Patent Application
20250162003
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The technical field relates generally to garbage bin cleaning systems and, more specifically, to vehicle mounted garbage bin cleaning systems for thoroughly cleaning and deodorizing garbage bins in a highly automated manner.
Sanitation is a critical feature in any society, as it is a requirement for providing desirable living conditions. Sanitation being improperly performed can and does lead to sickness and even death on a massive scale. To this end, the disposal of garbage from commercial establishments, residential homes and apartment houses is generally handled by garbage trucks equipped to handle garbage bins. These trucks have the capability of lifting the bins and dumping the contents thereof into a compactor from where the compacted trash is pushed by a ram into the back of the truck for dumping. Particularly in the case of restaurants and apartment houses where the trash contains a considerable amount of organic material, the garbage bins may become unpleasantly odorous, even after having been emptied, and can present a health problem.
The current solutions for washing and disinfecting garbage bins are largely unacceptable. Manually washing and disinfecting garbage bins can be time consuming and tedious for a person to perform, as well as labor intensive. Automated processes may be employed, such as through the use of tank trucks equipped with a hoisting device and a separate pump unit adapted to provide water jets for sprinkling the interior walls of the garbage bin, with the bin being suspended from the hoisting device. The automated processes, however, are usually limited in scope and extent, requiring multiple passes for a complete cleaning. Conventional automated processes for washing and disinfecting garbage bins can also leave many interior areas of a garbage bin untouched, with a large proportion of the dirt stubbornly adhering on the garbage bin walls. The known automated processes may also use exorbitant amounts of water per garbage bin, thereby resulting in large amounts of water waste. Conventional automated processes for washing and disinfecting garbage bins may further cause runoff of the wastewater into the environment, which can be damaging.
Additionally, conventional automated processes for washing and disinfecting garbage bins often do not account for the manner in which bins are located on the side of the road or alley. Conventional automated processes for washing and disinfecting garbage bins are usually rear-mounted, meaning that the mechanisms for washing the bin are located at the rear of the truck, which means the truck must back up to the bin when washing it. This can pose a problem when bins are located in a narrow road or alley where the truck cannot make a turn. In these situations, the driver must exit the truck and manually place the bin behind the truck for cleaning, which can be counterproductive to the purpose of making the bin cleaning process faster and more expedient in the first place.
Furthermore, some of the conventional automated processes for washing and disinfecting garbage bins are inefficient, as they require one or more separate gas engines to power the water pumps that provide pressurized water to the spraying system. The requirement of additional engines introduces inefficiencies into the system, including additional maintenance requirements for the additional engines, additional fuels costs, additional points of failure that increase downtime of the system, and additional repairs. These inefficiencies increases overall cost and time requirements for said conventional automated processes and are therefore disadvantageous.
Therefore, a need exists for improvements over the prior art, and more particularly for improved systems and apparatuses for quickly and efficiently performing a proper cleaning and disinfecting regimen for garbage bins.
A vehicle mounted garbage bin cleaning system including power takeoff is provided. This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of disclosed concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description including the drawings provided. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this Summary intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope.
In one embodiment, the vehicle mounted garbage bin cleaning system includes a pair of arms configured for lifting a garbage bin, the pair of arms rotatably coupled to a mount on a side of a vehicle, a hopper configured for accepting the garbage bin when the pair of arms lifts the garbage bin into the hopper, at least one spray rod extending upwards from the hopper and configured to wash an interior of the garbage bin and including at least one high-pressure, rotating water nozzle that sprays a water jet, at least one spray rod extending upwards from the hopper and configured to wash an exterior of the garbage bin and including at least one high-pressure, rotating water nozzle that sprays a water jet, wherein when the pair of arms lifts the garbage bin into the hopper, the at least one spray rod configured to wash the interior of the garbage bin is situated within the garbage bin, and the at least one spray rod configured to wash the exterior of the garbage bin is situated outside the garbage bin, and a power takeoff driven pressure washing system comprising a gearbox mechanically coupled with a transmission of the vehicle, such that the transmission drives the gearbox, a mechanical means coupled with the gearbox, such that the gearbox drives the mechanical means, a first pressure washer pump mechanically coupled to the mechanical means such that the mechanical means drives the first pressure washer pump, the at least one spray rod configured to wash the interior of the garbage bin and the at least one spray rod configured to wash the exterior of the garbage bin are both fluidically coupled with the pressure washer pump such that the first pressure washer pump provides pressurized water.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various example embodiments. In the drawings:
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While embodiments may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the claimed subject matter. Instead, the proper scope of the claimed subject matter is defined by the appended claims.
The claimed subject matter improves over the prior art by providing a simple, cost-effective, and efficient vehicle-mounted garbage bin cleaning system configured for cleaning both large and small garbage bins, such as waste, compost and recycling bins. The claimed subject matter improves sanitation by allowing for larger number of large and small garbage bins to be cleaned at the curbside in smaller amounts of time, using a minimum of labor or manual user involvement. The claimed subject matter is particularly useful in the case of restaurants and apartment houses where the trash contains a considerable amount of organic material.
The claimed subject matter further improves over the prior art by providing an efficient system that does not require separate gas engines to power the water pumps that provide pressurized water to the spraying system. The elimination of additional engines removes inefficiencies such as additional maintenance requirements for the additional engines, additional fuels costs, additional points of failure that increase downtime of the system, and additional repairs. The removal of these inefficiencies decreases overall cost and time requirements for said claimed subject matter and are therefore advantageous.
The claimed subject matter further improves over the prior art by accounting for the manner in which bins are located on the side of the road or alley. The claimed subject matter improves over the prior art by providing a side-mounted cleaning system, instead of rear-mounted, meaning that the truck is no longer required to back up to the bin when washing it. The claimed subject matter improves over the prior art by having the ability to attend to bins in narrow roads or alleys where the truck cannot make a turn and the claimed subject matter eliminates the necessity for the driver to exit the truck and manually place the bin behind the truck for cleaning, thereby making the bin cleaning process faster and more expedient.
The claimed subject matter also improves over the prior art by using a simple automated process that allows for garbage bins to be cleaned thoroughly by the claimed system. The claimed subject matter also thoroughly washes and disinfects garbage bins without using exorbitant amounts of water per garbage bin, thereby resulting in a reduction of water waste. The claimed subject matter also does not cause runoff of the wastewater into the environment, which is environmentally friendly. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter also efficiently cleans garbage bins at the curb and returns it to the curb, thereby increasing throughput and reducing physical labor.
Additionally, the claimed subject matter utilizes a computerized system that automates the process of lifting the garbage bins into place within the hopper, activating the washing system, and resting the garbage bins into place on the ground, while reducing intervention and input by a human driver or operator. This leads to a time saving and a reduction in operator errors. The claimed subject matter also improves over the prior art by using an automated process that allows for garbage bins to be cleaned in a cautious manner that increases safety for operators and users.
The transmission 104 may have one or more locations which allow for the power takeoff connection to be mounted. The power takeoff may be engaged/disengaged using the main transmission clutch and/or a remote-control mechanism which operates on the power takeoff connection itself. An air valve may be used to engage the power takeoff connection, but a mechanical linkage, electric or hydraulic mechanism are also options. The power takeoff may connect to one or more pressure washer pumps (described more fully below). This allows for transmission of mechanical force from the PTO connection to any location around the vehicle as rotary or linear mechanical force.
Note that although
The vehicle-mounted garbage bin cleaning system 200 may be coupled to an industrial truck 202. The vehicle-mounted garbage bin cleaning system 200 includes a pair of arms 231 configured for lifting garbage bins, such as a trash can, recycling container, compost bin, rubbish bin, etc. Said bin may be a 20-95-gallon recycling bin and may measure approximately 20-95 gallons in volume, 20-29 inches wide, 38-45 inches high and 23-34 inches deep.
The pair of arms 231 may be coupled to piston-activated levers that are themselves rotatably coupled to a member 210 which is itself rotatably coupled to the mount 206 on the vehicle via a pivot point 208. The mount 206 may also comprise further structure to which the member is attached.
The member 210 is moved up and down into the up position and down position via a hydraulic element at the pivot point 208. The hydraulic element at the pivot point 208 moves the member 210 to pivot or rotate around the pivot point. This action rotates the member 210 substantially 90 to 180 degrees into the up position, so as to turn the garbage bin 802 substantially upside down or nearly upside down. The opposite action rotates the member 210 substantially 90 to 180 degrees into the down position, so as to turn the garbage bin 802 substantially right side up.
The vehicle-mounted garbage bin cleaning system 200 further comprises a hopper 204 configured for accepting garbage bins when the pair of arms lifts the garbage bins into the hopper. The Figures also show one or more spray rods 129, 139 extending upwards from the hopper 204, each spray rod including at least one high-pressure, rotating water nozzle or spray head 312, 314 that sprays a water jet. In another embodiment, each spray rod includes a plurality of high-pressure, rotating water nozzles that spray water jets.
The hopper is configured to catch substantially all water that is sprayed into the garbage bins by the at least one spray rod.
In another embodiment, the vehicle-mounted garbage bin cleaning system 200 may further include a control panel for controlling the pair of arms 231, and the water jets sprayed by the at least one spray rod. The control panel may be a flat and/or vertical area where control (buttons, sliders, dials, etc.) or monitoring instruments (monitor, display, digital readout, etc.) are displayed and located in an area that users can access. The control panel may be equipped with push buttons and analog instruments, or, alternatively, touchscreens, used for monitoring and control purposes. A user can utilize the control panel to control the up and down positions of the pair of arms 231, whether and when the water jets are sprayed by the at least one spray rod, when the bins are in the optimal location within the hopper, for optimal cleaning effect. In one embodiment, the control panel is connected to one or more programmable logic controllers (PLCs) 1250, 1270 and 1290 and the control panel is configured to interface with any such one or more PLCs to automatically activate the pair of arms to lift the garbage bin into the hopper, and automatically activate the pressure washing system to spray water jets.
Similar to
Similarly, washing system 1240, which comprises the system 100 of
In one embodiment, the lifting system 1260 is controlled by a programmable logic controller 1270, and the washing system 1240 is controlled by a programmable logic controller 1250. Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are industrial computers that have been ruggedized and specifically designed or adapted for the control of machines and processes by providing instructions to the aforementioned machines. The programmable logic controllers may come in the form of single board computers, application-specific integrated circuits, or printed circuit board assemblies. In another embodiment, the programmable logic controllers 1270, 1250 are all controlled by a master programmable logic controller 1290. In yet another embodiment, the lifting system 1260, the washing system 1240 are all directly controlled by the master programmable logic controller 1290.
The claimed subject matter utilizes said computerized system of
Then, a PLC may be programmed to automatically activate the washing system 1240 for a set period of time to clean the garbage bins while in the hopper, and then deactivate the washing system 1240. The washing system may be activated by engaging the pressure washer pump(s) 128, 138 via the power provided by the PTO 136, thereby spraying water out of the spray rods 129, 139. Said activation may occur immediately after the deactivation of the lifting system above. The washing system may be automatically deactivated by disengaging the pressure washer pump(s) 128, 138 from the power provided by the PTO 136.
Then, a PLC may be programmed to activate lifting system 1260 to lower the garbage bins into place on the ground. Said activation may occur immediately after the deactivation of the deodorizing system above. A PLC may be programmed to automatically activate the lifting system 1260 for a set period of time to lower the garbage bins onto the ground, and then deactivate the lifting system 1260. The lifting system may be activated by providing power to the piston-activated levers that are rotatably coupled to the pair of arms 231, which is itself rotatably coupled to a mount 206 on the vehicle via a pivot point 208, thereby lowering the pair of arms. The lifting system may be deactivated by ceasing providing the power provided above. In one embodiment, the control panel is connected to one or more of the PLCs 1250, 1270 and 1290 and the control panel is configured to interface with any such one or more PLCs to automatically activate the first and second pair of arms to simultaneously lift the first and second garbage bins into the hopper, and automatically activate the pressure washing system to spray water jets.
With reference to
Computing device 1300 may have additional features or functionality. For example, computing device 1300 may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in
Computing device 1300 may also contain a network connection device 1315 that may allow device 1300 to communicate with other computing devices 1318, such as over a network in a distributed computing environment, for example, an intranet or the Internet. Device 1315 may be a wired or wireless network interface controller, a network interface card, a network interface device, a network adapter or a LAN adapter. Device 1315 allows for a communication connection 1316 for communicating with other computing devices 1318. Communication connection 1316 is one example of communication media. Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” may describe a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media. The term computer readable media as used herein may include both computer storage media and communication media.
As stated above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in system memory 13013, including operating system 1305. While executing on processing unit 1302, programming modules 1306 (e.g. program module 1307) may perform processes including, for example, one or more of the stages of the process 300 as described above. The aforementioned processes are examples, and processing unit 1302 may perform other processes. Other programming modules that may be used in accordance with embodiments herein may include electronic mail and contacts applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, slide presentation applications, drawing or computer-aided application programs, etc.
Generally, consistent with embodiments herein, program modules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, embodiments herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments herein may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Furthermore, embodiments herein may be practiced in an electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip (such as a System on Chip) containing electronic elements or microprocessors. Embodiments herein may also be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, AND, OR, and NOT, including but not limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. In addition, embodiments herein may be practiced within a general-purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems.
Embodiments herein, for example, are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to said embodiments. The functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as shown in any flowchart. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
While certain embodiments have been described, other embodiments may exist. Furthermore, although embodiments herein have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage mediums, data can also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a CD-ROM, or other forms of RAM or ROM. Further, the disclosed methods' stages may be modified in any manner, including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from the claimed subject matter.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
