In cities and towns around the world ultrasonics are playing a key role in waste management. There’s bound to be garbage, and said garbage must be disposed of for environmental safety and human health—and this is where garbage trucks comes into play.
This rugged machine hauls thousands of pounds of waste away from residents and businesses. Food scraps, liquids, and a host of other unpleasantness sit in the truck’s hopper. The hopper remains impervious to the contents, dutifully carrying the garbage away to its destination: the landfill. A large metal bar compresses the waste so that even more garbage can sit inside.
Sensors installed inside truck’s hopper can help the driver know if the truck becomes too full during the collection route. But sensors face more obstacles than just garbage filling the hopper. Violent jolts, extreme vibration, and temperature variances are all common challenges inside the truck’s hopper. A sensor must be robust and durable enough to withstand such an environment.
Speed and efficiency are critical to a garbage truck. Each route adds up to fuel costs. For front-loading trucks, some areas along the route have nearly empty dumpsters each weekly pick up, and one dumpster can be miles from the next. The fullness of each dumpster fluctuates from week to week. Drivers need to know when each dumpster is actually full instead of wasting fuel and time unloading a dumpster without waste inside.
An ultrasonic level sensor can be a viable solution. These non-contact sensors are commonly used in object profiling and presence detection, such as detecting how much waste is in each truck. Ultrasonics are especially effective for compressed garbage, as the truck doesn’t have to be open to determine if it’s full. The sensor can alert the driver when the truck’s hopper is nearing capacity. Read more about how ultrasonics work here.
Ultrasonic level sensors can also be installed inside dumpsters and monitor the contents inside. The sensor then sends the data to the truck driver, letting them know how full each dumpster is, and half-dumpsters can be skipped on the route.
Thanks to the help of the ultrasonic level sensor, the trucks can collect and dispose of garbage more efficiently. With garbage trucks successfully collecting waste in an efficient manner, it decreases time spent with empty dumpsters. Lowered fuel costs by not making unneeded trips are also a great benefit.
If you would like to know more about APG’s ultrasonic sensor line, please reach out to one of our Product Experts today!
