Tessellated cylindrical brush

• US 6,449,793 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Larson, Warren L., DʼCosta, Joseph F., Basham, Michael T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US09/952,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20020007526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 15/411, 15/503, 15/52, 15/521, 15/532, 15/82, 15/883, 15/884, 151/79, 151/81, 151/82, 151/83, 153/66
• US Class Current: 15/52.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/001 Cylindrical or annular brush bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4052 Movement of the tools or the like perpendicular to the cleaning surface
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4058 for adjusting the height of the tool
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated

Abstract

A sweeping machine for picking up debris from a surface includes a frame and wheels attached to said frame to support the frame of the sweeping machine over the surface being swept. A cylindrical brush is rotatably attached to said frame. The cylindrical brush includes a tubular main body and tufts attached to said tube such that the tufts extend radially outward from said tube. The tube has regions devoid of tufts bounded by regions having tufts. The sweeping machine also includes a mechanism for rotating said cylindrical brush.

Claims

1. A brush for a sweeping machine adapted to remove mixed aspect ratio debris from a surface, said brush comprising:

a core, said core having a core surface;

sweeping material attached to said core and extending radially outward from the core surface, said sweeping material forming a plurality of first regions of sweeping material and a plurality of second regions substantially devoid of sweeping material, said first regions bounding said second regions of the core, said second regions substantially devoid of sweeping material forming pockets for entrapping debris;

a plurality of third regions of sweeping material; and

a plurality of fourth regions substantially devoid of sweeping material, said first and third regions of sweeping material bounding said second and fourth regions substantially devoid of sweeping material, said first and third regions of sweeping material having different geometric shapes.

2. The brush for a sweeping machine of claim 1 wherein the first and third regions form volumes which are unequal to each other.

3. The brush for a sweeping machine of claim 1 wherein the second and fourth regions substantially devoid of sweeping material have different geometric shapes and form volumes which are unequal to each other.

4. A sweeping machine for picking up mixed aspect ratio debris from a surface, said sweeping machine comprising:

a frame,

wheels attached to said frame, said wheels for supporting said frame over said surface;

a cylindrical brush rotatably attached to said frame, said cylindrical brush further comprising;

a core, said core having a core surface;

sweeping material attached to said core and extending radially outward from the core surface, said sweeping material forming a plurality of first regions of sweeping material and a plurality of second regions substantially devoid of sweeping material, said first regions bounding said second regions of the core, said second regions substantially devoid of sweeping material forming pockets for entrapping debris;

a plurality of third regions of sweeping material; and

a plurality of fourth regions substantially devoid of sweeping material, said first and third regions of sweeping material bounding said second and fourth regions substantially devoid of sweeping material, said first and third regions of sweeping material having different geometric shapes; and

a mechanism for rotating said cylindrical brush.

5. The sweeping machine for picking up debris from a surface of claim 4 further comprising an arm attached to said cylindrical brush for controlling the amount of force applied between the cylindrical brush and the surface.

6. The sweeping machine for picking up debris from a surface of claim 4 wherein the regions of the cylindrical brush substantially devoid of tufts, and the regions of the cylindrical brush having tufts which bound the regions substantially devoid of tufts, are positioned on said tube so that the brush is symmetrical about the midpoint of the tube.

7. The sweeping machine for picking up debris from a surface of claim 4 wherein the regions of the cylindrical brush substantially devoid of tufts, and the regions of the cylindrical brush having tufts which bound the regions substantially devoid of tufts, are positioned on said tube so that the brush in contact with the surface being swept substantially zero moment on said frame of the sweeping machine.

8. The sweeping machine for picking up debris from a surface of claim 4 wherein the regions of the cylindrical brush substantially devoid of tufts produce an airflow conducive for entrapping light litter within the regions of the cylindrical brush substantially devoid of tufts.

9. The sweeping machine for picking up debris from a surface of claim 4 wherein the regions of the cylindrical brush devoid of tufts are have a selected volume for removal of selected debris having a volume associated therewith from the surface.