Waste compression arrangement

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a waste compression arrangement (1) comprising a bottom plate (10), a waste container (20) for receiving waste, said waste container is arranged on the bottom plate (10), a compression plate (30) for compressing waste in the waste container (20), and at least one hydraulic cylinder (40) for moving the compression plate (30). The hydraulic cylinder (40) is arranged with a first end (46) attached to the bottom plate (10), and a second end (48) attached to the compression plate (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a waste compression arrangement, and especially to a waste compression arrangement comprising a hydraulic cylinder.

Background

[0002] Waste compactors are used for compressing waste. At locations with limited space, such as in small shop storage rooms, it is useful to be able to compress the waste to free space. At the same time is it important that the waste compactor itself is not too bulky.

[0003] A vertical waste compactor occupies a relatively small floor space and comprises a waste container for receiving waste and a compression plate for compressing the waste. On top of the waste container there is arranged one or two hydraulic cylinders to press the compression plate downwards to compress the waste in the waste container.

[0004] However, in some situations such waste compactor is still too bulky, for instance due to the height of the waste compactor. In a room with limited ceiling height, the size of the waist container needs to be reduced in order to enable the waste compactor to fit in the room.

[0005] Consequently, there is a need for a waste compactor with reduced size.

Summary

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved solution that alleviates the mentioned drawbacks with present devices. Furthermore, it is an object to provide a waste compression arrangement with reduced height to be suitable for more limited spaces.

[0007] According to the present invention, this is provided by a waste compression arrangement according to claim 1. The arrangement comprises a bottom plate, a waste container arranged on the bottom plate, a compression plate for compressing waste in the waste container, and at least one hydraulic cylinder for moving the compression plate. The hydraulic cylinder is arranged with a first end attached to the bottom plate, and a second end attached to the compression plate. The hydraulic cylinder may thereby pull the compression plate downwards to compress waste in the waste container. The at least one hydraulic cylinder may be configured to contract when pulling the compression plate to compress waste in the waste container.

[0008] By providing the hydraulic cylinder below the compression plate, pulling the compression plate downward instead of pushing it downward, a waste compression arrangement of reduced height may be achieved. No hydraulic cylinders or guide rails need to extend upward from the compression plate. The capacity of a waste compression arrangement is limited by the size of the waste container. A waste compression arrangement according to the present invention of a certain height may enable a larger waste container volume than a previously known waste compactor of the same height. A waste compression arrangement according to the present invention may have a minimum height that is equal to the height of side walls of the waste container. Such arrangement may thereby be easier to transport, both due to the height and due to a lower centre of gravity of the arrangement.

[0009] As an example, a waste compactor of known type with hydraulic cylinders arranged on top of the waste container may have a height of about 3.2 meters from a bottom plate to the end of the hydraulic cylinders. A waste container may have a height of about 1.5 meters, i.e. the height of the space for receiving waste. A waste compression arrangement, such as a waste compactor, according to the present invention with a correspondingly sized waste container may have a height of about 2.4 meters when the compression plate is in its top position, i.e. at maximum size of the waste container. Further, when the compression plate is in an intermediate position, the waste compactor may have a height of about 2 meters. The height of the waste compactor in the intermediate position may correspond to the height of side walls of the waste compactor. The arrangement of the present invention may thereby provide a waste compactor of reduced height compared to known arrangements. The minimum height in the intermediate position may further provide a reduced height when transporting the waste compactor.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first and second ends of the at least one hydraulic cylinder may be opposite remote ends of the hydraulic cylinder. To maximize the length of stroke of the hydraulic cylinder, such that a maximum waste container size with as low minimum height of the waste compression arrangement as possible, the hydraulic cylinder may, at its opposite remote ends be attached to the compression plate and the bottom plate. Further, in one embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder may comprise a cylinder body and a piston rod, and one of the cylinder body and the piston rod may be attached to the bottom plate and the other to the compression plate.

[0011] In another embodiment, a guide means for each hydraulic cylinder may be integrated in a side wall of the waste container. To increase the stability of the waste compression arrangement during compression of waste, each hydraulic cylinder may be arranged with a guide means. The guide means may be integrated in the side wall of the waste container. The hydraulic cylinder may extend from the bottom plate along a side wall of the waste container. The guide means integrated in the side wall may be a channel in the side wall. The hydraulic cylinder may thereby be arranged in said channel. The guide means may alternatively be a guide rail, a rim, a groove or the like, integrated in the side wall.

[0012] In a further embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder may in a second end be coupled to the compression plate by a coupling means. The coupling means may be adapted to connect the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder to the compression plate. The coupling means may be fixed to the compression plate and configured to be coupled to the hydraulic cylinder. The coupling means may be an integrated extension of the compression plate. Alternatively, the coupling means may be releasably fixed to the compression plate.

[0013] In a yet further embodiment, a side wall of the waste container may comprise an inner side surface at least partly covering the hydraulic cylinder, and the inner side surface may comprise an opening for receiving the coupling means between the second end of the hydraulic cylinder and the compression plate when the compression plate is moved to compress waste in the waste container. When the compression plate is pulled downwards, to press waste in the waste container, the position of the compression plate may be below a top edge of the side walls of the waste container. The coupling means connecting the compression plate to the hydraulic cylinder may then extend through or crossing a part of the side wall. An inner side surface of the side wall may cover at least a part of the hydraulic cylinder, separating the hydraulic cylinder from the waste container. In order to enable the compression plate to be pulled below the top edge of the side wall, the side wall may comprise an opening. The opening may be configured to receive the coupling means when the compression plate is pulled into the waste container. The opening may be formed as a slot, or an elongated opening, extending from the top edge of the side wall.

[0014] In one embodiment, the coupling means may comprise a tube arranged to enclose the second end of the hydraulic cylinder. The second end of the hydraulic cylinder may comprise a piston rod. The tube may then enclose an end of the piston rod. The tube may provide an improved stability of the hydraulic cylinder, especially in its extended position when the piston rod extends out of the side wall of the waste container. Further, when the piston rod extends out of the side wall, the tube provides a safety feature of preventing anything from being squeezed between the piston rod and the side wall when the hydraulic cylinder contract.

[0015] In a further embodiment, the arrangement may comprise two hydraulic cylinders arranged in respective opposite side walls of the waste container. Each side wall may comprise a channel for guiding the hydraulic cylinder, in which the hydraulic cylinder may be arranged. The waste container may comprise two opposite side walls and a back wall connecting the two side walls. The waste container may further be defined by the bottom plate, the compression plate on top and a front. The front may at least partly be a door for discharging waste from the waste container. The two hydraulic cylinders may be coupled to the compression plate and together arranged to pull the compression plate to compress waste. The two hydraulic may be arranged to be coupled to the compression plate at respective opposite sides of the compression plate. Both hydraulic cylinders may be coupled to the compression plate by means of respective coupling means. Such arrangement may provide a stabile compression arrangement. In case of two hydraulic cylinders being coupled to the compression plate via the coupling means, the coupling means may comprise two tubes arranged to enclose each second end of the hydraulic cylinders respectively.

[0016] It is noted that the invention relates to all possible combinations of features recited in the claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] The invention will in the following be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a waste compression arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional side view of a waste compression arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional side view of a waste compression arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention.

Description of Embodiments

[0018] The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

[0019] Fig. 1 illustrates a waste compactor 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprising a bottom plate 10 onto which the waste compactor 1 stands on a floor. The bottom plate 10 also forms a bottom of a waste container 20. The waste container 20 is further formed by two opposite side walls 22 and a back wall 24. The open front of the waste container may in an embodiment be covered by an openable discharge door (not shown) for discharging waste compressed in the waste container 20. The waste compactor 1 further comprises a compression plate 30 arranged for compressing waste in the waste container 20 when being moved downward, into the waste container 20.

[0020] Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate the waste compactor 1 in cross-section. The compression plate 30 is suspended by two hydraulic cylinders 40. The hydraulic cylinders 40 are arranged in the side walls 22 of the waste container 20. Each side wall 22 comprises a channel 28 in which the hydraulic cylinders 40 are arranged. Each channel 28 is open at a top end of the side wall 22. Each hydraulic cylinder 40 comprises a cylinder body 42 and a piston rod 44. The cylinder bodies 42 are attached to the bottom plate 10 at a first end 46 of each hydraulic cylinder 40. The cylinder bodies 42 extend from the bottom plate 10 through the channels 28. The piston rods 44 are attached to the compression plate 30 at a second end 48 of each hydraulic cylinder 40. The compression plate 30 is attached to the piston rods 44 via a coupling 32.

[0021] Fig. 2 illustrates the compression plate 30 being in a top position. The hydraulic cylinders 40 are extended to a maximum axial length. The piston rods 44 extend out of the channels 28 in the side walls 22 through channel openings 29 (see fig. 3). The volume of the waste container 20 is maximized to receive waste to be compressed. To compress the waste in the waste container 20, the hydraulic cylinders 40 pull the compression plate 30 downward. The piston rods 44 move downward into the cylinder bodies 42 and pull the compression plate 30 downward. In fig. 3 the compression plate 30 is illustrated in its bottom position wherein the piston rods 44 are moved to a contracted position of the hydraulic cylinders 40, providing the hydraulic cylinder 40 with its minimal axial length. A hydraulic cylinder 40 has a higher stability and strength in its contracted position compared to its most extended position. It is therefore an advantage that the compression plate 30 is moved towards its bottom position by the hydraulic cylinders 40 contracting, when the highest amount of acting forces is present, i.e. when waste is being compressed in the waste container 20.

[0022] The coupling 32 between each hydraulic cylinder 40 and the compression plate 30 further comprises tubes 34 enclosing each piston rod 44 respectively. The tube 34 extends along substantially the entire axial length of the piston rod 44. In the most contracted position of the hydraulic cylinder 40, the tube extends from the end 48 of the piston rod 44 to the end 46 of the cylinder body 42. The tubes 34 provide an improved stability of the hydraulic cylinders, especially in its extended position when the piston rods 44 extend out of the side walls 22. Further, when the piston rods 44 extend out of the side walls 22, the tubes 34 provide a safety feature of preventing anything from being squeezed between the piston rods 44 and the side walls 22 when the hydraulic cylinders 40 contract.

[0023] As further seen in fig. 1, the side wall 22 of the waste container 20 comprises an opening or a slot 26. The opening 26 extends from a top edge of the side wall 22 and downward. The opening 26 is configured to receive the coupling 32 between the hydraulic cylinder 40 and the compression plate 30 when the compression plate 30 is moved downward.

[0024] In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed preferred embodiments and examples of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A waste compression arrangement (1) comprising
a bottom plate (10),
a waste container (20) for receiving waste, said waste container is arranged on said bottom plate,
a compression plate (30) for compressing waste in the waste container,
at least one hydraulic cylinder (40) for moving the compression plate to compress waste in the waste container,
characterized in that the at least one hydraulic cylinder (40) is attached in a first end to the bottom plate and in a second end to the compression plate (30) for pulling the compression plate towards waste to be compressed in the waist container (20).

2. The waste compression arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first and second ends (46, 48) of the at least one hydraulic cylinder (40) are opposite remote ends of the hydraulic cylinder.

3. The waste compression arrangement according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the hydraulic cylinder (40) comprises a cylinder body (42) and a piston rod (44), and wherein one of the cylinder body and the piston rod is attached to the bottom plate (10) and the other to the compression plate (30).

4. The waste compression arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a guide means (28) for each hydraulic cylinder (40) is integrated in a side wall (22) of the waste container (20).

5. The waste compression arrangement according to claim 4, wherein said guide means comprises a channel (28) in which the hydraulic cylinder (40) is arranged.

6. The waste compression arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one hydraulic cylinder (40) in the second end (48) is coupled to the compression plate (30) by a coupling means (32).

7. The waste compression arrangement according to claim 6, wherein a side wall (22) of the waste container (20) comprises an inner side surface (23) at least partly covering the hydraulic cylinder (40), and wherein the inner side surface (23) comprises an opening (26) for receiving the coupling means (32) between the second end (48) of the hydraulic cylinder (40) and the compression plate (30) when the compression plate is moved to compress waste in the waste container (20).

8. The waste compression arrangement according to claim 6 or 7,
wherein the coupling means (32) comprises a tube (34) arranged to enclose the second end (48) of the hydraulic cylinder (40).

9. A waste compression arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one hydraulic cylinder (40) is configured to contract when pulling the compression plate (30) to compress waste in the waste container (20).

10. The waste compression arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the arrangement comprises two hydraulic cylinders (40) arranged in respective opposite side walls (22) of the waste container (20).

Drawing