JP7233138B2 - Volume reduction device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a volume reduction device.

An empty container collecting device for collecting empty containers is known (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
A general empty container collecting device appropriately reduces the volume of an empty container such as a PET bottle inserted from an inlet and stores it in a container storage section in the device.
In addition, the volume reduction device that performs the volume reduction process of the article performs the volume reduction process with a large torque assuming the largest (hardest) article in order to reliably crush the article.

JP 2009-175789 A

However, the volume reduction device that performs volume reduction processing with a large torque requires a volume reduction processing time. required and was not efficient.

The volume reduction device of the present invention has at least the following configuration.
The volume reduction device includes identification means for identifying an article to be reduced in volume that is thrown in from the inlet;
volume reduction control means for controlling driving of a volume reduction unit for reducing the volume of the article based on the result of identification by the identification means;
The volume reduction unit includes a pair of rotating shafts having blade surfaces for reducing the volume of the article on the side surfaces in the axial direction,
When the specifying means specifies that the load is low, the volume reduction control means increases the rotation speed of the rotating shaft of the volume reducing section, and when the specifying means specifies that the load is high, the volume reduction control means The control means is characterized by reducing the rotational speed of the rotating shaft of the volume reducing section.

Since the volume reduction apparatus of the present invention performs volume reduction processing suitable for the container loaded, it has a high processing capacity per hour.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The whole conceptual diagram of the goods collection|recovery apparatus as a volume reduction apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (a) is a front view of a volume reduction apparatus, (b) is a side view of a volume reduction apparatus. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an outer door, an inner door, a placement section, and a weighing section of a volume reduction device (article recovery device) according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The perspective view which expanded the upper part of the volume reduction apparatus (container collection|recovery apparatus) which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual side view showing an example of the volume reduction device with the outer door closed and the inner door closed. FIG. 2 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing an example of a placement section and a volume reduction section of a volume reduction device with an outer door in an open state and an inner door in a closed state. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the placing portion of the volume reduction device when the outer door is open and the inner door is closed. FIG. 10 is a conceptual side view showing an example of the placement section and the volume reduction section of the volume reduction device when the outer door is closed and the inner door is open. The conceptual diagram which shows an example of the volume reduction part of a volume reduction apparatus, and a drive motor. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the volume reduction section of the volume reduction device (article recovery device) according to the embodiment of the present invention; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The figure for demonstrating an example of the volume reduction apparatus (item recovery apparatus) which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (a) is an electrical functional block diagram of a volume reduction apparatus, (b) is a functional block diagram of a control part. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the volume reduction device (article recovery device) according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a message notified by a display section of a display operation section of the volume reduction device (article recovery device);

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, the illustrated content. In the following description of each figure, the same reference numerals are given to the parts that are common to the already described parts, and redundant description is partly omitted. As a volume reduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, an article recovery device (container recovery device) will be described.

A volume reduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention opens an outer door of an input port to collect articles from the input port. Contain in the collection section. More specifically, the article collecting apparatus has an outer door that can be opened and closed with respect to the inlet, and a placement section positioned inside the inlet on which the articles from the inlet can be placed. In addition, the article collecting apparatus is configured with an inlet, a placement section, and the like so that a PET bottle or the like as an article can be placed sideways.
More specifically, the volume reduction device includes a specification means for specifying an article to be volume-reduced thrown in from the inlet, and driving control of the volume reduction section for reducing the volume of the article based on the result of specification by the specification means. and volume reduction control means for differentiating the For example, the volume reduction control means rotates the rotation shaft provided with the compression roller of the volume reduction portion and the rotation shaft provided with the compression roller at a high speed and a small amount of rotation (rotation angle) compared to a large empty container. drive control.

Items to be collected are not limited to PET bottles, cans, and bottles, and include, for example, milk cartons, trays, ink cartridges, items returned to libraries and rental shops (books, DVDs, etc.), cleaning items, batteries, light bulbs, and the like. It can be any item. That is, the container collecting device is an example of the article collecting device.

Specifically, in the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the outer door of the article loading section is closed during standby, and the inner door provided between the article loading section and the storage section is closed. state. At the time of article collection, the outer door of the article loading section is opened, and the discriminating section of the control section (not shown) such as a computer determines that the article placed on the placement section is an article to be collected (for example, a PET bottle, etc.). empty resin container). When it is determined that the object to be collected is an article (empty container), the outer door is closed, the inner door provided between the article loading section and the storage section is opened, and the container is collected by the storage section. be. In this embodiment, the container recovery device includes a volume reduction unit (volume reduction mechanism), and the volume of the container is reduced by the volume reduction unit (volume reduction mechanism). Empty containers can be collected.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the article recovery device 100 as the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a container loading section 110 at the top of the device main body section 100B. An outer door 111 is provided at the opening of 110 (insertion port TS). The device main unit 100B is provided with a display operation unit 3 and a transmission/reception unit 4 (communication unit) on the front side near the upper part of the outer door 111 . A luggage hook 100f is provided on the front side of the device main body 100B.

In addition, the article collection device 100 is protected by an exterior cover CV on the outside of the body of the device main body. Specifically, the exterior cover CV includes an upper exterior cover CV1, a central exterior cover CV2, and the like.

Further, a passage communicating with the container housing portion 140 is provided below the container throwing portion 110, and an inner door 112 is provided in the passage 71 from the mounting portion 116 of the container throwing portion 110 to the container housing portion 140. ing.

In this embodiment, the article recovery device 100 is provided with a volume reduction section 120 (volume reduction mechanism) between the inner door 112 and the container housing section 140 . When the inner door 112 is in the open state, the volume reduction unit 120 crushes the empty container A as an article from the container loading unit 110 to reduce the volume, and transfers the reduced container RA to the container storage unit 140 below. Output.
Further, the apparatus main body 100B of the article recovery apparatus 100 has a drawer 100C in which the container storage section 140 is placed, and is provided with a drawer handle 100e and a keyhole 100r on the front side. 100r can be inserted and locked/unlocked.

Further, a translucent portion 100A (a translucent window) is provided on the front side of the apparatus main body portion 100B, more specifically, on the front side of the drawer 100C, so that empty containers stored in the container storage portion 140 can be viewed from the outside. is configured to be visible.
Further, a moving handle 100g used during transportation is provided on the side surface of the apparatus main body 100B.

Further, the device main body 100B has a cap insertion portion 108 on the front side, and a cap passage 72 is provided downward from the cap insertion portion 108 in the device main body so that a cap inserted into the cap insertion portion 108 can be a cap. It is configured to be accommodated in the cap accommodating portion 145 via the passage 72 for the cap.
The cap passage 72 may have a cap and a mechanism for sorting items smaller than the cap. Specifically, the passage 72 for the cap is branched, and a mesh-shaped member is used at the branch to discharge and accumulate the leftover cigarette butts, rainwater, and the like through a separate route, so that only the cap can be accommodated in the cap housing portion 145. can be

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the outer door 111, the inner door 112, the placement section 116, the weighing section 7, etc. of the volume reduction device (article recovery device) according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper portion of the volume reduction device (article recovery device). FIG. 4 is a conceptual side view showing an example of the volume reduction device with the outer door 111 closed and the inner door 112 closed. FIG. 5 shows the volume reduction device with the outer door 111 open and the inner door 112 closed. FIG. 3 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing an example of a mounting section 116 and a volume reduction section 120; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the mounting portion 116 of the volume reduction device when the outer door 111 is open and the inner door 112 is closed. FIG. 7 is a conceptual side view showing an example of the mounting portion 116 and the volume reducing portion 120 of the volume reducing device when the outer door 111 is closed and the inner door 112 is open. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the volume reduction unit 120 and the drive motor of the volume reduction device. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the volume reduction section 120 of the volume reduction device (article recovery device) according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the container loading section 110 of the article recovery apparatus 100 (volume reduction apparatus) according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a mounting section 116, an outer door 111, an inner door 112, a pedestal 118, and a weighing section 7. , an outer door support portion S111, an inner door support portion S112, an outer door driving portion 5, an inner door driving portion 6, a first limiting portion K111, a second limiting portion K112, and the like.

The placing section 116 is configured to be able to place an object to be collected or the like. A side wall portion 116a of the mounting portion 116 is provided with an optical sensor 9 such as a light receiving portion 9a and a light emitting portion 9b, a metal sensor, and the like. A weighing unit 7 is provided below the mounting unit 116 .

In addition, in the present embodiment, the placement surface 116g of the placing portion 116 is not horizontal, and the side of the container holding portion 140 is lower than the side of the article inlet (the side of the opening when the outer door 111 is open). It is slanted like this. That is, the placement section 116 is configured to encourage the thrown article to drop toward the container accommodating section 140 (or the volume reducing section 120) due to its own weight. As a result, there is no need to provide a conveying mechanism for sending articles (inserted items) to the container storage section 140, and a compact article recovery apparatus can be provided.
Further, the mounting portion 116 has a surface treatment applied to the surface of the mounting surface 116g to form an uneven portion, and has a structure to prevent the inserted article from sticking to the mounting portion. In the case where the article recovery device is a container recovery device, even if the container is wet, the contact area between the surface of the container and the uneven surface of the placing section is relatively small, so the surface tension due to wetting is small, and the container is kept wet. It can be easily moved to the accommodating part 140 side. That is, it is possible to prevent a problem that a wet container does not fall to the container accommodating portion side.

The outer door 111 is provided outside the placement section 116 . An outer door drive unit 5 such as a motor drives the outer door 111 so that it can be opened and closed.
The inner door 112 is provided in the passage 71 between the placement section 116 and the volume reduction section 120 . The inner door drive unit 6 drives the inner door 112 so that it can be opened and closed. The inner door 112 is provided with a guide portion 112D for guiding the placement state of the empty container. The guide portion 112D is provided at a position that is exposed and visible from the main body of the apparatus. The guidance section 112D displays information as guidance to place an article (empty container such as a PET bottle) in a specified orientation and at a specified position (eg, 350 ml, 500 ml, 2000 ml, etc.). The guide portion 112D may be a concave portion, a convex portion, a sticker, an LED display portion, an LCD, or the like provided on the surface of the inner door 112 .
Further, the article collecting apparatus may have a determination means for determining whether an article is correctly placed at the placement position indicated by the guide section 112D by a detection sensor such as an imaging section. In addition, when the mounting orientation and position are not correct, it is possible to issue a notification or the like by means of an imaging process or a detection unit such as an optical sensor.

In this embodiment, the article recovery device 100 has a pedestal 118 , and the pedestal 118 has an outer door 111 and outer door support portions S<b>118 and S<b>111 for supporting the outer door driving portion 5 . Specifically, the outer door drive unit 5 and the rotation shaft C111 are provided at the upper ends of the two outer door support portions S118, and the fan-shaped outer door support portion S111 is rotatably provided on the rotation shaft C111. , the outer door 111 is supported by fan-shaped outer door support portions S111. One rotating shaft C111 of the two rotating shafts C111 is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor of the outer door drive unit 5 .
A hole portion S111h through which the rotating shaft C112 of the inner door 112 passes is provided in the fan-shaped outer door support portion S111.

The weighing section 7 is arranged between the pedestal 118 and the mounting section 116 and supports the mounting section 116 .

In addition, the inner door 112 is configured to guide an empty container placed on the placement section 116 to the volume reduction section 120 in an open state. Further, in this embodiment, the inner door drive section 6 and the inner door 112 are supported by the inner door support section S112 arranged on the weighing section 7 and extending from between the weighing section 7 and the placing section 116. It is The inner door driving portion 6 is provided with a rotation axis C112 of the inner door 112, and the inner door 112 is provided on the rotation axis C112. By opening the inner door 112, the objects to be collected can be guided to the container accommodating section 140 in the main body of the apparatus. In addition, the inner door support portion S112 has a hole portion S112h through which the rotating shaft C111 passes.

That is, the outer door drive unit 5 and the outer door 111 are supported by the outer door support portion S111 of the pedestal 118, and the placement portion 116 is provided above the weighing portion 7 arranged on the pedestal 118. The unit 7 can accurately measure the mass of the object to be collected placed on the placement unit 116 . Specifically, since the outer door 111 and the outer door drive unit 5 are not supported on the weighing unit 7, the weighing unit 7 is not affected by vibrations of the outer door 111 and the outer door drive unit 5. It has a structure that is difficult to receive, and the mass of the object to be collected on the placement section 116 can be weighed with high accuracy.

Further, the outer door 111 of the article recovery apparatus 100 as the article recovery apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is movable between an open position exposing the placing section 116 and a closed position covering the placing section 116. When the outer door 111 is closed, the outer door 111 is configured to be movable from the open position toward the placing section 116 to the closed position. That is, since the outer door 111 is configured to move toward the placement section 116 from the open state and close, for example, a user's hand or arm may be caught between the outer door 111 and the placement section 116 . When this occurs, the measurement value obtained by the weighing unit fluctuates, and the control unit detects the fluctuation, thereby facilitating the detection of a user's hand, arm, foreign matter, etc., being caught between the outer door 111 and the placing unit 116. can be detected.

Further, in the article recovery device 100 (empty container recovery device) according to the embodiment of the present invention, the outer door 111 includes a first restriction portion K111 that restricts the movement of the inner door 112 . The inner door 112 has a second restricting portion K112 that restricts movement of the outer door 111 . It has a mechanism for restricting both the outer door 111 and the inner door 112 from being opened by the first restricting part K111 and the second restricting part K112.
That is, since the article collection device 100 has the first restricting portion K111 provided on the outer door 111 and the second restricting portion K112 provided on the inner door 112, the outer door 100 has a simple mechanical structure. The opening/closing operation of each door can be restricted according to the opening/closing state of each of the door 111 and the inner door 112 .

Further, the first restricting portion K111 of the article recovery device 100 is configured to respond to the movement of the outer door 111. As shown in FIG. The second restricting portion K112 is configured to respond to the movement of the inner door 112. As shown in FIG. Further, the article recovery apparatus 100 is configured such that the first restricting portion K111 restricts the movement of the inner door 112 when the outer door 111 is open, and the second restricting portion K111 restricts the movement of the inner door 112 when the inner door 112 is open. is configured to restrict the movement of the outer door 111.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the article collection device 100 is configured to restrict the opening of the inner door 112 while the outer door 111 is in the open state while the inner door 112 remains closed. That is, when the outer door 111 is open and an object is placed on the placing portion 116, the inner door 112 is closed and not opened. Regardless of whether the object is an object to be collected or an object not to be collected, it is configured not to be stored in the container storage portion 140 in the apparatus main body portion 100B. That is, in this state, the inner door 112 is in contact with the article (collection object or non-collection article), and the inner door 112 has a structure that also serves as a part of the placing section.

The volume reduction device has a volume reduction section 120 and a feeding mechanism 50 provided above the volume reduction section 120 . The feeding mechanism 50 feeds the empty container in the horizontal posture inserted from the inlet to the volume reducing section 120 .
In addition, plate-shaped regulating members 61 and 62 are provided above the volume reducing section 120 so as to guide the empty container A toward the center of the volume reducing section 120, and are inclined in opposite directions. To restrict the empty container A from moving to other locations.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the volume reduction device has a structure in which a pair of rotation shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reduction section and the rotation shaft 51 of the feed mechanism 50 are rotatably supported.

The rotating shafts 811, 911 and 51 are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined spacing. In each of the pair of rotating shafts 811, 911, a compression roller 81 (91) having blade surfaces 81k (91k) on both sides in the axial direction, and a compression roller 81 (91) having a diameter smaller than that of the compression roller 81 (91). 91) are alternately arranged along the axial direction.
The outer peripheral portion of the compression roller provided on one rotating shaft is arranged between the compression rollers provided on the other rotating shaft, and is provided between the compression rollers provided on the other rotating shaft. It is arranged at a position separated from the spacer s by a predetermined distance LP.
Therefore, the compression roller 81 and the compression roller 91 do not interfere with each other, so that troubles such as the blades of the rollers being chipped or damaged do not occur.

A gear 911m is provided at one end of the rotating shaft 911 and is configured to mesh with the gear 811m provided at one end of the rotating shaft 811 .
Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a large-diameter gear 811n is provided at the end of the rotating shaft 811. As shown in FIG. The gear 811n is connected to the gear 40n provided on the rotating shaft 40p of the drive unit 40 such as a motor through a power transmission body 41 such as a chain so as to be able to transmit power.
When driving, the rotating shaft 40p and the gear 40n of the drive unit 40 rotate, and the power transmission body 41 transmits power to the rotating shaft 811 and the rotating shaft 911, so that the rotating shaft 811 and the rotating shaft 911 rotate in opposite directions. Rotate.

In this embodiment, the gear 911m is formed to have a larger diameter than the gear 811m, and has a large number of external teeth. The gears 911m and 811m are meshed with each other, and the rotating shafts 811 and 911 are configured to rotate in opposite directions at different speeds. Specifically, the rotating shaft 811 rotates at a higher speed than the rotating shaft 911 . Also, the compression rollers 81 and 91 provided on the pair of rotating shafts 811 and 911 rotate in opposite directions at different speeds. That is, the drive unit 40 rotates the pair of rotating shafts 811 and 911 in opposite directions at different speeds.
In the volume reduction device, the rotation shafts 811 and 911 are rotated in a predetermined direction so as to move the empty container A to be reduced from the input port through the rotation shafts 811 and 911 from above to below. configured to rotate.

As a comparative example, when the pair of rotating shafts 811 and 911 rotate in opposite directions at the same speed, the same portions of the outer peripheral side surfaces of the opposing compression rollers 81 and 91 come into sliding contact every cycle.

In this embodiment, since the pair of rotating shafts 811 and 911 are configured to rotate in opposite directions at different speeds, the same portions of the side surfaces of the outer peripheral portions of the compression rollers 81 and 91 come into sliding contact every cycle. Since the compression roller shifts little by little, deterioration of the blade surface on the side surface of the compression roller can be reduced.

Further, the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 811 is faster than that of the rotating shaft 911 on the inlet side. Therefore, even if an empty container is put into the compression rollers 81 and 91, it is configured not to move to the rear of the apparatus.

The feeding mechanism 50 has a rotating shaft 51 and a plurality of blades 52 (made of metal, resin, or the like) as paddles. As the rotary shaft 51 rotates, the blade portion 52 rotates around the rotary shaft 51 . Specifically, the blade portion 52 is formed such that one end portion of a substantially rectangular main body portion is connected to the rotating shaft 51 and the other tip portion is bent with respect to the main body portion. Specifically, the tip portion of the blade portion 52 is bent in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotating shaft 51, so that the blade portion 52 is bent even when an external force greater than the specified force is applied during driving. It has a structure that prevents damage to the feed mechanism.
Moreover, a plurality of protrusions are provided at the tip of the blade portion 52 . The convex portion is formed so as to be able to pass through a position corresponding to a position (position of the spacer s) between the compression rollers 81 provided on the rotating shaft 811 at a predetermined interval.

A large-diameter gear is provided at the end of the rotating shaft 51, and the gear transmits rotational force from a small-diameter gear provided at the end of the rotating shaft 811 by a power transmission body such as a chain. be done.

The compression rollers 81 and 91 have a plurality of convex pressing portions 811a and 911a projecting radially outward from a circular base portion at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction.
The base portion 81b of the compression roller 81 provided on the rotating shaft 811 is configured so as not to overlap the base portion 91b of the compression roller 91 provided on the opposing rotating shaft 911 . Also, the base portion 91b of the compression roller 91 provided on the rotating shaft 911 is configured so as not to overlap the base portion 81b of the compression roller 81 provided on the opposing rotating shaft 811 .

The pressing portion of the compression roller 81 provided on the rotating shaft 811 is deviated from a straight line parallel to the rotating shaft that passes through the pressing portions of other compression rollers that are adjacently provided via spacers along the axial direction of the rotating shaft. are placed in the same position.
Specifically, when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 811, the plurality of pressing portions of the compression roller 81 are arranged between the plurality of pressing portions of the other axially adjacent compression rollers via the spacers s. there is
The same applies to the pressing portion of the compression roller 91 provided on the rotary shaft 911 .
That is, with a simple structure, it is possible to neatly form uneven portions on an empty container, and to form slit-like cut portions at predetermined intervals in a portion of the empty container. In addition, a substantially flat volume-reduced product can be formed. In other words, the sides of the body of the empty container are pressed and crushed into a flat shape. state), and the volume after volume reduction is small, and the substantially flat shape volume reduction state can be maintained.

The peeling section 30 ( 31 , 32 ) is configured to peel the container reduced in volume by the compression rollers 81 , 91 of the volume reduction section 120 from the compression rollers 81 , 91 of the volume reduction section 120 .

The tip of the peeling portion 30 is provided between the compression rollers 81 (91) and is formed in a comb shape located near the spacer s.

Further, in this embodiment, a pair of peeling portions 30 (31, 32) are provided corresponding to the pair of rotating shafts 811, 911, respectively. The distance between the pair of peeling portions 31 and 32 is wider toward the container discharge direction side, and provided obliquely with respect to the container discharge direction.

When the compression roller 81 (91) rotates, part or all of the empty container reduced in volume by the volume reduction unit 120 is separated from the compression roller 81 (91) and the spacer s by the tip of the separation unit 30, and the container is discharged. led out to the side.
Since the tip of the peeling part 30 is provided between a plurality of compression rollers 81 (91), the reduced empty container can be peeled off from the compression rollers 81 (91) of the volume reduction part 120 with a simple structure. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 9, the length LAb (neck length) of the neck Ab of the empty container A such as a PET bottle is the length from the tip Ac on the side of the opening Ah to the neck ring or the base of the neck. .

An empty resin container A such as a PET bottle is formed thicker than the thickness of the neck portion Ab and the thickness of other portions such as the shoulder portion and the body portion Ag. As for the empty container for recycling, for example, when the neck Ab of the empty container A is cut off from other parts and becomes a mass smaller than the standard, the recycling company may consider the container not to be recycled. The volume-reducing portion 120 has a flat shape larger than the above standard so that the empty container can be recycled in a state in which the relatively thick and heavy neck portion Ab is not separated from the shoulder portion and the body portion Ag. Reduce volume.

Also, the distance LT between the spacer s provided on the rotating shaft 911 and the spacer ws(s) provided on the rotating shaft 811 is longer than the outer diameter of the neck Ab of the empty container.
Further, the distance LC from the inner surface of the support member 871 to the compression roller 81 arranged on the side surface side of the rotating shaft 811 is configured to be longer than the length LAb of the neck portion Ab of the empty container A.
Further, in this embodiment, the distance LC is set longer than the axial length of the spacer ws(s) arranged on the side surface side of the rotating shaft 811 . The axial length (thickness) of the spacer ws(s) is set to approximately twice the axial length Ls of the other spacers.
That is, the compression roller on the support member 871 side provided on the rotating shaft 811 is separated from the side surface of the support member 871 by a predetermined distance so that the neck Ab of the empty container A is not separated from the shoulder or body Ag. placed in position. In other words, the volume reducing section 120 has a structure that reduces the volume of the empty container A while the neck Ab of the empty container A is connected to the shoulder and body Ag.

Further, in this embodiment, the axial thickness L1 of the compression rollers 81 and 91 is shorter than the length LAb of the neck portion Ab of the empty container A. As shown in FIG. For example, when an empty container A made of resin such as a PET bottle is placed in the opposite direction, in detail, the tip Ac of the empty container A formed with the opening Ah faces the substantially plate-shaped support member 871 side. Even when arranged so as to be aligned, the neck Ab of the empty container A is structured so as not to be separated from the shoulder and body Ag when the container volume is reduced.

Next, an example of the electrical configuration of the article recovery device 100 as the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10, the volume reduction device (article recovery device 100) includes a control unit 1 (CPU), a storage unit 2, a display operation unit 3, a transmission/reception unit 4, an outer door driving unit 5, and an inner door driving unit 6. , weighing unit 7, metal sensor 8, optical sensor 9, door position sensor 10, door locking unit 11, volume reduction driving unit 15 (driving motor, etc.), storage unit opening/closing sensor (detection unit for article storage unit), dirt sensor 17 and so on. Each component is electrically connected by a signal line or the like.

The control unit 1 (CPU) comprehensively controls each component of the volume reduction device (article recovery device 100). The control unit 1 implements the functions according to the present invention in a computer, for example, by executing a control program.

The storage unit 2 is a storage device such as RAM and ROM. The storage unit 2 stores control programs and the like. The storage unit 2 also stores characteristics of the empty containers to be collected. The characteristics of the empty container are, for example, the range of the container weight and whether or not it is made of resin material.

The display operation unit 3 performs predetermined display under the control of the control unit 1 . Further, the display/operation unit 3 outputs a signal to the control unit 1 according to an operation by a user or the like. The display operation unit 3 is, for example, a touch panel display device.

The transmitting/receiving unit 4 is a transmitting/receiving device that communicates with a contactless IC card, an IC tag, or the like, and performs predetermined communication under the control of the control unit 1 . Also, under the control of the control unit 1, the transmitting/receiving unit 4 performs predetermined communication with another terminal device (computer) via a wireless communication path or a wired communication path.

The outer door drive unit 5 is a motor or the like for opening and closing the outer door 111 , and is driven and controlled by the control from the control unit 1 .

The inner door drive unit 6 is a motor or the like for opening and closing the inner door 112 , and is driven and controlled to open or close the inner door under the control of the control unit 1 .

The weighing unit 7 measures the mass of the empty container placed on the placement unit 116 of the container loading unit 110 or the non-recoverable object. The weighing unit 7 is a weighing device such as a load cell.
Further, the weighing unit 7 is used as a sensor for judging whether or not collection is possible by detecting leftovers in containers placed on the placing unit 116 of the container loading unit 110 . Further, the weighing unit 7 is configured to be able to identify the total weight of the containers accommodated in the container accommodation unit 140 by accumulating the weight values of the containers determined to be recoverable. Due to this function, it is not necessary to provide a weighing unit in the container housing unit 140, a container housing unit 140 with a large capacity can be secured, and the weighing unit 7 itself can be made small. Since the object to be weighed is relatively small, there is no need to provide a large weighing unit 7 .

The metal sensor 8 detects whether the object placed on the placement portion 116 of the container loading portion 110 is metal or non-metal. In the present embodiment, when the metal sensor 8 detects that the object placed on the placement unit 116 is metal, the control unit 1 determines that the object placed on the placement unit 116 is a non-recoverable object. determine that there is

Also, the optical sensor 9 has a light receiving portion 9a that receives light from a light emitting portion 9b provided in the container loading portion 110 . The optical sensor 9 includes, for example, a polarizing plate and is configured to receive light via the polarizing plate, and detects the polarized light that has passed through a light-transmitting empty container such as a PET bottle, thereby detecting the collection target. It is configured to be able to detect an empty container.
The control unit 1 detects the light received through the light-transmitting empty container placed on the placement unit of the container insertion unit by the optical sensor 9, and based on the detection signal from the optical sensor 9, , to determine whether the container is an empty container to be collected.

Incidentally, the article collecting apparatus is provided with the above-described sensors for determining whether or not the article should be collected around the placing section. For example, in a conventional collection device, an article is taken into the device, it is determined whether or not it is an object to be collected, and non-target objects are discharged from a discharge port different from the input port. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an outlet.
On the other hand, the article collection device according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with sensors for determining whether collection is necessary or not in the loading section corresponding to the input port of the device, so there is no need to take collection objects into the device. It has become. Therefore, it is possible to provide a compact article recovery device without the need to provide a discharge port.

The door position sensor 10 detects the position of the outer door 111 and the position of the inner door 112 and outputs a signal regarding the position of the outer door 111 and the position of the inner door 112 to the control section 1 . The control unit 1 controls the open/close state of the outer door 111 and the inner door 112 based on the signal.

The door lock unit 11 has a lock device such as a solenoid, and locks the movement of the outer door 111 and the inner door 112 as necessary under the control of the control unit 1 .

The volume reduction driving section 15 controls driving of the volume reduction section 120 under the control of the control section 1 .

In the present embodiment, the article collecting device is provided with a container housing section 140 (article housing section) for housing a container as a collected article in the lower portion of the apparatus main body. The container accommodating section 140 has a structure that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body.
The storage section opening/closing sensor 16 (opening/closing detection section for the article storage section) detects the opening (open state) or closed state of the container storage section 140 and outputs the detection result to the control section 1 . In the present embodiment, the release (open state) of the container housing portion 140 corresponds to a state in which the container housing portion 140 is pulled out from the body portion of the article recovery apparatus.
Further, the container opening/closing sensor 16 is provided in the main body of the article recovery apparatus or the container accommodation section 140 (article accommodation section).

The dirt sensor 17 is provided on the mounting section 116 or near the mounting section 116 , detects dirt on the mounting section 116 , and outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the control section 1 . Examples of the dirt sensor 17 include an odor sensor that detects odors generated by dirt on the mounting section, an imaging device that captures an image of the dirt on the mounting section, and a liquid detection sensor that detects liquid on the mounting section. can.

When the detection unit (accommodating unit open/close sensor 16) detects that the article accommodating unit (container accommodating unit 140) is opened, the control unit 1 performs control to open the outer door 111 or control to expose the placing unit 116. I do.

In addition, when the article storage section (container storage section 140) is in the open state, the control section 1 performs permission processing to close the outer door 111 in response to a release instruction from the instruction section that instructs to release the open state of the outer door 111. conduct.

Further, the control unit 1 performs control to close the outer door 111 when detecting that the article storage unit (container storage unit 140) is moved from the open state to the closed state.

The control unit 1 also includes a first drive control unit 101, a second drive control unit 102, a third drive control unit 103, a fourth drive control unit 104, a notification processing unit 105, and the like. The control unit 1 implements the functions of each drive control unit in an article recovery device (empty container recovery device) as a computer, for example, by executing a control program.

The first drive control unit 101 controls the outer door driving unit 5 to open the outer door 111 and to close the inner door 112 when the container is collected. It should be noted that the control to open the outer door 111 does not only automatically open the outer door 111 but also, for example, simply unlocks it. Includes the act of opening (=manually) by

When the object to be collected is placed on the placement unit 116 and satisfies the volume reduction condition, the second drive control unit 102 causes the outer door drive unit 5 and the inner door drive unit 6 to cause the outer door 111 to be closed and the inner door to be closed. 112 is in an open state, the volume reduction unit 120 reduces the volume of a container (article) such as a PET bottle, and the container storage unit 140 collects the container (article).

The third drive control unit 103 causes the outer door drive unit 5 and the inner door drive unit 6 to operate the inner door 112 by the outer door driving unit 5 and the inner door driving unit 6 when the non-collectable object is detected by the detection unit and when the non-collectable object is not removed for a predetermined time or longer. is maintained in the closed state, and the outer door 111 is controlled to be in the closed state.

When the outer door drive unit 5 moves the outer door 111 from the open position to the closed position, the fourth drive control unit 104 closes the outer door 111 from the open position when the weighing unit 7 detects a change in the weighing value. Perform control to stop moving to a position. That is, when the outer door 111 is moved from the open position to the closed position, the controller 1 stops moving the outer door 111 from the open position to the closed position when it detects a change in the weighed value by the weighing unit 7 . By performing the control, it is possible to prevent the user's hand, arm, foreign object, etc. from being caught between the outer door 111 and the placement section 116, reduce the load on the outer door driving section 5, and prevent failure. Prevention can be done.

For example, when an article placed on the placement section 116 is determined to be a non-recoverable object by the detecting means, the notification processing section 105 performs a reporting process to remove the non-collectable object from the placement section 116 . I do. As the notification process, for example, a screen display prompting the user to remove the non-recoverable object is displayed on the display section of the display operation section 3 .

The identifying unit 106 (identifying means) performs a process of identifying an article based on the detection result of the detecting means (weighing unit 7, metal sensor 8, optical sensor 9, etc.). For example, the identification unit 106 identifies the type of article based on the mass, length, and the like of the article.

The volume reduction control unit 107 (volume reduction control means) causes the volume reduction driving unit to vary the drive control of the volume reduction unit 120 based on the identification result of the identification unit 106, for example.
Moreover, the volume reduction control unit 107 controls at least one of the rotation amount (rotation angle) and the rotation speed of the rotation shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reduction unit 120 based on the identification result by the identification means.

In addition, the volume reduction control unit 107 (volume reduction control means) detects the mass of the article by the weighing unit 7 as the detection means, and when it is determined that the mass exceeds the set value, the volume reduction unit 120 Do not reduce the volume of

Specifically, the volume reduction control unit 107 performs volume reduction processing according to the identification result of the article shown in Table 1, for example.

Specifically, the size of the article is small (within the first reference size range), the weight of the article is less than the first reference mass (e.g., 40 g), and the length of the article is the first reference length (e.g., 150 mm). If less than, the volume reduction control unit 107 of the control unit 1 sets the rotation speed to high rotation (first reference rotation speed), normal rotation (direction to rotate so as to discharge the article), rotation amount (rotation angle ) is small (first reference rotation angle), the rotary shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reduction unit 120 are rotationally driven. In this case, the time required for the inner door to return from the open state to the closed state is a normal specified time.

The size of the item is medium (within the second standard size range), the weight of the item is equal to or greater than the first standard mass (e.g. 40g) and less than the second standard mass (60kg), and the length of the item is the first standard length. (for example, 150 mm) or more and less than the second reference length (for example, 260 mm), the volume reduction control unit 107 of the control unit 1 rotates the rotation speed to medium rotation (second reference rotation speed (< first reference rotation speed) ), the rotary shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reduction unit 120 are driven to rotate in forward rotation with an intermediate rotation amount (rotation angle) (second reference rotation angle (>first reference angle)). In this case, the time required for the inner door to return from the open state to the closed state is the normal prescribed time plus 200 msec.

If the size of the item is large (within the third standard size range), the weight of the item is greater than or equal to the second standard mass (eg, 60 g), and the length of the item is greater than or equal to the second standard length (eg, 260 mm), control The volume reduction control unit 107 of the unit 1 sets the rotation speed to low rotation (third reference rotation speed (<second reference rotation speed)), forward rotation, and large rotation amount (rotation angle) (third reference rotation speed). The rotating shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reducing section 120 are rotationally driven at the rotation angle (>second reference angle). In this case, the time required for the inner door to return from the open state to the closed state is the normal prescribed time plus 200 msec. Further, it is preferable that the control unit 1 controls the start timing of the rotating shaft to be delayed compared to the normal time.

In addition, for example, in the event of an abnormality such as when an article or the like is clogged in the volume reduction section 120, the volume reduction control section 107 of the control section 1 firstly rotates the volume reduction section 120 in the reverse direction with a small amount of rotation (rotation angle). After rotating the rotating shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reducing unit 120, the rotating shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reducing unit 120 are rotated in the normal direction with a large amount of rotation (rotation angle). It is preferable to control the removal of jammed items and the like.

Next, an example of the operation of the volume reduction device (article recovery device 100) according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and the like.

At step ST1, the article recovery device 100 is in a standby state. When the control unit 1 receives a signal from the transmission/reception unit 4 (communication unit) or the display operation unit 3, the control unit 1 performs processing according to the signal. Further, the control unit 1 performs a process of displaying, for example, “Please touch your card (membership card, etc.)” on the display unit of the display/operation unit 3 . The card (membership card, etc.) is, for example, a contactless IC card for members.

At step ST2, the control section 1 of the article collecting apparatus 100 performs processing according to the amount of articles contained in the container housing section. More specifically, for example, when the container storage section is full of articles such as containers, the control section 1 notifies the user to collect the articles through the display section or the like, and performs opening/closing processing of the container storage section.

In step ST3, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the outer door opening condition is satisfied, and when the outer door opening condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step ST4. As an outer door open condition, for example, when an empty container collection start button or the like is operated by the display operation unit 3 such as a touch panel, the process proceeds to step ST4. The processing of step ST4 may be performed on the condition that the membership card possessed by the user and the transmitting/receiving section 4 communicate with each other and the individual is correctly authenticated (outer door open condition). Examples of membership cards include non-contact IC cards, magnetic cards, cards printed with barcodes or two-dimensional codes, display devices displaying barcodes or two-dimensional codes, smartphones with membership card functions, mobile phones, and the like.
Further, in step ST3, the control section 1 performs a process of displaying, for example, "Please insert a container" on the display section of the display operation section 3. FIG.

In step ST4, the control unit 1 performs outer door opening processing. Specifically, the control section 1 performs drive control to release the door lock section of the outer door 111 and move the outer door 111 to the open state by the outer door driving section 5 .

In step ST5, the mass, size, material, presence or absence of contents, etc. of the object placed on the placing part 116 are detected by various detection processes by the weighing part 7, the metal sensor 8, the optical sensor 9, etc., and controlled. A signal indicating the detection result is output to the unit 1 .

In step ST6, the control section 1 performs a process of specifying the object (article) placed on the placement section 116 based on the result of the detection section processing.

At step ST7, the controller 1 determines whether or not the outer door closing condition is satisfied. More specifically, if the control unit 1 determines that the article (object) placed on the placement unit 116 is an object to be collected, the control unit 1 proceeds to the process of step ST8. object), the process proceeds to step ST70.
Note that even if the control unit 1 determines, for example, that the article placed on the placement unit 116 is an empty container as a result of the detection process, for example, a predetermined amount of leftover liquid remains in the container. When the presence is detected, it may be determined that a foreign object is included.

In ST70, the control unit 1 performs notification processing. Specifically, the notification process of step ST70 is a process of notifying the input person (operator) that the article was determined (identified) as a foreign object or a non-recoverable object rather than an object to be collected in ST6. is. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 1 is configured to "take out the bottle and put it back in", "put the PET bottle in without crushing it (do not crush it)", and "discard the leftover drink." Please (no leftovers)", "Cannot collect anything other than PET bottles (other containers are also X)", etc. This makes it possible for the thrower (operator) to recognize that the thrown-in article cannot be recovered. Further, the control unit 1 may perform control so that the messages are displayed on the same screen at the same time, or the messages are switched and displayed one by one.
Further, based on the information on the articles detected in ST5, the control unit 1 issues a "remaining drink notification" because the weight is abnormal; The notification process may be performed by switching to a predetermined message based on the detected result, such as "notify without crushing the PET bottle". The notification method may be screen display, voice output, or the like. Further, the notification process is not limited to the process of displaying a message, and an illustration or moving image may be used to notify the user that the article should be collected.

In addition, the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to store a long collection item (such as a PET bottle) in a lateral posture (orientation in the width direction when viewed from the front) so that the longitudinal direction of the item is parallel to the horizontal direction. For example, as a comparative example, it has a structure (such as a structure provided with a recovery hole) in which collected articles are thrown in the vertical direction when viewed from the front. As compared with the collection device, the area where the operator's hand touches the article (PET bottle or the like) is large, and the article can be easily collected.
For example, as a comparative example, in a recovery device provided with a vertically long recovery hole so that the longitudinal direction of a long article is parallel to the longitudinal direction in a front view, the container is once inserted into the recovery hole. If this happens, when collecting the articles by hand, it is not possible to secure an area where the articles can be touched. A mechanism must be provided to take the item into the opening, eject the item from another opening, and return the item to the operator.
Since the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention has a horizontally long input port that is long in the width direction and has a structure that facilitates recovery, it is necessary to provide a special mechanism like the recovery device of the comparative example above. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire volume reduction device.
Further, in the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the inlet is formed in a horizontally long shape that is long in the width direction, and the volume reduction part is provided so as to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the inlet. More specifically, since the axial direction of the rotation shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reduction section is formed parallel to the longitudinal direction of the inlet, the time required for volume reduction of the article is equivalent to the transverse direction of the article ( In the case of a PET bottle, the processing time required for volume reduction is short because only the width of the diameter of the body is required.
For example, if the items to be collected are PET bottles, and a vertically long PET bottle inserted from a small-diameter inlet is provided with a volume reduction unit that reduces the volume from the bottom side to the head side or from the head side to the bottom side. The volume reduction device (comparative example) requires a relatively long volume reduction processing time.

As shown in FIG. 11, in step ST71, when the control unit 1 determines that the object placed on the placement unit 116 is a non-recoverable object, If the predetermined time has passed as a result of the determination, the processing proceeds to step ST72, and if the predetermined time has not passed, a standby state is set until the predetermined time has passed. .

In steps ST72 and ST73, the control unit 1 performs outer door closing processing for closing the outer door 111 while maintaining the closed state of the inner door 112 . Specifically, the control unit 1 drives and controls the outer door driving unit 5 so that the outer door 111 is closed.

In step ST74, the control section 1 performs notification processing. Specifically, when the outer door 111 is closed while the non-recoverable object is placed on the placing portion 116 of the container loading unit 110, the control unit 1 causes the non-recoverable object to be reduced in volume. A process of notifying that the object remains in the loading part in the department and is not collected, and a process of notifying that the non-collected object is to be removed from the placing part 116 are performed. As notification processing, processing for displaying on the display unit of the display operation unit 3, processing for generating a predetermined notification sound, and processing for causing a light emitting element such as an LED to emit light are performed. Then, the process proceeds to step ST1.
Further, as the notification process of the control unit 1, the above notification may be performed to an external terminal device (not shown). The external terminal device is, for example, a POS terminal installed in a store, a portable terminal device carried by a store clerk or system administrator, a host server, or the like. The control unit 1 may use the transmitting/receiving unit 4 to perform the above notification (pop-up screen display, lamp lighting, sound output, etc.) to the external terminal device via a wireless or wired communication path. In addition, the control unit 1 may output an error so that each terminal device can report directly, or may output an error to a host server and the POS terminal or the like may perform the above reporting via the server. In addition, the control unit 1 may similarly notify other error information (full detection, consumable part replacement sign, other failure errors, etc.).
After the process of step ST74, the case where the container collector is specified and the case where the container collector is not specified will be described in detail.
When identifying the collector, the store clerk or the like who received the notification sends and receives an IC card with identification information for the administrator (identification information for the administrator is stored in the storage part of the IC card) or the like. When the controller 4 is held over or touched (or brought close to it), the controller confirms that the administrator has been properly authenticated, and then controls the outer door 111 to open. The outer door 111 is opened so that a store clerk or the like can remove the non-collected items. That is, by authorizing only a limited number of people to open the outer door in the event of an error, it is possible to prevent further throwing of foreign matter and mischief.
If the collection person is not specified, even if the outer door 111 is closed in steps ST72 and ST73 and foreign objects cannot be thrown in, the control unit 1 will not allow the identification information to be read out from the IC card or the like by the transmitting/receiving unit 4. , the process of opening the outer door 111 may be performed regardless of whether the user is an administrator or not. This allows the customer who wants to use the article recovery apparatus to remove the non-collection object. That is, it is possible to prevent chance loss in which the article recovery apparatus cannot be used until a store clerk or the like comes and removes the non-collection object.

In step ST8, the control unit 1 performs outer door closing processing. Specifically, the control unit 1 drives and controls the outer door driving unit 5 so as to close the outer door.

In step ST9, the control unit 1 determines whether or not a change in the weighing value by the weighing unit 7 is detected. If a change in the weighing value is detected, the process proceeds to step ST9. The detection process of step ST8 is continued until the change in the value stops.

In step ST10, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the inner door opening condition is satisfied. The process proceeds to step ST11. The condition for opening the inner door is, for example, that an object placed on the placement unit 116 is an object to be collected.

At step ST11, the control unit 1 performs inner door opening processing. Specifically, the control unit 1 controls the inner door drive unit 6 to open the inner door 112 .
In step ST11, the control unit 1 performs a process of displaying, for example, "Container xx bottles being recycled" on the display unit of the display operation unit 3. FIG. As will be described later, in the case of continuous loading of containers, the control unit 1 counts up the number of containers and displays it on the display unit. In addition, if it is not continuous input, the control unit performs processing to display one container on the display unit.

In step ST12, the control unit 1 performs inner door closing processing. Specifically, the control unit 1 performs drive control by the inner door driving unit 6 so as to close the inner door 112 . The inner door 112 is in a closed state, and the placement section and the volume reduction section are separated (divided state). Then, the process proceeds to step ST13.

In step ST13, the controller 1 performs outer door opening processing. Specifically, the control unit 1 performs drive control by the outer door driving unit 5 so as to open the outer door 111 . The outer door 111 is open, and the next container can be put in.

In step ST14, the control unit 1 performs volume reduction processing according to the article. Specifically, as described above, the volume reduction control unit 107 of the control unit 1 performs volume reduction processing according to the article by the volume reduction unit 120 based on the detection result by the detection unit and the identification result by the identification unit. Specifically, for example, the volume reduction control unit 107 controls at least one or both of the amount of rotation and the rotation speed of the volume reduction unit 120 based on the result of identification by the identification unit. Further, when the volume reduction control unit 107 determines that the mass of the article detected by the detection unit exceeds the set value, the volume reduction control unit 107 performs control so that the volume reduction of the article is not performed by the volume reduction unit 120 .

At step ST15, the control unit 1 determines whether or not an article has been newly placed on the placement section based on signals from the respective sensors. is detected, the process proceeds to step ST5, and if no article is detected, the process proceeds to step ST16.
Incidentally, by proceeding to step ST5 as described above, it is possible to perform the continuous loading process of the containers. Specifically, while the volume reduction unit is reducing the volume of an empty container, a new container can be put into the placement unit, so detection by the sensor (detection unit) of the placement unit The processing and the volume reduction processing by the volume reduction unit can be performed in parallel. That is, the article recovery device can efficiently reduce the volume of empty containers.
Also, even if the continuous loading process is not performed, the inner door 112 is closed during the volume reduction process, and the placement section and the volume reduction section 120 are separated (separated). Therefore, even if fragments of the container or the like scatter due to the volume reduction process by the volume reduction section, the fragments do not reach the placing section.

In step ST16, the control unit 1 determines whether or not an end operation has been detected. If an end operation has been detected, the process proceeds to step ST1, otherwise the process proceeds to step ST17. More specifically, the control unit 1 performs processing to display, for example, "Insert the next container, if not, please touch the screen" on the display unit of the display operation unit 3. When the end of the operation is detected, the process proceeds to step ST1.

In step ST17, the control unit 1 determines whether or not the container volume reduction processing by the volume reduction unit 120 has ended. proceed to Specifically, in step ST17, the control unit 1 starts timing from the state of the outer door being opened in ST12, and when a predetermined time has passed, it determines that there is no next container, and automatically enters the standby state described above. The process proceeds to step ST1.

As described above, the volume reduction device (article recovery device 100) according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a specification means (specification unit 106) for specifying an article to be volume-reduced thrown in from an inlet, and Volume reduction control means (volume reduction drive unit 15, volume reduction control unit 107 ) and
That is, since the volume reduction process is performed in accordance with the container loaded, it is possible to provide a volume reduction apparatus with high throughput per hour.
For example, when a small and lightweight empty container as an article is to be reduced in volume by the volume reduction unit 120, the volume reduction control means, compared to a large empty container, rotates the rotation shaft 811, which is equipped with the compression roller 81 of the volume reduction unit, Since the rotation shaft 911 having the compression roller 91 is driven and controlled to rotate at high speed and to have a small amount of rotation (rotation angle), for example, a plurality of empty containers including small and lightweight empty containers can be reduced in succession. In this case, it is possible to provide a volume reduction device with high throughput per hour.

In addition, the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with detection means (weighing unit 7, metal sensor 8, etc.) for detecting the characteristics of articles thrown in from the inlet, and the volume reduction control means of the volume reduction device is and specifying the article based on the detection result by the detecting means, and controlling at least one of the amount of rotation and the rotation speed of the volume reduction section. Specifically, the volume reduction control means (volume reduction drive unit 15, volume reduction control unit 107) specifies the At least one of the amount of rotation and the rotation speed of the rotation shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reducing section 120 is controlled according to the articles that have been collected. Specifically, when reducing the volume of a small and lightweight empty container by the volume reduction unit 120, the amount of rotation of the rotation shafts 811 and 911 of the volume reduction unit 120 is controlled to be smaller than that of a large empty container. , to control the rotational speed of the rotating shafts 811 and 911 at high speed, or both or one of them.
That is, for example, in the case of successively reducing the volume of a plurality of empty containers including small and lightweight empty containers, it is possible to provide a volume reduction apparatus with high throughput per hour.

Further, the volume reduction section 120 of the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided so as to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the input port TS into which articles are input. Specifically, the volume reducing section 120 has a rotating shaft 811 having a compression roller 81 and a rotating shaft 911 having a compression roller 91, and the axial directions of the rotating shafts 811 and 911 are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the inlet TS. The volume reducing section 120 is provided so as to
That is, the volume reduction device can reduce the volume of a container such as a PET bottle in a sideways posture, so that a small volume reduction device can be provided.

Moreover, the weighing unit 7 as the detection means of the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention detects the mass of the article placed on the placement unit 116 . When the identifying means (identifying part 106) of the control part 1 identifies that the mass of the article lightened by the weighing part 7 of the detecting means exceeds the set value, the article placed on the placing part is not reduced. It is determined that the object is a volume object (for example, contents such as juice and water are contained in the article), and the volume reduction control means (volume reduction drive unit 15, volume reduction control unit 107) determines the volume reduction unit 120 does not reduce the volume of the article, and the article placed on the placement section 116 is processed as a non-volume-reducing object. For example, the control unit 1 opens the outer door 111 and performs processing for displaying on the display unit that the object is a non-volume-reducing object. That is, it is possible to prevent failure of the volume reduction device.

Further, in the volume reduction device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the rotation shaft 811 of the volume reduction unit 120 is rotated depending on whether the load of the volume reduction target product is low or high for the volume reduction processing of the volume reduction unit 120. , 911 are controlled.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the identification means (identification unit 106) identifies that the article is a low load for the volume reduction process of the volume reduction unit 120, the volume reduction control means (volume reduction driving unit 15, control The volume reduction control unit 107 of the unit 1 performs control to increase the rotation speed of the volume reduction unit 120 and reduce the amount of rotation of the volume reduction unit 120 . In other words, it is possible to provide a volume reduction apparatus capable of shortening the volume reduction processing time and reducing the number of volume reductions per hour when continuously reducing the volume of low-load articles.
Further, when the identification means (identification unit 106) identifies that the article is a high load for the volume reduction processing of the volume reduction unit 120, the volume reduction control unit reduces the rotational speed of the volume reduction unit 120 and Control is performed to increase the amount of rotation of the container 120 . In other words, the object of the present invention is to provide a volume reducing apparatus capable of reliably reducing the volume of highly loaded articles with high torque, although the number of volume reductions per hour is relatively small when continuously reducing the volume of highly loaded articles. can be done.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and design changes and the like may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. are included in the present invention.
Further, the embodiments shown in the respective drawings described above can be combined with each other as long as there is no particular contradiction or problem in the purpose, configuration, or the like.
In addition, the contents described in each drawing can be an independent embodiment, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to one embodiment in which each drawing is combined.

In the above-described embodiment, the article recovery device recovers empty containers such as PET bottles, but it may be configured to recover aluminum cans, steel cans, etc., and may also be used for recovering PET bottles, aluminum cans, and steel cans. It may be a device with

Further, a collection system having a volume reduction device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, for example, a volume reduction device having a weighing unit installed in a store, a storage unit (empty container storage unit), a communication unit, etc. It may have a management computer communicably connected to the storage device via a communication path such as a wired communication path or a wireless communication path.

In the above-described embodiment, in step ST5, the detection process is performed in the outer door open state and the inner door closed state, in step ST6, the specific process is performed in the outer door open state and the inner door closed state, and in step ST13, the outer door Although the volume reduction process according to the article is performed in the closed state and the inner door closed state, it is not limited to this embodiment.
For example, detection processing may be performed in the outer door closed state and the inner door closed state. Further, for example, the specific processing may be performed in the outer door closed state and the inner door closed state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Control part 2... Storage part 3... Display operation part 7... Weighing part (detection means)
8... Metal sensor (detection means)
9... Optical sensor (detection means)
15 Volume reduction drive unit (driving motor, etc.; volume reduction control means)
100 ... Article recovery device (volume reduction device, empty container recovery device, recovery device, or container volume reduction device)
100B...Apparatus main unit 106...Specifying unit (specificating means)
107 Volume reduction control unit (volume reduction control means)
110... Container input part (goods input part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111... Outer door 112... Inner door 116... Placement part 120... Volume reduction part (volume reduction mechanism)
140 ... Container storage part (storage part or article storage part)
TS...Inlet

Claims (3)

an identification means for identifying an article to be reduced in volume that is thrown in from an inlet;
volume reduction control means for controlling driving of a volume reduction unit for reducing the volume of the article based on the result of identification by the identification means;
The volume reduction unit includes a pair of rotating shafts having blade surfaces for reducing the volume of the article on the side surfaces in the axial direction,
When the specifying means specifies that the load is low, the volume reduction control means increases the rotation speed of the rotating shaft of the volume reducing section , and when the specifying means specifies that the load is high, the volume reduction control means increases the rotation speed of the rotating shaft. The volume reduction device, wherein the volume control means reduces the rotational speed of the rotating shaft of the volume reduction section. The next item can be put in while the item is being reduced in the volume reduction unit,
2. The volume reduction apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said specifying means can specify said next article thrown in while collecting said article . 3. The volume reduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an informing means for informing in response to the identification by the identifying means of non-recoverable matter .

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