Surface maintenance machine with skirting to allow particulate pickup

• US 10,595,697 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Runnoe, Adam J. C., Jensen, Laurence A., Weatherly, Erik M., Younggren, Derek R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scruggs, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/421,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20170215683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4013 Contaminants collecting devices, i.e. hoppers, tanks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4038 Disk shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4055 for lifting the tools to a non-working position
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4077 Skirts or splash guards

Abstract

Embodiments include a surface maintenance machine, comprising a maintenance tool chamber comprising a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side. A rotary broom is housed in the maintenance tool chamber and substantially enclosed by the first, second, third and fourth sides thereof. The rotary broom sweeps particulate from the surface. A vacuum system generates vacuum for drawing particulate swept by the rotary broom. The vacuum system is positioned proximal to the first side. A skirt assembly extends substantially around the second, third and fourth sides of the maintenance tool chamber. The skirt assembly has a vacuum passage defined therein and in fluid communication with the vacuum system to direct air flow into the vacuum passage, thereby drawing particulate into the vacuum passage and preventing particulate accumulation at portions of the second, third and fourth sides that are distal to the vacuum system.

Claims

1. A surface maintenance machine comprising:

a body;

wheels for supporting the body for movement over a surface;

a pair of brooms housed in a sweep chamber configured to draw particulate on the surface to the front of the pair of brooms inwardly toward the surface maintenance machine;

a vacuum system configured to generate a vacuum for drawing particulate swept by the pair of brooms;

a chute defined by a front wrap and a rear wrap, the front wrap forming a front wrap pick-off point at one broom of the pair of brooms and the rear wrap forming a rear wrap pick-off point at the other broom of the pair of brooms, the chute positioned above the pair of brooms and in fluid communication with the vacuum system, the front wrap and the rear wrap forming a particulate passage having an inlet at the pair of brooms, the inlet extending from the front wrap pick-off point, across the pair of brooms, and to the rear pick-off point; and

a skirt assembly generally surrounding the pair of brooms to form a vacuum passage to fluidly isolate the sweep chamber from an exterior of the surface maintenance machine, the skirt assembly comprising side skirts and a rear skirt, the rear skirt being positioned to the rear of the pair of brooms when the machine is moving in a generally forward direction, the skirt assembly not surrounding the pair of brooms on the front of the pair of brooms, the particulate on the surface to the front of the pair of brooms being drawn toward the surface maintenance machine and into the inlet of the particulate passage at a location between the pair of brooms due to air currents generated during the rotation of the pair of brooms.

2. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum passage formed by the skirt assembly fluidly isolating the vacuum system from the exterior of the machine.

3. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1, further comprising a hopper positioned generally to the front of and above the pair of brooms when the machine is moving in the generally forward direction, the rotation of the pair of brooms configured to pick off particulate from the surface and direct it toward the hopper.

4. The surface maintenance machine of claim 3, wherein in front wall of the hopper is in contact with the front wrap of the chute.

5. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1, wherein each broom of the pair of brooms is configured to rotate about an axis that extends parallel to the surface, and wherein each broom of the pair of brooms extends a distance between the side skirts.

6. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1, wherein the pair of brooms comprises a front broom and a rear broom, wherein the front broom is configured to rotate in a first direction that is configured to draw particulate on the surface from the front of the pair of brooms toward the rear broom, and wherein the rear broom is rotate in a second direction that is configured to lift particulate drawn by the front broom toward the chute, the second direction being opposite the first direction.

7. The surface maintenance machine of claim 6, wherein air current generated due to the rotation of the front broom is in a direction opposite to air currents generated due to the rotation of the rear broom.

8. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1, wherein the pair of brooms are movable between a transport position and an operating position, wherein, in the transport position, the pair of brooms are not in contact with the surface, and in the operating position, the pair of brooms are in contact with the surface.

9. The surface maintenance machine of claim 8, wherein, in the operating position, the front wrap of the chute is positioned further forward relative to its position in the transport position.

10. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1, wherein the pair of brooms have a gap therebetween.

11. The surface maintenance machine of claim 10, wherein the gap between the front and rear brooms is about 0.125 inches.

12. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1, wherein the surface maintenance machine is a dry sweeping machine.