I’m using ultrasonic sensors right now from MaxBotix (MB-7137 TrashSonar I2C) on these type of containers:
Problem is, that on some exceptionally dirty containers, after a few weeks they already look like this:
Note: the contamination in this picture was sufficient to completely block out the signal and return invalid measurements.
I’ve though really hard about any solutions I could possibly implement to mitigate this. I already am using a weatherproof transducer that is actually designed for waste monitoring/. Due to energy constraints, I can’t add a little protective shield + Servo, and I’m afraid the placement on the container will matter little. Laser sensors I used were even worse.
I’m just hoping someone may have some smart and innovative idea for this kind ofapplication, before I settle on the fact that they will just have to get cleaned often by people to remain functional.