HANDLING WASTES

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention in a first aspect relates to a vacuum waste handling system, the system including a chute with a chute outlet, a waste receptacle and a transportation duct connected to a vacuum source, the waste receptacle being composed of a plurality of duct-shaped compartments, each having an inlet end for communication with the chute outlet and having an outlet end for communication with an inlet opening of the transportation duct, whereby communication with the transportation duct is controlled by valve means.

In a second aspect the invention relates to a method for handling wastes with a vacuum waste collection system including a chute with a chute outlet, a waste receptacle and a transportation duct connected to a vacuum source, the waste receptacle being composed of a plurality of duct-shaped compartments, each having an inlet end for communication with the chute outlet and having an outlet end for communication with an inlet opening of the transportation duct, whereby communication with the transportation duct is controlled by valve means.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Since the middle of the 20 ^th century environmental concerns has developed ambitions to separate wastes into different fractions. Traditionally such a system may have a vertical chute duct in which wastes of different fractions and at different chute doors may be thrown away. Such traditional system have a plurality of waste bags, trolleys or the like at the bottom of the chute in order to accommodate the various waste fractions, which bags are arranged on a carousel or the like. The bags or trolleys are then manually carried away.

Representative examples of such systems are disclosed in FR 2691384, US5031829 and 5190165.

During the recent decades there has been an increased striving to automatize waste handling systems. This in particular relates to such systems for wastes of different fractions and for large systems. A broadly used technique in such systems is to have the wastes transported away from the bottom of the chute duct through a vacuum propelled, normally horizontal transportation duct.

The separation of the wastes into the different fractions has to be organized somewhere in the system between the chute doors and the end locations for the wastes. A practical position in the system for the separation is at the interface between the chute duct and the transportation duct.

According to traditional technique, the separation is accomplished in that at the entrance of the transport duct there are arranged a plurality of duct units, one for each waste fraction. Each duct unit typically is bent at right angle such that there is a vertically facing inlet for communication with the chute duct and a horizontally facing outlet for communication with the transportation duct. The duct units are selectively brought into communication with the transportation duct to transport the fraction in question therethrough.

In order to make possible the delivery of the wastes from the chute duct to the relevant duct unit it is necessary to have a system that directs the delivery in dependence of the kind of waste. This is according to known technique achieved in that the lower end of the chute duct is provided with a rotatable delivery duct. The delivery duct has an inlet section that is vertical to receive the wastes from the chute duct. Also the outlet section is vertical to deliver the wastes into a selected duct unit. These sections are connected by an inclined section. Thereby rotation of the delivery duct around the axis of its inlet section results in that its outlet section can be positioned at various locations around a circular line. Arranging the inlets of the duct units at these positions makes it possible to direct the wastes to the desired duct unit. There are various ways for governing the delivery duct to deliver the waste to the relevant duct unit. One way is to have buttons at the chute doors where the person throwing the waste presses the relevant button and thereby initiates rotation of the delivery duct to the corresponding position.

System of this kind are used in multiple-unit dwellings and in public building such as hospitals. One problem with such a system is that the delivery duct requires a substantial vertical space due to the inclined section thereof. The inclination need to have quite a large vertical component since the wastes here are transported by gravity. Simultaneously the radius of the circle along which the outlet section moves to its various positions need to be sufficient large. The vertical space required for the delivery duct thereby will be around 5 to 10 meters.

The need to for such a vertical space at the bottom of the chute duct, often located in the cellar level leads to high installation costs of the system. This is particularly true for installation in existing buildings, where the height in the cellar store that can be disposed normally is very limited. For such installations the cost for providing the sufficient vertical space may be very high.

A corresponding problem may be present also in systems of similar kind without separation of the wastes into fractions, where the plurality of duct units are used to have an increased capacity for the temporary storage of the wastes. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to solve the problem described above and too arrive at a solution which is much more cost-effective.

This is according to the first aspect of the invention achieved in that a vacuum waste collection system of the kind specified in the preamble of claim 1 includes the specific features specified in the characterizing portion thereof. Thus each compartment is movable between a first position, in which the inlet end of the compartment is in communication with the chute outlet and a second position in which the inlet end of the compartment is out of communication with the chute outlet.

It is to be understood that by "second position" is meant not a single specific position, but any position in which the inlet end is out of communication with the chute outlet.

By arranging the compartments movable in this way there is no need to have a chute provided with a rotatable delivery duct at its lower end. The elimination of the need for such drastically reduces the requirement for vertical space. This result in substantial cost savings, which depending on the circumstances, may be dramatically large, in particular when the installation is in an existing building. Arranging the compartments movable increases the horizontal space

requirements. However, the horizontal space is normally not a limiting aspect and only marginally affects the installation cost. The number of compartments of course is dependent on how many different fractions the system is designed to handle. The number of compartments normally is in the range of two to twelve, and in most cases a number of three to eight is appropriate, e. g. four compartments. In certain applications the number of compartments may be substantially larger such as between ten and thirty.

Although the invention is particularly intended for wastes of different fractions, it is to be understood that the invented system may be employed also in the case where the wastes are not sorted and represent only one fraction.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invented system, it further includes selectively activated drive means for moving the compartments such that when moving one compartment out of communication with the chute outlet another of the compartments is simultaneously or short after moved into communication with the chute outlet.

The drive means arranged to interchange one compartment with another represents an increased degree of automatization and provides a high security with respect that each unit of waste falls into the correct compartment.

Activation of the drive means to position the correct compartment at the chute outlet may be initiated by pressing a corresponding button at the chute door or by sensors identifying the kind of waste. Of course other means for initiating movement may be employed, such as RFID, key, movement sensor etc.

Movement may also be initiated by sensors sensing the filling degree of a compartment. This may be the case when a plurality of the compartments or all of them are used for the same waste fraction. When sensing a filled

compartment the receptacle is moved to put an empty compartment in position for receiving the wastes

According to a further preferred embodiment, the compartments form a unitary structure constituting the waste receptacle, and the drive means is arranged to move the waste receptacle, whereby all compartments are unitarily moved. This provides a simple movement pattern such that the drive means may be of a simple type and increases the security when interchanging the

compartments.

According to a further preferred embodiment, all the inlet ends are arranged along a common straight line, and the drive means, at activation, is arranged to move the receptacle linearly such that all inlet ends are moved along said straight line.

The drive means thereby can be very simple since only a reciprocating movement is needed.

According to an alternatively preferred embodiment, all the inlets are arranged along a common circular line, and the drive means, at activation, is arranged to move the receptacle by a rotational movement such that all inlet ends are moved along said circular line.

Also this alternative results in a simple drive means.

According to a further alternatively preferred embodiment, the inlets are arranged in two or more groups where all the inlet ends in a group are arranged along a common straight line, which straight lines are parallel to each other, and the drive means, at actuation, is arranged to move the receptacle linearly such that all inlets ends in a group are moved along said straight line and/or perpendicular to said straight line.

This embodiment complicates the drive means somewhat, since it has move the receptacle in two perpendicular directions, but on the other hand it reduces the maximal horizontal dimension of the device. This embodiment is therefore of particular interest when the number of compartments is relatively high, such as six or more and the horizontal space is limited.

According to a further alternatively preferred embodiment, the inlets are arranged in two or more groups where all the inlets in a group are arranged along a common circular line, which circular lines are concentric, and the drive means, at activation, is arranged to move the receptacle by a rotational movement and/or a linear movement such that all inlet ends in one group are moved along said circular line and/or radially to said circular line. Also this embodiment may be advantageous when there are relatively many compartments and limited available horizontal space.

According to a further preferred embodiment, each compartment has a substantially uniform cross section from its inlet end to its outlet end.

This provides for a smooth transportation of the wastes through the compartments and reduces the risk for wastes to be stocked somewhere along the compartment. Preferably the cross section is circular.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the inlet end of each compartment has a cross-section that is substantially identical to that of the chute outlet.

The delivery from the chute to the compartment thereby is optimized with no risk that wastes will leak out from the system where the chute duct and the compartment meet each other. The available space will also be optimally utilized. Also from this aspect it is preferred that the cross section is circular.

According to a further preferred embodiment, all the compartments are arranged in a parallel relation relative to each other.

This embodiment represents a simple and appropriate design of the receptacle that leads to a uniform connection between the chute duct and the transportation duct.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the outlet ends of all compartments are located in a common plane.

This facilitates delivery to the transportation duct from the various compartments.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the system is provided with second drive means arranged to selectively move the receptacle to a position where the outlet end of a compartment is aligned with the inlet opening of the transportation duct.

By this driving means it easily obtained that the respective compartment comes into a position ready for delivery into the transportation duct.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the second drive means is integrated with the drive means for moving the inlet ends of the compartments out of and into communication with the chute. The driving of the system thereby is simplified, and adequate positioning of the inlet ends and the outlet ends is assured.

According to a further preferred embodiment, each compartment has a substantially vertical portion including the inlet end, a substantially horizontal portion including the outlet end and a bent portion therebe tween, which bent portion forms a right angle bent and extends along a circular line.

By such a configuration of the compartments they will in an advantageous way be adapted to a vertically directed chute outlet and a horizontally directed inlet of the transportation duct.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the valve means includes a sliding lid at or adjacent the outlet end of each compartment.

This is a simple and reliable way of arranging the valve function between the compartments and the transportation duct. Actuation of the valve means may be manually performed or automatically at certain time intervals or in response to sensors sensing the individual filling degree of the compartments.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the system is arranged for sorting the wastes into different fractions.

The advantages of the system are particularly important when also

separation into fractions is desired.

The object of the invention is according to the second aspect of the invention achieved in that a method of the kind specified in the preamble of claim 17 includes the specific measures specified in the characterizing portion of the claim. The method thus includes selectively moving either of the compartments into communication with the chute outlet.

According to preferred embodiments, the method is performed by using a vacuum waste collection system according to the present invention, in particular to any of the preferred embodiments thereof. The preferred embodiments of the invented method thus include steps explicitly derivable from the features of the corresponding preferred embodiments of the invented system.

The above described preferred embodiments of the invention are set out in the dependent claims. It is to be understood that further preferred embodiments may be constituted by any possible combination of features of the described preferred embodiments and by any possible combination of features in these with features described in the description of examples below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a system of the kind to which the present invention relates.

Fig 2 is a perspective view of a device that is a detail of fig 1 according to an example of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a detail of fig 2.

Fig. 4 is a representation of the movement pattern of the device according to fig. 2.

Figs. 5-8 are representations corresponding to that of fig. 4 but illustrate alternative examples of the device.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a detail of the device of fig. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES

Fig 1 schematically illustrates a waste collection system according to the invention. It consists of a vertical chute duct 1 , with chute doors 4 arranged on each store in the building, e.g. a hospital, in which the system is installed. The system, of course may be used also for installations with only one chute door, e.g. an outdoor chute door 4 with the receptacle located underground. The chute duct 1 ends at a waste receptacle 2, which receives the wastes falling down through the chute duct 1 . From the receptacle 2 the wastes are dispensed into a horizontal transportation duct 3 to be transported away there through. Transportation is achieved by vacuum such that the wastes are sucked through the transportation duct 3.

In the receptacle 2 the wastes are temporary stored in a plurality of compartments. They may be stored without sorting the wastes into fractions. In the illustrated examples, however, the wastes are sorted into fractions. The receptacle 2 is composed of a plurality of compartments, one for each waste fraction. At certain time intervals or upon reaching a certain filling degree each compartment is brought into communication with the transportation duct 3, whereby the compartment is emptied as the wastes therein due to the vacuum is sucked into the transportation duct 3 and transported away there through.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle 2 in the system of fig. 2. The receptacle 2 consists of three compartments 21 , 22, 23 connected to each other through a frame structure 20. The chute duct 1 has a chute outlet 1 1 that is aligned with the inlet end 21 1 of one of the compartments 21 , 22, 23, in the figure compartment 21 . The duct outlet 1 1 is in the figure for clarity reason located a distance above the inlet end 21 1 of the compartment 21 but is in reality located as close as possible.

The receptacle 2 is displaceable linearly along the line A-A, such that any of the compartments 21 , 22, 23 will be located with its inlet end 21 1 , 221 , 231 aligned with the chute outlet 1 1 . Displacement of the receptacle 2 also brings any of the outlet ends 212, 222, 223 to be aligned with the inlet opening 31 of the transportation duct 3. Also the inlet opening 31 of the transportation duct is in reality located close to the outlet end 212 of a compartment 21 , but is in the figure for clarity reason shown a short distance from it. Valve means controlling communication between an outlet end 212 and the inlet opening 31 are not shown in this figure.

Fig 3 in a side view depicts one of the compartments 21 . The compartment has a vertical straight section 213 closed top its inlet end 21 1 and a horizontal straight section 214 closed to its outlet end 212. They are connected by a circularly bent section 215 forming a right angle bent. The cross section is circular and uniform along the compartment 21 and has a diameter of 50 cm. Also the chute duct 1 and the transportation duct 3 are circular and have the same diameter. Other dimensions and shapes, e.g. rectangular, of course may be used. In most cases a diameter of 10 to 60 cm is appropriate, but may be smaller or bigger than that.

Figures 4-8 schematically illustrate examples of various localisations of the compartments relative to each other and how the receptacle is moved. Each of the figures is a view from above showing only the inlet ends of the

compartments and a symbolic representation of the drive means. The localisation shown in fig. 4 corresponds to that of fig, 2. There are thus three inlet ends 21 1 , 221 , 231 arranged along the straight line A-A. They are displaceable along the straight line by moving the frame structure 20 by the linear drive means 29 so as to move any of the inlet ends 21 1 , 221 , 231 in alignment with the chute duct 1 .

Movement of the frame structure 20 of the receptacle 2 is controlled at throwing a waste through one of the chute doors 4 (see fig 1 ). At each door there are three buttons, each representing a certain waste fraction. When a person intends to throw a waste through the chute door 4 he/she presses the relevant button according to the waste fraction in question. This initiates actuation of the drive means 29 to move the frame structure 20 to a position where the inlet end 21 1 , 221 , 231 of the compartment for the waste fraction in question is in communication with the chute outlet 1 1 . Other automatic or semiautomatic systems for directing the wastes into the correct compartment 21 , 22, 23 may be employed, such as including RFID, key, movement sensor or filling degree sensor.

The movement of the receptacles to bring any of them into communication with the transportation duct 3 for emptying may be performed with the same drive means that is used for inlet alignment. Emptying, including positioning of the compartment outlet end 212 and actuation of valve lids 51 , 61 , may be initiated at pre-determined time intervals, be initiated in response to sensors sensing the filling degree in a compartment 21 , 22, 23 or be manually initiated.

In each compartment 21 , 22, 23 the wastes are accumulated and temporary stored until it is time to empty the compartment into the transportation duct 3.

An alternative localisation of the compartments is illustrated in fig. 5, where the inlet ends 21 1 a, 221 a, 231 a, 241 a are arranged along a circular line B-B. By rotating drive means 29a, symbolically indicated in the figure, the frame structure 20a of the receptacle is rotatable to move the inlet ends 21 1 a, 221 a, 231 a, 241 a along the circular line B-B.

In the alternative illustrated in fig. 6, the inlet ends 21 1 b-281 b are arranged along two parallel straight lines C-C and D-D. The drive means 29b in this example has a first component 291 b for displacing the frame structure 20b to move the inlet ends 21 1 b-281 b along the lines C-C and D-D, respectively and a second component 292b for moving the frame structure 20b in the

perpendicular direction to displace either of the lines C-C and D-D to be positioned under the chute outlet. Thereby any of the inlet ends 21 1 b-281 b can be brought into communication with the chute outlet.

Fig. 7 illustrates a still further alternative, where the inlet ends 21 1 c-261 c are arranged along two parallel circular lines E-E and F-F. The drive means 29c has a first component 291 c for rotating the frame structure 20c relative to a support 201 c and a second component 292c for displacing the support 201 c radially. Thereby any of the inlet ends 21 1 c-261 c can be brought into alignment with the chute outlet 1 1 .

Fig. 8 illustrates a still further example, which is particularly appropriate when the number of compartments is relatively high. In this example there are eighteen compartments and their inlet ends 21 1 d are arranged along a circular line forming a complete circle. The compartments are mounted on a rotatable frame structure 20d driven by a motor 29d such that any of the inlet ends 21 1 d selectively can be brought in alignment with the chute outlet 1 1 . In this example the compartments preferably have their bents directed radially outwards for selective communication with the inlet opening 31 of the transportation duct 3.

The drive means depicted in the examples above are merely symbolic representations in order to illustrate the movement alternatives. It is to be understood that the driving may be accomplished by any suitable drive means.

The alternatives illustrated in fig. 6 and 7 may require specific arrangement for making the communication with the inlet opening of the transportation duct possible such as vertical displacement of the receptacle, branching the transportation duct to obtain two inlet openings and/or arranging the inlet opening on a telescopic portion of the transportation duct.

Fig 9 schematically illustrates the valve arrangement at the outlet ends of the receptacles. Closed to the outlet end 221 of an receptacle 21 there is provided a valve 5, in which a vertically movable sliding lid 51 for keeping the

compartment 21 closed and to open it when it is time to dispense the

accumulated wastes into the transportation duct 3. In addition, the transportation duct 3 may be provided with a similar valve 6, 61 . The wastes are sucked from the receptacles 21 , 22, 23 by means of vacuum prevailing in the transportation duct 3.