The present invention relates to refuse handling systems, and is particularly concerned with a system wherein refuse is compacted into a container which can be mounted to a vehicle for transportation, the container having an ejector blade movable longitudinally within the container to eject rubbish contained therein.

In conventional containers of this type, the container is of a prismatic shape having a discharge door at one end. An ejector blade whose outline conforms to the internal shape of the container is mounted for longitudinal movement towards and away from the discharge door. The ejector blade is normally positioned at the end of the container remote from the discharge door, to form an end wall of the container.

When such containers are operated in conjunction with a rubbish compaction apparatus, the compaction apparatus conventionally delivers compacted rubbish into the container via an opening in the container remote from the ejector blade, usually in the region of the discharge door. When the container is full, and the rubbish is to be discharged therefrom, the compaction apparatus is removed if necessary, the discharge door is opened, and the ejector blade is moved longitudinally of the container to expel the compacted rubbish through the discharge door. In most conventional equipment, this involves discharging the refuse through the same end of the container as it entered, and in vehicle-mounted arrangements the compaction apparatus generally has to be swung or lifted to provide a clear discharge path.

A disadvantage of this type of equipment is that substantial and massive movement of the various parts of the vehicle can cause instability. Likewise, the actuators for movable compaction apparatus have also to be supplied with power, and due to the long travel of the compaction apparatus, supplying these actuators with power either by hydraulic or electrical means is complicated in that the power supply cables or ducting must of necessity follow the motion. This leads to expensive and complicated power transmission arrangements.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an ejection container is provided having a generally elongated prismatic shape with a discharge opening at one end and an ejector blade movable between a retracted position remote from the discharge door and an extended position adjacent the discharge door, wherein the ejector blade has an entry opening which is selectively closeable by an entry door, the entry door being moved from its open to its closed position by means of one or more actuators, the actuators and the entry door having engageable cooperating formations to transmit actuating force from the actuators to the entry door when the ejector blade is in its position remote from the container's discharge door.

In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the container is cooperable with a compactor device but removable therefrom, and the actuators for the entry door means do not move with the ejector blade, but are fixed either to the container body or to the compactor device. It is however also foreseen that the container may be permanently associated with a compactor device.

In the case where the container is permanently connected to a compactor device adapted to discharge compacted refuse into the container through the opening in its ejector blade, the actuators for the entry door in the ejector blade may be mounted on the ejector blade itself, on the container body, or on the body of the compactor device. Alternatively, in the case where the container is removably connected to the compactor device, the actuators for the entry door in the ejector blade will preferably be mounted to the body of the compactor.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a compaction apparatus for use in combination with an ejection container having an entry opening in its ejector blade and an entry door mounted to the ejector blade for movement between a first position wherein the entry opening is unobstructed and a second position wherein the entry opening is closed by the entry door, the compaction apparatus including one or more actuators arranged so that they can cooperate with the entry door or doors mounted on the ejector blade of the container to move the entry doors from their first to their second positions and vice versa.

The entry doors may be mounted for sliding movement in vertical or horizontal directions in the plane of the ejector blade, or may be mounted for pivoting movement about axes parallel to or perpendicular to the plane of the ejector blade. In a preferred embodiment, a pivotally mounted door attached to the ejector blade forms,in its open position, part of the wall of a passage through which refuse passes from the compactor to the entry opening of the ejector blade. Most preferably, such an entry door can also act as a sweep blade to urge refuse through the entry opening during closing movement of the door.

It is further foreseen that door or doors mounted to the ejector blade of the container may be provided with latching means operable to retain the door or doors in the closed position, the latching means being preferably disengaged when the door or doors cooperate with actuator means mounted either to the compactor or in the container.

The latching means may be arranged to act between the ejector blade and one or more of the doors to prevent movement of the door or doors relative to the ejector blade, or may act between two doors to prevent movement of one door relative to the other.

The compactor described above may be a free-standing apparatus intended to be used in conjunction with a container standing on the ground, the compactor having a hydraulic compaction system powered from the electrical mains supply or from an auxiliary generator. Alternatively, the compaction apparatus may be mounted on a vehicle and may discharge compacted refuse into either a fixed ejector-type vehicle body, or into a demountable ejection container received on a load bed of the vehicle. The compactor is preferably mounted immediately behind the cab and forward of the vehicle loadbed, so as to fill either the fixed ejector-type vehicle body or a demountable ejection container from the front of the container, through the ejector blade. The vehicle can then be used as a collection vehicle, collected refuse being compacted into the ejector-type body for later discharge, or into a demountable container for transportation and discharge by other specially adapted vehicles.

A handling system incorporating the container and compactor of the present invention will preferably comprise a first vehicle having a compactor mounted thereon and being capable of receiving a demountable ejection container so that compacted rubbish may be discharged into the container through the ejector blade, the compactor vehicle having mounted thereto actuators to operate an entry door or doors mounted on the container's ejector blade selectively to close the opening therein. The system will further comprise one or more containers of the type described above, and will include one or more ejection vehicles which are capable of receiving filled refuse containers and have means to operate the discharge door and ejector blade of these containers when the container has been transported on the ejector vehicle to the ejection site. Means for placing the containers onto the different vehicles, and for removing them therefrom, may be provided on the vehicles themselves or as handling devices on the ground which the vehicles may approach when containers are to be loaded or removed from vehicles.

In a preferred arrangement, a generally 'L' shaped pivoting hook arm mounted to the rear of the vehicle may be used to lift and place a container on to the compactor vehicle, the arm extending beneath a container placed on the vehicle and having an upstanding portion which lies adjacent the forward wall of the container. The upstanding end portion of the arm is so positioned as not to obstruct the exit from the compactor. Preferably, the arm is formed with a window so as to leave unobstructed the exit from the compactor, to allow compacted refuse to be discharged into the container through the window.

Alternatively, the system may comprise one or more compactor vehicles as described above, one or more ejector vehicles as described, and a number of transportation vehicles equipped either to load, unload and transport, or only to transport, full and empty containers. It is also foreseen that a compactor vehicle may be provided with means to operate the discharge door and ejector of a container, to provide a vehicle capable of all the collection, compaction and discharge functions.

It is further foreseen that the compaction vehicles may be provided with means for picking up and emptying household or industrial refuse bins into the compactor, so that the contents of the bins may be compacted and discharged into the ejection container or vehicle body.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figures 1 to 5 are schematic side views of the ejector blade of an ejection container, showing various stages in the operation of the ejector blade;
• Figure 6 is a schematic side view of a compaction apparatus for use in conjunction with a container having an ejector blade as seen in Figures 1 to 5; and
• Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing an ejector blade with a swinging upper entry door and a sliding lower entry door.

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1 to 5 are schematic side views of the ejector blade of an ejection container. The ejector blade 1 is shown in a generally vertical plane, but it is to be understood that the ejector blade may, in use, occupy a plane inclined to the vertical. Likewise, the ejector blade could form part of a fixed vehicle body rather than a demountable container. The ejector blade includes an inclined foot portion at its base, the purpose of which is firstly to increase the horizontal spacing of the bearings supporting the ejector blade and thus resist tipping of the blade, and secondly to ensure that all refuse is expelled from the container when the ejector blade reaches the limit of its travel, by leaving no part of the horizontal floor of the container or vehicle body exposed.

The ejector blade 1 has a divergent entry opening 2 closeable by a pair of sliding entry doors 3 and 4 situated at its narrowest point adjacent the left-facing (as seen in Figures 1 to 5) exterior surface of the ejector blade 2. The entry doors 3 and 4 in this embodiment are vertically sliding doors which move in the plane of the ejector blade 1. The sides of the opening extend obliquely away from the opening 2 to form a widening passage for the compacted waste entering the container through the opening 2. The sliding entry doors 3 and 4 are shown in the open position in Figures 1 and 4, and in their closed positions in Figures 2, 3 and 5.

A pair of fixed actuators 5 and 6 control the movement of the entry doors 3 and 4, and an ejection actuator 7 seen in Figures 1 to 3 controls the movement of the ejector blade relative to the container (not shown).

The actuators 5 and 6 are preferably mounted to a compaction apparatus which has a delivery chute 8 shown schematically in Figure 1. Preferably the open end of the chute 8 corresponds in size and position with the opening 2 in the ejector blade.

When the container is placed in association with the compactor, either by placing the container on a compactor vehicle or by linking the container to a free-standing compactor on the ground, the initial positions of the actuators 5 and 6 and of the entry doors 3 and 4 will be as shown in Figures 2 and 5. As the container is moved into position relative to the compactor, a pair of link pins 9 and 10 enter corresponding bores 11 and 12 in the respective entry doors 3 and 4 of the ejector blade 1.

As seen in Figure 5, the lower entry door 3 may be provided with a lug 13 to cooperate with latching means 14 which retains the lower entry door 3 in its raised, closed, position. As the link pin 10 enters the bore 11 in the lower entry door 3, the leading end of the link pin will engage a swinging hook 15 of the latching means 14 to disengage it from the lug 13 of the entry door 3. Simultaneously, the link pin 10 enters the bore 12 in the upper entry door 4.

By operating the actuators 5 and 6, the lower entry door 3 can be lowered to its open position, and the upper entry door 4 can be raised to its open position, as shown in Figure 1. The compactor apparatus may then be operated to discharge compacted rubbish via the chute 8 through the opening 2 in the ejector blade into the interior of the container.

While the latching means illustrated in the Figures acts between the lower entry door 3 and the ejector blade 1, it is foreseen that a latching means may operate between the two entry doors 3 and 4 to retain them in their closed positions.

When the container is substantially filled with rubbish, the actuators 5 and 6 are again operated to raise the lower entry door 3 and to lower the upper entry door 4 in order to close the opening 2 in the ejector blade. The container may then be removed from the compactor, during which operation the link pins 9 and 10 are withdrawn from the bores 11 and 12 in the respective entry doors 3 and 4. Withdrawal of the link pin 10 from the bore 11 in the entry door 3 allows the swinging arm 15 of the latching means 14 to engage the lug 13 of the entry door 3, thus retaining the lower entry door 3 in its raised, closed, position. The upper entry door 4 is held in its closed position simply by gravity.

The full and sealed container is then transported to the discharge site, whereupon an ejection actuator 7 mounted on an ejection vehicle can engage the ejector blade 1 and, simultaneously with the opening of a discharge door at the other end of the container, can urge the ejector blade along the length of the container to discharge the compacted refuse therefrom.

After the refuse has been discharged, the ejection actuator 7 is retracted withdrawing the ejector blade to its initial position at the end of the container remote from the discharge door, and the discharge door is again closed and locked shut. The empty container may then be transported back to the compaction site, or may be placed on a vehicle having a compactor mounted thereon, and the cycle recommenced.

Figure 6 is a schematic side view of a compaction apparatus suitable for use with the container of the present invention. The compaction apparatus may be mounted on a compaction vehicle, or may be a free-standing apparatus. In either case, a container having an ejector blade substantially as described above is placed in position adjacent the compactor, so that actuators 5 and 6 mounted on the compactor can open the entry doors 3 and 4 in the ejector blade 1 of the container. In Figure 6, for clarity, the actuators 5 and 6, the link pins 9 and 10 and the latching means 14 and 15 are not shown.

The compaction apparatus comprises a hopper 16 into which refuse can be discharged from domestic or industrial bins. When the compactor is mounted to a vehicle, it is envisaged that the vehicle will also comprise means for lifting and emptying bins into the hopper 16. On a free-standing compactor, the compactor may also comprise means for lifting bins and emptying them into the hopper 16, or the compactor may be so sited that bins can be emptied directly into the hopper by manual operators.

The compaction apparatus comprises a first sweep blade 17 which is pivotally mounted to a first slide 18 which is movable in directions substantially parallel with the direction of the chute 8. The slide 18 may be moved by a hydraulic actuator 19 or by any other suitable means.

The first sweep blade 17 is mounted for pivotal motion relative to the slide 18, which pivotal motion is controlled by an actuator 20. At the upper end of chute 8, a second sweep blade 21 is mounted for pivotal motion about an axis extending generally horizontally, this axis being positioned adjacent the upper edge of the opening 2 in the ejector blade 1 when a container is mounted to the compactor for filling. The pivoting movement of second sweep blade 21 is controlled by an actuator 22.

In operation, refuse is placed into the hopper 16 from where it falls by gravity downwards onto the rear face 17b of first sweep blade 17. By retracting the slide 18 upwardly, the refuse is allowed to fall past first sweep blade 17 into the generally arcuate lower portion 23 of the compactor. Slide 18 is again advanced downwardly, so that first sweep blade 17 can engage the refuse with its leading face 17a. With the slide 18 at its lowermost position, actuator 20 is operated to cause first sweep blade 17 to rotate anticlockwise as shown in the Figure to a position where the leading face 17a of the first sweep blade 17 is generally perpendicular to the direction of the chute 8.

The slide 8 is then retracted, lifting the first sweep blade 17, and the refuse thereon, towards the opening 2 of the ejector blade 1 of the container. When the slide reaches the upper limit of its travel, the refuse may fall through the opening 2 into the container, or may be pushed through by anticlockwise (as seen in Figure 6) rotation of the second sweep blade 21 to the position F.

With the slide 18 at its uppermost position, actuator 20 is operated to cause first sweep blade 17 to rotate clockwise as shown in the Figure to a position where the leading face 17a of the first sweep blade 17 is again generally parallel to the direction of the chute 8, and the second sweep blade is rotated to its position away from the entry opening 2. The compaction sequence may then be repeated.

At the end of the compaction and charging operation, if the container is to be separated from the compactor then there should be no volume upstream of the entry doors 3 and 4 where rubbish may remain in the compactor. For example, if a horizontally moving compaction ram is used to force refuse through the opening 2, the stroke of the ram should be arranged so that the face of the ram engaging the compacted refuse lies, at the end of its travel, substantially in the plane of the opening 2 so that the entry doors 3 and 4 may make sliding contact with the front face of the compaction ram during their closing operation.

Since, in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 6, at the end of the anticlockwise rotation of the second sweep blade 21, the face of the second sweep blade 21 lies in the plane of the opening 2 of the ejector blade 1 of the container, then if the entry doors 3 and 4 are closed at the end of the compaction stroke, they make sliding contact with the face of the second sweep blade 21, and thus there is no volume upstream of the entry doors 3 and 4 where rubbish may remain in the compactor.

In the foregoing description the ejector blade 1 is described as having a pair of entry doors 3 and 4 movable in vertical directions to open and close the opening 2. It is foreseen that a single vertically movable entry door may be provided, and that this single entry door may be positioned above the opening 2 when in the open position, so that it is lowered to close the opening 2. Alternatively, such a single entry door may be positioned below the opening 2 in its open position so that the entry door is raised to close the opening 2.

It is further envisaged that the entry door or doors may be slidable in a horizontal direction, rather than vertically as shown in the drawings. As a further alternative, one or more entry doors mounted for pivoting movement about axes perpendicular to the plane of the opening 2 may be used. While hydraulic rams have been illustrated as the actuators for the compaction mechanism and for the entry doors of the ejector blade, it is foreseen that alternative actuators such as threaded rods and ball screws driven by hydraulic or electric motors may be used to provide the necessary movements for the various operating parts of the structure.

In a further alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, the ejector blade 1 is provided with a pivoting entry door 24 swinging about a horizontal axis extending across the top of opening 2, this swinging entry door 24 also performing the function of the second sweep blade 23 shown in relation to the compactor of Figure 6. The container illustrated in Figure 7 also has a sliding entry door 25 (shown in its raised, closed, position), operated in the same way as the sliding entry door 3 of Figures 1 to 5, so that when the swinging entry door 24 is in its closed position, the sliding entry door 25 can be raised to come into sliding contact with the face of the swinging entry door.

A latching means (not shown) similar to latching means 14 of Figures 4 and 5 may be provided on the ejector blade 2 or on the sliding entry door 25 to retain the swinging entry door 24 in its closed position, the latching means being preferably interlocked with an actuator 26 mounted to the compactor and engageable with the entry door 24 to operate the swinging entry door 24, so that when the entry door 24 is closed and the actuator 26 is disengaged therefrom, the latching means will engage to hold the door 24 closed.

In an alternative arrangement, illustrated in Figure 8, the upper edge 30 of the sliding entry door 25 cooperates with the swinging entry door 24, to provide the latching action to retain the swinging entry door 24 closed. In operation, sliding entry door 25 is raised when swinging entry door 24 is at its maximum anticlockwise rotated position, so that the upper edge 30 of sliding entry door 25 can engage the rear face of the swinging entry door 24 to prevent it from swinging open.

When full, the entry doors can be closed and locked shut, and the container can then be demounted from the compaction vehicle, for replacement by an empty container. This allows the compaction vehicle to continue collecting refuse while a different vehicle transports the full container to its discharge site.