JP2002079214A - Garbage disposal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a garbage disposal device which is free from such a necessity that the user make the decision to replace a garbage disposal material. SOLUTION: This garbage, disposal device is equipped with a moisture content detector 6 and a control device 5, the detector 6 being equipped with a tungsten lamp 61 which emits light to a mixture 10 in a disposal tank 12, a silicone photodiode 62 which receives a reflected light from the mixture 10 and emits an output complying with the quantity of received light and a pyroelectric element 63 which emits an output complying with a change in the quantity of received light upon receiving the reflected light from the mixture 10. The control device 5 is equipped with a control circuit 51 which executes an operation to calculate the moisture content of the mixture 10 a plurality of numbers of times based on output signals from the diode 62 and the pyroelectric element 63 during stirring the mixture 10. Further, the control circuit 51 calculates a standard deviation based on the calculated values of the moisture content and decides whether the garbage disposal material should be replaced based on the standard deviation. When it is decided that the garbage disposal material should be replaced, the decision to such effect is indicated in the display.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a garbage disposal apparatus for storing a mixture of garbage and a garbage disposal material in a treatment tank, adjusting the water content of the mixture, and decomposing the garbage. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, garbage is put into a processing tank filled with porous wood chips (hole chips) that become garbage disposal materials, and the garbage and the hole chips are stirred. By mixing, by the microorganisms that live in the mixture,
BACKGROUND ART A garbage disposal device that decomposes garbage into water, carbon dioxide, and the like is known. In such a garbage processing apparatus, the processing efficiency can be improved by adjusting the water content of the garbage / chip mixture to a range suitable for the inhabitation of microorganisms. Therefore, the garbage processing apparatus is equipped with a blowing mechanism for feeding air into the processing tank, a heater for heating and drying the garbage / chip mixture in the processing tank, and further, if necessary, 2. Description of the Related Art A water supply device for supplying water to a garbage / chip mixture is provided to adjust a water content.

In order to automatically adjust the water content optimally,
It is necessary to measure the water content of the garbage / chip mixture in the treatment tank. Conventionally, as a method for measuring the water content, a method of detecting the water content by bringing a pair of electrodes into contact with a garbage / chip mixture and measuring the electric resistance between the two electrodes.
(Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-33572) or a method of detecting the water content by contacting a heating resistor with a garbage / chip mixture and measuring the temperature rise of the garbage / chip mixture (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
No. 7458) has been proposed.

[0004]

However, in the water content measuring method using a pair of electrodes, when an electrolyte solution or a substance is interposed between the pair of electrodes, the electric resistance between the electrodes greatly changes. Therefore, there is a problem that a large error occurs in the measured value of the water content. In addition, in the moisture content measuring method using the heating resistor, the heating resistor and the garbage
When the adhesiveness of the chip mixture is poor, there is a problem that the measurement accuracy of the water content is reduced.

Accordingly, the applicant has developed a moisture content measuring device for improving the measurement accuracy by optically measuring the moisture content of a garbage / chip mixture, and has developed a garbage disposal device provided with the device. Patent pending (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-087235). The moisture content measuring device includes a tungsten lamp that irradiates light to the garbage / chip mixture, a silicon photodiode and a pyroelectric element for detecting light reflected from the garbage / chip mixture, and includes a silicon photodiode. The water content of the garbage / chip mixture is calculated based on the ratio of the amount of reflected light detected using the garbage and the amount of reflected light detected using the pyroelectric element.

The silicon photodiode has a sensitivity in a first wavelength range (less than 1 μm) where water transmittance is large, while the pyroelectric element has a second wavelength range (light transmittance) where water transmittance is small. (1 μm or more). Therefore, according to the difference in the water content of the garbage / chip mixture, a large change occurs in the amount of light detected by the pyroelectric element,
The amount of light detected by the silicon photodiode hardly changes. Therefore, if the ratio between the amount of light detected by the silicon photodiode and the amount of light detected by the pyroelectric element is calculated, the water content of the garbage / chip mixture is calculated from the ratio of the amount of light detected using the known Lambert-Beer equation described later. Rate can be calculated.

According to the above-mentioned water content measuring device, the water content of the garbage / chip mixture can be optically measured from outside the treatment tank, so that there is no problem in the conventional water content measuring method described above. Higher measurement accuracy is obtained.

[0008] By the way, as the garbage processing material deteriorates, the particle size decreases and the viscosity increases. Therefore, a plurality of garbage / chip mixtures (10) in the processing tank (12) as shown in FIG. It turns into a large cluster of dumplings. If the garbage / chip mixture (10) changes into a dumpling mass in this way, the efficiency of the garbage decomposition treatment decreases, and anaerobic decomposition occurs inside the dumpling mass, generating a bad smell, It is necessary to replace the garbage processing material in the processing tank (12) with new garbage processing material. However, in the above-mentioned garbage processing apparatus, the user can visually check the garbage / chip mixture (10) in the processing tank (12) or by smelling the odor of the garbage / chip mixture (10).
A decision has to be made as to whether or not the garbage disposal material should be replaced, which is troublesome. An object of the present invention is to provide a garbage disposal apparatus that does not require a user to determine whether or not a refuse disposal material should be replaced.

[0009]

A first garbage disposal apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a stirrer for stirring a mixture in a treatment tank;
A moisture content detection device that detects the moisture content of the mixture in the treatment tank, a moisture content adjustment device that adjusts the moisture content based on the detected moisture content, and a statement that the garbage disposal material in the treatment tank should be replaced And a notification device for notifying, the water content detection device,
A light-emitting element for irradiating the mixture with light including a first wavelength region having a large transmittance for water and a second wavelength region having a small transmittance for water; and a processing tank having sensitivity in the first wavelength region. The first light-receiving element that receives the reflected light from the mixture in the first and emits an output according to the amount of received light, has sensitivity in the second wavelength range, receives the reflected light from the mixture in the processing tank, The second that emits an output according to the amount of received light or its change
A light-receiving element; and an arithmetic processing circuit that executes an operation of calculating the water content of the mixture in the processing tank based on the output signals of the first and second light-receiving elements a plurality of times during the stirring operation of the stirring device. The treatment tank includes a light transmitting portion on at least a part of a wall surface with which the mixture contacts, and the light emitting element, the first light receiving element, and the second light receiving element are arranged facing the light transmitting section, The notification device captures a plurality of calculated values for the water content from the arithmetic processing circuit, and, for the plurality of captured values, a variation detection unit that detects a magnitude of variation, and based on a detection result of the variation detection unit. Determining means for determining whether or not the garbage processing material in the processing tank should be replaced, and notifying when it is determined that the garbage processing material in the processing tank should be replaced. It has a notification means.

[0010] In the above-mentioned garbage disposal apparatus, the light emitted from the light emitting element passes through the light transmitting portion of the processing tank and irradiates the mixture in the processing tank. The light reflected by the mixture passes through the light transmitting portion, of which the component in the first wavelength band is detected by the first light receiving element, and the component in the second wavelength band is the second component.
It is detected by a light receiving element. Here, when comparing the case where the water content of the mixture in the treatment tank is large and the case where the water content is small,
The wavelength range of the light component detected by the first light receiving element (first
), The transmittance to water is large, so that there is almost no difference in the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element, but the wavelength range of the light component detected by the second light receiving element (second wavelength range).
In this case, since the transmittance to water is small, a difference occurs in the amount of light detected by the second light receiving element. Therefore, for example, taking the ratio of the amount of light detected by the second light receiving element to the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element, the greater the ratio, the lower the water content of the mixture, and the smaller the ratio, the more the water content of the mixture. growing. Therefore, the water content of the mixture in the processing tank is calculated based on the output signals of the first light receiving element and the second light receiving element.

In the above-mentioned garbage processing apparatus, the operation of calculating the water content is executed a plurality of times during the stirring operation of the stirring device. Here, when the garbage processing material is new, the contact state between the wall surface of the processing tank and the mixture changes substantially even during the stirring operation of the stirring device because the garbage processing material is an aggregate of countless small pieces. do not do. Therefore, the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element and the amount of light detected by the second light receiving element hardly vary, and a large variation does not occur in the plurality of calculated values of the water content. On the other hand, when the deterioration of the garbage processing material progresses and the mixture changes to a plurality of large cluster-like masses as described above, a plurality of masses are formed between the wall surface of the treatment tank and the plurality of masses contacting the wall surface. Since a gap is generated, the contact state between the wall surface of the processing tank and the mixture greatly changes with the stirring operation of the stirring device. That is, there is a state where one or a plurality of the gaps are formed in the center of the irradiation area of the light from the light emitting element and a state where the gap is not formed. here,
When one or a plurality of gaps are formed at the center of the irradiation area, the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element and the amount of light detected by the second light receiving element are smaller than in a state where no gap is formed. Therefore, during the stirring operation of the stirrer, a large variation occurs in the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element and the amount of light detected by the second light receiving element. As a result, a large variation occurs in the plurality of calculated values of the water content. Therefore, the magnitude of the variation is calculated for the plurality of calculated values of the water content, and it is determined based on the magnitude of the variation whether the garbage disposal material should be replaced.

As a result of the above-mentioned determination, when it is determined that the garbage disposal material should be replaced, a notification to that effect is given. Here, as a notification method, there are various methods such as a method of turning on a lamp indicating that the garbage processing material should be replaced, a method of displaying on the display that the garbage processing material should be replaced, and a method of generating an alarm. Notification method can be adopted.
As described above, the notification device determines whether or not the garbage disposal material should be replaced. If it is determined that the garbage disposal material should be replaced, the user is notified of the fact. However, it is not necessary to determine whether or not the garbage processing material should be replaced by visually observing the garbage processing material in the processing tank or by smelling the garbage processing material.

Specifically, the variation detecting means of the notification device calculates a standard deviation for the plurality of calculated values,
Determining means for determining whether the calculated standard deviation is greater than a predetermined value; variable generating means for generating a variable that increases in accordance with the number of times the standard deviation is determined to be greater than the predetermined value; Reset means for resetting the variable generation means when the standard deviation is determined to be smaller than a predetermined value; and when the variable generated from the variable generation means exceeds a predetermined threshold, the garbage disposal material in the processing tank is removed. And exchange determination means for determining that the exchange should be performed.

In the above specific configuration, the standard deviation is calculated for a plurality of calculated values of the water content, and the number of times the standard deviation exceeds a predetermined value is counted. In the process of counting up the number of times the standard deviation exceeds a predetermined value, if the standard deviation falls below a predetermined value, at that time,
When the count of the number of times is reset and the standard deviation continuously exceeds a predetermined value for a predetermined number of times or more, it is determined that the garbage disposal material should be replaced. As described above, it is determined that the garbage disposal material should be replaced only when the standard deviation continuously exceeds the predetermined number of times or more, so that the determination result can be highly reliable.

The moisture content detecting device of the second garbage processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a light emitting element, a first light receiving element, and a second light receiving element, similarly to the first garbage processing apparatus. An arithmetic processing circuit is provided for calculating the water content of the mixture in the processing tank based on the output signals of the first and second light receiving elements.
The notification device captures the output value of the first light receiving element a plurality of times during the stirring operation of the stirring device, and detects variation in the plurality of captured output values. Based on the detection results,
Judgment means for judging whether or not the garbage processing material in the processing tank should be replaced, and notification for notifying that it is determined that the garbage processing material in the processing tank should be replaced. Means.

When the garbage processing material in the processing tank is new, the contact state between the wall of the processing tank and the mixture hardly changes even during the stirring operation of the stirrer, as described above. There is no large variation in the amount of light detected by the two light receiving elements. On the other hand, when the deterioration of the garbage processing material in the processing tank progresses and the mixture changes to a plurality of large clusters, the contact state between the wall surface of the processing tank and the mixture is accompanied by the stirring operation of the stirring device. A large change occurs, and a large variation occurs in the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element and the second light receiving element. Therefore, the magnitude of variation is calculated for a plurality of output values obtained from the first light receiving element during the stirring operation of the stirring device, and based on the magnitude of the variation, whether or not the garbage disposal material should be replaced is determined. Is determined. Here, since the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element hardly changes in accordance with the change in the water content of the mixture as described above, when a large variation occurs in the amount of light detected by the first light receiving element, the variation is: This is caused by a large change in the contact state between the wall surface of the treatment tank and the mixture, and it can be determined that the garbage disposal material should be replaced.

[0017]

According to the garbage disposal apparatus according to the present invention,
There is no need for the user to determine whether the garbage disposal material should be replaced.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the garbage disposal apparatus according to the present invention includes a casing (1) having an open top and a lid (11) pivotally supported by the opening of the casing (1) so as to be openable and closable. The inside of the casing (1) is provided with a processing tank (1) in which the garbage / chip mixture (10) is to be stored.
2) is deployed. The treatment tank (12) is made of a material, a color, and a thickness capable of transmitting light of a broadband wavelength including a visible light region and a near-infrared light region, and has a thickness of, for example, 2 mm. It is formed using white polycarbonate.

A shaft (21) is installed horizontally inside the processing tank (12), and a plurality of agitating rods (2) project radially around the shaft (21). One end of the shaft (21) is connected to a motor (23) via a power transmission mechanism (22), and by driving the motor (23), the stirring rod (2) is rotated. The garbage / chip mixture (10) can be stirred. Stirring of the garbage / chip mixture (10) by the stirring rod (2) is performed every 30 minutes at a frequency of several minutes.

A planar heater (3) is attached to the outer surface of the processing tank (12), so that the garbage / chip mixture (10) in the processing tank (12) can be heated. . Further, an exhaust fan (4) is provided above the processing tank (12). The exhaust fan (4) is connected to an exhaust port (13) through an exhaust path (14). By driving (), it is possible to ventilate the inside of the processing tank (12). Further, a water supply mechanism (not shown) is connected to the treatment tank (12) as necessary, so that water can be supplied into the treatment tank (12).

Further, in the garbage processing apparatus according to the present invention, the water content of the garbage / chip mixture (10) in the processing tank (12) is optically measured outside the bottom wall of the processing tank (12). Is provided with a moisture content detector (6) for measurement. As shown in FIG. 3, the water content detector (6) includes a tungsten lamp (61), a silicon photodiode (62), and a pyroelectric element (63) mounted toward the processing tank (12). FIG. 4 (a)
As shown in (1), the tungsten lamp (61) emits light having a wide band over a visible light region and a near-infrared light region. As shown in FIG. 4B, the silicon photodiode (62) has a sensitivity in a relatively narrow wavelength range of 0.5 μm to 1.0 μm, and the pyroelectric element (63) has a sensitivity of 1.0 μm. It has flat sensitivity characteristics over a wide wavelength range exceeding.

As described above, since the processing tank (12) can transmit light of a wide wavelength range including the visible light region and the near infrared light region, the light emitted from the tungsten lamp (61) Passes through the treatment tank (12), is irradiated on the garbage / chip mixture (10), the light reflected on the garbage / chip mixture (10) passes through the treatment tank (12), The light enters the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (63).

The control device (5) includes a control circuit (51) composed of a microcomputer, and the lighting of the tungsten lamp (61) is controlled by the control circuit (51).
The output signals of the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (63) pass through amplifiers (52) and (53), respectively,
(51). The control circuit (51) is based on signals from the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (63) during stirring of the garbage / chip mixture (10) by the stirring rod,
The moisture content of the garbage / chip mixture (10) was detected 10 times and 1
The average moisture content is calculated for 0 detection values. And
Based on the calculated average water content, the operation of the heater (3), the exhaust fan (4) and the motor (23) is controlled, whereby the garbage / chip mixture (10) in the treatment tank (12) is controlled. Adjust the moisture content optimally. Further, the control circuit (51) calculates a standard deviation for the ten detected values of the moisture content of the garbage / chip mixture (10), and, based on the standard deviation, a treatment tank.
(12) It is determined whether or not the garbage processing material should be replaced.If it is determined that the garbage processing material should be replaced, a warning to that effect is displayed on a display (not shown). I do.

Here, the principle of detecting the water content in the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, FIG.
It shows the spectral distribution characteristics of the tungsten lamp (61),
Light is distributed over the visible light region and the near infrared light region. FIG. 4B shows the spectral distribution characteristic P of the silicon photodiode (62) and the spectral distribution characteristic Q of the pyroelectric element (63). The silicon photodiode (62) has a thickness of 0.5 μm.
The pyroelectric element (63) has sensitivity in a relatively narrow wavelength range of about 1.0 μm, and has a flat sensitivity characteristic in a wide wavelength range exceeding 1.0 μm.

FIG. 4C shows the spectral distribution characteristics P 'of the amount of light detected by the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (63) when the light emitted from the tungsten lamp (61) is directly received. And the spectral distribution characteristic Q 'of the light detection amount. However, for the pyroelectric element (63), the change in the amount of received light (differential)
Since the sensor is a thermal sensor that emits a signal corresponding to the output signal, data corresponding to the absolute value of the amount of received light can be obtained by integrating the waveform of the output signal. The peak value of the waveform is used as an integral value (light detection amount). The magnitude of the light detection amount detected by the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (63) is substantially proportional to the area of the region surrounded by the characteristic curves P 'and Q', respectively.

FIG. 4D shows the distribution of transmittance of light in water in a wavelength range from the visible light region to the near-infrared light region. In the visible light region, the transmittance is substantially unity. While almost no light is absorbed, in the near-infrared light region, the transmittance is reduced, and it can be seen that much light is absorbed.

FIG. 4 (e) shows the silicon light when the light emitted from the tungsten lamp (61) passes through a substance containing moisture and enters the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (63). The distribution Pn (n = 0, 40, 80) of the amount of light detected by the photodiode (62) and the distribution Qn (n = 0, 40, 80) of the amount of light detected by the pyroelectric element (63) are shown. Here, n is the water content (%) of the substance. These distributions are represented by spectral distribution characteristics P ′ and Q ′ shown in FIG.
It can be grasped as the product of the water transmittance characteristics shown in FIG. 4D, and the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (6
The magnitude of the light detection amount according to 3) is substantially proportional to the area of the region surrounded by the distribution curves Pn and Qn.

As can be seen from FIG. 4 (e), in the visible light region, the transmittance of water is substantially 1, so that even if the water content changes, the light detection amount of the silicon photodiode (62) is almost zero. No change is seen, but in the near-infrared light region, the degree to which light is absorbed changes according to the change in moisture content,
The amount of light detected by the pyroelectric element (63) changes according to the water content.

The magnitude of the light detection amount by the silicon photodiode is Ps, and the magnitude of the light detection amount by the pyroelectric element is Qs.
Then, the water content W of the object to be measured is expressed by the following equation 1 using the Lambert-Beer equation.

[0030]

X = −log (Qs / Ps) W = a · X + ba a, b: constants

Note that the constants a and b in the above equation 1 are experimentally obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the values of X and the water content are plotted for a plurality of substances whose water content is known, and the relationship between the two is linearly approximated. You can decide.

The above description of the principle is based on the premise that light passes through the object to be measured (substance containing water) and enters the silicon photodiode and the pyroelectric element. This is also true when the light is reflected by the (substance) and the reflected light enters the silicon photodiode and the pyroelectric element. This is because, in addition to the light reflected on the surface, the light reflected from the object to be measured includes light that enters the inside of the object to be measured and is reflected on the internal particle surface, that is, diffusely reflected light. This is because the diffuse reflected light is affected by the absorption characteristics of the measurement object.

FIG. 8 shows a procedure for adjusting the water content in the garbage processing apparatus. This procedure is executed once every 30 minutes. As shown in the drawing, in a state where the value of the counter variable N is reset, first, in step S1, stirring of the garbage / chip mixture (10) by the stirring rod is started.
In step S2, the garbage / chip mixture (10) is irradiated with light from the tungsten lamp (61). This allows the reflected light to pass through the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element.
(63), the control circuit (51) captures the output signals of the silicon photodiode (62) and the pyroelectric element (63), and detects the magnitude of each light detection amount. Next, step S
In step 3, after calculating the water content of the garbage / chip mixture (10) using the above equation 1, in step S4, it is determined whether the value of the counter variable N is 9 or not. S5
Then, after the value of the counter variable N is counted up, the process returns to step S2.

Thus, the garbage / chip mixture (10)
Is calculated every few seconds, and thereafter, when the water content of the garbage / chip mixture (10) is calculated 10 times, it is determined to be YES in step S4 and the process proceeds to step S6.
The stirring of the garbage / chip mixture (10) by the stirring rod is terminated.

Subsequently, in step S7, an average value is calculated for the ten calculated values of the water content. In step S8, it is determined whether or not the average water content is less than 25%. In step S9, a water supply warning is displayed on the display to urge the user to supply water, and the stirring time by the stirring rod is shortened to increase the water content. If it is determined NO in step S8,
The process proceeds to step S10, and it is determined whether or not the water content exceeds 50%. If the determination is yes here, in step S11, the fan is rotated to ventilate the inside of the processing tank, extend the stirring time by the stirring rod, and further increase the set temperature of the heater. This lowers the water content.

As a result, the water content of the garbage / chip mixture in the treatment tank is adjusted to the range of 25% to 50%.
As a result, the efficiency of the garbage decomposition process is maintained at a high level, and the generation of an odor due to the decomposition is suppressed.

FIG. 9 shows a procedure for displaying a processing material replacement warning in the garbage processing apparatus. As shown in the drawing, first, after resetting the value of the counter variable M in step S21, in step S22, it is determined whether or not the stirring of the garbage / chip mixture (10) by the stirring rod has been completed. The same determination is repeated in step S22.

On the other hand, if the determination is YES in step S22, the process proceeds to step S23, and the standard deviation is calculated for the ten calculated values of the water content obtained in step S3 in FIG. Here, when the garbage processing material in the processing tank is new, the garbage processing material is an aggregate of countless small pieces. The contact state of the dust / chip mixture hardly changes, and there is no large variation in the amount of light detected by the silicon photodiode and the amount of light detected by the pyroelectric element. Therefore, there is no large variation in the ten calculated values of the water content, and their standard deviations are small.

On the other hand, the deterioration of the garbage processing material in the processing tank progressed, and as shown in FIG.
When (0) changes to a plurality of large clusters,
A plurality of voids (15) are generated between the bottom surface of (12) and the plurality of masses in contact with the bottom surface, and the contact state between the bottom surface of the treatment tank (12) and the garbage / chip mixture (10) is shown in FIG. And as shown in FIG.
It changes greatly depending on the rotation of the stirring rod. Here, for example, in a state where one of the gaps (15) is formed at the center of the irradiation area of the light from the tungsten lamp (61) as shown in FIG. The silicon photodiode (62)
And the amount of light detected by the pyroelectric element (63) is reduced. Therefore, during the stirring of the garbage / chip mixture (10),
A large variation occurs in the amount of light detected by the silicon photodiode (62) and the amount of light detected by the pyroelectric element (63). As a result, large variations occur in the ten calculated values of the water content, and their standard deviations become large values. Therefore, based on the standard deviation, it is determined whether or not the garbage disposal material should be replaced as described later.

Next, in step S24 of FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not the standard deviation is larger than a predetermined value. If the result is YES, the process proceeds to step S25, where the value of the counter variable M is counted up. In step S26, it is determined whether or not the value of the counter variable M is 5 or more. If it is determined NO in step S26, the process returns to step S22. If it is determined YES, step S27 is performed.
Then, a warning to the effect that the garbage disposal material should be replaced is displayed on the display, and the process returns to step S22. If NO is determined in step S24, the value of the counter variable M is reset in step S28, and the warning display is terminated in step S29.
Return to 22.

According to the above procedure, the standard deviation is calculated for the ten calculated water content values during one stirring operation, and the number of times the standard deviation exceeds a predetermined value is counted. If the standard deviation falls below a predetermined value in the process of counting up the number, the count of the number is reset at that time. When the standard deviation exceeds the predetermined value five times or more continuously, it is determined that the garbage disposal material should be replaced, and a warning to that effect is displayed on the display.

In the garbage processing apparatus of this embodiment, when the garbage processing material deteriorates and the garbage / chip mixture (10) changes to a dumpling mass as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the display. Therefore, the user should replace the garbage disposal material by visually observing the garbage / chip mixture (10) in the treatment tank (12) or by smelling the garbage / chip mixture (10). It is not necessary to determine whether or not. In the garbage processing apparatus of the present embodiment, as described above, the garbage processing material should be replaced only when the standard deviation of the water content exceeds a predetermined value continuously for 5 times or more. Since the judgment is made, high reliability is obtained for the judgment result.

In the above embodiment, the water content detector (6) is mounted outside the bottom wall of the processing tank (12), but is not limited to this. It is also possible to arrange outside. The processing tank (12) is a water content detector
It is also possible to configure only the portion facing (6) from a light transmitting member such as polycarbonate. In addition, a combination of a silicon photodiode (62) and a pyroelectric element (63) is used as a light receiving element, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the combination of light receiving elements has sensitivity in a strong wavelength range, a combination of various known light receiving elements such as a combination of a silicon photodiode and a germanium photodiode can be employed.

In addition, when the standard deviation of the water content exceeds a predetermined value for five or more consecutive times, a warning display for replacing the garbage disposal material is displayed. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the warning is displayed when the standard deviation exceeds a predetermined value even once. Furthermore, a configuration is adopted in which it is determined whether or not the garbage disposal material should be replaced based on the standard deviation of the water content, but instead of this, the standard deviation of the output value of the silicon photodiode (62) is used. It is also possible to adopt a configuration for making the above-mentioned determination based on

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a garbage processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the garbage processing apparatus in a direction orthogonal to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a moisture content detector and a control device.

FIG. 4 is a series of graphs explaining the principle of moisture content detection in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a relationship between a measured value of a water content and a logarithmic value of an output ratio of a pyroelectric element and a silicon photodiode.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the deterioration of the garbage processing material has progressed and the garbage / chip mixture has changed into a plurality of dumpling-like masses.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining that the contact state between the bottom surface of the processing tank and the garbage / chip mixture changes greatly.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for adjusting the water content in the garbage processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure for displaying a processing material replacement warning in the garbage processing apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 (1) Casing (10) Garbage / chip mixture (11) Lid (12) Treatment tank (2) Stir bar (3) Heater (4) Exhaust fan (5) Control device (6) Moisture content detector (61) Tungsten lamp (62) Silicon photodiode (63) Pyroelectric element

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2G059 AA01 AA02 BB08 CC09 DD05 DD16 EE01 EE02 EE11 FF06 FF08 HH01 HH02 KK03 MM12 PP01 4D004 AA03 BA04 CA15 CA19 CA22 CA48 CB04 CB06 CB28 CB32 CC08 DA01 DA04 CC09 DA13 DA03 DA09 EE66 FF06 GG18 GG43 GG49 GG61 GG67 GG70

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A garbage processing apparatus for storing a mixture of garbage and a garbage processing material in a processing tank, adjusting the water content of the mixture, and decomposing the garbage, to mix the garbage in the processing tank. , A water content detection device that detects the water content of the mixture in the processing tank, a water content adjustment device that adjusts the water content based on the detected water content, and garbage processing in the processing tank. Equipped with a notification device for notifying that materials should be replaced,
A light-emitting element configured to irradiate the mixture with light including a first wavelength region having a large transmittance for water and a second wavelength region having a small transmittance for water; and A first light-receiving element having sensitivity, receiving reflected light from the mixture in the processing tank, and emitting an output corresponding to the magnitude of the amount of received light; having sensitivity in the second wavelength range; A second light-receiving element that receives reflected light from the mixture of the above and emits an output corresponding to the amount of received light or a change in the amount of received light; An arithmetic processing circuit that performs an operation of calculating the moisture content of the mixture in the processing tank a plurality of times, wherein the processing tank includes a light transmitting portion on at least a part of a wall surface where the mixture contacts, and the light transmitting portion includes In opposition, the light emitting element, the first light receiving element and the second light receiving element The notification device is arranged, the plurality of calculated values of the moisture content are fetched from the arithmetic processing circuit, and for the fetched plurality of calculated values, a variation detection unit that detects a magnitude of variation, and a detection of the variation detection unit Judgment means for judging whether or not the garbage disposal material in the treatment tank should be replaced based on the result, and when it is determined that the garbage disposal material in the treatment tank should be replaced, A garbage disposal apparatus, comprising: a notifying means for notifying the user of the fact. 2. The variation detecting means of the notifying device calculates a standard deviation for the plurality of calculated values, and the determining means determines whether or not the calculated standard deviation is greater than a predetermined value. A variable generating means for generating a variable that increases according to the number of times the standard deviation is determined to be larger than the predetermined value; a reset means for resetting the variable generating means when the standard deviation is determined to be smaller than the predetermined value; 2. A garbage disposal device according to claim 1, further comprising replacement determination means for determining that the garbage disposal material in the processing tank should be replaced when a variable generated from the variable generation device exceeds a predetermined threshold. Processing equipment. 3. A garbage processing apparatus for storing a mixture of garbage and a garbage processing material in a processing tank, adjusting the water content of the mixture, and decomposing the garbage, wherein the mixture in the processing tank is provided. , A water content detection device that detects the water content of the mixture in the processing tank, a water content adjustment device that adjusts the water content based on the detected water content, and garbage processing in the processing tank. Equipped with a notification device for notifying that materials should be replaced,
A light-emitting element configured to irradiate the mixture with light including a first wavelength region having a large transmittance for water and a second wavelength region having a small transmittance for water; and A first light-receiving element having sensitivity, receiving reflected light from the mixture in the processing tank, and emitting an output corresponding to the magnitude of the amount of received light; having sensitivity in the second wavelength range; A second light receiving element that receives reflected light from the mixture of the above and emits an output according to the magnitude of the amount of received light or a change in the amount of received light, based on the output signals of the first and second light receiving elements, An arithmetic processing circuit for calculating a water content, wherein the processing tank includes a light transmitting portion on at least a part of a wall contacting the mixture, and the light emitting element and the first light receiving element are opposed to the light transmitting section. And a second light receiving element are arranged, and the notifying device is configured to stir the stirring device. During operation, the output value of the first light receiving element is captured a plurality of times, and for the plurality of the captured output values, a variation detection unit that detects a magnitude of variation, and based on a detection result of the variation detection unit, A judgment means for judging whether or not the garbage processing material should be replaced, and a notifying means for notifying when it is determined that the garbage processing material in the processing tank should be replaced, is provided. A garbage disposal device characterized by the following: