Cylindrical brush idler-side taper adjustment assembly

• US 6,802,098 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2001
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Geyer, Robert A., Hamline, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US09/852,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20010034916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 153/20, 153/401-340, 153/55, 153/68, 153/73, 15/503, 15/521, 15/82, 384/255, 474/133, 492/45, 492/47
• US Class Current: 15/52.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/282 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools

Abstract

The present invention provides an adjustment mechanism and methods for adjusting the alignment of a powered cylindrical brush mounted to a surface maintenance vehicle relative to a surface to be maintained or cleaned by the vehicle. The device is preferably disposed upon the idler-side of a powered rotating cylindrical brush assembly and the adjustment preferably occurs via use of an eccentric cam member providing a range or motion, or pivot location, through or about which the idler-side mounting location of the cylindrical brush may be adjusted to improve contact with the surface. The present invention enables such adjustment without decoupling the rotating brush from its couplings (both supportive and rotational coupling), and any coupling to a drive mechanism for driving the rotating brush into rotation. The rotating brush so adjusted will benefit from improved mechanical cooperation between the bristles of the brush and the surface to be cleaned. If at least two counter-rotating cylindrical brush assemblies are disposed on a single surface maintenance vehicle each may be adjusted with respect to the surface and to the other brush disposed therein. Another aspect of the present invention is to allow a single operator to perform brush taper adjustments without disassembly of any connecting components for operating the rotating cylindrical brush assembly during cleaning operations, including even the side covers or other brush mounting components and any drive gear associated thereto. The apparatus and methods of the present invention are intended to readily accommodate rapid adjustment in the course of surface cleaning operations by a single manual operator or technician preferably either by hand or via use of a single rudimentary adjustment instrument operating upon a single adjustable mounting location to change the state of the single adjustable mounting location from a partially-released state to a fully-coupled state.

Claims

1. An adjustable assembly for a powered rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle comprising:

a brush assembly housing member having a first aperture and a second aperture spaced from the first aperture;

a substantially cylindrical brush member having a rotary bearing assembly connected at a first end; and

a coupling mechanism comprising a first cam member having an adjustment head protruding from a first side and a bore spaced from the adjustment head, the head and the bore positioned to correspond to the first and second aperture, respectively, a second cam member having a first side with a third aperture aligned with the bore and a second side of the second cam member adapted to engage the rotary bearing assembly, and a connecting member extending through the second aperture and the bore and engaging the third aperture.

2. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rotary bearing assembly further comprises a first ring portion and a second ring portion spaced from the first ring portion, the second ring portion is coupled to the substantially cylindrical brush member and wherein a material designed to reduce friction between said first ring portion and said second ring portion is disposed in a space between said first ring portion and second ring portion.

3. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said brush assembly housing member further comprises a removable cover portion mechanically connected to said housing member.

4. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a ridge member protrudes from the first side of the second cam member which engages a corresponding elongate recess formed in a second side of the first cam member to inhibit motion therebetween.

5. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the ridge member is formed as at least one pin member and the elongate recess is formed to correspond to the at least one pin.

6. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment head is bonded into a port formed in said first cam member.

7. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first cam member is fabricated of at least one of the following materials:

metal, powdered metal, ceramic, composite, resin-based, and any of the above further comprising fiber-impregnation or heat tempering and wherein the first cam member is fabricated by any one or more of the following;

cast, milled, molded, sculpted or etched into appropriate shape.

8. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second aperture is elongated in shape.

9. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a power source for rotating said substantially cylindrical brush member is coupled to the substantially cylindrical brush member via a belt member.

10. An adjustable assembly for a rotating brush member operating in a surface maintenance vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the power source is coupled to the substantially cylindrical brush member at a first end of said substantially cylindrical brush member.

11. An adjustable assembly for one of a pair of counter-rotating brush members operating in a surface maintenance vehicle, comprising:

a housing member having a first aperture and a second aperture, spaced from the first aperture, wherein said second aperture has an elongate shape;

a substantially cylindrical first brush member having a first attachment location disposed at a first end; and

a first cam member pivotably coupled to the housing member, wherein the first cam member has an adjustment head protruding from a first side, a bore spaced from the adjustment head and a ridge-receiving elongate recess formed on a second side; and

a second cam member mechanically coupled to the second side of the first cam member on a first side of the second cam member and wherein the first side of the second cam member has a threaded blind hole formed therein aligned with the second aperture of the housing member and a ridge feature formed thereon corresponding to said ridge-receiving elongate recess and a second side of said second cam member adapted to engage the first attachment location.

12. An adjustable assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a motive force mechanically coupled to the substantially cylindrical brush member.

13. An adjustable assembly according to claim 12, wherein said motive force provides an adjustable magnitude output force so that when said motive force is increased the substantially cylindrical brush member rotates more rapidly and when said motive force is decreased the substantially cylindrical brush member rotates less rapidly.

14. An adjustable assembly according to claim 12, wherein said motive force is an electrical motor coupled to the substantially cylindrical brush member via at least one belt member driving a first driven gear member.

15. An adjustable assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a debris capture vessel configured to temporarily collect particles and debris.

16. An adjustable assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a second substantially cylindrical brush member and a second motive force coupled to the second substantially cylindrical brush member for driving said second substantially cylindrical brush member in a direction of rotation opposite the direction of rotation of said first substantially cylindrical brush member.

17. An adjustable assembly according to claim 11,

wherein ridge feature of the second cam member is formed as a pin corresponding to said pin-receiving recess of the first cam member.

18. An adjustable assembly, comprising:

an elongate rotary brush member having a longitudinal axis of rotation;

a first rotational mounting structure coupled to the elongate rotary brush member at the longitudinal axis at a first end of the elongate rotary brush member and a second rotational mounting structure coupled to the elongate rotary brush member at the longitudinal axis at a second end of the elongate rotary brush member so that said elongate rotary brush member freely rotates about said longitudinal axis;

a pair of coupling mechanisms coupling the elongate rotary brush to the respective first and second rotational mounting structures, each coupling mechanism comprising a cam member having a first side with an adjustment head protruding therefrom, the adjustment heads rotatively coupled to a respective one of the first and second rotational mounting structures and a second side of each cam member adapted to eccentrically and rotatably engage respective ends of the rotary brush member; and

,

a source of rotational motion coupled to the second end of the elongate rotary brush.

19. An adjustable brush assembly comprising:

a housing member having a first aperture and a second aperture spaced from the first aperture;

a cylindrical brush member; and

a cam member having an adjustment head protruding from a first side, a bore spaced from the adjustment head, and a second side adapted to engage the cylindrical brush member, the adjustment head rotatively engages the first aperture; and

a connecting member extending through the second aperture and engaging the bore.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the second aperture is elongated and adapted to allow the connecting member to travel in a generally longitudinal direction along the second aperture by rotating the adjustment head.

21. The assembly of claim 19, and further comprising a motive force coupled to the cylindrical brush member.

22. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the cam member is comprised of a first and second cam member, with the first cam member having an adjustment head protruding from a first side and a bore spaced from the adjustment head, the head and the bore positioned to correspond to the first and second aperture, respectively, the second cam member having a first side with a third aperture aligned with the bore and a second side of the second cam member adapted to engage the cylindrical brush member.