Patent Publication Number: US-7216442-B2

Title: Drying device for a wood-waste collecting machine

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a drying device for a wood-waste collecting machine, particularly to one for drying moisture of wood waste with heat so as to let wood waste possible to be compressed into a tight block uneasily to loosen off. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Wood processing machines produce a large volume of wood waste, which is normally very light and bulky, and liable to fly and float around in the air, affecting air quality and humane health. When it is packed in a bag or the like, it takes much space, and in addition, it is very flammable and easily catches fire to cause danger to life and property. 
   Therefore, a wood-waste collecting machine has been made for collecting wood waste in a waste tank, and a snapping device provided in the waste tank for pushing it to fall in a conveying device and then is sent into a compressing device, which then compresses it into wood-waste blocks by means of compressing rods, in order to improve the above-mentioned problems. 
   However, wood waste has many tiny holes to suck therein moisture in the air to become very wet. So the moisture of wood waste prevents the wood-waste blocks from being tight and solid because of the moisture therein, Then wood waste blocks formed are apt to give rise to cracks in case of mutual collision, and even completely collapses into pieces if worse. Thus its compressing effect is quite bad. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A drying device for a wood-waste collecting machine in the invention includes a blower set on the base of the machine and a heating member. The blower has an outlet hole connected with one end of a windpipe, and the heating member is connected with the other end of the windpipe, having a heating element and a passage. A pipe joint is connected between the other end of the heating device and a sidewall of the container of the conveying device. Then the blower blows outer air sucked in into the heating member for heating the air and blown into the collecting chamber through the sidewall of the container of the conveying device. Then wood waste in the collecting chamber is dried, and the dried wood waste is sent into the compressing device of the machine to be compressed to become tight and solid blocks uneasy to loosen or crack. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wood-waste collecting machine provided with a drying device in the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a partial cross-sectional and perspective view of the wood-waste collecting machine with the drying device in the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the drying device in the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is an upper partial cross-sectional view of the drying device in the present invention; and, 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the drying device under a wind-blowing condition in the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A preferred embodiment of a drying device  70  for a wood-waste collecting machine in the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 , is set in a wood-waste collecting machine, which includes a base  10 , a compressing device  20 , a conveying device  30 , a cutting device  40 , a waste tank  50 , and a snapping device  60  as main components. 
   The compressing device  20  is set on the base  10 , for compressing wood waste into blocks. 
   The conveying device  30  is set at one side of the compressing device  20  on the base  10 , consisting of a container  31  formed with an inner collecting chamber  311  provided with an upper falling hole  312 , and a material feeding hole  313  formed in a sidewall of the container  31  and communicating with the compressing device  20 , with a conveying rod  32  pushing wood waste in the collecting chamber  311  into the compressing device  20 . 
   The cutting device  40  is fixed at the inner side of the container  31  for cutting wood waste falling in the collecting chamber  311 . 
   The waste tank  50  is installed on the conveying device  30  for storing wood waste therein. 
   The snapping device  60  is arranged in an inner lower portion of the waste tank  50  for breaking off tangled-together wood waste to let it easily falling down through the falling hole  312  into the collecting chamber  311 . 
   The container  31  of the conveying device  30  has plural air inlets  314  formed in an outer sidewall to communicate with the collecting chamber  311 . 
   The drying device  70 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , consists of a blower  71  and a heating member  74 . The blower  71  is set properly on the base  10  and having a sucking hole  711  for sucking in outer air and an outlet hole  712  connected with a plastic windpipe  72 . Further, a connect pipe  73  is connected with an end of the windpipe  72  at one end, and further connected with a heating member  74  at the other en. The heating member  74  consists of a metal tubular member  741  and a heating element  742  positioned in the tubular member  741 . The heating element  742  is composed of a ceramic insulating rod wound with an electric heating wire. When the electric heating wire is powered, it gives out heat. Further, between the metal tubular member  741  and the heating element  742  is provided a passage  743  for wind coming from the blower  71  to pass therethrough, and the heating member  74  has the other end connected with a pipe joint  75 , with a cap  76  fixed between the pipe joint  75  and the sidewall of he container  31  where the inlet hole  314  is provided. Then the cap  76  has a pipe connecting hole  761  for the other end of the pipe joint  75  to fit stably therein and a mouth  762  in the outer side of he connecting hole  761 , and a wall  763  extending around the mouth  762  and to be fixed firmly with the sidewall of the container  31 . 
   Next, in using the drying device  70 , it is started to let the blower  71  suck outer air through the sucking hole  711  into the wind pipe  72 , the connect pipe  73 , the passage  743  of the heating member  74 , the pipe joint  75 , the cap  76  and then through the air inlets  314  and finally in the collecting chamber  311  of the container  31  of the conveying device  30 . Meanwhile the heating element  742  located in the passage  743  of the heating member  74  is electrified to give rise to heat, which then heats up the air passing through the passage  743 , and the heated air may be blown into the collecting chamber  311  to dry the wood waste stored therein. 
   To mention particularly, it will take about ten seconds for wood waste to fall from the waste tank  50  into the collecting chamber  311  and cut by the cutting device  40  and then into the compressing device  20 , and these ten seconds may be enough for the wood waste in the collecting chamber  311  to dry for a substantial degree. Therefore, the dried wood waste is compressed into blocks, which may be comparatively tight and solid with only little moisture remained therein, uneasily loosening off or cracking or breaking off even collided with some exterior object, 
   While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.