AU2006225303A1

AU2006225303A1 - Refuse collection system

Info

Publication number: AU2006225303A1
Application number: AU2006225303A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Carey Brian McMahon
Original assignee: FLO GINEERING Pty Ltd
Current assignee: FLO-GINEERING Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-10-09
Filing date: 2006-10-09
Publication date: 2008-04-24

Description

S&F Ref: 783809

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name and Address of Applicant Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Flo-gineering Pty Ltd, an Australian Company, ACN 115 962 822, of Suite Pacific Highway, Waitara, New South Wales, 2077, Australia Carey Brian McMahon Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower Level 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) Refuse collection system The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845c

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_REFUSE COLLECTION SYSTEM

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0 Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to refuse collection and, in particular, to a system wherein data on the weight of refuse collected at each collection location is 0 recorded.

IND

Background Modern society is generating an enormous amount of refuse. Most of the refuse ends up on landfills, causing all sorts of environmental problems. There has been a strong drive to reduce the amount of refuse generated by industry, as well as households.

At present households pay a fixed fee for refuse collection regardless of the amount of refuse collected. As a result, there is no incentive for the households to produce less refuse, for example by separating out recyclable material from their refuse.

There is a global shift towards user-pay principles in many facets of our modem day lives. Accordingly, local governments are considering the introduction of the user-pay principle with regards to household refuse collection. Clearly, households would be motivated to reduce the amount of refuse produced if they are billed according to the weight of the refuse collected.

Research has shown that the biggest opposition towards implementing a user-pay system with regards to household refuse collection is that such a system could offer motivation for householders to dump their waste in a neighbour's bin rather than their own.

The fact that this would be impossible to police has deterred some local governments from implementing that user-pay system.

There is thus a demand for a system which will permit charging of customers for refuse collection based on the weight of refuse collected.

783809 IND -2- SSummary O It is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of existing arrangements.

SAccording to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refuse collection system comprising: \a plurality of refuse bins, each refuse bin comprising: Sa lockable lid; and an identification tag; and a refuse collection truck comprising: a lifting arm for lifting at least one refuse bin and dumping the contents of said bin on said truck; a weighing system incorporated into said lifting arm for weighing the contents of the refuse bin being lifted; an identification tag reader for reading an identifier from the identification tag of the refuse bin being lifted; a key means for unlocking the bin being lifted; and a processing means for storing identifiers and associated weights.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refuse collection truck comprising: a lifting arm for lifting at least one lockable refuse bin and dumping the contents of said bin on said truck; a weighing system incorporated into said lifting arm for weighing the contents of the refuse bin being lifted; 783809 IO-3an identification tag reader for reading an identifier from an identification tag O of the refuse bin being lifted; a key means for unlocking the bin being lifted; and Cc a processing means for storing identifiers and associated weights.

t 5 Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.

IDBrief Description of the Drawings SOne or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a system for collecting refuse, for weighing the collected refuse, and for billing the customer according to the weight of the collected refuse.

Detailed Description As stated in the Background section, one solution for reducing the amount of refuse generated by a customer is to bill the customer according to the weight of the refuse collected. However, in order to reduce the cost of refuse removal, some customers may be tempted to dump their refuse in the bins of others. The inventor believes that a lockable bin which is automatically opened by a refuse collection truck is a solution to the above stated problem.

Fig. 1 illustrates a system 100 for collecting refuse, for weighing the collected refuse, and for billing the customer according to the weight of the collected refuse. The system 100 includes a lockable refuse bin or container 120 for each customer, a refuse truck 110 and a billing system 180.

Each lockable refuse bin or container 120 comprises a lock (not illustrated) for locking the lid of the bin 120. The lock may be mechanically or electrically operated.

783809 ID-4- In the preferred implementation the lock is electronically operated and comprises O an electronic latch for locking the lid of the bin 120. The electronics to operate the electronic latch may be powered from a battery, such as a Lithium-ion. The lock Cc preferably requires the householder to physically activate the lock to lock the lid of the bin 120, for example by twisting a knob or pushing a button. The electronically operated lock \is preferably unlocked using an infrared key which transmits a unique code for unlocking Sthe lock of the bin 120. Each householder has an infrared key for unlocking its bin 120.

Accordingly, one householder is unable to unlock the bin 120 of any other household.

Each bin 120 is further fitted with an identification tag for uniquely identifying the particular bin. Preferably the identification tag is a radio frequency identification tag which passes its unique identification number to a reader when the reader is placed in close proximity to the tag.

In one implementation the refuse truck 110 is a side loading refuse truck. The refuse truck 110 includes a lifting arm 130 for lifting the bin 120, and emptying the contents of the bin 120 into the track 110. The lifting arm 130 has incorporated therein a weighing mechanism (not illustrated). The truck 110 further includes a processing device, such as a mobile computer 140. In the preferred implementation the mobile computer 140 has incorporated therein a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. The GPS receiver is preferably used to record the coordinates where refuse is collected from each bin, as well as recording the route of the truck 110.

The truck 110 is adapted to engage the bin 120 with the lifting arm 130. In the preferred implementation where the truck 110 is a side loading refuse truck, the driver of the truck 110 would stop the truck 110 alongside the bin 120, typically positioned on the curb of the road. The lifting arm 130 would then extend from the truck 110 and engage the 783809

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bin 120. The lifting arm 130 has incorporated therein a reader (not illustrated) for reading O an identity tag (not illustrated) affixed to the bin 120. The reader is connected to the mobile computer 140, and the information read from the identity tag is used by the mobile e¢ computer 140 to identify the customer from a database stored in the mobile computer 140.

C€3 In the preferred implementation the customer details, including the customer's address, are ,idisplayed on a display of the mobile computer 140. This enables the driver to verify Swhether the bin 120 is at its expected location.

The lifting arm further includes a key means (not illustrated) for unlocking the lockable bin 120. In the preferred implementation the locking mechanism is controlled electronically and the bin 120 is unlocked when the bin 120 is lifted using an infrared key (not illustrated) incorporated in the lifting arm 130. In another implementation the locking mechanism of the bin 120 is controlled through a radio frequency signal transmitted from the lifting arm 130.

Preferably each bin 120 requires a unique key for unlocking the locking mechanism. In the case of an electronically controlled locking mechanism, the mobile computer 140 controls the unlocking of the locking mechanism based upon the identification of the bin 120.

In an alternative implementation the bin 120 is unlocked mechanically by the lifting arm 130 while the bin 120 is being raised. In one implementation the key means includes a mechanical device that unlocks the lid through applying pressure to a portion of the bin 120.

After the bin 120 has been unlocked, the bin 120 is raised by the lifting arm 130 upwardly over an opening 111 in the top of the truck 110. During the upward motion, the weighing system measures the weight of the full bin. Once the bin is positioned over the 783809

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opening 111, the lifting arm 130 inverts the bin 120 in order to empty the contents of the O bin 120. The emptied bin 120 is then lowered back to the ground. During the lowering motion, the weighing system again measures the weight of the now empty bin 120.

Cc The weighing system includes a pair of transducers or load cells (not illustrated), each of which is installed in one of the C-shaped forks or claws 131 of the lifting arm 130.

\The output of the load cells is connected via an analogue to digital converter to the mobile Scomputer 140 where the output is converted into a weight measure. The weight of refuse collected by the truck 110 is computed by the mobile computer 140 by subtracting the empty weight of the bin 120 from the full weight of the bin 120.

The computer 140 may also calculate the total weight of the refuse collected during the present collection cycle. This allows the driver to be aware when the truck 110 is approaching its payload limit.

The computer 140 records the weight of the collected refuse, the time of collection and a pair of GPS co-ordinates where the refuse from the bin was collected in association with the bin's identity. The data stored in the computer 140 may be retained therein. At a later time, for example after the truck 110 has been returned to a depot, the data may be transferred to the billing system 180, for example by removing a removable storage device from the computer 140 and inserting the storage device into the billing system 180.

In another implementation the data stored in the computer 140 is transferred to the billing system 140 wirelessly, for example through a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) modem connected to the public telephone network or a wireless Internet network.

The GPS coordinates of the truck 110 may also be transferred to the billing system 140, which allows an operator to track the location of the truck in real time.

783809 ID-7- The billing system 180 uses the collected data for billing the customers based O upon the weight of the refuse collected.

The refuse weighing system 100 has been described above in connection with a side loading refuse truck 110 for lifting a domestic bin 120. However, the principles taught herein equally apply to a front end loading trash truck or a rear end loader. Also, the Sinvention is not limited to household waste collected from household bins 120. The Sinvention is equally applicable to industrial type refuse containers.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.

In the context of this specification, the word "comprising" means "including principally but not necessarily solely" or "having" or "including", and not "consisting only of'. Variations of the word "comprising", such as "comprise" and "comprises" have correspondingly varied meanings.

783809

Claims

1. A refuse collection system comprising: a plurality of refuse bins, each refuse bin comprising: C€3 a lockable lid; and ,Ian identification tag; and Sa refuse collection truck comprising: a lifting arm for lifting at least one refuse bin and dumping the contents of said bin on said truck; a weighing system incorporated into said lifting arm for weighing the contents of the refuse bin being lifted; an identification tag reader for reading an identifier from the identification tag of the refuse bin being lifted; a key means for unlocking the bin being lifted; and a processing means for storing identifiers and associated weights.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said key means unlocks said bin being lifted based upon said identifier.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said key means is an infrared key.

4. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said identification tag is a radio frequency identification tag 783809 \O r

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 further comprising a billing O system for receiving said identifiers and weights, and generating bills associated with said o identifiers based upon the weight associated with said identifiers.

6. A system according to claim 5 further comprising a communication means for Stransferring said identifiers and weights to said billing system. tI

7. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said refuse collection truck further comprises a global positioning system receiver for recording the location of each bin.

8. A refuse collection truck comprising: a lifting arm for lifting at least one lockable refuse bin and dumping the contents of said bin on said truck; a weighing system incorporated into said lifting arm for weighing the contents of the refuse bin being lifted; an identification tag reader for reading an identifier from an identification tag of the refuse bin being lifted; a key means for unlocking the bin being lifted; and a processing means for storing identifiers and associated weights.

9. A refuse collection truck substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. 783809 IO O O

10. A refuse collection system substantially as described herein with 0 O reference to the accompanying drawings. c DATED this 9th Day of October 2006 O t 5 FLO-GINEERING PTY LTD 0 Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SSPRUSON&FERGUSON 783809