FR2769009A1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MECHANICALLY DISPLAYING THE FILLING RATE OF A SOLID WASTE CONTAINER - Google Patents

Abstract

A palette partially obstructs the refuse fall pipe (3) into the container (1) and tips as the refuse enters the container. The palette is subjected to a return torque which returns it to the horizontal position after passage of the refuse. An incremental impulse counter is connected to the palette by a mechanical actuator. The display (5, 6) shows the counter result in text, graphical or pictogram form.

Description

The field of the invention is that of receptacle containers of

  solid waste, sorted or not, existing on public roads and likely to be buried under this road. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and devices allowing a municipality or a company with a concession, to remotely monitor the progressive filling of the various containers. It also concerns any individual or private company wishing to do the same on private land with its own containers. Indeed, the unavoidable evolution of the ecological treatment of consumer waste leads municipalities and / or companies with the concession, to set up the means of selective sorting of waste directly by the consumer. In addition, the latter, also a citizen, turns to the public authorities, expressing more and more a desire to control its urban environment, in particular in terms of visual, noise, or even olfactory pollution, these requirements coming in addition to the constraints convenience of access, efficiency of

  service, without obviously renouncing the requirements of public security.

  In fact, the problem posed could only be concretely resolved if the specialized drop-off containers were buried, the only one protruding from the ground the device for introducing the

  waste, as established by patent application No. 97/01718 of February 14, 1997.

  However, there remains the problem of detecting the end of filling of the container, which, until the present invention, had no other solution than the finding, too late, of the overflow of said container by appearance of various waste deposited at surroundings, thus constituting pollution, at least visual, at most presenting risks of hygiene or injury to the surrounding public, without omitting

  cases of blockage of various mechanisms due to these uncontrolled overflows.

  A solution had to be found to prevent, by any means, those responsible for the removal of the containers, from the imminence of this overflow, in order

  that they can intervene preventively.

  These objectives are achieved and these problems are solved according to the invention by means of the implementation of a method comprising the following devices: - A sensor is installed in the body of the inlet mouth by which the waste, whatever they are, are rushed. This sensor is in the form of a pallet, tilting as the thrown object passes. This pallet is more or less large and more or less partially blocks the duct. It is also balanced by a counterweight or by a return spring, so as to always return, after the passage of an object, in a horizontal situation of partial obstruction. This palette will hold objects that are too light, just as objects that are too small may fall into the container without triggering the sensor. These two elements, dimension of the pallet in the conduit and importance of the return torque are the two essential elements of the adjustment of the device, adjustment likely to vary, for example between a plastic bottle and a glass bottle, but also for paper or a metal can, etc.

  - This sensor informs a counter, which increments with each pass.

  Preferably, this transmission of information will be carried out mechanically by a rod, a chain, a cable, etc. This mechanical or pneumatic counter therefore increments with each pulse received. A manual or automatic device allows the

back to square one.

  - This counter can also be adjustable, to allow a large counting dynamic, as for example, for a given container, cover both the number of household garbage bags as the number of possible cans for

its filling.

  - This counter in turn informs a display, which is seen, among other things, by the personnel responsible for raising the containers in question and therefore warned of the filling level of said container. Preferably this display will be read

  simple and will present, for example, three states, green, orange and red.

  More particularly, the implementation of the method according to the invention comprises: - a mechanical waste passage sensor adjustable both in weight and in volume, placed in the waste inlet mouth and actuated selectively by the passage of certain waste, - a counter associated with this sensor and transmitting the filling rate information to a display visible from the outside, - the calibration of this display on an experimental finding, due to the fact that a large container, receiving according to the operators, a certain type of waste, in a certain place, always fills in the same way, the typology of its content being very consistent, - moreover this sensor ensures, in the event of a full container , blocking or closing the inlet mouth, thus avoiding jamming or blockage, always harmful

in buried solutions.

  This counter and this display can be of an electrical or electronic nature, thus requiring a supply of electrical energy. Preferably, in the spirit of the aforementioned patent, they will be of pneumatic or mechanical nature, in this case not requiring

no external energy.

  As for the display, rather than presenting precise digital information, it will preferably present analog information of an alarm type in

  color successively, green, orange and red.

  This alarm will be visible to the citizen depositing their waste, but preferably, this display will be placed so as to be visible to the attendants at

  emptying of said containers, for example on the street side for vision from a car.

  Thus, the services of the municipality or the concessionaire, can easily and in particular from a service vehicle, carrying out a surveillance round, detect in time the containers approaching the end of their filling and have them proceed then,

  after lifting, emptying or replacing them with empty containers.

  Obviously, renouncing a solution without energy input, it is possible to associate with this meter a transmitter, wired or wireless, transmitting to

distance the information in question.

  It may be a short distance, for example informing a passing car at normal speed of the filling state of all the containers of the

  city. In this case it will be a radio link, of low power.

  It can also be a real centralized technical management center

  gathering this information at a central point, which triggers interventions.

  Ideally, a relationship will be chosen in the form of an interrogation by the central office one or more times a day and the counter device returns its status. In this case, it can also be a radio link of the radiotelephone type or a wired link.

telephone modem type.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the

  description of an alternative embodiment of the invention, given by way of indicative example

  and not limiting, and appended figures 1 to 9 showing schematic views in

  section, in perspective or in plan, of the implementation of the method according to the invention.

  Thus: - Figure 1 illustrates, in section, the general situation of the invention; - Figure 2 illustrates, in section, the descent of a product in the conduit; - Figure 3 illustrates, in plan, the choice of the relative surface of the pallet; - Figure 4 illustrates, in section, the adjustment of the sensitivity to the weight of the pallet; - Figure 5 illustrates, in section, the filling counter and its display; - Figure 6 illustrates, in perspective, the filling display; - Figure 7 illustrates, in section, the blocking in the case of household waste; - Figure 8 illustrates, in section, the blocking announcement display;

  - Figure 9 illustrates, in plan, the blocking announcement display.

  The implementation of the method according to the invention allows the ad hoc service of the municipality or the concessionaire to view remotely, FIG. 1, the state of a display (5) disposed on a hopper (3) intended to receive solid waste through its inlet mouth (4), this display (5) providing the state of filling of the

  container (1) buried in a pit (2) under the road.

  On this same hopper (3) is another display (6) which informs the public

  that the container (1) is full and that the inlet mouth (4) is closed.

  Figure 2 details the operation of the process where we see the waste (7), whatever its nature, shape, material and weight, descending by gravity into the hopper (3) after been introduced into the mouth (4), the shape of which is

  adapted to the nature of the waste collected in the container (1).

  In the hopper is a pallet (8), articulated around an axis (9) and balanced by a counterweight (10), calibrated so that the pallet after being struck by the movement of the waste (7), Figure 2 (a), (b) and (c), returns to its horizontal position. This movement of the pallet (8) is transmitted to an actuator (1 la or 1 lb) articulated in (12a or 12b) to the pallet (8). The type actuator (1a), articulated at (12a) with the pallet (8) will behave, as a rigid rod, as if pushed upwards by the movement (FIG. 2b) of the pallet at the time of passage of the waste (7) in the hopper (3). The type actuator (1 lb), articulated in (12b) with the pallet (8) will behave as a rigid rod or flexible link, such as a cable or a chain, as pulled down by the movement (Figure 2b ) from the pallet when the waste (7) passes through the hopper

(3).

  One of the advantages of the method according to the invention comes from the possibility of adapting this information capture function to all the types of solid waste likely to be collected. Indeed as it appears in figure 3, it is possible to adapt the shape and the surface of the pallet (8), articulated around the axis (9), as it is shown in (8a), (8b) or (8c), so that it only partially closes

  or very partially the passage section of the hopper (3).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the counterweight (10a), (10b) or (10c) is adjustable in position as indicated in (13a), (13b) or (13c), for example continuously, allowing the return torque of the articulated pallet (8) to be varied

around the axis (9).

  Thanks to this process it will be possible to vary the sensitivity of this sensor so as to detect only the waste (7) greater than a certain weight and to ignore the others. Similarly, thanks to this process, it will be possible to vary the sensitivity of this sensor so as to detect only the waste (7) greater than a certain volume and to ignore the others. Indeed too light waste (7) will not tip the pallet and will accumulate there until their cumulative weight is sufficient. Likewise too small objects can escape from the sides, thus not implementing the movement of the pallet. However, those responsible for collecting waste know that a given container, at a given location, collecting given waste, always fills in the same way, and that thus, having these adjustment elements, it will be possible to collect information on filling a container with very high reliability, as it comes from experience gathered in the field. This information is therefore transmitted by the actuator (11) of the "pusher" type.

  (1 la) or "shooter" (1 lb) to an impulse counter (15) as shown in figure 5.

  Preferably it will be a mechanical or pneumatic counter of the trade, known as blow counter or pulse counter, thus requiring no energy input.

outside.

  This pulse counter (15) is of the so-called "incremental" or "ratchet" type, that is to say that it is incremented with each pulse received. Obviously it has a so-called "reset" function illustrated by an actuator (18), rigid or flexible, actuated (19) manually or automatically, for example by the movement of

  exit from the container (1) as proposed in the aforementioned patent.

  In an alternative embodiment, this type of counter has a toothed wheel or a pin wheel, easily changeable, which makes it possible to modify the calibration of this

  counter and allow it a dynamic counting adapted to the collected waste.

  The counter (15) has a display (16) generally of cylindrical shape,

  positioned in front of a window (14) placed in the wall of the hopper (3).

  Preferably, this counter display (16) of the counter (15) will present behind the window (14), analog information of alarm type in green (20), orange (21) and red (22) color as indicated in FIG. 6 , rather than information to

numeric character.

  In this alternative embodiment, this device also performs the blocking or closing function of the inlet mouth (4) of the waste (7) in the hopper (3). Figure 7 takes as an example the most difficult case where the waste (7) is bulky household waste and where the inlet mouth (4) is produced in the form of a drawer

  tilting (23), called garbage chute, articulated around a horizontal axis (24).

  The pallet (8), previously described, articulated around a horizontal axis (9), also has an actuator (25), articulated around the horizontal axis (12) previously used by the other actuator (11) intended for the counter (15). If the actuator (11) is of the type (1 la) as shown in FIG. 2, the actuator (1 la) and

  the actuator (25) can be merged into a single object.

  This actuator (25) enters a simple latch-type lock (26). If it remains in the high position, following an accumulation of waste (7), preventing the pallet (8) from resuming, thanks to its counterweight (10), its horizontal rest position, it prevents

  then opening the tilting drawer.

  In the case of inlet openings without a tilting drawer, a hatch is pushed to allow the introduction of waste such as glass or plastic bottles, metal, paper, etc. In the same way the hatch is immobilized by the actuator (25). Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the rocking movement of the pallet (8) will be used by an actuator (25) whose movement (30) will be used by another display device (6), which, like the preceding one consists of a window (27) similar to the window (14), also placed in the thickness of the hopper (3) and behind which is the actual display (28). This, linked in (29) to the actuator

  (25), undergoes the movements (30) of the latter on each passage of waste.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, this display (28) consists of two zones (31) and

  (32), ideally green and red, possibly accompanied by written indications.

  When the pallet (8) is blocked by waste (7), the actuator (25) and the display (28) are in high position, and only the zone (32), red, remains visible behind the window ( 27) of the display (6), thus informing the user of the fact that the container (1) is

  full and thus justifying the blocking of the opening (4).

  It is thus understood that the implementation of this method according to the invention constitutes mainly for local authorities, acting directly or through dealers, a spectacular advance in the implementation

  practical and ergonomic solutions for selective waste collection.

  Indeed, this method according to the invention makes it possible, - on the one hand, to prevent, before the container is full, the services responsible for collecting and removing waste, of the usefulness of carrying out the removal or to replace the container in question, - on the other hand to warn the user that a container is,

  unfortunately, full and prohibit access from this moment.

  It is easy to see that the process according to the invention allows great progress in the management of waste collection, in particular when the latter is sorted by voluntary contribution from the inhabitants, which leads to filling speeds.

  different depending on the nature of the waste collected.

  The lifting dealer is finally easily informed of the degree of filling of the various containers. In addition, the device for blocking the inlet mouth in the case of a full container avoids overflows, which are always more harmful when the containers are buried. Many users being correctly informed of the reason for this blockage, will behave in a civic manner, which will reduce all the more

  possible deterioration of urban equipment.

Claims (1)

Claim 1.   Device for counting solid waste (7) collected in a container (1), whatever the nature of the waste collected, comprising a sensor (8) to (13), a counter (15) and a display (16), characterized in that: - the sensor is a pallet (8) partially obstructing the descent pipe (3) of the waste (7) in the container (1) and tilting in the passage of the latter, said pallet (8) being subjected to a return torque allowing it to return to its horizontal position, after the passage of the collected waste (7), - the counter is an incremental pulse counter (15) and it is connected to the pallet (8) by a mechanical actuator (11 ), (12), - the display (16) presents the result of the counter (15) in any possible form,   graphic, text or pictogram (20) to (22).   Claim 2 Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the shape of the pallet (8), obtained by variation of its relative dimensions (8a) to (8c) relative to the passage section of the hopper (3) allowing passage the collected waste (7) is determined as a function of the minimum volume of the collected waste (7) which one wishes to count, thus making it possible to take into account only waste of a volume greater than a volume given.   Claim 3 Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the return torque of the pallet (8) around its axis of rotation (9) is determined as a function of the minimum weight of the collected waste (7) that is desired count, thus allowing not to take   take into account that waste weighing more than a given weight.   Claim 4 Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensitivity of the counter (15) is adjusted as a function of the maximum quantity of waste (7) which it is desired to collect, allowing the display (16), indifferently under a digital form   or analog, of the filling rate of the container (1).   Claim 5 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that: - a mechanical actuator (25) linked (12) to the movement of the pallet (8) actuates a device (26), such as a latch, blocking the entry (4) of the waste (7), if the pallet (8), following a congestion of waste (7), does not return to its horizontal position, - a display (28), linked (29) to this actuator (25), warns (6 ), in a graphic, pictogram or text form (31), (32), the user of this blocking, thus making it possible to prohibit the introduction (4) of new waste (7), when the container (1) is full.   Claim 6 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the display (s) (5) (6) are positioned on the hopper (3) so as to be visible from the street, thus allowing viewing of the displays from a service vehicle performing a surveillance round, Claim 7 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that - the counting result (15) of the collected waste (7) is transmitted by a low-power radio transmitter, to equipment on board a traveling service vehicle at normal speed, - this transmitter, either, transmits permanently or remains on standby, then transmitting only on a request received from the on-board equipment, thus allowing an automatic reading of the filling rates of the containers from a service vehicle.   Claim 8 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that - the counting result (15) of the collected waste (7) is transmitted by a radio transmitter of higher power or by a wired telephone line, to a centralized technical management center ( GTC), - this transmitter, indifferently, transmits permanently or remains on standby, then transmitting only on a request received from the central equipment, thus allowing automatic monitoring of container filling rates   from a centralized technical management center.