US3603247A - Refuse compactor - Google Patents

Abstract

A refuse compactor in which a hydraulic cylinder, pivot mounted at the rear, compacts refuse fed to a compacting space in front of the cylinder, from a chute. A flap mounted within the chute serves to force the refuse into the compacting space from the chute. A fully encased ejection piston operated by a hydraulic cylinder ejects the compacted mass from the compacting space. Guide tracks prevent wobbling of the compacting piston when encountering large-sized obstructions within the refuse.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventors Howard Price Kings Point, N.Y.; Seymour Wallick, Clifton, NJ. [21] Appl. No. 829,306 (221 Filed June 2, 1969 [45] Patented Sept. 7, 1971 [73] Assignee international Patents 8: Development Corp.

Kings Point, N.Y.

(54] REFUSE COMPACTOR 4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. C1 100/139, 100/142,100/215, 100/218, 100/229, 110/245, 100/251, 100/269, 100/295 [51] Int. Cl 83% 7/00 (50] FieldofSearch 100/218, 142, 232, 240, 245. 249, 295, 142, 229, 215; 141/31;53/124,137.138,139,251. 269

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,026,987 5/1912 Kardos 100/232 X 2,695,110 11/1954 Feidert 100/246 UX 2,955,528 10/1960 Weiss 100/142 2,907,530 10/1959 Pyles 100/218 UX 3,126,816 3/1964 Thompson 100/218 X 3,467,001 9/1969 Balbi 100/232 X 3,229,618 1/1966 O'Connor 100/229 UX OTHER REFERENCES Research-Cottrell, Inc. Pamphlet, 5 pages Dec. 13, 1968 (Copy in class 100 sub, 229 A) Primary Examiner-Billy .1. Wilhite Attorney-Sparrow and Sparrow REFUSE COMPACTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In refuse compactors known in the art, the compacting piston which is driven against the refuse to compress the latter into a reduced volume, is operated by a hydraulic cylinder which is stationary and mounted in the front and in proximity of the piston head when retracted. With such mounting of the hydraulic cylinder for the compacting piston, the latter would be subjected to bending when encountering an object within the refuse, which is difficult to break and compact. Thus, when a metal bar, for example, would be included within the refuse, the piston in the conventional apparatus, heretofore, would buckle and thereby bend as a result of the resistance of fered by the metal bar. As a result of such bending of the piston, the latter would tendto jam within the cylinder, and thereby give rise to mechanical operating difficulties.

Conventional refuse compactors, furthermore, incur wobbling of the compacting piston when encountering objects within the refuse, which are difficult to compact or reduce in volume. Wobbling of the piston under suchconditions, serves to damage the interior walls of the compacting device, resulting in eventual jamming of the piston along its path of motion.

The ejection piston used to eject the refuse from the ap paratus after having been compacted, moreover, has been difficult to maintain clean and free from clinging refuse in the conventional design, heretofore. The refuse compactors, as known in the art, also do not have provision for forcing the refuse from the chute into the compacting space directly in front of the piston.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A refuse compactor in which the hydraulic cylinder for compacting the refuse is pivot-mounted at its rear, to prevent bending and jamming of the piston when encountering substantially incompressible objects within the refuse. A flap or blade mounted within the chute feeding refuse into a com' pacting space in front of the compacting piston, is hydraulically operated to force the refuse into the compacting space. After the refuse has been compacted, it is ejected from the apparatus through a fully encased piston which is self-cleaning. A reinforced baseplate is hydraulically removed from beneath the compacted mass prior to ejection from the apparatus by the ejecting cylinder. The baseplate is also moved through a hydraulic cylinder mounted at its rear through a pivot. The compacting piston is prevented from wobbling and cutting into the interior walls lining its path of motion, through guide tracks extending along the path of the compacting piston.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refuse compactor in which the compacting piston is free of bending and jamming during its cycle of operation.

Another object of the present invention resides in providing an ejecting piston in the refuse compactor, of the aforementioned character, which is self-cleaning.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a reinforced base member beneath the ejecting piston and the BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing, in-which FIG. 1 is a sectional elevational view of the refuse compactor, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the refuse Compactor in FIG. I with the controlling elements of the compactor removed;

FIG. 3 is an end view taken along line 3-'3in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 44 in FIG. 2;

FIG. Sis a view taken along line 55 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a casing member used for the reciprocating piston of the refuse compactor,-of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 1, and shows the layout of the controlling elements for the refuse compactor,

FIG. 8 is a plan view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawing, the housing 10 of the refuse compactor constrains the movement of the compacting piston 12. The latter is reeiprocated horizontally through a hydraulic cylinder 14. The piston rod 16 connects the piston head 12 to bore 24a of the pin-retaining portion 24. The pin 26 secures 1 pivotably the fork projections attached to theend of the hydraulic cylinder 14. These fork portions 28 may be con structed integrally with the end cap 30 of the cylinder 14. As a result of this rear mounted pivot device for the hydraulic cylinder 14, the piston head 12 may move transversely to the longitudinal axis of motion ofthc piston rod 16.

The piston 12 has a curve-shaped face 12a through which the refuse is compacted into a cylindrically shaped structure.

The refuse is introduced into the compactor through a chute 32 which communicates with the compacting space ,34 directly in front of the piston head 12. A photoelectric device 35 mounted within the walls of the chute 32, emits signals indicating that refuse has passed through the chute and intothe compacting space 34.

To aid the transfer of the refuse into the space 34 in front of the piston head 12, a feed blade or flap 36 is mounted within the chute 32. The feed blade 36 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 38 which is turned through the action of a hydraulic actuator-40. The latter rotates the blade through an angle of when actuated, and thereby serves to force the refuse from the chute, and directly in front of the piston head 12, to facilitate the compacting processes. The feed blade 36 may consist of a plurality of bars to form a fork-shapedstructurewhich presses upon the refuse in the chute. For purposes of reinforcing such fork-shaped prongs, angles 36a may be provided with a barshaped member 36b straddling across them. At the same time, the feed blade 36 may be in the form of a simple blade-shaped member such as a plate.

After the refuse has been compacted into a cylindrical mass, the latter is located at the end of the compacting space 34, and directly beneath the ejection piston head 42. During the compacting process, the piston head 42 is retracted, so that the space 34 is entirely clear of the ejecting piston.

To eject a compacted mass from the refuse compactor of the present invention, a bottom sliding door 44 is moved from underneath the compacted mass. This door 44 maintains an opening beneath the ejecting piston head 42 closed during the compacting process, and thereby supports the refuse while being compacted. After the compacting process has been concluded, the sliding door 44 is withdrawn from the opening, so

that the compacted refuse may be ejected from the space 34 through downward travel of the ejecting piston head 42.

The'ejecting piston head 42 is attached to a piston rod 44 which extends into a hydraulic cylinder 46. A casing 48 fully encloses the hydraulic operating mechanism, as well as the piston head 42. Through the casing design 48, of the present invention, the actuating mechanism for the ejecting piston is maintained clean. Furthermore, through the wiping action of the casing 48 in its vertical travel, the ejecting piston is selfcleaning, since any refuse adhering to the piston will drop off as the latter is retracted.

The bottom door 44 is pivotably mounted to the piston rod 50 of a hydraulic cylinder 52 which is also mounted at its rear through a pivot joint 54. This pivotjoint includes a supporting member 56 which retains a pin 58 within bores of fork-shaped portions 60 extending from the rear of the cylinder 52. The purpose of this rear mounting of the cylinder 52 is to prevent bending and jamming of the rod 50 within the cylinder, in the event that the sliding door 44 encounters a substantially incompressible object while closing.

For the purpose of further reinforcing the sliding door 44, a channel'shaped member 62 is secured to the bottom surface of the sliding door. This channel-shaped member 62 prevents buckling of the sliding door when encountering high resistance while the door is being closed. Through a bracket bearing member 64 mounted on the plate 44, the latter is pivotably joined to the piston rod 50 by means of the pin 66 inserted through bores within the piston head 68 and the bore 64a in the bearing bracket 64.

As a result of the rear-mounting of the cylinders 52 and 14, smooth translational motion is realized of the reciprocating piston heads 68 and 12, respectively. Thus, any resistance encountered by these pistons during their cycles of motion, will not cause the piston rods to bend and thereby incur jamming within the cylinders. Any deflections which might be forcibly imposed upon the pistons due to resistance within their'paths of motion, are sustained through the pivot actions at the rear of the cylinders. Guides 70, furthermore, provide additional stability of the piston head 12 during its reciprocating motion, and prevent wobbling of this piston head when encountering high resistance during the compacting process.

To maintain the compacting pistons and hydraulic actuating mechanism free from clinging refuse, a casing 72 encloses surroundingly the movable portions of the compacting members. The casing has an opening 720 at its bottom, which serves as an access opening through which it is possible to gain access to the pivot portions 160 and 18.

Mounted on top of the housing 10, and on the supporting base a, are the hydraulic pump 74 and motor 76 for circu lating the hydraulic fluid through the actuating cylinders of the refuse compactor, of the present invention. The motor 76 drives the pump 74 which in turn circulates fluid to and from the hydraulic reservoir 78. Acontrol unit 80 applies the necessary electric signals to the hydraulic valves used to control the fluid flow to the cylinders. Through limit switch bars 82, electrical switches are operated when the actuating pistons are at predetermined positions, and the desired sequence of opera tion of the cylinders, in the compactor, is thereby maintained. Thus, control over the compacting piston 12 is obtained, for example, through the limit switch bar 82 connected to the piston through a slot in the casing 72. This limit switch bar 82 then actuates limit switches when the piston 12 is, for exampic, at its terminal position in its path of motion.

In a preferred construction of the piston 12, a curved frontal plate 12a is secured to the piston head portion 12b, as shown principle of the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a refuse compactor including a housing, a compaction zone within said housing, reciprocal compacting means within said housing in communication with said compaction zone and discharge means connected to said compaction zone within said housing to discharge the compacted refuse therefrom, the combination comprising; said reciprocal compacting means, a horizontally disposed pivotally mounted hydraulic compaction ram having a piston, rod, and cylinder portion, said cylinder portion pivotally mounted at one end to said housing, said piston rod reciprocally carried by said cylinder for moving said piston between extended compacting and retracted positions, said piston pivotally attached to said rod and including a substantially tubular protective casing portion open at one end thereof and closed at the opposite end to define an ar-- cuate compacting face, means defining an opening in the wall of said protective casing adjacent the pivotal attachment between said piston and said rod for access thereto, feeding means carried by said housing including a feed chute, feed opening in said housing connected to said chute, a combination hydraulic feed actuator and precompactor means mounted on said chute to feed and precompact said refuse from said chute ,into said housing for further compaction therein, means moving said piston between retracted and compacting positions within said housing, ejecting means carried by said housing in communication with said compaction zone including pressure-operated cylinder, piston rod, and ejection piston means selectively operable between extended ejecting and retracted positions, said ejection piston including a substantially tubular protective body open at one end thereof and closed at the opposite end to define an ejection face, means defining a discharge opening in said housing beneath said compaction zone and said ejecting means, door means complementary to said discharge opening, said door movable between open and closed positions to selectively retain or discharge a compacted quantity of refuse from within said compaction zone, and control means to selectively and sequentially actuate said feed means, said compaction means, said door means and said ejecting means. l

2. The refuse compactor as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting means for pivotably mounting said reciprocable compacting means includes a bracket member secured to said housing and having a bored bearing portion; a bored bearing portion secured to said reciprocable compacting means and cooperating with said bored portion of said bracket means;

and pin means passing through said bored portions of said bracket means and said reciprocable compacting means.

3. The refuse compactor as defined in claim 1 wherein said reciprocable compacting means includes guide means for guiding said piston along said path of motion, said piston being in contact with said refuse during compacting thereof.

4. The refuse compactor as defined in claim 1 wherein said door means comprises a plate member; and a channel member secured to said plate member for reinforcing said plate member.

Claims (4)

1. In a refuse compactor including a housing, a compaction zone within said housing, reciprocal compacting means within said housing in communication with said compaction zone and discharge means connected to said compaction zone within said housing to discharge the compacted refuse therefrom, the combination comprising; said reciprocal compacting means, a horizontally disposed pivotally mounted hydraulic compaction ram having a piston, rod, and cylinder portion, said cylinder portion pivotally mounted at one end to said housing, said piston rod reciprocally carried by said cylinder for moving said piston between extended compacting and retracted positions, said piston pivotally attached to said rod and including a substantially tubular protective casing portion open at one end thereof and closed at the opposite end to define an arcuate compacting face, means defining an opening in the wall of said protective casing adjacent the pivotal attachment between said piston and said rod for access thereto, feeding means carried by said housing including a feed chute, feed opening in said housing connected to said chute, a combination hydraulic feed actuator and precompactor means mounted on said chute to feed and precompact said refuse from said chute into said housing for further compaction therein, means moving said piston between retracted and compacting positions within said housing, ejecting means carried by said housing in communication with said compaction zone including pressure-operated cylinder, piston rod, and ejection piston means selectively operable between extended ejecting and retracted positions, said ejection piston including a substantially tubular protective body open at one end thereof and closed at the opposite end to define an ejection face, means defining a discharge opening in said housing beneath said compaction zone and said ejecting means, door means complementary to said discharge opening, said door movable between open and closed positions to selectively retain or discharge a compacted quantity of refuse from within said compaction zone, and control means to selectively and sequentially actuate said feed means, said compaction means, said door means and said ejecting means.

2. The refuse compactor as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting means for pivotably mounting said reciprocable compacting means includes a bracket member secured to said housing and having a bored bearing portion; a bored bearing portion secured to said reciprocable compacting means and cooperating with said bored portion of said bracket means; and pin means passing through said bored portions of said bracket means and said reciprocable compacting means.

3. The refuse compactor as defined in claim 1 wherein said reciprocable compacting means includes guide means for guiding said piston along said path of motion, said piston being in contact with said refuse during compacting thereof.

4. The refuse compactor as defined in claim 1 wherein said door means comprises a plate member; and a channel member secured to said plate member for reinforcing said plate member.

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