Portable Trash Container with Collapsible Mesh and Hydraulic Lift
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional trash collection methods using dumpsters pose health concerns due to odors and require outdoor placement, and existing systems for emptying trash containers into trucks are inefficient and not adaptable for varied refuse sizes and weights.
Innovation Solution
A portable trash container with a collapsible mesh design and hydraulic-powered lift system, featuring an upper frame with side and end walls, and tubes for fork insertion, allowing for easy lifting, inversion, and dumping of contents into a truck's refuse compartment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional dumpsters are used for trash collection, then trash containers can be easily accessed by waste collection vehicles, but odors and health concerns arise due to outdoor placement
Solution Approach 1:
The portable container with removable lid acts as an intermediary between the trash storage and the environment, containing odors while allowing efficient collection. The lid seals the container during storage, preventing odor release, and the portable nature allows it to be positioned for easy vehicle access without permanent outdoor placement.
2Ease of operation
If conventional fixed-size trash containers are used, then they can be easily collected by trucks, but they cannot accommodate varied refuse sizes and weights
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs collapsible sidewalls that can be compressed by the hydraulic lift during collection, transforming from a rigid fixed-size container to a dynamic, compressible structure. This allows the container to adapt its volume to accommodate different amounts and types of refuse while maintaining compatibility with standard truck lifting mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The container's volume parameter can be dynamically changed through the collapsible sidewall mechanism. When empty or partially full, the sidewalls expand to maximize capacity; during collection, they compress to reduce volume and facilitate lifting, allowing the same container to handle varied refuse quantities efficiently.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a collapsible mesh container is used, then it can accommodate varied refuse sizes and weights, but it may lack structural integrity during lifting and dumping
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure is segmented into a rigid upper frame and collapsible sidewalls. The upper frame maintains structural integrity during lifting and dumping operations, while the collapsible sidewalls provide adaptability for varied refuse volumes. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specialized function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The container combines rigid materials for the upper frame and tubes with flexible mesh or collapsible wall materials. This composite construction provides both the strength needed for mechanical handling and the flexibility required for volume adaptation, resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and adaptability.
4Productivity
If an automatically operable mechanism is used to empty containers, then trash collection is efficient, but the system is complex and not adaptable to portable containers
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed to be self-servicing during the emptying process. The hydraulic lift of the truck performs the work of lifting and inverting the container, and gravity naturally empties the contents. No complex automatic mechanism is attached to the container itself; the container's simple tub shape and opening at the top allow it to empty passively when inverted, maintaining efficiency while minimizing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and hygienic trash collection by allowing the portable container to be easily lifted and inverted over a truck's compartment, accommodating a wide range of refuse sizes and weights, while maintaining structural integrity during dumping.
Implementation Method 1
hydraulic-powered lift having a pair of forks extending from a truck
Implementation Method 2
so that the trash in the container falls by gravity into the body
Data Source
AI summary
A portable trash container adapted to be used with an hydraulic-powered lift having a pair of forks extending from a truck, and method of use. The portable trash container includes an upper frame constructed of first and second side walls and first and second end walls, and a collapsible mesh container secured to the upper frame. A pair of tubes are secured to the first and second side walls to receive the pair of hydraulic-powered forks.