Side broom having memory recall and method for performing the same

• US 8,136,193 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Signal Corporation
• Original Assignee: Federal Signal Corporation
• Inventors: Larkowski, Stephen James, Salapatek, Brian Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENNINGS, MICHAEL DEANGILO
• Application Number:
  US12/173,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20100011523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 15/78, 15/82, 15/83, 15/87, 153/403
• US Class Current: 15/87
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/053 having vertical axes
• 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

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to debris collection devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a debris collection vehicle utilizing a side broom having memory recall functionality.

Claims

1. A debris collection vehicle having a chassis and a cab comprising:

a broom linkage assembly connected to the chassis, the broom linkage assembly enabling a broom tilt, position, and rotation;

a broom connected to the broom linkage assembly for cleaning a cleaning surface; and

a broom controller configured to control the broom linkage, the broom controller including a memory for storing a set of current broom tilt angle, position, and rotation, the set of current broom tilt angle, position and rotation being one of a plurality of sets of broom tilt angle, position and rotation stored in the memory;

whereby the broom controller can recall any of the plurality of sets of broom tilt angle, position, and rotation and control the broom linkage based on the recalled broom tilt angle, position and rotation to redeploy the broom to the recalled broom tilt angle, position and rotation, whereby each time any one set of the plurality of sets of broom tilt angle, position, and rotation is recalled, the broom controller redeploys the broom to a same set of broom tilt angle, position and rotation as for a previous recall of the one set of broom tilt angle, position and rotation.

2. The debris collection vehicle of claim 1, wherein the broom controller includes a tilt sensor and a tilt actuator to determine a tilt of the broom.

3. The debris collection vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a tilt actuator positioned on the broom being configured to actuate the broom between a tilted position and a non-tilted position.

4. The debris collection vehicle of claim 3, wherein the tilt actuator can actuate a broom tilt in any orientation with respect to a stationary axis.

5. The debris collection vehicle of claim 3, wherein the broom tilt is measured by a broom tilt angle, the broom tilt angle measured with respect to a set of orthonormal axis.

6. The debris collection vehicle of claim 5, wherein the broom tilt has a full range of motion ranging from zero degrees to twenty degrees.

7. A tilt controller positioned on a debris collection device, the tilt controller having a hardware and a software component configured to control a side broom tilt, a side broom positioning, and a side broom rotation, wherein the tilt controller can recall the side broom positioning and the side broom tilt for automatic displacement of the side broom, the tilt controller comprising:

a memory element to store a set of a side broom tilt angle and a side broom positioning; and

a memory recall module to automatically position to the set of the side broom tilt and side broom positioning, the memory recall module obtaining the set of the side broom tilt angle and the side broom positioning from the memory element, whereby each time the memory recall module obtains the set of side broom tilt angle and side broom positioning from the memory element, the memory recall module automatically positions to a same set of side broom tilt and side broom positioning as for a previous recall of the set of side broom tilt angle and side broom positioning.

8. The tilt controller of claim 7, wherein the tilt controller updates an operator display to display the side broom tilt angle.

9. The tilt controller of claim 7, wherein the tilt controller receives an operator input via a central console to manually control the side broom tilt angle.

10. The tilt controller of claim 7, wherein the tilt controller receives an operator input via a central console to manually control the side broom positioning.

11. A method of automatically deploying a side broom positioned on a debris collection vehicle having a chassis and a cab, wherein a tilt controller is configured to actuate the side broom to a known side broom positioning and a known side broom tilt, the method comprising:

recalling one of a plurality of sets of previously stored side broom tilt angle, position, rotation and a side broom 3-dimensional coordinate from an electronic memory element;

deploying the side broom to the 3-dimensional coordinate via a broom linkage connected to the chassis; and

actuating the side broom to the side broom tilt angle via a tilt actuator positioned on the side broom.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a central console is located within the cab for operating the tilt controller.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the side broom tilt has a full range of motion ranging from zero degrees to twenty degrees.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the tilt controller updates an operator display to display the side broom tilt angle.