Empty container collection device

Abstract

To provide an empty container collection device capable of eliminating a situation in which empty containers are unevenly piled up in a mountain shape.SOLUTION: An empty container collection device according to the present invention is provided with a housing part which is detachably attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body part and houses empty containers, and a leveling mechanism for leveling the empty containers stacked inside the housing part, wherein the leveling mechanism has a drive source and a rocking part which is rocked by receiving power from the drive source, and the drive source is provided at a position away from both the rocking part and the housing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an empty container recovery device. [Background technology]

[0002] An empty container recovery device for recovering empty containers is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This empty container recovery device reduces the volume of empty containers by clamping and crushing them with compression means, and then stores the containers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-153019 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there was a problem in that the collected empty containers would pile up unevenly in the storage section of the empty container recovery device, so that the tops of the accumulated empty containers would reach the compression means, forcing the storage section to be replaced before the maximum storage capacity was reached.

[0005] The present invention aims to address such problems and to provide an empty container recovery device that can eliminate the situation where empty containers are piled up unevenly in a mountain shape. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The empty container recovery device according to the present invention has at least the following configuration. The device is detachable from the main body of the device and comprises a storage section for storing empty containers and a leveling mechanism for leveling empty containers stacked inside the storage section, the leveling mechanism having a drive source and a swinging section that swings when powered by the drive source, and the drive source is located at a position away from both the swinging section and the storage section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is an overall conceptual diagram of an empty container recovery device for one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view of the empty container recovery device, (b) is a left side view of the empty container recovery device, and (c) is a top view of the empty container recovery device. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are perspective views (left perspective view and right perspective view) of an empty container recovery device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the empty container recovery device, taken along line AA in FIG. 1(a). [Figure 4] This figure shows the empty container recovery device with the front left door open, where (a) is a front view of the empty container recovery device, (b) is a left side view of the empty container recovery device, and (c) is a top view of the empty container recovery device. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the state in which the front left door of the empty container recovery device is open, and are perspective views (left perspective view and right perspective view) of the empty container recovery device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing only the bag holding portion. [Figure 7] 10 is a perspective view showing the empty container recovery device with both the front left door and the front right door open and only the left bag holding section pulled out. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the electrical configuration of an empty container recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the relationship between the storage section and the leveling mechanism, showing the state when the leveling mechanism is not in operation. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the relationship between the storage section and the leveling mechanism, showing the leveling mechanism in operation. [Figure 11] 10 is a photograph showing a leveling mechanism. [Figure 12] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the leveling mechanism when empty containers are collected using a collection bag. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the leveling mechanism when empty containers are collected in a collection box. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment of the present invention includes, but is not limited to, the contents shown in the drawings. In the following description of each drawing, parts that are common to parts already described will be assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0009] (Basic configuration of empty container collection device) Figure 1 shows an example of an empty container recovery device 100 for recovering empty containers (PET bottles, etc.) as an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view of the empty container recovery device, (b) is a left side view of the empty container recovery device, and (c) is a top view of the empty container recovery device. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the empty container recovery device. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 1(a).

[0010] When the empty container recovery device 100 is on standby, the outer door 111 of the article insertion section is in a closed state, and the inner door 112, which is provided between the container insertion section 110 and the bag holding section 140 and can be opened and closed, is also in a closed state. The bag holding section 140 holds bags (plastic bags) used to recover empty containers and functions as a storage section. As will be described later, no special dedicated accessories such as an empty container recovery box are required. However, this does not exclude the use of an empty container recovery box. When recovering items, the outer door 111 of the container insertion section 110 is in an open state, and the discrimination section discriminates whether or not an item placed on the placement section of the container insertion section 110 is an item to be recovered (for example, an empty plastic container such as a PET bottle). If the item is determined to be an empty container to be collected, the outer door 111 closes, and the inner door 112, located between the container insertion section 110 and the bag holding section 140 (two bag holding sections 140 are provided in this embodiment), opens, and the container is collected in a bag held by the bag holding section 140. In this embodiment, the empty container collection device 100 is equipped with a volume reduction mechanism (also referred to as the volume reduction section 120 or container volume reduction section), and by reducing the volume of the container using the volume reduction mechanism (volume reduction section 120), it is possible to collect a large amount of reduced empty containers using two bags (plastic bags) of a specified capacity. In addition, the deflection mechanism 151 (sorting section) can vary the direction in which the empty containers are sent out, such as forward, backward, left, or right, thereby enabling efficient bag replacement for collection.

[0011] The containers are not limited to PET bottles, cans, and glass bottles, but may be any containers that are subject to collection, such as milk cartons, trays, ink cartridges, etc. In other words, the empty container collection device 100 is merely one embodiment of the empty container collection device according to the present invention.

[0012] 1 to 3, the empty container recovery device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a container insertion section 110 provided at the top of the device's main body 100B, and an outer door 111 provided outside the opening of the container insertion section 110. The device's main body 100B is provided with a display operation section 3, a transmitter / receiver section 4 (communication section), and a reader / writer 17 (card reader / writer) on the front side near the top of the outer door 111. In addition, a baggage hook 100f is provided on the front side of the device's main body 100B.

[0013] In addition, a space is provided below the container insertion section 110 to guide the empty containers P to the bag holding section 140, and an inner door 112 is provided in the container insertion section 110 to send the empty containers P toward that space.

[0014] In this embodiment, the empty container recovery device 100 is provided with a volume reduction section 120 (volume reduction mechanism) and a deflection mechanism 151 (sorting section) between the inner door 112 and the bag holding section 140. When the inner door 112 is open, the volume reduction section 120 crushes and reduces the volume of empty containers P from the container input section 110, and sends the reduced containers to the upper surface of the deflection mechanism 151. The deflection mechanism 151 is provided approximately in the center of the device body in the left-right and front-rear directions, and varies the direction in which the empty containers are sent out in various directions, including front-rear and left-right. In particular, plastic bags are spread out by controlling the sending out direction to be concentrated in the rearward direction.

[0015] The main body 100B of the empty container recovery device 100 is larger than conventional devices. The increased height and depth dimensions are expected to increase the amount of empty containers collected per collection bag change. In particular, the width is doubled compared to conventional devices to accommodate two bags (plastic bags) arranged side by side. By switching to the other bag when one bag becomes full, for example, the number of empty containers that can be collected can be significantly increased with almost no device downtime. However, the increased width may make it difficult to stack the collected empty containers evenly across the entire width. This can lead to empty containers piling up in a mountain shape and not filling the plastic bag. Therefore, the empty container recovery device 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a leveling mechanism 160 that levels out the stacked empty containers. The leveling mechanism 160 is made up of a drive source 161 and a swinging unit 162, and is provided at the center of the device body in the left-right direction and behind the deflection mechanism 151, as shown in Fig. 3. The specific configuration of the leveling mechanism 160 will be described later.

[0016] The main body 100B of the empty container recovery device 100 has slide rails 144 (not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) that function as moving parts for moving the two bag holding parts 140 back and forth between an in-device storage position and a bag replacement position. The main body 100B has a front left door 100LD and a front right door 100RD corresponding to the two bag holding parts 140, respectively.

[0017] A light-transmitting portion 100A (light-transmitting window) is provided on the front side of each of the front left door 100LD and the front right door 100RD, and is configured so that the empty containers contained in the bag (plastic bag) can be seen from the outside.

[0018] Furthermore, the main body 100B of the device is provided with a cap insertion section 108 on the front side, and is configured so that caps inserted into the cap insertion section 108 are stored in a cap storage section (not shown) via a cap passage (not shown). In conventional devices, the cap storage section had to be located at the expense of part of the empty container storage space, but in this embodiment, the width dimension has been doubled, so it is possible to locate the cap storage section at a position higher than the empty container storage space with ample space. The cap passage (not shown) may have a mechanism for separating caps from items smaller than caps. Specifically, the cap passage (not shown) may be branched, and a mesh member may be provided at the branching point to discharge and accumulate leftover cigarette butts, rainwater, etc. via a separate route, so that only caps can be stored in the cap storage section (not shown).

[0019] Specifically, the volume reduction unit 120 shown in FIG. 1 has a structure in which a pair of rotating shafts 811, 911 are rotatably supported, as shown in FIG. 3, which is a side cross-sectional view of the empty container recovery device 100 (cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1(a)). A gear is provided at one end of the rotating shaft 811, and is configured to mesh with a gear provided at one end of the rotating shaft 911. These rotating shafts 811, 911 are driven to rotate by a drive motor (not shown). In the space behind the area surrounded by the dashed-line circle B in FIG. 3, on each of the pair of rotating shafts 811, 911, compression rollers 81, 91 having blade surfaces on both axial sides, and spacers (not shown) having a smaller diameter than the compression rollers 81, 91 and a thickness slightly greater than the compression rollers 81, 91, are arranged alternately in the axial direction.

[0020] The outer periphery of the compression roller 81 provided on one rotating shaft 811 is positioned between the compression rollers 91 provided on the other rotating shaft 911, and is positioned a predetermined distance away from the spacers provided between the compression rollers 91 provided on the other rotating shaft 911.

[0021] A feeding mechanism (not shown) is provided above the volume reduction section 120. The feeding mechanism (not shown) has a rotating shaft with multiple blades (not shown) serving as paddles. When the rotating shaft of the feeding mechanism (not shown) rotates, the blades (not shown) rotate around the rotating shaft as the center of rotation, guiding the empty container P to the volume reduction section 120.

[0022] The rotating shafts 811 and 911 are rotated by a drive motor (not shown). When driven, the rotating shafts 811 and 911 rotate in opposite directions, and an empty container P placed in the center is compressed by the compression rollers 81 and 91, and the reduced-volume empty container is output downward.

[0023] A deflection mechanism 151 (sorting unit) is disposed below the volume reduction unit 120 to vary the direction in which empty containers are discharged, from front to back and from side to side. The deflection mechanism 151 is a disk that is bent so that both ends are slightly tilted. By rotating the disk left and right, the disk tilts to the right front, left front, right rear, and left rear. The disk consists of a receiving section that receives the reduced containers that fall from the volume reduction unit 120 and a discharging section that discharges the reduced containers into the container storage section. The containers slide on the disk from the receiving section to the discharging section and drop into the storage section. When the discharging section is facing forward, the disk is horizontal. Figure 3 shows this state.

[0024] Furthermore, the empty container recovery device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention performs a process to notify the user when the bags (plastic bags) held in the bag holding unit 140 become full. For example, when the empty container recovery device 100 detects an operation to open the bag holding unit 140 by a manager or cleaner, specifically, an unlocking operation to pull out the bag holding unit 140 to the bag exchange position, the empty container recovery device 100 performs a process to notify the user to clean the placement area where the items are placed. These notifications are made by the device itself to people in the vicinity of the device. Alternatively, the device may be configured to notify a remote location, such as a terminal device of a store clerk at a cash register, using an appropriate communication means (transmitter / receiver 4, described below).

[0025] Figure 4 shows the state in which the front left door 100LD of the empty container recovery device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is open and the bag holding section 140 is pulled out, where (a) is a front view of the empty container recovery device, (b) is a left side view of the empty container recovery device, and (c) is a top view of the empty container recovery device. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the empty container recovery device 100 with the bag holding section 140 pulled out.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the bag holding unit 140 is primarily comprised of a frame and does not include side or bottom panels. That is, unlike conventional empty container recovery devices such as those described in Patent Document 1, it does not require dedicated accessories such as empty container recovery boxes. Furthermore, conventional empty container recovery devices have maintenance issues. Bags (plastic bags) are placed inside a box consisting of left and right side panels, a rear panel, and a front panel. The entire box is pulled out to the front for bag replacement. However, when removing a bag full of empty containers for replacement, the heavy bag must be lifted straight up from the box, placing a considerable burden on the worker. In contrast, in this embodiment, which does not include side or front panels, the bag can be removed and moved not only upward, i.e., in the bag opening direction, but also forward and left and right. Therefore, it is not necessary to lift heavy bags above the side or front panels. Furthermore, since it does not include a bottom panel, the bag replacement process can be performed more easily by pulling out the bag holding unit 140 while a cart is placed adjacent to the empty container recovery device 100. As shown in Figure 4, when the front left door 100LD is open and the front right door 100RD is closed, a handy cart can approach from the right side. Also, both the front left door 100LD and the front right door 100RD may be configured to be able to open up to 180 degrees. This configuration allows handcarts to approach from any direction. In addition, from Figure 4, it can be seen that the bent disk of the deflection mechanism 151 (distribution section) is tilted toward the left and front so that the empty container P can be sent in the left-front direction, but this is a diagram for explanatory purposes, and in reality, when the door is opened, the disk is controlled to maintain a horizontal position.

[0027] As shown in the right perspective view of Figure 5, a slope SL attached by a 180-degree hinge is provided on the inner surface of the bottom plate on the front open side of the empty container recovery device 100. Normally, the slope SL is in a spring-loaded state, but when attempting to pull out the bag holding portion 140, the slope SL is pushed up by the bag (plastic bag) full of empty containers, causing the slope SL to naturally collapse. This slope SL allows the bag (plastic bag) full of empty containers to be smoothly transferred from the empty container recovery device 100 to the cart. When a new bag is attached, the slope SL returns to its spring-up state, but interference between the soft empty plastic bag and the slope SL is not a significant problem, allowing the bag to be attached easily.

[0028] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing only the bag holding section 140. Fig. 7 is a view showing a state in which the front left door 100LD and the front right door 100RD of the empty container recovery device 100 are both open and only the left bag holding section 140 is pulled out.

[0029] 7, slide rails 144 are provided on the left and right inner surfaces and the central partition of main body 100B of the device. These slide rails function as moving parts that allow bag holding unit 140 to move back and forth between the storage position within the device and the bag replacement position. Bag holding unit 140 is based on an upper frame and is made up of a bag push-out unit 143 that functions as a structural body and pushes out bags from the back when bag holding unit 140 is advanced to the bag replacement position, three or more pillars 141 (pillars 141 at the four corners in this embodiment), hooks 142 that correspond to each of the pillars 141 and are provided at or near the top, and a handle 147. As is clear from the relative positions of slide rails 144 and hooks 142, slide rails 144 are disposed at a height closer to the opening of the bag than the bottom of the bag when the bag is held. Since there is no bottom plate to support the bag, the force of the bag weight is applied to the hook portion 142, and this arrangement is preferable in terms of weight balance.

[0030] The hooking portion 142 has, for example, elastomer properties, and more specifically, is made of an elastic body or non-slip material made of resin such as rubber. By using such a shape and material, the bag can be safely and easily hooked and removed, and further, by using a material with good adhesion such as rubber, the upper opening of the bag can be hooked without sagging. Furthermore, the hooking portion 142 has a shape that protrudes outward, which makes it easy to hook a bag. Furthermore, the tip of the hooking portion 142 is formed in a substantially spherical shape, which makes it difficult for the bag to tear.

[0031] An example of a method for replacing bags (plastic bags) for collecting items will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, with the left front door 100LD open, a cart is placed adjacent to the left front side of the main body 100B of the apparatus from the front or right side of the main body 100B. Next, the bag holder 140 is pulled forward. As the bag holder 140 is pulled out, the bag pusher 143 also moves forward, pushing out bags filled with empty containers. A full bag can be easily moved onto the cart by pushing down the slope SL and sliding along the slope SL. Once the bag is completely positioned on the cart, the four corners of the bag hooked on the hooks 142 are removed, and the bag is placed on the cart. In this way, bags filled with empty containers can be collected without requiring significant force. If there is no cart of an appropriate size, or if the carts cannot be parked next to each other due to layout restrictions, this will cause some strain, but the workload will be reduced because there is no need to lift the heavy bags straight up, and they can be pulled out forward or to the right. After collecting the full bags, the end (top end) of the empty bag (plastic bag) is hooked onto the rubber balls (hooking parts 142) at the four corners, and then the bag holding part 140 is pushed into the main body part 100B of the device, taking care that the bottom end of the bag avoids the slope SL.

[0032] Immediately after a bag change, the bottom end of the bag is often folded. Since the bags are originally stored folded and bundled, the bottom end of the bag is often not properly monitored when the top of the bag is hooked onto the hook portion 142 during loading. This situation leads to the problem of insufficient storage capacity. Meanwhile, as mentioned above, the deflection mechanism 151 (sorting unit) can vary the direction of empty container discharge in various directions, including front, back, left, and right, and can also control concentrated discharge in the rearward direction. By controlling discharge in the rearward direction, empty containers can be pushed against the folded portion of the bag, expanding the bag. This prevents a decrease in the empty container capacity. Furthermore, this embodiment also includes a leveling mechanism 160 that can prevent empty containers from piling up like a mountain, further preventing a decrease in the empty container capacity.

[0033] (Electrical configuration of empty container collection device) Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of the electrical configuration of an empty container recovery device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 8(a) is an electrical functional block diagram of the container volume reduction device (empty container recovery device), and Figure 8(b) is a functional block diagram of the control unit.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 8, the empty container recovery device 100 includes a control unit 1 (CPU), a memory unit 2, a display operation unit 3, a transmission / reception unit 4, an outer door drive unit 5, an inner door drive unit 6, a weighing unit 7, a metal detection sensor 8, a PET sensor 901, a container detection sensor 902, a safety detection sensor 903, a door position sensor 10, a door lock unit 11, a volume reduction drive unit 15, an electric motor 16 (drive source 161 of the leveling mechanism), a reader / writer 17, a deflection drive unit 18, an imaging unit 19, etc. It also includes a fullness detection unit 181 that detects when the storage unit is full. Each component is electrically connected by a signal line or the like. In this embodiment, for example, the PET sensor 901, the container detection sensor 902, and the safety detection sensor 903 are configured by the optical sensor 9. Furthermore, the weighing unit 7, metal detection sensor 8, PET sensor 901, container detection sensor 902, safety detection sensor 903, and imaging unit 19 are provided near the mounting unit or on the mounting unit itself, and function as cleaning detection means 180 that detects whether the mounting unit is being cleaned depending on a predetermined processing mode of the control unit 1, specifically, the first mode (normal processing mode) or the second mode (cleaning mode), or the state of the recovery device. The control unit 1 counts input of container detection signals detected by various sensors such as the PET sensor 901 and container detection sensor 902, and counts and stores the number of empty containers that have been inserted.

[0035] The control unit 1 (CPU) comprehensively controls each component of the empty container recovery device 100. The control unit 1 causes the computer to execute the functions related to the invention of this embodiment, for example, by executing a control program. The control unit 1 has a determination unit 101 that determines whether cleaning has been performed on the placement unit of the empty container recovery device 100 based on detection results from the cleaning detection means 180, etc. The control unit 1 also controls the drive of the electric motor 16, which serves as the drive source 161 of the leveling mechanism, based on predetermined conditions.

[0036] The memory unit 2 is a storage device such as a RAM or a ROM. The memory unit 2 stores control programs and the like. The memory unit 2 also stores characteristics of empty containers to be collected. The characteristics of empty containers include, for example, the range of container mass, the material of the container, such as whether it is made of resin, and the like.

[0037] The display operation unit 3 performs a predetermined display under the control of the control unit 1. The display operation unit 3 also outputs a signal according to an operation by a user or the like to the control unit 1. The display operation unit 3 is, for example, a touch panel display device, and also functions as a reception means for receiving bag replacement requests, which will be described later.

[0038] Under the control of the control unit 1, the transmitting / receiving unit 4 performs predetermined communication with other terminal devices (computers) via a wireless communication path or a wired communication path.

[0039] The reader / writer 17 (card reader / writer) is a transmitting / receiving device that communicates with contactless IC cards, IC tags, etc., and performs predetermined communication under the control of the control unit 1. In addition, the empty container recovery device 100 may have, instead of the reader / writer 17, a code reader that reads a barcode or two-dimensional code that indicates a card identifier (member identifier) recorded on the member card CD.

[0040] The outer door driving unit 5 is a motor or the like for opening and closing the outer door 111, and is controlled by a control signal output from the control unit 1 to drive the outer door in an open or closed state.

[0041] The inner door driving unit 6 is a motor or the like for opening and closing the inner door 112, and is controlled by a control signal output from the control unit 1 to drive the inner door in an open or closed state.

[0042] The deflection drive unit 18 controls the rotation of the bent disk of the deflection mechanism 151 (sorting unit) so that it tilts to the right front, left front, right rear, and left rear, so that when one bag becomes full, it switches to the other bag for collection, and so that empty containers do not accumulate unevenly in the bag.

[0043] The weighing unit 7 weighs the mass of an empty container or an object not to be collected (in the first mode (normal processing mode)) placed on the placement section of the container insertion section 110. The weighing unit 7 is a weighing device such as a load cell. Furthermore, weighing unit 7 is used as a sensor that determines whether or not a container can be collected by detecting the weight (measured value) of any remaining drink in the container placed on the placement section of container insertion section 110. Weighing unit 7 is also configured to be able to determine the total weight of the containers stored in bag holding section 140 by accumulating the weight values of containers that have been determined to be collectable. This function eliminates the need to provide a weighing means in bag holding section 140, allowing bag holding section 140 to have a large capacity, and allows weighing unit 7 itself to be made smaller. Because the objects to be weighed are relatively small, there is no need to provide a large weighing means.

[0044] The metal detection sensor 8 detects whether an object placed on the placement section of the container insertion section 110 is metallic or non-metallic (in the first mode (normal mode)). In this embodiment, when the metal detection sensor 8 detects that the object placed on the placement section is metallic, the control section 1 determines that the object placed on the placement section is not a target object for collection.

[0045] In this embodiment, the PET sensor 901, the container detection sensor 902, and the safety detection sensor 903 are optical sensors 9. The optical sensors 9 are configured to receive light from a light-emitting unit provided on either the left or right side of the mounting unit with a light-receiving unit provided on the other side.

[0046] The door position sensor 10 detects the positions of the outer door 111 and the inner door 112, and outputs a signal relating to the positions of the outer door 111 and the inner door 112 to the control unit 1. The control unit 1 controls the open / closed state of the outer door 111 and the inner door 112 based on the signal.

[0047] The door lock unit 11 has a locking device such as a solenoid, and is controlled by the control unit 1 to lock the movement of the outer door 111 and the inner door 112 as necessary.

[0048] (Configuration of the leveling mechanism) The following describes the leveling mechanism that levels out the pile of empty containers that occurs during collection. Fig. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of only the lower half of the device body taken out to explain the relationship between the storage section and the leveling mechanism, showing the state when the leveling mechanism is not operating. Fig. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of only the lower half of the device body taken out to explain the relationship between the storage section and the leveling mechanism, showing the state when the leveling mechanism is operating. Fig. 11 is a photograph showing the leveling mechanism.

[0049] The leveling mechanism 160 is provided at the center in the left-right direction of the device body and at the rear. The leveling mechanism 160 is composed of a drive source 161 and a swinging unit 162. In this embodiment, the drive source 161 is an electric motor, and as shown in FIG. 11, the output shaft of the electric motor housed in a housing is connected to the central axis of a rotor that imparts orbital motion to the upper base end 1621 of the swinging unit 162. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the container insertion unit 110 is provided above the storage unit (bag holding unit 140) and on the side facing the operator, while the drive source 161 is provided above the storage unit (bag holding unit 140) and on the side not facing the operator. Here, the side not facing the operator is not limited to the rear side of the device body but also includes the side side of the device body.

[0050] The swinging unit 162 is a strip-shaped flexible member, and can be, for example, a conveyor belt used in a belt conveyor. If the swinging mechanism were constructed with a hard member such as a mechanical link, there is a risk that pieces of crushed plastic bottles or other foreign objects could get caught between the moving parts, but a strip-shaped flexible member allows the swinging unit to continue operating without any problems even if pieces get caught underneath it. Note that, in order to effectively level the mountain-like pile of empty containers, it is preferable that the swinging unit 162 does not have elasticity, but this does not mean that it must have zero elasticity.

[0051] 11, since the upper base end 1621 of the oscillating part 162 is fixed at a position offset from the central axis of the rotor, when the rotation output of the electric motor is transmitted, the upper base end 1621 moves in circles, but if we take the upper half of the oscillating part 162 as a whole, it moves up and down. Since it is only necessary to impart up and down movement to the oscillating part 162, the driving source in this embodiment is an electric motor, but the driving source may also be an actuator that directly imparts up and down movement.

[0052] The up-and-down movement of the upper half of the swinging unit 162 is shown in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 shows the state when the leveling mechanism is not operating, or the state when the swinging unit 162 is positioned near the underside of the device body due to the weight of the collection bag during operation. Figure 10 shows the state when the leveling mechanism is operating, but for ease of viewing, the collection bag is omitted. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the lower base end 1622 of the swinging unit 162 is fixed below the storage unit at a position less than half the depth of the device body in the front-to-rear direction of the device body.

[0053] The inventors investigated the fixing position of the lower base end 1622, and tried, for example, positioning the base end near the front of the device so that the swinging member 162 extended the full depth of the device body. However, this required a larger stroke because the entire storage bag would be lifted. Furthermore, when a considerable number of empty containers were stored, the driving force required to lift the storage bag, which is quite heavy, was also large. On the other hand, the inventors found that fixing the lower base end 1622 at a position less than halfway through the depth of the device body was sufficient to level the pile. As shown in Figure 12(b), the swinging member 162 only presses a portion of the storage bag in the direction indicated by the arrow. However, it was confirmed that the shaking of the contents caused by the change from the state shown in Figure 12(a) to the state shown in Figure 12(b) was sufficient to break up the pile. However, since the greater the movement, the greater the effect of breaking down the items, it goes without saying that the scope of the present invention also includes setting the lower base end 1622 at a position more than halfway along the depth of the device main body, or even at a position closer to the front of the device main body so that it extends the entire depth. In this embodiment, the electric motor's rotation speed is 195 rpm, but the rotation speed can be set appropriately depending on the type and condition of the stored items, and an appropriate value should also be selected depending on the stroke of the swinging part 162, which is determined by the fixed position of the lower base end 1622. Furthermore, the size of the rotor that provides the stroke for pulling the swinging part 162 is also selected appropriately depending on the type and condition of the items.

[0054] As mentioned above, this embodiment does not require a special dedicated accessory such as an empty container collection box in order to reduce the burden on the worker when changing bags. However, this does not exclude the conventional configuration in which bags (plastic bags) are placed inside a box body consisting of left and right side panels, a rear panel, and a front panel. Even in the conventional configuration, the situation in which collected empty containers are unevenly piled up like a mountain still occurs. Figure 13 shows the operation of the leveling mechanism on the empty container collection box. Unlike Figure 12(b), in Figure 13(b), the empty container collection box is shaken together with the box. It was confirmed that the shaking of the empty container collection box caused by changing from the state shown in Figure 13(a) to the state shown in Figure 13(b) was sufficient to break down the pile of empty containers stored inside the box.

[0055] (Smoothing mechanism operation timing) Immediately after the bag is replaced, empty containers do not pile up like a mountain, and piles are unlikely to occur immediately after leveling. As described above, in the empty container recovery device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 1 counts and stores the number of empty containers inserted based on the outputs of various sensors, such as the PET sensor 901 and the container detection sensor 902. The empty container recovery device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention uses this count to activate the leveling mechanism. That is, in this embodiment, the leveling mechanism is operated for the first 10 times when 350 empty containers, half of the maximum number of empty containers that can be accommodated, are inserted from the start of empty container collection. Thereafter, the leveling mechanism is operated every time five empty containers are inserted. However, depending on the influence of temperature and humidity, it is possible that a mountain-like pile of empty containers may occur immediately after the bag is replaced. In such cases, it is advantageous to operate the leveling mechanism early, for example, when 50 containers have been inserted. This is because the empty container recovery device 100 is preferably configured to allow mode settings or stepless manual adjustment of the shaking method, such as the operation timing, number of times, time, and speed of the leveling mechanism. Furthermore, in addition to determining the operation timing based on the number of bottles inserted, it is also possible to determine the operation timing based on time, such as every 60 minutes, every 30 minutes, or every 15 minutes, by detecting weight or volume, or by the time of day, such as operating at 16:03, 18:03, 19:03, or 19:33.

[0056] In short, the operation timing can be set appropriately depending on the operating environment and the type and condition of the items stored. For example, if the PET material is prone to clogging and the resulting piled-up shape, the timing of the initial leveling operation and the subsequent intermittent operation should be set earlier. Furthermore, the intermittent operation does not have to be performed every fixed number of bottles. If it is empirically known that piled-up states occur frequently as the number of empty containers stored increases, it is preferable to control the interval between leveling operations so that they gradually decrease as the number of bottles stored increases.

[0057] Alternatively, the weighing unit 7 may monitor the accumulated weight of the containers determined to be collectible, and perform the first leveling operation when the accumulated weight of the collected empty containers exceeds a certain weight. Thereafter, the leveling operation may be performed intermittently each time a predetermined weight is added. Of course, the empty container collection device 100 may be equipped with a weight sensor that detects the weight of the container storage unit to monitor the weight. The predetermined weight that triggers the intermittent operation may be gradually decreased, rather than being at a fixed interval, as described in the description of the input count. With the above configuration, the timing is calculated based on weight, so that the leveling operation can be performed appropriately even if the input count value is lost.

[0058] (Another embodiment of the configuration of the leveling mechanism) Although not shown, the leveling mechanism can be arranged in a manner completely different from the embodiments described above. In the previously described embodiment, the drive source 161 was provided on the rear side of the device body. However, in another embodiment, the drive source 161 is provided on the side of the device body, and the lower base end 1622 of the swinging unit 162 is fixed at a position less than half the overall width of the device body. For example, the drive source 161 is provided on the inner surface of the right side, and the lower base end 1622 is also fixed in the right half of the device body. If the input unit is not located in the center of the device but is located off to the right side of the device, the top of the mountain-shaped stack will also be biased to the right, so it is advantageous to swing the right side. Furthermore, in an embodiment in which multiple input units are provided on both the left and right sides, the leveling mechanisms can also be located on both the left and right sides to accommodate two mountain-shaped stacks.

[0059] Furthermore, as another embodiment, a configuration without an electric motor or actuator as a drive source can be adopted. That is, a rigid body connected to the upper end of the oscillating unit extends outside the device body, and the rigid body is operated by a human hand to move back and forth. In this configuration, the drive source is the operator's hand. Even in this case, the drive source is still located away from both the oscillating unit and the storage unit.

[0060] <Summary of the embodiment> [Technical field] The present invention relates to an empty container recovery device. [Background technology] An empty container recovery device for recovering empty containers is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This empty container recovery device reduces the volume of empty containers by clamping and crushing them with compression means, and then stores the containers. [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-153019 A [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be solved by the invention] However, there was a problem in that the collected empty containers would pile up unevenly in the storage section of the empty container recovery device, so that the tops of the accumulated empty containers would reach the compression means, forcing the storage section to be replaced before the maximum storage capacity was reached. The present invention aims to address such problems and to provide an empty container recovery device that can eliminate the situation where empty containers are piled up unevenly in a mountain shape. [Means for solving the problem] (1) As described above, one aspect of this embodiment is an empty container recovery device 100 that is detachable from the device main body 100B and includes a storage section 140 that stores empty containers, and a leveling mechanism 160 that levels out empty containers stacked inside the storage section 140, wherein the leveling mechanism 160 has a drive source 161 and a swinging section 162 that swings upon receiving power from the drive source 161, and the drive source 161 is located at a position away from both the swinging section 162 and the storage section 140. According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent empty containers from being unevenly piled up in a mountain shape.

[0061] (2) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (1), in which the swinging part 162 is a belt-shaped soft member. According to the above configuration, there is no risk of fragments of crushed plastic bottles or other foreign matter getting in and causing the leveling mechanism to stop working.

[0062] (3) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (1), which is provided with an input section 110 for inputting items into the device main body, the input section 110 being located above the storage section 140 and facing the operator, and the drive source 161 being located above the storage section 140 and facing away from the operator. According to the above configuration, the drive source can be disposed by effectively utilizing the space within the device.

[0063] (4) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (3), in which the oscillating part has one end connected to the drive source and the other end lower than the storage part and fixed on the opposite side to the side where the drive source is located, but the fixed position is at a position less than half the depth of the device main body part. According to the above configuration, the desired effect can be achieved without increasing the driving force.

[0064] (5) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (3), in which the oscillating part has one end connected to the drive source and the other end lower than the storage part and fixed on the opposite side to the side where the drive source is located, but the fixed position is at a position less than half the total width of the device main body part. According to the above configuration, it is possible to flexibly accommodate the layout configuration of the input section within the device.

[0065] (6) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (1), further comprising a drive source control unit, which performs the first oscillation when the number of empty containers inserted exceeds a specified number, and thereafter performs intermittent oscillation at predetermined required timings. According to the above configuration, the leveling mechanism is operated at an appropriate timing, so that noise and vibration do not continue for longer than necessary.

[0066] (7) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (6), in which the specified required timing is established each time a certain number of empty containers are inserted after a specified number of containers have been inserted. According to the above configuration, the control timing can be simplified.

[0067] (8) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (6), in which the specified required timing is achieved when a specific number of empty containers, which gradually decrease, are inserted after a specified number of containers have been inserted. According to the above configuration, the leveling operation can be performed at an appropriate timing depending on the type and condition of the stored items.

[0068] (9) One aspect of this embodiment is the empty container recovery device 100 described in (1), further comprising a drive source control unit, which performs the first oscillation when the weight of the empty containers stored in the storage unit exceeds a specified weight, and thereafter performs intermittent oscillation at predetermined required timings. According to the above configuration, the timing is calculated based on the weight, so that even if the count value of the number of inserted bottles is lost, the equalizing operation can be performed appropriately.

[0069] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and design changes within the scope of the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention. For example, although the embodiments do not include an empty container collection box, a device including an empty container collection box is also included within the scope of the present invention. This is as explained with reference to FIG. 13. Furthermore, although the embodiments include two bag holders, a device with one bag holder is also included within the scope of the present invention. Even with one bag holder, pile-ups do not completely disappear, and the leveling mechanism can be effective. Furthermore, the empty container collection device can be used for cans and bottles other than PET bottles, and can also include any container eligible for collection, such as milk cartons, trays, and ink cartridges. Even if the collection device does not include a volume reduction mechanism, the storage capacity will still be reduced due to pile-ups, and therefore it is included within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the embodiments shown in the above-described drawings can be combined with each other as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in terms of purpose, configuration, etc. Furthermore, the contents of each drawing may be an independent embodiment, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to one embodiment obtained by combining the drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1...Control unit (CPU) 2...Storage section 3…Display operation section 7...Weighting unit (load cell, etc.) 8...Metal detection sensor 9...Optical sensor 16...Electric motor 17...Reader / writer (acquisition means) 18...Deflection drive unit 19...imaging unit 100...Empty container recovery device 100B...Main body 101…Judgment section 110...Container input section 111...Outer door 112...inner door 120...Volume reduction section (volume reduction mechanism) 140...Bag holding section (storage section) 141...Column part 142...Latching part 143...Bag extrusion section 144...Slide rail (moving part) 160...Smoothing mechanism 161...Drive source 162...Swinging part 1621…Upper side proximal end 1622…Lower base end 901...PET sensor (optical sensor) 902...Container detection sensor (optical sensor) 903...Safety detection sensor (optical sensor) P…Empty container

Claims

1. The device is detachably attached to the device main body and includes a storage section for storing empty containers, and a leveling mechanism for leveling the empty containers stacked inside the storage section, the leveling mechanism includes a drive source and a swinging unit that swings upon receiving power from the drive source, The drive source is provided at a position away from both the swinging portion and the accommodating portion. An empty container recovery device characterized by:

2. The swinging portion is a belt-shaped soft member.

2. The empty container recovery device according to claim 1.

3. An input unit for inputting an article into the device main body, the input section is provided above the storage section and on the side facing the operator, The drive source is provided above the storage unit and on a side that does not directly face the operator.

2. The empty container recovery device according to claim 1.

4. The swinging part has one end connected to the drive source and the other end located below the storage part and fixed on the opposite side to the drive source, but the fixed position is set at a position that is less than half the depth of the device main body.

4. The empty container recovery device according to claim 3.

5. The swinging part has one end connected to the drive source and the other end located below the storage part and fixed on the opposite side to the drive source, but the fixed position is set at a position that is less than half the overall width of the device main body.

4. The empty container recovery device according to claim 3.

6. Further comprising a drive source control unit, The drive source control unit executes the first shaking when the number of empty containers inserted exceeds a specified number, and thereafter executes the shaking intermittently at predetermined required timing.

2. The empty container recovery device according to claim 1.

7. The predetermined necessary timing occurs every time a certain number of empty containers are inserted after the specified number of containers are inserted.

7. The empty container recovery device according to claim 6.

8. The predetermined necessary timing occurs when a specific, gradually decreasing number of empty containers are added after a predetermined number of containers have been added.

7. The empty container recovery device according to claim 6.

9. Further comprising a drive source control unit, The drive source control unit executes the first shaking when the weight of the empty containers stored in the storage unit exceeds a specified weight, and thereafter executes the shaking intermittently at predetermined required timing.

2. The empty container recovery device according to claim 1.

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