JP3407774B2 - Garbage processing machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention collects all the leftover food leftovers such as udon, buckwheat, frozen foods and retort foods sold in a food vending machine, along with the container, and puts garbage, juice and container in the machine. The present invention relates to a food waste processing machine that automatically separates and reduces the volume.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a facility with a large number of vending machines installed, such as a parking area on a highway, leftovers of food purchased from vending machines (such as leftover food left in product containers) A large amount of food waste is generated, but conventionally there is no dedicated food waste processing machine that treats such residues on the spot, and customers put the leftover food together with the container into the waste bin in the facility and manage the facility. The current situation is that the person collects this from the trash and carries it to the trash disposal site for disposal.

[0003]

By the way, in the method of treating food waste as described above, it requires a lot of manpower and labor to manage the food waste, and food waste, soup, etc. are rotted especially in the summer season when the temperature is high. While producing a foul odor around the trash can,
There is an environmental health problem that flies and cockroaches easily breed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to use it in a facility such as a highway parking area, and to leave an uneaten residue of food sold by a vending machine in the facility on the spot. Collect the containers and sort them automatically,
It is to provide a food waste processing machine that considers hygiene and environmental aspects for volume reduction.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the food waste disposer of the present invention has a main body case having a door with a door for receiving leftover food residues one by one. A bucket that also serves as an input receiving stage arranged inside, a bucket conveying means that sends the container received in the bucket to the hopper of the subsequent stage in an inverted posture, and the residue discharged from the container into the hopper is solid garbage and juice. A container transporter that separates the waste into a garbage collection box and a soup collection box and discharges it into a waste collection box, a container volume reduction means installed after the hopper, and an empty container remaining in the hopper to the container volume reduction means. Means and a container recovery box for recovering the volume-reduced container are incorporated.

[0006] Further, it is preferable that the respective components of the food waste processing machine be implemented in the following concrete modes. 1) Use a door with a lock mechanism that unlocks the door under conditions that allow garbage processing. 2) The bucket is equipped with foreign matter detection means for determining foreign matter other than the container containing the residue, and a foreign matter collection box for collecting foreign matter discharged from the bucket based on the determination by the foreign matter detection means is installed in the machine.

3) The foreign matter detecting means in the above 2) comprises a photoelectric sensor for detecting the presence or absence of an input material, a metal detecting sensor for detecting a metal such as a can, and a weight detecting sensor for detecting a heavy object such as stone. Composed of combinations. 4) The bucket conveying means is constituted by a conveyor mechanism that moves the bucket up and down while supporting the bucket on the circumference of the endless belt.

5) The residue separating means is provided with a screen for separating the juice from the residue and a screw-like cutting blade for finely cutting and discharging the food waste remaining on the screen. 6) The garbage collection box is configured to have a processing function of decomposing the garbage using the action of microorganisms or blowing hot air to dry and reduce the volume of the garbage.

7) A sluice valve that is normally closed and opened only when the juice is collected is provided in the inlet pipe of the juice collection box. 8) The container volume-reducing means is constituted by a belt-type transfer press that crushes the container by sandwiching it between a pair of belts. 9) In the above item 9), a cutter unit for cutting the flatly crushed container is provided on the outlet side of the belt type transport press.

10) An ozone generator and an exhaust fan are incorporated in the machine as a means for eliminating the odor generated from the collected garbage. 11) In 10) above, the operation is controlled based on the detection signal of the odor sensor provided in the case of the ozone generator. 12) In the above item 10), the ventilation passage of the exhaust fan is provided with an ozonizer that decomposes exhaust ozone.

13) A cleaning means is provided to wash away food waste adhering to the wall surface of the hopper. 14) Each collection box in the machine is equipped with a full detection sensor, and the detection signal of the sensor locks the insertion port door to stop accepting a new insertion item. The operation of the above configuration is as follows. That is, when the user opens the door of the input port and puts the input product on the bucket in the machine, the door of the input port is automatically closed and the door is locked. In addition, the foreign matter detection means equipped in the bucket determines whether the input material is the leftover food residue in the container or other foreign matter such as cans, bottles, stones, etc. The conveyor mechanism lowers the bucket to discharge the foreign matter from the bucket into the foreign matter collection box.

On the other hand, if the input material is the residue (garbage) contained in the container, the bucket is moved upward while the container is still placed, and the bucket is inverted at the top of the conveyor mechanism to turn the container upside down. Discharge to hopper. As a result, while the container is caught on the slope of the hopper, the residue in the container falls into the hopper and is sent to the garbage / juice separating mechanism in the next step. On the other hand, the container remaining in the hopper is transferred to the subsequent container volume reduction process by the container transfer means, where the container is crushed into a flat shape by a belt transfer press and further cut by a cutter blade (roller rotary blade). After that, it is dropped and collected in the container collection box. On the other hand, the residue sent to the food waste / juice separating mechanism is separated into solid food waste and soup by a wire mesh screen, and the soup permeates the screen and is collected in a soup collection box. In this case, a sluice valve is provided on the inlet side conduit of the juice collection box and the valve is normally closed, so that the odor of the juice can be trapped in the collection box and the malodor can be prevented from spreading around. In addition, solid food waste is finely cut by a screw-type cutting blade, and then discharged into the food waste collection box through an outlet to be collected.

[0013] Here, by adding a decomposition treatment function utilizing the action of microorganisms or a treatment function of sending hot air to dry and reduce the volume, the garbage collection box is prevented from spoilage and odor. Then you can turn the garbage into compost with reduced volume. On the other hand, the ozone generated by the ozone generator inside the machine is diffused into the main body case and then exhausted to the outside through the exhaust fan. In this process, the deodorizing effect of ozone eliminates the bad odor of the residue, and at the same time, sterilizes it.
It also has an insect repellent effect. In this case, by controlling the operation of the ozone generator with the detection signal of the odor sensor deployed inside the machine,
It is possible to avoid a state where the excess ozone fills the inside of the aircraft. Further, by providing an ozone treatment device in the ventilation passage of the exhaust fan, exhaust ozone is adsorbed or decomposed by a catalytic action, so that high concentration ozone can be prevented from diffusing into the surrounding environment.

Further, by regularly spraying the cleaning water on the hopper using the cleaning means incorporated in the machine,
The residue left on the wall of the hopper is washed away and decomposed.
It can prevent bad odors. Further, the door with the lock mechanism provided at the loading port of the main body case has the lock of the lock mechanism released in a normal standby state, and the door can be freely opened to load the load. On the other hand, when one load is received, the door is locked in the closed position and the next load is temporarily suspended until the load is transferred from the bucket to the subsequent process and returned to the standby position. To do. In addition, when the collection box for garbage, juice, and containers installed inside the machine is full,
The signal from the full detection sensor locks the door of the loading slot to the closed position.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire food waste processing machine. In the figure, 1 is a main body case, 2 is a front door thereof, and a front surface of the door 2 has an opening 4 provided with a closing door 3. Reference numeral 4a is a door opening / closing detection sensor, and 18 is a door lock mechanism including a lock arm 18a and a drive solenoid 18b. A bucket 6 for receiving the containers 5 containing leftover food and leftover residue one by one, and a belt type conveyor mechanism 7 laid vertically as a bucket conveying means for transferring the buckets 6 to the next step are provided in the back of the input port 4. I have it. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor mechanism 7 has a structure in which a toothed endless belt 7a is installed between upper and lower sprockets 7b, and a bucket 6 is connected and supported on the circumference thereof. The elevator is operated as shown by the arrow.

Further, the bucket 6 is equipped with a foreign matter detector 8 as shown in FIG. This foreign matter detector 8
Is a combination of a light transmission type photoelectric sensor 8a arranged on both the left and right sides of the bucket 6, and a weight detection sensor 8b, a metal detection sensor 8c, and a light reflection type photoelectric sensor 8d arranged on the bottom side of the bucket 6. Consists of. This foreign matter detector 8
Works as follows. That is, when the input door 3 is pushed open and an input material (a container 5 containing debris or a foreign substance such as a bottle, a can or a stone) is placed on the bucket 6, the lock mechanism 18 of the input door 3 is activated by the detection signal of the photoelectric sensor 8a. It is operated, and the closing door 3 is locked in the closed position to stop receiving the next charging object. Further, the weight detection sensor 8b, the metal detection sensor 8c,
Based on the detection signal from the light reflection type photoelectric sensor 8d, it is determined whether or not the input is a foreign substance (this determination is performed by a control unit (not shown)). If the foreign substance is determined, the conveyor mechanism 7 Then, the bucket 6 is moved downward, and the foreign matter is discharged into the foreign matter collection box 9 installed therebelow. In addition, 9a is a full detection sensor (photoelectric sensor) of the foreign matter collection box 9.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the input material is not a foreign substance but a container containing residue, the conveyor mechanism 7 transfers the bucket 6 upward, and inverts the bucket 6 as shown by the chain line in the drawing while rotating around the upper sprocket. Then, the container 5 is dropped inside the hopper 10 installed behind the conveyor mechanism 7 in an inverted posture, and the residue contained in the container 5 is discharged into the hopper 10.

On the other hand, inside the main body case 1, in addition to the above-mentioned mechanism, a container transport mechanism 11 for gripping an empty container 5 from the hopper 10 and traveling on the ceiling, and a container volume reduction installed at the rear of the transport path. A chemical treatment section 12, a container collection box 13 installed therebelow, a garbage / juice sorting mechanism 14 provided in series on the outlet side of the hopper 10, a juice discharged from the separation mechanism 14, and a juice for collecting the garbage. It is equipped with main parts such as a collection box 15 and a garbage collection box 16. In addition, 13a, 15
Reference numerals a and 16a are full detection sensors for each collection box, and a weight sensor is used for the full detection sensor 16a for the garbage collection box.

Here, the structure of each of the main parts will be described in detail. First, the container volume reduction processing unit 12 arranges two sets of belt conveyors in a V-shape, and the container introduced from the upper inlet side there. 5 has a basic structure of a belt-type conveying press that sandwiches 5 between belts and crushes it into a flat shape to reduce the volume. In the illustrated embodiment, in order to prevent the plastic container 5 from being elastically restored to its original shape after being squeezed, A roller type cutter unit 17 for cutting the crushed container 5 is provided on the outlet side of the type conveying press. This roller type cutter is shown in Figure 4.
As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right shafts 17a are arranged so that the discs 17b provided on the shafts are interleaved with each other, and the container 5 fed between the discs 17b is vertically cut by the edge blades of the discs. To do.

Further, the food waste / juice separation mechanism 14 finely separates the wire mesh screen 14a on the bottom side for separating the residue thrown from above into soup and solid food waste, and the food waste remaining on the screen 14a. Screw-type cutting blade 14 for cutting
b and a drive motor 14c. Then, the juice that has passed through the screen 14a is collected in a juice collection box (tank structure) 15 through the inlet pipe, and the garbage collected by the screw blade 14b and sent to the discharge side is disposed below the garbage collection box 16 Is thrown into.

The inlet pipe line leading to the juice collection box 15 is provided with a sluice valve 19. The sluice valve 19 is normally closed and the odor of the juice collected in the collection box 15 will not affect the body case 1.
It is designed to prevent the liquid from diffusing into the inner space and open the valve according to the processing operation of the residue to collect the juice. In addition, it is preferable that the garbage collection box 16 has a configuration with the following processing functions. That is, the garbage collected in the collection box is decomposed by the action of microorganisms and converted into volume-reduced compost. Alternatively, hot air is blown into the collection box 16 to dry the garbage, and the volume of the garbage is reduced to about 1/5.

Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment has the following functions. First, the storage boxes 13, 15,
On the basis of the detection signals of the full detection sensors 13a, 15a, 16a provided in 16, when at least one of the collection boxes is full, a full display is displayed outside and the closing door 3
The door lock mechanism 18 is operated to stop receiving the input.

Further, an ozone generator 20, an odor sensor 21 for controlling the operation of the ozone generator 20, an exhaust fan 22, and an ozone treatment device 23 attached to the ventilation passage for decomposing exhaust ozone are attached to the inside of the device. The offensive odor from the residue is deodorized by the chemical activation of ozone generated by the ozone generator 20, and then exhausted to the outside through the exhaust fan 21. In this case, by controlling the operation of the ozone generator 20 with the detection signal of the odor sensor 21, it is possible to prevent excess ozone from filling the main body case. Further, by adsorbing exhaust ozone in the ozone processor 23 or decomposing it by a catalytic action, it is possible to prevent high-concentration ozone from being emitted to the outside, and particularly when the garbage processor is installed indoors. It is valid.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the above-mentioned hopper 10 is provided with a cleaning liquid tank 24, a cleaning liquid pipe 25 connected to the tap water through a valve, and a rinse system 27 consisting of a cleaning nozzle 26, and periodically. The cleaning liquid is sprinkled in the hopper 10 to wash away the residue attached to the wall surface,
I try to prevent the generation of offensive odors. Note that FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the residue processing by the food waste disposal machine having the above configuration.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the leftover food residue of food sold by an automatic vending machine or the like is collected together with the container, and the container, garbage and juice are automatically separated in the machine. ,
In addition, it is possible to reduce the volume of bulky containers and store them in separate collection boxes.Compared with the conventional method of treating food waste together with general waste in the trash box in the facility,
It has excellent effects on environmental hygiene and beautification. In particular, by using it in a facility equipped with a large number of vending machines such as a highway parking area, it is possible to significantly reduce labor in terms of management of food waste.

Further, by adopting the constitution described in claims 2 to 15 on the basis of the constitution of claim 1 of the present invention, it is possible to further improve the functions of the processing machine and environmental hygiene. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an entire food waste processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a mechanism diagram of a bucket transporting conveyor mechanism in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a foreign matter detection unit in FIG.

4A and 4B are configuration diagrams of a container cutting cutter portion in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a side view.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a rinse system installed in the hopper in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a processing flow of a residue according to the embodiment of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 body case 3 closing door 4 slot 5 containers 6 buckets 7 Conveyor mechanism for carrying buckets 8 Foreign object detector 8a photoelectric sensor 8b Weight detection sensor 8c Metal detection sensor 9 Foreign object collection box 10 hopper 11 Container transport mechanism 12 Container volume reduction unit 13 container collection box 14 Garbage / Soup sorting mechanism 14a screen 14b Screw-shaped cutting blade 15 Juice collection box 16 garbage collection boxes 17 Cutter for container cutting 18 Door lock mechanism for closing door 19 gate valve 20 ozone generator 21 Odor sensor 22 Exhaust fan 23 Ozone processor 27 rinse system 9a, 13a, 15a, 16a Full detection sensor

Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-8-192130 (JP, A) JP-A-6-269762 (JP, A) JP-A-4-94784 (JP, A) JP-A-4-48984 (JP , A) Actual Kaihei 7-9805 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B09B 3/00-5/00

Claims (15)

(57) [Claims] 1. A food waste disposer that automatically collects leftover food residues sold by food vending machines, etc., along with a container, and inserts a leftover food residue into each container with a door. In a main body case provided with a mouth, a bucket also serving as an input receiving stage arranged inside the input opening, a bucket conveying means for sending the container received in the bucket to a hopper at a subsequent stage in an inverted posture, and a container from the inside of the hopper. The waste discharged into the garbage collection box and the soup collection box, which separates the residue discharged into a solid garbage and soup, and the residue separation means that is installed in the latter part of the hopper, and the empty volume remaining in the hopper. 1. A food waste disposer comprising: a container transporting means for sending the container to the container volume reduction processing means; and a container collection box for collecting the volume-reduced container. 2. The food waste processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the door of the input port is a door with a lock mechanism that unlocks the door under the condition that the food waste can be processed. Machine. 3. The food waste disposer according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter detection means for determining foreign matter other than the container containing the residue mounted on the bucket, and the foreign matter discharged from the bucket based on the determination by the foreign matter detection means. A food waste disposer that is equipped with a foreign matter collection box for collection. 4. The food waste processing machine according to claim 3, wherein the foreign matter detecting means detects the presence or absence of an input matter, and
A food waste disposer comprising a combination of a metal detection sensor for detecting metal such as cans and a weight detection sensor for detecting heavy objects such as stones. 5. The food waste disposer according to claim 1, wherein the bucket conveying means is a conveyor mechanism that moves up and down while supporting the bucket on the circumference of the endless belt. 6. The food waste disposer according to claim 1, wherein the residue separation means comprises a screen for separating the juice from the residue and a screw-like cutting blade for finely cutting and discharging the food waste remaining on the screen. A food waste processing machine characterized by being equipped. 7. The garbage processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the garbage collection box is used for decomposing the garbage using the action of microorganisms, or blowing hot air to dry and reduce the volume of the garbage. A food waste processing machine characterized by having functions. 8. The food waste disposer according to claim 1, wherein a sluice valve that is normally closed and opened only when soup is collected is provided in the inlet pipe line of the soup collection box. 9. The food waste processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the container volume reduction processing means is a belt-type transfer press that crushes a container between a pair of belts. 10. The garbage processing machine according to claim 9,
A food waste disposer comprising a cutter unit for cutting a flatly crushed container on the outlet side of a belt type transport press. 11. The garbage processing machine according to claim 1,
A garbage processing machine characterized by incorporating an ozone generator and an exhaust fan into the machine as a means to eliminate the offensive odor generated from collected garbage. 12. The food waste disposer according to claim 11, wherein the ozone generator is operated and controlled based on a detection signal of an odor sensor provided in the main body case. 13. The food waste disposer according to claim 11, further comprising an ozone disposer for decomposing exhaust ozone in a ventilation passage of an exhaust fan. 14. The food waste disposer according to claim 1,
A food waste disposing machine characterized by having a cleaning means for washing out food waste adhering to the wall surface of the hopper inside the machine. 15. The food waste disposer according to claim 1,
A garbage processing machine, characterized in that each collection box in the machine is provided with a full detection sensor, and the acceptance of a new input is stopped based on the detection signal of the sensor.