JP2016108092A - Article charging mechanism and article storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article storage device which comprises a lid member for opening and closing an opening by being rotated by a drive mechanism, and also comprises a simple mechanism capable of suppressing a load to the drive mechanism even when the lid member malfunctions.SOLUTION: An article storage device 10 comprises: a storage container 11 having an opening 12; a lid member 13 provided rotatably so as to open or close the opening 12; and an article charging mechanism 20 having a rotary member 22 rotated by a drive mechanism 21 inside the storage container 11, and a support shaft 24 for connecting and supporting one end side of the rotary member 22 and the lid member 13. The support shaft 24 has a predetermined elastic force in a bending direction and a pulling direction. Thus, the lid member 13 can be opened or closed without applying an excessive load on a motor 21 when an external force is applied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an article input mechanism and an article storage device that are provided with a lid member that opens and closes an opening by operating with a drive mechanism, and that enables input of articles into a storage container.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a trash box provided with a lid automatic opening / closing mechanism in which a lid member covering an opening for putting trash or the like is opened / closed by a driving mechanism such as a motor. Specifically, in the trash box in Patent Document 1, a lid that rotates by a shaft is provided at the top of the trash box, and a reflective infrared sensor that detects an object by irradiating infrared rays is provided on the lid frame of the trash box. When the object is detected by the reflective infrared sensor, the motor is driven to rotate the shaft via the rotating lever and the link arm to open the lid downward in the trash box. Furthermore, a spring for urging the lid in the fully closed direction is attached to the shaft. However, if the lid is closed only by the spring force, it closes vigorously. To prevent this, operate the motor with a small torque in the direction to open the lid, and close the lid so that the spring force slightly increases. Has a damper function.

  In Patent Document 2, an opening unit for used articles, which includes an opening for putting in dust on an upper side surface of a frame, and an opening / closing door that opens and closes the opening is formed to be rotatable inside the frame. Is disclosed. A sensor for detecting an object such as a human body is provided in the vicinity of the opening / closing door, and the opening / closing door is configured to be opened / closed by opening / closing door driving means such as a motor when the sensor detects the object. The rotation of the motor is configured to rotate the door, for example, via a link mechanism.

Japanese Patent No. 4245511 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-43159

  Since the technology of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a door is opened by driving a motor, an external force that is not driving a motor is applied when a person pushes the lid by hand or some object falls on the lid. If the lid is forced to open, the motor will be loaded, causing a failure. Also, the lid cannot be opened or closed during a power failure.

  The technique of Patent Document 2 is also the same, and an unnecessary load is applied to the motor when the door is forcibly opened manually. However, in the case of Patent Document 2, the link mechanism is devised so that the door can be manually opened in the event of a failure of the electrical system, but the structure of the link mechanism is complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and includes a lid member that is rotated by a drive mechanism to automatically open and close the opening, while an external force that forcibly moves the lid member in the opening direction is applied. However, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article input mechanism and an article storage device that are particularly suitable for a trash can, which can suppress an unnecessary load on the drive mechanism with a simple structure and reduce a failure of the drive mechanism.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an article input mechanism of the present invention is an article storage device having a storage container having an opening, and a lid member that pivots inwardly around one end edge to open and close the opening. An article input mechanism that opens and closes the lid member to enable the input of the article into the container,
A rotating member that is rotated by a driving mechanism; and a support shaft that is connected to the rotating member and the lid member and is made of an elastic member having a predetermined elastic force in a bending direction. The rotation causes the lid member to move in the opening direction or the closing direction of the opening around the one end edge through the support shaft, while the lid member is moved inward without being driven by the driving mechanism. When an external force is applied to the support shaft, the support shaft bends against the elastic force to open the lid member, and when the external force is removed, the elastic force of the support shaft The lid member is configured to operate in the closing direction.

  The support shaft is preferably a closely wound coil spring. It is preferable that the rotation member is provided such that the rotation direction thereof is a direction that intersects the rotation direction of the lid member. It is preferable that the storage container is a container for storing used articles such as garbage.

  In addition, the article storage device of the present invention includes a storage container having an opening, a lid member that pivots inwardly around one end edge to open and close the opening, and opens and closes the lid member to open the storage container. And an article input mechanism that enables an article to be input to the apparatus, and the article input mechanism is provided with any one of the article input mechanisms. The article storage device is preferably for storing used articles such as garbage.

  According to the present invention, when the rotating member is rotated by the drive of the driving mechanism, the lid is centered on one end edge from the closed state to the opening direction via the support shaft connected to the rotating member. The member pivots inward. When a person inserts an article such as garbage from the opening, the rotating member is rotated again by the drive of the driving mechanism, and the lid member rotates in a direction to close the opening from the open state via the support shaft.

  Since the support shaft is made of an elastic member having a predetermined elastic force in the bending direction, even if the rotation direction of the rotation member does not coincide with the rotation direction of the lid member, that is, the rotation direction of the rotation member is the rotation of the lid member. Even when provided so as to intersect the direction, the lid member can be opened and closed by bending the support shaft so as to be twisted. As a result, the degree of freedom of the arrangement posture of the rotating member and the drive mechanism is increased according to the shape of the container and the position and size of the opening, and the application range of the design specification can be expanded.

  In addition, when the lid member is in a state where the opening is closed, if an external force that pushes the lid member in some situation is applied, the support shaft bends even if the lid member rotates. No force to forcibly rotate is applied. That is, by using a support shaft made of an elastic member, it is possible to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the drive mechanism when a force for forcibly opening the lid member is applied in this way, although the structure is simple. . On the other hand, when the external force is removed, the lid member quickly moves in the closing direction by the restoring force of the elastic member.

  Further, even when the lid member is artificially pushed open at the time of a power failure or when an electrical system failure occurs, an extra load on the drive mechanism can be suppressed, and the frequency of failure occurrence is reduced.

  Moreover, it can apply also when an opening part is formed in the upper wall surface of a storage container by using what has predetermined elasticity in a bending direction as a support shaft. In the state where the opening is closed, the lid member is always applied with a force in the direction of opening due to its own weight, but can be supported by the bending elasticity of the support shaft.

  In addition, by using a closely wound coil spring as the support shaft, not only the elastic force in the bending direction but also the elastic force in the pulling direction can function, and the elastic force can be selected by selecting the coil diameter and the thickness of the wire. Since various adjustments can be made easily, there is an advantage that the application range is wide.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a part of an article accommodating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing an article input mechanism for opening and closing the lid member in FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state when an external force is applied to the lid member in the trash box of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of the article storage device of FIG. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a part of an article storage device according to another aspect of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a part of an article accommodation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a part of an article accommodating device according to another aspect of the second embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a structure in the vicinity of an upper part of an article storage device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view as seen from the inside of the article storage device 10 in FIG. 1, and schematically shows the article input mechanism 20 that opens and closes the lid member 13. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state when an external force is applied to the lid member 13. FIG. 4 shows the entire article housing apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the article storage device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided with an opening 12 through which an article, for example, a used article such as garbage, is placed on the upper side wall of the storage container 11. Is forming. Further, the lid member 13 is provided so as to be rotatable so as to open or close the opening 12. Specifically, a bearing portion 14 is provided at one end edge (the upper end edge in FIG. 1) of the lid member 13, and the support shaft 15 is inserted into the bearing portion 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the support shaft 15 is supported by brackets 16 provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the container 11 on the left and right sides of the opening 12. The lid member 13 has a so-called inward opening structure that rotates inward of the storage container 11. Since the lid member 13 does not protrude further outward from the outer surface of the storage container 11 when an article such as garbage is thrown in by opening the inside, such as a toilet of a vehicle such as a train, an aircraft, a bus, etc. It is suitable for throwing in used articles such as garbage disposed in a narrow space. Moreover, since the cover member 13 always closes the opening 12, articles accumulated in the storage container 11 are not seen through the opening 12 and are suitable for used articles such as garbage. . The lid member 13 only needs to be able to rotate around one end edge, and the structure for pivotally supporting the one end edge is not limited to the embodiment shown in the figure. For example, Instead of the support shaft 15 and the like, a hinge can be provided.

  As the article input mechanism 20 that opens and closes the lid member 13, a motor 21 as a drive mechanism is provided on the upper wall surface of the container 11, and a rotary member 22 that rotates in the horizontal plane direction by a rotation drive shaft 21 a of the motor 21 is provided. ing. In the present embodiment, the rotating member 22 has a disk shape, but is not limited thereto, and for example, an arm shape can be used.

  The drive-side connecting portion 23 provided on one end side of the rotating member 22 (for example, the outer peripheral side of a disk-shaped member) and the lid member 13 are separated from one end edge (support shaft 15 side) of the rotation center to the other end edge side. The lid side connecting portion 17 provided at the position is connected by the support shaft 24.

  The support shaft 24 is made of an elastic member having a predetermined elastic force at least in the bending direction, preferably in the pulling direction. Preferably, it is a closely wound coil spring. In addition, for example, a resin shaft such as an elastomer resin or rubber may be used as the support shaft 24. However, a closely wound coil spring is a coil spring in which a wire for a spring is tightly wound, and has a bending elasticity and a tension elasticity that return to a straight original shape, and can be bent depending on the coil diameter or the thickness of the wire. Various elasticity and tensile elasticity can be adjusted, and it is effective in that it can exhibit a predetermined elastic force while being more compact than other elastic members and has a wide application range.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a detection device 18 that detects a human hand or the like approaching the opening 12 is provided in the container 11 near the opening 12. As the detection device 18, various devices such as an optical sensor and an infrared sensor can be used. When the detection device 18 detects the approach of a human hand or the like, the signal is sent to a control unit that controls the driving of the motor 21, and the motor 21 is driven.

  In the accommodation device 10 of the first embodiment, the detection device 18 that detects an object is provided. However, a switch such as a push button operated by a person may be provided and operated by a switch operation.

Next, the effect | action of the trash box 10 of said 1st embodiment is demonstrated.
The storage device 10 of the present embodiment is normally in a state where the lid member 13 fully closes the opening 12. When a human hand approaches the opening 12, the detection device 18 detects this, and the detection signal is sent to the control unit of the motor 21, and the motor 21 is rotationally driven. In the present embodiment, the rotating member 22 is in a state in which the driving side connecting portion 23 is in a position far from the lid member 13 from a position close to the lid member 13 as shown by a solid line in FIG. Turn 180 ° to stop.
Since the lid member 13 is pulled via the support shaft 24 that couples the drive side coupling portion 23 and the lid side coupling portion 17, the rotating member 22 is changed from the fully closed state of the solid line in FIG. 1 to the fully opened state of the two-dot chain line. For example, it is rotated counterclockwise in the opening direction and stopped. At this time, since the support shaft 24 opens the lid member 13 while receiving bending and pulling forces, it is preferable to use a closely wound coil spring as described above.

  When a predetermined time elapses after the opening operation of the lid member 13 or when a human hand leaves the opening 12, the signal is sent to the control unit of the motor 21, and the motor 21 rotates in reverse and is connected to the drive side. The rotating member 22 is rotated 180 ° in the closing direction, that is, in the clockwise direction so that the portion 23 changes from the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 to the position of the solid line in FIG. Thereby, the lid member 13 returns to the fully closed state which is the position of the solid line in FIG. 1 while being supported by the bending elastic force of the support shaft 24.

  Since the support shaft 24 has a predetermined elastic force in the bending direction and the pulling direction, the rotation direction of the rotation member 22 may not be the same as the rotation direction of the lid member 13 (substantially vertical direction in the present embodiment). Then, the support shaft 24 opens and closes the lid member 13 while being twisted, that is, while receiving the force of bending and pulling. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, the rotation direction of the rotating member 22 can be arranged so as to intersect substantially the horizontal direction and substantially perpendicular to the vertical plane direction that is the rotation direction of the lid member 13. Thereby, according to the shape of the container 11 and the position and size of the opening 12, the direction of the rotation drive shaft 21a of the motor 21 and the arrangement posture of the rotation member 22 can be freely set. The application range can be expanded.

Further, an external force that pushes the lid member 13 may be applied in a state where the lid member 13 fully closes the opening 12. For example, there are various cases such as when a load is applied to push the lid member 13 by an object that the detection device 18 cannot detect, or when the detection device 18 does not operate normally and a person forcibly pushes the lid member 13 open. There is a situation.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the lid member 13 is pressed inward by an external force and rotates in a direction to open from the fully closed state of the solid line to the state of the two-dot chain line. At this time, since the support shaft 24 is bent like a two-dot chain line due to its elasticity, the force for rotating the rotating member 22 does not act so much and the motor 21 is not forced to rotate. That is, according to this embodiment, even if the lid member 13 is manually pressed by a simple mechanism such as the support shaft 24, no extra load is applied to the motor 21, which contributes to a reduction in failure. In addition, even when a power failure occurs or when an electrical system failure occurs, it is possible to artificially push open the lid member 13 and throw the garbage into the container 11 from the opening 12.

  Further, since the rotation direction of the rotation member 22 is not the same as the rotation direction (vertical surface direction) of the lid member 13 but is substantially horizontal, as shown in FIG. Rotate along the top wall. Therefore, the rotation angle when the lid member 13 opens inward can be increased.

  Incidentally, when the rotation direction (vertical surface direction) of the rotation member 22 is the same as the rotation direction (vertical surface direction) of the lid member 13 as shown in FIG. 6 showing a second embodiment described later. When the lid member 13 is in the fully closed state of the opening 12, one end side of the rotating member 22 is positioned near the lid member 13. Therefore, even if the lid member 13 rotates inward, the lid member 13 hits the rotary member 22 within a relatively small rotation angle compared to the structure of FIG. Become smaller.

In the storage device 10 of the first embodiment described above, the opening 12 is formed on the upper part of one side wall of the storage container 11, but the opening 12 is formed on the upper wall surface of the storage container 11 as shown in FIG. It can also be applied when formed.
The lid member 13 is in a horizontal state at a position where the opening 12 formed on the upper wall surface of the container 11 is fully closed. The article input mechanism 20 is the same as that shown in FIG. In this case, a motor 21 as a drive mechanism is provided on the side wall surface of the container 11, and a rotating member 22 that rotates in a vertical plane direction with a rotation drive shaft 21 a of the motor 21 is provided.

  Referring to the operation of the storage device 10 in FIG. 5, when the lid member 13 fully closes the opening 12, a force is applied in the direction in which the lid member 13 opens counterclockwise in FIG. 5 due to its own weight. However, the lid member 13 is supported by the elastic force of the support shaft 24 and can be held in the fully closed state.

  The operation of the article throwing mechanism 20 when a person throws garbage into the container 11 from the opening 12 is the same as the mode of FIGS. The operation when an external force that pushes the lid member 13 in some situation is applied is also the same as the mode of FIGS.

Next, the article storage device 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the structure is almost the same as that of the first embodiment described above, different points will be mainly described, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of the same points will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 6, the article input mechanism 20 is provided with a motor 21 as a drive mechanism on the upper wall surface of the container 11, and a rotating member 22 that rotates in the vertical plane direction with a rotation drive shaft 21 a of the motor 21. Provided. That is, the rotation direction of the rotation member 22 is the same vertical plane direction as the rotation direction of the lid member 13. The rotating member 22 is an arm-shaped member, but is not limited to this.
A driving side connecting portion 23 provided on one end side of the rotating member 22 and a lid side connecting portion 17 provided near the other end edge of the lid member 13 away from one end edge (side on which the support shaft 15 is provided). Are connected by a support shaft 24. Similar to the first embodiment described above, the support shaft 24 is formed of an elastic member having predetermined bending elasticity and tensile elasticity, and preferably a closely wound coil spring is used.

Next, the effect | action of the accommodating apparatus 10 of said 2nd embodiment is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 6, the storage device 10 is in a state in which the lid member 13 always fully closes the opening 12. When a person approaches the opening 12 of the storage device 10, the motor 21 is rotationally driven by a detection signal from the detection device 18. In the present embodiment, the rotating member 22 is in a state in which the driving side connecting portion 23 is in a position far from the lid member 13 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6 from a position near the lid member 13 as shown by a solid line in FIG. Turn approximately 90 ° to stop.
Since the lid member 13 is pulled through the support shaft 24 that couples the drive side coupling portion 23 and the lid side coupling portion 17, the opening direction is from the fully closed state of the solid line in FIG. 6 to the fully opened state of the two-dot chain line. It rotates counterclockwise.

When a predetermined time elapses after the person throws in the garbage or when the person leaves the opening 12, the motor 21 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction. From the state of the dotted line to the state of the solid line in FIG.
Along with this, the lid member 13 is rotated in the clockwise direction that is the closing direction from the fully open state of the two-dot chain line to the fully closed state of FIG.

  When an external force is applied to push the lid member 13 in any situation while the lid member 13 is fully closed, the lid member 13 is rotated in the opening direction as in the first embodiment. Move. However, since the support shaft 24 is deformed in the bending direction by this external force, a large force that rotates the rotating member 22 does not act, and in this embodiment, the load when the motor 21 is erroneously operated with a simple configuration. Can be prevented. Further, in the same way as the first embodiment, it is possible to artificially push open the lid member 13 and throw garbage into the storage container 11 in the event of a power failure or when an electrical system failure occurs. is there. When the external force that presses the lid member 13 inward is removed, the lid member 13 is moved in the closing direction by the elastic restoring force of the support shaft 24.

  In the second embodiment described above, the opening 12 is formed in the upper part of one side wall of the storage container 11, but when the opening 12 is formed on the upper wall surface of the storage container 11, as shown in FIG. Is also applicable.

  The lid member 13 is in a horizontal state at a position where the opening 12 formed on the upper wall surface of the container 11 is fully closed. Further, the article input mechanism 20 is the same as that shown in FIG. In this case, a motor 21 as a drive mechanism is provided on the side wall surface of the container 11, and an arm that is a rotating member 22 that rotates in a vertical plane direction with a rotation drive shaft 21 a of the motor 21 is provided.

  In the case of FIG. 7, when the lid member 13 fully closes the opening 12, a force is applied in a direction in which the lid member 13 opens counterclockwise in FIG. 7 due to its own weight. However, the lid member 13 is supported by the elastic force of the support shaft 24 and is held in the fully closed state. The operation of the article loading mechanism 20 when a person throws garbage into the container 11 from the opening 12 is the same as in the case of the second embodiment described above. The operation when an external force that pushes the lid member 13 inward is applied is the same, and the opening 12 can be opened and closed without applying a load to the motor 21 due to the deformation in the bending direction of the support shaft 24 and its elastic restoring force. Is done.

  In addition, although the example using used articles, such as garbage, is shown in the said embodiment as an article to be thrown in, if it is a mechanism which throws in some articles into storage container 11, it will be restricted to used articles, such as garbage. The present invention can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Article storage apparatus 11 Storage container 12 Opening part 13 Cover member 17 Cover side connection part 20 Article input mechanism 21 Motor (drive mechanism)
21a Rotation drive shaft 22 Rotation member 23 Drive side connection part 24 Support shaft

Claims (6)

In an article storage device having a storage container having an opening, and a lid member that pivots inwardly around one end edge to open and close the opening, the lid member is opened and closed, and the article to the storage container An article input mechanism that enables input,
A rotating member that is rotated by a drive mechanism;
A support shaft made of an elastic member connected to the rotating member and the lid member and having a predetermined elastic force in the bending direction;
While rotating the rotating member by driving the driving mechanism, the lid member is operated in the opening direction or the closing direction of the opening around the one end edge through the support shaft,
When an external force that presses the lid member inwardly is applied without being driven by the drive mechanism, the support shaft bends against its elastic force to open the lid member, and the external force is An article throwing mechanism characterized in that, when removed, the lid member is moved in the closing direction by the elastic force of the support shaft.   The article input mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the support shaft is a closely wound coil spring.   The article input mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation member is provided such that a rotation direction thereof is a direction intersecting a rotation direction of the lid member.   The article input mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the storage container is a container for storing used articles such as garbage. A storage container having an opening;
A lid member that pivots inwardly around one edge and opens and closes the opening;
Comprising an article loading mechanism that opens and closes the lid member and allows the article to be loaded into the container;
The article storage device according to claim 1, wherein the article input mechanism according to claim 1 is provided as the article input mechanism.   The article storage device according to claim 5, which is used for storing used articles such as garbage.

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