US 12,291,395 B2
Refuse collection vehicle positioning
Robert B. Williams, Albertville, AL (US); and Stanley L. Maroney, Attalla, AL (US)
Assigned to The Heil Co., Chattanooga, TN (US)
Filed by The Heil Co., Chattanooga, TN (US)
Filed on Mar. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/179,244.
Application 18/179,244 is a continuation of application No. 16/856,934, filed on Apr. 23, 2020, granted, now 11,603,265.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/837,595, filed on Apr. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0202752 A1, Jun. 29, 2023
Int. Cl. B65F 3/04 (2006.01); B65F 3/02 (2006.01); B66F 9/075 (2006.01)
CPC B65F 3/043 (2013.01) [B65F 2003/025 (2013.01); B65F 2003/0279 (2013.01); B65F 2003/0283 (2013.01); B66F 9/0755 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A refuse collection vehicle comprising:
a fork assembly including one or more forks configured to engage one or more respective fork pockets of a refuse container;
a lift arm coupled to the fork assembly, the lift arm operable to lift the refuse container while the fork assembly is engaged with the one or more fork pockets;
at least one position sensor configured to collect data indicating a positioning of the lift arm relative to a surface on which the refuse collection vehicle is positioned;
at least one container detection sensor configured to generate sensor data describing the one or more fork pockets of the refuse container, wherein the one or more forks are rotatable, about an axis parallel to the surface on which the refuse collection vehicle is positioned, relative to the at least one container detection sensor and the surface on which the refuse collection vehicle is positioned; and
a computing device communicatively coupled to the fork assembly and the lift arm, the computing device programmed to perform operations comprising:
receiving the sensor data describing the one or more fork pockets of the refuse container;
analyzing the sensor data to determine a position of each fork pocket;
determining, by the computing device, a positioning of the lift arm relative to the surface on which the refuse collection vehicle is positioned based on the data provided by the at least one position sensor arranged to collect data indicating the positioning of the lift arm;
determining, by the computing device, a height of one or more ends of one or more forks of the fork assembly relative to the surface on which the refuse collection vehicle is positioned based on the positioning of the lift arm relative to the surface on which the refuse collection vehicle is positioned;
determining, by the computing device, an amount and a direction of travel of the lift arm required to align the one or more ends of the one or more forks with the position of each fork pocket of the one or more fork pockets based on the height of the one or more ends of the one or more forks and the position of each fork pocket of the one or more fork pockets; and
moving the lift arm in the determined amount and the determined direction of travel.