Refuse collection vehicle

Abstract

To provide a refuse collection vehicle that can efficiently and safely discharge waste into pits at waste disposal plants. [Solution] The refuse collection vehicle of the present invention comprises a refuse input box 3 having an input opening 3a into which refuse is introduced and which is rotatable in the vertical direction, a rear door 5 that closes the input opening 3a, a door drive unit 6 that opens and closes the rear door 5, and a control device 7 that controls the door drive unit 6. The control device 7 causes the door drive unit 6 to open the rear door 5 when the refuse input box 3 rotates upward.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refuse collection vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In general refuse collection vehicles, a vertically sliding rear door (cover) that closes the input port is provided on the rear surface of the refuse input box. A worker engaged in refuse collection, upon arriving at a refuse accumulation point, opens the rear door of the refuse collection vehicle to input refuse, then closes the rear door and moves to the next refuse accumulation point. When the refuse storage box is full of refuse or the like, the worker drives the refuse collection vehicle to a refuse disposal site, and discharges the refuse into a pit (temporary refuse storage location) on the site. When discharging refuse, the refuse input box is rotated upward to open the refuse storage box. Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a refuse collection vehicle that includes an interlock switch that outputs an operation command for rotating the refuse input box upward, and a first proximity sensor that detects that the refuse input box is in the upward rotation position. When the operation command of the interlock switch is output, the control device of the refuse collection vehicle drives a swing cylinder to rotate the refuse input box upward, and when the first proximity sensor detects that the refuse input box has reached the upward rotation position, the control device drives a discharge cylinder to automatically move a discharge plate rearward.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When discharging waste into the pit, the rear door of the waste collection box may be fully opened to prevent damage before rotating the box upwards. In this case, the vehicle is stopped a short distance from the pit, a worker gets out of the vehicle to open the rear door, and then the vehicle is moved again to the edge of the pit, which delays the start of the discharge operation. In addition, workers may open the rear door at the edge of the pit, but this is dangerous as there is a risk of falling into the pit. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a refuse collection vehicle that can efficiently and safely perform the operation of discharging waste into a pit at a waste treatment plant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The refuse collection vehicle of the present invention as described in claim 1 comprises a refuse input box 3 having an input opening 3a into which refuse is introduced and rotatable in the vertical direction, a rear door 5 that closes the input opening 3a, a door drive unit 6 that opens and closes the rear door 5, and a control device 7 that controls the door drive unit 6, wherein the control device 7 causes the door drive unit 6 to open the rear door 5 when the refuse input box 3 rotates upward. The present invention as described in claim 2 is a refuse collection vehicle as described in claim 1, further comprising a locking device for fixing the refuse input box 3 in a horizontal position and a lifting operation unit 9A for initiating the upward rotation of the refuse input box 3, wherein the fixing of the refuse input box 3 by the locking device is released when the lifting operation unit 9A is turned ON, and the control device 7 causes the door drive unit 6 to perform an operation to open the rear door 5 when the fixing of the refuse input box 3 by the locking device is released. The present invention as described in claim 3 is a refuse collection vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the crew compartment 1 is equipped with a lifting operation unit 9A for initiating the upward rotation of the refuse input box 3 and an interlocking selection unit 9C for the operator to arbitrarily turn ON / OFF the interlocking between the opening and closing of the rear door 5 and the rotation of the refuse input box 3, and the control device 7 does not perform the opening operation of the rear door 5 by the door drive unit 6 when the lifting operation unit 9A is turned ON and the interlocking selection unit 9C has selected interlocking OFF. The present invention as described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the refuse collection vehicle described in claim 1, the control device 7 causes the door drive unit 6 to perform the operation of closing the rear door 5 when the refuse input box 3 rotates downward. The present invention as described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the refuse collection vehicle described in claim 4, a soft cover 10 is attached to the lower end of the rear door 5, and when the control device 7 detects that the refuse input box 3 has rotated downward by a predetermined amount or more, it causes the door drive unit 6 to perform an operation to close the rear door 5. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the refuse collection vehicle of the present invention, the operation of discharging waste into a pit at a waste treatment plant can be performed efficiently and safely. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] External view of a refuse collection vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] This diagram shows the opening and closing mechanism of the rear door of the waste disposal box. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the control flow when rotating the waste collection box in linked mode. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A refuse collection vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a refuse input box having an input opening into which refuse is introduced and which is rotatable in the vertical direction, a rear door that closes the input opening, a door drive unit that opens and closes the rear door, and a control device that controls the door drive unit, wherein the control device causes the door drive unit to perform an operation to open the rear door when the refuse input box rotates upward. According to this embodiment, the rear door opens automatically when the waste disposal box rotates upward, thus reliably preventing damage to the rear door due to forgetting to open it. Furthermore, since it becomes unnecessary for workers to open the rear door near the pit, work efficiency and safety are improved.

[0009] A second embodiment of the present invention is a refuse collection vehicle according to the first embodiment, further comprising a locking device for fixing a refuse input box in a horizontal position and a lifting operation unit for initiating an upward rotation movement of the refuse input box. The locking device releases the refuse input box when the lifting operation unit is turned ON, and the control device causes the door drive unit to open the rear door when the locking device releases the refuse input box. According to this embodiment, the rear door opens when it is detected that the locking device has been released, thus preventing the rear door from opening even when the lifting operation unit is turned ON but the waste disposal box does not rise due to a malfunction of the locking device or the like.

[0010] A third embodiment of the present invention is a refuse collection vehicle according to the first embodiment, wherein the vehicle is equipped with a lifting operation unit that initiates the upward rotation of the refuse input box, and an interlocking selection unit that allows an operator to arbitrarily turn ON / OFF the linkage between the opening and closing of the rear door and the rotation of the refuse input box, and the control device, when the lifting operation unit is turned ON, will not perform the rear door opening operation by the door drive unit if the interlocking selection unit has selected the interlocking OFF. According to this embodiment, when the refuse input box is raised but there is no need to open the rear door, the linkage with the rotational movement of the refuse input box can be disengaged, and the rear door can remain closed. Furthermore, when discharging the waste from the refuse input box into the pit, etc., the worker can easily switch the linked mode ON / OFF without having to get out of the vehicle.

[0011] A fourth embodiment of the present invention is a refuse collection vehicle according to the first embodiment, wherein the control device causes the door drive unit to perform an operation to close the rear door when the refuse input box rotates downward. According to this embodiment, the rear door closes automatically when the waste disposal box rotates downward, thus reliably preventing the rear door from being left open. Furthermore, since workers do not need to close the rear door near the pit, work efficiency and safety are improved.

[0012] A fifth embodiment of the present invention is a refuse collection vehicle according to the fourth embodiment, further comprising a soft cover attached to the lower end of the rear door, wherein the control device, when it detects that the refuse input box has rotated downward by a predetermined amount or more, causes the door drive unit to perform an operation to close the rear door. According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the soft cover from getting stuck inside the rotating table or the like. [Examples]

[0013] The following describes a refuse collection vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is an external view of a refuse collection vehicle, with Figure 1(a) being a left side view, Figure 1(b) being a rear view, and Figure 1(c) being a view of the refuse loading device. Figure 2 is a view of the rear door opening and closing mechanism of the refuse input box. A refuse collection vehicle comprises a crew compartment 1 equipped with a driver's seat, passenger seats, etc., a refuse input box 3 having an input opening 3a into which garbage (refuse) is introduced and which is rotatable in the vertical direction, a refuse storage box 2 positioned between the crew compartment 1 and the refuse input box 3 to store garbage, a refuse loading device 4 installed inside the refuse input box 3, a rear door 5 provided on the rear of the refuse input box 3 and used to open and close the input opening 3a, a door drive unit 6 that opens and closes the rear door 5, a control device 7 that controls the refuse loading device 4 and the door drive unit 6, and an external control unit 8 on which operating switches are located.

[0014] The external control unit 8 includes a door control unit 8a for initiating the opening and closing of the rear door 5, a loading start control unit 8b for initiating the loading operation of the refuse loading device 4, and an emergency stop control unit 8c for emergency stopping the refuse loading device 4 while it is in operation. The door control unit 8a is, for example, a mono lever or a changeover switch, while the loading start control unit 8b and the emergency stop control unit 8c are, for example, push buttons.

[0015] There are two types of refuse loading devices 4. One is a rotary type having a rotary plate that rakes up the refuse thrown into the refuse input box 3 toward the refuse storage box 2, and a pushing plate that pushes the refuse raked up by the rotary plate into the refuse storage box 2. The other is a press type having a press plate that compresses the refuse thrown into the refuse input box 3, and a packer plate that slides and pushes the refuse compressed by the press plate into the refuse storage box 2. Although Figure 1(c) shows the rotary refuse loading device 4, the present invention can also be applied to a refuse collection vehicle equipped with the press type refuse loading device 4. A door drive unit 6 having an electro-hydraulic cylinder 6a, an arm 6b and the like is connected to the rear door 5, and the rear door 5 slides in the vertical direction as the arm 6b displaces in an arcuate manner along with the extension and retraction of the cylinder rod of the electro-hydraulic cylinder 6a. In the present embodiment, a gap of about several centimeters is formed between the lower end of the rear door 5 in the fully closed state and the lower end of the input port 3a, so as to prevent the fingers of a worker from being caught when the rear door 5 is closed. In addition, a soft cover 10 that covers the gap is provided at the lower end of the rear door 5, so that fragments and sewage contained in the refuse compressed by the refuse loading device 4 do not scatter out of the vehicle through the gap.

[0016] The refuse input box 3 is rotatable by about 90 degrees in the vertical direction via a hydraulic cylinder or the like around a rotation shaft provided at the upper part of the refuse storage box 2, and when rotated upward, the rear side of the refuse storage box 2 is brought into an open state. The refuse input box 3 is in a substantially horizontal state during traveling or the like, and is fixed to the vehicle body by a locking device such as a tightening hook. When discharging refuse or the like, the locking device is released to make the refuse input box 3 rotatable.

[0017] On the dashboard in the cab 1, an in-vehicle operating device 9 is provided for workers to operate the dust input box 3, the PTO (Power Take Off), and the like. The in-vehicle operating device 9 is provided with an ascending operation part 9A used for the operation of rotating the dust input box 3 upward, a descending operation part 9B used for the operation of rotating the dust input box 3 downward, an interlocking selection part 9C for a worker to select whether to use the interlocking mode for automatically opening and closing the rear door 5 in conjunction with the rotation of the dust input box 3, and the like. The ascending operation part 9A, the descending operation part 9B, and the interlocking selection part 9C are, for example, changeover switches, push buttons, or the like.

[0018] Garbage collected by the garbage truck is incinerated or otherwise disposed of at a garbage disposal plant. When a worker intends to discharge the collected garbage, the worker drives the garbage truck toward the pit in the garbage disposal plant, and stops the vehicle with the rear side facing the pit at the platform which is the garbage input (discharge) point. At this time, the rear door 5 is in a closed state. Here, the control when discharging the garbage in the dust storage box 2 to the pit using the interlocking mode will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing a control flow when rotating the dust storage box in the interlocking mode. The worker operates the in-vehicle operating device 9 in the cab 1 of the garbage truck to turn on the PTO, and brings the interlocking mode of the rear door 5 into a selected state. (Step S1)

[0019] After step S1, the worker performs an ON operation on the ascending operation part 9A so that the dust input box 3 starts to rotate upward while the PTO remains in the ON state. For example, when the ascending operation part 9A is a toggle switch, the ON operation is to tilt the toggle switch in a predetermined direction for 0.2 seconds or more. (Step S2) When the operation of step 2 is performed, the control device 7 releases the fixation by the lock device, and causes the dust input box 3 to start rotating upward. Further, when the control device 7 detects that the lock device has been released by a proximity switch or the like, the control device 7 operates the door drive unit 6 to cause the rear door 5 to start sliding in the upward direction (opening direction). When the dust input box 3 rotates upward by approximately 90 degrees, it stops at that position, and when the rear door 5 slides to the fully open position, it stops at that position. (Step S3) Thus, in the linked mode, the rear door 5 opens automatically at approximately the same time that the waste input box 3 begins to rotate upward, thus reliably preventing damage to the rear door 5 due to forgetting to open it. Damage to the rear door 5 due to forgetting to open it may occur, for example, when using a function called the "scooping" function, which removes debris caught in the waste loading device 4 and its surrounding mechanisms by moving the waste loading device 4 when discharging waste into the pit. Furthermore, since workers no longer need to get out of the vehicle and open the rear door 5 near the pit as in conventional systems, this shortens the time until waste discharge can begin, reduces the burden on workers, and eliminates the risk of workers falling into the pit. In addition, since the rear door 5 opens when it detects that the locking device has been released, it prevents the rear door 5 from opening even if the lifting operation unit 9A is turned ON but the waste input box 3 does not rise due to a malfunction of the locking device or the like. An alarm is issued if the locking device is not released even when the lifting operation unit 9A is turned ON.

[0020] After step S3, the waste in the waste container 2 is discharged into the pit by sliding the push plate towards the rear of the vehicle if it is a push-type waste collection vehicle, or by the front of the waste container 2 being lifted and tilted if it is a dump-type waste collection vehicle. (Step S4) Once the waste discharge is complete, the worker turns on the lowering control unit 9B so that the waste input box 3 begins to rotate downwards, with the PTO ON and the interlocking mode selected. For example, if the lowering control unit 9B is a toggle switch, the ON operation involves tilting the toggle switch in the specified direction for 0.2 seconds or more. (Step S5) When step S5 is performed, the control device 7 starts the downward rotation of the waste container 3. Furthermore, when the control device 7 detects that the waste container 3 has started rotating downward via a proximity switch or the like, it activates the door drive unit 6, causing the rear door 5 to start sliding downward (to the closed position). The waste container 3 rotates approximately 90 degrees downward and returns to its position before rising, where it stops and is then locked again by the locking device. The rear door 5 also slides to the fully closed position and stops there. (Step S6) Thus, in the linked mode, the rear door 5 automatically closes as the refuse input box 3 rotates downward, thus reliably preventing the rear door 5 from being left open. Furthermore, since workers no longer need to close the rear door 5 near the pit as in conventional systems, the refuse collection vehicle can be moved quickly after the waste is discharged, leading to improved work efficiency and eliminating the risk of workers falling into the pit. In addition, because the rear door 5 closes before the refuse input box 3 has finished descending to its original position, it prevents workers from being trapped by the rear door 5 if they are near the rear of the vehicle.

[0021] Furthermore, the time it takes for the rear door 5 to go from fully open to fully closed is set to be shorter than the time it takes for the waste input box 3 to finish rotating downwards. Therefore, if the closing operation of the rear door 5 is started at the same time as the waste input box 3 begins to descend, the rear door 5 will be fully closed when the waste input box 3 has descended about halfway, and the soft cover 10 may hang down vertically and get caught inside the rotating table or other components located below the input opening 3a. Therefore, in the case of a garbage collection vehicle equipped with a soft cover 10 at the lower end of the rear door 5, as in this embodiment, it is preferable to start the closing operation of the rear door 5 when a proximity switch or the like detects that the garbage input box 3 has rotated downwards beyond a predetermined amount, so that when the garbage input box 3 rotates downwards, the timing of the rear door 5 being fully closed coincides with the point when the rear surface of the garbage input box 3 becomes approximately vertical. This prevents the soft cover 10 from getting caught inside the rotating table or the like. Here, the rotating table is configured to rotate around a horizontal axis, and is kept in an unused state with the table standing approximately vertically while the vehicle is moving, and is deployed in an unused state with the table extended approximately horizontally when the vehicle is stopped at a garbage collection point and workers are manually loading garbage, for use as a temporary place to put garbage, etc. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure the system so that the timing of the rear door 5 being fully closed coincides with the point when the rear surface of the waste collection box 3 becomes approximately vertical, by using a combination of a proximity switch and a timer to detect when the waste collection box 3 starts rotating downwards, measuring the elapsed time since the start of the downward rotation using a timer, and starting the closing operation of the rear door 5 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0022] On the other hand, if the interlocking mode is not selected in the interlocking selection unit 9C, the worker can discharge the waste from the waste collection box 2 into the pit in the conventional manner. Furthermore, if the linked mode is not selected, the rear door 5 will not open or close automatically even if an operator turns on the lifting operation unit 9A or the lowering operation unit 9B. Therefore, when returning to a business premises after garbage collection work, the garbage collection box 3 is rotated upward while parked for purposes such as drying the inside of the empty garbage collection box 2, and the garbage collection box 3 is raised but there is no need to open the rear door 5, the rear door 5 can be kept closed. Furthermore, since the interlocking selection unit 9C is located inside the crew compartment 1, workers can easily switch the interlocking mode ON / OFF without having to go outside the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 1. Crew compartment 3 Garbage disposal box 3a Inlet 5. Rear door 6. Door drive unit 7 Control device 8a Door operation unit 8b Loading start operation section 9A Lifting operation section 9C Interlocking Selection Section 10 Covers

Claims

1. A waste collection box having an opening into which waste is introduced and capable of rotating vertically, A rear door that closes the aforementioned input opening, The door drive unit for opening and closing the aforementioned rear door, The system includes a control device for controlling the door drive unit, The garbage collection vehicle is characterized in that the control device causes the door drive unit to perform an operation to open the rear door when the garbage input box rotates upward.

2. A locking device for securing the waste disposal box in a horizontal position, It includes an upward operation unit that initiates the upward rotation of the aforementioned waste disposal box, The locking mechanism that secures the waste disposal box is released when the lifting operation unit is turned ON. The garbage collection vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that when the locking device releases the garbage collection box from being fixed in place, the control device causes the door drive unit to perform an operation to open the rear door.

3. A lifting operation unit that initiates the upward rotation movement of the aforementioned waste collection box, A control panel is provided inside the crew compartment to allow a worker to arbitrarily turn ON / OFF the linkage between the opening and closing of the rear door and the rotation of the waste disposal box. The garbage collection vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that when the lifting operation unit is turned ON, if the interlocking selection unit has selected interlocking OFF, the control device does not perform the door drive unit to open the rear door.

4. The garbage collection vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device causes the door drive unit to perform an operation to close the rear door when the garbage input box rotates downward.

5. The rear door is equipped with a soft cover attached to the lower end, The garbage collection vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that when the control device detects that the garbage input box has rotated downward by a predetermined amount or more, it causes the door drive unit to perform an operation to close the rear door.

Images