Abstract:
The present invention relates to a refuse collection system for use in combination with a transport vehicle. The refuse collection system has a housing with a collection hopper and a storage area and an opening to the collection hopper. The refuse collection system also has a packer that is movable upon curved channels front and rearwards within the housing. The packer is movable upon a generally arcuate path from a rest position at a first end of the collection hopper to a deposit position at a second end of the collection hopper proximate to the storage area. Guide shoes may be attached to the packer and engage with the curved channels so as to determine the path of movement of the packer such that the packer sweeps refuse from the collection hopper into the storage area.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a packing mechanism for use in association with a vehicle that collects, compacts, stores and transports refuse.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Side-loading refuse vehicles are well known in the art. Generally, such vehicles have a housing comprising a hopper region into which waste is deposited. The refuse is then transferred to a storage area within the housing where the refuse is compacted, to varying degrees, in order to maximize the capacity of the storage area, and thus the functional operating area of the vehicle. Once the storage area has reached its capacity, the refuse is ejected from the storage area by tilting the housing upwards or by the displacement of the refuse using a compacting blade or similar mechanism.  
         [0003]     Packing mechanisms for such vehicles are also taught in a variety of forms in the art. Examples of side-loading refuse vehicles include U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,055 (Huffines) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,105 (Shubin). Huffines discloses a compressor mechanism and compressor blade to move refuse to a storage compartment, while Shubin discloses a loading piston which performs the same function.  
         [0004]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,956 (Gaskin) discloses a curved pusher blade, which pushes the refuse onto an inclined planar member which then pivots so as to position the refuse before a compaction blade in the storage area. As a result, refuse at the forward end of the storage area is not drawn back into the receiving area by the retraction of the compaction blade.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,316 (Gollnick) discloses a configuration where a hopper plate pivots about its attachment to the side of the vehicle. This transfers refuse out of the hopper into the path of a sweep panel, which in turn forces the refuse into a storage body. A packer plate then compacts the refuse within the body. This device is complicated, having a multiplicity of moving parts, and must be operated in a two-stage cycle. Furthermore, the packer plate is subject to strain since it does not span the entire width of the storage body and this also results in uneven compacting of the refuse. Finally, while the sweep panel and the packer plate are in operation, the loading opening must be closed, which compromises the safety of the operator.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,454 (Behling et al.) attempts to enhance the compaction capacity of the vehicle by adding a counter pressure plate that applies force opposite to a pressure plate, thus trapping the stored refuse between the two plates while compacting it.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,078 (Hamill et al.) discloses a packer blade that is extendible along the entire length of the storage compartment. Accordingly, an operator can add new refuse to the hopper before the packer blade has completed its refuse compaction cycle. Furthermore, a single stage hydraulic cylinder is used to achieve such extension. Channels along the length of the storage compartment, into which guides on the compactor blade and ejector mechanism fit, are necessary to ensure that the blade moves evenly. A drawback of this configuration is the likelihood of refuse blocking the channels, and thus also blocking the movement of the blade.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,873 (Stragier) discloses a means for ejecting and packing. Specifically, a hydraulic drive assembly is simultaneously actuated with the extension of an extendible element. Thus, during the movement of the refuse toward the storage body, the speed of the compacting plate decreases while the force exerted by the plate increases.  
         [0009]     Finally, co-pending Canadian patent application Serial No. 2,413,470 (Tomassoni) discloses a container for use in association with a refuse transport vehicle, which container has a packing arm attached near the top of the container which is movable along an arcuate path to move refuse from the hopper to the storage area. The attachment of the packer blade at or near the top wall of the container prevents the introduction of other components to the design of the refuse container.  
         [0010]     There are a number of limitations associated with prior art refuse collection and transport vehicles. The main drawback with these vehicles is that they disclose complicated compacting mechanisms with many moving parts. This makes such vehicles prone to failure, expensive to maintain and slow to operate. Furthermore, many of the prior art vehicles disclose packing mechanisms with components that do not minimize the friction between the packing mechanism and the tracks that govern its movement. Finally, efficient compacting of refuse is difficult to achieve using prior art vehicles since traditional compacting mechanisms do not compact to a uniform density and thus the storage capacity of the collection vehicle is not optimized.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     An object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle, for collecting, compacting, storing and transporting refuse.  
         [0012]     A further object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle that compacts waste efficiently while minimizing wear upon the packer.  
         [0013]     A further object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle in which the packer blade is orientated to maximize the volume of the hopper so as to minimize the number of cycles required to transfer refuse from the hopper.  
         [0014]     A further object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle, which container has a configuration that maximizes the volume of waste within the storage area by compacting waste such that it has a uniform density throughout the storage area.  
         [0015]     A further object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle which container has a packer that moves in an arcuate path through the hopper but which is not attached at or near the top wall of the hopper.  
         [0016]     A further object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle which container has a packer that is orientated so as to have greater penetration into the storage area.  
         [0017]     A further object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle which can be used for single stream refuse collection or for multiple stream refuse collection where different types of refuse are separated within the collection hopper and storage area of the container.  
         [0018]     A further object of the invention is to provide a container for use in association with a vehicle in which the need for a follower and other unnecessary moving parts is eliminated, thus minimizing the number of moving components in the compacting mechanism so as to limit the cost and necessity for maintenance of the vehicle while increasing its cycle speed.  
         [0019]     Accordingly, the invention herein comprises a refuse collection system for use in combination with a transport vehicle. The refuse collection system has a housing with a collection hopper at a first end and a storage area at a second end. The collection hopper also has first and second sides. The collection hopper also has an opening in at least one of the first side or the second side of the collection hopper and curved channels on each of the first side and the second side of the collection hopper. The refuse collection system also has a packer that is movable frontwards and rearwards within the housing, which packer has a blade portion. The packer is movable upon a generally arcuate path defined by the curved channels from a rest position at a first end of the collection hopper to a deposit position at a second end of the collection hopper proximate to the storage area such that the blade portion passes over the collection hopper to sweep refuse from the collection hopper into the storage area. The packer may have guide shoes attached which engage with the curved channels so as to determine the path of movement of the packer. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]     In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention:  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a side plan view of the container attached to a refuse collection vehicle in which the housing has been partially cut away so as to show the packer;  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a side plan view of the collection hopper of a refuse collection vehicle in which the housing has been partially cut away and the packer has been removed;  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a side plan view of the collection hopper of the vehicle for collecting waste in which the housing has been partially cut away so as to show the packer in a rest position;  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a side plan view of the collection hopper of the vehicle for collecting waste in which the housing has been partially cut away so as to show the packer in a deposit position;  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  is front plan view of the packer;  
         [0026]      FIG. 6  is a side plan view of a guide shoe attached to the packer;  
         [0027]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the guide shoe attached to the packer and engaged with the guide channel, taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the guide rollers attached to the packer and engaged with the guide roller track, taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 9  is a top plan view of a dual hydraulic press mechanism attached to the packer in the rest position and in the deposit position;  
         [0030]      FIG. 10  is a side plan view of the hopper of a refuse collection vehicle showing two alternative paths of guide roller tracks and guide shoe channels;  
         [0031]      FIG. 11   a  is a side plan view of a further embodiment of the packer within the hopper; and  
         [0032]      FIG. 11   b  is a cross-sectional view of the packer extension within the envelope, taken along line  11   b - 11   b  of  FIG. 11   a.   
     
    
       [0033]     While the invention will be described in conjunction with the illustrated embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to such embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0034]     In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals.  
         [0035]     A container  10  for collecting, compacting and storing refuse, for use in association with a vehicle  12 , having a cab  14 , chassis  16  and wheels  18  is shown in  FIG. 1 . A housing  20  comprising a top wall  22 , a floor portion  24 , a front wall  26 , a first side wall  28  and a second side wall (not shown) is mounted on the chassis  16  of the vehicle  12 . The housing  20  is divided into a hopper  30  and a storage area  32 , which are separated by a divider  34 . The floor portion  35  of hopper  30  is curved. A door  36  is pivotably attached to the housing  20  proximate to the storage area  32  by a pivoting attachment means  38 . The container for collecting, compacting and storing refuse  10  is attached to the vehicle  12  by an attachment means  40 .  
         [0036]     The hopper  30  is shown in greater detail in FIGS.  2  to  4 . Guide roller track  42  is attached to the first side wall  28  and is shaped so as to preferably form an arc. Guide shoe channel  44  is also contiguous to first side wall  28  and is also shaped to form an arc, the curvature of which is the same as the curvature of the arc formed by guide roller track  42 . Guide roller track  42  extends such that for a portion of its length it is above guide shoe channel and forms the top wall of guide shoe channel  44 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the second side wall (not shown) will also have a guide roller track and guide shoe channel, which are shaped so as to form mirror images of guide roller track  42  and guide shoe channel  44  on the second side wall.  
         [0037]     A packer  46  in the hopper  30  is shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The packer  46  is moveable between a rest position as shown in  FIG. 3  and a deposit position as shown in  FIG. 4 . The packer  46  is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0038]     The packer  46  has a blade portion  48  and a shield portion  50 . The width w of the packer  46  is slightly less than the distance between the first side wall  28  and the second side wall (not shown). The packer  34  has a leading face  52  which impacts refuse within the hopper  30 .  
         [0039]     Guide shoes  54  and  56  may also be attached to the blade portion  48 . The guide shoes  54  and  56  are curved to fit within the guide shoe channel  44  (and its counterpart on the opposite facing wall) when the packer  46  is in position in the hopper  10 . Tapered guide rollers  58  and  60  and flat guide rollers  62  and  64  are attached to the shield portion  50  and are engaged with the guide roller track  42  and its counterpart (not shown). The packer  34  also defines cavity  66  to account for the drive shaft (not shown) of vehicle  12 .  
         [0040]     The guide shoe  54  rests upon a member  68  which is attached to the blade portion  48  of the packer  46  by a pin  70 , as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The member  68  is pivotable about the pin  70 , thus also rotating the attached guide shoe  54  to positions such as those depicted by the stippled lines in  FIG. 6 . The pin  70  is engaged within a pivot block  72  within the packer  46  and is rotatable therein. The guide shoe  54  may be tapered such that its first end  74  is taller than its second end  76 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that a similar guide shoe  56  is similarly attached to the opposite side of the packer  46  and may be similarly tapered.  
         [0041]     The guide shoe channel  44  is formed by a side plate  78 , the guide roller track  42  and a bottom plate  80 . The side plate  78  is attached to the side wall  28  and each of the guide roller track  42  and the bottom plate  80  are attached to the side plate  78 . Guide channel wear bars  82  and  84  are attached to guide roller track  42  and bottom plate  80  respectively and guide shoe wear bars  86  and  88  may be attached to the upper face and the lower face respectively of guide shoe  54 . The wear bars  82 ,  84 ,  86  and  88  are replaceable and may be comprised of a high density material such as a nickel chromium alloy. A peak  90  is attached to the top surface of the guide roller track  42 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that guide shoe  56  is engaged within a guide shoe channel (not shown) on the second side wall of the housing  20 , which guide shoe channel is constructed as described within this paragraph.  
         [0042]     The engagement of the tapered guide roller  58  and the flat guide roller  62  with the guide roller track  42  is shown in  FIG. 8 . The tapered guide roller  58  is attached to the shield portion  50  of the packer  46  by a first screw  92  and a first bolt  94 . Any similar fasteners may be used. A first separator  96  prevents the tapered guide roller  58  from contacting the shield portion  50 . Washers  97  and  99  are contiguous with the tapered guide roller  58 . The tapered guide roller  58  is rotatable about the first screw  92  and engages the peak  90  of the guide roller track  42 .  
         [0043]     The flat guide roller  62  is attached to the shield portion  50  of the packer  46  by a second screw  98  and a second bolt  100 . A second separator  102  prevents the flat guide roller  62  from contacting the shield portion  50 . Washers  104  and  106  are contiguous with the flat guide roller  62 . The flat guide roller  62  is rotatable about the second screw  98  and the rotation of the flat guide roller  62  may be enhanced by a cylindrical roller bearing  108 .  
         [0044]     It will be understood by those skilled in the art that tapered guide roller  60  is attached to the shield portion  50  similarly to the attachment of tapered guide roller  58 . It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that flat guide roller  64  is attached to the shield portion similarly to the attachment of flat guide roller  62 .  
         [0045]     A dual hydraulic press mechanism  110  is attached to the packer  46  as shown in  FIG. 9 . The dual hydraulic press mechanism  110  is shown in normal outline as it would appear when the packer  46  is in the rest position. The dual hydraulic press mechanism  110   a  is shown in stippled outline as it would appear when packer  46  is in the deposit position. The dual hydraulic press mechanism  110  has a first hydraulic press  112 , a second hydraulic press  114  and brackets  116 ,  118  and  120 . Both the first hydraulic press  112  and the second hydraulic press  114  have a ram and a cylinder. The cylinders of the first hydraulic press  112  and the second hydraulic press  114  are pivotably attached to brackets  116  and  118  respectively near the front wall  26  of the housing  20 . The rams of the first hydraulic press  112  and the second hydraulic press  114  are pivotably attached to bracket  120  which is also attached to the packer  46 .  
         [0046]     The trajectory of the guide roller track  42  and the trajectory of the guide shoe channel  44  may affect the length of the hopper  30 , as seen in  FIG. 10 . In  FIG. 10 , guide roller track  42  and thus guide shoe channel  44  are shown as having an alternating trajectory as denoted by reference numbers  42   a  and  44   a . The guide roller track  42  and thus the guide shoe channel  44  having the tighter curvature than the alternative trajectory can allow for the use of a shorter hopper  30  since the packer  46  will require less space. This permits the manufacturer of the vehicle  12  to devote more space in the housing  20  to the storage area  32  or to simply decrease the length of the vehicle  12 . Both of these options will move the centre of gravity of the vehicle  12  forward such that more mass is above the front axle of the vehicle  12 . However, if the guide roller track  42   a  and thus the guide shoe channel  44   a  have less curvature, the hopper  30  will be required to be longer, as shown in stippled lines in  FIG. 10 , and will thus occupy a greater portion of the housing  20 .  
         [0047]     An alternative embodiment of the packer  46  is shown in  FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  to accommodate vehicles with multiple compartments within the storage area  32 . An extension  122  is integrally attached to the leading face  52  of the packer  46  so as to divide the hopper  36  into multiple compartments. The extension  122  extends to a position within storage area  32  when the packer  46  is in the deposit position. The storage area is divided by a wall  124  into multiple compartments  125   a  and  125   b  for storing refuse. In this alternative embodiment, the storage area  32  has an envelope  126  within the wall  124 . The envelope  126  defines a slot  128 , which is aligned with the extension  122 . The slot  128  thus accepts the extension  122  as the packer  46  moves from the rest position to the deposit position, pushing refuse on either side of the extension  122 .  
         [0048]     In operation, to move refuse received within the hopper  30  to the storage area  32 , the dual hydraulic press mechanism  110  is activated so as to extend the rams of the first hydraulic press  112  and the rams of the second hydraulic press  114 . As seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the packer  46  is thus displaced from the rest position through the hopper  30  along a generally arcuate path to the deposit position.  
         [0049]     As the packer  46  advances through the hopper  10 , the bottom edge of the blade portion  48  remains flush with the floor portion  24  such that refuse across the width of the hopper  30  is collected against the leading face  52  of the packer  46 . As the packer  46  displaces the refuse from the hopper  30  to the storage area  32 , the shield portion  50  prevents refuse from contacting the dual hydraulic press mechanism  110 . As the first hydraulic press  112  and the second hydraulic press  114  extend such that the packer  46  moves toward the deposit position, the blade portion  48  of the packer  46  is displaced beneath the divider  34  into the storage area  32 . Refuse is deposited in storage area  32  and the rams of first hydraulic press  112  and second hydraulic press  114  retract, such that the packer  46  returns to the rest position.  
         [0050]     As the packer  46  moves between the rest position and the deposit position in the hopper  30 , the member  68  and thus the guide shoe  54  rotate about the pin  70  within the guide shoe channel  44 . It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the guide shoe  56  moves similarly within the guide shoe channel attached to the second side wall of the housing (not shown). The guide shoes  54  and  56  bear the vertical load of the packer  46  and thus govern its path according the position of the guide shoe channel  44  and its counterpart (not shown). The rotation of the guide shoes  54  and  56  permits even load distribution upon the top faces and the bottom faces of the guide shoes  54  and  56  as the packer  46  is displaced upon the trajectory of the guide shoe channel  44  and the guide shoe channel attached to the second side wall of the housing (not shown).  
         [0051]     During the movement of the packer  46  from the rest position to the deposit position, the tapered guide roller  58  rotates and remains engaged with the peak  90  of the guide roller track  42 . The flat guide roller  62  remains engaged with the guide roller track  42  as the packer  46  is displaced through the hopper  30 . It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the tapered guide roller  60  and the flat guide roller  64  are similarly engaged with the guide roller track attached to the second side of the housing  20 . The tapered guide rollers  58  and  60  and the flat guide rollers  62  and  64  thus maintain the lateral position of the shield portion  50  as the packer  46  is displaced through the hopper  10 .  
         [0052]     Any lateral movement of the packer  46 , which may be caused by the non-uniform density of refuse deposited into the hopper  30 , is limited by the proximity of the packer  46  to the first side wall  28  and the second side wall (not shown). This proximity also prevents the guide shoes  54  and  56  from contacting the first side wall  28  and the second side wall (not shown). The lateral movement of the packer  46  within the hopper  30  is also limited by the engagement of the cavity  66  upon the floor portion  24  of the housing  20 .  
         [0053]     In the further embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b , different types of refuse may be added to the separate compartments of the hopper  30  created by the extension  122 . When dual hydraulic press mechanism  110  is activated to displace the packer  46  along an generally arcuate path from the rest position to the deposit position, the extension  122  also follows a generally arcuate path. The extension  122  is received by the envelope  126  when the packer  46  moves into the deposit position while the refuse on either side of the extension  122  is being deposited into separate compartments  125   a  and  125   b  within the storage area  32  created by the wall  124 .  
         [0054]     Numerous modifications may be made to the embodiments as described above without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims.  
         [0055]     Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the invention a NON-LINEAR RECIPROCATING PACKING MECHANISM FOR REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLE that fully satisfies the objects, aims and advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the invention.