Patent Grant
7316861
The invention relates to a battery holding frame, in particular for an electrically driven sweeping machine and comprising at least one lower supporting face for said battery, and laterally containing faces.
As known, industrial vehicles suitable for operating in closed spaces, such as in particular sweeping machines operating inside sheds, sales areas, supermarkets etc., are in many cases electrically driven and actuated, in order to avoid the environmental and sound pollution generated by internal combustion motors. The electrical motors of these machines are supplied by batteries or electrical feeders of very heavy weight and very large size, and these are rechargeable to avoid their constant repurchase and also their constant removal for replacement. Under certain circumstances, however, a battery removal is necessary, for instance for a final replacement when exhausted and no longer rechargeable, or whenever, because of the extent of the surfaces to be swept or of the lack of available time, two or more batteries are used in succession, to be subsequently recharged and reused.
The removal of the batteries, even if occasionally, turns out to be cumbersome and fatiguing for the servicing personnel, as it commonly occurs by a topside extraction, after disassembling the machine's appropriate protective parts. Moreover, due to the batteries' considerable weight, their extraction can be performed only by using adequate equipment.
In this situation, the general aim of this invention is to create a battery holding frame or electrical feeder, in particular for an electrically driven sweeping machine, suitable for substantially overcoming the mentioned drawbacks.
Within the scope of this general aim, an important aim of this invention is to make available a frame suitable for substantially reducing the effort needed for extracting and repositioning the batteries in said vehicles.
Another important aim of the invention is to make available a frame which is simple to use and suitable for substantially reducing the time periods required for extracting and repositioning the batteries in question.
A further aim is to make available a frame of a simple construction, suitable for being mounted on sweeping machines of a new construction, and also such as to be suitable for being replaced on frames installed on already operating machines. The specified aims are achieved by a battery holding frame, in particular for an electrically driven sweeping machine comprising at least one lower supporting face for said battery and lateral containing faces; said lateral containing faces comprising at least one mobile lateral face revolving between a first closed position across said lower supporting face and a second operating position substantially aligned with and adjacent to said lower supporting face; and sliding elements being provided at least on said mobile lateral face, suitable for allowing to slide said battery whenever said mobile lateral face is in said operating position.
The description of a preferred embodiment of the invention is now given by way of example with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
With reference to mentioned figures, the frame is indicated as a whole by the number 1 and provided to house a battery 10, in particular on an electrically driven sweeping machine 2.
The frame 1 is substantially shaped as a parallelepiped and comprises an upper covering face or wall 3, a lower supporting face or wall 4 and lateral faces or walls 5.
In particular, a mobile lateral face or wall 5a is provided with respect to the supporting face 4, on which it pivots by hinges or pins 6. Rotatable elements 7 which facilitate sliding a battery 10 in and out of the holding frame are present on the lower face 4 and on the mobile lateral face 5a.
The blocking elements 8 are composed, for example, of an element defined by a screw 8a and an element defined by a nut screw 8b, which can be engaged with each other by simple manual screwing.
In this preferred embodiment, the rotating elements 7 consist of a multiple number of rotating rollers 7a, which can however also be roller bearings or other elements.
The battery 10 of even great size and substantial weight can therefore be easily slid over the extraction plane 9 on rotating elements 7 without equipment.
More in detail, the lower and lateral faces 4, 5 of the frame 1 are defined by metallic angle irons or profiles 11. In practice, the frame is a simple and economical trestle equipped with rotating rollers 7a to support the battery 10.
Moreover, at least the metallic angle irons 11 of the mobile lateral face 5a and of the lower supporting face 4 are exclusively located at edges of the faces themselves which are shaped as squares. Each of the angle irons have a shoulder flap 11a and a bottom flap 11b.
The shoulder flap 11a acts as a lateral edge and the bottom flap 11b acts as a base inside the faces, so as to define, as a whole, pan-like or hollowed seats on which the rotating rollers 7a are engaged so that the tops thereof all lie within a sliding plane 9.
The usage of the frame 1 described above is as follows.
Whenever the mobile lateral face 5a is perpendicular to the lower face 4 and upper face 3, the structure presents a first closed position.
The mobile lateral face 5a in the closed position abuts against the upper face 3 and prevents an eventual sliding of the battery 10, which is placed on the face 4. The blocking elements 8 are provided to guarantee the maintenance of the closed position.
On the other hand, whenever the lateral face 5a is in a position parallel and adjacent to the lower face 4, the structure presents a second operating or open position.
In the open position, the mobile lateral face 5a is substantially aligned with and abuts the lower face 4, so as to form the sliding or extracting plane 9.
The transition from the first closed position to the second open position is substantially a turning over of the mobile lateral face 5a and this turnover is made possible by the hinges or pins 6, once the blocking elements 8 are removed.
The hinges 6 in fact rotatingly constrain the lower face 4 on the mobile lateral face 5a, thus allowing the latter to be moved from the first to the second position.
When the frame 1 is in an open position, the battery 10 may be slid, by simple manual action on the rotating elements 7, toward the outside of the frame.
In this manner the battery 10 is placed in a comfortable position to be loaded on a cart, or to be slid on a transport trolley, or for other operations.
The invention achieves important advantages.
The removal, for instance for replacing, of a battery 10 of an electrically driven sweeping machine 2 does not require detaching the covering face 3, nor uplifting the battery itself. It suffices to reach for the mobile lateral face 5a to turn it over by simple manual actions and then to manually slide the battery 10, on the rotating elements 7, toward the outside of the frame 1.
The structure according to the invention thus substantially reduces the physical efforts of the personnel charged with removing the battery.
A further advantage is provided by reducing the risk of accidents as a result of the efforts previously required for lifting the batteries.
Another important advantage is provided by reducing the dead time for removing and reinstalling the battery, due to the fact that all operations are simple and greatly facilitated.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI20030255 U | May 2003 | IT | national |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 1935986 | Olson | Nov 1933 | A |
| 2303622 | Duncan | Dec 1942 | A |
| 6357070 | Vernard et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| 6571542 | Fillman et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| 6989217 | Suto | Jan 2006 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040237227 A1 | Dec 2004 | US |
