Weighing system

• US 4,854,406 A
• Filed: 07/18/1988
• Issued: 08/08/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Waste Management Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Breakthru Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Mikelk, Paul D., Appleton, Gregory H.
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER JR, GEORGE
• Application Number:
  US07/220,794
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 177/139, 177/141, 177/145, 177/DIG. 5
• US Class Current: 177/139
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/022 the discharging means comprising a device for determining the weight of the content of refuse receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/0279 the discharging means mounted at the front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/04 Linkages, pivoted arms, or pivoted carriers for raising and subsequently tipping receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/041 Pivoted arms or pivoted carriers
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/043 with additional means for keeping the receptacle substantially vertical during raising
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/083 lift truck scale
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 177/05 Magnets

Abstract

A weighing system for a refuse truck having lifting means for engaging and lifting a refuse container. The weighing system comprises a transducer which is mounted on the lifting means of the truck for sensing the weight of the refuse container for producing an electrical analog signal. Electrical digitizing means convert the analog signal to a digital signal which is indicative of the weight which is sensed by the transducer. A limit switch is operatively connected to the transducer so that the transducer is energized at a point when a full container is supported by the lifting means and when an empty container is supported by the lifting means for the purpose of determining the weight of the refuse in the container.

Claims

1. Weighing system for a refuse truck having a refuse receptacle which has an inlet opening and lifting means for engaging a refuse container which contains refuse and which has a top opening, said container being moved by said lifting means through a dumping cycle which comprises lifting the full refuse container from a resting position to an inverted position above said inlet opening to permit said refuse to fall through said inlet opening into said refuse receptacle, and lowering the empty refuse container to said resting position, said weighing system comprising:

(a) circuitry for said weighing system and a source of electrical power for energizing the circuitry of said weighing system,

(b) a transducer which is operatively connected to said lifting means for sensing the weight of the refuse container when the container is engaged by the lifting means, said transducer being effective for generating primary electrical analog signals which vary in intensity in accordance with the variation in intensity of the force which is exerted by said lifting mechanism,

(c) a position indicator for sensing the position of the container relative to the refuse truck and for providing a secondary digital signal when the container reaches a predetermined position relative to the refuse truck,

(d) electrical digitizing means for converting said primary analog signal to a primary digital signal, and

(e) a programmed central processing unit which is operatively connected to said electrical digitizing means and said position indicator for receiving said primary and secondary digital signals and for calculating the weight of the full refuse container based on the value of said primary digital signal when said secondary digital signal is received during the lifting portion of said dumping cycle, for calculating the weight of the empty refuse container based on the value of said primary digital signal when said secondary digital signal is received during the lowering portion of said dumping cycle, and for calculating the weight of refuse in said container by subtracting the weight of said empty refuse container from the weight of said full refuse container.

2. Weighing system for a refuse truck recited in claim 1, wherein said lifting means includes a hydraulic actuator, said transducer is a pressure transducer for sensing the hydraulic pressure of said hydraulic actuator said position indicator having the capacity for providing signals which are indicative of the velocity of said container and said central processing unit having the capacity for calculating the acceleration of said container at said predetermined point as a factor in calculating the weight of full refuse container when full and said refuse container when empty.

3. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 2, wherein said input means comprises:

(a) identifying indicia on the refuse container which is indicative of the size of the container, and

(b) an optical reader which is operatively connected to the central processing unit for reading said identifying indicia and for providing container size input data to said central processing unit.

4. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 2, wherein said input means comprises a manually keyboard which is operatively connected to said central processing unit for providing container size identification data to said central processing unit.

5. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 2, wherein said position indicator produces a first additional secondary signal at a predetermined point which is at a predetermined distance on one side of said predetermined position and produces a second additional secondary signal at a predetermined point which is at a predetermined distance on the opposite side of said predetermined position, and wherein the velocity and the acceleration of said container is calculated by said central processing unit based on the time intervals between said first additional secondary signal and said secondary analog signal and the time interval between said secondary additional signal and said secondary analog signal.

6. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 5, wherein said optical reader is mounted on said lifting means.

7. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 5, wherein said position indicator comprises:

(a) a first proximity element which is fixed to one of said lifting means and said truck body, and

(b) a plurality of second proximity elements which are fixed to the other of said lifting means and said truck body, each of said second proximity elements being complimentary with said first proximity element for producing an electrical signal when said first proximity element is within a predetermined distance from each of said second proximity elements for producing said secondary and said first and second additional signals.

8. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 7, wherein said first proximity element is a magnetic sensor which produces an electrical signal when said sensor is subjected to a magnetic field and each of said second proximity elements is a magnet, and wherein there are at least three magnets.

9. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 7, wherein one of said proximity elements is a magnetic sensor which produces an electrical signal when said sensor is subjected to a magnetic field and the other of said proximity elements is a magnet.

10. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 1, wherein said position indicator comprises:

(a) a first proximity element which is fixed to said lifting means, and

(b) a second proximity element which is fixed to said truck body and which is complementary with said first proximity element so that when said second proximity element is within a predetermined distance from said first proximity element one of said proximity elements produces said secondary digital signal.

11. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 10, wherein one of said proximity elements is a magnetic sensor which produces an electrical signal when said sensor is subjected to a magnetic field and the other of said proximity elements is a magnet.

12. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 1, for processing refuse containers of different sizes, wherein said central processing unit is programmed for selective calculation of the weight of refuse within a container for a predetermined number of container sizes based on said first digital signals upon receiving container size identification data, and wherein said weighing system comprises input means for entering said container size identification data to said central processing unit.

13. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 1, wherein said central processing unit is programmed for selectively recording refuse weight readings for a plurality of customers upon receiving customer identification data, and wherein said weighing system comprises input means for entering said customer identification data to said central processing unit.

14. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 13, wherein said input means comprises:

(a) customer identifying indicia on the refuse container, and

(b) an optical reader which is operatively connected to the central processing unit for reading said identifying indicia and for providing container identifying input data to said central processing unit.

15. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 14, wherein said optical reader is mounted on said lifting means.

16. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 13 wherein said input means comprises a manually operated keyboard which is operatively connected to said central processing unit for providing customer identification data to said central processing unit.

17. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 1, wherein said central processing unit is programmed to receive a plurality of diverse data, to record said data, to perform calculations based on said input date and to record results of said calculations, and wherein said weighing system comprises input means for entering said diverse data to said central processing unit.

18. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 17, wherein said diverse input data comprises:

(a) driver identification,

(b) route identification,

(c) name and address of each customer on the route,

(d) container size identification for each dumping cycle, and

(e) starting time, stopping time and length of each dumping cycle.

19. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 18, wherein the calculation of said central processing unit, comprises:

(a) recording the starting, stopping and total time of each dumping cycle for each customer,

(b) recording the net weight of refuse for each dumping cycle for each customer, and

(c) recording the cumulative weight of refuse for successive dumping cycles.

20. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 19, wherein said weighing system comprises an electrical clock which is operatively connected to said central processing unit for automatically inputting time data for each dumping cycle for each customer.

21. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 19, wherein said weighing system comprises:

(a) a wave energy transmitter unit which is operatively connected to said central processing unit for transmitting wave energy signals of said recorded data,

(b) a base computer which is located at a distance from said truck, and

(c) a wave energy receiver which is operatively connected to said base computer for receiving said wave energy signals for recording said recorded data in said base computer.

22. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 21, wherein said weighing system comprises:

(a) a wave energy transmitter unit which is operatively connected to said base computer for transmitting wave energy signals of data, and

(b) a wave energy receiver which is operatively connected to said central processing unit for receiving the wave energy signals of data from the wave energy transmitter unit of said base computer.

23. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 22, wherein each of said transmitter units transmits infrared radiation signals and each of said receiver units receives infrared radiation signals.

24. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 22, wherein each of said transmitter units transmits ultrasonic wave energy signals and each of said receiver units receives ultrasonic wave energy signals.

25. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 22,, wherein each of said transmitter units transmits radio frequency signals and each of said receiver units receives radio frequency signals.

26. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 19, wherein said weighing system comprises:

(a) a clock which is operatively connected to said central processing unit for recording time of day and date, and

(b) a display screen which is operatively connected to said clock and said central processing unit for illustrating time of day, date cummulative load weight and name and address of next customer on the route.

27. Weighing system for a refuse truck as recited in claim 1, wherein said lifting means are controlled by drive control means which prevent said refuse container from being lifted or lowered beyond a predetermined rate of speed except for a predetermined rate of acceleration for a predetermined distance through said predetermined point when the full container is being lifted and when the empty container is being lowered, said central processing unit being programmed with data for calculating the weight of refuse in said container based on the value a given primary digital signal which is a factor of the force which is required to accelerate a given weight at a given rate of acceleration of a full and an empty refuse container.

28. A control system for a refuse truck having a refuse receptacle which has an inlet opening and lifting means for engaging a refuse container which contains refuse and which has a top opening, said container being moved by said lifting means through a dumping cycle which comprises lifting the full refuse container from a resting position to an inverted position above said inlet opening to permit said refuse to fall through said inlet opening into said refuse receptacle, and lowering the empty refuse container to said resting position, said control system comprising:

(a) a programmed central processing unit which is mounted on the refuse truck,

(b) a weight sensing system including a transducer for sensing the weight of a full refuse container during lifting of the container and the weight of an empty refuse container during the lowering of the container, said weight sensing system being operatively connected to said central processing unit for providing signals to said central processing unit which are indicative of said sensed weight for computation of the weight of said refuse, and

(c) input means including an electrical clock operatively connected to said central processing unit for recording in said central processing unit information relating to container size, customer identification, starting, stopping, and total time of each dumping cycle for each customer, for enabling the central processing unit to record the net weight of refuse for each dumping cycle for each customer to recording the cummulative weight of refuse for successive dumping cycles, to record the starting, stopping, and total time of each dumping cycle for each customer.

29. A control system as recited in claim 28, comprising:

(a) an electrical fuel level sensor operatively connected to the fuel tank of said truck for sensing the level of fuel in said tank, said sensor being operatively connected to said central processing unit for providing said central processing unit an electrical signal which is indicative of the level of fuel in said tank for recording the level of fuel in said tank at a plurality of points along the route of the truck and at a plurality of times of the day,

(b) an electrical packer blade sensor which is operatively connected to the packer blade and to the central processing unit for providing said central processing unit an electrical signal for each sweep of the packer blade for recording the number of sweeps of said packer blade for each customer and the time of each sweep of the packer blade, and

(c) an electrical odometer sensor which is operatively connected to the odometer and the central processing unit for transmitting signals to the central processing unit which are indicative of distance travelled by the truck and for recording the distance travelled by the truck along the route, between customer and speed of the truck at a plurality of points along the route, acceleration and braking of the truck.