AU745640B2

AU745640B2 - Device for emptying refuse containers

Info

Publication number: AU745640B2
Application number: AU16683/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Klaus Delle; Manfred Schaubruch
Original assignee: Zoeller Kipper GmbH
Current assignee: Zoeller Kipper GmbH
Priority date: 1997-12-03
Filing date: 1998-11-10
Publication date: 2002-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 2018-11-10
Also published as: RU2197419C2; HRP20000365B1; YU49063B; HUP0100009A2; EP1044146B1; SK6552000A3; CZ20001637A3; YU23900A; DK1044146T3; PL193880B1; ES2172254T3; ATE211998T1; AU1668399A; EP1044146A1; WO1999028216A1; ZA9810355B; CZ291937B6; UA49092C2; DE59802678D1; DE19753587C1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for emptying refuse containers into a collecting bin (3), comprising a lifting device (5) with a carriage unit (6) and at least one swivel device (20) mounted on the lifting device, on which a receiving device (10) grasps the refuse container. A four-bar guide (30a,b) arranged on the swivel arm (40a,b) and provided with an upper guide rod (31a,b) and a lower guide rod (32a,b) supports the lifting frame (11) with the receiving device (10). The upper guide rod (31a,b) extends beyond its pivot point (34a,b) as far as the collecting bin (3) and forms an actuating lever (33a,b), whereby a cylinder piston device (21) pivots between the free ends thereof and the carriage unit (6). When the cylinder piston device (21) is actuated, its pivot point (25) on the four-bar guide (30a,b) moves along the arc of a circle (25) between both pivot points (34a,b,37a,b) on the four-bar guide (30) on the swivel arm. This improves the limited ground clearance of vertically conveying lifters and increases height capacity for receiving containers onto the inventive device. The cylindrical piston device is substantially protected against damage.

Description

1 Technical Field This invention concerns a device to discharge refuse bins into a collecting bin with a lifting device provided on the collecting bin, the lifting device having a lifting carriage and at least one pivoting device provided on the lifting device with a pivoting arm, on which lifting arm a lifting frame with a pick-up device to grasp the refuse bin is provided.

Background of the Invention Such a discharging device is known, for example, from DE 36-40-132- AI. This lifting device has pick-up devices for the refuse container as well as for two household refuse bins arranged next to each other. The small household bins are suspended on a pick-up comb, that is fastened on a pivoting device arranged on the lifting device, and with the aid of a pivoting device, the bin is tilted into the collecting bin.

The disadvantage of this known device is that the height of the pick-up device is predetermined, and consequently limited, by the range of movement of the lifting carriage. According to valid safe working regulations, the refuse bins have to be lifted off the ground, i.e. to satisfy the requirement, the lifting carriage has to extend very far downwards to also enable the lifting of smaller bins off the ground. This requirement is achieved in known devices where the lifting device extends downwards, resulting in considerable reduction of the ground clearance. A further disadvantage is that the pick-up of the bin is arranged between the lateral guide rails and therefore the positioning of the bin on the pick-up device is difficult for the refuse truck.

25 This disadvantage was supposed to have been eliminated with a device according to DE-OS-41-42-307, wherein the pick-up device for the bin had an extendable construction. This facilitated the operation, i.e. the attaching of the bin on to the pick-up device, but the lack of or limited ground clearance and consequently the pick-up height for the bins was not affected because from its deepest point, the pick-up device could extend on the guide rails only horizontally relative to the bin.

DE-OS-26-54-542 describes a lifting/tilting device with a four-bar guide, that carries at one end, the pick-up device for the bin, and at the other end is pivotably mounted on a pivoting arm. The lower connecting rod is extended in the direction of the collecting bin and forms an actuating lever, engaged by a cylinder/piston system. In the retracted state of the cylinder/piston system, r I 1 ii n; 'l ri,- ii-i;-l- II- n :C the four-bar guide with the pick-up device for the bin is pivoted downwards, so that the bin can be picked up. In this position, both connecting rods of the four-bar guide are inclined downwards. When the cylinder/piston system is extended, the pick-up device for the bin is pivoted upwards on an arc until the edge of the refuse bin is grasped by the locking bar. In this position, which corresponds also to the resting position, the cylinder/piston system is not yet fully extended and the actuating lever points inclined downwards.

The hinge point of the cylinder/piston system on the actuating lever forms the lowest point of the device and determines the ground clearance available to the vehicle during its travel. The piston(s) of the cylinder/piston system is (are) therefore exposed to the risk of getting damaged.

A further disadvantage of this known version is that the cylinder/piston system must be correspondingly long, so that telescoping cylinders have to be used.

An advantage of the invention is to improve the limited ground clearance of vertically conveying lifters and to increase the latitude for the pick-up height of the bin on the device while the actuating device is to be .protected as far as possible from getting damaged.

Summary of the Invention The invention may provide a device to discharge refuse bins into a S: collecting bin comprising: a lifting device provided on the collecting bin, the lifting device characterised by having: 25 a lifting carriage having at least one pivoting arm connected to a lifting frame with a pickup device to grasp a refuse bin by means of an upper and a lower connecting rod arranged such that the pivoting arm, the lifting frame and the upper and lower connecting rods form a four-bar guide; and wherein: the upper connecting rod is connected to the pivoting arm at a first hinge point; and the upper connecting rod is connected to the lifting frame at a second hinge point; the lower connecting rod is connected to the pivoting arm at a third hinge point; and the lower connecting rod is connected to the lifting frame at a fourth hinge point; and the upper connecting rod is extended past the first hinge point to form an actuating lever; a cylinder/piston system is connected between the actuating lever and the lifting carriage at a fifth hinge point, and when the cylinder/piston system is actuated, the fifth hinge point on the four-bar guide moves along an arc between the first and third hinge points on the pivoting arm.

Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent patent claims.

Since the upper connecting rod is extended and consequently forms the lifting lever to move the pick-up device, the hinge point of the cylinder/piston system is situated further up than in the state-of-the-art, so that the piston(s) of the cylinder/piston system is (are) not subjected to strong soiling and damage. Furthermore, according to the device provided by the invention, the ground clearance is increased because the cylinder/piston system does not protrude downwards.

In the travelling position, when the pick-up device is pivoted inward 20 on the lifting carriage, the hinge point of the cylinder/piston system is situated on the pivoting arm in the region between the upper and lower hinge point of the four-bar guide and when two four-bar guides are used it is in the space between the two four-bar guides, thus improving the protection of the *9 cylinder/piston system. This is assisted by the fact that the distance of the two hinge points of the four-bar guide on the pivoting arm is preferably greater than the length of the actuating lever.

"The overall length of the cylinder/piston system can be altogether 0 shorter than in the case of the known device, so that no telescoping cylinder is necessary. The radius of the movement path of the hinge point of the cylinder/piston system on the upper connecting rod during the total movement is smaller than in the case of the device according to DE-OS-26-54- 542.

The cylinder/piston system is connected at the lifting carriage, to pivot the pick-up device into the charging opening of the collecting bin. This execution also contributes to the increase of ground clearance.

When pivoting the pick-up device outward into the pick-up position, the cylinder/piston system is completely retracted. This means that in the closely pivoted state, the cylinder/piston system is partly extended and during the inward pivoting of the refuse bin into the charging opening, it is fully extended.

After picking up the refuse bin, the lifting frame can, in a superimposed movement, be lifted with the lifting carriage of the lifting device. The advantage of this is that the locked position of the refuse bin is outside the reach of the operator, reducing the chances of an accident occurring. Time is also saved. The locking of the bin takes place before the end of the lifting path, preferably between the pick-up device and a locking bar that is fitted between the pivoting arms to grasp the edge of the bin.

The hinge point of the pivoting arm is preferably above the hinge point of the cylinder/piston system on the lifting carriage. The grater the distance of the hinge point and the closer the hinge point of the cylinder/piston system to the vertical line passing through the hinge point of the pivoting point, the greater the available pivoting angle during the tilting into the charging .opening.

2The cylinder/piston system preferably has only one single pressure 20 medium cylinder, thus further simplifying the device.

For reasons of stability two pivoting arms and two four-bar guides may be provided in a twin-system between the lifting frames and the lifting 0 carriages.

:When this twin-system is combined with a motor for the pressure 25 medium, both upper connecting rods are preferably bent past their pivot points on the respective pivoting arm and joined with each other on their actuating levers. The motor for the pressure medium in this case is hingedly connected on the joining position of the actuating lever.

The cylinder/piston system can be controlled by a control device connected to the bin recognition system. Preferably, the entire device is controlled by the signals arriving from the bin recognition system. The positioning of the lifting carriage and the pick-up device for the respective refuse bin to be discharged is also part of the control process. To pick up the bin, the lifting frame is moved manually upward or by a bin release or data carrier and the pick-up device engages a carrier on the bin from below, preferably below the edge of the bin.

Depending on what type of refuse bin the bin recognition system has recognised, the corresponding charging opening is approached. The separation of the lifting device and of the pivoting device has the advantage that the lifting frame can be pivoted inward at any height of the collecting bin for the purpose of discharging the bin.

In an advantageous manner a suction device is provided on the lifting frame, that abuts against the body of the refuse bin during the picking up operation to secure it during the entire discharging process. Due to this the refuse bin to be discharged is fixed early, in fact before the locking bar engages the edge of the refuse bin and consequently locks the refuse bin on the pick-up device.

Brief Description of the Drawings Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained below in detail based on the drawings.

SThey show in: Fig. 1 a side view of the entire discharging device. .*0 Fig. 2 a side view of the entire discharging device during the tipping process into a charging opening.

S 20 Fig. 3 a side view of the device with pivoted away pick-up device.

Fig. 4a the device shown in Fig. 3 with inward pick-up device Fig. 4b a vertical section through the device shown in Fig. 4a, where the sectioning plane is parallel to the plane of the paper, and Fig. 5 a front view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

SDetailed Description of the Drawings %00% Fig. 1 shows in side view the device in toto to discharge defuse bins 1.

The collecting bin 3, into which the refuse bin 1 is to be discharged, can be provided, for example, on a refuse-collecting vehicle. A charging opening 4 is provided on the upper side of the collecting bin 3, however, further charging openings 4' may be provided below the charging opening 4, as this is illustrated in the form of an example in Fig. 2.

On the rear of the collecting bin 3, on a side wall 45, a rail 46 is provided vertically, on which rail a lifting carriage 6 is guided. The lifting carriage 6 is engaged by a cable 9, that is connected with a motor for the S lifting pressure medium 7 via reversing rollers. By extending the top piston 8a and retracting the bottom piston 8b, the cable 9 is moved and consequently the lifting carriage 6 is pulled vertically upwards.

Two pivoting arms 40a, b are connected to the lifting frame 11 by means of two four-bar guides 30a, b (four-bar linkages). The four-bar guides 30a, b are connected to the lifting carriage 6. In the position shown, only the lower connecting rod 32a of the front four-bar guide 30a is visible. The locking bar 19 is attached to the lifting carriage 6.

The discharging device is illustrated at Figs. 3, 4a and 4b. A twinsystem is described and has two pivoting arms 40a, b and two four-bar guides 30a, b. The front components of the four-bar guides are illustrated and designated with the letter a. The pivoting arm 40a is hinged on the lifting carriage 6 at hinge point 41a and is generally a trapezoidal shape. The fourbar guide 30a comprises upper connecting rod 31a and lower connecting rod 32a which are hinged on the pivoting arm 40a at hinge points 34a and 37a respectively, both connecting rods 31a, 32a are also hinged on lifting frame 11 at hinge points 35a and 36a respectively. The pick-up comb 12 is situated above the lifting frame 11 and is used to grasp the refuse bin 1 from below the pick-up edge 2. The pick-up device 10 has a suction device 13 arranged on the lifting frame 11 which abuts against the body of the bin 1 and secures it 20 by applying a vacuum.

At hinge point 34a, the upper connecting rod 31a of the four-bar guide is extended to form an actuating lever 33a. A piston 23 of a cylinder/piston system 21 is hingedly connected to the actuating lever 33a at hinge point 25. In the pivoted position shown in Fig. 3, the pick-up device S 25 is pivoted away from the lifting carriage 6, while the pick-up comb 12 moves along an arc about its fulcrum at hinge point 34a. As the pick-up device moves away from the lifting carriage 6, the pick-up device 10 and the pick-up comb 12 are simultaneously lowered. The cylinder/piston system 21 is fully retracted in this position.

The hinge point 24 of the cylinder/piston system 21 on the lifting carriage 6 is situated below the hinge point 41a of the pivoting arm 40a. The distance between hinge points 24 and 41a is preferably at a large distance and close to the vertical line 26 passing through the hinge point 41a. This allows a large pivoting angle to be provided for the tipping of the refuse bin 1 in the charging opening 4.

7 When the upper connecting rod 31a is extended, the hinge point 25 of the cylinder/piston system 21 is above the hinge point 37a and consequently in the protected region. When the cylinder/piston system 21 is extended, the hinge point 25 moves along the arc 50 that runs between the hinge points 37a and 34a.

Fig. 4a shows the inward pivoted position. The piston 23 of the cylinder/piston system 21 is extended only partially in this position, while the hinge point 25 is situated between the hinge points 34a and 37a. This is more clearly shown in the sectioned illustration in Fig. 4b, wherein the fourbar guide 30a has been omitted and the four-bar guide 30b is visible. The cylinder/piston system 21 is also shown sectioned, and the piston 23 is extended only partially. In this position, which corresponds to the travelling position of the discharging device, the piston 23 with its hinge point 25 is in the protected region between the four-bar guides 30a and 30b. Furthermore, the cylinder/piston system 21 is already in an inclined position, which is advantageous for the force transfer during the inward pivoting process to the charging opening 4.

Fig. 5 illustrates the front view of the discharging device. A cylinder/piston system that has only one cylinder for the pressure medium, is arranged centrally between the pivoting arms 40a and 40b. Behind their hinge points 34a and 34b, the upper connecting rods 31a and 31b have bent sections 31a[sic] and 31b[sic], which form the actuating device[sic] 33a, b that lead to a common hinge point 25 for the piston 23. Consequentially, a simple and compact discharging device is provided.

The suction device 13 is more clearly seen in Fig. 5, showing a rubber I ring 14 binding the interior 16 in which the suction hole 15 is situated. When the refuse bin 1 to be discharged abuts with its wall against the rubber ring 14, a vacuum is produced in the interior 16 by evacuating air situated in the 8 interior 16 through the suction hole 15, the vacuum pressing the bin against the rubber ring 14.

r lr i Reference numerals 1 2 3 4,4' 6 7 8a,b 9 11 12 13 14 16 19 20 21 22 23 24a,b 25a,b 26 31a,b 32a,b 33a,b 34a,b 36a,b 37a,b Refuse bin Pick-up edge Collecting bin Charging opening Lifting device Lifting carriage Motor for lifting pressure medium Piston rod Cable Pick-up device Lifting frame Pick-up comb Suction device Rubber ring Suction hole Interior Locking bar Swivelling device Cylinder/piston system Cylinder Piston rod Hinge point Hinge point Vertical Four-bar guide Upper connecting rod Lower connecting rod Actuating lever Pivot point Pivot point Pivot point Pivot point Bent section 41a,b 46 50 Pivoting arm Hinge point Side wall Rail Arc

Claims

1. A device to discharge refuse bins into a collecting bin comprising: a lifting device provided on the collecting bin, the lifting device characterised by having: a lifting carriage having at least one pivoting arm connected to a lifting frame with a pick- up device to grasp a refuse bin by means of an upper and a lower connecting rod arranged such that the pivoting arm, the lifting frame and the upper and lower connecting rods form a four-bar guide; and wherein: the upper connecting rod is connected to the pivoting arm at a first hinge point; and .o o. the upper connecting rod is connected to the lifting frame at a second hinge point; 15 the lower connecting rod is connected to the pivoting arm at a third hinge point; and the lower connecting rod is connected to the lifting frame at a fourth hinge point; and 2 the upper connecting rod is extended past the first hinge point to 20 form an actuating lever; a cylinder/piston system is connected between the actuating lever and the lifting carriage at a fifth hinge point, and when the cylinder/piston system is actuated, the fifth hinge point on S•the four-bar guide moves along an arc between the first and third hinge points S 25 on the pivoting arm.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterised in that the distance between the first and third hinge points on the pivoting arm is greater than the length of the actuating lever.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the cylinder/piston system is connected at the lifting carriage, to pivot the pick- up device into the charging opening of the collecting bin.

4. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the pivoting arm is connected to the lifting carriage at a sixth hinge point, the cylinder/piston system is connected to the lifting carriage at a seventh hinge point, wherein the sixth hinge point is above the seventh hinge point.

A device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the cylinder/piston system has only one single pressure medium cylinder.

6. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that two pivoting arms and two four-bar guides are provided in a twin system between the lifting frames and the lifting carriages.

7. A device according to claim 6, characterised in that both actuating levers are joined and the cylinder/piston system is hingedly connected on the join. o• 15

8. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the cylinder/piston system is controlled by a control device connected to a bin recognition system.

9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that a 20 suction device is provided on the lifting frame. A device to discharge refuse bins into a collecting bin with a lifting :device provided on the collecting bin substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings. Dated this seventh day of January 2002 Zoller-Kipper GmbH Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F B RICE CO