Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65F—GATHERING OR REMOVAL OF DOMESTIC OR LIKE REFUSE
  • B65F1/00—Refuse receptacles; Accessories therefor
  • B65F1/14—Other constructional features; Accessories
  • B65F1/16—Lids or covers
  • B65F1/1623—Lids or covers with means for assisting the opening or closing thereof, e.g. springs
  • B65F1/163—Pedal-operated lids

Definitions

• the invention relates to a pedal operating assembly, such as for foot operation of the cover of a pedal bin, comprising a base element to be set up on the ground, a freely 5 forwardly directed pedal on the front side of the base element, which pedal is provided with an engagement part for the foot, and also supporting means for supporting the engagement part so that it is movable relative to the base element between an idle position and working positions situated at a level lower than that of the idle position.
• a pedal operating assembly is generally known, for example is disclosed in 0 US2003/0230576 and US2003/0233949, and can be used in pedal bins in particular, although other applications are also conceivable.
• this engagement part for the foot is fixed on a tilting element that is pivotally fixed on the base element at some distance behind the engagement part. What is important here is that the engagement part for the foot must be situated at some S height above the set-up surface of the base element.
• the engagement part of the pedal in the idle position lies at a fairly high level relative to the pivoted fixing on the base element.
• the user places his foot with the heel on the floor, so that the front part of the foot is pointing upwards.0
• the pedal is then pressed downwards with that front part of the foot.
• the front part of the foot forms an arc, which has a movement component in the direction towards the base element and the pedal.
• the pedal when depressed by the foot likewise forms an arc, but this arc has a movement component in the direction away from the base element.
• the object of the invention is therefore to provide a pedal operating assembly of the abovementioned type, in which the sliding described above under the influence of foot operation can be avoided or limited. That object is achieved in that the supporting means are designed in such a way that in the idle position the engagement part lies further forward than in any working position.
• the movement path of at least the engagement part for the foot can be such that the distance between the place where the heel is on the ground and the place where the hinged fixing of the pedal is situated on the base element remains virtually or completely unchanged. This is caused by the fact that at least the engagement part is moved directly from the idle position backwards when the pedal is depressed. This cuts out the phenomenon that the distance between the place where the heel of the foot is resting on the ground and the fixing of the pedal on the base element increases when the pedal is depressed. The result is that the base element is no longer slid when the pedal is operated.
• this means that the engagement part is movable along a path extending obliquely and/or in a curved manner relative to the base element.
• the engagement part is at a distance from the position at which the supporting means are fixed on the base element which is variable. This enables the engagement part to follow the arcuate movement made by the foot when it is depressing the pedal.
• the accompanying horizontal movement component that is directed towards the base element, and in the case of the known pedal operating assembly leads to sliding of the base element, is now compensated for by the fact that the distance between the engagement part and the fixing position of the pedal on the base element decreases.
• the pedal operating assembly with such an advantageous effect can be designed in various ways. The only vitally important factor is that the engagement part for the foot should follow the desired movement path backwards relative to the base element when the pedal is depressed.
• the supporting means comprise a four-bar mechanism of which the pedal and the base element form part.
• a four-bar mechanism is a general name for a movement system consisting of four sides, which sides are hingedly fixed to each other two by two. The shape of such a four-bar mechanism depends greatly on the lengths of the sides, and can be selected in such a way that a certain desired movement course can be obtained.
• one side of the four-bar mechanism is formed by the base element. This side should always be regarded as the fixed side.
• the other sides, one of which is formed by the pedal, can be selected in such a way that the pedal makes the desired movements when it is depressed.
• the pedal is designed with an engagement part and also an arm which extends backwards relative to said engagement part and forms part of the four-bar mechanism. It is this arm which forms one of the sides of the four-bar mechanism.
• the four-bar mechanism comprises two control bars hingedly connected to the base element and hingedly connected to the pedal. The position of these control bars is also decisive for the movement course of the pedal. According to a preferred embodiment, the control bars are situated in a position directed transversely to the base element, at least in the idle position of the pedal.
• the position of the hinges between the sides of the four-bar mechanism is furthermore important for the course of the pedal movement.
• factors such as the length of the sides play a role, and related to this is the fact that the hinged connection between the front control bar and the arm can be situated at a greater height above the base element than the hinged connection between the rear control bar and the arm.
• the supporting means can comprise two parallel four-bar mechanisms.
• the parallel control bars of the parallel four-bar mechanisms can be interconnected in pairs by torsion bars.
• the desired functioning of the pedal operating assembly according to the invention can, however, be obtained in ways other than by means of a four-bar mechanism.
• Such a different variant is one in which the engagement part can be slid relative to the supporting means in the direction towards the base element and away from the base element.
• the support can be in the form of the conventional tilting element or the conventional arm, in other words with a hinged suspension situated relatively low down. Whilst the front of the tilting element itself then makes a disadvantageous movement with a forwardly directed movement component, this forwardly directed movement component is then compensated for by a slide backwards of the engagement part over the tilting element.
• the supporting means can comprise an arm extending from the engagement part to the base element, which arm on the end facing away from the engagement part is hingedly suspended relative to the base element at a level that lies higher up relative to the base element than the level of the engagement part when in the idle position.
• the hinge pin lying relatively high up ensures that the front side of the pedal, and in particular the engagement part, has a backwardly directed movement component when it moves downwards.
• the pressing element of the pedal operating assembly can likewise be designed in many ways, and can comprise, for example, a return spring, which constantly holds the pedal or the engagement part under spring-loaded pretension in the idle position.
• the pressing element can comprise an operating bar pivotally connected to the base element and provided with a crank which interacts with the pedal, in such a way that operation of the pedal causes the operating bar to be turned by the crank.
• the idle position is obtained when no operating forces are exerted upon the pedal.
• the idle position can establish itself under the influence of a spring-loaded pretension, or under the influence of gravity acting upon the cover of a pedal bin.
• a pull bar or a push bar can be connected in a known manner to the hinged cover of a pedal bin, which bar interacts with the pedal by means of a torsion bar in the base element.
• the invention furthermore relates to a pedal bin, comprising a container which is open at the top side, a cover which closes the open top side of the container, and also a pedal operating assembly of the type described above with an operating bar, which operating bar is connected to the cover.
• the invention also relates to a method of driving the pedal operating assembly, comprising the steps of:
• the special suspension of the pedal in the base element makes such a movement course of the engagement part possible.
• the engagement part follows, as it were, the arc made by the foot or shoe of the user when it tilts about the heel.
• the distance between the position of the heel on ground and the base element remains the same here, so that no sliding of the base element occurs.
• the method according to the invention can also comprise the steps of: -placing the foot of a person with the front of the foot on the engagement part of the pedal and with the heel on the ground on which the base element is situated, -moving the front of the foot downwards in such a way that the engagement part, directly from the start of the movement downwards of the engagement part, moves backwards relative to the base element.
• Figure 1 shows a part of a pedal operating assembly according to the invention in perspective.
• Figure 2 shows the pedal operating assembly in side view and in the idle position.
• Figure 3 shows the pedal operating assembly in side view and in the working position.
• Figures 4 - 6 show a second embodiment of the pedal operating assembly.
• FIGs 7 - 9 show a third embodiment of the pedal operating assembly.
• the pedal operating assembly shown in Figure 1 consists of a base element 1, which is cut approximately through the middle for the sake of clarity, so that only one half of it is shown.
• the pedal operating assembly furthermore comprises a pedal 3 which points forward relative to the base element 1 and consists of the actual engagement part 4 for the foot, and the arm S.
• the pedal 3 is suspended in the base element 1 by means of supporting means in the form of the four-bar mechanism indicated in its entirety by 6 and the arm 5.
• This four-bar mechanism 6 has as the top and bottom bar respectively the arm 5, in particular the arm part 7 thereof extending backwards, and the base element 1, in particular the front part 8 thereof.
• the four-bar mechanism 6 comprises the control bars 9 and 10.
• the front control bar 9 is pivotally fixed on a hinged part 11 of the base element 1 which is situated relatively far forward, while the rear control bar 10 is fixed on a hinged part 12 of the base element 1 which is situated relatively far back.
• the hinged part 12 lies higher up than the hinged part 11.
• the two hinged parts 11, 12 form the position in which the supporting means in the form of the four-bar mechanism 6 and the arm S are fixed on the base element 1.
• the front control bar 9 in the idle position shown in Figure 2 points transversely upwards relative to the base element 1, and is connected by means of hinge 20 to the arm S, in particular the rear arm part 7 thereof.
• the rear control bar 10 in the idle position extends transversely downwards relative to the base element 1 , and is fixed on the hinge 13 of the arm part 7.
• the hinge 20 is situated at a higher level than the hinge 13. Furthermore, the front control bar 9 is longer than the rear control bar 10.
• two of such four- bar mechanisms 6 are provided on either side of the engagement part 4.
• the arms S are interconnected here by the connecting plate 14 on which the engagement part 4 is fixed.
• the front control bars 9 of both four-bar mechanisms 6 are interconnected by a torsion bar 21 , and the two rear control bars 10 by a torsion bar 22.
• an operating rod IS On the underside of the base element 1 is an operating rod IS, which is suspended so as to rotate about its axis, one end of which operating rod has a crank 16 which rests against the underside of the connecting plate 14.
• the other end of the operating rod 15 has a further crank 17, which by means of a pull bar (not shown) can be brought into connection with the cover (not shown) of a pedal bin whose base element 1 forms the base. Otherwise, a push bar can also be used.
• the engagement part 4 describes the movement path 18.
• This movement course ensures that the base element 1 is not pressed backwards when the pedal 3 is operated by the front of the foot, which foot is resting with the heel so that it does not slide on the ground and likewise describes such a movement path.
• the embodiment of the pedal operating assembly shown in Figures 4 - 6 again comprises a base element 1, which is shown in its entirety.
• the pedal 3 has an engagement part 4, and an arm 5.
• the pedal 3 is supported by means of the rotary support 30 on the base element 1.
• On the rear side of the arm 5 is a hinged0 fixing 31 , to which a push bar (not shown) must be fixed for opening and closing the cover.
• a push bar not shown
• the engagement part 4 is then situated at a height which is not higher or is lower than the height of the rotary support 30.
• the rotary support 30 of the arm 3 on the base element 1 is again situated at a relatively low level.
• the front side of the arm 3 will consequently make a movement forward when said arm 3 is moved out of the idle0 position shown in Figure 8 to the operated position shown in Figure 9.
• said engagement part is slidably accommodated on the front end of the arm 3.
• the engagement part has a slot 32, in which the front plate-shaped part 33 of the arm 3 is slidably accommodated.
• the engagement part 4 is kept constantly pressed forward under spring-loaded pretension, in such a way that the strip 37 on which the shoulder 36 is fixed is held pressed against the stop 38 of the arm 3.
• the foot For operation with the foot, the foot is placed on the engagement part 4, in such a way that when the arm 3 tilts downwards from the position shown in Figure 8 to the position shown in Figure 9, said engagement part 4 gradually slides backwards relative to the arm 3.
• the desired movement path 18 with backwardly directed component of the engagement part 4 is obtained, hi the position shown in Figure 9 the distance between the engagement part 4 and the rotary support 30 is less than in the position shown in Figure 8.
• a push bar (not shown) is fixed on the rotary fixing 31 on the rear side of the arm 3.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Control Devices (AREA)

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• 2007
  • 2007-04-24 NL NL2000608A patent/NL2000608C2/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2008
  • 2008-04-24 WO PCT/NL2008/050240 patent/WO2008130239A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2008-04-24 EP EP08741661A patent/EP2137086A1/en not_active Withdrawn

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