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CA1243097A Expired / Lapsed CA ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method and device for detection of aluminium cans in an return apparatus for aluminium cans

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1985-11-04
•
Granted: 1988-10-11
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Expires: 2005-11-04
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Abstract

Abstract ABSTRACT This invention relates to an electronic detector which in combination with other sensing means e.g. for weight, di-mension and deformation force, provides a reliable safety that a refund is only paid for approved aluminium cans and that the collected and compressed aluminium scrap is not contaminated by another material. The electronic sensing is baaed on an electrically self-oscillating circuit containing a coil (3) placed around or at least partly enclosing the object (2) placed in the deposit apparatus. As the object (2) to be de-tected damps the above-mentioned oscillations it is possible by means of a suitable tuning of the electronic system to de-termine which frequencies belong to accepted aluminium cans. Thus, certain ranges of frequency correspond to accepted cans while ranges lying outside are considered as not accepted. By means of a microprocessor these approved or not approved ranges can be easily sorted out. The above-mentioned electro-nics adapted to this sorting system in return apparatuses for aluminium cans give a reliable safety as far as sorting out faulty or not accepted material is concerned.

Inventors

  • 👤 Dan Nilsson

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction CA
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-03 07:20
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/06; G07F7/0609

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim 276 words
A return apparatus intended for cans of aluminium and provided with a compression means, for detection of aluminium cans accepted as return material and consequently entitled to a refund, comprising: a detector coil connected to an electronic unit for detection of, in the first place, the material of a can fed through the feed opening of the return apparatus, characterized in that said detector coil is arranged in the form of a coil on a holder arranged directly inside the feed opening, said holder con-sisting of an electrically insulating material and being intended to support a fed can therein and having a cross-section substant-ially in the form of a U, said coil extending at least on both sides of the can in the holder, said electronic unit generating in said holder a self-oscillating electric field having a freq-uency changing in dependence of the object in the holder and, when lying within a range of frequencies predetermined for an aluminium can entitled to a refund, giving rise to a signal of acceptance to a control unit for directing the machine function of the return apparatus such as compression of the can and typing of a repay ticket, but otherwise giving rise to an error signal to said control unit to reject the object in the holder, said holder being pivotally mounted at one of its ends and together with a can entitled to a refund being kept in a predetermined position, sensor means being actuated when the holder is in position other than said predetermined one to emit an error signal to the control unit to reject the object in the holder causing such deviation in position.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 276 words
A return apparatus intended for cans of aluminium and provided with a compression means, for detection of aluminium cans accepted as return material and consequently entitled to a refund, comprising: a detector coil connected to an electronic unit for detection of, in the first place, the material of a can fed through the feed opening of the return apparatus, characterized in that said detector coil is arranged in the form of a coil on a holder arranged directly inside the feed opening, said holder con-sisting of an electrically insulating material and being intended to support a fed can therein and having a cross-section substant-ially in the form of a U, said coil extending at least on both sides of the can in the holder, said electronic unit generating in said holder a self-oscillating electric field having a freq-uency changing in dependence of the object in the holder and, when lying within a range of frequencies predetermined for an aluminium can entitled to a refund, giving rise to a signal of acceptance to a control unit for directing the machine function of the return apparatus such as compression of the can and typing of a repay ticket, but otherwise giving rise to an error signal to said control unit to reject the object in the holder, said holder being pivotally mounted at one of its ends and together with a can entitled to a refund being kept in a predetermined position, sensor means being actuated when the holder is in position other than said predetermined one to emit an error signal to the control unit to reject the object in the holder causing such deviation in position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 45 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the form and size of the can feed opening above the holder are adapted to the form and size of cans entitled to a ferund in or-der to prevent feeding of non-acceptable cans as return material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 74 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including the compre-ssion means consisting of driven screws provided with a compres-sion plate movable by the screws for compression of the can to-wards a fixed compression plate, characterized in that the holder when supporting a can entitled to a refund, is parallel to the screws of the compression means in said predetermined position in order to effect the compression whilst the can is still supported by its holder.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 107 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the fixed compression plate included in the compression means is resiliently suspended by means of rubber pads or the like and is sensed by a sensor means in the form of a microswitch sensing at the final stage of the compression that the compressing force corresponds to that required for compression of a can entitled to a refund, said control unit also being disposed to monitor that the duration of the compression is maintained within a predeter-mined time interval and otherwise emit a signal to an electromag-net to reject material in the holder by swinging down the holder.

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