Sweeping machine

• US 6,324,714 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Alfred Kaercher GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Walz, Jürgen, Kloepfer, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Till, Terrence R.
• Application Number:
  US09/707,748
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 153/83, 153/89, 153/91, 153/92, 15/521, 15/503, 15/532
• US Class Current: 15/52.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/001 Cylindrical or annular brush bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/22 Floor-sweeping machines, hand-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/32 Carpet-sweepers combined with suction cleaners A47L7/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/056 having horizontal axes

Abstract

In order to simplify the construction of the mounting arrangement in a sweeping machine including a rotatably driven brushing roller which is rotatably mounted at each end in a frame and is driven at one end by a gear wheel which forms the mounting for the brushing roller at this end and the teeth of which engage in driver recesses in the brushing roller, it is proposed that the brushing roller be displaceable in an axial direction against the effect of a spring towards the gear wheel to such an extent that the mounting of the brushing roller at the end thereof remote from the gear wheel will disengage, and that the teeth of the gear wheel should engage in the driver recesses with so much play that the thus axially displaced brushing roller can be pivoted out from the region of the mounting by at least the radius of the brushing roller at said end remote from the gear wheel.

Claims

1. A sweeping machine including a rotatably driven brushing roller which is rotatably mounted at each end in a frame and is driven at one end by a drive means engaging in driver recesses in the brushing roller and forming the mounting for the brushing roller at this end, whereby the brushing roller is displaceable in an axial direction against the effect of a spring towards the driver means to such an extent that the mounting of the brushing roller at the end remote from the driver means will disengage, in that the so axially displaced brushing roller is pivotal out from the region of the mounting by at least the radius of the brushing roller at its end remote from the drive means, wherein the drive means is in the form of a gear wheel whose teeth engage in the driver recesses with play for enabling the pivotal action of the brushing roller, whereby said driver recesses are in the form of axially extending open ended grooves in the inner wall of a central open-ended accommodating space in the brushing roller, which said space accommodates the gear wheel, and the width of the grooves continually decreases at least in a section adjoining their open end-faces.

2. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the spring is disposed in the interior of the brushing roller, and

the spring is a compression spring which is supported on the brushing roller at one end and on the gear wheel at the other end.

3. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 2, wherein a section of constant width adjoins the section of decreasing width.

4. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 3, wherein the width of the teeth of the gear wheel decreases in a direction towards the brushing roller.

5. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 4, wherein the inclination of the side faces of the grooves in the section of decreasing width on the one hand and the side faces of the teeth of the gear wheel on the other is the same relative to the longitudinal axis of the grooves.

6. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein a section of constant width adjoins the section of decreasing width.

7. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 6, wherein the width of the teeth of the gear wheel decreases in a direction towards the brushing roller.

8. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 7, wherein the inclination of the side faces of the grooves in the section of decreasing width on the one hand and the side faces of the teeth of the gear wheel on the other is the same relative to the longitudinal axis of the grooves.

9. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the side faces of the grooves are inclined relative to the base of the grooves such that the groove widens from the base up to the accommodating space in the brushing roller.

10. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 9, wherein the side faces of the teeth are inclined relative to the peripheral face of the teeth such that the teeth become wider from the peripheral surface to the rotational axis.

11. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 10, wherein the inclination of the side faces of the grooves and that of the side faces of the teeth is substantially the same.

12. A sweeping machine in accordance with claim 11, wherein the side faces of the teeth and the side faces of the grooves are inclined slightly relative to one another, such that the side faces of the teeth will then extend exactly parallel to the side faces of the grooves when the respective side faces are in contact with one another.