Patent Application
20060045699
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to waste evacuation equipment and, more specifically, to agricultural equipment for the collection, evacuation, conveyance and discharge of loose dirt, water, or other material from an excavation site, or in the handling of waste streams, such as excrements of animals kept in a stable or concentrated animal feeding operations, involving solid and liquid manure and bedding (manure slurry).
2. Description of Prior Art
The use of mechanical, or manual scraping, or pushing evacuation as a means for the removal of dirt, water, or other material from a site, or in the handling of waste streams (manure slurry) is known in the art. For example, some systems rely on modified bulldozers (e.g., loaders) that merely push waste materials out of an enclosure but do not efficiently remove water. Other systems that are presently being developed include expensive vacuum evacuation systems. Additional existing waste removal systems include expensive conveyors that are integrated into the enclosure, such as a recessed floor conveyor. These conveyors require frequent cleaning and repair.
It is a principal object and advantage of the present invention to provide a waste removal system for more efficiently removing waste, such as manure, from a location.
It is an additional object and advantage of the present invention to provide a waste removal system that can adapt to different sized locations.
It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to provide a waste removal system that reduces manual labor needed for cleaning operations.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a waste removal system that is effective over uneven surfaces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a waste removal system that more easily evacuates waste to a remote waste handling location.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter.
In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, the present invention comprises a loader including a collecting tank, a forwardly mounted elevator having a chain-driven conveyor for collecting waste from the ground level and transporting it to the collecting tank, and a pair of moveable wing arms having a flexible rubber lower portion for scraping the floor and forwardly positioned rollers for engaging the curb of an alley or aisle. As the loader is driven through an enclosure or other location to be cleaned, the wing arms may be spread apart to engage the curbs and collect waste from a variety of different width aisles or alleys. Collected waste is transported up the elevator and deposited into a tank. The loader may then be driven to a central location where the waste may be dumped or ejected from the tank for further handling and/or processing.
The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numeral refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in
Vehicle 10 further comprises a storage tank 16 mounted to loader 12 and positioned rearwardly to cabin 14. Storage tank 16 receives waste materials to transport to a final destination. Tank 16 may be easily designed and constructed to fit on the base of any appropriate vehicle. Vehicle 10 further comprises a collection assembly 18 mounted to loader 12 and forwardly to cabin 14. Collection assembly 18 gathers waste material and transports the waste into tank 16.
Collection assembly 18 comprises a base 20 attached to the forward side of loader 12. Base 20 supports an enclosed central elevator system 22 and a pair of forwardly presented and laterally opposed arms 24 and 26 that are attached to base 20 on opposing sides of elevator system 22. Arms 24 and 26 are each interconnected to base 20 for movement in both vertical and horizontal planes. As seen in
The lower portion of arms 24 and 26 are provided with replaceable edges 28 and 30 securely mounted thereto, respectively, formed from rubber or a similar malleable compound that can effectively conform to and scrape the floor surface without causing significant damage to the surface of arms 24 and 26. The distal ends 32 and 34 of arms 24 and 26, respectively, further include roller assemblies 36 and 38 attached thereto which permit arms 24 and 26 to maintain contact with curbing or walls, if any, of an evacuation site while vehicle 10 journeys these along.
Elevator system 22 comprises a hydraulically-operated, chain-driven conveyor 40 that is positioned in vertically spaced alignment above tank 16 and a leading edge 42 of elevator system 22 extends forwardly relative to the proximal ends of arms 24 and 26. Conveyor 40 thus transports manure gathered by arms 24 and 26, as seen in
By selectively suspending leading edge 42 of elevator system 22, the system of the present invention can be attenuated to remove different types of waste materials from a site. It should be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that elevator system 22 may be positioned non-centrally in relation to loader 12, provided that sufficient space is available for the attachment of arms 24 and 26 on opposing sides. In addition to the three-dimensional adjustability of arms 24 and 26, the floating capability of elevator system 22 allows for continuous or adjustable contact with the floor and edging surfaces (curbing) of the evacuation site or location. Collection assembly 18 also permits appropriate cleaning of variously dimensioned evacuation sites or alleyways in a single pass.
Arms 24 and 26 are pivotally movable towards and away from one another via hydraulic piston/cylinder assemblies 41, 43, respectively. The cylinder portion of assemblies 41 and 43 are attached to base 20, while the ends of the pistons connect to arms 24 and 26. Pivot pins 44 and 46 connect arms 24 and 26 to base 20, respectively, at their proximal ends, and define pivot axes A-A and B-B, respectively, about which arms 24 and 26 move. A piston/cylinder assembly 47, the cylinder of which is mounted to the underside of base 20 with the piston being interconnected to arms 24 and 26, provides the mechanism for vertically adjusting the position of arms 24 and 26.
When arms 24 and 26 are in an outwardly extended position, the forward motion of loader 12 will force slurry in the path of arms 24 and 26 and funnel it toward the central elevator system 22. Waste material collected by arms 24 and 26 is directed to the forward portion of loader 12, where conveyor 40 of collection assembly 18 transports the waste material to tank 16. When tank 16 is full, vehicle 10 may be driven to a central waste handling location and emptied via manually or hydraulically operated door or hatch 52 to a discharge chute 54 positioned in the side or rear of tank 16. Alternatively, tank 16 may be pivotally attached to loader 12 for tilting via conventional dump truck hydraulic systems to empty collected waste rearwardly of vehicle 10.
The operating controls of loader 12 may be adapted to operate collection assembly 18, such as by providing joysticks electrically connected to the various hydraulic cylinder assemblies. Referring to
The method of the present involves driving vehicle 10 to the location where waste is to be removed. Once positioned at the location, arms 24 and 26 are lowered so that malleable edges 28 and 30 engage the surface of the location and then arms 24 and 26 are spread to an appropriate width for the given area. For example, when collecting waste from an open area, arms 24 and 26 may be fully extended to maximize the collection of waste. In a smaller area, such as the aisle of a barn, arms 24 and 26 are spread until roller assemblies 36 and 38 engage the curbs. Once in vehicle 10 and arms 24 and 26 are in the desired position, elevator 40 is operated and vehicle 10 is driven forward. Waste is directed by arms 24 and 26 to the front of elevator 40, which transports the waste upwardly away from the surface and deposits the waste into tank 16. Once the area has been sufficiently cleaned, or tank 16 is full, vehicle 10 may be driven to a waste repository. When vehicle 10 is positioned at an appropriate discharge point, tank 16 is emptied by opening doors 52. Alternatively, vehicle may be backed up to the discharge point and tank 16 tipped so that waste is dumped from the rear of tank 16 similar to the manner in which a dump truck is emptied. Vehicle 10 may then return to the area to be cleaned and repositioned for waste removal.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/589,645, filed on Jul. 21, 2004, and entitled Waste Removal System and Method, hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60589645 | Jul 2004 | US |
