KR102606919B1 - Autonomous marine waste collecton system - Google Patents

Abstract

The autonomous marine waste collection system of the present invention saves the marine ecosystem and simplifies work. It includes a collection device that acquires image information from a camera and collects floating marine waste based on the image information, and is located in the ocean. It includes a loading ship that loads marine waste collected from the collection device and transports it to land.

Description

Autonomous marine waste collection system {AUTONOMOUS MARINE WASTE COLLECTON SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to an autonomous marine waste collection system, and more specifically, an autonomous marine waste operation that saves the marine ecosystem and simplifies work by collecting marine waste through autonomous navigation using image processing, loading it and transporting it within the ocean. It's about the collection system.

Marine waste refers to all waste that enters the sea. Depending on its composition, these marine wastes may be deposited into the sea or floating on the surface of seawater.

Since most marine waste floats, moves from place to place, and takes a long time to decompose, it continues to have a negative impact on the marine ecosystem.

In particular, marine waste is being moved by ocean currents, forming garbage islands, which have grown to the size of the continental United States, but the problem has not been solved and the situation is getting worse.

These marine wastes include land-based marine waste generated on land and marine waste generated at sea.

Land-based marine waste is waste or trash generated on land, on the coast, or in marine leisure facilities, and flows into the sea in large quantities through rivers, streams, or city sewage facilities during heavy rains or floods. Marine waste, which is a marine waste, is waste dumped into the sea during cage fish farms, ship operations, or fishing activities, and plastic ropes, fishing nets, plastic floats, etc. account for a large amount.

These marine and maritime wastes are very diverse, including plastic, vinyl, metal, wood, and rubber paper. Among these marine wastes, plastic, which has the greatest negative impact on the marine ecosystem, is estimated to be 57 million tons, equivalent to 30% of the annual production (190 million tons), entering or being dumped in the ocean.

In addition, previously, marine waste collected from the ocean was transported to a waste collection site on land, but there was a disadvantage in that collection and transportation were cumbersome.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication 10-1803364 Republic of Korea Patent Publication 20-0324102

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an autonomous marine waste collection system that can improve the marine environment and increase work efficiency by collecting marine waste through autonomous navigation through image recognition, loading and transporting marine waste at sea.

The present invention also aims to provide an autonomous marine waste collection system that can collect marine waste without becoming caught or entangled by using a propeller made of soft material.

An autonomous marine waste collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention to achieve the above object includes a collection device that acquires image information from a camera and collects floating marine waste based on the image information, and is located in the ocean. It includes a loading ship that loads marine waste collected from the collection device and transports it to land.

According to one embodiment, the collection device includes a housing with open front and bottom surfaces in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, cube, or cylinder, a collection pipe connected to one side of the housing, a plurality of collection propellers provided on a lower side of the collection pipe, and It may include a buoyancy body provided in the housing, a driving unit that drives the collection device, and an autonomous navigation unit that recognizes marine waste and its location from images and operates autonomously.

According to one embodiment, the collection propeller may be made of a soft plastic material.

According to one embodiment, the buoyancy body may further include a rail to be separated from the housing.

According to one embodiment, the autonomous navigation unit includes a camera installed in the housing to photograph the ocean, an analysis unit to analyze the image or video information detected from the camera, and a GPS receiver to receive the location of the loading ship. , It may include a drive control unit that controls the drive unit to operate autonomously according to the analysis unit and the GPS receiver.

According to one embodiment, the analysis unit may use a deep learning method.

According to one embodiment, the loading ship includes a hull forming a flat upper part, a loading box with a space for loading marine waste into the hull, a lift unit installed on one side of the loading box to lift marine waste, and It may include a driving unit that drives the loading line, a GPS that determines the location of the loading line and the land, and a control section that controls the operation of the loading line.

According to one embodiment, the lift unit includes a lift arm for lifting marine waste from one side of the loading box, a lift box connected to the lift arm to accommodate the collection device and marine waste, and lifting the lift arm upward. It may include an angle-adjusting cylinder that operates to

According to one embodiment, the lift box may have a side adjacent to the loading line formed as a slide surface that can slide, and one side may be formed as a slide door that can be opened and closed.

According to one embodiment, the control unit includes a GPS transmitter that transmits the GPS value of the loading line to the collection device, a drive control unit that controls the drive unit to operate autonomously, and a lift control unit that controls the angle adjustment cylinder. It can be included.

As described above, according to the autonomous marine waste collection system of the present invention, marine waste can be collected through autonomous navigation through image recognition, loaded at sea, and transported, thereby improving the marine environment and increasing work efficiency.

The autonomous marine waste collection system of the present invention can also collect the waste without being caught or entangled by using a propeller made of soft material.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a collection device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a collection pipe and a collection propeller according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a loading line according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the lift unit according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining a lift box according to the present invention.
Figure 6 is a block diagram for explaining the autonomous marine waste navigation system according to the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining the analysis unit according to the present invention.
Figure 8 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining the loading process according to the present invention.
Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the collection device is accommodated in the lift box.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The features and advantages of the present invention and the means for implementing them will become clear through embodiments described in detail below along with the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention described below are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the described embodiments. In addition, the components of each embodiment may be combined in various ways within or between embodiments as long as there is no other mention or contradiction between them.

And, when a part "includes" a certain component, this means that it necessarily includes this component regardless of other components, and does not mean to exclude the addition of other components.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be “connected” to another part, this does not only mean “directly connected” but also “indirectly” or “electrically connected” with another member or element in between. Also includes cases where it is connected to.

Additionally, expressions such as 'first, second', etc. are expressions used only to distinguish a plurality of components and do not limit the order or other characteristics between the components.

In addition, the flow charts shown in the drawings are merely exemplary sequences to obtain the most desirable results in carrying out the present invention, and it is natural that other steps may be added or some steps may be deleted.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a collection device according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the collection pipe and collection propeller according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a loading line according to the present invention, and Figure 4 is a drawing showing a loading line according to the present invention. This is a drawing for explaining the lift unit according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a drawing for explaining the lift box according to the present invention, Figure 6 is a block diagram for explaining the autonomous marine waste navigation system according to the present invention, and Figure 7 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining the analysis unit according to the present invention, Figure 8 is a diagram for exemplarily explaining the loading process according to the present invention, and Figure 9 is a diagram showing the state in which the collection device is accommodated in the lift box.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the autonomous marine waste collection system 10 includes a collection device 200 and a loading ship 200.

The collection device 100 acquires image information through the camera 161 while moving within the ocean, and collects floating marine waste based on the image information.

At this time, the collection device 100 can be charged using a charging method using a station, or can be charged with a generator such as solar power or tidal current, but is not limited to this.

The loading ship 200 is located in the ocean and loads marine waste collected from the collection device 100, and transfers it to land when the marine waste is filled to a certain level or higher.

Below, each device will be described in detail.

Referring to Figures 1 and 6, the collection device 100 includes a housing 110, a collection pipe 120, a collection propeller 130, a buoyancy body 140, a driving unit 150, and an autonomous It may include a navigation unit 160.

The housing 110 is formed in a rectangular, cubic, or cylindrical shape so that the front and bottom surfaces are open, and may be made of a wire mesh through which water can escape. At this time, in order to connect the wire mesh, a connecting member (not shown) such as a ring or cable tie may be further included.

Marine waste collected through the internal space of the housing 110 can be moved together in a suspended state.

Additionally, the upper part of the housing 110 may be inclined or dome-shaped to withstand movement and sea conditions, but is not limited thereto.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the collection pipe 120 is provided in a long tubular shape on both sides of the upper front of the housing 110, and a plurality of collection propellers 130 can be attached to the lower side of the collection pipe 120. Let it happen.

Here, the collection pipe 120 may further include a length member 121 connected to the collection propeller 130.

The length member 121 is intended to allow the collection propeller 130 to reach the sea surface and push floating marine waste into the housing 110, between the collection pipe 120 and the collection propeller 130. It can be provided in .

In addition, the collection pipe 120 can be lifted vertically to prevent it from getting caught when handing over the collected marine waste to the loading ship 200.

The collection propeller 130 is for pushing the floating marine waste into the housing 110 through rotation when it comes into contact with the floating marine waste, and includes a core 131 connected to the length member 121, and the core 131. ) may be formed of a plurality of wings 132 formed at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the wing.

When floating marine waste comes into contact with the wing 132, it may be pushed and moved inside the housing 110 by the rotation direction of the wing 132. Therefore, the collection propeller 130 rotates toward the inside of the housing 110, and the blade 132 has a curved shape that is bent opposite to the rotation direction as it goes outward. That is, it is preferable that the outer curved surface of the wing collides with marine waste when rotating in the inner direction, so that the waste collides with the outer surface of the wing and enters the inside of the housing 110.

Additionally, it is desirable to use a flexible material such as soft plastic for the wings 132.

For example, soft plastic is soft and has strong elasticity, so when the wing 132 collides with marine waste, it easily bends and rotates on its own, allowing it to be pushed into the housing 110 without becoming entangled with the marine waste.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the buoyancy body 140 is installed on the upper part of the housing 110 to allow the collection device 100 to float, so that the collection propeller 130 can come into contact with marine waste. You can float based on your height. The buoyancy body 140 may be made of foam resin such as Styrofoam or synthetic resin with a separate internal space to have buoyancy, and may be formed in various shapes.

At this time, the buoyancy body 140 may further form a rail 141 for separating the housing 110 and the buoyancy body 140, and a detailed description related to this will be described later with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. .

The driving unit 150 is provided on the rear of the housing 110 to drive the collection device 100. Since it refers to a normal propeller, detailed description will be omitted.

The autonomous navigation unit 160 recognizes marine waste and its location from images and operates autonomously, and includes a camera 161, an analysis unit 162, a GPS receiver 163, and a drive control unit 164. can do.

The camera 161 is installed on the upper part of the housing 110 without interference with the field of view and can capture 360-degree omnidirectional images centered on the housing 110, and analyzes the image or video information detected by the camera 161. It consists of an analysis unit 162, and information on various marine life and marine ecosystems is input into the analysis unit 162.

As shown in FIG. 7, the analysis unit 162 detects and classifies objects in front using a deep learning method. The deep learning method allows a computer to learn on its own like a human based on big data. It refers to a machine learning technology based on an artificial neural network programmed to When compared to the existing input image, if it is recognized as a collection object, that is, marine waste, the location is extracted and collected.

Due to the nature of deep learning, as information from captured images, or data, accumulates, the accuracy of identifying designated objects, i.e., collection objects, increases, making use of the advantage to more completely collect marine waste.

Additionally, the image information from the camera 161 can be used to avoid obstacles during autonomous operation of the collection device 100.

The GPS receiver 163 is implemented to receive location information of the loading ship 200, collect a certain amount of marine waste, and then move to the loading ship 200, thereby enabling continuous unmanned collection of marine waste. do.

Here, when moving to the location of marine waste according to the analysis unit 162 or moving according to the GPS receiver 163, the drive control unit 164 controls the drive unit 150 to enable autonomous navigation.

3 and 6, the loading line 200 includes a hull 210, a loading box 220, a lift unit 230, a driving unit (not shown), a GPS 240, and a control unit ( 250).

The hull 210 has a structure similar to a barge, has a flat top, and can form a loading box 220 with a space for loading waste into the hull.

At this time, a slide plate (not shown) may be further formed on one side of the loading box 220 to slide when marine waste is loaded.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lift unit 230 is formed by being connected to one side of the loading box 220 and includes a lift arm 231, a lift box 232, and an angle adjustment cylinder 233. can do.

The lift arm 231 may be provided with two lift arms 231 that are spaced apart from each other on one side of the loading box 220, the upper part is open, and a space is formed inside to accommodate the collected marine waste. It can be fixed to both sides of the lift box (232).

At this time, the lift box 232 is formed of a wire mesh to allow water to drain, and in order for marine waste to be easily separated from the lift box 232, the side adjacent to the loading line is provided with a slide surface 234 such as a fine wire mesh or steel plate so that it can slide. ) is preferably formed.

In addition, the lift box 232 forms a slide door 235 that opens and closes on one side to accommodate the collection device 100, and the slide door 235 is connected to the housing 110 of the collection device 100. By coming up inside, marine waste can remain in the lift box 232 even if the collection device 100 is pulled out.

The angle adjustment cylinder 233 has one end connected to the hull 210 and the other end connected to the lift arm 231, so that it can be lifted upward by operating the angle adjustment cylinder 233.

In this way, it is possible to reduce costs and shorten work time by reducing the use of separate equipment and manpower according to the lift unit 230. A detailed description of the loading process of the lift unit 230 is shown in FIGS. 8 to 8. This will be described later with reference to 9.

The driving unit is provided in a typical hull 210 and may include a propeller and a rudder. Since this refers to a typical propeller and rudder, detailed description will be omitted.

As is widely known, the GPS 240 is a module that can know its own location information (e.g., longitude, latitude, elevation, etc.) using signals (radio waves) transmitted from artificial satellites, and is a module of the loading line 200. The location can be transmitted to the collection device 100 so that it can be loaded, or by storing the location on land, it can be transported unmanned when loaded over a certain amount.

In this specification, the GPS 240 is referred to as an example, but it is not necessarily limited to the GPS 240, and various modules that can determine location information and/or time information through communication with artificial satellites can be used. there is.

The control unit 250 may include a GPS transmitter 251, a drive control unit 252, and a lift control unit 253.

The GPS transmitter 251 transmits the location information of the loading line 200 to the collection device 100, and when the collection device 100 determines the location of the loading line 200, it uses the GPS receiver 163. You can determine your location by receiving data values.

The GPS transmitter 261 and receiver 163 can perform control and communication using an LTE communication network or an Internet of Things (IoT) dedicated communication network (e.g., LoRa network, NB-IoT, etc.), but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. This does not mean that it is possible, and it may be acceptable as long as information or data necessary to implement the technical idea of the present invention can be transmitted and received through wireless communication.

In addition, when loading more than a certain level on the loading line 200, a movement path is created using the location information recorded on land, and the drive control unit 252 controls the drive unit accordingly and can be transported to land.

In addition, the autonomous navigation unit 160 and the control unit 250 include a memory, and the memory stores the location information sensed by the GPS 240, that is, the location of the land or the loading ship 200, and returns to the destination when necessary. You can set it.

The memory may include a data storage area, and in terms of hardware, it is a variety of storage devices such as ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash drive, hard drive, etc., and stores the received data and includes an autonomous navigation unit 160 and a control unit ( 250) can store various data and programs for the overall operation.

The lift control unit 253 receives marine waste from the collection device 100 in the lift box 232 and then operates the angle adjustment cylinder 233 to lift the lift box 232.

At this time, the control unit 250 may further include a sensor unit to determine whether the lift box 232 has received marine waste from the collection device 100 or the loading amount of the loading box 220 is greater than a threshold value. Accordingly, the drive control unit 252 or the lift control unit 253 can be operated.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, the loading process according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

Within the ocean, the collection device 100 operates autonomously to collect marine waste. At this time, as shown in (a) of Figure 8, in order to collect marine waste from a wider area, a certain angle (∂) can be formed rather than a straight line toward the front, and the angle (∂) is within 30 to 50 degrees. It is desirable to be formed to achieve. However, the shape of the collection propeller 130 is not limited thereto.

In order to put the collected marine waste into the loading box 220, the collection device 100 can receive the location of the loading ship 200 with the GPS receiver 163 and find it.

In order to be accommodated in the lift box 232 of the loading box 200, the collection pipe 120 of the collection device 100 can be lifted vertically as shown in (b) of FIG. 8 without being caught.

In addition, as shown in Figures 8(c) and 9, a rail 141 may be formed on the buoyancy body 140 in order for the collection device 100 to be easily accommodated in the lift box 232, and the rail 141 ) and can be separated from the housing 110 and accommodated in the lift box 232.

Afterwards, the slide door 235 of the lift box 232 is raised to come into close contact with the inside of the rear surface of the housing 110, and even if the collection device 100 moves backwards due to the raised slide door 235, it remains in the ocean. Waste remains in the lift bin 232.

As the lift box 232 is lifted by the operation of the angle adjusting cylinder 233, only marine waste remains after the water drains, and as the lift box 232 is tilted, it is placed on the slide plate 234 of the lift box 232. This causes marine waste to slip and fall.

If the above process is repeated to fill the threshold value of the loading box 220, the control unit 250 of the loading ship 200 can set the stored GPS value of the land and transfer it.

Although the present invention has been described as above, those skilled in the art will recognize that it can be implemented in other forms while maintaining the technical idea and essential features of the present invention. .

The scope of the present invention will be defined by the claims, but all changes or modified forms derived from the configurations directly derived from the claims, as well as the equivalent configurations, are also included in the scope of the present invention. It should be interpreted as

10: Marine waste autonomous collection system
100: collection device 110: housing
120: collection pipe 121: length member
130: Collection propeller 131: Core
132: wing 140: buoyancy body
141: rail 150: driving unit
160: Autonomous navigation unit 161: Camera
162: analysis unit 163: GPS receiver
164: Drive control unit
200: loading line 210: hull
220: loading box 230: lift unit
231: lift arm 232: lift box
233: Angle adjustment cylinder 234: Slide surface
235: slide door 240: GPS
250: GPS transmitter 251: Drive control unit
252: Lift control unit ∂: Angle

Claims (10)

In the marine waste autonomous collection system,
A collection device that acquires image information from a camera and collects floating marine waste based on the image information; and
It includes a loading ship located in the ocean that loads marine waste collected from the collection device and transports it to land,
The collection device is,
A housing made of wire mesh with open front and bottom surfaces in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, cube, or cylinder;
a collection pipe connected to both sides of the front upper part of the housing;
A plurality of collection propellers provided on the lower side of the collection pipe,
A buoyancy body provided at the top of the housing,
A driving unit that drives the collection device,
It includes an autonomous navigation unit that recognizes marine waste and its location from images and operates autonomously,
The collection pipe further includes a length member connected to the collection propeller so that the collection propeller can contact the sea surface and push the suspended marine waste into the housing,
The collection pipe is lifted vertically to prevent jamming when handing over the collected marine waste to the loading ship,
The collection propeller is formed of a core connected to the length member and a plurality of blades that are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the core at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction and are bent in a shape that is bent in the opposite direction of rotation as it goes outward,
The autonomous navigation department,
A camera installed in the housing to photograph the ocean,
an analysis unit that analyzes images or video information detected from the camera;
A GPS receiver that receives the location of the loading line,
It includes a drive control unit that controls the drive unit to operate autonomously according to the analysis unit and the GPS receiver,
The loading line is,
a hull forming a flat upper part,
A loading box with a space for loading marine waste on the hull,
A lift unit installed on one side of the loading box to lift marine waste,
A driving unit that drives the loading line,
GPS for determining the location of the loading line and land,
It includes a control unit that controls the operation of the loading line,
The lift unit,
A lift arm for lifting marine waste from one side of the loading box,
A lift box in the form of a wire mesh connected to the lift arm to accommodate the collection device and marine waste,
It includes an angle-adjusting cylinder that operates to elevate the lift arm upward,
The lift box is a marine waste autonomous collection system in which a side adjacent to the loading line is formed with a slide surface that can slide, and one side is formed with a slide door that opens and closes. delete According to claim 1,
The collection propeller is an autonomous marine waste collection system characterized in that it uses a soft plastic material. According to claim 1,
The buoyancy body is an autonomous marine waste collection system further comprising a rail to be separated from the housing. delete According to claim 1,
The analysis unit is an autonomous marine waste collection system characterized in that it uses a deep learning method. delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The control unit,
A GPS transmitter that transmits the GPS value of the loading line to the collection device,
A drive control unit that controls the drive unit to operate autonomously,
An autonomous marine waste collection system including a lift control unit that controls the angle-adjustable cylinder.

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