JP2000218398A - Automatic compressing and sorting device for empty cans - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reclaim empty cans at a sorted condition from the first, reduce the volume at the reclaiming time, and contribute promotion of recycling by automatically compressing and sorting the empty cans at the point when public consumers throw the empty cans. SOLUTION: Empty cans inserted from an empty can insertion inlet 1 are compressed by a pressing piece 5 in a compression chamber 2. When the pressing piece 5 is moved backward, an electromagnet 6 of the pressing piece 5 is actuated. An aluminum can A is dropped to an opening part 3a of an aluminum can accommodation part 3 at the bottom when the can is released from the pressing piece 5. A steel can S is moved backward along with the pressing piece 5 by the electromagnet 6, and is dropped to an opening part 4a of a steel can accommodation part 4 at a bottom of the backward position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus suitable for a vending machine for beverages in cans and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Canned beverages such as coffee and juice are now consumed in large quantities due to the spread of vending machines and the like, as well as their good portability and ease of use.

[0003] Empty cans from vending machines and the like for canned beverages are usually thrown away in a nearby garbage container, but are generally thrown away without being crushed, and therefore have the problem of being bulky at the time of collection.

[0004] The above-mentioned empty cans are classified into aluminum cans and steel cans, which need to be separated in order to be reused as resources. However, at present, empty cans that have been collected while being mixed are separated at the collection destination. In addition, there is a problem that costs such as labor costs increase and recycling does not proceed as desired.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses the above circumstances and automatically sorts and separates empty cans from the beginning by automatically compressing and separating the empty cans when they are discarded by the general consumer. It is intended to contribute to the promotion of recycling, while reducing the volume at the time of collection while reducing the volume at the time of collection.

[0006]

The present invention employs the following means to achieve the above object.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus of the present invention has an empty can input port 1 for charging an empty can, and is formed below the empty can input port 1 to compress the empty can charged. A compression chamber 2, and an aluminum can storage section 3 and a steel can storage section 4 which are respectively opened in parallel below the compression chamber 2. The compression chamber 2 includes the aluminum can storage section 3 and the steel can storage section. Each opening 3 of the part 4
a pressing piece 5 that moves in the direction in which the a and 4a are arranged to compress the empty can, and an electromagnet 6 provided on the pressing piece 5, and the opening 3a of the aluminum can storage portion 3 is
And the opening 4a of the steel can storage portion 4 is arranged near the position of the pressing piece 5 when it is retracted.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the empty can input port 1 and the compression chamber 2 are formed so that the empty can enters substantially horizontally, and the empty can input port 1 and the compression chamber 2 retreat between the empty can input port 1 and the compression chamber 2. A support member 7 is formed to protrude freely and temporarily support the charged empty can substantially horizontally, and the pressing piece 5 of the compression chamber 2 moves the empty can dropped by the retreat of the support member 7 in the axial direction of the empty can. It is also possible to compress.

[0009]

When the empty can falls into the compression chamber 2 from the empty can input port 1 in the empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus of the present invention, the empty can is compressed by being pressed by, for example, a pressing piece 5 linked to a cylinder or the like.

When the electromagnet 6 is actuated when the pressing piece 5 is retracted in preparation for the next compression, when the aluminum can is released from the pressing piece 5 irrespective of the electromagnet 6, the aluminum can is lowered. The steel can falls into the opening 3a of the aluminum can storage part 3, while the steel can is attracted to the electromagnet 6 and
At the same time, the electromagnet 6 is cut off at the retreated position, and the electromagnet 6 is dropped into the opening 4a of the steel can storage portion 4.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an automatic empty-can-compressed sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the automatic can-compressed automatic sorting apparatus. It is united with.

As shown in FIG. 1, the above-mentioned empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus has an empty can input port 1 for inputting empty cans and a compression chamber 2 formed below the empty can input port 1 for compressing the input empty cans. And an aluminum can storage part 3 and a steel can storage part 4 which are respectively opened in parallel in a substantially horizontal direction below the compression chamber 2.

The compression chamber 2 has a pressing piece 5 for compressing the empty can by moving in the direction in which the openings 3a, 4a of the aluminum can storage part 3 and the steel can storage part 4 are arranged.
And an electromagnet 6 provided on the pressing piece 5. In this example, the pressing piece 5 is attached to the tip of a piston rod 8 a of an electric, air or hydraulic cylinder 8, and is compressed by the power of the cylinder 8 so as to sandwich an empty can with the opposing wall 2 a of the compression chamber 2. It is supposed to do.
The pressing piece 5 itself can be formed by the electromagnet 6.

The opening 3 of the aluminum can storage section 3
a is arranged near the position of the pressing piece 5 when it is compressed, while the opening 4a of the steel can storage part 4 is arranged near the position of the pressing piece 5 when it retreats.

The empty can inlet 1 and the compression chamber 2 are
It is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the empty can enters substantially horizontal,
Both are formed so as to communicate with each other via the communication passage 10 so that the empty can can drop. The communication passage 10 is provided with an empty can detection sensor 11 for detecting that an empty can has been inserted.

As shown in FIG. 2, between the empty can input port 1 and the compression chamber 2, a second cylinder 9 protrudes below the empty can input port 1 so as to be able to retreat freely, and the charged empty can 1 Is formed to temporarily support substantially horizontally. That is, in this embodiment, the empty can is dropped substantially horizontally by the retreat of the support member 7, and the dropped piece of the empty can is compressed straight in the axial direction of the empty can by the pressing piece 5 of the compression chamber 2. I have.

In the empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus of the embodiment having the above configuration, when the empty can is put into the empty can input port 1, the supporting member 7 once supports the empty can in a horizontal state, and the empty can detection sensor 11 When the empty can is detected, the support member 7 is retracted.

When the support member 7 retreats, the empty can falls into the lower compression chamber and is compressed in the axial direction by the pressing piece 5 of the cylinder 8 operated by the empty can detection sensor 11.

The electromagnet 6 operates when the pressing piece 5 is retracted in preparation for the next compression. When the aluminum can A is released from the pressing piece 5 irrespective of the electromagnet 6, it falls into the opening 3a of the lower aluminum can storage part 3, while the steel can S is attracted by the electromagnet 6 and the pressing piece 5
At the same time, the electromagnet 6 is cut off at the retreated position, and falls into the opening 4a of the steel can storage portion 4.

In the empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus of this embodiment, the above operation can be automatically performed after the empty can detection sensor 11 detects the empty can.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus of the present invention can be formed separately from a vending machine.

The compression chamber 2 does not necessarily need to be formed directly below the empty can inlet 1. For example, the compression chamber 2 is shifted in the radial direction from the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the communication passage 10 is inclined. By forming the empty can in such a manner that the empty can rolls, it is possible to easily maintain the horizontal state of the empty can entering the compression chamber 2 without the support member 7.

[0024]

As described above, the empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus of the present invention compresses the empty can, which has been put in from the empty can inlet, with the pressing piece in the compression chamber. When the aluminum can is released from the pressing piece, the aluminum can is dropped into the opening of the lower aluminum can storage section, and the steel can is retracted by the electromagnet together with the pressing piece, so that the steel can is positioned below the retracted position. It is to be dropped into the opening of the can storage section, whereby when the empty can is discarded from the general consumer, the empty can is automatically compressed and sorted, and the empty can is collected in a separated state from the beginning At the same time, the volume at the time of collection is reduced, which can greatly contribute to promoting recycling of empty cans.

Further, the empty can input port and the compression chamber are formed so that the empty can enters substantially horizontally, and the empty can is temporarily moved substantially horizontally between the empty can input port and the compression chamber. By forming a supporting member to support and dropping the empty can substantially horizontally by the retreat of the supporting member, the empty can can be compressed straight in the axial direction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Empty can inlet 2 Compression chamber 2a Opposed wall part 3 Aluminum can storage part 3a Aluminum can storage part opening 4 Steel can storage part 4a Steel can storage part opening 5 Pressing piece 6 Electromagnet 7 Supporting member 8 Cylinder 8a Piston rod 9 2 cylinder 10 communication passage 11 empty can detection sensor A aluminum can S steel can H vending machine

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An empty can input port for inputting an empty can, a compression chamber formed below the empty can input port for compressing the input empty can, and an aluminum can opened in parallel below the compression chamber. A compression section, which includes a storage section and a steel can storage section, wherein the compression chamber moves in a direction in which the openings of the aluminum can storage section and the steel can storage section are arranged to compress the empty can; Provided with an electromagnet, wherein the opening of the aluminum can storage part is disposed near the position of the pressing piece when the pressing piece is compressed, and the opening of the steel can storage part is positioned at the time of retreating the pressing piece. An empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus, which is disposed near. 2. The empty can input port and the compression chamber are formed so that the empty can enters substantially horizontally, and the empty can input port and the compression chamber protrude so as to be able to retreat between the empty can input port and the compression chamber to temporarily store the input empty can. The empty can compression automatic sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a support member is formed to support the horizontal can in a substantially horizontal manner, and the pressing piece of the compression chamber compresses the empty can that has fallen due to the withdrawal of the support member in the axial direction of the empty can.