The items in the bundles 402 may be beverage containers, as an example, and therefore maintaining the temperature within a target range may facilitate storage. For example, returned beverage containers may include liquids, and if the temperature is too cold then freezing may occur, which may make collection of the bundles and transport of them more difficult. For example, the containers within the bundles may freeze to a floor of the room 400. However, too high a temperature in the room 400 may result in bothersome odors, mold growth, or other problems. The temperature control equipment 404 may include heating and / or cooling equipment (e.g., a heater and / or an air conditioner) configured to maintain a temperature of the room 400 within the target range. The target range may be, for example,between 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit, including any temperature within that range. Other target temperatures are also possible.

[0041] Beyond temperature control equipment, moisture control equipment may optionally be provided within the room 400. For example, a dehumidifier may be provided to facilitate dry storage conditions.

[0042] The monitoring equipment 406 may take various forms. In the non-limiting example shown, the monitoring equipment 406 may be a camera configured to monitor how full the room 400 is. By monitoring how full the room 400 is, and thus the remaining capacity of the room 400, pickup activity may be scheduled appropriately to remove the bundles 402 from the room 400. A camera, as shown in FIG. 4, is one non-limiting example of monitoring equipment that may be provided in the room 400. Other non-limiting examples include temperature sensors and humidity sensors to monitor temperature and humidity within the room, respectively.

[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates a renewable energy harvester and an environmental sensor of the intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] As has been described, the intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building may include one or more renewable energy harvesters. The inclusion of renewable energy harvesters facilitates operation of the building 100 even when disconnected from grid-based power (e.g., when placed in a remote location), and avoids the use of fossil fuels or reliance on batteries that are not charged by the renewable energy harvesters. Various types of renewable energy harvesters may be included, examples of which are solar energy harvesters and wind energy harvesters. FIG. 5 illustrates a solar panel 502 and wind turbine 504. The solar panel 502 may harvest energy from sunlight. One or more solar panels may be provided and may be located on the roof and / or walls of the building or may be placed near the building. Similarly, one or more wind turbines 504 may be provided to collect wind energy. Additional or alternative types of energy harvesters may optionally be included, such as thermoelectric energy harvesters, radio frequency (RF) energy harvesters, vibration energy harvesters, or others.

[0045] The building may also include one or more environmental sensors, such as environmental sensor 506. The environmental sensor 506 may be included to provide information useful in predicting environmental conditions and potential future energy harvesting capability. For example, the sensor 506 may be any of a temperature sensor, sunlight sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensor, precipitation sensor, wind speed sensor, or any combination ofthose sensors, including multiple instances of any of those sensors (e.g., multiple temperature sensors for different parts of the building or different components on or within the building).

[0046] The sensor(s) 506 may have any suitable positioning with respect to the building to accurately sense the desired quantity. For example, as shown, some types of sensors may be positioned on a wall of the building. However, other types of sensors may be positioned on the roof. Sensors for detecting temperature, sunlight, humidity, or wind speed, among other possible quantities of interest, may be positioned to ensure accurate sensing of such quantities.

[0047] The energy harvesters and environmental sensors of FIG. 5 may be coupled to a controller, which may be considered a power-management controller, configured to receive input from one or more of them and to control their operation as well as the operation of other electronic components of the building, such as scanners and locks. An example of the controller is shown in FIG. 6.

[0048] FIG. 6 illustrates a controller of the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building according to a non-limiting embodiment. The controller 602 may be positioned within a room 600 of the building 100 of FIG. 1. For example, the building 100 may include a control room in which the controller 602 and / or other electronic components are positioned. In some embodiments, the controller is an embedded firmware machine running, for example, LINUX. In some embodiments, the controller is a distributed controller having more than one processing core. Other alternatives are also possible. The operation of the controller 602 is described further below in connection with FIG. 7.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of electronic components of a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building according to embodiments of the present technology. The illustrated components are connected to the controller, which controls their operation. The components may be connected by a data bus, by serial communication lines, and / or by wireless links. The components need not be connected to the controller in the same manner as each other. For example, some of the components may be connected to the controller on a data bus, while others may be connected by wireless links.

[0050] The electrical system 700 of FIG. 7 illustrates the various electronic components in various groups. However, it should be appreciated that the illustrated groupings are nonlimiting. As shown, the electrical system 700 includes a controller 702, energy harvesters 704, energy storage components 706, environmental sensors 708, patron interaction components 710, security components 712, wireless communication circuitry 714, and a room capacity detector 716. Those groups of components and / or the individual components within each group areelectrically coupled to the controller 702 and / or to each other by connections 720, which may be any of the types described previously herein.

[0051] The controller 702 may be any suitable type of controller for controlling the various types of electronic components illustrated. For example, the controller 702 may be of the same type as the controller 602 of FIG. 6, described previously.

[0052] The energy harvesters 704 may include any of the types of energy harvesters described herein. For example, as shown, the energy harvesters 704 may include a solar harvester 703 and a wind harvester 705.

[0053] The energy storage components 706 may include any suitable technology for storing energy harvested by the energy harvesters 704. For example, the energy storage components 706 may include one or more rechargeable batteries.

[0054] The electrical system 700 further comprises a power converter 727 coupled between the energy harvester 704 and the energy storage components 706. The power converter provides power to the various components of the electrical system 700, although for simplicity not all connections from the power converter to powered components are illustrated.

[0055] The environmental sensors 708 may include any of the environmental sensors described herein. For example, the environmental sensors 708 may include a temperature sensor 707 and a humidity sensor 709.

[0056] The patron interaction components 710 may include components of the types described herein for managing interactions between the patron and the building. For example, the patron interaction components 710 may include a scanner 711 to scan an account ID and / or ID on a bundle of deposited items (e.g., a tag on a bag in which the recyclable items are placed), a door lock 713 to control access to the building, and lights 715 to light the vicinity of the building. The scanner 711 may be, for example, one or more of the scanners 204a- 204d of FIG. 2.

[0057] The security components 712 may include various components for ensuring security of the building and the items therein, some of which have been described previously. For example, the security components 712 may include a motion detector 717, a camera 719, and an alarm 721.

[0058] The wireless communication circuitry 714 may be any of the types described previously herein. For example, the wireless communication circuitry may be cellular circuitry, satellite communication circuitry, or WiFi circuitry, as examples. The wireless communication circuitry 714 may facilitate communication with a control center (e.g., hosting an accountmanagement system or otherwise interacting with the building) or other remote communication device.

[0059] The room capacity detector 716 may be of the type described previously in connection with FIG. 4. For example, the room capacity detector 716 may include one or more cameras configured to monitor a capacity of a room (or other enclosed space) in which bundles of recyclable items are stored.

[0060] Various components of FIG. 7 may be positioned together within the building. For example, the controller, one or more temperature sensors and humidity sensor may be positioned within an equipment cabinet in the building. Positioning components within an equipment cabinet may keep them safe and help control their operating environment, such as temperature humidity.

[0061] As shown, the electrical system 700 may further comprise a current sensor 725 configured to sense the current coming from the power converter 727. The current sensor may provide an input to the controller 702 so that the controller can evaluate how much current is being provided to the energy storage component 706. The controller 702 can use such information to assess whether power can be drawn from the power converter at a different level, whether power can be drawn from the energy storage component 706, how quickly the energy storage component might be charged, or other related information. In this manner, the information from the current sensor facilitates the controller 702 performing its predictive functions, such as those described in connection with FIG. 8 below, and its functions in altering the operation of various other components of the electrical system 700.

[0062] It should be appreciated that other components and combinations of components than those illustrated in FIG. 7 may be implemented in alternative embodiments.

[0063] Various methods of operating intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered buildings according to aspects of the present technology have been described. Non-limiting examples of such operation are further described below.

[0064] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of operating the intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building according to aspects of the present technology. The method 800 begins at stage 801 with the building receiving various data input relevant to predicting future energy needs of the building and capability of the building to meet those energy needs. Thus, stage 801 includes receiving at stage 802 environmental sensor data, receiving at stage 804 predictive weather data, and receiving at stage 806 stored energy data. Stages 802, 804, and 806 may occur in any order, includingsimultaneously. Those stages may occur periodically, or one or more of them may occur substantially continuously. They need not occur at the same time or frequency as each other.

[0065] Stage 802 involves receiving environmental sensor data. Such data may include data from any of the types of environmental sensors described herein, including but not limited to those of FIG. 7. For example, the data may include temperature data, humidity data, light level data, pressure data, dew point data, and / or wind speed data. The environmental sensor data may be used to determine environmental conditions which may impact energy needs of the building. For example, temperature data may be used to determine the need to use temperature control equipment, such as air conditioning and / or heating. Environmental sensor data may also be used to determine energy harvesting capability.

[0066] Stage 804 involves receiving predictive weather data. As previously described, the predictive weather data may be received from an external source, such as a weather service. The predictive weather data may be received via wireless communication equipment of the standalone building, such as wireless communication circuitry 714 of FIG. 7. The predictive weather data may include information predicting near term local weather conditions (e.g., temperature conditions, solar conditions (e.g., visibility, cloud cover), wind conditions (e.g., wind speed), humidity, etc.), for example over the next several days in some embodiments. Such information may facilitate determining renewable energy harvesting capability over that period. For example, expected wind speed and cloud cover may be used to predict the energy that can be expected to be harvested by wind turbines and solar panels of the standalone building. Predictive weather information may also be used to predict energy needs during that period. For example, predicted temperature data may be used to predict the energy that will be required to operate temperature control equipment of the building.

[0067] Stage 806 involves receiving data about stored energy in the energy storage device(s) (e.g., rechargeable batteries) of the standalone building. As described previously, energy harvested by the renewable energy harvester(s) of the standalone building may be stored for future use. Stage 806 provides an indication of how much energy is stored and available for use.

[0068] Stage 801 is a non-limiting example of the data received by the building. In alternative embodiments, a subset of the data shown in stage 801 may be received, and in still further alternative embodiments additional types of data compared to those shown in stage 801 may be received.

[0069] The method 800 proceeds to stage 807, which is the prediction stage in which the building makes predictions about future energy usage of the standalone building and futureenergy harvesting capability. Specifically, stage 808 involves predicting future energy usage of the standalone building for multiple hours or days. The future energy usage may be predicted by considering expected patron activity and expected weather conditions. Patron activity may be predicted based on various factors, such as time of day, day of the week, day of the year, or season, as examples, and may be based at least partially on historical patron activity. Expected weather conditions may impact energy usage in terms of operation of certain equipment, such as temperature control equipment, dehumidification equipment, and lighting. As non-limiting examples, the prediction of stage 807, such as stage 808, may factor in: predicted heating / cooling loss at the building based on R-value of the building’s walls, floor, roof, and doors; predicted heating / cooling loss in the building based on expected door openings; and / or predicted effect of recyclable item deposits on ambient temperature. The prediction of future energy usage may further include considering energy storage device (e.g., battery) capacity, battery recovery rates, minimal voltage needs for each piece of equipment in the building, and optimal volage and duty cycles for extending the life of batteries and other components. Any combination of those factors listed may be considered, as well as additional factors.

[0070] Stage 810 of method 800 comprises predicting future energy harvesting capability of the standalone building. This determination may be made based on, for example, predicted weather conditions. For instance, a prediction of cloudy days will impact predicted solar energy harvesting capability. A prediction of low wind days will impact predicted wind energy harvesting capability. The prediction may factor in, for example, solar capacity at different times of day and times of the year based on sun and shadow angles. The future energy harvesting capability may be predicted by considering weather predictions, prior operation of the harvesting equipment, or other considerations.

[0071] Stage 812 of the method 800 involves developing an energy usage plan (operational plan) for operating the electronic equipment of the building. The plan is based on the predicted future energy usage from stage 808, the predicted future energy harvesting capability from stage 810, and current amount of stored energy (e.g., battery level of batteries in the building). The plan may involve various actions, such as shutting off certain equipment, scheduling the equipment to be active for a reduced period, or balancing periods of activity of various components. In some embodiments, the plan may prioritize certain functions. For example, the ability to provide patron access to the building to deposit bundles of recyclable items may be prioritized over temperature control of the building, and therefore operation of the access points of the building may be activated while temperature control equipment may be shut off or run on a reduced basis. In buildings having multiple access points, the plan may involvereducing the number of functional access points. In some embodiments, functions of lesser importance may be disabled or operated on a reduced schedule.

[0072] As an example, the energy usage plan developed at stage 812 may include various actions for operating the equipment at the station to maintain safe and ergonomic operations by the patron and safe access for the driver or other personnel responsible for collecting deposited recyclable items from the building, such as:• expanding the operating temperature allowed inside the building (e.g., reducing heating / cooling needs);• adjusting the setpoint for heating or air conditioning to ‘bank’ heating or cooling to span times when heating or cooling will be reduced or shut off;• adjusting the intensity of lighting (for example, providing minimal lighting when no one is at the building and increasing lighting when a person approaches the building rather than maintaining constant lighting);• turning off and on security cameras (for example, based on predicted periods of lower and higher vulnerability or based on whether someone has been detected at the building);• controlling patron access point (e.g., deposit door) access (for example, allowing access to a single or limited number of doors during periods of energy conservation and access to all doors during periods of energy abundance);• turning off networking equipment and circumventing monitoring alarms for a period of time to conserve power; and / or• managing service door access and pick-up times (for example, to limit heating / cooling loss during periods of energy conservation).

[0073] Other energy usage plans having more or fewer actions, and different combinations of actions, may be developed at stage 812.

[0074] Stage 814 of the method 800 involves implementing the energy usage plan developed at stage 812. Implementation may entail, for example, operating the various electronic components of the building consistent with an operating schedule under the developed plan from stage 812.

[0075] Note that the method 800 may optionally involve generating various types of alerts. For example, as shown in at stage 813, an optional alert to a control center (e.g., a central station) and / or to patrons may be generated. Alerts to a control center may be generated forreasons such as low battery levels, insufficient energy generation capability, or equipment malfunctions. More generally, a report of the predictions from prediction stage 807 may be sent to a control center for further analysis. Alerts to patrons may include items such as warning patrons of buildings experiencing high temperatures, reduced accessibility or other considerations. Patrons may optionally be directed to other buildings to avoid a building that is operating sub-optimally. Alerts may be sent by text message, email, or in other manners.

[0076] According to an aspect of the present technology, data is collected about the PPM solution’s success in managing power availability vs. power needs at each building under recorded conditions. For example, data about the implementation of an energy usage plan developed at stage 812 of method 800 may be collected. The data may be used to refine a given energy usage plan developed at stage 812, or to alter development of future plans, to better meet future needs at the building.

[0077] In some embodiments, the PPM functionality may be used to support scheduling of predictive maintenance to address situations affecting power management at the building. For example, existing issues or potential issues with components of the building may be identified, and maintenance scheduled, such as for leaky doors causing excessive heat or cooling loss, failing components drawing excessive power, and so forth.

[0078] In some embodiments, a power management system for a standalone, powered recycling drop-off building uses a subset of the variables described above to calculate energy capacity and demand as well as a subset of the actions described above to control energy consumption. For example, some embodiments only manage solar energy capacity and not other types of energy capacity. In contrast, alternative embodiments use all of the variables and actions described above and manage both solar and wind capacity.

[0079] It should be appreciated from the foregoing that aspects of the present technology provide a system and method for predicting near-term future renewable energy (solar and wind) capacity and needs of a recycling sustainability station which houses patron-returned recyclable items, and defining and implementing a power budget to balance the capacity and needs in the recycling sustainability station. In some embodiments, weather forecasts are used as a component of the predicted energy capacity and needs. In some embodiments, adjustment of equipment duty cycles (as defined above) to manage power consumption by the building is performed. In some embodiments, use of wind power to augment solar power, particularly to compensate for lack of solar capacity on stormy days, is performed by a power management system of the types described herein. In some embodiments, adjustment of duty cycles andsupplied voltage to extend the life of batteries and electronic components of the types of building described herein is performed.

[0080] The systems and methods according to at least some embodiments exhibit the ability to learn from experience to better balance energy supply and use in the future. For example, predictive methods such as that illustrated in FIG. 8 may learn from the performance of previously-developed energy usage plans in determining future energy usage plans. The predictive power management system may learn not only from the operation of that specific building, but from other such buildings, which may share information with each other.

[0081] FIG. 9 illustrates one non-limiting method of operating an intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable or reusable items (e.g., beverage containers such as bottles and cans). The method 900 begins at stage 902 at which weather data is retrieved by the building. If the weather data is successfully retrieved (“Yes”) the method proceeds to stage 904 where a determination is made of whether there will be low levels of sunshine, which would correlate to little solar energy generation for the building. If no, then no action is required (stage 908).

[0082] If the determination at stage 904 indicates there will be low levels of sunshine, then at stage 906 a determination is made as to whether the future temperature at the building site implicates the need for HVAC equipment operation. If not, then no action is taken (stage 912). However, if the determination at stage 906 indicates that HVAC equipment operation will be needed, then at stage 910 a determination is made whether there is extra power that can be diverted from maintaining the battery (or other energy storage device).

[0083] If there is extra power that can be diverted from maintaining the battery, then at stage 914 a determination is made whether heating will be required. If yes, then at stage 916 the heater is turned on and off to raise the temperature of, for example, an equipment cabinet housing certain electronic equipment of the building, while leaving appropriate power for the battery, meaning appropriate power to charge or maintain the charge of the battery.

[0084] If, however, at stage 914 a determination is made that heating will not be required, then at stage 924 a determination is made whether cooling with be required. If yes, then at stage 918 the air conditioning (“AC”) will be turned on and off to cool the temperature of, for example, the equipment cabinet while leaving appropriate power for the battery, meaning appropriate power to charge or maintain the charge of the battery.

[0085] If, at stage 910, the determination is made that there is not extra power that can be diverted from maintaining the battery, then at stage 920 the system starts applying powermanagement techniques such as those described herein, to reduce current power consumption of the building. For example, components may be turned off or scheduled for reduced operation.

[0086] Then, at stage 922, the system waits for the battery to reach a target level to reduce the power requirements from the solar energy harvester. Waiting for the battery to reach a target level may involve waiting until the battery is charged to a default level, or to a level determined by the system as being sufficient to make up for any predicted lack of solar energy. The method then returns to stage 902.

[0087] FIG. 10 illustrates another non-limiting method of operating an intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable or reusable items (e.g., beverage containers such as bottles and cans). The method 1000 begins at stage 1002 with the building retrieving weather data. If weather data is successfully retrieved (“Yes”), then at stage 1004 a determination is made whether there will be a large temperature change. If not, then no action is required (Stage 1008). If a determination is made at stage 1004 that there will be a large temperature change, then a determination is made at stage 1006 whether the temperature will go down (decrease). If yes, then a determination is made at stage 1010 whether there is extra power that can be diverted from maintaining the battery. If there is, then at stage 1012 the heater is turned on and off to, for example, raise the temperature of an equipment cabinet of the building while leaving the appropriate power for the battery, meaning appropriate power to charge or maintain the charge of the battery. However, if the determination at stage 1010 is that there is not extra power that can be diverted from maintaining the battery, then no action is required (stage 1026).

[0088] If the determination at stage 1006 is that the temperature will not go down, then a determination is made at stage 1014 whether there is potential to get near the dew point. If not, then no action is required (stage 1015). If, however, the determination at stage 1014 indicates that there is the potential to get near the dew point (“Yes”), then at stage 1016 a determination is made whether the humidity in the equipment cabinet is near the dew point. If yes, then at stage 1022 the air conditioning (“A / C”) is started to remove humidity. This may be required since electronics generally do not perform well and can be damaged if exposed to condensation.

[0089] If, at stage 1016, the determination is made that the humidity in the equipment cabinet is not near the dew point, then a determination is made at stage 1018 whether the humidity in the building (not just the equipment cabinet) is near the dew point. This may be done with a separate humidity sensor than that used for the determination at stage 1016. If so, then the system may control turning on the fan to start exchanging air. If, however, thedetermination is made at stage 1018 that the humidity in the building is not near the dew point, then no action is required (stage 1020).

[0090] FIG. 11 illustrates another non-limiting method of operating an intelligent, standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use recyclable or reusable items (e.g., beverage containers such as bottles and cans). The method 1100 begins at stage 1102 with the building retrieving weather data. If the weather data is successfully retrieved (“Yes”), then the method moves to stage 1104 at which a determination is made whether the weather data predicts snow. If not, no action is required (stage 1108). If, however, the determination at stage 1104 is that snow is predicted, then a determination is made at stage 1106 whether there is extra power that can be diverted from maintaining the battery. If yes, then the method moves to stage 1110 at which the heater is turned on and off, for example to raise the temperature in the equipment cabinet of the building while leaving the appropriate power for the battery, meaning appropriate power to charge or maintain the charge of the battery.

[0091] If the determination at stage 1106 is that there is not extra power that can be diverted from maintaining the battery, then the method proceeds to stage 1112 at which the method involves starting to apply power management techniques to reduce current power consumption. Such power management techniques may involve any of those techniques described herein, such as turning off some components or scheduled reduced operation of components. The method proceeds to stage 1114 which involves waiting for the battery to reach a target level to reduce the power requirements from an energy harvester, for example like described above in connection with stage 922 of FIG. 9. The method then returns to stage 1102.

[0092] The methods 900-1100 are merely examples. Alternative methods for operating buildings of the types described herein are possible.

[0093] As should be appreciated from the description above, various aspects of the invention may be implemented on one or more computer systems, such as the exemplary system 1200 shown in FIG. 12. Computer system 1200 includes processor 1210, memory 1220, nonvolatile storage 1230, and a display 1240. The processor may be a controller of the types described herein. The processor may perform one or more functions of the buildings described herein, such as those functions associated with FIGs. 8-11. Instructions for the processor may be stored, for example, in non-volatile storage 1230, and data may be stored, for example, in memory 1220. Alternatively, instructions for the processor may be stored in the memory 1220 and data may be stored in the non-volatile storage 1230. In still further embodiments, the memory 1220 and non-volatile storage 1230 may both store instructions and / or data. Thememory and / or non-volatile storage may be a disk (e.g., an optical disk), a compact disk (cd), a solid-stage memory, or any other memory, and in some embodiments may be configured to store process-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor 1210 cause the processor to perform any of the methods described herein. It should be appreciated that the memory 1220 and non-volatile storage 1230 are non-transitory media in at least some embodiments.Optionally, a display 1240 may be provided, for example so that personnel may interact with the processor and view data output by the processor.

[0094] Aspects of the technology described herein may provide various benefits. Below are some examples. Not all embodiments necessarily provide all listed benefits and benefits other than those may be realized in at least some embodiments.

[0095] For example, aspects of the present technology provide recycling drop-off buildings which may function in a variety of environments and a variety of locations. The buildings may operate in a power-efficient, environmentally friendly, and sustainable manner. The buildings may operate with minimal batter power. Moreover, the operation of the buildings may improve over time, as the predictive power management functionality may be altered based on learning from the performance of the building under previously developed energy usage plans.

[0096] The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

[0097] The phrase “and / or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and / or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and / or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0098] As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.

[0099] Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

[0100] The terms “approximately” and “about” may be used to mean within ±20% of a target value in some embodiments, within ±10% of a target value in some embodiments, within ±5% of a target value in some embodiments, and yet within ±2% of a target value in some embodiments. The terms “approximately” and “about” may include the target value.

[0101] Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers, comprising: an enclosed space for housing the bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers; an electronically controlled access point unlockable to provide access to the enclosed space for depositing the bundles of the post-use, recyclable beverage containers; temperature control equipment configured to adjust a temperature of the enclosed space; a renewable energy harvester; an energy storage component coupled to the renewable energy harvester and configured to store energy harvested by the renewable energy harvester; and a controller configured to receive predictive weather information and an indication of energy stored in the energy storage component, and further configured to predict future energy usage by the building and to control an operational state of the electronically controlled access point and an operational state of the temperature control equipment in response to predicting the future energy usage by the building.

2. The standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of claim 1 or any other preceding claim, further comprising a sensor configured to sense an environmental condition of the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building, and wherein the controller is coupled to the sensor and configured to receive data from the sensor about the environmental condition.

3. The standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of claim 2 or any other preceding claim, wherein the data from the sensor is combined with the predictive weather information to predict the future energy usage by the building.

4. The standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of claim 2 or any other preceding claim, further comprising wireless communication circuitry, and wherein the controller is coupled to the wireless communication circuitry and configured to receive the predictive weather information via the wireless communication circuitry.

5. The standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of claim 1 or any other preceding claim, wherein the renewable energy harvester is a solar harvester.

6. The standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of claim 1 or any other preceding claim, wherein the standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of claim 1 has a perimeter that is less than 800 square yards.

7. The standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building of claim 1 or any other preceding claim, further comprising a current sensor configured to sense an amount of current produced by the renewable energy harvester, and wherein the controller is configured to receive an output from the current sensor.

8. A method of operating a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building according to any preceding claim.

9. A system for managing the return of recyclable items, the system comprising: a control center; and a standalone, electrically functional and renewable energy powered building for receiving and temporarily storing bundles of post-use, recyclable beverage containers as in any preceding claim, wherein the building is communicatively coupled to the control center.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the control center hosts an account-management system.

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