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US-20260127886-A1 - PROCESSING OF REFUSE CONTAMINATION MEDIA CAPTURED BY CAMERAS

US20260127886A1US 20260127886 A1US20260127886 A1US 20260127886A1US-20260127886-A1

Abstract

Methods and systems for identifying individual materials from waste streams. A request can be received from a requester to assess waste within a waste container. Media in the form at least one of still images or video streams can be accessed from at least one camera located in association with a waste container. The media can be transmitted to an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for processing to determine the class of individual materials contained in the media and provide identification with a confidence level. A data file containing processing results can be created. A response can be generated and transmitted to the requester that initiated the request. The response can include data that further includes all materials found by the AI platform as contained in the media with a confidence level for each and at least one of an identification of the requester, container identification, and container location.

Inventors

  • Phil Lamb
  • Barry Saunders
  • Anthony Peter Genovese

Assignees

  • WasteVision LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251119

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A method for identifying materials in a waste stream, comprising: receiving a request from a requester to assess waste within or obtained from a waste container; acquiring media data from at least one sensor positioned to capture data indicative of the waste during handling, transport, or processing of the waste; and processing the media data to identify individual materials represented therein, generating a data file containing results of the processing, and transmitting a response to the requester that initiated the request, the response including the data file and information identifying the materials.
  2. 2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the response includes the data file and the information identifying the materials found together with at least one of: an identification of the waste container, a location associated with the waste container, or a generator of the waste materials contained therein.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the media data comprises still images, video, or combinations thereof acquired from at least one camera.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing is performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) system configured to analyze the media data to determine classes of materials contained in the waste.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing of the media data is performed via a cloud-based system configured to automatically analyze the media data to reduce or remove human interpretation or error, thereby improving accuracy, reducing costs, and streamlining the process of identifying materials in the waste stream.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing includes identifying the materials within the waste and generating an indication or report that enables the requester to take an action in accordance with applicable laws or ordinances.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the action comprises at least one of: issuing a warning, providing educational information, assessing a fine, or suspending waste collection service for the identified generator.
  8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing preliminary processing of the media data on an onboard edge device mounted to a waste collection vehicle.
  9. 9 . A method for identifying materials in a waste stream, comprising: receiving a request from a requester to assess waste within or obtained from a waste container; acquiring media data from at least one sensor positioned to capture data indicative of the waste during handling, transport, or processing of the waste; and processing the media data to identify individual materials represented therein, generating a data file containing results of the processing, and transmitting a response to the requester that initiated the request, the response including the data file and information identifying the materials found together with at least one of: an identification of the waste container, a location associated with the waste container, or a generator of the waste materials contained therein.
  10. 10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of: a camera, an image sensor, a depth sensor, a thermal sensor, a LiDAR sensor, or a multispectral sensor.
  11. 11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the media data comprises still images, video, or combinations thereof acquired from the at least one sensor.
  12. 12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising performing preliminary processing of the media data on an onboard edge device operatively coupled to the at least one sensor.
  13. 13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the preliminary processing includes executing processing logic configured to analyze the media data prior to transmission to a remote processing platform.
  14. 14 . A system for identifying materials in a waste stream, comprising: an onboard edge device mounted to a waste collection vehicle; at least one sensor operatively coupled to the onboard edge device and positioned to capture media data indicative of waste during handling, transport, or processing of the waste; and a processing component implemented by the onboard edge device and configured to process the media data to identify individual materials represented therein and to generate a data file containing results of the processing.
  15. 15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of: a camera, an image sensor, a depth sensor, a thermal sensor, a LiDAR sensor, or a multispectral sensor.
  16. 16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein acquiring the media data comprises acquiring still images or video streams from the at least one sensor positioned in association with at least one of: a waste container or a waste collection vehicle so as to capture multiple perspectives of the waste during handling, transport, or processing.
  17. 17 . The system of claim 14 , further comprising performing preliminary processing of the media data on the onboard edge device mounted to the waste collection vehicle, the preliminary processing includes determining whether evidence of contamination is present.
  18. 18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein processing the media data includes employing image recognition to identify an identifier associated with the waste container.
  19. 19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the transmitted response further includes a container identification derived from the image recognition of the identifier.
  20. 20 . The system of claim 14 , wherein a micro-geolocation of a waste collection event is verified by: dynamically determining a micro-geolocation associated with the waste collection event based on precise service verification (PSV) factors including at least one of: service experience data and client input; verifying the micro-geolocation by performing an identifier recognition operation on an identifier located on a waste container within a vicinity of the micro-geolocation; and confirming the micro-geolocation based on detection of a wireless identification element associated with at least one of: the waste container or the waste collection event.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/898,025, entitled “Processing of Refuse Contamination Media Captured by Cameras, which was filed on Aug. 29, 2022, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present embodiments are generally related to the field of waste management, and more particularly tracking of refuse dumping and collection methods. More particularly, embodiments are related to the use of several camera angles and artificial intelligence to capture, process and assess refuse contamination and fill-levels in private and commercial refuse containers, refuse collection vehicle hoppers, and/or dumping stations. Embodiments are also related to anonymous processing of refuse contamination in media captured by cameras using artificial intelligence. BACKGROUND U.S. Pat. No. 7,870,042 B2 to Maruca et al, entitled “Systems and methods for identifying banned waste in a municipal solid waste environment”, is hereby incorporated by reference for its teaching. Waste management companies provide residential, commercial, and municipal waste management and recycling services for communities and organizations. Customers can range, for example, from single residences to entire towns or companies. Municipalities may contract with a waste management service provider to handle their municipal solid waste (MSW). MSW includes garbage, refuse, and other discarded material that result from residential, commercial, industrial, and community activities. Commonly, in conjunction with the collection of refuse, a waste management service places waste containers for use at multiple customer sites. Waste container types that are utilized by customers are diverse in the industry and include, for example, residential or commercial large-volume metal or plastic containers such as dumpsters, roll-off containers, and rolling lift (or tip) carts. Often, residential or commercial customers put waste other than MSW into a waste container. Such waste can generally be termed “banned waste” that must be disposed of properly in order to comply with local, state and/or federal laws and regulations. One type of banned waste is referred to as hazardous waste. As used herein, hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment. The universe of hazardous wastes is large and diverse. Hazardous wastes can be liquids, solids, contained gases, or sludges. They can be the by-products of manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercial products, like cleaning fluids or pesticides. In regulatory terms, a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste is a waste that appears on one of the four hazardous wastes lists (F-list, K-list, P-list, or U-list), or exhibits at least one of four characteristics—ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. Hazardous waste is regulated under the RCRA Subtitle C. Another type of banned waste referred to as “special waste” can include items such as household hazardous waste, bulky wastes (refrigerators, pieces of furniture, etc.) tires, and used oil. State and local governments regulate both hazardous and special waste to ensure proper transport and disposal. Generally, only properly permitted and regulated companies are authorized to remove and dispose of these types of waste. Both hazardous and special wastes are also regulated by local and state governments to ensure, for example, that proper transport and disposal procedures are followed. Often, customers co-mingle banned waste with standard MSW. Generally, only properly permitted and regulated companies are authorized to remove and dispose of these types of waste. If a waste carrier picks up these banned waste items, either knowingly or unwittingly, the waste carrier may be violating of one or more operating permits and is subject to various penalties such as monetary fines and/or suspension of one or more permits. Waste contamination is generally the presence of any substance that is not supposed to be in a particular waste stream. For example, solid waste in a recycling waste stream or an organic waste stream is contamination. Likewise, recyclable materials can be a contaminant in a solid waste stream or an organic waste stream. Organic materials can be a contaminant in a solid waste stream or a recycling waste stream. Currently, the process for identifying banned waste is manual and, therefore, prone to error. Manual waste audits (aka “lid flipping”) typically only considers the first 30% or so of waste contained in a waste container. If collection vehicle personnel do not visually detect banned waste at the customer site, it can be inadvertently loaded onto the collection vehicle. The banned waste can then later be identified and removed at a transfer station or landfill. As a consequence, the waste company assumes the risk and is re