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US 10,661,986 B2Granted
Refuse collection vehicle with telescoping arm
AssigneeThe Heil Co.
InventorsThomas L. Price, John Bares, Robert H. Doll, Brian T. Parker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refuse collection vehicle has a container collection arm with a telescoping boom coupled with a refuse stowage unit of the vehicle. A grasping mechanism is coupled with an end of the boom. A rotary actuator couples the grasping mechanism with the boom to enable a waste container to be moved between a pick up position and a dump position.
Claims18
A refuse collection vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle having a forward direction of travel and a rearward direction of travel;
- a refuse stowage unit secured to the vehicle, the refuse stowage unit comprising a hopper configured to receive refuse;
- and
- an arm constrained to movement within a plane in a transverse direction relative to the forward and rearward directions of travel, the arm configured to grasp containers from a location on one side of the vehicle and empty the containers in the hopper, the arm including:
- a rail system coupled to a vertical surface of the hopper facing a cab of the vehicle,
- a mounting assembly comprising a base coupled to the rail system,
- a rail cylinder coupled to the rail system and the base, the rail cylinder configured to extend and retract to provide movement of the base along the rail system across the hopper in the transverse direction,
- a telescoping boom directly attached to the base by a bearing received by the rail system, the telescoping boom configured to rotate about the bearing relative to the hopper,
- a first actuator for telescopically extending and retracting the telescoping boom relative to the rail system and the hopper,
- a pivot cylinder rotatably coupled between the telescoping boom and the base, a distal end of the pivot cylinder attached to the boom and a proximal end of the pivot cylinder attached to the base, the pivot cylinder configured to extend and contract to provide vertical movement of a free end of the telescoping boom,
- a grasping mechanism coupled to the telescoping boom, the grasping mechanism adapted for grasping containers, the grasping mechanism including at least one rotatable actuator configured to move the container between a pick up position and an empty position, and the grasping mechanism including at least one moveable finger configured to couple with the containers for enabling pick up of the containers, and
- a hose track housing one or more hydraulic hoses, the hydraulic hoses coupled to the grasping mechanism, the hose track coupled to the telescoping boom and configured to move along the boom during operation of the arm;
- and
- a controller configured to receive user input and regulate operation of the first actuator and the pivot cylinder to selectively move the arm in alternative direct-path and low-lift-path dump modes based on the user input, wherein:
- in the direct-path dump mode, operation of the first actuator retracts the telescoping boom while the pivot cylinder extends to move the free end of the telescoping boom vertically upward;
- and
- in the low-lift-path dump mode, operation of the first actuator retracts the telescoping boom while the pivot cylinder retracts to move the free end of the telescoping boom vertically downward.
14 more elements
An arm for a refuse vehicle having a forward direction of travel and a reward direction of travel, the arm constrained to movement within a plane in a transverse direction relative to the forward and rearward directions of travel, the arm comprising:
- a rail system configured to be coupled to a vertical surface of a hopper of the refuse vehicle;
- a mounting assembly comprising a base coupled to the rail system;
- a telescoping boom directly attached to the base by a bearing received by the rail system, the telescoping boom configured to rotate about the bearing relative to the hopper,
- a first actuator for telescopically extending and retracting the telescoping boom relative to the rail system and the hopper,
- a pivot cylinder rotatably directly attached to the telescoping boom and the base, a distal end of the pivot cylinder attached to the boom and a proximal end of the pivot cylinder attached to the base, the pivot cylinder configured to extend and contract to provide vertical movement of a free end of the telescoping boom,
- a grasping mechanism coupled to the telescoping boom, the grasping mechanism adapted for grasping containers, the grasping mechanism including at least one rotatable actuator configured to move the containers between a pick up position and an empty position, and the grasping mechanism including at least one moveable finger configured to couple with the containers for enabling pick up of the containers, and
- a hose track housing one or more hydraulic hoses, the hydraulic hoses coupled to the grasping mechanism, the hose track coupled to the telescoping boom and configured to move along the boom during operation of the arm,
- wherein the first actuator and the pivot cylinder are configured to operate in response to control signals and selectively move the arm in alternative direct-path and low-lift-path dump modes, wherein:
- in the direct-path dump mode, operation of the first actuator retracts the telescoping boom while the pivot cylinder extends to move the free end of the telescoping boom vertically upward;
- and
- in the low-lift-path dump mode, operation of the first actuator retracts the telescoping boom while the pivot cylinder retracts to move the free end of the telescoping boom vertically downward.
8 more elements
A refuse collection vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle having a forward direction of travel and a rearward direction of travel;
- a refuse stowage unit secured to the vehicle, the refuse stowage unit comprising a hopper configured to receive refuse;
- and
- an arm constrained to movement within a plane in a transverse direction relative to the forward and rearward directions of travel, the arm configured to grasp containers from a location on one side of the vehicle and empty the containers in the hopper, the arm including:
- a rail system coupled to a vertical surface of the hopper facing a cab of the vehicle,
- a mounting assembly comprising a base coupled to the rail system,
- a rail cylinder coupled to the rail system and the base, the rail cylinder configured to extend and retract to provide movement of the base along the rail system across the hopper in the transverse direction,
- a telescoping boom directly attached to the base by a bearing received by the rail system, the telescoping boom configured to rotate about the bearing relative to the hopper,
- a first actuator for telescopically extending and retracting the telescoping boom relative to the rail system and the hopper, and
- a pivot cylinder rotatably coupled between the telescoping boom and the base, a distal end of the pivot cylinder attached to the boom and a proximal end of the pivot cylinder attached to the base, the pivot cylinder configured to extend and contract to provide vertical movement of a free end of the telescoping boom;
- and
- a controller configured to receive user input and regulate operation of the first actuator and the pivot cylinder to selectively move the arm in alternative direct-path and low-lift-path dump modes based on the user input, wherein:
- in the direct-path dump mode, operation of the first actuator retracts the telescoping boom while the pivot cylinder extends to move the free end of the telescoping boom vertically upward;
- and
- in the low-lift-path dump mode, operation of the first actuator retracts the telescoping boom while the pivot cylinder retracts to move the free end of the telescoping boom vertically downward.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.