JPS606760B2 - waste compaction machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for compacting waste, and more particularly to an apparatus for compacting waste of a miscellaneous variety in homes, restaurants and similar places.

Compacting equipment is now widely used in large enterprises and apartment buildings.

Recently smaller home units have been introduced. However, these existing units are not suitable for locations where moderate amounts of waste are collected or where waste needs to be compacted and disposed of at fairly regular intervals, such as in restaurants, dining cars, etc. They are either too large or too small for widespread use. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tamping device that meets these needs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compaction device that allows waste to be collected and its easy and rapid disposal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a waste compaction device that is self-contained and can be easily moved for use at selected locations such as restaurants, dining cars, and the like.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vertical compactor consisting solely of an electro-mechanical design that is simple and easy to use and economical to purchase.

These and other objects of the invention, together with its many advantages, will become readily apparent from the following description.

In accordance with the present invention, a waste compactor is provided that includes a base having a vertical column extending adjacent to and having a receptacle suitable for receiving waste thereon positioned thereon.

A ram member is mounted to the post in such a manner that it can be moved up and down into and out of the container. Drive means are provided for moving the ram up and down with sufficient pressure to compact the waste within the container. Preferably, the receiving container is fixed to the base, but it can also be removably mounted on a trolley or similar trolley. Preferably, the ram is formed from a heavy pressure plate or a heavy drum or cylindrical member forming a ram surface.

The ram is preferably cantilevered from a column for free movement over the container and is actuated by a screw jack connected to a ball-and-socket assembly in fixed relationship with the ram. The screw jack is rotatably mounted on a base and is provided with bearing means for absorbing thrust loads. The waste is preferably compacted within a plastic bag and the bag is discarded when it is full.

A thick plastic or metal sheet liner is provided to close the bag and maintain it open during use while at the same time ensuring that the bag will not tear apart under tamping conditions. An example will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, the tamping machine comprises a base 8 of substantially flat, thick and therefore heavy sheet metal, on the underside of which a plurality of wheels 2 are attached.

A vertical column 14 with a rectangular cross section made of a thick metal material extends from the rear of the base army 0. The pillar turtle 4 has a generally hollow interior. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a container made of steel or of heavy construction, generally indicated by the numeral 16, is attached to a base 101. The container has a partially circular first wall 18 welded to the base along its lower edge and attached to the first part by a vertical piano hinge 24 or other hinge fastener as seen in 2Q. a second partially circular swingable wall 22; wall pieces 18 and 2;
2 forms a cylindrical container closed at its upper end to receive a bag B into which the waste can be dumped. The second cap swings like a door, as seen in FIG. 3, so that it can be opened to remove the bag when it is full. Suitable latching means 26 are provided so that the two pieces can be brought together when the machine is in operation. A cylindrical ram, generally indicated by the numeral 28 and attached to the end of a strong metal arm 3, moves up and down into and out of the container 6 to compact the waste placed therein. It will be done.

A competing carriage Sg is also mounted within the arm 8 column 14 and moves through a slot 34 provided in one side of the column. The center of the cylindrical ram is positioned along the vertical centerline of the container as indicated by the arrow "X" and the various parts of the apparatus are dimensioned to provide this particular arrangement. As shown, the ram 28 consists of a thick metal internal tubular member located along the vertical central axis, with a pressure plate groove also thick and welded to the section 36, which is closed at both ends to form a ram surface. It consists of a circular flange-like shield member 42 made of a drum and expanded.

The flange 2 is "made of a flexible rubber or plastic material" and is interposed between the drum 4 and the pressure plate 38. These parts extend through its center and are fitted with nuts 46 at each end. They are held securely together by tightened axial bolts 44. To complete the ram for aesthetic purposes, the top cover 4 fins are secured to the tubular member 361 and the surrounding wall 50 is attached to the cover. and the pressure plate 38.The lower green of the surrounding wall 59 is seated on the movable shield turtle 2 and coincides with the green of the drum turtle 8, as shown in FIG. A smooth, continuous outer circumferential surface is formed.The diameter of drum 48 is smaller than the diameter of container 16, so that the drum is free to move in and out of bag B when it is inserted into the interior of the container. It is possible.

The shield 42 projects radially from the periphery of the drum and has a diameter slightly smaller than the container 16 to seal the annular space between the drum 4Q and the bag, thus preventing waste from being trapped during compaction. to prevent it from being thrown out of the bag.As will become clear later, a liner 52 may be placed inside the bag to protect it, moving along the enclosing wall 58'.Fourth As seen, the ram tubular member 36 is welded to the arm 301.

The arm itself is welded to a carriage 32, which has a smaller but corresponding cross-section than the column 14, so that it can move freely within the column. An elongated jack screw 54 extends upwardly into the column from below the base 10. As seen in FIG. 2, the screw jack 54 is held between a radial thrust bearing 56 disposed above the base 10 and an axial thrust bearing 58 disposed below the base. Bearings 56 and 58 are secured by nuts 60 and 62 threaded onto jack screws. A drive pulley 64, which has the purpose described below, connects the lower nut 62 and the thrust bearing 58.
is interposed between. By tightening the two nuts 60 and 62, the screw jack is secured to the base in a true vertical position without restricting its ability to rotate. A set screw or pin 66 is provided on the nuts 60 and 62,
Once the desired or preselected compression between the bearings is achieved, the nut is secured in place on the screw jack. Of course, the radial thrust bearings 56 absorb the radial undulation and vibration forces experienced by the columns, while simultaneously absorbing gravity and downward axial thrust loads. The lower thrust bearing 58 absorbs the upward thrust or load caused by the compaction cycle itself (ie, the upward reaction thrust of the waste against the downwardly driven ram). Bearings 56 and 58 thus cooperate to absorb all of the tamp cycle loads while allowing the screw jack to rotate. -However, since the bearing is in a fixed position relative to the base when the jack screw rotates, it does not move up or down. Carriage 32 is secured to screw jack 54 by a ball-socket assembly, shown in detail at 68 in FIGS. 4 and 6. Assembly 68 includes a flat, horizontal support plate 70 welded to the inner wall of carriage 32. Support plate 70 has a central hole 72 through which jack screw 54 extends. A first race member 74 is mounted on the support plate 70.
, which has a central annular hole 76 that is concavely chamfered at its upper inner edge 78 . Chamfered edge 78, although flattened at both poles, receives a ball 80 having a spherical profile. Mix it in a bowl (also 8)
A second race member 82 having a central annular hole 84 chamfered at 6 is disposed to seat the ball at a location opposite to the location of the i-th race member. upper lace 82
A spacer 88 is placed between the race members to maintain the lower race 74 parallel to the lower race 74 . The upper and lower races are tightened together by a plurality of bolts and nuts along with a smoother. The ball 80 itself has a central hole 92 that has internal threads that match the threads of the screw jack 54 that is fitted therein. As seen in FIG. 5, the central base 88 has a rectangular inner edge 94 while the ball 80
The external equatorial surface of comprises sides 96. The flats of the inner edge 94 align with the sides 96 of the ball 80 and form keyways and keys, respectively, that prevent rotation of the ball 80 about the axis of rotation of the jackscrew 54. Thus, when screw jack 54 is rotated, only the linear axial motion component of the screw jack is transmitted to ball 80, causing the ball to move upwardly or downwardly along the screw. As ball 80 moves in the manner described, it moves the assembly of sheaths 74 and 82 and, consequently, carriage 32 together. While the bolts and nuts are preset to the desired degree of compression to allow for integral vertical movement of the pole and race, there is no undue play or vibration, or sudden impulses, torques or other forces applied to the ram. Undesired pressure is applied to the carriage 32
It allows sufficient sliding to allow the ball to rotate within the socket, even if the ball is transferred to the socket. For additional stability, sliding members 100 are secured to the upper and lower ends of the carriage 32. Sliding member 10 may be comprised of brass, nylon or other suitable low friction material and is fitted in sliding frictional engagement between the carriage wall and the inner wall of the column. It will be seen that the upper end of the screw jack 154 is free and is supported against the radial fixation member only by bearing means attached to the base and by the combination of the ball and socket assembly and carriage at its upper end. A drive motor 102 is mounted on top of the base to provide additional weight and provide a single machine. A conventional reversible electric motor of approximately 11/2 horsepower is preferred to provide the necessary tamping force. As seen in FIG. 2, a drive shaft 104 extends from the motor under the base 10, and a pulley 106 is fixed to the shaft. An endless timing belt 108 with molded teeth connects pulley 106 with pulley 64 previously described. Pulley 1
06 and 64 have matching teeth. Timing belt arrangements are preferred because they do not slip and maintain low sound levels. However, it can be replaced by a chain or a suitable gear transmission with direct transmission. The lower end of the elongated slot 34 in the face of the post 32 forms a fixed stop against which the arm 30 abuts. This limits the downward movement of ram 28. Shields 1 and 2 may be used to secure the carriage 32 to bowl 30 in the slot 34 during upward movement of the ram. The base can sit securely on the ground while the wheels 12 can be made retractable and the entire unit moved from one location to another if desired.

Alternatively, a stop member may lock the wheel in a non-rotating state when the machine is in operation. In operation, a bag B, preferably made of a thin plastic material, is placed inside the closed and latched container 16. inserted within.

A liner 52 is provided to maintain the bag closed and to prevent the bag from tearing or tearing due to abrasion during movement of waste within the bag.
is preferably 1'3 inches thick. V. C. (polyvinyl chloride) or low density polyethylene. The liner is generally cylindrical, segmented along its length in a direction parallel to its axis. The liner 52 is closed at its bottom and has a lip 14 at its top end adapted to overlap the top of the container. The fact that the liner 52 is divided means that
This allows the liner to be easily inserted into an empty bag and also allows the liner to be easily removed from the waste when removed. Lip 114 holds the liner in place during operation. The tray 116, which is also made of plastic,
It can be inserted into the underside of the container inner bag B to receive some loose waste or water. Once the bag and liner are inserted, ``the waste can be dumped into the container at any time.

Periodically, the operator drives motor 02 and turns jack screw 64 to lower ram 28 and tamp down the waste therein. When a sufficient bag volume of waste is compacted or when the arm 30 hits the slot stop,
The ram is automatically reversed and the ram is raised. Once the charge is fully tamped, the liner 52 is removed and the swing wall 22 is opened to expose the bag full of waste. The bag is then laterally removed from the container.
It is intended that the device be provided as a single cycle.

That is, operation of the motor at any one time causes the ram to move up and down in a single cycle. Depending on the nature of the waste, a fully filled bag can be obtained with a single actuation of the ram or with several cycled actuations of the ram. One of the features of the present invention is to provide new methods and circuits for controlling this operation. As seen in FIG.
2 is connected to a suitable commonly available direct current or alternating current source.

It is provided with a motion winding 128 and a starting winding 122. The starting winding turtle 22 is controlled by a centrifugal switch 124. The limit switch LS3 is in series with the centrifugal switch weight 4 and the starting winding 122, and the limit switch 3 is connected to the parallel arranged second limit switch 2 and the operating tamping operation switch S. be done. The reset switch S2 and the limit switch parallel to it are provided as an emergency switch system. A retraction operation switch S3 is interposed on the track to enable emergency retraction of the ram. The limit switch is mounted within the column so as to contact the carriage 32 as shown in the schematic diagram. The limit switch LS is arranged to be "normally closed and in contact with the carriage 32 only when it is in a position above its normal upper rest position."
Thus, if the motor or some fortuitous factor causes the ram to move upwardly to a position higher than its normal position, thereby tending to dislodge the ram from the screw jack 54, the LSI will open and the device Cuts off all power to. The ram can be lowered by operating reset switch S2. A switch 2 is placed on the underside of the LS rich switch and in a position where it contacts the carriage when the ram is in its normal upper rest position. Switch 2 is normally closed, but is opened by contact of the carriage in the upper position. Switch LS is bridged by a tamping operation switch S, which must be closed to initiate the closing operation. The third limit switch LS3 is located below the ladder S2. In the rest position the switch 3 does not touch the carriage. LS3 consists of a pair of dual-purpose switches each having terminal contacts A and B. Contact A is normally closed when LS3 is out of contact with the carriage facing the upward rest position and opens upon downward movement of the carriage (at the same time contact B closes). The melon 3 is displaced between contact positions A and B upon upward and downward movement of the carriage. In the normal rest position, the ram is raised and opens LS2 to prevent operation of the motor and thus immobilize the device.

When the tamping operation switch S is pressed, current is supplied through the A contact of the gourd 3 to operate the motor through the starting winding 122. The motor 102 is a shellfish. and the ram moves downward. As the ram moves downward, LS2 closes and 3 switches to contact B. When the motor reaches its full speed, centrifugal switch 124 engages and turns off starting winding 122.

At the same time, the lowering of the carriage is causing limit switch LS3 to reverse and switching the current from contact through contact B. This switching action results in a change in current phase between the starting and running windings of the motor (if a DC power source is used, the change consists in a change in current polarity). When the ram reaches its fully lowered position (when the arm 30 hits the stop 110), or when the waste being compacted exerts a sufficiently strong counter pressure on the ram, a resistive action in the motor occurs. It slows down the armature. Once the armature has been sufficiently decelerated, the centrifugal switch 124 returns to conducting current through the starting winding 122. Because this current is out of phase with the running current (or has a different polarity), the motor's running winding reverses its direction and drives the ram upward. As the ram moves upward, the motor gains speed and the centrifugal switch opens again, allowing the motor to be driven solely by current through the drive windings.

As the ram rises further, the ram switches to limit switch L.
Pass through S3 and return the contacts to their original positions.
The ram continues to move upward and eventually opens LS2, cutting off power to the run motor windings, so the armature stalls and the far 0 switch closes again. In the event that the ram should exceed its normal upper position, the limit switch LSI opens to ensure complete power cutoff. In the normal rest position, the current flows through the tamping operation switch S,
When is closed, both the starting and driving windings of the motor are supplied via LSI and 3.

Once the ram begins to lower, switch LS2 is closed and switch S, need not be kept closed.
The windings are configured such that in this condition the motor operates to maintain the ram in its fully upward position. If the ram is not in its fully rest position, switch LS2 remains closed, thus allowing the ram to move upwardly to that position. Lowering and raising of the ram is obtained by reversing the conductor to the starting winding. As a safety measure, switch S is preferably a key switch so that only responsible personnel may operate the tamping cycle. Note that switches 2 and LS3 open and close only when a very small back emf or induced load is applied to the motor windings, and not when full load is applied in the fully down position. Both switches are positioned to be triggered before the ram assumes the fully raised or lowered position. The reset switch S2 and the tamping operation switch S, are spring loaded, so they only need to be depressed enough to open and move the ram when pressing is stopped. The reverse operation switch S3 is a normally closed emergency switch. Upon opening, the switch completely deactivates the ram and drive, shutting it down in whatever state the machine is in. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the container is configured as a mobile trolley. Cylindrical hollow container 1
6 is installed on a base 130 having a hanging skirt 132, and a pair of wheels 134 are rotatably attached to the rear end of the skirt. The tamping machine itself is base 10
It is formed as previously described, except that it is fan-flat and does not have a container. The dimensions of the base 130 and skirt 132 are such that they are slightly larger than the base 10 of the tamper, so that the dolly is carried by wheels onto the tamper and the base 13
The river is seated snugly on the tamper base as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 8. Thus, the base 130 of the truck need not be made from sheet metal or other heavy materials. Of course, it is possible to do so if desired. The base 13 simply sits on the tamping machine base 10 and does not absorb shock or stress. Its purpose is only to transport the container 16. The portable trolley is
A unique advantage is that a single compactor can be used with multiple containers.

Thus, in a large restaurant, a number of minecarts can be distributed throughout the galley and, when full, wheeled to the tamping machine where they can be tamped. The container 16 may be provided with bags, liners, etc. in the manner previously described, and the compactor may be operated in a similar manner. Although specific examples of the present invention have been described above, it should be noted that many modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. Third
The figure is a partial sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the control circuit for operating the device. FIG. 8 is a drawing of a modified version of the base that can cooperate with a rutted container.
The main components of the present invention are as follows: 10: base, 1
6: container, 18: first piece, 22: second piece, 26: latch means, 24: hinge means, 14: vertical column, 28: ram, 36: tubular member, 38: pressure plate, 40: drum , 4
2: Flange, 30: Arm, 32: Carriage, 54: Screw jack, 68: Bolt socket assembly, 102:
Motor, 124: Centrifugal switch, 122: Starting winding,
120: Driving winding, 64, 106, 108: Pulley and belt (means for connecting the motor to the screw jack)
, 56, 58: Bearing, Melon 3: Limit switch, A, B
: Contact first and second positions. FIG. 2 FIG. IFIG. 3 FIG. 4 FIG. 5 FIG.6 FIG. 7 FIG. 8

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 a base, a waste receiving container positioned on said base, a vertical column upright above said base, and cantilevered from said column movable along said column and in alignment with said container. a ram mounted to project from the column; a carriage connected to the ram and freely movable within the column; and means for reciprocating the carriage and the ram along the column. In the consolidation machine, the ram includes a tubular axial support member, a pressure plate arranged at right angles to the support member, a ram surface forming member that is secured in axial alignment with the pressure plate, and the pressure plate. a flexible circular member interposed between the plate and the ram face-forming member so as to be sandwiched therebetween, wherein the ram face-forming member has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the container and the flexible member A waste compactor characterized in that it has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of.