Garbage sorting uniform feeding method and system

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of garbage sorting, and relates to a garbage sorting uniform feeding method and system, which sets a 3D detection device on an intermediate conveying belt, sets an AI image detection device on a sorting conveying belt, collects feeding amount of the material on the intermediate conveying belt in real time, collects real-time data of material spreading and dispersing on the sorting conveying belt, effectively combines the feeding amount and the spreading rate, controls and optimizes the running speed of the intermediate conveying belt in real time, balances the feeding rate and the material spreading uniformity, facilitates subsequent garbage sorting, and provides a solid foundation for the garbage sorting device to achieve the best sorting rate and sorting effect.

Description

A method and system for uniform feeding of waste sorting Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of waste sorting technology, and in particular to a method and system for uniform feeding of waste sorting. Background Technology

[0002] By sorting and recycling waste, especially waste plastics (such as express delivery packaging, takeout packaging, and shopping bags) and waste paper, we can avoid mixing them for landfill and incineration, thereby improving the resource utilization rate of household waste and reducing carbon emissions from solid waste disposal.

[0003] To achieve good sorting results, existing common waste sorting devices (such as magnetic iron removal, eddy current separators, photoelectric separators, air separators, and bouncing screens) require ensuring a reasonable and uniform feed rate, and improving the uniformity of material dispersion and spreading on the working surface of the sorting device to reduce stacking. However, some low-value recyclable materials, such as plastic bags, takeout packaging, milk cartons, paper cups, food packaging bags, and waste textiles, are characterized by varying sizes, light weight, large area, tendency to clump together, and easy entanglement in long strips. Existing feeding methods cannot enable the sorting device to achieve optimal sorting efficiency or the best sorting effect.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in this background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the overall background of the present invention, and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems mentioned above in the background art, this invention proposes a method for uniformly feeding waste sorting, which includes the following steps:

[0006] Materials are transported via a feeding conveyor belt and enter the intermediate conveyor belt;

[0007] The 3D inspection device performs real-time inspection of the material on the intermediate conveyor belt to obtain the feed rate per unit time.

[0008] Materials are transported via an intermediate conveyor belt and then enter the sorting conveyor belt;

[0009] AI image recognition device detects materials on the sorting conveyor belt in real time and obtains the material spreading rate on the sorting conveyor belt per unit time.

[0010] The central control module controls the speed of the intermediate conveyor belt based on the feed rate and paving rate per unit time.

[0011] Furthermore, obtaining the feed amount per unit time includes the following steps:

[0012] The encoder records the distance traveled by the intermediate conveyor belt;

[0013] Based on the moving distance, the encoder controls the 3D detection device to obtain the material depth information on the intermediate conveyor belt within a unit distance;

[0014] The cross-sectional area per unit distance is calculated based on the material depth information on the intermediate conveyor belt within a unit distance and the width of the intermediate conveyor belt within a unit distance.

[0015] The volume of the slice per unit distance is calculated based on the cross-sectional area per unit distance.

[0016] The volume of slices per unit time is summed to obtain the volume of material per unit time, i.e., the feed rate.

[0017] Furthermore, the cross-sectional area within the unit distance Expressed as:

[0018]

[0019] in, The width of the belt. This refers to the line scan resolution of the 3D inspection device. This provides depth information for the material.

[0020] Furthermore, the slice volume V per unit distance is expressed as:

[0021]

[0022] in, The distance is expressed in units.

[0023] Furthermore, obtaining the spreading rate of the material on the sorting conveyor belt includes the following steps:

[0024] AI image recognition devices collect contour and area information of materials on the sorting conveyor belt;

[0025] The paving rate is calculated by combining the material's outline and area information with the area of ​​the sorting conveyor belt.

[0026] Furthermore, the paving ratio is expressed as:

[0027]

[0028] Where S is the area of ​​the conveyor belt. .

[0029] Furthermore, the method of controlling the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt by combining the feed rate and paving ratio per unit time includes the following steps:

[0030] The theoretical paving rate is predicted based on the feed rate and material volume.

[0031] The theoretical paving rate is fed back to the central control module to control the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt;

[0032] The theoretical paving rate is compared with the actual paving rate obtained by the AI ​​image recognition device to obtain the deviation value;

[0033] The central control module further adjusts the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt based on the deviation value.

[0034] Furthermore, the operating speed of the feeding conveyor belt is directly proportional to the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt.

[0035] Furthermore, the operating speed of the sorting conveyor belt remains constant.

[0036] The present invention also provides a waste sorting and feeding system for implementing the waste sorting and uniform feeding method described in any of the above-mentioned methods, including a feeding conveyor belt, an intermediate conveyor belt, a sorting conveyor belt, a 3D detection device, and an AI image recognition device.

[0037] Based on the above, the waste sorting uniform feeding method and system provided by this invention, compared with existing feeding methods, by setting up a 3D detection device on the intermediate conveyor belt to collect real-time data on the material feeding amount on the intermediate conveyor belt, and setting up an AI image detection device on the sorting conveyor belt to collect real-time data on the material spreading and dispersion, effectively combines the feeding amount and spreading rate, and performs real-time control and optimization of the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt, balancing the feeding rate and material spreading uniformity, which facilitates subsequent waste sorting and provides a solid foundation for the waste sorting device to achieve the best sorting rate and sorting effect.

[0038] Other features and beneficial effects of the present invention will be set forth in the following description, and some of these features and beneficial effects may be learned by practicing the invention. The objectives and other beneficial effects of the invention can be achieved and obtained through the structures specifically pointed out in the description and other contents. Attached Figure Description

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort. Unless otherwise specified, the positional relationships in the drawings described below are based on the direction shown by the components in the figures.

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic flowchart of a uniform feeding method for waste sorting provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the process for obtaining real-time feed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for controlling the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt by the feed rate and the paving rate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a uniform waste sorting and feeding system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Marked in the image:

[0045] Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. The technical features designed in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more. Additionally, the term "comprising" and any variations thereof mean "at least comprising."

[0048] To facilitate understanding, let's first explain some of the terms:

[0049] Paving ratio: The ratio of the total area of ​​material in a dispersed paving state to the surface area of ​​the sorting conveyor belt.

[0050] Unit distance and unit time: can be set according to the specific working conditions and environment, without any restrictions.

[0051] Depth information: The height of the material collected by the 3D inspection device.

[0052] Cross-sectional area information: The area of ​​the material perpendicular to the direction of movement collected by the 3D inspection device.

[0053] Example 1

[0054] To address the technical problem or advantage that existing feeding methods cannot achieve optimal sorting efficiency or the best sorting effect for the sorting device, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for uniform feeding of waste sorting. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, it includes the following steps:

[0055] The material is transported via the feeding conveyor belt 10 and enters the intermediate conveyor belt 20;

[0056] The 3D detection device 40 performs real-time detection on the material on the intermediate conveyor belt 20 to obtain the feed amount per unit time.

[0057] The materials are transported via the intermediate conveyor belt 20 and enter the sorting conveyor belt 30;

[0058] AI image recognition device 50 performs real-time detection of materials on sorting conveyor belt 30 to obtain the spreading rate of materials on sorting conveyor belt 30 per unit time.

[0059] The main control module 60 controls the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 based on the feed rate and paving rate per unit time.

[0060] Furthermore,

[0061] The process of obtaining the feed rate per unit time includes the following steps:

[0062] The encoder records the distance traveled by the intermediate conveyor belt;

[0063] Based on the moving distance, the encoder controls the 3D detection device to obtain the material depth information on the intermediate conveyor belt within a unit distance;

[0064] The cross-sectional area per unit distance is calculated based on the material depth information on the intermediate conveyor belt within a unit distance and the width of the intermediate conveyor belt within a unit distance.

[0065] The volume of the slice per unit distance is calculated based on the cross-sectional area per unit distance.

[0066] The volume of slices per unit time is summed to obtain the volume of material per unit time, i.e., the feed rate.

[0067] Furthermore, the cross-sectional area within the unit distance Expressed as:

[0068]

[0069] in, The width of the belt. This refers to the line scan resolution of the 3D inspection device. This provides depth information for the material.

[0070] Furthermore, the slice volume V per unit distance is expressed as:

[0071]

[0072] in, The distance is expressed in units.

[0073] In practice, materials are transported into the intermediate conveyor belt 20 via the feeding conveyor belt 10. As the materials pass through the 3D detection device 40, the device performs real-time detection, acquiring depth information and calculating the cross-sectional area of ​​the object per unit time. The volume of a slice of the object per unit distance is calculated using this cross-sectional area information. The sum of these slice volumes per unit distance yields the feed rate. Preferably, the intermediate conveyor belt 20 is equipped with an encoder to record its travel distance. Simultaneously, the 3D detection device 40 is also triggered by the encoder for sampling, allowing for accurate acquisition and calculation of the feed rate as the speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 changes.

[0074] In some preferred embodiments, the 3D detection device 40 is a line scan 3D camera.

[0075] The material is transported into the sorting conveyor belt 30 via the intermediate conveyor belt 20. The material is stacked on the intermediate conveyor belt 20, while the sorting conveyor belt 30 operates at a relatively higher speed. When the material enters the sorting conveyor belt 30, the speed difference spreads the material out. It should be noted that a material spreading device may be installed between the intermediate conveyor belt 20 and the sorting conveyor belt 30, depending on the actual working conditions, to achieve a better spreading effect.

[0076] The sorting conveyor belt 30 operates at a constant speed. The material is transported via the sorting conveyor belt 30 and then passes through the AI ​​image detection device 50. The AI ​​image detection device 50 performs real-time detection on the spread material, collecting the contour and area information of each material. Combined with the area of ​​the sorting conveyor belt 30, the paving ratio is calculated. The paving ratio is expressed as:

[0077]

[0078] Where S is the area of ​​the conveyor belt. .

[0079] Preferably, the AI ​​image detection device 50 is an RGB camera.

[0080] The main control module combines the feed rate and paving ratio, and controls the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 through the speed controller. If the feed rate and paving ratio are large, the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 is reduced, and if the feed rate and paving ratio are small, the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 is increased.

[0081] Based on this, to more accurately control the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20, a preset spreading rate needs to be set in advance according to the sorting capacity of the downstream waste sorting equipment before feeding. The operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 is then set according to the preset spreading rate, ensuring that the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 matches the sorting capacity of the sorting device over a long period. Simultaneously, using the preset spreading rate as a standard, the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 is controlled based on the real-time collected feed rate and spreading rate. This achieves a balance between the feeding rate and the uniformity of material spreading within a short period, facilitating subsequent waste sorting.

[0082] Example 2

[0083] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment refines the control module's control of the intermediate conveyor belt's operating speed by combining the feed rate and paving rate per unit time, as shown in Figure 3, and includes the following steps:

[0084] The theoretical paving rate is predicted based on the feed rate and material volume.

[0085] The theoretical paving rate is fed back to the central control module to control the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt;

[0086] The theoretical paving rate is compared with the actual paving rate obtained by the AI ​​image recognition device to obtain the deviation value;

[0087] The central control module further adjusts the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt based on the deviation value.

[0088] In practice, due to the variety of waste types, each with different shapes and sizes, the volume information detected by the 3D detection device 40 cannot be directly quantified into a paving rate. Therefore, a calibration step needs to be performed before the actual material loading operation begins.

[0089] A batch of materials to be sorted is placed on the conveyor belt 10, the intermediate conveyor belt 20 and the sorting conveyor belt 30. The 3D detection device 40 obtains the volume information of the materials, and the AI ​​image detection device 50 collects the spreading area of ​​the materials on the sorting conveyor belt 30. At this time, by combining the feed rate and the spreading area, an approximate equivalent height H can be calculated. Then, the volume information of the materials obtained by the 3D detection device 40 per unit time is obtained.

[0090] During the formal material loading process, taking into account the equivalent height H, the volume formula is transformed as follows:

[0091]

[0092] An approximate theory was calculated. Then the approximate theoretical paving ratio P is:

[0093]

[0094] Preferably, the above calibration steps can be repeated multiple times to obtain the average value of the equivalent height H, thereby reducing the error.

[0095] The theoretical paving rate is fed back to the central control module 60. The central control module 60 compares the theoretical paving rate with the preset paving rate. When the theoretical paving rate is greater than the preset paving rate, the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 is reduced. When the theoretical paving rate is less than the preset paving rate, the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 is increased.

[0096] Meanwhile, the central control module 60 compares the theoretical paving rate with the actual paving rate collected by the AI ​​image detection device 50 to obtain the deviation value between the theoretical paving rate and the actual paving rate. When predicting the theoretical paving rate in the next unit time, the deviation value is added for prediction, so as to make fine adjustments to the intermediate conveyor belt 20, so as to more accurately balance the feeding rate and the uniformity of material paving.

[0097] In some preferred embodiments, to prevent material accumulation on the intermediate conveyor belt 20 when its operating speed decreases, the operating speed of the feeding conveyor belt 10 is proportional to the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20. That is, when the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 decreases, the operating speed of the feeding conveyor belt 10 also decreases, reducing the feed rate. When the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 20 increases, the operating speed of the feeding conveyor belt 10 also increases, increasing the feed rate.

[0098] In some preferred embodiments, as shown in FIG4, the present invention also provides a waste sorting and feeding system for implementing the waste sorting and uniform feeding method of any of the above embodiments, which includes a feeding conveyor belt 10, an intermediate conveyor belt 20, a sorting conveyor belt 30, a 3D detection device 40, an AI image detection device 50, and a central control module 60.

[0099] In summary, the waste sorting uniform feeding method and system provided by this invention, compared with existing feeding methods, by setting up a 3D detection device on the intermediate conveyor belt to collect real-time data on the material feeding amount, and setting up an AI image detection device on the sorting conveyor belt to collect real-time data on the material spreading and dispersion, effectively combines the feeding amount and spreading rate, and optimizes and regulates the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt in real time. This balances the feeding rate and the uniformity of material spreading, facilitating subsequent waste sorting and providing a solid foundation for the waste sorting device to achieve optimal sorting rate and sorting effect.

[0100] Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that although many problems exist in the prior art, each embodiment or technical solution of the present invention can be improved in only one or a few aspects, without necessarily solving all the technical problems listed in the prior art or the background art simultaneously. Those skilled in the art should understand that any content not mentioned in a claim should not be construed as a limitation on that claim.

[0101] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for uniformly feeding waste sorting, characterized in that: The process includes the following steps: materials are transported via a feeding conveyor belt and enter an intermediate conveyor belt; a 3D detection device performs real-time detection on the materials on the intermediate conveyor belt to obtain the feed rate per unit time; the materials are transported via the intermediate conveyor belt and enter a sorting conveyor belt; an AI image recognition device performs real-time detection on the materials on the sorting conveyor belt to obtain the spreading rate of the materials on the sorting conveyor belt per unit time; the central control module controls the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt based on the feed rate and spreading rate per unit time, including the following steps: predicting the theoretical spreading rate based on the feed rate and material volume; feeding back the theoretical spreading rate to the central control module to control the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt; comparing the theoretical spreading rate with the actual spreading rate obtained by the AI ​​image recognition device to obtain the deviation value; and the central control module further corrects the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt based on the deviation value.

2. The uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process of obtaining the feed amount per unit time includes the following steps: the encoder records the moving distance of the intermediate conveyor belt; based on the moving distance, the encoder controls the 3D detection device to obtain the material depth information on the intermediate conveyor belt within the unit distance; based on the material depth information on the intermediate conveyor belt within the unit distance and the width of the intermediate conveyor belt within the unit distance, the cross-sectional area within the unit distance is calculated. The volume of the slices per unit distance is calculated based on the cross-sectional area per unit distance; the volume of the slices per unit time is summed to obtain the volume of material per unit time, i.e., the feed rate.

3. The uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to claim 2, characterized in that: Cross-sectional area per unit distance Expressed as: in, The width of the belt. This refers to the line scan resolution of the 3D inspection device. This provides depth information for the material.

4. The uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to claim 3, characterized in that: The slice volume V per unit distance is expressed as: in, The distance is expressed in units.

5. The uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that: Obtaining the spreading rate of materials on the sorting conveyor belt involves the following steps: an AI image recognition device collects the outline and area information of the materials on the sorting conveyor belt; the spreading rate is calculated by combining the outline and area information of the materials with the area of ​​the sorting conveyor belt.

6. The uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to claim 5, characterized in that: The paving ratio P is expressed as: Where S is the area of ​​the conveyor belt. This is the sum of the areas of all materials projected onto the belt surface.

7. The uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operating speed of the feeding conveyor belt is proportional to the operating speed of the intermediate conveyor belt.

8. The uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sorting conveyor belt operates at a constant speed.

9. A waste sorting and feeding system, characterized in that: The method for implementing the uniform feeding method for waste sorting according to any one of claims 1-8 includes a feeding conveyor belt, an intermediate conveyor belt, a sorting conveyor belt, a 3D detection device, and an AI image recognition device.

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