EP0671347B1 - Container lifting and tipping mechanism with a retractable abutment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container lifter comprising a stopper connected to a tilting beam containers.

The invention finds a particularly application advantageous in the field of loading skips household waste.

Generally, a container lifter fills the functions which ensure, at first, the hanging of the containers on the beam, the rise of the beam / container assembly, and the tilting of containers around said beam, as well as, in a second time, the reverse movements which bring back empty containers on the ground.

So every time the bucket stops at a point collection, the container hooking comb on the container lifter beam must be at a given distance from the ground, generally fixed at 840mm, corresponding to a height valid for all container sizes, while the bumper connected to the beam, which serves as a support during the maneuver of tilting, must be below the angle of ventral hold of the smallest containers which are equipped, that is to say about 250mm from the ground.

As a result, the ground clearance of vehicles at during their travels is insufficient, especially on paths with deformed pavements, which exposes in container lifts permanently at risk of accidents very penalizing materials which result in immobilization of the grab, with loss operating costs and high repair costs container lifts.

• au moment du départ de chaque point de collecte, une remontée à vide de la poutre avec son butoir après la dépose du dernier conteneur au sol, afin d'obtenir la garde au sol suffisante du butoir,
• au moment de l'arrivée au point de collecte suivant, une redescente à vide de la poutre avant de prendre un autre conteneur, afin de ramener le peigne à hauteur d'accrochage de ce nouveau conteneur.

To remedy these drawbacks, a solution often used in the current state of the art consists in using the lifting function of the container lifts and systematically carrying out two additional manipulations:

• at the time of departure from each collection point, an empty ascent of the beam with its stopper after the removal of the last container on the ground, in order to obtain sufficient ground clearance for the stopper,
• upon arrival at the next collection point, an empty lowering of the beam before taking another container, in order to bring the comb back to the hooking height of this new container.

These additional manipulations are also very penalizing, since performed empty after and before useful container handling sequences.

Also, the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention is to provide a container lifter comprising a stopper connected to a beam container tipping, which would get automatically and during useful sequences, too the level of the beam ensuring the attachment of containers, 840mm from the ground, with good ground clearance of the stopper, greater than 400mm.

The solution to the technical problem posed consists, according to the invention in that said container lifter includes a deployment and retraction device said stopper, actuated respectively during up and down movements of said beam.

So when the container lifter of the invention is in the low position, the beam is at the desired height to allow hanging of the containers, while the stopper is retracted to 420mm from the ground for example, this which guarantees the vehicle a complete movement garage security at collection point or between all the successive points of a collection, without having to perform additional handling times mentioned above of the container lifter. The latter is found so always ready to take a new container and has sufficient ground clearance during all vehicle movements.

In operation, when the beam is raised, the stopper is deployed so as to come to bear against the container at a level offering the same arm of lever than with known container lifts fixed, i.e. about 250mm from the bottom of the containers. Conversely, after tilting and emptying the container, the stopper is retracted during the descent of the beam.

In other words, the deployment movements and retracting the stopper are done in masked time, at during the useful sequences of handling containers, and therefore without these operations adding additional manipulations outside the cycle normal use.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, it is intended that said stopper carries at minus a hook for the ventral hold of containers, put implemented by said deployment device and retraction. Naturally, this provision advantageous is intended for cases where the containers used are provided with such a ventral plug, intended for avoid overturning of containers when they are tilting.

The following description next to the drawings attached, given by way of non-limiting examples, will understand what the invention is all about and how it can be done.

Figure 1a is a side view of a container lifter according to the invention, retracted stop.

Figure 1b is a side view of the container lifter of Figure 1a, deployed stopper.

Figure 2 is a side view of the rear of a bucket showing the container lifter of the invention in three functional positions.

Figures 1a and 1b show a side view of a container lifter 100 comprising a stop 110, represented in hatching, connected to a beam 120 of container tipping 10.

As shown in Figures 1a and 1b, said container lifter 100 includes a deployment device and retraction for actuating said stopper 110 of so as to bring it, during the rise of the beam 120, from a retracted position, illustrated in FIG. 1a, with a deployed position illustrated in FIG. 1b. In deployed position, the stopper 110 bears against the container 10, thereby conferring on the container lifter 100 a significant lever arm when tilting of said container. Conversely, during the descent of the beam 120, the stopper 110 is brought from the position deployed in FIG. 1b in the retracted position of the Figure 1a.

The movements of the stopper 110 therefore take place hidden time during the useful operating cycle of the container lifter.

In the retracted position, the lower end of the buffer 110 is at a height of at least 400mm, for example 420mm, i.e. with ground clearance sufficient to ensure movement without risk of the bucket even on very degraded roads. By against, in the deployed position, the stopper 110 is applied approximately 250mm from the bottom of container 10.

It can be seen in Figures 1a and 1b that the container 10 has a ventral socket 11 intended for retain said container when tipping over of the bucket hopper. It is then expected that the stopper 110 carries at least one hook 111 capable to cooperate with said ventral grip 11. Good heard, the hook 111 is implemented by the same device than that allowing deployment and the retraction of the stopper 110.

In accordance with Figures 1a and 1b, this device comprises a cam 130 arranged on either side of the beam 120, two rollers 131, 132 carried by the stopper 110 and cooperating with the cam 130, and a motor means for driving the stopper, not shown in the Figures 1a and 1b but which can be constituted by one or several cylinders.

The trajectory of the stopper 110 is therefore defined by the shape of the cam 130 and the position of the rollers 131, 132 on said stopper. Naturally, when hook 111 is present on the bumper, the drawing of the track of the cam 130 must allow the engagement of said hook 111 in the ventral socket 11 of the container 10, as well as the avoidance of this same ventral grip by the stopper 110.

In the embodiment more specifically shown in Figure 1b, it appears that the trajectory and shape of the stopper are such that deployed position said stopper 110 brings the wall 12 for hanging the container 10 to be formed with the vertical V an outgoing angle + initial tilt β. This very advantageous arrangement allows, taking into account the limited angle of the tilting mechanism, a increase at the origin of the emptying angle of containers and therefore better emptying of waste contained therein.

Similarly, Figure 1a shows that, the stopper 110 being in the retracted position, the container lifter 100 is suitable for receiving 10 containers which on a floor inclined S, has a wall 12 for hooking forming a re-entrant angle -α with the vertical V. This advantage results directly from the retractable nature of the stopper 110 since indeed if said stopper was permanently in the deployed position, it would form an obstacle to the attachment of the container 10 and the collar 13 of said container could not be placed above the comb 121 of beam 120.

Figure 2 summarizes in a single diagram the operation of the container lifter of the invention. In a first low position, the stopper 110 and the hook 111 are retracted, ready to receive a container 10 even with a re-entrant angle -α. In intermediate position, before tilting, the stopper 110 is deployed in abutment against the container 10 and in giving the hooking wall 12 an outgoing angle initial + β, while the hook 111 is engaged in the ventral grip 11. Finally, Figure 2 shows the container 10 in the tilted position, the stopper 110 forming a lever arm and the hook 111 retaining the container by the ventral socket 11 to ensure that last a better catch on emptying.

Claims (5)

1. Container hoist (100) comprising a buffer (110) connected to a boom (120) for tipping the containers (10), distinguished by the fact that the said container hoist (100) includes a device (130, 131, 132) for extending and retracting the said buffer (110), during the rise and descent of the said boom (120) respectively, the said buffer (110) coming to rest against the containers (10) in the extended position.
2. Container hoist (100), as Claim 1, distinguished by the fact that the said buffer (110) has at least one hook (111) to grip containers (10), by their base (11), brought into operation by the said extending and retracting device.
3. Container hoist (100), as one of Claims 1 or 2, distinguished by the fact that the extending and retracting device has a cam (130) defining the trajectory of the buffer (110), at least one roller (131, 132) carried by the said buffer and co-operating with the said cam (130), and a driving agent for the buffer feed.
4. Container hoist (100) as one of Claims 1 to 3, distinguished by the fact that if the buffer (110) is in the retracted position the said container hoist is able to receive containers (10) which, on a sloping floor (S), present an engagement face (12) forming a re-entrant angle (-α) with the vertical (V).
5. Container hoist (100) as any of Claims 1 to 4, distinguished by the fact that, in the retracted position, the buffer (110) causes the engagement face (12) of the containers (10) to form an initial external tipping angle (+β).

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