Patent Grant
7395572
The invention relates to a rotating brush controlling apparatus in a floor sweeping machine, and comprising: at least one lifting device suitable for applying a lifting force capable of lifting said rotating brush to remove the same from a surface to be swept, and at least one actuating device suitable for applying on command a working force opposed to said lifting force, and exceeding the same.
As known, the sweeping machines may be of a small and a medium size and be suitable for the cleaning of warehouses, commercial centres, sheds, industrial centres and the like.
The small to medium size machines are also suitable for occasional uses, for instance for a short period after the closing of a commercial centre, and are on various occasions used by operators that are only occasionally taking control of them.
These relatively inexperienced operators with a limited knowledge of the characteristics of these machines and of the relative cleaning techniques may incur in mistakes and encounter difficulties in steering and controlling the machines. At the end of the work, for instance, an incomplete deactivation of the roller or cup-type cleaning brushes working the floor may occur.
At the end of the cleaning operations and prior to moving the machine toward an area for discharging the collected dirt and/or for storing it in a depot, the brushes must both be arrested and lifted, because if they are arrested but left in a lowered position while the machine moves on for relocating, considerable and irregular bristle wear occurs on the brushes.
The patent EP 0 795 647 by the same applicant discloses a vehicle in which the lifted position of the brushes at work's end is obtained by appropriate lifting springs, which are potentially always active and forcibly and automatically deactivated when the machine is operating, so as to leave the brushes free to contact the ground. When the work is over, the springs can automatically act to lift the brushes.
A widely encountered usage problem is also related to fact that the floors of warehouses, commercial centres and the like may exhibit small steps, contours or differences in height, for instance between different departments, or because of the passing of cables or other.
In order to allow the brushes to adapt to the contours and small steps, the same are often allowed to freely move in a vertical sense while working, and essentially left to be governed by their own weight.
This is for instance the technical solution also adopted in the patent EP 0 795 647 by the same applicant, and endows the brushes with a great flexibility of use.
Nevertheless, this also generates the drawback that when the brushes swing in a vertical sense, they easily lose adherence and leave certain swept areas in an unsatisfactory condition.
The hollowed areas and small recesses are also swept out to a limited degree, if the brushes are partially kept raised by higher areas. Alternatively, the brushes are tied up so as to prevent them from oscillating freely, but in this case the steps and contours on the surface to be swept are leading to shocks and difficulties in operating the machines.
Only a careful and experienced operator can remedy these shortcomings, by taking action with repeated passes and appropriate changes of direction of the brushes opposite the steps, differences in height and recesses.
The operators are also required to use these machines with particular skill in other cases, by taking action repeatedly and/or at appropriate speeds on particular surface stretches to be swept, or by mounting special brush types or spreading special detergents over the floors. The floor cleaning of warehouses, commercial centres, sheds, industrial centres and the like in fact demands that the same be performed in depth, even when soiling materials are to be removed. For instance, it may be necessary to remove not just easily picked-up dust and refuse, but—on a local basis—also liquids, oily substances, colours, hydrocarbon residues, food residues etc., which potentially adhere to the floors to be cleaned. It is nevertheless evident that no special skill can be demanded from operators that only occasionally take control of said sweeping machines, and that a sweeping machine allowing to achieve optimum results without engaging an operator in complex manoeuvres is therefore welcome and desirable.
In this situation the technical aim of this invention is to conceive a rotating brush controlling apparatus in a floor sweeping machine, capable of overcoming the mentioned drawbacks, and in particular of achieving optimum cleaning results even in areas difficult to handle and in the presence of substances not easily removed, without demanding special skills from the personnel in charge.
The technical aim is achieved by a rotating brush controlling apparatus, in a floor sweeping machine, comprising: at least one lifting device suitable for applying a lifting force capable of lifting said rotating brush to remove the same from a surface to be swept, and at least one actuating device suitable for applying on command a working force opposed to said lifting force and exceeding the same, where said rotating brush and said actuating device are linked to each other and adjusting devices are available to optionally select one such working force, so as to selectively force said rotating brush on said surface to be swept.
A description of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is now given as shown in the enclosed drawings, in which:
a shows a cross section of the structure of an adjusting valve;
b shows a control of the adjusting valve of
a shows the fluid dynamic cylinder outlined in the
b is similar to the previous one, and shows the fluid dynamic cylinder in a second stop position.
With reference to the mentioned figures, the apparatus according to the invention is inserted in a sweeping machine indicated as a whole by the number 1.
It comprises, in a manner in itself known, two front wheels 2a and one or two rear wheels. In the case of a single rear wheel 2b, the same is both a driving and a steering wheel.
The wheels 2a, 2b sustain a frame 3 supporting collecting organs 4 for dust and refuse, and moving devices 5 for the vehicle 1.
The collecting organs 4 comprise a container 6 for accumulating dust and refuse.
The container 6 is substantially placed between the front wheels 2a and fitted with an opening and closing door 6a which is also suitable for fulfilling the function of a slide for inserting the dust and refuse in the container 6.
The collecting organs 4 further comprise one or more rotating brushes suitable for operating on a surface to be swept 7. In the preferred embodiment shown here, several rotating brushes are present: a central brush 8 and at least one and preferably two auxiliary brushes 9.
The central brush 8 is a substantially cylindrical roller brush having a rotating axle 8a substantially parallel to the surface to be swept 7. The brush extends in practice over the entire length of the machine 1. The auxiliary brushes 9 are instead profiled as a cup or as a truncated cone and exhibit a rotating axis across the surface 7.
The auxiliary brushes 9 can be positioned in front of the machine 1, on the right side and on the left side of the same, so as to convey the dust and refuse from the sides toward the central area of the machine, which holds the central brush 8.
It is possible to arrange for only a single auxiliary brush 9, eventually capable of oscillating on command between the left side and the right side.
When the door 6a is lowered as shown in
The collecting organs 4 further comprise an aspirating fan, not shown here, which is placed upstream of the container 6 and suitable for aspirating the air from the container 6 itself, through an interposed filter, both to prevent the dust of the container from escaping into the surrounding environment, and to achieve an effective aspirating function reaching down to the level of the surface to be swept 7.
The frame 3 supports at least part of the rotating brushes in an oscillating manner, so as to allow the rotating brushes themselves to rise and fall with respect to the surface to be swept 7.
As shown in detail in the
In order to actuate and control the wheels 2a and 2b of the machine 1, the moving devices 5 comprise steering instruments in themselves known, of whose the steering wheel 5a and its relative control station 5b are shown in
In order to control the collecting organs 4, and in particular the rotating brushes, the machine 1 exhibits a controlling apparatus 12, which forms the specific object of this invention.
The controlling apparatus 12 includes mainly a lifting device 15 capable of applying a lifting force 15a suitable for lifting at least one rotating brush, in particular at least the central brush 8, so as to remove the same from the surface to be swept 7.
The lifting device 15 is preferably carried out with elastically deformable organs, such as at least a spring.
While working, the lifting device 15 is neutralized by at least one actuating device 16 suitable for applying a working force 16a opposing the lifting force 15a. Moreover, provision is made for at least the central brush 8 and at least one actuating device 16 to be cinematically linked to each other—meaning that a motion of one of them also entails a simultaneous motion of the other—and that the working force 16a be selectively greater than the lifting force 15a, in order to neutralize the lifting device 15 and to simultaneously force the central brush 8, in a selected manner, on the surface to be swept 7.
Some adjusting devices 24, suitable for optionally selecting the working force 16a, are in fact provided. In particular, the adjusting devices 24 comprise at least one adjusting unit 25 suitable for adjusting the working force 16a and a control-wheel 29 acting on the adjusting unit 25 and placed matching the sweeping machine controls.
Provision is also made for the adjusting unit 25 to be suitable not merely for adjusting the working force 16a on command, but also for keeping a substantially constant working force 16a in the presence of irregularities on the surface to be swept 7.
In the specific embodiment shown in the drawings, the apparatus 12 comprises a fluid-dynamic system 13 suitable for circulating a pressurized fluid (for instance air, water or oil), which is the pressurized fluid activating the fluid-dynamic motors, in particular a first fluid-dynamic motor 14a (
The first motor 14a is acting on the central brush 8, while the second and the third fluid-dynamic motors 14a and 14c act on the two lateral brushes 9. It is however noted that the third fluid-dynamic motor 14c, which is provided for the second lateral brush 9, is shown as a dashed line in
There are further provided as many actuating devices 16 as there are rotating brushes, and said devices are fluid-dynamic cylinders selectively indicated by 16′, 16″, 16′″ in
An adjusting unit 25 interposed between the cylinder 16 itself and the fluid-dynamic system 13 is provided opposite each actuating device or fluid-dynamic cylinder 16.
More in detail, the fluid-dynamic system 13 is preferably of a hydraulic oil type and as illustrated in
This system provides for at least one pump 17 which on one side connects to a hydraulic oil collecting tank 18, and on the opposite side connects to a group of elements or block 19 comprising, among other things, various circuit branches, various electrical distributors and various valves.
In particular, the block 19 in turn supplies the three fluid-dynamic motors 14a, 14b, 14c and the three fluid-dynamic cylinders 16′, 16″, 16′″, respectively.
In block 19—which obeys fluid-dynamic layouts in themselves known—provision is made for a discharge channel 20 deriving from the pump 17 and a return channel 21, connected to the collecting tank 18.
A maximum pressure valve 22 is arranged between the channels 20 and 21, which directly discharges the hydraulic oil supplied by the pump 17, whenever necessary.
Downstream of the top pressure valve 22, the discharge channel 20 splits up into various branches: a first branch 20a, supplying the first fluid-dynamic cylinder 16′, a second branch 20b supplying the first fluid-dynamic motor 14a, a third branch 20c supplying the first and the second fluid-dynamic cylinders 16″ and 16′″ in series, and a fourth branch 20d supplying the second and third fluid-dynamic motors 14b and 14c in series.
Further branches and elements for eventual further brushes may be arranged downstream of the third fluid-dynamic motor 14c, the circuit is therefore shown as being partially interrupted.
The number 23 indicates the electrical distributors that are—on command—controlling the flow of the hydraulic oil opposite said branches.
As already said, the adjusting devices 24 comprise adjusting units 25, as illustrated in detail and in cross section in
Each adjusting unit 25 is suitable for establishing—in the respective fluid-dynamic cylinder 16—a selected working pressure. The mentioned working force 16a depends on said working pressure.
A further characteristic of the adjusting unit 25 is that of keeping the selected working pressure substantially constant for the respective fluid-dynamic cylinder 16 in the presence of any irregularities of said surface to be swept 7.
The adjusting unit 25 is in practice an adjusting valve of a type known as a “Pressure Reducing and Relieving Valve”, or in short as a “Relieving Valve”, which is placed at least opposite the branch 20a of the circuit 13.
Said valve has a cylindrical profile, a mouth 25c and a small internally mobile piston 26 for the oil pressure; the oil pressure shifts the small piston 26, that in sliding allows a selective passing of the oil across appropriate openings 25a, 25b.
A screwable knob 27 adjusts the mobility of the small piston and its resistance to motion and an adjusting spring 28 interposed between the knob 27 and the small piston 26.
A greater or lesser screwing action of the knob 27 determines in practice, through a greater or lesser compression of the adjusting spring 28, the working pressure at which the oil is allowed to pass to the respective fluid-dynamic cylinders 16.
For the case of acting on a roller brush 8, it is indicatively provided that the adjusting unit or valve 25 be suitable for selecting, when operating the knob 27, some working pressure values ranging between five and forty bar.
Once applied, the working pressure is substantially kept constant. Should the pressure in fact exceed the predetermined level, the small piston 26 is forced to slide further, thus compressing the adjusting spring 28 and opening up passages that determine a partial discharge of the oil and the substantial reestablishment of the working pressure set up by the knob 27.
The adjusting control 29, through which any operator running the sweeping machine 1 acts on at least one unit or adjusting valve 25, is realized by a hand-wheel associated with a graduated scale 29a or with indicators of a functional type, depending on the various cleaning requirements.
The hand-wheel acts through appropriate fittings on the knob 27, but the same knob 27 can also be made accessible from the steering station. A single adjusting control 29 is preferably arranged for all the units or adjusting valves 25, but it is also possible to arrange as many adjusting controls 29 as there are units 25.
In further detail, the
The fulcrum 11 is arranged so as to present an axis substantially parallel to the surface to be swept 7.
The lever 10 is then provided so as to amplify the controlling action received, and for this purpose the
All actuating devices or fluid-dynamic cylinders 16 outlined above have substantially the same structure.
It is in particular noted that each actuating device or fluid-dynamic cylinder 16 is connected to the fluid-dynamic system 13 by a channel 30, and is of a single-acting type.
As shown in particular in the
The fluid-dynamic cylinder is linked to a rotating brush matching the stem 33, through an interposed lever 10.
In other words, each motion of the stem 33—in whatever direction—necessarily matches a motion of the respective brush.
As many lifting devices 15 are provided as there are fluid-dynamic cylinders 16, and these lifting devices 15 preferably consist of compression springs coaxially arranged with the respective fluid-dynamic cylinders 16.
Each compression spring is preferably housed inside a cylindrical body 31 and acting on a piston 32 in opposition to the action of the pressurized fluid. In the absence of a working pressure, each compression spring shifts the respective piston 32 and the respective stem 33 to a position of maximum extension, so as to determine a lifting of the respective rotating brush, through the lever 10, as in the case shown in
The compression spring must be particularly effective, as the rotating brushes can be heavy. In the case of
This weight however the action of the fluid-dynamic cylinder 16, when the same forces the brush against the surface to be swept 7 and in contrast to the action of the spring, as shown in
The operation of the apparatus 12 is as follows.
In order to start the work, the operator must place himself with the machine 1 on the surface of the floor to be swept or cleaned up, for instance in a shed or in a warehouse.
Provision may be made for not merely collecting dust or simple refuse such as paper, packing residues and the like, but also for cleaning up the floors from pollutants and soiling substances, including some that are difficult to remove.
On the working site the operator activates the collecting organs 4. In particular, he activates the oil circulation in the fluid-dynamic system 13, thus determining both the operation of the fluid-dynamic motors and the activation of the actuating devices or fluid-dynamic cylinders 16, and their consequent downward shifting of the rotating brushes.
While entering the fluid-dynamic cylinders 16, the oil in fact pushes the pistons 32 in a direction opposite to the lifting devices or compression springs 15, thus compressing the same and allowing the stem 33 to retract.
The rotating brushes are linked to the stem 33 and therefore forced to lower themselves and partially impinge on the surface to be swept 7 while turning.
It is evident that the pressure applied by the brushes on the floors is an essential factor in determining the degree of cleanliness.
This pressure may be adjusted in a very simple manner by the operator himself, for instance by using the adjusting control or hand-wheel 29 set on the control panel, and by acting on the knob 27 of the unit or the adjusting valve 25. The rotation of a simple hand-wheel selectively increases or decreases the working pressure in at least the actuating device or fluid-dynamic cylinder 16 that controls the most important and always available rotating brush: the roller brush 8.
The hand-wheel's position may be suggested by simple indicators such as by the graduated scale 29a or by simple instructions set opposite the hand-wheel itself. One position may for example be indicated for dust and refuse composed of paper, plastics and packing residues; another position for instance by liquids and moist food elements, and a final position for removing pollutants, oily substances, colours, hydrocarbon residues etc. The latter potentially adhere to the floors to be cleaned and a very robust action of the rotating brushes is therefore in order, at the highest allowable pressure acting on the floor.
In this situation no particular skill to obtain an optimum degree of cleaning is demanded from the personnel put in charge
Moreover, the adjusting unit or valve 25 keeps the pre-set pressure at a constant level, the machine is therefore capable of operating correctly even in the presence of humps, steps, and differences in height. The steps and differences in height would in fact tend to compress the fluid-dynamic cylinders 16. These are however not reacting by suddenly increasing the working pressure, but by discharging the excess pressurized oil through the adjusting units or valves 25. At the end of operating it merely suffices to close the door 6a and to move the machine 1 toward a discharging point, after deactivating the collecting organs 4.
For this latter operation it suffices to stop the oil circulating inside the fluid-dynamic system 13; this determines both an arrest and a lifting of the brushes. The invention allows important advantages.
It allows in fact, through a simple supplementary control connected to the hand-wheel 29, to vary the brush pressure on the surface to be cleaned in accordance with certain optimum parameters.
The cleaning thus always turns out to be effective and satisfactory, even in the presence of some personnel with scant experience.
Moreover, the constraint imposed on the brushes and the possibility of adjusting and enforcing the working pressure does not impair the mobility of the brushes, which can be lifted for overcoming the obstacles.
A further asset is related to the fact that the lifts occur without losing adherence, as the working pressure remains constant.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| MI2003A1080 | May 2003 | IT | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3510900 | Roslund | May 1970 | A |
| 3790981 | Young | Feb 1974 | A |
| 4138756 | Krier et al. | Feb 1979 | A |
| 4674142 | Meili | Jun 1987 | A |
| 4785715 | Bosniac | Nov 1988 | A |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 026 771 | Mar 1958 | DE |
| 0 795 647 | Sep 1997 | EP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040237231 A1 | Dec 2004 | US |
