WO2024135631A1

WO2024135631A1 - Control device and control method

Info

Publication number: WO2024135631A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/045355
Authority: WO
Inventors: 暁大 ▲徳▼川; 純小池; 謙二郎森永; 薫平松田; 紘基豊國
Original assignee: 日鉄エンジニアリング株式会社
Priority date: 2022-12-19
Filing date: 2023-12-18
Publication date: 2024-06-27

Abstract

The present invention shortens standby time for refuse carry-in vehicles on a platform.　A refuse crane control device 1 comprises: an acquisition unit 11 that acquires a captured image having captured therein an image of a door-front space S1 which is adjacent to a plurality of reception doors 161-166 opened when a refuse is carried into a refuse pit 130 and of a passage space S2 which is contiguous to the door-front space S1 and through which at least refuse carry-in vehicles C advancing toward the door-front space S1 pass; and a state determination unit 12 that determines, on the basis of the captured image, the operation state of one or more of the refuse carry-in vehicles C present in the door-front space S1 or the passage space S2.

Description

Control device and control method

One aspect of the present invention relates to a control device and a control method.

Patent documents 1 to 3 describe a system that controls the operation of a garbage crane that transports garbage in a garbage treatment facility. In such technology, for example, the state of agitation of garbage in a garbage pit is grasped, and the operation of the garbage crane is controlled to improve the agitation state. The agitation state in the garbage pit is determined, for example, based on image data of the inside of the garbage pit.

Patent No. 6731680 Patent No. 6651309 Patent No. 6659474

Here, for example, when controlling the operation of the garbage crane described above, if priority is given to the operation of the garbage crane, the waiting time of the garbage delivery vehicle (such as a garbage collection truck) that transports garbage to be brought into the garbage pit may be longer. In other words, if priority is given to the operation of the garbage crane, when the garbage crane approaches the receiving door (the door through which the garbage delivery vehicle brings garbage into the garbage pit), the garbage delivery vehicle lined up on the platform is made to wait, and during that time the garbage crane will grab the garbage, etc., so the waiting time of the garbage delivery vehicle will be longer. If the garbage crane continues to operate near the receiving door for a long time, the garbage delivery vehicle lined up on the platform will be made to wait for a long time.

One aspect of the present invention was made in consideration of the above situation, and relates to a control device and control method that can shorten the waiting time of garbage delivery vehicles at the platform.

A control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided adjacent to a garbage pit and includes an acquisition unit that acquires an image of a specific space on a platform on which garbage delivery vehicles travel, and a state determination unit that determines the operating state of one or more garbage delivery vehicles present in the specific space based on the image, and the state determination unit determines the operating state of one or more garbage delivery vehicles present in the specific space based on the image, with the specific space being defined as including a front-door space, which is a space adjacent to a multiple receiving doors that are opened when garbage is delivered to the garbage pit, and a passing space that is continuous with the front-door space and through which garbage delivery vehicles pass heading toward at least the front-door space, and determines the operating state of one or more garbage delivery vehicles present in the front-door space or the passing space based on the image.

In a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the operating state of a garbage vehicle present in a specified space is determined based on an image captured of a specified space on the platform on which the garbage vehicle travels. Specifically, the operating state of a garbage vehicle present in the door space or the passing space is determined based on the captured image. In this way, the operating state of the garbage vehicle is determined from images captured of not only the door space but also the passing space through which the garbage vehicle heading for the door space passes, so that the operating state of the garbage vehicle at an early stage before reaching the door space can be identified. By identifying such information, it becomes possible to predict in advance how the garbage vehicle will move, and, for example, an efficient control plan for various control objects can be made before the garbage vehicle reaches the door space. As described above, by identifying the operating state of the garbage vehicle before it reaches the door space from the captured image, it becomes easier to predict the movement of the garbage vehicle in advance, and efficient control becomes possible, so that the waiting time of the garbage vehicle on the platform can be shortened. Conventionally, vehicles were detected by a loop coil in front of the receiving door, but with the technology of this embodiment, it is possible to determine which vehicle is heading to which receiving door before the vehicle reaches the loop coil (1 to 3 minutes before), so the waiting time of the vehicle can be appropriately shortened.

The control device may further include a waste treatment control unit that controls a waste treatment mechanism related to waste treatment based on the operating state of one or more waste delivery vehicles determined by the state determination unit. With this configuration, the waste treatment mechanism can be controlled taking into account the operating state of the waste delivery vehicles that can be identified at an early stage, and control can be preferably implemented to shorten the waiting time of the waste delivery vehicles.

The waste treatment mechanism is a waste crane that transports waste within the waste pit, and the state determination unit determines, based on the captured image, that a waste delivery vehicle that has entered the passing space but has not yet reached the space in front of the door is in a pre-waste delivery state, and further determines that the waste delivery vehicle in the pre-waste delivery state is in a state of preparation for delivery when the waste delivery vehicle in the pre-waste delivery state heads toward an area of the passing space corresponding to one of the receiving doors, and the waste treatment control unit may control the waste crane to perform operations other than operations related to the area of the waste pit corresponding to the receiving door toward which the waste delivery vehicle in the pre-waste delivery state is headed. According to this configuration, the operation of the waste crane is not performed in the area of the waste pit corresponding to the receiving door toward which the waste delivery vehicle identified based on the captured image is headed. Therefore, the waste delivery vehicle does not have to wait due to the operation of the waste crane, and the waiting time of the waste delivery vehicle can be suitably shortened.

The waste treatment control unit may control the waste crane to move to an area of the waste pit that corresponds to a receiving door other than the receiving door toward which the waste delivery truck that is in a ready-to-be-delivered state is heading. With this configuration, the waste crane can appropriately perform loading and unloading operations at a receiving door other than the one toward which the waste delivery truck is heading, while appropriately avoiding the waste delivery truck having to wait due to the operation of the waste crane.

The waste treatment mechanism is an open/close possible signal for each of the multiple receiving doors that indicates whether the door can be opened or closed, and the waste treatment control unit may control the open/close possible signal for each receiving door so that when there is one or more waste delivery vehicles that have been determined by the state determination unit to be in a pre-waste delivery state, it is not indicated that the door cannot be opened. With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately secure receiving doors through which waste delivery vehicles in a pre-waste delivery state can move, and it is possible to appropriately prevent waste delivery vehicles from having to wait.

The waste disposal mechanism is a waste crane that transports waste within the waste pit, and an open/close signal indicating whether each of the multiple receiving doors can be opened or closed. The state determination unit manages the area within the waste pit by dividing it into multiple addresses, and grasps the waste level, which is the height of the piled up waste, for each address. When the state determination unit determines that there are multiple addresses where the waste level is at a predetermined level, the waste disposal control unit controls only one open/close signal corresponding to a receiving door that does not have an approaching waste vehicle among the multiple receiving doors corresponding to that address to indicate that the door cannot be opened, and controls the waste crane to perform a transfer operation of the waste for the address corresponding to the receiving door that has been indicated as not being open.

The control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method executed by a control device that controls waste treatment equipment, and includes the steps of acquiring an image of a specific space on a platform that is provided adjacent to a waste pit and on which waste delivery vehicles travel, and a state determination step of determining the operating state of one or more waste delivery vehicles that are present in the specific space based on the captured image, in which the specific space includes a front-door space that is adjacent to a number of receiving doors that are opened when waste is delivered to the waste pit, and a passing space that is continuous with the front-door space and through which waste delivery vehicles that are heading toward the front-door space pass, and the operating state of one or more waste delivery vehicles that are present in the front-door space or the passing space is determined based on the captured image.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the waiting time of waste delivery vehicles at the platform can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a waste treatment facility including a waste crane control device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of area setting within a garbage pit. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a garbage crane. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating vehicle detection on a platform. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the image recognition process in vehicle detection. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functions of the garbage crane control device. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the dust level in the receiving area. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the control of the garbage crane. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the difference in waiting time for waste trucks compared to the comparative example. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the control procedure. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the details of the first transfer operation process. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the details of the second transfer operation process.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a waste treatment facility 100 including a waste crane control device 1 (control device) according to this embodiment. The waste treatment facility 100 includes a waste crane 110, a waste pit 130, a platform 150, a waste input section 180, a furnace 190 (see FIG. 7), and the waste crane control device 1. Note that FIG. 1 does not include the illustration of a partition wall 133 (see FIGS. 2(a) and (b)), which will be described later.

The furnace 190 (see FIG. 6) processes the garbage G in the garbage pit 130 that is input through the garbage input section 180. The furnace 190 may be, for example, a melting furnace such as a shaft-type gasification melting furnace, or an incinerator such as a stoker-type incinerator. The melting furnace is configured to stably and reliably process the garbage G by high-temperature melting (for example, 1,700 to 1,800°C), and to recycle the garbage as harmless molten material. The incinerator is configured to process the garbage G by incinerating it. The garbage treatment facility 100 may further include a boiler and a steam turbine generator, and may be a power plant that generates electricity by processing the garbage G. It is preferable that the furnace 190 is installed adjacent to the garbage pit 130.

The platform 150 is provided adjacent to the garbage pit 130, and is an area where garbage delivery vehicles C that transport garbage to be delivered to the garbage pit 130 run. A wall 160 is provided at the boundary between the platform 150 and the garbage pit 130. The wall 160 is provided with multiple receiving doors 161-166. The number of receiving doors is not limited to the above (six). The garbage delivery vehicle C runs on the running path 151 on the platform 150 and stops in front of any of the receiving doors 161-166. The garbage delivery vehicle C stops in front of a receiving door 161-166 where no other garbage delivery vehicle C is stopped. The garbage delivery vehicle C may also stop in front of a receiving door 161-166 that is determined taking into consideration the status of the garbage G in the garbage pit 130 (such as the amount of garbage G). The receiving doors 161-166 where the waste carrying vehicle C is parked are opened, and waste is dropped from the waste carrying vehicle C, thereby carrying waste G into the waste pit 130. Details of the platform 150 and the receiving doors 161-166 will be described later.

The garbage input section 180 is a section that connects the garbage pit 130 and the furnace 190, and supplies garbage G input from the garbage pit 130 to the inside of the furnace 190. The garbage input section 180 is located at the top of the furnace 190, and can be considered as one of the components of the furnace 190. The garbage input section 180 has multiple (two in this example) hoppers 181, 182. Garbage in the garbage pit 130 is input into the

hoppers

181, 182, and is sent through the

hoppers

181, 182 to the furnace 190. The

hoppers

181, 182 may supply garbage G to the same furnace 190, or may supply garbage G to different furnaces 190.

The garbage pit 130 temporarily stores garbage G brought in by the garbage delivery vehicle C. The garbage pit 130 has a receiving pit 131 and an input/mixing pit 132 (see FIG. 2(a)). FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are plan views of the garbage pit 130 and are diagrams illustrating an example of area setting within the garbage pit 130. The receiving pit 131 is a portion of the garbage pit 130 that receives garbage. The receiving pit 131 is located near the platform 150 in the garbage pit 130. The input/mixing pit 132 is a portion where the garbage crane 110 performs the input operation of inputting garbage G into the furnace 190 via

hoppers

181 and 182, and the mixer operation of mixing the garbage G. The input/mixing pit 132 is located near the garbage input section 180 in the garbage pit 130. The receiving pit 131 and the input/mixing pit 132 are adjacent to each other via a partition wall 133. The partition wall 133 does not necessarily have to be provided.

In the garbage pit 130, the garbage crane control device 1 described below (or manual operation by the crane operator) sets areas for the operations performed by the garbage crane 110. As shown in FIG. 2(a), each area in a plan view of the garbage pit 130 is divided into 36 addresses: 9 (1-9) x 4 (A-D). The size of one of the addresses may be set, for example, according to the size of the bucket 111 of the garbage crane 110 (see FIG. 3, described below). The number of addresses may also be determined according to the size of the garbage pit 130. The number of addresses and the way they are divided may also be determined using other methods or concepts.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2(a), the area 1 to 9×A of the receiving pit 131 is set as the receiving area 131a. The area 2 to 9×D of the input/mixing pit 132 is set as the combined input area 132a and mixing area 132b. The areas 2 to 9×B and C of the input/mixing pit 132 are set as the transfer area 132c. The area 1×B to D of the input/mixing pit 132 is set as the grass and tree evacuation area 132d. The receiving area 131a is an area in which garbage G is received in the garbage pit 130. The input area 132a is an area in which the garbage crane 110 performs the input operation of inputting garbage into the furnace via

hoppers

181 and 182. The mixing area 132b is an area in which the garbage crane 110 performs the mixing operation of mixing the garbage. The transfer area 132c is an area where the garbage crane 110 performs transfer operations to move garbage from the receiving pit 131 to the input/mixing pit 132.

The area settings in the garbage pit 130 are not limited to the above. For example, during times when garbage is not being received from the garbage delivery truck C, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the receiving area 131a, the transfer area 132c, and the grass and tree evacuation area 132d may not be set, and only the input area 132a and the mixing area 132b may be set. In the example shown in FIG. 2(b), the area 1-9×C,D of the input and mixing pit 132 is set as the input area 132a, and the area 1-9×B-D of the input and mixing pit 132 is set as the mixing area 132b. The area 1-9×C,D is set as a shared area for the input area 132a and the mixing area 132b. Note that the area settings shown in FIG. 2(a) and (b) are merely examples, and the area settings in the garbage pit 130 are not limited to these.

Returning to FIG. 1, the garbage crane 110 is a crane that transports garbage G within the garbage pit 130. The garbage crane 110 performs the above-mentioned loading operation, stirring operation, and loading/unloading operation in accordance with the control of the garbage crane control device 1. Note that while only one garbage crane 110 is shown in FIG. 1, multiple garbage cranes 110 may be provided. Details of the garbage crane 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the garbage crane 110. As shown in FIG. 3, the garbage crane 110 includes a bucket 111, a motor 112, a bucket opening/closing mechanism 113, a wire 114, a casing 115, a motor 116, a casing 117,

motors

118 and 119, and wheels 120.

The wire 114 extends vertically, with its upper end connected to a motor 116 housed in a casing 115, and its lower end connected to a bucket opening/closing mechanism 113. The bucket opening/closing mechanism 113 is a mechanism that opens and closes the bucket 111 in response to power from the motor 112. The motor 112 is a hydraulic motor that provides power to the bucket opening/closing mechanism 113. The bucket 111 holds the waste G by clamping it therebetween.

The casing 115 is a casing that houses the motor 116. The motor 116 is a motor that winds up and down the wire 114. The casing 117 is a casing that houses the casing 115 and the load cell 400. Four wheels 120, for example, are provided on the underside of the casing 117 on the front, back, left and right.

The motor 118 is a travel motor that applies power to the wheels 120 to rotate them. The wheels 120 rotate on the rails 500. This causes the casing 117 (and the bucket 111 connected via the wires 114) with the wheels 120 attached to its underside to move in the travel direction along the rails 500.

Motor 119 is a traverse motor that provides power to move casing 117 (and bucket 111 connected via wire 114) in a direction intersecting the travel direction described above. In FIG. 3, the rails related to the traverse movement according to the power of motor 119 are not shown. In this way, bucket 111 moves in the up and down direction based on motor 116, moves in the travel direction based on motor 118, and moves in a direction intersecting the travel direction based on motor 119.

The load cell 400 measures the weight of the casing 115, motor 116, wire 114, motor 112, bucket opening/closing mechanism 113, bucket 111, and the garbage G held by the bucket 111. By measuring the weight, the load cell 400 can determine whether or not garbage G is being held by the bucket 111. A load cell 400 is provided, for example, for each wheel 120. That is, four load cells 400 are provided for each garbage crane 110. The weight of the garbage G held by the bucket 111 can be derived by subtracting the pre-specified weights of the casing 115, motor 116, wire 114, motor 112, bucket opening/closing mechanism 113, and bucket 111 from the sum of the measurements of the four load cells 400.

Note that as long as the load cells 400 can measure the weight of the garbage G held by the bucket 111, the installation location, number of installations, and weight calculation method are not limited to the above. For example, the load cells 400 do not necessarily have to be housed in the casing 117, and do not necessarily have to be provided for each wheel 120.

Returning to FIG. 1, the garbage crane control device 1 is a device that controls the operation of the garbage crane 110 that transports garbage G within the garbage pit 130. The garbage crane control device 1 is an electronic control unit that has a microcomputer (CPU) as well as memory elements (storage media) such as RAM and ROM. The garbage crane control device 1 has two modes for controlling the garbage crane 110: an automatic control mode in which the garbage crane 110 is automatically controlled, and a manual operation mode in which the garbage crane 110 is controlled by the operation of a crane operator. In the garbage crane control device 1, either the automatic control mode or the manual operation mode is selected to control the garbage crane 110.

The garbage crane control device 1 employs a garbage pit MAP system that makes it possible to grasp the garbage characteristics inside the garbage pit 130. The garbage pit MAP system is a technology that numerically models the inside of the garbage pit 130, traces the loading and movement (receiving, transferring, mixing) (transporting and conveying) of garbage G, and records the storage status of the garbage G. By utilizing this system, it is possible to continuously grasp the accumulation status and properties of garbage G throughout the entire garbage pit 130.

As shown in Figure 1, in the garbage pit MAP system, the space within the garbage pit 130 is divided into meshes (unit spaces) (blocks), which are rectangular parallelepiped regions of a given size, and the entire garbage pit 130 is modeled. For each mesh, three data items are managed as parameters that represent the pile-up status and properties of the garbage G: (1) garbage level, (2) number of stirrings, and (3) garbage type.

The garbage level is an index that represents the height of the garbage pile in the garbage pit 130. The garbage level is added or subtracted for the target mesh in the garbage pit MAP system according to the operation of the garbage crane 110, such as dumping, transferring, stirring, etc. The actual garbage pile height may be estimated from the measurement results of a level sensor such as an electromagnetic wave level meter installed near the garbage pit 130, or from height information when the garbage crane 110 touches down, and the garbage level in the garbage pit MAP system may be corrected based on the estimated result.

The number of mixing times is an index that indicates the degree to which the garbage is mixed, and the number of mixing times is added to the target mesh in the garbage pit MAP system according to the operation of the garbage crane 110.

Using image recognition technology, the type of waste is distinguished and classified into normal waste and waste containing vegetation, and recorded in the corresponding mesh. When the waste crane 110 operates to move the waste G or toss it into the furnace, the movement of the waste, including the number of times it has been stirred and the type of waste, is traced, and the information in the corresponding mesh is updated.

This type of garbage pit MAP system makes it possible to quantitatively grasp the accumulation status and characteristics of garbage G, and, for example, to achieve optimal mixing according to the conditions inside the garbage pit 130.

The garbage crane control device 1 according to this embodiment performs various controls, such as control of the garbage crane 110, based on the operating state of the garbage delivery vehicle C detected on the platform 150. First, vehicle detection on the platform 150 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

Figure 4 is a diagram explaining vehicle detection on the platform 150. As shown in Figure 4, the platform 150 is broadly composed of a front-door space S1 and a passing space S2. The front-door space S1 is a space adjacent to the multiple receiving doors 161-166 that are opened when garbage is deposited into the garbage pit 130. The front-door space S1 is provided in one-to-one correspondence with each receiving door 161-166, and is large enough to allow a garbage delivery vehicle C to carry garbage into the garbage pit 130.

The passing space S2 is connected to the door space S1 and is a space through which both the garbage delivery vehicle C heading to the door space S1 (before garbage is brought in) and the garbage delivery vehicle C exiting the door space S1 after the garbage is brought in pass. The passing space S2 is connected to the running path S3 outside the platform 150 at its entrance and exit. That is, when the garbage delivery vehicle C brings in garbage, it enters the passing space S2 from the running path S3, passes through the passing space S2, and stops at the door space S1 adjacent to one of the receiving doors 161 to 166. After the garbage is brought in, the garbage delivery vehicle C passes through the door space S1, passes through the passing space S2, and exits to the outside of the platform 150 via the running path S3. It is preferable that the platform 150 is an area inside the building (an area surrounded by the roof and side walls). It is preferable that the door space S1 and the passing space S2 are inside the building, and the running path S3 is outside the building. It is preferable that the entrance and exit of the passage space S2 be an opening provided in the side wall of the building, and that the running path S3 be connected to the passage space S2 through this opening.

As shown in FIG. 4, the platform 150 is provided with a plurality of (e.g., two)

cameras

301, 302 capable of capturing images of the above-mentioned door space S1 and passing space S2. The

cameras

301, 302 are provided, for example, on a wall (not shown) on the opposite side of the door space S1 in the passing space S2, and are provided in a position that allows the entire door space S1 and the passing space S2 to be captured. The camera 301 is provided, for example, near the entrance/exit (connection point with the running path S3) in the passing space S2. The camera 302 is provided, for example, in the area (rear area) furthest from the entrance/exit (connection point with the running path S3) in the passing space S2. The camera 301 mainly captures images of the passing space S2 and the door space S1 on the entrance/exit side (the door space S1 adjacent to the receiving doors 161-163). The camera 302 mainly captures images of the passing space S2 and the front door space S1 in the rear area (the front door space S1 adjacent to the receiving doors 164-166). In this way, the ranges covered by the

cameras

301 and 302 are divided, so that they are mainly responsible for nearby ranges, improving detection accuracy. Note that the garbage delivery vehicle C4 traveling on the running path S3 outside the platform 150 may be excluded from the current detection target. The positions of the

cameras

301 and 302 are one example and are not limited to the above. Also, the number of cameras capturing images may be one, or three or more. The

cameras

301 and 302 transmit the captured images to the garbage crane control device 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the platform 150, there are (1) a garbage delivery vehicle C1 in a pre-garbage delivery state, (2) a garbage delivery vehicle C2 in a garbage delivery in progress state, and (3) a garbage delivery vehicle C3 in a post-garbage delivery state. The pre-garbage delivery state is a state in which the garbage delivery vehicle has entered the passage space S2 and has not yet reached the front door space S1. The garbage delivery in progress state is a state in which the garbage delivery vehicle is in the front door space S1 in real time. The post-garbage delivery state is a state in which the garbage delivery vehicle is heading toward the entrance/exit of the passage space S2 after entering the garbage delivery in progress state. Each of these states can be derived by detecting the position of the garbage delivery vehicle C from the above-mentioned captured image and tracing the state of that position. Note that the method for detecting the position of the garbage delivery vehicle C from the captured image may use existing image recognition technology. For example, the position of the garbage delivery vehicle C may be detected by applying a deep learning model to the captured image.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating image recognition processing in vehicle detection. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the above-mentioned deep learning model is applied to the captured image, and two garbage trucks C are detected from the captured image. Here, since the position of the garbage truck C can be detected, it is possible to detect the garbage truck C2 in the garbage loading state and the garbage truck C1 in the pre-garbage loading state by determining whether the garbage truck C is entering a range set in advance within the angle of view. Note that when detecting the garbage truck C, the effect of momentary erroneous recognition can be reduced by performing a multiple frame judgment.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the functions of the garbage crane control device 1 which performs control based on the operating state of the garbage delivery vehicle C detected on the platform 150. As shown in Figure 6, the garbage crane control device 1 is equipped with an acquisition unit 11, a state determination unit 12, a signal control unit 13 (garbage processing control unit), and a crane control unit 14 (garbage processing control unit). In this embodiment, the garbage crane control device 1 is described as also performing control of control objects other than the garbage crane 110, but this is not limited to this. In other words, of the various controls described below, the garbage crane control device 1 may only perform control of the garbage crane 110, and other controls may be performed by other control devices (not shown).

The acquisition unit 11 acquires captured images of the door space S1 and the passage space S2 from the cameras 301 and 302 (acquisition step). The acquisition unit 11 acquires captured images from the

cameras

301 and 302 continuously, for example, at a predetermined time interval.

The state determination unit 12 determines the operating state of one or more waste delivery vehicles C present in the door space S1 or the passing space S2 based on the captured image acquired by the acquisition unit 11 (state determination step). The state determination unit 12 outputs information indicating the determined operating state of the waste delivery vehicle C to the signal control unit 13 and the crane control unit 14.

The state determination unit 12 detects the waste vehicle C from the captured image, for example by applying the above-mentioned deep learning model to the captured image, and further determines the operating state of the waste vehicle C. For example, the state determination unit 12 determines the operating state of the waste vehicle C by setting in advance the ranges of the two spaces of the platform 150, the front door space S1 and the passing space S2, within the angle of view, and determining whether the waste vehicle C has entered the set range.

The state determination unit 12 may determine whether the state is pre-waste-carrying state, in-waste-carrying state, or post-waste-carrying state from the detected movement (time-series movement) of the garbage delivery vehicle C. For example, the state determination unit 12 determines that a garbage delivery vehicle C that has entered through the entrance/exit of the passing space S2 and has not yet reached the front-door space S1 is in the pre-waste-carrying state. For example, the state determination unit 12 determines that a garbage delivery vehicle C that has moved from the passing space S2 to the front-door space S1 is in the in-waste-carrying state. For example, the state determination unit 12 determines that a garbage delivery vehicle C that has moved from the front-door space S1 toward the passing space S2 is in the post-waste-carrying state.

The state determination unit 12 may further determine that a garbage delivery vehicle C that is in a pre-garbage delivery state is in a delivery preparation state when the garbage delivery vehicle C is heading toward an area of the passage space S2 that corresponds to one of the receiving doors (an area of the passage space S2 that is close to the receiving door).

The status determination unit 12 may determine the status of the garbage pit 130 other than the operating status of the garbage delivery vehicle C. For example, the status determination unit 12 may determine whether or not there is an address in the receiving area 131a where the garbage level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The status determination unit 12 can derive the garbage level for each mesh by using the garbage pit MAP system described above. The status determination unit 12 outputs information related to the address where the determined garbage level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value to the signal control unit 13 and the crane control unit 14.

FIG. 7 is a diagram explaining the garbage level in the receiving area 131a. In the example shown in FIG. 7, there are three garbage levels, and when the garbage level is so high that it is difficult to accept one garbage truck C's worth of garbage, it is judged to be at level "HH." When the garbage level is so high that transshipment is required, it is judged to be at level "H." When the garbage level is so low that transshipment has been completed, it is judged to be at level "L."

The state determination unit 12 determines whether there is an input request from the furnace 190. The state determination unit 12 may determine whether there is an address in the input area 132a and the mixing area 132b where the number of mixing times is below a predetermined threshold. The state determination unit 12 outputs to the crane control unit 14 whether there is an input request and whether mixing is required.

The signal control unit 13 may control the door front signal 200 (see FIG. 7) of each receiving door 161-166 so that a red signal is not used to indicate that the receiving door cannot be opened when there is one or more garbage delivery vehicles C that have been determined by the state determination unit 12 to be in a pre-garbage state. Note that the fact that the receiving door cannot be opened may be indicated by something other than a red signal, for example, by simply having a signal turned on. As shown in FIG. 7, the door front signal 200 is an open/close possible signal that indicates whether the door can be opened or closed for each of the multiple receiving doors 161-166. A state in which a red signal is turned on in the door front signal 200 means that the receiving door corresponding to the door front signal 200 is prohibited from being opened. When there is one or more garbage delivery vehicles C that have been determined to be in a pre-garbage delivery state, the red light of the front door signal 200 is not lit, which effectively prevents the garbage delivery vehicles C that have been determined to be in a pre-garbage delivery state from going into a standby state.

Based on the information output from the state determination unit 12 regarding the addresses where the garbage level in the receiving area 131a is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the signal control unit 13 turns on a red light for the door front signal 200 of the receiving door corresponding to the address where the garbage level is equal to or higher than "HH" (prohibiting the door from opening). When there are multiple addresses where the garbage level is equal to or higher than "H" and lower than "HH" (addresses where the garbage level is at a predetermined level), the signal control unit 13 turns on a red light for the door front signal 200 of the receiving door corresponding to one selected address. Specifically, the signal control unit 13 turns on a red light for only one door front signal 200 corresponding to a receiving door where there is no approaching garbage delivery vehicle C among the receiving doors corresponding to each of the multiple addresses, to indicate that the door cannot be opened. The signal control unit 13 controls the addresses where the garbage level is equal to or higher than "H" and lower than "HH" so that two or more door front signals 200 do not turn on a red light (prohibiting the door from opening) at the same time. When the dust level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the door front signal 200 turns red and the door cannot be opened, allowing the loading/unloading operation to be carried out appropriately.

The crane control unit 14 controls the garbage crane 110, which is a garbage disposal mechanism related to garbage disposal, based on the operating state of one or more garbage delivery vehicles C determined by the state determination unit 12. The crane control unit 14 controls the garbage crane 110 to perform operations other than those related to the area of the garbage pit 130 corresponding to the receiving door toward which the garbage delivery vehicle C in the above-mentioned loading preparation state is heading. The crane control unit 14 may control the garbage crane 110 to move to an area of the garbage pit 130 corresponding to a receiving door other than the receiving door toward which the garbage delivery vehicle C in the loading preparation state is heading. In this case, the crane control unit 14 may control the garbage crane 110 to perform a transfer operation for an area of the garbage pit 130 corresponding to a receiving door other than the receiving door toward which the garbage delivery vehicle C is heading.

Figure 8 is a diagram explaining the control of the waste crane 110. Conventionally, as shown in Figure 8(a), the movement of the waste crane 110 toward the receiving door 162 was given priority, and a waste vehicle C approaching the receiving door 162 was ordered to wait or re-guided to another receiving door 161. In this regard, as shown in Figure 8(b), in this embodiment, the movement of the waste vehicle C is determined early based on the captured image, so that by changing the movement of the waste crane 110 (moving preferentially toward the receiving door 161), the waste vehicle C does not have to wait. Furthermore, the waste crane 110 can also perform meaningful loading and unloading operations, etc.

FIG. 9 is a diagram explaining the difference in the waiting time of the garbage delivery vehicle C with the comparative example. In the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 9(a), it is assumed that the delivery vehicle waiting on the platform moves to a certain receiving door (No. 1 receiving door). Then, at that timing, the garbage crane moves to the No. 1 receiving door (the address of the garbage pit 130 behind the No. 1 receiving door), and the No. 1 receiving door is prohibited from opening. This type of control occurs frequently in a situation where the movement of the delivery vehicle is not observed (not considered), and the delivery vehicle is made to wait. In contrast, in the control according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 9(b), when the delivery vehicle moves to the No. 1 receiving door, the garbage crane moves to the No. 2 receiving door in consideration of the movement of the delivery vehicle, and performs work such as loading and unloading, so that the delivery vehicle heading to the No. 1 receiving door does not need to wait. As described above, by changing the movement mode of the garbage crane in consideration of the movement of the delivery vehicle, the waiting time of the delivery vehicle (garbage delivery vehicle C) can be significantly reduced.

Specifically, the crane control unit 14 controls the

motors

116, 118, and 119 to move the bucket 111 of the garbage crane 110 in three dimensional directions, and controls the motor 112 to open and close the bucket 111 using the bucket opening and closing mechanism 113. In this way, the movement and opening and closing of the bucket 111 is realized, making it possible to properly carry out the above-mentioned transfer operation.

The crane control unit 14 does not necessarily have to cause the garbage crane 110 to perform a loading/unloading operation, and may cause the garbage crane 110 to perform a dumping or stirring operation as "operations other than operations related to the area of the garbage pit 130 corresponding to the receiving door to which the garbage delivery vehicle C is heading."

The crane control unit 14 controls the garbage crane 110 so that a transfer operation for an address is performed based on information output from the status determination unit 12 relating to the address where the garbage level in the receiving area 131a is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The crane control unit 14 also controls the garbage crane 110 so that a dumping operation or agitation operation is performed based on information output from the status determination unit 12 relating to the presence or absence of a dumping request and the need for agitation.

Next, the control procedure implemented in the garbage crane control device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the control procedure.

First, it is determined whether or not there is an address in the receiving area 131a with a waste level of "HH" or higher (step S1). If there is an address with a waste level of "HH" or higher, the first transfer operation is carried out (step S2). Step S2 will be described later with reference to FIG. 11.

If it is determined in step S1 that there are no addresses with a waste level of "HH" or higher, it is determined whether or not there is a request for a dumping operation from the furnace 190 (step S3). If there is a request for a dumping operation, the dumping operation is carried out (step S4). In this case, the waste crane 110 is controlled to carry out the dumping operation.

If it is determined in step S3 that there is no input request from the furnace 190, it is determined whether there is an address with a waste level of "H" or higher (step S5). If there is an address with a waste level of "H" or higher, a second transfer operation is performed (step S6). Step S6 will be described later with reference to FIG. 12.

If it is determined in step S5 that there are no addresses with a garbage level of "H" or higher, it is determined whether there are any addresses in the input mixing area that have had n or fewer mixing times (step S7). If there are any addresses that have had n or fewer mixing times in step S7, mixing operation is performed (step S8). In this case, the garbage crane 110 is controlled to perform the mixing operation.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the details of the first reloading operation process. As shown in FIG. 11, first, it is determined whether there are multiple addresses with a garbage level of "HH" or above (step S21). If there are multiple addresses, the door front signals 200 of all receiving doors corresponding to addresses with a garbage level of "HH" or above are turned red (step S26), and the doors are prohibited from opening. The reloading operation is then repeated until the garbage level of all addresses with a garbage level of "HH" or above falls below the garbage level "H" (step S27), and when the garbage level of all addresses falls below "H", all door front signals 200 are turned green, indicating that the receiving doors can be opened (step S29).

On the other hand, if there are not multiple addresses with a garbage level of "HH" or higher in step S21, the door signal for the address with a garbage level of "HH" or higher is turned red (step S22), and the reloading operation is repeated until the garbage level at that address falls below "H" (step S23). When the garbage level at that address falls below "H" (step S24), the door signal 200 is turned green (step S25).

In the example shown in FIG. 11, when the dust level falls below "H" for all addresses with dust levels of "HH" or higher, all of the door signals 200 are set to green at the same time, but the door signals 200 corresponding to the addresses with dust levels below "H" due to the reloading operation may be set to green in order. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the flow branches based on the determination result of step S21, but regardless of whether there are multiple addresses with dust levels of "HH" or higher, if there are door signals 200 corresponding to addresses with dust levels of "HH" or higher, a step is executed in which all of the door signals 200 are set to red regardless of the number of door signals 200, and the subsequent reloading step (steps corresponding to steps S23 and S27 in FIG. 11), the dust level below "H" determination step (steps corresponding to steps S24 and S28 in FIG. 11), and the green light change step (steps corresponding to steps S25 and S29 in FIG. 11) may be executed in common. Additionally, the fact that the receiving door can be opened may be indicated by something other than a green light, for example, by a light that was turned on going out.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the details of the second reloading operation process. As shown in FIG. 12, it is determined whether there are multiple addresses with a garbage level of "H" or higher (step S61). If there are multiple addresses, it is determined whether there is a vehicle in front of the receiving door of the target address (step S62). Also, in step S61, it is determined whether there is an address with a garbage level of "H" or higher that has no vehicle in front of the receiving door (step S67). If there is such an address, one target address is selected from the addresses with no vehicle (step S68).

Following steps S62 and S68, a process is performed to change the door front signal 200 to a red signal (step S63). Then, the reloading operation is performed (step S64) until the garbage level falls below L (reloading completion level), and when the garbage level falls below L, the door front signal 200 is changed to a green signal (step S66).

Next, we will explain the effects of the garbage crane control device 1 according to this embodiment.

The garbage crane control device 1 according to this embodiment includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires captured images of the front-door space S1, which is a space adjacent to the multiple receiving doors 161-166 that are opened when garbage is brought into the garbage pit 130, and the passing space S2 that is continuous with the front-door space S1 and through which garbage delivery vehicles C pass heading toward at least the front-door space S1, and a state determination unit 12 that determines the operating state of one or more garbage delivery vehicles C present in the front-door space S1 or the passing space S2 based on the captured images.

In the waste crane control device 1 according to this embodiment, the operating state of the waste vehicle C present in the door space S1 and the passing space S2 is determined based on the captured images of these spaces. In this way, the operating state of the waste vehicle C is determined from images captured not only of the door space S1 but also of the passing space S2 through which the waste vehicle C passes toward the door space S1, so that the operating state of the waste vehicle C at an early stage before it reaches the door space S1 can be identified. By identifying such information, it becomes possible to predict in advance how the waste vehicle C will move, and it becomes possible to, for example, make an efficient control plan for various control objects before it reaches the door space S1. As described above, by identifying the operating state of the waste vehicle C before it reaches the door space S1 from the captured images, it becomes easier to predict the movement of the waste vehicle C in advance, and efficient control becomes possible, so that the waiting time of the waste vehicle can be shortened.

The waste crane control device 1 may further include a waste treatment control unit that controls a waste treatment mechanism related to waste treatment based on the operating state of one or more waste delivery vehicles C determined by the state determination unit 12. With such a configuration, the waste treatment mechanism can be controlled taking into account the operating state of the waste delivery vehicle C that can be identified at an early stage, and control can be preferably implemented to shorten the waiting time of the waste delivery vehicle C.

The garbage disposal mechanism is a garbage crane 110 that transports garbage in the garbage pit, and the state determination unit 12 determines, based on the captured image, that a garbage delivery vehicle C that has not yet reached the front-door space S1 after entering the passing space S2 is in a pre-garbage state, and further determines that the garbage delivery vehicle C in a pre-garbage state is in a state of preparation for loading when the garbage delivery vehicle C in a pre-garbage state heads toward an area of the passing space S2 corresponding to one of the receiving doors, and controls the garbage crane 110 to perform an operation other than an operation related to the area of the garbage pit 130 corresponding to the receiving door toward which the garbage delivery vehicle in a pre-garbage state heads. According to this configuration, the operation of the garbage crane 110 is not performed in the area of the garbage pit 130 corresponding to the receiving door toward which the garbage delivery vehicle C identified based on the captured image is headed. Therefore, the garbage delivery vehicle C does not have to wait due to the operation of the garbage crane 110, and the waiting time of the garbage delivery vehicle C can be suitably shortened.

The crane control unit 14 may control the garbage crane 110 to move to an area of the garbage pit 130 that corresponds to a receiving door other than the receiving door toward which the garbage delivery vehicle C, which is in a state of preparation for delivery, is heading. With this configuration, the garbage crane 110 can appropriately perform loading and unloading operations at a receiving door other than the one toward which the garbage delivery vehicle C is heading, while appropriately avoiding the garbage delivery vehicle C having to wait due to the operation of the garbage crane 110.

The waste disposal mechanism is a front-door signal for each of the multiple receiving doors that indicates whether the door can be opened or closed, and the signal control unit 13 may control the front-door signal 200 for each receiving door so that when there is one or more waste delivery vehicles C that have been determined by the state determination unit 12 to be in a pre-waste delivery state, it is not indicated that the door cannot be opened. With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately secure receiving doors through which waste delivery vehicles C in a pre-waste delivery state can move, and it is possible to appropriately avoid having waste delivery vehicles C wait.

The disclosure in this specification should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. In other words, various omissions, substitutions, modifications, etc. may be made to the above examples without departing from the scope and spirit of the claims.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, three garbage levels are set for the receiving area 131a, but four or more levels may be set. In this case, for example, a garbage level "H4" higher than the garbage level "HH" may be further set. In the case of a four-level setting in which the garbage level "H4" is further added to the example shown in FIG. 7, and there are multiple addresses with garbage level "HH" or higher where it is difficult to accept new garbage, the order of addresses in which reloading is performed may be as follows. For example, if the multiple addresses with garbage level "HH" or higher include an address with garbage level "H4" or higher and an address with garbage level "HH" or higher but lower than "H4", the reloading operation may be performed with priority given to addresses with garbage level "H4" or higher, or the reloading operation may be performed with priority given to addresses with garbage level "HH" or higher but lower than "H4". When the reloading operation is performed with priority given to addresses below "H4", the garbage level of the address can be lowered more quickly (with fewer reloads) than when reloading addresses above "H4". This allows an acceptance door that is not prohibited from being opened to be prepared quickly, and the waiting of the garbage delivery vehicle C can be more appropriately avoided. When there are multiple addresses with garbage levels above "HH", the reloading operation may be performed with priority given to the lowest address among the addresses. In this case, an acceptance door that is not prohibited from being opened can also be prepared quickly. In addition, the condition for changing the door front signal 200 of each acceptance door to a green signal after it has turned red (the release condition for releasing the door opening prohibition after the door opening prohibition has been set) may be when the garbage level of the corresponding address becomes "H" or lower, when it becomes "HH" or lower, or when it becomes "L" or lower. The release condition may be variable depending on the operating state of the garbage delivery vehicle C on the platform (for example, the state of the garbage delivery vehicle C before garbage is delivered).

Furthermore, the addresses in the receiving area 131a and the receiving doors may have a one-to-one correspondence, a one-to-multiple correspondence, or a multiple-to-one correspondence. In other words, there may be multiple receiving doors corresponding to one address. Multiple addresses may be associated with one receiving door. For example, as shown in FIG. 2(a), address 2×A may correspond to both receiving door 165 and receiving door 166. Also, for example, addresses 1×A and 2×A may be associated with receiving door 166. One address may be shared (overlapped) by multiple receiving doors. The number of addresses and the number of receiving doors in the receiving area 131a may be the same or different. If the number of addresses and the number of receiving doors in the receiving area 131a are different, the number of addresses in the receiving area 131a may be a multiple of the number of receiving doors.

1...garbage crane control device, 11...acquisition unit, 12...status determination unit, 13...signal control unit, 14...crane control unit, 110...garbage crane, 130...garbage pit, 200...front door signal, 301, 302...camera, S1...front door space, S2...passing space.

Claims

an acquisition unit that is provided adjacent to the waste pit and acquires an image of a predetermined space of a platform on which a waste delivery vehicle travels;
A state determination unit that determines an operating state of one or more garbage trucks present in the specified space based on the captured image,
The state determination unit is
The predetermined space includes a door space, which is a space adjacent to a plurality of receiving doors that are opened when garbage is carried into the garbage pit, and a passage space that is continuous with the door space and through which at least a garbage carrying vehicle heading toward the door space passes,
A control device that determines the operating status of one or more garbage delivery vehicles present in the space in front of the door or the passing space based on the captured image.
The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a waste treatment control unit that controls a waste treatment mechanism related to waste treatment based on the operating state of the one or more waste delivery vehicles determined by the state determination unit.
the waste disposal mechanism is a waste crane that transports waste within the waste pit;
The state determination unit determines, based on the captured image, that a garbage delivery vehicle that has entered the passing space but has not yet reached the space in front of the door is in a pre-garbage delivery state, and further determines that the garbage delivery vehicle in the pre-garbage delivery state is in a delivery preparation state when the garbage delivery vehicle in the pre-garbage delivery state heads toward an area of the passing space corresponding to one of the receiving doors;
The control device according to claim 2, wherein the waste treatment control unit controls the waste crane to perform operations other than operations related to the area of the waste pit corresponding to the receiving door toward which the waste delivery truck in the ready-to-be-delivered state is heading.
The control device according to claim 3, wherein the waste disposal control unit controls the waste crane to move to an area of the waste pit that corresponds to a receiving door other than the receiving door toward which the waste delivery vehicle in the ready state is heading.
the waste disposal mechanism is an open/close signal indicating whether the door can be opened or closed for each of the plurality of receiving doors;
The control device according to claim 3, wherein the waste treatment control unit controls the open/close possible signal of each receiving door so that when there is one or more waste delivery vehicles that have been determined by the state determination unit to be in the pre-waste delivery state, the control unit does not indicate that the door cannot be opened.
The waste disposal mechanism includes a waste crane that transports waste within the waste pit, and an open/close signal that indicates whether each of the plurality of receiving doors can be opened or closed,
The state determination unit manages the area in the garbage pit by dividing it into a plurality of addresses, grasps the garbage level, which is the garbage pile height, for each address, and
The waste treatment control unit includes:
When the state determination unit determines that there are a plurality of addresses where the waste level is at a predetermined level, only one of the receiving doors corresponding to the address where there is no approaching waste vehicle is controlled to indicate that the door cannot be opened,
The control device according to claim 2, further comprising: a control section for controlling the garbage crane to perform a transfer operation of garbage at the address corresponding to the receiving door indicated as being unable to be opened.
A control method executed by a control device that controls a waste treatment facility, comprising:
A step of acquiring an image of a predetermined space of a platform provided adjacent to the waste pit and on which a waste delivery vehicle travels;
A state determination step of determining an operating state of one or more garbage carrying vehicles present in the predetermined space based on the captured image,
In the state determination step,
The predetermined space includes a door space adjacent to a plurality of receiving doors that are opened when garbage is carried into the garbage pit, and a passage space that is continuous with the door space and through which garbage carrying vehicles heading toward the door space pass,
A control method for determining the operating status of one or more garbage delivery vehicles present in the space in front of the door or the passing space based on the captured image.