Liquefied raw garbage collection method and system

• US 6,563,433 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: EXY Concept Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: EXY Concept Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Shintaro
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/874,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20010051083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/903, 340/933, 340/934, 340/988, 340/995, 534/36, 534/71, 422/51, 428/6, 4DI/G 4, 100/229.A, 100/252, 702/43
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2210/128 Data transmitting means
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2210/144 Level detecting means
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/00 Vehicles particularly adapted for collecting refuse vehicles in general B60; driving vehicle equipment or auxiliaries B60K; discharging contents by tilting entire vehicles B65G; wheeled apparatus for emptying sewers or cesspools E03F7/10

Abstract

Information is exchanged between raw garbage liquefying devices and a central station so that the central station manages the liquefied raw garbage accumulated amounts in the respective raw garbage liquefying devices, selects raw garbage liquefying devices to be visited, and issues instructions for collection to a touring collection vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of collecting liquefied raw garbage accumulated in a plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices situated in a plurality of locations by means of a plurality of touring collection vehicles, which comprises:

accumulating liquefied raw garbage in the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices, and

a central station monitoring an accumulation state of the liquefied raw garbage in each of the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices through exchanging information between the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices and the central station, and electronically issuing collection instructions for collecting the liquefied raw garbage from the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices to the plurality of touring collection vehicles, based on results of the monitoring.

2. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the central station confirms respective current positions of the plurality of touring collection vehicles by exchanging information through radio communications with the plurality of touring collection vehicle, and issues collection instructions for collecting the liquefied raw garbage from the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices to the plurality of touring collection vehicles, based on the respective current positions of the plurality of touring collection vehicles thus confirmed.

3. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the central station confirms respective current liquefied raw garbage collected amounts of the plurality of touring collection vehicles by exchanging information through radio communications with the plurality of touring collection vehicle, and issues collection instructions for collecting the liquefied raw garbage from the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices to the plurality of touring collection vehicles, based on the respective current liquefied raw garbage collected amounts of the plurality of touring collection vehicles thus confirmed.

4. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the raw garbage liquefying devices comprise liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detecting means for detecting current accumulated amount of liquefied raw garbage in the raw garbage liquefying device, and the liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detected by the liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detecting means is notified to the central station at prescribed intervals.

5. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the raw garbage liquefying devices comprise liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detecting means for detecting current accumulated amount of liquefied raw garbage in the raw garbage liquefying device, and the liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detected by the liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detecting means is notified to the central station upon a request from the central station.

6. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the touring collection vehicles comprise position detecting means for detecting current position of the touring collection vehicle, and liquefied raw garbage collection amount detecting means for detecting current collected amount of liquefied raw garbage therein, and current position of the touring collection vehicle as detected by the position detecting means and the current liquefied raw garbage collected amount as detected by the liquefied raw garbage collected amount detecting means are notified to the central station at prescribed intervals.

7. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the touring collection vehicles comprise position detecting means for detecting current position of the touring collection vehicle, and liquefied raw garbage collection amount detecting means for detecting current collected amount of liquefied raw garbage therein, and the current position of the touring collection vehicle as detected by the position detecting means and the current liquefied raw garbage collected amount as detected by the liquefied raw garbage collected amount detecting means are notified to the central station upon a request from the central station.

8. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the central station gathers respective liquefied raw garbage accumulated amounts of the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices by exchanging information through radio communications with the raw garbage liquefying devices, gathers the respective current positions and respective current liquefied raw garbage collected amounts of the plurality of touring collection vehicles by exchanging information through radio communications with the touring collection vehicles, establishes a visit plan for the plurality of touring collection vehicles based on the gathered results;

and issues collection instructions for collecting the liquefied raw garbage from the raw garbage liquefying devices to the touring collection vehicles based on the visit plan.

9. The method of collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 1, wherein the central station gathers and loads to a homepage operational status data for the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices by exchanging information through radio communications with the raw garbage liquefying devices, identifies a user having accessed the homepage via the Internet by means of an ID and password, and supplies the operational status data for the raw garbage liquefying devices to a user for whom the ID and password are correct.

10. A system for collecting liquefied raw garbage, which comprises:

a plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices respectively for accumulating liquefied raw garbage that are situated in a plurality of locations by means of a plurality of touring collection vehicles, and

a central station for exchanging information through radio communications with the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices, and the central station comprising;

liquefied raw garbage accumulation state monitoring means for monitoring an accumulation state of the liquefied raw garbage in each of the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices, based on exchanging information with the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices; and

collection instruction issuing means for issuing collection instructions for collecting the liquefied raw garbage from the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices through radio communications to the plurality of touring collection vehicles, based on the results of the monitoring performed by the liquefied raw garbage accumulation state monitoring means.

11. The system for collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 10, wherein the exchanging of information between the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices and the central station is carried out by packet transmission based on instructions from the raw garbage liquefying devices or from the central station.

12. The system for collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 10, wherein the raw garbage liquefying devices comprise:

liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detecting means for detecting current liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount thereof; and

notifying means for notifying the liquefied raw garbage accumulation data thus detected by the liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount detecting means to the central station at prescribed intervals or upon a request from the central station.

13. The system for collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 10, wherein the touring collection vehicles comprise:

position detecting means for detecting current position of the touring collection vehicle;

liquefied raw garbage collected amount detecting means for detecting current liquefied raw garbage collected amount of the touring collection vehicle; and

notifying means for notifying the current position of the touring collection vehicle as detected by the position detecting means and the current liquefied raw garbage collected amount as detected by the liquefied raw garbage collected amount detecting means to the central station at prescribed intervals or upon a request from the central station.

14. The system for collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 13, wherein the notifying means notifies the current position of the touring collection vehicle as detected by the position detecting means and the current liquefied raw garbage collected amount as detected by the liquefied raw garbage collected amount detecting means by packet transmission based on instructions from the touring collection vehicle or the central station.

15. The system for collecting liquefied raw garbage according to claim 10, wherein the central station comprises:

liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount gathering means for gathering liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount of each of the plurality of raw garbage liquefying devices by exchanging information through radio communications with the raw garbage liquefying devices;

touring collection vehicle information gathering means for gathering respective position and liquefied raw garbage collected amount of the plurality of touring collection vehicles by exchanging information through radio communications with the touring collection vehicles; and

visit plan creating means for creating a visit plan for the plurality of touring collection vehicles based on the results gathered by the liquefied raw garbage accumulated amount gathering means and the touring collection vehicle information gathering means;

wherein the collection instruction issuing means issues collection instructions for collecting the liquefied raw garbage from the raw garbage liquefying devices to the touring collection vehicles based on the visit plan created by the visit plan creating means.