Manual/automated side loader

• US 5,931,628 A
• Filed: 08/06/1997
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing Inc. (Oshkosh Corporation)
• Original Assignee: McNeilus Truck and Manufacturing Inc. (Oshkosh Corporation)
• Inventors: Christenson, Ronald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Stephen T.
• Application Number:
  US08/907,253
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 414/406, 414/408, 414/525.2, 414/419, 414/421, 414/547, 298/22 R, 298/23 MD
• US Class Current: 414/408
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/023 Gripper arms for embracing the receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/0236 Suction or vacuum heads
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/024 Means for locking the rim
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/0246 Means for locking the front, e.g. via a handle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/0276 capable of moving towards or away from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/046 with additional means for assisting the tipping of the receptacle after or during raising
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/206 with charging plates or the like rotating around a vertical axis

Abstract

A side loading refuse vehicle has a forward receiving hopper and a storage compartment wherein the floor of the receiving hopper is dropped to a relatively lower level than the floor of the storage compartment. The storage compartment and the receiving hopper floors are connected by a ramped floor. The material receiving opening in the receiving hopper is at a correspondingly lower level to make manual loading easier. The side loading refuse vehicle also includes a chassis having a ramped portion and a dropped chassis for supporting the ramped floor and receiving hopper. A mechanized lifting and emptying apparatus is situated on one side of the receiving hopper such that a container of interest may be engaged on that side and emptied through the material receiving opening into the receiving hopper. The mechanized lifting and emptying apparatus includes a telescoping boom holding a supporting arm and a container grabber for engaging a container of interest.

Claims

1. A load hauling vehicle, comprising:

(a) a truck chassis carrying a truck cab and a truck body;

(b) said truck body being mounted on said chassis, said truck body including a storage volume and a receiving hopper having a side opening beginning a distance from a floor of said receiving hopper for receiving material to be loaded into said storage volume, wherein said storage volume has a floor at a first level and wherein said receiving hopper is forward of said truck body and has a roof and has said floor at a second level lower than said first level thereby enabling said side opening to be at a level low enough to facilitate optional manual loading and to permit manually addressed cart tipping devices to tip carts resting on the ground and a packer mechanism situated in said receiving hopper;

(c) a ramped floor between said receiving hopper and said storage volume wherein material loaded into said receiving hopper is moved up said ramped floor and into said storage volume by said packer mechanism situated in said receiving hopper;

(d) a linearly extendable mechanized container addressing and emptying system attached to the vehicle and operable to one aide of said vehicle for addressing, lifting and emptying a container into said receiving hopper through said material receiving side opening;

(a) wherein said extendable mechanized container addressing and emptying system includes an extending boom means and wherein said extending boom means is offset toward one side of said material receiving opening to facilitate accommodation of manual loading into said material receiving side opening; and

(f) wherein said extendable mechanized container addressing and emptying system includes a container manipulator means selected from the group consisting of container gripper means and bin handler means and further comprising a support arm connected between said container manipulator means and said extending boom means.

2. The vehicle as in claim 1 wherein the vehicle has a first side and a second side and wherein said extendable mechanized container addressing and emptying system includes telescoping extending boom means attached to the vehicle and laterally extendable from the first side of said vehicle and wherein said extending boom means is offset to said one side of said material receiving opening to facilitate accommodation of optional manual loading.

3. The vehicle as in claim 2 wherein said extendable mechanized container addressing and emptying system includes a container gripper means and said support arm connected between said container gripper means and said extending boom means.

4. The vehicle as in claim 2 wherein said extendable mechanized container addressing and emptying system includes a bin handler means attached to said support arm connected between said bin handler means and the extending boom means.

5. The vehicle of claim 2 further comprising a manually loaded cart tipping mechanism mounted on said second side thereof.

6. The vehicle as in claim 2 wherein said body is pivotally attached to the chassis for unloading stored material.

7. The vehicle as in claim 1 wherein said packer mechanism is one selected from the group consisting of a hydraulically operated rectangular ram and pivoting reciprocating packer paddles.

8. A refuse vehicle, comprising:

(a) a chassis having a lowered portion;

(b) a body conforming to said chassis and including a storage compartment having a floor and a receiving hopper having a roof and floor wherein said receiving hopper floor is level but dropped lower than said storage compartment floor and supported by said lowered portion;

a ramped transition floor between said receiving hopper floor and said storage compartment floor and further comprising a packer situated in said receiving hopper wherein material loaded into said receiving hopper is moved up said ramped transition floor and into said storage compartment by said packer situated in said receiving hopper;

(d) container unloading including side-extensible telescoping boom disposed in a forward portion of said receiving hopper for loading material into said receiving hopper and a container manipulator

(e) offset mounting member for mounting said container manipulator to and offset from said extensible boom so that said container manipulator deposits material closer to the center of said hopper yet allows for optional manual loading next thereto without interference from said boom.

9. A side loading waste material hauling vehicle, comprising:

(a) a chassis carrying a truck cab and a truck body;

(b) said truck body being mounted on said chassis, said truck body including a storage compartment defining a storage volume and having a roof and a floor and a receiving hopper having a floor, wherein the floor of said receiving hopper is flat and dropped to a lower level than the floor of said storage compartment, said receiving hopper having a side material receiving opening;

(c) a ramped transition floor between said receiving hopper and said storage compartment and further comprising a packer situated in said receiving hopper wherein material loaded into said receiving hopper is moved up said ramped transition floor and into said storage compartment by said packer situated in said receiving hopper;

(d) a linearly extensible mechanized container addressing and emptying system including means attached to the vehicle for accessing, lifting and emptying a container into said receiving hopper through said side material receiving opening; and

(e) wherein the lower level of said floor of said receiving hopper relative to the floor of said storage compartment enables said side material receiving opening to be at a level sufficiently lower to accommodate optimal manual loading and to permit the use of manually addressed container tipping devices to tip containers resting on the ground.

10. The vehicle as in claim 9 wherein said packer is one selected from the group consisting of a hydraulically operated rectangular ram and a pivoting reciprocating packer paddle.

11. The vehicle as in claim 9 wherein said truck body is pivotally attached to the chassis for unloading stored material.