Demolition device of target object

Abstract

To automate a carrying-in work of a target object to a breaking stage without causing damages, etc., to, for example, a conveyance facility.SOLUTION: A demolition device includes: a breaking stage for mounting a target object to be broken by a breaking blade; transfer stages arranged side by side on a top face of the breaking stage; and transfer means for transferring the target object mounted on the transfer stage to the breaking stage. The transfer means includes a plate member that can abut against the target object on the transfer stage from a backward direction of the transfer direction, and a plate member driver that reciprocates the plate member between an initial position arranged at the back of the target object on the transfer stage and an advance position where the target object is arranged on the breaking stage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a disassembling device for an object to be processed, which is used when disassembling discarded household appliances and the like.

[0002] Regarding discarded household appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners (hereinafter referred to as waste household appliances), by separating parts including metal parts, etc., the reduction of waste and the recovery of useful resources are carried out.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, an object to be processed such as a waste household appliance is placed on a stage, and by measuring its dimensions, the crushing position for the object to be processed is determined. A crushing blade adjusted to the crushing position is projected toward the object to be processed to crush the object to be processed. In this case, the stage is constituted by an opening and closing door that opens downward. After crushing, by opening the opening and closing door, it is dropped onto a table directly below the stage, and the object to be processed is carried out from the table by a conveyor. In the disassembling method of this Patent Document 1, it is described that the operation of placing the object to be processed on the stage is performed manually, and automation is desired.

[0004] In Patent Document 2, the loading operation of this object to be processed is automated. The object to be processed (waste household appliance product) is conveyed by a conveyor, stopped at the cutting position by a stopper device, and the object to be processed is cut with a cutting blade waiting at this cutting position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, if the conveyor conveys the object to be processed up to the crushing area as described in Patent Document 2, there is a risk that the fragments of the crushed material may have an adverse effect on the operation of the conveyor. In particular, when the conveyor is a belt conveyor, there is a risk of damaging the belt.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to automate the operation of loading the object to be processed into the crushing stage without causing damage to the conveying equipment or the like.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The disassembling device for the object to be processed of the present invention comprises a crushing stage for placing the object to be processed and crushing it with a crushing blade, a transfer stage provided side by side on the upper surface of the crushing stage, and transfer means for transferring the object to be processed placed on the transfer stage to the crushing stage, and the transfer means includes a plate member that can abut against the object to be processed on the transfer stage from the rear in the transfer direction, and a plate member drive unit that reciprocates the plate member between an initial position arranged behind the object to be processed on the transfer stage and a forward position where the object to be processed is arranged on the crushing stage.

[0009] By providing a transfer stage and transfer means separate from the crushing stage, this disassembling device can place the object to be processed on the transfer stage and transfer it from the transfer stage to the crushing stage by the transfer means. Therefore, the operation of a person directly placing the object to be processed on the crushing stage having a crushing blade or the like can be omitted. In this case, the object to be processed is transferred while sliding on the transfer stage and the crushing stage, but both stages can be structured to not have members that move on the surface such as a belt conveyor, so that troubles caused by damage or the like can be suppressed. Note that the crushing stage and the transfer stage may be arranged directly side by side, or may be arranged side by side via a connecting member such as a table having the same plane as these.

[0010] In the disassembling device for the object to be processed according to the present invention, it is preferable that guides are provided on the transfer stage and the crushing stage, which are arranged along the transfer direction and abut against and guide the side portion of the object to be processed.

[0011] By providing the guides, the object to be processed is accurately guided along the transfer direction without shifting in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction. Therefore, by positioning this guide in accordance with the crushing position in the crushing stage, the object to be processed can be placed at the crushing position in the crushing stage by transferring the object to be processed, and the subsequent crushing operation can be performed smoothly and accurately. Note that this guide may be provided integrally over the entire length of the transfer path from the transfer stage to the crushing stage, or may be provided in a plurality of parts arranged side by side in the transfer direction.

[0012] In the disassembling device for the object to be processed according to the present invention, it is preferable that a loading conveyor extending toward the transfer stage is connected to the transfer stage. In this case, the loading conveyor is formed to have a length capable of conveying a plurality of objects to be processed side by side in the loading direction, and preferably includes a loading control unit that can be driven only when the plate member is disposed at the initial position.

[0013] The loading conveyor facilitates the loading of the object to be processed onto the stage and can further improve workability. When the loading conveyor is formed to have a length capable of conveying a plurality of objects to be processed, it becomes possible to stock the objects to be processed on the loading conveyor accordingly, creating a margin in the time for loading and facilitating the pre-process operations such as the operation of transferring the object to be processed from a container or the like to the loading conveyor. Further, by intermittently driving the loading conveyor only when the plate member is disposed at the initial position by the loading control unit, loading, transfer, and crushing can be performed orderly and safely.

[0014] In the disassembling device for the object to be processed according to the present invention, in the crushing stage, crushing blade protruding means for moving the crushing blade in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction between a protruding position where the crushing blade protrudes above the crushing stage and a retracted position where the crushing blade is retracted from the crushing stage may be provided.

[0015] It is possible to automate the transfer of the object to be processed from the transfer stage to the crushing stage and the subsequent crushing operation, improving workability. In this case, since the forward position of the plate member and the crushing blade can be set in a predetermined positional relationship, the crushing blade can be protruded in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the object to be crushed sent to the crushing stage by the plate member, and the object to be crushed can be crushed at an appropriate position.

[0016] In the disassembling device for the object to be processed according to the present invention, the upper surface of the crushing stage may be formed by an opening / closing door that opens downward, and a receiving base may be arranged below the crushing stage. In this case, it may further include a carry-out conveyor having one end connected to the receiving base and extending outward from the receiving base.

[0017] After crushing the object to be processed on the crushing stage, it can be dropped onto the receiving base by opening the opening / closing door. In combination with the transfer by the transfer means from the transfer stage, both the loading and unloading of the object to be processed to / from the crushing stage can be automated, further enhancing productivity. By installing the carry-out conveyor, the object to be processed can be carried out without manual intervention, further enhancing productivity.

[0018] In the disassembling device for the object to be processed according to the present invention, the object to be processed can be a home appliance product to be discarded, reducing the waste of home appliance products and promoting the effective utilization of resources.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, without causing damage to conveyance facilities or the like, the work of loading the object to be processed onto the crushing stage can be automated, achieving labor saving in the disassembling work.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> First, a disassembling device for an object to be processed according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The disassembling device 10 of the object to be processed in this embodiment (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as the disassembling device) is preferably used for disassembling a wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit (object to be processed) 1 as an example of waste household appliances (discarded household appliances).

[0022] As schematically shown in FIG. 4, the air conditioner indoor unit 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. When the long side direction is set as the width direction and this width direction is arranged in the left-right direction and viewed in the posture, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are set. Here, a schematic configuration of a general wall-mounted air conditioner indoor unit 1 will be described. This air conditioner indoor unit 1 is provided with a housing 2 made of a resin material, a heat exchanger (component) 3, a fan (component) 4, a motor (component) 5, and a control board (component) 6 fastened to the housing 2.

[0023] The heat exchanger 3 is a component that performs heat exchange between the air taken in by the fan 4 and the circulating refrigerant, and is formed of copper, aluminum, etc. with excellent thermal conductivity. The fan 4 is a component that circulates air in the heat exchanger 3, and is a cylindrical sirocco fan formed of resin, aluminum, etc. The motor 5 is a component that rotates the fan 4. The exterior material includes aluminum and steel. Also, the heat exchanger 3 and the motor 5 are connected to the control board 6 by the harness 7. In FIG. 4, the reference numeral 8 indicates a small motor for driving a louver (not shown).

[0024] Each component constituting this air conditioner indoor unit 1 is arranged in a substantially fixed layout regardless of the manufacturer or the size of the housing 2. That is, in the installed state of the air conditioner indoor unit 1, the heat exchanger 3 is arranged on the upper side and the fan 4 is arranged on the lower side, respectively. Also, the motor 5 is arranged adjacent to the fan 4, and the control board 6 is arranged adjacent to the heat exchanger 3, respectively.

[0025] When separating each component from the housing 2 of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 with such a component layout by crushing, the housing 2 is crushed along the first crushing line C1 (see the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 4) set between one side surface of the housing 2 and one end of the heat exchanger 3 and the fan 4. Also, the housing 2 is crushed along the second crushing line C2 set between the other end of the heat exchanger 3 and the fan 4 and the motor 5 and the control board 6. If the housing 2 is crushed along these first crushing line C1 and second crushing line C2, components such as the heat exchanger 3, the fan 4, and the motor 5, which are components fastened to the resin housing 2, are separated from the housing 2.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 as a whole, the disassembling device 10 of the first embodiment includes a loading section 20, a disassembling section 40, and an unloading section 60. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail for each part. In each figure, X is the width direction (or left-right direction), Y is the front-back direction, and Z is the up-down direction. When indicating the direction of one of these directions, + or - signs are attached for explanation respectively.

[0027] [Loading Section] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the loading unit 20 is configured to include a loading conveyor 21 such as a slat conveyor for transporting the air conditioner indoor unit 1, and a transfer means 30 for transferring the air conditioner indoor unit 1 to the disassembling unit 40 at the terminal end 22 of the loading conveyor 21.

[0028] (Loading conveyor) Each slat 21a of the loading conveyor 21 is made of, for example, carbon steel and is formed to have a width that allows the air conditioner indoor unit 1 to be arranged along its width direction. The length of the loading conveyor 21 is formed to be such that a plurality of (for example, five) air conditioner indoor units 1 in a lateral posture with respect to the conveying direction can be arranged side by side at intervals in the loading direction (Y direction). This loading conveyor 21 is installed beside the disassembling unit 40, and its terminal end (the upper end in FIG. 1) is aligned with the disassembling unit 40. However, since the dimension of the disassembling unit 40 along the length direction (front-rear direction: Y direction) of the loading conveyor 21 is smaller than that of the loading conveyor 21, the starting end of the loading conveyor 21 is provided to protrude beyond the end face of the disassembling unit 40. And this protruding portion (starting end) is used as the loading portion 23 when the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is loaded onto the loading conveyor 21, so that an operator P arranged at a position behind the disassembling unit 40 (in the -Y direction) can load the air conditioner indoor unit 1 from the side (from the right in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the loading conveyor 21 (left-right direction: X direction) towards the -X direction) onto the starting end (loading portion) 23 of the loading conveyor 21.

[0029] This loading conveyor 21 is connected to a loading control unit 24 composed of, for example, a CPU, a memory, a driver circuit, etc. By being controlled by the loading control unit 24, it repeats operation and stop to intermittently convey the air conditioner indoor unit 1. Also, on the conveying path at the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21, a plate-shaped guide stopper 25 is vertically provided. When the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is sent to the position where it abuts against the guide stopper 25, it is detected by a sensor 26 disposed on the side of the loading conveyor 21. Receiving the signal of this sensor 26, the loading control unit 24 stops the loading conveyor 21. Therefore, the air conditioner indoor unit 1 stops at the position where it abuts against the guide stopper 25. This guide stopper 25 has a length larger than the width direction (X direction) of the loading conveyor 21 and is provided so as to extend from the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21 to one side of the loading conveyor 21 (right side in FIG. 1: +X direction). In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 27 is a pedestal that supports the loading conveyor 21, and reference numeral 28 is a frame that is installed on the pedestal 27 and disposed around the loading conveyor 21.

[0030] (Transfer means) The transfer means 30 is a device that sends out the air conditioner indoor unit 1 conveyed by the loading conveyor 21 until it abuts against the guide stopper 25 along the width direction (in the +X direction) toward the disassembling portion 40. It includes a plate member 31 that can abut against the air conditioner indoor unit 1 placed on the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21 from the rear in the width direction (transfer direction) (left side in FIG. 1), and a plate member driving unit 32 that moves this plate member 31 toward the disassembling portion 40.

[0031] The plate member drive unit 32 includes a linear drive unit 33 using a ball screw mechanism or the like, and a pair of linear guides 34 that guide its movement. The linear drive unit 33 is provided on the frame 28 at the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21 above the loading conveyor 21 along the width direction (X direction), and the linear guides 34 are provided parallel to each other at both side positions thereof. And the plate member 31 is attached in a suspended state via a bracket 35 by these linear drive unit 33 and linear guides 34. This plate member 31 is vertically provided along the direction (vertical direction: Z direction) orthogonal to the width direction of the loading conveyor 21.

[0032] In this case, the plate member 31 is always standby on one end in the width direction of the loading conveyor 21, the left end in the example shown in FIG. 1. The initial position where this plate member 31 is standby is the left side position of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 sent by the loading conveyor 21, and the plate member 31 can be moved toward the right side (+X direction) of the loading conveyor 21 while contacting the left side surface of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 and pushing the air conditioner indoor unit 1 by being advanced by the plate member drive unit 32.

[0033] On the right side of the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21, a crushing stage 41 on which the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is placed in the disassembling unit 40 is arranged in a connected state, and the air conditioner indoor unit 21 pushed by the plate member 31 can be transferred while being slid on it. The transfer means 30 arranges the air conditioner indoor unit 1 on the crushing stage 41 by moving the plate member 31 to the forward end position, and after transferring the air conditioner indoor unit 1 to the crushing stage 41, it is returned to the plate member 31. The range shown by L1 in FIG. 1 is the movement range of the plate member 31, the left end of L1 shown by Q1 in the figure is the initial position, and the right end shown by Q2 is the forward position.

[0034] The movement and stop of this plate member 31 are controlled by the loading control unit 24. As described above, when the loading control unit 24 detects the air conditioner indoor unit 1 conveyed to the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21 with the sensor 26, it stops the drive of the loading conveyor 21, drives the plate member drive unit 32 to move the plate member 31 forward, and slides the air conditioner indoor unit 1 on the loading conveyor 21 so as to push it from the rear, and transfers it to the crushing stage 41. After the plate member 31 moves to the forward end, the plate member 31 is retracted to the initial position. Then, when the plate member 31 retracts to the initial position, upon receiving the stop signal, the loading conveyor 21 is driven again to convey the next air conditioner indoor unit 1 to the end portion 22. The loading control unit 24 performs this series of controls.

[0035] The upper surfaces of the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21 and the crushing stage 41 are arranged on the same plane, but if the air conditioner indoor unit 1 can be slid, there may be a slight height difference, and the upper surface of the crushing stage 41 may be set slightly lower than the upper surface of the end portion 22 of the loading conveyor 21. And the end portion 22 of this loading conveyor 21 constitutes a transfer stage for the subsequent crushing stage. Therefore, hereinafter, the end portion 22 of this loading conveyor 21 may also be described as the transfer stage 22. Note that the loading conveyor 21 and the crushing stage 41 may be directly arranged side by side, but if there is a distance between them, an intermediate table may be interposed.

[0036] [Disassembly section] The disassembly section 40 includes a crushing stage 41, a measuring means 42 for measuring the dimensions of the air conditioner indoor unit 1, a crushing blade 43 for crushing the air conditioner indoor unit 1, and crushing blade protruding means 44A, 44B for reciprocally moving the crushing blades 43A, 43B in the front-rear direction (Y direction), pushing them out to the forward end toward the air conditioner indoor unit 1 to crush the air conditioner indoor unit 1, and returning them to the retracted position after crushing, and crushing position adjusting means 45A, 45B for moving the crushing blade 43 along the width direction (X direction) of the crushing stage 41, and a crushing control unit 46 for controlling each of these parts. In addition, the disassembling section 40 is connected to a carrying-out section 60 that carries out the air conditioner indoor unit 1 dropped from the crushing stage 41 to the outside of the disassembling section 40.

[0037] The crushing stage 41 is for placing the air conditioner indoor unit 1 and includes a bottom plate 47 and a back plate 48. The air conditioner indoor unit 1 is placed such that the lower side contacts the bottom plate 47 and the back side contacts the back plate 48. The back plate 48 is arranged in a vertical posture with the same surface as the guide stopper 25 of the carrying-in section 20, and smoothly guides the air conditioner indoor unit 1 sent along the guide stopper 25 onto the bottom plate 47 of the crushing stage 41 along the back plate 48. These guide stopper 25 and back plate 48 correspond to the guide of the present invention.

[0038] The bottom plate 47 of the crushing stage 41 is provided with an opening / closing door 49 that rotates downward to drop the placed air conditioner indoor unit 1. In the present embodiment, the opening / closing door 49 rotatably supports the outer ends of two side-by-side doors 49A and 49B, and opens the space that was blocked by both doors 49A and 49B by opening the inward-facing ends that face each other at the center downward. The opening / closing door 49 is opened and closed by a door opening / closing mechanism 50 composed of, for example, a hydraulic cylinder.

[0039] The measuring means 42 is a device that measures the dimensions of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 prior to disassembly. In the present embodiment, it is composed of a device that measures length by reflection of laser light. The measuring means 42 irradiates the side surface of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 with laser light S to measure the dimensions of the air conditioner indoor unit 1. In the present embodiment, the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 measured by the measuring means 42 is the width of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 along the width direction (X direction) of the crushing stage 41. Information on the dimension W measured by the measuring means 42 is sent to the crushing control section 46.

[0040] The crushing blades 43A and 43B are formed at two locations in this embodiment and are the crushing blades 43A and 43B respectively. The crushing blades 43A and 43B are composed of a steel plate or the like with a predetermined thickness. The crushing blade 43 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. Also, one side of the crushing blades 43A and 43B facing the air conditioner indoor unit 1 may be formed in a blade shape with a gradually decreasing thickness toward the tip. Among the crushing blades 43, one crushing blade 43A crushes the housing 2 along the first crushing line C1, and the other crushing blade 43B crushes the housing 2 along the second crushing line C2.

[0041] The crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B is a device that moves the crushing blades 43A and 43B back and forth in the Y direction between a position in front of the front surface of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 placed on the crushing stage 41, that is, a retracted position R1 retracted from above the crushing stage 41 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, and a position that bites into the housing 2 of the air conditioner indoor unit 1, that is, a protruding position R2 protruding above the crushing stage 41 shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B is composed of hydraulic cylinders.

[0042] The crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B includes a crushing blade protruding means 44A that moves one crushing blade 43A back and forth, and a crushing blade protruding means 44B that moves the other crushing blade 43B back and forth. The crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B perform a back-and-forth movement operation according to an operation signal output from the crushing control unit 46. These crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B can move the crushing blades 43A and 43B back and forth simultaneously or separately. Note that the crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B may be composed of, for example, a motor and gears in addition to hydraulic cylinders.

[0043] On the other hand, a scattering prevention cover 51 that moves back and forth integrally with the crushing blade 43A is provided along the front-back direction (Y direction) on the crushing blade protruding means 44A on one side (the left side in FIG. 4). This scattering prevention cover 51 is formed by, for example, holding a rubber plate 52 in a planar shape on a frame 53, and is held in a vertical posture parallel to the crushing blade 43A at a lateral position away from the crushing blade 43A. When the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is crushed by the crushing blade 43A, the scattering prevention cover 51 is vertically disposed on the side of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 (the left side in FIG. 4), thereby preventing fragments during crushing from scattering into the carrying-in part 20 or the like.

[0044] Although the scattering prevention cover 51 is configured to move integrally with the crushing blade 43A, it may be arranged between the space on the crushing stage 41 and the carrying-in part 20 during the crushing operation by a driving means separate from the crushing blade 43A, and retracted after the crushing is completed. The moving direction can be the left-right direction (X direction), the front-back direction (Y direction), the up-down direction (Z direction), etc. As an example of a scattering prevention cover that moves in the left-right direction (X direction), after the plate member 31 advances to transfer the air conditioner indoor unit 1 to the crushing stage 41, it is stopped at the advancing position without retreating to the initial position, and then retreated after the crushing is completed, so that the plate member 31 functions as a scattering prevention cover.

[0045] Moreover, on the bottom plate 47 of the crushing stage 41, a baffle plate 54 is provided at an intermediate position within the reciprocating movement range of both crushing blades 43A and 43B and between both crushing blades 43A and 43B. This baffle plate 54 is located in front (-Y direction) of the two opening / closing doors 49A and 49B (the position on the side of the crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B) and close to the opening / closing doors 49A and 49B, and is fixed in a vertically standing state. When the crushed debris of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is sandwiched between both crushing blades 43A and 43B after the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is crushed, when both crushing blades 43A and 43B retreat, the crushed debris between both crushing blades 43A and 43B abuts against the baffle plate 54, preventing the subsequent backward movement, so that the crushed debris is pulled out from between both crushing blades 43A and 43B and placed on the opening / closing doors 43A and 43B of the crushing stage 41.

[0046] Further, at the front end position of the crushing stage 41 (the position in front of the baffle plate 54), a scattering prevention fence 55 is provided along the left and right directions (X direction). This scattering prevention fence 55 is formed by stretching a transparent sheet 57 over a gate-shaped support frame 56 fixed in an upright state on the front end portion of the bottom plate 47 of the crushing stage 41 and is arranged in a vertical posture, and has a width dimension substantially the same as the width dimension of the crushing stage 41 in the left and right direction (X direction). In this case, the upper side of the transparent sheet 57 is fixed to the support frame 56, and cuts (not shown) are formed along the vertical direction (Z direction) so as to be in a plurality of strip shapes, and the lower ends are free ends separated from each other. By moving back and forth in a state where the crushing blades 43A, 43B and the scattering prevention cover 51 enter the cuts, the front and back movement of these crushing blades 43A, 43B and the scattering prevention cover 51 is not hindered (in FIG. 4 etc., it is drawn in a single sheet shape for convenience). Instead of forming the transparent sheet 57 into a plurality of strip shapes, slits through which the crushing blades 43A, 43B and the scattering prevention cover 51 penetrate may be formed in the transparent sheet 57.

[0047] Note that although the scattering prevention fence 55 is installed in a fixed state, it may be fixed to the rear end portions of the respective crushing blades 43A, 43B and configured to move back and forth together with the crushing blades 43A, 43B. When the respective crushing blades 43A, 43B move back and forth individually, it is preferable to fix a scattering prevention fence to each of the crushing blades 43A, 43B. When both crushing blades 43A, 43B move back and forth integrally, a single scattering prevention fence may be fixed across both crushing blades 43A, 43B. Also, similar to the scattering prevention fence 55, the scattering prevention cover 51 may be constituted by a plurality of strip-shaped transparent sheets and installed in a fixed state so as to block the space between the crushing stage 41 and the transfer stage (the end portion of the carry-in conveyor 21) 22 (along the Y direction).

[0048] The crushing position adjustment means 45A and 45B move the crushing blades 43A and 43B and the crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B along the crushing stage 41. In this embodiment, they move at a right angle to the moving direction (front-rear direction: Y direction) of the crushing blades 43A and 43B and along the width direction (X direction) along one side of the crushing stage 41. Such crushing position adjustment means 45A and 45B are composed of, for example, rails extending along the width direction (X direction) and motors that move the crushing blade 13 and the crushing blade protruding means 14 on these rails. The crushing position adjustment means 45A and 45B operate according to the operation signals output from the crushing control unit 46 based on the measurement results of the measurement means, and move the crushing blade 13 and the crushing blade protruding means 14 to positions corresponding to the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2 that differ depending on the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1. Note that the crushing position adjustment means 15 can also be composed of, for example, a hydraulic cylinder in addition to being composed of rails, motors, etc.

[0049] The crushing control unit 46 is composed of, for example, a CPU, a memory, a driver circuit, etc. When the plate member 31 of the transfer means 30 transfers the air conditioner indoor unit 1 to the forward end position, the measurement means 42 measures the dimension of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 using this signal as a trigger. The information on the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 output from the measurement means 42 is input, and based on this information, operation signals for the crushing position adjustment means 45A and 45B and the crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B are output. Also, after the crushing by the crushing blades 43A and 43B is completed, the door opening and closing mechanism 50 that opens and closes the opening and closing door 49 of the crushing stage 41 is controlled by the signal that the crushing blade protruding means 44A and 44B return the crushing blades 43A and 43B to the retracted position. In the memory of this crushing control unit 46, the positions of the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2 are stored in advance based on the relationship between the component arrangement and the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1, which is the object to be processed.

[0050] [Carrying-out section] As shown in Fig. 3, the unloading section 60 is provided from below to the side of the crushing stage 41, and includes a receiving base 61 for receiving the crushed air conditioner indoor unit 1 that has fallen from the crushing stage 41, a unloading conveyor 62 with one end connected to the receiving base 61 and extending outward from the receiving base 47, and a unloading control section 63.

[0051] The receiving base 61 is disposed directly below the crushing stage 41 and receives the crushed air conditioner indoor unit 1 that has fallen due to the opening of the opening / closing door 49. The whole is made of steel materials, stainless steel materials, etc. It is desirable that this receiving base 61 is formed such that the receiving surface has high strength in order to promote the separation between the housing 2 of the crushed air conditioner indoor unit 1 and each component due to the landing impact.

[0052] The unloading conveyor 62 is a device that pulls out the crushed air conditioner indoor unit 1 dropped onto the receiving base 61 to the outside of the receiving base 61, and is composed of, for example, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, etc. In the present embodiment, the unloading conveyor 62 is formed to extend obliquely from the receiving base 61 disposed at a position lower than the crushing stage 41 to a height approximately the same as that of the crushing stage 41. Note that the discharge conveyor 62 may be configured to also serve as the receiving base 61.

[0053] The unloading control section 63 receives a signal that the door opening / closing mechanism 50 has opened the opening / closing door 49, and drives the unloading conveyor 62 by a predetermined amount. Although the loading control section 24, the crushing control section 46, and the unloading control section 63 have been described separately, for example, they are mounted on a single computer and share a CPU and a memory.

[0054] Next, a method for disassembling the air conditioner indoor unit 1 using the above-described disassembling device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5. As described above, an operator P is arranged in the space beside the loading section 23 of the loading section 20 behind the disassembling section 40 of this disassembling device 10 (see Fig. 1). The air conditioner indoor unit 1 is carried to the position of this operator P by a container vehicle or the like.

[0055] (Loading process) Operator P loads the transported air conditioner indoor units 1 one by one onto the loading conveyor 21. The loading conveyor 21 is driven intermittently. When it is in a stopped state, operator P places the air conditioner indoor unit 1 on the loading section (starting end section) 23 of the loading conveyor 21. The loading conveyor 21 sends out the air conditioner indoor units 1 one by one to the end section 22 while being driven intermittently. The end section 22 serves as a transfer stage. When the air conditioner indoor unit 1 abuts against the guide stopper 25 and is detected by the sensor 26, the loading conveyor 21 stops, and the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is placed in a state on the transfer stage (end section) 22.

[0056] (Transfer and loading process) The air conditioner indoor unit 1 placed on the transfer stage 22 is moved along the width direction of the loading conveyor 21 (in the +X direction) while one end portion (left end portion) in the width direction is pushed by the plate member 31 from the rear and is sent out to the crushing stage 41. In this movement, it is guided by the guide stopper 25 and the back plate 48 from the loading conveyor 21 to the crushing stage 41. The air conditioner indoor unit 1 is placed on the crushing stage 41 in such a way that the lower side contacts the bottom plate 47 and the back side contacts the back plate 48. After the plate member 31 moves to the forward end position, it is returned to the initial position.

[0057] (Measurement process) Next, the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 placed on the crushing stage 41 is measured. In this measurement process, for example, laser light S is irradiated from a laser rangefinder which is the measuring means 42 toward the side surface of the air conditioner indoor unit 1, and the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 along the width direction (X direction) of the stage 41 is measured. In the measurement, since the air conditioner indoor unit 1 sent to the forward end by the plate member 31 has the forward end position of the plate member 31 always set to be constant, the left side surface of the housing 2 (the surface pressed by the plate member 31) is arranged at a fixed position on the stage 41. For this reason, by irradiating the laser beam S toward the other side surface (right side surface) of the housing 2 and receiving the reflected light, data of the actually measured value of the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 can be obtained based on the length or shortness with respect to a known standard dimension. The information on the dimension W of the obtained air conditioner indoor unit 1 is input to the crushing control unit 46.

[0058] (Crushing Position Determination Step) Next, the crushing control unit 46 refers to the positions (crushing positions) of the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2 corresponding to the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 stored in advance. The positions (crushing positions) of the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2 may be determined by the calculation of the crushing control unit 46 with respect to the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1. For example, the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2 are set at positions that are respectively separated from both ends of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 along the width direction (X direction) by a certain ratio with respect to the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1. In this case, the positions (crushing positions) of the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2 are determined by the dimension W of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 and the respective ratios. (Crushing Position Adjustment Step) Then, an operation signal is output toward the crushing position adjustment means 45A, 45B, and the crushing blades 43A, 43B are respectively moved along the width direction (X direction) toward the positions (crushing positions) that match the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2 corresponding to the dimension W.

[0059] (Crushing Step) After the crushing blades 43A, 43B move to the positions that respectively match the first crushing line C1 and the second crushing line C2, the crushing control unit 46 outputs an operation signal to the crushing blade protruding means 44A, 44B respectively. As a result, the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinders constituting the crushing blade protruding means 44A, 44B is increased, and the crushing blades 43A, 43B protrude in the +Y direction from the retracted position R1 in front of the front surface of the air conditioner indoor unit 1 toward the protruding position R2 that bites into the housing 2.

[0060] In this crushing process, the housing 2 made of a resin material is crushed along the first crush line C1 and the second crush line C2. By crushing the housing 2 along the first crush line C1, the fastening between one side of the housing 2 and one end of each of the heat exchanger 3 and the fan 4 is released. Moreover, by fracturing the housing 2 along the second fracturing lines C2, the area in which the heat exchanger 3 and the fan 4 are disposed is separated from the area in which the motor 5 and the control board 6 are disposed, and the fastening between the other ends of the heat exchanger 3 and the fan 4 and the housing 2 is released. Also, the fastening between the motor 5 and the control board 6 and the housing 2 is released. In this way, by crushing the housing 2 along the first crush line C1 and the second crush line C2, respectively, the heat exchanger 3, the fan 4, and the motor 5, which are parts containing metals, etc., can be separated from the housing 2, which is made of resin.

[0061] In this crushing process, the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is roughly divided into three chunks by the two crushing blades 43A, 43B, and a chunk of the crushed air conditioner indoor unit 1 may become sandwiched between the two crushing blades 43A, 43B. In this case, since the baffle plate 54 is provided between the two crushing blades 43A, 43B, even if the crushed debris becomes sandwiched between the two crushing blades 43A, 43B when the two crushing blades 43A, 43B are retracted after the air conditioner indoor unit 1 is cut, the baffle plate 54 removes the crushed debris from between the retracting crushing blades 43A, 43B, so that the crushed debris is reliably placed on the opening and closing doors 43A, 43B of the crushing stage 41.

[0062] In this case, both crushing blades 43A and 43B are set to move forward and backward simultaneously. However, they may move forward simultaneously, but when moving backward, they may be driven separately and move backward alternately by a predetermined amount. For example, with one crushing blade 43A stopped at the crushing position, only the other crushing blade 43B is moved backward by about half of the moving distance and then stopped. In this stopped state, the one crushing blade 43A is moved backward by about half and then stopped. By performing this alternately, both crushing blades 43A and 43B are moved backward to the retracted position. Thereby, even if crushing debris is caught between both crushing blades 43A and 43B, the crushing debris can be extracted from both crushing blades 43A and 43B during the alternating backward movement. In addition, when the crushing debris between both crushing blades 43A and 43B is removed by this alternating backward movement, the baffle plate 54 may be omitted.

[0063] (Unloading process) After that, the crushing control unit 46 outputs an operation signal toward the door opening / closing mechanism 41, and rotates and opens downward the opening / closing door 49 of the crushing stage 41. As a result, the crushed indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner drops toward the receiving base 61. Then, the crushed housing 2 and components such as the heat exchanger 3, the fan 4, and the motor 5 are more surely separated by the landing impact on the receiving base 61. Then, the mutually separated housing 2 and components such as the heat exchanger 3, the fan 4, and the motor 5 are pulled out of the receiving base 61 by the unloading conveyor 62.

[0064] Through the above steps, the housing 2 made of resin material and the components (heat exchanger 3, fan 4, motor 5) including metals useful for recycling, which are fastened to the housing 2, can be easily and efficiently separated, and the disassembly of the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner can be performed.

[0065] As described above, according to the disassembling apparatus 10 of the embodiment and the method for disassembling the object to be processed 1 using the same, for waste household appliances (objects to be processed) in which the layout of components including metals is substantially common regardless of the model or manufacturer, for example, the dimensions of an air conditioner indoor unit 1 are measured, the crushing blades 43A and 43B are moved to the crushing positions according to the dimensions, and only by crushing the housing 2 made of a resin material at the crushing positions with these crushing blades 43A and 43B, the resin material and the components including metals fastened thereto are separated.

[0066] As a result, steps that are time-consuming and costly, such as grasping the layout of the entire component by X-ray imaging or the like, or removing screws and the like to release the fastening between the resin material and the component, become unnecessary, and the object to be processed 1 can be disassembled easily and efficiently at low cost. And in the disassembling apparatus 10 of the embodiment and the method for disassembling the object to be processed 1 using the same, since the components themselves are not crushed, the components including metals do not become fine pieces such as chips, and can be recovered in a size that is easy to handle and transport.

[0067] In the embodiment of the disassembling apparatus 10 and the method for disassembling the object to be processed 1 using the same described above, an air conditioner indoor unit is exemplified as the object to be processed 1, but the object to be processed is not limited thereto. For example, it can also be used when separating a storage chamber portion made of a resin material of a waste refrigerator from components including a compressor and a heat sink that are components containing metal. In a general refrigerator, the layout of components such as a compressor and a heat sink with respect to the storage chamber is determined. For example, by only measuring the height (dimension), an effective crushing position for separating the components from the resin material can be determined without performing image analysis or the like.

[0068] Also, for example, it can also be used when separating a washing tub portion made of a resin material of a waste washing machine from a motor that is a component containing metal. In a general washing machine, the layout of components such as a motor with respect to the washing tub is determined. For example, by only measuring the height (dimension) or the width (dimension), an effective crushing position for separating the components from the resin material can be determined without performing image analysis or the like.

[0069] In this way, it is possible to apply various waste household appliances (discarded household appliances) as the object to be processed, and the crushing blades 43A and 43B are not limited to two, and one or three or more can be provided according to the size of the object to be processed. Note that waste household appliances include not only household appliances discarded after use but also defective products generated in the household appliance manufacturing process.

[0070] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0071] 1 Air conditioner indoor unit 10 Disassembly device 13 Crushing blade 14 Crushing blade protruding means 15 Crushing position adjusting means 20 Loading section 21 Loading conveyor 22 Termination section (transfer stage) 23 Starting section (feeding section) 24 Loading control section 25 Guide stopper (guide) 30 Transfer means 31 Plate member 32 Plate member drive section 40 Disassembly section 41 Crushing stage 42 Measuring means 43A, 43B Crushing blade 44A, 44B Crushing blade protruding means 45A, 45B Crushing position adjusting means 46 Crushing control section 48 Rear panel (guide) 49 Opening / closing door 50 Door opening / closing mechanism 51 Splash guard 54 Baffle plate 55 Splash prevention fence 60 Unloading section

Claims

1. A crushing stage for placing an object to be processed and crushing it with a crushing blade, a transfer stage provided side by side on the upper surface of the crushing stage, and transfer means for transferring the object to be processed placed on the transfer stage to the crushing stage, and the transfer means includes a plate member capable of abutting on the object to be processed on the transfer stage from the rear in the transfer direction, and a plate member driving unit for reciprocating the plate member between an initial position disposed behind the object to be processed on the transfer stage and a forward position where the object to be processed is disposed on the crushing stage, and a disassembling device for an object to be processed, characterized in that it comprises.

2. The disassembling device for an object to be processed according to claim 1, wherein guides are provided on the transfer stage and the crushing stage, which are arranged along the transfer direction and abut and guide the side portions of the object to be processed.

3. The disassembling device for an object to be processed according to claim 1, wherein a loading conveyor extending toward the transfer stage is connected to the transfer stage.

4. The loading conveyor is formed to have a length capable of conveying a plurality of objects to be processed side by side in the loading direction, and is provided with a loading control unit that can be driven only when the plate member is disposed at the initial position, and a disassembling device for an object to be processed according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises.

5. The disassembling device for an object to be processed according to claim 1, wherein the crushing stage is provided with crushing blade protruding means for moving the crushing blade in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction between a protruding position protruding above the crushing stage and a retracted position retracted from the crushing stage.

6. The upper surface of the crushing stage is formed by an opening and closing door that opens downward, and a receiving base is arranged below the crushing stage, and a disassembling device for an object to be processed according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises.

7. The disassembling device for an object to be processed according to claim 1, wherein the object to be processed is a household electrical appliance to be disposed of. Claim 8 The disassembling device for the workpiece according to claim 6, further comprising a carry-out conveyor having one end connected to the receiving base and extending outward from the receiving base.

Images