Efficient material recovery facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12246356-B2
Application number	US-202318310322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2023
Priority date	Oct 2, 2020
Publication date	Mar 11, 2025
Grant date	Mar 11, 2025

Abstract

An efficient material recovery facility is disclosed, including: a first sorting device configured to: process a first instruction to remove a first target item from a set of items; and in response to the first instruction, perform a first sorting action to remove the first target item from the set of items, wherein the set of items excluding at least the first target item is to be transported towards a second sorting device, wherein the second sorting device is associated with a same sorting device type as the first sorting device; and wherein the second sorting device is configured to perform a second sorting action to remove a second target item from the set of items excluding at least the first target item in response to receiving a second instruction to remove the second target item.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first conveyor device;
a sorting device;
wherein the first conveyor device is angled relative to a plane, wherein the first conveyor device includes a lower end and a higher end relative to the plane;
wherein the first conveyor device is configured to transport a set of items towards the sorting device;
wherein the sorting device is configured to perform a first sorting action to remove a first item from the set of items subsequent to the first item falling off of the higher end of the first conveyor device;
a sorting control device configured to:
determine that an event has been detected; and
in response to the event, perform dynamic reconfiguration including to update a set of suppression criteria associated with the sorting device, wherein the set of suppression criteria describes a sensitivity with which the sorting device determines whether or not to suppress performing a second sorting action on a second item comprising a target item based at least in part on a proximity of the second item to a third item comprising a non-target item;

wherein the second item on which the sorting device does not perform the second sorting action lands on a second conveyor device; and
wherein the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device are both located on the plane.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the lower end comprises a first lower end, wherein the higher end comprises a first higher end, and wherein the second conveyor device is angled relative to the plane, wherein the second conveyor device includes a second lower end and a second higher end relative to the plane, and wherein the second lower end of the second conveyor device is to receive the second item.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device each form an angle between 5 through 15 degrees relative to the plane.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plane comprises a floor, a level, a surface, or a set of collection containers.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sorting device comprises an array of air orifices, wherein the array of air orifices perform the first sorting action by shooting air on the first item towards the plane.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sorting device comprises an array of air orifices, wherein the array of air orifices perform the first sorting action by shooting air on the first item away from the plane.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sorting device comprises one or more pushing mechanisms that are configured to perform the first sorting action by striking the first item.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a collection container placed beneath the higher end of the first conveyor device.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sorting device comprises a first sorting device, and further comprising a second sorting device configured to perform a third sorting action to remove a fourth item from the set of items subsequent to the [third] fourth item falling off of the higher end of the first conveyor device, wherein the first sorting device is configured to perform the first sorting action to direct the first item into a first collection container, and wherein the second sorting device is configured to perform the third sorting action to direct the fourth item into a second collection container.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first collection container is at least partially underneath the higher end of the first conveyor device, and wherein the second collection container is at least partially above the second conveyor device.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a recirculation conveyor device that is configured to return items that remain in the set of items back to the first conveyor device.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the sorting control device is further configured to:
obtain sensed data associated with the set of items on the first conveyor device;
determine that the first item is to be targeted by the sorting device based at least in part on the sensed data and a set of target item criteria; and
send an instruction to the sorting device to perform the first sorting action on the first item.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the sensed data comprises one or more images of the set of items.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sorting control device comprises a first sorting control device, and wherein the lower end comprises a first lower end, wherein the higher end comprises a first higher end, wherein the second conveyor device is angled relative to the plane, wherein the second conveyor device includes a second lower end and a second higher end relative to the plane, and wherein the second lower end of the second conveyor device is to receive the second item, and further comprising:
the first sorting control device is further configured to:
obtain sensed data associated with the set of items on the first conveyor device;
determine that the second item is not to be targeted by the first sorting device based at least in part on the updated set of suppression criteria; and
send, to a second sorting control device, a determination to cause the second sorting control device to instruct a second sorting device to target the second item, wherein the second sorting device is configured to perform a third sorting action on the second item subsequent to the second item falling off the second higher end of the second conveyor device.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event comprises one or more of the following: data detected by one or more sensors, a user input, a measured metric associated with recovered items, and a received metric that is received from an external source.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein to perform the dynamic reconfiguration further comprises to update one or more of the following: a speed associated with the first conveyor device, an angle associated with the first conveyor device, and a set of target item criteria associated with the sorting device.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein to perform the dynamic reconfiguration further comprises to update one or more of the following: a technique for adhering items to the first conveyor device associated with the system, a jam removal technique associated with the system, a configuration of one or more sorting lines associated with the system, and a configuration associated with recirculation of items associated with the system.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first conveyor device and the second conveyor device belong to a same sorting line within a material recovery facility.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sorting device comprises an array of air orifices, wherein the sorting device is configured to perform the first sorting action to remove the first item by shooting air from a section of the array of air orifices towards the first item, wherein the section of the array of air orifices is determined based at least in part on a location of the first item on the first conveyor device, wherein the section of the array of air orifices comprises a specified subset of the array of air orifices.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the specified subset of the array of air orifices is to shoot air towards the first item for a specified length of time.

Assignees

• Amp Robotics Corp

Inventors

• Douglas Cameron D
• Chiou Geoffrey N
• Horowitz Matanya B
• Baybutt Mark
• Martin Travis W
• Ehlmann Kevin M
• Calaiaro Jason M
• Espinosa Robert M

Classifications

• B07C5/342

  according to optical properties, e.g. colour {(according to radiation transmittivity B07C5/3416)} · CPC title

• B07C2501/0054

  Sorting of waste or refuse · CPC title

• B29B2017/0279

  Optical identification, e.g. cameras or spectroscopy · CPC title

• B07C5/36

  Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution {(sorting according to destination B07C3/003, B07C3/02)} · CPC title

• B07C5/361 Primary

  Processing or control devices therefor, e.g. escort memory · CPC title