ES2973804T3 - Rolling container for collecting materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The container (1) has a loading chamber (6) having an inlet opening (7) bounded downwards by an access threshold (10). The access doors (9) to the loading chamber (6) are each movable between an open position and a closed position. A loading/unloading hook (12) is rotatably engaged near the access threshold (10). At least one locking pin (17) is slidably insertable through a retaining bracket (15) and the hook (12) to hold it in the working position. The door locking devices (18) comprise at least one guide plate (19) of the locking pin (17) and an auxiliary bracket (22) protruding from the bottom of the door and insertable into an inlet space (21) defined between the guide plate (19) and the retaining bracket (15), to be engaged by the locking pin (17) in the insertion position. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Rolling container for collecting materials

The present invention relates to a rolling container for collecting materials. The object of the present invention is particularly directed to the field of waste disposal and, in particular, to the selective collection thereof with the help of rolling containers, preferably equipped with a compaction system.

For the purpose of waste collection, the use of rolling containers is known, which, placed in recycling islands or in other collection places, are suitable for receiving waste delivered by citizens and/or by the personnel in charge of the service. collection. These containers can be equipped with a compaction system that, with the help of pushers normally moved by hydraulic actuators, are suitable to act on the waste accumulated at the bottom of a loading chamber located at one of the longitudinal ends of the container itself, to push it towards a storage chamber in which the waste is compacted in order to increase the loading capacity. Containers so equipped are also commonly referred to as "rolling compactors".

After filling, the container is suitable for being lifted onto the bed of a motor vehicle in order to transport the waste to other treatment locations. For this purpose, a loading/unloading hook is provided on a front side of the container, structured and positioned so as to be suitable for hooking by a mechanical arm or other loading device installed on the motor vehicle used for transportation.

In many applications, it is required that the loading/unloading hook can be folded down to free up space in front of the front wall of the container, to facilitate access to the loading chamber after a possible opening of the access doors provided. on the front proper wall and hinged near opposite sides of the container, respectively. To this end, the loading/unloading hook is rotatably articulated with respect to the front wall of the rolling container, below the access threshold to the loading chamber, so that it can move, with a rotation around its own horizontal fulcrum axis, between a rest position in which it is lowered, and a working position in which it is raised. In the rest position, the loading/unloading hook extends vertically below the access threshold of the loading chamber, freeing up the space in front of the entrance opening to the chamber itself, so as not to be an obstacle to access to the same and/or for the introduction of waste. When the container is to be loaded onto a motor vehicle, the loading/unloading hook is manually brought in and locked in the working position, where it protrudes from the front wall above the access threshold. A pair of locking pins, each slidably engaged through a respective retaining bracket projecting from the front wall near the access threshold, are suitable to be moved manually between an insertion position in which are hooked through respective seats arranged on the arms of the loading/unloading hook, to lock their positioning in the working position and/or in the rest position, and an extraction position in which they are axially extracted from the respective seats to free the movement of the loading/unloading hook.

When the loading/unloading hook is in the rest position, the access doors are suitable for opening towards the outside of the container, in order to allow access to the loading chamber. Fixation of the doors in the closed position is ensured by means of bolts installed in each of the doors themselves and arranged to be inserted into the respective locking seats supported by the front wall near the access threshold.

The applicant has observed that manual intervention on these bolts for the purpose of opening and closing the doors is often quite difficult, especially when prolonged exposure to atmospheric agents causes the formation of rust and dirt between the moving parts. The use of appropriate materials and surface treatments in the construction of the bolts and the parts that cooperate with them also leads to a significant increase in production costs.

The presence of numerous moving parts necessary to ensure the fixation of the doors in the closed position and the fixation of the loading/unloading hook in the working position leads to additional inconveniences related to structural complications, higher costs and maneuvering complications. The presence of several moving parts subject to wear and exposure to atmospheric agents also results in a reduction in the durability of the system and its operational reliability over time.

Documents DE202019103366 U1, DE102018123510 A1, SE539299 C2 and DE202018101513 U1 disclose rolling containers for collecting materials according to the preamble of claim 1.

The objective of the present invention is to overcome the limitations of the state of the art, proposing a simplified system that allows managing the opening and closing state of the doors and the operating and resting state of the loading/unloading hook with a reduced number of components. mobiles.

In this regard, the applicant has observed that the need to open the doors occurs only when the container is placed on the ground with the loading/unloading hook in the rest position. Therefore, it is considered useful and convenient to ensure the locking of the doors in the closed position in combination with the locking of the loading/unloading hook in the raised position, in order to avoid the risk of abnormal openings of the doors during operations. container loading/unloading maneuvers. Indeed, in the state of the art, a failure to fix the bolts, due to forgetfulness, negligence or due to poor operation, could cause unwanted openings of the doors during loading/unloading operations and/or during loading. container transportation.

According to the present invention, a rolling container for collecting materials is proposed, comprising: a substantially parallelepiped containment box, extending longitudinally between its front end and its rear end; a loading chamber defined at one of said front and rear ends, having an entrance opening made in a front wall of the containment box and delimited downward by an access threshold; at least one access door arranged in correspondence with the loading chamber and mobile between an open position in which it allows access to the loading chamber through the entrance opening, and a closed position in which it extends parallel to the front wall to close access to the loading chamber; a loading/unloading hook rotatably engaged with respect to the front wall near the access threshold, and movable about a horizontal articulation axis between a rest position in which it is lowered and a working position in which it is lowered. elevates; at least one locking pin slidably insertable through at least one retaining bracket integral with the front wall near the access threshold, to maintain the loading/unloading hook in the working position; door locking devices in closed position.

According to the invention, the locking devices comprise: at least one guide plate integral with the front wall and slidably engaging the locking pin, to guide it between an insertion position in which the locking pin extends through the guide plate and the retaining bracket, and a withdrawal position in which the locking pin is disengaged from the restraining bracket; and an auxiliary bracket that protrudes from the bottom of the door and can be inserted into an intake space defined between the guide plate and the retaining bracket, to be engaged by the locking pin in the insertion position.

Therefore fixing the doors in the closed position is achieved using the same locking pins used to fix the loading/unloading hook in the working position, eliminating the need for additional bolts to secure the doors.

One or more convenient embodiments of the invention may further comprise one or more of the following preferred features:

the auxiliary support extends substantially in a plane parallel to the guide plate and the retaining support;

the auxiliary support has a through seat for engaging the locking pin;

In the removal position, the locking pin remains engaged through the guide plate and disconnects the intake space to allow insertion and removal of the auxiliary support into and from the intake space;

said at least one locking pin has a control head movable between the guide plate and a stop shoulder supported by the front wall;

In the extraction position, one end of the locking pin, in particular the one opposite the control head, is spaced from the retaining bracket by a measurement greater than the thickness of the auxiliary bracket.

In the insertion position, the locking pin engages further through the loading/unloading hook;

two locking pins are provided, placed in respectively opposite positions with respect to the loading/unloading hook and operating on the respective access doors;

A compaction mechanism operating near the loading chamber is provided to transfer waste or other materials to a compaction compartment defined within the containment box.

Other features and advantages will become more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, although non-limiting, embodiment of a rolling container for collecting materials, in accordance with the present invention. Said description will be set out below with reference to the attached drawings provided solely for illustrative and, therefore, non-limiting purposes, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a container according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 shows an enlarged detail of Figure 1, highlighting the doors in closed position and the loading/unloading hook in rest position;

- Figure 2a shows an enlarged detail of Figure 2;

- Figure 3 shows the detail of Figure 2, with the pins extracted to allow the doors to open;

- Figure 3a shows an enlarged detail of Figure 3;

- Figure 4 shows the detail of figure 2, with the doors in closed position and the loading-unloading hook in the working position.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, the number 1 globally indicates a rolling container for collecting materials, according to the present invention.

The container 1 comprises a substantially parallelepipedal containment box 2, which extends longitudinally between its front end and its rear end, and which internally has at least one storage compartment 3 laterally delimited between a pair of vertical walls 4, respectively right and left. , and a pair of horizontal walls 5, respectively upper and lower, extending parallel to a direction of longitudinal development.

In one of said front ends 2a and rear 2b, more specifically the front end 2a in the illustrated example, a loading chamber 6 is defined in which the waste delivered by citizens and/or by the personnel in charge of the waste service is transported. collection, manually and/or by overturning a dump truck of a service vehicle.

In the illustrated example, the loading chamber 6 is accessible through an entrance opening 7 arranged in a front wall 8 and preferably provided with one or more access doors 9. The entrance opening 7 is delimited downwards by an access threshold 10. In possible embodiments, the loading chamber 6 may also be accessible directly from above.

In the loading chamber 6, a compaction system 11, not described in detail since it can be carried out in various known ways, may operate, essentially comprising at least one electrically and/or hydraulically operable pusher with alternating movement, to transfer the delivered waste. in the loading chamber 6 in the storage compartment 3 that occupies a predominant part of the internal volume of the container 2.

In the preferred example illustrated, two access doors 9 are provided, each of them articulated in one of the vertical and mobile walls 4, with an angular rotation towards the outside of the loading chamber 6, between a closed position in which , as illustrated for example in Figure 1, extends parallel to the front wall 8 to close access to the loading chamber 6, and an open position in which it allows access to the loading chamber 6 through the opening 7 entry.

At least one loading/unloading hook 12 is also installed on the front wall 8 of the container 1, rotatably engaged near the access threshold 10. In the illustrated example, the loading/unloading hook 12 has a gripping crossbar 13 extending between a pair of respectively parallel arms 14, rotatably attached to respective retaining brackets 15 integral with the front wall 8. Each of the retaining brackets 15 may comprise a pair of mutually parallel plates, approximate opposite sides of the respective arm 14 secured thereto by a hinge pin 16 concentric to a horizontal hinge axis (X).

The loading/unloading hook 12 is movable around the articulation axis (X), between a rest position in which it is lowered according to Figures 1 to 3, and a working position in which it is raised according to Figure 4. In the rest position, the loading/unloading hook 12 hangs by gravity from the respective articulation pins 16, below the access threshold 10. In the working position, the loading/unloading hook 12 is raised with respect to the articulation axis (X), so that the grip crossbar 13 is raised with respect to the access threshold 10 and positioned at a predetermined height from the ground. , suitable for engaging the loading/unloading hook 12 by a mechanical arm or other loading device (not shown) installed on a motor vehicle equipped to pick up and transport the container 1.

One or more locking pins 17 can be slidably inserted through the retaining brackets 15 and through the arms 14 to hold the hook in the working position, according to Figure 4. In the illustrated example, provide two locking pins 17, respectively placed in opposite positions with respect to the loading/unloading hook 12 to interact each through one of the arms 14.

The locking devices 18 of the access doors 9 are also conveniently provided in the closed position. In accordance with the present invention, the locking devices 18 provide that each locking pin 17 is slidably engaged and axially guided through a respective guide plate 19 integral with the front wall 8, projecting perpendicularly from the latter below. of the access threshold 10. Each guide plate 19 is appropriately spaced from the respective retaining bracket 15 adjacent thereto. Accordingly, an intake space 21 is delimited between each of the guide plates 19 and the respective retaining support 15, which is suitable to accommodate a respective auxiliary support 22 protruding from the bottom of the access door 9 in the closed position. Each of the auxiliary supports 22 extends substantially in accordance with a plane parallel to the guide plate 19 and the retaining support 15, and has a through seat 22a for engagement of the locking pin 17.

Each locking pin 17 preferably has a cylindrical shape, with a control head 23 carrying a handle or other hand grip seat. The control head 23 can be manually moved between the guide plate 19 and a stop shoulder 24 projecting from the front wall 8, to cause axial movement of the locking pin 17, guided by the guide plate 19, between a position insertion and an extraction position.

In the insertion position, the locking pin 17 is inserted axially through the guide plate 19, the auxiliary support 22, the retaining supports 15 and, when the loading/unloading hook 12 is in the working position, a through the arms 14.

As can be better seen in Figures 3 and 3a, in the extraction position the locking pin 17 is disengaged from the retention supports 15 and the arm 14 but, with one end of the same placed on the opposite side to the head 23 of control, preferably remains engaged through the guide plate 19, without protruding into the intake space 21 by an extent that is sufficient to prevent insertion and removal of the auxiliary support 22. For this purpose, it is preferably provided that, in the withdrawn position, the end of the locking pin 17 opposite the control head 23 is spaced from the retaining bracket 15 by an extent greater than the thickness of the auxiliary bracket 22.

On the control head 23 of each locking pin 17, a diametral projection 23a (Figure 2a) can conveniently be made that is suitable for interacting with a retaining tab 25 supported by the guide plate 19 to hold the locking pin 17 in the insertion position. An angular rotation of the locking pin 17, for example, according to an excursion of approximately 90°, causes the disengagement of the diametral projection 23a of the retaining tab 25, in order to release the axial mobility of the pin itself towards the extraction position.

In a condition of normal use of the container 1, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the loading/unloading hook 12 is in the rest position and the access doors 9 are kept in the closed position by the respective pins 17. lock. Indeed, the latter, in the insertion condition, support the retention supports 15 in order to prevent the opening of the access doors 9. An auxiliary lock 26 may possibly be arranged to operate between the access doors 9 for greater security of their fixation in the closed position, as an obstacle to forced entry attempts.

The opening of the access doors 9 can be easily carried out after unlocking the possible auxiliary bolt 26 and moving the locking pins 17 to the extraction position. The contact of the control heads 23 against the respective stop shoulders 24 prevents the locking pins 17 from disengaging from the respective guide plates 19, avoiding possible falls and losses of the pins themselves. With the locking pins 17 in the extraction position, each of the auxiliary supports 22 is free to be disengaged from the respective intake space 21 after opening the intake door 9, as well as free to be inserted back into itself. admission space when the access door 9 is closed.

Furthermore, when the locking pins 17 are in the extraction position, each of the arms 14 is free to be inserted between the respective retaining supports 15, allowing the loading/unloading hook 12 to be raised into the working position. . A new movement of the locking pins 17 in the insertion position causes the access doors 9 to be locked in the closed position and the loading/unloading hook 12 to be locked in the working position.

Claims (9)

1. Rolling container for the collection of materials, which includes: a substantially parallelepipedal containment box (2), which extends longitudinally between its own front end (2a) and its own rear end (2b); a loading chamber (6) defined in one of said front and rear ends (2a), which has an entrance opening (7) made in a front wall (8) of the containment box (2) and delimited downwards by an access threshold (10); at least one access door (9) arranged in correspondence with the loading chamber (6) and mobile between an open position in which it allows access to the loading chamber (6) through the entrance opening (7). , and a closed position in which it extends parallel to the front wall (8) to close access to the loading chamber (6); a loading/unloading hook (12) rotatably hooked with respect to the front wall (8) near the access threshold (10), and mobile around a horizontal articulation axis (X) between a rest position in the which is lowered and a working position in which it is raised; at least one locking pin (17) slidably inserted through at least one retaining bracket (15) integral with the front wall (8) near the access threshold (10), to hold the loading/unloading hook (12) in the working position; devices (18) for locking the door in the closed position, characterized in that said locking devices (18) comprise: at least one guide plate (19) integral with the front wall (8) and slidingly engaging the locking pin (17), to guide it between an insertion position in which the locking pin (17) extends through the guide plate (19) and the retaining bracket (15), and an extraction position in which the locking pin (17) is disengaged from the retaining bracket (15); an auxiliary support (22) that protrudes from the bottom of the access door (9) and that can be inserted into an admission space (21) defined between the guide plate (19) and the retention support (15), to be engaged by the locking pin (17) in the insertion position. 2. Container according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary support (22) extends substantially along a plane parallel to the guide plate (19) and the retaining support (15). 3. Container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the auxiliary support (22) has a through seat for engaging the locking pin (17). 4. Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein in the extraction position the locking pin (17) remains engaged through the guide plate (19) and disengages the intake space (21) to allow the insertion and extraction of the auxiliary support (22) in and from the intake space (21). 5. Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one locking pin (17) has a control head (23) movable between the guide plate (19) and a stop shoulder (24). supported by the front wall (8). 6. Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein in the extraction position one end of the locking pin (17) is spaced from the retaining support (15) to an extent greater than the thickness of the support (22). ) auxiliary. 7. Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein in the insertion position the locking pin (17) is further engaged through the loading/unloading hook (12). 8. Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein two locking pins (17) are provided, respectively positioned in opposite positions with respect to the loading/unloading hook (12) and operating on the respective doors ( 9) access. 9. Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, further comprising a compaction mechanism operating near the loading chamber (6) to transfer the materials to a storage compartment (3) defined within the box ( 2) containment.