ES3037181T3 - Compacting unit couplable to containers for the collection of materials, and compacting container equipped with said compacting unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A compactor container (100) is equipped with a compactor unit (1) comprising a transfer chamber (11) located at the base of a loading hopper (6) and communicating with an accumulation environment (3) through a transfer opening (12). A pusher (14), which moves alternately in the transfer chamber (11), transfers material from the loading hopper (6) through the transfer opening (12). A pusher (14) movement mechanism (21) is operatively housed in a service chamber (20) with a front opening (22) that can be closed by at least one door (23) and an evacuation opening (24) at the bottom communicating with the outside, and a sliding gate (25) that moves between a rest position, in which it is inserted into the service chamber (20) to close the evacuation opening (24), and an extended position, in which it protrudes through the front opening (22) and provides a passage from the service chamber (20) through the evacuation opening (24).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Compaction unit attachable to containers for collecting materials, and compaction container equipped with said compaction unit

The present invention relates to a compaction unit attachable to containers for collecting materials. The invention also relates to a container for collecting materials, equipped with said compaction unit.

The subject matter of the present invention is particularly intended for the waste disposal sector and, in particular, for the separate collection of waste with the help of rolling containers equipped with a compaction system.

For waste collection, wheeled containers are commonly used. These are placed in recycling areas or other collection sites and are suitable for receiving waste delivered by residents and/or collection personnel.

Such containers can be equipped with a compaction unit that, with the help of a pusher, acts on the waste accumulated at the bottom of a loading chamber to push it into a storage compartment where the waste is compacted to increase load capacity. Containers configured in this way are also commonly called “roller compactors.”

The pusher moves alternately, via hydraulic actuators or other movement mechanisms housed within a service chamber at the base of the compaction unit, between a rearward position within the service chamber and a forward position in the direction of the defined storage chamber within the container. When the pusher is in the rearward position, waste poured into a feed hopper falls freely into the loading chamber; when the pusher moves to the forward position, the waste accumulated in the loading chamber is transferred to the storage chamber through a transfer opening in a partition wall that separates the storage chamber from the hopper and the loading chamber.

A common problem encountered with compaction units is that, due to the inherent mechanical play between the pusher and surrounding fixed parts, some material occasionally shifts uncontrollably from the loading chamber to the service chamber during the pusher's forward and return movements. After a certain period of operation, a considerable amount of material can accumulate in the service compartment, potentially impairing the proper functioning of the drive mechanism. Therefore, periodic access to the service compartment is necessary to remove the accumulated material. Since the service compartment must be sealed off from the outside environment for safety reasons, the only access point is typically a front opening, usually secured by at least one door that can only be opened by authorized maintenance personnel using a special key. A control system supported by microswitches or equivalent sensors operating in the door automatically deactivates the drive mechanism, allowing safe access to the service compartment for material removal. Document US2015/007737A1 describes a container-attachable compaction unit for collecting materials according to the preamble of claim 1.

However, the applicant found that this single access possibility makes the disposal of materials quite difficult, as they often accumulate in tight spaces behind and below the various parts of the movement mechanism or in other areas of the service compartment that are difficult to reach from the front opening.

The objective of the present invention is to overcome the limitations of the prior art. In particular, the applicant has identified the possibility of significantly facilitating the removal of accumulated materials inside the service compartment, without compromising safety levels related to accessibility of the latter, and without entailing significant increases in production costs, by providing a shutter on the lower surface of the compartment itself that can be opened after the door closing the front opening has been opened.

More particularly, an object of the present invention is to provide a compaction unit attachable to containers for the collection of materials, according to claim 1.

In an additional aspect, a compaction container, equipped with the compaction device mentioned above, constitutes the subject matter of the invention.

In at least one of the foregoing aspects, a convenient embodiment of the invention also comprises one or more of the preferential features listed below:

said sliding pusher operates along a lower surface of the transfer chamber; the pusher comprises a thrust division bounded peripherally by a lower horizontal edge, an upper horizontal edge and two vertical edges arranged in correspondence with the respective internal side surfaces of the transfer chamber;

The service chamber is defined behind said thrust division, under a transport duct that forms part of the loading hopper and converges towards the transfer chamber;

the lower horizontal edge slides over a lower surface of the transfer chamber;

A protective partition extends from the upper horizontal edge away from the transfer opening and slides under the lower edge of the transport conduit;

The internal side surfaces of the transfer chamber have respective sliding guides that guide the movement of the pusher towards and away from the transfer opening;

Said at least one door is movable between a closed condition where it extends transversely to a shutter movement path to prevent the latter from sliding into the extended position, and an open condition where it allows access to the service chamber through the front opening and releases the shutter movement into the extended position;

Control devices are also provided to disable the operation of the compaction mechanism when at least one door is not in the closed condition;

There is also one or more slides carried laterally by the shutter and slidably coupled along the respective guides fixed to the inner walls of the service chamber;

Devices are also provided to stop the sliding shutter in the extended position;

These stop devices include mechanical stops arranged between the sliding shutter and at least one fixed part of the service chamber;

The stop devices comprise integral mechanical stop elements in the shutter and designed to act against stop seats carried by a crossbar extending into the service chamber.

Additional features and advantages will become clearer from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a compaction unit that can be associated with material collection containers, and a compaction container equipped with said compaction unit, according to the present invention. Such a description will be set forth in this invention below with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided for illustrative purposes only and therefore not as a limitation, where:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a compaction container equipped with a compaction unit according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 shows an enlarged detail of Figure 1, sectioned along a longitudinal plane, with the pusher in a forward position;

- Figure 3 shows the detail of Figure 2 from a different perspective angle;

- Figure 4 shows the detail of Figure 2 in a condition where the door is open and the sliding shutter is pulled out to facilitate the removal of materials from the service compartment, with the pusher in the rear position;

- Figure 5 shows the detail of Figure 4 from a different perspective angle;

With reference to the figures mentioned above, a rolling container 1 for collecting materials, equipped with a compaction unit according to the present invention, is collectively referred to as 100.

Container 100 comprises a containment box 2 substantially in the shape of a parallelepiped, extending longitudinally between one of its front ends and one of its rear ends, and having internally at least one storage compartment 3 delimited laterally between a pair of vertical walls 4, respectively right and left, and a pair of horizontal walls 5, respectively upper and lower, extending parallel to a longitudinal direction.

Compaction unit 1 is suitable for installation at one of said front end 2a and rear end 2b, more precisely at the front end 2a in the example shown.

Compaction unit 1 has a loading hopper 6 into which the material to be treated is transported, for example, waste delivered by citizens and/or collection service personnel, either manually and/or by tipping a container from a service vehicle.

In the illustrated example, the loading hopper 6, which is accessible through one or more access doors 8, is delimited at the bottom by an access threshold 9 set into a front wall 10. Alternatively, the loading hopper 6 can also be accessed directly from above.

At the base of the loading hopper 6 there is a transfer chamber 11 (figures 4 and 5) which, through a transfer opening 12 provided in a dividing wall 13, communicates with the storage compartment 3 or other storage environment.

A pusher 14 that slides in reciprocating motion along a lower surface 15 of the transfer chamber 11 operates in the transfer chamber 11 to push and transfer through the transfer opening 12 the material from the loading hopper 6.

The pusher 14 comprises a pusher section 16 bounded by two horizontal edges, lower and upper respectively, extending between two vertical edges arranged on the respective inner side surfaces 11a of the transfer chamber 11. The lower horizontal edge slides on the lower surface 15 of the transfer chamber 11. From the upper horizontal edge of the pusher section 16, parallel to the lower surface 15 and away from the transfer opening 12, at least one protective section 17 extends by sliding immediately beneath a lower edge 18a of a conveying chute 18 that forms part of the loading hopper 6 and converges toward the transfer chamber 11. The inner side surfaces 11a of the transfer chamber 11 carry respective sliding guides 19 that guide the movement of the pusher 14 to and from the transfer opening 12.

Behind the thrust division 16, i.e., on the opposite side of the transfer opening 12 and below the transport conduit 18, a service chamber 20 is defined which houses a pusher movement mechanism 21 for the pusher 14. In the illustrated example, the movement mechanism 21 comprises two hydraulic actuators (of which only one is visible in the drawings) arranged in a cross orientation respectively.

Following the action of the movement mechanism 21, the pusher 14 moves alternately between a rearward or loading position (Figures 4 and 5) and a forward or transfer position (Figures 2 and 3). In the loading position, the pusher 14 moves away from the transfer opening 12, preferably with its upper horizontal edge positioned below the lower edge 18a of the conveying chute 18, to maximize the flow of material from the hopper into the transfer chamber 11. In the transfer position, the pusher 14 moves toward the loading chamber 3 or other accumulation environment, so that the material previously collected in the transfer chamber 11 is pushed through the transfer opening 12. More specifically, it is preferable that in the transfer position the upper horizontal edge of the pusher 14 be positioned at or slightly beyond the transfer opening 12 to maximize material transfer. In the transfer position, the guard division 17 retains the material coming from the hopper, preventing it from falling behind the push division 16.

To allow periodic maintenance and/or repair work, the service chamber 20 can be accessed from the outside through a normally closed front opening 22 by means of at least one door 23. In the illustrated example, the door 23 comprises two leaves 23a, hinged to the respective opposite vertical sides of the front opening 22 and each movable with an outward angular rotation from the service chamber 20, between a closed position where, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, it extends parallel to the front wall to close off access to the service chamber 20, and an open position where it allows access to the service chamber 20 through the front opening 22 as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

During operation, it may happen that some material fragments, such as cardboard or other layered or small material, become lodged between the perimeter edges of the pusher division 16 and the internal side surfaces 11a of the transfer chamber 11, and/or between the lower edge 18a of the duct 18 and the pusher 14, and/or under the latter, invading the service chamber 20 and becoming trapped therein. Since the recessed positioning and dimensions of the front opening 22 do not allow easy access to all internal spaces of the service chamber 20, especially when the container 100 is placed on the floor, to facilitate the periodic removal of such fragments, the service chamber 20 is conveniently provided with at least one evacuation opening 24 at the bottom, communicating with the external environment. The evacuation opening 24 is normally closed by a sliding shutter 25, which can be positioned between a rest position where, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, it is inserted into the service chamber 20 to close the evacuation opening 24, and an extended position where, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, it protrudes through the front opening 22. In the rest position, the sliding shutter 25 effectively isolates the service chamber 20 from the external environment, hindering the entry of animals and/or preventing access by unauthorized persons. In the extended position, any material fragments accumulated on the sliding shutter 25 are immediately exposed to the outside and/or near the front opening 22, so that they can be easily collected. At the same time, the passage through the evacuation opening 24 is cleared to facilitate the removal of any foreign material that may have accidentally accumulated inside the service chamber 20. Such material may spontaneously fall to the ground after the sliding shutter 25 is moved to the extended position, or it may be easily reached and grasped at the same time as the container 100 is lifted from the ground, for example, after or while being loaded onto a transport vehicle.

When the door 23 leaves 23a are in the closed position, the sliding shutter 25 is advantageously concealed within the service chamber 20, while the door 23 extends transversely to the shutter's movement path to prevent it from sliding into the extended position. This effectively prevents unauthorized access to the service chamber 20 when the door 23 is closed. Movement of the sliding shutter 25 into the extended position and access to the service chamber 20 can only be enabled after the door 23 is placed in the open position, which can only be done with special keys supplied exclusively to authorized service personnel.

Suitable control devices, comprising, for example, one or more unillustrated microswitches, operatively arranged in the front opening 22 and interacting with the doors 23a, disable the operation of the movement mechanism 21 when the door 23 is not in the closed condition, in order to allow access to the service chamber 20 under safe conditions.

In the illustrated example, the mobility of the sliding shutter 25 is facilitated by small wheels, sliding rollers or similar slides 26, carried laterally by the shutter itself and sliding along the respective guides 27 fixed to the inner side walls of the service chamber 20, arranged as a continuation of the inner side surfaces 11a of the transfer chamber 11.

Suitable mechanical stops or equivalent stop devices 28 (Figure 5) may be provided between the sliding shutter 25 and one or more fixed parts of the service chamber 20 to prevent the shutter from sliding in the extended position. In the illustrated example, these stop devices 28 comprise mechanical stop elements integral with the sliding shutter 25 and arranged to act against stop seats carried by a transverse bar 29 extending into the service chamber 20. Accidental and intentional removal of the shutter from the service chamber 20 is thus prevented.

Claims (10)

1. Compaction unit attachable to containers for the collection of materials, comprising: a transfer chamber (11) positioned below a loading hopper (6) and communicating with an accumulation environment (3) through a transfer opening (12); a pusher (14) movable alternately in the transfer chamber (11) to transfer material from the loading hopper (6) through the transfer opening (12); a pusher (14) movement mechanism (21), operatively housed in a service room (20) having a front opening (22) that can be closed by means of at least one door (23); where the service room (20) has at least one evacuation opening (24) at the bottom that communicates with the outside, characterized by a sliding shutter (25) movable between a rest position where it is inserted into the service room (20) to close the evacuation opening (24), and an extended position where it protrudes through the front opening (22) and releases a passage from the service chamber (20) through the evacuation opening (24). 2. Compaction unit according to claim 1, wherein the pusher (14) comprises a pusher division (16) peripherally limited by a lower horizontal edge, an upper horizontal edge and two vertical edges arranged in correspondence with the respective internal side surfaces (11a) of the transfer chamber (11). 3. Compaction unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the service room (20) is defined behind said thrust division (16), under a transport conduit (18) that forms part of the loading hopper (6) and that converges towards the transfer chamber (11). 4. Compaction unit according to claim 3, wherein from the upper horizontal edge of the thrust partition (16), a protective partition (17) extends away from the transfer opening (12), said protective partition (17) sliding under the lower edge (18a) of the transport conduit (18). 5. Compaction unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one door (23) is movable between a closed condition where it extends transversely to a movement path of the sliding shutter (25) to prevent the latter from sliding towards the extended position, and an open condition where it allows access to the service room (20) through the front opening (22) and releases the movement of the sliding shutter (25) towards the extended position. 6. Compaction unit according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising control devices for deactivating the operation of the movement mechanism (21) when said at least one door (23) is not in the closed condition. 7. Compaction unit according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more slides (26) carried laterally by the sliding shutter (25) and slidably coupled along the respective guides (27) fixed to the inner walls of the service room (20). 8. Compaction unit according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising devices (28) for stopping the sliding shutter (25) in the extended position. 9. Compaction unit according to claim 8, wherein said stop devices (28) comprise mechanical stops arranged between the sliding shutter (25) and at least one fixed part of the service chamber (20). 10. Compaction container, comprising a compaction unit (1) according to one of the preceding claims.