Shredder

Abstract

To provide a shredder which measures a weight of a shredded piece.SOLUTION: A shredder includes: a shredding section 20 that shreds paper into shredded pieces C; a waste box 11 that stores the shredded pieces C; a holding section 30 that includes a bottom plate portion 35 on which the waste box 11 is mounted; and a weight measurement section 50 that is disposed under the bottom plate portion 35 and measures a weight of the shredded pieces C accumulated in the waste box 11. The weight measurement section 50 measures the weight of the shredded pieces C together with a weight of the bottom plate portion 35 and a weight of the waste box 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shredder. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a shredder that shreds unnecessary printed copy paper, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a shredder equipped with a device that smooths and compresses shredded waste in a waste collection box. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-8965 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the shredder described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is not possible to know the weight of the shredded waste accumulated in the waste storage box. In detail, it is possible to visually estimate the volume of the shredded waste accumulated in the waste storage box, but if the shredded waste is compressed by the compression function, it is difficult to estimate the weight of the shredded waste from the visually estimated volume. Also, shredders that optically detect the volume of the shredded waste in the waste storage box are known, but there are occasional uses in which the shredded waste in the waste storage box is pushed in and compressed, delaying the collection time of the shredded waste. In this case, too, it is difficult to estimate the weight of the shredded waste. In order to promote the effective use of the shredded waste, which is the shredded waste, it is important to know the exact weight of the shredded waste, and a shredder that measures the weight of the shredded waste has been demanded. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The shredder has a shredding section that shreds paper into shredded pieces, a waste bin section that stores the shredded pieces, a holding section having a bottom plate on which the waste bin section is placed, and a weight measuring section arranged below the bottom plate that measures the weight of the shredded pieces accumulated in the waste bin section, and is characterized in that the weight of the shredded pieces is measured by the weight measuring section together with the weight of the bottom plate section and the weight of the waste bin section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a shredder according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the shredder with the door open. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the shredder. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the state of the shredder with the waste bin removed. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the arrangement of the weight measuring unit, the holding unit, and the waste box unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the arrangement of a weight measuring unit, a bottom plate unit, and the like. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of a frame member and a bottom plate portion. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of a frame member and a bottom plate portion. [Figure 13] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of a frame member and a bottom plate portion. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the configuration of a frame member and a bottom plate portion. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17]FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] In the following embodiment, a shredder 1 that shreds used printed paper will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the following drawings, XYZ axes are provided as mutually orthogonal coordinate axes, the direction indicated by each arrow is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is the - direction. When the shredder 1 is installed on a horizontal plane, the Z axis is a virtual axis that runs along the vertical direction. The +Z direction is the upward direction, and the -Z direction is the downward direction.

[0008] As shown in Fig. 1, the shredder 1 according to this embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The shredder 1 has a housing made up of a top surface 5 and a bottom surface 2e that face each other in the vertical direction, and four side surfaces 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d. The side surfaces 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are each a rectangle with the long side aligned along the Z axis.

[0009] The components of the shredder 1, which will be described later, are housed inside the housing. A user of the shredder 1 performs tasks such as shredding paper while facing side surface 2a facing the -X direction. In the following description, a user of the shredder 1 is also simply referred to as a user.

[0010] A display unit 6 is disposed in the +X direction of the top surface 5. The display unit 6 displays various information related to the shredder 1, such as the operating status and operation instructions. In particular, the display unit 6 displays the weight of the shredded pieces C stored in the waste bin section 11, which will be described later. The display unit 6 may also serve as an operation unit that receives various instructions from the user for the shredder 1. The display unit 6 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display device. It should be noted that the display unit 6 is not limited to a configuration in which it also serves as an operation unit. The operation unit may be installed separately from the display unit 6.

[0011] An input port 7 is disposed in the -X direction of the top surface 5. The input port 7 is an opening through which paper to be shredded is inserted. Paper inserted through the input port 7 moves by gravity to a shredding section in the housing, which will be described later.

[0012] A door section 9 constituting a part of the side surface 2a is disposed on the side surface 2a. The door section 9 is substantially rectangular when viewed from the -X direction, with its long side aligned along the Z axis. The door section 9 is a substantially plate-shaped member. The door section 9 can be opened with its long side in the +Y direction as a fulcrum.

[0013] A handle 4 is provided on the long side in the -Y direction of the door portion 9. The door portion 9 can be opened by holding the handle 4 with one hand and pulling the door portion 9 in approximately the -X direction.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the shredder 1 has a shredding section 20, a waste paper box section 11, a holding section 30, and a weight measuring section 50 inside the housing.

[0015] The shredding unit 20 is disposed at the top inside the housing of the shredder 1. The shredding unit 20 shreds paper into shredded pieces C. The waste box unit 11 is disposed in the internal space of the housing below the shredding unit 20. The waste box unit 11 is a roughly rectangular box that is open at the top. The shredded pieces C fall from the shredding unit 20 due to gravity and are stored in the waste box unit 11.

[0016] The holding unit 30 is disposed so as to surround the bottom of the waste box unit 11 and the periphery of the bottom. The weight measuring unit 50 is disposed directly above the bottom surface 2e and below the waste box unit 11.

[0017] The waste box section 11 is detachable from the shredder 1. The waste box section 11 can be removed by opening the door section 9. A user can open the door section 9, remove the waste box section 11 from the shredder 1, and collect the shredded pieces C from the waste box section 11.

[0018] A protrusion 13 is disposed on the inside of the door section 9. The protrusion 13 is provided at a position corresponding to the upper part of the wastebasket section 11 when the door section 9 is closed. The function of the protrusion 13 will be described later.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the shredding section 20 has a first slope section 21, a first vertical blade 22, a second vertical blade 23, a horizontal blade 24, a second slope section 26, a top plate 27, a stirring section 28, and a control section 29.

[0020] Of the shredding unit 20, the first slope unit 21, the first vertical blade 22, the second vertical blade 23, the horizontal blade 24, the second slope unit 26, and the control unit 29 are disposed above the top plate 27. The top plate 27 is disposed above the waste box unit 11, and the stirring unit 28 is disposed between the waste box unit 11 and the top plate 27. The control unit 29 is disposed above the first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23 and directly below the upper surface 5.

[0021] The first slope portion 21 extends from the input opening 7 toward the first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23. The first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23 are disposed beyond the first slope portion 21. A horizontal blade 24 is disposed beyond the first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23. A second slope portion 26 is disposed below the horizontal blade 24.

[0022] The paper to be shredded passes from the input opening 7 through the first slope section 21, the first vertical blade 22, the second vertical blade 23, and the horizontal blade 24 to become shredded pieces C. The shredded pieces C are guided to the agitator section 28 by the second slope section 26.

[0023] The control unit 29 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned configuration of the shredding unit 20, the display unit 6, the weight measuring unit 50, etc. The control unit 29 comprehensively controls the operations of these units.

[0024] The control unit 29 includes a storage unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a ROM (Read Only Memory). Various programs for controlling the shredder 1 are stored in the storage unit. The control unit 29 may include dedicated hardware (application specific integrated circuit: ASIC) for executing at least some of the various processes. The control unit 29 may be configured as a circuit including one or more processors that operate according to a computer program (software), one or more dedicated hardware circuits such as ASIC, or a combination of these.

[0025] The processor includes a CPU and memory, such as RAM and ROM. The memory stores program codes or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute processes. Memory, i.e., computer-readable media, includes anything that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0026] Although not shown in the figures, the shredder 1 is equipped with an optical sensor that detects the volume of the shredded pieces C accumulated in the waste bin section 11. The optical sensor is disposed facing downward on the top plate 27, and detects the position of the upper surface of the shredded pieces C accumulated in the waste bin section 11. The optical sensor is electrically connected to the control section 29. The detection result of the optical sensor is transmitted to the control section 29 and displayed on the display section 6 together with the measurement results of the weight measurement section 50.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 4, the input port 7 is an elongated rectangle along the Y axis. The shape of the input port 7 corresponds to, for example, the width dimension of the paper to be shredded. Here, in Fig. 4, arrows indicate the path that the shredded paper takes as shredded pieces C to the waste box section 11. The paper to be shredded is input from the input port 7 into the shredding section 20. The paper slides down the first slope section 21 due to gravity and reaches between the first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23.

[0028] The first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23 form a pair and rotate with the paper sandwiched between them. The first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23 are approximately columnar, with the height direction of the column aligned along the Y axis. The first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23 each rotate around an axis aligned along the Y axis by driving a drive motor (not shown). Each of the first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23 includes a plurality of blades arranged in a direction along the Y axis. The paper is shredded by the first vertical blade 22 and the second vertical blade 23 along the movement direction into long, thin pieces of paper. The pieces of paper proceed to the horizontal blade 24.

[0029] The side blade 24 is generally columnar, with the height of the column aligned along the Y-axis. The side blade 24 rotates around an axis aligned along the Y-axis by being driven by a drive motor (not shown). The side blade 24 shreds the pieces of paper in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of the pieces of paper to produce shredded pieces C. The shredded pieces C fall by gravity and are guided to the second slope section 26 to proceed to the agitation section 28.

[0030] The agitator 28 disperses the shredded pieces C that have slid down the second slope section 26 into the air and drops them into the waste box 11. This allows the shredded pieces C to be piled up in the waste box 11 without being concentrated directly below the second slope section 26.

[0031] The agitator 28 is a propeller-shaped member. The agitator 28 rotates about an axis along the Z axis by driving a drive motor (not shown). The shredded pieces C are caught in the rotation of the agitator 28 and dispersed in the air above the waste box 11.

[0032] 5, the holding portion 30 has a frame member 31 and a bottom plate portion 35. When the waste box portion 11 is removed, the bottom plate portion 35 is exposed. The waste box portion 11 is placed above the bottom plate portion 35. In a plan view from above, the bottom plate portion 35 is rectangular, and the frame member 31 surrounds the bottom plate portion 35 in a frame shape.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 6, the weight measuring unit 50 is disposed below the bottom plate 35. The weight measuring unit 50 measures the weight of the shredded pieces C accumulated in the waste box 11. More specifically, in the shredder 1, the weight of the shredded pieces C is measured by the weight measuring unit 50 together with the weight of the bottom plate 35 and the weight of the waste box 11. Note that the door 9 is omitted in Fig. 6.

[0034] The weight measurement unit 50 includes a base plate unit 51, a load cell 53, and a circuit board 55. The base plate unit 51 supports the load cell 53 and the circuit board 55. The base plate unit 51 extends along the X-axis. The base plate unit 51 is, for example, a processed metal plate.

[0035] The load cell 53 is supported at its lower portion by the base plate portion 51, and is disposed in the center of the base plate portion 51 in the direction along the X-axis. The bottom plate portion 35 is placed on the upper portion of the load cell 53. The load cell 53 measures the weight, which is the magnitude of the load, from the distortion caused by the load applied from above. The load cell 53 is, for example, a beam type.

[0036] The circuit board 55 is electrically connected to the control unit 29 and a strain gauge (not shown) of the load cell 53. The circuit board 55 is disposed in the +X direction of the load cell 53. The circuit board 55 transmits the measured weight data of the shredded pieces C to the control unit 29 as an electrical signal. The weight data is displayed as the weight of the shredded pieces C on the display unit 6 via the control unit 29.

[0037] The control unit 29 or the circuit board 55 may store the combined weight of the waste box portion 11 and the bottom plate portion 35. The weight data may be the total weight of the shredded pieces C, the waste box portion 11, and the bottom plate portion 35, or the weight of the shredded pieces C alone, which is the total weight minus the weights of the waste box portion 11 and the bottom plate portion 35. When the weight data is the total weight, the weight of the shredded pieces C alone is calculated by the control unit 29.

[0038] The weight measurement mechanism of the weight measurement unit 50 is not limited to the load cell 53. Examples of weight measurement mechanisms other than the load cell 53 include a spring scale and an electromagnetic scale.

[0039] 7 and 8, the base plate portion 51 is fixed to the frame portion 2F. The frame portion 2F is substantially plate-shaped, and is a part of the structural members of the shredder 1. The lower surface of the frame portion 2F is the bottom surface 2e.

[0040] The base plate portion 51 is made of, for example, a processed metal plate, and supports a load cell 53 at a position one step higher than the frame portion 2F.

[0041] The bottom plate portion 35 is supported at its lower portion by the load cell 53 and is suspended from the base plate portion 51 and the frame portion 2F. The load of the waste box portion 11 and the shredded pieces C placed on the bottom plate portion 35 is applied only to the load cell 53.

[0042] 9 and 10, the bottom plate 35 is a substantially plate-like member and has a square shape in a plan view from above. The bottom plate 35 has an upper surface member 35U facing upward and a lower surface member 35L facing downward. The upper surface member 35U includes a flat surface on which the waste box 11 is placed along the XY plane. The upper surface member 35U is formed of, for example, resin.

[0043] The lower surface member 35L is assembled integrally with the upper surface member 35U. The lower surface member 35L ensures the mechanical strength of the bottom plate portion 35. The lower surface member 35L is made of, for example, a processed metal plate. A support portion 35a is attached to the center of the lower surface member 35L in the direction along the Y axis.

[0044] The support portion 35a is a member that comes into contact with and is positioned by the load cell 53 when the bottom plate portion 35 is placed on the load cell 53. The support portion 35a is also made of, for example, a processed metal plate.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 14, the frame member 31 of the holding portion 30 has a guide portion 31g and a canopy portion 31h.

[0046] Eaves 31h are located inside frame member 31 and are disposed corresponding to the four sides of bottom plate portion 35. In a plan view from above, the inner edge of eave portion 31h overlaps with the outer edge of upper surface member 35U of bottom plate portion 35.

[0047] This makes it difficult for shredded pieces C spilling out of the waste box section 11 to get under the bottom plate section 35. This reduces adhesion of the shredded pieces C to the load cell 53 and the circuit board 55, preventing malfunctions and breakdowns. It also saves the effort of cleaning and maintaining the weight measuring section 50. Furthermore, when the shredded pieces C are collected from the waste box section 11 and the waste box section 11 is placed on the bottom plate section 35, the eaves section 31h guides the bottom of the waste box section 11 to the bottom plate section 35. This makes it easy to place the waste box section 11 in a predetermined position on the bottom plate section 35.

[0048] The top surface member 35U of the bottom plate portion 35 has bottom plate guide portions 35g. The bottom plate guide portions 35g are disposed on the four sides of the outer edge of the top surface member 35U. Of the four sides of the outer edge of the top surface member 35U, the two sides of the bottom plate guide portions 35g along the X-axis are aligned along the XZ plane, and the two sides along the Y-axis are aligned along the YZ plane.

[0049] Guide portions 31g of frame member 31 are disposed on the four sides of the inner edge of frame member 31 and correspond to bottom plate guide portions 35g. Of the four sides of the inner edge of frame member 31, two sides along the X-axis are aligned along the XZ plane, and two sides along the Y-axis are aligned along the YZ plane. Guide portions 31g and bottom plate guide portions 35g are disposed along and facing each other.

[0050] Guide portion 31g and bottom plate guide portion 35g come into contact with each other and slide due to the displacement of bottom plate portion 35. The displacement of bottom plate portion 35 refers to the up and down movement of the bottom plate portion when waste box portion 11 is placed on bottom plate portion 35 or when shredded pieces C accumulate in waste box portion 11.

[0051] In the above-mentioned situation, the guide portion 31g and the bottom plate guide portion 35g come into contact with each other and slide, so that the bottom plate guide portion 35g is guided by the guide portion 31g, and the inclination of the bottom plate portion 35 with respect to the horizontal plane is corrected. As a result, the load is evenly applied to the load cell 53, improving the accuracy of the weight measurement of the shredded pieces C.

[0052] When the upper surface member 35U is made of resin, the bottom plate guide portion 35g also functions as a reinforcing rib. The bottom plate guide portion 35g improves the mechanical strength of the upper surface member 35U.

[0053] 15, a shelf-like guide surface 31t is provided in the frame member 31 at a position corresponding to the outer edge of the bottom plate portion 35 in the -X direction. The guide surface 31t is along the XY plane. When the waste box portion 11 is attached to or detached from the shredder 1, the bottom of the waste box portion 11 moves above the guide surface 31t.

[0054] 16, the guide surface 31t is located slightly higher than the upper surface member 35U of the bottom plate portion 35 in the direction along the Z axis. When placing the waste box portion 11 on the bottom plate portion 35, it is possible to first place the waste box portion 11 on the guide surface 31t and then shift it onto the upper surface member 35U and place it thereon. Compared to the case where the waste box portion 11 is placed directly on the upper surface member 35U, the impact on the load cell 53 is mitigated, and the load cell 53 can be protected.

[0055] 17, protrusion 13 is disposed on the inside of door section 9. Protrusion 13 protrudes in the +X direction from the rear side of door section 9. In the direction along the Z axis, the height of protrusion 13 is approximately equal to the height of the upper end of waste box section 11.

[0056] The protrusion 13 assists in placing the waste box 11 in a predetermined position when the waste box 11 is placed in the shredder 1. Specifically, the waste box 11 may not be fully inserted inside the shredder 1 and may be placed displaced in the -X direction from the correct position on the top member 35U. In this case, when the door 9 is closed, the protrusion 13 pushes the upper end of the waste box 11 in the +X direction, and the waste box 11 is pushed and moved to the correct position on the top member 35U. This allows the waste box 11 to be placed correctly, and the weight measurement unit 50 to correctly measure the weight of the shredded pieces C.

[0057] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0058] It is possible to measure the weight of the shredded pieces C accumulated in the waste box section 11. A shredder 1 capable of measuring the weight of the shredded pieces C can be provided.

[0059] It is possible to determine whether the shredded pieces C in the waste box section 11 are full by their weight. Therefore, even if the shredded pieces C are pushed in and compressed, it is not possible to delay the collection time of the shredded pieces C. This avoids compression of the shredded pieces C. When the shredded pieces C are recycled, because the shredded pieces C are not compressed, they can be easily processed and used, and the quality of the recycled goods is improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1...shredder, 11...waste bin section, 20...shredding section, 30...holding section, 31g...guide section, 31h...eaves section, 35...bottom plate section, 35g...bottom plate guide section, 50...weight measuring section, C...shredded pieces.

Claims

1. a shredding section for shredding the paper into shredded pieces; A waste bin for storing the shredded pieces; A holder having a bottom plate on which the wastebasket is placed; a weight measuring unit disposed below the bottom plate portion and configured to measure the weight of the shredded pieces accumulated in the waste box portion; A shredder, characterized in that the weight of the shredded pieces, together with the weight of the bottom plate portion and the weight of the waste box portion, is measured by the weight measuring portion.

2. The holding portion has a guide portion, The bottom plate portion has a bottom plate guide portion, 2. The shredder according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion and the bottom plate guide portion come into contact with each other and slide in response to displacement of the bottom plate portion, thereby correcting an inclination of the bottom plate portion with respect to a horizontal plane.

3. The holding portion has a visor portion, The shredder according to claim 1 , wherein an inner edge of the eave portion overlaps an outer edge of the bottom plate portion in a plan view from above.

Images