Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02762771 2011-12-28
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WASTE COLLECTION VEHICLE WITH BUCKET DRIVE
MECHANISM
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is the first application filed for the present technology.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present technology relates generally to waste collection
vehicles and,
in particular, to garbage trucks having movable buckets.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Waste collection vehicles such as garbage trucks are used to collect
garbage, refuse, waste or other such material. Waste collection vehicles
typically
compact the waste to maximize the amount of waste that can be collected before
having to dump the waste. Various compaction systems are known in the art.
Some compaction systems utilize a bucket into which waste is loaded. The waste
is
transferred from the bucket into a bin. The waste may be compacted in the bin
using a compaction mechanism. One recurring issue with some bucket systems is
that some waste may fall between the bucket and the bin during the transfer.
Another issue is the requirement to modify the chassis frame to achieve a low
loading height. Restrictions governing modifications are becoming more and
more
onerous and the costs of making such modifications are increasing accordingly.
Therefore, a more effective mechanism for transferring waste from the bucket
to the
bin would be highly desirable.
SUMMARY
[0004] In general, the present invention provides a material collection
vehicle
such as a waste collection vehicle, garbage truck, recycling truck or organic
waste
disposal vehicle. The vehicle has a bucket which rises and then pivots to
transfer
waste or other material into a bin. The bucket maintains sliding contact with
the
divider wall while it rises to prevent waste or other debris from falling
between the
bucket and the divider wall of the bin. A rotatable packing paddle may be
provided
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to sweep waste (or other material) from the bucket when the bucket has been
pivoted and to also pack or compact the waste (or other material) in the bin.
[0005] Thus, an aspect of the present invention is a material collection
vehicle
that includes a frame and a container mounted to the frame. The container
houses a
bin and a movable bucket for receiving material such as waste. The movable
bucket is driven upwardly in sliding contact with a divider wall of the bin by
a bucket
drive mechanism. The bucket drive mechanism further causes the bucket to
rotate
about a pivot for transferring the material from the bucket into the bin. The
vehicle
further includes a rotatable paddle for sweeping the material from the bucket
and for
compacting the material inside the bin.
[0006] Another aspect of the present invention is a waste collection
vehicle that
includes a frame for supporting an engine, a transmission system, a plurality
of
wheels and a cab. The truck further includes a waste container pivotally
mounted to
the frame, the container being movable from a generally horizontal posture for
loading and carrying waste and a generally inclined posture for dumping the
waste
through a rear tailgate, the container having a bin for waste and a movable
bucket
for receiving waste through one or more side-loading ports in side walls of
the
container and for transferring the waste into the bin. The truck further
includes a
bucket drive mechanism for raising the bucket while maintaining sliding
contact
between the bucket and a divider wall of the bin and for pivoting the bucket
for
transferring the waste into the bin.
[0007] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method of
collecting
material such as waste in a truck. The method entails receiving the material
in a
bucket through a side-loading port in a container, raising the bucket while
maintaining sliding contact between the bucket and a divider wall of a bin
housed
within the container, and rotating the bucket to dump the material into the
bin.
[0008] The details and particulars of these aspects of the invention will
now be
described below, by way of example, with reference to the attached drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Further features and advantages of the present technology will
become
apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with
the
appended drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of garbage truck incorporating a bucket
drive
compaction system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2. is an isometric view of the garbage truck with its container
in a
pivoted posture for dumping;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a bucket drive compaction system,
showing the bucket down in its loading position;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the bucket drive compaction
system,
showing the bucket rising before rotation;
[0014] FIG. 5 is side elevation view of the bucket drive compaction system,
showing the bucket at its top, fully rotated position and the paddle in a
start position;
and
[0015] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the bucket drive compaction
system,
showing the bucket at its top, fully rotated position and the paddle fully in
a packing
position.
[0016] It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like
features are
identified by like reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] In general, a waste disposal vehicle has a frame and a container
mounted
to the frame. The container houses a bin which serves as a compartment for
waste,
garbage, refuse or other such material (hereinafter referred to generically as
the
"material"). This material is transferred from a movable loading bucket into
the bin.
A side wall of the container may include a side-loading port through which the
material is loaded into the loading bucket. The movable bucket is driven
upwardly in
sliding contact with a divider wall of the bin by a bucket drive mechanism.
The
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bucket drive mechanism then causes the bucket to rotate (pivot) about a pivot
for
transferring the material into the bin. The vehicle may include a packing
paddle for
sweeping the material from the bucket and for compacting (packing) the
material in
the bin.
[0018] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a garbage truck incorporating a
bucket drive
mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The
garbage truck is one example of a waste disposal vehicle or waste collection
vehicle. The bucket drive mechanism may be used in other types of waste
disposal
vehicles such as recycling trucks or organic waste collection trucks. The
bucket
drive mechanism may also be used in vehicles designed to collect and compact
any
other form of compatible material or compressible substance, even if the
material or
substance is not waste material or recyclable material.
[0019] As depicted by way of example in FIG. 1, a waste disposal vehicle,
which
is generally designated by reference numeral 10, includes a frame (or chassis)
12.
The frame supports an engine, which may be mounted to a front portion of the
frame. The engine may be an internal combustion engine such as a 4-stroke
diesel
engine or gas engine but it may also be a hybrid electric engine or an
electric motor
with a battery or capacitor pack. It should be appreciated that any type of
engine,
motor or propulsion system may be employed. The engine provides power to drive
hydraulic systems to raise (or pivotally raise) a container 20 as illustrated
in FIG. 2
and also to drive the bucket drive mechanism and packing paddle, and as will
be
described in greater detail below. The vehicle 10 depicted by way of example
in
FIG. 1 also includes a cab 14. The vehicle also includes a transmission system
for
driving one or more axles of the vehicle. The vehicle is shown as having two
axles
with two front wheels and two pairs of wheels for supporting the weight of the
container although the vehicle may have any other number of axles or wheels.
The
vehicle may, of course, include other systems, subsystems and components not
explicitly described herein, such as a braking system, steering system,
electrical
system, heating and air conditioning systems, etc.
[0020] As further depicted by way of example in FIG. 1, the container 20
may
have side-loading ports 22 on one or both sides of the container. Dual side
loading
enhances routing flexibility because the container can be loaded from both
sides.
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The side-loading ports 22 may be openings in the side walls 24 of the
container. A
sliding door 26 may be provided to cover each side-loading port 22 when the
vehicle
is not collecting waste or other material. Any other type of doors (hinged
doors,
roll-down doors, shutters, etc.) may also be used. These doors may be manually
displaced or, alternatively, they may be automatically powered by a hydraulic,
pneumatic or electric system. It should also be noted that the vehicle does
not
absolutely require doors, although doors should be provided as the doors are
useful
to keep material from blowing out of the vehicle and also to improve the
aesthetics
and aerodynamics of the vehicle.
[0021] As
further depicted by way of example in FIG. 1, the cab 14 may have
dual steering wheels. A dual steering stand-up cab enables the operator to
drive
the vehicle from whichever side of the cab is more convenient.
[0022]
FIG. 2 illustrates the vehicle with its container 20 pivoted into a dumping
posture. The container 20 may be pivotally raised using one or more hydraulic
actuators 28 mounted to the frame and an underside of the container as shown
by
way of example in FIG. 2. The hydraulic actuator(s) 28 may be controlled from
inside the cab 14. To dump waste or other material from the container 20, the
rear
tailgate 30 must be opened as shown in FIG. 2. The opening of the rear
tailgate 30
may also be hydraulically actuated by a control inside the cab.
[0023] The
rear tailgate 30 may be a liquid-tight, self-locking tailgate such as a
shown by way of example in FIG. 2. The tailgate 30 may be pivotally mounted to
a
top portion of the container 20. In the specific embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 2, the
vehicle has two separate tailgates that can be opened and closed separately
(independently). In
this embodiment, each tailgate covers a separate bin
(compartment) within the container. For example, the container may comprise a
left-side bin and a right-side bin. In this embodiment, there may be a two
side-by-
side buckets for each of the side-by-side bins or, in other embodiments, there
may
be a single bucket with a single bin. The vehicle can thus have a single
compartment or dual compartments. In embodiments with dual compartments,
there may be only a single packing mechanism for both compartments although,
in
other embodiments, there may two packing mechanisms.
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[0024] The structure, design and operation of the bucket drive mechanism
will
now be described with reference to the sequential illustrations of FIGS. 3-6.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a divider portion of the
container 20.
The divider portion of the container 20 houses a bucket (or loading bucket) 40
and a
bucket drive mechanism 50 for moving the bucket. FIG. 3 shows the bucket down
in
its loading position. Waste or other material is manually loaded into the
loading
bucket by the operator. As shown by way of example in FIG. 3, the bucket is
driven
initially in a generally vertical direction by a pair of inclined hydraulic
actuators (also
referred to as bucket cylinders) 42. The bucket is connected to a pair of
sliding
collars (sleeves) 44 that each slide over a respective guide rail 46 (rod,
pipe or other
guide element). The two guide tails (pipes or rods) 46 are generally
vertically
disposed and parallel to one another in the initial posture shown in FIG. 3
and in
FIG. 4. These guide rails then rotate as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.
[0026] FIG. 4 shows the bucket 40 raised from the lower (loading) position
to an
upper (raised) position just prior to rotation. The twin inclined hydraulic
actuators 42
provide the motive power for the bucket drive. These inclined parallel
actuators 42
drive the bucket 40 upwardly while maintaining sliding contact between the
bucket
40 and the divider wall 25 of the bin. It is desirable that the bucket
maintain a
sliding contact with the divider wall of the bin for substantially the entire
distance that
the bucket traverses as it rises from its lower position to its upper
position. This
sliding contact effectively forms a seal between the bucket and the divider
wall, thus
preventing waste from falling between the bucket and the bin. Because there is
no
gap (or least a very insubstantial gap) between the bucket and the divider
wall,
substantially no waste (or other material) becomes lodged between the bucket
and
the divider wall of the bin. In another embodiment, the bucket does not
actually
contact the divider wall but slides in close proximity to the divider wall.
For example,
in one embodiment, the bucket slides in close proximity to the divider wall
such that
the gap between the bucket and divider wall is no more than 0.1 mm. In another
embodiment, the gap is no more than 1 mm. In yet another embodiment, the gap
is
no more than 1 cm. A small gap may be tolerated for certain types of materials
where the size or granularity of the material is such that it cannot fall into
the gap,
i.e. it would fit between the bucket and the divider wall. For example, when
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collected aluminum soft drink cans, a gap of 1 cm would be adequate because no
aluminum can could fall into such a small gap.
[0027] The
bucket slides have a semi-circular (half-moon) upper surface that
engages the underside of a rocker shaft (which may be a substantially
horizontal
pivot pipe) 48. As will be described below in greater detail, the rocker shaft
48 acts
as a pivot around which the bucket 40 pivots when the actuators attempt to
push the
slides and bucket further upwardly. Further actuation by the actuator thus
causes
the bucket 40 to rotate about the rocker shaft 48 as shown in FIG. 5.
[0028]
FIG. 5 shows the bucket at its top, fully rotated position and a packing
paddle 60 in a start position. In
one embodiment, actuation of the paddle is
automatic once the bucket has pivoted into the position shown in FIG. 5.
Automatic
actuation of the paddle may be accomplished, for example, using a contact
switch or
a sensor that detects the position of the bucket and sends a signal to a
controller
that, in turn, causes the paddle to be actuated. Alternatively, a manually
operated
paddle may be provided, requiring the operator to depress a button or other
switch
to move the paddle. Such a button would then be deactivated when the bucket is
in
any other position. Alternatively, a mechanical linkage may be used to engage
an
actuation mechanism for actuating (rotating) the paddle.
[0029]
FIG. 6 shows the bucket 40 at its top, fully rotated position and the paddle
60 fully in a packing position. In the specific embodiment illustrated in FIG.
6, the
guide surface 70 at the entrance of the bin is upwardly curved. This guide
surface
has a curvature that substantially matches that of the bottom surface of the
bucket.
The paddle 60 rotates about the paddle pivot 62 to define a radius that
matches this
curvature. In other words, the paddle 60 sweeps along the inside of the bucket
40
and along the upwardly curved guide surface 70. This guide surface 70 helps to
ensure that trash or waste is swept fully into the bin, i.e. beyond the
threshold or
entrance of the bin.
[0030] The
packing paddle shown by way of example in the figures may be
varied in other embodiments. For example, the packing paddle may sweep through
an arc that is greater than or less than the arc defined by the starting
position of FIG.
and the fully swept position of FIG. 6. The packing paddle may remain in the
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position shown in FIG. 6 for a predetermined period of time, after which it
returns
automatically to the initial position of FIG. 5. In another embodiment, the
return
may be controlled by the operator pressing a button, switch or control
element.
Although in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 3-6, the packing paddle has a
tapered profile, any other shape of paddle may be employed provided it has
sufficient clearance when sweeping through its arc.
[0031] The
packing paddle 60 (or scraper or sweeper) may be driven by any
suitable mechanical means capable of exerting a torque on the paddle such as a
hydraulic motor. In
one embodiment, the paddle is driven (rotated) by two
hydraulic cylinders although, in other embodiments, the paddle may be rotated
by
one cylinder or even more than two cylinders. Alternatively, the paddle may be
actuated by pneumatic actuators or by electric motors with suitable reduction
gears,
chain and sprocket, or any other suitable torque-transmission mechanism etc.
[0032]
During collection, the operator manually loads the material (such as, for
example, garbage or other waste) into the bucket. Once loading of the material
into
the loading bucket is completed, the operator activates the compaction system,
for
example, by pressing a button or switch or by actuating a lever.
This
button/switch/lever may be disposed on the side of the container and/or it may
be
disposed inside the cab. The actuators raise the bucket until the slides of
the
bucket contact the rocker shaft. During the ascension of the bucket, the
forward
wall of the bucket abuts the divider wall of the bin. In
other words, the bucket
remains in sliding contact with the wall of the bin to ensure that there is no
gap
between the bucket and wall into which debris or waste may fall. One advantage
of
this mechanism is therefore that it prevents debris or waste from falling
between the
bucket and the divider wall of the bin. The bucket then rotates about the
rocker
shaft to dump waste or other material into the bin. The packing paddle then
pushes
or scrapes any waste or other material remaining in the bucket from the bucket
into
the bin. The packing paddle continues to rotate into the bin, thereby packing
(compacting) the waste or other material in the bin.
[0033]
Although the bucket drive mechanism is designed primarily for a waste
collection vehicle, the mechanism may be incorporated into any other vehicle
that
collects a compatible material.
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[0034]
This invention has been described in terms of specific examples,
embodiments, implementations and configurations which are intended to be
exemplary only. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
obvious
variations, modifications and refinements can be made to the embodiments
disclosed herein without departing from the inventive concept(s) presented
herein.
The scope of the exclusive right sought by the Applicant is therefore intended
to be
limited solely by the appended claims.
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