Compactor drive system

Claim 2

In a trash compactor having a housing with an open trash receptacle, a reciprocable compacting ram movable into and out of said receptacle, and a reversible electric motor for driving said ram; the improvement comprising a driving connection between said motor and said ram including a yieldable force transmitting member connecting said motor to said ram and constructed and arranged to permit said motor to commence rotation before exerting a moving effort against said ram at least in the direction of retracting said ram from said receptacle after compacting trash therein.

Claim 3

In a trash compactor as defined in claim 1, said driving connection including a drive sprocket rotatably driven by said motor, at least one driven sprocket connected to move said ram, a drive chain connecting said sprockets, said chain having greater length than the shortest path for connecting said sprockets to leave some slack in said chain, said yieldable member engaging said chain and taking up the slack in that portion of said chain passing from said drive sprocket when the ram is being driven into said receptacle whereby at the end of a compacting stroke of said ram and reversing of said motor the initial rotation of said motor is resisted primarily by said yieldable member until the slack is taken up in said portion of said chain.

Claim 4

In a trash compactor as defined in claim 1, said motor being a split-phase start reversible induction motor, and said driving connection including a speed reducing connection between said motor and said yieldable force transmitting member.

Claim 5

In a compacting machine having a receptacle for trash material, a ram mounted for compacting movement in a compacting stroke entering said receptacle and an opposite retracting stroke to a retracted starting position, a power supply, a reversible motor connected to drive said ram, a directional switch connected to control the forward and reverse operation of said motor corresponding to the compacting and retracting strokes of said ram, means urging said directional switch into its reverse position, means moving said directional switch to its forward position only when said ram is at its starting position, a plurality of jack screws mounted adjacent said receptacle in spaced parallel relationship to each other and extending in the direction of movement of the receptacle, drive means for causing said ram to move along said jack screws, said drive means including a drive sprocket rotatable by said motor, a driven sprocket connected to each of said jack screws, a drive chain wrapping said drive sprocket and said driven sprockets with some slack in said chain, tensioning means engaging said chain on opposite sides of said drive sprocket, means mounting said tensioning means for movement in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said sprockets, and means resiliently urging said tensioning means in said direction normal to the axes of rotation of said sprockets to take up the slack in said chain producing a taut driving relationship of said sprockets while permitting some relative movement between said drive and driven sprockets during starting of said motor.

Claim 6

In a compacting machine having a receptacle for trash material, a ram mounted for compacting movement in a compacting stroke entering said receptacle and an opposite retracting stroke to a retracted starting position, a power supply, a reversible motor connected to drive said ram, a directional switch connected to control the forward and reverse operation of said motor corresponding to the compacting and retracting strokes of said ram, means urging said directional switch into its reverse position, means moving said directional switch to its forward position only when said ram is at its starting position, a plurality of jack screws mounted adjacent said receptacle in spaced parallel relationship to each other and extending in the direction of movement of the receptacle, drive means for causing said ram to move along said jack screws, said drive means including a drive sprocket rotatable by said motor, a driven sprocket connected to each of said jack screws, a drive chain wrapping said drive sprocket and said driven sprockets with some slack in said chain, tensioning means engaging said chain on opposite sides of said drive sprocket, means mounting said tensioning means for movement in a direction normal to the axis of rotation of said sprockets, and means resiliently urging said tensioning means in said direction normal to the axes of rotation of said sprockets to take up the slack in said chain producing a taut driving relationship of said sprockets while permitting some relative movement between said drive and driven sprockets during starting of said motor.

Claim 7

The compactor of claim 4 wherein said chain tensioning means includes a pair of movable arms each carrying an idler sprocket, and means mounting said arms for pivotal movement toward and away from said chain with the axes of pivotal movement of said arms and the axes of said idler sprockets, drive sprocket and driven sprockets extending in parallel relationship to each other.

Claim 8

A compactor as defined in claim 4 wherein said resilient means is a spring connected at its opposite ends to said arms such that tension in the chain on one side of said drive sprocket will reflect through said spring and said arm to take up slack in the chain on the other side of said drive sprocket.