Abstract:
A refuse collection container for mounting on a vehicle. The container is particularly suitable for separating and compacting recyclable materials due to the provision of a longitudinally extending diagonal partition. The container has a pair of refuse receiving buckets preferably adapted to be raised into alignment with apertures in the front wall of the container. Recyclable materials, sorted by type in the buckets, are then moved into the container by a compactor blade in each bucket. Discharge of the materials is facilitated by providing for swinging movement of the partition prior to the vehicle being in the dumping position. The partition is extensible so that when positioned diagonally with respect to side walls of the container, the partition extends to the discharge end of the container.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation in part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/071,349 filed May 1, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,057. 
    
    
     This invention relates to refuse collecting vehicles and more particularly to a container body for collecting recyclable materials. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems encountered in providing prior art device include the inefficiency of rear loading which required two operators while front loading can be carried out by a single operator. This concept is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,055 and includes provision for loading on both sides of the vehicle. 
     Separating the recyclables into at least two compartments is also a requirement. In this regard, horizontal dividers have been used as shown in Canadian Patent 2,027,168. However, loading and compacting operations are complicated because the materials are not loaded from the top. Similarly, transverse dividers as shown in Canadian Patent 1,299,530 have to be moved to permit unloading. Unless side dumping of the container is provided, such a feature requires complete redesign of the vehicle and the method of operation. 
     Lifting the material to obtain maximum filling of the container body as shown in Canadian Patent 1,264,702 is desirable and a conveyor for this purpose is shown in Canadian Patent 2,129,629. However, it is also desirable to compact the materials, and it has been found that hydraulic rams used to move materials up a sloping floor caused breakage of glass bottles with the result that powdered glass adversely effected the operation of the hydraulic rams. Although compacting is essential for economy reasons, the rams travel on long rails thus increasing the weight of the vehicle. Rams of this type, as shown in Canadian application 2,027,168 take up space required for recyclables. 
     This invention seeks to provide an apparatus for collecting recyclables positioned immediately behind the cab of the vehicle in front of a container body. 
     The invention also seeks to provide buckets on both sides of the vehicle at a convenient height for loading from either side by a single driver operator. 
     The invention further seeks to provide an adjustable, extendible, longitudinal extending vertical partition in the container body for separating paper from other recyclables. 
     Furthermore, the invention seeks to provide means for raising selected recyclables to the top of the container body and compacting the containers and paper recyclables during the loading cycle. 
     STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention resides in the provision of a refuse collecting body for use on a vehicle, the body including first and second end walls, a top wall, and a bottom wall, the first end wall having a load receiving aperture, and the second end wall being a discharge end of the container. An upwardly moveable loading bucket having a pair of upright side walls and a bottom wall defining first and second open ends, a first end of the bucket being blocked by the first end wall of the container in a loading position and a fixed wall for blocking the second end of the bucket during loading and upward movement, hydraulic cylinder means to raise the bucket to and upper unloading position. A compressor blade mounted above the fixed wall slidably mounted to be moved into the bucket by reciprocal actuating means when the bucket is raised to a compacting and, or unloading position in line with the load receiving aperture of the first end wall of the container body. 
     Accordingly, the present invention further resides in a refuse collecting container for use on a refuse collection vehicle, said container comprising: 
     first and second end walls, side walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, said first end wall having a load receiving aperture, and the second end wall being a discharge end of the container; 
     at least two loading buckets each having a pair of upright side walls, and a bottom wall defining first and second ends of the bucket; and 
     a compressor blade having actuator means for moving the blade through the bucket and an aligned aperture in the first end wall of the container; and 
     including a vertical longitudinal partition extending from the first end wall to the discharge end of the container and dividing the container into two compartments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art construction of the container body; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container body invention mounted on a vehicle; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container body taken along the line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a front portion of the container showing the loading apparatus in greater detail; and 
     FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical representation of the bucket and lift means in the lowered position, and a hydraulic ram for compacting and/or unloading. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now in detail to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a prior art rear discharge recyclable material collection vehicle is indicated generally at  1 , and includes a vehicle chassis  2 , a cab and a container body  4  mounted thereon, material receiving buckets  3 , a discharge end  5 , and hydraulic discharge means  6 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawings, a rear discharge recyclable material collection vehicle of this invention indicated generally at  10 , includes a vehicle chassis  12  which includes a cab and a container body  14  mounted thereon. 
     The container body  14  has a first end wall  18 , a second arcuate end wall  20  forming a discharge end, two lateral side walls  22 , a top wall  24 , and a bottom wall  26 . 
     As shown in FIG. 3, a vertical partition  30  secured at one end by vertical walls  31 , extends diagonally from the first end wall  18  toward the discharge end  20 , and divides the container into two substantially triangular compartments  32  and  34 . A hydraulic locking mechanism  35  including retractable pin is provided at the discharge end of the partition  30 . 
     The discharge end  20  has a semi-cylindrical tailgate  28  pivotally mounted on an adjacent edge of the top wall  24  to permit material packed in both compartments  32  and  34  to be separately discharged by selective positioning of the partition  30  as shown in broken lines. A more detailed description of the unloading operation will be provided below. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first end wall  18  has a pair of load receiving apertures  40  and  42  adjacent the top wall  24 . The apertures  40  and  42  have sliding covers  40   a and  42   a  including hydraulic actuating means. 
     Vertically disposed tubular frame members  46 ,  48  are provided adjacent the aperture  40 , and similar frame members  50  and  52  as provided at side edges of the aperture  42 . 
     The frame members  46 ,  48 ,  50  and  52  extend below the bottom wall  26 , and form part of frame assemblies  60  and  62  to support loading buckets  54  and  56  respectively below the chassis  12  of the vehicle  10  so as to be at a convenient height for loading by an operator. 
     The frames  60  and  62  have vertical tubular members  64 ,  66 , 68 , and  70  connected to frame members  46 ,  48 ,  50  and  52  by horizontal members  72  and diagonal reinforcing members  74 . Suitable horizontal members  76  connect upper ends of the vertical members  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  70 . The lower ends of vertical members  64 ,  66 ,  68  and  70  are connected by horizontal members  78 . 
     It will be appreciated that the frame assemblies  60  and  62  guide the loading buckets  54  and  56  during upward travel to the loading apertures  40  and  42 . 
     The loading buckets  54  and  56  are substantially identical and each has a bottom wall  80  and a pair of upright side walls  82  and  84  defining first and second open ends  86  and  88  respectively of the bucket  54  or  56 . 
     Fixed walls  90  and  92  on each of the frame assemblies  60  and  62  blocks the open end of each bucket  54  and  56  during loading and upward travel. 
     Each of the frame assemblies  60  and  62  are preferably provided with a top wall  94  above each loading apertures  40  and  42 . 
     Compressor blades  100  and  102  are mounted on hydraulic actuators such as piston cylinder assemblies  104  and  106 . 
     The cylinders  104  and  106  are secured to upper horizontal frame members  76  as by brackets  108  in a conventional manner. 
     The dimensions of the compressor blades  100  and  102  are the same as the interior of the loading buckets  54  and  56  which are blocked by the blades  100  and  102  when the bucket  54  and  56  are in the upper position above fixed walls  90  and  92 . Furthermore, the apertures  40  and  42  are preferably the same dimensions as the interior of the buckets  54  and  56 . 
     In order to facilitate separation of the recyclable materials, each of the buckets  54  and  56  will be used exclusively for one general type of material. For example, assuming collection takes place on the right hand side of the street, paper, fibers and the like will be loaded into the bucket  54  and the compartment  32  of the container. Other materials will be moved down a chute  110  into the loading bucket  56  and the compartment  34 . 
     If collection is from the left hand side of the vehicle, the operator can use a chute  112  to load the bucket  54  with paper, and other materials can be dropped directly into the loading bucket  56 . 
     The lifting means for the buckets  54  and  56  is shown generally at  200  in FIGS. 4 and 5. The lift means for each of the bucket  54  are substantially identical and therefore only lift means  122  associated with the bucket  56  will be described. 
     The lift mechanism  200  is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG.  5  and includes a drive means  210  in the form of a hydraulic piston cylinder assembly mounted on the top wall  94  of the frame assembly  62 . A drive chain  212  is connected by a suitable bracket  214  to the piston  216  of the drive means  210 . The drive chain  212  entrains a pair of sprockets  218  and  220  mounted on the ends of shafts  222  and  224  respectively. 
     The sprocket  218  rotates with and drives the shaft  222  and a sprocket  228  on the other end of the shaft  222 . A chain  230  entrains the sprocket  228  and a sprocket  232  on a shaft  236  also journaled for rotation on the top wall  94 . The shaft  236  has a sprocket  240  at its outer end. 
     A chain  244  entrains the sprocket  240  and a sprocket  248  on an end of a shaft  250  extending across the wall  94 . The chain  244  has an underside  246  engaging the periphery of a sprocket  254  which rotates across shaft  260 . Ends of the shaft  260  are provided with sprockets  262  and  264  which are driven by the shaft  260  and have vertical chains  268  and  270  respectively which entrains lower sprockets  272  and  274  respectively. 
     Similarly, the shaft  250  has sprocket  280  and  282  at its outer ends for rotation therewith and vertical chains  284  and  286  which also entrains lower idler sprockets  288  and  290  respectively. 
     The container  14  has hydraulic lift means not shown to raise the container in a conventional manner as shown in broken lines in FIG.  1 . As shown in FIG. 2, the container  14  may be lifted while the frame assemblies  60  and  62  remain fixed. 
     Operation of the collection vehicle  10  will be explained with particular reference to FIGS. 2,  3 ,  4  and  5 . As shown in FIG. 4, the bucket  56  is in the lowered position where it is filled with the selected recyclable materials either paper and fibers or the other materials such as metal, plastic and glass. The compressor blade  100  is blocking the aperture  40  at this stage of the operating cycle. FIG. 4 illustrates the first stage of moving the bucket upwardly. The shafts  250  and  260  are rotated by the piston assembly  210  thereby providing upward movement of the chains  268 ,  270 ,  284  and  286  of the lifting means  200 . The blade  100  is withdrawn to the position shown in FIG.  4 . Continued upward movement of the bucket  54  results from the piston  216  moving the drive chain  212  and the chains  230  and  244  rotate the drive sprockets  262 ,  264 ,  280  and  282  to move the chains  268 ,  270 ,  284  and  286 . 
     The diameter of the sprockets  232 ,  240  and  280  are chosen to increase the travel of the vertical chains by approximately one and one-half times the travel of the piston  216  to obtain the required lift of the bucket  56 . 
     Upward movement of the bucket  56  as shown in FIG. 5 results from the piston  210  moving the chains  268 ,  270 ,  284  and  286  of the lifting mechanism  200  upward. 
     Compressing the recyclable materials and moving the compressed materials into the container  14  through the apertures  40  and  42  after the covers  40   a  and  42   a  have been removed. This is accomplished by operating the hydraulic cylinder and moving the compressor blade in the direction of the container  14 . The raising and compacting steps can be carried out automatically while the operator is moving the vehicle  12  to another site. The covers  40   a  and  42   a  are replaced when the compressor blades  100  are retracted. 
     Unloading of the container body  14  is facilitated by the moveable diagonal vertical partition  30  in that a wide mouth is provided for the discharge of the contents of compartment  32  when the container  14  is raised in the conventional manner and the tail gate  28  at the discharge end  20  is unlatched by a conventional hydraulic means. The latching means of the partition  30  is then operated so that the partition  30  can be moved to a position approximately parallel with walls  22  thereby facilitating the discharge of the contents of the compartment  34 . The spring  33  connecting the partition  30  to the wall  18  of the container  14  provides longitudinal adjustment of the partition  30  and retains the partition  30  within the container body  14  during discharge of the contents.