Non-Visible Imaging for Hidden Hazard Detection in Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies struggle to detect and remove hazardous items like Li-Ion batteries and printer toner cartridges in recycling facilities, which can cause fires and pose significant safety risks due to their concealment within other waste or devices, leading to frequent fires and high insurance premiums.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing non-visible spectrum imaging technologies such as X-ray, CT scan, and AI-driven image analysis to identify hazardous items on conveyor belts, combined with mechanical manipulations and robotic interventions for precise removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional cameras and visible spectrum imaging are used to detect hazardous items, then the system is simple and inexpensive, but small hazardous items like Li-Ion batteries hidden within devices or buried underneath waste cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from visible spectrum imaging to non-visible spectrum imaging (X-ray, terahertz, microwave) to detect hazardous items. This dimensional change in the electromagnetic spectrum enables penetration through burden depth and detection of concealed items that are invisible to conventional cameras, directly resolving the detection limitation while maintaining system feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces AI/ML algorithms as an intermediary between image capture and hazard identification. The AI module processes non-visible spectrum images, identifies features, compares them against hazardous item databases, and detects concealed items that would be imperceptible through simple image viewing, enabling precise detection without requiring overly complex manual inspection systems
2Productivity
If manual inspection methods are used to identify hazardous items, then the system is simple, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive with high operational costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with automated non-visible spectrum imaging and AI analysis systems. The automated system captures images, processes them through AI algorithms, and identifies hazardous items rapidly without human intervention, dramatically increasing detection speed while the modular architecture keeps automation complexity manageable
Solution Approach 2:
The AI module performs self-service by automatically analyzing images, identifying features, comparing them against embedded databases of hazardous items, and generating detection results without requiring external manual intervention. This self-analyzing capability enables high-speed automated detection while maintaining system simplicity through software-based intelligence
3Measurement precision
If hazardous items are buried underneath other waste (increased burden depth), then they are harder to detect with conventional methods, but removing them manually is near-impossible and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses non-visible spectrum imaging (X-ray, terahertz) that can penetrate through burden depth and other waste materials to detect concealed hazardous items. This dimensional change in imaging capability allows detection of items buried underneath waste without requiring physical excavation or manual removal, making detection accurate while removal becomes feasible through targeted extraction based on precise location data
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Accurately detects and removes hazardous items regardless of their position within waste, reducing fire risks and operational costs by integrating real-time AI and edge-computing for low-latency detection and automated response.
Implementation Method 1
The first non-visible spectrum image capturing device is an X-ray image capturing device
Implementation Method 2
The first non-visible spectrum image capturing device is a terahertz image capturing device
Implementation Method 3
The first non-visible spectrum image capturing device is a microwave image capturing device
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for detecting hazardous items in a recycling facility, including: receiving, from a first non-visible spectrum image capturing device, a first non-visible spectrum image of items on a conveyor belt. The system and method may include providing, to an AI module, the first non-visible spectrum image of the items on the conveyor belt, where the AI module includes functionality to identify features of the items captured in the first non-visible spectrum image; compare the identified features of the items on the conveyor belt to features of hazardous items of the AI module; and identify a hazardous item in the first non-visible spectrum image based on a similarity between the identified features to the features of hazardous items of the AI module. The system and method may include providing, in response to identifying the hazardous item, an indication of the presence of the hazardous item.