METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE SORTING OF MATERIALS FROM

COLLECTED WASTE.

The present invention relates to the management of solid waste, and particularly to a method for the sorting of materials from collected waste, and to the system used to implement said method.

Although the following description specifically refers to separated waste, the system of the invention can be also applied to non-separated waste.

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) has changed considerably. Whereas, in the past years, MSW was simply burnt and/or buried, today the use of MSW has been reconsidered in order to protect the environment and improve the management of raw materials sources. The public policies for the selective collection of waste have resulted in the development of new waste management technologies, such as the one disclosed in document EP2765540B1 , which favor the selective delivery of waste by the user and provide the collector with reliable data about the quantity and the quality of waste.

Evidently, the macrocategories of materials that are used for the separation of waste do not offer a homogeneous product to collectors or to the potential purchasers of secondary raw materials. On the contrary, they must be suitably sorted in a plurality of types in order to meet the market requirements.

The idea originates from the need to change the current status of said process in order to protect the health of the workers who separate the collected waste manually in sorting facilities. In fact, after the separation performed by the user when delivering the waste, the successive selection is made in sorting facilities by hand.

This fact involves several professional risks related with such an activity that may compromise the life quality of the workers. In many instances, the waste from the selective collection does not comply with the rules that are established for delivery. In view of the above, MSW may contain hazardous waste that can be harmful for the health of the operators because of a physical contact with the waste or inhalation of the fluids produced by the waste. The gloves and masks worn by the workers as personal protective equipment (PPE) are not sufficient to protect the workers (for example, the use of gloves does not eliminate the risk of being pricked by a syringe dumped in the trash containers of community recycling areas).

Also the contamination level of containers is dangerous because hazardous waste can be delivered erroneously or because leaks can be produced by water infiltrations in decomposed fluid waste.

Currently, not all sorting operations are carried out manually. According to the technical solutions available, some activities can be performed automatically, such as the sorting of metals, which is normally carried out with electromagnets.

In addition to metal sorting, there are other instances in which manual activities can be supported by an automatically controlled system in order to limit the direct action of human operators under specific conditions and for specific types of material. These are occasional solutions that can assist the operators in their manual activity, without providing, however, a final solution to the problem.

In several instances, the lack of functional solutions prevents the management of waste fractions, such as organic waste, diapers and non- separated waste.

The purpose of the present invention is to disclose a method for sorting the separated waste and the non-separated residual fraction delivered to a collection station, said method being capable of overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art, and being characterized by a high level of rapidity and operating efficiency.

An additional purpose of the present invention is to disclose a system that is suitable for implementing the aforesaid method. These purposes are achieved according to the present invention with the characteristics of the independent claims.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention will appear from the dependent claims.

The present invention is defined in the independent claims 1 and

9.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is a method for sorting the waste delivered to a collecting station, comprising the steps of:

- distributing the waste to at least one sorting line according to at least one category;

- identifying at least two additional subcategories for each waste category,

- sorting the waste in subcategories by picking the waste from the sorting line with at least one picking apparatus that is remotely operated,

- collecting and storing the waste in the respective subcategories,

The remotely operated apparatus is provided with means for the detection and characterization of the sorted waste. The picking apparatuses and the sorting line are interfaced with a processing unit provided with remote control means.

According to a preferred embodiment, said means for the detection and characterization of the waste comprise visual detection means, such as cameras. In such a case, during the step of sorting, the waste is picked, displayed and identified relative to the subcategories identified for its category. In particular, the detected image is compared with previously acquired images that are allocated to a given subcategory.

The present invention also refers to a system suitable for implementing the aforesaid method, which comprises: means for distributing the waste in a given number of categories; one or more sorting lines provided with means for transporting the waste, such a continuous conveyor belt; at least one remotely-operated apparatus suitable for picking the waste from the transportation means of the sorting line and for positioning the waste in a storage container. The picking apparatuses are remotely operated by means of instructions received by one or more operators.

According to a preferred embodiment, said remotely-operated apparatuses are robotic arms mounted on a support disposed along the transportation means of the sorting line in perpendicular position relative to the sliding plane of said transport means, said arms being capable of rotating relative to the axis of said support, and being provided with image acquisition means and picking means provided at the free end of said arm.

The peculiarity of the system according to the invention consists in the fact that it can be used universally and can be operated in any environment and on any type of products, including materials that are difficult to sort, such as organic waste, diapers and dry non-recyclable waste, which is also defined as non-separated waste. In the case of non- separated waste, the purpose of the sorting operation is to reduce the quantity of waste to be dumped or burnt, recovering the noble fractions of the materials.

Additional advantages and characteristics of the method and of the system according to the present invention will be manifest from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, which is given for mere illustrative, not limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a flow diagram of a preferred embodiment of the sorting method according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the sorting system according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatically plan view of a portion of the sorting system according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 is the same view as Fig. 3, except for the fact that it illustrates a sorting line of organic waste; and Fig. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a realization form of the remote control means.

Fig. 1 is a flow diagram of a preferred embodiment of the sorting method of separated waste delivered to a collecting station according to the present invention. Number 10 indicates the initial step of checking the conditions of the waste in terms of delivery. Number 11 indicates the step of checking whether the waste is inserted in a marked container or not. If a marking is present, according to the precepts of the EP2765540B1 patent of the prior art, the marking data is read (12) and sent to an allocation system (13) and to a sorting system (14) for the part that refers to the properties of the waste. Successively, a step of category sorting (20) is performed.

If the waste is not marked, the step of category sorting (20) is performed directly.

In the step of category sorting (20) the material is conveyed to a suitable sorting line (S) (Fig.2) of a given category. In step 30, the dimensions of the waste from the surface of a conveyor belt (2’) (Fig.2) are detected and in step 40 a vertical profile relative to the plane of the sorting line (S) of the waste is detected. The dimension and profile data 31 and 41 is sent to a processing unit (5) (Fig.2).

The next step 50 is the characterization of the waste to be picked. The characterization step is made by image acquisition means, such as cameras (203) (Fig.4 and 5) that acquire images of the waste and send them to a display (115) of the remote control means. By seeing the type of waste on the display (115), the human operator remotely controls the picking apparatus (3) to sort the waste into a correct subcategory.

In step 51 the characterization data is compared with the characteristics of a subcategory, it being remotely checked by the operator or by the system logic. If the data corresponds to the subcategory, the waste is sent to the picking step (60), otherwise it is left on the sorting line (S) and checked by the following apparatus, or checked according to different characteristics. The picking step (60) provides for using the picking apparatus (3) to pick the waste and place the waste in a container in the collection and storage step (62).

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a preferred embodiment of the sorting system of the separated waste, which operates according to the aforementioned method. Referral number (1 ) indicates a distribution station of separated waste, which distributes the waste into different sorting lines (S). For illustrative purposes, four sorting lines (101 , 201 , 301 and 401 ) are respectively shown by categories, such as plastic, paper, glass and metals.

Each sorting line (S) is provided with transportation means (2) of the respective waste category, particularly a conveyor belt (2’) along which the remotely-operated picking apparatuses (3) are disposed and interfaced, like the distribution station 1 , with a processing unit (5) provided with remote control means (105) for interfacing with the operator. Each picking apparatus (3) is provided with a collection and storage container (4) wherein a respective waste subcategory is positioned.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the system according to the invention, wherein identical parts are identified with identical referral numbers. In Fig. 3, optical sensor means (102) and cameras (202) are provided on the two sides of the conveyor belt (2’), upstream the sliding direction indicated by the arrow (F), in order to measure the dimensions of the waste relative to the plane of the conveyor belt (2’) and the waste profile.

Two sets of three picking apparatuses (3) are disposed along the route of the conveyor belt (2’) in opposite position. Each picking apparatus (3) comprises a post (103) whereon a robotic arm (303) is revolvingly mounted, it being provided with picking means (313) with sensors (323). A camera (203) is mounted on the top of the post (103). A collection and storage container (4) is disposed behind each picking apparatus (3). The operation of the sorting method of separated waste and of the system used for its implementation will appear evident from the following description.

As mentioned in the premises of this description, having said that is necessary to eliminate the presence of the operators from the sorting site, which is unhealthy and unsafe, the purpose of the method according to the present invention is to offer a solution that will contribute to the efficient development of the sorting systems.

In principle, after establishing the number of subcategories for each category of separated waste to be recycled, a single machine may be provided to pick the waste, detect its characteristics, compare the waste (with the assistance of the operator) with the subcategory standard and finally send the waste to sorting or place the waste again on the conveyor belt. Evidently, such a structural choice would slow down the operating capabilities of the system, and therefore at least one picking apparatus for each waste subcategory should be used. In particular, as illustrated in Fig. 3, two picking apparatuses may be provided to work with the same waste subcategory.

Moreover, only one sorting line may be provided, but conveniently the number of sorting lines will correspond to the number of categories of separated waste that are processed in the facilities. The waste characterization is performed with detection and characterization means (C), such as cameras (203). The cameras (203) shoot the waste and waits for the approval of the remote operator, who will assess the waste and will send the waste to its subcategory. Evidently, the program used to implement the method that operates on the processing unit can be a self learning program, and therefore the decisions of the operator will implement the discretionary capacity of the system, which will learn to recognize the principal morphological characteristics for the subcategory of a specific picking apparatus.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the picking means (313) are provided with sensors (323) suitable for detecting a chemical-physical property of the waste, which can be compared with stored values of the subcategory, thus additionally supporting the identification of the subcategory for a specific waste. The sensors (323) can be sensors for the detection of electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, magnetic permeability or opacity.

Although the system illustrated in Fig. 2 is based on a division of plastic into three subcategories (film, packaging, bottles), of paper into three subcategories (paper, cardboard, Tetrapak), of glass into two subcategories (colored glass and clear glass) and of metal into two subcategories (ferrous and non-ferrous), the method and the system according to the present invention permit to develop a larger number of subcategories, based on an increasingly accurate characterization of the waste, in such a way to increase the attractiveness of the secondary raw materials obtained with the method and the system of the present invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates a portion of the sorting system according to the invention, with a sorting line for organic waste.

As it is known, a large quantity of waste that should be classified as organic waste is generally present in the collection of organic waste. Therefore, in addition to a container (4) for the organic waste, the sorting line of the organic waste will also have a plurality of containers (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e) for non-organic waste, such as non-separated waste, glass, plastic, wood and metal. For illustrative purposes, six containers are provided for six different waste categories.

Only one picking apparatus (3) is provided, comprising a robotic arm (303) with picking means (313) suitable for picking a piece of waste (W) transported by the transportation means (2) and for positioning the waste in one of the containers (4, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e). The picking apparatus (3) may comprise an anthropomorphic robot with multiples axes or a head that can translate on an overhead traveling crane and supports the robotic arm (303). The sorting line is provided with at least one optical sensor (102) and at least one first camera (202) to respectively detect the dimensions and the profile of the waste (W). The sorting line is provided with waste characterization means (C) that comprise image acquisition means, such as at least a second camera (203), in order to shoot the waste (W) on the transportation means (2).

With reference to Fig. 5, the picking apparatus (3) has a CPU (315) connected to the processing unit (5), to the optical sensor (102) and to the first camera (202).

The second cameras (203) of the characterization means are connected to the processing unit (5).

The remote control means (105) comprise a touch screen (115) and a vocal recognition system (116).

The touch screen (115) displays the conveyor belt (2) with the waste (W) framed by the second camera (203).

By looking at the images on the touch screen (115), the human operator identifies the waste (W), selects the waste by touching the image of the waste on the touch screen (115) and vocally says the waste subcategory. Specifically, the operator can say: organic, non-separated, glass, plastic, wood or metal.

The operator selects the picking point (indicating the coordinates of the picking point), approximately moves along the perimeter of the object to be picked, providing the width of the picking field to the system.

The vocal recognition system (116) identifies the subcategory mentioned by the operator and sends such a piece of information to the CPU (315) of the picking apparatus.

The CPU (315) of the picking apparatus already is already provided with the information on the dimensions and the profile of the waste that is necessary in order to pick the waste. Then the CPU (315) receives information on the waste subcategory from the vocal recognition system (116) and places the waste in the container (4, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e) of the subcategory indicated by the operator. It must be considered that organic waste is generally contained in a closed plastic bag. Therefore, the picking means (313) advantageously comprise opening means (325) suitable for opening the bag in such a way that the contents of the bag is positioned on the conveyor belt (2’).

In such a case, when the operator sees a bag, the operator selects the image of the bag on the touch screen (115) and vocally says a key word indicative of the bag, for example“bag”, which is recognized by the vocal recognition system (116) that sends said information to the CPU (315) of the picking apparatus in such a way to actuate the opening means (325) and open the bag.

Successively, by means of the touch screen, the operator will select the open and empty bag, as well as the waste that was contained in the bag in such a way to send the waste to the correct container.

The conveyor belt (2’) is provided with a motor for actuation. By means of the processing unit (5), the touch screen (115) can control the motor for the forward movement of the conveyor belt (2’). If the operator touches the touch screen (115) in an extreme point of the image of the conveyor belt (2’) in the forward direction, the conveyor belt (2’) will stop, allowing the operator the time necessary for viewing the waste transported on the conveyor belt.

If the operator touches the touch screen (115) in a point of the image of the conveyor belt (2’), moving towards the left side relative to the extreme point, the conveyor belt will resume its movement.

Although if the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5 is described with reference to a sorting line of separated organic waste, such an embodiment can be evidently applied to any sorting line and to any type of separated or non-separated waste that is to be divided into a plurality of subcategories.

The purpose of the application examples given for the separated waste fractions is to enhance the value of the product (plastic, paper, glass, metals, organic and diapers), characterizing all possible by products. With reference to non-separated waste, it is necessary to enhance the recyclable by-products in order to drastically reduce the quantity of waste intended to be dumped or burnt.