EP-4741072-A1 - BEVERAGE CONTAINER SORTING AND RECYCLING DEVICE

EP4741072A1EP 4741072 A1EP4741072 A1EP 4741072A1EP-4741072-A1

Abstract

Provided is a beverage container sorting and recycling device, comprising a bottle feeding port (2), a conveying mechanism (4), an Al recognition mechanism (7), a sorting mechanism (5), and a material storage bin (6). The Al recognition mechanism (7) is arranged on the periphery of the conveying mechanism (4), and a light source (9) is further arranged on the periphery of the Al recognition mechanism (7). The sorting mechanism (5) is mounted on one side of the conveying mechanism (4). The material storage bin (6) comprises a glass bottle material storage bin (61), a plastic bottle material storage bin (62), and a can material storage bin (63). The sorting mechanism (5) sorts a beverage container to a corresponding material storage bin (61, 62, 63) according to the recognition result of the Al recognition mechanism (7).

Inventors

ZHU, SHANSHAN
ZHU, Yongyang
LAN, Chenlong
HE, Chunjian
DONG, CHAO

Assignees

Tomra Recycling Technology (Xiamen) Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20250127

Claims (10)

A beverage container sorting and recycling device, comprising a bottle feeding port, a conveying mechanism, an AI recognition mechanism, a sorting mechanism, and a material storage bin, wherein the AI recognition mechanism is arranged on the periphery of the conveying mechanism, and a light source is further arranged on the periphery of the AI recognition mechanism; the sorting mechanism is mounted on one side of the conveying mechanism; the material storage bin comprises a glass bottle material storage bin, a plastic bottle material storage bin, and a can material storage bin; the sorting mechanism is arranged to sort a beverage container to a corresponding material storage bin according to the recognition result of the AI recognition mechanism.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1, wherein the bottle feeding port comprises an annular lamp; when the device is in an idle state, the annular lamp displays a first color; when the device is in a recycling process, the annular lamp displays a second color; when the device malfunctions or is maintained, the annular lamp displays a third color; wherein the first color, the second color, and the third color are different from each other.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1, further comprises a code reading mechanism arranged on one side of the bottle feeding port and located between the bottle feeding port and the conveying mechanism.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 3, wherein the code reading mechanism comprises a mounting rack and a plurality of code readers, the mounting rack has a feeding port, and the code readers are arranged at intervals along the periphery of the feeding port.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1, wherein the AI recognition mechanism is arranged to obtain the information of the beverage container for comparing with the information obtained by the code reading mechanism; when the two pieces of information are consistent, the conveying mechanism is arranged to continue conveying the beverage container; when the two pieces of information are inconsistent, the conveying mechanism is arranged to return the beverage container to the bottle feeding port.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1, wherein a weight sensor is further arranged on the conveying mechanism.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1, wherein a metal sensor is further arranged on the conveying mechanism.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1, wherein the conveying mechanism comprises two conveyor belts arranged side by side, and heights of the two conveyor belts on the sides adjacent to each other are lower than heights of the two conveyor belts on the sides away from each other.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1, wherein the sorting mechanism comprises a driving component and two sorting components, wherein a guide component is arranged on each of the sides of the sorting components that are away from each other, and a guide component is also arranged on a side of one of the sorting components that is adjacent to the other sorting component; when the driving component drives the two sorting components towards the same side, the beverage container is arranged to fall into the plastic bottle material storage bin or the glass bottle material storage bin along the guide component; when the driving component drives the two sorting components towards two sides, the beverage container is arranged to fall into the can material storage bin along the guide component.
The beverage container sorting and recycling device according to claim 1 or 9, further comprises a compactor, wherein the compactor is arranged above the plastic bottle material storage bin and the can material storage bin and connected to the sorting mechanism.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to the field of beverage container classification and recycling devices, in particular to a beverage container sorting and recycling device. BACKGROUND In current retail and consumption environments, stores widely use glass bottles, plastic bottles and cans as main packaging materials for beverages. These packaging materials provide convenience for consumers but also cause increasingly severe environmental pollution and resource waste problems. Because differentiated technologies and processes are required in the recycling process of packaging containers of different materials, if unified and effective classification and recycling are not carried out, mixed and incorrect feeding of containers will lead to low recycling efficiency, an increase in processing costs, and even a decrease in the quality of recycled materials, which further exacerbate environmental pollution and resource waste. Therefore, the present application studies an efficient and intelligent beverage container sorting and recycling device, which enables accurate classification and storage of glass bottles, plastic bottles and cans, improves container recycling rate, reduces mixed and incorrect feeding, enhances resource utilization, and alleviates environmental pressure. SUMMARY In order to achieve more accurate classification and storage of containers, improve recycling rate, and alleviate environmental pressure, the present application provides a beverage container sorting and recycling device. The beverage container sorting and recycling device provided in the present application adopts the following technical solution: A beverage container sorting and recycling device includes a bottle feeding port, a conveying mechanism, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) recognition mechanism, a sorting mechanism, and a material storage bin, where the AI recognition mechanism is arranged on the periphery of the conveying mechanism, and a light source is further arranged on the periphery of the AI recognition mechanism; the sorting mechanism is mounted on one side of the conveying mechanism; the material storage bin includes a glass bottle material storage bin, a plastic bottle material storage bin, and a can material storage bin; the sorting mechanism is arranged to sort a beverage container to a corresponding material storage bin according to the recognition result of the AI recognition mechanism. By adopting the above technical solution, the beverage container is fed from the bottle feeding port, the AI recognition mechanism recognizes the type of the beverage container, the beverage container is conveyed to the sorting mechanism by the conveying mechanism, and the sorting mechanism sorts the corresponding beverage container into the glass bottle material storage bin, the plastic bottle material storage bin or the can material storage bin according to the recognition result of the AI recognition mechanism, making the classification of the container more accurate, improving the recycling rate, and alleviating environmental pressure. Optionally, the bottle feeding port includes an annular lamp; when the device is in an idle state, the annular lamp displays a first color; when the device is in a recycling process, the annular lamp displays a second color; when the device malfunctions or is maintained, the annular lamp displays a third color; where the first color, the second color, and the third color are different from each other. Optionally, the beverage container sorting and recycling device further includes a code reading mechanism arranged on one side of the bottle feeding port and located between the bottle feeding port and the conveying mechanism. Optionally, the code reading mechanism includes a mounting rack and a plurality of code readers, the mounting rack has a feeding port, and the code readers are arranged at intervals along the periphery of the feeding port. By adopting the above technical solution, the beverage container can be effectively scanned by at least one code reader when passing through the feeding port, regardless of the direction of barcode, thereby better obtaining the information of the beverage container. Optionally, the AI recognition mechanism is arranged to obtain the information of the beverage container for comparing with the information obtained by the code reading mechanism; when the two pieces of information are consistent, the conveying mechanism is arranged to continue conveying the beverage container; when the two pieces of information are inconsistent, the conveying mechanism is arranged to return the beverage container to the bottle feeding port. By adopting the above technical solution, malicious fraudulent behaviors, such as feeding other objects pasted with barcode into the device, can be prevented. The dual verification mechanism greatly reduces the possibility of recognition errors and improves the accuracy of sorting and recycling. Optionally, a weight sensor