IE65271B1

IE65271B1 - Lifting device for refuse containers in particular for use on a refuse collection vehicle

Info

Publication number: IE65271B1
Application number: IE119491A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Adrianus Barmentloo
Original assignee: Geesink Bv
Priority date: 1990-04-20
Filing date: 1991-04-10
Publication date: 1995-10-18
Also published as: GB2243138B; NL9000952A; IE911194A1; GB2243138A; GB9107878D0

Abstract

A lifting device for refuse containers for use on a refuse collection vehicle comprises a pick-up frame (1) provided with a pick-up device for picking up round essentially cylindrical containers (6). Said pick-up device comprises a support (7) fixed on the pick-up frame and two collapsible arms (12; 13) fixed hingedly on the pick-up frame and each provided with a clamping shoe (8; 9) at the end thereof. Each arm comprises an inner (16; 17) and an outer arm element (18; 19). The clamping shoes are designed to grip, together with the support, a round container at the outside. The inner arm element of each arm is coupled to the pick-up frame by means of an operating cylinder (22; 23), which is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame and to the inner arm element. The outer arm element of each arm is coupled to the pick-up frame by means of a coupling rod (28; 29) which is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame and to the outer arm element. The arrangement of the operating cylinders and the coupling rods is such that through operation of the two cylinders the arms are taken out of the collapsed position (rest position) to the extended position (working position) in which a container can be gripped, and vice versa.

Description

Lifting device for refuse containers, in particular for use on a refuse collection vehicle.

The invention relates to a lifting device for refuse containers, in particular for use on a refuse collection vehicle, comprising a pick-up frame provided with means for gripping and supporting the containers, lifting means for raising the containers, and tilting means for tilting the containers, the pick-up frame being provided with at least a first pick-up device for picking up containers with a top edge which is bent over downwards essentially in a U shape, and a second pick-up device for picking up round, essentially cylindrical containers, the second pick-up device comprising a support fixed on the pick-up frame approximately in the centre and two clamping shoes fixed on the ends of two collapsible arms fixed hingedly on the pickup frame on either side of the support, said shoes being designed to grip, together with the support, the round container on the outside, and each of the collapsible arms having an inner arm element which at one end is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame and at the other end is hingedly connected to one end of an outer arm element bearing a clamping shoe at the other end.

Such a lifting device is known from British Patent Specification 2,165,814. This known device has the disadvantage that at the moment when the second pick-up device has to be taken into the working position from the rest position, in which the arms on which the clamping shoes are fixed are collapsed, the arms have to be taken manually from a folded position into an extended position. The support fixed on the pick-up frame also has to be taken manually into the working position. The known device also has the disadvantage that only one cylinder, which moves the two inner arm elements towards or away from each other, is present for the operation of the second pick-up device. This means that it is not possible to make the lifting device dividable in the centre.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the known lifting device and in particular to make automatic operation of the second pick-up device possible.

This object is achieved with a lifting device of the type mentioned in the preamble which is characterized in that for each arm an operating cylinder is present which at one side is hingedly connected to the inner arm element between the two ends thereof, and at the other side is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame near the centre thereof and at the side of the arm in question, and in that the outer arm element of each arm is coupled to the pick-up frame by means of a coupling rod which at one side is hingedly connected to the outer arm element between the two ends thereof, and at the other side is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame, the connection point to the pick-up frame lying at a different side of the connection point of the inner arm element to the pick-up frame from that of the connection point of the cylinder to the pick-up frame.

As a result of this design, it is possible through operation of the two cylinders to take the arms out of the collapsed position (the rest position) into the extended position (the working position), and vice versa. The operation of the cylinders can take place by a simple action or fully automatically. Besides, the design according to the invention makes it possible to make the lifting device, and in particular the pick-up frame, dividable approximately in the centre, so that the two parts can work independently of each other for handling of the containers which are handled with the first pick-up device.

Preferred embodiments of the lifting device according to the invention are laid down in the sub-claims.

The invention will be explained in greater detail in the example of an embodiment which follows, with reference to the appended drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a top view of a pick-up frame with first and second pick-up devices of a lifting device according to the invention fixed thereto, and with a round refuse container placed near it, the arms of the second pick-up device being virtually fully collapsed; Fig. 2 shows a top view similar to that of Fig. 1, in which the arms of the second pick-up device are extended halfway; Fig. 3 shows a top view similar to that of Fig. 1, in 10 which the second pick-up device is in a position in which a round container is gripped; and Fig. 4 shows a rear view of the pick-up frame with pick-up devices shown in Fig. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrow IV.

In the figures a pick-up frame of a lifting device for refuse containers according to the invention is indicated by 1. This lifting device is intended for being mounted on the rear loader of a refuse collection vehicle. The pick-up frame 1 is for that purpose connected to the rear loader by means of lifting arms (not shown) which at one side are hingedly connected to the rear loader and at the other side are hingedly connected at 2 and 3 to the pick-up frame 1.

The lifting arms can be moved up and down by means of cylinders.

The pick-up frame 1 is provided with a first pick-up device for picking up containers with a top edge bent over downwards essentially in a U shape. This pick-up device comprises a comb-shaped element 4 with upward-projecting teeth 5.

The pick-up frame is also provided with a second pickup device for picking up round, essentially cylindrical containers 6. The second pick-up device comprises a support 7 fixed approximately in the centre of the pick-up frame 1 and two clamping shoes 8 and 9 which are designed to grip, together with the support 7, the round container 6 on the outside. The clamping shoes 8 and 9 are hingedly connected at 10 and 11 to the ends of two collapsible arms 12 and 13 fixed to the pick-up frame 1 on either side of the support 7 at the hinge points 14 and 15.

Each of the collapsible arms 12, 13 comprises an inner arm element 16, 17 and an outer arm element 18, 19 respectively, which are hingedly connected to each other at the hinge points 20, 21 respectively.

For operation of the arms 12 and 13, i.e. taking the arms out of the collapsed position (the rest position) into the extended position (the working position) two operating cylinders 22 and 23 are present which are hingedly connected at one side at the hinge points 24 and 25 to the inner arm elements 16 and 17, and at the other side are hingedly connected at the hinge points 26 and 27 to the pick-up frame 1. The hinge points 24 and 25 are situated in a yoke 16a, 17a respectively lying approximately in the centre between the hinge points 14 and 20 and 15 and 21 and fixed to an inner arm element 16, 17 respectively. The hinge points 26 and 27 lie on either side of the centre of the pick-up frame 1 at the side of the appropriate arm 12, 13 respectively.

The outer arm element 18, 19 of each arm 12, 13 is coupled to the pick-up frame 1 by means of a coupling rod 28, 29 respectively which at one side is connected, at the hinge point 30, 31, to the outer arm element 18, 19 and at the other side, at the hinge point 32, 33 respectively, is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame 1.

Making the lever system belonging to the second pick-up device, comprising the arms 12 and 13, the coupling rods 28 and 29 and the operating cylinders 22 and 23, in the manner described above, and as shown in the drawing, means that on operation of the cylinders 22 and 23 the clamping shoes 8 and 9 are moved out of the rest position (collapsed position of the arms) first away from the pick-up frame 1 in a direction more or less at right angles to the pick-up frame 1 and, when the arms are almost extended, they are moved towards each other. The position of the various elements during this movement is shown in Figs. 1-3, Fig. 1 showing the position in which the arms are almost fully collapsed, Fig. 2 showing the position with half extended arms, and Fig. 3 showing the position with fully extended arms and clamping shoes 8 and 9 moved towards each other.

In the position shown in Fig. 3 a round refuse container is gripped between the support 7 and the clamping shoes 8 and 9 lying at an angular distance of approximately 120° away from each other. This achieves a very uniform clamping of and friction on the refuse container, with deformation of the refuse container in the radial direction being restricted to a minimum and the maximum lifting capacity being obtained. For release of the refuse container 6 again, the cylinders 22 and 23 need only be retracted over a short distance.

The support 7 is firmly fixed to the pick-up frame 1.

In the in-use position of the first pick-up device the combshaped pick-up element 4 lies in the working area of the support 7. This means that for picking up a round refuse container by means of the second pick-up device this part of the comb-shaped element is in the way. In order to solve this problem, the part of the comb-shaped element 4 lying in the working area of the support 7 of the second pick-up device, i.e. the part 34 of the comb 4, is made so that it can be folded away, in such a way that when a round refuse container has to be picked up by means of the second pick-up device the part 34 in question comes to rest outside the working area of the support 7. The foldaway part 34 of the comb 4 is to this end hingedly connected to two rods 35 and 36, which are in turn again hingedly connected to the pickup frame 1. The part 34 of the comb 4 is also hingedly connected by means of an operating rod 37 indicated schematically by a dashed and dotted line in Fig. 2 to a lever 38 firmly fixed at the hinge point 33 to the coupling rod 29. When the arms 12 and 13 are being folded out, the foldaway part 34 of the comb 4 is automatically moved out of the position shown by thin lines in Fig. 2 (which corresponds to the position shown in Fig. 1) to the position shown by thick lines in Fig. 2 (which corresponds to the position shown in Fig. 3), as a result of which the working area of the support 7 is cleared.

In an embodiment of the lifting device according to the invention not shown in the drawing the pick-up frame 1 is made so that it divides in the centre at the position of the longitudinal centre plane 39. In this case the first pick-up device, and in particular the pick-up comb 4, is made so that it divides. Such a division is possible because the cylinders 22 and 23 are fitted symmetrically relative to the longitudinal centre plane 39. Making the pick-up frame dividable means that it is possible to make the two parts of the pick-up frame 1 move independently of each other, as a result of which two refuse containers which are picked up by means of the first pick-up device with the comb-shaped pickup element can be handled individually and independently of each other. It is pointed out that in that case the foldaway part 34 of the comb-shaped element can also be made dividable. The two parts of the foldaway comb part 34 can then be folded away by means of two separate operating rods.

It is pointed out that in the case of the lifting device according to the invention the cylinders 22 and 23 lie in the same horizontal plane. This means that during gripping of round refuse containers by means of the second pick-up device no moments which could lead to undesirable deformations of the lever system formed by the arms and the coupling rods occur.

Claims

1. Lifting device for refuse containers, in particular for use on a refuse collection vehicle, comprising a pick-up frame provided with means for gripping and supporting the containers, lifting means for raising the containers, and tilting means for tilting the containers, the pick-up frame being provided with at least a first pick-up device for picking up containers with a top edge which is bent over downwards essentially in a U shape, and a second pick-up device for picking up round, essentially cylindrical containers, the second pick-up device comprising a support fixed on the pick-up frame approximately in the centre and two clamping shoes fixed on the ends of two collapsible arms fixed hingedly on the pick-up frame on either side of the support, said shoes being designed to grip, together with the support, the round container on the outside, and each of the collapsible arms having an inner arm element which at one end is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame and at the other end is hingedly connected to one end of an outer arm element bearing a clamping shoe at the other end, characterized in that for each arm an operating cylinder is present which at one side is hingedly connected to the inner arm element between the two ends thereof, and at the other side is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame near the centre thereof and at the side of the arm in question, and in that the outer arm element of each arm is coupled to the pick-up frame by means of a coupling rod which at one side is hingedly connected to the outer arm element between the two ends thereof, and at the other side is hingedly connected to the pick-up frame, the connection point to the pick-up frame lying at a different side of the connection point of the inner arm element to the pick-up frame from that of the connection point of the operating cylinder to the pick-up frame.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the support is firmly fixed to the pick-up frame.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the position of the second pick-up device in which a 5 refuse container is gripped, the support and the clamping shoes lie at an angular distance of approximately 120° from each other.

4. Device according to any of claims 1-3, in which the first pick-up device comprises a comb-shaped pick-up 10 element with upward-projecting teeth, characterized in that the part of the comb-shaped pick-up element lying in the working area of the support of the second pick-up device is made so that it can be folded away, in such a way that when the second pick-up device is in use the part in question of 15 the comb-shaped pick-up element comes to rest outside the working area of the support.

5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the foldaway part of the comb-shaped pick-up element is coupled to the lever system belonging to the second pick-up 20 device, comprising the arms, and the coupling rods and the operating cylinders, by means of an operating rod.

6. Device according to any of claims 1-5, characterized in that it is made dividable approximately in the centre of the pick-up frame, in such a way that the two 25 parts can operate independently of each other.

7. A lifting device substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.