JP2017202486A - Volume reducing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a volume reducing machine which can reduce a volume of a container stably.SOLUTION: A volume reducing machine 1 includes: a casing 2 having an input port 7a for receiving a container; and a compression mechanism 21 which has a receiving part 50c and reduces a volume of the container, which is input from the input port 7a, is guided so as to slide off until coming contact with the receiving part 50c, and is received by the receiving part 50c. The compression mechanism 21 has a first member 41 and a second member 42, and is structured so as to compress and reduce a volume of the container by moving at least one of the first member 41 and the second member 42 so that an interval between the first member 41 and the second member 42 becomes closer to each other. A cut part 41d formed by cutting an end part periphery is formed on at least one of the first member 41 and the second member 42 so as to release a tip end part of the container when the volume of the container is reduced by the first member 41 and the second member 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a volume reduction machine capable of reducing the volume of a container at a high volume reduction rate.

  It is widespread that containers such as cans and plastic bottles containing drinking water are collected by a collection device from the viewpoint of reuse of material resources. A general collection device collects PET bottles and cans (aluminum cans, steel cans, etc.) by collecting them into collection boxes for each material. These containers have large internal cavities and are bulky, so that the collection box can quickly fill up and easily overflow. For this reason, a method of collecting the containers in the collection box after reducing the volume may be adopted so that a large number of containers can be accommodated in the collection box.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 is cited as a prior art disclosing a technology related to volume reduction processing. The volume reduction recovery machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a metal sensor that detects a metal container such as a steel can and an aluminum can, a compression device constituted by a fixed plate and a movable plate, and the weight of the object to be processed. A guide slope that slides down the processing object and a stopper plate that receives the object to be processed down the guide slope are provided. When an object to be processed is put into this volume reduction recovery machine, the object to be processed slides down the guide slope, and a steel can and an aluminum can are identified from the objects to be treated by a metal sensor, and a glass bottle is identified by weight. . Then, the object to be processed received by the stopper plate falls into the compression device, and is sandwiched between the fixed plate and the movable plate to be compressed and reduced. On the other hand, the glass bottle is discharged outside without being compressed and reduced in volume.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-5459

  Even if the container put into the volume reduction recovery machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is sandwiched between the fixed plate and the movable plate, the container may not be sufficiently reduced in volume. There is also a demand for further increasing the volume reduction rate of the container.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said present condition, The objective is to provide the volume reduction machine which can reduce the volume of a container with a high volume reduction rate.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a volume reducing machine according to the present invention has a casing having a slot for receiving a container and a receiving part, and is guided so as to slide down until it is introduced from the charging slot and hits the receiving part. And a compression mechanism for reducing the volume of the container received by the receiving portion, the compression mechanism having a first member and a second member, wherein the first member and the second member The container can be compressed and reduced by moving at least one of the first member and the second member so that the interval approaches each other, and the container is formed by the first member and the second member. At least one of the first member and the second member has a notch that is cut out in the vicinity of the end in order to allow the tip of the container to escape when the volume is reduced.

  According to the said structure, a container can be compression-reduced by pinching with a 1st member and a 2nd member, escaping the front-end | tip part of a container by a notch part. When the container is a beverage plastic bottle, the tip or bottom part of the container is often hard, so the first member and the second member are used to release the hard part of the container through the notch. Can be reduced in volume, thereby increasing the volume reduction rate of the container.

  In the above configuration, preferably, the second member is formed of a plate material that is positioned below the first member and has a shape in which a cross section in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the container slides down is bent downward.

  According to the said structure, since a container slides down along the part of the ridge which the surface where the 2nd member bent downwards cross | intersects, the direction of the container thrown into the insertion port can be made difficult to change. For this reason, since the container thrown into the inlet is compressed and reduced by being sandwiched between the first member and the second member of the compression mechanism in the throwing direction, the container can be reduced more stably.

  In the above configuration, preferably, the first member is a fixing member that is fixed above the second member, and the second member is positioned below the insertion port and is relative to the fixing member. The movable member compresses and reduces the volume of the container by changing its position.

  According to the said structure, the container thrown into the insertion opening can be arrange | positioned on a movable member. The container can be compressed and volume-reduced by bringing the relative position of the movable member closer to the fixed member and sandwiching the container between the fixed member and the movable member. In this way, by moving only the movable member and compressing and reducing the volume of the container, it is not necessary to move the first member (fixed member), so that the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the notch part is provided in the edge part vicinity by the side of the receiving part of a 1st member.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the volume-reduced container from being caught by the second member (movable member) after the volume of the container is reduced by being sandwiched between the first member and the second member.

  In the above configuration, preferably, a recovery unit that is provided in the casing and collects the container reduced in volume by the compression mechanism, and a return that is provided in the casing and is not reduced in volume by the compression mechanism is returned. And a guide section that operates so that the container that is not reduced in volume is guided to the return path.

  According to the above configuration, only the container reduced in volume by the compression mechanism (hereinafter also referred to as “volume reduction container”) can be recovered in the recovery unit. Containers that are not reduced in volume by the compression mechanism (hereinafter also referred to as “unreduced containers”) are guided to the return path through the guiding portion. That is, when the compression mechanism compresses and reduces the volume of the container, the recovery section collects the volume reduction container without operating the guide section, and when the compression mechanism does not compress the volume of the container, the unreduced container is placed in the return path. Operate the guiding part to guide By providing such a guide part, it becomes possible to separate the volume-reduced container and the non-volume-reduced container into a collection part and a return path, respectively, with a simple configuration.

  In the above configuration, preferably, a metal sensor that is attached to the lower surface side of the second member and detects whether or not the container is made of metal, and the guide portion based on detection information by the metal sensor. And a guiding unit control unit to be operated.

  According to the above configuration, since the guiding unit control unit operates the guiding unit based on the detection information from the metal sensor, the container is guided to the collecting unit depending on whether or not the container put into the charging port is made of metal. It is possible to sort whether to guide to the return path. Thereby, a metallic container and a nonmetallic container can be separated easily.

  In the above configuration, it is preferable to further include a sliding member provided on the upper surface of the second member on the return path side.

  According to the above configuration, the sliding member makes it easier for the container to slide on the upper surface of the second member, so that the container can be guided to the collection unit or the return path along with the operation of the second member. It is possible to prevent the container from remaining on the upper surface.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the volume reduction machine which can reduce a container with a high volume reduction rate is provided.

It is a perspective view of the volume reduction machine which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a right view of the volume reduction machine shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which removed the front board of the volume reduction machine shown in FIG. It is a right view showing the internal structure of the volume reduction machine shown in FIG. It is a front view showing the internal structure of the volume reduction machine shown in FIG. It is the perspective view which removed the operation board of the volume reduction machine shown in FIG. 1, and looked at the compression mechanism from the operation board side. It is the perspective view which looked at the 1st member from diagonally lower side. It is the front view which looked at the receiving part in the front. It is a figure which shows the structure of a compression mechanism, and operation | movement of a 2nd member. It is a top view of a compression mechanism. It is a figure which shows the structure of a control unit. It is the flowchart which described operation | movement of the volume reduction machine when inputting various containers for every process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Overall structure of volume reduction machine)
1 and 2 are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of the volume reducer 1 of the present embodiment. When the container is inserted into the inlet 7a, the volume reducer 1 according to the present embodiment sorts the containers into different materials in the volume reducer 1, and reduces and collects containers (for example, PET bottles) made of a specific material. In addition, containers made of other materials (for example, aluminum cans, steel cans, glass bottles, etc.) are returned to the return port 4 without being reduced in volume. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the volume reduction machine 1 has a box-shaped casing 2 having a vertically long rectangular parallelepiped shape having an operation plate 2 d whose upper side is inclined obliquely. The material of the container to be reduced is only an example. For example, a metal container such as a steel can or an aluminum can is reduced, and other glass bottles and plastic bottles are returned without being reduced. It is also possible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 2 includes a front plate 2a, a rear plate 2b facing the rear side of the front plate 2a, a bottom plate, a top plate 2c, an operation plate 2d, a left side plate, and a right side plate. And a frame structure combining frame materials supporting these plates.

  Regarding the outer shape of the casing 2, the height of the casing 2 is about 1.5 m, the width (that is, between the left side plate and the right side plate) is about 0.8 m, and the depth (that is, the front plate 2a and the rear plate 2b) (Between) is about 0.7 m. In the following description, “left” and “right” correspond to the left and right when the front plate 2a and the operation plate 2d of the casing 2 are viewed from the front, and “upper” and “lower” are the volume reduction machines 1. It corresponds to the upper and lower sides of the volume reduction machine 1 when installing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the front plate 2 a of the casing 2 is attached so as to be rotatable about the left end portion, and has a key portion 3 and a return port 4. The key part 3 is provided to lock the closed state of the front plate 2a. The return port 4 is an opening for returning a non-reduced container (hereinafter also referred to as “unreduced container”), and the user can take out the unreduced container through the return port 4. The volume-reduced container (hereinafter also referred to as “volume-reduced container”) is disposed after being collected by the collection unit 22 in the volume-reduction machine 1.

  Legs 5 and casters 6 are attached to the four corners of the bottom plate of the casing 2. The length of the leg portion 5 can be adjusted in the vertical direction, and the volume reducer 1 is fixed by making the length of the leg portion 5 longer than the length of the caster 6 in the vertical direction. By making the length shorter than the length of the caster 6 in the vertical direction, the caster 6 is activated and the volume reducer 1 can be moved.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation plate 2d is inclined to the rear plate 2b at an angle of 30 ° with respect to the front plate 2a at the upper portion of the front plate 2a. An audio output unit 8 and a display unit 9 are provided. The open / close door 7, the audio output unit 8, and the display unit 9 are not necessarily indispensable components, and may be omitted depending on the specifications.

  The input port 7a is provided to input a container into the casing 2, and the size thereof is a cross section obtained by cutting a 2L plastic bottle along a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction so that the 2L plastic bottle can be input. It is a little bigger than the outer shape.

  The opening / closing door 7 is slidably attached to the front side of the insertion port 7a to open and close the insertion port 7a. By opening the open / close door 7, the container can be introduced through the inlet 7a. The opening / closing door 7 is provided with a handle portion, and the opening / closing door 7 can be opened / closed using the handle portion.

  The voice output unit 8 is provided for outputting voice such as operation guidance to the user, and operates alone or in conjunction with the display unit 9 described below.

  The display unit 9 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like that displays operation guidance for the user. The display unit 9 may be provided with a touch panel function to accept various operation instructions from the user.

(Configuration of volume reduction machine)
3 is a perspective view of the volume reduction machine 1 of FIG. 1 with the front plate 2a removed, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are a right side view and a front view showing the internal structure of the volume reduction machine 1. FIG. 4 and 5, the casing 2 is indicated by a dotted line in order to clarify the internal structure of the volume reducer 1, and only the part related to the volume reduction operation of the internal structure of the volume reducer 1 is indicated by a solid line. It is described and the others are omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the volume reduction machine 1 of the present embodiment includes a compression mechanism 21, a recovery unit 22, a return path 23, a partition plate 11, a guide unit 26 (FIG. 5), And a control unit 30 (FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the compression mechanism 21 is provided in the upper part of the collection | recovery part 22 in the casing 2, compresses and reduces the volume according to the material of the container thrown into the insertion port 7a, and the container after volume reduction Alternatively, the containers that are not reduced in volume are distributed to the collection unit 22 or the return path 23, respectively. The compression mechanism 21 has a support member 50 fixed to the frame material on the operation plate 2d side of the casing 2, and this support member 50 is gradually lowered from the operation plate 2d side toward the rear plate 2b side. It is attached to the frame material of the casing 2 in a state where it is inclined to the angle.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 50 includes a support plate 50a attached to the casing 2 so as to be parallel to the input port 7a, and a receiving portion 50c arranged in parallel with the support plate 50a. The support bar 50b connects the support plate 50a and the receiving portion 50c to each other. The container charged from the charging port 7a slides down until it hits the receiving part 50c and is received by the receiving part 50c.

  In the case where the container introduced into the insertion port 7a is a PET bottle, the compression mechanism 21 compresses the volume of the container and sends it to the collection unit 22. When the container is made of a material other than a plastic bottle (steel can, aluminum can, etc.), the container is sent to the return path 23 without being compressed and reduced by the compression mechanism 21. The operation of the compression mechanism 21 is controlled by the control unit 30. The container sent to the return path 23 falls on the return path 23 and is returned to the inside of the return port 4 (FIG. 1). Details of the internal structure of the compression mechanism 21 will be described later.

  The partition plate 11 is provided on the lower side of the compression mechanism 21 so as to extend vertically, and divides the collection unit 22 and the return path 23. In FIG. 5, the space on the left side of the partition plate 11 is the collection unit 22, and the space on the right side of the partition plate 11 is the return path 23.

  The guide portion 26 (FIG. 5) is a plate-like member that is rotatably attached to the upper end of the partition plate 11 so as to form the same plane as the partition plate 11, and its operation is controlled by the control unit 30. When the PET bottle is inserted into the insertion port 7a, the guide portion 26 does not operate while extending in the surface direction extension of the partition plate 11, and inhibits the volume reduction container from being guided to the return path 23. Functions as a stopper. On the other hand, when a glass bottle, an aluminum can, a steel can, or the like is introduced into the insertion port 7 a, the guiding portion 26 is tilted toward the compression mechanism 21, thereby functioning as a suspension bridge that guides the unreduced container to the return path 23. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the guide portion 26 is inclined toward the compression mechanism 21.

  The recovery part 22 is a part for recovering the container reduced in volume by the compression mechanism 21, and a recovery box whose upper side is opened so that a plastic bag can be attached is attached to the position of the recovery part 22 in FIG. Since the collection unit 22 is provided at a drop position when the volume reduction container is dropped from the compression mechanism 21, the installation position of the collection unit 22 is located below the compression mechanism 21 and is located below the volume reduction machine 1. It occupies almost the whole area except the return path 23. If the volume reduction machine 1 is continuously used, the volume reduction container accumulates in the collection unit 22, and therefore, an operation of taking out the volume reduction container in the collection unit 22 from the collection unit 22 is performed. This operation is performed by opening the front plate 2a of the casing 2.

  The return path 23 is a path for sending the unreduced container to the return port 4, and the casing 2 includes the side surface (partition plate 11) provided in parallel with the right side plate of the casing 2 and the bottom surface member 12. It is a part that is partitioned inside. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom surface member 12 has a first part 12 a extending downward from the compression mechanism 21 and a second part 12 b extending obliquely downward from the first part 12 a to the return port 4. . Since the upper side of the return path 23 is open, the unreduced container is guided to the inside of the return port 4 by free fall through the return path 23.

  The control unit 30 includes a compression mechanism 21, a guide unit 26, an audio output unit 8, a display unit 9 and the like according to the situation around the volume reducer 1, the operation of the open / close door 7, and the material of the container put into the insertion port 7a. The operation of each part of the CPU is controlled by the CPU executing a predetermined control program by combining a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. To do. Control of each part by the control unit 30 will be described later.

(Detailed structure of the compression mechanism 21)
6 is a perspective view of the inside of the compression mechanism 21 as viewed from the side facing the receiving portion 50c, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the first member 41 as viewed obliquely from below, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the receiving portion 50c. FIG. 9 is a front view seen from the front, FIG. 9 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the second member 42, and FIG. 10 is a top view of the compression mechanism 21 in a state where a container is inserted from the insertion port 7a.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, the compression mechanism 21 includes a first member 41, a second member 42, a metal sensor 43 (FIGS. 9 and 10), and a drive mechanism 44 (FIGS. 9 and 10). ,have.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the first member 41 includes a notch 41 d and is formed of a plate material having a cross-section “<” shape in which a central portion in the width direction is bent downward. The first member 41 is supported by the support member 50 so as to be orthogonal to the operation plate 2 d of the casing 2, and is a fixed member positioned above the second member 42. The direction perpendicular to the operation plate 2d side of the first member 41 (that is, the direction in which the container slides down) is the depth of the first member 41, and the direction perpendicular to the depth is the width direction of the first member 41. It inclines downward toward the portion 50c side, and the depth of the first member 41 (that is, the length from the operation plate 2d side to the receiving portion 50c side) is slightly longer than the height of the 2 liter PET bottle. A ridge line 41 c where the bent surfaces of the first member 41 intersect is parallel to the direction in which the container slides down and is located at the approximate center in the width direction of the first member 41. The first member 41 does not necessarily have to be bent.

  The notch 41d is provided to allow the first member 41 and the second member 42 to release the tip of the container when the volume of the container is reduced. The notch portion 41d is effective when compressing and reducing a container having a hard tip portion and a bottom portion such as a plastic bottle, for example, and reducing the volume while releasing the hard portion of the container. The volume reduction rate of the department can be increased. In the present embodiment, the first member 41 is provided with the cutout portion 41 d, but the second member 42 may be provided with the cutout portion 41 d instead of the first member 41 or together with the first member 41. However, when the cutout 41d is provided in the second member 42, when the container is sent from the second member 42 to the recovery unit 22 or the return path 23, the container is caught by the cutout 41d and the container can be sent to the recovery unit 22 or the return path 23. Since it may disappear, it is preferable to provide the notch 41d in the first member 41 as in the present embodiment.

  The second member 42 is positioned below the insertion port 7 a and is attached to the support member 50 so as to be rotatable with respect to the first member 41. Similarly to the first member 41, the second member 42 has a cross-sectional shape that is bent toward the lower side, and has the same depth as the first member 41. The intersecting angle between the bent surfaces of the second member 42 is preferably 130 ° or more and 170 ° or less, and more preferably 140 ° or more and 160 ° or less. The first member 41 and the second member 42 are preferably plate-like members that are bent at the same bending angle. By using the second member 42 having such a shape, the container (for example, a plastic bottle container) charged in the charging port 7a remains in the direction of the container charged in the charging port 7a on the upper surface of the second member 42. The charged container can be slid down on the upper surface of the second member 42 without changing the direction of the container.

  A sliding member 42 a is provided on the upper surface of the second member 42 on the return path 23 side. The sliding member 42a is provided in order to prevent the container from stopping without sliding on the upper part of the sliding member 42a. As the material of the sliding member 42a, for example, a sheet made of a material having a lower coefficient of friction than the material constituting the second member, such as a fluororesin sheet, is used. 6 and 8 show a configuration in which the sliding member 42a is attached to the upper surface of the second member 42. However, the sliding member can be formed by applying a material having a low friction coefficient to the upper surface of the second member 42. 42a may be formed. The sliding member 42a may be provided on the entire upper surface of the second member 42, may be provided on the surface of the second member 42 on the guide portion 26 side, or may be omitted.

  The metal sensor 43 (FIG. 9) is attached to the lower surface of the second member 42, detects whether or not the container charged into the charging port 7 a is made of metal, and outputs the detection information to the control unit 30. It is. Based on the detection information of the metal sensor 43, the rotation direction of the second member 42 and the presence / absence of the operation of the guide portion 26 are determined.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the drive mechanism 44 rotates the second member 42 with the container 53 mounted thereon by a predetermined amount in the direction toward the first member 41 or in the opposite direction. A driven shaft 46 to which two members 42 are attached, a driven pulley 45 fixed to the driven shaft 46, a motor 48 having a drive shaft 48 a parallel to the driven shaft 46, and a drive fixed to the drive shaft 48 a of the motor 48. A pulley 49 and a transmission belt 47 wound around the driven pulley 45 and the driving pulley 49 are provided. Both the driven shaft 46 and the drive shaft 48a are inclined downward in the direction orthogonal to the operation plate 2d, that is, toward the rear plate 2b side of the driven shaft 46 and the drive shaft 48a. The motor 48 is set so that the driven pulley 45 can be rotated by a predetermined angle both left and right. When the drive shaft 48a of the motor 48 rotates, the drive pulley 49 rotates accordingly. Is transmitted to the driven pulley 45 through the transmission belt 47 to rotate the driven pulley 45, and the second member 42 is rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the driven pulley 45. The operation of the drive mechanism 44 is not limited to the belt transmission type as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 and may be a gear transmission type.

  As described above, the second member 42 is rotated when the control unit 30 operates the drive mechanism 44. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation angle of the second member 42 is set at four stop positions (first positions). It is set in advance so that the second member 42 can be stopped between the position and the fourth position). The rotation stop position of the second member 41 is positioned below the insertion port 7a, and a first position (initial position) that forms a space in which the container can be inserted between the first member 41 and the first member 41 is provided. The first member 41 is moved closer to the first member 41 than the position, and the container is compressed and volume-removed together with the first member 41. The container is turned and moved away from the first member 41 than the first position. A third position (return position) for sending the container thrown into the mouth 7a to the return path 23, and a position where the container reduced in volume at the second position falls from the second member 42, and further than the third position. It is attached to the drive mechanism 44 so that it can rotate between the 4th position (collection position) which is the rotated position. In addition, when the 2nd member 42 exists in a volume reduction position (2nd position), the opposing surface of the 1st member 41 and the 2nd member 42 is mutually parallel. When the second member 42 is in the third position (return position), the guide unit 26 is operated so that the top surface of the guide unit 26 and the top surface of the second member 42 are substantially flush with each other as shown in FIG. Thus, the unreduced container on the second member 42 is guided to the return path 23 through the guide portion 26.

(Control of each part by the control unit 30)
Next, control of each part by the control unit 30 will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the control unit 30. As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 30 functions as a drive mechanism control unit 31, a guidance unit control unit 32, a voice control unit 33, a display control unit 34, a torque measurement unit 35, and a torque memory. Part 36 and a torque determination part 37.

  The drive mechanism control unit 31 rotates the second member 42 by operating the drive mechanism 44 on the condition that the opening / closing door 7 is switched from the open state to the closed state. The rotation direction of the second member 42 is determined based on the detection information of the metal sensor 43. When the metal sensor 43 detects that the container introduced into the insertion port 7a is made of metal, the drive mechanism control unit 31. Controls the drive mechanism 44 to rotate the second member 42 from the initial position (first position) to the return position (third position). On the other hand, when the metal sensor 43 does not detect the container introduced into the insertion port 7a, the drive mechanism control unit 31 rotates the second member 42 from the initial position (first position) to the volume reduction position (second position). Thus, the drive mechanism 44 is controlled.

  The guiding unit control unit 32 operates the guiding unit 26 in the direction of the compression mechanism 21 on the condition that the metal sensor 43 detects a metal container or the torque measuring unit 35 detects a torque greater than a predetermined value. Thus, by operating the guide unit 26 in this manner, the guide unit 26 can function as a suspension bridge for sending the unreduced container to the return path 23. On the contrary, when the metal sensor 43 does not detect a metal container, when the torque measurement unit 35 does not detect a torque greater than a predetermined value, the guide unit 26 can function as a stopper by not operating the guide unit 26. The container can be prevented from being sent to the return path 23.

  The voice control unit 33 controls the voice output unit 8 so that various operations to be handled by the user are guided to the user through voice. For example, when the user approaches the volume reducer 1, the voice control unit 33 opens the door. Please output a voice saying "Please put a plastic bottle into the inlet" to the voice output unit 8, or when the container is returned to the return port 4, the voice "Please take out the container from the return mouth" This is output to the unit 8.

  The display control unit 34 controls the display unit 9 to transmit various operations to be handled by the user through the state of the volume reducing machine 1 and the display on the display unit 9 to the user. Is displayed on the display unit 9 "Open the open / close door and insert a plastic bottle into the slot" or when the collection unit 22 is full of volume-reducing containers, Please take out the volume reduction container ”on the display unit 9.

  The torque measurement unit 35 measures the torque of the motor 48 that rotates the second member 42 and inputs the measurement result to the torque determination unit 37. By sequentially measuring the torque of the second member 42 and feeding back the result to the torque determination unit 37, it is possible to specify whether the container is made of a plastic bottle or a glass bottle.

  The torque storage unit 36 stores a predetermined torque value that can distinguish whether the container charged into the charging port 7a is a plastic bottle or a glass bottle. The torque value can specify whether the container is a plastic bottle or a glass bottle.

  The torque determination unit 37 compares the torque value measured by the torque measurement unit 35 with the torque value stored in the torque storage unit 36, and determines whether or not the volume of the container should be reduced based on the comparison result. To do. Specifically, when the torque value measured by the torque measurement unit 35 is less than the torque value stored in the torque storage unit 36, the torque determination unit 37 determines that the container is a plastic bottle, and vice versa. If the torque value measured by the torque measuring unit 35 is equal to or greater than the torque value stored in the torque storage unit 36, it is determined that the container is a glass bottle. The drive mechanism control unit 31 and the induction unit control unit 32 are input with the determination result by the torque determination unit 37, and operate the second member 42 and the induction unit 26 based on the determination result. Specifically, when the torque determination unit 37 determines that the charged container is a plastic bottle, the container is compressed and reduced by rotating the second member 42 to the volume reduction position (second position). Then, the volume reduction container is sent to the collection unit 22 by rotating the second member 42 to the collection position (fourth position). On the other hand, when the torque determination unit 37 determines that the charged container is a glass bottle, the drive mechanism control unit 31 turns the rotation direction of the second member 42 in the reverse direction to return the second member 42 to the return position ( The guide part control unit 32 tilts the guide part 26 toward the second member 42 and rotates the unreduced container on the second member 42 to the return path 23 through the guide part 26. . By controlling the drive mechanism 44 and the guide unit 26 in this manner, the volume reduction container can be sent to the collection unit 22 and the non-volume reduction container can be sent to the return path 23. The container separation and volume reduction procedure by the volume reduction machine 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 12 for each container material. FIG. 12 is a flowchart describing the operation of the volume reducer 1 when various containers are charged for each process.

(When putting a plastic bottle)
When the opening / closing door 7 of the volume reduction machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 is opened and a PET bottle is introduced into the insertion port 7a (S1), the pet is placed on the upper surface of the second member 42 stopped at the initial position (first position). A bottle is placed. Since the second member 42 is inclined downward toward the back side, the plastic bottle slides to the receiving portion 50c of the second member 42, is received by the receiving portion 50c, and stops at the back of the second member 42. In this state, when the container is made of metal, the metal sensor 43 detects the container, and the detection information is output to the control unit 30.

  Since the plastic bottle is not detected by the metal sensor 43 (S2: No), the driving mechanism control unit 31 operates the driving mechanism 44 with the opening condition of the opening / closing door 7 as a starting condition, thereby moving the second member 42 to the initial position ( It is rotated from the first position) to the volume reduction position (second position) (S3). At this time, when the plastic bottle is compressed and reduced by the second member 42 and the first member 41, the torque of the motor 48 does not exceed a predetermined value (S4: No), so that the plastic bottle is the second member 42 and the first member. 41 and is compressed and reduced (S5). The second member 42 is kept in the volume reduction position (second position) for a certain period of time, so that the PET bottle is prevented from being restored to the state before being reduced from the compression volume reduction state. obtain.

  Then, after compressing and reducing the volume of the plastic bottle, the drive mechanism control unit 31 rotates the second member 42 from the volume reduction position (second position) to the collection position (fourth position) (S6). The volume reduction container on the member 42 is dropped to the collection unit 22. The PET bottle compressed and reduced in this way is collected by the collection unit 22 (S7). Since the guide portion 26 extends to the upper end of the partition plate 11 so as to form the same plane as the partition plate 11, the second member 42 rotates from the volume reduction position (second position) to the recovery position (fourth position). Even when the plastic bottle is about to flow into the return path 23, the guiding portion 26 functions as a stopper, and the reduced volume PET bottle is prevented from being sent to the return path 23. The PET bottle whose volume has been reduced in this manner is stably recovered by the recovery unit 22.

(When using aluminum or steel cans)
When an aluminum can or a steel can is inserted into the insertion port 7a (S1), the metal sensor 43 detects an aluminum can or a steel can (S2: Yes), so that the opening / closing door 7 is closed. The drive mechanism control unit 31 operates the drive mechanism 44 to rotate the second member 42 from the initial position (first position) to the return position (third position), and the guide unit control unit 32 compresses the guide unit 26. It is operated toward the mechanism 21 side (S8, S9). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the second member 42 and the upper surface of the guide portion 26 are substantially flush with each other, and the aluminum can or the steel can on the second member 42 leads to the return path 23 through the guide portion 26. Returned to the inside of the return port 4 (S10). At this time, the control unit 30 may notify the user that the container has been returned to the return port 4 by the audio output unit 8, and display on the display unit 9 that the container has been returned to the return port 4. You may let them. The user can inform the user that the unreduced container has been returned to the return port 4 through the audio output unit 8 and the display unit 9, and the user can collect the unreduced container inside the return port 4. Can be encouraged.

(When inserting a glass bottle)
When a glass bottle is inserted into the insertion port 7a (S1), since the glass bottle is not detected by the metal sensor 43 (S2: No), the drive mechanism control unit 31 sets the second condition on the condition that the open / close door 7 is closed. The member 42 starts to rotate from the first position to the second position (S3). When the second member 42 is rotated toward the volume reduction position (second position), the glass bottle has a hardness higher than that of the PET bottle, so that the torque of the motor 48 gradually increases, and the torque measurement unit 35 is used as the torque storage unit. A torque value greater than or equal to a predetermined torque value stored in 36 is detected (S4: Yes). When the detection information is transmitted to the control unit 30, the drive mechanism control unit 31 stops the rotation of the second member 42 to the volume reduction position (second position) (S11), and the second member 42 is returned to the return position ( At the same time, the guide control unit 32 moves the guide 26 toward the compression mechanism 21 (S8, S9). As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface of the second member 42 and the upper surface of the guide portion 26 are substantially flush with each other, and the glass bottle on the second member 42 is guided to the return path 23 through the guide portion 26 and returned. Returned to the inside of the mouth 4.

  As described above, the material of the container is specified based on the detection information of the metal sensor 43 and the torque value of the motor 48, and the second member 42 is operated in accordance with the information, whereby the container made of the specific material (PET bottle). ) Is sent to the recovery unit 22 and containers (steel cans, aluminum cans, glass bottles) other than the specific material can be sent to the return path 23 without being reduced.

<Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, the distance between the first member 41 and the second member 42 is reduced by rotating the second member 42 with respect to the first member 41, but the second member 42 is thus made. The first member 41 and the second member 42 are rotated so that both the first member 41 and the second member 42 in the above embodiment are close to each other. May be.

  In the above embodiment, only the case where the second member 42 rotates has been described. For example, both the second member 42 and the first member 41 are arranged in parallel to each other, and the second member 42 is replaced with the first member 41. The container may be compressed and volume-reduced by moving the distance between the first member 41 and the second member 42 closer to or away from each other by sliding in a direction approaching or moving away while maintaining parallelism. However, when the second member 42 slides, it is necessary to separately provide a configuration for separating the container into the return path 23 and the collection unit 22 according to the material.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although both the 1st member 41 and the 2nd member 42 are comprised by the board | plate material of the shape where the cross section of the direction orthogonal to the direction where a container slips down is bent, the 1st member 41 and 2nd A flat plate in which one of the members 42 is not bent may be used, or a flat plate in which both the first member 41 and the second member 42 are not bent may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the first member 41 is a fixed member and the second member 42 is a movable member. However, the first member 41 may be a movable member and the second member 42 may be a fixed member. . In this case, it is necessary to separately provide a configuration for sending the container to the collection unit 22 or the return path 23 after reducing the volume of the container.

  In the above embodiment, the plastic bottle and the glass bottle are separated based on the torque that rotates the second member 42, but the plastic bottle and the glass bottle may be separated based on the weight of the container.

<Effect>
The volume reduction machine 1 of the above embodiment has a casing 2 having an insertion port 7a for receiving a container and a receiving portion 50c, and is guided so as to slide down until it is introduced from the insertion port 7a and hits the receiving portion 50c. And a compression mechanism 21 for reducing the volume of the container received by the receiving portion 50c. The compression mechanism 21 includes a first member 41 and a second member 42, and the first member 41 and the The container can be compressed and volume-reduced by moving at least one of the first member 41 and the second member 42 such that the distance between the first member 41 and the second member 42 approaches each other. At least one of the first member 41 and the second member 42 has a notch 41d in order to escape the tip of the container when the volume of the container is reduced with the two members 42.

  The volume reducing machine 1 of the above embodiment can compress and reduce the volume of the container by sandwiching the container between the first member 41 and the second member 24 while letting the notch 41d escape the tip portion of the container. When the material of the container is a plastic bottle for beverages, the tip part or the bottom part of the container is often hard, and thus the first member 41 and the first member 41 are released while letting the hard part of the container escape through the notch 41d. The volume reduction rate of the container can be increased by compressing and reducing the container with the second member 42.

  In the above embodiment, the second member 42 is formed of a plate material having a shape in which a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the container is bent downward, so that the container remains in the direction of the container charged into the charging port 7a. The direction can be made difficult to change. For this reason, since the container thrown into the inlet is compressed and reduced by being sandwiched between the first member and the second member of the compression mechanism in the throwing direction, the container can be reduced more stably. .

  In the above embodiment, the first member 41 is a fixed member fixed above the second member 42, and the second member 42 is positioned below the insertion port 7 a, and the first member 41 is a movable member that compresses and reduces the volume of the container by changing its relative position to 41.

  For this reason, when a container is introduced into the introduction port 7 a, the container is disposed on the second member 42. The container can be compressed and volume-reduced by bringing the relative position of the second member 42 closer to the first member 41 and sandwiching the container between the first member 41 and the second member 42. In this way, by moving only the second member 42 and compressing and reducing the volume of the container, it is not necessary to move the first member 41 (fixing member), so that the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified.

  In the above embodiment, the notch portion 41d is provided in the vicinity of the end portion of the first member 41 on the receiving portion 50c side, and therefore, after the container is reduced in volume by being sandwiched between the first member 41 and the second member 42, It is possible to prevent the container after volume reduction from being caught by the second member 42 (movable member).

  In the above embodiment, the collection unit 22 that collects the container reduced in volume by the compression mechanism 21 provided in the casing 2 and the container that is provided in the casing 2 and is not reduced in volume by the compression mechanism 21 are returned. Since the apparatus further includes a return path 23 and a guide unit 26 that operates so that the container that is not volume-reduced is guided to the return path 23, the container that is reduced in volume by the compression mechanism 21 (hereinafter also referred to as “volume-reduced container”). ) Only can be collected by the collection unit 22. A container that is not reduced in volume by the compression mechanism 21 (hereinafter also referred to as “unreduced container”) is guided to the return path 23 through the guide portion 26. That is, when the compression mechanism 21 compresses and reduces the container, the guide unit 26 does not operate and the reduced volume container is recovered by the recovery unit 22, and when the compression mechanism 21 does not compress and reduce the container, the volume is not reduced. Since the guide unit 26 operates so that the container is guided to the return path 23, it is possible to separate the reduced volume container and the unreduced container into the recovery unit 22 and the return path 23, respectively, with a simple configuration.

  In the above embodiment, the metal sensor 43 is attached to the lower surface side of the second member 42 and detects whether or not the container is made of metal, and the guide unit 26 is operated based on detection information from the metal sensor 43. And a guiding unit control unit 32 to be operated, so that the guiding unit control unit 32 operates the guiding unit 26 based on the detection information by the metal sensor 43, so that the container put into the charging port 7a is made of metal. Whether or not the container is guided to the collection unit 22 or the return path 23 can be sorted according to whether or not it is. Thereby, a metallic container and a nonmetallic container can be separated easily.

  In the above embodiment, since the slide member 42a is provided on the upper surface of the second member 42 on the return path 23 side, the container can easily slide on the upper surface of the second member 42 by the slide member 42a. With the operation of the member 42, the container is not easily left on the upper surface of the second member 42, and the container is easily guided to the collection unit 22 or the return path 23.

  In the above embodiment, since the protrusion is provided on the surface of the first member 41 facing the second member 42, a part of the surface of the container can be locally pushed by the protrusion 41a. As a result, it is possible to prevent the container whose compression volume has been reduced from being restored to the state before the compression volume reduction.

  In the said embodiment, you may affix a low-repulsion member to the receiving part 50c located between the 2nd member 42 and the 1st member 41 when it has stopped in the 1st position. The low repulsion member is a sheet-like sheet attached to the surface of the receiving portion 50c on the operation plate 2d side, and the container thrown into the insertion port 7a slides down the upper surface of the second member 42 to the receiving portion 50c. It is provided to absorb the impact when it collides. The low resilience member is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that can absorb impact, and is composed of a material softer than the material constituting the receiving portion 50c, such as a low resilience urethane sheet, a low resilience rubber sheet, or the like. . By providing the low repulsion member, the direction of the container can be prevented from changing due to the impact caused by the collision between the container and the receiving portion 50c in the direction in which the container is charged.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Volume reducer 2 Casing 4 Return port 7 Opening / closing door 7a Input port 8 Audio | voice output part 9 Display part 21 Compression mechanism 22 Recovery part 23 Return path 26 Guidance part 30 Control unit 31 Drive mechanism control part 32 Guidance part control part 33 Voice control Unit 34 Display control unit 35 Torque measurement unit 36 Torque storage unit 37 Torque determination unit 41 First member (fixing member)
41a Protrusion 41d Notch 42 Second member (movable member)
42a Sliding member 43 Metal sensor 44 Drive mechanism 50 Support member 50c Receiving portion 53 Container

Claims (7)

A casing having an inlet for receiving the container;
A compression mechanism for reducing the volume of the container received by the receiving part, having a receiving part, guided so as to slide down until it hits the receiving part after being introduced from the insertion port,
The compression mechanism has a first member and a second member, and moves at least one of the first member and the second member so that the distance between the first member and the second member approaches each other. Configured to compress and reduce the volume of the container;
When the volume of the container is reduced by the first member and the second member, the vicinity of the end portion is cut out in at least one of the first member and the second member in order to release the tip portion of the container. Volume reduction machine with a notch.   The volume reducing machine according to claim 1, wherein the second member is formed of a plate member that is positioned below the first member and has a shape in which a cross section in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the container slides down is bent downward. . The first member is a fixed member fixed above the second member,
The volume reducing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second member is a movable member that is positioned below the charging port and that compresses and reduces the volume of the container by changing a relative position with respect to the fixed member.   The volume reducing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the notch is provided in the vicinity of an end of the first member on the receiving portion side. A collection unit that is provided in the casing and collects the container reduced in volume by the compression mechanism;
A return path for returning a container that is provided in the casing and is not reduced in volume by the compression mechanism;
The volume reduction machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a guide section that operates so that the container that is not volume-reduced is guided to the return path. A metal sensor attached to the lower surface side of the second member and detecting whether or not the container is made of metal;
The volume reduction machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a guidance unit control unit that operates the guidance unit based on information detected by the metal sensor. The volume reducing machine according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a sliding member provided on an upper surface of the second member on the return path side.

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