Patent ID: 6418841
Filing Date: 2002-07-16
Classification: B30B

Abstract:
An assembly for forcing material into and compressing material in a container, said assembly including:a scale assembly, said scale assembly having at least one load-receiving member for removably receiving a container and at least one transducer connected to said load-receiving member for generating a weight signal representative of the weight on said load receiving member; a compactor, said compactor including: a housing, said housing having a charge chamber into which material is delivered, an open end contiguous with said charge chamber wherein said housing is positioned so that an opening in the container is in registration with the open end of said housing; a chamber fullness sensor assembly attached to said housing to monitor the amount of material in the charge chamber, wherein said chamber fullness sensor assembly generates a chamber fullness signal representative of the amount of material in the charge chamber; and a ram assembly including a moveable ram mounted to said housing, said ram positioned to translate through the charge chamber to push material into the container wherein, said ram assembly, in response to receipt of a ram actuation signal, actuates said ram; and a processor connected to said scale assembly to receive the weight signal and to said compactor to receive the chamber fullness signal and to generate to said ram assembly the ram actuation signal and said processor is configured so that: said processor determines whether or not the fullness of the container is below or at or above a first fullness level based on the weight of the container and the material in the container as indicated by the weight signal; when the container is below the first fullness level, said processor generates the ram actuation signal when said chamber fullness signal indicates there is a first amount of material in the charge chamber; and when the container is at or above the first fullness level, said processor generates the ram actuation signal when said chamber fullness signal indicates that there is a second amount of material in the charge chamber, the second amount of material being less than the first amount of material.