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US-20260125210-A1 - REAR LOADING AND UNLOADING COLLECTION VEHICLE

US20260125210A1US 20260125210 A1US20260125210 A1US 20260125210A1US-20260125210-A1

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a collection vehicle that may be loaded and unloaded to and from the rear of the vehicle. A cargo compartment of the collection vehicle is divided into two side-by-side sections. One of the sections operates as a loading section and the other section operates as an unloading section. The loading section includes a bin tipper at the rear end of the loading section adjacent to an unloading access at a rear end of the unloading section. Inside the loading section, a cargo handling ramp is positioned onto which contents of a tipped bin are dumped. As cargo is dumped from a tipped bin, the cargo falls onto the cargo handling ramp and then slides or falls down the ramp into the unloading section. Cargo deposited into the unloading section may then be unloaded through the unloading access.

Inventors

  • Jason Andrew Samuel OLYNIK
  • Ananda Padmanaban VIRUDHAGIRI
  • Matthew Lambert
  • Yogesh Pershotam NANDWANI

Assignees

  • SHRED-TECH CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20240506

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A collection vehicle comprising: a cargo compartment having first and second sections, the first and second sections positioned in side-by-side orientation and further positioned longitudinally from a forward end of the cargo compartment to a rear end of the cargo compartment; a bin tipper positioned at a rear of the first section; and an unloading access positioned at a rear of the second section.
  2. 2 . The collection vehicle according to claim 1 , the bin tipper being positioned adjacent to the unloading access.
  3. 3 . The collection vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a cargo receiving area positioned inside the second section of the cargo compartment forward of the unloading access.
  4. 4 . The collection vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising a cargo handling ramp positioned inside the first section of the cargo compartment forward of the bin tipper.
  5. 5 . The collection vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the cargo handling ramp is further positioned under a discharge position of the bin tipper.
  6. 6 . The collection vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the cargo handling ramp comprises: an outer edge and an inner edge; the outer edge being disposed, as compared to the inner edge, closer to an outer side of the first section of the cargo compartment; and the inner edge being disposed, as compared to the outer edge, closer to the second section.
  7. 7 . The collection vehicle according to claim 6 , the inner edge being further disposed between the first and second sections of the cargo compartment running longitudinally from the bin tipper toward the forward end of the cargo compartment.
  8. 8 . The collection vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the inner edge of the cargo handling ramp is disposed along a longitudinal midline of the cargo compartment between the first and second sections of the cargo compartment.
  9. 9 . The collection vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the cargo handling ramp is disposed at an angle with the inner edge of the cargo handling ramp being positioned lower than the outer edge of the cargo handling ramp.
  10. 10 . The collection vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the cargo handling ramp is selectively movable to one or more different angles between the inner edge and the outer edge.
  11. 11 . The collection vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein, to selectively move the cargo handling ramp to the one or more different angles, the cargo handling ramp comprises a lift configured for moving the inner edge to one or more different positions relative to the outer edge.
  12. 12 . The collection vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the lift is positioned under the cargo handling ramp.
  13. 13 . The collection vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein lift is a manual lift.
  14. 14 . The collection vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein the lift is an automatic lift.
  15. 15 . The collection vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the cargo receiving area comprises a cargo receiving floor positioned below the inner edge of the cargo handling ramp, the cargo receiving floor including a conveyor configured for moving cargo loaded onto the cargo receiving floor toward the unloading access.
  16. 16 . The collection vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an overhead cargo directional chute configured for directing cargo from the unloading access positioned at a rear of the second section.
  17. 17 . The collection vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the cargo compartment comprises: a roof covering the first and second sections of the cargo compartment; and a retractable portion of the roof over the first section, the retractable portion movable up and above the bin tipper when the bin tipper is raised to a position above the roof covering the first and second sections of the cargo compartment.
  18. 18 . A collection vehicle, comprising: a cargo compartment having loading and unloading sections, the loading and unloading sections positioned in side-by-side orientation and further positioned longitudinally from a forward end of the cargo compartment to a rear end of the cargo compartment; a bin tipper positioned at a rear end of the loading section; an unloading door positioned at a rear end of the unloading section and further positioned adjacent to the bin tipper; a cargo receiving area positioned inside the unloading section of the cargo compartment forward of the unloading door; and a cargo loading ramp positioned inside the loading section of the cargo compartment forward of the bin tipper, the cargo loading ramp being selectively movable between one or more angles from an outer side of the loading section toward the cargo receiving area of the unloading section.
  19. 19 . The collection vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein the cargo receiving area comprises: a cargo receiving floor positioned below an inner edge of the cargo loading ramp onto which cargo is loaded from the cargo loading ramp; and a conveyor configured for moving cargo loaded onto the cargo receiving floor toward the unloading door.
  20. 20 . A cargo vehicle, comprising: a cargo compartment having first and second sections, the first and second sections positioned in side-by-side orientation along a longitudinal midline of the cargo compartment from a forward end of the cargo compartment to a rear end of the cargo compartment; a bin tipper positioned at a rear end of the first section; an unloading access positioned at a rear end of the second section; a cargo handling ramp positioned inside the first section of the cargo compartment forward of the bin tipper under a discharge position of the bin tipper, the cargo handling ramp being disposed at an angle wherein an inner edge of the cargo handling ramp running along the longitudinal midline of the cargo compartment is selectively angled downward relative to an outer edge of the cargo handling ramp toward a cargo receiving area positioned inside the second section of the cargo compartment; and a cargo conveyor disposed on a floor of the cargo receiving area configured for moving cargo loaded onto the cargo receiving area from the cargo handling ramp toward the unloading access.

Description

BACKGROUND Collection vehicles are used for a variety of purposes, for example, paper collection, garbage collection, recycling materials collection, and the like. Typical collection vehicles are loaded through a side access point and are subsequently unloaded through a rear access point, or alternatively, such vehicles are loaded through a rear access point and are subsequently unloaded through a side access point. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The present systems and methods for a collection vehicle are described in detail below with reference to these figures. FIG. 1 depicts a side elevation view of a collection vehicle, in accordance with examples of this disclosure. FIG. 2 depicts a side elevation view of the collection vehicle of FIG. 1, showing a raised retractable roof system, in accordance with examples of this disclosure. FIG. 3 depicts a rear elevation view of the collection vehicle of FIG. 2, showing a raised retractable roof system and showing a cargo collection and unloading section, in accordance with examples of this disclosure. FIG. 3A depicts an example of a door for a collection vehicle. FIG. 4 depicts a perspective open view of the collection vehicle of FIG. 1, showing interior components of a cargo collection area and unloading section, in accordance with examples of this disclosure. FIG. 5 depicts a perspective cut away view of the collection vehicle of FIG. 1, showing interior components of a cargo loading section, in accordance with examples of this disclosure. FIG. 6 depicts a rear elevation view of a material handling ramp assembly and cargo collection area of the collection vehicle of FIG. 1, in accordance with examples of this disclosure. FIG. 7 depicts a rear elevation view of a material handling ramp assembly and cargo collection area of the collection vehicle of FIG. 1, in accordance with examples of this disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION This detailed description is related to a collection vehicle with improved loading and unloading. At a high level, a collection vehicle (e.g., collection truck) is disclosed providing for both loading and unloading to and from the rear of the vehicle. Thus, the collection vehicle may be backed to a raised or ground level loading dock, facility or open space for loading and unloading which eliminates the need for space along the side of the vehicle for loading or unloading and which eliminates the problem of cargo falling to the side of the vehicle and possible underneath the side of the vehicle. With some conventional collection vehicles (e.g., trucks), a bin lifter might pick up a bin containing material on the side of the vehicle, load or dump the material into a collection portion in the back of the vehicle (e.g., an enclosed cargo area) and then unload or discharge the paper out of the rear of the collection portion. In other conventional examples, a bin lifter might pick up a bin containing material from the rear of the vehicle, load or dump the paper into a collection portion in the back of the vehicle (e.g., an enclosed cargo area), and then unload or discharge the material from the side of the collection portion. With either side loading or side unloading, parking the vehicle for loading or unloading is rendered difficult owing to the need for adequate space for the loading and/or unloading operation. That is, the operator of the vehicle must keep adequate space on the loading/unloading side of the vehicle to allow for movement and dumping of collection bins, boxes, bags, and the like and for subsequent unloading of the collection vehicle, particularly where an unloading vehicle such as a forklift is required. Having such space may be limited or even impossible if the vehicle is being operated in a busy urban area or where the vehicle must be maneuvered between other similar vehicles in a loading/unloading area of a building, warehouse, etc. Moreover, with either side loading or side unloading collection vehicles, often material (e.g., paper) being loaded or unloaded falls to the ground and is swept under the vehicle and potentially between the forward and rear axles of the vehicle. Such occurrences lead to unnecessary expenditure of operator work, and the need to collect such material is particularly problematic if the material contains confidential information (e.g., confidential documents being transported to a destruction facility). In examples of the present disclosure, a collection vehicle that can load and unload from the rear may include a cargo compartment that is divided into two side-by-side sections. One of the sections operates as a loading section and the other section operates as an unloading section. The two sections run from a forward end of the cargo compartment to a rear end of the cargo compartment. The two sections may occupy equal space in the cargo compartment, or one section may occupy a larger space in the cargo compartment as needed for a given type of cargo collection. According to one example, the separat