GB2062732A

GB2062732A - Refuse Collecting Apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2062732A
Application number: GB8036405A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Hestair Eagle Ltd
Current assignee: Hestair Eagle Ltd
Priority date: 1979-11-17
Filing date: 1980-11-13
Publication date: 1981-05-28
Also published as: GB2062732B

Abstract

Suction operated refuse collecting apparatus 10 has a refuse tank 26 which can be tipped by tipping gear 32 and which has a rear door 34 with a remotely operable opening and unlatching actuator 44, 46 and a drain valve 100 with a sludge screen 104 Fig 4. The sludge screen 104 co- operates with the bottom wall of the tank to form an enclosure round the drain valve. Upon opening the rear door the enclosure is thereby opened for maintenance operations. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Refuse Collecting Apparatus This invention relates to refuse collecting apparatus. Examples of such apparatus are road sweeping apparatus to be mounted on a selfpropelled road sweeping vehicle, and gully emptiers and other such apparatus in which the refuse is collected principally through a nozzle which is manipulated manually or otherwise so as to draw up refuse from a bin or gully or a cess pool and deliver the refuse through an associated duct to a refuse tank.

The present invention is concerned with technical problems arising in relation to the refuse tank of such refuse collecting apparatus.

A first aspect of the invention relates more specifically to such refuse collecting apparatus having a door pivotally mounted on the refuse tank to close a discharge or access opening in the tank.

Previous proposals in relation to such a door on a refuse tank include automatic and manually operable latching systems whereby the door is secured in its closed working position.

However, such prior proposals suffer from from such disadvantages as providing insufficiently positive opening of the door against the action of a sticky door seal, the positioning of part of the latching mechanism in an area where it becomes fouled during tank emptying, and providing insufficiently positive latching of the door whereby a very stiff and well aligned door structure is needed to seal the tank.

An object of this aspect of the invention is to provide refuse collecting apparatus offering improvements in relation to one or more of the problems identified above.

According to this aspect of the invention there is provided refuse collecting apparatus comprising: a refuse tank having a discharge or access opening; refuse collecting and transfer means whereby refuse is collected and transferred to the refuse tank; a door pivotally mounted on the refuse tank to close the opening; and a door operating mechanism capable of opening and closing the door by remote control; wherein said door operating mechanism comprises an actuator acting between the door and the tank to open and close the door, and a latching mechanism mounted on the door to effect latching and unlatching between the door and the tank, the latching mechanism being arranged to be operated by the actuator.

Preferably, said latching mechanism comprises at ieast two space latching mechanisms interconnected by a drive link so as to be simultaneously operable by said actuator. Said latching mechanism may include a cam member pivotally mounted on the refuse tank door for angular movement by said actuator upon operation of the actuator to unlatch the door, the cam member being positioned so as to be engageable with a fixed part of the refuse tank upon angular movement of the cam member, whereby the cam member cams the door in the opening direction thereof so as to overcome the resistance of, for example, a sticky door seal.

The cam member may be arranged so as to cam the refuse tank door to a closed condition upon operation of the actuator in the opposite or return direction. The cam member may be engageable with a fixed latch member mounted on a fixed part of the tank to cam the door to a closed condition, the cam member and the fixed latch member then serving to hold the door in its closed or latched condition.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to refuse collecting apparatus comprising a refuse tank and refuse collecting and transfer means whereby refuse is collected and transferred to the refuse tank.

In such apparatus, particularly when it is in the form of a road sweeping vehicle which employs water sprays to reduce dust propagation and to facilitate refuse pick-up, the problem arises that the material deposited in the refuse tank contains an appreciable quantity of water. The problem is of course aggravated during wet weather. The problem may be even more significant in the case of gully emptiers and like vehicles which collect liquid and semi-liquid refuse.

The proportion of water to refuse carried in the tank can become quite high and this significantly decreases the effective payload of the refuse collecting apparatus and some means is needed to enable water to be drained off, whether for discharge or re-cycling, and it is an object of this aspect of the present invention to provide means for this purpose.

According to this aspect of the present invention there is provided suction operated refuse collecting apparatus as defined in claim 8 of the accompanying claims. Further features of this aspect of the invention are defined in claims 9 to 14.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of suction operated refuse collecting apparatus forming part of a mobile road sweeper, the sweeper being viewed from the rear with its refuse tank in a tipped position and with the rear door of the tank in its open position; Figure 2 shows a side elevation view of a remotely operable mechanism capable of opening and closing the refuse tank door, the direction of viewing being indicated by arrow II in Figure 1, the door being shown in its closed position; Figure 3 shows a rear elevation view of a portion of the remotely operable mechanism, the direction of viewing being indicated by arrow Ill in Figure 1, and the door being again in its closed position;; Figure 4 shows a vertical section in a plane paralled to the direction F of operative forward motion of the road sweeper, through the refuse tank door, this Figure showing a sludge screen and an associated drain valve for removing water and liquid matter from the tank; Figure 5 shows an elevation view of the sludge screen of Figure 4, the direction of viewing being shown by arrow V in Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a plan view of the sludge screen of Figure 4, the direction of viewing being indicated by arrow VI in Figure 4; and Figure 7 shows a developed view of a sludge screen prior to bending into the shape shown in Figures 4 to 6.

As shown in Figure 1, a road sweeper 10 comprises a self-propelled chassis 12 having a driver's cab 14, and suction operated refuse collecting apparatus 1 6 mounted on the cahssis.

Refuse collecting apparatus 1 6 comprises brush gear 18, a refuse collecting nozzle 20, an auxiliary engine 22, a fan (not shown) mounted for rotation by the engine, a fan housing 24 and a refuse tank 26.

Brush gear 18 comprises a cylindrical main brush mounted for rotation about a generally horizontal axis extending widthwise of the road sweeper and inclined so as to sweep material laterally of the vehicle towards one end of the brush so as to be collected by nozzle 20 at that end. The brush gear further comprises a narrow sweep brush or scarifying brush 28 mounted for rotation about an upwardly extending axis and serving to sweep material out of gutters and the like into the collection zone of nozzle 20.

Further details of the structure and arrangement of the brush gear and the actuation thereof are not disclosed here since they are of no concern to the present invention. The same goes for the details of the structure and arrangement of refuse collecting nozzle 20.

Fan housing 24 which encloses the fan mounted for rotation by engine 22 defines an air inlet (not shown) and an air outlet (not shown).

The air inlet is connected to refuse tank 26 by a first air duct (not shown) comprising a duct extending upwardly from the fan housing and connecting the housing to a hollow roof portion of the refuse tank, the hollow roof portion extending across the full width of the tank and extending rearwardly to a wire mesh screen (not shown) adjacent the rear end of the tank, through which air is drawn from the tank by the fan.

Refuse collecting nozzle 20 is connected to the refuse tank 26 by a second air duct 30 in the form of a large diameter hose which opens into the refuse tank through a seal and nozzle assembly (not shown) mounted at the front left hand corner of the tank-having regard to the direction F of operative forward movement of the road sweeper.

Refuse tank 26 is mounted on chassis 12 for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal tipping axis extending transverse to direction F and located at the rear end of the tank, and tipping gear 32 including a multi-stage hydraulic ram is provided to effect tipping of the tank for emptying purposes. Figure 1 shows tank 26 in its fuliy tipped position.

A rear door 34 is pivotally mounted on refuse tank 26 to close the discharge and access opening 35 thereof and is provided with a door operating mechanism 36 capable of opening and closing the door by remote control.

Rear door 34 is mounted on the tank 26 by means of hinges 38 secured to the flat rearwardly-facing surface 40 surrounding the opening 35 at the rear of the tank.

Door opening mechanism 36 comprises an actuator in the form of a hydraulic ram 44, and a latching mechanism 46, the actuator acting between the door and the tank to open and close the door.

Ram 44 is pivotally mounted at its upper end on a bracket 48 welded to surface 40 of tank 26 at the left hand side of the rear opening 42. The rod end of ram 44 is pivotally connected to a bell crank 50 mounted on a drive link in the form of a shaft or torsion bar 52, and fixed thereto for angular movement about the longitudinal axis of the shaft. Extension and retraction of ram 44 causes turning movement of shaft 52, which is mounted for such turning movement in bearings 54 and 56.

Latching mechanism 46 comprises substantially dentical spaced latching mechanisms one at each end of shaft 52, each such mechanism being simultaneously operable by shaft 52 and hence by ra 44.

Each of the left and right hand latching mechanisms 46 is connected to shaft 52 by its own bell crank lever 58, 59 which is pivotally connected to a profiled cam member 60 which cooperates with a fixed latch member 62 mounted on surface 40 of tank 26. Cam members 60 comprise side straps 64 and 66 rigidly joined by spacers 68 and 70. Lower spacer 70 serves to guide its cam member for up and down movement by engagement with one of a pair of fixed guides 72, 74, each of generally hook shaped form, and mounted on rear door 34 adjacent the edge thereof.

Each of the fixed latch members 62 comprises a pair of side plates 76 welded to surface 40 of the refuse tank, and a collar 78 extending between the side plates and defining therewith a bridge shaped structure to receive a lower and profiled portion 80 of its cam member 60.

In use, when ram 44 is retracted from the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, angular movement of bell cranks 58, 59 effects upward movement of cam members 60 thereby withdrawing the lower profiled portions 80 of the cam members from fixed latch embers 62, thereby unlatching the door. Thus, the first part of the travel of actuator 44 operates to release the latching devices.

Furthermore, it is to be noted that the angular movement of bell cranks 58 and 59 causes rearward movement of the upper end of each cam member 60 about the axis 82 of lower spacer 70 of each cam member, whereby the profiled lower portion 80 of the cam member is caused to engage surface 40 of the refuse tank, thereby camming the door in the opening direction thereof so as to positively overcome resistance to opening due to a sticky door seal, for example.

Further retraction of ram 44 causes continued upward movement of cam members 60 until lower spacers 70 engage the upper edge of the hook portion of their fixed guides 72 74, whereupon further retraction of the ram 44 simply exerts a force on the rear door having a turning moment about the axis on hinges 38, and opens the door.

It can now be seen that latching mechanisms 66 are constructed so as to provide three operations during the unlatching process, that is, unlatching cam members 60 from fixed latch members 62, camming the door open and then opening the door to the position shown in Figure 1.

Closing of the door proceeds by a sequence of operations which is substantially the reverse of those described above. The door operating mechanism is capable of pushing the door shut even if due to friction or attitude, the door does not naturally tend to hang vertically against the rear end face of the tank. It is to be noted that the profiled rear surface of the lower portion 80 of each cam member engages the collar 78 of its respective fixed latch member 62, thereby positively camming the door to a closed and sealed condition. The fixed latch member is then serving to hold the door in its closed or latched condition. It will be understood that when auxiliary engine 22 is started and a vacuum begins to be built up in tank 26 there will be a substantial pressure differential across rear door 34 tending to hold it in the closed position.

Among the advantages provided by this embodiment of the invention are the following: 1. Latching mechanism 46 is remotely operable; 2. A single mechanism is provided both for latching the rear door and for opening it; 3. The latching mechanism positively cams the door open to overcome any resistance to opening; 4. The mechanism is simple, rugged and reliable; 5. The latching mechanism is clear of the lower rearward edge of the refuse tank and is therefore less likely to be contaminated by the tank contents during emptying of the tank; 6. The mechanism avoids any significant obstruction of the rear door which allows better installation of wander nose on the door.

The geometry of the door operating mechanism may be arranged so a to provide an over-centre action whereby, despite leakage from the hydraulic cylinder, the door's tendency to work itself open is resisted.

Turning now to a consideration of the arrangements in road sweeper 10 for draining excess water and liquid matter out of the refuse tank 26, Figures 1 and 4 to 7 show a drain valve 100 mounted in a wall of the refuse tank 26, the valve being openable to permit water and liquid matter to drain out from the tank.

The particular wall of the tank 26 in which drain valve 100 is mounted, is the openable rear door or cover 34 which is provided to allow refuse to be removed from the tank by tipping the latter.

Valve 100 has a hand lever 102 whereby it can be opened and closed.

A sludge screen 104 is provided in tank 26 and is positioned in relation to drain valve 100 so as to screen liquid material passing to the drain valve.

Sludge screen 104 is mounted on rear door 34 of the refuse tank 26 and cooperates with the door within the tank to define an enclosure surrounding the drain valve 100 on the inside of the tank.

The construction of sludge screen 104 is relatively simple in form, the screen comprising a single piece 106 of metal screen material having the shape (when in the flat condition) shown in Figure 7. Notches 108 and 110 are cut in this piece of screen material to accommodate one of two reinforcement beams 112 and 114 on rear door 34, and the screen material is folded on the three bend lines 116 and 118 and 120 shown in Figure 7 so as to form the screen shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6.

The enclosure formed by the screen 104 is of generally downwardly diverging form and has a flat top plate 112 at its upper end and is open at its lower end 1 24. The bottom wall 126 of refuse tank 26 serves, when the rear door 34 is closed as shown in Figure 4, to close the enclosure formed by the sludge screen 104 itself. The relatively small gap between the lower edge of the screen and the bottom wall of the tank, as seen in Figure 4, is of no significance in relation to the operation of the screen, having regard to the rate of flow of liquid material out of drain valve 100 during operation thereof.

It will now be seen that opening the rear door 34 of the refuse tank also opens the enclosure formed by the sludge screen 104 surrounding the drain valve 100, thereby giving access to the valve on the inside of the tank for cleaning purposes.

Drain valve 100 is provided in the region of the lower end of the sludge screen. The downwardly diverging form of the screen has the result that material entering the inside of the screen during its use can be readily subsequently removed and allowed to fall through the open lower end 124 of the screen during hosing off maintenance operations.

The principal advantages of this embodiment of the invention lie in the relatively simple manner in which provision has been made for the removal of excess water and liquid matter from the refuse tank, together with the provision of means for screening the liquid material so as to avoid blockage of the drain valve. Moreover, by the adoption of the above-described relationship of the drain valve, the sludge screen and the bottom wall of the tank there has been provided apparatus for which maintenance and cleaning operations are greatly facilitated and removal of sludge and silt from the screen automatically occurs during emptying of the refuse tank.

A modification which could be made in the above embodiment involves the mounting of the sludge screen and the drain valve on a side wail of the refuse tank adjacent the rear access door. The enclosure formed by the screen is of generally rearwardly diverging form so as to facilitate cleaning and fall out of accumulated material. The door provides, in its closed position, one side wall of the enclosure formed by the screen. When the rear door is opened, the enclosure is thereby opened and the valve is accessible for cleaning purposes.

Claims

1. Refuse collecting apparatus comprising.

a refuse tank having a discharge or access opening; refuse collecting and transfer means whereby refuse is collected and transferred to the refuse tank; a door pivotally mounted on the refuse tank to close the opening; and a door operating mechanism capable of opening and closing the door by remote control; wherein said door operating mechanism comprises an actuator acting between the door and the tank to open and close the door, and a latching mechanism mounted on the door to effect latching and unlatching between the door and the tank, the latching mechanism being arranged to be operated by the actuator.

2. Refuse collecting apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said latching mechanism comprises at least two spaced latching mechanisms interconnected by a drive link so as to be simultaneously operable by said actuator.

3. Refuse collecting apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said refuse tank is mounted so as to be tippable about a generally horizontal axis to discharge refuse through the discharge opening, said latching mechanisms being provided at opposite said edges of the door and co-operating with fixed latch members provided at opposite sides of the discharge opening.

4. Refuse collecting apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said latching mechanism includes a cam member pivotally mounted on the refuse tank door for angular movement by said actuator upon operation of the actuator to unlatch the door, the cam member being positioned so as to be engageable with a fixed part of the refuse tank upon angular movement of the cam member whereby the cam member cams the door in the opening direction thereof.

5. Refuse collecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said latching mechanism includes a cam member pivotally mounted on the refuse tank door for angular movement by said actuator upon operation of the actuator to unlatch the door, and said cam member also cams the refuse tank door to a closed condition upon operation of the actuator in the opposite or return direction.

6. Refuse collecting apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said cam member is engageable with a fixed latch member mounted on a fixed part of the tank to cam the door to a closed condition, and said cam member and said fixed latch member then serve to hold the door in its closed or latched condition.

7. Refuse collecting apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

8. Refuse collecting apparatus comprisinge a refuse tank: and refuse collecting and transfer means whereby refuse is collected and transferred to the refuse tank; wherein the refuse tank has a drain valve mounted in a wall of the tank, which valve can be opened to permit water and liquid matter to drain out from the tank.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein a screen is provided within the refuse tank and positioned to screen liquid material passing to the drain valve.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said screen co-operates with adjacent structure within the tank to define an enclosure surrounding the drain valve on the inside of the tank, the tank having an openable discharge or access door, the door being positioned in relation to the screen so that opening the door also opens the enclosure surrounding the drain valve, thereby giving access to the valve on the inside of the tank for cleaning purposes.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the drain valve and the screen therefor are mounted on the openable door or cover and the screen is positioned on the door or cover in relation to the adjacent wall of the tank so that when the door or cover is closed a portion of an adjacent wall serves to close the enclosure.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said portion of an adjacent wall which serves to close the enclosure provided by the screen is the bottom wall of the tank.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the enclosure formed by the screen is of generally downwardly diverging form, whereby material entering the inside of the screen during use can be readily subsequently removed and allowed to fall through the lower wide end of the screen.

14. Refuse collecting apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 4 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.