Refuse collection with auger and contamination detection panel
AssigneeThe Heil Co.
InventorsDavid C. Gentry, Eric Evans, Bryan Stewart, Anthony B. Giles, Michael Shane Peek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A refuse collection vehicle includes a packer system with an auger screw, one or more refuse support panels, one or more sensing devices, and a refuse support panel actuator system. The refuse support panel(s) support refuse while characteristics of the refuse are sensed. The refuse support panel actuator system moves the refuse support panels such that refuse is released from the refuse support panels in to the packer system. A driver of the packer system rotates the auger screw such the refuse is packed into a storage compartment of the vehicle.
Claims28
A refuse collection vehicle defining forward and rearward directions of travel along a ground surface, a downward direction toward the ground surface, and an upward direction away from the ground surface, comprising:
- a body comprising a storage compartment;
- a packer system coupled to the body, the packer system comprising:
- an auger screw operable to rotate to advance refuse into the storage compartment;
- and
- a driver coupled to the auger screw and operable to rotate the auger screw such that refuse is packed into the storage compartment;
- one or more refuse support panels coupled to the body, wherein the one or more refuse support panels are configurable to support refuse while characteristics of the refuse are sensed;
- one or more sensors configured to capture sensor data of refuse while the refuse is on at least one of the one or more refuse support panels, the one or more sensors comprising a sensor located above the one or more refuse support panels relative to the upward direction such that refuse on the one or more refuse support panels is within a field of view of the sensor;
- a refuse support panel actuator system configured to move at least one of the one or more refuse support panels such that refuse is released from the at least one of the one or more refuse support panels into the packer system;
- and
- a control system configured to control the auger screw based at least in part on the sensor data.
A method of collecting refuse, comprising:
- placing refuse on a panel in a refuse collection vehicle;
- capturing, using one or more sensors, sensor data associated with one or more characteristics of the refuse on the panel, the one or more sensors comprising a sensor located above the panel such that the refuse on the panel is within a field of view of the sensor and such that, relative to the panel, the sensor is farther away from an auger screw of the refuse collection vehicle;
- moving the panel to release at least a portion of the refuse from the panel;
- and
- controlling, using a control system, the auger screw based at least in part on the sensor data, wherein the controlling comprises:
- turning the auger screw to pack at least a portion of the refuse that has been released from the panel into a storage compartment.
A refuse collection vehicle, comprising:
- a body comprising a storage compartment;
- a packer system coupled to the body, wherein the packer system is operable to pack refuse into the storage compartment;
- one or more refuse support panels coupled to the body, wherein the refuse support panels are configurable to support refuse while characteristics of the refuse are sensed;
- one or more sensing devices configured to capture sensor data associated with one or more characteristics of refuse while the refuse is on at least one of the one or more refuse support panels;
- a refuse support panel actuator system comprising one or more actuators configured to move at least one of the one or more refuse support panels such that refuse is dropped into the packer system;
- and
- a control system configured to control the packer system based at least in part on the sensor data.
A method of collecting refuse, comprising:
- placing refuse on a panel on or in a refuse collection vehicle;
- capturing, using one or more sensors, sensor data associated with one or more characteristics of the refuse on the panel;
- moving the panel to drop at least a portion of the refuse from the panel;
- and
- controlling, using a control system, a packer system based at least in part on the sensor data, wherein the controlling comprises:
- causing the packer system to pack at least a portion of the refuse that has been released from the panel into a storage compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.