WO2007068956A2

WO2007068956A2 - Compactor apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2007068956A2
Application number: PCT/GB2006/004725
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tom Mcniven
Original assignee: Winburn, Melvyn; Tindall, Marguerite, Jane; Stubley, Rodney; Glass, Colin
Priority date: 2005-12-16
Filing date: 2006-12-15
Publication date: 2007-06-21
Also published as: WO2007068956A3; GB0525586D0

Abstract

The invention to which this application relates is compactor apparatus (2) which allows the compression and compacting of waste material. The apparatus has at least one cavity (8) into which the waste material can be placed. The apparatus includes at least one plate (15) which can be moved into the cavity to act to compress the waste material within the same and the plate is acted upon by at least one airbag (22) which can be moved between a deflated non compacting position and a progressively inflating condition in which it progressively applies force onto the plate to move the same into the cavity. In one embodiment the apparatus can be provided to be in a stationary position or in an alternative position the apparatus can be moved to the location of the waste material to be compressed.

Description

Compactor Apparatus

The invention to which this application relates is a compactor apparatus which allows the compaction of waste material such as, but not exclusively, card or cardboard material such as boxes, packaging or the like. The compaction of the material allows the same to be compacted into a bale which can then be handled more easily than the individual waste materials, with the bales subsequently being passed for disposal or recycling.

The provision of compactor apparatus is well known and conventionally comprises a unit provided at a fixed location where it is known that waste of the type which can be compacted is generated such as, for example, in a warehouse of a supermarket where products are removed from cardboard boxes in which the same are delivered to the supermarket, and the cardboard boxes and other packaging material can then be compacted using the compactor apparatus. Other forms of waste material include scrap metal, scrap vehicles or the like and the same are all referred to herein as waste material.

The conventional compacting apparatus is typically relatively heavy and bulky in construction as it comprises a series of hydraulic rams and the control systems therefor, with the hydraulic rams acting on one or more sides of an interior cavity of the compactor so as to compact material placed into the cavity into a bale. Due to the weight and size of the compactor apparatus, it is conventionally the case that the apparatus can only be provided in a fixed location and it also typically needs a mains power supply to operate the same. A problem of having the apparatus at a fixed location is that the persons dealing with the waste material are required to carry the waste from different locations to the compactor apparatus at a second location. When one considers that the waste can be relatively bulky, it is found that some of the waste may not in fact find its way to the compactor as the persons do not carry the same to the compactor apparatus location. As a result, the waste material may be disposed of in other, more unsatisfactory, ways. Also, it is typically the case that due to the size and complexity of the apparatus a trained person is employed to operate the apparatus.

The aim of the present invention is to provide compactor apparatus which allows the efficient compaction of waste material into bales and furthermore, provide the apparatus in a form which allows the same to be transported to the location of the waste material, if required.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided compactor apparatus, said apparatus including at least one interior cavity, into which waste material can be placed for compaction, at least one plate provided to be movable inwardly of the cavity so as to reduce the volume of the cavity and cause the compaction of material therein and wherein the movement of the said at least one plate is performed by altering the condition of at least one air bag acting on said plate.

Typically a single air bag can be used to allow the compaction to be achieved or, if greater compaction forces are required, more than one air bag can be utilised.

Typically the air bag is provided with respect to the plate such that inflation and hence expansion of the air bag causes movement of the plate inwardly of the cavity. Typically the air bag is provided to expand and deflate along an axis perpendicular to the plane in which the plate lies. In one embodiment the plate has a first face which faces inwardly of the cavity and an opposing face on which the airbag acts.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of one of the faces of the cavity can be selectively angled to move a formed bale out of the cavity. In one embodiment a second air bag is provided, said second air bag provided to move at least a portion of one of the faces of the cavity to an angled position with respect to the normal orientation of the face so as to encourage a formed bale of compacted material in the cavity to be moved out of the cavity for subsequent disposal. Typically the second air bag is a tilt air bag.

In one embodiment the second airbag acts on a portion of the plate on which the first airbag acts and the second airbag is supported by and moves with said plate.

In one embodiment the plate includes one or more upstanding members located at the periphery of the plate. In one embodiment the height of said members from the plate determines the minimum height of the bale which can be formed. Typically the members are walls of sheet material which serve to confine the bale width and length. Typically the plate, and upstanding members define a receptacle into which the sheet material can be placed in the cavity. The receptacle is typically provided with at least one door to allow a formed bale to be removed therefrom. Typically the movement of the receptacle within the cavity is guided by rollers mounted between the upstanding members and the side walls of the cavity.

In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an upper door assembly, said door assembly openable to allow waste material to be positioned into the cavity. In one embodiment said door assembly is provided at the top of said cavity and the doors are slidably movable.

In one embodiment, said door assembly is formed of one or a plurality of doors which are slidable in a substantially horizontal plane to be opened and closed.

In one embodiment, the compactor apparatus includes a side door assembly, said door assembly selectively openable to allow a bale of compacted material which is initially removed from the receptacle via the open door in the receptacle, to then be removed from the cavity. Typically, the said further door assembly is formed on one side of the cavity and the door can be hingedly or slidably moved between open and closed positions. In one embodiment the said side door assembly and opposing cavity side wall are provided with guide means to allow the guided sliding movement of the doors of the upper door assembly which allows the waste material to be placed into the cavity when open.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of wheels or rollers positioned to allow the compactor apparatus to be moved across surfaces and thereby be moved to a position at or adjacent to the waste material which is to be compacted. It is found that the provision of 6 wheels allows particularly useful manoeuvrability of the apparatus.

In one embodiment the compactor apparatus can be moved while compaction of the apparatus occurs in the cavity thereby saving time and allowing the apparatus to be available for immediate use at the next location with the previously introduced waste material already compacted. In one embodiment, the particular form and size of wheels or rollers which are used is dependent upon the use of the compactor apparatus such that, for example, if the compactor apparatus is to be used outdoors and/or is to be moved across relatively rough surfaces, the wheels or rollers used will be larger in size than if the compactor apparatus is to be used over relatively smooth surfaces.

Typically, a brake mechanism is provided so as to allow the apparatus to be stationed at a particular location and retained at the same.

In one embodiment a series of compactor apparatus, in accordance with the embodiment including wheels or rollers, can be joined in a line via coupling means to form a "train" of apparatus which can be towed to locations via a tow cart or battery powered manual tow unit. In one embodiment each apparatus cavity can be provided to receive a specific type of waste material respectively.

In one embodiment, a compressed air supply is provided to the air bags via a compressor mounted on the compactor apparatus. In one embodiment, power is provided from a battery source mounted on the compactor apparatus thereby allowing the apparatus to be self sufficient in that the same can be located anywhere and need not be located near external supplies of power or compressed air. The apparatus can also include a battery charger which allows the battery power source to be charged when the apparatus is connected to a mains power supply. The apparatus can also be used with connections to allow external power and/or compressed air to be utilised if the same is available. Typically, the apparatus includes means for threading tying means through the same such that when the bale of compressed material is formed, the ties can be secured around the bale to retain the same in position.

In one embodiment, anti-expansion formations are provided within the cavity so as to prevent or minimise the compressed material from subsequently expanding. Typically the anti- expansion formations can be of any conventional form or design and are preferably formed on the door of the receptacle so that they can be moved out of the way as the door is opened to allow the formed bale to be removed.

In one embodiment the apparatus includes a plurality of cavities, and the cavities can be used, in one embodiment, to compact different forms of material thereby allowing the formation of bales of different materials. Typically each cavity is provided with a plate and airbag therefor which are independently controllable with respect to the other cavities. In one embodiment the upper door assembly includes at least one door and that door can be selectively positioned over a cavity to enclose the same and hence allow compaction of the waste material in that cavity. Thus waste material in different cavities maybe in different compressed forms. Typically in this form the apparatus is in a fixed position.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates the apparatus in elevation with the side door assembly removed for ease of illustration; Figure 3 illustrates an elevation of the apparatus in the arrangement of Figure 2 with the cavity plate in a compacting mode;

Figure 4 illustrates the apparatus of Figures 2 and 3 to illustrate the removal of the bale of compacted material;

Figure 5 illustrates a configuration of the apparatus in a further embodiment; and

Figure 6 illustrates a yet further configuration of the apparatus in a further embodiment.

Referring to Figures 1 -4, there is illustrated compactor apparatus in accordance with the invention in one embodiment. The apparatus 2 includes a series of wheels or rollers 4 on which there is mounted a compacting assembly 6. As is shown in Figures 2-4 the compacting assembly includes a cavity 8 therein formed from bottom and top walls 10, 12, side walls 14, 16 and end walls 18, 20. In this embodiment, the bottom 10 is formed by a plate 15 provided to be movable inwardly of the cavity so as to provide a compaction force. The compaction force is generated by an air bag 22 mounted underneath the bottom plate and which is movable between a deflated and an inflated condition via a compressed air supply which can be provided from a compressor (not shown) mounted within the assembly 2 and powered via a battery or batteries (not shown) also mounted within the assembly. A battery charger can also be provided within the apparatus.

The side wall 16 of the cavity is formed by a side door assembly 20 which is shown partially open in Figure 1 and is openable to allow the bale of compacted material to be removed from the cavity. Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the apparatus with the side door assembly 20 removed for ease of reference but it should be appreciated that normally, the door is closed during the compaction to form the side wall 16 and is only opened when the bale of compacted material is required to be removed. The top wall 12 of the cavity is formed by an upper door assembly 21 which comprises, in this embodiment, first and second sliding doors 22, 24 which can be moved as indicated by the arrows 26, 28 along guide means (not shown) . The sliding movement is typically guided by the guide means formed in the doors of the side door assembly 20 when closed and the opposing side wall 14 of the cavity. This upper door assembly is selectively openable to allow waste material which is to be compacted, to be placed into the cavity as indicated by arrow 30, and when the cavity is closed by the doors the waste material is forced towards the inner surface of the doors to compact the waste material, by the plate 15 moving upwardly under the influence of the airbag.

It will therefore be appreciated that as the compactor apparatus can be is mounted on wheels or rollers as shown, so the same can be pushed, pulled or indeed be provided with a power drive, to allow the same to be moved to the location of the waste material and thereby ensure that the viewer can still watch the display in an unobstructed and more attractive environment. This can be achieved safely as the apparatus is significantly lighter and smaller in size than the conventional hydraulic ram apparatus due to the use of the airbags which can achieve the required compaction forces.

Turning now to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the use of the compactor apparatus in accordance with the invention is described. In Figure 2, there is shown the cavity 8 in its largest position in which the plate 15 forming the bottom wall 10 of the cavity is at its lowest position as shown. Also shown is the fact that waste material 32 has been placed into the cavity when the upper door assembly is open with material being placed as indicated by arrow 30.

As will be seen from Figure 2, the waste material in a non- compact form, can take up a considerable amount of space and therefore there is a need for the same to be compacted and this is what is achieved by the apparatus in accordance with the invention. To do this, the air bag 22 which is positioned underneath the plate 15, is gradually inflated to move the plate 15 and receptacle 35 including the plate upwardly as indicated by arrow 34 and, as it does so, it serves to compress the waste material upwardly against the top face 12 formed by the closed door assembly 22, 24 of the cavity 8. The successive movement of the plate 15 upwardly and the introduction of new waste material through the opening in the top wall 12 when the doors 22, 24 are opened, eventually creates a bale 36 of the required size as shown in Figure 3.

The bale which is shown in Figure 3 can be further compacted to a height which is defined by the height of the upstanding members or walls 38 of the receptacle which depend upwardly from the plate 15 as shown in Figure 3. The height 40 of this wall defines the minimum height of the bale and the walls serve to define the width and length of the bale within the receptacle.

The upstanding members 38 and plate 15 form the receptacle 35 within the cavity and into which the waste material drops and is located when it is placed into the cavity as shown in Figure 2. The receptacle 35 is provided with a door 37, hinged 39, at one side and which can be opened as indicated by arrows 41. When open, the formed bale can be removed from the receptacle 35 and in turn the cavity by opening door assembly 20. The door 37 is removed in Figures 3 and 4 for ease of reference.

Once the waste material has been fully compacted into the bale, tying means, not shown, which have previously been threaded through the compactor apparatus, can be tied together to retain the bale in the compressed form. The receptacle with plate 15 can then be lowered by the deflation of the air bag 22 to the location shown in Figure 4. At this stage, a second air bag, not shown, can be inflated in an angular manner so as to move the portion 40 of the plate 15 to an angled position about pivot axis 42 and it will therefore be appreciated that the air bag which lies behind the plate 40, when it is inflated forms a wedge shaped member acting about the pivot axis 42. With the door 37 of receptacle 35 open and the door assembly 20 open and the plate 40 at the angled position shown, the formed bale which is shown in broken lines for ease of reference, with ties 44, is encouraged to move out of the cavity 8 through the doors openings and hence can be collected externally of the apparatus for subsequent disposal or recycling.

Typically the operation of the apparatus can be controlled so as to provide efficiency and safety to the user, using pneumatic/compressed air control systems.

One typical operating method is as follows:

1. Place waste material into cavity and hence into receptacle.

2. Inflate the airbag in automatic mode to move the plate and receptacle.

3. The plate and receptacle are moved into the cavity for a predetermined time to provide compaction of the waste material. 4. The plate and receptacle are withdrawn from the cavity by deflation of the airbag.

5. Steps 3 and 4 are repeated a predetermined number of times until a particular compacting condition such as weight or movement of the bale is detected. When detected:

6. The plate and receptacle are retained in the compacting position.

7. The plate and receptacle are then placed in manual mode to allow the operator to determine when to lower the plate and receptacle.

8. When fully lowered the side door assembly 20 and door 37 of the receptacle can be opened.

9. Only when the doors are fully open, the second airbag can be operated to eject the bale from the cavity.

It will be appreciated that various sensors can be provided to determine particular conditions of the apparatus.

Figure 5 illustrates a further configuration of the apparatus. In this case three items of the compacting apparatus 2 in accordance with the invention are towed as a train by towing cart means 50 or a manual tug unit as required and thereby allow the apparatus items 2 to be moved to desired locations for receipt of waste materials. Furthermore, the joining together of the items via coupling means 52 allows different waste material to be received in different cavities such that bales of different waste material can be formed from different items. For example apparatus 2 can be used to receive paper and card material, apparatus 2' can be used to receive plastics waste material and apparatus 2" can be used to receive tin waste material.

Figure 6 illustrates a further configuration of the apparatus. In this case the apparatus comprises three cavities 8, 8', 8" . In this embodiment each cavity is again provided for the receipt of a specific type of waste material. In this case each cavity is provided with a receptacle 35 with a plate 15 movable by an airbag and each airbag is . independently controllable. This therefore means that compaction and bale forming can occur as required in each cavity 8, 8', 8 " without reference to the other cavities as long as there is an upper door placed in position over the particular cavity in which compaction is to occur at that time in order to close the cavity and allow the waste material to be compacted against the same.

Each of the cavities is provided with a side door assembly 20, 20', 20" respectively and in this case the upper door assembly includes a single sliding door 22 which can be selectively moved as indicated by arrow 56 to be positioned to close one of the cavities 8, 8¹, 8" to allow compaction to be performed.

The present invention therefore provides a form of compactor apparatus which allows the compression and compacting of waste material in an efficient manner. The provision of the at least one plate which can be moved into the cavity to act to compress the waste material upon the movement force exerted on the plate by one or more airbags means that the required level of compaction can be achieved by apparatus which is significantly lighter in weight. The use of the compressed air supply to act on the airbag means that the movement of the airbag between the deflated, non compacting condition and a progressively inflating condition in which it progressively applies force onto the plate to move the same and in turn move the plate into the cavity means that the movement can be controlled and the compaction force created is sufficient to compress the waste material into a bale form which can subsequently be removed from the apparatus . A further result of the use of the airbag is that the apparatus can be manageable in a movable manner by one or more persons, or can be towed so as to allow the apparatus to be moved to locations where there is waste material to be compacted. This therefore allows the apparatus to be moved from location to location and waste material placed into the cavity at each location and when a bale of the compacted material has been formed, the bale can be tied and removed from the cavity for further handling.

The apparatus in accordance with the invention, in comparison to the conventional hydraulic apparatus, is lightweight and easy to handle, several of the apparatus can be towed together, does not require mains power supply and allows significant savings in manpower to be achieved. Furthermore, as hydraulics are not required there are no hydraulic cylinders, no maintenance constraints and reduced mess. Furthermore there are no obstructions and so the apparatus can be used in environments and locations where previously it was not practical or possible.

Claims

1. Compactor apparatus, said apparatus including at least one interior cavity, into which waste material can be placed for compaction, at least one plate provided to be movable inwardly of the cavity so as to reduce the volume of the cavity and cause the compaction of material therein and wherein the movement of the said at least one plate is performed by altering the condition of at least one air bag acting on said plate.

2. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the air bag is provided with respect to the plate such that expansion of the air bag causes movement of the plate inwardly of the cavity.

3. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the plate has a first face which faces inwardly of the cavity and an opposing face on which the airbag acts.

4. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a second air bag is provided, said second air bag provided to move at least a portion of one of the faces of the cavity when the compacted material has been formed into a bale so as to encourage the bale to move out of the cavity for subsequent handling.

5. Compactor apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the second airbag acts on a portion of the plate on which the first airbag acts .

6. Compactor apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the second airbag is supported by and moves with said plate.

7. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the plate includes one or more upstanding members located at the periphery of the plate which, in conjunction with the plate form a receptacle.

8. Compactor apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the height of said members from the plate determines the minimum dimension of the bale which can be formed.

9. Compactor apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the waste material placed in the cavity falls into the receptacle and is moved thereby as the plate moves within the cavity.

10. Compactor apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the upstanding members are walls of sheet material which serve to confine the bale width and length and guide means allow the guided movement of the receptacle within the cavity.

1 1. Compactor apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the receptacle includes one or more doors which allows a formed bale of compacted material to be removed from the receptacle.

12. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes an upper door assembly, said door assembly openable to allow waste material to be positioned into the cavity.

13. Compactor apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said door assembly is formed of one or a plurality of doors which are slidable in a substantially horizontal plane to be opened and closed.

14. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the compactor apparatus includes a side door assembly, said door assembly selectively openable to allow a bale of compacted material to be removed from the apparatus.

15. Compactor apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the door assembly is formed on the same side wall of the apparatus as the door provided in the receptacle.

16. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus is provided in a stationary position on a support surface.

17. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of wheels or rollers positioned to allow the compactor apparatus to be moved across a support surface.

18. Compactor apparatus according to claim 17 wherein a brake mechanism is provided so as to allow the apparatus to be stationed at a particular location and retained at the same during use of the apparatus for compaction of material.

19. Compactor apparatus according to claim 17 wherein a plurality of said apparatus can be joined together in a towable line via coupling means.

20. Compactor apparatus according to claim 19 wherein each of the said apparatus is provided to receive a particular type of waste material.

21. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a compressed air supply to the air bag is provided to allow the selective operation of the same between non-compacting and compacting positions.

22. Compactor apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the compressed air is provided via a compressor mounted on the compactor apparatus.

23. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein power for the apparatus is provided from a battery source mounted on the compactor apparatus.

24. Compactor apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the apparatus includes a battery charger which allows the battery power source to be charged when the apparatus is connected to a mains power supply.

25. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes means for threading tieing means through the same such that when the bale of compressed material is formed, the ties can be secured around the bale to retain the same in position.

26. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein one or more formations are provided within the cavity so as to prevent or minimise expansion of material therein which has been compressed by the airbag acting on the plate.

27. Compactor apparatus according to claim 26 wherein the formations are provided on a door of a receptacle in the cavity into which the waste material is placed.

28. Compactor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of cavities .

29. Compactor apparatus according to claim 28 wherein each cavity is provided with a plate movable by at least one airbag and said plates and airbags are independently controlled with respect to those in the other cavities.

30. Compactor apparatus according to claim 28 wherein an tipper door assembly includes at least one door which can be selectively positioned over each cavity to close the same and allow compaction of the waste material in said cavity to be performed.