JPH1170525A - Volume reducing apparatus for waste plastic container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a cost of an apparatus and to improve a treating efficiency with a simple structure by decreasing an amount of residual liquid in a container and eliminating a problem in malodor or hygiene. SOLUTION: The volume reducing apparatus for waste plastic container comprises a perforating and preliminarily volume reducing unit 40 and main volume reducing unit 50 sequentially vertically disposed in this order in a housing 31, preliminary volume reducing roller 41 with perforating pin 43 in a receiving hopper 31a disposed in the unit 40, a passage 31A gradually decreasing in an interval toward downward to be formed between an outer periphery of the roller 41 and a wall 31c, main volume reducing rollers 51, 53 for sandwiching waste plastic container 25 from the unit 40 and provided in the unit 50, elastic material layers formed on outer peripheries of the rollers 51, 53, and perforating pin slightly projected from an outer surface of the material layer. In this case, the roller 51 is rockably supported to the housing 31 via a movable bracket 54 given by an adjustable rotary force by an urging mechanism 57 and pressed to be brought into contact with the roller 51.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a PET (polyethyty)
The present invention relates to an apparatus for reducing the volume of a waste plastic container for compressing and reducing the volume of a waste plastic container such as a bottle of lene terephthalate (volume reduction).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to recycle waste plastic containers such as PET bottles, the waste plastic containers are collected, transported to a recycling factory, and subjected to a recycling process. Since the volume of the waste plastic container containing the liquid such as beverages is large and bulky, when transporting to a recycling plant, the waste plastic container is compressed to reduce its volume, and the transport efficiency is improved. .

As a volume reduction processing apparatus for reducing the volume of a waste plastic container as described above, there is a conventional apparatus disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-155726.
This volume reduction processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11 show a conventional volume reduction processing apparatus.
7 is a front view thereof, FIG. 7 is a plan view thereof, and FIG.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the pusher, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows the XI-XI line of FIG.

[0006] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 11, the volume reduction processing apparatus is provided with a hopper 1 for charging a waste plastic container 25 from above, and a horizontal direction from below the hopper 1 (see FIGS. 6 to 11). The passage 2 extends to the left in FIG. In the passage 2, there is a receiving frame 3 having upper and lower ends opened.
Are provided so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction (left and right directions in FIGS. 6 to 8).

The receiving frame 3 is driven by a double-acting cylinder device including a first cylinder 6 and a second cylinder 4. That is, the receiving frame 3 is connected to the distal end of the rod 4 a driven to expand and contract by the second cylinder 4, and the second cylinder 4 is connected to the rod 6 a driven by the first cylinder 6 through the seat 5. Connected to the tip. The first cylinder 6 is fixed to the device body.

A shutter 7 is connected to the side of the receiving frame 3 (to the right in FIGS. 6 to 8). The shutter 7 closes the lower end opening of the hopper 1 when the receiving frame 3 is moved leftward in FIGS. 6 to 8 by the operation of the cylinders 4 and 6. Position a at which the receiving frame 3 stops by driving the rod 6a of the first cylinder 6 to extend.
Above (see FIG. 8), as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a pusher 10 for temporary compression is installed so as to be vertically movable by a cylinder 11, and further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, A plate 14 having perforating needles 13, 13,... Which can protrude downward from through holes 12, 12,. is set up.

When the rod 4a of the second cylinder 4 is further extended while the rod 6a of the first cylinder 6 is extended, the receiving frame 3 stops at a position b (see FIG. 8;
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, a pusher 20 for the main compression is installed so as to be vertically movable by a cylinder 21, and a position below the position b, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 11. , A pocket 28 for depositing the compressed waste plastic container 25 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, a pusher 22 for pushing out a compressed waste plastic container 25 is provided on one side (right side in FIGS. 6 to 8) of the pocket 28 with a cylinder 23. , So as to be movable in the horizontal direction (left and right directions in FIGS. 6 to 8). On the other side of the pocket 28 (the left side in FIGS. 6 to 8), as shown in FIG. 8, a shutter 26 that can open and close the side wall opening of the pocket 28 is provided to be vertically movable by the cylinder 24. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a packing device 27 for packing a lump of the waste plastic container 25 pushed out of the pocket 28 is further installed on the left side.

Next, the operation of the conventional waste plastic container volume reducing apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, in a state where the rod 6a of the first cylinder 6 and the rod 4a of the second cylinder 4 are both contracted and the receiving frame 3 is arranged below the hopper 1 (the state shown by a solid line in FIG. 8), Waste plastic container 25
It is thrown in from above the hopper 1 and falls and accumulates in the receiving frame 3.

When an appropriate amount of the waste plastic container 25 accumulates in the receiving frame 3, the first cylinder 6 is operated to extend and drive the rod 6a, and the receiving frame 3 is moved together with the seat 5 and the second cylinder 4 through the receiving frame 3. And move it sideways along
The waste plastic container 25 is moved to the stop position a in FIG. In this stop position a, the cylinder 11 is operated to drive the pusher 10 downward, and while the waste plastic container 25 in the receiving frame 3 is being pressed by the pusher 10, the cylinders 15, 15 are operated to move the plate 14 downward. When driven, the needles 13, 13,... Are projected downward from the through holes 12, 12,.

Thereafter, the pusher 10 is further driven downward by the cylinder 11 to reduce the volume of the waste plastic container 25. At this point, the needle 1 is placed in the waste plastic container 25.
Since the holes have already been made by the holes 3, 13, ..., the waste plastic container 25 is smoothly compressed and reduced in volume without being ruptured by the compressive force of the pusher 10. When the volume of the waste plastic container 25 is reduced to an appropriate volume, the needles 13, 13,... Are raised by driving the plate 14 upward by the cylinders 15, 15. At this time, the needles 13 and 1
The waste plastic container 25 pierced by the needles 3, 3, and pierced by the needles 13, 13,... Is pulled out of the needles 13, 13,. Thereafter, the pusher 10 is moved to the cylinder 1
1 to return to the original position (the position indicated by the solid line in FIGS. 8 and 9).

Next, while the rod 6a of the first cylinder 6 is extended, the second cylinder 4 is further operated to drive the rod 4a to extend, and the temporarily compressed waste plastic container 25 and the receiving frame 3 are passed through the passage. 2 to the stop position b and drop into the pocket 28 from the lower end opening of the receiving frame 3. Thereafter, the receiving frame 3 is returned to the original position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 8) by contracting and driving both the rod 6a of the first cylinder 6 and the rod 4a of the second cylinder 4.

Then, the cylinder 21 is operated to drive the pusher 20 downward, so that the waste plastic container 25 dropped and accumulated in the pocket 28 is fully compressed and further reduced in volume. The above operation is repeated, and when the waste plastic container 25 is fully filled in the pocket 28, the cylinder 24 is operated to move the shutter 26 upward to open the side wall opening of the pocket 28, and then the cylinder 23 is operated to operate the pusher 22. Is driven laterally, and the completely compressed waste plastic container 25 is pushed out to the packing device 27. The piles (bale) of the stacked compressed waste plastic containers 25 extruded in this manner are bound and packed by a packing device 27 by a band or the like.

When the receiving frame 3 is moved to the stop positions a and b, the lower opening of the hopper 1 is closed by the shutter 7, and the waste plastic container 2 is placed in the hopper 1.
Even if 5 is thrown in, the waste plastic container 25 can be prevented from falling into the passage 2.

[0015]

By the way, when reducing the volume of a waste plastic container such as a PET bottle, a hole is previously formed in the container so that the container with the cap attached is not ruptured (exploded) by compression. It is necessary to reduce the volume to some extent by performing preliminary volume reduction processing in order to efficiently perform the main volume reduction processing with a large compression force.

Therefore, in the prior art described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11, in order to prevent rupture of the container with a cap due to piercing, a piercing process using needles 13, 13,. , The volume reduction process by the pusher 20 is executed one by one at dedicated positions (the stop position a and the stop position b of the receiving frame 3 shown in FIG. 8), so that the processing time is reduced. There is a problem that the device becomes larger as the length becomes longer.

If liquid remains in the waste plastic container and the discharge of the residual liquid is insufficient, it leaks out during transportation of the bail (lumps of compressed bottles) and becomes difficult to handle. Value (biochemical oxygen demand) or CO
Residual liquid having a high D value (chemical oxygen demand value) causes unpleasant odor, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of hygiene. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and makes it possible to surely reduce the volume of a container while preventing the container from being ruptured, thereby reducing the amount of residual liquid in the container and solving odors and hygiene problems. In addition, it is another object of the present invention to provide a waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus that has a simple structure and is designed to reduce the cost of the apparatus and improve the processing efficiency.

[0018]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a waste plastic container volume reducing apparatus according to the present invention (claim 1) includes a receiving hopper having an upper opening and a receiving hopper at an upper portion thereof. Drilling and preliminary volume reduction for waste plastic containers placed in the hopper
A preliminary volume reduction processing section and a main volume reduction processing section that performs the final volume reduction processing on the waste plastic container processed by the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing section are arranged vertically in this order, and the holes are drilled. In the preliminary volume reduction processing section, a preliminary volume reduction roller in which a hole is projected from an outer peripheral surface is rotatably arranged along the wall of the reception hopper in the receiving hopper, and the preliminary volume reduction roller Between the outer peripheral surface and the wall of the receiving hopper, a passage for preliminary volume reduction processing is formed in which the interval gradually decreases downward from the upper opening of the receiving hopper. A pair of main volume reduction rollers that perform a final volume reduction process by sandwiching a waste plastic container that has passed through the passage and has been subjected to piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing and has fallen from the piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing section is rotatable. , On the outer peripheral surface of the pair of main volume reducing rollers, The elastic material layer is formed and a punching pin whose tip is slightly projected from the outer surface of the elastic material layer is provided, and one of the volume reducing rollers is provided with a rotational force adjustable by an urging mechanism. Through the movable bracket
It is characterized in that it is configured to swingably support the housing and to contact and press the other main volume reduction roller.

A supply conveyor for charging the waste plastic container into the receiving hopper, and a discharge conveyor for discharging the waste plastic container which has been subjected to the main volume reduction process and dropped from the main volume reduction processing section to the outside of the housing are provided. (Claim 2).

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 5). 1 to 5 show a waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus (automatic PET bottle volume reduction machine) as one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the preliminary volume reduction roller partially cut away, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the volume reduction roller, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a scraper.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a volume reduction processing apparatus according to the present embodiment comprises a waste plastic container 2 such as a PET bottle.
5 for reducing the volume, which is the main volume reduction processing unit 30
And a supply conveyor 60 for supplying and supplying the waste plastic container 25 to the volume reduction processing unit 30 (the receiving hopper 31a).
And a discharge conveyor 70 for discharging the waste plastic container 25 subjected to the volume reduction processing from the volume reduction processing section 30.

The volume reduction processing section 30 includes a housing 31 having an upper receiving hopper 31a opening upward.
A perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing unit 40 for performing perforation processing and preliminary volume reduction processing on the waste plastic container 25 put in the receiving hopper 31a in the housing 31, and the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing The main volume reduction processing unit 50 that performs the main volume reduction process on the waste plastic container 25 that has been processed by the unit 40 is arranged vertically in this order.

The housing 31 has an upper surface (FIG. 1).
A receiving hopper 31a communicating with the inside from the opening formed in the upper part (left upper part of FIG. 1) is provided, and an opening part 31b communicating with the outside is formed on the lower side surface (right side in FIG. 1). The receiving hopper 31a is formed by being surrounded by front and rear (left and right in FIG. 1) wall portions 31c and 31d and both side walls of the housing 31.

Further, a strainer 32 for collecting and collecting scattered fragments (especially broken caps) of the waste plastic container 25 is provided at a lower portion in the housing 31. A liquid discharge port 31e is provided for discharging remaining liquid that has fallen from the inside of the waste plastic container 25 to the bottom of the housing 31 in accordance with the volume reduction process or the main volume reduction process to the outside.

In the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing section 40 of the present embodiment, a plurality of perforation pins 43 are provided in the receiving hopper 31a on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
The front side wall portion 31a of the receiving hopper 31a is in a state where both ends thereof are rotatably supported on both side walls of the housing 31, respectively.
Are arranged along. This preliminary volume reduction roller 41
A chain 42 is provided by a motor 42 fixed to the housing 31.
It is configured to be rotationally driven in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) via the line b. The chain 42b is connected to the motor 4
2 and a sprocket 41a connected to the rotation shaft of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41.
It is wound around.

The wall 31c of the receiving hopper 31a is
The gap (distance) between the tip of the pin 43 protruding from the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 gradually narrows from the upper left opening to the lower right side, and immediately below the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 (the lowermost end; The receiving hopper 31 is formed with a curved surface (arc shape) which is minimized at the outlet 31f of the hopper 31a, is bent downward from the lowermost end, and faces a scraper 45 described later.
a of the outlet 31f.

That is, in the present embodiment, the preliminary volume reduction roller 4
1 and the wall 31c of the receiving hopper 31a,
A passage 31A for preliminary volume reduction processing is formed in which the interval gradually decreases from the upper opening of the receiving hopper 31a toward the lower outlet 31f. The minimum distance between the passages 31 </ b> A is set to be slightly larger than the length of the pin 43 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41.

A scraper 45 is provided in the vicinity of the roller 41 just below the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 (on the right side of immediately below the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 shown in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 5, the scraper 45 has a comb-like shape having a groove 45a through which a pin 43 that moves with the rotation of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 can pass. Is the pin 43 of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41
And extends near the outer surface of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 so as not to interfere with the wall 31c of the receiving hopper 31a.
The outlet 31f of the receiving hopper 31a is formed to face the lower end of the receiving hopper 31a.

Therefore, the scraper 45 of this embodiment is
The function is to pull out the waste plastic container 25 from the perforation pin 43 so that the waste plastic container 25 discharged from the outlet 31f does not return to the upper part of the receiving hopper 31a. In addition, on the outer peripheral surface of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41,
The drilling pins 43 are screwed and projected in a grid pattern as shown in FIG. 2 or in a staggered pattern as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, in the volume reduction processing section 50, the waste plastic which has been subjected to the piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing through the preliminary volume reduction processing passage 31 A and dropped from the piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing section 30. A pair of main volume reduction rollers 51 and 53 that perform the main volume reduction process while sandwiching the container 25 are rotatably arranged so as to face front and rear (left and right in FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 4, each of these volume reduction rollers 51 and 53 has a columnar cored bar portion 51 having a large number of drilling pins 58 protruding similarly to the preliminary volume reduction roller 41.
a and 53a are formed by winding urethane rubber having relatively high hardness to form rubber layer portions (elastic material layers) 51b and 53b. At this time, the tip of each pin 58 is connected to the rubber layer portion 51a.
b, 53b slightly project outward.

On the outer peripheral surfaces of the metal core portions 51a and 53a, the drilling pins 58 are screwed and projected in a checkerboard or staggered shape, and are fixed by nuts 59. Although FIG. 4 shows only the cross section of the main volume reduction roller 53, the main volume reduction roller 51 has the same configuration. The volume reduction roller (the volume reduction fixed roller) 51 is rotatably supported at both ends thereof on both side walls of the housing 31.
It is provided with the rotation axis position fixed. The fixed roller 51 is fixed in a predetermined direction (FIG. 1) via a chain 52b by a motor 52 fixed to the housing 31.
(In the direction of arrow B). The chain 52b is wound around a sprocket 52a connected to the output shaft of the motor 52 and a sprocket 51a connected to the rotation shaft of the fixed volume reduction roller 51.

Further, the actual volume reduction roller (the actual volume reduction movable roller)
53 is rotatably supported at both ends by a movable frame (movable bracket) 54 that can swing with respect to the housing 31, and is fixed by a motor 55 fixed to the movable frame 54 via a chain 55 b. (Arrow C in FIG. 1)
Direction). Chain 5
5b is wound around a sprocket 55a connected to the output shaft of the motor 55 and a sprocket 53a connected to the rotation shaft of the volume reduction movable roller 53.

The movable frame 54 is supported by a rotating shaft 56 projecting from both side walls of the housing 31 so as to be able to swing around the rotating shaft 56 and at a position slightly apart from the position of the rotating shaft 56. (The position on the left side in FIG. 1) is pressed and urged downward by a spring unit (biasing mechanism) 57. The spring unit 57 has one end (lower end) pivotally attached to the movable frame 54 by a pin 57a, and the other end (upper end) fixed to the housing 31 via a bracket 57b, and by moving a screw (not shown). , And has a compression spring 57c that can adjust the spring force. With such a spring unit 57, the rotational force applied to the movable frame 54 around the rotation shaft 56 can be adjusted.

The volume reducing movable roller 5 supported by the movable frame 54 by receiving the urging force of the spring unit 57 described above.
Numeral 3 is configured to swing around the rotation shaft 56 and to contact and press the fixed volume reduction roller 51. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supply conveyor (stack conveyor) 60 lifts the waste plastic 25 from the input port 61 arranged at a lower position (lower position) to the position of the receiving hopper 31 a of the housing 31. The belt 62 is inserted into the receiving hopper 31a, and is attached to the pair of rollers 62a and 62b.
Endlessly, and a plurality of bars 62 for engaging and transporting the waste plastic container 25 around the outer periphery of the belt 62.
c is provided vertically.

The discharge conveyor (net belt conveyor) 70 is a flat waste plastic container which has been subjected to the main volume reduction process and dropped from the main volume reduction processing section 50 (between the main volume reduction rollers 51 and 53). 25 is raised from the lower part of the housing 31 to a high position outside the housing 31 through the opening 31b and is discharged, and a pair of rollers 71a, 71
Guide rollers 71c, 71 wound endlessly around 1b.
It has a net belt 71 guided by d.

Next, the operation of the volume reduction processing apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, waste plastic containers (for example, PET bottles) to be subjected to volume reduction processing 2
5 is supplied to the supply port 61 of the supply conveyor 60. At this time, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the large waste plastic container 25 is manually aligned in its direction (that is, with the cap side upward), and is supplied to the supply conveyor 6.
It is thrown into the belt 62 from the zero insertion slot 61.

The loaded waste plastic container 25 is lifted and raised by the crosspiece 62c suspended on the belt 62, falls into the receiving hopper 31a of the housing 31 with the cap side downward, and falls into the receiving hopper 31a. Front side wall part 31
c and falls between the preliminary volume reduction roller 41. The waste plastic container 25 is moved by the pins 43 on the outer periphery thereof along with the rotation of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41, so that the preliminary volume reduction processing passage 3 is formed.
1A is drawn downward and becomes pinched by the pin 43, and at the same time, is pinched between the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 and the wall portion 31c while passing through the narrowing passage 31A, and is crushed and preliminary volume reduced. You.

At the time of this preliminary volume reduction, if the waste plastic container 25 has a cap, the cap is partially destroyed, and if the liquid remains in the waste plastic container 25, the remaining liquid is removed. The liquid is smoothly squeezed out from the cap-side opening facing downward.
In the drilling / preliminary volume reduction processing of the present embodiment, even if the waste plastic container 25 with the cap attached is thrown in, the hole is drilled as described above and a part of the cap is destroyed. Rupture (explosion and destruction) of the container 25 with the cap can be reliably prevented during or after the actual volume reduction performed in the container.

When the waste plastic container 25 whose volume has been preliminarily reduced at the same time as the perforation is passed, and immediately below the preliminary volume reduction roller 41, the cap side is directed downward, and passes through the outlet 31f of the receiving hopper 31a (downward). (Between the rollers 51 and 53 in the processing section 50). At this time, the waste plastic container 25 pierced by the pins 43 of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 is removed by the scraper 4 as the rotation of the roller 41 progresses.
5 and falls into the main volume reduction processing section 50.
In this way, the waste plastic container 25 is continuously processed by the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing unit 40 and then continuously sent to the main volume reduction processing unit 50.

Now, it has fallen into the main volume reduction processing section 50,
The waste plastic container 25 having been punched / preliminarily reduced in volume enters the V-shaped groove formed by the fixed volume fixed roller 51 and the fixed volume movable roller 53 from the cap side, and the rotation of these rollers 51 and 53. With these rollers 51 and 5
3 and are strongly pressed by the rubber layer portions 51b and 53b on the surfaces of the rollers 51 and 53 to perform the final volume reduction processing.

At this time, the waste plastic container 25 is provided with pins 5 projecting from the outer surfaces of the rollers 51 and 53 from both sides.
8 and a rotational speed difference between these rollers 51 and 53 and a pin 58
Is transported downward by the forced transport by. If liquid still remains in the waste plastic container 25, most of the remaining liquid is squeezed out when passing between the rollers 51 and 53.
If 5 has a cap, the cap will be fully compressed.

The waste plastic container 25, which has passed through the rollers 51 and 53 and has been reduced in volume and flattened, falls onto the net belt 71 of the discharge conveyor 70, and the discharge conveyor 70 causes the housing 31 to pass through the opening 31b. And packed into a basket or bag (not shown) and transported to a recycling factory or the like. In addition, pieces of the waste plastic container 25 (including pieces such as caps) generated during the piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing and during the main volume reduction processing are collected by the strainer 32, and also the piercing / preliminary volume reduction described above. The waste liquid squeezed out of the waste plastic container 25 by the volume processing or the main volume reduction processing passes through the net belt 71 and the strainer 32, falls to the lower part of the housing 31, and is discharged from the liquid discharge port 31e.

As described above, according to the waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention, the drilling processing and the preliminary volume reduction processing can be continuously performed, so that the time required for the volume reduction processing is reduced. It can be shortened and the processing efficiency is greatly improved. At this time, the puncturing process surely prevents the waste plastic container 25 with the cap from being ruptured during the volume reduction process.

Further, by simultaneously performing the piercing process and the preliminary volume reduction process using the preliminary volume reduction roller 41, cylinders for the piercing process and the preliminary volume reduction process which have been conventionally required (FIG. 9). (See reference numerals 11 and 15) can be omitted, the drilling / preliminary volume reduction processing section 40 can be made compact, and the volume reduction processing is performed by using the volume reduction rollers 51 and 53. The unit 50 can also be made compact, the apparatus can be greatly simplified and downsized, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the residual liquid in the waste plastic container 25 is squeezed out not only in the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing section 40 but also in the main volume reduction processing section 50, so that the amount of the residual liquid in the waste plastic container 25 is reduced. It can be significantly reduced, and the residual liquid flows out during the transportation of the waste plastic container 25 that has been subjected to the volume reduction treatment, and the handling problem, and the odor and hygiene problem due to the residual liquid having a high BOD value and COD value. Is eliminated.

In this embodiment, the supply conveyor 6
0, the waste plastic container 25 is preliminarily reduced in volume.
Up to the upper part (receiving hopper 31a) of the
Since the waste plastic container 25 that has fallen from the volume reduction processing section 50 after the volume reduction processing is lifted by the discharge conveyor 70 to a high position outside the apparatus for the subsequent process, the waste plastic container 25 is moved to the apparatus of the waste plastic container 25. Can be very easily loaded and unloaded from the apparatus.

The waste plastic container 25 which has been subjected to the piercing treatment and the preliminary volume reduction treatment is scraped by the scraper 45.
Since the waste plastic container 25 can be reliably dropped from the outlet 31f of the receiving hopper 31a to the main volume reduction processing unit 50 side, it is reliably prevented that the waste plastic container 25 is clogged or returned to the upper part of the receiving hopper 31a. The preliminary volume reduction processing is smoothly and simultaneously and continuously executed.

In the above-described embodiment, the wall 31c of the receiving hopper 31a is formed in an arc shape, and
1 is eccentrically arranged so that the passage 31 for preliminary volume reduction processing
A is formed, but the present invention is not limited to such a shape, and a passage between the outer peripheral surface of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 and the wall 31c of the receiving hopper 31a is formed from the upper opening side. As long as the shape gradually narrows toward the outlet 31f side, another shape may be adopted. In any case, the same operation and effect as described above can be obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the waste plastic container 25 is a PET bottle is described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
It is applied when reducing the volume of various waste plastic containers having a closed space, and the same operation and effect as described above can be obtained. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0051]

As described above in detail, according to the waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus of the present invention, both the punching / preliminary volume reduction processing section and the main volume reduction processing section are of a continuous processing method using rollers. The pre-volume reduction section and the main volume reduction section are arranged in this order, and the waste plastic container between them is fed by gravity, the rotation speed difference between the main volume reduction rollers and the pin on the peripheral surface of the rollers. This is performed by forced transport.

Therefore, since the boring process and the preliminary volume reduction process can be continuously performed, the time required for the volume reduction process can be reduced, and the processing efficiency can be greatly improved. At this time, the puncturing process surely prevents the waste plastic container with the cap from being ruptured during the volume reduction process. Also,
By simultaneously performing the drilling process and the preliminary volume reduction process using the preliminary volume reduction roller, the cylinders for the drilling process and the preliminary volume reduction process, which were conventionally required, can be omitted, and the drilling and the preliminary volume reduction process can be omitted. The volume reduction section can be made compact, and since the volume reduction processing is performed using a pair of final volume reduction rollers, the volume reduction processing section can also be made compact, and the apparatus can be greatly simplified and reduced in size. Can be

Further, the residual liquid in the waste plastic container is squeezed out not only in the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing section but also in the main volume reduction processing section, so that the amount of the residual liquid in the waste plastic container is reliably reduced. This solves the problem of handling caused by the residual liquid flowing out during transportation of the waste plastic container whose volume has been reduced, and the odor and hygiene problems caused by the residual liquid having a high BOD value and COD value.

Further, the waste plastic container is put into the receiving hopper by the supply conveyor, and the waste plastic container dropped from the volume reduction processing section after the volume reduction processing is completed is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the discharge conveyor. This makes it very easy to put the waste plastic container into and out of the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus according to the present embodiment with a part thereof omitted.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway front view showing a preliminary volume reduction roller of the waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the volume reduction roller of the waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a scraper according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a conventional waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a conventional waste plastic container volume reduction processing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a pusher in the conventional device.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

 25 Waste Plastic Container 30 Volume Reduction Processing Unit 31 Case 31a Receiving Hopper 31c Receiving Hopper Wall 31A Preliminary Volume Reduction Processing Path 40 Drilling / Preliminary Volume Reduction Processing Unit 41 Preliminary Volume Reduction Roller 43 Drilling Pins 50 Reduced Volume reduction section 51 Volume reduction roller (main volume reduction fixed roller) 53 Volume reduction roller (main volume reduction movable roller) 51b, 53b Rubber layer (elastic material layer) 54 Movable frame (movable bracket) 57 Spring unit (attached) Force mechanism) 58 Drilling pin 60 Supply conveyor (stack conveyor) 70 Discharge conveyor (net belt conveyor)

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] March 27, 1998

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0025

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing section 40 of the present embodiment, a plurality of perforation pins 43 are provided in the receiving hopper 31a on the outer peripheral surface thereof.
But both ends thereof in a state in which each rotatably is supported on both side walls of the housing 31, front wall 31 c of the receiving hopper 31a
Are arranged along. This preliminary volume reduction roller 41
A chain 42 is provided by a motor 42 fixed to the housing 31.
It is configured to be rotationally driven in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) via the line b. The chain 42b is connected to the motor 4
2 and a sprocket 41a connected to the rotation shaft of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41.
It is wound around.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0026

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0026] In addition, the front wall portion 31c of the receiving hopper 31a
Is that the gap (distance) between the tip of the pin 43 protruding from the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 gradually narrows as it advances from the upper left opening to the lower right side, and immediately below the lowermost volume of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 (the lowermost end). ;
The receiving hopper 3a is formed to have a curved surface (arc shape) which is minimized at the outlet 31f of the receiving hopper 31a, bends downward from the lowermost end, and faces a scraper 45 described later.
The outlet 31f of 1a is formed.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0027

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

That is, in the present embodiment, the preliminary volume reduction roller 4
Between the front wall portion 31c of the first outer peripheral surface and the receiving hopper 31a, the upper opening of the receiving hopper 31a of lower outlet 31f
A pre-volume reduction passage 31 </ b> A whose interval gradually decreases toward is formed. The minimum distance between the passages 31 </ b> A is set to be slightly larger than the length of the pin 43 protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0028

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

A scraper 45 is provided in the vicinity of the roller 41 just below the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 (on the right side of immediately below the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 shown in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 5, the scraper 45 has a comb-like shape having a groove 45a through which a pin 43 that moves with the rotation of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 can pass, and both ends of the scraper 45 are fixed to the housing 31. , The leading end of the groove 45a does not interfere with the pin 43 of the preliminary volume reducing roller 41.
1 is near the outer surface of the receiving hopper 3
The lower end of the front wall portion 31c of 1a opposite to the receiving hopper 3
The outlet 31f of 1a is formed.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0030

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

On the other hand, in the main volume reduction processing section 50, the waste volume that has passed through the preliminary volume reduction processing passage 31A, is subjected to the piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing, and has dropped from the piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing section 40. A pair of actual volume reduction rollers 51 and 53 that perform the actual volume reduction process with the plastic container 25 interposed therebetween are rotatably arranged so as to face front and rear (left and right in FIG. 1).

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0032

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

On the outer peripheral surfaces of the metal core portions 51a and 53a, the drilling pins 58 are screwed and projected in a checkerboard or staggered shape, and are fixed by nuts 59. Although FIG. 4 shows only the cross section of the main volume reduction roller 53, the main volume reduction roller 51 has the same configuration. Then, the actual volume reduction roller ( sometimes called the actual volume reduction fixed roller).
That) 51, both ends thereof are rotatably respectively supported on both side walls of the housing 31, it is provided in a state of being fixed to rotational shaft position. The fixed roller 51 is fixed to the housing 31.
Is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1) via a chain 52b. The chain 52b is wound around a sprocket 52a connected to the output shaft of the motor 52 and a sprocket 51a connected to the rotation shaft of the fixed volume reduction roller 51.

[Procedure amendment 7]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0033

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, the actual volume reduction roller (the actual volume reduction movable roller and
Is) 53 when referring has its opposite ends, referred swingable movable frame (movable bracket with respect to the housing 31
Is rotatably supported by a motor 55 which is fixed to the movable frame 54, is via a chain 55b to be rotatably driven in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 1) are in there) 54 . The chain 55b is wound around a sprocket 55a connected to the output shaft of the motor 55 and a sprocket 53a connected to the rotation shaft of the movable roller 53.

[Procedure amendment 8]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0038

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

The loaded waste plastic container 25 is lifted and raised by the crosspiece 62c suspended on the belt 62, falls into the receiving hopper 31a of the housing 31 with the cap side downward, and falls into the receiving hopper 31a. Front side wall part 31
c and falls between the preliminary volume reduction roller 41. The waste plastic container 25 is moved by the pins 43 on the outer periphery thereof along with the rotation of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41, so that the preliminary volume reduction processing passage 3 is formed.
1A, it is drawn downward and narrows, and the hole is made by the pin 43, and at the same time, the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 and the front side pass while passing through the narrowing volume reduction passage 31A. It is crushed by being sandwiched between the wall 31c and the preliminary volume is reduced.

[Procedure amendment 9]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0040

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

When the waste plastic container 25 whose volume has been preliminarily reduced at the same time as the perforation is passed, and immediately below the preliminary volume reduction roller 41, the cap side is directed downward, and passes through the outlet 31f of the receiving hopper 31a (downward). (Between the rollers 51 and 53 in the processing section 50). At this time, the waste plastic container 25 stuck in the pins 43 of the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 is pulled out by the scraper 45 as the preliminary volume reduction roller 41 rotates, and falls into the main volume reduction processing unit 50. In this way, the waste plastic container 25 is continuously processed by the perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing unit 40 and then continuously sent to the main volume reduction processing unit 50.

[Procedure amendment 10]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0041

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Now, it has fallen into the main volume reduction processing section 50,
Drilling, replacement compaction already waste plastic container 25, the groove of V-shaped formed by the present compaction fixing roller 51 and the compaction movable roller 53 enters from the cap side, these present Volume Reduction
Sandwiched between these the compaction fixing roller 51 and the compaction movable roller 53 with the rotation of the fixed roller 51 and the compaction movable roller 53, down these present capacity fixed roller 5
1 and the rubber layer portion 51 on the surface of the main volume reducing movable roller 53
b and 53b to perform the main volume reduction process.

[Procedure amendment 11]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0042

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

At this time, the waste plastic container 25 includes the main volume reducing fixed roller 51 and the main volume reducing movable roller 5 from both sides.
3 are further drilled by pins 58 protruding from the outer surface of the roller 3.
Due to the difference in rotation speed between the movable roller 53 and the volume reduction , and forced conveyance by the pin 58, the sheet is transferred downward. If the liquid still remains in the waste plastic container 25, the remaining liquid is removed by the main volume reduction fixing roller 51 and the main volume reduction.
Most of the waste plastic container 25 is squeezed out when passing between the movable roller 53 and, when the waste plastic container 25 has a cap, the cap is completely compressed.

[Procedure amendment 12]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0043

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Main volume reduction fixed roller 51 and main volume reduction movable roller
53, the waste plastic container 25 which has been reduced in volume and flattened is supplied to the net belt 7 of the discharge conveyor 70.
1 and the discharge conveyor 70 causes the opening 3
It is carried out of the housing 31 through 1b, packed in a basket or bag (not shown), and transported to a recycling factory or the like. In addition, pieces of the waste plastic container 25 (including pieces such as caps) generated during the piercing / preliminary volume reduction processing and during the main volume reduction processing are collected by the strainer 32, and also the piercing / preliminary volume reduction described above. The waste liquid squeezed out of the waste plastic container 25 by the volume processing or the main volume reduction processing passes through the net belt 71 and the strainer 32, falls to the lower part of the housing 31, and is discharged from the liquid discharge port 31e.

[Procedure amendment 13]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0045

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, by simultaneously performing the piercing process and the preliminary volume reduction process using the preliminary volume reduction roller 41, cylinders for the piercing process and the preliminary volume reduction process which have been conventionally required (FIG. 9). the reference numeral 11 and 15 refer) can be omitted, addition can be made compact punching replacement compaction processing unit 40, the down
Since the main volume reduction process is performed using the fixed volume roller 51 and the main volume reduction movable roller 53, the main volume reduction processing unit 50 can also be made compact, and the apparatus can be greatly simplified and reduced in size and cost can be reduced. Can also.

[Procedure amendment 14]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0049

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0049] In the embodiment described above, to form a pre-compaction process passage 31A by eccentrically arranging the preliminary compaction roller 41 to form a front wall portion 31c of the receiving hopper 31a in an arc shape, the present invention is not limited to such a shape, passage toward the upper opening side to the outlet 31f side gradually between the front wall portion 31c of the outer peripheral surface and the receiving hopper 31a of the pre-compaction roller 41 As long as the shape becomes narrower, other shapes may be adopted. In any case, the same operation and effect as described above can be obtained.

[Procedure amendment 15]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A perforation / preliminary volume reduction processing unit for performing a perforation process and a preliminary volume reduction process on a waste plastic container put into the reception hopper in a housing having an upper receiving hopper opened at the top. And a main volume reduction unit for performing a main volume reduction process on the waste plastic container processed by the perforation / preliminary volume reduction unit are arranged vertically in this order, In the volume processing section, a preliminary volume reduction roller having a perforating pin projecting from the outer peripheral surface is rotatably disposed along the wall of the reception hopper in the receiving hopper, and Between the outer peripheral surface and the wall portion of the receiving hopper, there is formed a preliminary volume reduction processing passage whose interval gradually decreases downward from an upper opening of the receiving hopper. Drilling / preliminary reduction after passing through the processing passage A pair of main volume reduction rollers rotatably provided with a pair of main volume reduction rollers for sandwiching the waste plastic container dropped from the perforated / preliminary volume reduction processing section and performing a main volume reduction process; An elastic material layer is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the elastic material layer, and a punching pin whose tip is slightly protruded from the outer surface of the elastic material layer is provided, and one of the volume reduction rollers can be adjusted by an urging mechanism. Waste plastic, which is swingably supported by the housing via a movable bracket to which a large rotating force is applied, and is configured to be pressed against the other main volume reducing roller. Container volume reduction equipment. 2. A supply conveyor for charging the waste plastic container into the receiving hopper, and discharging the waste plastic container which has been subjected to the main volume reduction process and dropped from the main volume reduction processing section to the outside of the housing. The apparatus for reducing the volume of a waste plastic container according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge conveyor.