Patent ID: 8870106
Filing Date: 2014-10-28
Classification: B02C

Abstract:
1. A shredder comprising a housing; a feed passage configured to receive material to be shredded by the shredder; a shredder mechanism received in the housing and including an electrically powered motor and cutter elements, the shredder mechanism enabling the material fed through the feed passage to be shredded to be fed into the cutter elements and the motor being operable to drive the cutter elements in a shredding direction; a thickness detector configured to measure the thickness of the material being fed through the feed passage, the thickness detector including a contact member movable from a limiting position engaging a wall of the feed passage, away from the wall, against a biasing force acting on the contact member, and a sensor configured to measure varying displacement of the contact member from the limiting position; and a controller coupled to the sensor, the controller being configured to prevent the motor from driving the cutter elements in the shredding direction responsive to the sensor sensing that the displacement of the contact member from the limiting position is at least equal to a predetermined thickness threshold.