Waste treatment apparatus, charge calculation method, program, and waste treatment system

Abstract

To provide a waste treatment apparatus that requests a user to pay a consideration for use for a predetermined period; and to provide a waste treatment apparatus that can calculate a proper consideration easily convincible for a user.SOLUTION: The waste treatment apparatus according to the invention includes: a treatment container for storing and reducing weights of wastes; a weight measurement unit for continuously measuring weights of the treatment container to obtain measurement values; and a charge calculation unit for calculating a charge with respect to a user of the waste treatment apparatus according to a degree of decrease in the measurement values within a predetermined period.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a waste treatment device, a method for calculating a bill for use of the waste treatment device within a specified period of time, a program, and a waste treatment system. [Background technology]

[0002] Known technologies that feature the calculation of usage fees for waste processing equipment and waste processing systems include a billing system (see Patent Document 1) that includes a management device that calculates the total weight of the materials to be processed for each user and charges each user based on the total weight; a system in a system for processing water-containing waste that calculates and charges an amount according to the amount of residue recovered (see Patent Document 2); a waste processing system in which a payment fee corresponding to data on the amount of food waste input is calculated based on data on the unit price of food waste (see Patent Document 3); a rental method for industrial waste processing equipment that counts the amount of raw materials input to the processing equipment and calculates the usage fee by subtracting the amount of material purchased from the amount of raw materials input; a management method for food waste liquefaction equipment that charges or pays a fee for the use of the food waste liquefaction equipment based on the amount of food waste input that is tallied and managed for each user (see Patent Document 5); and a waste processing system in a shared organic waste processing system that charges users for expenses corresponding to the frequency of use and the amount of waste input (see Patent Document 6). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-007903 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2004-355323 [Patent Document 3] JP 2003-290739 A [Patent Document 4] JP2003-187161A [Patent Document 5] JP2001-348103A [Patent Document 6] Patent Publication No. 2001-276796 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a known technique for calculating the cost of using a waste treatment device based on the amount of waste input into the device and the frequency of input. However, there are some types of waste that cannot be processed within the device. In such cases, if the amount is calculated based on the input amount and frequency of input, users will be charged for waste that cannot be processed, which may cause dissatisfaction among users.

[0005] In addition, in waste treatment equipment that reduces the amount of waste by fermenting it with microorganisms, it is necessary to increase the moisture content of the waste for the fermentation to occur, but it is difficult to distinguish between the weight increase due to the water injection and the weight increase due to the input of waste. Since the weight increase of the treatment vessel does not necessarily reflect the amount of waste input, it may not be appropriate to calculate the usage fee based on the weight increase.

[0006] Patent Document 4 describes an invention in which the fee is calculated by subtracting the purchase amount of the waste to be treated from the amount of raw materials input. This invention subtracts the purchase amount from the amount of raw materials input in order to discount the fee by purchasing the waste to be treated from the user, and the fee is calculated based on the amount of raw materials input, not on the weight of the waste treated.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a waste disposal treatment device that requires the user to pay a fee for use for a specified period of time, and that can calculate a fair fee that is easy for the user to accept. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In other words, the present invention is a waste treatment device that calculates a user's compensation for use within a specified period of time, and comprises a treatment container that contains waste and reduces its weight, a weight measuring unit that continuously measures the weight of the treatment container to obtain a measured value, and a billing amount calculation unit that calculates the amount to be billed to the user of the waste treatment device from the degree of reduction in the measured value over the specified period.

[0009] Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is a waste processing device in which a unit price is set in advance, and the billing amount calculation unit calculates the billing amount by multiplying the unit price by the time during which the measurement value continuously decreases during the time during which the user uses the waste processing device.

[0010] Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is a waste treatment device in which a plurality of unit prices corresponding to the degree of decrease in the measurement value per hour are preset, and the billing amount calculation unit selects one unit price from the plurality of unit prices based on the degree of decrease in the measurement value per hour, and calculates the billing amount.

[0011] Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is a waste disposal device further comprising an expense calculation unit that calculates expenses incurred by the user in using the waste disposal device, and an amount presentation unit that presents the billed amount and the expenses to the user. The expenses may be electricity and / or water.

[0012] Furthermore, another aspect of the present invention is a waste treatment device for reducing the amount of waste contained therein by fermentation of microorganisms, further comprising a water supply unit for supplying water to the treatment container. The waste treatment device may further comprise a moisture content measuring unit for measuring the moisture content of the waste contained in the treatment container, and the water supply unit may supply an amount of water according to the moisture content.

[0013] The present invention is a method for calculating an amount billed for use, within a specified period, of a waste treatment device having a treatment container that stores and reduces the weight of waste, the method including a weight measurement step of continuously measuring the weight of the treatment container to obtain a measured value, and a billing amount calculation step of calculating an amount billed to a user of the waste treatment device from the degree of reduction in the measured value within the specified period, the method being executed by a computer, and also being a program for causing a computer to execute the billing amount calculation method.

[0014] The present invention is a waste treatment system comprising a waste treatment device and a server, wherein the waste treatment device comprises a treatment container that contains waste and reduces its weight, and a weight measurement unit that continuously measures the weight of the treatment container to obtain a measurement value, and the server comprises a measurement value receiving unit that receives the measurement value, and a billing amount calculation unit that calculates the amount to be billed to a user of the waste treatment device from the degree of reduction in the measurement value over a specified period of time.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention is a waste disposal system, wherein the server further comprises a payment processing unit that performs a payment process for the user with respect to the billed amount. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The present invention contributes to the establishment of a new business model in which a waste treatment device is not sold to users as equipment, but rather a usage fee is charged for a specified period, for example, per month, according to the amount of waste treated. By paying a fee for use for a specified period, users can introduce the waste treatment device at a relatively low price.

[0017] According to the present invention, the fee for use within a specified period is calculated according to the reduction in the amount of waste collected, so that the billing amount can be determined appropriately and is easy for users to accept. Also, by setting the hourly rate in advance, the billing amount can be calculated clearly and easily.

[0018] Also, although the ease / difficulty of reducing the amount of waste varies depending on the type of waste, a more appropriate billing amount can be set by setting multiple unit prices in advance according to the degree of reduction per hour. For example, by setting a high hourly rate when the degree of reduction in the weight of the waste is high, and a low hourly rate when the degree of reduction is low, the billing amount can be set according to the waste treatment equipment's processing performance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a waste treatment device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a waste treatment system. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing a billing amount calculation method according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention provides a waste treatment device comprising a treatment container for storing and reducing the weight of waste, a weight measuring unit for continuously measuring the weight of the treatment container to obtain a measured value, and a billing amount calculation unit for calculating a billing amount to be charged to a user of the waste treatment device from the degree of reduction in the measured value. Further provided is a method for calculating a billing amount for use of the waste treatment device within a specified period of time, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and a waste treatment system. The present invention will be described in detail below based on an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0021] The waste treatment device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a waste treatment device that reduces the amount of organic waste by fermentation with microorganisms. In another embodiment, the waste treatment device may be a device that dries water in the waste or a device that carbonizes the waste. As long as the waste treatment device of the present invention is intended to reduce the amount of waste contained therein, any waste treatment method can be selected as desired.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a waste treatment device 10. The waste treatment device 10 includes a waste treatment device main body 11 and a server 26 connected to the main body 11 via a network 24. The waste treatment device main body 11 includes a treatment container 12 that receives and reduces the weight of waste, and a weight measuring unit 14 that continuously measures the weight of the treatment container over time to obtain measured values. The waste treatment device main body 11 includes a water supply unit 16 that supplies water to the waste received in the treatment container 12 to maintain the waste at a constant moisture content in order to promote fermentation by microorganisms in the treatment container 12, and an agitation blade 18 inside the treatment container 12 that agitates the waste to make it approximately homogenous and supplies oxygen necessary for fermentation. Furthermore, the waste treatment device main body 11 includes a temperature adjustment unit 20 that maintains the temperature inside the treatment container 12 at a temperature suitable for fermentation by microorganisms.

[0023] A user puts waste into the treatment vessel 12 through the waste inlet 22 of the waste treatment device main body 11. A moisture content measuring unit (not shown) measures the moisture content of the put-in waste. If the moisture content of the waste is lower than a preset moisture content, water is supplied from the water supply unit 16 to the treatment vessel 12 so that the moisture content becomes the preset moisture content. In another embodiment, the water supply unit 16 may supply water to the treatment vessel 12 by operation of the user.

[0024] The weight measuring unit 14 continuously measures the weight of the treatment vessel 12, thereby monitoring the weight of the treatment vessel 12 in real time. The measured values ​​obtained by the weight measuring unit 14 may be transmitted from the waste treatment treatment device main body 11 to an administrator terminal and / or a user terminal by a server 26 connected via a network 24, and may be displayed in real time on a display (not shown) on the waste treatment treatment device main body 11.

[0025] The weight measuring unit 14 obtains at least the measured weight of the processing vessel 12 and information regarding the time when the measured weight was obtained. This information is stored in a memory unit 32 of a server 26 provided outside the waste processing device 10 body and connected to the waste processing device body 11 via a network 24.

[0026] The server 26 includes a communication unit 28, a control unit 30, and a storage unit 32, and functions as a billing amount calculation unit. Here, the billing amount calculation unit calculates the billing amount, which is the price for use during a predetermined period, from the degree of decrease in the measured value during that predetermined period. For example, in one embodiment, the billing amount may be an amount obtained by multiplying the numerical value obtained by adding up the degrees of decrease in the measured value during the predetermined period by a unit price per degree of decrease.

[0027] In another embodiment, the billing calculation unit is preset with an hourly rate, which is stored in the storage unit 32. The billing calculation unit calculates the time during which the measured value is decreasing, and determines the billing amount as the amount obtained by multiplying the time by the hourly rate. Specifically, the time during which the time differential value of the measured value is negative is counted as the time during which the measured value is decreasing, and the billing amount is determined as the amount of time thus counted multiplied by the hourly rate.

[0028] In yet another embodiment, multiple unit prices corresponding to the degree of decrease in the measured value per unit time are preset and stored in the storage unit 32. The billing amount calculation unit calculates the billing amount by selecting from the multiple unit prices a unit price to be multiplied by the time based on the degree of decrease in the measured value per hour. For example, the time differential value of the measured value is calculated, a unit price is selected based on the time differential value, and the number of hours is multiplied by the unit price. The billing amount is the sum of the amounts obtained by multiplying each hourly unit price by the number of hours to which the unit price is applied. The hourly unit price may be set higher as the absolute value of the time differential value of the measured value becomes larger, and the hourly unit price may be set lower as the absolute value becomes smaller. This is because setting in this manner allows the billing amount corresponding to the actual amount of waste treated by the waste treatment device 10 to be clearly and easily calculated.

[0029] The waste disposal device 10 further includes an expense calculation unit and an amount presentation unit. The expense calculation unit calculates expenses incurred when the user uses the waste disposal device 10 for a specified period of time, specifically utility expenses, and more specifically electricity and / or water charges. The amount presentation unit displays the expenses for the specified period calculated by the expense calculation unit together with the billed amount (the price for use for the specified period) calculated by the billed amount calculation unit. The amount presentation unit may be a display (not shown) on the waste disposal device main body 11, or may be a user terminal connected from the server 26. The amount presentation unit allows the user to easily grasp all expenses related to the use of the waste disposal device 10.

[0030] Another embodiment of the present invention is a waste treatment system 40 including a waste treatment device main body 11 and a server 26. A schematic diagram of the waste treatment system 30 is shown in Fig. 2. The waste treatment device 10 and the server 26 are connected via a network 24, and an administrator terminal 34 and / or a user terminal 36 can be further connected thereto via the network 24.

[0031] The measurement value obtained by the weight measuring unit 14 is transmitted to the server 26, and the communication unit 28 of the server 26 functions as a measurement value receiving unit that receives the measurement value, and the memory unit 32 stores the measurement value. The control unit 30 of the server 26 calculates the amount to be charged to the user from the degree of decrease in the measurement value based on the received measurement value. The measurement value and the calculated amount to be charged are stored in the memory unit 32, and are also transmitted from the communication unit 28 via the network 24 to the administrator terminal 34 and / or the user terminal 36, where they are displayed.

[0032] In another embodiment, the server 26 may include a payment processing unit that processes the user's payment for the billed amount. The payment processing unit may communicate with another server of an online payment service provider to perform the payment.

[0033] The present invention further provides a billing amount calculation method executed by a computer, and a program for causing a computer to execute the billing amount calculation method. Another aspect of the present invention is a storage medium storing the above-mentioned program. The storage medium may be a tangible storage medium readable by a computer.

[0034] The billing amount calculation method implemented using a computer of the present invention is a method for calculating the billing amount for use, within a specified period of time, of a waste treatment device having a treatment container that contains and reduces the weight of waste, and includes a weight measurement step of continuously measuring the weight of the treatment container to obtain a measured value, and a billing amount calculation step of calculating the billing amount to be charged to the user of the waste treatment device from the degree of reduction in the measured value within the specified period.

[0035] In one aspect of the method of the present invention, a unit price is set in advance, and the billing amount calculation step calculates the billing amount by multiplying the unit price by the time during which the measurement value continuously decreases during the time the user uses the waste treatment device.

[0036] In another aspect of the method of the present invention, a plurality of unit prices corresponding to the degree of decrease in the measured value per unit time are preset, and the billing amount calculation step is a billing amount calculation step which selects the unit price for a given time based on the degree of decrease in the measured value per specified time, and calculates the billing amount.

[0037] Another aspect of the method of the present invention further includes a cost calculation step of calculating the cost incurred by the user in using the waste disposal device, and a price presentation step of presenting the bill and the cost to the user. The cost may be an electricity bill and / or a water bill.

[0038] In another embodiment of the method of the present invention, the waste treatment device reduces the amount of waste contained therein by fermentation of microorganisms, and further comprises a water supply unit that supplies water to the treatment vessel. The waste treatment device may further comprise a moisture content measuring unit that measures the moisture content of the waste contained in the treatment vessel, and the water supply unit may supply an amount of water according to the moisture content. EXAMPLES

[0039] The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0040] The billing amount was calculated using the waste treatment device of the embodiment. Figure 3 shows the change in the weight measurement value of the treatment container of the waste treatment device of the embodiment. The user put the first waste in at the timing shown in A. Since water was supplied from the water supply unit to adjust the moisture content of the waste immediately after the waste was put in, it was difficult to accurately grasp the amount of waste put in. On the other hand, it was understood that the time when the measurement value decreased was the time shown in a, and the degree of decrease during this period was 1. After the period shown in a had passed, no change in the weight measurement value was observed, so it was determined that the treatment of the waste put in at A was completed.

[0041] Next, the second waste was added at the timing shown in B of Figure 3. Since water was supplied from the water supply unit to adjust the moisture content of the waste immediately after it was added, it was difficult to accurately grasp the amount of waste added. The time when the measured value decreased is shown in b, and the degree of decrease during this period was 2. After the period shown in b had elapsed, no change in the weight measurement was observed, so it was determined that the treatment of the waste added at B was complete.

[0042] Based on the degree of decrease in the weight measurement values, the billing amount calculation unit calculated the billing amount for use during this period based on the following formula.

[0043]

number

[0044] 10 Waste treatment equipment 11 Waste treatment device body 12 Processing vessel 14 Weight measurement section 16 Water supply section 18 Mixing blade 20 Temperature adjustment section 22 Waste input port 24 Network 26 Server 28 Communications Department 30 Control section 32 Storage section 34 Administrator terminal 36 User terminal 40 Waste Treatment System

Claims

1. 1. A waste treatment device comprising: a treatment vessel for receiving and reducing the waste; a weight measuring unit that continuously measures the weight of the processing vessel to obtain a measured value; and a billing amount calculation unit that calculates a billing amount to be charged to a user of the waste treatment device from the degree of decrease in the measurement value within a predetermined period of time. Waste treatment equipment.

2. The unit price is preset, the billing amount calculation unit calculates, as the billing amount, an amount obtained by multiplying the unit price by the time during which the measurement value continuously decreases during the time during which the user uses the waste disposal device. The waste treatment device according to claim 1 .

3. A plurality of unit prices are preset according to the degree of decrease in the measured value per hour, the billing amount calculation unit selects one unit price from the plurality of unit prices based on the rate of decrease of the measured value per hour, and calculates the billing amount. The waste treatment device according to claim 2 .

4. an expense calculation unit that calculates expenses incurred by the user in using the waste disposal treatment device within the specified period; and an amount presentation unit that presents the billing amount and the expenses to the user. The waste treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The waste treatment device according to claim 4 , wherein the expenses are electricity and / or water charges.

6. A waste treatment device that reduces the amount of waste contained therein by fermentation of microorganisms, Further comprising a water supply unit for supplying water to the treatment vessel. The waste treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. A moisture content measuring unit for measuring the moisture content of the waste contained in the treatment container is further provided. The water supply unit supplies an amount of water according to the moisture content. The waste treatment device according to claim 6.

8. A method for calculating a bill for use of a waste treatment device having a treatment container for storing and reducing waste during a specified period of time, comprising the steps of: a weighing step of continuously measuring the weight of the processing vessel to obtain a measurement value; and a billing amount calculation step of calculating a billing amount to be charged to a user of the waste treatment device from a degree of decrease in the measurement value within a predetermined period of time. A method for calculating billing amounts using a computer.

9. A program for causing a computer to execute the billing amount calculation method according to claim 8.

10. A waste treatment system comprising a waste treatment device and a server, The waste treatment device comprises: a treatment vessel for receiving and reducing the waste; A weight measuring unit that continuously measures the weight of the processing vessel to obtain a measurement value, The server, a measurement value receiving unit that receives the measurement value; and a billing amount calculation unit that calculates a billing amount to be charged to a user of the waste treatment device from the degree of decrease in the measurement value for a predetermined period of time. Waste disposal system.

11. The server further includes a payment processing unit for performing a payment process of the user for the billing amount. The waste treatment system according to claim 10.

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