Patent Application
20240159004
The field of the disclosure relates to sweeper apparatuses, in particular to a magnetic sweeper apparatus.
A magnetic sweeper apparatus is typically configured as an attachment to industrial vehicles or industrial equipment to assist in using magnetism to pick up ferrous or metallic objects.
In some instances, some industrial equipment does not have hydraulics available to run attachments with. For example, only a small percentage of backhoe loaders and wheel loaders have hydraulics readily available at the front bucket location, where a magnet is preferred to be attached.
The removal of the need for hydraulics or other power function to clean off the magnet, lowers cost and increases the number of pieces of equipment (e.g., Prime Movers) the disclosure can be used on.
It correspondingly makes the product much simpler which greatly reduces the number of parts required to manufacture the product as well as increases the product's reliability and reduces maintenance for the end user.
The attachment can be used without the operator having to exit the vehicle or get assistance to attach hydraulics or assist cleaning off the magnet. This allows one person operation in a very safe and controlled manner from inside the Prime Mover cab.
There is a desire to enable a magnetic sweeper apparatus to attach to industrial equipment without hydraulics support.
A gravity clean-off magnetic sweeper apparatus that connects to the front of industrial equipment or industrial vehicles where a bucket would normally go. The magnetic sweeper is lifted off the ground slightly and driven around an area to pick up metal debris. The collected debris is then cleaned off of the bottom of the invention by lifting it with the machine and pivoting it downward. As the magnetic sweeper is pivoted downward, the mass of the magnets, which is greater than its attraction force to the metal debris attached to the pan in between the magnet and the debris, allows the magnet to hang vertically, as the pan is forced away from the magnet. This removes the metal debris away from the magnetic field and allows it to fall from the magnetic sweeper.
This disclosure solves the problem by using the already designed dumping mechanisms of the machine that the magnetic sweeper is attached to. Loaders, backhoes and skid steers, etc. (Prime Movers), are primarily designed to use a bucket to pick-up and dump materials. This disclosure uses this existing dumping action to pivot the bottom pan of the invention away from the magnet contained within (attached to a pivot point), to clean the metal debris off the bottom and back side of the invention.
The magnet can be split into individually pivoting magnets which can decrease the swinging mass on larger magnet assemblies or to make use of an alternating polarity magnet for applications requiring different sweeping heights.
According to
According to
According to
According to
According to
According to
According to
According to
According to the disclosure, the magnetic sweeper has a sectional magnet design that allows the steel frame to extend between the magnets which creates a very strong product that can withstand the abuse of being on the front of the industrial equipment (e.g., Prime Mover) near the ground. In some applications it may be beneficial to utilize a single magnet rather than the sectional design.
According to the disclosure, a different size or grade of the magnet assembly can be incorporated. Furthermore, the magnetic sweeper can support either permanent magnets or electromagnetic magnets.
According to the disclosure, an optional debris digging rake can be added as an accessory to the magnetic sweeper to disturb the ground surface to loosen it and allow the magnetic sweeper to pick up debris in the top surface.
According to the disclosure, the magnetic sweeper is designed for a single user to operate and clean it off without help from others. Furthermore, the magnetic sweeper requires no auxiliary power source (e.g., hydraulic, mechanical, or electrical) or a person to clean the debris off the magnet.
According to the disclosure, the magnetic sweeper can be made from steel, stainless steel, aluminum, magnets, rubber and plastics. In other embodiments, other materials may be used.
According to the disclosure, the magnetic sweeper connects to industrial equipment using a universal skid steer attachment plate that enables connection to smaller equipment such as skid steers, tractors, and small loaders.
According to the disclosure, further embodiments of the magnetic sweeper are designed to connect to equipment using a removable bracket that can be modified or designed to fit nearly any loader bucket connection style including skid steer styles and Euro connector styles. Brackets that have been developed now include:
According to the disclosure, an alternative embodiment for magnetic debris collection involves having the magnet in a fixed position, and the debris pan on bottom with some type of extended arm on it. This allows the arm to be pressed into the ground by the industrial equipment (Prime Movers) movements, and a spring to return the debris pan back into position for sweeping and collecting more debris.
According to the disclosure Prime Movers is a brand of industrial equipment. It is also a general term for industrial equipment to which an accessory is attached and from which the accessory is powered or controlled.
According to the disclosure, a magnetic sweeper apparatus configured for attachment to an industrial vehicle for magnetic sweeping of metallic debris is disclosed. The magnetic sweeper apparatus comprises a frame, an attachment bracket configured for attachment of the frame to the industrial vehicle, a metallic bottom pan of the frame for magnetic attachment of debris, a debris rake frame assembly and a magnet assembly.
According to the disclosure, the debris rake frame assembly of the magnetic sweeper apparatus further comprises a debris rake frame, a debris rake damper or guard and a plurality of springs or tines. The magnet assembly of the magnetic sweeper apparatus further comprises a magnet assembly housing, a magnet and a pivot frame.
According to the disclosure, the debris rake frame assembly is configured to disturb the ground and loosen objects in the ground as the industrial vehicle moves forwards or backwards and the magnet pivots on the pivot frame as the magnetic sweeper apparatus is moved from a vertical to horizontal position and metallic debris is collected at the pan.
According to the disclosure, as the magnetic sweeper apparatus is pivoted downward, the mass of the magnets, which is greater than its attraction force to the metal debris attaches to the pan, and as the magnetic sweeper apparatus is pivoted upwards, it allows the magnet to hang vertically and the pan is forced away from the magnet whereby the metal debris moves away from the magnetic field of the magnet and falls off the magnetic sweeper.
According to the disclosure, the attachment bracket of the magnetic sweeper apparatus is configured to connect to an industrial vehicle selected from a list consisting of a skid steer, a vehicle enabled with a euro coupler, a Case backhoe and a Caterpillar backhoe. The magnetic sweeper apparatus further comprises a cylindrical document holder and the magnet assembly has a step.
According to the disclosure, the magnetic sweeper apparatus further comprising a single, two, three or more debris rake frame assembly. The magnetic sweeper apparatus is configured to house two or more magnet assemblies. The magnetic sweeper apparatus further comprising a frame connector that connects the debris rake frame assembly to the frame of the apparatus.
According to the disclosure, the dimensions of the magnet assembly are 29″ length by 9″ width by 6.25″ height that houses the magnet with dimensions of 28″ length by 8″ width by 6″ height. The dimensions of the magnetic sweeper apparatus are 103.25″ width by 46.08″ length by 33.11″ height.
According to the disclosure, the magnet of the magnetic sweeper apparatus is a Ceramic 8 or rare earth magnet. The material of the magnetic sweeper apparatus is selected from a list consisting of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, magnets, rubber and plastics.
According to the disclosure, the magnetic sweeper apparatus is configured to attach to the industrial vehicle without the use of hydraulics support.
According to the disclosure, a method of removing metallic debris, using a magnetic sweeper attachment on an industrial vehicle is disclosed. The method comprising the steps of placing the magnetic sweeper attachment in horizontal position, the magnetic sweeper attachment further comprising a bottom metallic pan surface and a magnet assembly, the magnet assembly further comprising a magnet and a magnet pivot, driving the industrial vehicle forward or backwards, attracting metal debris at the bottom of the magnetic sweeper attachment; lifting the magnetic sweeper attachment and rotating the matching sweeper attachment to a vertical position.
According to the disclosure, in a vertical position, the magnet rotates around the magnet pivot and is positioned further away from the metallic pan thereby creating a weaker magnetic force, allowing gravity to clean off the metallic debris to the ground.
According to the disclosure, the magnetic sweeper attachment has ground clearance of 3″ to 4″. The magnetic sweeper attachment is configured to house two or more magnet assemblies.
According to the disclosure, the dimensions of the magnet assembly are 29″ length by 9″ width by 6.25″ height that houses a magnet with dimensions of 28″ length by 8″ width by 6″ height. The dimensions of the magnetic sweeper attachment are 103.25″ width by 46.08″ length by 33.11″ height.
According to the disclosure, the magnet of the magnetic sweeper attachment is a Ceramic 8 magnet or a rare earth magnet. The material of magnetic sweeper attachment is selected from a list consisting of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, magnets, rubber and plastics.
According to the disclosure, the aforementioned method is configured to attach to the industrial vehicle without the use of hydraulics support.
While some embodiments or aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in fully functioning mechanical, electrical and electrical-mechanical systems, other embodiments may be considered.
The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the method that is being described, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.
The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example and understood is that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. Further understood is that the claims are not intended to be limited to the forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. While the foregoing written description of the system enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The system should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the system. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Information as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the above-described object of the present disclosure, the presently preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and is, thus, representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and is to be limited, accordingly, by nothing other than the appended claims, wherein any reference to an element being made in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment and additional embodiments as regarded by those of ordinary skill in the art are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims.
Moreover, no requirement exists for a system or method to address each problem sought to be resolved by the present disclosure, for such to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. However, various changes and modifications in form, material, workpiece, and fabrication material detail may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as set forth in the appended claims, as may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, are also encompassed by the present disclosure.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/425665, entitled “GRAVITY CLEAN-OFF MAGNETIC SWEEPER APPARATUS”, filed on Nov. 15, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63425665 | Nov 2022 | US |
