Rear electric loader for electric refuse vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12319498-B2
Application number	US-202318541943-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2023
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Jun 3, 2025
Grant date	Jun 3, 2025

Abstract

A refuse vehicle includes a chassis, a body assembly, and a tailgate. The body assembly is coupled to the chassis and defines a refuse compartment configured to store refuse material. The tailgate comprises a refuse receiving portion, a thresher assembly, and an electrically driven actuation mechanism. The refuse receiving portion is configured to receive refuse material. The thresher assembly includes a compaction thresher including a plurality of tines and a plurality of tine springs configured to bias the plurality of tines in a direction of compaction. The plurality of tine springs are each disposed around a corresponding tine of the plurality of tines. The electrically driven actuation mechanism is configured to selectively actuate the thresher assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refuse vehicle comprising:
a chassis;
a body assembly coupled to the chassis and defining a refuse compartment configured to store refuse material; and
a tailgate comprising:
a refuse receiving portion configured to receive refuse material;
a thresher assembly including a compaction thresher comprising a plurality of tines and a plurality of tine springs configured to bias the plurality of tines in a direction of compaction, wherein the plurality of tine springs are each disposed around a corresponding tine of the plurality of tines; and
an electrically driven actuation mechanism configured to selectively actuate the thresher assembly.

2. The refuse vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the electrically driven actuation mechanism comprises an electric motor.

3. The refuse vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the compaction thresher is one of a stationary compaction thresher or a rotary compaction thresher and the thresher assembly further includes the other of the stationary compaction thresher or the rotary compaction thresher.

4. The refuse vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the rotary compaction thresher is configured to be articulated in a cyclical manner to engage and pack the refuse material received by the refuse receiving portion into the refuse compartment.

5. The refuse vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a tailgate lifting mechanism selectively actuatable to move the tailgate between an opened position and a closed position; and
an ejector mechanism selectively actuatable to move an ejector between a refuse receiving position and an ejecting position.

6. The refuse vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the ejector mechanism is a scissor mechanism selectively actuatable between an extended position and a retracted position to move the ejector between the receiving position and the ejecting position.

7. The refuse vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the ejector mechanism comprises a belt drive system including a belt extending along a length of the refuse compartment, coupled to the ejector, and selectively actuatable to move the ejector between the receiving position and the ejecting position.

8. The refuse vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the ejector mechanism comprises a recirculating cable winch system selectively actuatable to move the ejector between the refuse receiving position and the ejecting position.

9. A refuse vehicle comprising:
a chassis;
a body assembly coupled to the chassis and defining a refuse compartment configured to store refuse material;
an ejector mechanism selectively actuatable to move an ejector between a refuse receiving position and an ejecting position;
a tailgate moveable between an opened position and a closed position, the tailgate comprising:
a refuse receiving portion configured to receive refuse material; and
a thresher assembly actuatable to compact the refuse material received by the refuse receiving portion into the refuse compartment, the thresher assembly including a compaction thresher comprising a plurality of tines and a plurality of tine springs configured to bias the plurality of tines in a direction of compaction, wherein the plurality of tine springs are each disposed around a corresponding tine of the plurality of tines; and

an electrically driven actuation mechanism configured to selectively actuate at least one of the ejector mechanism or the tailgate.

10. The refuse vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the ejector mechanism is a push chain ejector mechanism comprising:
a gear system including one or more gears; and
a link system having a plurality of interlocking chain links configured to be selectively deployed by the gear system upon rotation of the one or more gears, the plurality of interlocking chain links further configured to form a rigid column upon deployment from the gear system, the rigid column being configured to selectively push the ejector from the refuse receiving position into the ejecting position.

11. The refuse vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the ejector mechanism is a helical band actuator configured to selectively actuate between a retracted position and an extended position to move the ejector between the refuse receiving position and the ejecting position.

12. The refuse vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the ejector mechanism is a scissor mechanism selectively actuatable between an extended position and a retracted position to move the ejector between the receiving position and the ejecting position.

13. The refuse vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the ejector mechanism comprises a belt drive system including a belt extending along a length of the refuse compartment, coupled to the ejector, and selectively actuatable to move the ejector between the receiving position and the ejecting position.

14. The refuse vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the ejector mechanism is a double-acting lead screw configured to selectively actuate between a retracted position and an extended position to move the ejector between the refuse receiving position and the ejecting position.

15. The refuse vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the ejector mechanism comprises a recirculating cable winch system selectively actuatable to move the ejector between the refuse receiving position and the ejecting position.

16. A refuse vehicle comprising:
a chassis;
a body assembly coupled to the chassis and defining a refuse compartment configured to store refuse material; and
a tailgate moveable between an opened position and a closed position, the tailgate comprising:
a refuse receiving portion configured to receive refuse material;
a tailgate compaction assembly selectively actuatable to compact the refuse material received by the refuse receiving portion into the refuse compartment, wherein the tailgate compaction assembly is a thresher assembly including a compaction thresher comprising a plurality of tines and a plurality of tine springs configured to bias the plurality of tines in a direction of compaction, wherein the plurality of tine springs are each disposed around a corresponding tine of the plurality of tines; and
a tailgate lifting mechanism comprising an electric actuator that is selectively actuatable to move the tailgate between the opened position and the closed position.

17. The refuse vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the tailgate lifting mechanism is a sliding gate lift mechanism comprising an actuation track and the electric actuator is configured to engage the actuation track of the sliding gate lift mechanism to actuate the tailgate between the opened position and the closed position along the actuation track.

18. The refuse vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the tailgate lifting mechanism is a rack and pinion lift mechanism including a rack and a pinion gear, the rack being coupled to and axially translatable by the pinion gear, the rack further being coupled to the tailgate, and the electric actuator is configured to selectively rotate the pinion gear, thereby axially translating the rack and moving the tailgate between the opened position and the closed position.

19. The refuse vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the rack comprises a curved rack.

20. The refuse vehicle of claim 16 , further comprising a scissor mechanism selectively actuatable between an extended position and a retracted position to move an ejector between a refuse receiving position and an ejecting position.

Assignees

• Oshkosh Corp

Inventors

• Rocholl Joshua D
• Wente Derek A
• Kellander John T
• Clifton Cody D
• Hoover Vincent
• Klein Zachary L
• Weckwerth Clinton T
• Wachter Skylar A
• Kotloski Andrew
• Buege Wallace
• Binder Caleb
• Schimke Martin J

Classifications

• B65F3/203

  with charging teeth, cutters or the like mounted on an axle or a drum (B65F3/202, B65F3/205, B65F3/206 take precedence) · CPC title

• B65F3/24

  with devices for unloading the tank of a refuse vehicle · CPC title

• B65F3/06

  Arrangement and disposition of fluid actuators · CPC title

• B65F3/207

  guided by tracks, channels, slots or the like provided on the vehicle · CPC title

• B65F3/208 Primary

  the charging pistons, plates or the like oscillating about a horizontal axis · CPC title