Abstrict A compact can crusher in which used beverage cans and the like
are dropped into a chute and are crushed flat between an oscillating
crusher plate and a wall of the chute, the crushed cans being dropped
through an open lower end of the chute. A drive motor is coupled
to the crusher plate to apply maximum thrust at opposite ends of
the oscillating stroke, so that cans are effectively flattened to
a minimum thickness. In one form spring stored energy adds to the
initial crushing action when the most pressure is needed, and provision
is made to prevent cans from jamming in the chute and to prevent
the mechanism from being jammed by articles which are not readily
crushed.
Claims Having described my invention, I now claim:
1. A compact can crusher, comprising:
a rigid supporting frame;
a can receiving chute mounted in said frame and having an upper
entry throat and an open lower end;
said chute having spaced upright side plates and downwardly converging
walls extending perpendicularly between the side plates, the walls
including a fixed front wall;
a crusher plate pivotally mounted in said frame, said crusher plate
having a hinge pin journalled in said side plates below the open
lower end of the chute;
said crusher plate extending upwardly through the chute to swing
into crushing engagement with said front wall and having drive pins
extending from opposite sides of the upper end thereof;
a drive motor mounted in said frame with a drive shaft extending
on both sides thereof;
a crank on each end of said drive shaft, and a connecting rod coupling
each crank to one of said drive pins to oscillate said crusher plate
toward and away from said front wall.
2. A compact can crusher according to claim 1 wherein said drive
shaft is substantially parallel horizontally to said drive pins
at the limits of travel of the crusher plate, whereby maximum thrust
is applied at the ends of each oscillating stroke.
3. A compact can crusher according to claim 1 and including a
flexible can stirring blade secured to and projecting upwardly from
the upper end of said crusher plate.
4. A compact can crusher according to claim 1 wherein said crusher
plate forms a rear wall of the chute.
5. A compact can crusher according to claim 4 wherein said chute
has a can receiving hopper at the upper end thereof, said crusher
plate having a baffle plate attached to the upper end thereof and
closing the rear portion of the hopper behind the crusher plate.
6. A compact can crusher according to claim 5 wherein said baffle
plate is pivotally attached to said crusher plate, the upper end
of said baffle plate being movably attached to an upper portion
of the hopper.
7. A compact can crusher according to claim 5 wherein said hopper
has a downwardly inclined rear panel, said baffle plate being fixed
to and extending rearwardly from the crusher plate immediately below
said rear panel.
8. A compact can crusher according to claim 4 and including a
support member fixed in said frame rearwardly of the crusher plate,
and compressible spring means mounted between said crusher plate
and said support member.
9. A compact can crusher according to claim 4 and including spring
means coupled to said crusher plate for loading by the rearward
stroke of the crusher plate and adding the spring loaded power to
the forward stroke of the crusher plate.
10. A compact can crusher according to claim 1 and including a
sweeper blade suspended below and movable with said crusher plate,
said sweeper blade being closely spaced above a crushed can collecting
surface below the open lower end of the chute.
11. A compact can crusher according to claim 1 and including detecting
means for detecting the movement of the crusher plate through each
stroke, timing means connected to said detector to time each stroke,
and reversing means coupled to said drive means and being responsive
to said timer to reverse the drive means when the time for a particular
stroke exceeds the normal time due to obstruction of the crusher
plate.
12. A compact can crusher according to claim 1 and including spring
means holding said drive means in a normal driving position, while
allowing displacement of the drive means when motion of the crusher
plate is obstructed.
13. A compact can crusher according to claim 1 and including a
mounting bracket pivotally supported in said frame, said drive motor
being mounted on said mounting bracket, and spring means connecting
between the mounting bracket and frame to hold the mounting bracket
in a normal drive position of the drive motor.
14. A compact can crusher according to claim 13 wherein said mounting
bracket is pivotally supported between said side plates and has
a tie rod projecting from opposite sides thereof, said spring means
including opposed springs each connected at one end to said tie
rod and at the other end to said side plates, holding the tie rod
centered therebetween.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the recycling of beverage cans and the like, particularly aluminum
cans, very large quantities of cans are collected and must be reduced
to a minimum volume for economical shipment and storage. For a commercial
type operation in which hundreds or thousands of pounds of cans
are processed daily, can crushers such as described in my prior
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3814009 and 4059050 have been successfully used.
In these machines cans are fed between contacting rotating wheels,
which crush large numbers of cans rapidly and throw them into a
receptacle. However, the apparatus is powerful, noisy and suited
only to a large scale operation.
For small scale use, domestic type trash compactors have been developed.
These are designed to compact a variety of materials and usually
have a linear type crushing action, which does not have the power
to crush cans completely flat. In any event, this type of compactor
is not intended nor suited for crushing only cans for subsequent
recycling.
Since recycling is likely to continue and even increase in scope,
there is a need for a can crusher which will handle a small but
substantial number of cans, such as in a bar or restaurant operation.
Such a unit must necessarily be compact and reasonably quiet in
operation and require a minimum of maintenance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The can crusher described herein is a compact cabinet type unit
which can be installed in or under a bar or counter, or positioned
in any convenient location in a minimum of space. Cans are placed
in a hopper in the top of the unit and fall into a chute, in which
a crusher plate oscillates from side to side. Cans are crushed between
the crusher plate and at least one adjacent wall of the chute, the
flattened cans falling from the open lower end of the chute into
a suitable receptacle.
The crusher plate is dirven by a motor through a double crank and
connecting rod mechanism, which is aligned so that maximum power
is applied at both limits of travel of the plate. This ensures that
cans will be crushed as flat as possible at the end of the stroke.
In one configuration, springs are compressed during one stroke and
the stored energy adds to the motor power at the start of the return
stroke. In other configurations, provision is made for preventing
the mechanism from jamming on an article which cannot be crushed
sufficiently to allow the machine to complete a stroke.
The mechanism is contained in a simple frame structure, which can
be enclosed as a free standing unit or built into other structure.
In operation the machine is reasonably quiet and would not be disturbing
in a bar or restaurant environment.
The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to provide
a new and improved compact can crusher.
Another object of this invention is to provide a can crusher which
can be installed in or under a bar, counter, or similar structure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a can crusher which
crushes cans on one or both sides of an oscillating crusher plate,
with maximum flattening power occuring at the end of each stroke.
A further object of this invention is to provide a compact can
crusher which is simple to construct and operate and requires a
minimum of maintenance.
Other objects and advantages will be apparent in the following
detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the complete can crusher, with
portions cut away.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the application of crushing power through
a complete cycle of the machine.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing an alternative one
sided crusher mechanism.
FIG. 6 is a further similar view showing a spring boosted mechanism.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7--7 of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a schematic of a jam preventing circuit.
FIG. 9 is a side elevation view, partially cut away, of a machine
incorporating a jam preventing spring mounting for the drive mechanism.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10--10 of FIG. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The can crusher illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is constructed with a
rigid rectangular box frame 10 having upright corner posts 12 spaced
by upper cross members 14 and lower cross members 16 on all four
sides. The actual details of construction may vary, the arrangement
shown being a simple basic frame, which may be enclosed by side
panels 18 if the unit is to be free standing.
In the upper portion of frame 10 is a hopper 20 leading into a
downwardly converging chute 22. The chute is enclosed between a
pair of vertical side plates 24 which are fixed to upper rails
26 extending between upper cross members 14 and lower rails 28 extending
between lower cross members 16. The chute 22 has a wide upper portion
30 converging to an entry throat 32 between a front wall 34 and
a rear wall 36. Front and rear walls 34 and 36 converge at equal
angles to an open lower end 38 and are reinforced by outwardly extending
lower flanges 40.
Below the open lower end and centered between the front and rear
walls is a hinge pin 42 extending perpendicularly between and journaled
in side plates 24. Pivotally mounted on hinge pin 42 is a rigid
crusher plate 44 which extends upwardly between the front and rear
walls. The position of the hinge pin 42 and the convergence angle
of the front and rear walls 34 and 36 are related, so that at the
end of each stroke the crusher plate 44 is substantially flat against
each of the front and rear walls. In actual construction a minimum
gap would be incorporated to allow for the thickness of a flattened
can and avoid binding or undue strain on the mechanism.
Fixed on the upper end of the crusher plate 44 are drive pins 46
projecting outwardly through slots 48 in the side plates 24. In
the front portion of the machine is a drive motor 50 mounted on
a suitable bracket 52. The drive motor has a reduction gear box
54 with a drive shaft 56 projecting from both sides. On each end
of drive shaft 56 is a crank 58 which is pivotally coupled by a
connecting rod 60 to the drive pin 46 on that side. The crusher
plate 44 is thus oscillated back and forth by rotation of cranks
58.
To achieve maximum crushing power the drive shaft 56 is positioned
to be horizontally parallel to the drive pins 46 at each end of
the crusher plate travel. As indicated in FIG. 4 this will apply
maximum crushing power to the crusher plate at the ends of the stroke.
Starting from a vertically upward position of the cranks 58 the
power will increase to a maximum with the rearward thrust of the
cranks at the 90 degree position, when the crusher plate 44 is against
rear wall 36. In this position the bellcranks are almost in a straight
out lock position, in which the back pressure or resistance to rotation
of the drive shaft is minimal. On the return stroke the power will
decrease to the vertically downward position of the cranks, when
the crusher plate is against front wall 34.
This alignment makes the unit particularly efficient in reducing
cans to a minimum size, since it is the last small amount of crushing
which requires the most power. At this stage the crushed can has
many folds and wrinkles and considerable pressure is necessary to
completely crush all of those deformities. It is for this reason
that the linear motion and other small compactor actions will not
effectively flatten cans to their smallest volume.
In FIG. 1 a partially crushed can 62 is shown between crusher
plate 44 and rear wall 36 while another can 64 has fallen between
the crusher plate and front wall 34 to be flattened on the return
stroke. Cans loaded into hopper 20 can thus fall on either side
of the crusher plate and be flattened in either direction. To prevent
cans from bridging the crusher plate or hanging up in the chute,
a flexible stirring blade 66 is secured to and extends upwardly
from the upper end of the crusher plate.
If the unit is to be free standing or normally open above the hopper,
a suitable hood enclosure 68 may be attached to the top of frame
10 with a hinged door 70 for access to the hopper. Alternatively,
a simple lid could be installed over the hopper, depending on the
particular installation.
Flattened cans are dropped from the open lower end 38 of the chute
and may be collected in a suitable receptacle. For convenience the
corner posts 12 may be extended downwardly to provide legs 72 so
that a receptacle can be placed under the unit.
A more compact structure is illustrated in FIG. 5 in which the
crushing operation is single action against only one wall of the
chute. The basic frame structure, drive mechanism and front portion
of the chute are all as described for FIGS. 1-3 and the same numerals
are used for the common parts.
In this configuration the rear portion of the chute is omitted
and the crusher plate 44 forms the movable rear wall of the chute,
so that cans are crushed against the front wall 34 only. To prevent
cans from falling behind the crusher plate 44 a baffle plate 74
is coupled by a hinge 76 to the upper edge of the crusher plate
and extends upwardly into the top portion of hood 68. The upper
end of baffle plate 74 is retained by pins 78 riding in slots 80
in the hood, to accommodate the motion of the baffle plate as the
crusher plate 44 is oscillated. The baffle plate is, in effect,
a movable rear wall of the hopper.
To prevent crushed cans from building up under the unit and possibly
jamming the mechanism, a sweeper blade 82 is suspended on support
rods 84 below and opposed to the crusher plate 44. The sweeper blade
82 is closely spaced from the floor or ground and swings with the
crusher plate to clear the area immediately below the lower end
38 of the chute, as indicated in the two position in FIG. 5. The
sweeper blade is applicable to any of the crusher configurations
described herein.
The configuration illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 is a single action
crusher similar to FIG. 5 but has a spring assisted action which
makes it possible to use a smaller drive motor. Again the pertinent
elements of the structure are numbered to correspond with FIGS.
1-3.
The differences include a spring or springs 86 installed between
a brace 88 across the rear of the crusher plate 44 and a support
beam 90 fixed across the rear of frame 10. Compression type coil
springs are illustrated, but any suitable spring arrangement can
be used.
In the rearward stroke of the crusher plate 44 with no can being
crushed, all the power of the motor 50 is applied to compress springs
86. When the forward stroke begins the stored power in the springs
is added to that of the motor, which is also at a peak as indicated
in FIG. 4 at the 90 degree position. This combined power occurs
at the initial crushing of the can, when maximum power is required
to fold and flatten the ends of the can. Thus the power which would
otherwise be wasted in the rearward stroke of the crusher plate
is stored and added to the forward stroke power, enabling the use
of a smaller motor for efficient overall performance.
In this configuration, also, an alternative method of controlling
cans is shown. The rear of the hopper has a forwardly and downwardly
inclined rear panel 92 which terminates just above the upper end
of crusher plate 44. Fixed to the upper end of the crusher plate
is a rearwardly extending baffle plate 94 which passes under the
rear panel 92 and prevents cans from falling behind the crusher
plate.
The unit can thus be constructed to provide single or double action
crushing, depending on the volume of cans to be handled and the
space available. It has been found that the unit will readily crush
full and partially full cans, squeezing out the contents completely.
Bottles can also be crushed if desired, either separately or mixed
with cans if facilities for subsequent separation are available.
With a suitable motor, the unit is quiet in operation and would
not be disturbing in the normal environment of a bar or restaurant.
If the unit is used in a continuous operation where constant monitoring
is not available, it is desirable to have some means for preventing
jamming in the event of a can or other item which will not crush
due to the presence of foreign material. A suitable circuit is shown
in FIG. 8 in which a detector 96 of any suitable type senses the
passing of the crusher plate 44 at each stroke. The detector is
connected to a timer 98 set to the normal time interval of each
stroke, so that if a stroke takes longer than normal, by a predetermined
time allowance, the timer will trigger a reversing switch 100 to
reverse motor 50. Thus if a solid object jams the crusher plate,
the stroke will be reversed, allowing the object to fall through
the unit and avoid jamming or shut down.
An alternative means for preventing jamming is illustrated in FIGS.
9 and 10 in which the machine is similar in many respects to that
of FIGS. 1-3 all corresponding parts being similarly numbered.
The only difference is in the mounting of the drive motor, which
is now resilient rather than fixed.
Drive motor 50 with gear box 54 is secured to a mounting bracket
102 which is pivotally suspended on hinge pins 104 in brackets
106 fixed to the side plates 24. The axis of hinge pins 104 is parallel
to the axis of drive shaft 56 to accommodate the displacement symmetrically.
The drive shaft 56 is coupled by cranks 58 and connecting rods 60
to the crusher plate 44 as described for FIGS. 1-3 this drive
coupling being cut away in FIG. 10 for clarity.
Fixed to the outside of each side plate 24 near the lower end of
mounting bracket 102 is an elongated box frame 108 having opposite
end plates 110. Secured across the mounting bracket 102 is a tie
rod 112 the ends of which project outwardly through box frames
108. In each end plate 110 is an inwardly projecting hook 114 and
between each hook and tie rod 112 is a tension spring 116. The opposed
springs are tensioned sufficiently to hold the mounting bracket
102 centered in the normal driving position, as in FIG. 9 and are
strong enough to resist any undue displacement in normal operation
of the machine. That is, normal crushing action of cans can take
plate without the drive mechanism shifting against the springs.
If the crusher receives an article which cannot be crushed sufficiently
to allow the mechanism to complete a stroke, the overload will cause
the mounting bracket to pivot and overcome springs 116. This will
permit the mechanism to complete a stroke and reverse, allowing
the incompletely crushed article to drop through. Jam proof action
is thus provided by simple mechanical means. |