KR20240053763A - Reused container collection apparatus and method performing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The reusable container recovery device according to the present invention includes a reusable container scanning unit that scans reusable containers to be recovered, a plurality of stackers for collecting different types of reusable containers by stacking them, and a housing. It is rotatably coupled to a rotating shaft fixed to the inner center, and when a transfer command is received after the reusable container to be recovered is scanned by the reusable container scanning unit, it is transferred to any one of a plurality of stackers according to the transfer command. When the multi-use container to be recovered is moved and placed, and the multi-use container to be recovered is scanned by the transfer member and the multi-use container scanning unit to drop the multi-use container to be recovered, any one of the plurality of stackers is retrieved. It includes a transfer member control unit that determines the target multi-use container as a stacker to be placed, generates a transfer command to move to a certain stacker, and provides the transfer command to the transfer member.

Description

Reusable container recovery device and method of operation thereof {REUSED CONTAINER COLLECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD PERFORMING THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a reusable container recovery device and a method of operating the same. When the return of a reusable container to be collected is requested, the transfer member is rotated into a stacker corresponding to the type of reusable container to be recovered, and then the reusable container is collected through the transfer member. The present invention relates to a reusable container recovery device and a method of operating the same, which allows reusable containers to be collected by dropping them and stacking them on a stacker, thus allowing a large amount of reusable containers to be collected.

Disposable paper cups are widely used around us for various purposes due to their convenience, and are especially used as a means of selling coffee or hot and cold drinks through vending machines.

Therefore, a significant amount of paper cups are used and discarded every day, that is, most of the paper cups that have been used for necessary purposes as described above are discarded in trash cans provided nearby, resulting in a lot of economic loss.

As a result, in the past, in order to recover a large amount of paper cups discarded in the trash can for recycling purposes, a measure was prepared to separate and collect the paper cups from the trash can, but quite inconvenient problems occurred due to the separate collection. Of course, this also resulted in additional costs.

Therefore, in the case of disposable products such as paper cups and plastic containers such as PET bottles, social and environmental costs are currently incurred due to incineration or landfill, so regulations are being strengthened, and consumers are being forced to go to fast food restaurants or coffee shops. Recycling or reuse is encouraged in the form of a refund of the deposit upon return.

And the process of collection and refund itself requires manpower and time. In addition, it also has the disadvantage of being cumbersome for the manpower to collect it, depending on the sanitary condition of the empty container during the recovery process.

In the present invention, when return of a reusable container to be recovered is requested, the transfer member can be rotated into a stacker corresponding to the type of reusable container to be recovered, and then the reusable container to be recovered can be dropped through the transfer member and stacked on the stacker for recovery. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a reusable container recovery device and a method of operating the same that can collect a large amount of reusable containers.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the objects mentioned above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention that are not mentioned can be understood by the following description and will be more clearly understood by the examples of the present invention. Additionally, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the patent claims.

A reusable container recovery device to achieve this purpose includes a reusable container scanning unit that scans recyclable containers to be recovered, a plurality of stackers that collect different types of reusable containers by stacking them, and fixed to the inner center of the housing. It is rotatably coupled to the rotating shaft, and when a transfer command is received after the reusable container to be recovered is scanned by the reusable container scanning unit, it is moved to one of the plurality of stackers according to the transfer command and is located in the When a recyclable container to be collected is inserted, a transport member that drops the recyclable container to be collected, and when the recyclable container is scanned by the recyclable container scanning unit, any one of the plurality of stackers is installed to the recyclable container to be collected. It includes a transfer member control unit that determines the stacker to be loaded, generates a transfer command to move to any one stacker, and provides the transfer command to the transfer member.

In addition, the reusable container recovery method performed in the reusable container recovery device to achieve this purpose involves, when the reusable container to be recovered is scanned, moving any one of a plurality of stackers to the stacker into which the responsible container to be recovered is placed. Determining, generating a transfer command to move to one of the stackers and providing it to a transfer member rotatably coupled to a rotation axis fixed to the inner center of the housing, the transfer member moving to a plurality of stackers according to the transfer command A step of moving and locating a recyclable container to one of the stackers and a step of allowing the recyclable container to be collected to be dropped into the corresponding stacker through the transfer member and stacked when the recyclable container to be recovered is inputted.

According to the present invention as described above, when the multi-use containers to be recovered are mounted, they can be rotated and stacked on a stacker corresponding to the type of multi-use containers to be recovered, so that a large amount of reusable containers can be collected. there is.

1 is a diagram for explaining a reusable container recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining the internal structure of a reusable container recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a flow chart to explain an embodiment of the reusable container recovery method according to the present invention.
Figures 5 and 6 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the process of coding an identification code on a reusable container according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining a dot code according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above-described objects, features, and advantages will be described in detail later with reference to the attached drawings, so that those skilled in the art will be able to easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of known technologies related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, identical reference numerals are used to indicate identical or similar components.

Among the terms used in this specification, “reusable container” may include a cup containing drinks sold at a beverage specialty store, a bowl containing food sold at a food service, etc. In these reusable containers, dots corresponding to an identification code including the type of reusable container, company information, etc. are formed in advance.

1 is a diagram for explaining a reusable container recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining the internal structure of a reusable container recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the reusable container collection device includes a reusable container input unit 110, a reusable container scanning unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, and a transfer member 170.

The reusable container insertion unit 110 is an area where a user inserts a container inside, and can at least temporarily accommodate the recyclable container 10 to be collected.

For example, the recyclable container 10 subject to recovery that can be inserted into the recyclable container input unit 110 is made of synthetic resin material such as PET (PETE), HDPE, PVC, PP, or metal material such as aluminum and stainless steel. It may be a container made of various materials, and may be a container used for various purposes such as multi-use, disposable, cooking, etc.

The multi-use container input unit 110 allows the multi-use container to be recovered to be introduced inside through the inlet.

Specifically, the multi-use container input unit 110 causes the multi-use container to be collected to be dropped through the transfer member 170 and loaded into the stacker 150_2 when the multi-use container to be recovered is introduced through the inlet.

The reusable container scanning unit 120 is formed with a scanning module that scans the reusable container 10 to be recovered. The reusable container scanning unit 120 scans the reusable container 10 to be recovered to extract halftone dots, and extracts the binary value corresponding to the halftone dot according to the size of the halftone dot by referring to a pre-generated binary value table for each halftone dot. An identification code can be generated by sequentially combining them.

For example, when 1 halftone dot consisting of 4 dots and 6 halftone dots consisting of 8 dots are extracted, the reusable container scanning unit 120 recognizes the binary value corresponding to the halftone dot consisting of 4 dots as 1, The binary value corresponding to the halftone dot consisting of 8 dots is recognized as 0 and the identification code “1000000” is generated.

For another example, when 2 halftone dots consisting of 6 dots and 3 halftone dots consisting of 8 dots are extracted, the reusable container scanning unit 120 recognizes the binary value corresponding to the halftone dots consisting of 6 dots as 1 and , the binary value corresponding to the halftone dot consisting of 8 dots is recognized as 0 and the identification code “00” is generated.

The reusable container scanning unit 120 scans the reusable container 10 to be recovered, extracts halftone dots, extracts binary values corresponding to the halftone dots, and sequentially combines them to generate an identification code. The identification code is transmitted to the transfer control unit 180. ) is provided.

Therefore, the transfer control unit 180 determines the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered formed in the mounting portion according to the identification code, and determines the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered among the plurality of stackers 150_1 to 150_N. By controlling the transfer member 170 to be positioned at a position corresponding to the corresponding stacker 150_2, the reusable container 10 to be recovered can be dropped and loaded on the stacker 150_2 through the transfer member 170. .

The transfer member 170 is moved and positioned in one of the stackers 150_2 among the plurality of stackers 150_1 to 150_N according to a transfer command under the control of the transfer control unit 180, When a reusable container to be recovered is input through the reusable container input unit 110, the reusable container to be recovered can be dropped into the stacker 150_2 at the corresponding location and loaded.

This transfer member 170 transfers the reusable container 10 to be recovered to the stacker 150_2, and is rotatably coupled to the rotation axis 160, which is fixed to the inner center of the housing 100. It rotates according to the transfer command received from the transfer control unit 180 and moves to one of the stackers 150_1 to 150_N to be positioned.

That is, the transfer member 170 rotates around the rotation axis 160 under the control of the transfer control unit 180 and rotates to a position corresponding to a specific stacker 150_2 among the plurality of stackers 150_1 to 150_N, thereby forming a plurality of stackers. It is moved to and located in one of the stackers (150_2) among (150_1~150_N).

In one embodiment, the transfer member 170 rotates about the rotation axis 160 under the control of the transfer control unit 180 to select the stacker 150_2 corresponding to the identification code among the plurality of stackers 150_1 to 150_N. It can be rotated to the position and moved to the stacker (150_2) corresponding to the identification code.

The angle of the transfer member 170 may be adjusted depending on the arrangement shape of the plurality of stackers 150_1 to 150_N. To this end, the transfer member 170 may be adjusted according to the angle received from the transfer control unit 180.

In one embodiment, the transfer member 170 is configured to determine the circumferential direction of the circle received from the transfer control unit 180 when a plurality of stackers 150_1 to 150_N are arranged along the circumferential direction of the circle. It can be adjusted to an angle corresponding to .

The transfer control unit 180 stores the types of reusable containers that can be stored for each of the plurality of stackers (150_1 to 150_N), the total number of reusable containers that can be stored, the currently loaded number of reusable containers, and the remaining number of reusable containers that can be stored. It is done.

First, when the transfer control unit 180 receives the identification code of the reusable container 10 to be collected from the reusable container scan unit 120, the responsible container 10 to be recovered is based on the identification code of the responsible container 10 to be collected. Determine the type of container (10).

Then, the transfer control unit 180 extracts stackers (150_1 to 150_N) corresponding to the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered based on the type of reusable container that can be stored in each of the plurality of stackers (150_1 to 150_N). do.

As described above, when there are a plurality of stackers 150_3 to 150_N corresponding to the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered, the transfer control unit 180 determines the position of any one of the stackers 150_1 to 150_N. A transfer command including information and adjustment angle information of the transfer member 170 corresponding to the corresponding stacker 150_3 is provided to the transfer member 170.

In one embodiment, when there are a plurality of stackers (150_3 to 150_N) corresponding to the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered, the transfer control unit 180 operates the stacker (150_3 to 150_N) corresponding to the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered A transfer command containing the position information of the stacker 150_3 with the smallest number of loadable reusable containers remaining among 150_3 to 150_N and the adjustment angle information of the transfer member 170 corresponding to the stacker 150_3 is sent to the transfer member 170. ) is provided.

In another embodiment, when there are a plurality of stackers 150_3 to 150_N corresponding to the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered, the transfer control unit 180 operates the stacker corresponding to the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered. A transfer command including location information of a specific stacker (150_3 to 150_N) in which the remaining number of loadable reusable containers exists among (150_3 to 150_N) and adjustment angle information of the transfer member 170 corresponding to the stacker (150_3). It is provided to the transfer member 170.

On the other hand, the transfer control unit 180 operates when there are a plurality of stackers (150_3 to 150_N) corresponding to the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered, but there is no remaining number of stackable reusable containers in the corresponding stacker (150_3 to 150_N). , determine the type of recyclable container 10 that can be loaded on the stacker 150_3 to 150_N where the number of recyclable containers can be loaded.

Then, the transfer control unit 180 issues a transfer command including the position information of one of the stackers 150_3 to 150_N and the adjustment angle information of the transfer member 170 corresponding to the stacker 150_3. It is provided to the transfer member 170.

Thereafter, when the reusable containers 10 to be recovered are stacked on the stacker 150_3 by the transfer member 170, the transfer control unit 180 determines the types of reusable containers that can be stored in the stacker 150_3 and the reusable containers to be recovered. The quantity subject to deduction is calculated using the type of container 10, and the quantity subject to deduction is subtracted from the quantity of reusable containers currently loaded in the stacker 150_3 and updated.

In one embodiment, the transfer control unit 180 compares the type of the storable reusable container of the stacker 150_3 and the type of the reusable container 10 to be recovered, and determines whether the storable reusable container of the stacker 150_3 is the reusable container to be recovered. If it is smaller than the reusable container 10, the number corresponding to the predetermined height can be determined as the quantity to be deducted. To this end, the height that increases when different types of stackable reusable containers overlap may be stored in advance.

Figure 4 is a flow chart to explain an embodiment of the reusable container recovery method according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the reusable container to be recovered is scanned, the recyclable container recovery device scans the recyclable container to be recovered to extract a dot, and determines the size of the dot by referring to a pre-generated binary value table for each dot. Accordingly, binary values corresponding to halftone dots are extracted and sequentially combined to generate an identification code (step S400).

When the reusable container to be recovered is scanned, the reusable container recovery device determines one of the plurality of stackers as the stacker into which the recyclable container to be recovered is placed according to the identification code (step S410).

In one embodiment of step S410, upon receiving the identification code from the reusable container scanning unit, the reusable container recovery device determines the type of reusable container to be recovered based on the identification code of the responsible container to be recovered, and Depending on the type of the reusable container, one of the plurality of stackers is determined as the stacker into which the recyclable container to be collected will be placed.

The multi-use container recovery device generates a transfer command to move to one of the stackers and provides it to a transfer member rotatably coupled to a rotation axis fixed to the inner center of the housing (step S420).

In the multi-use container recovery device, the transfer member is moved to one of the plurality of stackers according to the transfer command (step S430).

When a multi-use container to be recovered is inputted, the multi-use container recovery device causes the multi-use container to be recovered to be dropped into the corresponding stacker through the transfer member and stacked (step S440).

Figures 5 and 6 are exemplary diagrams for explaining the process of coding an identification code on a reusable container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 and 5 relate to an embodiment of coding an identification code at the molding stage during the manufacturing process of a reusable container. In addition to this method, the identification code is coded through a laser marking machine after the production of the reusable container is completed. can be coded. In other words, Figures 5 and 6 below correspond to one embodiment of coding an identification code on a reusable container, and are not limited to this, and the identification code can be inserted through a laser marking machine during the injection process or after injection. .

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the reusable container production device 600 is a device that codes an identification code on the reusable container 510. This reusable container production device 600 can be used in the molding step during the manufacturing process of the recyclable container 510, and dots corresponding to identification codes are processed on the inner surface, as shown in FIG. 5(a).

At this time, the identification code is processed in the form of a logo trademark or the entire inside of the reusable container production device 600, depending on how the identification code is processed on the inside of the reusable container production device 600. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c), identification codes may be coded in different forms on the surface of the reusable container 510.

As described above, since dots corresponding to the identification code are inserted into the inner surface of the reusable container production device 600, the injection liquid is put into the reusable container production device 600 to form a reusable container ( When molding 510), an identification code may be inserted into the reusable container 510.

At this time, reverse identification codes that reverse the values of each identification code are processed on the inner surface of the reusable container production device 600. The reason for this is that the inner surface of the reusable container production device 600 is processed by reversing the values of each identification code, and then the injection liquid is put into the reusable container production device 600 to harden, and then processed in reverse after a certain time. This is to manufacture a reusable container 510 in which the identification code is formed from the original identification code.

As described above, when the inner surface of the reusable container production device 600 is processed according to the value of each identification code, it is determined whether the value corresponding to the identification code is 1 or 0, and the inner surface is processed to correspond to each value. At this time, when the inner surface of the disposable container production device 600 is processed, it is determined whether the value corresponding to the identification code is 1 or 0, and holes of different areas, heights, and shapes are created on the inner surface of the metal to correspond to each. do.

As described above, the holes of different areas, heights, and shapes corresponding to the identification codes formed on the reusable container 510 are used to determine the types of reusable containers when the reusable container 510 is mounted in the responsible container mounting groove 500. It is used to determine.

7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining a dot code according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, dots are expressed on the dot code area 700 and then coded into the object. The dot code area 700 is divided into a plurality of sub-virtual areas 701, 702, 703, and 704. For convenience of explanation, an example will be given when the dot code area 700 is divided into four sub-virtual areas 701, 702, 703, and 704. 704) can be changed.

The dot code of one of the plurality of sub-virtual areas 701, 702, 703, and 704 may be rotated or inverted in different directions and inserted into the remaining sub-virtual areas. For example, when there are four sub-virtual areas 701, 702, 703, and 704, the dots of the first sub-virtual area are rotated or inverted in different directions to form the second to fourth sub-virtual areas. (110~140) can be inserted into each.

Each of the plurality of sub-virtual areas 701, 702, 703, and 704 includes a landmark area and a data area. Hereinafter, the landmark area and data area of one sub-virtual area 701 among the plurality of sub-virtual areas 701, 702, 703, and 704 will be described with reference to FIG. 8, but the landmark area and data area of the other sub-virtual areas 702 and 703 will be described. , 704) also includes a landmark area and a data area.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sub-virtual area 701 includes landmark areas 701_1, 701_2, 701_3, and 701_4 and a data area. At this time, the data area corresponds to the remaining areas of the sub-virtual area 701 excluding the landmark areas 701_1, 701_2, 701_3, and 701_4.

The landmark areas 701_1, 701_2, 701_3, and 701_4 may correspond to corners of the sub-virtual area 701. As such, the reason that the landmark areas (701_1, 701_2, 701_3, and 701_4) are located at the corners of the sub-virtual area 701 is to use the dot code area in the process of recognizing the sub-virtual area 701 after scanning the object. This is because it is used for vigilance.

In the landmark areas 701_1, 701_2, 701_3, and 701_4, dots indicating verification for the purpose of verifying information inserted in the data area may be displayed. For example, “111 111” or “00 00 00” may be expressed in the landmark areas (701_1, 701_2, 701_3, and 701_4).

In each data area, there is a data dot code representing the binary bit of one of the characters among the information to be inserted, a verification dot code representing a binary bit for verifying the character, and a decoding dot representing the binary bit referenced to decode the character. At least one dot code may be expressed among the codes.

When coding the above dot code into an object, a hole is formed according to the bit value of one of the binary bits, and the remaining bit value does not form a hole. For example, a binary bit “0” is represented through a hole and a binary bit “1” does not form a hole, or a binary bit “1” is expressed through a hole and a binary bit “0” does not form a hole.

Therefore, the user scans the object through the terminal device, and in the process of scanning the object, light is irradiated to the hole and then the binary bit of the corresponding virtual area can be determined according to the information of the light reflected from the hole and returned. The reason for this is that the information of light reflected from a hole inserted into an object is different from the information of light reflected from a surface other than the hole.

For example, if binary bit “0” is expressed through a hole and binary bit “1” is not expressed through a hole, in the process of scanning an object, light is irradiated to the hole and then the light reflected from the hole and returned is Depending on the information, it is possible to determine which of the binary bits is “0” or “1” and then combine them to restore the original information. This process will be explained in more detail below.

In one embodiment, in each data area, a binary bit corresponding to one character of insertion target information may be expressed through six data dot codes.

For example, in each data area, the binary bit “00 00 01” corresponding to one character “1” among the insertion target information may be expressed as six data dot codes.

For another example, in each data area, six data dot codes representing binary bits “00 10 11” corresponding to the letter “A” of any one of the insertion target information may be expressed.

For another example, in each data area, six data dot codes representing binary bits “10 01 01” corresponding to the letter “a” of any one of the insertion target information may be expressed.

As above, numbers from “0” to “9” can be expressed as binary bits “00 00 01” to “00 10 10” (i.e., 1 to 10), and numbers from “A” to “Z” Uppercase letters can be expressed as binary bits “00 10 11” to “10 01 00” (i.e., 11 to 36), and lowercase letters from “a” to “z” can be expressed as binary bits “10 01 01” to “11 11.” It can be expressed as “10” (i.e., from 37 to 62).

Although the present invention has been described with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art from these descriptions. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the scope of the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof shall fall within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

110: Reusable container input section
120: Reusable container scanning unit,
130: Payment processing department,
150_1~150_N: Multiple stackers
170: conveying member
180: transport control unit,

Claims (6)

A multi-use container scanning unit that scans the multi-use container to be recovered;
A plurality of stackers for collecting different types of reusable containers by stacking them;
It is rotatably coupled to a rotating shaft fixed to the inner center of the housing, and when a transfer command is received after the reusable container to be recovered is scanned by the reusable container scanning unit, one of a plurality of stackers is installed according to the transfer command. A transfer member that moves to the stacker and drops the multi-use container to be recovered when the multi-use container to be recovered is inserted; and
When the reusable container is scanned by the reusable container scanning unit, one of the plurality of stackers is determined as the stacker into which the recyclable container to be recovered is placed, and a transfer command is generated to move to one of the stackers. Characterized in that it includes a transfer member control unit provided to the transfer member.
Multi-use container recovery device.
According to paragraph 1,
The reusable container scanning unit
The reusable container to be recovered is scanned to extract halftone dots, the binary value corresponding to the halftone dot is extracted according to the size of the halftone dot by referring to a pre-generated binary value table for each halftone dot, and then sequentially combined to generate an identification code. to do
Multi-use container recovery device.
According to paragraph 2,
The transfer member control unit
Upon receiving the identification code from the reusable container scanning unit, the type of the reusable container to be collected is determined based on the identification code of the reusable container to be collected, and which of the plurality of stackers is selected according to the type of the responsible container to be collected. Characterized in that one stacker is determined as the stacker into which the recyclable container to be recovered will be placed.
Multi-use container recovery device.
In the multi-use container recovery method performed in the multi-use container recovery device,
When a reusable container to be recovered is scanned, determining one of a plurality of stackers as a stacker into which the reusable container to be recovered is loaded;
Generating a transfer command to move to one of the stackers and providing it to a transfer member rotatably coupled to a rotation axis fixed to the inner center of the housing;
moving the transfer member to one of a plurality of stackers according to the transfer command and positioning it thereon; and
When the multi-use container to be recovered is introduced, the multi-use container to be recovered is dropped to the corresponding stacker through the transfer member and is stacked.
How to collect reusable containers.
According to clause 4,
When the reusable container subject to recall is scanned, the halftone dot is extracted by scanning the reusable container subject to recall, the binary value corresponding to the halftone dot is extracted according to the size of the halftone dot by referring to the pre-generated binary value table for each halftone dot, and then sequentially. Characterized in that it further includes the step of generating an identification code by combining
How to collect reusable containers.
According to clause 5,
When the reusable container to be recovered is scanned, the step of determining one of the plurality of stackers as the stacker into which the reusable container to be recovered is loaded.
Upon receiving the identification code from the reusable container scanning unit, determining the type of the reusable container to be recovered based on the identification code of the reusable container to be recovered; and
Characterized in that it comprises the step of determining any one of the plurality of stackers as a stacker into which the target multi-use container will be placed, depending on the type of the target multi-use container.
How to collect reusable containers.