EP2743211B1 - Filling lock for an underground container and container provided with such a filling lock - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of waste containers with buried or semi-buried tank. These containers are used in particular to contain waste brought in voluntarily by waste producers, to facilitate collection. The invention relates to the terminals of these containers. Terminal means the part of the container protruding from the roadway, which allows a person of average height to introduce waste by standing in front of the terminal, while the container of the container is located under the feet of the person.

The document EP-0 922 655 discloses a container terminal allowing the individual introduction of articles such as household waste. It comprises a locking device comprising a closing valve arranged so that, when an inlet valve is open, the closing valve is closed by mechanical means. Immediately after closing the inlet valve, the closing valve can be opened, allowing the automatic fall of household waste placed in the terminal, in a main cavity, and the return to the closed position of the closing valve by means a counterweight. A locking mechanism is connected to the opening valve by mechanical means and blocks the movement of the closing valve in a rest position when the inlet valve is in an open position.

The document FR-2 816 294 discloses a container terminal containing a cylinder-shaped conduit for the introduction of waste, the conduit having a mouth for the introduction of waste from outside the container and an outlet for the fall of waste into the tank, the terminal having, firstly, a cover for closing the mouth of the conduit, maneuverable by a user between an open position and a closed position, secondly, a shutter shutter of the outlet, movable between a closed position preventing the access to the tank from the duct and preventing the fall of waste and an open position releasing access to the tank from the duct and allowing in particular the fall of waste and, thirdly, a mechanical connection between the cover and the hatch, slaving the position of the shutter flap to that of the cover, namely that the flap is closed when the cover is open and open when the cover is closed, the ux ends of the conduit being closed the cover and the hatch.

The document EP-1 081 062 discloses a container terminal according to the preamble of claims 1 and 6.

• mesure du volume de déchets introduit dans le conteneur, ce qui est utilisé pour la facturation du producteur,
• restriction d'accès au conteneur, en fonction d'un abonnement du producteur,
• sécurité d'accès empêchant qu'une personne de petite taille, par exemple un enfant, ne s'introduise dans la cuve,
• confort des usagers, par suppression de l'impression de vide causée par la vue du fond de la cuve et par réduction des émissions de gaz malodorants en dehors de la cuve.

Drum terminals are also known, which fulfill several functions, such as:

• measure of the volume of waste introduced into the container, which is used to invoicing of the producer,
• restriction of access to the container, based on a subscription from the producer,
• security of access preventing a small person, for example a child, from entering the tank,
• user comfort, by eliminating the impression of vacuum caused by the view of the bottom of the tank and by reducing emissions of smelly gases outside the tank.

The drums are therefore very interesting but have the disadvantage of being relatively expensive. In addition, two drums of different dimensions have few, if any, parts in common. Equipping a fleet of containers with terminals of different sizes therefore makes it necessary to manufacture as many drums of suitable sizes.

The invention aims to remedy this drawback by providing underground or semi-underground container terminals which have the same advantages as a drum terminal, while being of a lower cost price.

In addition, the terminals according to the invention offer the additional advantage that they include an airlock for introducing waste which can be of variable dimensions without the need to redesign its entire geometry.

The present invention therefore relates to container terminals with a buried or semi-buried tank according to claims 1 (first embodiment) and 6 (second embodiment).

The invention has the essential advantage that the airlock formed by the hatch and the cover resists the weight of a bag of waste that a user would introduce into the column conduit. In the absence of the retaining means according to the invention, it could happen that the cover closes if the weight of the waste bag is sufficient to move the hatch by driving the cover towards its closed position.

Bollards can have the additional feature that the hatch can take a position closed said tensioned and a closed position called relaxed, these two closed positions being such that the hatch prevents access to the tank from the conduit and prevents the fall of waste, the closed closed position being between the open position and the closed closed position of the hatch. In this embodiment, the retaining means consists of an arrangement of the mechanical connection such that when the cover reaches a so-called quasi-open position, close to but different from its open position, the hatch reaches its closed closed position, then when the cover reaches its open position, the hatch returns to the closed, released position. Thus, between the quasi-open position and the open position of the cover, the hatch resumes movement in the opposite direction, in the direction of its open position, while remaining close enough to its closed position to be always considered closed for a user. , that is to say as closing the passage of the conduit opening into the tank. In other words, the mechanical connection of the hatch to the cover passes through a maximum point of pushing or pulling of the hatch, corresponding to the moment when the hatch is in the closed closed position, then the mechanical connection exceeds this point and the hatch takes its closed closed position.

Such an arrangement of the mechanical connection can be obtained by a rotational movement, as described in the appended example, but other arrangements well known to the mechanic can be used.

In another embodiment, compatible with the previous ones, the cover comprises a locking means in the closed position, releasable by the user, and a return means in the open position. The user can thus obtain the opening of the cover by releasing its locking means.

When the terminal has the additional characteristic described above of being able to take a closed closed position and a closed closed position, the cover return means can be calibrated so as to at least partially compensate for the action of the hatch subjected to the average weight a waste bag introduced into the conduit. In this way, the hatch is less likely to cause the closure of the cover and the operation of the latter by a user is facilitated.

In an embodiment which is not part of the invention, it can be provided that the means for retaining the hatch in the closed position is distinct from the mechanical connection and consists of a retractable stopper connected to the cover, said retractable stopper being arranged for retract both when the hatch reaches its closed position and when the cover reaches its closed position.

In the previous definition, we consider that "reaching its closed position", "being in the closed position" and "being in the closed position" are synonymous expressions.

This embodiment is advantageous in that it avoids that by initiating the closing of the cover, the user does not have to retain it to avoid its snapping, under the action of the hatch, itself subject to the point of waste introduced into the drove.

A suitable retaining means for forming the retractable stop is a bevel spring bolt cut, controlled by a cable or a lever connected to the cover. By its spring and the orientation of its bevel, the bolt can retract when the hatch reaches its closed position, and by the cable or lever connected to the cover, the bolt can retract when the cover reaches its closed position.

Advantageously, the hatch includes a closing damper which limits its speed of movement when it is closed. The purpose of this closing damper is to prevent the flap from closing too quickly on the arm of a user who has started closing the cover.

The duct can be oriented so that the fall of the waste in the duct occurs by gravity.

The duct is in the form of a cylinder, with a circular, square, rectangular or other section.

The hatch can be movable by rotation about its axis. The terminals may include a pedal allowing the opening of the cover. In the container terminal according to claim 6, the tilting between the closed taut and closed released position of the hatch is made when the axis of rotation of the connecting rod and the two attachment points of the rod connecting the connecting rod to the hatch s 'line up. This configuration makes it possible to extend the closing stroke of the cover before the flap switches from the closed closed position to the closed closed position.

The articulation of the cover with the rod connecting it to the connecting rod is hidden whatever the position of the cover, which prevents any risk for the user of getting their fingers caught in it when handling the cover.

The invention also relates to a container for collecting waste, of the underground or semi-underground tank type, comprising a terminal as described above.

• La figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une borne d'un conteneur à cuve enterrée, selon le premier mode de réalisation.
• La figure 2 est une section selon II-II de la borne du conteneur de la figure 1.
• La figure 3 est une section analogue à celle de la figure 2, de l'intégralité du conteneur de la figure 1.

• La figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, couvercle ouvert.
• La figure 5 est une vue analogue à la figure 4 d'un conteneur ayant une borne ne faisant pas partie de l'invention.
• Les figures 6 et 7 sont des sections analogues à celle de la figure 2 d'une borne de conteneur selon le deuxième mode de réalisation.
• La figure 8 est une section analogue à celle de la figure 6 d'une borne de conteneur selon une variante du deuxième mode de réalisation.

The invention will be better understood on reading the appended figures, which are provided by way of examples and have no limiting character, in which:

• The figure 1 is a perspective view of a terminal of a tank container buried, according to the first embodiment.
• The figure 2 is a section along II-II of the container terminal of the figure 1 .
• The figure 3 is a section similar to that of the figure 2 , of the entire container of the figure 1 .

• The figure 4 is a view analogous to the figure 1 , cover open.
• The figure 5 is a view analogous to the figure 4 of a container having a terminal not forming part of the invention.
• The figures 6 and 7 are sections similar to that of the figure 2 of a container terminal according to the second embodiment.
• The figure 8 is a section similar to that of the figure 6 of a container terminal according to a variant of the second embodiment.

We now refer to the figure 1 on which we see a section of a terminal 1 of a container not shown in full but of which we see the upper wall 10 of the tank, which is flush with the ground. Terminal 1 has a conduit or body 3 and a cover 5.

As seen in the sectional view of the figure 2 , the cover 5 is articulated on the body 3 around an axis 7 (represented diagrammatically by a point) carried by an upper edge 9 of the body 3.

The body 3 is a cylindrical chamber of rectangular cross section open at its two ends (upper 3A and lower 3B). The upper end 3A can be closed by the cover 5. The lower end 3B can be closed by a hatch 11 which is pivotally mounted about an axis 13 parallel to the axis 7 of the cover 5.

The upper end 3A constitutes a mouth for the introduction of waste from outside the container and the lower end 3B constitutes an outlet for the fall of the waste into the tank.

A rod or connecting rod 15 connects the cover 5 to the hatch 11. The anchor points of the rod 15, 15A on the cover 5 on the one hand, 15B on the hatch 11 on the other hand, are arranged so that opening the cover 5 causes the hatch 11 to close, while closing the cover 5 causes the hatch 11 to open.

The upper opening 3A of the body 3 is bevelled, with a forward inclination, which has two advantages. On the one hand, the cover is in the closed position with a forward inclination which facilitates access to the interior of the body 3 for a user. On the other hand, the opening stroke of the cover 5 is longer than if the cover was horizontal in the closed position. This stroke length is taken advantage of for the opening of the hatch 11, which, when the cover 5 is closed, is almost in the vertical position, as seen on the figure 3 , which shows the entire container, buried in the ground.

The cover 5 can be operated by a user. We understand that, thanks to the rod 15, the operation of the cover 5 controls the closing and opening of the hatch 11, namely that the hatch is closed when the cover is open and open when the cover is closed.

The rod 15 and its anchoring points 15A and 15B on the cover and on the hatch 11, in combination with the axis 7 of the cover, constitute a means of retaining the hatch 11 in the closed position, which prevents it from being opened when the cover 5 is open. In addition, thanks to its anchoring point 15A on the cover 5, the rod 15 is arranged so that once the hatch 11 is closed, any load supported by the hatch and tending to open said hatch does not generate any tending force. close the cover. More specifically, in the sectional view of the figure 2 , the point 7 representing the pivot axis of the cover 5 is to the left of the rod 15, so that a downward pull exerted by the rod 15 on the cover 5 tends to open the cover and not to to close. It is only from the moment that points 15A, 7 and 15B are aligned, in this sectional view of the figure 2 , that the traction exerted by the rod 15 exerts on the cover 5 a force generating a torque tending to close said cover.

In other words, the hatch 11 can take a closed position known as taut and a closed position called relaxed, these two closed positions being such that the hatch prohibits access to the tank from the conduit and prevents the fall of waste, the closed closed position lying between the open position and the closed closed position of the hatch. The retaining means therefore consists of an arrangement of points 15A, 7 and 15B such that when the cover reaches a so-called quasi-open position, close but different from its open position, points 15A, 7 and 15B are aligned and the hatch reaches its closed closed position, then when the cover reaches its open position, points 15A, 7 and 15B reach the position of the figure 2 , in which the axis 7 is passed on the other side of the plane containing the points 15A and 15B, and the hatch returns to the closed, released position (that is to say always closed, but released). Thus, between the quasi-open position and the open position of the cover, the hatch resumes movement in the opposite direction, in the direction of its open position, while remaining close enough to its closed position to be always considered closed for a user. , that is to say as closing the passage of the conduit opening into the tank. As a variant, the hatch does not move between these two positions, but the tension of the rod 15 varies. In other words, the rod 15 passes through a maximum point of traction of the hatch 11, corresponding to the moment when the hatch is in the closed closed position, then the rod 15 exceeds this point and the hatch takes its closed closed position.

On the figure 4 , we see that the cover 5 is equipped with two rods 15, one on each of these sides. Each rod 15 is housed in a double wall 17 which protects said rod from dirt coming from the waste introduced into the terminal and which prevents any risk of jamming of the mechanism by separating the compartment intended to receive the waste from the compartment in which each rod 15 moves.

In the variant illustrated by figure 5 , this variant not forming part of the invention, the rods 15 ′ are fixed to the underside of the cover 5. In this case, the positioning of the anchor points 15A ′ of the rods on the cover 5 makes it difficult to obtain that the pivot axis 7 of the cover is found on the other side of the plane containing the four anchoring points 15A ', 15B' of the rods on the cover and on the hatch. It is therefore preferable to provide a specific mechanism to guarantee that, when the cover is open, the force exerted by the weight of the waste on the hatch does not cause the cover to close. To this end, a bolt and keeper mechanism (not shown) can be provided, controlled by the user when he closes the cover, for example using a third rod (not shown) which, when closed of the cover, pushes the latch to release it from the striker and allow the hatch to open.

Another mechanical arrangement which has not been shown in the drawings consists of a damper which slows down the closing speed of the cover to prevent a user from experiencing an abrupt closing of the cover under the effect of the traction exerted by the rods themselves subject to the weight of the waste.

In the second embodiment illustrated by figures 6 and 7 , the cover 5 and the hatch 11 are no longer connected by a single rod but by two rods 15 and 19 and a connecting rod 21. The connecting rod 21 is articulated on the body 3 around an axis 23 (shown schematically by a point). The anchor points of the rod 15, 15B on the hatch 11 and 15C on the rod 21, and those of the rod 19, 19A on the cover 5 and 19C on the rod 21, are arranged so that the opening of the cover 5 causes the rod to rotate causing the hatch 11 to close, and once the hatch is closed, any load supported by the hatch causes the rod to rotate in the same direction.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the rod 15 and its anchor points 15B and 15C respectively on the hatch and on the connecting rod, in combination with the axis 23 of the connecting rod, constitute a means for retaining the hatch 11 in the closed position, which prevents its opening when the cover 5 is open. When the lid is closed, the hatch switches between a closed position known as taut and a closed position called relaxed when the points 15B, 23 and 15C are aligned.

In the variant of the second embodiment illustrated by the figure 8 , the terminal operates in the same way as that described above (with reference to figures 6 and 7 ), with the differences that the cover 5 is pivotable about an axis between its open and closed position, and the connecting rod 21 is connected to the cover by a rod 19 articulated on an extension 25 of the cover beyond its axis. In this way, the articulation of the cover with the rod connecting it to the connecting rod is hidden regardless of the position of the cover, which prevents any risk for the user of getting their fingers caught in it when handling the cover.

Claims (8)

1. Pillar (1) of a container having an underground or semi-underground tank, the pillar containing a cylindrical duct (3) which has a circular, square, rectangular or other cross section, is open at the two ends thereof and is intended for the introduction of waste, the duct (3) having a mouth (3A) for the introduction of waste from outside the container and an outlet (3B) for waste to fall into the tank, the pillar (1) having a cover (5) for sealing the mouth (3A) of the duct (3), the cover (5) being hinged on the duct (3) about a pin (7) and maneuverable by a user between an open position and a closed position, the pillar having a hatch (11) which seals the outlet (3B) and can be moved between a closed position which prevents access to the tank from the duct (3) and prevents waste from falling and an open position which allows access to the tank from the duct (3) and in particular allows waste to fall, and the pillar having a mechanical connection (15, 15A, 15B) between the cover (5) and the hatch (11), which connection controls the position of the sealing hatch (11) with respect to that of the cover (5), namely such that the hatch (11) is closed when the cover (5) is open and open when the cover (5) is closed, the two ends of the duct (3) being closed by the cover (5) and the hatch (11), the pillar (1) comprising a means (15, 15A, 15B, 7) for retaining the hatch (11) in the closed position, this retaining means (15, 15A, 15B, 7) comprising the mechanical connection (15, 15A, 15B) which prevents the opening thereof when the cover (5) is open, the pillar (1) being characterized in that the retaining means (15, 15A, 15B, 7) comprises the pin (7) of the cover (5) and a rod (15) which has anchorage points (15A, 15B) on the cover (5) and on the hatch (11), which points are arranged such that, once the hatch (11) is closed, any load supported by the hatch (11) and intended to open said hatch (11) does not generate any force intended to close the cover (5) again.
2. Pillar (1) according to claim 1, wherein the hatch (11) can assume a closed position referred to as the taut closed position and a closed position referred to as the relaxed closed position, these two closed positions being such that the hatch (11) prevents access to the tank from the duct (3) and prevents waste from falling, the relaxed closed position being between the open position and the taut closed position of the hatch (11).
3. Pillar (1) according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cover (5) comprises a means for locking in the closed position, which means can be released by the user, and a means for returning to the open position.
4. Pillar (1) according to claim 3, wherein the return means of the cover (5) is calibrated so as to at least partially compensate for the action of the hatch (11) which is subjected to the average weight of a bag of waste introduced into the duct (3).
5. Pillar (1) according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hatch (11) comprises a closure damper which limits the movement speed of said hatch when closing.
6. Pillar (1) of a container having an underground or semi-underground tank, the pillar containing a cylindrical duct (3) which has a circular, square, rectangular or other cross section, is open at the two ends thereof and is intended for the introduction of waste, the duct (3) having a mouth (3A) for the introduction of waste from outside the container and an outlet (3B) for waste to fall into the tank, the pillar (1) having a cover (5) for sealing the mouth (3A) of the duct (3), the cover (5) being hinged on the duct (3) about a pin (7) and maneuverable by a user between an open position and a closed position, the pillar having a hatch (11) which seals the outlet (3B) and can be moved between a closed position which prevents access to the tank from the duct (3) and prevents waste from falling and an open position which allows access to the tank from the duct (3) and in particular allows waste to fall, and the pillar having a mechanical connection (15, 19, 21, 23) between the cover (5) and the hatch (11), which connection controls the position of the sealing hatch (11) with respect to that of the cover (5), namely such that the hatch (11) is closed when the cover (5) is open and open when the cover (5) is closed, the two ends of the duct (3) being closed by the cover (5) and the hatch (11), the pillar (1) comprising a means (15, 19, 21, 23) for retaining the hatch (11) in the closed position, this retaining means (15, 19, 21, 23) comprising the mechanical connection (15, 19, 21, 23) which prevents the opening thereof when the cover (5) is open, the pillar (1) being characterized in that the retaining means (15, 19, 21, 23) comprises a connecting rod (21) which is hinged on the duct (3) about a pin (23), connected to the hatch (11) and to the cover (5) by two rods (15, 19), and arranged such that opening the cover (5) brings about rotation of the connecting rod (21), thereby bringing about the closure of the hatch (11), and such that once the hatch (11) is closed, any load supported by the hatch (11) brings about rotation of the connecting rod (21) in the same way, which are arranged such that, once the hatch (11) is closed, any load supported by the hatch (11) and intended to open said hatch (11) does not generate any force intended to close the cover (5) again.
7. Pillar (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the rod (19) which connects the connecting rod (19) to the cover (5) is hinged on an extension (25) of the cover (5) beyond its pin (7).
8. Container for collecting waste that has an underground or semi-underground tank, the container comprising a pillar (1) according to any of the preceding claims.

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