AP523A

AP523A - Refuse collection vehicle.

Info

Publication number: AP523A
Application number: APAP/P/1994/000662A
Authority: AP
Inventors: Garnet Euan Cairns; Robert Bertram Wiggill
Original assignee: Agricultural And Industrial Mech Holdings Limited
Priority date: 1993-08-03
Filing date: 1994-07-12
Publication date: 1996-09-05
Also published as: MY111011A; ZA939689B; AP9400662A0

Abstract

The refuse collection

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a refuse collection vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a refuse collection vehicle which is in the form of a trailer and which comprises a wheeled chassis with a drawbar by means of which the chassis can be hitched to a towing vehicle, a bin on the chassis, a refuse receiving receptacle, means for raising the receptacle relative to the bin from a collection position at a low level to a tipping position at a higher level, means for tipping the receptacle when it is at the tipping position so that refuse tips under gravity from the receptacle into the bin at or towards a first end of the bin, means for tilting the bin in one pivotal direction relative to the chassis about a first axis so as to allow tipped refuse to move under gravity from the first end of the bin towards the other, second end thereof, and means for tilting the bin in the opposite pivotal direction relative to the chassis about a second axis, spaced from the first axis, to allow refuse to discharge under gravity through the first end of the bin.

AP/P/ 94/00662

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The bin may have a pivotally mounted tailgate arranged to swing open to permit discharge of the contents of the bin through the first end when the bin is tilted about the second axis. The tailgate may be arranged to swing open under gravity when the bin is tilted. Alternatively, there may be one or more hydraulic cylinders arranged to swing the tailgate open when the bin is tilted.

c q In one form of the invention, the refuse receiving receptacle is in the form of an open-topped bucket into which refuse can be loaded when the bucket is at the collection position. In another form of the invention, the refuse receiving receptacle is adapted to support and engage one or more refuse containers from which the contents are discharged when the receptacle is in the tipping position and is tipped. In the latter case, the refuse receiving receptacle typically comprises a platform on which the refuse containers can be placed, the platform including engagement means for engaging the containers and holding them on the platform during tipping.

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The refuse receiving receptacle may in one embodiment be carried pivotally by a parallelogram linkage.

The vehicle may include a wheeled chassis for supporting the bin and at least one hydraulic cylinder acting between the chassis and the bin to tilt the bin relative to the chassis about the respective first and second axes. In addition there may be releasable latching means operable selectively to connect the bin pivotally to the chassis at the first axis or the second axis so allow the bin to be tilted about the relevant axis.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1

Figures 2a, 2b and 2c

Figures 3a and 3b

Figure 4

J shows a side elevation of a refuse collection vehicle of the invention;

diagrammatically illustrate the operation of the refuse receiving receptacle;

diagrammatically illustrate the compacting and dumping positions of the bin; and shows a side elevation of a second embodiment of refuse collection vehicle of the invention.

AP/P/ 94/00662

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The refuse collection vehicle 10 seen in Figure 1 is in the form of a trailer with a drawbar 12 by means of which it can be hitched to a towing vehicle such as a tractor. The trailer has a chassis 14 mounted on road wheels 16.

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A refuse collection bin 18 is mounted on the chassis. At its front end the bin has a closed top 20. However the rear end section 22 of the bin is open-topped as illustrated. The bin has fixed front and side walls 24 and 26 respectively and a tailgate 28 which is pivoted to the side walls 24 at an axis 30.

Figures 2a, 2b and 2c illustrate successive stages in the loading of the bin 18. Pairs of arms 32, 34 are pivoted on opposite sides of the vehicle to brackets 36 on the chassis, and to links 38. A cross shaft 40 connects the links 38 on opposite sides of the vehicle to one another. An hydraulic cylinder 42 acts between the cross shaft 40 and a point on the front wall of an open-topped refuse receiving receptacle, in this case a bucket 44.

It will be noted that the arms 32, 34, brackets 36 and links 38 constitute parallelogram linkages. On each side of the vehicle, a further hydraulic cylinder 45 acts between the chassis 14 and the arm 34.

Figure 2a illustrates the open-topped bucket 44 in a low, refuse receiving position. In this position, workers can deposit refuse, either in loose form or in bags, directly into the bucket. When the bucket is full of refuse, the cylinders 45 are extended to lift the bucket 44 from the Figure 2a to the Figure 2b, tipping position. The parallelogram nature of the linkage ensures that the bucket remains at the same orientation during this movement.

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Once the bucket is in the tipping position seen in Figure 2b, the cylinder 42 is extended to tip the bucket to the orientation seen in Figure 2c and in broken outline in Figure 1.

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Refuse falls under gravity from the bucket 44 into the bin through the open top section 22. Preferably, the cylinder 42 is rapidly extended so that refuse is discharged rapidly from the bucket 44. The empty bucket is then returned, by the reverse of the procedure just described, to a low level for collection of further refuse.

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The operations just described may be operated by the operator of the tractor or by a person standing at a remote position. It is envisaged that the movements of the bucket from the Figure 2a to the Figure 2c position may be carried out automatically, under suitable electromechanical or electronic controls, once initiated. Thus the operator would merely have to determine when the bucket is full to a certain level and then would initiate, with a single command, the entire sequence of lifting, tipping, righting and lowering the bucket.

Specific mention has been made of a refuse receiving receptacle in the form of an open-topped bucket. Many other types of receptacle are within the scope of the invention. For instance, the receptacle could merely be in the form of a platform or other structure with the facility to receive and engage a number of conventional waste bins. In this case, the bins would be placed on the platform or structure and locked in position. When the platform or structure is tipped to the orientation of Figure 2c, the contents of the bins would fall out, with the bins themselves remaining locked in position. When the platform or structure is returned to the Figure 2a condition, the empty bins are removed and replaced by fresh bins full of refuse.

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Referring to Figure 3a, the front end of the bin 18 is pivotally connected to the chassis 14 by a pivot joint at the position 46. A double-acting hydraulic cylinder 48, possibly of multi-stage type, acts between the chassis 14 and the side wall or underframe of the bin on each side.

When the rear end of the bin 18 has been filled up with refuse from repetitions of the bucket or platform loading cycle described above, the hydraulic cylinders 48 are extended to tilt the entire bin 18 to the position seen in Figure 3a. At this bin orientation, refuse inside the bin will move under gravity towards the front end of the bin. In addition, the refuse will be compacted against refuse already at the front end of the bin. Once the rear end of the bin has been cleared of refuse, the cylinders 48 are retracted to return the bin to the orientation seen in Figure 1.

There is also a pivotal connection 50 between the rear end of the bin and the rear end of the chassis. In practice, when the bin is to be pivoted to the Figure 3a orientation, the pivotal connection 50 is disengaged and the connection 46 is engaged. This may be achieved by means of pivot pins at front and rear of the chassis which are arranged to engage brackets on the bin under hydraulic control. The hydraulic control is such that as soon as the pivotal connection 46 is made by appropriate pin movement, the pivotal connection 50 is disengaged, allowing bin tipping to take place.

As in the case of the bucket 44, the entire compacting procedure described above could be carried out after initiation with a single command by the operator.

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When the bin 18 is filled with refuse to its maximum capacity, the vehicle 10 is drawn to a refuse dump. At the dump, the abovementioned hydraulic controls are actuated to engage the pivotal connection 50 and, at the same time, disengage the pivotal connection 46. When the cylinders 48 are again extended, the bin 18 is pivoted to the discharge or dumping position seen in Figure 3b.

Under the same or a different hydraulic control, latches (not illustrated) which hold the lower edge of the tailgate 28 in the closed position seen in the preceding Figures are released, allowing the tailgate to swing open as seen in Figure 3b, to allow refuse collected in the bin to discharge through the rear end thereof. The hydraulic control might, for instance, be such that as soon as the pivotal connection 50 is engaged and the pivotal connection 46 is disengaged, the latches are released.

After the bin has been completely discharged, the bin is returned to its normal·position on the chassis, the tailgate latches are engaged again and the vehicle 10 can be returned to a refuse collection site again.

Figure 4 illustrates a modified refuse collection vehicle. In this Figure, there is a single arm 60 on each side of the vehicle as opposed to pairs of arms 32, 34. The arm 60 is in each case pivoted at one end to a bracket 62 on the chassis and at the other end to a transverse shaft 64 fixed to a refuse receiving receptacle 66, once again in the form of an open-topped bucket. A cylinder 68 acts between the chassis and a bracket 70 on the arm 60 as illustrated. A further cylinder 72 acts between the bracket 70 and a bracket 74 on the shaft 64.

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As in the first embodiment, the bucket is held at the illustrated, low position for the purposes of receiving manually loaded refuse bags or the like. Next, the cylinder 68 is extended to raise the bucket to the tipping elevation and then the cylinder 72 is retracted to tilt the bucket so that it discharges its contents under gravity into the open-topped rear end of the bin 18, as indicated in broken outline in Figure 4. The reverse sequence of operations is carried out to return the bucket to the low level collection position.

In the absence of the parallelogram linkage employed in the first embodiment, it will be appreciated that the orientation of the bucket will change as it is raised. This is however not considered to be a problem when the refuse is loaded into the bucket in refuse bags which will not readily fall out of the bucket. On the other hand, if the refuse which is raised is of a highly fluent nature, such as liquid waste, the parallelogram linkage version is preferred to prevent spillage.

Another difference between the embodiment of figure 4 and the earlier embodiment is the fact that the closed top 20 of the bin 18 slopes upwardly towards the rear. This reduces the chances of waste material jamming against the rear edge of the top when tipped from the bucket and, it is believed, will enhance the compaction of the material when the bin is tilted in the manner explained with reference to Figure 3a.

Figure 4 illustrates an hydraulic power pack 80 which is in use driven off the PTO (power take-off) shaft of the tractor. The power pack is mounted on the draw-bar of the vehicle and includes pumps and other hydraulic equipment required to operate the various hydraulic cylinders,

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It will be appreciated that, apart from the above differences, the embodiment of Figure 4 operates according to the same principles as the first embodiment.

It should also be noted that while the tailgate of the bin swings open under gravity in the embodiments described above, in other embodiments of the invention it may be preferred to open the tailgate in a positive manner, for instance using one or more hydraulic cylinders.

Claims

1.

A refuse collection vehicle which is in the form of a trailer and which comprises a wheeled chassis with a drawbar by means of which the chassis can be hitched to a towing vehicle, a bin on the chassis, a refuse receiving receptacle, means for raising the receptacle relative to the bin from a collection position at a low level to a tipping position at a higher level, means for tipping the receptacle when it is at the tipping position so that refuse tips under gravity from the receptacle into the bin at or towards a first end of the bin, means for tilting the bin in one pivotal direction relative to the chassis about a first axis so as to allow tipped refuse to move under gravity from the first end of the bin towards the other, second end thereof, and means for tilting the bin in the opposite pivotal direction relative to the chassis about a second axis, spaced from the first axis, to allow refuse to discharge under gravity through the first end of the bin.

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A refuse collection vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the bin has a pivotally mounted tailgate arranged to swing open to permit discharge of the contents of the bin through the first end when the bin is tilted about the second axis.

3.

A refuse collection vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the tailgate is arranged to swing open under gravity to permit discharge of the contents of the bin through the first end when the bin is tilted about the second axis.

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4.

A refuse collection vehicle according to claim 2 comprising one or more hydraulic cylinders arranged to swing the tailgate open to permit discharge of the contents of the bin through the first end when the bin is tilted about the second axis.

5.

A refuse collection vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the refuse receiving receptacle is in the form of an open-topped bucket into which refuse can be loaded when the bucket is at the collection position.

6.

A refuse collection vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the refuse receiving receptacle is adapted to support and engage one or more refuse containers from which the contents are discharged when the receptacle is in the tipping position and is tipped.

AP/P/ 94/00662

7.

A refuse collection vehicle according to claim 6 wherein the refuse receiving receptacle comprises a platform on which the refuse containers can be placed, the platform including engagement means for engaging the containers and holding them on the platform during tipping.

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8.

A refuse collection vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the refuse receiving receptacle is carried pivotally by a parallelogram linkage.

A refuse collection vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a wheeled chassis for supporting the bin and at least one hydraulic cylinder acting between the chassis and the bin to tilt the bin relative to the chassis about the respective first and second axes.

10.

A refuse collection vehicle according to claim 9 comprising releasable latching means operable selectively to connect the bin pivotally to the chassis at the first axis or the second axis to allow the bin to be tilted about the relevant axis.

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11.

A refuse collection vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims which is in the form of a trailer.