KR102065642B1 - Food waste discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a food waste discharge apparatus. More specifically, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the food waste discharge apparatus comprises: a valve unit capable of temporarily loading food waste; a load cell capable of measuring a weight of the food waste temporarily loaded on the valve unit; and a mover capable of moving at least one of the valve unit and the load cell. If the food waste is not loaded on the valve unit, the valve unit and the load cell are spaced apart from each other by moving at least one of the valve unit and the load cell.

Description

Food Waste Disposal Device {FOOD WASTE DISCHARGE APPARATUS}

The present invention is an invention for a food waste discharge device.

 In general, food waste is generated mainly in the kitchen of each household, and is discharged with a large amount of moisture. Conventionally, food waste generated in each household is collected in a fixed-capacity bag in a state where it is separated from general garbage and collected in a predetermined place in front of the apartment house, or placed in a separate food waste collection box and collected by vehicle when the collection date is reached. Was processed.

However, such a food waste collection method is inconvenient to throw away a heavy garbage bag containing the food waste in the case of a multi-unit house such as an apartment to throw away at a predetermined place in the distance. In particular, since food waste has a high content of moisture, if it is left for a certain time, decay occurs and odor is generated.

In addition, such food waste is difficult because of the content of water in the disposal along with the general waste in landfills or incinerators, there is a problem of increasing the treatment cost as well as worsening environmental pollution.

Against this backdrop, recently, the common food waste disposal system that can easily dispose of food waste in each household, do not harm the residential environment, and collectively collect and dispose together with general waste is being activated.

For example, in multi-family dwellings such as apartments, food waste discharging devices are installed in sinks in each household to extend the transfer pipe connected to the basement, and vacuum transfer of food waste discharged from the transfer pipe to the treatment unit. It operates an integrated processing system after grinding and water removal. The food waste discharging device is connected to the common food waste disposal unit, so that food waste can be conveniently handled without going out to discard the food waste.

Embodiments of the present invention as invented in the background as described above, to provide a food waste discharge apparatus that can more accurately measure the weight of food waste.

In addition, to provide a food waste discharge device having a longer life.

According to an aspect of the invention, the valve unit can be temporarily loaded with food waste; A load cell capable of measuring the weight of the food waste temporarily loaded on the valve unit; And a mover capable of moving at least one of the valve portion and the load cell, wherein the mover moves the valve by moving at least one of the valve portion and the load cell when the food waste is not loaded in the valve portion. The food waste discharging device, which is spaced apart from each other and the load cell may be provided.

The valve unit may further include: a valve body in which a valve through hole for discharging the temporarily loaded food waste is formed; And a valve door driven to selectively open and close the valve through hole, wherein the food waste is temporarily loaded into the valve unit when the valve door is closed.

The valve unit may further include a valve rotating shaft rotatably supporting the valve door, and the valve door may be provided with a food waste discharge device for selectively opening and closing the through hole by rotating about the valve rotating shaft. .

In addition, the mover may be provided with a food waste discharging device, the valve portion and the load cell to be spaced apart from each other by moving the valve body upward.

In addition, when the food waste is loaded in the valve unit, the mover may move the valve unit and the load cell to each other by moving at least one of the valve unit and the load cell, and the load cell is close to the valve unit. When the weight of the food waste loaded in the valve portion, the food waste discharge apparatus may be provided.

In addition, an input unit that can be selectively opened for the user to put the food waste; And a control unit for recognizing whether the input unit is open, and controlling the driving of the mover and the valve unit, wherein the control unit moves the mobile unit such that the valve unit and the load cell are close to each other when the input unit is opened. A food waste discharging device may be provided for driving.

In addition, the food waste may provide a path for moving, further comprising a connecting member that can be expanded and contracted as the valve unit and the load cell is far from each other or in close contact with each other, there may be provided a food waste discharge apparatus.

The apparatus may further include a gate part provided downstream of the valve part, wherein the gate part may include: a gate body having a gate through hole for moving the food waste to the discharge pipe; And a gate door driven to selectively open and close the gate through hole, the food waste discharge device may be provided.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the weight of food waste can be measured more accurately.

In addition, there is an effect that the food waste discharge device can have a longer life.

1 is a perspective view showing that the food waste discharge apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a sink.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the internal components of the food waste discharging device of FIG.
Figure 3 is a front view showing a state in which the valve portion and the load cell of the food waste discharge apparatus of Figure 1 spaced apart from each other.
4 is a front view illustrating a state in which the valve unit and the load cell of the food waste discharge apparatus of FIG. 1 are in contact with each other.
5 is a front sectional view of the food waste discharging device of FIG.
Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing that the valve portion of the food waste in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing that the valve portion of the food waste in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is closed.
8 is an exploded perspective view showing the gate portion of the food waste is opened according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an exploded perspective view showing the gate portion of the food waste is closed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments for implementing the spirit of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, when a component is said to be 'connected', 'supported', 'connected', 'supply', 'delivered', 'contacted' to another component, it may be directly connected, supported, connected, It will be appreciated that other components may be present in the supply, delivery, or contact.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In addition, in the present specification, the expressions such as upward and downward are described with reference to the drawings in the drawings, and it will be apparent that the expression of the object may be different if the direction is changed. For the same reason, some components in the accompanying drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated, and the size of each component does not entirely reflect the actual size.

As used herein, the meaning of "comprising" embodies a particular property, region, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, and other specific properties, region, integer, step, operation, element, component, and / or group. It does not exclude the presence or addition of.

Hereinafter, the food waste discharging device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings may form a food waste passage for discharging the food waste. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the food waste discharging device 1 will be described.

1 to 5, the food waste discharging device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may measure the weight of food waste put by a user and then discharge the food waste to the discharge pipe 2. The food waste discharging device 1 may be installed in the sink 3 in the room.

The food waste discharging apparatus 1 includes a frame 100, an input part 200, an air suction port 300, a passage part 400, a valve part 500, a load cell 600, a mover 700, and a gate part. 800 and the passage cleaner 900.

The frame 100 may support some components of the food waste discharging device 1. For example, the frame 100 may support the passage part 400, the valve part 500, the gate part 800, and the passage cleaner 900. The frame 100 may include a vertical frame extending in the vertical direction and a horizontal frame extending in the horizontal direction, and the horizontal frame may have a plate shape and form a plurality of layers.

The input unit 200 may be selectively opened to allow the user to input food waste. The inlet 200 may include an inlet 210 communicating with the passage 400, and a lid member 220 to open and close the inlet 210.

An air passage for passing the food waste introduced into the inlet 200 may be formed in the air suction opening 300. The air suction port 300 may be disposed below the inlet 200. In addition, the air inlet 300 may be configured to allow air outside the air inlet 300 to enter the air inlet passage 310. A vacuum is formed in the discharge pipe 2 to move the food waste, but the noise that may occur when the food waste discharge device 1 discharges the food waste into the discharge pipe 2 by the air suction port 300 is suppressed. Can be. In other words, the air intake 300 may suppress noise generated when external air flows into the air intake passage 310. Here, the vacuum is not limited to the complete absence of air, and is used in the concept of including a low pressure enough to allow food waste to be sucked in.

The passage part 400 may provide a path for moving the food waste introduced into the food waste discharging device 1 to the discharge pipe 2. The passage part 400 may include an upstream passage member 410, a connection member 420, 440, and a downstream passage member 430. The passage members 410 and 440 may have a pipe shape having a circular cross section.

The upstream passage member 410 may provide a path for moving the food waste introduced into the input unit 200 toward the valve unit 500. The upstream passage member 410 may have a cylindrical shape, and an upper portion thereof may be connected to the inlet 200 and a lower portion thereof may be connected to the first connection member 420.

The connection members 420 and 440 may provide a path for moving food waste. In addition, the connection members 420 and 440 may be configured to expand and contract as the valve unit 500 and the load cell 600 move away from or close to each other. In addition, the connection members 420 and 440 may be formed of a flexible material such as rubber, but are not necessarily limited thereto. The connection members 420 and 440 may include a first connection member 420 and a second connection member 440.

The first connection member 420 may provide a path for moving the food waste introduced into the upstream passage member 410 to the valve unit 500. The upper portion of the first connection member 420 may be connected to the upstream passage member 410, and the lower portion of the first connection member 420 may be connected to the valve unit 500. In addition, the first connection member 420 may be formed to be convex in the horizontal direction when viewed from the side so that the cross section of the center is larger than the cross section of the upper end and the cross section of the lower end. The first connection member 420 may contract in the vertical direction when the valve unit 500 moves upward, and may extend in the vertical direction when the valve unit 500 moves downward. Due to the first connection member 420, the inside of the food waste passage may be prevented from communicating with the outside of the passage even when the valve unit 500 moves.

The second connection member 440 may provide a path for moving the food waste discharged from the valve part 500 to the downstream passage member 430. The upper portion of the second connection member 440 may be connected to the valve part 500, and the lower portion of the second connection member 440 may be connected to the gate part 800. In addition, the second connection member 440 may be convex in the horizontal direction when viewed from the side so that the cross section of the center is larger than the cross section of the upper end and the cross section of the lower end. The second connection member 440 may extend in the vertical direction when the valve unit 500 moves upward. Due to the second connection member 430, the inside of the food waste passage may be prevented from communicating with the outside of the passage even when the valve 500 moves.

The downstream passage member 430 may provide a path for moving the food waste discharged from the gate part 800 to the discharge pipe 2. The downstream passage member 430 may have a cylindrical shape, and the upper portion may be connected to the gate portion 800 and the lower portion may be connected to the discharge pipe 2. The downstream passage member 430 may be maintained in a vacuum when the gate portion 800 is not opened by a separate vacuum holding device (not shown) such as a vacuum pump.

5 to 7, the valve unit 500 may temporarily load the food waste in order to measure the weight of the food waste introduced into the food waste discharging device 1. The valve unit 500 may include a valve body 510, a valve door 520, a valve gasket 526, a valve rotation shaft 530, a valve sealant 528, and a valve driver 540.

The valve body 510 may be connected to the frame 100 or the gate portion 800 and may support the valve door 520. A space for accommodating the valve door 520 may be formed in the valve body 510. In addition, the valve body 510 may have a flat plate shape as a whole and may include an upper member and a lower member. At least one of the upper member and the lower member of the valve body 510 may be formed with a valve through-hole 511 for moving food waste. The food waste introduced into the input unit 200 may be placed in the valve door 520 to be placed inside the valve through hole 511 formed in the upper member, and the temporarily disposed food waste may be lowered when the valve door 520 is opened. It may be discharged through the valve through hole 511 formed in the member.

The valve door 520 may be selectively opened and closed by moving the valve door 520 with respect to the valve body 510. The valve door 520 may have a plate shape as a whole and may be accommodated in the valve body 510. In addition, the valve door 520 may be configured to rotate about the valve rotation shaft 530. A valve opening hole 521 may be formed in the valve door 520. When the valve door 520 moves to open the valve part 500, the food waste loaded on the valve door 520 may be closed. It is discharged from the valve part 500 through the opening hole 521. In the drawing according to the present embodiment, the valve opening hole 521 is shown as a through hole having a circular shape when viewed from above, but the spirit of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

The valve gasket 526 may be provided above and below the valve door 520. The valve gasket 526 may have a plate shape and may be disposed between the valve door 520 and the valve body 510 for a more stable sealing.

The valve sealant 528 may be disposed above the valve gasket 526 above to seal between the valve gasket 526 and the valve body 510 for a more stable seal.

The valve rotation shaft 530 may extend in the vertical direction and may be disposed at an edge of the valve door 520. The valve shaft 530 may form a rotation center when the valve door 520 is rotated.

The valve driver 540 may be an actuator capable of providing power for the valve door 520 to rotate. In addition, the valve driver 540 may be disposed above the valve body 510 and may rotate the valve door 520 by rotating the valve rotation shaft 530. The valve driver 540 may be an electric motor as an example.

The load cell 600 may measure the weight of food waste temporarily loaded in the valve unit 500. The load cell 600 may be installed in the gate part 800 or the frame 100. In addition, the load cell 600 may be disposed below the valve unit 500. The load cell 600 is spaced apart from the valve part 500 by a predetermined interval d as shown in FIG. 3 in the standby state. The load cell 600 may be provided in plurality, and the plurality of load cells 600 may be spaced apart from the valve through hole 511 such that the valve through hole 511 is located at the center of the plurality of load cells 600.

In addition, the load cell 600 is in contact with the valve unit 500, as shown in Figure 4 when the inlet 200 is opened to feed food into the food waste discharge device 1, the contact with the valve 500 In one state zero (0 kg) can be set. The load cell 600 may measure the weight of the food waste input to the food waste discharging device 1 by detecting a change in weight transmitted through the valve unit 500 when the food waste is loaded in the valve unit 500.

The mover 700 may move one or more of the valve unit 500 and the load cell 600 to space the valve unit 500 and the load cell 600 from each other or to approach each other. The mobile device 700 is spaced apart from the valve unit 500 and the load cell 600 when the food waste is not loaded because the food waste is not loaded into the food waste processing apparatus 1 and the input unit 200 is closed. Let's do it. In addition, the mover 700 approaches the valve unit 500 and the load cell 600 when the input unit 200 is opened so that the food waste is introduced into the food waste discharge device 1. For example, when the load cell 600 is fixedly installed in the gate portion 800 and the valve portion 500 is configured to be movable by the mover 700 as shown in the drawing of the present embodiment, the mover 700 is a valve. The lifting unit 500 may be a lift device that may lift or lower the load cell 600 toward the load cell 600. In addition, a plurality of movers 700 may be provided, and the plurality of movers 700 may be spaced apart from the valve through holes 511 such that the valve through holes 511 are positioned at the centers of the plurality of movers 700.

5, 8, and 9, the gate part 800 may be disposed downstream of the valve part 500 to be selectively opened and closed. In addition, the gate part 800 may be supported by the frame 100 and may have a plate shape as a whole. The gate part 800 may be opened so that the food waste loaded on the valve part 500 may move to the discharge pipe 2 when the valve part 500 is opened. In addition, the gate part 800 may be closed to effectively maintain the vacuum inside the downstream passage member 430 and the discharge pipe 2 disposed downstream thereof. For example, the gate part 800 may include a gate body 810, a gate door 820, a gate rotation axis 830, and a gate driver 840.

The gate body 810 may be connected to the frame 100 and may support the gate door 820. A space for accommodating the gate door 820 may be formed inside the gate body 810. In addition, the gate body 810 may have a flat plate shape as a whole and may include an upper member and a lower member. A gate through hole 811 for moving food waste may be formed in at least one of the upper member and the lower member of the gate body 810. Accordingly, the food waste discharged from the valve part 500 may be discharged through the open gate door 820 and the gate through hole 811 of the lower member.

The gate door 820 may move to the gate body 810 to selectively open and close the gate part 800. The gate door 820 may have a plate shape as a whole and may be accommodated in the gate body 810. In addition, the gate door 820 may be configured to rotate about the gate rotation axis 830. A gate opening hole 821 may be formed in the gate door 820. When the gate door 820 moves to open the gate part 800, the food waste loaded on the gate door 820 is gated. It is discharged from the gate portion 800 through the opening hole 821. In the drawing according to the present embodiment, the gate opening hole 821 is illustrated as a through hole having a circular shape when viewed from above, but the spirit of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

The gate gasket 826 may be provided above and below the gate door 820. The gate gasket 826 may have a plate shape and may be disposed between the gate door 820 and the gate body 810 for a more stable sealing.

The gate sealant 828 may be disposed above the gate gasket 826 above to seal the gate gasket 826 and the gate body 810 for a more stable seal.

The gate rotation shaft 830 may extend in the vertical direction and may be disposed at an edge of the gate door 820. The gate rotation shaft 830 may form a rotation center when the gate door 820 is rotated.

The gate driver 840 may be an actuator capable of providing power for the gate door 820 to rotate. In addition, the gate driver 840 may be disposed above the gate body 810, and may rotate the gate door 820 by rotating the gate rotation shaft 830. The gate driver 840 may be, for example, an electric motor.

The passage washing unit 900 may include a nozzle and a connection tube to discharge the washing water into the upstream passage member 410 at a position between the upstream passage member 410 and the air suction port 300. The food waste may be washed inside the upstream passage member 410 by discharging the washing water of the passage washing unit 900. In addition, the passage washing unit 900 may be configured to spray water at a high pressure of a predetermined level or more through the plurality of nozzles. The connection tube of the passage washing unit 900 may be connected to the water pipe so that the tap water can be used as the washing water to supply the tap water.

The control unit 1000 may control the operation of the valve unit 500, the load cell 600, the mover 700, and the gate unit 800. In addition, the controller 1000 may be connected to an operation panel through which a user's command is input. The controller 1000 may be implemented by a computing device including a microprocessor. Hereinafter, an operation process controlled by the controller 1000 will be described. In addition, hereinafter, the valve unit 500 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the load cell 600 and the load cell 600 is described as an example, but the spirit of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

The user operates the operation panel to inject the food waste into the food waste discharging device 1 to open the input unit 200, and the control unit 1000 instantly turns the valve unit 500 when the input unit 200 is opened. ) And the load cell 600 approaches each other. In this case, the valve unit 500 may descend toward the load cell 600 and may be seated on the load cell 600. Access between the valve unit 500 and the load cell 600 is made at a very fast moment while the input unit 200 is opened. The zero point (0 kg) of the load cell 600 is set when the valve unit 500 is seated on the load cell 600. The user operates the operation panel to close the input unit 200 when the food input is completed, and the weight of the food waste is measured when the input unit 200 is closed.

Meanwhile, in the standby state, since both the valve part 500 and the gate part 800 are closed, when the user inputs the food waste into the feeding portion 200, the food waste is the valve door 520 of the valve portion 500. Is loaded on. The loaded food waste is placed in the valve through hole 511 of the upper member of the valve body 510. The load cell 600 measures the weight of the food waste loaded through the valve unit 500 and transmits the value to the controller 1000. The controller 1000 notifies the user of the weight of food waste through sounds, images, texts, and the like.

When the weight measurement of the food waste is completed, the control unit 1000 opens the valve unit 500 and the gate unit 800. The valve part 500 and the gate part 800 may be opened by the rotation of the valve door 520 and the gate door 820. Since the downstream passage member 430 and the discharge pipe 2 are maintained in a vacuum, when the valve portion 500 and the gate portion 800 are opened, the food waste is vacuum sucked toward the downstream passage member 430 and the discharge pipe 2. Discharged. When the vacuum is sucked in, air outside the food waste discharge device 1 is introduced through the air suction port 300, and the air suction port 300 suppresses noise that may occur when air is introduced.

The control unit 1000 may recognize that the discharge of the food waste from the food waste discharging device 1 is completed by counting a predetermined time from when the valve unit 500 and the gate unit 800 are opened. The controller 1000 closes the valve part 500 and the gate part 800 when the predetermined time elapses. In addition, the controller 1000 may lift the valve 500 so that the valve 500 and the load cell 600 are spaced apart from each other. By maintaining the valve unit 500 spaced apart from the load cell 600, unnecessary load is applied to the load cell 600 in the standby state, and the life of the load cell 600 can be extended.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described as specific embodiments, these are only examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto and should be construed as having the broadest scope in accordance with the basic idea disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art can combine / substitute the disclosed embodiments to implement a pattern of a timeless shape, but this also does not depart from the scope of the present invention. In addition, those skilled in the art can easily change or modify the disclosed embodiments based on the present specification, it is apparent that such changes or modifications belong to the scope of the present invention.

1: food waste discharge device 2: discharge pipe
3: sink 100: frame
200: inlet 210: inlet
220: lid member
300: air inlet 310: air inlet passage
400: passage portion 410: upstream passage member
420: first connection member 430: downstream passage member
440: second connection member
500: valve portion 510: valve body
511: valve opening 520: valve door
521: hole for valve opening 526: valve gasket
528: valve seal 530: valve rotation axis
540: valve actuator
600: load cell
700: mover
800: gate portion 810: gate body
811: gate through hole 820: gate door
821: gate opening hole 826: gate gasket
828: gate sealant 830: gate rotation axis
840: gate driver
900: passage washing unit
1000: control unit

Claims (11)

A valve unit capable of temporarily loading food waste;
A load cell capable of measuring the weight of the food waste temporarily loaded on the valve unit;
A mover capable of moving at least one of the valve portion and the load cell;
A passage part providing a path for moving the food waste and including a connection member;
An input unit which can be selectively opened by a user to input the food waste; And
A control unit for recognizing whether the input unit is open and controlling driving of the mover and the valve unit,
When the food waste is not loaded in the valve unit, the mover moves the at least one of the valve unit and the load cell so that the valve unit and the load cell are spaced apart from each other.
The mover may move the valve unit and the load cell closer to each other by moving at least one of the valve unit and the load cell,
The load cell detects the weight of the food waste loaded in the valve unit when it is close to the valve unit,
The control unit drives the mover so that the valve unit and the load cell are close to each other when the input unit is opened,
The connecting member may provide a path for the food waste to move, and may expand and contract as the valve unit and the load cell move away from or close to each other.
Food waste discharge device. The method of claim 1,
The valve unit,
A valve body having a valve hole for discharging the temporarily loaded food waste; And
A valve door driven to selectively open and close the valve aperture;
When the valve door is closed, the food waste is temporarily loaded in the valve portion,
Food waste discharge device. The method of claim 2,
The valve unit further includes a valve rotation shaft for rotatably supporting the valve door,
The valve door selectively opens and closes the through hole by rotating about the valve rotation axis,
Food waste discharge device. The method of claim 2,
The mover spaces the valve unit and the load cell from each other by moving the valve body upward,
Food waste discharge device. delete delete delete The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further comprising a gate portion provided downstream of the valve portion,
The gate portion,
A gate body having a gate through hole for moving the food waste to the discharge pipe; And
A gate door driven to selectively open and close the gate aperture;
Food waste discharge device. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a passage washing unit including a nozzle capable of discharging the washing water to wash the passage portion,
Food waste discharge device. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising an air inlet for providing a passage through which the outside air can be introduced into the passage,
The passage portion further comprises an upstream passage member that provides a path for the food waste to move upstream of the connection member,
The passage washing unit is configured to discharge the washing water inside the upstream passage member at a position between the upstream passage member and the air suction opening.
Food waste discharge device. The method of claim 10,
The passage washing unit is configured to be connected to the water pipe to use the tap water as the washing water,
Food waste discharge device.

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