Low-profile rotary sweeper

• US 20050102779A1
• Filed: 08/07/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exact Corporation
• Original Assignee: Exact Corporation
• Inventors: De Wet, Pierre J., Flora, Jonathan J., Flora, Douglas W., Lynch, Douglas J., Benedict, Adam L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/87
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 51/002 for apples or nuts

Abstract

A low-profile sweeper that employs rotary brushes. The low-profile sweeper is especially suited for low overhead clearance applications, as typically found in nut harvesting. The low-profile sweeper has an armature for locating one or more brushes in an array, or attached to a conventional agricultural sweeper. The armature attaches to a chassis or frame of a steerable drive. When used in a parallel oriented array, the brushes rotate in the same, common direction and in substantially the same, common plane of rotation, slightly skewed to avoid contact between the brushes. The bristles of the radial brushes are emanate fro a central hub and are approximately parallel to the plane of rotation. A fan can be utilized to aid the pick-up action of the brushes. The fan is preferably mounted to direct an airstream to the area to be swept. Also, a spray-bar can be attached to the armature or alternatively to the chassis, to aid in dust abatement.

Claims

1. A low-profile sweeper comprising:

a chassis, the chassis having a steerable drive, and the chassis movable on a ground surface by action of the steerable drive;

a plurality of rotatable brushes, each of the plurality of rotatable brushes having a bristle set, the bristle sets of the plurality of rotatable brushes for contacting the ground surface as each of the plurality of rotatable brushes rotates;

the plurality of rotatable brushes including minimum of a first brush, a second brush, and a third brush;

the first brush rotatable in a first plane of rotation, the second brush rotatable in a second plane of rotation, the third brush rotatable in a third plane of rotation;

the first plane of rotation in a generally close, parallel proximity to the ground surface;

the first brush rotatable in the first plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts into contact with the second brush, the plurality of tree nuts dispersed upon the ground surface;

the second brush rotatable in the second plane of rotation to contact and move the plurality of tree nuts into contact with the third brush; and

the third brush rotatable in the third plane of rotation to contact and move the plurality of tree nuts into a contact with the third brush to move the plurality of tree nuts to form a windrow.

2. The low-profile sweeper of claim 1, wherein:

the second plane of rotation is oriented approximately right angle to the first plane of rotation, the third plane of rotation is oriented approximately right angle to both the first plane of rotation and the second plane of rotation.

3. The low-profile sweeper of claim 1, wherein:

the first plane of rotation, the second plane of rotation and the third plane of rotation are approximately a common plane of rotation.

4. A low-profile sweeper comprising:

a chassis, the chassis having a steerable drive, and the chassis movable on a ground surface by action of the steerable drive;

a plurality of rotatable brushes, each of the plurality of rotatable brushes having a bristle set, the bristle sets of the plurality of rotatable brushes for contacting the ground surface as each of the plurality of rotatable brushes rotates;

the plurality of rotatable brushes including minimum of a first brush, a second brush, and a third brush;

the first brush rotatable in a first plane of rotation, the second brush rotatable in a second plane of rotation, and the third brush rotatable in a third plane of rotation;

the first plane of rotation in approximately a close, parallel proximity to the ground surface, the second plane of rotation at approximately right angle to the first plane of rotation, the third plane of rotation at approximately right angle to both the first plane of rotation and the second plane of rotation.

5. The low-profile sweeper of claim 4, wherein:

the first brush rotatable in the first plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts into contact with the second brush, the plurality of tree nuts dispersed upon the ground surface;

the second brush rotatable in the second plane of rotation to contact and move the plurality of tree nuts into contact with the third brush; and

the third brush rotatable in the third plane of rotation to contact and move the plurality of tree nuts into a contact with the third brush to move the plurality of tree nuts into a windrow.

6. A low-profile sweeper comprising:

a chassis, the chassis having a steerable drive, and the chassis movable on a ground surface by action of the steerable drive;

a plurality of rotatable brushes, each rotatable brush mounted on a brush armature, and each of the plurality of rotatable brushes rotatable in a common plane of rotation; and

the common plane of rotation in approximately a close, parallel proximity to the ground surface.

7. The low-profile sweeper of claim 6, wherein:

the plurality of rotatable brushes including minimum of a first brush, and second brush;

the first brush rotatable in the common plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts into contact with the second brush, the plurality of tree nuts dispersed upon the ground surface; and

the second brush rotatable in the common plane of rotation to move the plurality of tree nuts into a windrow.

8. The low-profile sweeper of claim 6, wherein:

the plurality of rotatable brushes includes a minimum of a first brush and a second brush;

the first brush includes a first hub and the second brush includes a second hub;

the first hub rotatable about a first axis in a common direction of rotation, and the second hub rotatable about a second axis in the common direction of rotation;

the first axis and the second axis approximately parallel with respect to each other;

the first axis and the second axis perpendicular to the common plane of rotation.

9. The low-profile sweeper of claim 6, wherein:

the plurality of rotatable brushes including minimum of a first brush, a second brush, and a third brush; and

the first brush rotatable in the common plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts into contact with the second brush, the plurality of tree nuts dispersed upon the ground surface;

the second brush rotatable in the common plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts into contact with the third brush; and

the third brush rotatable in the common plane of rotation to move the plurality of tree nuts into a windrow.

10. The low-profile sweeper of claim 9, wherein:

the second brush is a plurality of second brushes, the plurality of second brushes in approximately a parallel configuration with respect to one another; and

each of the plurality of second brushes rotatable to move the plurality of tree nuts from a previous brush to a succeeding brush.

11. The low-profile sweeper of claim 6, wherein:

the plurality of rotatable brushes includes a minimum of a first brush, a second bush, and a third brush;

the first brush includes a first hub, the second brush includes a second hub, and the third brush includes a third hub;

the first hub rotatable about a first axis in a common direction of rotation, the second hub rotatable about a second axis in the common direction of rotation, and third hub rotatable about a third axis in the common direction of rotation;

the first axis, the second axis and the third axis approximately parallel with respect to each other; and

the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis approximately perpendicular to the common plane of rotation.

12. A low-profile sweeper comprising:

a chassis, the chassis having a steerable drive, and the chassis movable on a ground surface by action of the steerable drive;

a rotatable brush, the rotatable brush having a bristle set, the bristle set of the rotatable brush for contacting the ground surface as the rotatable brush rotates;

the rotatable brush rotatable in a plane of rotation;

the plane of rotation in a generally close, parallel proximity to the ground surface;

the rotatable brush rotatable in the plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts, the plurality of tree nuts dispersed upon the ground surface;

the rotatable brush including a hub;

the hub rotatable about an axis,

the axis perpendicular to the plane of rotation;

the bristle set including a plurality of bristles, the plurality of bristles radially extend from the hub, and extend parallel to the plane of rotation.

13. The low-profile sweeper of claim 12, wherein:

the rotatable brush is a first brush and the low-profile sweeper additionally includes a second brush

the bristle set is a first bristle set and the second rotatable brush includes a second bristle set, the second bristle set of the second brush for contacting the ground surface as the second brush rotates;

the plane of rotation is a common plane of rotation, and the second brush rotates in the common plane of rotation;

the first plane of rotation in a generally close, parallel proximity to the ground surface, and the second plane of rotation is generally close, parallel proximity to the ground surface;

the first brush rotatable in the first plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts, the plurality of tree nuts dispersed upon the ground surface;

the hub of the first brush is a first hub, and the second brush includes a second hub;

the axis is a first axis and the second hub includes a second axis,

the first axis and second axis perpendicular to the common plane of rotation;

the plurality of bristles of the first bristle set including a first plurality of bristles, the first plurality of bristles radially extend from the first hub and extend parallel to the common plane of rotation; and

the second plurality of bristles radially extend from the second hub and extend parallel to the common plane of rotation, the first brush rotatable in the common plane of rotation to contact and move a plurality of tree nuts into contact with the second brush, the plurality of tree nuts dispersed upon the ground surface.