Debris suctioning and separating apparatus for use in a surface sweeping vehicle having a mechanical debris elevator

• US 6,195,837 B1
• Filed: 02/22/1999
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vanderlinden, Roger P.
• Original Assignee: Vanderlinden, Roger P.
• Inventors: Vanderlinden, Roger P.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, CHRISTOPHER K
• Application Number:
  US09/253,747
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 153/403, 153/404, 153/48, 153/49
• US Class Current: 15/348
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/042 the loading means being an endless belt or an auger
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/0845 with mechanical loosening or feeding instruments for the dirt to be sucked- up, e.g. brushes, scrapers brushing installations per se E01H1/02; other loosening devices per se E01H1/105
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/0854 Apparatus in which the mechanically dislodged dirt is partially sucked-off, e.g. dislodging- sweeping apparatus with dirt collector in brush housing or dirt container mechanical dislodging machines with independent suction nozzles E01H1/0827; combined with blowing and suction E01H1/0872

Abstract

A debris suctioning and separating apparatus for use in a surface sweeping vehicle having an elongate cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom, a debris receiving and retaining hopper, and a debris conveying mechanism to receive debris from said rotating sweeping broom and convey it to said hopper, comprises a debris separator that is mounted on the surface sweeping vehicle exteriorly to the hopper and has an air inlet for receiving debrisladen air into the debris separator, an air outlet for exhausting separated air from the debris separator, and a debris release outlet for selectively releasing separated debris from the debris separator. A fan is operatively mounted at the air outlet of the debris separator, to draw the debris-laden air through the air inlet and into the debris separator, and to exhaust the separated air from the debris separator to ambient surroundings. A valve is operatively mounted on the debris separator at the debris release outlet, to effect the controlled flow-restricted release from the debris separator of the separated and captured debris, and to preclude the ingress of air and debris into the debris separator through the debris release outlet. Debris is separated from the debris-laden air drawn through said air inlet and into the debris separator, during the operation of the rotating sweeping broom and the debris conveying mechanism.

Claims

1. A debris auctioning and separating apparatus for use in a surface sweeping vehicle having a cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom that propels debris forwardly and a hopper to receive and retain said debris, said debris suctioning and separating apparatus comprising:

debris separator means mounted on said surface sweeping vehicle and having an air inlet for receiving debris-laden air created by said sweeping broom into said debris separator means, an air outlet for exhausting separated air from said debris separator means, and a debris release outlet for selectively releasing separated debris from said debris separator means;

fan means operatively mounted at said air outlet of said debris separator means, to draw said debris-laden air through said air inlet and into said debris separator means, and to exhaust separated air from said debris separator means to ambient surroundings;

valve means operatively mounted on the debris separator means at said debris release outlet, to effect the controlled flow restricted release from said debris separator means of the separated and captured debris, and to preclude the ingress of air and debris into said debris separator means through said debris release outlet;

wherein debris is separated from said debris-laden air drawn through said air inlet and into said debris separator means, during the operation of cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom.

2. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 1, wherein said debris separator means comprises a cyclonic separator.

3. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 2, wherein said debris release outlet of said debris separator means is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to a debris elevating means.

4. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 2, wherein said debris release outlet of said debris separator means is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to a debris receptacle.

5. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 1, wherein said debris release outlet of said debris separator means is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to said hopper.

6. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a debris suctioning head having a mouth in fluid communication with said air inlet of said debris separator means.

7. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 6, wherein said surface sweeping vehicle includes an enclosure that generally encloses said rotating sweeping broom, and said hopper, and wherein said mouth of said debris suctioning head is disposed within said enclosure.

8. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 7, wherein said debris suctioning head is disposed exteriorly to said enclosure and is in fluid communication with said air inlet, as foresaid, through a suction hose, so as to permit selective suctioning of debris from areas adjacent said surface sweeping vehicle.

9. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 1, wherein said debris separator means is mounted exteriorly to said hopper.

10. A debris suctioning and separating apparatus for use in a surface sweeping vehicle having a cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom that propels debris forwardly, a debris receiving and retaining hopper, and a debris conveying means to receive debris from said cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom and convey it to said hopper, said debris suctioning and separating apparatus comprising:

debris separator means mounted on said surface sweeping vehicle and having an air inlet for receiving debris-laden air created by said sweeping broom into said debris separator means, an air outlet for exhausting separated air from said debris separator means, and a debris release outlet for selectively releasing separated debris from said debris separator means;

fan means operatively mounted at said air outlet of said debris separator means, to draw said debris-laden air through said air inlet and into said debris separator means, and to exhaust separated air from said debris separator means to ambient surroundings;

valve means operatively mounted on the debris separator means at said debris release outlet, to effect the controlled flow-restricted release from said debris separator means of the separated and captured debris, and to preclude the ingress of air and debris into said debris separator means through said debris release outlet;

wherein debris is separated from said debris-laden air drawn through said air inlet and into said debris separator means, during the operation of said cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom and the debris conveying means.

12. The debris auctioning and separating apparatus of claim 10, wherein said debris separator means comprises a cyclonic separator.

13. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 10, wherein said debris release outlet of said debris separator means is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to said debris conveying means.

14. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 10, wherein said debris release outlet of said debris separator means is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to a debris receptacle.

15. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 10, wherein said debris release outlet of said debris separator means is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to said hopper.

16. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a debris suctioning head having a mouth in fluid communication with said air inlet of said debris separator means.

17. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 16, wherein said surface sweeping vehicle includes an enclosure that generally encloses said rotating sweeping broom, said debris conveying means, and said hopper, and wherein said mouth of said debris auctioning head is disposed within said enclosure.

18. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 16, wherein said debris auctioning head is disposed exteriorly to said enclosure and is in fluid communication with said air inlet, through a suction hose, so as to permit selective suctioning of debris from areas adjacent said surface sweeping vehicle.

19. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 18, wherein said debris release outlet is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to a debris receptacle.

20. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 10, wherein said debris conveying means comprises a mechanical debris elevator.

11. A debris suctioning and separating apparatus for use in a surface sweeping vehicle having cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom that propels debris forwardly, a debris receiving and retaining hopper, and a debris conveying means to receive debris from said cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom and convey it to said hopper, said debris suctioning and separating apparatus comprising:

debris separator means mounted on said surface sweeping vehicle exteriorly to said hopper and having an air inlet for receiving debris-laden air created by said sweeping broom into said debris separator means, an air outlet for exhausting separated air from said debris separator means, and means for selectively releasing separated debris from said debris separator means;

fan means operatively mounted at said air outlet of said debris separator means, to draw said debris-laden air through said air inlet and into said debris separator means, and to exhaust said separated air from said debris separator means to ambient surroundings;

wherein debris is separated from said debris-laden air during the operation of said cylindrically-shaped rotating sweeping broom and the debris conveying means.

21. The debris auctioning and separating apparatus of claim 11, wherein said means for selectively releasing separated debris from said debris separator means comprises a debris release outlet.

22. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a valve means operatively mounted on the debris separator means at said debris release outlet, to effect the controlled flow-restricted release from said debris separator means of the separated and captured debris, and to preclude the ingress of air and debris into said debris separator means through said debris release outlet.

23. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 21, wherein said debris release outlet is disposed in debris depositing relation with respect to said debris conveying means.

24. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a debris auctioning head having a mouth in fluid communication with said air inlet of said debris separator means.

25. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 24, wherein said surface sweeping vehicle includes an enclosure that generally encloses said rotating sweeping broom, said debris conveying means, and said hopper, and wherein said mouth of said debris auctioning head is disposed within said enclosure.

26. The debris auctioning and separating apparatus of claim 25, wherein said debris auctioning head is disposed exteriorly to said enclosure and is in fluid communication with said air inlet, as foresaid, through a suction hose, so as to permit selective auctioning of debris from areas adjacent said surface sweeping vehicle.

27. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 11, wherein said debris conveying means comprises a mechanical debris elevator.

28. The debris suctioning and separating apparatus of claim 11, wherein said debris separator means comprises a cyclonic separator.