JP2001321746A - Drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drying device which dries cuisine garbage stored at each of restaurants and enables the cuisine garbage to be easily recycled as an organic compost, in a simple manner and without occupying a broad space. SOLUTION: This drying device comprises a body part 12 which can be placed on the opening of a can body 14 with the open top, blocking the opening, an electric motor 36 which is provided in the body part 12, with an output shaft 38 protruding from the lower face of the body part 12 a microwave generating means 40 which is housed in the body part 12 and irradiates the cuisine garbage with a microwave 40a from an irradiation aperture 42a opened in the lower face of the body part 12 and a stirring means 58 which has an output shaft 38 connected, in a freely attachable/detachable manner, to the upper end, a shaft body 60 structured, in a rotatable way, integrally with the output shaft 38 and a blade 62 extending to the sides from the shaft body 60 and is inserted into the can body 14 as a discretely formed entity from the body part 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drying apparatus for easily drying cooking waste such as unnecessary portions of foodstuffs from homes and commercial stores, so-called garbage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, cooking wastes such as unnecessary portions of foodstuffs from homes and business stores are almost always thrown away as garbage. However, recently, as seen in ecology, garbage disposal problems, the Recycling Law, etc., efforts have been made to recycle garbage as organic fertilizer rather than simply throwing it away. As part of this, various garbage disposal apparatuses have been developed, and there are small garbage disposal apparatuses for general households and large garbage disposal apparatuses for shops. In addition, chain-based fast food stores are gradually making efforts to process cooking waste (mainly vegetable waste) from the store and recycle it as organic fertilizer.

[0003] By the way, the amount of cooking debris from a relatively small store such as a fast food restaurant with a chain can be reduced by installing the above-mentioned large garbage disposal device in each store. It is a small amount, and it is not easy to secure a place for installing such a large-sized device. However, the amount is too large to be processed by the small household garbage processing device described above. For this reason, fast-food chains that use chains may adopt a method in which cooking waste from each store is collected at an accumulation station, and is input into a large-scale processing device consisting of a bio-type decomposition tank to be converted into organic fertilizer. Many.

[0004]

However, a common collecting station, such as that employed in the above-described chain-based fast food store, is installed, and each time a store generates cooking waste, the collecting station is set up. If the method is used, the time and labor required for the transfer are required, and there is much waste. Therefore, if it is possible to store cooking waste at each store to some extent and then transport it to the collection station, efficiency will improve, but
If the storage period of cooking waste at each store is lengthened in this way,
There is a problem that it is unsanitary due to water separation and decay, and that odor is generated. In addition, when cooking waste containing a large amount of water separation is put into a bio-type decomposition tank, there is also a problem that the processing capacity of the decomposition tank is hindered.

[0005] Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to dry cooking waste stored in each store simply and without taking up space, and to use the cooking waste as an organic fertilizer. An object of the present invention is to provide a drying device that can be easily recycled.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the drying apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention can be mounted on an opening of a can body having an upper opening by closing the opening. A main body portion, a rotation driving means provided in the main body portion, the output shaft protruding from the lower surface of the main body portion, provided in the main body portion,
A microwave generating means for irradiating microwaves from an irradiation port opened on the lower surface of the main body, a shaft body having an upper end detachably connected to the output shaft and being rotatable integrally with the output shaft, and a shaft body; It has a wing body extending laterally, and is provided with a stirring means formed separately from the main body and inserted into the can body.

[0007] According to this, it is possible to easily configure a drying apparatus by using a used pail as a can body, which is usually present in a store such as a gas station.
In a space-saving manner, it is possible to dry and store cooking waste generated in a store for each store. Therefore, the number of times of transportation to the collecting station can be reduced, which is efficient. Also, by drying the cooking waste, the cooking waste can be smoothly decomposed at the collecting station.

The stirring means may have a second blade body located above the blade body and extending radially from the shaft to prevent the stirring means from tilting in the can body. When the main body is placed in the opening of the can, the connection between the output shaft and the shaft can be performed smoothly.

[0009] A bearing having a shape laid on the inner bottom surface of the can body and fitted to a lower end of the shaft body at a position corresponding to the output shaft on the upper surface to rotatably support the shaft body. When the formed base portion is provided, both ends of the shaft body are rotatably supported on the axis of the output shaft, so that the shaft body can be rotated with little blur.

[0010] Further, detecting means for detecting that the main body is mounted on the opening of the can body, and that the main body is mounted on the opening of the can body via the detecting means. And a control unit that enables the rotation driving unit only when the rotation driving unit is detected, whereby it is possible to prevent the rotation driving unit from rotating carelessly and to ensure safety.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a drying apparatus 10 according to the present invention will be described.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the configuration of the drying device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. The main body 12 includes a can body 14 having an open top.
Is formed in such a shape that the opening 14a can be closed and placed. Drying device 1 of the present embodiment
In the case of 0, the can body 14 is assumed to be a widely distributed pail can. For this reason, according to the shape (the plane shape is circular) of the opening 14a of the pail having a cylindrical outer shape,
The main body 12 is formed in a cylindrical body having a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the opening 14a.

The lower surface 12a of the main body 12 has a function of directly contacting the edge of the opening 14a of the can body 14 and covering the opening 14a. Then, the cooking waste 16 stored inside the can 14 is directed from the main body 12 toward the inside of the can 14.
Is irradiated with microwaves for drying. And
In order to prevent the microwave from leaking out of the opening 14a, the lower surface 12a of the main body 12 is made of a material capable of shielding the microwave and functions as a shielding lid. Further, a cylindrical skirt portion 18 extending downward so that an inner peripheral surface is opposed to an upper outer peripheral surface of the can body 14 is formed all around the lower outer peripheral surface of the main body 12. The skirt 18 is also made of a material that can shield microwaves, and the opening 14 of the can 14 closed by the lower surface of the main body 12.
It functions as a shielding plate for suppressing leakage of microwaves from a.

Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of (preferably three or more) guide pieces 20 are extended on the outer peripheral side of the lower surface 12a of the main body portion 12, and a second shielding cover is provided between the guide pieces 20. Is held in parallel with the lower surface 12a apart from the lower surface 12a. Since the disk body 22 as a shielding lid is further provided, the opening 14 of the can body 14 is provided.
Leakage of microwaves from a is further reduced.
The disk 22 and the skirt 18 are not essential components, and may be provided as needed. Further, each guide piece 20 is provided so as to be positioned on an imaginary circumference having a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the opening 14a of the can body 14 so as to match the inner diameter of the opening 14a of the can body 14. Functions as a guide when mounting to That is, the main body 12 is
In the case where the guide piece 20 is attached to the opening 14a of the
Body 1 into can body 1 so that
After positioning with respect to 4, the main body 12 is moved downward, and is placed in the opening 14a of the can body 14. This allows
The center of the main body 12 of the cylindrical body can be reliably positioned near the center of the can 14 of the cylindrical body.

A pair of grips 24 are provided on the upper surface of the main body 12 to make it easier to hold the main body 12 by hand. An engagement hook 26 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 12.
The root portion is rotatably attached with a screw or a rivet, and the tip formed in a hook shape is swingable. The engaging hook 26 is used to fix the main body 12 to the can 14 after the main body 12 is placed in the opening 14a of the can 14, and the engaging hook 26 is turned by turning the engaging hook 26. Base 2 of handle 28 provided on can body 14
8a. Connect the engaging hook 26 to the can 1
The engagement with the handle 28 of the fourth member prevents the main body 12 from rotating in the opposite direction with respect to the can body 14 due to the reaction when the stirring means described later rotates. Also,
An intake port 30 and an exhaust port 32 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 12. Numeral 34 denotes steam 3 from the cooking waste 16.
6 is a vent for leading out the can 6 to the outside of the can 14, and is provided at a portion of the disc body 22 and the lower surface 12 a of the main body 12 near the exhaust port 32 of each main body 12.

The first electric motor 37 as a rotation driving means
Is provided inside the main body 12 and its output shaft 3
Reference numeral 8 is arranged on the axis of the main body 12, penetrates the lower surface 12 a of the main body 12 and the disc 22, and the tip protrudes from the disc 22. It is also possible to combine the first electric motor 37 and the reduction gear mechanism to reduce the rotation of the output shaft 38 to increase the rotational torque. The microwave generating means 40 is provided in the main body 12, and the irradiation port of the waveguide 42 opened in the disc 22 through the waveguide 42 penetrating the lower surface of the main body 12 and the disc 22. Microwave 40a is irradiated into can 14 from 42a. Further, in the present embodiment, a fan 44 for cooling the first electric motor 37, the microwave generating means 40, a control means described later, and the like, and a second electric A motor 46 is also provided.

The main body 12 is provided with a detecting means 48 for detecting that the main body 12 is mounted on the opening 14a of the can body 14. The detecting means 48 includes, for example, a detecting pin 48a which is slidably disposed on the lower surface 12a of the main body 12 and penetrates from the lower surface 12a so as not to fall downward, and has a lower end protruding from the lower surface 12a;
And the upper end of the detection pin 48a is connected to the detection pin 4
8a is always urged in a direction protruding from the lower surface 12a, and when the detection pin 48a is pushed inside the lower surface 12a by a predetermined amount, the limit switch is pushed by the detection pin 48a to change the switch state from OFF to ON. 48b. Note that the detection unit 48 is not limited to this configuration, and various configurations can be adopted, such as a configuration using an optical sensor or a configuration using a proximity switch. By this detecting means 48, the main body 12 is
4 is placed in the opening 14a.
The detection pin 48a is pushed into the main body 12 by the weight of the main body 12 at the lip, the limit switch 48b is turned on from off, and the state of the limit switch 48b is detected. 14 can be detected. This is to prevent the output shaft 38 protruding from the main body 12 from rotating while being exposed, thereby enhancing safety.

An operation switch 50, a stop switch 52, and a timer 54 for setting an operation time are disposed on the upper surface of the main body 12, and a control means 56 is disposed inside the main body 12. I have. The control unit 56 is configured using a sequencer, a CPU, and the like, and controls the operations of the electric motors 37 and 46 and the microwave generation unit 40 based on the states of the detection unit 48, the operation switch 50, the stop switch 52, and the timer 54. . Generally, the control means 56 determines that the main body 12 is connected to the opening 14 a of the can 14 via the detection means 48.
Operation switch 5 only when it is detected that
Control is performed so that 0 is made valid to enable the operation of the electric motors 37 and 46 and the microwave generation means 40. Details of the operation will be described later.

The stirring means 58 has an upper end detachably connected to the output shaft 38 and is rotatable integrally with the output shaft 38, and is attached to the shaft 60 and extends laterally. It has a wing body 62. The stirring means 58 is provided in the main body 1.
2 and is inserted into the can 14 so that the can 1
4 rotates inside. And the can body 14 by the wing body 62
And the accumulated cooking waste 16 is stirred. In the present embodiment, two of the above-described wings 62 are provided as an example, and extend laterally from the outer peripheral surface near the lower end of the shaft body 60, and rotate at a portion near the bottom surface 14b of the can body 14 to rotate the cooking waste. 16 can be stirred from the bottom.

Further, in this embodiment, the stirring means 58 is provided above the blade body 62 and extends radially from the shaft body 60 to prevent the stirring means 58 from tilting in the can 14. Two blades 64 are provided as an example. The aforementioned wing body 62 and the second wing body 64 extend at right angles to the shaft body 60 as an example, and the diameter of the circular locus drawn by the tip of the wing body when rotating about the shaft body 60 is a can body. 14 is formed to be smaller than the inner diameter. In addition, the wing body 62 and the second wing body 64 may be configured to directly extend from the outer peripheral surface of the shaft body 60, but in the present embodiment, as an example, the wing body 62 and the second wing body 64 are attached to a ring body 66 that can be fitted onto the shaft body 60. The ring body 66 is externally fitted to the shaft body 60, moved to a predetermined position along the axial direction of the shaft body 60, and the ring body 66 is fixed to the shaft body 60 by means such as a screw. Attached to.

The drying apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes:
It has a shape (slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the can 14) that can be laid on the inner bottom surface of the can 14, and fits with the lower end 60a of the shaft 60 at a position corresponding to the output shaft 38 on the upper surface. Is provided on which a bearing 70 for rotatably supporting the base member 70 is formed. By providing the base portion 68 and the bearing 70, the lower end of the shaft body 60 can be effectively prevented from being shaken when the shaft body 60 rotates, and efficient stirring can be performed. In particular, in the present embodiment, even after the upper end of the shaft body 60 and the lower end of the output shaft 38 are connected to each other as described later, the stirrer 58 is connected to the output shaft 38 at the connection portion. It can be bent. For this reason, if the base portion 68 does not exist, the lower end of the shaft body 60 is in a free state, and the stirring means 58 is connected to the output shaft 38 by the axis of the shaft body 60.
Can not be rotated properly in the state of being aligned with the axis of. Therefore, a structure for supporting the lower end of the shaft body 60 is required.

Next, the structure of the connecting mechanism 72 provided between the lower end of the output shaft 38 and the upper end of the shaft body 60 will be described. First, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, the structure of the output shaft 38 is such that the outer peripheral surface on the distal end side is formed in a tapered surface whose diameter becomes gradually smaller toward the distal end, and a small area A formed in the tapered surface An engagement pin 38a protrudes laterally from the upper outer peripheral surface. The engagement pin 38a is connected to the output shaft 38.
Are provided at point-symmetrical positions with respect to the axis of. By forming the outer peripheral surface on the distal end side of the output shaft 38 into a tapered surface, the output shaft 38 can be smoothly introduced and inserted into a connecting cylinder provided at the distal end of the shaft body 60 described later.

Next, the structure of the upper end of the shaft body 60 is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. At the upper part of the shaft body 60, one guide long hole 60a extending along the axial direction of the shaft body 60 and penetrating the shaft body 60 through this axis is formed. The upper part of the shaft body 60 is inserted into the connecting cylinder 74. At the lower side of the connecting cylinder 74, a pin insertion hole 74a that passes through the connecting cylinder 74 through the axis of the connecting cylinder 74 is provided.
Are opened, and the pin insertion hole 74a and the guide elongated hole 60 are provided.
In the state where the communication with the pin a is established, a detent pin 76 is mounted in the pin insertion hole 74a so as to penetrate the guide elongated hole 60a. Thereby, the connecting cylinder 74 and the shaft 6
0 is the connecting cylinder 74 externally fitted on the upper part of the shaft body 60.
However, they are connected so as to be movable along the axis of the shaft body 60 and to be integrally rotatable within a range in which the detent pin 76 can move within the guide elongated hole 60a. The entire length of the rotation preventing pin 76 is set so that both ends do not protrude from the pin insertion hole 74a. An engagement recess 74b into which each engagement pin 38a provided on the output shaft 38 fits is formed at the upper end of the connecting cylinder 74. Further, the outer diameter of the lower region B including the portion where the pin insertion hole 74a of the connecting cylinder 74 is opened is formed to be slightly smaller than the upper region, and the whole has a two-stage cylindrical shape.

An outer cylinder 78 for closing the pin insertion hole 74a into which the detent pin 76 is inserted is provided in the lower region B formed in the small diameter of the coupling cylinder 74. 74 is slidably fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the outer member 74. A flange portion 78a is formed over the entire outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical body 78 formed in a cylindrical shape. Further, between the upper surface 66a of the ring body 66 to which the second blade body 64 is attached and the flange portion 78a of the outer cylinder 78, a coil spring 80 as an urging means is attached to the outer cylinder 78 and the shaft 60. It is fitted and fitted. The coil spring 80 always urges the outer cylinder 78 upward with respect to the ring body 66, and the upper opening edge of the outer cylinder 78 is formed at the boundary of the region B of the coupling cylinder 74. Step 74c
The upward movement is restricted by contact with the connecting cylinder 74 so that the connecting cylinder 74 does not come off. When an external force is applied to the connection cylinder 74 in the direction of the ring body 66 (downward), the coil spring 80 is elastically deformed, and the connection cylinder 74 is guided in the ring body 66 direction and the rotation preventing pin 76 is guided. It can move until it contacts the lower end of the long hole 60a. When no external force is applied, the connecting cylinder 74 is moved upward through the outer cylinder 78 by the urging force of the coil spring 80, and the detent pin 76 is moved to the guide slot 60a.
In contact with the upper end of.

The connecting mechanism 72 described above allows the connecting cylinder 74 to move up and down within the length of the guide slot 60a, and the length of the output shaft 38 protruding from the disk 22 and the shaft 60 Even if there is a slight assembly error in the shaft length of
The engagement pin 38a of the output shaft 38 and the engagement recess 74b of the connecting cylinder 74 are securely engaged. The connection mechanism 72 does not necessarily have the configuration shown in FIG. 4. For example, when the above-described assembly error is small, only the connection cylinder 74 is fixed to the upper part of the shaft body 60, as shown in FIG. A structure may be adopted. Although not shown, if the outer diameter of the shaft body 60 is sufficiently large, a structure in which the engaging concave portion 74b is directly formed at the upper end of the shaft body 60 may be used.

Next, the operation and use of the drying device 10 will be described. First, the user inserts the stirring means 58 into the empty can 14 in advance. The stirring means 58 includes the blade 6
The second blade 64 is provided above the shaft 60 in addition to the shaft 2, and the tip of the second blade 64 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the can 14 when the stirring means 58 is slightly inclined. Thereby, the stirring means 58 is maintained in a state of hardly tilting (tilting), and the shaft body 60 is located substantially at the center of the can body 14 formed in a cylindrical body. Next, the user sequentially puts the cooking waste 16 coming out of the store into the can 14.

When the cooking waste 16 accumulates in the can body 14 to some extent, it is necessary to dry the cooking waste 16. Therefore, the user places the main body 12 into the opening 14 a of the can 14.
Is placed so as to close the opening 14a. At this time, the main body 12 is positioned so that the guide pieces 20 projecting most from the lower surface 12a of the main body 12 enter the opening 14a of the can body 14. And in this state, the main body 1
2 is lowered and placed on the can body 14. Stirring means 58
Since the shaft body 60 is positioned substantially at the center of the can body 14, the output shaft 38 projecting to the center of the lower surface 12 a of the main body 12 positioned with respect to the can body 14 by the guide piece 20 is surely agitated by the stirring means 58. Can be fitted into the engaging concave portion 74b of the connecting cylinder 74 at the upper part of the connecting cylinder 74. The detecting means 48
The limit switch 48b is turned on when the main body 12 is mounted on the opening 14a of the can 14, and outputs a detection signal indicating that the main body 12 is mounted on the can 14.

Next, the user operates the operation switch 50 provided on the upper surface of the main body 12 to change from the off state to the on state. In the control means 56, the operation switch 50 is turned on in a state where the detection means 48 detects that the main body 12 has been placed on the opening 14a of the can 14 by the input of the detection signal. When it detects that
The electric motor 37 is operated to stir the cooking waste 16 in the can 14. At the same time, the microwave generation means 40 is operated to start the irradiation of the microwave 40a into the can 14. Further, the second electric motor 46 is operated to rotate the cooling fan 44 to cool the components arranged in the main body 12.

The cooking waste 16 is stirred by the blade 62 while being heated by the irradiation of the microwave 40a, so that the water contained therein evaporates efficiently. And steam 3
6 moves to the inside of the main body 12 through the disk body 22 and the ventilation hole 34 provided in the lower surface 12 a of the main body 12.
The outside air is introduced into the main body 12 from the intake port 30 by the rotation of the fan 44, and the outside air is supplied to the exhaust port 32.
Then, an air flow (shown by a solid line) is discharged from the outside again. Steam 3 entering inside the main body 12
6 flows from the exhaust port 32 to the main body 12
Is discharged to the outside. In addition, the vapor 36 diffused into the main body 12 due to the flow of the air can be prevented from being condensed around the exhaust port 32 and water droplets from being formed near the exhaust port 32. The above is the description of the drying operation, and the cooking waste 16 is dried by this drying operation. The user
By operating the stop switch 52, the drying operation can be arbitrarily stopped. Since the volume of the dried cooking waste 16 is also reduced, more cooking waste 16 is added to the can 14.
Can be stored, the number of times of transportation to the collection station can be reduced, and the debris of the cooking waste 16 discarded in the can 14 due to drying can be prevented from being separated or spoiled.
In addition, the disassembling process at the accumulation station can be performed smoothly.

The control means 56 monitors the setting state of the timer 54 by the user. When the timer 54 is set, the control means 56 makes the ON state of the operation switch 50 effective for the time set by the timer 54. The drying operation is performed according to the judgment, and when the set time is completed, the drying operation is forcibly stopped. Therefore, the user can operate the timer 54 to perform the drying operation for the set time, and then automatically terminate the drying operation. The setting time may be determined in consideration of the amount of cooking waste.

[0030]

By using the drying apparatus according to the present invention, there are used empty cans in various stores.
For example, a pail can or the like can be used as a can body to easily configure a drying device, and space-saving and easily.
It becomes possible to dry and store cooking waste generated in stores for each store. Therefore, the number of times of transportation to the collecting station can be reduced, which is efficient. In addition, by drying the cooking waste, the cooking waste can be smoothly decomposed at the collecting station.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of an embodiment of a drying device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the drying device of FIG.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged views of a main part for explaining a configuration of an output shaft of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a side view.

FIG. 4 (a) is a partially cutaway front view for explaining one embodiment of a connecting structure formed on an upper portion of the shaft body of FIG. 1,
(B) is an upper front view of the shaft.

FIG. 5 is a front view for explaining the structure of another embodiment of the connecting structure formed on the upper part of the shaft.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Drying apparatus 12 Main part 14 Can body 36 Electric motor as rotation drive means 38 Output shaft 40 Microwave generation means 40a Microwave 42a Irradiation port 58 Stirring means 60 Shaft body 62 Blade

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A main body which can be placed on an opening of a can body having an open upper part by closing the opening, and is provided in the main body, and a rotation drive wherein an output shaft projects from a lower surface of the main body. A microwave generating means provided in the main body and irradiating a microwave from an irradiation port opened on the lower surface of the main body; and an upper end is detachably connected to the output shaft to be integrated with the output shaft. It has a rotatable shaft and a blade extending laterally from the shaft, and comprises stirring means formed separately from the main body and inserted into the can. Drying equipment. 2. The stirring means has a second wing body located above the wing body and extending radially from the shaft to prevent the stirring means from tilting in the can body. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein 3. A bearing having a shape capable of being laid on an inner bottom surface of the can body and fitted at a position corresponding to the output shaft on an upper surface with a lower end of the shaft body to rotatably support the shaft body. 3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a base portion formed.
A drying device as described. 4. A detecting means for detecting that the main body is mounted on the opening of the can body, and wherein the main body is mounted on the opening of the can body via the detecting means. 4. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that enables the rotation driving unit to operate only when the detection is performed.