CA1149126A - Refuse container assembly actuating mechanism - Google Patents
Refuse container assembly actuating mechanismInfo
- Publication number
- CA1149126A CA1149126A CA000403585A CA403585A CA1149126A CA 1149126 A CA1149126 A CA 1149126A CA 000403585 A CA000403585 A CA 000403585A CA 403585 A CA403585 A CA 403585A CA 1149126 A CA1149126 A CA 1149126A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- refuse
- container
- arm
- motor means
- receptacle
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65F—GATHERING OR REMOVAL OF DOMESTIC OR LIKE REFUSE
- B65F9/00—Transferring of refuse between vehicles or containers with intermediate storage or pressing
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Refuse-Collection Vehicles (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The specification describes an actuating mechanism for a refuse container assembly having a refuse receptacle mounted on a support for pivotal movement about a transverse pivot axis adjacent the upper end of a rear wall of the receptacle between a lower refuse receiving position and an elevated refuse discharge position, the actuating mechanism comprising first and second spaced arms adapted to be mounted on the support for pivotal movement about the receptacle pivot axis and first and second extendable and retractable motor devices associated with each arm, one end of the first motor device being connected to its associated arm at a point thereof remote from the pivot axis and the other end thereof being adapted to be connected to the support and one end of the second motor device being connected to the arm at a point thereof remote from the pivot axis and the other end of the second motor device being adapted to be connected to the receptacle.
The specification describes an actuating mechanism for a refuse container assembly having a refuse receptacle mounted on a support for pivotal movement about a transverse pivot axis adjacent the upper end of a rear wall of the receptacle between a lower refuse receiving position and an elevated refuse discharge position, the actuating mechanism comprising first and second spaced arms adapted to be mounted on the support for pivotal movement about the receptacle pivot axis and first and second extendable and retractable motor devices associated with each arm, one end of the first motor device being connected to its associated arm at a point thereof remote from the pivot axis and the other end thereof being adapted to be connected to the support and one end of the second motor device being connected to the arm at a point thereof remote from the pivot axis and the other end of the second motor device being adapted to be connected to the receptacle.
Description
This is a division of co-~ending Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 346,5~0 filed February ~7, 1980.
The present invention relates to a system of refuse collection and disposal as well as to a container especially adapted for use in such a system.
A problem with which society has been, is and will continue to face is that of collecting and disposing of refuse.
The prime objective of the present invention is to provide a system and an apparatus which renders the task of refuse disposal more simple~ efficient and less expensive than conventional systems and apparatuses.
Refuse disposal in general normally involves three separate and distinct phases, namely, collection, transportation and dis-posal.
The first phase, collection, involves the gathering of refuse from residential and commercial generating locations at predetermined intervals. A number of collection methods have been used and will be discussed in greater detail below. The collection phase is primarily conducted by public or private haulers. However, in some cases, residents themselves will transport theix own refuse to a disposal site.
Public or private haulers normally utilize transportation vehicles to collect refuse from a generation point and convey or transport the refuse to its ultimate and permanent disposal site which may be a sanitary land fill location.
The transportation phase relates to the movement of refuse from the facility where the colleation process is terminated to a sanitary land fill location. As indicated earlier, it has been conventional to utilize the collection vehicles to transport the refuse to the disposal site. Since collection vehicles normally 29 have a relatively small capacity, the cost of transporting the 6 ~
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refuse from the collection site -to the disposal site ma~ be unnecessarily expensive if the distance to be travell~d is fairly large.
The disposal phase o~ the refuse disposal process in-volves, perhaps, the compaction of re~use and, certainly the covering of collected and transported refuse at a sanitary land fill location in accordance with existing laws and regulations.
The present invention is primarily concerned with the collection and transportation phases of the refuse disposal process. Various collection and transportation schemes have been conceived and have been used. The following is a brief summary of some conventional schemes.
One existing system of collecting and transporting refuse is the "green box system". This system provides containers of three to six ~ubic yard capacity which are placed at strategic locations for use ~y local residents. The containers are serviced and emptied regularly with specially designed front end loader vehicles. The vehicles are conventionally e~uipped with a compaction type body having a volume in the neighbourhood of thirty to thirty five cubic yards and a normal gross vehicle weight ~GVW) rating of about 49,000 pounds. The vehicles trans-port their contents to a disposal site.
This system has a decided cost advantage over conventional collection systems in that the collection site development costs are lower than a system using larger containers such as the "roll off system" discussed ~elow. In addition, the containers have lids which reduce wind blowing of refuse. The major dis-28 advantage of this system is that the container size is rather -- 2 --rw/
inadequate in the handling o~ larger items generated at certain times by the general population. In addition, this system makes no provision to receive refuse from a collection vehicle used in the residential collection process and the cost of the lon~
haul may be greater than other systems.
The "roll o~ system" involves the use oE containers having a capacity in the neighbourhood of 30 to 50 cubic yards which, again, are placed at strategic locations in a municipality.
This system affords the user the advantage of handling large 1~ items and/or large loads to thus overcome one major disadvantage of the "green box system". However, since the container is larger, the opening and closing of large lids or covers creates a problem for the residential or private user and, in addition, this system requires the construction o~ a more expensive collection site. The containers are themselves carried to and from the ultimate disposal site by means o~ vehicles especially equipped to load and unload the containers. Thus, in addition to the containers themselves, this system requires special transportation vehicles.
In general, prior systems did not distin~uish between collection and transportation o~ re~use. The container in which the re~use is gathered is either transported directly to the disposal site and then returned or its contents are emptied into a collection vehicle which transports the refuse to the disposal site. Thus, the vehicles serve both as collection as well as transportation means. They have a relatively small capacity and~
thereore, the cost o~ transporting a given weight of re~use tends 28 to be relatively high.
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Aforementioned Canadian Application Serial No. 346,520 relates to a refuse transfer station and a refuse container assembly for use therein. The present invention relates to an actuating mechanism for effecting movement of the receptacle of the assembly between a lower refuse receiving position and an elevated refuse discharge position. Generally, the invention provides first and second spaced arm means adapted to be mounted on a receptacle support for pivotal movement about the pivot axis of the receptacle and first and second extendable and retractable motor means associated with each arm means. One end of the first motor means is connected to its associated arm means at a point thereof remote from its pivot axis and the other end of the motor means being adapted to be connected to the support. One end of the second motor means is connected to its associated arm means at a point thereof remote from the pivot axis and the other end of the second motor means being adapted to be connected to the receptacle.
-These and other features of the invention are described in greater detail in the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a map illustrating a typical area in which refuse is to be collected and which is subdivided into service areas;
Figure 2 is a pictorial illustration of a transfer station utilizing the container of the present invention and showing a collection vehicle in the process of discharging its contents into the container;
~ 9~6 Figure 3 i5 a view similar to Fi.gure 2 but illustrating the container emptying its contents into a transportation vehîcle;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an articulated refuse container for use at a transfer station;
Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the container of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but illustrating :.
a lid assembly in a position whereby a collection vehicle may discharge its contents into the container;
. Figure 7 is a view similar to Figures 5 and 6 ~ut illustrating the container discharglng its contents into a transportation vehicle;
Figure 8 is a pictorial, diagrammatic illustration of a hydraulic circuitry for actuating the various hydraulic cylinders of the container;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a container similar to Figure 4 ~ut having an alternative Iid assembly; .
Figure 10 is a partially ~roken, side elevational view of the container of Figure 9;
. . Figures 11 and 12 are views similar to Figure 10 but illustrating the lid assem~ly in different positions;
Figure 13 is a view similar to Figures 10 to I2 ~ut illustrating the container in a discharging position; r~", Figures 14 and 15 are side elevational views of the container of Figure 9 illustrating lid actuating mechanisms;
Figure 14a is a view taken along lines 14a-14a of Figure 14; and Figure 16 is an elevational view illustrating an alter-native container mounting arrangement.
~ . . i , . .. .
~ ~ f~ Z,6 DETAIL DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 represents a map of a region or municipality in which refuse is to be collected. The circles represent the boundaries of service areas within which, depending upon the population, one or more collection vehicles operate on one or more predetermined days per week. Each service area includes a transfer station having one or more transfer containers to be described in greater detail later. Generally, the transfer containers are adapted to receive refuse from collection vehicles and discharge refuse into transportation vehicles.' The number of transfer containers at each transfer station depends upon the quantity of refuse expected to be collected within the service area. The transfer station is located within its service' area so as to minimize the "transportation" distance between the collection site and disposal site by the collection vehicles so as to optimize the efficiency of the collection vehicles and crew and minimize fuel consumption. This objective is based upon the notion that refuse collectlon vehicles' tend to be inefficient means for long-distance refuse transportation since the ratio of vehicle weight to refuse weight is relatively high in comparison to other modes of transportation. Furthermore, in conventional refuse collection systems, the refuse collection crew is normally inactive while the collection vehicle is in transit to and from the disposal site. The size of the service area may depend, to some extent, upon the nature of the service area, that is, whether it is an urban or rural area In any case, the area should not exceed a diameter of about 15 miles. A diamet~r f 27 of 9 or 1~ miles is preferred, as indicated in Figure 1.
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~9~Z6 The present invention provides for the servicing of the service areas by conventional refusP collectin~ vehicles which may be of the compacting ox non-compacting type. When loaded, the collection vehicles transport their contents to the local transfer station which will be considerably closer than the municipal or regional disposal site. The collection vehicles empty their contents into the transfer containers.
The transfer containers have a capacity of several times that of collection vehicles, for example, 2 to 6 times.
Figures 2 and 3 pictorially illustrate a transfer station as contemplated by the present invention. ~s illustrated, the transf~er station includes only one transfer container but, as indicated earlier, the transfer station may have several containers if necessary to properly service an area. Figure 2 illustrates a refuse vehicle emptying its contents into a transfer container.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, high capacity transportation vehicles, such as a tractor-trailer arrangement illustrated in Figure 3, periodically travel between transfer stations and collect refuse temporarily stored in transfer con-tainers. Figure 3 illustrates a trans-portation vehicle receiving refuse from a transfer container.
The transportation vehicles will have a capacity of several transfer containers, that is, two or more times that of a transfer container depending upon the capacity of the transfer container.
In general, a transfer container may have a capacity of from ~0 to 60 cubic yards while a transportation vehicle will have a 28 capacity of about 100 cubic yards or more. Once filled or once ., . . ~ .
a transpor-tation vehicle has visited the transfer stations within its predetermine~ route, it transports its contents to a regional or municipal disposal site. High capacity transportation vehicles are a much more efficient means of transporting refuse over relatively long distances inasmuch as the ratio Gf vehicle weight to refuse weight is considerably less than that of conven-tional refuse collection vehicles.
Thus, one aspect of the prese~t inYention provides a method or system of refuse collection comprising sub-dividing a municipality or region in which refuse is to be collected into a pluralit~7 of service areas with each service area havlng a diameter of less than about 15 miles and preferably a diameter of 9 or 10 miles,providing a transfer station within each area, each transfer station having at least one transfer container, collecting refuse within each service area on a regular basis utilizing at least one relatively low capacity collection vehicle, transporting the collected refuse to the transfer station r emptying the collectea refuse into a transfer container, collecting the refuse from a plurality of transfer stations utilizing a relatively high capacity transportation vehicle and transporting the so collected refuse to a local disposal site.
It will be seen that there are several advantages t~
the above described method or system. Firstly, the provision of strategically located transfer stations in a given collection area ensures that the collection vehicles are collecting refuse rather than merel~7 transporting refuseO Not only does this render the collection vehicles more efficient, it is also more 28 economical in terms of refuse weight per vehicle weight dollar.
.7~
9~'~6 It is also more economical in -terms of the collec-tion crew which is occup.ied a grea~er percentage of the time.
Secondly, becaus~ of the provision of special transfer containers to be described later, the nature o -the transfer station, the disposal site for collection vehicles, is neat and tidy and the refuse disposed thereat is sealed ~rom the elements and environment. Thus, there is a reduced likelyhood that vehicles or local residents utilizing the trans~er station are apt to be damaged or injured.
Thirdly, the use o~ large transportation vehicles is the most economical manner in terms of labour and machinery of transporting refuse.
Fourthly, as will become clear later, the transfer of refuse from the collection vehicles to the trans~er trailers is readily and quickly accomplished.
Fifthly, the number of vehicles which need attend the ultimate disposal site is considerabl~ reduced and, therefore, the organization of the site is much more readily accomplished and maintained.
A transfer station as invisaged by the present invention will now be described in greater detail.
Figures 2 and 3.illustrate a transfer station 100. The transfer station includes an articulated refuse container 102 which serves to temporarily store refuse between visits of collection vehicles 10~, local residents and transportati.on vehicles 106. The container 102 is pivotally mounted on a frame assembly 108 which is rigidly secured to the ground adjacent to 28 and in a steep embankment 110. A gentle ramp 112 leads to the r ;~
top of the embankment, adjacent the upper end of the container for use by collection vehicles and local residents for placing contents into the container. A roadway lI4 runnin~ generally perpendicular to ramp 112 is located at the hase of embankment 110 on the opposite side of the container from the ramp. The roadway 114 is for use by transportation vehicles.
Generally, the container 102 is formed with a large horizontal opening at its upper end so Lhat collection vehicles may discharge their contents directly into the container. The 10opening is closed by means of an appropriate lid assembl~, various embodiments of which are described later. The lid assembly is movable to one position when it is desired to charge the container and to another position when it is desired to empty the container. The container and its lid assembly ensure that the temporary disposal site is neat and tidy in appearance, free of refuse which might potentially present a safety or health hazard, free of scavenging animals and not susceptable to wind blowing. The container is pivotable rom a first position in which it is adapted to receive and store refuse and a second f 20position in which it is adapted to discharge its contents. The container will now be described in greater detail.
With reference to Figures ~ to 7, container 102 is mounted on a frame assembly 108. Frame assembly 108 includes a pair of unright ~olumns or members 120 which are secured in the ~round adjacent the base of embankmen~ 110 in any suitable manner.
A horizontal frame member 122 interconnects uprights 120 approximately midway between their upper and lower ends 124 and 126 while longitudinal, horizontal frame members 128 extend from 29 the midpoint of each upright 120 into embankment 110 and are rw/
suitably secured thereto. ~ brace member 130 connec-ts the upper end of each upright 120 to its respective longi-tudinal ho~izontal frame member 128. A horizontal pivot shaft 132 extends between the upper ends 124 of uprights 120.
As men-tioned earlier, container 102 is mounted on shaft 132 for pivotal movement in a vertical plane between a first position illustrated in Figure 5 wherein the container may receive refuse from collection vehicles and private residence and a second position shown in Figure 7 wherein the container may discharge its contents into the trailer of a transportation vehicle 106.
The container is formed with a storage section 136 and a hopper section 138. The hopper section, located at the upper end of the storage section, includes a large opening 140 (see Figure 4) through which refuse is received and discharged. The opening is generally horizontal but is formed with a generally vertical portion at the end thereof adjacent ramp 112. The opening is closed by a lid assembly 142. The lid assembly is movable to different positions depending upon whether it is desired to charge or discharge the container. Various lid assembly configurations will be described later.
The storage section, which may have a capacity in the neighbourhood of about 40 to 60 cùbic yards, is formed with a pair of side walls 144, an inclined rearward wall 146 and a forward wall 148. Forward wall 148 is shaped so as not to interfere with the embankment during pivotal movement of the container but otherwise may be of any desired shape such as the 28 generally arcuate shape shown in the drawings. The rearward , L2~
wall 146 is inclined with respect to the vertical so as to reduce the angular travel of the container to ensure complete discharge thereof. Container 102 normally assumes the position illustrated in Figure 5. In this position, the weight of the container and its contents are borne by a pair of seating blocks 150 connected to braces 130. The seating blocks 150 abut the lower extremity of wall 146. The upper end of wall 146 is provided with appropria-te bearing sections 152 which receive pivot shaft 132.
The hopper section 138 is generally a vertical e~tension of the storage section 136 but may be of any suitable size and shape. The hopper section is formed with a pair of vertical side walls 154 which e~tend vertically from side walls 144 of the storage sectlon and a rearward inclined wall 156 coplanar with wall 146 of the storage section. The forward marginal i edges 158 of the side walls are generally parallel with rear , wall 156. It will be noted that the forward end of the hopper section is open. This portion of the refuse receiving opening 140 is provided to permit the rearward end of collection vehicles to be positioned as close as possible to the interior of the container. Thus, the side walls 154 of the hopper section serve to prevent spillage of refuse over the side of the c~ntainer and prevent wind blowing of refuse while the collection vehicles discharge into the container. It will be apparent that the marginal edges of the hopper walls define the intake and discharge-26 opening 140.
_ 12 _ ~ igures 4 to 7 illustrate one embo~iment of a lid asse~bly.In this embodiment, the lid assembly includes two pivotally inter-connected lid members which are adapted to overlie the entire opening 140. The lid as~embly is movable from a closed position illustrated in Figure 5 to a first open position *or permitting charging of the container. The assembly is movable to the first open position by means of hydraulic cylinders and levers described hereinbelow. The assembly is also movable to a second, at least partially open position under the influence of gravity to permit discharging of the container.
Lia assembly 142 includes two lid members 160 and 162 which overlie the marginal edges of the hopper. Lid member 160 is formed with a pair of rigidly interconnected panels 164 and 166. Panel 16~ covers the forward end of the hori~ontal portion of the opening while panel 166 covers the inclined or generally vertical portion of the opening. Lid member 162 is generally coplanar with panel 164 in the closed position of the assembly and covers the rearward end of the opening. Panel 166 is formed with a small pivGtable chute 167 for use by local residents in manually feeding small quantities of reuse into the container.
Lid members 160 and 162 are pi~otally interconnected along their adjacent marginal edges by any suitable arrangement for movemen-t about transverse axis 170. The other transverse marginal edge of lid member 162 carries transverse, outwardly directed pins 172, each of which is releasably received in a seat 174 26 formed at each end of the upper edge of rearwall 156.
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.
The lid assembly is pivotally connected to -the hopper section by a pair of arms 176, one arm on each side of the container. The rearward end of each arm is pivotally connected to a wall 154 by a pin 178 while the forward end is pivotally connected to a side ed~e of panel 166 by a pin 180. In the normal position of the lid assembly and container, the arms are generally parallel to the plane of the lid members as shown in Figure 5. Thus, counter-clockwise movement of arms 176 from the position illustrated in Figure 5 will move the lid assembly upwardly and rearwardly of the hopper opening with the two lid members pivoting relative to one another about axis 170 and the rear lid mem~er pivoting a~out pins 172 in seats 17~, as ~!
illustrated in Figures 4 and 6. The distance between the pivot axis of arms 176 is equal to that of lid member 162 and the arms and member i62 are parallel to one another so -that the arms 176, lid member 162, lid member 160 and hopper side walls 154 together define a parallelogram arrangement.
Any suitable means for actuating arms 176 may be provided.
One such means is illustrated in Figures 4 to 7 and includes a second pair of arms 184 and a pair of hydraulic cylinders 186, one of each being associated with each arm 176. One end of each arm 184 is pivotally connected to side wall 154 by a pin 188 while the other end of arm 184 is pivo-tally and slidably conne~ted to arm 176 by a pin 190. Pin 190 is secured to arm 176, approx-imately midway between its ends, and extends into an elongated, longitudinal slot 191 in arm 184. Slot 191 provides for relative movement between the arms. Piston rod 192 of cylinder 186 is pivotally connected to arm 184 at 194 while the opposite end of 29 the cylinder is pivotally connected to a side wall o~ the container rw/
.
~9~6 as at 196.
When it is desired to charge the container, the lid assembly is moved to its ~irst open position (Figure 6) by actuating cylinders 186. In so doing, piston rods 192 move outwardly and rearwardly to cause arms 184 to pivo-t in a çounter-clockwise direction about pins 188. This action, in turn, transmits a force to arms 176, causing them to rotate ~i in a counter-cloc~wise direction and move lid members 160 and 162 away from the opening as explained earlier. In particular, member 162 will pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about the axis of pins 172 while members 160 and 162 will pivot relative to one another about a~is 170. When the collection vehicle has been discharged, the cylinders are dèactuated or reversed and the lid assembly is returned to its normal position.
When it is desired to discharge the container, the container is rotated to the position shown in Figures 3 and 8 by means to be described hereinbelow. In this position, lid member 160 is maintained in a closed position by means of fluid pressure in cylinders 186. However, as illustrated in Figure 7, once the container reaches a predetermined angular disposition, pins 172 are free to move away from seats 172 and permit rear lid member 162 to move away from the.marginal edges of the hopper section in a clockwise direction about axis 170. Thus, the contents of the container are then free to slide outwardly of the container. It will be seen that lid member 162, in addition to removably closing the opening of the hopper, also serves as a windshield during the discharge process.
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~ 9~Z6 The container may be pivoted about sha~t 132 in any suitable manner. Figure 5 illustrates a container actuating arrangement. This arrangement utiliæes a pair o~ hydraulic cylinders and an arm associated with each upright member.
As illustrated in Figure 5, one end 200 of an arm 202 is rotatably mounted at one end of pivot shaft 132 and extends downwardly and forwardly therefrom. A first hydraulic cylinder `~ 204 is pivotally connected between the other end 206 of arm 202 and upright 120 and a second hydraulic cylinder 208 is pivotally connected between end 206 of arm 202 and container 102 as shown.
Preferably, the angles su~tended between the axis of the cylinders and the centerline of the arm are equal.
The hydraulic cylinders 204 and 208 may be operated in unison or independently in order to raise and lower the container.
It will be understood that a single hydraulic cylinder can replace the pair of hydraulic cylinders as above described on each side o~ the container. However, the pair o~ cylinders in tandum are preferred because the applied forces tend to be directed more perpendicularly to arms 202 than the forces applied by a single cylinder arrangement. Thus, the capacity of cylinders may be reduced and the stresses on the various parts may be minimized.
When it is desired to discharge the container, cyli~ders 204 are actuated to cause arms 202 to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about shaft 1320 The force produced by cylinders 204 is transmitted through end 206 o~ arms 202, through cylinders 208 and their respective piston rods and then to container 102.
Thus, arms 202 simply serve a guiding function. Once the piston _ 16 _ rods of cylinders 20~ have reached -their limit of travel, cylinders 208 are pressurized. As the piston rods of cylinders 208 mov~ outwardly, container 102 will pivot in a counter-elock wise direction as viewed in Figure 5 and the forces produced by the eylinder are transmitted back to eolumn members 120 via end 206 of arms 202 and eylinders 204. It will be appreciated that the cylinders may be actuated in reverse order or in unison as suggested earlier. -Once the eontainer has pivoted through 90 degrees, pins 172 of lid member 162 will unseat. Further pivoting of the eontainer will cause lid member 162 to uncover opening 144.
At this point, rear walls 146 and 156 of the storage and hopper sections, respectively, will already be inclined downwardly and rearwardly so that the refuse within the container will already have started to slide toward opening 1~0. Little ~urther pivoting of the eontainer is then required to fully discharge the eontainer.
As shown in Figure 7, lid member 162 serves to prevent spillage of refuse over the sides of the -transportation vehicle while also serving to minimize windblowing of the refuse heing diseharged~
It is contemplated that the lid assembly lifting cylinders and container lifting eylinders be provided wi-th eonventional conduits, eontrol valves, pumps and motors. In order to minimize the eost of the containers, the eontainer lif-ting hydraulic cylinders may be powered by the hydraulic system of the trans-portation vehicles. It is also eontemplated that the lid assembly lifting eylinders may also be arranged to eouple directly into 28 the hydraulic system of collection vehicles.
_ 17 _ rw/
.2~
Figure 8 diagrammatically illustrates a hydraulic circuit wherein the container cylinders are adapted to be actuated by the transportation vehicle hydraulic system while the lid cylinders are provided with a separate and independent hydraulic power circuit.
In the arrangement of Figure 8, cylinders 204 and 208 are adapted to be actuated by the hydraulic systems of a trans-portation vehicle. A first hydraulic condui-t 220 connects adjacent ends 222 and 22~ of cylinders 204 and 208, respectively, to a first hydraulic break-away 226 while a second conduit 228 connects the other ends 230 and.232 of cylinders 204 and 208, respectively, to a second break-away 234. Thus, when conduit 220 is pressurized, piston rods 236 and 238 of cylinders 204 and 208, respectively, will be extended to raise the container and when line 228 is pressurized piston rods 236 and 238 will be withdrawn to lower the container.
Lid cylinders 186 are provided with an independent hydraulic system having a hydraulic power and control unit 240, a first hydraulic line or conduit 232 connecting ends 244 of cylinders 186 to unit 230 and a second hydraulic line.or conduit 246 connecting ends 248 of cylinders 186 to unit 240. As will be evident, the cylinders are connected in parallel. Thus, hen conduit 242 is pressurized, piston rods 192 will be extended to raise the lid assembly to the first open position discussed earlier and when line 246 is pressurized, the piston rods will be withdrawn to return the lid assembly to its closed position.
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The present invention relates to a system of refuse collection and disposal as well as to a container especially adapted for use in such a system.
A problem with which society has been, is and will continue to face is that of collecting and disposing of refuse.
The prime objective of the present invention is to provide a system and an apparatus which renders the task of refuse disposal more simple~ efficient and less expensive than conventional systems and apparatuses.
Refuse disposal in general normally involves three separate and distinct phases, namely, collection, transportation and dis-posal.
The first phase, collection, involves the gathering of refuse from residential and commercial generating locations at predetermined intervals. A number of collection methods have been used and will be discussed in greater detail below. The collection phase is primarily conducted by public or private haulers. However, in some cases, residents themselves will transport theix own refuse to a disposal site.
Public or private haulers normally utilize transportation vehicles to collect refuse from a generation point and convey or transport the refuse to its ultimate and permanent disposal site which may be a sanitary land fill location.
The transportation phase relates to the movement of refuse from the facility where the colleation process is terminated to a sanitary land fill location. As indicated earlier, it has been conventional to utilize the collection vehicles to transport the refuse to the disposal site. Since collection vehicles normally 29 have a relatively small capacity, the cost of transporting the 6 ~
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refuse from the collection site -to the disposal site ma~ be unnecessarily expensive if the distance to be travell~d is fairly large.
The disposal phase o~ the refuse disposal process in-volves, perhaps, the compaction of re~use and, certainly the covering of collected and transported refuse at a sanitary land fill location in accordance with existing laws and regulations.
The present invention is primarily concerned with the collection and transportation phases of the refuse disposal process. Various collection and transportation schemes have been conceived and have been used. The following is a brief summary of some conventional schemes.
One existing system of collecting and transporting refuse is the "green box system". This system provides containers of three to six ~ubic yard capacity which are placed at strategic locations for use ~y local residents. The containers are serviced and emptied regularly with specially designed front end loader vehicles. The vehicles are conventionally e~uipped with a compaction type body having a volume in the neighbourhood of thirty to thirty five cubic yards and a normal gross vehicle weight ~GVW) rating of about 49,000 pounds. The vehicles trans-port their contents to a disposal site.
This system has a decided cost advantage over conventional collection systems in that the collection site development costs are lower than a system using larger containers such as the "roll off system" discussed ~elow. In addition, the containers have lids which reduce wind blowing of refuse. The major dis-28 advantage of this system is that the container size is rather -- 2 --rw/
inadequate in the handling o~ larger items generated at certain times by the general population. In addition, this system makes no provision to receive refuse from a collection vehicle used in the residential collection process and the cost of the lon~
haul may be greater than other systems.
The "roll o~ system" involves the use oE containers having a capacity in the neighbourhood of 30 to 50 cubic yards which, again, are placed at strategic locations in a municipality.
This system affords the user the advantage of handling large 1~ items and/or large loads to thus overcome one major disadvantage of the "green box system". However, since the container is larger, the opening and closing of large lids or covers creates a problem for the residential or private user and, in addition, this system requires the construction o~ a more expensive collection site. The containers are themselves carried to and from the ultimate disposal site by means o~ vehicles especially equipped to load and unload the containers. Thus, in addition to the containers themselves, this system requires special transportation vehicles.
In general, prior systems did not distin~uish between collection and transportation o~ re~use. The container in which the re~use is gathered is either transported directly to the disposal site and then returned or its contents are emptied into a collection vehicle which transports the refuse to the disposal site. Thus, the vehicles serve both as collection as well as transportation means. They have a relatively small capacity and~
thereore, the cost o~ transporting a given weight of re~use tends 28 to be relatively high.
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Aforementioned Canadian Application Serial No. 346,520 relates to a refuse transfer station and a refuse container assembly for use therein. The present invention relates to an actuating mechanism for effecting movement of the receptacle of the assembly between a lower refuse receiving position and an elevated refuse discharge position. Generally, the invention provides first and second spaced arm means adapted to be mounted on a receptacle support for pivotal movement about the pivot axis of the receptacle and first and second extendable and retractable motor means associated with each arm means. One end of the first motor means is connected to its associated arm means at a point thereof remote from its pivot axis and the other end of the motor means being adapted to be connected to the support. One end of the second motor means is connected to its associated arm means at a point thereof remote from the pivot axis and the other end of the second motor means being adapted to be connected to the receptacle.
-These and other features of the invention are described in greater detail in the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 is a map illustrating a typical area in which refuse is to be collected and which is subdivided into service areas;
Figure 2 is a pictorial illustration of a transfer station utilizing the container of the present invention and showing a collection vehicle in the process of discharging its contents into the container;
~ 9~6 Figure 3 i5 a view similar to Fi.gure 2 but illustrating the container emptying its contents into a transportation vehîcle;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an articulated refuse container for use at a transfer station;
Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the container of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but illustrating :.
a lid assembly in a position whereby a collection vehicle may discharge its contents into the container;
. Figure 7 is a view similar to Figures 5 and 6 ~ut illustrating the container discharglng its contents into a transportation vehicle;
Figure 8 is a pictorial, diagrammatic illustration of a hydraulic circuitry for actuating the various hydraulic cylinders of the container;
Figure 9 is a perspective view of a container similar to Figure 4 ~ut having an alternative Iid assembly; .
Figure 10 is a partially ~roken, side elevational view of the container of Figure 9;
. . Figures 11 and 12 are views similar to Figure 10 but illustrating the lid assem~ly in different positions;
Figure 13 is a view similar to Figures 10 to I2 ~ut illustrating the container in a discharging position; r~", Figures 14 and 15 are side elevational views of the container of Figure 9 illustrating lid actuating mechanisms;
Figure 14a is a view taken along lines 14a-14a of Figure 14; and Figure 16 is an elevational view illustrating an alter-native container mounting arrangement.
~ . . i , . .. .
~ ~ f~ Z,6 DETAIL DESCRIPTION
Figure 1 represents a map of a region or municipality in which refuse is to be collected. The circles represent the boundaries of service areas within which, depending upon the population, one or more collection vehicles operate on one or more predetermined days per week. Each service area includes a transfer station having one or more transfer containers to be described in greater detail later. Generally, the transfer containers are adapted to receive refuse from collection vehicles and discharge refuse into transportation vehicles.' The number of transfer containers at each transfer station depends upon the quantity of refuse expected to be collected within the service area. The transfer station is located within its service' area so as to minimize the "transportation" distance between the collection site and disposal site by the collection vehicles so as to optimize the efficiency of the collection vehicles and crew and minimize fuel consumption. This objective is based upon the notion that refuse collectlon vehicles' tend to be inefficient means for long-distance refuse transportation since the ratio of vehicle weight to refuse weight is relatively high in comparison to other modes of transportation. Furthermore, in conventional refuse collection systems, the refuse collection crew is normally inactive while the collection vehicle is in transit to and from the disposal site. The size of the service area may depend, to some extent, upon the nature of the service area, that is, whether it is an urban or rural area In any case, the area should not exceed a diameter of about 15 miles. A diamet~r f 27 of 9 or 1~ miles is preferred, as indicated in Figure 1.
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~9~Z6 The present invention provides for the servicing of the service areas by conventional refusP collectin~ vehicles which may be of the compacting ox non-compacting type. When loaded, the collection vehicles transport their contents to the local transfer station which will be considerably closer than the municipal or regional disposal site. The collection vehicles empty their contents into the transfer containers.
The transfer containers have a capacity of several times that of collection vehicles, for example, 2 to 6 times.
Figures 2 and 3 pictorially illustrate a transfer station as contemplated by the present invention. ~s illustrated, the transf~er station includes only one transfer container but, as indicated earlier, the transfer station may have several containers if necessary to properly service an area. Figure 2 illustrates a refuse vehicle emptying its contents into a transfer container.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, high capacity transportation vehicles, such as a tractor-trailer arrangement illustrated in Figure 3, periodically travel between transfer stations and collect refuse temporarily stored in transfer con-tainers. Figure 3 illustrates a trans-portation vehicle receiving refuse from a transfer container.
The transportation vehicles will have a capacity of several transfer containers, that is, two or more times that of a transfer container depending upon the capacity of the transfer container.
In general, a transfer container may have a capacity of from ~0 to 60 cubic yards while a transportation vehicle will have a 28 capacity of about 100 cubic yards or more. Once filled or once ., . . ~ .
a transpor-tation vehicle has visited the transfer stations within its predetermine~ route, it transports its contents to a regional or municipal disposal site. High capacity transportation vehicles are a much more efficient means of transporting refuse over relatively long distances inasmuch as the ratio Gf vehicle weight to refuse weight is considerably less than that of conven-tional refuse collection vehicles.
Thus, one aspect of the prese~t inYention provides a method or system of refuse collection comprising sub-dividing a municipality or region in which refuse is to be collected into a pluralit~7 of service areas with each service area havlng a diameter of less than about 15 miles and preferably a diameter of 9 or 10 miles,providing a transfer station within each area, each transfer station having at least one transfer container, collecting refuse within each service area on a regular basis utilizing at least one relatively low capacity collection vehicle, transporting the collected refuse to the transfer station r emptying the collectea refuse into a transfer container, collecting the refuse from a plurality of transfer stations utilizing a relatively high capacity transportation vehicle and transporting the so collected refuse to a local disposal site.
It will be seen that there are several advantages t~
the above described method or system. Firstly, the provision of strategically located transfer stations in a given collection area ensures that the collection vehicles are collecting refuse rather than merel~7 transporting refuseO Not only does this render the collection vehicles more efficient, it is also more 28 economical in terms of refuse weight per vehicle weight dollar.
.7~
9~'~6 It is also more economical in -terms of the collec-tion crew which is occup.ied a grea~er percentage of the time.
Secondly, becaus~ of the provision of special transfer containers to be described later, the nature o -the transfer station, the disposal site for collection vehicles, is neat and tidy and the refuse disposed thereat is sealed ~rom the elements and environment. Thus, there is a reduced likelyhood that vehicles or local residents utilizing the trans~er station are apt to be damaged or injured.
Thirdly, the use o~ large transportation vehicles is the most economical manner in terms of labour and machinery of transporting refuse.
Fourthly, as will become clear later, the transfer of refuse from the collection vehicles to the trans~er trailers is readily and quickly accomplished.
Fifthly, the number of vehicles which need attend the ultimate disposal site is considerabl~ reduced and, therefore, the organization of the site is much more readily accomplished and maintained.
A transfer station as invisaged by the present invention will now be described in greater detail.
Figures 2 and 3.illustrate a transfer station 100. The transfer station includes an articulated refuse container 102 which serves to temporarily store refuse between visits of collection vehicles 10~, local residents and transportati.on vehicles 106. The container 102 is pivotally mounted on a frame assembly 108 which is rigidly secured to the ground adjacent to 28 and in a steep embankment 110. A gentle ramp 112 leads to the r ;~
top of the embankment, adjacent the upper end of the container for use by collection vehicles and local residents for placing contents into the container. A roadway lI4 runnin~ generally perpendicular to ramp 112 is located at the hase of embankment 110 on the opposite side of the container from the ramp. The roadway 114 is for use by transportation vehicles.
Generally, the container 102 is formed with a large horizontal opening at its upper end so Lhat collection vehicles may discharge their contents directly into the container. The 10opening is closed by means of an appropriate lid assembl~, various embodiments of which are described later. The lid assembly is movable to one position when it is desired to charge the container and to another position when it is desired to empty the container. The container and its lid assembly ensure that the temporary disposal site is neat and tidy in appearance, free of refuse which might potentially present a safety or health hazard, free of scavenging animals and not susceptable to wind blowing. The container is pivotable rom a first position in which it is adapted to receive and store refuse and a second f 20position in which it is adapted to discharge its contents. The container will now be described in greater detail.
With reference to Figures ~ to 7, container 102 is mounted on a frame assembly 108. Frame assembly 108 includes a pair of unright ~olumns or members 120 which are secured in the ~round adjacent the base of embankmen~ 110 in any suitable manner.
A horizontal frame member 122 interconnects uprights 120 approximately midway between their upper and lower ends 124 and 126 while longitudinal, horizontal frame members 128 extend from 29 the midpoint of each upright 120 into embankment 110 and are rw/
suitably secured thereto. ~ brace member 130 connec-ts the upper end of each upright 120 to its respective longi-tudinal ho~izontal frame member 128. A horizontal pivot shaft 132 extends between the upper ends 124 of uprights 120.
As men-tioned earlier, container 102 is mounted on shaft 132 for pivotal movement in a vertical plane between a first position illustrated in Figure 5 wherein the container may receive refuse from collection vehicles and private residence and a second position shown in Figure 7 wherein the container may discharge its contents into the trailer of a transportation vehicle 106.
The container is formed with a storage section 136 and a hopper section 138. The hopper section, located at the upper end of the storage section, includes a large opening 140 (see Figure 4) through which refuse is received and discharged. The opening is generally horizontal but is formed with a generally vertical portion at the end thereof adjacent ramp 112. The opening is closed by a lid assembly 142. The lid assembly is movable to different positions depending upon whether it is desired to charge or discharge the container. Various lid assembly configurations will be described later.
The storage section, which may have a capacity in the neighbourhood of about 40 to 60 cùbic yards, is formed with a pair of side walls 144, an inclined rearward wall 146 and a forward wall 148. Forward wall 148 is shaped so as not to interfere with the embankment during pivotal movement of the container but otherwise may be of any desired shape such as the 28 generally arcuate shape shown in the drawings. The rearward , L2~
wall 146 is inclined with respect to the vertical so as to reduce the angular travel of the container to ensure complete discharge thereof. Container 102 normally assumes the position illustrated in Figure 5. In this position, the weight of the container and its contents are borne by a pair of seating blocks 150 connected to braces 130. The seating blocks 150 abut the lower extremity of wall 146. The upper end of wall 146 is provided with appropria-te bearing sections 152 which receive pivot shaft 132.
The hopper section 138 is generally a vertical e~tension of the storage section 136 but may be of any suitable size and shape. The hopper section is formed with a pair of vertical side walls 154 which e~tend vertically from side walls 144 of the storage sectlon and a rearward inclined wall 156 coplanar with wall 146 of the storage section. The forward marginal i edges 158 of the side walls are generally parallel with rear , wall 156. It will be noted that the forward end of the hopper section is open. This portion of the refuse receiving opening 140 is provided to permit the rearward end of collection vehicles to be positioned as close as possible to the interior of the container. Thus, the side walls 154 of the hopper section serve to prevent spillage of refuse over the side of the c~ntainer and prevent wind blowing of refuse while the collection vehicles discharge into the container. It will be apparent that the marginal edges of the hopper walls define the intake and discharge-26 opening 140.
_ 12 _ ~ igures 4 to 7 illustrate one embo~iment of a lid asse~bly.In this embodiment, the lid assembly includes two pivotally inter-connected lid members which are adapted to overlie the entire opening 140. The lid as~embly is movable from a closed position illustrated in Figure 5 to a first open position *or permitting charging of the container. The assembly is movable to the first open position by means of hydraulic cylinders and levers described hereinbelow. The assembly is also movable to a second, at least partially open position under the influence of gravity to permit discharging of the container.
Lia assembly 142 includes two lid members 160 and 162 which overlie the marginal edges of the hopper. Lid member 160 is formed with a pair of rigidly interconnected panels 164 and 166. Panel 16~ covers the forward end of the hori~ontal portion of the opening while panel 166 covers the inclined or generally vertical portion of the opening. Lid member 162 is generally coplanar with panel 164 in the closed position of the assembly and covers the rearward end of the opening. Panel 166 is formed with a small pivGtable chute 167 for use by local residents in manually feeding small quantities of reuse into the container.
Lid members 160 and 162 are pi~otally interconnected along their adjacent marginal edges by any suitable arrangement for movemen-t about transverse axis 170. The other transverse marginal edge of lid member 162 carries transverse, outwardly directed pins 172, each of which is releasably received in a seat 174 26 formed at each end of the upper edge of rearwall 156.
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.
The lid assembly is pivotally connected to -the hopper section by a pair of arms 176, one arm on each side of the container. The rearward end of each arm is pivotally connected to a wall 154 by a pin 178 while the forward end is pivotally connected to a side ed~e of panel 166 by a pin 180. In the normal position of the lid assembly and container, the arms are generally parallel to the plane of the lid members as shown in Figure 5. Thus, counter-clockwise movement of arms 176 from the position illustrated in Figure 5 will move the lid assembly upwardly and rearwardly of the hopper opening with the two lid members pivoting relative to one another about axis 170 and the rear lid mem~er pivoting a~out pins 172 in seats 17~, as ~!
illustrated in Figures 4 and 6. The distance between the pivot axis of arms 176 is equal to that of lid member 162 and the arms and member i62 are parallel to one another so -that the arms 176, lid member 162, lid member 160 and hopper side walls 154 together define a parallelogram arrangement.
Any suitable means for actuating arms 176 may be provided.
One such means is illustrated in Figures 4 to 7 and includes a second pair of arms 184 and a pair of hydraulic cylinders 186, one of each being associated with each arm 176. One end of each arm 184 is pivotally connected to side wall 154 by a pin 188 while the other end of arm 184 is pivo-tally and slidably conne~ted to arm 176 by a pin 190. Pin 190 is secured to arm 176, approx-imately midway between its ends, and extends into an elongated, longitudinal slot 191 in arm 184. Slot 191 provides for relative movement between the arms. Piston rod 192 of cylinder 186 is pivotally connected to arm 184 at 194 while the opposite end of 29 the cylinder is pivotally connected to a side wall o~ the container rw/
.
~9~6 as at 196.
When it is desired to charge the container, the lid assembly is moved to its ~irst open position (Figure 6) by actuating cylinders 186. In so doing, piston rods 192 move outwardly and rearwardly to cause arms 184 to pivo-t in a çounter-clockwise direction about pins 188. This action, in turn, transmits a force to arms 176, causing them to rotate ~i in a counter-cloc~wise direction and move lid members 160 and 162 away from the opening as explained earlier. In particular, member 162 will pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about the axis of pins 172 while members 160 and 162 will pivot relative to one another about a~is 170. When the collection vehicle has been discharged, the cylinders are dèactuated or reversed and the lid assembly is returned to its normal position.
When it is desired to discharge the container, the container is rotated to the position shown in Figures 3 and 8 by means to be described hereinbelow. In this position, lid member 160 is maintained in a closed position by means of fluid pressure in cylinders 186. However, as illustrated in Figure 7, once the container reaches a predetermined angular disposition, pins 172 are free to move away from seats 172 and permit rear lid member 162 to move away from the.marginal edges of the hopper section in a clockwise direction about axis 170. Thus, the contents of the container are then free to slide outwardly of the container. It will be seen that lid member 162, in addition to removably closing the opening of the hopper, also serves as a windshield during the discharge process.
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~ 9~Z6 The container may be pivoted about sha~t 132 in any suitable manner. Figure 5 illustrates a container actuating arrangement. This arrangement utiliæes a pair o~ hydraulic cylinders and an arm associated with each upright member.
As illustrated in Figure 5, one end 200 of an arm 202 is rotatably mounted at one end of pivot shaft 132 and extends downwardly and forwardly therefrom. A first hydraulic cylinder `~ 204 is pivotally connected between the other end 206 of arm 202 and upright 120 and a second hydraulic cylinder 208 is pivotally connected between end 206 of arm 202 and container 102 as shown.
Preferably, the angles su~tended between the axis of the cylinders and the centerline of the arm are equal.
The hydraulic cylinders 204 and 208 may be operated in unison or independently in order to raise and lower the container.
It will be understood that a single hydraulic cylinder can replace the pair of hydraulic cylinders as above described on each side o~ the container. However, the pair o~ cylinders in tandum are preferred because the applied forces tend to be directed more perpendicularly to arms 202 than the forces applied by a single cylinder arrangement. Thus, the capacity of cylinders may be reduced and the stresses on the various parts may be minimized.
When it is desired to discharge the container, cyli~ders 204 are actuated to cause arms 202 to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about shaft 1320 The force produced by cylinders 204 is transmitted through end 206 o~ arms 202, through cylinders 208 and their respective piston rods and then to container 102.
Thus, arms 202 simply serve a guiding function. Once the piston _ 16 _ rods of cylinders 20~ have reached -their limit of travel, cylinders 208 are pressurized. As the piston rods of cylinders 208 mov~ outwardly, container 102 will pivot in a counter-elock wise direction as viewed in Figure 5 and the forces produced by the eylinder are transmitted back to eolumn members 120 via end 206 of arms 202 and eylinders 204. It will be appreciated that the cylinders may be actuated in reverse order or in unison as suggested earlier. -Once the eontainer has pivoted through 90 degrees, pins 172 of lid member 162 will unseat. Further pivoting of the eontainer will cause lid member 162 to uncover opening 144.
At this point, rear walls 146 and 156 of the storage and hopper sections, respectively, will already be inclined downwardly and rearwardly so that the refuse within the container will already have started to slide toward opening 1~0. Little ~urther pivoting of the eontainer is then required to fully discharge the eontainer.
As shown in Figure 7, lid member 162 serves to prevent spillage of refuse over the sides of the -transportation vehicle while also serving to minimize windblowing of the refuse heing diseharged~
It is contemplated that the lid assembly lifting cylinders and container lifting eylinders be provided wi-th eonventional conduits, eontrol valves, pumps and motors. In order to minimize the eost of the containers, the eontainer lif-ting hydraulic cylinders may be powered by the hydraulic system of the trans-portation vehicles. It is also eontemplated that the lid assembly lifting eylinders may also be arranged to eouple directly into 28 the hydraulic system of collection vehicles.
_ 17 _ rw/
.2~
Figure 8 diagrammatically illustrates a hydraulic circuit wherein the container cylinders are adapted to be actuated by the transportation vehicle hydraulic system while the lid cylinders are provided with a separate and independent hydraulic power circuit.
In the arrangement of Figure 8, cylinders 204 and 208 are adapted to be actuated by the hydraulic systems of a trans-portation vehicle. A first hydraulic condui-t 220 connects adjacent ends 222 and 22~ of cylinders 204 and 208, respectively, to a first hydraulic break-away 226 while a second conduit 228 connects the other ends 230 and.232 of cylinders 204 and 208, respectively, to a second break-away 234. Thus, when conduit 220 is pressurized, piston rods 236 and 238 of cylinders 204 and 208, respectively, will be extended to raise the container and when line 228 is pressurized piston rods 236 and 238 will be withdrawn to lower the container.
Lid cylinders 186 are provided with an independent hydraulic system having a hydraulic power and control unit 240, a first hydraulic line or conduit 232 connecting ends 244 of cylinders 186 to unit 230 and a second hydraulic line.or conduit 246 connecting ends 248 of cylinders 186 to unit 240. As will be evident, the cylinders are connected in parallel. Thus, hen conduit 242 is pressurized, piston rods 192 will be extended to raise the lid assembly to the first open position discussed earlier and when line 246 is pressurized, the piston rods will be withdrawn to return the lid assembly to its closed position.
- 18 _ rw/
2~
Figures 9 to 1~ illustrate an alternative lid assembly 300 which tends to be less affected by wind loads because of a lower profile in an open position and which requires less energy to actuate due to a counterb~lancing effect by a portion of the assembly as will be explained.
In this embodiment of the lid assembly, certain lid members are provided with rollers which travel along the marginal edges of the side wall of the hopper. Further, the hopper ~ ;~
section is modified by removing the rear inclined wall 156 so that the hopper section consists only of side walls 154.
This modification provides a generally inverted U-shaped refuse receiving and discharge opening 340 when viewed in side eleva-tion such as in Figures 9 to 13.
The lid assembly is movable from a normally closed position (Figure 10) overlying opening 340 to an, at least, partially open position (Figure 12) wherein the container may receive refuse from collection vehicles. The assembly also includes a discharge gate for discharging the container as will be explained hereinbelow.
Lid assembly 300 includes three pivotally interconnected, generally flat, rectangular lid members or panels 302, 304 and 306 o~ tubular and sheet steel construction. Each panel is adapted to overlie the three lengths of opening 340. First panel 302 normally overlies the rearward portion of opening 340 and generally occupies the space previously occupied by rear wall 156. Panel 302 is pivotally connected to pivo-t shaft 132 along longitudinal marginal edge 308. However, panel 302 may alternatively be pivotally connected -to the container itself 29 rather than to the pivot shaft if so desired. Second panel 304 19 _ ~9~6 overlies the horizontal, intermediate portion of opening 340 ,~
and is pivotally connected along its rearward marginal edge 310 to the upper marginal edge 312 of panel 302 by pins 314.
Third panel 306 overlies the front portion of opening 340 and is pivotally connected along its upper marginal edge 316 to the front marginal edge 318 of second panel 304 by pins 320.
Second and third panels 304 and 306 are each provided a with a pair of rollers 322 and 324, respectively, one roller belng located on either side edge of the respective panels.
Rollers 322 and 324 support panels 304 and 306, respectively, and are adapted to travel along the front and upper marginal edg~s 326 and 328 o~ side walls 156 of the hopper section.
~ id assembly 300 is movable to the position illustrated in Figure 12 when it is desired to charge the container. The lid.assembly may be actuated by any suitable means. A particular means will be described later. In general, the lid assembly may be actuated by applying either a rearwardly directed force to panel 304 or a counter-clockwise torque to panel 302. In either case, panel 302 will pivot in a counter-clockwise direc-tion abou-t its pivotal connection to pivot shaft 182 while panel 304 will travel rearwardly as rollers 322 roll along edges 326 of side walls 154 and simultaneously pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about the axis of rollers 322 to an inter-mediate position lllustrated in Figure 11. I.ikewise, panel 306 will follow panel 304 as rollers 324 roll along edges 326 and 328 of side walls 154. An appropriate stop (not shown) may be provided to defi.ne the limit of rearward travel of the lid assembly, 28 that illustrated in Figure 12.
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When the lid assembly is in the position illustrated in Figure 12, refuse collection vehicles may discharge their contents directly into ~he container. As with the previous embodiment, side walls 15~ serve to prevent spillage and reduce wind blowing o xefuse. Panels 306 and 304 also serve to prevent spillage and wind blowing of refuse. ~Iowe~er, because of the l~wer profile (area of assembly projecting vertically above the ` side walls) the wind loading on the assembly is conslderably reduced.
In order to discharge the container, second panel member 304 is provided with a generally rectangular gate member 330 which extends substantially across the entire width of panel 304 and extends from just rearwardly of rollers 322 to the rearward en~ thereof. As shown in Figure 13, the forward end 332 of gate 330 is pivotally mounted to panel 304 by means of pins 334. The rearward marginal edge 336 of gate 330 rests, under the influence of gra~ity, upon the upper marginal edge 312 of panel 302 when the lid assembly and container are in the position illustrated in Figures 10 to 12. However, once the container has been pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction by an amount exceeding 90 degrees such as is illustrated in Figure 13, gate 330 will pivot about pins 334 and depend vertically downwardly as shown in Figure 13 permitting discharge of refuse within the containex.
Thus, gate 330 functions in a manner similar to panel 162 of the previously described embodiment.
Any suitable means may be provided for retracting lid assembly 300 from its closed position to the open posi-tion illus-trated in Figure 12. For example, hydraulic or electric motors, 29 either independently powered, if a source of power is readily _ 21 -rw/
.
~9~2Çi available, or powered by the hydraulic or electric system of collection vehicles may be provided. However, an advantage of the lid assembly 300 is that little energy is required to move it between the two above mentioned positions. Accorclingly, a manual lid actuating mechanism is ~easible. Such a mechanism is diagrammatically illustrated in Fiyure 14. ~s illustrated in Figure 14, three chain sprockets 350, 352 and 354 are rotatably `~1 mounted into each side wall 154 of the hopper section of the container. A chain 356 is trained about sprockets 350, 352 and 354 as shown and its ends are secured in any suitable manner to cross shaft 358 of rollers 322. A crank handle 360 is rotatably mounted at the forward end of one side wall 154 o~ the hopper section adjacent sprocket 352. A chain sprocket 362 is non rotatably secured to handle 360 while a second cha:in sprocket 364 is mounted for rotation with chain sprocket 352 as illustrated in Figure 14A. A second chain 366 is trained about sprocket 364 and 362. Thus, it will be seen that rota-tion of crank handle 360 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 14 will tension chain 35G and cause the lid assembly to retract from the closed position towards the open position. Sprockets 352, 362 and 364 are suitably sized to minimize the torque necessary to effect rotation of crank handle 360~
It will be apparent that lid assembly 300 requires means to maintain the assembly in its closed position while the container is being discharged. A suitabIe means is illustrated in Figure 15 and includes an L-shaped lever arm 370 pivotally connected inter-mediate its ends to side wall 154 of the hopper section by means 28 of a pivot pin-372. Lever arm 3iO is formed wi-th a transversely rw/
outwardly projecting leg 374 which is adapted to engage an abutment 376 secured to panel 304 of the lid assembly. A
second lever 378 is rigidly secured at one end to lever arm 370 and depends downwardly therefrom. The free en~ 380 of lever 378 is connected to one end o~ a flexible cable 382 while the other end of the cable is partially wrapped around and secured to pivot shaft 132 as shown. ~ spring 384 has one end connected to the end of lever arm 370 opposite leg 37~ and its other end connected to side wall 154 as shown in Figure 15 and biases lever arm 370 in a counter-clockwise direction.
Cable 382 is ad~usted such that leg 37~ of arm 370 assumes the position illustrated in solid lines in Figure 15.
In this position, the lid assembly is free to move to and from its closed and open positions to permit charging of the container.
However, when the container is pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction towards its discharging position, cable 382 will unwrap from pivo-t shaft 132 and slacken. In so doing, spring 384 we will be permi-tted to retract and move lever arm 370 to the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 15 wherein leg 37~ engages abutment 376, thus preventing retraction of the lid assembly. ~s the container returns to its normal position illustrated in Figure 10, cable 382 will again partially wrap around shaft 132 and tension. This action will cause lever arm 370 to return to the solid line position o~ Figure 15~
While a particular lid assembly locking means has been described and illustrated it will be understood that various alternatives may be provided. For example, appropriate means 28 may be provided to prevent rotation of cran~ handle 360. Such rw/
': , a means could be manually setta~le and releasable by the collection vehicle operator.
Figure 16 illustrates an alternative container mounting arrangement. This arrangement permits the container to be mounted closer to the ground thereby reducing the height of the ramp and associated expenses yet still permits the container to be raised a sufficient height for discharging into a transportation vehicle. This is achieved generally by rearwardly displacing the pivot axis of the container as will be described hereinbelow.
The alternative mounting arrangement illustrated in Figure 16 utilizes the same hydraulic actuating mechanism described with respect to Figures 1 to 9 and, accordingly, the same reference numerals have been used to designate the same or similar elements.
As shown in Figure 16, the container of the previous embodiments is modified by securing to the opposed ends of shaft 132 and to the side walls 154 of the hopper section a rearwardly extending arm or plate 384. The free end 386 of each arm 384 is pivotally connected to frame 108 at the location thereon where shaft 132 of the previous embodiments is connected. The outer end of the piston rod of each hydxaulic cylinder 208 may be connected to the arm 384 as shown in Figure 16 or may be connected to either the side wall 154 of the hopper section or side wall 144 of the container. In each of these cases, it will be appreciated that outward displacement of the piston rods of cylinders 204 and 208, as previously described, will cause the container to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about the 28 pivotal connection of the free ends 386 of arms 384 from the ~9~LZ6 material receiving posi-tion illustrated in solid lines in Figure 16 to the material discharge position illustrated in dotted lines therein. As is evident from Figure 16, the arms 38~ permit the container to be raised well above the side walls of the transportation vehicle while permitting the materîal receiving opening of the container in its material receiving position at a height which is less than that of the previous embodiments. As a result, the height of the ramp necessary to permit discharging into the container by collection vehicles may be reduced and this, in turn, will tend to reduce the cost of the transfer station.
The particular arrangement used will depend to some extent upon the contour o~ the land selected ~or the transfer station. If the location has a hill which would be suitable for a xamp, the arrangement of Figures 1 to 9 may be utilized.
However, if it is necessary to construct a ramp, the arrangement of Figure 16 would be preferred.
While the container illustrated in the previous embodiments includes a lid assembly, it will be appreciated that there are circumstances wherein a lid assembly would not be required. It is within the spirit and scope of the present-invention, for example, that a building could be construc-ted to enclose the trans-fer station in its entirety including at least a portion o~
the ramp and the roadway for the transportation vehicles. In such circumstances, the need of a lid assembly and i~s associated operative mechanism is not as great.
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It should be understood further that the specific configurations of lid assemblies described herein are for illustrative purposes only. Various alternative assemblies can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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_ ~6 _ , -
Figures 9 to 1~ illustrate an alternative lid assembly 300 which tends to be less affected by wind loads because of a lower profile in an open position and which requires less energy to actuate due to a counterb~lancing effect by a portion of the assembly as will be explained.
In this embodiment of the lid assembly, certain lid members are provided with rollers which travel along the marginal edges of the side wall of the hopper. Further, the hopper ~ ;~
section is modified by removing the rear inclined wall 156 so that the hopper section consists only of side walls 154.
This modification provides a generally inverted U-shaped refuse receiving and discharge opening 340 when viewed in side eleva-tion such as in Figures 9 to 13.
The lid assembly is movable from a normally closed position (Figure 10) overlying opening 340 to an, at least, partially open position (Figure 12) wherein the container may receive refuse from collection vehicles. The assembly also includes a discharge gate for discharging the container as will be explained hereinbelow.
Lid assembly 300 includes three pivotally interconnected, generally flat, rectangular lid members or panels 302, 304 and 306 o~ tubular and sheet steel construction. Each panel is adapted to overlie the three lengths of opening 340. First panel 302 normally overlies the rearward portion of opening 340 and generally occupies the space previously occupied by rear wall 156. Panel 302 is pivotally connected to pivo-t shaft 132 along longitudinal marginal edge 308. However, panel 302 may alternatively be pivotally connected -to the container itself 29 rather than to the pivot shaft if so desired. Second panel 304 19 _ ~9~6 overlies the horizontal, intermediate portion of opening 340 ,~
and is pivotally connected along its rearward marginal edge 310 to the upper marginal edge 312 of panel 302 by pins 314.
Third panel 306 overlies the front portion of opening 340 and is pivotally connected along its upper marginal edge 316 to the front marginal edge 318 of second panel 304 by pins 320.
Second and third panels 304 and 306 are each provided a with a pair of rollers 322 and 324, respectively, one roller belng located on either side edge of the respective panels.
Rollers 322 and 324 support panels 304 and 306, respectively, and are adapted to travel along the front and upper marginal edg~s 326 and 328 o~ side walls 156 of the hopper section.
~ id assembly 300 is movable to the position illustrated in Figure 12 when it is desired to charge the container. The lid.assembly may be actuated by any suitable means. A particular means will be described later. In general, the lid assembly may be actuated by applying either a rearwardly directed force to panel 304 or a counter-clockwise torque to panel 302. In either case, panel 302 will pivot in a counter-clockwise direc-tion abou-t its pivotal connection to pivot shaft 182 while panel 304 will travel rearwardly as rollers 322 roll along edges 326 of side walls 154 and simultaneously pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about the axis of rollers 322 to an inter-mediate position lllustrated in Figure 11. I.ikewise, panel 306 will follow panel 304 as rollers 324 roll along edges 326 and 328 of side walls 154. An appropriate stop (not shown) may be provided to defi.ne the limit of rearward travel of the lid assembly, 28 that illustrated in Figure 12.
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-.
When the lid assembly is in the position illustrated in Figure 12, refuse collection vehicles may discharge their contents directly into ~he container. As with the previous embodiment, side walls 15~ serve to prevent spillage and reduce wind blowing o xefuse. Panels 306 and 304 also serve to prevent spillage and wind blowing of refuse. ~Iowe~er, because of the l~wer profile (area of assembly projecting vertically above the ` side walls) the wind loading on the assembly is conslderably reduced.
In order to discharge the container, second panel member 304 is provided with a generally rectangular gate member 330 which extends substantially across the entire width of panel 304 and extends from just rearwardly of rollers 322 to the rearward en~ thereof. As shown in Figure 13, the forward end 332 of gate 330 is pivotally mounted to panel 304 by means of pins 334. The rearward marginal edge 336 of gate 330 rests, under the influence of gra~ity, upon the upper marginal edge 312 of panel 302 when the lid assembly and container are in the position illustrated in Figures 10 to 12. However, once the container has been pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction by an amount exceeding 90 degrees such as is illustrated in Figure 13, gate 330 will pivot about pins 334 and depend vertically downwardly as shown in Figure 13 permitting discharge of refuse within the containex.
Thus, gate 330 functions in a manner similar to panel 162 of the previously described embodiment.
Any suitable means may be provided for retracting lid assembly 300 from its closed position to the open posi-tion illus-trated in Figure 12. For example, hydraulic or electric motors, 29 either independently powered, if a source of power is readily _ 21 -rw/
.
~9~2Çi available, or powered by the hydraulic or electric system of collection vehicles may be provided. However, an advantage of the lid assembly 300 is that little energy is required to move it between the two above mentioned positions. Accorclingly, a manual lid actuating mechanism is ~easible. Such a mechanism is diagrammatically illustrated in Fiyure 14. ~s illustrated in Figure 14, three chain sprockets 350, 352 and 354 are rotatably `~1 mounted into each side wall 154 of the hopper section of the container. A chain 356 is trained about sprockets 350, 352 and 354 as shown and its ends are secured in any suitable manner to cross shaft 358 of rollers 322. A crank handle 360 is rotatably mounted at the forward end of one side wall 154 o~ the hopper section adjacent sprocket 352. A chain sprocket 362 is non rotatably secured to handle 360 while a second cha:in sprocket 364 is mounted for rotation with chain sprocket 352 as illustrated in Figure 14A. A second chain 366 is trained about sprocket 364 and 362. Thus, it will be seen that rota-tion of crank handle 360 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 14 will tension chain 35G and cause the lid assembly to retract from the closed position towards the open position. Sprockets 352, 362 and 364 are suitably sized to minimize the torque necessary to effect rotation of crank handle 360~
It will be apparent that lid assembly 300 requires means to maintain the assembly in its closed position while the container is being discharged. A suitabIe means is illustrated in Figure 15 and includes an L-shaped lever arm 370 pivotally connected inter-mediate its ends to side wall 154 of the hopper section by means 28 of a pivot pin-372. Lever arm 3iO is formed wi-th a transversely rw/
outwardly projecting leg 374 which is adapted to engage an abutment 376 secured to panel 304 of the lid assembly. A
second lever 378 is rigidly secured at one end to lever arm 370 and depends downwardly therefrom. The free en~ 380 of lever 378 is connected to one end o~ a flexible cable 382 while the other end of the cable is partially wrapped around and secured to pivot shaft 132 as shown. ~ spring 384 has one end connected to the end of lever arm 370 opposite leg 37~ and its other end connected to side wall 154 as shown in Figure 15 and biases lever arm 370 in a counter-clockwise direction.
Cable 382 is ad~usted such that leg 37~ of arm 370 assumes the position illustrated in solid lines in Figure 15.
In this position, the lid assembly is free to move to and from its closed and open positions to permit charging of the container.
However, when the container is pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction towards its discharging position, cable 382 will unwrap from pivo-t shaft 132 and slacken. In so doing, spring 384 we will be permi-tted to retract and move lever arm 370 to the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 15 wherein leg 37~ engages abutment 376, thus preventing retraction of the lid assembly. ~s the container returns to its normal position illustrated in Figure 10, cable 382 will again partially wrap around shaft 132 and tension. This action will cause lever arm 370 to return to the solid line position o~ Figure 15~
While a particular lid assembly locking means has been described and illustrated it will be understood that various alternatives may be provided. For example, appropriate means 28 may be provided to prevent rotation of cran~ handle 360. Such rw/
': , a means could be manually setta~le and releasable by the collection vehicle operator.
Figure 16 illustrates an alternative container mounting arrangement. This arrangement permits the container to be mounted closer to the ground thereby reducing the height of the ramp and associated expenses yet still permits the container to be raised a sufficient height for discharging into a transportation vehicle. This is achieved generally by rearwardly displacing the pivot axis of the container as will be described hereinbelow.
The alternative mounting arrangement illustrated in Figure 16 utilizes the same hydraulic actuating mechanism described with respect to Figures 1 to 9 and, accordingly, the same reference numerals have been used to designate the same or similar elements.
As shown in Figure 16, the container of the previous embodiments is modified by securing to the opposed ends of shaft 132 and to the side walls 154 of the hopper section a rearwardly extending arm or plate 384. The free end 386 of each arm 384 is pivotally connected to frame 108 at the location thereon where shaft 132 of the previous embodiments is connected. The outer end of the piston rod of each hydxaulic cylinder 208 may be connected to the arm 384 as shown in Figure 16 or may be connected to either the side wall 154 of the hopper section or side wall 144 of the container. In each of these cases, it will be appreciated that outward displacement of the piston rods of cylinders 204 and 208, as previously described, will cause the container to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction about the 28 pivotal connection of the free ends 386 of arms 384 from the ~9~LZ6 material receiving posi-tion illustrated in solid lines in Figure 16 to the material discharge position illustrated in dotted lines therein. As is evident from Figure 16, the arms 38~ permit the container to be raised well above the side walls of the transportation vehicle while permitting the materîal receiving opening of the container in its material receiving position at a height which is less than that of the previous embodiments. As a result, the height of the ramp necessary to permit discharging into the container by collection vehicles may be reduced and this, in turn, will tend to reduce the cost of the transfer station.
The particular arrangement used will depend to some extent upon the contour o~ the land selected ~or the transfer station. If the location has a hill which would be suitable for a xamp, the arrangement of Figures 1 to 9 may be utilized.
However, if it is necessary to construct a ramp, the arrangement of Figure 16 would be preferred.
While the container illustrated in the previous embodiments includes a lid assembly, it will be appreciated that there are circumstances wherein a lid assembly would not be required. It is within the spirit and scope of the present-invention, for example, that a building could be construc-ted to enclose the trans-fer station in its entirety including at least a portion o~
the ramp and the roadway for the transportation vehicles. In such circumstances, the need of a lid assembly and i~s associated operative mechanism is not as great.
rw/
It should be understood further that the specific configurations of lid assemblies described herein are for illustrative purposes only. Various alternative assemblies can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
~.
_ ~6 _ , -
Claims (10)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An actuating mechanism for a refuse container assembly having a refuse receptacle mounted on a support means for pivotal movement about a transverse pivot axis adjacent the upper end of a rear wall of said receptacle between a lower refuse receiving position and an elevated refuse discharge position, said mechanism comprising:
arm means adapted to be mounted on said support means for pivotal movement about said pivot axis; and first and second extendable and retractable motor means associated with said arm means, one end of said first motor means being connected to said arm means at a point thereof remote from said pivot axis and the other end thereof being adapted to be connected to said support means and one end of said second motor means being connected to said arm means at a point thereof remote from said pivot axis and the other end of said second motor means being adapted to be connected to said receptacle.
arm means adapted to be mounted on said support means for pivotal movement about said pivot axis; and first and second extendable and retractable motor means associated with said arm means, one end of said first motor means being connected to said arm means at a point thereof remote from said pivot axis and the other end thereof being adapted to be connected to said support means and one end of said second motor means being connected to said arm means at a point thereof remote from said pivot axis and the other end of said second motor means being adapted to be connected to said receptacle.
2. A mechanism as defined in claim 1, said motor means being coplanar with their associated arm means.
3. A mechanism as defined in claim 2, said motor means acting in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to their associated arm means.
4. A mechanism as defined in claim 3, said arm means being adapted to extend forwardly and downwardly of said receptacle.
5. A mechanism as defined in claim 3, said motor means being hydraulic cylinders having extendable and retractable piston rods.
6. A mechanism as defined in claim 5, further including control means for operating said motor means in unison.
7. A mechanism as defined in claim 6, further including control means for operating said motor means sequentially.
8. A mechanism as defined in claim 6, further including conduit means for connecting said motor means to a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid.
9. A mechanism as defined in claim 7, further including conduit means for connecting said motor means to a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid.
10. A mechanism as defined in claim 8 or 9, said conduit means including a quick connect-disconnect coupling for connecting said motor means to the hydraulic system of a vehicle.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000403585A CA1149126A (en) | 1982-05-21 | 1982-05-21 | Refuse container assembly actuating mechanism |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000403585A CA1149126A (en) | 1982-05-21 | 1982-05-21 | Refuse container assembly actuating mechanism |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1149126A true CA1149126A (en) | 1983-07-05 |
Family
ID=4122840
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000403585A Expired CA1149126A (en) | 1982-05-21 | 1982-05-21 | Refuse container assembly actuating mechanism |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1149126A (en) |
-
1982
- 1982-05-21 CA CA000403585A patent/CA1149126A/en not_active Expired
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |
Effective date: 20000705 |