WO2012034908A1

WO2012034908A1 - Small-size waste compacting apparatus, in particular for bars, cafeterias or other small refreshment premises

Info

Publication number: WO2012034908A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/065452
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luciano Salda; Angelo Cappi; Georgi Dimitrov Todorov
Original assignee: C.M.S. S.P.A.
Priority date: 2010-09-15
Filing date: 2011-09-07
Publication date: 2012-03-22
Also published as: ITBO20100092U1

Abstract

The compactor comprises a horizontal-axis conveying screw or spiral (2) which operates partly inside a loading hopper (1) and partly inside a stator body (201) situated laterally and on the outside of the said hopper. The bottom walls of the hopper which are situated at a short distance from the said spiral and the inner surface of said stator body (201) have longitudinal scoring (401) which, together with the direction of rotation of said spiral (2), has the effect that the waste to be compacted fed in loose form inside the hopper is conveyed by the said screw from the hopper to the stator body (201) which is for example flanged to a gear motor unit (3, 103), the output shaft (203) of which supports in projecting fashion the said screw (2). The said stator body (201) is provided laterally with a window (4) through which the waste conveyed by the spiral (2) is fed to the stator body (5) of a press (P, P1) which is oriented at right angles to the axis of the said feed spiral (2).

Description

TITLE

"Small-size waste compacting apparatus, in particular for bars, cafeterias or other small refreshment premises"

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a small-size waste compactor, in particular suitable for arrangement underneath or in the vicinity of the counter in bars, cafeterias or other small refreshment premises, in order to reduce the size of empty plastic bottles, beakers, cups or other small used dishware and cutlery made of plastic and/or paper, and/or other small solid waste which may contain residual liquid, in order to limit substantially the volume occupied by said waste so as to facilitate disposal thereof both by those responsible for producing this waste and by those who must then collect it together and convey it to the final conversion and/or disposal centres. The compactor according to the invention is also able to separate from the solid waste any small liquid component so as to be able to collect it and dispose of it separately from the solid component. Another object proposed by the invention is that of providing a compaction device for the abovementioned purposes which, in addition to having a small volume, also has a relatively simple design and high reliability from a technological point of view. By way of the prior art considered to be closest to the invention, the published European patent application EP 2, 125,352 (Screw press for compacting solid waste) and the US patent publication 2,397,758 (Pulping machine) are cited. The said first patent application envisages the use of a first horizontal auger for feeding the waste, which is limited to a single cylindrical spiral of limited length, attached at one end to and projecting from support and rotation means, and the use of an auger press which may be situated axially inside the said feed screw or which may be arranged parallel to and on the outside of the latter, in an associated body, in order to receive the waste fed and briefly pressed by the said first screw and compact it, also with the aid of calibrated constriction means which operate on the discharge mouth of said press. The bottom of the stator of the said first feed screw, where any liquid present in the waste tends to collect, is provided with drainage means for collecting and removing said liquid. The second of said patents instead relates to a squeezing device which has a horizontal-axis frustoconical-shaped body which houses internally an axially rotatable shaft which supports, mounted thereon, the ends of a conveying spiral which operates at a short distance from the inner longitudinally scored surface of the said conical body and on which shaft a plurality of curved cutters which are suitably staggered relative to each other are mounted. The larger-diameter end of the apparatus body has on top an open mouth with a hopper for feeding the product to be squeezed, while the bottom of the smaller-diameter end of the said apparatus body has a discharge mouth closed by a small hatch which can be manually opened. The bottom part of the body of the said apparatus is perforated and surrounded externally by a chamber for collecting and discharging the liquid by means of gravity. The product to be squeezed is pushed from the wider end towards the narrower end of the apparatus by the action of the conveying spiral and is squeezed by the thrusting force of this spiral and the gradual reduction in cross-section of the conical body inside which the spiral itself rotates, while the said product is gradually chopped into small pieces by the said curved cutters which perform a gradual guillotine-like cutting action which results in the need for less force on the actuating shaft of the apparatus. The liquid produced by the squeezing action is collected by the said bottom drainage circuit and the pressed and compacted material is discharged through the said final discharge mouth when it is opened.

The first of said apparatus cannot be made with small dimensions since the auger press is arranged horizontally, so that the material which emerges from its discharge mouth must be collected by means which extend underneath and beyond this mouth, increasing in fact the overall plan dimensions of the apparatus. The second of the said apparatus also suffers from the same problem as the said first apparatus and is unable to perform the necessary compaction since it would require the presence of automatic mechanisms for opening the discharge hatch upon reaching a given compression force acting on the pressed material to be discharged and because compression of the material performed by the spiral conveyor and its conical body is not sufficient for achieving the objects in question. The invention proposes overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art and providing an apparatus for the objects in question, with the solution summarised in the accompanying Claim 1 , the characteristic features and advantages of which will become clear from the following description provided with reference to the figures of the two accompanying sets of drawings in which:

- Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of the apparatus with cut-away and cross-sectioned parts;

- Fig. 2 shows a rear-end elevation view of the apparatus with the actuating gear motor unit and with parts cut-away and cross-sectioned so that its component parts may be seen more clearly;

- Fig. 3 shows a view of the apparatus which is the same as that of Figure 2, but according to a small constructional variant.

From Figures 1 and 2 it can be seen that the apparatus comprises a loading hopper 1 which is open upwards and/or laterally and inside which the user throws the waste to be compacted (see below). The hopper 1 is structured with a bottom and side 101 shaped so as to act as a partial stator body for at least one robust conveying screw or spiral 2 with a flat cross-section and frustoconical form, having a length such as to engage transversely with the hopper 1 and also with a conical body 201 situated on the side of the said hopper and provided on the smaller-diameter end with a flange 301 which is for example fixed onto the body of a reduction gear 3 with suitable characteristics, operated by an electric motor 103 which is situated on the side of the hopper 1 and which remains substantially within the lateral volume of the latter, as can be seen from Figure 2. The shaft 203 of the gear motor unit forms with its end a short axial hub 102 which supports the spiral 2 in a projecting manner and by its smaller-diameter end, provided with a radial and suitably inclined blade element 202, the function of which will be described further below. The part 101 of the hopper 1 and the conical body 201 are provided with longitudinal scoring 401 and the direction of rotation of the spiral 2 is such that the waste thrown into the hopper 1 is pushed axially by the said spiral 2 inside the conical body 201 so as to undergo a first brief compaction, owing to the gradual reduction in cross-section of this body 201 , and so as to be fed to a following final compaction press P which performs discharging downwards. The side of the body 201 is in fact provided with a window 4 which communicates with the middle part of a cylindrical and vertical body 5, which is for example joined to the said body 201 and open at both ends and inside which there slides, axially and preferably via a replaceable wear lining 6, a piston 7 which, through the action of means described further below which operate in synchronism with the conveying spiral 2, is able to pass from the raised position - shown in continuous lines in Figure 2, while the blade element 202 pushes the waste through the window 4 and introduces it into the cylinder 5, below the said piston - into a lowered position shown in continuous lines, during which the piston 7 compresses the previously fed waste, in the bottom section 105 of the said cylinder 5, the bottom discharge mouth of which is closed by any suitable known constriction means, for example in the form of a closing ring or a displaceable or pivoting hatch 8, as shown in the drawings, opening of which is opposed by calibrated or calibratable spring means 108 and/or other suitable equivalent means. The compacted waste which exits from the compaction chamber 105 falls inside a storage container 9 (see Fig. 3) which is housed for example in the form of a extractable drawer inside the wider container 10 which houses the entire apparatus and which is provided at the top and/or on the sides with a hatch 1 10 which can be opened by the user so as to throw the waste to be compacted inside the hopper 1 . Special safety means, not shown in that they may be easily deduced by persons skilled in the art, are preferably provided in order to ensure activation of the apparatus only when the hatch 1 10 is closed. Any liquid present in the waste during compaction tends to collect by means of gravity on the bottom of the hopper 1 which forms the lowest lying part of the feed system and which, for this reason, may be provided with drainage holes and equipped externally with a storage chamber - shown in broken lines and indicated by 1 1 in Figures 2 and 3 - provided with a discharge pipe 1 1 1 through which the collected liquid may be conveyed directly into the sewerage system of the premises or inside a small tank which must be periodically emptied, in a similar manner to that present in air conditioners or portable dehumidifiers, with the associated safety sensors. 501 denotes a porthole, which may be made of transparent material and which is situated on the side wall of the hopper 1 in a position frontally facing the conveying spiral 2, which may be visible and/or accessible via the main container 10, so as to allow direct viewing of the state of the hopper 1 and operation of the said spiral 2 and/or allow direct access to the feed chamber in the event of blockages or maintenance operations. In combination with or as an alternative to that stated, the said hatch 1 10 may be made of transparent material.

The piston 7 (Figs. 1 and 2) is operated by means of a connecting rod 12 which is connected to a first rocker arm 13 keyed onto the end of a shaft 14 which is parallel to the output shaft 203 of the reduction gear 3 and rotatably supported by bushes 15 which are fixed to the body of this reduction gear and the other end of which has, keyed thereon, a second rocker arm 1 13 which is connected to a short connecting rod 16 which is in turn hinged with a crank 17 keyed onto the rear end of the output shaft 203 of the reduction gear 3.

The variant shown in Figure 3 differs from the solution shown in Figures 1 and 2 owing to the use of a final press P' of the auger or screw type where the cylinder 5 is closed at the top by means 205 which rotatably support the shaft 1 1 8 of an auger or a spiral 18 (provided with the shaft 1 18 only at the top end) having a cylindrical form or frustoconical form and converging downwards (in this case the cylinder 5 will be shaped as a truncated cone) and being such as to compress and convey the waste towards the constriction device 8, 108. Operation of the shaft 1 18 may be advantageously performed by the said reduction gear 3, for example via bevel-gear gearboxes 19 and associated drive shafts 1 19, 1 19' and/or using some other suitable positive drive system.

Claims

1 . Small-size waste compactor apparatus, in particular for bars, cafeterias or other small refreshment premises, of the type which comprises a horizontal-axis conveying screw or spiral (2) which operates partly inside a loading hopper (1 ) and partly inside a stator body (201 ) situated laterally and on the outside of the said hopper, the bottom walls of the hopper which are situated at a short distance from the said spiral (2) and the inner surface of said stator body (201 ) having longitudinal scoring (401 ) which, together with the direction of rotation of said spiral (2), has the effect that the waste to be compacted fed in loose form inside the hopper is conveyed by the said spiral (2) from the hopper to the stator body (201 ) which is for example flanged to a gear motor unit (3, 103), the output shaft (203) of which supports in a projecting manner the said spiral (2), the said stator body (201 ) being provided laterally with a window (4) through which the waste conveyed by the spiral (2) is fed to the stator body (5) of a press (P, P') of any suitable type, characterized in that this latter press is oriented at right angles to the axis of the said feed spiral (2) and is preferably operated by the said gear motor (3, 103) which operates said conveying spiral (2) in synchronism therewith and in that this press (P, P') performs discharging downwards so that it is possible to arrange, underneath the said apparatus, inside its plan-view volume, a preferably removable container (9) for collecting the compacted waste so as to be able to provide overall a compacting apparatus of limited dimensions and suitable for the use described in the preamble.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1 , characterized in that said conveying spiral (2), the bottom (101 ) of the hopper (1 ) in which said spiral operates and the said stator body (201 ) have a frustoconical form, with the smaller diameter directed on the side where the gear motor (3, 103) is arranged, this body (201 ) being flanged thereto, so that said feed spiral (2) must also perform a first brief compaction of the waste and so that the zone for joining between this stator body (201 ) and the final press (P, P') has a limited plan-view volume.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that the output shaft (203) of the gear motor (3, 1 03) is axially joined to a short hub (102) which is in turn joined to the smaller-diameter end of the said conveying spiral (2) and this end has a blade element (202) which is suitably oriented and inclined so as to assist transfer of the waste from the stator body (201 ), via its side window (4), to the final compaction press (P, P').

4. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that the final compaction press (P) is of the alternating type and comprises a piston (7) movable in a reciprocating manner inside the said stator body (5, 6) of cylindrical shape, by the action of a first connecting rod (12), rocker arms (13, 1 13) keyed onto the opposite ends of a pivot shaft (14) supported by bushes (15) and by means of a second connecting rod (16) connected to a crank (17) which is keyed onto the rear end of the output shaft (203) of the gear motor (3, 103), the bottom discharge mouth of this press (P) being provided with a constriction device (8, 108) which slows down the flow of waste being discharged so that the latter exits with the desired degree of compaction.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that the final compacting press (Ρ') is of the type which comprises an auger or a spiral (18), the shaft or hub (1 18) of which is rotatably supported by a top support (205) for the body (5) of this press, which with the said auger or spiral may be structured with a cylindrical or conical shape, it being envisaged that the said shaft or hub (1 18) receives the movement from the output shaft of the gear motor (3, 103) via any suitable positive drive system (19, 1 19, 1 19').

6. Apparatus according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the bottom part of the said hopper (1 ) and optionally also of the said stator body (201 ) is provided with drainage holes which discharge any liquid component of the waste into an underlying chamber (1 1 ) provided with a discharge pipe (1 1 1 ) through which the liquids may be discharged into the sewerage system or into a storage tank, which must be periodically emptied.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 1 , characterized in that it may be arranged inside a container (10) provided at the top and/or on the side with a hatch (1 10) which can be opened so that it is possible to introduce the waste into the said hopper (1 ), safety sensors being provided such that the apparatus functions preferably only when the said hatch is closed.

8. Apparatus according to Claiml characterized in that the said loading hopper (1 ) is provided in a position frontally facing the conveying spiral (2) with a porthole or hatch (501 ) via which it is possible to gain access easily to said hopper in the event of blockages and/or for maintenance purposes.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 1 , characterized in that it is provided with one or more parts (501 , 1 10) made of transparent material so as to allow viewing from the outside of the operating condition of the said apparatus.