JPH0687096A - Empty can collecting equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide an empty can collecting machine which can set the full can condition variably with respect to the amount of recovered empty cans and which can be realized with a simple structure and with a reduced number of parts. That is. [Structure] The empty can 4 that has been charged from the charging port 5 of the empty can collection device 1 is stopped by a stop mechanism 8 of the front door 3. Either when the counters 27, 27 have counted the preset maximum values Nf, Na or when the full-can sensor 19 detects an empty can, the full-can mode changeover switch 25 is used. It is selected as an operation mode for judging 16 full can states. In response to the selection of this operation mode, either when the counters 27, 27 count preset maximum values Nf, Na, or when the full can sensor 19 detects an empty can. The control device 26 controls the stopped empty cans stopped by the stop mechanism 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an empty can collecting machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an empty can collecting machine for collecting empty cans made of iron or aluminum used for various beverage containers and the like has been used from the viewpoint of resource saving or nature conservation. Such an empty can collecting machine presses the supplied empty cans to collect them in a collecting box inside the housing. In terms of usability of this empty can collecting machine, it is desirable that the frequency of collecting work for taking out the empty cans from the collecting box is as low as possible. Therefore, it is desirable to store as many empty cans as possible in the recovery box. On the other hand, if there are too many empty cans stored in the collection box, a great deal of labor is required for the collection work.

Conventionally, in order to solve such a problem, an optical sensor for detecting the accumulated amount of empty cans collected in a recovery box is provided in an empty can collecting machine, and the position of this optical sensor is made variable. A mechanical mechanism for Thereby, the position of the optical sensor is appropriately set in consideration of the size of the recovery box or the labor of the recovery work. When the optical sensor detects an empty can, the empty can is determined and the acceptance of the inserted empty can is stopped.

[0004]

The conventional empty can collecting machine needs a mechanism for mechanically adjusting the position of the optical sensor as described above, which complicates the configuration and increases the number of parts. The problem arises.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above technical problems and realize the full can state variably with respect to the amount of recovered empty cans, with a simple structure and a reduced number of parts. It is to provide an empty can collecting machine that can do this.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a stop member is provided behind an empty can input port formed in a front door to pass or stop an inserted empty can, and an inserted empty can is stored. Storage container, a detection means arranged near the upper end of the storage container for detecting empty cans accumulated in the storage container, a counting means for counting the empty cans stored in the storage container, and a maximum determined by the counting means. When the value is counted, or when the detecting means detects an empty can, the selecting means selects the full-can state of the storage container, and the counting means preliminarily corresponds to the selection of the selecting means. An empty can comprising a control means for stopping the empty can introduced by the stop member when the maximum value is counted or when the detecting means detects an empty can. It is a recovery machine.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the empty can introduced from the empty can inlet is stopped by the stop member provided behind the empty can inlet of the front door. A detection means for detecting empty cans accumulated in the storage container is arranged near the upper end of the storage container for storing the input empty cans. The counting means counts the number of empty cans stored in the storage container. Either when the counting means counts a predetermined maximum value or when the detecting means detects an empty can, the selecting means selects the condition for defining the full-can state of the storage container. In response to the selection of the selection means, when the counting means counts a predetermined maximum value or when the detection means detects an empty can, the control means is stopped by the stop member. Controls to stop the empty cans that have been input. The control means drives the stop member when either the counting means or the detection means, the means selected by the selection means, is not counting the predetermined maximum value or the empty can is not detected. Then, the loaded empty can is taken into the machine and stored in the storage container.

As a result, the full state of the storage container is
The amount of empty cans collected can be set variably,
Eliminating the need to adjust the detection means with a mechanical adjustment mechanism,
The variable setting of the full can state can be realized with a simple configuration and with a reduced number of parts.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a collection box 1 for an empty can 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a sectional view of the vicinity of FIG. 6, and FIG. 2 is a front door 3 of the empty can collecting machine 1.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity, FIG. 3 is a front view of the empty can collecting machine 1, and FIG. 4 is a front view of a state in which a front door 3 of a housing 2 of the empty can collecting machine 1 is opened. The front door 3 of the housing 2 of the empty can collection machine 1 of the present embodiment is provided with an opening 5 having a size large enough to allow the empty can 4 to be inserted, and an opening / closing lid 6 for opening and closing the opening 5 is provided. It is provided. Furthermore, on the front door 3,
A notification lamp 7 is provided which is turned on when a full-can state, which will be described later, of the collection box 16 by the empty cans 4 loaded into the empty-can collection machine 1 is detected.

On the rear surface of the charging port 5 of the front door 3, the shunt 1 for guiding the charged empty can 4 to a later-described pressing device in the machine.
1 is arranged, and an empty can 4 is provided near the upper end of the shunt 11.
The stop mechanism 8 is arranged. The stop mechanism 8 is provided with a stop plate 9 for stopping the inserted empty can 4. A drive device 10 such as a motor is connected to the stop plate 9 as an example, and is moved from the passage 12 of the empty can 4 defined by the shunt 11 and input by the control described later. Pass the empty can 4 into the plane or, as shown in FIG.
Stop inside 2 to prevent passage of the empty can 4 into the cabin. A can type sensor 22 is provided near the stop mechanism 8 for identifying whether the inserted empty can 4 is an iron can or an aluminum can.

Below the stop mechanism 8 in the housing 2,
Press device 1 for pressing empty can 4 that has passed through stop mechanism 8
3 is arranged, and below the pressing device 13, a sorting device 1 for separating pressed empty cans into aluminum cans and iron cans.
4 are arranged. The distribution plate 15 of the distribution device 14 is normally directed to the iron can collecting section 17 of the collection box 16, that is, in the diagonally right downward direction in FIG. 4, and the distribution plate 15 is distributed only when an aluminum can is loaded. The plate 15 is inclined toward the aluminum can collecting portion 18 side of the collecting box 16, that is, diagonally downward to the left in FIG.
Induce an aluminum can. When the aluminum can falls to the collecting unit 18, the distribution plate 15 returns in the direction toward the collecting unit 17 side for the iron can.

Near the upper end of the collecting box 16 of the empty can collecting machine 1, a full can for detecting that the empty cans stacked in any of the collecting parts 17 and 18 of the collecting box 16 have reached near the upper end. The sensor 19 is arranged. As an example, the full can sensor 19 is configured to include a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and an optical path 20 formed by the light emitting element and the light receiving element is set near the upper end of the collection box 16.

An input device 23 is provided inside the empty can collecting machine 1. The input device 23 determines the numeric keypad 24 and the determination of the full-can state in which the number of empty cans loaded in the empty-can collection machine 1 reaches a specified number and the newly-loaded empty cans are stopped from passing through the stop mechanism 8. A full-can mode changeover switch 25 is provided for setting either the detection of an empty can by the full-can sensor 19 or the maximum number of iron cans or aluminum cans set by a ten key.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical construction of the empty can collecting machine 1 of this embodiment. The empty can collection machine 1 includes a control device 2 which is realized as, for example, a microprocessor.
6, the control lamp 26 is connected with the notification lamp 7, the driving device 10, the pressing device 13 and the sorting device 14, and whether the material of the empty can is an aluminum can or an iron can. And a can type sensor 21 for detecting each of the cans sorted by the sorting device 14 for detecting aluminum cans and iron cans respectively, and a control device 26 for counting the number of individual cans and an iron can 29. The can sensor 30 and the input device 23 are connected. Further, the control device 26 is provided with two counters 27 and 28 for counting the number of empty cans dropped in the recovery box 16 for each iron can or aluminum can.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the full can mode setting operation of this embodiment. Front door 3 of empty can collection machine 1
Open and open the full can mode switch 2 of the input device 23.
5, it is selected whether the full can mode of the empty can collecting machine 1 is set to the counter mode performed by the counters 27 and 28. When the count mode is selected in step a1 of FIG. 6, the maximum number Nf, Na of iron cans and aluminum cans to be recovered in the recovery box 16 is stored in the recovery box 16 in step a2.
And stored in the memory of the controller 26. Here, the maximum number Nf, Na can be set to a number smaller than the number of iron cans or aluminum cans when the full can sensor 19 detects a full can state. This completes the setting operation. Count mode in step a1
If no empty mode is selected, the empty can collecting mode of the empty can collecting machine 1 is determined by the empty can detection by the full can sensor 19, and the setting operation is completed.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the empty can collecting operation of this embodiment. In step b1, when the opening / closing lid 6 of the front door 3 is opened and the empty can 4 is loaded, the can type sensor 21 determines whether the loaded empty can is an iron can or an aluminum can. To do. Further, the determination operation detects the insertion of the empty can. At step b2, the control device 26 increments the count value nf, na of one of the counters 27, 28 by +1 depending on whether the inserted empty can is an iron can or an aluminum can. Step b
In step 3, it is determined whether the full can determination mode of the empty can collecting machine 1 is the count mode described above or the determination mode by the full can sensor 22.

When it is determined in step b3 that the mode is the count mode, it is determined in step b4 whether the count value nf by the counter 27 is the maximum number Nf or more. If the determination in step b4 is negative, it is determined in step b5 whether the count value na by the counter 28 is the maximum value Na or more. Step b5
If the determination is negative, neither the iron can nor the aluminum can in the recovery box 16 has reached the maximum values Nf and Na.

At this time, in step b6, the control device 26 drives the driving device 10 to drive the stop plate 9 so as to be separated from the passage 12 of the empty can 4. As a result, the empty can 4 passes through the stop mechanism 8 and the pressing device 13 is operated at step b7.
Pressed in step b8, and in step b8, the sorting device 14
It is dropped into either of the recovery parts 17 and 18 corresponding to the material. Then, the process returns to step b1.

If either step b4 or step b5 is affirmed, the number of iron cans or aluminum cans collected so far is the maximum value Nf,
It has reached Na. At this time, step b
In 9, the control device 26 does not drive the drive device 10 to move as described above, and keeps the stop plate 9 positioned in the passage 12 of the empty can 4. As a result, the empty can 4 is stopped by the stop mechanism 8. Next, in step b10, the control device 26 turns on the notification lamp 7. Then, the process returns to step b1.

If the determination in step b3 is negative, it is determined in step 11 whether or not the full can sensor 19 is detecting empty cans accumulated in any of the collecting sections 17 and 18. If this determination is negative, it means that none of the collecting units 17 and 18 of the collecting box 16 is full, and the process moves to step b6 to perform the above-described processing. If the determination in step b11 is affirmative, it means that all of the collection units 17 and 18 of the collection box 16 are full and the process proceeds to step b9 to perform the above-described processing.

As described above, in this embodiment, the full state of the collection box 16 can be variably set by appropriately setting the maximum numbers Nf and Na input from the input device 13. Further, when performing this variable setting, the need for adjusting the full-can sensor 19 by a mechanical adjustment mechanism is eliminated, and the variable setting of the full-can state can be performed with a simple configuration such as the existing input device 23 and the number of parts. Can be realized by reducing.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the empty can introduced through the empty can inlet is stopped by the stop member provided behind the empty can inlet of the front door. Either when the counting means counts a predetermined maximum value or when the detecting means detects an empty can, the selecting means selects the condition for defining the full-can state of the storage container. In response to the selection of the selection means, when the counting means counts a predetermined maximum value or when the detection means detects an empty can, the control means is stopped by the stop member. Controls to stop the empty cans that have been input.

As a result, the full state of the storage container is
The amount of empty cans collected can be set variably,
Eliminating the need to adjust the detection means with a mechanical adjustment mechanism,
The variable setting of the full can state can be realized with a simple configuration and with a reduced number of parts.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an empty can 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention in the vicinity of a collection box 16.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view near a front door 3 of the empty can collection machine 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the empty can collection machine 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a front door 3 of the housing 2 of the empty can collection machine 1 is opened.

5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the empty can collection machine 11. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining a setting operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a chart.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining a collecting operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a chart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Empty Can Collection Machine 4 Empty Can 7 Notification Lamp 8 Stopping Mechanism 12 Passing Path 16 Collection Box 19 Full Can Sensor 23 Input Device 25 Full Can Mode Switch 26 Control Device 27, 28 Counter

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stop member provided behind an empty can input opening formed in a front door for passing or stopping the inserted empty can, a storage container for storing the input empty can, and a storage container for the storage container. A detection means arranged near the upper end for detecting empty cans accumulated in the storage container, a counting means for counting the empty cans stored in the storage container, and a case where the counting means counts a predetermined maximum value, or In either case where the detecting means detects an empty can, when the counting means counts a predetermined maximum value corresponding to the selection means for selecting the full-can state of the storage container and the selection of the selecting means, Alternatively, an empty can collecting machine including control means for stopping the empty can that has been introduced by the stop member in any of the cases where the detecting means detects an empty can.