DEVICE FOR COMPRESSING CONTAINERS

Abstract: A device for compressing containers (3) a piece at a time comprises two press members (1, 2) movable towards each other, between which the containers are compressed. At least one of the press members is connected to a driving member (4) via a lever gear (5), in which the mutual position of the press members guides the length of the lever during the compression of the containers.

Description: Device for compressing containers The present invention relates to a device for compressing containers a piece at a time comprising two press members movable towards each other, the container being compressed between said press members. The invention relates more specifically to such a device, in which at least one of the press members is connected to driving means via a lever gear, in which the mutual position of the two press members determines the length of the lever. The demand for recycling of materials grows stronger, particularily materials, the production of which requires extensive use of energy, e.g. aluminium, which is used increasingly to manufacture cans de¬ signed for beverages, particularily carbonated beverages. Also, since aluminium is not decomposed in nature, it is strongly desirable to collect aluminium cans, when they have been used, to avoid littering nature. Cans are very voluminous and hence, when empty cans are taken back or collected, it is suitable to reduce their volume by compress¬ ing them. It has appeared that an axial compressing of the cans re¬ sults in a suitable combination of their volumes and shapes. In a device which compresses a can in an ' axial direction a comparati¬ vely large initial force is required to start the compressing of the can. As soon as the compressing has started, a comparatively small force is required to proceed with it, but at the final stage a larger force is again required. Tests have shown that for an empty can made of aluminium the required force at the initial stage is about 1300 N and at the final stage about 1200 N. Between those two stages the force requirement is considerably less and about one quarter of that mentioned. The present invention relates to a device for compressing cans, which device is very small, can be manufactured at a small cost and does not require an electric connection. According to the invention tv/o- press members are disposed opposite each other and movable towards each other. Cans are compressed between the press members. At least OMPI one of the press members is connected to a driving member, e.g. a bar or a base plate via a lever gear, in which the mutual position of the press members determines the length of the lever. The lever gear is adapted to the compression force required at each compression stage and thus, the required force exerted by the driving member is mainly constant. In a preferred embodiment a lever gear is selected, which allows the driving member to exert a mainly constant force of about 300 N during all the compression process. Thus, the force requirement mentioned above leads to a gear ratio of about 4:1 at the initial and at the final stage of the compression process. According to the invention a least one pull member is a part of the lever gear, which pull member is flexible or articulated and contact¬ ing the outer ends of mutually fixed levers. The length of the latter varies. They are mounted on a revolving member, which is common to and combining the levers. In some embodiments the outer ends of the levers are also combined and form one or more surfaces, which surface and surfaces respectively said pull member contacts. The combined surface or surfaces are in some applications parts of cylindrical surfaces. In one embodiment of the invention a. number of levers form a group of levers and another number of levers another group of levers. The two groups are mounted on the common revolving member. A first pull mem¬ ber is connected to one of the press members and contacts said first group of levers, while a second pull member is connected to the driv- ing member and contacts the second group of levers. In some embodi¬ ments said first and second pull member are two parts of one single common pull member. In another embodiment of the invention a number of levers are common to the two groups of levers. Said pull member is an articulated bar, a chain, a band or a rope or a similar member of a resistant material, e.g. of steel, plastic, textile etc. One of the press members is connected to that pull member, which con- ' • φ —-.- OLIΓI tacts the first group of levers and as an alternative a portion of a cylindrical surface. The bearing of the first group of levers and as an alternative said element having a cylindrical surface is then fix¬ ed at the second press member. 5 The invention is described in more detail with reference to a number of drawings wherein: Figs. 1 - 3 are views of the device during various stages of the compression process and Figs. 4 - 6 are views of various embodiments of the lever gear. 10 As is illustrated in Figs. 1-3, a support 14 is secured to a wall 17 by means of a number of bolts 18. A first press member 1 is fastened to the support, while a second press member 2 is movably disposed in relation to said first press member 1. A slide 16 and a guide 15 co¬ operate to guide the orientation of the second press member during 15 its motion. A can or similar container 3 is shown between the two press members in its various stages of compression. Support 14 has a bearing 19, around which a bar 4 is movable from its initial position to a second position 4 " , indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Bar 4 also has a bearing 20, in which a flexible pull mem- 20 ber 6 is attached with its portion 6", further on called the second portion of the pull member, while the first portion 6 " of the pull member is attached to the movable press member 2. Pull member 6 is a part of a lever gear 5. Thus, that portion of the pull member, which is located between lever gear 5 and second press member 2 is the 25 first portion of the pull member and a reference figure 6" has been given to it and that portion of the pull member which is located between the lever gear and bearing 20 of bar 4 is its second portion and a reference figure 6" has been given to it. As is illustrated in the drawings, the length of the two portions 6" and 6 M of the pull 30. member varies in accordance with the positions of bar 4. Lever gear 5 is, as is shown in Figs. 1 - 3, provided with a trans¬ mission member 11, 23 having substantially a circular circumference to allow interaction with pull member 6. Transmission member 11, 23 is disposed between two carriers 21 attached to support 14 and is provided with a shaft 22, which " is assyrnmetrically disposed and mounted in bearings in carriers 21. (Only one of the two carriers, carrier 21 a, is shown in the drawings.) Pull member 6 runs around transmission member 11, 23 and hence, the two portions 6 " and 6" are substantially parallel and the pull member is substantially U-shaped. Also, transmission member 11, 23, second press member 2 and bar 4 are mutally disposed in such a manner that the bar and the press member are located on the same side of the transmission member. In the drawings the sizes of the levers of lever gear 5 are indicated by the letters a and b respectively. As is shown in the drawings, the lever gear ratio varies during the compression process. When starting and concluding the compression the gear ratio is the largest. The shape of the transmission member is directly adjustable to the actual force requirement during the compression process. Thus, the contact surface of the transmission member for pull member 6 has a curvature, which is directly adjusted to the force which is required during the compression of the container. In this way the force exerted on the bar is mainly constant during the compression of the can. In Figs. 4 - 6 alternative embodiments of transmission member 23 are indicated. It is disposed as a common revolving member 8, to which are fixed a number of separate levers 7, the length of which are adjusted to the required gear ratio during various stages of the com- pression of the can. A number of levers forms a first group 7" to cooperate with the first portion 6" of the pull member and a number of levers forms a second group 7" to cooperate with the second por¬ tion 6" of the member. Each of portions 6 " and 6 H respectively of the pull member are, as is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, attached to the out- most lever of groups 7 " and 7" respectively. The levers are at their outer ends 9 preferably provided with grooves, in which pull member 6 is placed. As distinguished from that shown in Figs. 1 - 3, in Figs. 4 and 5 it is shown that pull member 6 is no longer an integrated unit but first portion ' of the pull member is a first separate pull member 6 " and second portion 6 M of the pull member is a separate se¬ cond pull member 6". The power transmission between the two pull mem- _ OMPI bers 6 " and 6" is fully caused by levers 7 and revolving member 8. Fig. 6 shows an embodiment of the invention, in which the grooves in outer ends 9 of levers 7 cooperate with engagement members 24 attach¬ ed to pull member 6. The distance between engagement members 24 is adjusted to the distances between the grooves of outer ends 9, with which said engagement members cooperate. Also, Fig. 6 shows an em¬ bodiment of the invention, in wh ch a number of levers 7 are common to the two portions 6 " and 6" respectively of pull member 6 and during the compression process at first cooperate with first portion 6 " of the pull member and then with second portion 6" of the pull member. Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of the invention, in which outer ends 9 of levers 7 are combined and form a continous surface 10, against which pull member 6 is placed. Pull member 6 can be any flexible or articulated member suitable to be placed against outer ends 9 of levers 7 or against the circumfer¬ ence of transmission member 11, 23. Examples of embodiments of the pull member is an articulated bar, a chain, a band, a rope or any similar resistant member, e.g. made of steel, plastic, textile etc. A can 3, which is placed between the two press members 1 and 2 is subjected to a compressing force, when bar 4 is moved from its initi¬ al position towards position 4" in Fig. 1 indicated by dotted lines. During the initial stage of the compression of the can, when the largest compression force is required, lever b is larger than lever a, and in this way the gear ratio is also the largest. During the continued compression process the required compression force grows smaller. This situation corresponds to the stage shown in Fig. 2, in which lever a cooperates with second portion 6" of the pull member and lever b with first member 6 " of the pull member, which means that the gear ratio is the smallest. During the final stage of the com¬ pression process (Fig. 3) the required compression force grows anew and at the same time the transmission member turns anew to a posi¬ tion, in which the gear ratio is the largest. When the compression of the can has been completed, the bar is returned to its initial posi- OMPI tion and the second press member is removed to the position shown in Fig. 1, and in this way the compressed can 3" can be removed. The most expedient way to remove the second press member is to remove it by means of a spring, which however is not shown in the drawings. In addition to the above description the invention will also be evi¬ dent from the following patent claims. OMPI

Claims: PATENT CLAIMS 1. A device for compressing containers (3) a piece at a time comprising a first press member (1) and a second press member (2), said press members being disposed to move towards each other in order to compress said piece of container positioned between the press members, at least one of the press members (1, 2) being connected to a driving member (4) via a lever gear (5) having a gear ratio (of b/a) between the force of the driving member entering the lever gear (5) and the force of the driving member leaving the lever gear, said gear ratio - being determined by the mutual positions of said two press members, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that in said lever gear there is at least one pull member (6) functioning as a force transmitting connection between said driving member (4) and said lever gear (5) as well as between said lever gear and at least one of said press members (1, 2) respec¬ tively, and that said pull member (6), said press member (2) connected to said pull member and said gear (5) are disposed to enter positions, which will result in the gear ratio (b/a) of the lever gear having values, which are larger in the initial stage of the container compression process than during the immediately following part of the compression process. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said pull member (6), said press member (2) con- nected to said pull member and said gear (5) are positioned in such a way that the gear ratio (b/a) of said gear will have values, which are larger in the final stage of the compression of the container than during the immediately preceding part of the compression process. 3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e¬ r i z e d in that said pull member (6) is flexible or articulated and contacts the outer ends (9) of mutually fixed levers (7) having varying lenght and mounted on a revolving member (8) common to said levers. 4. A device as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said pull member (6) is an articulated bar, a 5 chain, a band, a rope or any similar member made of a re¬ sistant material, e.g. steel, plastic, textile. 5. A device as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said outer ends (9) of said levers (7) are combined and form a continous surface (10), which said pull member 10 (6) contacts. 6. A device as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said continous surface (10) is a portion of a cylinder (11). 7. A device as claimed in claims 3 - 6, c h a r a c t e - 15 r i z e d in that a number of levers (7) forms a first group (7 " ) of levers and a number of levers (7) forms a se¬ cond group (7 ** ) of levers and that the two groups are mounted on said common revolving member (8), a first portion (6 " ) of said pull member being connected to any one of said press 20 members (1, 2) and contacting said first group, as well as a second portion (6") of said pull member being connected to said driving member (4) and contacting said second group. 8. A device as claimed in claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a number of levers (7) are common to said two groups 25 (7' and 1 " ). 9. A device as claimed in any of claims 3, 5, 6, 7 or 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said common revolving member (8) or alternatively said cylinder (11) is rotatively mounted in a bearing, the position of which is fixed in rela- 30. tion to said second press member (1, 2). 10. A device as claimed in claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d -"a OMFI in that the outer ends of said first group (7 " ) are connected to the outer ends of said second group (7 " ), which said second portion (6 " ) of said pull member is contacting, and that said second portion is connected to said driving member (4). 11. A device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said lever used by said press members (1, 2) in each position has such a length and such an angle that available force given to the driving member (4) corresponds to the the required compression force of the press members. OMPI

Inventors: TROLLE STEN, TROLLE, STEN
Applicants: TROLLE STEN, TROLLE, STEN
Application year: 1982
Main classification: B30B1
IPC codes: B30B1, B30B9