Receptacle lift and slim profile power unit therefor

Receptacle dumping apparatus for mounting on a refuse-gathering vehicle having an opening therein adapted for receiving refuse into the vehicle, said apparatus comprising:

• a support base for being integrally associated with such a refuse-gathering vehicle near the refuse-receiving opening thereof;
• relatively narrow-width hydraulic power means, received on said support base, and having a rotatable output shaft, for selectively operating responsive to the controlled passage of hydraulic fluid therethrough so as to control the rotary orientation of said output shaft;
• a receptacle carriage for carrying a receptacle for the dumping thereof;
• and
• dual paired projection arm means, pivotably associated with said support base and said power means, respectively, for supporting and selectively positioning said carriage, said arm means being operatively driven by said power means output shaft for lifting and projecting said carriage together with any receptacle carried thereby up into the vehicle refuse-receiving opening while substantially inverting said carriage so as to dump into the vehicle the contents of any such receptacle carried by the carriage;
• said receptacle carriage comprises a substantially planar, enlarged member which is adapted to be brought into contact with a side of a receptacle to be dumped, said carriage having a projecting member in the planar face thereof for engaging a handle of such receptacle which permits such receptacle to be raised thereby;
• one pair of said projection arm means comprises arms respectively fixedly secured to opposing ends of said output shaft so that the other ends of such one pair of arms define free ends which are swept out over a radius of the arms as such output shaft turns, such free ends being pivotably secured to points on a base portion of said receptacle carriage;
• the other pair of said projection arm means have both of their respective ends pivotably mounted between pivot points on said receptacle carriage displaced from those of said one pair of arms and pivot points on said support base substantially co-planar with said output shaft, but axially outside thereof;
• and wherein
• said other pair of arms each have respective bends therein so as to maximize displacement of their pivot points on said receptacle carriage from those of said one pair of arms while also providing straight portions for forming a co-planar arrangement of said arm means whenever said receptacle carriage is in a lowered position thereof.

A receptacle lift for attachment to a refuse truck for lifting and dumping the contents of refuse-filled receptacles into such truck, said lift comprising:

• a support plate having first and second opposing sides, said first side being adapted for attachment to a substantially vertical planar area of a refuse truck;
• a movable carriage for receipt of a receptacle thereon, said carriage being continuously movable between a first position for initially receiving such a receptacle, and a second position for holding such receptacle in a substantially inverted position for dumping of the contents thereof into the refuse truck;
• hydraulic rotary motor means, fixedly secured to said second side of said support plate, and having at least one hydraulically-drivable reciprocable piston and a rotatable drive shaft respectively supporting rack and pinion gear teeth, which rack and pinion gear teeth are mutually engaged and situated substantially within at least one cylinder of said rotary motor means, said drive shaft being rotatably driven by hydraulically-controlled reciprocable positioning of said piston within said cylinder, and said drive shaft further being disposed substantially parallel to said support plate, with opposing ends of said drive shaft emerging from said rotary motor means;
• a first pair of carriage support arms, respective ends thereof being fixedly secured to one of each of said drive shaft opposing ends for rotation therewith, and the other ends of said first pair of arms being defined as relatively moving ends thereof which are pivotably engaged with said movable carriage at pivot points thereof;
• and
• a second pair of carriage support arms, respective ends thereof being pivotably engaged with said second side of said support plate, and the other ends of said second pair of arms being defined as relatively moving ends thereof which are pivotably engaged with said movable carriage at pivot points thereof displaced from those of said first pair of arms, said second pair of arms having respective bends therein for maximizing such pivot point displacement while also having straight portions for forming a co-planar arrangement of said arms whenever said movable carriage is in said first position thereof;
• wherein
• said movable carriage is continuously movable between said first and second positions thereof carried on said defined moving ends of said first and second respective pairs of support arms whenever said rotary motor means is controllably actuated, with said second position being projected into a refuse truck generally rearwardly of said support plate to a degree determined by said pivot point displacement and said bends in said second pairs of arms.

A fluid-actuated motor, comprising:

• a generally longitudinal, sealed housing having first and second ports in respective ends thereof defined by joined upper and lower blockheads for the passage of pressurized fluids through said housing, an output shaft opening substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said housing, and at least one cylinder defined within said housing along said longitudinal axis thereof and extending between said respective housing ends and corresponding blockheads;
• only one piston matably received in said housing cylinder for fluid-powered reciprocable movement therein;
• a piston rod, secured to said piston for movement therewith, and having gear teeth therealong, said piston rod being preferably semi-circular so as to longitudinally bisect its respective cylinder;
• and
• an output shaft rotatably received in said housing and extending through said output shaft opening thereof so as to project from said housing, said output shaft being provided with teeth thereabout and positioned with an axis of rotation perpendicular to the axis of reciprocation of said piston so that said output shaft teeth engage said piston rod gear teeth such that said output shaft is rotated by reciprocable movement of said piston;
• wherein
• the diameter of said output shaft including the teeth thereof is generally about the same as the diameter of said cylinder;
• said housing further includes a slightly enlarged region cooperating with said upper blockhead for enclosing said output shaft;
• and further wherein
• a load secured to said output shaft projecting from said housing may be selectively powered by reciprocable movement of said at least one piston with controlled introduction of fluids through said housing ports, with only said first and second ports and said output shaft opening defined in the otherwise sealed housing for maintenance-free lubrication of said motor;
• whereby
• maximized output shaft torque is generated with minimized motor thickness.

A hydraulic rotary motor, comprising:

• housing means adapted for the controlled flow of hydraulic fluids therethrough, said housing means being defined by joined upper and lower blockheads, and having hydraulic fluid ports on opposing ends thereof for the complementary flow of fluids therethrough relative said housing means;
• piston means received in said housing means for controlled reciprocable movement therein actuated by the passage of hydraulic fluid through said housing means in one direction therethrough at a time, with complementary fluid exit and entry through said opposing end fluid ports, said piston means including a piston rod supporting rack teeth thereon;
• and
• pinion gear output shaft means, operatively associated with said housing means and projecting therefrom through an opening defined with a cooperating seal member to prevent escape of any hydraulic fluid from said housing means other than through one of said fluid ports thereof, for being rotatably driven by engagement of pinion teeth thereof with said rack teeth of said piston means;
• whereby said output shaft means may be rotated for driving a load by controlled reciprocable movement of said piston means in one direction at a time with said pinion teeth and rack teeth immersed in said hydraulic fluid within said housing means for maintenance-free lubrication thereof.