ES2646293T3 - Waste container - Google Patents

Abstract

A waste container comprising: a content tank (2) defining at least one collection compartment (3) for waste; at least one door (10) pivotally articulated to said content tank (2) and movable between a closing condition in which it approaches the content tank (2) to close the collection space (3) and a condition opening in which it rises in relation to the content tank (2) to allow the introduction of waste into the collection space (3); said waste container further comprising a lock device (17) selectively activatable to retain the door (10) in the opening condition, characterized in that said locking device (17) is selectively activated accordingly of an action of lifting the door (10) away from the content tank (2), in the opening condition.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Waste container

The present invention relates to a waste container according to the preamble of claim 1. The present invention is particularly suitable for application in so-called waste collection containers, of the type normally located on the side of the roadway, plazas or other public places to allow the introduction of waste by citizens.

Known containers of the aforementioned type basically comprise a content tank that defines at least one waste collection compartment and has an upper lid that has one or more user-operated doors.

In a known typical container, the lid comprises two articulated doors along respective opposite sides of a bridge beam as an inverted "U", which has its articulated end arms to the respective opposite sides of the tank.

The bridge beam is provided to interact with the grip and tilt devices usually installed in vehicles used for the waste collection service, which perform the emptying of the containers by means of a grip and tilt action in conjunction with the opening of the top. When the container is located on the ground in normal conditions of use, each of the doors is suitable for opening by means of the lifting action manually exerted by the user on the door itself. Once the transfer operation is completed, the user leaves the door that is repositioned in the closing condition by a downward movement by gravity slowed down by suitable damping devices.

In many cases, at least one of the doors is also properly connected to a control pedal articulated to the base of the tank, so that it allows the opening of the door itself by means of a pushing action exerted by the user on the pedal of control. In this way, the delivery of the bulky and / or heavy waste, which requires the use of both hands, is facilitated.

It has been observed, however, that even where the control pedal is suitable, some users manipulate the lid by interposing elements of various types, such as wooden slats or fruit boxes between the door and the edge of the tank, in order of blocking one or both doors in the open condition, presumably to avoid having to lift the door several times when the amount of waste to be thrown into the container requires multiple repeated transfer operations. Once the transfer operation has been completed, the lack of civic sense leads to leaving the container with the door locked in the open condition.

In this circumstance, in addition to avoiding problems in terms of hygiene and dirtiness in urban spaces and avoiding leaks of rainwater and the possible entry of animals, the greatest negative consequences arise when the container is emptied.

In fact, the emptying operation usually takes place by means of an automatic cycle activated by a driver, which controls the operating cycle from the driver's seat of the waste collection vehicle.

Despite the presence of one or more cameras that allow the operator to see on a monitor that is happening on the floor and during the emptying cycle, sometimes the operator does not make the presence of the artificially locked door in the position opened by a strange body. In this case, the electrohydraulic emptying device causes a shock action between the door and the tank when it takes them to a mutual turn, and then tries to compress the foreign body located between them. Sometimes the foreign body falls to the ground or inside the container, in other cases it causes a breakage of the door and / or damage to the tank. In any case, abnormal overloads and tensions appear in the components of the container and the grip and tilt device installed in the vehicle. US 2,456,840A, referred to hereinafter as the closest state of the art, describes a waste container according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein an elongated rod transmits a pushing action to open and close a lid closing, respectively, in response to repeated actions on an actuator pedal. The closing cover rests in the open condition by itself, due to the force of gravity. Other examples of waste containers are provided in EP 0386964 A1 and EP 1033334 A1. EP 0386964 A1 describes a waste container according to the preamble of claim 1. The object of the present invention is to exceed the limits of the known technique set forth above. In particular, it is an object of the invention to reduce or eliminate the potential for a container to be left with the door locked in the open condition. It is an additional object of the invention to present technical solutions that can significantly eliminate the risk of damaging the containers or the equipment used for emptying them.

In this regard, the applicant considers it advantageous to associate with the container door a locking device, which is easily activated if necessary, to keep the door in the raised condition, so that

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hinder forced handling actions to block container doors in an open condition.

More particularly, the object of the present invention is a waste container according to claim 1 included. The applicant considers that the use of this blocking device can advantageously hinder the handling actions in the container in order to retain the door in the open condition. In this way, the risk of damaging the container or the devices used for automated emptying is minimized, due to foreign bodies artificially interposed between the door and the content tank.

The blocking device can be selectively activated as a result of a lifting action of the door away from the content tank, on the opening condition.

In this way, the activation of the blocking device can be obtained in an extremely simple and intuitive way, with the natural continuation of the same lifting action exerted by the user in order to open the door. In accordance with the present invention, the present container may also have one or more of the following preferred features.

Preferably, the locking device comprises a coupling element carried by an oscillating support articulated with respect to the tank and movable with respect to the door to cause decoupling of the coupling element by a coupling seat carried by the door.

The door lock is therefore suitable to be achieved by a device that is structurally simple, that can be manufactured at a low cost and can be easily integrated into other traditional containers or containers. Preferably, the coupling element can move, in response to the oscillation of the oscillating support, between an off condition in which it moves away from the coupling seat and an activation condition in which it is able to engage the coupling seat to retain the door in the opening condition.

Preferably, the locking device further comprises elastic means that act on the oscillating support to push the coupling element towards the activation condition.

In this way, the automatic placement of the coupling element in the coupling seat is achieved.

Preferably, the activation condition of the coupling element is coupled with the coupling seat substantially in an unstable equilibrium condition, so that it determines the decoupling of the coupling seat and the consequent movement of the door towards the closing condition in response to Shaking actions of the waste container and / or said door.

Preferably, in the activation condition the coupling element mechanically interferes with the coupling seat according to a linear point less than 3 mm along the direction of movement of the coupling element.

The unstable equilibrium condition significantly allows the release of the system, and the subsequent repositioning of the door in the closing condition that follows a minimum effort by the user, or also as a result of occasional induced oscillations to the container, for example due to wind or the interaction of users during subsequent transfer actions, and in any case during the taking and lifting of the container after the action of the automatic emptying devices. This ensures that the door is brought back to the closing condition during the emptying operation.

Preferably, the coupling element has a work surface which, during the movement of the door between the closing condition and the opening condition, interacts in a sliding relationship against a shaped edge present in the door near the coupling seat.

The interaction with the shaped edge properly leads to placing the coupling element in the coupling seat.

In addition, a control pedal is preferably provided, which is oscillatingly coupled to the content tank and can act to determine the movement of the door from the closing condition to the opening condition by at least one main transmission element.

In this way it is possible to carry the door in the opening condition without having to use your hands.

Further, an auxiliary transmission element is preferably provided, which is operatively interposed between the control pedal and said oscillating support for decoupling said coupling element from the coupling seat in response to the operation of the control pedal.

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Therefore, by acting on the control pedal, the opening and unlocking of the door from the opening condition can be obtained.

Preferably, the auxiliary conductive element causes the coupling element to be disengaged from the coupling seat in response to the operation of the control pedal in accordance with a stroke less than that necessary to bring the door into the opening condition.

In this way, unlocking the door and lowering it towards the closing condition can be ensured, even by lightly pressing on the control pedal.

Preferably, said oscillating support and said door are articulated in an oscillatingly articulated bridge element in the respectively opposite side walls of the tank.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description of an example, but not exclusive, and therefore a non-limiting preferred embodiment of a waste collection container, as illustrated in the attached figures, in the that:

- Figure 1 shows indicatively a perspective view of a waste container according to the present invention, with one of the doors in the opening condition;

- Figure 2 is a partially elevational view in section of the container of Figure 1, with the doors in the closing condition;

- Figure 3 shows the container of figure 2 with one of the doors in the opening condition;

- Figure 4 shows a detail of Figure 2 on an enlarged scale;

- Figure 5 shows the detail of Figure 4 during an intermediate stage of manually moving door movement;

- Figure 6 shows in detail of figure 4 during an intermediate stage of movement of the door made with the help of the control pedal;

- Figure 7 shows the detail of figure 6 in the door opening condition, corresponding to figure 3;

- Figure 8 shows the detail of figure 4 with the door closed in the opening condition.

According to the attached figures, the number 1 generally refers to a container for waste collection in accordance with the present invention.

In the illustrated example, the container 1, made in the form of a bilateral symmetrical garbage container, comprises a content tank 2 that internally forms a collection space 3 for waste, for example, municipal solid waste. The content tank 2 is provided in the base with a plurality of support elements 2a, some of which may include casters, for the stable support of the container on the ground.

The content tank 2 is made for example of metallic material and has a substantially parallelepiped box-shaped configuration, which is preferably embedded starting from a bottom wall 4. On the bottom wall 4 there are two respectively opposite front walls 5, and two side walls 6 carrying respective gripping elements 7, functionally coupled by devices (of a sensibly known type) for the automatic grip and emptying of the container 1, usually mounted in a waste collection vehicle.

In the illustrated example, the gripping elements 7 comprise pins that project laterally from the respective side walls 6, in correspondence to a vertical plane of symmetry of the container 1.

The tank 2 has in the upper part an upper opening 8 for the delivery of waste, accessible to the users for the introduction of the waste in the collection space 3.

A cover element 9, properly articulated to the side walls 6, closes the contents tank 2 superiorly.

In the illustrated example, the cover element 9 comprises two articulated doors 10 according to respective pivoting axes X on opposite sides of a bridge element 11 disposed at the top. The bridge element 11 preferably comprises a transverse element 12 from opposite ends where two arms 13 extend, which are each pivoted to one of the side walls 6 of the content tank 2, according to a common oscillation axis Y. Means Suitable elastics, not shown since they are per se known, act on the arms 13 so that they maintain a resting condition in which the transverse element 12 extends in a longitudinal central plane of the content tank 2, superiorly closed by the doors 10, preferably acting in a stop relationship at the upper edges of the front walls 5.

In a manner known per se, each of the doors 10 or at least one of them is suitable for being manually raised around its own pivot axis X from a closed position, in which it approaches the

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content tank 2 to hide the collection space 3, until an opening condition is reached in which it rises with respect to the content tank 2 to allow the introduction of waste into the collection space 3.

It can also be envisaged that the elevation of at least one of the doors 10 can be obtained, instead or in addition to a direct manual action, through at least one control pedal 14, oscillatingly coupled near the base wall 4 of the tank of content 2. Preferably, the control pedal 14 extends along one of the front walls 5 and is preferably pivoted with respect to the side walls 6 near the longitudinal center plane of the content tank 2.

At least one first shoulder 15 or other transmission element, for example in the form of a cable, has a first end 15a coupled to the control pedal 14 near the pivoting axis Z thereof, and a second end 15b fixed to one of the doors 10 , for example, on a coupling plate 16 projecting from the door 10 beyond the pivoting axis X thereof in the transverse element 12. With the lowering of the control pedal 14, the first rod 15 causes the progressive lifting of the door 10. Preferably, the door 10 reaches the opening condition corresponding to the maximum descent stroke of the control pedal 14. Two first braces can be provided, acting on the respective opposite sides of the content tank 2 between the control pedal 14 and the respective coupling plates 16 located on opposite sides of the respective door 10.

The emptying of the container 1 is carried out with a tipping action thereof around the axis of oscillation Y.

Simultaneously with this action, the cover element 9 is angularly rotated around the axis of oscillation Y to slide the doors 10 with respect to the content tank 2 to facilitate the discharge of waste.

However, the use of the device 1 in containers of different types, for example having only one door 10 and for example pivoted along an X axis near the edge of the tank 2, does not have to be excluded.

The cover element 9 is also associated with at least one locking device 17, which can be selectively activated when necessary, to retain at least one of the doors 10 in the opening condition.

More specifically, the blocking device 17 can be selectively activated as a result of a lifting action of the door 10 away from the content tank 2, beyond the opening condition.

To this end, the locking device 17 preferably comprises an oscillating support 18, operatively articulated with respect to the content tank 2, and cooperating with a coupling seat 19 carried by the respective door 10, for example in correspondence of the coupling plate 16. Preferably, the oscillating support 18 is made in the form of a plate-shaped support. In the illustrated example the oscillating support 18 is rotatably articulated along one of the arms 13 of the bridge element 11, on the side facing the longitudinal central plane of the container, and preferably can move according to angular oscillations with respect to the door 10 around its own pivot axis N.

The oscillating support 18 is fully engaged with a coupling element 20 which, due to the angular oscillations carried out in any direction from the oscillating support 18 around its own pivoting axis N, can move between an off condition, in which it moves away from the coupling seat 19, and an actuation condition, in which it lends itself to engaging in the coupling seat 19 to retain the door 10 in the opening condition.

A return spring 21 or other elastic means act on the oscillating support 18 to constantly push the coupling element 20 towards the activation condition.

Preferably, the coupling element 20 is made in the form of a plate having a work surface 20a which, during the movement of the door 10 between the closing condition and the opening condition, lends itself to interacting in a sliding relationship against a shaped edge 16a presented by the coupling plate 16. As exemplified in Figure 5, the shaped edge 16a thus lends itself to act as a cam against the coupling element 20 so that it determines, during lifting of the door 10, the rotation of the oscillating support 18, in contrast to the return spring 21. The coupling seat 19 is preferably formed along said shaped edge 16a. When the coupling seat 19 corresponds to the coupling element 20, the action of the return spring 21 determines the mutual coupling.

It is preferably provided that, in the activation condition, the coupling element 20 is coupled to the coupling seat 19 substantially in an unstable equilibrium condition. In particular, it can be provided that the activation condition, the coupling element 20 mechanically interferes with the coupling seat 19 according to a linear point indicated by the dimension L in Figure 8, less than about 3 mm along the direction of movement of the coupling element 20. This is possible

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determining the decoupling of the coupling seat 19 and the consequent movement of the door 10 towards the closing condition even after shaking the waste container and / or said door 10.

At least one auxiliary conductive element 22 can be operatively interposed between the control pedal 14 and the oscillating support 18. The auxiliary conductive element 22 may comprise a cable or other type of tie rod, having a first end 22a coupled to the control pedal 14 near the pivoting axis Z thereof, and a second end 15b fixed to the oscillating support 18. The pivoting axis N of the oscillating support 18 is preferably located in an intermediate position between the coupling element 20 and the second end 15b of the auxiliary conductive element 22. The auxiliary conductive element 22 is therefore suitable for decoupling the coupling element 20 from the coupling seat 19 following the operation of the control pedal 14.

Waste container 1 is suitable for use to deliver waste in a manner similar to traditional containers. The user has the possibility to raise at least one of the doors 10 manually and / or with the help of the control pedal 14 to the opening condition, in order to supply the waste within the collection space 3.

The lowering of the control pedal 14, ready in a first section of its stroke, requires the rotation of the oscillating support 18 as opposed to the return spring 21 and the consequent positioning of the coupling element 20 in the disengaged condition, simultaneously with the rise of Door 10 from the closing condition. After reaching the opening condition, obtainable for example with an angular path "a" of about 50 ° of the door 10 around its pivoting axis X (Figures 3 and 7), the coupling element 20 remains in the disengaged condition until when the control pedal is released 14.

When the control pedal 14 is released, the door 10 falls by gravity towards the closing condition, suitably lowered by damping devices not shown when known. Any elastic system can withstand the resurgence of control pedal 14 to its starting position. Simultaneously, the return spring 21 returns the coupling element 20 towards the positioning condition. However, the coupling element 20 cannot be coupled with the coupling seat 19 since in the meantime the door 10 has already sat down towards the closing condition.

By manually acting on the door 10, or by pushing it through the waste during the supply stage, it is still possible to raise it slightly on the opening condition when the control pedal 14 is released. This action causes the coupling element 20 to be placed in the coupling seat 19 by the return spring 21. For example, the coupling between the coupling element 20 and the coupling seat 19 can occur as a result of an angular rotation p of approximately 55 ° carried out by the door 10 around its pivoting axis X with respect to the closing condition (figure 8).

After placement, the door 10 can then be released and remain locked in the opening condition, in order to allow repeated transfer operations for the placement of large amounts of waste without having to lift the door 10 multiple times.

The decoupling of the coupling seat 19 requires a minimum displacement of the coupling element 20 from its coupling condition, even less than the displacement necessary for the connecting plate 16 to carry the door 10 from the closing condition to the opening condition.

The auxiliary conductive element 22 can thus cause the coupling element 20 to be disengaged from the coupling seat 19 in response to the operation of the control pedal 14 according to a very short stroke or in any case less than that necessary to carry the door 10 in the opening condition. More particularly, a slight touch of the control pedal 14 may advantageously be sufficient to determine the release of the door 10 from the opening condition. This condition can favor the closing of the door 10 even by people who are less likely to do so when using traditional containers.

In any case, the precarious equilibrium condition with which the placement of the coupling element 20 in the coupling seat 19 takes place for the purposes of blocking the door 10 in an opening condition allows the spontaneous closure of the door 10 even after of vibrations or occasional forces induced to the container 1 when it is placed on the ground or during the withdrawal operation through the action of gripping and emptying devices usually installed in vehicles used for the waste collection service.

Claims (11)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 35 40 Four. Five fifty 55 60 1. A waste container comprising: a content tank (2) defining at least one collection compartment (3) for waste; at least one door (10) pivotally articulated to said content tank (2) and movable between a closing condition in which it approaches the content tank (2) to close the collection space (3) and a condition opening in which it is raised in relation to the content tank (2) to allow the introduction of the waste into the collection space (3); said waste container further comprising a lock device (17) selectively activatable to retain the door (10) in the opening condition, characterized in that said locking device (17) is selectively activated accordingly of an action of lifting the door (10) away from the content tank (2), in the opening condition. 2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the locking device (17) comprises a coupling element (20) carried by an oscillating support (18) articulated with respect to the content tank (2) and movable with respect to the door (10) to cause decoupling of the coupling element (20) by a coupling seat (19) carried by the door (10). A container according to claim 2, wherein said coupling element (20) can move, in response to the oscillation of the oscillating support (18), between an off condition in which it moves away from the coupling seat (19) and an activation condition in which it is capable of attaching the coupling seat (19) to retain the door (10) in the opening condition. 4. A container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the locking device (17) further comprises elastic means acting on the oscillating support (18) to push the coupling element (20) towards the activation condition. 5. A container according to claim 3 or 4, wherein in the activation condition the coupling element (20) is coupled with the coupling seat (19) substantially in an unstable equilibrium condition, so as to determine the decoupling of the coupling seat (19) and the consequent movement of the door (10) towards the closing condition in response to the shaking actions of the waste container and / or said door (10). A container according to one or more of claims 3 to 5, wherein in the activation condition the coupling element (20) mechanically interferes with the coupling seat (19) according to a linear point less than 3 mm along the direction of movement of the coupling element (20). 7. A container according to one or more of claims 2 to 5, wherein the coupling element (20) has a work surface (20a) which, during the movement of the door (10) between the closing condition and the opening condition interacts in a sliding relationship against a shaped edge (16a) present in the door (10) near the coupling seat (19). A container according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one control pedal (14) oscillatingly coupled to the content tank (2) and operable to determine the movement of the door (10) from the condition of close to the opening condition by at least one main transmission element. A container according to claims 2 to 8, further comprising at least one auxiliary transmission element (22) operatively interposed between the control pedal (14) and said oscillating support (18) for decoupling said coupling element ( 20) from the coupling seat (19) in response to the operation of the control pedal (14). A container according to claim 9, wherein the auxiliary conductive element (22) causes the coupling element (20) to be disengaged from the coupling seat (19) in response to the operation of the control pedal (14) according to with a lower run than necessary to bring the door (10) in the opening condition. A container according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein said oscillating support (18) and said door (10) are articulated in a bridge element (11) oscillatingly articulated to the side walls (6) respectively opposite of the tank (2).