Machine for treating infectious waste, in particular medical waste

A machine is provided including a receptacle for loading waste, a shredder, and a pusher to push waste toward the shredder. The receptacle has a constant cross-section between a waste loading opening and a communication opening with the shredder, and the pusher is a plate translatable in the receptacle, parallel to the axis along which the receptacle has the constant cross-section. The plate is dimensioned such that only an interstice exists between the plate edge wall and the walls defining the receptacle; the plate is movable between a withdrawn position able to be freed from said waste loading opening, and an end-of-travel position situated near the communication opening. The machine comprises a sealing gasket movable between a retracted position, which does not hinder the mobility of the plate in the receptacle, and a sealing position, which produces, in the end-of-travel position of the plate, sealing between the plate and the receptacle walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The law requires that infectious waste, in particular medical waste, be shredded such that it is not recognizable or reusable, and above all such that it can be highly sterilized. To that end, it is known to use a shredding and sterilizing machine for such waste, comprising an upper hopper for receiving waste, a median shredding compartment, and a lower tub for receiving, sterilizing and discharging shredded waste.

The median shredding compartment includes a shredder formed from a parallel series of contrarotating knives, the knives in one series alternating with counter-knives. The knives in one series cooperate with the counter-knives in another, adjacent series, and vice versa.

The waste tending not to be captured by the knives of the shredder and to remain in the hopper, it has in particular been considered to equip the hopper with a flexible sheath for receiving and coating the waste, traveling with the waste toward the shredder and intended to be shredded with the waste; it has also been considered to equip the hopper with a steerable shaft for pushing the waste toward the shredder.

The median shredding compartment and the lower tub must be sterilized using pressurized steam between each waste treatment cycle, which means tightly closing the opening that exists between the bottom of the hopper and the median shredding compartment. This closing is done using a sliding hatch.

The existing machines of this type are globally satisfactory, but may nevertheless still be perfected.

Indeed, the aforementioned steerable shafts are not always very effective and involve the presence of an operator. The sliding hatch risks trapping waste between it and its sliding seat when it closes, which leads to a risk of incomplete closing of this hatch and the exertion of unwanted additional and repeated forces on the means for actuating the hatch. Furthermore, fragments of waste tend to rise more or less from the shredder and accumulate in said seat, consequently requiring frequent cleaning of said seat. Furthermore, the sliding hatch makes it necessary to provide means for disinfecting the hopper that are separate from the means for disinfecting and sterilizing the median shredding compartment and the lower receptacle, which also makes the structure and operation of the device more complex.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention primarily aims to resolve all of these drawbacks.

Documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,054,696 A, 5,150,843 A and 3,774,882 A describe various machines, not making it possible to achieve this aim completely.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The machine comprises a receptacle for loading waste, a shredding assembly for shredding said waste, including a shredder, and a pushing means making it possible to push the waste toward this shredder;the receptacle for loading waste has a constant cross-section between a waste loading opening and a communication opening with the shredder; andsaid pushing means is a plate translatable in the waste loading receptacle, parallel to the axis along which this receptacle has said constant cross-section, this plate having dimensions such that only an interstice exists between the edge of the plate and the walls defining said waste loading receptacle; the plate is movable between a withdrawn position, in which it is able to be freed from said waste loading opening, and an end-of-travel position, in which it is situated near said communication opening;the machine comprises a sealing gasket movable between a retracted position, in which this seal does not hinder the mobility of the plate in the waste loading receptacle, and a sealing position, in which the seal produces, in said end-of-travel position of the plate, sealing between the plate and the walls of said receptacle.

The plate makes it possible, through its movement, to push all of the waste toward the shredding compartment, without requiring repeated actuation by an operator as with a sleeve according to the prior art. The interstice formed by this plate with the walls of the receptacle eliminates the risk of waste, or fragments of waste, rising up the shredder, passing above it. In said end-of-travel position, there is no longer a risk of fragments of shredded waste becoming jammed between the plate and the walls of the receptacle, and the machine does not comprise any hollow seat in which such fragments may accumulate.

Furthermore, the sealing gasket makes it possible to temporarily separate the receptacle and the shredding compartment, to disinfect and sterilize the shredding compartment under conditions not required for said receptacle. The assembly makes it possible for the waste loading receptacle to be disinfected and sterilized by the same disinfection and sterilization means as those disinfecting and sterilizing the shredding compartment and, when the machine comprises one, the lower receiving tub, sterilizing and discharging the shredded waste.

The sealing gasket may in particular be inflatable, such that the passage of this sealing gasket from said retracted position to said sealing position is done by inflating this sealing gasket and, conversely, the passage of this sealing gasket from said sealing position to said retracting position is done by deflating this sealing gasket.

According to one possibility, the sealing gasket is housed in a seat arranged in the walls defining the waste loading receptacle. In said sealing position, this sealing gasket then presses on the edge wall of said plate, this edge being smooth.

According to another possibility, the sealing gasket is housed in a seat arranged in the edge wall of said plate and then presses, in said sealing position, on the walls defining the waste loading receptacle. These walls are then smooth, such that there is no risk of accumulation of waste fragments. The sealing gasket may, in the retracted position, rub slightly against the walls of the receptacle and thus form a means for scraping these walls.

The machine may comprise means for blocking the plate in said end-of-travel position, in particular in the form of at least one latch engaging the plate and at least one of the walls defining said waste loading receptacle.

These blocking means immobilize the plate in this end-of-travel position and greatly reduce or eliminate the exertion of wearing forces on the sealing gasket.

Preferably, in said withdrawn position, the plate is completely housed in a cover comprised by the machine, this cover being movable between a position covering said waste loading opening, in which it closes that opening, and a retracted position, in which it does not hinder the loading of waste in said receptacle.

The plate can thus be completely freed from this opening, which allows easy loading of the waste.

Preferably, the means for actuating the plate comprise at least two series of crossed-bars pivotally connected to one another, on two opposite sides of the plate.

Such crossed-bars allow perfect guidance of the plate between its aforementioned withdrawn and end-of-travel positions.

According to another aspect of the invention,the shredder is housed in a moving drawer sliding inside a receiving compartment comprised by the structure of the machine, this receiving compartment being defined by side walls and a rear wall, which comprises an opening;the drawer has a distal boss able, in the fully engaged position of this drawer in said receiving compartment, to be engaged in an adjusted manner in said opening comprised by said rear wall;the machine comprises a cap able to envelop the part of the distal boss that protrudes past said rear wall in the fully engaged position of the drawer in said receiving compartment, this cap being provided with a flange intended to be bolted on said rear wall, this flange having, at its inner edge, a beveled surface, andthe machine comprises a seal able to be engaged in an adjusted manner around said part of the distal boss that protrudes past said rear wall in the fully engaged position of the drawer in said receiving compartment, until it comes into contact with said rear wall and is pressed by said beveled surface of the cap when this cap is bolted to said rear wall.

The assembly of the shredder in the machine is thus done by engaging the drawer that contains the shredder in the shredding compartment, until said distal boss is engaged in an adjusted manner through said opening comprised by said rear wall. The seal is next placed around this boss until it is in contact with this rear wall, then the cap is placed on the boss and is bolted to this rear wall so as to press the seal.

The invention therefore consists of providing two structures around the shredder, said drawer and said receiving compartment, and providing a very strong distal connection of this drawer to this receiving compartment, by pressing of said seal over its entire periphery. This connection makes it possible to create sealing between the inside and the outside of the tub. Furthermore, this connection makes it possible to produce isostatic mechanical blocking of said two structures, which makes it possible, if the geometry of the shredder or the tub is not perfect (which may happen, given that some of these parts are made by mechanized welding), to react the excessive play that would then exist between the rear part of the shredder and said opening. This same isostatic mechanical blocking also makes it possible to react a perpendicularity or parallelism flaw between the bearing face against the seal and said boss. In other words, when the seal is pressed, it will not create stresses on the shredder and will simply be placed plastically around said boss comprised by the shredder.

According to still another aspect of the invention,the shredder is formed by at least two parallel series of contrarotating knives, the knives of one series alternating with the counter-knives of that same series, and the knives of a first series cooperating with the counter-knives of another adjacent series, and vice versa, andat least one knife comprises at least one cell emerging in at least one of its faces turned toward the adjacent counter-knife, or at least one counter-knife comprises at least one cell emerging in at least one of its faces turned toward the adjacent knife, this cell being intended to be filled with lubricating grease and to thus form a grease reserve.

Thus, when a series of sterilization and disinfection cycles implementing a hot fluid, in particular steam, tends to reduce or even eliminate the quantity of grease present in the interface between a knife and the adjacent counter-knife, the subsequent rotation of the knife relative to the adjacent counter-knife causes a withdrawal of grease in that cell due to the viscosity of said grease, and therefore recharging of that interface with grease. As a result, the interruptions of the machine to recharge the interfaces of the knives and counter-knives with grease can be significantly spaced out.

Such a cell may emerge in only one of the faces of a knife or a counter-knife; preferably, however, this cell emerges in both faces of a knife or a counter-knife.

Preferably, a cell is arranged in each counter-knife and emerges in both faces of said counter-knife.

According to still another aspect of the invention,the shredder is formed by at least two parallel series of contrarotating knives, the knives of one series alternating with the counter-knives of that same series, and the knives of a first series cooperating with the counter-knives of another adjacent series, and vice versa; the edge of each counter-knife turned toward the associated knife is an arc of circle and teeth comprised by the associated knife travel along this edge; andat least one counter-knife has a notch arranged in it, emerging in this same arc of circle edge, and situated on the downstream side of this edge relative to the passage direction of the waste between the series of knives and counter-knives, this notch forming a tip oriented from the upstream side of the counter-knife.

This tip constitutes a catching zone for a fragment of waste present between the knife and the counter-knife and makes it possible to retain that fragment until passage of the consecutive tooth of the knife across from that tip, which makes it possible to perform shearing or additional shredding of that fragment.

When the set of counter-knives comprised by the shredder has such a notch, and therefore such a tip, the shredder not only comprises a first shearing zone at the teeth of the knives and a second shearing zone between the edges of the teeth of the knives and the upper edges of the counter-knives, but also a third shearing zone between said tips and said consecutive teeth of the knives as well as a fourth active zone, made up of the alternating arrangement of said tips of one counter-knife at an adjacent counter-knife. These tips make up calibration zones in the form of a sort of comb, which allow the shredded waste to be driven again into the aforementioned shearing zones if this waste has dimensions larger than the dimensions of the passage zone initially defined.

The effectiveness of the obtained shredding is thus greatly improved and makes it possible to eliminate any need for calibration downstream from the shredder.

The invention will be well understood, and other features and advantages thereof will appear, in reference to the appended diagrammatic drawing, showing, as a non-limiting example, one preferred embodiment of the machine in question.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2show a machine1for treating infectious waste, in particular medical waste, essentially comprising a waste loading receptacle2, a shredding assembly3for shredding this waste and a lower tub4for receiving, sterilizing and discharging the shredded waste. The other elements visible in these figures (electrical cabinet, steam generating unit, etc.) are well known in themselves and are not part of the invention; they will therefore not be described more specifically.

The receptacle2has a constant cross-section between an upper waste loading opening and a lower communication opening with a shredding compartment, including a shredder5, comprised by the shredding assembly3.

In the version of the machine shown inFIGS. 1 to 4, the receptacle2comprises, slightly withdrawn from this lower opening, a hollow seat6(seeFIGS. 3 and 4) in which an inflatable seal7is placed. This seal7defines a closed inner chamber that is connected to a pressurized fluid source (not shown). Supplying this chamber with this fluid makes it possible to expand the seal7, causing it to go from a retracted position, shown inFIG. 3, in which this seal does not protrude from the seat6, to a sealing position, shown inFIG. 4, in which this seal protrudes from the seat6and is pressed against the edge walls of a pressing plate10, described later, thus producing sealing between this plate10and the walls of this receptacle2.

In the alternative embodiment of the machine1shown inFIG. 10, the seat6, containing the seal7, is arranged in the edge walls of the plate10and the portions of the walls of the receptacle2situated slightly withdrawn from said lower opening are smooth and in the continuation of the rest of the walls of the receptacle2.

In association with the receptacle2, the machine comprises a pressing assembly for the waste in this receptacle, and an upper sliding cover11.

The waste pressing assembly comprises said pressing plate10, two series of pivotally-linked cross bars12and structures13connecting these series of cross bars12to the plate10on the one hand, and to the cover11on the other hand.

As shown inFIGS. 1, 2 and 10, the pressing plate10has dimensions such that only an interstice exists between its edge walls and the walls defining the receptacle2. This plate10is translatable in the receptacle2, through the unfolding/folding of the crossed-bars12, parallel to the axis along which this receptacle2has said constant cross-section. This mobility occurs between an upper withdrawn position, shown inFIG. 1, in which it is completely retracted in the cover11, and a lower end-of-travel position, shown inFIG. 2, in which it is situated near said communication opening, and in which the seal7is able to perform the aforementioned sealing.

The cover11is inwardly hollow, so as to house the plate10, the series of crossed-bars12, said connecting structures13and a jack for actuating the crossed-bars12. It is movable by sliding between the illustrated position completely covering the waste loading opening, in which it closes that opening tightly, and a lateral withdrawn position, in which it completely frees said opening and therefore does not hinder the loading of waste in the receptacle2.

Said connecting structures13are formed from frames made of corner profiles; the walls on which the branches of the respective crossed-bars12are mounted comprise apertures making it possible for the pivot point of one branch of the corresponding crossed-bar12to come closer to and further from the pivot point of the other branch of that same crossed-bar.

The machine1also comprises latches14mounted on two opposite walls of the receptacle2, both of which are, in said lower end-of-travel position, received in corresponding strikes arranged in the frames forming said connecting structures13.

In reference toFIGS. 5 to 8, it appears that the waste shredding assembly3essentially comprises the shredder5, formed from two parallel shafts15each including a series of knives16and alternating counter-knives17, a shredding compartment18housing this shredder5, and an actuating assembly for actuating these shafts15in a contrarotating manner.

The knives16in one series cooperate with the counter-knives17in the other series, and vice versa, as particularly shown inFIG. 9.

In reference to thisFIG. 9, it appears that the shafts15have a hexagonal section and that each knife16has a central opening formed by the superposition of two hexagonal apertures, offset from one another by 30°, the dimensions of these apertures being such that they allow the adjusted engagement, and wedging, of the knives16on the shafts15. As particularly shown inFIG. 8, the successive knives16of a same series are offset by 30 degrees, from one knife to an adjacent knife in the same series.

Each counter-knife17is engaged on the corresponding shaft15and comprises a circular opening in which a sliding ring20with a hexagonal opening and circular periphery is housed, this sliding ring20being mounted on the shaft15. The counter-knife17is thus not movable in the compartment18when the corresponding shaft15is rotated.

On the side opposite the counter-knife17relative to the knife16, the shredder5has an additional counter-knife19.

The counter-knife17has an arc of circle edge turned toward the associated knife16, along which the teeth travel comprised by that knife16, and has a notch21arranged in it, emerging in this same arc of circle edge, and situated on the downstream side of the shredder5relative to the passage direction of the waste between the series of knives16and counter-knives17. This notch21thus forms a tip22oriented on the upstream side of the counter-knife17.

The counter-knife17also comprises a cell23emerging in both faces of the counter-knife17turned toward the knives16that are adjacent to said counter-knife17in the same series of knives and counter-knives. This cell23is filled with lubricating grease and thus forms a grease reserve, as explained later.

The counter-knife19also has an arc of circle edge turned toward the associated knife16, along which the teeth travel comprised by that knife16. It is fastened on a wall25laterally defining the shredding compartment18.

In reference toFIGS. 5 to 8, it appears that this compartment18is defined by a forward wall24, two side walls25and a rear wall26including a distal boss27. In the assembled state, the assembly forms a drawer that is placed in a receiving compartment28having dimensions adjusted to those of the drawer, the walls defining this receiving compartment28forming a body with the tub4. This receiving compartment28is in particular defined by a rear wall29that comprises an opening able to receive the boss27in an adjusted manner in the fully engaged position of the drawer, and also comprises a series of threaded rods fastened to it around this opening.

The machine1also comprises a cap30and a seal31.

The cap30is dimensioned to envelop the boss27in an adjusted manner and is provided with a flange intended to be engaged on the threaded rods secured to the wall29and to be bolted to the latter. As shown inFIG. 11in particular, this flange has, at its inner edge, a beveled surface32.

The seal31is in the form of a ring and is dimensioned to be engaged in an adjusted manner around the boss27until it comes into contact with said rear wall29. When the cap30is bolted to the latter, said beveled surface32presses this seal31over its entire periphery, as shown more particularly inFIG. 11.

The actuating assembly of the shredder5includes a motor35acting on one of the shafts15, and two pinions36, wedged on the shafts15and meshing with one another such that the driving of one shaft15generated by the motor35is transmitted to the other shaft15.

The tub4has a longitudinal opening40through which the shredded waste can be removed from it. This opening40is closed by a sliding cover41, movable between a tight closing position of this opening and a withdrawn position, in which this cover41completely frees that opening.

As will be understood, the plate10makes it possible, through its movement, to push all of the waste toward the shredding compartment18, without requiring repeated actuation by an operator as with a shaft according to the prior art. The interstice formed by this plate10with the walls of the receptacle2eliminates, jointly with the sealing made possible by the seal7, any risk of waste, or fragments of waste, rising up the shredder5and passing above this plate10, or of such waste or fragments accumulating in a hollow seat. The crossed-bars12allow perfect guidance of the plate10between its withdrawn and end-of-travel positions, preventing any risk of jamming of this plate in this receptacle.

The plate10and the seal7further make it possible to temporarily separate the receptacle and the shredding compartment18, to disinfect and sterilize the shredding compartment under conditions not required for the receptacle2. The latches14immobilize the plate10in this end-of-travel position, which protects the seal7from the wearing forces generated by this disinfection and sterilization.

The assembly of the shredder5in the machine1is done by engaging the drawer that contains the shredder in the receiving compartment28, until the boss27is engaged through the passage opening arranged in the rear wall29. The seal31is next placed around this boss27until it is in contact with this rear wall29, then the cap30is placed in an adjusted manner on the boss27and is bolted to this rear wall29so as to press the seal31via the beveled wall32.

Two structures are thus provided around the shredder5, said drawer25and said receiving compartment28, and the pressing of the seal31over its entire periphery, by the cap30, makes it possible to produce a very strong and isostatic distal connection of this drawer to this receiving compartment. This connection is perfectly able to withstand repeated forces experienced by the shredder5, while allowing easy disassembly of the shredder, by simple disassembly of the cap30and removal of the seal31from around the boss27.

Each cell23allows a recharge of the interface between a counter-knife17and the two adjacent knives16when a series of sterilization and disinfection cycles implementing steam tends to reduce or even eliminate the quantity of grease present in these interfaces. As a result, the interruptions in the use of the machine1to recharge the interfaces of the knives16and counter-knives17with grease can be significantly spaced out.

Furthermore, the tip22constitutes a catching zone for a fragment of waste present between a knife16and a counter-knife17and makes it possible to retain that fragment until passage of the consecutive tooth of the knife16across from that tip22, which makes it possible to perform shearing or additional shredding of that fragment. The effectiveness of the obtained shredding is greatly improved and makes it possible to eliminate any need for sieving downstream from the shredder5.

As appears from the preceding, the invention provides a machine1having the aforementioned decisive advantages relative to the similar machines of the prior art.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above as an example, but encompasses all embodiments covered by the appended claims.