Front-loadable refuse container having side-loading robotic arm with motors and other mass mounted at rear of container and use of same with front-loading waste-hauling vehicle having hydraulic front forks or other retractably engageable lift means

• US 20070172340A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Heil Company (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Edward Suden, Gideon Gimlan, John Curotto
• Inventors: Gimlan, Gideon, Curotto, John, Suden, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,553,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/408
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/122 Features allowing the receptacle to be lifted and subsequently tipped by associated means on a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/023 Gripper arms for embracing the receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/0269 capable of moving along the side of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/0276 capable of moving towards or away from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2003/0279 the discharging means mounted at the front of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/041 Pivoted arms or pivoted carriers
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 3/046 with additional means for assisting the tipping of the receptacle after or during raising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A front-loading, refuse collecting vehicle is modularly provided with a combination of a low-profile, front-loadable waste bin (intermediate container) and one or more, side-loading robotic arms. To reduce mechanical stresses along couplings between the vehicle and the combination of the intermediate container and the robotic arm(s), a major portion of the mass of the robotic arm mechanism is situated to the rear of the intermediate container so that a mass and beam combination is defined where the mass-supporting beam has reduced length. More specifically, hydraulic and/or other relatively massive motor means of the robotic arm mechanism are mounted to the rear of a refuse-containing wall of the intermediate container. Elastomeric and/or other dampening means may be interposed between the vehicle and the bulk mass of the combination of the intermediate container and robotic arm mechanism for converting into heat some of the vibrational energy which may otherwise move between the vehicle and the combination of the intermediate container and robotic arm mechanism. A modular sled system may be provided for supporting different robotic arms in combination with refuse containers made of different materials as may be appropriate for different waste collection situations.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A method for reducing transfer of mechanical vibrations between a front-loading, waste collecting vehicle and a combination of a fork-liftable refuse container and a side-loading robotic arm mechanism, where the vehicle has frontwardly extending forks for supporting said combination of the container and the side-loading robotic arm mechanism;

said vibration reducing method comprising;

(a) situating a majority of mass of the side-loading robotic arm mechanism rearwardly of a rearmost, refuse-containing wall of the container;

(b) providing the container with fork-receiving pocket means attached to sides of the container for receiving the forks of the front-loading vehicle; and

(c) providing clearance assuring means for spacing the rearwardly-mounted major-mass portion of the robotic arm mechanism in front of a hypothetical clearance plane, where the hypothetical clearance plane extends through rear end points of the forks of the front-loading vehicle when the forks are operatively inserted in the fork-receiving pocket means.

17. The vibration reducing method of claim 16 and further comprising:

(d) including in the fork-receiving pocket means, a vibration dampener interposed between a fork-engaging portion and a container-supporting portion of the fork-receiving pocket means.

18. A method for simultaneously collecting waste items situated on opposed sides of a driveway, the method comprising:

(a) providing a combination of a fork-liftable refuse container and a side-loading robotic arm mechanism, where the robotic arm mechanism has at least first and second robotic arms each configured to automatically reach out in a respective one of opposed first and second sideways directions relative to the container to grasp waste items located to the respective side of the container, and to translate the grasped waste items for automatic deposit into the container; and

(b) selectively actuating each of the first and second robotic arms while driving in a given direction along the driveway so as to automatically grasp waste items situated on the opposed sides of the driveway.

19. The collection method of claim 18 and further comprising:

(c) providing the multi-arm robotic arm mechanism with a plurality of motors for mechanically driving at least the reaching-out, grasping and further translating actions of said first and second robotic arms, and situating at least two of said plural motors rearward of a rearmost refuse-containing wall of the container.

20-26. -26. (canceled)

27-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A method for using a robot-assisted waste collecting system where the system has a container, a user interface and a waste-fetching and disposing robot, where a major portion of the mass of said robot is interposed between said user interface and a rear side of said container, the method of using comprising:

(a) inserting lifting forks frontwardly from the rear side of the container for supporting at least the weight of the container on the inserted forks and for further supporting on the forks, the weight of the robot, and the weight of waste fetched by the robot and disposed by the robot into the interior of the container.

30. The method of claim 29 and further comprising:

(b) operatively coupling the combination of said container and robot to a vibration dampening means.

31-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A refuse collecting method comprising:

(a) using a waste collecting vehicle to integrally lift a combination of a side-loading robotic arm mechanism and an intermediate refuse container and to move the lifted combination forward and roughly parallel to a curb-side of a driveway that can have refuse provided by its curb-side, where said refuse container defines a total refuse containment volume into which the robotic arm mechanism can deposit side-loaded refuse during collections of refuse from curb-side locations spaced away from a curb-adjacent side of the intermediate refuse container; and

(b) causing during said collections of refuse from the curb-side locations, at least a major mass portion of the lifted robotic arm mechanism to be disposed between said total refuse containment volume and the waste collecting vehicle.

44. The refuse collecting method of claim 43 and comprising:

(c) causing said side-loading robotic arm mechanism to reach out to the spaced away curb-side locations, grasp refuse and/or refuse containers located thereat, and to thereafter retract and deposit the refuse into said total refuse containment volume.

45. The refuse collecting method of claim 44 wherein said step (c) of causing the side-loading robotic arm mechanism to retract includes:

(c.2) actuating said first motor to provide power for said retracting operation of the side-loading robotic arm mechanism.

46. The refuse collecting method of claim 44 wherein said step (c) of causing the side-loading robotic arm mechanism to deposit the refuse into said total refuse containment volume includes:

(c.2) actuating a second motor located between said total refuse containment volume and the waste collecting vehicle to provide power for said depositing operation of the side-loading robotic arm mechanism.

47. The refuse collecting method of claim 46 wherein said step (c) of causing the side-loading robotic arm mechanism to grasp the refuse and/or the refuse containers includes:

(c.3) actuating a third motor located between said total refuse containment volume and the waste collecting vehicle to provide power for said grasping operation of the side-loading robotic arm mechanism.

48. A method of producing a side-loading robotic arm mechanism having mass and being configured for use in front loading refuse collection runs performed by a forward driving collection vehicle that supports the mass of the robotic arm mechanism during said refuse collection runs, where said producing of the robotic arm mechanism enables at least a portion of the mass of the robotic arm mechanism to be situated rearward of a total refuse containment volume defined by an intermediate refuse container that is further supported by the collection vehicle during the front loading collection runs, where the intermediate refuse container is disposed in front of the collection vehicle during said front loading refuse collection runs, and where the robotic arm mechanism is configured to be able to deposit refuse into the total refuse containment volume by reaching out toward a curb area located adjacent to a curb-side portion of the intermediate refuse container, the method comprising:

(a) manufacturing a reciprocating member structured to cause a refuse grasping portion of the robotic arm mechanism to translate outwardly to a refuse holding curb area located to the right of the vehicle for grasping refuse or a refuse-containing basket located in the refuse holding curb area.

49. The method of claim 48 wherein where said producing of the robotic arm mechanism enables at least a major portion of the mass of the robotic arm mechanism to be situated rearward of a total refuse containment volume.

50. The method of claim 48 wherein where said producing of the robotic arm mechanism includes:

(b) manufacturing a reciprocation motor structured to be mounted rearward of said total refuse containment volume and to drive said translation of the refuse grasping portion outwardly to the refuse holding curb area located to the right of the vehicle.

51. The method of claim 48 wherein where said producing of the robotic arm mechanism includes:

(b) manufacturing a forearm structured to locate said refuse grasping portion adjacent to a curbside portion of the intermediate refuse container during part of said refuse collection runs.

52. The method of claim 48 and further comprising:

(b) manufacturing a rotating mechanism that can rotate a forearm of said refuse grasping portion to thereby arc an item grasped by the grasping portion from the refuse holding curb area located to the right of the vehicle to a height above a top portion of the intermediate container.

53. A method of producing a side-loading robotic arm mechanism having mass and being configured for use in front loading refuse collection runs performed by a forward driving collection vehicle that supports the mass of the robotic arm mechanism during said refuse collection runs, where said producing of the robotic arm mechanism enables at least a portion of the mass of the robotic arm mechanism to be situated rearward of a total refuse containment volume defined by an intermediate refuse container that is further supported by the collection vehicle during the front loading collection runs, where the intermediate refuse container is disposed in front of the collection vehicle during said front loading refuse collection runs, and where the robotic arm mechanism is configured to be able to deposit refuse into the total refuse containment volume by reaching out toward a curb area located adjacent to a curb-side portion of the intermediate refuse container, the method comprising:

(a) manufacturing a forearm structured to allow a refuse grasping portion of the robotic arm mechanism to translate outwardly to a refuse holding curb area located to the right of the vehicle for grasping refuse or a refuse-containing basket located in the refuse holding curb area and structured to allow the refuse grasping portion to retract to a position adjacent a right side of the intermediate refuse container.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein said producing of the robotic arm mechanism enables at least a major portion of the mass of the robotic arm mechanism to be situated rearward of a total refuse containment volume.

55. The method of claim 53 wherein said forearm includes an L-shaped portion.