Patent Application
20220073274
The present disclosure relates to a refuse container or cart lifter. The lifter may be mounted to a stationary or mobile container, compacting container, side loading refuse collection vehicle or other type of receptacle. The lifter is particularly adapted to be mounted to a side face of a larger front-load refuse receptacle that is removably mounted to, e.g., a pair of forks that carry the larger refuse receptacle in front of a refuse collection vehicle, and invert the larger refuse receptacle to dump its contents into a body or chamber located rearward of the cab of the vehicle.
Front load refuse collection vehicles are in wide use in large-scale residential refuse collection. A front load refuse collection vehicle typically has a front cab, a large refuse compartment behind the cab, and a pair of hydraulic-powered lift forks extending in front of the vehicle that are adapted to be inserted into corresponding slots or sleeves associated with an intermediate size portable refuse collection container. The forks are able to lift the refuse container over the front of the vehicle and invert the container to dump its contents into the refuse compartment or body located behind the cab.
For residential and small-scale refuse collection, the collection container often is carried in front of the collection vehicle as it moves along the street. The contents of smaller residential collection carts are first dumped into the intermediate collection container to fill the intermediate container, and the intermediate container is then inverted to dump its contents into a larger collection bin behind the vehicle cab.
Typically, a hydraulic cart lifter is mounted to the intermediate collection container to invert the residential collection cart to dump its contents into the intermediate container. Hydraulic lifters also have been mounted to the intermediate collection container in a manner so that the lifter can be moved laterally relative to the intermediate container into engagement with the residential refuse cart for curb-side collection, rather than requiring the operator to move the refuse receptacle to the lifter. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,484,245; 5,607,277; 5,639,201; 5,797,715; 5,938,394; and 6,139,244, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference, illustrate such arrangements.
A side loading system having a scissors-type mechanism for moving the cart lifter laterally relative to the intermediate container is shown in the U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0038697, herein incorporated by reference. The scissors mechanism in this published application includes a hydraulic piston/cylinder to extend and retract the cart lifter. When retracted, the cylinder is nearly in line with the scissor arms, so that the cylinder does not strongly hold the scissors mechanism in the retracted position, which is needed for storage of the lifter for transportation. In addition, the rate of travel when the scissors arms are initially extended is higher than the subsequent rate of travel, resulting in an initial jumpy or jerky movement of the cart lifter. The jumpy, jerky movement degrades the operation of the system, as a collection cart, if too close to the curb, can be knocked over before the cart grabbing mechanism secures the collection cart to the cart lifter. Controlling the initial speed of the scissors mechanism by simply slowing the rate of extension of the piston/cylinder, slows the whole movement of the scissors, thus reducing the efficiency of the system. By way of the present application these shortcomings of the prior art are addressed.
In accordance with a first aspect of the disclosure, a lifter assembly for emptying a curbside refuse collection cart into an intermediate container is provided. The lifter assembly includes a cart lifter comprising a frame, a cart grabber pivotably mounted to the frame, opposed grabber arms pivotably mounted to the cart grabber, a first actuator mounted to the cart grabber for moving the grabber arms relative to the cart grabber between a first extended/open position and a second closed position, and a second actuator for moving the cart grabber relative to the frame between a first upright position and a second inverted/dumping position.
The lifter assembly additionally includes a scissors-type extension assembly for moving the lifter between a first/retracted position adjacent a wall of the intermediate container and a second/extended position spaced away from the wall of the intermediate container. The scissors extension assembly further comprises: i) an elongated channel member configured to be secured to the wall of the intermediate container; ii) a mounting block slidably received in the elongated channel member; iii) a first scissor arm having first and second ends, the first end being pivotably secured to the mounting block; iv) a bracket configured to be fixedly mounted to the wall of the intermediate container in spaced relationship to the elongated channel member; v) a second scissor arm having first and second ends, the first end being secured for pivotable movement relative to the bracket, an intermediate portion of the first scissor arm being pivotably secured to an intermediate portion of the second pivot arm; vi) a third scissor arm having first and second ends, the first end being pivotably connected to the second end of the first scissors arm and the second end being pivotably connected to the frame of the lifter; vii) a fourth scissor arm having first and second ends, the first end being pivotably connected to the second end of the second scissors arm and the second end being pivotably connected to the frame of the lifter. A third actuator comprising a rotary actuator is secured to the bracket and has a rotatable shaft extending from opposite ends thereof, for moving the lifter relative to the intermediate container between the first/retracted position and the second/extended position, with the first end of the second scissor arm being secured to the rotatable shaft.
In a second aspect, each grabber arm of the lifter assembly further comprises a hub for pivotably mounting the grabber arm to the cart grabber and an elongated blade. The elongated blade includes an inner, resilient gripping layer secured to a rigid support, and the rigid support comprises a plurality of members layered one on top of the other, each secured on a first end to the hub and being of increasing length, with the member directly supporting the gripping layer having a length substantially equal to the length of the gripping layer. Preferably, the rigid support comprises a first member having a length approximately one-third the length of the gripping layer, a second member approximately two-thirds the length of the gripping layer, and a third member approximately the same length as the gripping layer.
In a third aspect, the second actuator of the lifter assembly is mounted to the frame and comprises a rotary actuator having a rotatable shaft extending from opposite ends thereof. The frame further comprises opposed side members, each side member having a generally circular aperture through which the ends of the shaft extend, with a slot connecting the aperture to an edge of the frame. A removable plate member is provided that is sized to substantially fill the slot, which is secured to the side member.
In a fourth aspect, the elongated channel of the lifter assembly further comprises a base member, with first and second elongated guide members removably secured with the base member to the wall of the intermediate container. Preferably, each guide member further comprises an elongated low-friction slide block and an elongated cap, with the cap having a width relative to the slide block sufficient to create a lip for maintaining the mounting block slidably received in the elongated channel member.
In a fifth aspect, the first end of the second scissor arm of the lifter assembly is removably secured to the shaft of the third actuator. Preferably, the second scissor arm comprises a reinforcement plate welded to the second scissor arm at its first end, and the first end of the second scissor arm is secured to the shaft of the third actuator by an adapter plate removably attached to the reinforcement plate.
In a sixth aspect, the slidable mounting block of the lifter assembly comprises a first member to which the first end of the first scissor arm is pivotably mounted and a second member slidably received in the channel member. Preferably, the second member comprises a framework having opposed edges, with each of the opposed edges having a low friction slide block removably secured thereto so as to be in face-to-face sliding relationship with a slide block of an adjacent guide member.
Other features and aspects will become apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description.
Front load refuse collection vehicles are in wide-spread use in large-scale residential refuse collection. A front load refuse collection vehicle typically has a front cab with a large refuse compartment behind the cab. A pair of hydraulic-powered lift forks extend in front of the truck that are adapted to be inserted into corresponding slots or sleeves associated with an intermediate-size portable refuse collection container, such as the intermediate collection container 10 in
For residential and small-scale refuse collection, the collection container is often carried in front of the collection vehicle as it moves along the street. The smaller residential curb-side collection carts (such as cart 12 in
By way of the present disclosure, a container lifter assembly, generally designated 16, is adapted to be mounted to the side wall of the intermediate refuse collection container 10, adjacent to the loading area of the intermediate refuse container 10. The lifter 16 may, alternatively, be mounted to the front wall of the intermediate refuse collection container 16, to a stationary container or compactor, or to the side of the collection vehicle, without departing from the present invention, although mounting to the side wall is preferred for curb-side residential pickup.
The container lifter 16 is adapted to move a container capturer or cart lifter assembly between a first retracted position, adjacent a wall of the intermediate container, and a second extended position, spaced away from the wall of the intermediate container to retrieve and return a residential collection cart. To this end, a scissors-type extension assembly 18 is provided. As best seen in
The slidable mounting block 32 is received in the channel member 20. As best seen in
A bracket 44 is fixedly mounted to the wall 22 of the intermediate container so that it is spaced laterally from the channel 20, with a scissor arm mounted for pivotable movement with respect thereto (also as described below).
The extension assembly 18 further comprises first, second, third and fourth scissor arms, designated 46, 48, 50 and 52, respectively, each having first and second ends. The first scissor arm 46 has its first end 46a pivotably secured to first member 34 of the slidable mounting block 32. The second scissor arm 48 has its first end 48a pivotably secured to the bracket 44, and the first and second scissor arms are pivotably connected to each other at a position intermediate that first and second ends of each. The first end 50aof the third scissor arm 50 is pivotably connected to the second end 46b of the first scissor arm 46 while the first end 52a of the fourth scissor arm 52 is pivotably secured to the second end 48b of the second scissor arm 48. The second ends 50b, 52b of the third and fourth scissor arms 50, 52 are pivotably connected to the cart lifter assembly 54, as described in greater detail below.
More specifically, the cart lifter assembly 54 comprises a frame 56 to which a cart grabber assembly 58, including a pair of grabber arms 60, is mounted. The grabber assembly 58 is movable relative to the frame 56 between a first upright position for storage and for retrieving and returning a residential refuse collection cart 12, and an inverted position, for emptying the contents of the residential refuse collection 12 cart into the intermediate container 10. The grabber arms 60 are also movable relative to the grabber assembly between an open (extended) position, in which the grabber arms 60 are generally coplanar so as to allow them to lie adjacent to the side wall 22 of the intermediate container 10 for storage and transportation, and a closed position, in which the grabber arms 60 would securely hold a residential refuse collection cart 12.
A first actuator 62 is provided for moving the grabber arms 60 between the open and closed positions, and a second actuator 64 is provided for moving the grabber assembly 58 between the upright and inverted positions. Various mechanisms for moving the grabber arms between the open and closed positions may be used, such as that disclosed in US 2011/0038697, referred to above, or in US 2005/0095097, which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, other lifter mechanisms well known in the art for selectively engaging and releasing residential-size refuse collection carts also may be used, such as lifter mechanisms employing upper and lower hooks for engaging the bars on the collection cart. See. e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6, 929,441 and 4,773,812 which also are incorporated herein by reference.
Preferably, the second actuator 64 is mounted to the frame 56 and comprises a rotary actuator 62 having a rotatable shaft 66 extending from opposite ends thereof. The frame 56 further comprises opposed side members 68, each side member 68 having a generally circular aperture 70 through which the ends of the shaft 66 extend, with a slot 72 connecting the aperture 70 to an edge 74 of the side member 68. A removable plate member 76 is provided that is sized to substantially fill the slot 72, which is secured to the side member 68 by, e.g., bolts 78. The slot 72 facilitates assembly and service of the actuator 64, while the plate member 76 helps to form a box section to maintain the rigidity of the side members 68 of the frame 56.
Each grabber arm 60 preferably comprises a hub 80 for pivotably mounting the grabber arm 60 to the cart grabber assembly 58 and an elongated blade 82. The elongated blade 82 includes an inner, resilient gripping layer 84 secured to a rigid support 86. The rigid support 86 comprises a plurality of members 88a, 88b and 88c; preferably made of steel, layered one on top of the other, each secured on a first end to the hub 80 and being of increasing length. Preferably, the first member 88a directly supports the gripping layer 84 and has a length substantially equal to the length of the gripping layer 84, while the second member 88b is approximately two-thirds the length of the gripping layer 84, and a third member 88c is approximately one-third the length of the gripping layer 84. This provides the grabber arms 60 with a narrow configuration that is both structurally sound and permits the grabber arms 60 reach between closely-spaced collection carts.
In keeping with the disclosure, a third actuator 90 is provided for moving the scissor mechanism 18 between a first retracted position, in which the scissor arms lie in close proximity to the wall 22 of the intermediate container 10 for storage and for dumping a collection cart, and a second extended position spaced laterally from the wall 22 of the intermediate container for retrieving and returning a collection cart. The third actuator 90 is a rotary actuator that is secured to the fixed mounting bracket 44. The rotary actuator 90 includes a rotatable shaft 92 that extends from both ends of the actuator 90, to which the first end 48a of the second scissor arm 48 is removably secured in order to facilitate removal of the actuator 90 for servicing. Preferably, the second scissor arm comprises a reinforcement plate 94 welded to the second scissor arm 48 at its first end 48a. The first end 48a of the second scissor arm 48 is then secured to the shaft 92 of the third actuator 90 by an adapter plate 96 removably attached to the reinforcement plate 94.
The rotary actuator 90 provides for smooth and even movement of the scissor mechanism between the retracted and extended positions, and holds the scissors mechanism securely when in the retracted position, in contrast to the linear hydraulic actuator used by the prior art for moving the scissors mechanism. In addition, use of the hydraulic actuator results in a significant reduction of the flow rate of hydraulic fluid required to extending and retracting the scissors mechanism, which saves fuel used for operating the hydraulic system, reduces heat build-up in the system, and reduces wear and tear.
Use of a rotary actuator for operating the scissors mechanism may require reinforcement of the intermediate container to provide for a rigid and stable connection with the intermediate container. With reference to
A description of a typical sequence of operation of the container lifter assembly follows. In use, in the normal pick-up mode, the intermediate refuse collection container is carried on lifter forks in front of the collection vehicle cab, or otherwise affixed to the lift arms of the collection vehicle. With the lifter assembly in the retracted position, the vehicle stops so that the intermediate refuse receptacle is spaced laterally from a residential refuse collection cart. The actuator 90 is activated, moving the first ends 46a, 48a of the first and second scissor arms 46, 48 toward each other so that the second ends 50b, 52b of the third and fourth scissor arms 50, 52 move away from the first position adjacent to the lateral side wall of the front-load refuse receptacle to the second position extending toward a residential refuse collection cart. Actuator 62 is then activated so that the grabber arms 60 capture the residential refuse collection cart. Then, the actuator 90 is activated again to draw the scissor arms 46, 48, 50 and 52 and the associated cart grabber 58, along with the residential refuse collection cart, back toward the intermediate, front-load refuse receptacle.
The actuator 64 is then activated to invert the cart grabber 58 with respect to the side wall of the collection container, thus moving the residential collection cart 12 to an inverted dumping position to empty the contents of the cart into the intermediate collection container. The steps are then performed in reverse order to return the residential collection cart to its original position. After the cart is released, the lifter assembly is retracted to its first position adjacent the side wall of the collection container.
Thus, a lifter assembly for use with an intermediate refuse collection container has been disclosed having various advantages and features. While the lifter assembly has been disclosed in terms of certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit the invention to the same. Instead, the invention is defined by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62898673 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16941645 | Jul 2020 | US |
| Child | 17530732 | US |
