DE20306900U1 - Vehicle for collecting and transporting refuse, comprises pick-up mechanism, which is swivellably connected to an axle aligned in the swivel axis, with an additional arm by means of a controllable aligning drive - Google Patents

Abstract

The vehicle comprises a pick-up mechanism (12) which is swivellably connected to an axle aligned in the swivel axis, with an additional arm (8.2) by means of a controllable aligning drive. The driver's cab (2) is displaced sideways to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The bearing block (9) is located near the front of the vehicle. The linkage (10) of the loading arm arrangement (8) on the bearing block is arranged at the height of the floor level of the collecting container (3).

Description

Designation: Vehicle for collecting and transporting

Waste with side-mounted loading arm arrangement

Description

In the course of automation, vehicles for collecting household waste, which is provided in waste containers by individual households at the side of the road, have been further developed in such a way that the driver, alone or, if necessary, with an assistant to provide the waste containers, can collect them from the vehicle and empty them into a collection container located behind the driver's cab.

Based on so-called front loaders, EP-O 163 859 B describes a vehicle in which two bow-shaped lifting arms are arranged behind the driver's cab and are connected via a crossbar. A swivel arm that can be swung out to the side is arranged on the crossbar, by means of which a waste container located on the side of the road is picked up and swung back in front of the front of the vehicle, so that the picked up waste container can then be emptied into a filling opening of the collection container located behind the driver's cab by swinging it up over the driver's cab.

Such a vehicle requires a great deal of construction effort.

DE 201 20 464 U discloses a modification of the system described above, in which only one lifting arm is arranged in the shape of a bow, arranged to the side of the driver's cab and pivotable about a horizontal pivot axis running behind the driver's cab, on which a laterally pivotable pivot arm with a receiving device for the waste container to be emptied is arranged.

A vehicle of this type is known from DE-25 45 051 A, in which, instead of a bow-shaped lifting arm, an elongated, rigid lifting arm is provided, on which a laterally pivoting cross-beam is arranged, through which a waste collection container placed on the side can be accommodated. The lifting arm is mounted on the vehicle so that it can be pivoted upwards around a horizontal axis in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

US-A-3,765,554 discloses a vehicle for collecting and transporting waste, which is provided with a driver's cab arranged to the side of the vehicle's longitudinal axis, behind which a collecting container is arranged, which is provided with a filling opening on its upper side. This vehicle is provided with a loading arm arrangement arranged to the side of the driver's cab, which is arranged to pivot on a bearing block in a vertically aligned pivoting plane, the bearing block itself being pivotable about a vertical axis relative to the vehicle with the aid of an actuator. The loading arrangement itself consists of a 0 loading arm which can be extended telescopically. The disadvantage of this arrangement is essentially the relatively large length of the loading arm arrangement, which in the driving position requires a positioning of the loading arm arrangement which significantly impairs the driver's side view. In this vehicle, the collecting container is arranged directly behind the vehicle and the waste container is emptied into a filling opening on the top of the collection container.

A vehicle of the type described above is known from US-A-5,551,824, which also has a loading arm that can be extended telescopically in length and is hinged to a bearing block so that it can be swiveled upwards in a vertical swivel plane. In this vehicle, a pressing device is arranged between the collecting container and the driver's cab, into whose filling opening the collected waste container is emptied. The waste is then pressed into the collecting container from the pressing device. In this vehicle, the storage

The stand is located in the area of the rear end of the driver's cab, i.e. at a distance from the front of the vehicle.

The invention is based on the object of improving a vehicle of this type with regard to handling and emptying of waste containers.

This object is achieved with a vehicle for collecting and transporting waste with the features specified in claim 1. The advantage of the vehicle according to the invention is that the loading arm arrangement has at least two arm parts that can be pivoted against each other in a vertical pivot plane, with one arm part forming the "upper arm" hinged to the bearing block and the other arm part hinged to it via an "elbow joint" forming the "lower arm". A receiving device for a waste container to be emptied that can be pivoted in the vertical pivot plane is hinged to the lower arm. This makes it possible to pick up waste containers within a very large distance range in relation to the vehicle. The largest distance range is provided by the extended arm position of the loading arm arrangement. However, it is also possible to pick up waste collection containers that are standing relatively close in front of or next to the vehicle, since the further arm part forming the "lower arm" can be pivoted under the first arm part forming the "upper arm".

The term "waste container" includes, on the one hand, conventional waste containers or garbage bins such as those used for the disposal of household waste.

However, the term "waste container" also includes waste provided in bags, preferably plastic bags.

The actuator assigned to the bearing block and the swivel drives assigned to the linkages of the loading arm arrangement can be designed to be individually controlled manually.

However, it is particularly advantageous if a control device is provided which is equipped with a corresponding program control so that after the waste container has been picked up - starting from the respective position of the arm parts in relation to one another - the relative movements of the arm parts in relation to one another and the relative movement of the loading arm arrangement as a whole in relation to the bearing block or the vehicle are controlled in a forced manner. The pivoting of the bearing block about the vertical axis can then be superimposed on this pivoting process in the vertical pivoting plane so that the waste container held on the receiving device is held in the end position in its emptying position above the filling opening and can be emptied into the filling opening, be it the filling opening of the collecting container itself or the filling opening of a pressing device arranged upstream of the collecting container.

The control device can then be used to optimize the movement conditions and the movement speeds of the individual arm parts in the vertical pivot plane so that from each of the possible positions of the loading arm arrangement, the fastest possible pivoting into the emptying position occurs when picking up the waste container. The control device can be designed in such a way that a "memory" in the form of a storage device is present, which registers the position of the loading arm arrangement in space at the start of a picking process, so that after emptying an empty waste container can be returned to the same position on the ground.

Since the pick-up device used can, depending on the design of the pick-up system, be equipped with controllable clamping devices for waste containers or suction heads for waste bags that can be subjected to negative pressure, it is advisable if the program of the control device is designed in such a way that after the manually controlled pivoting of the loading arm arrangement around the vertical axis and the pivoting of the loading arm arrangement into the pick-up position and the manual activation of the

Clamping device on the receiving device, the subsequent sequence of movements until emptying on the one hand, then until the emptied waste container is set down on the other hand and finally until the receiving device is opened and released from the waste container, takes place automatically.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is further provided that the receiving device is connected to the other arm part by means of a controllable alignment drive so that it can pivot about an axis aligned in the vertical pivot plane. This additional pivoting option on the "wrist" makes it possible to align the receiving device, which is designed in the form of a comb that grips under the edge of the waste container with an associated clamping device or the like, exactly to the position of the receiving surface of the waste container, in order to be able to reliably grasp waste containers that are positioned at an angle to the direction of travel of the vehicle with its receiving surface.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims and the following description of an embodiment.

The schematic drawings show: 25

Fig. 1 a vehicle with a loading arm arrangement with receiving device for waste containers,

Fig. 2 the vehicle according to Fig. 1 with loading arm arrangement in emptying position,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the vehicle according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 the vehicle according to Fig. 1 with a different receiving position of the loading arm arrangement,

Fig. 5 the vehicle according to Fig. 1 with the loading arm arrangement in driving position,

Fig. 6 is a front view of the vehicle according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 7 a vehicle with a different design of the loading arm arrangement,
10

Fig. 8 the vehicle according to Fig. 7 in a top view,

Fig. 9 the vehicle according to Fig. 7 in driving position,

Fig. 10 a front view of the vehicle according to Fig. 7 in

Emptying position,

Fig. 11 a vehicle according to Fig. 7 with a receiving device designed to receive waste bags,

Fig. 12 is a top view of the vehicle according to Fig. 11.

The vehicle for collecting and transporting waste shown in a side view in Fig. 1 essentially consists of a chassis 1 with a driver's cab 2 which, as can be seen from the top view according to Fig. 3, is arranged laterally offset from the longitudinal center axis.

Behind the driver's cab 2, a collecting container 3 is arranged on the chassis 1, which is provided at its rear with a pivotable rear wall 4, so that the contents of the collecting container 3 can be emptied after opening the rear wall 4 by tilting the collecting container 3 up about the axis 5.

• I *·*

In the embodiment shown here, a pressing device 6 is arranged between the driver's cab 2 and the collecting container 3, which has a filling funnel 7 with a filling opening that is open at the top. The pressing device 6 has a lower discharge opening that is connected to a filling opening arranged accordingly on the front wall of the collecting container 3.

The vehicle also has a loading arm arrangement 8, which is articulated to a bearing block 9 via a linkage 10. The bearing block 9 can be pivoted about its vertical axis relative to the vehicle by means of an actuator (not shown in detail here), as can be seen in Fig. 3. The loading arm arrangement has a first arm part 8.1 and a further arm part 8.2 articulated to it via a joint 11. At the free end of the further arm part 8.2 there is a receiving device 12 (only indicated here) for receiving a waste container 13 to be emptied, which can be pivoted about a horizontal axis about a joint 14 relative to the lower arm part 8.2. The loading arm arrangement as a whole and the arm parts including the receiving device 12 can thus be pivoted in a vertical pivot plane as a whole and relative to one another.

A controllable swivel drive 10.1, 8.4 and 8.5, each for example in the form of a hydraulic swivel motor, is arranged on the linkage 10 as well as on the joints 11 and 14, so that the individual parts of the loading arm arrangement 8 can be individually swiveled against one another when appropriately controlled and can be swiveled upwards in a vertical swivel plane via the swivel drive 10.1 of the linkage 10.

The last phases of the emptying process are shown in Fig. 2. After the waste container 13 has been picked up by the receiving device 12 and locked thereto, as shown in Fig. 1, the waste container 13 is emptied while maintaining a

specified clearance height 15 the loading arm arrangement 8 in the
The loading arm assembly 8 is pivoted upwards
swiveled laterally around the vertical axis 9 so that the waste container 13 to be emptied is in the final phase of the
pivoting process above the filling opening 7 of the pressing device 6.

In the recording position I shown in Fig. 1, the
The first arm part 8.1 forming the "upper arm" is pivoted upwards in an anti-clockwise direction, while the further arm part 8.2 forming the "lower arm" is pivoted in a clockwise direction relative to the upper arm 8.1. The receiving device is
pivoted relative to the "lower arm" 8.2 so that the waste container remains approximately vertical.

As soon as the upper arm 8.1 has reached the approximately horizontal position shown in Fig. 2, the lower arm 8.2 is also pivoted up into its final position, so that the receiving device
12 around the joint 14 from the initially retracted

swiveled position II with the waste container 13 still approximately vertically aligned into the final emptying position II
can be swivelled. The lid 13.1 of the waste container 13 then opens. After emptying, the waste container is swivelled back to position II and the swivelling process of the loading arm arrangement 8 takes place in the opposite direction,
until the original recording position shown in Fig. 1 is reached.

As can be seen from Fig. 3, the loading arm arrangement can be rotated around the vertical axis of the bearing block 9 relative to, for example,

90° from the position A pointing in the direction of travel to the lateral position B via the actuator of the bearing block 9.

As also schematically indicated in Fig. 3, the receiving device 12 is pivotable by its alignment drive about the axis 12.1 aligned in the vertical pivot plane by approximately 90°

from the illustrated middle position M to the left into the receiving position L and to the right into the receiving position R. The respective receiving position is marked by the angled projection 12.2. 5

This alignability is necessary because the usual waste containers 13 provided with a hinged lid can only be picked up on the receiving edge 13.2 opposite the hinge 13.1 of the lid, which is indicated here accordingly by two projections.

As indicated in the top view according to Fig. 3, it is thus possible to pick up waste containers 13 standing next to the vehicle, even if they are not positioned with their receiving edge 13.2 aligned vertically or parallel to the direction of travel.

In the top view, the swivel drives 8.4 and 8.5 can be seen in the form of hydraulic swivel motors, the direction of rotation of which can be reversed.

For emptying, the loading arm arrangement 8 is expediently pivoted back into the pivoting plane aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in a superimposed movement during lateral pickup and at the same time the pivoting process for emptying described above is carried out.

The pressing device 6 shown in Fig. 3, in which a pivotable pressing plate 6.2 is arranged in a semi-cylindrical trough 6.1, is provided with a hopper 7 which opens upwards at the side and into which the waste container 13 can be emptied by the pivoting process described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 which takes place in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

While Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 show the reception of a waste container 13 at the greatest possible distance for the loading arm arrangement 8

shows, Fig. 4 shows the picking process for picking up a waste collection container 13, which is located much closer to the vehicle. The possibility of pivoting the loading arm arrangement 8, as shown in the top view according to Fig. 3, also applies to this picking position. Fig. 4 shows that it is possible to pick up a waste collection container at a distance from the vehicle that is shorter than the length of the first arm part 8.1 forming the "upper arm", since the further arm part 8.2 forming the "lower arm" can be pivoted back towards the vehicle.

Fig. 5 shows the position of the loading arm arrangement in the driving position. Fig. 5 shows that in the driving position of the loading arm arrangement 8 the side window 2.1 of the driver's cab 2 is not covered, so that the driver retains a clear view in traffic.

Fig. 6 shows the vehicle according to Fig. 1 in a front view, which results in a slim construction in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle due to the design of the loading arm arrangement according to the invention, so that the free space required for this, which must be separated from the driver's cab 2, is somewhat larger than the width of the waste containers 13 to be emptied. This provides the driver with a sufficiently large interior space for the driver's cab.

As can be seen from the top view in Fig. 3, an angle of max. 90° is provided for the loading arm arrangement 8 for pivoting around the vertical axis, whereby the driver has the power to reduce the necessary pivoting angle to the side to a minimum by stopping the vehicle early, so that the pivoting angle of 90° shown is only required in extreme cases.

As can be seen from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a swivel angle of at least 180° is required for the first arm part 8.1, so that an oil motor is expediently used as a swivel drive.

which can be controlled in a reversible manner in its direction of rotation. Oil motors are also suitable for the other swivel drives of the linkages 11 and 14 as well as the alignment drive of the receiving device 12. 5

As the side view in Fig. 1 also shows, it is not necessary to provide the lowest possible point for the articulation 10 on the bearing block 9, so that no special chassis is necessary for the construction of the loading arm arrangement 8 with bearing block 9 on the chassis 1, but only a special reinforcement for receiving the bearing block and the associated actuator is necessary.

Fig. 7 and 8 show a modified embodiment of the loading arm arrangement. The structure and function of this loading arm arrangement corresponds to the structure and function of the loading arm arrangement described above. The difference is primarily that a piston-cylinder arrangement 8.3 is provided as a swivel drive between the first arm part 8.1 and the further arm part 8.2, which is sufficient to carry out a relative swiveling of the further arm part 8.2 with respect to the first arm part 8.1. Fig. 7 shows the picking process in position I, the position II shows the position of the loading arm arrangement and the waste container 13 relative to the loading arm arrangement at the end of the swiveling movement, and the emptying process in position III by swiveling the picking device 12 about the joint 14 on the arm part 8.2. After emptying the waste container 13, it is first pivoted back into position II and then the loading arm arrangement is pivoted back into the starting position so that the waste container is placed back on the floor.

In Fig. 8, the arrangement according to Fig. 7 is shown in a top view, whereby, in deviation from the embodiment according to Fig. 1 or Fig. 3, a receiving device 12 is provided with which two waste containers 13 can be received simultaneously.

can be pivoted through 180°, as shown in the side position C. The receiving device 12 can be pivoted through 180°, as shown in Fig. 3, as for all pivot positions of the loading arm arrangement 8, whereby a continuously controllable alignment drive, for example in the form of an oil motor, is expedient, so that waste containers that are inclined to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can also be picked up with its receiving surface 13.2. In Fig. 8, only a pivoting through 90° is shown.

Of the receiving device only schematically indicated in Fig. 3, the so-called receiving comb 12.2 is shown in Fig. 8, which grips the edge of the waste container in a form-fitting manner during the receiving process. After being picked up, the edge is held on the receiving comb 12.2 by a clamping device of known design (not shown in detail).

The receiving comb(s) 12.2 are held slightly loosely on the receiving device about a vertical axis, relative to the receiving position, so that the receiving comb can automatically rest against the wall of a waste container and can grip under the edge without jamming.

Fig. 9 shows the driving position of the loading arm arrangement according to Fig. 7.

As can be seen from Fig. 7 in conjunction with Fig. 9, the hopper 7 of the pressing device 6 is provided with a flap 7.1 with a side cover 7.2 that can be swung up to the rear, which is swung up when emptying and, as can be seen from Fig. 9, is swung down for driving operation in order to close the filling opening of the hopper 7. The side walls 7.2 serve as protection against the waste falling out of the waste container being blown away.

Fig. 10 shows the vehicle according to Fig. 7 in front view with the flap 7.1 swung up.

Fig. 11 shows a side view of the vehicle according to Fig. 7 with a modified loading arm arrangement 8, which differs from the embodiment according to Fig. 7 essentially in its receiving device 16. While the receiving device 12 in the embodiment according to Fig. 7 is designed to receive waste containers 13, the receiving device 16 has suction heads 18 so that waste containers provided in the form of bags 17 can be received.

The structure and the functioning of the loading arm arrangement 8 corresponds to the structure described with reference to Fig. 7, so that the same functional elements are provided with the same reference numerals and reference can be made accordingly to the preceding description of the structure and functioning of the vehicle according to the invention as a whole, as also results from the description of the embodiment with reference to Figs. 1 to 10.

0 In a modification of the embodiment described with reference to Fig. 7, the additional arm part 8.2 forming the "lower arm" on the loading arm arrangement 8 can be telescopically extended or shortened with the aid of a hydraulic cylinder integrated into the arm part, as indicated by the telescopic part 8.6 and the double arrow. A controllable swivel drive 8.5 is arranged on the telescopic part 8.6, to which the receiving device 16 is attached. In the embodiment shown here, the receiving device 16 has a total of four suction heads 18 (see Fig. 12) to which negative pressure can be applied. As soon as the suction heads 18 are placed on the waste bags 17 provided, negative pressure is applied from the driver's cab so that the suction heads 18 securely grip the waste bags. The loading arm arrangement 8 is then swiveled up from the receiving position I shown in Fig. 11 to an end position II, as shown in Fig. 7. The receiving device 18 is then moved to the emptying position III by means of the swivel drive 8.5.

in Fig. 7, so that after the negative pressure is removed, the waste bags are thrown into the filling funnel 7. The loading arrangement 8 then swings back into the receiving position I. 5

The driving position shown in Fig. 5 also results for the loading arm arrangement according to Fig. 11.

In Fig. 11, the advantageous handling option of the loading arm arrangement 8 according to the invention is also indicated when picking up garbage bags with position IV, as is also described with reference to Fig. 4 for garbage containers. If, viewed in the direction of travel of the vehicle, there are several garbage containers one behind the other or in groups next to one another, which are to be picked up one after the other, several garbage containers can be picked up one after the other within the range of the loading arm arrangement without moving the vehicle. As Fig. 12 shows, garbage containers that are also positioned within the action area at a shorter distance from the vehicle can be picked up within the action area defined between positions A and C. To do this, it is only necessary not to pivot the first arm part 8.1 all the way to the lower end position, then the further arm part 8.2 can be pivoted towards the vehicle below the first arm part 8.1 and a garbage container that is parked close to the vehicle can be picked up.

The loading arm arrangement described above in two embodiments can also be used on vehicles without an additional pressing device, in which the collecting container is provided with a filling opening at the top.

Claims (16)

1. Vehicle for collecting and transporting waste, with a driver's cab ( 2 ) and a collecting container ( 3 ) arranged behind the driver's cab ( 2 ), which is provided with a filling opening at its front end, with a loading bracket ( 9 ) arranged next to the driver's cab ( 2 ), which is designed to be pivotable about a vertical axis by means of an actuator, with a loading arm arrangement ( 8 ) which is pivotably connected to the bearing bracket ( 9 ) by a first arm part ( 8.1 ) in a vertically aligned pivoting plane, with at least one further arm part (8.2) pivotably connected to the first arm part ( 8.1 ) in the pivoting plane, and with a receiving device ( 12 ; 16) pivotably connected to the free end of the further arm part (8.2 ) in the pivoting plane relative to the latter for at least one waste container ( 3 ) to be emptied into the collecting container ( 3 ). 13 , 17 ) and with controllable swivel drives on each linkage ( 10 , 11 , 14 ) assigned to the swivel plane on the loading arm arrangement ( 8 ). 2. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving device ( 12 ; 16 ) is pivotably connected to the further arm part ( 8.2 ) about an axis aligned in the pivot plane by means of a controllable alignment drive. 3. Vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the driver's cab ( 2 ) is arranged laterally offset to the vehicle's longitudinal axis. 4. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bearing block ( 9 ) is arranged near the front of the vehicle. 5. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the articulation ( 10 ) of the loading arm arrangement ( 8 ) on the bearing block ( 9 ) is arranged approximately at the level of the floor plane of the collecting container ( 3 ). 6. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the loading arm arrangement ( 8 ) is dimensioned such that when the first arm part ( 8.1 ) is pivoted back in the direction towards the collecting container ( 3 ), a waste container ( 13 , 17 ) connected to the receiving device ( 12 ; 16 ) can be emptied by pivoting the further arm part ( 8.2 ). 7. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the actuator of the bearing block ( 9 ), the pivot drives of the arm parts ( 8.1 , 8.2 ) of the loading arm arrangement ( 8 ) and the alignment drive of the receiving device ( 12 , 16 ) are connected to a control device so as to be controllable individually and/or in predeterminable dependencies. 8. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least part of the drives are formed by hydraulic swivel motors ( 10.1 , 8.4 , 8.5 ). 9. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the first arm part ( 8.1 ) can be pivoted over at least 180° relative to the bearing block ( 9 ) in the pivot plane. 10. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the further arm part ( 8.2 ) can be pivoted by more than 180° relative to the first arm part ( 8.1 ) in the pivot plane. 11. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the receiving device ( 12 ; 16 ) can be pivoted by at least 180° about its axis aligned in the pivot plane relative to the further arm part ( 8.2 ). 12. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the loading arm arrangement ( 8 ) can be pivoted rearward about the vertical axis of the bearing block ( 9 ) by at least 90° from a position of the pivot plane aligned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. 13. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the filling opening of the collecting container ( 3 ) is connected to a pressing device ( 7 ) which has an upwardly directed insertion opening into which a waste container ( 13 ) can be emptied by means of the loading arm arrangement ( 8 ). 14. Vehicle according to claim 13, characterized in that the insertion opening of the pressing device can be closed with a pivotable flap ( 7.1 ) with side covers ( 7.2 ). 15. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the receiving device ( 12 ) is designed to receive at least one waste container in the form of a waste container ( 13 ). 16. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the receiving device ( 16 ) is designed to receive at least one waste container in the form of a waste bag ( 17 ).