Refuse container engagement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11807450-B2
Application number	US-202117644210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2021
Priority date	Apr 23, 2019
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A refuse collection vehicle includes a grabber that is operable to engage a refuse container, at least one sensor that is arranged to collect data indicating a relative positioning of a first arm of the grabber and a second arm of the grabber, and a controller having one or more control elements for selecting a target positioning of a first arm of the grabber and a second arm of the grabber. The first arm and the second arm automatically move to the target positioning in response to a signal received by an onboard computing device of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for collecting refuse, the system comprising:
a grabber that is operable to engage a refuse container, the grabber including a first arm and a second arm;
at least one controller configured to receive a user selection of a target positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm from a plurality of target positionings, wherein each of the plurality of target positionings corresponds to a respective refuse container size; and
a computing device configured to control a positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm, wherein the computing device causes the first arm and the second arm to automatically move to the selected target positioning prior to engaging the refuse container.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of target positionings includes a distance between the first arm and the second arm that is at least a width of the respective refuse container size.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is further usable to incrementally adjust the positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is further usable to continuously adjust the positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is further usable to select a baseline positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm, and wherein selection of the baseline positioning causes the target positioning of the first arm and the second arm to correspond to the baseline positioning.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the baseline positioning is an open positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device causes the first arm and the second arm to automatically move to the selected target positioning to when a spearing mode for operating the grabber is engaged.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein:
the at least one controller includes a control element to activate the spearing mode; and
the computing device causes the first arm and the second arm to automatically move to the selected target positioning in response to the controller receiving a selection of the target positioning and activation of the spearing mode using the control element.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller comprises a touchscreen display that includes one or more control elements for selecting the target positioning.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the target positioning comprises:
an angle between each of the first arm and the second arm and a longitudinal axis of a grabber beam of the grabber; and
a distance between the first arm and the second arm.

11. A refuse collection vehicle comprising:
a grabber that is operable to engage a refuse container, the grabber including a first arm and a second arm;
at least one controller that is configured to receive a user selection of a target positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm from a plurality of target positionings, wherein each of the plurality of target positionings corresponds to a respective refuse container size; and
a computing device configured to control a positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm, wherein the computing device causes the first arm and the second arm to automatically move to the selected target positioning prior to engaging the refuse container.

12. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of target positionings includes a distance between the first arm and the second arm that is at least a width of the respective refuse container size.

13. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the at least one controller is further usable to incrementally adjust the positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm.

14. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the at least one controller is further usable to continuously adjust the positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm.

15. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , wherein:
the computing device is an onboard computing device communicatively coupled to the grabber and the at least one controller; and
causing the first arm and the second arm to automatically move to the selected target positioning comprises the onboard computing device sending one or more signals instructing the grabber to move the first arm and the second arm to the selected target positioning.

16. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising:
at least one sensor that is communicatively coupled to the computing device and that is arranged to sense a current positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm, wherein the computing device is configured to cause the first arm and the second arm to automatically move to the selected target positioning based at least partly on data from the at least one sensor describing the current positioning of the first arm relative to the second arm.

17. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the at least one controller comprises a touchscreen display that includes one or more control elements for selecting the target positioning.

18. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the target positioning comprises:
an angle between each of the first arm and the second arm and a longitudinal axis of a grabber beam of the grabber; and
a distance between the first arm and the second arm.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a plurality of control elements for selecting the target positioning, wherein each control element in the plurality of control elements corresponds to a particular refuse container size.

20. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the controller comprises a plurality of control elements for selecting the target positioning, wherein each control element in the plurality of control elements corresponds to a particular refuse container size.

Assignees

• Heil Co

Inventors

• Lewis David G
• Maroney Stanley L
• Blanchard Chad R

Classifications

• B65F3/041 Primary

  Pivoted arms or pivoted carriers · CPC title

• B65F2003/023

  Gripper arms for embracing the receptacle · CPC title

• B65F2003/0253

  Means for synchronising or coupling two or more discharging devices, e.g. for allowing the discharge of one large container or the simultaneous discharge of two or more containers · CPC title

• B65F2003/0269

  capable of moving along the side of the vehicle · CPC title

• B65F3/048 Primary

  Linkages (B65F3/041 takes precedence) · CPC title