Abstract:
A method and device for positively identifying that a dump event of a refuse container has occurred into a refuse hopper of a refuse vehicle are provided. When used with route software, alerts may be generated if a specific refuse container is missed or if an unexpected dump event occurs during the route.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/348,537 filed Jun. 10, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a method and device for positively identifying that a dump event has occurred into a refuse vehicle such as dumping a container from a front end loader or other refuse vehicle type and the system and method which at least assists in positively verifying that a dump event has occurred possibly at a particular location and/or with a particular container. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Route software exists in the refuse industry to identify where a refuse vehicle is along their route. This software is usually viewed on a tablet computer in the case of a refuse vehicle. However, situations still exist whereby the driver may make an unauthorized pickup and/or fail to dump a particular container at a customer&#39;s location. Prior art techniques rely on manual record keeping, RFID tags on containers, imaging and/or semi-automated operator initiated triggers (i.e., manual push buttons, etc.). Unfortunately, many of these methods are prone to “rigging” and/or suffer from reliability issues. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, an improved method and system for tracking and positively identifying if a container has been dumped, preferably a specific container, and/or at a specific location, is believed to be desirable in the market place. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is a present object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved system and/or method for confirming that a container is operably connected to a refuse vehicle and then dumped into the refuse hopper or body, possibly while recording at least the approximate location of the event. 
         [0006]    Another object of many embodiments of the present invention is to provide a sensor for detecting the presence of a container connected to a refuse vehicle whether through electrical, electro-mechanical, mechanical, laser, radar, sonar, hydraulic, camera or other detector which can be utilized to preferably provide a signal to a processor for use in identifying that a container is connected to the refuse vehicle for dumping into the vehicle. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sensor or detector is provided which can be utilized to at least assist in detecting the presence of a refuse container to be dumped into a refuse vehicle, whether that sensor being mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, camera based, laser based, radar based, hydraulic based, and/or other system based sensor which can be utilized as understood by those ordinarily skilled in the art to at least assist in detecting a presence of the container. 
         [0008]    Information from at least one sensor is preferably provided to a processor, possibly in combination with other input, such as input from the refuse vehicle related to the dumping action of the vehicle such as dumping of the front end loader and/or other information, such as whether or not a reverse gear is engaged, possibly together with time, date, GPS location, and/or other input. 
         [0009]    Sensors can take various forms. It is presently anticipated that in the presently preferred embodiment a plunger may contact a container when fully inserted on the forks (which might not initially occur as the operator places the container on the forks but could be engaged as the container is lifted overhead with the container sliding back to the rear of the forks). For at least many embodiments, a plunger is pushed during some point during such a dump cycle. 
         [0010]    After cycling the forks, for many embodiments, shifting the transmission to reverse and/or other gear positions may assist in providing an input to an algorithm at a processor to at least assist in positively identifying a container has been dumped into the refuse vehicle, preferably at a specific location. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a side plan view of a refuse vehicle picking up a container; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a side plan view of the vehicle and container combination of  FIG. 1  in the process of dumping the container showing the path of travel of the container in the dump process; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the forks connected to the container showing a sensor of the first presently preferred embodiment connected forks; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a top cut-away view of the sensor shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the sensor shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a top schematic view of a portion of the invention as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  shows a refuse vehicle  10  of a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention picking up a container  12  as would often occur in the normal course of operations. The illustrated refuse vehicle  10  comes preferably equipped with some equipment not presently known prior art refuse vehicles  10 . Specifically, although some refuse trucks have tablets or other computers  14  which may be used to provide route information, tablet  14  is preferably equipped with software to be able to receive input that can positively identify a container (possibly a particular container) is or was located on the forks  16  and a dump action took place into the refuse body  18  possibly at one or more particular locations. 
         [0019]    Accordingly, in an embodiment of the presently preferred invention, the vehicle  10  or other portion of the system can positively verify that a container such as a particular container  12  has been serviced by a refuse collection vehicle  10 . 
         [0020]    A sensor such as sensor  20  can provide an input to a processor such as processor  22  possibly along with other input such as inputs from limit switches  24 ,  26  which may report the relative position such as angular positions  28  and  30  shown in  FIG. 2  for lift arm  28  position such as the lift arm  28  proceeds through the dump cycle in shown in  FIG. 2  possibly in combination with other factors such as the vehicle  10  being put in reverse after a dump cycle to then back away from the container  12 . 
         [0021]    Accordingly, processor  22  can use an algorithm to positively identify with somewhat significant accuracy that a container  12  is located on the fork  16  or other lifting apparatus or mechanism, identify the lifting or dumping action, such as by using inputs from the limit switches  24 ,  26  like dumping and then lowering the container  12  back to a normal position, and possibly receiving an input related to changing gear position of the transmission and/or other factors. The present algorithm has been found to provide repeatable results although there are certainly other inputs which may be utilized and certainly not only these inputs identified need be utilized for all embodiments. 
         [0022]    For instance, some embodiments may use a hydraulic pressure, such as of the arm lift cylinder  30 , such as sensor  32  to provide an input to the processor  22  in an effort to measure weight on the arm  16 . Other hydraulic pressures and/or positions may be identified including a cylinder  30  being a smart cylinder so as to identify a relative position  28 ,  30  by position of the piston  34  and relative to cylinder  30  to provide input to processor  27 . 
         [0023]    In addition to having a mechanical sensor  20  as will be explained in further detail below, an RIFD (radio frequency identification device) could be utilized such as on container represented by device  36  could communicate with a sensor  38  such as on the vehicle to provide input of the proximity of the container  12  to the vehicle  10  such as shown or otherwise. 
         [0024]    Also the sensor  38  could be one of a laser, radar, sonar, camera or other sensing device so as to be able to identify the presence of a container  12 . It may be that the container  12  is only close enough to the sensor  38  during the lifting process so as to be able to read it so it would not provide false positive simply by driving by the container  12  for some embodiments or not. 
         [0025]    Laser, radar, sonar and camera such as with digital recognition software can be employed for various embodiments as a sensor  38  which may also not only be able to identify that a container  12  is present on a lifting mechanism such as  16  but possibly also which specific container  12  is present such as by having a number predominantly displayed or other code or device (i.e. RFID tag or other device) on the container  12  which could be read by the camera or other device for comparison with the anticipated images by the software on the processor  22  or otherwise. Processor  22  may be independent from or integral with computer  14  for various embodiments. 
         [0026]    Although a front end loader (FEC) is shown, other refuse vehicles could utilize similar technology such as side loaders with another lifting mechanism, rear loaders such as with a tip loader, or even front-loadable vehicles with or without an intermediate can. All of which could have sensor  20  connected to the vehicle  10 , if not to the lifting mechanism, illustrated at lifting arm  28  and/or fork axle  56 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  shows a mechanical type sensor  20  configuration which could be utilized with various embodiments. The sensor  10  may include a plunger.  40  which may or may not initially contact container  12  when placed on the forks  16  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Specifically, it may be that the plunger  40  is depressed as the container  12  proceeds to be dump cycle such as shown in  FIG. 2  or it may actually be contacted when the container  12  is engaged. 
         [0028]    As can be seen from the illustrated embodiment with particular reference with  FIG. 5  the sensor  20  may have a housing  42  which may have arms  44  and  46  which may cooperate and/or coincide with the connections for bumper  48  such as would provide bores  50  which would correlate with bores in the bumper mount  52  through which bolts  54  might extend through both of them so as to not only connect the bumper  48  to the fork axle  56  but also the sensor  20  to the bumper  48  and/or fork axle  56  as well. The housing  42  may have a cover  58  which is illustrated removed in  FIG. 4  so as to expose a spring  60  about a guide rod  62  over which piston  40  can proceed against and over so the piston  40  moves linearly as restrained by guide rod  62  might be sensed by proximity switch  64  so as to provide input to the processor  22  while being biased away from such a position by spring  60  until a container  12  is sensed by the sensor  20 . Housing  42  may be rather robust so as to protect the proximity switch  64  and associated wiring  66  which can direct a signal to the processor  22  unless a wireless connection can be maintained such as through various technologies available in the art. 
         [0029]    The processor  22  may be able to receive input from the sensor  20  and/or  38  and possibly communicate existence of a positive dump event to computer  14  if not integral to the processor  20  and possibly coordinate an algorithm to possibly coordinate the presence of the container  12  but also preferably a dump cycle occurring such as could be interpreted by limit switches  24 ,  26  in a particular order as signals received in a particular order such as first from position correspond position  28  and then  30  and possible back to  28  and/or various positions of a smart cylinder  30  so as to identify that a dump has occurred. If not a part of the tablet  14 , the processor  22  can provide a signal to the tablet or other computer  14  such as Bluetooth or otherwise. Processor may also receive input from a gear change of the vehicle  10  such as to reverse. 
         [0030]    Communicating a signal in the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention for processor  22  to computer  14  may involve a mobile controller or processor which can provide a can dump signal across a J1939 bus. A J1936 to RS232 signal converter  71  can then provide a signal to a signal converter, such as an RS   232   to Bluetooth signal converter  73  to then wirelessly provide a signal from wireless communicator  70  to tablet  14  if not provided in some other way (such as integral, hardwiring, etc.). Of course, hard wiring or other systems could certainly be an option for various embodiments particularly if processor  22  is not an integral part of the tablet or other computing device  14  on which preferably has route software thereon which would be programmed with specific container  12  locations. 
         [0031]    While a mechanical type sensor is certainly preferable such as the mechanical/electrical sensor  20  as illustrated for sensor  20 , there are certainly other sensors  20  or  38  which could be substituted therewith whether those may be able to sense a container  12  on the forks  16  such as by hydraulic pressure applied to the cylinder  30  or others. There may be other weight systems for weighing loads on fork  16 . 
         [0032]    This technology is not only applicable to front end loaders with a fork (FELs)  16  but also to side loaders, intermediate can constructions or even rear loading devices such as those having cart tippers and/or other systems or vehicles  10 . Certainly the sensors such as sensor  20  and/or  38  can be located on various portions of the vehicle tend to accommodate these other various loading systems. 
         [0033]    For one embodiment the data from the sensor such as sensor  20  and/or  38  is preferably combined in the form of an algorithm such as the lift positions  28  and  30  from either proximity switches, limit switches or other switches such as those associated with the pivot  72  or other positions. A reverse signal could be provided by the transmission such as across the J1939 bus to processor  22  so as to identify that the vehicle  10  is then backing away from the refuse container  12 . Other algorithms may not require all these features and another algorithm may still use other inputs for various embodiments. 
         [0034]    Furthermore, although processor  22  shows a mobile controller as a processor  22 , there is certainly other controllers available on the marketplace which could provide similar capabilities possibly even portable computers such as tablets and/or various other technologies. Furthermore, although the preferred embodiment uses a relatively sophisticated controller  22  others which may be provided on a new vehicle or otherwise and may receive inputs and/or control various functions apart from this feature. 
         [0035]    Other embodiments may have a stand-alone module with a processor  22  installed for the purposes described herein as a retrofit or otherwise. Furthermore, although the can dump signal may be provided directly from the sensors such as the cylinder or limit switch, it may also be provided indirectly such as in the case of an intermediate can from joystick position when the joystick is utilized by the operator to dump the can. Accordingly, the can dump feature may be directly or indirectly sensed, such as with the proximity limits which is  24 ,  26  and/or indirectly such as by user input such as a dump can button pushed on the dashboard, using joysticks and/or other features available on various refuse vehicles  10  and operations therewith. 
         [0036]    The positive service verification is different from a cycle count which merely counts the number of times that the arms  28  rotate as there is no definitive way to know with cycle count whether or not a container  12  was dumped or not at a location. The route software on computer  14  can receive a can dump signal to at least assist in identifying which container  12  was dumped for positive verification of a specific container and/or a specific location having a dump event. 
         [0037]    Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.