Medical waste automatic collecting and packing robot

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of medical waste automatic collection packing robot, can be preset area automatic walking collection medical waste, complete garbage packing, automatic air extraction and synchronous to the air extraction purification treatment;Built-in liquid collector, when liquid level reaches three quarters, automatically prompt to pour, support one-key pollution discharge and device automatic cleaning;After packing is completed, first wipe disinfection to the outer surface of garbage bag, then automatically replace new garbage bag.The present application can significantly reduce the volume of garbage, reduce the damage rate of transportation, reduce the risk of pollution, realize the full-process automation of medical waste from collection, packing, air extraction purification, liquid-solid separation to automatic bagging, self-cleaning, improve the safety and efficiency of medical waste treatment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical waste treatment technology, and in particular to an automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot and an automatic medical waste collection and packaging method. Background Technology

[0002] Medical waste refers to waste generated by medical and health institutions during medical treatment, prevention, healthcare, and other related activities that possess direct or indirect infectiousness, toxicity, or other hazards. It includes five major categories: infectious waste, pathological waste, sharps waste, pharmaceutical waste, and chemical waste. Medical waste contains large amounts of pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, and harmful chemicals. Improper handling can easily lead to cross-infection, environmental pollution, and even public health emergencies. According to the "Regulations on the Management of Medical Waste," medical waste must be managed according to the principles of "classified collection, sealed packaging, designated personnel transportation, and centralized disposal."

[0003] Currently, the vast majority of hospitals in China still use traditional manual methods for collecting medical waste, which presents the following prominent problems: 1. Low collection efficiency: Cleaning staff need to collect trash cans floor by floor and ward by ward, manually packing and carrying it, which is labor-intensive, and the average daily processing volume per person is only 30-40 bags. Large tertiary hospitals generate more than 200 bags of medical waste per day, requiring 5-8 full-time cleaning staff, resulting in high labor costs and an inability to meet the surge in processing demand during public health emergencies.

[0004] 2. Extremely high safety risks: Direct contact with medical waste poses a significant risk of puncture wounds from sharp objects and an infection rate as high as 3.2% for bloodborne diseases such as hepatitis B and HIV. Garbage bags are prone to breakage during packaging, leading to liquid leakage, the spread of pathogens, and environmental and personnel contamination. Statistics show that the occupational exposure rate for those working in medical waste disposal is 2-3 times higher than that of ordinary medical staff.

[0005] 3. Large volume of waste: Uncompressed medical waste is fluffy and occupies a large amount of storage and transportation space. Under traditional collection methods, the volumetric density of medical waste is only 80-120 kg / m³, the effective loading rate of transport vehicles is less than 30%, transportation costs are high, and the risk of leakage during transportation is increased.

[0006] 4. Severe Liquid Pollution: Current collection methods fail to achieve liquid-solid separation, resulting in liquid waste being stored together with solid waste. During handling and transportation, garbage bags are easily damaged by compression or puncture, leading to liquid leakage that contaminates the ground, vehicles, and air, causing secondary pollution. Surveys indicate that approximately 15% of medical waste transport vehicles have varying degrees of liquid leakage problems.

[0007] 5. Gas pollution: Medical waste generates harmful gases and volatile organic compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and methanethiol during storage, with concentrations reaching 5-10 times the national standard limits. The sudden release of these gases during manual packaging poses a serious threat to the health of operators, and long-term exposure may lead to occupational diseases such as respiratory illnesses and nervous system damage.

[0008] 6. Lack of self-cleaning ability: Existing collection equipment cannot automatically clean and disinfect itself after use, leaving bacteria residue on the equipment surface, which can become a new source of contamination. Manual cleaning is not only inefficient, but cleaning personnel also face the risk of infection.

[0009] In recent years, although some companies have developed medical waste collection robots (as shown in the attached document) Figure 1 The image shows different types of medical waste collection robots offered by various "xxx brands" on the market. However, existing technologies still have significant shortcomings: most robots only perform simple handling functions. Although they can autonomously complete the task of moving waste from its source to the temporary storage area, they do not integrate functions such as packaging, compression, liquid-solid separation, and gas purification. A few robots with packaging capabilities do not disinfect the outer surface of the waste bags after packaging and cannot handle liquid waste. All existing robots lack self-cleaning capabilities and require regular manual cleaning and maintenance. Furthermore, the path planning and target recognition accuracy of existing robots is low, making them prone to collisions and getting lost in complex hospital environments. Therefore, developing a fully automated medical waste treatment system that integrates collection, packaging, vacuum compression, gas purification, liquid-solid separation, automatic bag changing, and self-cleaning has become a pressing technical challenge for the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0010] To address the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides the following technical solution: On the one hand, an automated medical waste collection and packaging robot is provided, comprising: The mobile carrier module is used to carry other modules and move automatically according to a preset path. A multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm module is installed on top of the mobile carrier module to perform garbage collection, disinfection, and cleaning operations; An integrated end effector module, installed at the end of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator module, integrates a garbage gripper, a liquid suction head, a disinfection spray head, and a wiping mechanism to perform garbage gripping, liquid suction, disinfection spraying, and surface wiping operations. The liquid-solid separation and collection module includes a waste storage bin, a liquid collector, a stainless steel filter screen, and an ultrasonic liquid level sensor. The stainless steel filter screen is installed at the bottom of the waste storage bin to achieve liquid-solid separation and temporary storage of medical waste. The vacuum compression and gas purification module, including a vacuum pump, a vacuum solenoid valve, a pressure sensor, and a three-stage purification module, is used to vacuum compress packaged medical waste and purify the extracted gas. The automatic bag changing and disinfection module includes a roll-up garbage bag mechanism, a bag pulling mechanism, an opening mechanism, and a heat sealing mechanism, which are used to automatically open, seal, and replace garbage bags. The intelligent sensing and control module, including the main control unit, lidar, vision camera and ultrasonic sensor, is used to collect environmental data, plan paths and control the coordinated operation of various modules; The energy and communication module is used to provide power to the robot and enable communication with the back-end management system.

[0011] Preferably, the integrated end effector module has a pneumatic parallel gripper for garbage disposal, with an anti-slip silicone layer on the inside; a stainless steel conical suction head with a removable filter screen inside, and a maximum suction flow rate of 2-5 L / min; a high-pressure atomizing nozzle for disinfection spray, with atomized particles of 50-100 μm in diameter; and a rotating non-woven cloth wiping disc with an adjustable rotation speed of 0-300 rpm.

[0012] Preferably, the bottom of the waste storage bin of the liquid-solid separation collection module is an inclined surface, and a stainless steel filter screen is installed at the lowest point of the inclined surface; an ultrasonic liquid level sensor is installed on the top of the liquid collector to monitor the liquid level in real time, and triggers automatic sewage discharge when the liquid level reaches a preset value of the liquid collector height.

[0013] Preferably, the three-stage purification module of the vacuum compression and gas purification module includes, in sequence, an H14 grade HEPA high-efficiency filter, a modified activated carbon adsorption layer, and a 254nm ultraviolet disinfection lamp; the air pump is an oil-free rotary vane vacuum pump.

[0014] Preferably, the vacuum compression and gas purification module uses a phased control algorithm for gas extraction control, including a rapid extraction phase, a slow extraction phase, and a pressure holding phase; the rapid extraction phase extracts gas at 100% rated power to -0.04MPa, the slow extraction phase extracts gas at 30% rated power to a preset vacuum of -0.06MPa to -0.08MPa, and the pressure holding phase maintains the vacuum for 3-5 seconds.

[0015] Preferably, the heat sealing mechanism of the automatic bag changing and disinfection module is a pulse heat sealing mechanism, with an adjustable heat sealing temperature of 150-200℃ and an adjustable heat sealing time of 0.5-3 seconds.

[0016] Preferably, the main control unit of the intelligent sensing and control module adopts an NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX embedded processor; the LiDAR is a 16-line mechanical LiDAR; and the visual camera adopts an RGB-D camera, which is used to identify trash cans and obstacles based on the lightweight YOLOv8 algorithm.

[0017] Preferably, the intelligent sensing and control module adopts... The algorithm performs path planning, and the evaluation function is: ,in The actual cost from the starting point to the current node. The distance from the current node to the destination is the Manhattan distance; dynamic obstacle avoidance is achieved using the speed obstacle method.

[0018] On the other hand, an automated medical waste collection and packaging method based on the robot described above is provided, comprising the following steps: S1. System Initialization and Task Reception: The robot performs a self-test upon power-on, loads the environmental map, completes initial positioning, and receives collection tasks from the backend. S2, Automatic Walking and Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance: Automatically walks along the path planned by the A* algorithm, using LiDAR and visual cameras to detect and avoid static and dynamic obstacles; S3. Medical waste collection and liquid-solid separation: Control the robotic arm to pick up the trash can and empty the trash. Solid waste remains in the trash storage bin, and liquid flows into the liquid collector through the filter screen. S4. Vacuum Compression and Gas Purification: The waste is vacuum compressed according to a phased control algorithm, and the extracted gas is discharged after three stages of purification. S5. Disinfection and wiping of the outer surface of garbage bags: Control the integrated end effector to spray disinfection and wipe the outer surface of the packaged garbage bags; S6. Automatic bag replacement and inner surface disinfection: Automatically replaces garbage bags with new ones and pre-disinfects the inner surface of the new garbage bags; S7. Automatic sewage discharge and self-cleaning: When the liquid level in the liquid collector reaches the threshold, it automatically navigates to discharge sewage. After completing the task, the equipment is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

[0019] Preferably, the vacuum level control in step S4 employs a PID algorithm, and the control formula is as follows: , in This represents the percentage of the air pump's power. This is the difference between the preset vacuum level and the actual vacuum level. , , These are the proportional, integral, and differential coefficients, respectively.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention include at least the following: This invention addresses the shortcomings of existing medical waste collection and treatment technologies by proposing a fully automated solution integrating collection, packaging, vacuum compression, gas purification, liquid-solid separation, automatic bag changing, and self-cleaning. It boasts the following significant technical advantages: 1. Fully automated process, zero human contact: This invention automates the entire process of medical waste collection, packaging, compression, disinfection, and disposal, eliminating the need for direct human contact with medical waste and completely avoiding the risks of sharps injuries and bacterial infections during manual collection, thus protecting the health of operators. Furthermore, the robot can operate 24 / 7, significantly improving work efficiency.

[0021] 2. Innovative liquid-solid separation design to prevent liquid leakage: Utilizing a tilted bottom and stainless steel filter screen, the solid waste remains inside the bin while liquid automatically flows into the liquid collector below, achieving automatic liquid-solid separation. The liquid collector is equipped with an ultrasonic level sensor that automatically guides the discharge when a threshold is reached, effectively preventing leakage of liquid waste during handling and transportation, and avoiding secondary pollution.

[0022] 3. Simultaneous Vacuum Compression and Gas Purification: Environmentally Friendly and Highly Efficient: Integrating vacuum compression and a three-stage gas purification module, the system simultaneously reduces the volume of waste through vacuum compression while the extracted gas undergoes HEPA filtration, activated carbon adsorption, and ultraviolet disinfection for three-stage purification. This reduces waste volume by over 70%, significantly decreasing storage space and transportation costs, while effectively preventing the spread of harmful gases and pathogens, protecting the environment and human health.

[0023] 4. Integrated end effector, multi-functional: An innovative integrated end effector design combines four functional units: a garbage gripper, a liquid suction head, a disinfection spray head, and a wiping mechanism. It can perform multiple operations such as garbage gripping, liquid suction, disinfection spraying, and surface wiping without changing tools. This significantly improves work efficiency, reduces equipment complexity and failure rate, and lowers maintenance costs.

[0024] 5. Comprehensive disinfection and protection for safety and hygiene: A three-tiered disinfection system has been established, consisting of "disinfection inside new bags - disinfection outside packaging - equipment self-disinfection": the inner surface of the new garbage bag is pre-disinfected when changing bags, the outer surface of the garbage bag is sprayed and wiped after packaging, and the inside of the equipment is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after the task is completed. This comprehensive disinfection and protection effectively prevents cross-infection.

[0025] 6. Automatic sewage discharge and self-cleaning, eliminating the need for manual maintenance: When the liquid level in the liquid collector reaches 75%, the robot automatically interrupts its task, navigates to a temporary storage point for sewage discharge and cleaning; after completing its work, it automatically performs a comprehensive cleaning and disinfection of the waste storage bin, liquid collector, and end effector. This eliminates the need for regular manual maintenance, reducing operating costs and avoiding the risk of infection for cleaning personnel.

[0026] 7. Intelligent sensing and precise control, with strong adaptability: It adopts a multi-sensor fusion sensing solution of 16-line LiDAR + RGB-D vision camera, combined with improved... The path planning algorithm and lightweight YOLOv8 object detection algorithm enable autonomous walking, dynamic obstacle avoidance, and accurate object recognition in complex hospital environments. The robot can automatically adapt to hospital environments with different floors and layouts, demonstrating strong versatility and adaptability.

[0027] 8. Modular design, easy to expand and maintain: The system adopts a modular design with standardized interfaces between modules, facilitating installation, debugging, and maintenance. Furthermore, functional modules can be flexibly expanded to meet the needs of different hospitals, such as adding an RFID tag identification module for end-to-end traceability of medical waste, or adding a weighing module for waste weight statistics. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a rendering of a commercially available medical waste collection robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a robot component module structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a rendering of an existing mobile chassis provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid-solid separation and collection principle provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control system structure of the intelligent sensing and control module of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solution of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] In embodiments of the present invention, words such as "exemplarily," "for example," etc., are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" in the present invention should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. Furthermore, in embodiments of the present invention, the meaning expressed by "and / or" can be both, or either one.

[0032] In the embodiments of this invention, the terms "image" and "picture" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, without emphasizing the distinction between them, they convey the same meaning. Similarly, the terms "of," "corresponding (relevant)," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that, without emphasizing the distinction between them, they convey the same meaning.

[0033] In this embodiment of the invention, sometimes a subscript such as W1 may be mistakenly written as a non-subscript form such as W1. When the difference is not emphasized, the meaning they express is the same.

[0034] To make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, a detailed description will be given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] Example 1: An automated medical waste collection and packaging robot The robot is divided into three layers: the equipment layer, the control layer, and the management layer. The layers communicate with each other through standardized interfaces to ensure the real-time performance, reliability, and security of data transmission.

[0036] The device layer includes various sensors and actuators, such as lidar, vision cameras, servo motors, solenoid valves, and air pumps. The device layer communicates with the main control unit of the control layer via a CAN bus, using the CANopen protocol. The data frame format is shown in the table below.

[0037] The main function of the device layer is to collect environmental and device status data and upload it to the control layer; at the same time, it receives control commands from the control layer and executes corresponding operations. For example, the lidar uploads the scanned point cloud data to the main control unit, and the main control unit sends speed commands to the servo motor driver to control the motor rotation.

[0038] The control layer, or main control unit (NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX), is the core of the entire system. The control layer is responsible for processing data uploaded from the device layer, performing environmental awareness, path planning, target recognition, and decision-making; it also issues control commands to the device layer to control the coordinated operation of various actuators.

[0039] The control layer and management layer communicate via 5G / Wi-Fi 6 using the MQTT protocol, a lightweight publish / subscribe messaging protocol suitable for low-bandwidth, high-latency network environments. The MQTT protocol employs a client-server architecture, with the robot acting as the client and the backend management system as the server. The robot publishes status information to relevant topics, and the server subscribes to these topics and receives data. Simultaneously, the server publishes task instructions to relevant topics, and the robot subscribes to these topics and receives the instructions.

[0040] The management layer, or back-end management system, is deployed on the hospital's server and is responsible for the centralized management and monitoring of all robots. The back-end management system uses a B / S architecture, allowing users to access the system through a browser and perform the following functions: Real-time monitoring: Displays the location, status, work progress, battery level, and alarm information of all robots; Task Management: Issue collection tasks, view task execution status, and modify task parameters; Data statistics: Statistical reports are generated by compiling data on daily, weekly, and monthly medical waste collection volume, number of packaging sessions, and number of sewage discharges. Remote maintenance: Remotely view the robot's operation logs, perform fault diagnosis, and configure parameters; User management: Manages system users' accounts, permissions, and roles.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the automated medical waste collection and packaging robot of this invention adopts a modular design, consisting of eight core modules: a mobile carrier module, a multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator module, an integrated end effector module, a liquid-solid separation and collection module, a vacuum compression and gas purification module, an automatic bag changing and disinfection module, an intelligent sensing and control module, and an energy and communication module. Each module achieves data interaction and collaborative control via CAN bus and Ethernet, jointly completing the fully automated processing of medical waste from collection to temporary storage.

[0042] 1. Mobile carrier module The mobile carrier module serves as the robot's walking and carrying platform, responsible for carrying all other modules and automatically navigating within the hospital along a pre-set path to collect medical waste from each floor and ward. This module primarily includes a differential drive chassis, Mecanum wheels, an independent suspension system, a shock absorption mechanism, a lithium iron phosphate battery pack, and a magnetic automatic charging interface. Figure 3 This example is an existing mobile chassis, which is not limited here.

[0043] The differential drive chassis features a four-wheel independent drive design, with each wheel equipped with a 500W DC servo motor. Steering is achieved by adjusting the speed difference between the left and right wheels, and the turning radius can be continuously adjusted between 0-2m, allowing for flexible maneuvering in narrow hospital corridors and elevators. The Mecanum wheels are made of polyurethane, offering excellent wear resistance and shock absorption, enabling smooth travel on slippery hospital floors. The maximum speed is 1.5m / s, the maximum climbing angle is 15°, and the obstacle clearance height is 50mm.

[0044] The independent suspension system employs a parallel structure of coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers, with each wheel equipped with an independent suspension unit. This effectively filters vibrations caused by uneven ground, with a vibration acceleration ≤0.5g, ensuring that trash does not spill during robot operation. The lithium iron phosphate battery pack has a capacity of 48V / 100Ah, an energy density of 150Wh / kg, a cycle life of ≥2000 cycles, and a runtime of up to 12 hours. It supports fast charging technology, reaching 80% charge in 1.5 hours. The magnetic automatic charging interface uses neodymium iron boron permanent magnets with a magnetic force ≥50N and a docking accuracy of ±10mm. When the battery level drops below 20%, the robot automatically navigates to the charging station to complete docking and charging.

[0045] 2. Multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm module The multi-DOF robotic arm module is mounted on top of the mobile carrier and is responsible for operations such as opening the trash can lid, picking up trash, sucking up liquids, sealing trash bags, disinfecting and wiping, and cleaning equipment. This module adopts a 6-DOF articulated design, mainly including a base, a waist rotation joint, an upper arm joint, a forearm joint, a wrist rotation joint, a wrist pitch joint, and an end effector mounting flange. The hardware and control system of the robotic arm are mature technologies, and their hardware systems will not be described in detail here.

[0046] In this embodiment, each joint of the robotic arm is driven by a high-precision harmonic reducer and a servo motor, achieving a repeatability accuracy of ±0.1mm, a maximum load of 5kg, and a working radius of 1.2m, covering all operating areas within a 1.5m radius around the robot. The waist rotation joint can rotate continuously 360°, while the upper arm and forearm joints have ranges of motion of 0-90° and 0-180°, respectively. The wrist rotation joint can also rotate continuously 360°, and the wrist pitch joint has a range of motion from -90° to +90°, ensuring that the robotic arm can flexibly complete various complex operations.

[0047] The motion control of the robotic arm employs a Cartesian space trajectory planning algorithm. By solving inverse kinematics, the target position in Cartesian space is converted into the angles of each joint. Then, a PID controller is used to achieve precise position control of each joint. The inverse kinematics solution formula is as follows: , , , in: The angle of the lumbar rotation joint, in rad; The angle of the upper arm joint, in rad; Forearm joint angle, unit: rad; The target coordinates of the end effector in Cartesian space, in meters (m). The length of the upper arm is in meters (in this embodiment). =0.5m); Forearm length, unit: m (in this embodiment) =0.5m).

[0048] Example calculation: Input: Target Cartesian coordinates of the end effector ; Calculation: The target angles of each joint are obtained by solving the above inverse kinematics formula. ; Output: The target angles of each joint are sent to the joint servo controller to control the robot arm to move to the target position.

[0049] For example, when the end effector needs to move to coordinates (0.8m, 0m, 0.6m):

[0050] , .

[0051] 3. Integrated end effector module The integrated end effector module is one of the core innovations of this invention. It integrates four functional units: a garbage gripper, a liquid suction head, a disinfection spray head, and a wiping mechanism. It can perform multiple operations such as garbage gripping, liquid suction, disinfection spraying, and surface wiping without changing tools, significantly improving work efficiency. This module is installed on the end flange of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator and connects to the air, water, and electrical circuits via quick-connect couplings.

[0052] The garbage gripper, liquid suction head, disinfectant spray nozzle, and wiping mechanism can be directly selected and customized from the market and assembled at the end of the robotic arm. Below is an example application illustration: 1) Garbage Grippers: Utilizing a pneumatic parallel gripper design, the gripper opening ranges from 0-150mm, with a maximum clamping force of 50N. The inner side of the grippers is made of anti-slip silicone material with a friction coefficient ≥0.8, enabling them to firmly grip medical waste bins and garbage bags of various shapes and weights. The opening and closing of the grippers is controlled by a 2-position 5-way solenoid valve. A pressure sensor monitors the clamping force in real time. When the clamping force reaches 30N, the solenoid valve remains energized to prevent the garbage bag from being broken.

[0053] 2) Liquid Suction Head: Made of 304 stainless steel, with a tapered front end and a 30° cone angle for easy insertion into liquid waste. The suction head connects to a liquid vacuum pump via a food-grade silicone hose, with a maximum suction flow rate of 5L / min and a maximum suction depth of 1m. The suction head contains a removable stainless steel filter with a 1mm mesh diameter to prevent solid impurities from entering the pipes and causing blockages.

[0054] 3) Disinfectant Spray Head: Employs a high-pressure atomizing nozzle with atomized particle diameter of 50-100μm, adjustable spray volume of 0-100ml / min, and a spray angle of 60°. The spray head connects to the disinfectant tank via a flexible hose. The disinfectant used is a 500mg / L chlorine-containing disinfectant, effectively killing pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and hepatitis B virus, with a kill rate ≥99.9%.

[0055] 4) Wiping Mechanism: A rotary wiping design is adopted, driven by a 10W micro DC motor, with an adjustable rotation speed of 0-300 rpm. The wiping disc is made of replaceable medical-grade non-woven fabric, with a diameter of 100mm, and is connected to the rotating shaft via Velcro for easy replacement. The wiping disc effectively wipes contaminants from the outer surface of garbage bags and equipment surfaces, achieving a wiping coverage rate of ≥95%.

[0056] 4. Liquid-solid separation and collection module The liquid-solid separation and collection module is responsible for the liquid-solid separation and temporary storage of medical waste. It mainly includes a waste storage bin, a liquid collector, a stainless steel filter, an ultrasonic level sensor, and an electric drain solenoid valve. This module separates solid and liquid waste for collection, preventing contamination caused by liquid leakage.

[0057] like Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the principle of liquid-solid separation. The waste storage bin is made of 304 stainless steel, with a volume of 50L. It has an opening at the top to receive solid waste poured in by the robotic arm, and a 15° slope at the bottom to facilitate liquid flow to the filter. The liquid collector, also made of 304 stainless steel, has a volume of 20L and is installed below the waste storage bin. It is connected to the bin via a flange for easy disassembly and cleaning. The stainless steel filter, with a 2mm mesh diameter, is installed at the lowest point of the slope at the bottom of the waste storage bin. This filter retains solid waste within the bin, while liquid flows through the filter into the liquid collector below.

[0058] An ultrasonic level sensor is installed on top of the liquid collector to monitor the liquid level in real time. The formula for calculating the liquid level is as follows:

[0059] in: Liquid level height, unit: m; The speed of sound in air, measured in m / s (at room temperature). m / s); The time it takes for an ultrasonic wave to travel from emission to reception is measured in seconds (s).

[0060] When the liquid level reaches 75% (15L) of the liquid collector's height, the main control unit triggers a discharge prompt, interrupts the current collection task, and controls the robot to automatically navigate to the medical waste temporary storage point. The robot then opens the electric discharge solenoid valve to discharge the liquid into a dedicated liquid medical waste collection container. The electric discharge solenoid valve is a DN25 stainless steel solenoid valve, pressure resistant to 1.0MPa, with a response time ≤1s.

[0061] 5. Vacuum Compression and Gas Purification Module The vacuum compression and gas purification module is responsible for vacuum compression of packaged medical waste to reduce its volume, while simultaneously purifying the extracted gas to prevent the spread of harmful gases and pathogens. This module mainly includes an oil-free rotary vane pump, a vacuum solenoid valve, a high-precision pressure sensor, a three-stage purification module, and a silencer exhaust port.

[0062] The oil-free rotary vane vacuum pump has a maximum pumping speed of 100 L / min, an ultimate vacuum of -0.09 MPa, and a noise level ≤60 dB. It requires no lubricating oil, avoiding oil contamination. A vacuum solenoid valve is installed between the pump and the waste storage bin to control the opening and closing of the pumping path, with a response time ≤0.5 s. A high-precision pressure sensor is installed inside the waste storage bin, with a measurement range of -0.1 MPa to 0 MPa and an accuracy of ±0.001 MPa, for real-time monitoring of the vacuum level inside the bin. The vacuum compression process employs a staged control algorithm, divided into a rapid pumping stage, a slow pumping stage, and a pressure holding stage. This ensures compression efficiency while preventing excessive pumping that could damage the waste bag and cause liquid leakage. The control logic for each stage is as follows: Rapid vacuuming phase: After packaging is complete, the main control unit opens the vacuum solenoid valve and starts the vacuum pump at 100% rated power until the vacuum level inside the container reaches -0.04MPa. The purpose of this phase is to quickly remove most of the air from the garbage bag, improving compression efficiency.

[0063] Slow evacuation phase: When the vacuum level reaches -0.04MPa, reduce the power of the evacuation pump to 30% of its rated power and slowly evacuate to the preset vacuum level of -0.07MPa. The purpose of this phase is to prevent the liquid inside the garbage bag from being drawn out due to rapid evacuation, and to prevent the garbage bag from rupturing due to a sudden drop in pressure.

[0064] Pressure holding stage: Once the vacuum level reaches the preset value, turn off the vacuum solenoid valve and the air pump, maintain the vacuum level inside the container for 5 seconds to ensure the garbage bag is fully compressed. After pressure holding is complete, activate the heat sealing mechanism to seal the garbage bag.

[0065] Precise vacuum control employs a PID algorithm:

[0066] in: The output of the controller is the power percentage of the air pump (0-100%). The error is the vacuum level, i.e. Unit: MPa; The scaling factor (in this embodiment) ); The integral coefficient (in this embodiment) ); The differential coefficients (in this embodiment) ).

[0067] Through precise control using the PID algorithm, the error in the vacuum level inside the chamber can be controlled within ±0.005MPa, ensuring stable compression performance.

[0068] The three-stage purification module adopts a drawer-type design (referencing existing filter / membrane designs) for easy filter replacement, and includes, in order: HEPA high-efficiency filter: H14 grade, filtration efficiency 99.997%@0.3μm, capable of filtering out bacteria, viruses and dust in the air; Modified activated carbon adsorption layer: iodine value ≥1000mg / g, capable of adsorbing harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and methanethiol, as well as volatile organic compounds; Ultraviolet disinfection lamp: 15W power, 254nm wavelength, radiation intensity ≥70μW / cm², capable of killing residual pathogenic microorganisms.

[0069] The purified gas is discharged through a silencer exhaust port, with a noise reduction effect of ≥20dB, meeting the requirements of the "Water Pollutant Discharge Standard for Medical Institutions" (GB 18466-2005) and the "Integrated Emission Standard for Air Pollutants" (GB 16297-1996). The purification efficiency of the purification module is calculated as follows: 6. Automatic bag changing and disinfection module The automatic bag changing and disinfection module is responsible for automatically opening, sealing, and replacing garbage bags, as well as disinfecting and wiping the outer surface of the packaged garbage bags. This module mainly includes a garbage bag rolling mechanism, a servo-driven bag pulling mechanism, a four-bar linkage opening mechanism, a pulse heat sealing mechanism, and an auxiliary disinfection spray device (these devices can all be purchased commercially and customized; therefore, they are combined here to achieve robotic arm-like automated operation). Specific installation and application instructions are as follows: The garbage bag rolling mechanism is installed on top of the garbage bin, using continuous rolling garbage bags. Each roll can hold 100 garbage bags, with a thickness of 0.08mm. The bags are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), with a tensile strength ≥20MPa and an elongation at break ≥500%, capable of withstanding a weight of 5kg without breakage. The servo-driven bag-pulling mechanism uses a servo motor-driven synchronous belt structure, with a bag-pulling accuracy of ±1mm, and can pull the garbage bag from the rolling mechanism to a specified length (500mm). The four-bar linkage opening mechanism is driven by a stepper motor, which can open the garbage bag opening to the same size as the opening at the top of the garbage bin (400mm×300mm), ensuring that garbage does not spill outside the bag. The pulse-type heat-sealing mechanism uses nickel-chromium alloy heating wire, with an adjustable heat-sealing temperature of 150-200℃, an adjustable heat-sealing time of 0.5-3 seconds, a heat-sealing width of 10mm, and a heat-sealing strength ≥30N / 15mm, ensuring a secure seal on the garbage bag and preventing damage and leakage. The temperature control of the heat sealing mechanism adopts a PID algorithm, and the temperature error can be controlled within ±5℃.

[0070] The auxiliary disinfection spray device works in conjunction with the disinfection spray head on the integrated end effector to pre-disinfect the inner surface of the new garbage bag after bag replacement, with a spray volume of 3ml / m² and a disinfection time of 15 seconds.

[0071] After the main control unit issues a bag-changing command, it sequentially controls the heat-sealing mechanism, bag-pulling mechanism, bag-opening mechanism, and disinfectant spray device to perform corresponding actions, completing the bag-changing process. The automatic bag-changing process is as follows: When the garbage bin is full (reaching 80% of its capacity) or the collection task for the current area is completed, the main control unit activates the heat sealing mechanism to temporarily heat seal the top of the garbage bag. After heat sealing, the servo bag pulling mechanism pulls the garbage bag down 500mm, so that the heat-sealed garbage bag falls into the bottom of the garbage storage bin; The four-bar linkage extends to open the new garbage bag opening, so that it completely covers the top opening of the garbage bin; The heat-sealing mechanism heat-seals the bottom of the new garbage bag to form a complete garbage bag; The auxiliary disinfection spray device sprays disinfectant onto the inner surface of the new garbage bag to complete the bag replacement operation.

[0072] 7. Intelligent Sensing and Control Module The intelligent sensing and control module is the robot's brain, responsible for collecting and processing various sensor data, making decisions, and controlling other modules to work together.

[0073] like Figure 5 As shown, this module mainly includes a main control unit, a 16-line LiDAR, an RGB-D vision camera, an 8-channel ultrasonic sensor, a collision sensor, an electrochemical gas sensor, and a touchscreen. The configurations of each module are as follows: 1. The main control unit adopts the industrial-grade embedded processor NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX, which has an AI inference capability of 21 TOPS. It can simultaneously process data from multiple sensors such as LiDAR and vision cameras to achieve real-time path planning, target detection, and intelligent decision-making. The main control unit runs the Ubuntu 20.04 operating system and the ROS Noetic robot operating system, providing rich software interfaces for easy function expansion.

[0074] (1) The robot's path planning uses an A algorithm combined with a dynamic obstacle avoidance algorithm. The A algorithm is a heuristic search algorithm that can find the optimal path from the starting point to the ending point in a static map. Its evaluation function is as follows:

[0075] in: For nodes The valuation function value; From the starting point to the node The actual cost, i.e., path length; For the node The estimated cost to the destination is calculated using the Manhattan distance:

[0076] in For nodes coordinates The coordinates of the endpoint.

[0077] The dynamic obstacle avoidance algorithm employs a velocity-based obstacle method. By predicting the trajectory of obstacles, it calculates the robot's safe speed range to avoid collisions with dynamic obstacles. The formula for calculating the velocity-based obstacle is as follows:

[0078] in: Obstacles For robots The resulting speed barrier; For robots The velocity vector; Obstacles The velocity vector; Obstacles The collision zone.

[0079] When a person or other dynamic obstacle is detected ahead, the robot will automatically decelerate to below 0.5 m / s, or stop and wait for the obstacle to pass before continuing to move, ensuring the safety of personnel.

[0080] (2) The identification of trash cans and trash uses the YOLOv8 target detection algorithm, which has the characteristics of fast detection speed and high accuracy. It can detect the location, type and status (full / empty) of trash cans in real time. The loss function of the YOLOv8 algorithm includes classification loss, localization loss and confidence loss. The network parameters are optimized by backpropagation algorithm to improve detection accuracy.

[0081] This invention provides a lightweight improvement to the YOLOv8 algorithm, employing MobileNetV3 as the backbone network. This reduces model parameters and computational load, enabling real-time operation on Jetson Xavier NX. Testing shows that the improved algorithm achieves a trash can detection accuracy of ≥99% and a detection speed of ≥30fps, meeting real-time requirements.

[0082] The 2.16-line mechanical LiDAR scanner has a scanning frequency of 10Hz, a maximum detection distance of 20m, and an angular resolution of 0.2°. It is used to construct a two-dimensional grid map of the hospital environment, enabling robot localization and navigation. The RGB-D vision camera has a resolution of 1920×1080, a frame rate of 30fps, and a depth detection range of 0.5-5m. It is used to identify the location, status, and type of trash cans, as well as detect obstacles and people.

[0083] 3.8 ultrasonic sensors are evenly installed around the robot to detect nearby obstacles, with a maximum detection distance of 5m and an accuracy of ±1cm. These sensors supplement the lidar and prevent collisions with low obstacles. Collision sensors are installed on the bottom and around the robot, employing a normally closed contact design. When the robot collides with an obstacle, the contact breaks, and the main control unit immediately stops moving to prevent damage.

[0084] 4. The electrochemical gas sensors include a hydrogen sulfide sensor, an ammonia sensor, and a volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor, with detection ranges of 0-100ppm, 0-100ppm, and 0-10ppm, respectively, and an accuracy of ±5%FS. They are used to detect the concentration of harmful gases in the air. When the concentration exceeds the preset threshold, the purification module and the audible and visual alarm device are activated.

[0085] A 5.1-inch capacitive touchscreen is mounted on the front of the robot to display the robot's status information, work progress, and alarm information. It also supports manual operation for easy on-site debugging and maintenance.

[0086] 8. Energy and Communication Module The energy and communication module is responsible for providing power to the robot and enabling data communication between the robot and the back-end management system. This module mainly includes a lithium iron phosphate battery pack, a battery management system (BMS), a 5G communication module, a Wi-Fi 6 module, and a CAN bus interface.

[0087] The Battery Management System (BMS) is responsible for real-time monitoring of battery voltage, current, temperature, and SOC (state of charge), providing overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent, overheat, and short-circuit protection to extend battery life. The BMS uses daisy-chain communication and can simultaneously monitor 16 individual battery cells, with voltage measurement accuracy of ±5mV, current measurement accuracy of ±0.5%, and temperature measurement accuracy of ±1℃. The BMS can also communicate with the main control unit to upload battery status information to the backend management system.

[0088] The 5G communication module and Wi-Fi 6 module are used to enable wireless communication between the robot and the back-end management system. In areas of the hospital with Wi-Fi coverage, Wi-Fi 6 communication is used, with a transmission rate of up to 1.2Gbps and a latency of ≤10ms. In areas with weak Wi-Fi signals (such as underground parking garages and stairwells), the system automatically switches to 5G communication to ensure the continuity and reliability of data transmission.

[0089] The CAN bus interface is used to enable communication between various modules within the robot. With a transmission rate of 1 Mbps, it features strong anti-interference capabilities and high reliability, making it suitable for real-time data transmission in industrial environments. The modules are connected to form a network via the CAN bus, employing a master-slave communication method. The master control unit acts as the master node, and other modules act as slave nodes. The master node periodically sends query commands to the slave nodes, and the slave nodes return status data and execution results.

[0090] The robot employs a Finite State Machine (FSM) control logic, dividing its working states into 12 states: standby, initialization, path planning, walking, collection, packaging, disinfection, bag changing, waste disposal, self-cleaning, charging, and alarm. The transition conditions between each state are as follows: Standby state → Initialization state: When the robot receives a collection task from the background or when the preset working time arrives, it enters the initialization state from the standby state to perform sensor self-check, motor calibration and map loading.

[0091] Initialization State → Path Planning State: After initialization, the system enters the path planning state, where the optimal path is planned using the A* algorithm based on the task objective and the current position.

[0092] Path planning state → Walking state: After the path planning is completed, the system enters the walking state and automatically walks along the planned path, while using LiDAR and visual cameras for dynamic obstacle avoidance.

[0093] Walking state → Collection state: When the target trash can is reached and the visual camera confirms the presence of the trash can, the robot arm is controlled to complete the operations of opening the trash can lid, collecting the trash, and closing the trash can lid.

[0094] Collection state → Walking state: After completing the collection of the current trash can, return to the walking state and continue to the next trash can location.

[0095] Collection Status → Packaging Status: When the garbage bin is full (reaching 80% of its capacity) or all collection tasks in the current area are completed, it enters the packaging status, and the vacuum compression and gas purification module is activated to vacuum compress and seal the garbage.

[0096] Packaging Status → Disinfection Status: After packaging is completed, the system enters the disinfection status, controlling the integrated end effector to spray disinfection and wipe the outer surface of the garbage bag.

[0097] Disinfection status → Bag changing status: After disinfection is completed, the bag changing status is entered, the automatic bag changing mechanism is started, a new garbage bag is replaced and its inner surface is disinfected.

[0098] Bag changing state → Walking state: After the bag changing is completed, return to walking state to continue the collection task or go to the medical waste temporary storage point.

[0099] Any State → Discharge State: When the liquid level in the liquid collector reaches 75%, regardless of the current state, immediately interrupt the current task, save the task progress, enter the discharge state, automatically navigate to the medical waste temporary storage point, empty the liquid collector, and perform cleaning and disinfection. After discharge is complete, return to the interruption point to continue the task.

[0100] Any state → Self-cleaning state: When all collection tasks are completed or the preset self-cleaning time is reached (such as 18:00 every day), the self-cleaning state is entered, and the robotic arm is controlled to thoroughly clean and disinfect the waste storage bin, liquid collector and integrated end effector.

[0101] Any state → Charging state: When the battery level drops below 20%, regardless of the current state, the current task is immediately interrupted, the task progress is saved, and the system enters charging state, automatically navigating to the charging station for charging. After charging is complete, the system returns to the interruption point to continue executing the task.

[0102] Any State → Alarm State: When an abnormal situation such as sensor failure, motor failure, garbage bag damage, excessive concentration of harmful gases, or collision is detected, the system immediately enters alarm state, stops all operations, issues an audible and visual alarm, and uploads the alarm information to the backend management system. After the fault is resolved, the system can be manually reset to standby state.

[0103] Example 2: Automatic Collection and Packaging Method for Medical Waste The automatic medical waste collection and packaging method of the present invention includes the following 7 core steps, and the specific implementation process and technical effects of each step are as follows: Step 1: System Initialization and Task Reception After the robot is powered on, the main control unit first performs a self-test on all sensors and actuators, checking whether the lidar, vision camera, servo motor, solenoid valve, air pump, and other equipment are working properly. The self-test includes checking whether the sensors are outputting signals, whether the motors can rotate normally, whether the solenoid valves can open and close normally, and whether the battery voltage is within the normal range. If a fault is detected, an alarm is immediately activated, displaying the fault code and fault information on the touchscreen and uploading it to the backend management system.

[0104] After the self-inspection is passed, the main control unit loads a pre-built two-dimensional grid map of the hospital environment. The map resolution is 5cm and includes information on areas such as corridors, wards, elevators, stairs, charging rooms, and temporary medical waste storage points.

[0105] The robot uses laser SLAM technology for initial localization. By matching the point cloud data scanned by the laser radar with map data, the robot's precise position on the map is determined, with a positioning accuracy of ±5cm. If the initial localization fails, the robot will automatically rotate 360° and rescan the environment to re-localize.

[0106] The robot establishes an MQTT connection with the backend management system via 5G / Wi-Fi 6, subscribes to task instruction topics, and receives collection tasks issued by the backend. Collection tasks include information such as collection area, collection time, location and number of trash cans, and any special requirements.

[0107] Based on the received task information, the main control unit formulates a detailed work plan, determining the collection sequence and path planning scheme. The collection sequence follows the principle of "from far to near, collecting layer by layer" to reduce the robot's walking distance and improve work efficiency.

[0108] Step 2: Automatic Walking and Dynamic Obstacle Avoidance The main control unit uses the A* algorithm to plan the optimal path based on the current location and the location of the first target trash can. Path planning considers factors such as corridor width, elevator location, and pedestrian flow, prioritizing paths with low pedestrian traffic and short distances. The path consists of a series of waypoints, each containing coordinate and direction information.

[0109] The robot walks automatically along the planned path, and its walking speed is dynamically adjusted according to the environment: in an open corridor, the speed is 1.2m / s; in densely populated areas (such as nurses' stations and elevator entrances), the speed is reduced to 0.5m / s; and in elevators, the speed is 0.3m / s.

[0110] During the walking process, the LiDAR scans the surrounding environment at a frequency of 10Hz to build a real-time obstacle map. Simultaneously, the visual camera acquires image data from ahead and uses the YOLOv8 algorithm to detect obstacles such as people, trash cans, hospital beds, and wheelchairs.

[0111] When a static obstacle (such as a wall or hospital bed) is detected ahead, the main control unit replans the path to avoid the obstacle; when a dynamic obstacle (such as a person or cart) is detected ahead, the robot's safe speed range is calculated using the speed obstacle method, and it automatically slows down or stops, waiting for the obstacle to pass before continuing to move.

[0112] Upon reaching the elevator, the robot communicates with the elevator control system via an IoT interface, sending an elevator call command and target floor information. After the elevator arrives, the robot automatically enters and exits upon reaching the target floor. Positioning within the elevator utilizes QR codes; QR codes are affixed inside the elevator, and the robot identifies these codes using a visual camera to determine its location. This enables the robot to autonomously navigate and dynamically avoid obstacles in the complex hospital environment, ensuring smooth and safe movement without collisions with people or obstacles. Through its integration with the elevator control system, it achieves automatic cross-floor data collection, expanding its working range. A dynamic speed adjustment mechanism ensures both work efficiency and personnel safety.

[0113] Step 3: Medical waste collection and liquid-solid separation When the robot reaches the target trash can, the vision camera again identifies the trash can's position and status, confirming that the trash can exists, is not obstructed, and has not been moved. If the trash can's position deviates from the marked position on the map by more than 10cm, the robot will automatically adjust its position to ensure that the robotic arm can accurately grasp the trash can.

[0114] The multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm moves above the trash can, and the integrated end effector's trash gripper opens to 120mm and slowly descends to 5cm above the edge of the trash can.

[0115] The garbage clamp closes, gripping the edge of the garbage can with a clamping force controlled at 30N, ensuring a secure grip without breaking the can. A pressure sensor monitors the clamping force in real time; when the clamping force reaches 30N, the clamp stops closing.

[0116] The robotic arm lifts the trash can to a height of 30cm above the ground, then slowly rotates it 180° to empty the trash into the storage bin. The emptying time is controlled within 3 seconds, and the robotic arm vibrates slightly during the process to ensure that the trash is completely emptied without any residue.

[0117] After emptying, the robotic arm puts the trash can back in its original position and closes the lid.

[0118] If the visual camera detects liquid waste in the trash can (by recognizing the reflective characteristics of the liquid), the robotic arm inserts a liquid suction head into the liquid waste and activates a liquid suction pump to draw the liquid into the liquid collector. The suction time is automatically adjusted according to the amount of liquid until the liquid is completely removed. During the suction process, a flow sensor monitors the suction flow rate in real time. When the flow rate drops below 0.1 L / min, the liquid is considered to have been removed, and suction stops.

[0119] Solid waste remains in the waste storage bin, while liquids flow through a stainless steel filter at the bottom of the bin into a liquid collector below, achieving liquid-solid separation.

[0120] The ultrasonic liquid level sensor monitors the liquid level in the liquid collector in real time. When the liquid level reaches 75%, the main control unit triggers a sewage discharge prompt, interrupts the current collection task, saves the task progress, and automatically navigates to the medical waste temporary storage point for sewage discharge.

[0121] The automatic collection and liquid-solid separation of medical waste avoids direct human contact with medical waste, reducing the risk of infection; the separate collection of liquid waste effectively prevents secondary pollution caused by liquid leakage; real-time monitoring by liquid level sensors enables automatic drainage of the liquid collector without human intervention; feedback control by pressure and flow sensors ensures the accuracy and reliability of operation.

[0122] Step 4: Vacuum Compression and Gas Purification When the waste storage bin is full (reaching 80% of its capacity) or when all collection tasks for the current area are completed, the main control unit activates the vacuum compression and gas purification module.

[0123] First, the heat-sealing mechanism of the automatic bag changing and disinfection module temporarily heat-seals the top of the garbage bag at a temperature of 180℃ for 1 second to prevent the garbage from being pulled out during the air extraction process.

[0124] The main control unit opens the vacuum solenoid valve, starts the pump, and pumps air according to the phased control algorithm: Rapid evacuation phase: The evacuation pump evacuates air at 100% rated power (100L / min) until the pressure sensor detects that the vacuum level inside the chamber reaches -0.04MPa. This phase lasts for about 20 seconds. Slow evacuation phase: The pump power is reduced to 30% of the rated power (30L / min), and the air is slowly evacuated to the preset vacuum level of -0.07MPa. This phase lasts for about 25 seconds. Pressure holding stage: Turn off the vacuum solenoid valve and the air pump, maintain the vacuum level inside the box for 5 seconds, and ensure that the garbage bag is fully compressed.

[0125] During the evacuation process, the pressure sensor collects the vacuum level inside the chamber at a frequency of 10Hz. The power of the evacuation pump is precisely controlled by the PID algorithm to ensure that the vacuum level is stable within the preset value of ±0.005MPa.

[0126] The extracted gas first passes through a HEPA high-efficiency filter, removing 99.997% of bacteria, viruses, and dust; then it passes through a modified activated carbon adsorption layer to adsorb harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia; finally, it is irradiated with an ultraviolet disinfection lamp for 3 seconds to kill any remaining pathogenic microorganisms. The purified gas is then discharged through a silenced exhaust port.

[0127] After compression, the heat sealing mechanism permanently seals the garbage bag at a temperature of 180℃, a sealing time of 2 seconds, and a sealing width of 10mm, ensuring a firm seal and preventing damage or leakage.

[0128] Vacuum compression reduces the volume of medical waste by more than 70%, significantly reducing storage and transportation space and lowering transportation costs. The extracted gas undergoes three-stage purification, effectively preventing the spread of harmful gases and germs and protecting the environment and human health. The phased extraction control algorithm ensures compression efficiency while preventing damage to garbage bags and leakage of liquids. PID precise control ensures the stability and consistency of the compression effect.

[0129] Step 5: Disinfect and wipe the outer surface of the garbage bag After packaging, the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm moves above the waste storage bin, and the disinfection spray head of the integrated end effector is aimed at the outer surface of the waste bag.

[0130] The main control unit activates the disinfection spray device, spraying atomized 500mg / L chlorine-containing disinfectant to disinfect the outer surface of the garbage bag in all directions. The spray volume is controlled at 5ml / m², and the disinfection time is 30 seconds. The robotic arm drives the disinfection spray head to move along an "S" shaped trajectory to ensure that the disinfectant can cover all surfaces of the garbage bag, with a coverage rate of ≥95%.

[0131] After disinfection, the robotic arm controls the wiping mechanism to rotate at 200 rpm, simultaneously moving the wiping disc along the same "S" shaped trajectory to thoroughly wipe the outer surface of the garbage bag, removing any residual disinfectant and contaminants. The wiping time is 20 seconds.

[0132] After wiping, the robotic arm removes the non-woven fabric from the wiping tray and places it into a dedicated medical waste collection bin, then replaces it with a new one. This effectively kills pathogenic microorganisms on the surface of the garbage bags, preventing cross-infection; the disinfection and wiping process is fully automated, requiring no manual intervention and improving work efficiency; and the comprehensive spraying and wiping ensures thorough disinfection.

[0133] Step 6: Automatic bag changing and inner surface disinfection After disinfection and wiping are completed, the main control unit starts the automatic bag changing mechanism.

[0134] The servo motor of the servo bag-pulling mechanism rotates, pulling the rolled garbage bag downwards by 500mm via a synchronous belt, causing the heat-sealed garbage bag to fall to the bottom of the garbage storage bin. The bag-pulling accuracy is ±1mm, ensuring the accurate length of the garbage bag.

[0135] The stepper motor of the four-bar linkage mechanism rotates, causing the four-bar linkage to extend and open the new garbage bag opening to 400mm×300mm, so that it completely covers the top opening of the garbage storage bin, ensuring that garbage will not spill outside the garbage bag.

[0136] The heat-sealing mechanism heats the bottom of the new garbage bag at a temperature of 180°C for 2 seconds, forming a complete garbage bag.

[0137] The auxiliary disinfection spray device sprays disinfectant onto the inner surface of the new garbage bags at a rate of 3 ml / m² for 15 seconds, preparing them for the next garbage collection.

[0138] The four-bar linkage retracts, completing the bag changing operation.

[0139] Step 7: Automatic Sewage Discharge and Self-Cleaning When the liquid level in the liquid collector reaches 75% or all collection tasks are completed, the robot automatically navigates to the medical waste temporary storage point.

[0140] Upon arrival at the temporary storage point, the robot aligns the drain outlet of the liquid collector with a dedicated liquid medical waste collection bin, opens the electric drain solenoid valve, and discharges the liquid into the collection bin. The discharge time is automatically adjusted according to the liquid volume, and the drain solenoid valve closes when the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level is 0.

[0141] After the sewage discharge is completed, the robotic arm controls the liquid suction head of the integrated end effector to draw clean water to flush the inside of the liquid collector for 1 minute. The flushing water is also discharged into the liquid collection tank through the drain port.

[0142] After rinsing, activate the disinfectant spray device to spray disinfectant on the inside of the liquid collector for 30 seconds.

[0143] Then, the robotic arm thoroughly cleans and disinfects the interior of the waste storage bin and the integrated end effector: rinsing the inner walls and bottom of the waste storage bin with clean water, spraying disinfectant on each functional unit of the integrated end effector with a disinfectant spray nozzle, and wiping the surface of the end effector with a wiping mechanism.

[0144] After self-cleaning, the robot automatically navigates to the charging room to recharge and prepare for the next task, eliminating the need for manual cleaning and maintenance and reducing operating costs. Comprehensive cleaning and disinfection effectively prevent the equipment itself from becoming a source of pollution, ensuring the hygiene and safety of the system. The automatic charging function ensures that the robot can work continuously without human intervention.

[0145] Application Example 1: Automated Packaging and Collection of Medical Waste in Inpatient Departments I. Deployment Plan: 1. Number of robots: Deploy 2 automatic medical waste collection and packaging robots of this invention, which are responsible for the collection of medical waste from layers 1-3 and layers 4-6, respectively.

[0146] 2. Charging Room Location: A charging room will be set up in the logistics area on the first floor of the inpatient department, equipped with two magnetic automatic charging ports for robot charging. The charging room will have an area of ​​approximately 5 square meters and will be equipped with ventilation and fire-fighting facilities.

[0147] 3. Medical Waste Temporary Storage Point: A medical waste temporary storage point will be set up on the basement floor of the inpatient department, containing two 240L dedicated solid medical waste collection bins and one 100L dedicated liquid medical waste collection bin. The storage point is equipped with ultraviolet disinfection lamps and an exhaust system, and will be disinfected twice daily.

[0148] 4. Map Building: Using the robot's built-in 16-line LiDAR, all floors, corridors, elevators, staircases, charging rooms, and medical waste storage points in the inpatient department were scanned to build a high-precision 2D grid map with a resolution of 5cm. After the map was built, the locations of all trash cans, charging rooms, and storage points were marked on the map.

[0149] 5. Working hours: The robot works two shifts per day, the morning shift from 8:00 to 12:00 and the afternoon shift from 14:00 to 18:00, collecting data twice per shift. The self-cleaning time is set to 18:30 daily, and the charging time is set to 19:00 to 7:00 the next day.

[0150] 6. Back-end Management System: Deploy a back-end management system in the hospital information center, configuring 1 server and 2 client computers for centralized management and monitoring of the robots.

[0151] II. System Parameter Configuration In this embodiment, the main parameters of the robot are configured as shown in the table below:

[0152] Robotic automated packaging process 1.8:00: Two robots depart simultaneously from the charging room. Robot 1 heads to the 1st floor, and Robot 2 heads to the 4th floor to begin their first collection task. At this time, the robots' batteries are at 100%, the trash bins are empty, and the liquid collectors are empty.

[0153] 2.8:05: Robot No. 1 arrives at the door of the first ward on the first floor (ward 101). The visual camera identifies the location of the trash can at coordinates (12.5m, 8.3m). The robot adjusts its position so that the trash can is within the working range of the robotic arm.

[0154] 3.8:06: The multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm moves above the trash can, its grippers open, clamping the edge of the trash can with a clamping force of 30N. The robotic arm lifts the trash can, rotates it 180°, and empties the trash into the trash storage bin. The trash can contains 3L of solid waste and 0.5L of liquid waste; the liquid flows into the liquid collector through a stainless steel filter at the bottom.

[0155] 4.8:07: The robotic arm returns the trash can to its original position and closes the lid. At this time, there is 3L of solid waste in the trash storage bin and 0.5L of liquid in the liquid collector.

[0156] 5.8:08: Robot No. 1 continues to the next ward (ward 102) and collects garbage according to the same procedure.

[0157] 6.9:00: Robot No. 1 completed the collection task for 20 wards on the first floor, collecting a total of 20 bags of garbage. The garbage storage bin contained 40L of solid waste, and the liquid collector contained 5L of liquid.

[0158] 7.9:01: The main control unit detects that the waste storage bin has reached 80% capacity and activates the vacuum compression module. The air pump starts working, rapidly pumping air for 20 seconds to -0.04MPa, then slowly pumping air for 25 seconds to -0.07MPa, holding the pressure for 5 seconds. After compression, the waste volume is reduced to 12L, with a compression ratio of 3.3:1.

[0159] 8.9:02: The heat-sealing mechanism permanently seals the garbage bag. The robotic arm moves above the garbage bag, sprays disinfectant on the outer surface of the bag for 30 seconds, and then wipes it for 20 seconds.

[0160] 9.9:03: The automatic bag changing mechanism starts. The bag pulling mechanism pulls the garbage bag down 500mm, the opening mechanism opens the new garbage bag, the heat sealing mechanism heat seals the bottom of the new garbage bag, and the auxiliary disinfection spray device disinfects the inner surface of the new garbage bag. The bag changing operation is completed in 1 minute.

[0161] 10.9:04: Robot No. 1 takes the elevator to the 2nd floor to continue collecting trash from the trash cans on the 2nd floor.

[0162] 11.10:00: Robot No. 1 completed the collection task on the second floor, collecting a total of 20 bags of garbage. The garbage storage bin contains 40L of solid waste, and the liquid collector contains 10L of liquid. Vacuum compression and bag replacement operations will be performed again.

[0163] 12.10:10: Robot No. 1 takes the elevator to the 3rd floor to continue collecting trash from the trash cans on the 3rd floor.

[0164] 13.11:00: Robot No. 1 completed the collection task on the 3rd floor, collecting a total of 20 bags of garbage. The garbage storage bin contained 40L of solid waste, and the liquid collector contained 15L of liquid. At this time, the liquid level sensor detected that the liquid level had reached 75% (15L / 20L), triggering a sewage discharge prompt.

[0165] 14.11:01: Robot No. 1 interrupts its current task, saves its task progress, and automatically navigates to the medical waste storage point on the first basement level.

[0166] 15.11:10: Robot No. 1 arrives at the temporary storage point, aligns the drain port of the liquid collector with the liquid collection tank, opens the drain solenoid valve, and discharges 15L of liquid into the collection tank. Discharge time: 30 seconds.

[0167] 16.11:11: The robotic arm controls the liquid suction head to draw clean water, rinses the inside of the liquid collector for 1 minute, and then sprays disinfectant for 30 seconds.

[0168] 17.11:13: Robot No. 1 returns to the 3rd floor to continue the remaining collection tasks.

[0169] 18.11:20: Robot No. 1 completed all collection tasks on the 3rd floor, collecting a total of 60 bags of garbage, packing them 3 times, and discharging waste once. The robot automatically navigated to the charging room for a short charge, replenishing the battery from 85% to 95% in 15 minutes.

[0170] 19.14:00: The robot begins its afternoon collection task, following the same procedure as in the morning.

[0171] 20.18:00: Two robots completed all collection tasks for the day, collecting a total of 120 bags of medical waste, weighing 240kg, with a total volume of 360L after compression, a reduction of 840L compared to before compression.

[0172] 21.18:10: Two robots automatically navigated to the medical waste temporary storage point and poured the packaged waste into the solid waste collection bins.

[0173] 22.18:30: The robot performs a full self-cleaning process, cleaning and disinfecting the waste storage bin, liquid collector, and integrated end effector, which takes 20 minutes.

[0174] 23.18:50: The robot automatically navigates to the charging room to recharge, preparing for the next day's work tasks.

[0175] Based on statistical analysis of the robot's operational data, the performance of the automated medical waste collection and packaging robot of this invention compared with traditional manual collection methods is as follows:

[0176] The comparison results show that the automated medical waste collection and packaging robot of this invention is significantly superior to traditional manual collection methods in terms of efficiency, safety, environmental friendliness, and economy. Specifically: 1. Significantly improved efficiency: The robot's daily processing capacity is three times that of manual labor, and the processing time per bag is only one-fifth that of manual labor, enabling it to complete more collection tasks in a shorter time.

[0177] 2. Significantly improved safety: Zero human contact is achieved, completely avoiding the risk of sharp instrument punctures and bacterial infection, and protecting the health of operators.

[0178] 3. Outstanding environmental performance: The liquid-solid separation design eliminates liquid leakage, and the three-stage gas purification ensures that emissions meet standards, effectively preventing secondary pollution.

[0179] 4. Significant economic benefits: It greatly reduces labor and transportation costs, and the investment payback period is about 1.5 years, resulting in good economic benefits.

[0180] 5. More standardized management: The back-end management system can monitor the working status of the robot and collect data in real time, realizing the traceability and management of the medical waste collection process.

[0181] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A medical waste automatic collection and packaging robot, characterized in that, include: The mobile carrier module is used to carry other modules and move automatically according to a preset path. A multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm module is installed on top of the mobile carrier module to perform garbage collection, disinfection, and cleaning operations; An integrated end effector module, installed at the end of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator module, integrates a garbage gripper, a liquid suction head, a disinfection spray head, and a wiping mechanism to perform garbage gripping, liquid suction, disinfection spraying, and surface wiping operations. The liquid-solid separation and collection module includes a waste storage bin, a liquid collector, a stainless steel filter screen, and an ultrasonic liquid level sensor. The stainless steel filter screen is installed at the bottom of the waste storage bin to achieve liquid-solid separation and temporary storage of medical waste. The vacuum compression and gas purification module, including a vacuum pump, a vacuum solenoid valve, a pressure sensor, and a three-stage purification module, is used to vacuum compress packaged medical waste and purify the extracted gas. The automatic bag changing and disinfection module includes a roll-up garbage bag mechanism, a bag pulling mechanism, an opening mechanism, and a heat sealing mechanism, which are used to automatically open, seal, and replace garbage bags. The intelligent sensing and control module, including the main control unit, lidar, vision camera and ultrasonic sensor, is used to collect environmental data, plan paths and control the coordinated operation of various modules; The energy and communication module is used to provide power to the robot and enable communication with the back-end management system.

2. The automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The integrated end effector module features a pneumatic parallel gripper for garbage disposal, with an anti-slip silicone layer on the inside; a stainless steel conical suction head with a removable filter screen inside, and a maximum suction flow rate of 2-5 L / min; a high-pressure atomizing nozzle for disinfection spray, with atomized particles of 50-100 μm in diameter; and a rotating non-woven cloth wiping disc with an adjustable rotation speed of 0-300 rpm.

3. The automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the waste storage bin of the liquid-solid separation and collection module is inclined, and a stainless steel filter screen is installed at the lowest point of the inclined surface; an ultrasonic liquid level sensor is installed on the top of the liquid collector to monitor the liquid level in real time. When the liquid level reaches the preset value of the liquid collector height, automatic sewage discharge is triggered.

4. The automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum compression and gas purification module consists of a three-stage purification module, which includes an H14 grade HEPA high-efficiency filter, a modified activated carbon adsorption layer, and a 254nm ultraviolet disinfection lamp; the pump is an oil-free rotary vane vacuum pump.

5. The automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum compression and gas purification module uses a phased control algorithm for gas extraction control, including a rapid extraction phase, a slow extraction phase, and a pressure holding phase. In the rapid extraction phase, gas is extracted at 100% of the rated power to -0.04MPa. In the slow extraction phase, gas is extracted at 30% of the rated power to a preset vacuum level of -0.06MPa to -0.08MPa. In the pressure holding phase, the vacuum level is maintained for 3-5 seconds.

6. The automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat sealing mechanism of the automatic bag changing and disinfection module is a pulse heat sealing mechanism, with an adjustable heat sealing temperature of 150-200℃ and an adjustable heat sealing time of 0.5-3 seconds.

7. The automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control unit of the intelligent sensing and control module adopts an NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX embedded processor; the LiDAR is a 16-line mechanical LiDAR; the vision camera adopts an RGB-D camera, which is used to identify trash cans and obstacles based on the lightweight YOLOv8 algorithm.

8. The automatic medical waste collection and packaging robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent sensing and control module adopts The algorithm performs path planning, and the evaluation function is: ,in The actual cost from the starting point to the current node. The distance from the current node to the destination is the Manhattan distance; dynamic obstacle avoidance is achieved using the speed obstacle method.

9. A method for automatically collecting and packaging medical waste based on the robot described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. System Initialization and Task Reception: The robot performs a self-test upon power-on, loads the environmental map, completes initial positioning, and receives collection tasks from the backend. S2. Automatic walking and dynamic obstacle avoidance: according to... The algorithm-planned path is automatically followed, using LiDAR and visual cameras to detect and avoid static and dynamic obstacles; S3. Medical waste collection and liquid-solid separation: Control the robotic arm to pick up the trash can and empty the trash. Solid waste remains in the trash storage bin, and liquid flows into the liquid collector through the filter screen. S4. Vacuum Compression and Gas Purification: The waste is vacuum compressed according to a phased control algorithm, and the extracted gas is discharged after three stages of purification. S5. Disinfection and wiping of the outer surface of garbage bags: Control the integrated end effector to spray disinfection and wipe the outer surface of the packaged garbage bags; S6. Automatic bag replacement and inner surface disinfection: Automatically replaces garbage bags with new ones and pre-disinfects the inner surface of the new garbage bags; S7. Automatic sewage discharge and self-cleaning: When the liquid level in the liquid collector reaches the threshold, it automatically navigates to discharge sewage. After completing the task, the equipment is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

10. The method for automatic collection and packaging of medical waste according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step S4, the vacuum level is controlled using a PID algorithm, and the control formula is as follows: ， in This represents the percentage of the air pump's power. This is the difference between the preset vacuum level and the actual vacuum level. , , These are the proportional, integral, and differential coefficients, respectively.

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