Refuse collection vehicle with telescoping arm
A refuse collection vehicle has a container collection arm with a telescoping boom coupled with a refuse stowage unit of the vehicle. A grasping mechanism is coupled with an end of the boom. A rotary actuator couples the grasping mechanism with the boom to enable a waste container to be moved between a pick up position and a dump position.
1. A refuse collection vehicle comprising:
a hopper;
an arm configured to grasp a container from a location on one side of the vehicle, the arm comprising:
a boom configured to telescopically extend and retract relative to a chassis of the vehicle;
a pivot cylinder coupled to the boom, the pivot cylinder configured to extend and contract to provide vertical movement of a free end of the boom; and
a controller configured to receive user input and regulate operation of the boom and the pivot cylinder to selectively move the arm in alternative direct-path and low-lift-path dump modes based on the user input, wherein:
in the direct-path dump mode, the boom telescopically retracts while the pivot cylinder extends to move the free end of the boom vertically upward; and
in the low-lift-path dump mode, the boom telescopically retracts while the pivot cylinder retracts to move the free end of the boom vertically downward.
2. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the arm further comprises:
a rail system facing a cab of the vehicle;
a mounting assembly comprising a base coupled to the rail system; and
a rail cylinder coupled to the rail system and the base, the rail cylinder configured to extend and retract to provide movement of the base along the rail system.
3. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the mounting assembly comprises a journal configured to receive the boom,
wherein the pivot cylinder is rotatably coupled between the boom and the base, and
wherein the journal enables the boom to rotate about a bearing journal axis.
4. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the arm further comprises a grasping mechanism coupled to the boom.
5. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the grasping mechanism comprises a pair of moveable fingers extending parallel to the arm when in a storage position, the pair of moveable fingers configured to converge to grasp a container when in a grasping position.
6. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the pair of moveable fingers is operatively connected to a sensor configured to detect a position of the pair of moveable fingers or detect a weight of the container.
7. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, a positioning sensor, or a load cell.
8. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the grasping mechanism comprises at least one rotatable actuator coupling the grasping mechanism to the boom, the rotatable actuator configured to rotate as the arm moves between a pick-up position and a dump position.
9. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 8 wherein the rotatable actuator is configured to move in a forward and reverse direction when the arm is in the dump position to shake the container grasped by the arm.
10. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the arm further comprises a hose track housing one or more hydraulic hoses, the hydraulic hoses coupled to the grasping mechanism, the hose track coupled to the boom and configured to move along the boom during operation of the arm.
11. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a camera mounted onto a top edge of the hopper and facing a refuse stowage unit of the refuse collection vehicle, the camera configured to provide a view of the container when the refuse is dumped from the container into the hopper.
12. The refuse collection vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising a light source mounted on a top edge of the hopper and adjacent to the camera.
13. An arm for a refuse collection vehicle, the arm comprising:
a boom configured to telescopically extend and retract relative to the refuse collection vehicle; and
a pivot cylinder coupled to the boom, the pivot cylinder configured to extend and contract to provide vertical movement of a free end of the boom,
wherein the pivot cylinder is configured to operate in response to control signals and selectively move the arm in alternative direct-path and low-lift-path dump modes, wherein:
in the direct-path dump mode, the boom telescopically retracts while the pivot cylinder extends to move the free end of the boom vertically upward; and
in the low-lift-path dump mode, the boom telescopically retracts while the pivot cylinder retracts to move the free end of the boom vertically downward.
14. The arm of claim 13 , wherein the arm further comprises:
a rail system;
a mounting assembly comprising a base coupled to the rail system; and
a rail cylinder coupled to the rail system and the base, the rail cylinder configured to extend and retract to provide movement of the base along the rail system.
15. The arm of claim 14 , wherein the mounting assembly comprises a journal configured to receive the boom,
wherein the pivot cylinder is rotatably coupled between the boom and the base, and
wherein the journal enables the boom to rotate about a bearing journal axis.
16. The arm of claim 13 , wherein the arm further comprises a grasping mechanism coupled to the boom.
17. The arm of claim 16 , wherein the grasping mechanism comprises a pair of moveable fingers extending parallel to the arm when in a storage position, the pair of moveable fingers configured to converge to grasp a container when in a grasping position.
18. The arm of claim 17 , wherein the pair of moveable fingers is operatively connected to a sensor configured to detect a position of the pair of moveable fingers or detect a weight of the container.
19. The arm of claim 18 , wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a pressure sensor, a positioning sensor, or a load cell.
20. The arm of claim 16 , wherein the grasping mechanism comprises at least one rotatable actuator coupling the grasping mechanism to the boom, the rotatable actuator configured to rotate as the arm moves between a pick-up position and a dump position.
21. The arm of claim 20 , wherein the rotatable actuator is configured to move in a forward and reverse direction when the arm is in the dump position to shake a container grasped by the arm.
22. The arm of claim 16 , wherein the arm further comprises a hose track housing one or more hydraulic hoses, the hydraulic hoses coupled to the grasping mechanism, the hose track coupled to the boom and configured to move along the boom during operation of the arm.