CA1199612A - Vehicle for the temporary storage of waste - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A vehicle for the temporary storage of refuse has a collecting sec-tion (12) which includes a basically vertical plate (20) which is moved in the longitudinal axis of the vehicle by a drive unit (21).
The plate regulates the size of the storage space of the collecting section, so that during the feeding in of refuse, the feeding unit, located at the extreme rear of the vehicle, achieves the necessary compression of the refuse.

According to the invention, the frame of the vehicle is formed by the bottom part of the collecting section. Guiding and sliding units (35 a,b) for the plate and a number of strengthening elements are also arranged in the collecting section. The strengthening sections assure the necessary mechanical stability in the bottom part and in planes through the guiding and sliding units. The guiding and sliding units preferably also serve as strengthening elements. In a pre-ferred design, the bottom part is built up of a lower base plate (31) and two upper base plates (32 a,b) joined by basically vertical wall sections (33 a,b), so that the cross-section through the bottom part is like that of a channel.

Description

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Vehicle ~or the temporary storage of waste This invention is ~or a vehicle for the temporary storage of material, for example bulk material, and especially storage of waste with a collec-ting section so arranged that the frame of the vehicle is formed by the bottom part of the collecting section, which has two guiding and/or sliding units that form part of the collecting section and act together with a basically vertical plate to regulate the size of the storage space in the collecting section.

Accordance to existing technology, refuse, especially do~estic refuse, is collected in a vehicle with a separate chassis onto which a collec-ting container ;s built. This is generally open to the rear, to work in conjunction with a feeding device. A vertical plate is provided in the container and this plate is moved in the longitudinal direction of the container by a drive unit. The movement oF the plate is used for regulating the storage volume of the container and for discharging the contents of the container. The necessary reaction force ~or the compression of the refuse while it is being fed into the containing section is provided by adjsuting the storage Yolume ~o the quantity of refuse. To discharge the refuse, the feeding device is moved out of the way by means of a moving unit, after which the plate presses out the refuse. The drive unit for the vertical plate is mounted in the collecting container, adjacent to the front wall of the container, so the vertical plate can be moved towards the front ~all to a location, the distance of which from the front wall corresponds to the contrac-ted length of the drive unit. Consequentlyg there i5 always a space at the front of the container that cannot be used for the storage of re-fuse.

The existing technology, involving the use of a vehicle, on the chassis o~ which additional equipment is built to receive refuse, results in a dispropor~ionate part o~ the total weight of the ~ehicle being the unladen weight of the vehicle. The ratio of the load to the total weight of the vehicle i5 therefore small. Heavy deadweight and unutilized transport space naturally imply inFerior handling economy.
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One additional disadvantage in employing existing tech-nology is that the centre of gravity of the vehicle is located at a high level, which detracts frorn the driving charaoteristics of the vehicle. The combination of a chassis with the collecting container built onto it contributes to the high level of the centre of gravity.

A further disadvantage of existing technology is that the collecting container is located relatively far to the rear of the vehicle, which, together with the loca-tion of the feeding device, at the opening of the contai-ner, i~e. far behind the rear axle of the vehicle, re-sults in an unfavourable location of the centre of gravi-ty of the vehicle, much too near the rear axle of the vehicle. Consequently, the axle loads are unsuitably distributed between the rear axle and the front axle.
Because of axle load regulations, the maximum permissi-ble load of the vehicle is reduced as a result of this distribution.

Refuse vehicles now in use are also difficult workplaces for refuse workers. m e cab is at a high level and the driver is forced to make ergonomically incorrect move-ments to enter and leave the driver's seat on the many occasions this is required.

A construction according to the present invention compri-ses a vehicle for the temporary storage of material including a collecting section of box-shape defining a storage space of generally rectangular section and subst-antially the same dimensions as the vehicleO A standing plate is supported in -the storage space for movement in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, between a first forward end position and a second rearward end position to adopt the storage space of the collecting section to the volume of the waste stored in the space.

~- 2A -Drive means are provided for moving the standing plate between the -first and second positions. The collecting station constitutes the body and rame of the vehicle and comprises a bottom part forming the frame of the vehicle provided with front wheels and rear wheels carried on the bottom part below the -first position of the standing plate and the second position o-f the stand-ing plate respectively and a front wall on the bottom plate. The bottom part being formed as a plate-shape element of channel section including a horizontal lower base plate,opposed substantially vertical walls joined to the lower base plate at the longitudinal edges thereof and horizontal outwardly extending upper base plates joined to the vertical walls at the upper edges thereof.
Reinforcing means are provided at the transition between the horizontal upper base plate~and the vertical walls which also form the guiding and sliding means for the movement of the standing plate.

More specifically, this invention is for a vehicle for the temporary storage of material, for example bulk material, and especially refuse, in which the disadvan-tages listed above have been eliminated. According to the invention, the vehicle is provided with a collecting section, the bottom part of which forms the frame of the vehicle. Parallel guiding and sliding units are provi-ded inside the co]lecting section, preferably in the form of tracks, -for the plate used to regulate the size of the collecting section. Alternatively, the guiding and sliding units may consist of members of folds pointing inwards or ou-twards, arranged inside or adjacent to the inside confining surfaces of the collecting section.
The guiding and sliding units are thus arranged in the bottom, sides or roof of the container, for which pur-poses the section of these confining surfaces are suit-~bly designed, or are provided with separate units fixed .., . ~....

,! ~3L .1 3 9 to the inside confining surfaces of the container.
~le guiding and sliding units are arranged preferably adjacent to the bottom part of , .
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the container. It is clear that guiding and sliding units arranged in the manner described above mechanically strengthen the container and ~hus the vehicle.

The bottom part is preferably built up of a lower base plate, to the opposite edges of which two upper base plates are joined by means of elements. The elements thus form basically vertical wall sections.
This design forms a channel-shaped lower part of the collecting sec-~ion, which considerably increases the cross-sectional area o~ the storage space and thus the storage ~olume in comparison with tech-nology employed earlier. In the typical application, the increaseachieved in the cross-sectional area is 10-20%. The guiding and sliding units are normally arranged in the transition between the elements and the upper base plates.

Distinguishing characteristics of the invention are the dimensional stability in the bottom part and in planes through the guiding and sliding units. The ~ovement of the plate is dependent on its moving freely in relation to the guiding and sliding units. The dimensional stability is assured by the beam-like construction of the yuiding and sliding units, in addition to the normal provision of special stabi-lising members in the base plate, preferably adjacent to the tran-s~tion between the elements and the upper base plates.

In a preferred design, the bottom part of the collecting section is extended beyond the front wall of the collecting section. The extended bottom par~ supports the cab, engine, fuel tanks, hydraulic oil tanks and similar units.

In certain designs, the vehicle can be raised and lowered by rotation ~bout the front axle of the vehicle. A drive unit, preferably a pneumatic one, is then prov~ded adjacent to the rear part of the collecting section for regulating the position of the feeding device in the vertical direction. The regulation generally permits ~he feeding device to be lowered to the ground.

An advantage of this invention is that the bottom of the collecting cnntainer is located at a lower level than that achieved by existing technology. This is the case even without the use of the possi-bilties of regulating the level of the feeding device. The low level of the bottom of the container has several advantages for the loading height, centre of gravity, volume and the ratio of the load to the total weight of the vehicle.

The invention is described in greater detail in conjuction with the two figures, where 0 Fig. 1 shows, in principle, a side elevation of a vehicle in accor-dance with the invention, Fig. 2 shows a perspective Yiew of the bottom part of the collecting section.

Fig.1 shows a vehicle 10, with a collecting section 12, confinined by a roof and walls in the usual manner. In the figure, the front wall is shown specially with the reference number 19. In the collecting section, a basically vertical plate 20 is provided and is movable between a forward position 20' and rear position ?0 ". A drive unit 21, preferably a hydraulic un~., is provided, to move the plate. A
mounting point 23, for the stationary part of the drive unit, is pro-vided in front of the fron~ wall of the collecting section. This is normally achieved by mounting unit 22 fixed at the front wall 19 and/or at the extended bottom part.

The figure also shows how a feeding unit 11 is connected to the re~r part of the collecting section. In a preferred design, the feed unit can be raised and lowered and, in certain desi~ns, the lower position of the feeding unit can be lowered to the ground. A drive unit 17, preferably an air cylinder, is provided between the rear par~ of the bot~om part 30 and a mounting unit 26, the position of which is ~ixed in relation to the rear axle 25 vf the vehicle~ is conncted to a three-way valve 27 for regulat;ng the position of the rear part of the collecting section and, thus, the height at which the feediDg ~L~L~ 6 ~L~

unit is loaded. At its lowest posit10n, the feeding unit rests on the ground. In regulating the position of the feeding unit, the drive unit 17 rotates ~he whole vehicle around the front axle 24 of the vehicle~ at the same time as the distance between the bottom part 30 of the collecting section and the rear axle 25 of the vehicle changes.

The bottom part of the collecting section is also extended beyond the front wall l9, to form a support uni~ for the cab 13, engine 14, fuel tank 15 and hydraulic oil tank 16. A support unit 37 is attached belo~ the extended bottom part 36 and this support unit 37 permits ~he provision of a long, low entrance and the low forward location of the engine, as shown in the figure.

To save space, a hydraulic pump 39 is also located in front of the engine 149 in addition to which, the radiator 18 is located in front 1~ of the front wall 19 and above the cab.

The bottom part 30 of the collecting section is shown in detail in Fig. 2, and consists, according to a preferred design, (see Fig. 2) of a lower base plate 31 and two upper base plates 32 a9b. Two elements 33 a,b, preferably forming vertical walls, connect two edges of the lower base plate with the ~wo upper base plates, so that the cross-section of ~he bottom part is ln the form of a channel. Guid-ing and sliding units 35 a,b, are located at ~he transition between the elements and each base plate, and these guiding and sliding units are shown in the figure as tracks, which are preferably built as

2~ members, to increase the torsional stiffness and dimensional s~abi-lity of the bottom part. Generally, special stability members~
34 a,b, 38 a,b, are also provided. At least two of the stabilising members are provided, perferably where the basically vertical ele-ments meet the upper base plates.

Finally~ Fig. 2 shows the lower part of the movable plate 20, the lower limi~ of which is matched to the section of the bottom part.

z During use of a vehicle in accordance with the inventicn9 plate 20 is moved in the empty collecting section to a position in the vicinity of the feeding unit 11. Refuse is fed into the collecting section through the feeding unit and, as the space in the collecting section 5 i5 filled, the drive unit 21 moves the plate 20 towards the ~ront wall of the collecting section, so that the space between the plate and the feed unit is adapted to the need to compress the refuse fed in. When the collecting section is full, the plate is basically up against the fr~nt wall 19. To empty the collecting section, the feeding unit 11 is moved out of the way and plate 20 presses the refuse out of the collecting section.

A distinguishing characteristic for the operation is that thP
distance between the guiding and sliding units 35 and the orientation of the units in relation to the plate remain unchanged, e.g. when negotiating rough ground or in the case of different quantities of refuse in the collecting section. As noted above, the guiding and sliding units are designed to have large mechanical stability, in addition to which, in certain typical applications, the dimensional stability and torsional stiffness of ~he collecting section is further increased by me~ns of special stabilising members 34, 3~.
The tolerances between the plate 20 and the guiding and sliding units 35, may thus be relatively small, thus ensuring an efficient interac-tion between the plate on the one hand and the guiding and sliding units on the other hand. Bu~ the ~olerances between the pla~e 20 and the other limits of the collecting section are rela~ively large, ~hus ensuring tha~ any torsional movements of the collecting section, e.g.
when negotiating uneven ground, will not cause the plate 20 to jam and obstruct its movement.

In a pre~erred design, the guiding and sliding units 35 are located adjacent ~o the bottom part 30, for which purpose one of the units is formed by the actual base plate or by ad~acent sections of ma~erial which have been formed to provide a suitable cross-section for this region or, al~ernatively, the uni~s are formed of separate units9 e.g. members fixed to the inner confining surfaces of the collecting section. Fig. 2 shows the alternative with the guiding and sliding ~9~

units consisting of members fixed to the inner confining surface of the collecting sec~ion. By designing the ~embers as angle sections, as shown in ~he figure, with a section matched to the section of the transition between the vertical elements 33 and the upper base plates 32 and fix the angle sections to the elements and to the upper base plates, a considerable increase in the mechanical stability of the bottoln part is achieved. The guiding ~nd sliding un;ts contribute thus to the mechanical stability required of the bottom part 30 when it forms the frame of the vehicle. In additisn to demands on the mechanical stabili~y of the bottom part, there arè also demands on the torsional stiffness on planes through the guiding and sliding units and on an unchanged distance between the guiding and sliding units, even under varying loads. The arrangement of the guiding and sliding units just described has thus the effect of the units increasing the stability of the bottom part and thus the mechanical stability in the planes through the guiding and sliding units. The location and construction of the units thus contribute to the good driving characteristics of the vehicle and, at the same time, ensure that the plate can be moved in the collecting section 12.

The initial part of the description has already dealt with the advan--~ages obtained and the function of the extension of the bottom part past the front wall 19. The location of the drive device 21 in front of the front wall, inside the cab, does not encroach on th~ space provided for the driver, since the drive device is located centrally, on the longitudinal axis of the vehicle~ The bonnet is generally extended so that it also serves as protection for the drive device 21.

From the above description, it may also be seen ~hat the invention provides a better distribution of the load between the axles of the vehicle than existing ~echnology, because the location of the engine, 30 fuel and hydraulic oil tanks, hydraulic pump, cooling unit and drive device for the plate involve a for~ard and downward displacement 3f the centre of gravity of the vehicle.

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Above description is primarily related to a vehicle for storing refuse.However, the invention is not restricted for storing only this kind of material, but is suitable for many different kinds of material, especially bulk material.

In addition to the description the invention is made clear by the following patent claims.

Claims (11)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:=

1. A vehicle for the temporary storage of material, comprising a collecting section of box-shape defining a storage space of generally rectangular section and substantially the same dimensions as the vehicle, a standing plate supported in said storage space for movement, in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, between a first forward end position and a second rearward end position to adopt said storage space of the collecting section to the volume of the waste stored in said space, drive means for moving said standing plate between said first and second positions, said collecting station constituting the body and frame of the vehicle and comprising a bottom part forming the frame of the vehicle, front wheels carried by said bottom part below said first position of the standing plate, rear wheels carried by said bottom part below said second position of the standing plate and a front wall on said bottom part, said bottom part being formed as a plate-shape element of channel section including a horizontal lower base plate, opposed substantially vertical walls joined to the lower base plate at the longitudinal edges thereof, and horizontal outwardly extending upper base plates joined to the vertical walls at the upper edges there-of, and where reinforcing means at the transition between the horizontal upper base plates and the ver-tical walls form the guiding and sliding means for the movement of said standing plate.

2. A vehicle as defined in claim 1, wherein the standing plate includes a central portion which is supported between the vertical walls of the bottom part, and side parts which are supported above the upper base plates of the bottom part, said reinforcing means being on the bottom part and extending longitu-dinally of the juncture of the vertical walls and said upper base plates, said reinforcing means inclu-ding portions overlapping said vertical walls and said upper base plates to reinforce the same and to provide means for sliding and guiding of said central portion and side parts of said standing plate thereon, said bottom part further including a portion extending longitudinally in front of said front wall and for-wardly of said front wheels for supporting a driver's compartment.

3. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1, charac-terized in that a stationary mounting member is provided forward of the front wall for supporting the drive unit and that the length of the drive means in the contracted position corresponds basically to the dis-tance between the mounting member and the front wall of the collecting section.

4. A vehicle in accordance with claim 3, charac-terized in that the mounting member is fixed in relation to the front wall of the collecting section by the mounting frame mounted to the front wall.

5. A vehicle in accordance with claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the drive means is arranged in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and centrally in a section through the vehicle.

6. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1, chara-terized in that a drive means is preferably an air cylinder and is arranged between the rear part of the bottom part and a mounting unit, the position of which is fixed in relation to the rear axle of the vehicle, for which purpose the drive unit during adjustment ro-tates the vehicle about the front axle of the vehicle to regulate the height at which a feed unit connected to the rear part of the collecting section is loaded.

7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a drive means is connected to said standing plate at the front thereof and extends forwardly for connec-tion in said passenger compartment.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said drive means is connected to said standing plate at an intermediate elevation thereof.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein said intermediate elevation is substantially at mid-height of the standing plate.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein said drive means is located entirely in front of the front wheels with the standing plate in said first forward end position.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reinforcing means comprises angle members at the juncture of the vertical walls and the upper base plates, said angle members having legs forming said portions which overlap the vertical walls and upper base plates, said standing plate riding on said legs of the angle members.