DUCT CLEANING APPARATUS

• US 3,800,358 A
• Filed: 05/08/1972
• Issued: 04/02/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John W. Ryan
• Original Assignee: John W. Ryan
• Inventors: Ryan, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feldman, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, C. K.
• Application Number:
  US05/251,324
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 15/104.05,104.06,104.09,104.16,14.3R,88,301,304,312R,340,395,104.2
• US Class Current: 15/312.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/035 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/049 having self-contained propelling means for moving the cleaning devices along the pipes , i.e. self-propelled
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 3/02 Cleaning furnace tubes; Cleaning flues or chimneys
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/22 Cleaning ducts or apparatus

Abstract

A remote-controlled, self-propelled, vehicular apparatus adapted to travel tractionally within a rectangular duct, and by a combined brushing and vacuum-cleaning operation, to remove dust and other foreign matter therefrom.

Claims

1. In a self-propelled vehicular apparatus for cleaning the interior wall surfaces of a rectangular duct having horizontal top and bottom walls and vertical side walls, in combination, a chassis, transport means engageable with said bottom wall and tractionally supporting the chassis thereabove for movement therealong, a reversible drive motor mounted on saidchassis and opeatively connected to said transport means in driving relationship, a suction pump mounted on said chassis adjacent to the forward end thereof and having an air inlet and an air outlet, an actuating motor on said chassis and operatively connected to he suction pump, a filter receptacle removably secured to said suction pump and in communication with said air outlet, and a brush-carrying suction head removably secured to said suction pump and in communication with said air inlet, said suction head including a generally rectangular casing, said casing beingprovided with a substantially continuous peripheral quadrilateral. air inlet opening therearound, and a rectangular brush frame carriedy said casing, said brush frame including a pair of horizontally brush-carrying manifold bars anda pair of vertical brush-carrying maifold bars, each of said bars being shiftable on said suctio head casing toward and away fromthe adjacent duct wlal, brush elements projecting outwardly from said manifold bars and designed for sweeping engagement with said duct walls incident to movement of the chassis along the duct in either direction, said brush frame being disposed in close proximity to said continuous aIr inlet opening, whereby dust or foreign matter which is loosened by such sweeping engagement with the duct walls by said brush elements is immediately drawn into the opening, and spring means for yieldingly urging said manifold bars in an outward direction with respect to the brush frame in order to insure sweeping engagement of the brush elements with said duct walls.

2. A self-propelled vehicular apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and wherein said suction head further includes a second and similar rectangular brush frame on said casing and similarly having brush elements projecting outwardly therefrom, the second brush frame likewise being disposed in close proximity to said continuous air inlet opening, the two brush frames assuming positions on opposite sides of the opening whereby the brush elements associated with said frames, in combination with the walls of the duct, establish a continuous suction area which surrounds the suction head and is in communication with the air inlet of the suction pump.

3. A self-propelled vehicular apparatus as set forth in claim 2 and wherein the suction pump is in the form of a centrifugal blower presenting a forwardly projecting cylindrical flange which defines said air inlet, and the suction head casing is comprised of a pair of generally flat front and rear rectangular plates which are maintained in slightly spaced apart relationship by spacer members, the peripheral edges of said plates defining said quadrilateral air inlet opening, the rear plate being provided with a cylindrical mounting sleeve in the central region thereof, the forward end of said sleeve being in open communication with the space existing between said front and rear plates, and the rear end of said sleeve being telescopically and removably received over said cylindrical flange of the blower.

4. A self-propelled vehicular apparatus as set forth in claim 2 and wherein each pair of horizontal brush-carrying manifold bars is offset from its respective pair of vertical brush-carrying manifold bars, the outer end regions of such pairs of bars overlap each other in crossing relationship, and said brush elements extend coextensively along each manifold bar.