COMPRESSING AND SHREDDING DEVICE

Abstract

A compressing and shredding device (100) for integration in a hygiene station (10) for human hand hygiene, which device is designed for compressing and shredding hand towels, in particular used and damp disposable cellulose cloths. The compressing and shredding device (100) includes: at least one receiving container (102) with a feed opening (112) and an interior (114) for receiving compressed and shredded hand towels; at least one compressing and/or shredding unit (104) for compressing and shredding hand towels, which is arranged at the feed opening (112) of the receiving container (102); and at least one drive unit (106) for driving the compressing and/or shredding unit (104).

Claims

1. A compressing and shredding device for integration in a hygiene station for human hand hygiene, said device is adapted to compress and shred hand towels, the compressing and shredding device comprises: a receiving container with a feed opening and an interior for receiving compressed and shredded hand towels; a compressing and/or shredding unit for compressing and shredding hand towels, which is arranged at the feed opening of the receiving container; and a shredding drive unit for driving the compressing and/or shredding unit, wherein the compressing and/or shredding unit comprises at least two rollers which are arranged parallel to one another and rotate in opposite directions about respective axes.

2. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rollers have a multiplicity of revolving rings and/or grooves.

3. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rings are uniform and are arranged spaced equidistantly apart.

4. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rings are formed integrally on the respective roller.

5. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rings of the rollers are arranged such that in each case one of the rings of one of the rollers is opposite a gap between two of the rings of the other of the rollers.

6. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rings of the rollers intermesh.

7. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rings have a rough surface radially on an outside.

8. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a cover element with a releasable and reclosable insertion opening that covers the feed opening of the collecting container and accommodates the compressing and/or shredding unit.

9. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cover element for releasing and reclosing the insertion opening comprises a lid and a lid drive unit.

10. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the cover element has a funnel element arranged below the insertion opening and is configured to conduct inserted hand towels to the compressing and/or shredding unit.

11. An arrangement comprising the compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 1, and a pressing device, which is movable by a pressing drive unit between two end positions at a differing distance from the compressing and/or shredding unit such that hand towels are pushable onto the compressing and/or shredding unit.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein the pressing device has at least one projection, which is movable in a movement of the pressing device to the compressing and/or shredding unit toward a region between two of the rollers.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein the pressing device is pivotable about a pressing axis which is aligned parallel to axes of the rollers.

14. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising cleaning elements on a side of the compressing and/or shredding unit which faces the interior of the receiving container, the cleaning elements freeing the compressing and/or shredding unit from adhering residues of the hand towels.

15. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a cover element with a releasable and reclosable insertion opening that covers the feed opening of the collecting container and accommodates the compressing and/or shredding unit, a sensor, and a controller connected to the sensor, the controller being configured for releasing and reclosing the insertion opening and, depending thereon, for rotating the rollers and moving the pressing device, wherein the sensor is arranged on an outer surface of the device.

16. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the rough surface comprises at least one of a knurling or furrows which extend along axes of the rollers.

17. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lid is constructed from louvers which are pivotably connected to adjacent ones of the louvers on longitudinal sides and guided in guide rails on narrow sides thereof.

18. The compressing and shredding device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pressure or force sensor arranged on the receiving container to sense and a filling level of material in the receiving container.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] Embodiments of the invention will now be described below with reference to the drawings. These are not necessarily intended to represent the embodiments to scale; on the contrary, the drawings are executed in schematic and/or slightly distorted form, where useful for explanation. With regard to additions to the teachings directly recognizable from the drawings, attention is drawn to the relevant prior art. It should be borne in mind here that many modifications and changes relating to the form and detail of an embodiment can be made without departing from the general concept of the invention. The features of the invention which are disclosed in the description, in the drawings and in the claims may be essential for the development of the invention, both individually and in any desired combination. Moreover, all combinations of at least two of the features disclosed in the description, in the drawings and/or in the claims fall within the scope of the invention. The general concept of the invention is not limited to the exact form or detail of the preferred embodiments shown and described below, nor is it limited to subject matter which would be restricted in comparison with the subject matter claimed in the claims. In the case of specified dimensioning ranges, the intention is also to disclose values lying within the limits mentioned as limit values and to allow for them to be used and claimed in any way. For the sake of simplicity, the same reference signs are used below for identical or similar parts or parts with identical or similar functions.

[0072] Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments and with reference to the drawings, in which

[0073] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a hygiene station for human hand hygiene;

[0074] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a compressing and shredding device according to the invention in an isometric view;

[0075] FIG. 3 shows the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 without a receiving container and with the insertion opening released;

[0076] FIG. 4 shows the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2 without a receiving container and with the insertion opening closed;

[0077] FIG. 5 shows the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 in a top view;

[0078] FIG. 6 shows another exemplary embodiment of a cover element and a drive unit in a side view;

[0079] FIG. 7 shows a compressing and/or shredding unit with a pressing device in a first end position;

[0080] FIG. 8 shows a detail from FIG. 7;

[0081] FIG. 9 shows a compressing and/or shredding unit with a pressing device in a second end position;

[0082] FIG. 10 shows a detail from FIG. 9;

[0083] FIG. 11 shows a compressing and/or shredding unit with a cover element consisting of louvers;

[0084] FIG. 12 shows a compressing and/or shredding unit with three drive units;

[0085] FIG. 13 shows a compressing and/or shredding unit with three drive units; and

[0086] FIG. 14 shows a compressing and/or shredding unit in a view from below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0087] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a hygiene station for human hand hygiene 10.

[0088] The hygiene station 10 has a compressing and/or shredding device 100 according to the invention.

[0089] Moreover, the hygiene station 10 has a hand towel dispensing device 200.

[0090] In addition, a disinfectant dispensing device 300 is furthermore part of the hygiene station 10.

[0091] Furthermore, a display and input device 400 and a room fragrance emission device 500 are elements of the hygiene station 10.

[0092] The hygiene station 10 is mounted on a wall in FIG. 1, with the hygiene station 10 being electrically supplied directly via the building power supply. The hygiene station 10 may also be designed, however, as a mobile hygiene station, i.e. free-standing, and then has a sufficiently long electrical line, such as a power cable, with which it can be connected to a power supply or a generator.

[0093] Additional connection lines, supply lines or drains, such as a drain duct for the used paper hand towels, are not needed and are also not provided.

[0094] The hygiene station 10 is thus what is referred to as a stand-alone system, which is completely self-sufficient except for the power supply.

[0095] In principle, it would also be possible to provide the power supply in the form of a rechargeable battery or a battery. However, this is not necessary per se, as there is in principle also a power connection at the usual installation locations, such as a toilet (e.g. in a restaurant, a motorway rest area, a train station, etc.).

[0096] The disinfectant dispensing device 300 is arranged below the hand towel dispensing device 200 such that disinfectant can be dispensed into a user's hands held under the disinfectant dispensing device 300.

[0097] The display and input device 400 is arranged at approximately eye level of a user on the front side, i.e. on the outer surface opposite the installation side of the hygiene station 10. The display and input device 50 can display e.g. advertising or a proposal for carrying out the hand hygiene to a user for the duration of their hand hygiene. In addition, the user can use the display and input device 400, for example, for portioning the amount of disinfectant dispensed by the disinfectant dispensing device 300 and/or for specifying the number of hand towels dispensed by the hand towel dispensing device 200 for drying their hands. Furthermore, the user can use the display and input device 400, for example, to enter an evaluation of their satisfaction regarding the state and the equipment of the sanitary facility, in the surroundings of which the hygiene station is set up or is mounted.

[0098] The room fragrance emission device 500 is arranged above the hand towel dispensing device 200 such that it can supply or fill the site at which the hygiene station 10 is set up with a room fragrance filling the room as far as possible. The room fragrance emission can be carried out either at specified intervals or via a sensor which is assigned to the room fragrance emission device 500 and senses the number of users and/or their length of stay in the surroundings of the hygiene station 10 and, depending thereon, adjusts the room fragrance emission.

[0099] The compressing and/or shredding device 100 according to the invention into which the user can throw or feed in used hand towels is arranged below the disinfectant dispensing device 300.

[0100] The housing of the hand towel dispensing device 200 is located between the disinfectant dispensing device 300 and the room fragrance emission device 500, wherein the dispensing opening of the hand towel dispensing device 200 is arranged level with the dispensing of the disinfectant dispensing device 300 and opposite the insertion opening 116 of the compressing and/or shredding device 100.

[0101] An exemplary embodiment of a compressing and/or shredding device 100 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 2 in an isometric view and comprises a receiving container 102, a compressing and/or shredding unit 104, a drive unit 106, a cover element 108, and cleaning elements 110.

[0102] The receiving container 102 comprises a feed opening 112 and an interior 114 (not visible).

[0103] The cover element 108 comprises a releasable and reclosable insertion opening 116, a funnel element 118, a lid element 120, a sensor 122, and a controller 124 (not shown).

[0104] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2 of a compressing and/or shredding device 100, the cover element 108, the compressing and/or shredding unit 104, the drive unit 106, and the cleaning elements 110 are arranged on and fastened to a carrier unit 126 which is pushed along two rails on the top side of the receiving container 102 in such a manner that, in its end position, it completely covers the feed opening 112 of the receiving container, and therefore no compressed and shredded hand towels can fall out from the interior 114 of the receiving container 102 after the maximum receiving volume of the receiving container 102 is reached.

[0105] In the pushed-on end position of the carrier unit 126, the compressing and/or shredding unit 104 is located at least approximately in a central region above the receiving container 102.

[0106] The sensor 122 of the cover element 108 is arranged above the lid element 120 in such a way that it can sense the feed-in desire, i.e. an approaching hand with a used hand towel, and then sends a signal to the controller 124. The controller 124 then firstly activates the lid element 120, which releases the insertion opening 116, and secondly the drive unit 106, which drives the rollers or rolls 128 of the compressing and/or shredding unit 104.

[0107] As soon as the insertion opening 116 has been released from the lid element 120, the user can dispose of, or throw in, the used hand towel into the insertion opening 116.

[0108] The used hand towel is then fed via the funnel element 118 to the compressing and/or shredding unit 104, which compresses, shreds and conveys the hand towel in the direction of the interior 114 of the receiving container.

[0109] The compressed and shredded residues of the used hand towel, which adhere to the rollers 128 by the static charging as a result of the compressing and shredding process or by the moisture content contained in the used hand towel, are stripped off from the cleaning elements 110 on the underside of the rollers 128 in such a manner that they drop into the interior 114 of the receiving container 102.

[0110] After a specified interval of time or after a further signal from the sensor 122, the controller activates the drive module (not shown) of the lid element 120 so that the lid element 120 closes the insertion opening 116 again.

[0111] In a further exemplary embodiment of the cover element 108, the lid element 120 can additionally or alternatively be manually pushed on by a user and closed again after insertion of the used hand towel. For this purpose, a handling element is formed in the region of the front edge of the lid element 120 facing upward, which the user can grasp to displace the lid element 120. The lid element 120 can be held in the closed position by springs. The user then has to move the lid element 120 counter to the spring force in order to release the insertion opening 116. Releasing the lid element 120 causes the latter to spring back into the closure position because of the spring force and to thus close the insertion opening 116 again.

[0112] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show the compressing and/or shredding device 100 from FIG. 1 without a receiving container 102.

[0113] In FIG. 3, the lid element 120 is moved rearward and thus releases the insertion opening 116, while in FIG. 4 the lid element 120 closes the insertion opening 116.

[0114] A guide rail 130 along which the lid element 120 is movable is in each case attached on the inside of the side walls of the cover element 108. The lid element 120 in each case has a rolling element 132 level with its front edge and its rear edge on both sides. The rolling elements 132 engage in the respective guide rails 130 and enable the lid element 120 to be pushed or to slide along the guide rails 130.

[0115] FIG. 5 shows the top view of the compressing and shredding device according to the invention from FIG. 2.

[0116] The configuration of the rollers 128 which have rings or rolls 134 equidistantly spaced apart in the longitudinal direction can be seen in the top view. The rings 134 can have been turned from a roller 128 with an original diameter corresponding to the diameter of the rings 134, and therefore the respective roller 128 and its rings 134 are integral. However, the rings 134 may also have been pushed onto the respective roller 128 and have been fastened at a predetermined position.

[0117] The equidistant spacing of the rings 134 along the longitudinal axis of the rollers 128 results in the formation of gaps 136 between each two rings 134.

[0118] The two rollers 128 in FIG. 5 are arranged in such a manner that the rings 134 in each case engage in the gaps 136 of the opposite roller 128 without the opposite roller 128 or its rings 134 being touched.

[0119] Advantageously, the depth of engagement of the rings 134 in the gaps 136 is adjustable such that the compressing and/or shredding unit 104 can be adjusted to the composition of the hand towels to be compressed and to be shredded.

[0120] Furthermore, it can be seen from FIG. 5 that the drive unit 106 drives the rollers 128 via a gearwheel arrangement 138 in such a way that the rollers rotate in opposite directions about their longitudinal axes.

[0121] It can also be seen that the formation of the funnel 118 over the entire width of the compressing and/or shredding unit 104 ensures that all of the used hand towels which have been thrown in are fed to the compressing and/or shredding unit 104 without individual used hand towels passing into a dead region and thus not being able to pass in compressed and shredded form into the receiving container 102.

[0122] In FIG. 6, a further exemplary embodiment of a cover element 108 and a drive unit is shown in a side view. In this alternative exemplary embodiment, the rollers 128 are not driven by a gearwheel arrangement 138, but rather by a belt 140.

[0123] The side view makes it furthermore possible to see the profile of the cleaning elements 110 which have a first portion for fastening to the carrier unit 126 and a second portion which is positioned or angled at a certain angle to the first portion and thus faces a lower part of the rollers 128.

[0124] The edge of a cleaning element 110 facing the respective roller 128 may be formed either in such a manner that it has a continuous profile along the longitudinal axis at a small distance from the rings 134.

[0125] Or, however, the edge is designed as a negative of the outer contour along the longitudinal axis of the respective roller 134 and accordingly engages in the gaps 136 in a lower region of the rollers with equidistant and uniform projections manufactured along the edge. This achieves a better cleaning result for the rollers 128.

[0126] FIGS. 7 to 10 show a compressing and/or shredding unit 104 together with a pressing device 142. The pressing device 142 is movable by a pressing drive unit 144 shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 between two end positions at a different distance from the compressing and/or shredding unit 104. The drive is transmitted via a pressing transmission 145. When the insertion opening 116 of the lid element 120 is released, the pressing device 142 is simultaneously in the first end position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 at a large distance from the rollers 128. The large distance is selected in such a manner that the region between the insertion opening 116 and the rollers 128 is free and hand towels can pass to the rollers 128 unhindered through the insertion opening 116. If the insertion opening 116 is closed by the lid element 120 after at least one hand towel is inserted, the pressing device 142 is moved into the second end position shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, at which the distance from the rollers 128 is so small that hand towels in the region between the rollers 128 are pressed against the compressing and/or shredding unit. At the same time, the rollers 128 are set into opposed rotation by the shredding drive unit 106 via a shredding transmission 107.

[0127] FIGS. 8 and 10 clearly show the rollers 128 with the rings 134 and the gaps 136 between the rings 134. So that material of the hand towels is readily drawn into the clearances of the gaps 136 and conveyed through them toward the receiving container, the rings 134 have a rough surface radially on the outside. In the illustrated embodiment, the rough surface is designed as a knurling in the form of furrows 158, wherein the furrows 158 extend along the axes of the rollers 128.

[0128] FIG. 11 shows a lid element 148 which comprises louvers 152, which are pivotably connected to adjacent louvers 152 on longitudinal sides and guided in guide rails 130 on the narrow sides. In the embodiment shown, the guide rails 130 extend in a first region at the insertion opening 116 in a direction which forms an angle of less than 45? with respect to a horizontal plane, wherein in particular lower ends of the guide rails 130 face the position of a person using the hygiene station. In a second region of the guide rails 130, the latter preferably extend substantially vertically. The two regions of each guide rail 130 are connected to each other via a region of curvature. When the insertion opening 116 is closed, the louvers 152 are located in the first region of the guide rails 130 and, when the insertion opening 116 is released, said louvers are located in the second region. The louvers 152 are moved by a lid drive unit 150 in the guide rails 130, wherein the transmission of drive from the lid drive unit 150 to the louvers 152 takes place via drive belts 154 and two drivers 156 fastened to the drive belts 154 and to a louver 152.

[0129] FIGS. 7 and 9 do not show the louvers 152. FIG. 13 shows just one louver 152. The cleaning elements 110 can readily be seen in FIG. 14.