Patents Assigned to The Heil Co.
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Patent number: 11945647Abstract: A grabber assembly has a beam assembly with a bracket. A grabber gear assembly is coupled with the bracket. The grabber gear assembly has a pair of gear mechanisms coupled with the bracket. Each gear mechanism has a shaft and a pair of thrust bearings, one at each end of the shaft. A grabber arm mounting pad is coupled with each shaft. A gear section is coupled with each shaft. The gear sections of each shaft mesh with one another to drive the grabber arm mounting pads. An actuating driver is coupled with one of the shafts to drive the grabber gear assembly and move the arms between an open and grasping position.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2022Date of Patent: April 2, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventor: Henry Michael Hund, Jr.
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Patent number: 11932486Abstract: The mechanical arm system can include a garbage container holder and at least one mast. The holder can have guiding wheels engaged with adjacent tracks of the mast, the two adjacent tracks both having a lower portion extending upwardly along the mast, the lower portion of the first track being located forwardly of the lower portion of the second track, the lower portion of both tracks leading into corresponding upper portions which are curved rearwardly. The system can have a primary mast and a secondary mast slidably mounted to the primary mast, with the garbage container slidable mounted to the secondary mast. A driving link can simultaneously connect the primary mast to the secondary mast, and the secondary mast to the holder in a manner that when the driving link is moved, both sliding movements are performed in the same direction.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2022Date of Patent: March 19, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Claude Boivin, Eric Boivin, Hugo Marsan
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Patent number: 11905112Abstract: A cradle and guide system for a refuse vehicle has at least one track member mounted on a bumper of a refuse vehicle. The at least one track member is able to deflect horizontally to compensate for misalignment. At least one guide member is mounted to a front loading fork of the refuse vehicle. The at least one guide member contacts the at least one track member to limit horizontal movement of the front loading fork with respect to the refuse vehicle during misalignment. The at least one track member returns to its original position to align the front loading forks.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2022Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventor: Richard Ford
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Patent number: 11891284Abstract: An aerial device data collection apparatus is described. The aerial data collection apparatus includes a power source, a data capture device, a wireless transmitter, and a housing. The data capture device is connected to the power source. The wireless transmitter is connected to the power source and is communicably coupled to the data capture device. The wireless transmitter is configured to transmit data captured by the data capture device. The power source and the wireless transmitter are contained within the housing. The housing is configured to couple to a surface of an aerial bucket.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2019Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventor: Kelly Lee Genzer
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Patent number: 11893892Abstract: A method of transmitting data across a J1939 network comprises communicating at least one sensor, if not a plurality of sensors or operator interface devices, related to a utility service body data mounted on a chassis across the J1939 network on unassigned PGN/SPN combinations for various uses. Furthermore, at least one controller can evaluate other J1939 data, such as transmission gear and/or engine RPM before permitting operation of at least one function of the utility service body or upfit body with at least some embodiments.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2021Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Ricardo Castano Salinas, John Forrest Smith, Brian Huston Ham, Ralph Waldo Whitfield, Jr.
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Patent number: 11875301Abstract: A computer-implemented method for analyzing refuse includes operations of receiving sensor data indicating an operational state of a vehicle body component of a refuse collection vehicle (RCV); analyzing the sensor data to detect a presence of a triggering condition based at least partly on a particular operational state of the vehicle body component, as indicated by the sensor data; in response to detecting the triggering condition, accessing image data indicating a physical state of refuse collected by the RCV; providing the image data as input to at least one contaminant detection model trained, using at least one machine learning (ML) algorithm, to output a classification of the image data, the classification indicating a degree of contamination of the refuse; and storing, in a machine-readable medium, the classification of the image data.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2019Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Anthony Romano, Michael Dean Geary, John Forrest Smith, Garrett Eckerl
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Patent number: 11858731Abstract: An intermediate container for a refuse vehicle where the container is positioned in front of the refuse vehicle is provided. A plurality of legs extends from the container toward the refuse vehicle. An attachment mechanism is on each leg to secure the legs to a front loading arm assembly of the refuse vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: David C. Gentry, Bryan Stewart, Brian Ham, Bobby Ray McKinney, John Wayne Bedwell
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Patent number: 11858735Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle includes a grabber that is operable to engage a refuse container, a lift arm that is operable to lift a refuse container, at least one sensor that is arranged to collect data indicating an angular position of the grabber, at least one sensor that is arranged to collect data indicating a relative positioning of the lift arm, a first controller for adjusting the angular position of the grabber, and a second controller adjusting the relative positioning of the lift arm. The adjustment of the angular position of the grabber is coordinated with the adjustment of the relative positioning of the lift arm.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Stanley L Maroney, David G. Lewis, Robert B. Williams
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Patent number: 11820003Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle includes a refuse grabber assembly, a lift arm coupled to the refuse grabber assembly, and a hopper configured to receive refuse from the refuse container. The lift arm is operable to position the refuse grabber assembly. The refuse grabber assembly includes a first grabber arm and a second grabber arm that are configured to cooperate to engage the refuse container. The first grabber arm includes a first gripper and a first support arm coupled to the first gripper. The first gripper includes a first deformable structure configured to contact a first surface of a refuse container. The second grabber arm includes a second gripper and a second support arm coupled to the second gripper. The second gripper includes a second deformable structure configured to contact a second surface of the refuse container.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2022Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventor: Bryan Stewart
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Patent number: 11816940Abstract: Techniques are described for correlating entity identification information with refuse containers being serviced by a refuse collection vehicle (RCV). Location data can be collected by location sensor(s) on the RCV at a time when a triggering condition is present, such as a time when a lift arm is operating to empty a refuse container into the hopper of the RCV. The location data can be provided as input to an algorithm that estimates a container location through a vector offset to account for the distance and direction of the RCV lift arm relative to the location sensor in the RCV. The container location can be correlated with parcel data to determine the parcel that the container was on or near to when it was serviced, and the customer or other entity associated with the parcel can be correlated to the particular container based on the analysis.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2023Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Anthony Romano, Michael Dean Geary
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Patent number: 11807450Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle includes a grabber that is operable to engage a refuse container, at least one sensor that is arranged to collect data indicating a relative positioning of a first arm of the grabber and a second arm of the grabber, and a controller having one or more control elements for selecting a target positioning of a first arm of the grabber and a second arm of the grabber. The first arm and the second arm automatically move to the target positioning in response to a signal received by an onboard computing device of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2021Date of Patent: November 7, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: David G. Lewis, Stanley L. Maroney, Chad R. Blanchard
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Patent number: 11787629Abstract: A refuse vehicle has a Commercial and a Residential Mode whereby when in Commercial Mode, stops or fins, utilized in Residential Mode to assist in securing a residential container laterally at the front of the vehicle, are adjustable to prevent contact or interference with the cab protector or other portions of the vehicle when in Commercial Mode. The fins may be located and/or rotated, such as at least 30 degrees (from position to position) or above a horizontal or otherwise intermediate the residential and commercial configurations. The fins may preferably be located above a bottom of the crossbar when moving through the dumping cycle so as not to contact the cab protector in Commercial Mode. Preferably, the fins may also be housed on the residential refuse container rather than along the crossbar.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2021Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Eric Evans, Tracy Mason, Bryan Stewart
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Patent number: 11725977Abstract: This disclosure describes a collection bin for a waste collection vehicle. The collection bin includes a weighing system with a processor for measuring the weight of material collected from each waste container and associating this weight with appropriate data, such as the owner of the waste container.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2021Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventor: John Michael Curotto
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Patent number: 11673467Abstract: This disclosure describes an assembly for gas (e.g., compressed natural gas) storage. The assembly includes multiple gas storage tanks, with each tank coupled to a separate sub-assembly that includes a pressure gauge, shutoff valve, and pressure relief device (PRD), providing for independent pressure monitoring, shutoff, and pressure relief for each of the tanks.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2021Date of Patent: June 13, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Nitesh Shroff, Stanley L. Maroney
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Patent number: 11626987Abstract: A scrambling method of data on a J1939 communication system of a vehicle involves at least moving data from one of a PGN and a PGN/SPN location to another PGN or PGN/SPN location at a first controller on the vehicle before transmitting data and then re-ordering the data at a second controller. Some embodiments further comprise encrypting data either before or after shifting, but before transmitting so as to further complicate efforts to interpret meaningful data from the transmission. The second controller may be on the vehicle or may be remotely located.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2020Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Ricardo Castano Salinas, John Forrest Smith
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Patent number: 11615275Abstract: Among other things, the techniques described herein include a method for receiving a plurality of images of one or more containers while the one or more containers are being emptied, the plurality of images comprising a training set of images and a validation set of images; labeling each image of the plurality of images as including either an overfilled container or a not-overfilled container; processing each image of the plurality of images to reduce bias of a machine learning model; training, and based on the labeling, the machine learning model using the plurality of images; and optimizing the machine learning model by performing learning against the validation set, the optimized machine learning model being used to generate a prediction for a new image of a container, the prediction indicating whether the container in the new image was overfilled prior to the new container being emptied.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2021Date of Patent: March 28, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Prem Swaroop, Atish P. Kamble, Bodhayan Dev
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Patent number: 11608226Abstract: Operating a refuse collection vehicle to collect refuse from a refuse container includes positioning a refuse collection vehicle with respect to a refuse container to be emptied, and manually engaging a switch to initiate a dump cycle to be performed by the refuse collection vehicle on the refuse container. The dump cycle includes engaging the refuse container with a portion of the vehicle, lifting the engaged refuse container to a dump position, and moving the refuse container to release contents of the refuse container into a hopper of the refuse collection vehicle. The dump cycle continues to completion as long as the switch remains manually engaged.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2022Date of Patent: March 21, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Stanley L. Maroney, David G. Lewis, Robert B. Williams
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Patent number: 11603265Abstract: A refuse collection vehicle includes a fork assembly that is operable to engage one or more fork pockets of a refuse container, a lift arm that is operable to lift a refuse container, and at least one sensor that is configured to collect data indicating a position of the one or more fork pockets of the refuse container. A position of at least one of the fork assembly or the lift arm is adjusted in response to the data collected by the at least one sensor.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2020Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Robert B. Williams, Stanley L. Maroney
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Patent number: 11580799Abstract: Techniques are described for correlating entity identification information with refuse containers being serviced by a refuse collection vehicle (RCV). Location data can be collected by location sensor(s) on the RCV at a time when a triggering condition is present, such as a time when a lift arm is operating to empty a refuse container into the hopper of the RCV. The location data can be provided as input to an algorithm that estimates a container location through a vector offset to account for the distance and direction of the RCV lift arm relative to the location sensor in the RCV. The container location can be correlated with parcel data to determine the parcel that the container was on or near to when it was serviced, and the customer or other entity associated with the parcel can be correlated to the particular container based on the analysis.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2021Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventors: Anthony Romano, Michael Dean Geary
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Patent number: D977321Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2021Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: The Heil Co.Inventor: Bryan Stewart