BACKGOUND ART By way of example, reference is made to the refuse collection arms and grabs of this company as disclosed in the Mango Engineering Group Ltd catalogue and as discussed in the preamble of US5851100. Reference is also made to a side loading bottom park type arrangement as disclosed in US5851100.

With arm assemblies and particularly side loader arms with a bottom park feature (eg ; parked as in US5851100 movement of the vehicle from which the assembly is mounted can be affected by the lateral dimension of the parked arm and grab head.

The closer in a rubbish vehicle can pass a bin the better at this has a consequence of reducing road intrusion by the vehicle during curbside operation.

A feature of all refuse loading arrangements is the cycle time and cycle times can be significantly reduced (ie; almost down to 50%) where closely aligned bins are picked up in pairs rather than singularly. There is also an advantage of reduced cycle time for bottom parked lift arm assemblies over top parked lift arm assemblies.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The present invention therefore is directed to an improved twin grab head and assemblies involving the same together with related methods of use and uses.

More particularly we have determined that a suitable twin grab fixed to a bottom parked side loading refuse collection robotic arm that enables two MGB refuse bins to be collected simultaneously and discharged, saves considerable time. This equates to a waste disposal tender advantage. The clamp is fitted with a retractable twin bin divider that is retracted when the vehicle is to be in motion yet which acts as an extendable reactive divider for two clamps.

In another aspect the invention is a twin grab head for bins or the like containers (hereafter"bins"), said pick up head being adapted to be supported at the distal end of vehicle carried lift arm assembly, said pick up head comprising or including a frame, body or the like member or assembly (hereafter"body") adapted to be supported controllably by the distal end of a suitable vehicle carried or carriable lift arm assembly, a pair of wraparound clamp arms, (preferably each pivoted from the body on a pivot axis (preferably spaced from and) substantially parallel to the pivot axis of the other and) each deployable to protrude more distally from the vehicle when deployed to clamp a bin than when undeployed, and a deployable member to protrude more distally from said body in a deployed condition than in its undeployed condition, the arrangement being such that in use in a deployed condition, said deployable member can act as a separating member for an adjacent pair of bins such that each of the clamp arms can clamp a different bin of an adjacent pair of appropriate bins thereagainst.

Preferably said deployable member is actuable to move in advancement of the movement of the clamping arm (s).

Preferably the actuation of the clamping arms is directly or indirectly by an appropriate fluid (eg; hydraulic or pneumatic) motor or ram. Alternatively solenoid or other electrically powered means may be used.

Preferably the deployment of the deployable member is by extendable and/or retractable use directly or indirectly of appropriate hydraulic or pneumatic means or appropriate electrical means.

Preferably in other forms, other than the parallel axis mounting of the clamping arms is a possibility. It is however a feature of the present invention to have the deployable member to provide with a bin dividing intrusion in use appropriate reactive surfaces for the clamping arms howsoever the bin dividing intrusion and the clamping arms be deployed (ie; irrespective of any operator and/or logic means determined

sequencing and/or delaying of relative movement upon either bin engagement for uplift or bin disengagement upon return.

It is also a feature of the present invention to cover any mode of movement of the lift arm member, ie; it could be a swing-out or slide-out type member or members. If a swing-out it could be pivoted or otherwise articulated and about any appropriate axis.

Preferably said body has two pivot providing regions to allow at the distal end of the appropriate robotic arm, angular control of the body and thus the bins during the operation of the device.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in an assembly as aforesaid in conjunction with a complementary pick up arm (eg; preferably robotic).

Preferably said complementary pick up arm is one having a capability of being extended during its outreach for uplift purposes and thereafter (whether after partial reversal of such movement or not) of uplifting any engaged bins being picked up and to dump the same over into a collection zone of a vehicle from which the pick up arm is deployed.

Preferably the arrangement is of any of the kinds hereinafter described.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of uplifting a pair of refuse or other bins which comprises or includes the use of an arm with a twin grab head having a deployable member (deployable from a"stowed"more vehicle proximate condition) to dissect during and/or after deployment two adjacent bins against which deployable member each bin can be clamped by a jaw or clamp (eg; a wrap around pivoted arm disposed to deploy from a vehicle proximate condition to a less vehicle proximate condition),.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in a method of emptying two adjacent refuse bins which comprises or includes advancing or pivoting a lift arm of a bottom parked kind from whence it can be extended from its attached vehicle to outreach its bin engagement head towards the bins, operating the arm or a carried bin dividing member to position the said bin divider carried by the arm between said bins,

clamping each bin to said bin divider using arm carried clamps, operating the arm to uplift and invert the pair of bins over a refuse collection zone of the vehicle, reversing the operation of the arm to first place the bins from or adjacent from whence they were uplifted, disengaging the bins, withdrawing the arm ready for a subsequent sequence of operation.

Preferably said bin dividing member is carried by a head which also carries said clamps, said head being controlled by linkage to the lift arm as to a reproducible angular relationship or relationships with the vehicle and the ground.

Preferably said clamps and said bin dividing member stow relative to the head in a spread and withdrawn condition.

Preferably said stow conditions of the clamps and said bins dividing member occurs upon bin disengagement and/or as arm withdrawal is occurring.

Preferably the apparatus is one whereby a minimum of operator control from the vehicle is required to lead to the range of movements.

Preferably a joy stick or the like type operation in conjunction with appropriate easily accessible control buttons and/or switches are utilised to provide for the robotic movement of the arm under the power of a hydraulic pump or an electrical source.

Preferably the lift arm has three main sections, a mounting base, an inner arm (or boom) and an outer arm (or boom), the connection from the mounting base of said inner arm, the connection of the inner arm to the outer arm and the distal connection of said outer arm to the head all being by means of pivots on horizontal pivot axis (preferably where appropriate with other linkages).

Preferably appropriate ties are provided to keep the geometry of the device reproducible during its operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS A preferred form of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

Figure 1 is a view of a lift arm of a bottom parked (or stowed) type in its extended condition (it can extend more) at which the wrap around pivoted clamps as well as the bin dividing deployable member are all in their retracted condition as they are during normal vehicle advancement (whether the arm is as extended as in Figure 1 or preferably for better clearance is further back towards the vehicle), Figure 2 is the arrangement of Figure 1 with the divider extended, Figure 3 shows the apparatus of Figure 2 with or without any further adjustment of the arm as far as outreach is concerned with the divider dissecting two bins (in this particular arrangement different sized bins) and with the wrap around clamps each brought about each respective bin to clamp the same against the reaction of the divider, the robotic arm and clamp head thereafter being moveable through the usual range of tipping options and thereafter return back through the sequence from Figure 3 back to Figure 1.

In the preferred form of the present invention the body 1 is mounted to the end of the outer boom fabrication 3 and to the end of the levelling rod 7.

Wrap around clamps in the form of spring arm fabrications 2 pivoted from the body 1 by appropriate joint pins are provided. As can be seen these upon actuation are capable of a clamping actuation to grab hold and release a garbage receptacle against the divider.

Grab cylinders 4 are mounted to the body 1 and to the spring arm members 2 to activate the closing (deployment) and opening (undeployment) thereof.

The divider head 5 which is mounted to and/or in the body is adapted to slide in and out to provide a middle structure whereby two garbage receptacles (eg ; bins) can be held pressed thereagainst by the clamps 1 during the pick up. A divider head cylinder 6 is provided which actuates the divider head 5 to slide in and out.

The twin head grab depicted in Figures 1 to 3 and as described is designed for the handling of two mobile garbage bins (MGB) per operation cycle at kerb side. The twin MGB combinations are preferably any two bins selected from, for example, OTTO, 120, 140 and 240 MGBs. The combination shown in Figure 3 is of a 120 litre and a 240 litre bin.

From the side of a suitable refuse collection truck, the twin grab head can reach the garbage receptacles close beside the truck (owing to the bottom park or stow disposition of the lift arm) which means that the garbage collection truck can be close to the kerb side during collection to allow minimum traffic interference. It preferably has an effective side full reach of, for example, about 2.4 metres to the front end of the garbage receptacles.

As can be seen the twin grab head preferably has a sliding divider but may have an otherwise deployable member. During the stowed (undeployed) and travel mode, the divider 5 is retracted back and discreetly no more outwardly extending than the body member 2 nor preferably also the undeployed wrap around arms 2. It is only during the pick up and discharge mode that the divider 5 is extended out to protrude beyond the body to achieve the requisite bin spacing and reactive clamping effect in use.

Variations of the present invention abound and in this respect variations thereof of a kind disclosed in New Zealand Patent Specification 511473 and its equivalent PCT specification the full contents of which are hereby included by way of reference.