DEVICE FOR DISPLACING MATERIAL LYING ON A FLOOR

• US 20120055508A1
• Filed: 08/16/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lely Patent N.V. (Lely)
• Original Assignee: Lely Patent N.V. (Lely)
• Inventors: Van Den Berg, Karel
• Application Number:
  US13/210,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20120055508A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/6
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/01 Removal of dung or urine, e.g. from stablesA01K1/015 takes precedence; from poultry houses A01K31/04
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0128 by means of scrapers or the like moving continuously
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/105 Movable feed barriers, slides or fences
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/20 Cleaning of moving articles, e.g. of moving webs or of objects on a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/32 using rotary cleaning members

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assembly for displacing material present on a stable floor, including an unmanned self-propelled device having a frame, wherein the frame is provided with a slide for displacing the material and with at least one brush, wherein the assembly further includes setting means for automatically and selectively setting the intensity of the contact of the brush with the floor.

Claims

1. An assembly for displacing material present on a stable floor, comprising an unmanned self-propelled device having a frame, wherein the frame is provided with a slide for displacing the material and with at least one brush, wherein the assembly further comprises a setting mechanism for automatically and selectively setting the intensity of the contact of the brush with the floor.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the setting mechanism is configured to set the intensity of the contact of the brush with the floor in dependence on at least one condition of at least one of:

the floor, a surrounding of the brush, and a travel condition of the device.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, where the condition of the surrounding includes at least one of:

a climate parameter comprising at least one of;

temperature, moisture and air pressure.

4. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein the travelling condition comprises at least one of:

speed and direction of the device.

5. The assembly according to claim 2, comprising one or more detectors for detecting one or more of said conditions.

6. The assembly according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit that controls the setting mechanism and a mechanism for pre-programming the operation of the setting mechanism in relation to the condition detected by the detectors.

7. The assembly according to claim 6, wherein the detector is configured to detect material in at least one of:

2D form, 2D dimension, 3D form, and 3D dimension.

8. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the detector is configured to detect the temperature of at least one of:

the surface of the floor and of the space immediately above the floor.

9. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein the detector is configured to measure the moisture content of at least one of:

on and above the floor.

10. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the brush is designed as a rotatable brush, wherein the device is provided with a drive mechanism for driving the rotatable brush, wherein the setting mechanism comprises a control mechanism for the drive mechanism for automatically and selectively controlling at least one of:

a number of revolutions and a direction of rotation of the brush.

11. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein the brush has a substantially horizontal rotational centre line oriented transversely to the direction of travel of the device.

12. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein the control mechanism is configured to control the number of revolutions of the brush in dependence on the speed of travel of the device.

13. The assembly according to claim 12, wherein the control mechanism is configured to control the number of revolutions of the brush such that the circumferential speed at the lower side of the brush is equal to the speed of travel of the device but opposite in sign.

14. The assembly according to claim 13, wherein the control mechanism is configured to control the number of revolutions of the brush such that the circumferential speed at the lower side of the brush differs from the speed of travel of the device opposite in sign.

15. The assembly according to claim 14, wherein the circumferential speed is greater than the speed of travel of the device.

16. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein the control mechanism is configured to control the direction of rotation of the brush in dependence on the direction of travel of the device.

17. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the setting mechanism is configured to set the height of the brush with respect to the frame.

18. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the setting mechanism is configured to set the pressure of the brush on the floor.

19. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the brush is fastened to a holder and is fastened thereby to the frame, wherein the holder is fastened to the frame at the location of an adjustable connection which forms part of the setting mechanism.

20. The assembly according to claim 19, wherein the adjustable connection forms a pivot point with a substantially horizontal rotational centre line and is adjustable in horizontal direction for setting the distance between the brush and the pivot point.

21. The assembly according claim 1, wherein the brush is arranged behind the slide when viewed in the direction of travel.

22. The assembly according to claim 19, wherein the slide is fastened to the holder at a location at the side of the adjustable connection which faces away from the brush.

23. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the slide is concave in top view, with the hollow side oriented forwardly.

24. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the self-propelled device is self-steering.

25. An unmanned self-propelled device for displacing material present on a floor, comprising a frame with a slide, wherein the frame is provided with at least one rotatable brush, wherein the frame is further provided with a drive mechanism for driving the rotatable brush, wherein the brush is mounted on the frame in such that the operating pressure of the brush is settable by controlling the number of revolutions thereof.

26. An unmanned self-propelled device for displacing material present on a floor, comprising a frame with a slide, wherein the frame is provided with at least one brush, wherein the device is provided a pressure setting mechanism of the brush on the floor.

27. The device according to claim 26, wherein the brush is fastened to a holder and is fastened thereby to the frame, wherein the holder is fastened to the frame at the location of an adjustable connection.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein the adjustable connection forms a pivot point with a substantially horizontal rotational centre line and is adjustable in horizontal direction for setting the distance between the brush and the pivot point.

29. The device according to claim 26, wherein the device is self-steering.

30. An unmanned self-propelled device for displacing material present on a floor, comprising a frame with a slide, wherein the frame is provided with at least one rotatable brush that is arranged behind the slide, wherein the frame further comprises a drive mechanism for driving the rotatable brush, wherein the device has a longitudinal direction, to which the direction of travel of the device is parallel during operation, wherein the brush is drivable about a horizontal centre line which is transverse to the longitudinal direction.

31. A method of removing material from a stable floor surface with the aid of a slide provided on a mobile device and at least one brush provided on said device, wherein the intensity of the contact of the brush is controlled automatically in dependence on one or more condition parameters.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the condition parameter comprises at least one of:

the condition of the floor, the surroundings, speed of the device, direction of the device.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein said intensity is controlled by setting the height of the brush with respect to the floor.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein said intensity is controlled by setting the part of the weight of the device which is supported on the floor via the brush.

35. The method according to claim 31, wherein the brush is a rotatingly driven brush, wherein said intensity is controlled by setting at least one of:

the direction of rotation and the rotational speed of the brush.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the device travels over the floor at a speed and the brush is driven in rotation at least partially in dependence on the speed of travel.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the brush is driven in rotation at a circumferential speed that is greater than the speed of travel, wherein the direction of rotation of the brush at the location of the contact of the brush with the floor is opposite to the direction of travel.

38. The method according to claim 31, wherein the brush is driven in rotation at a circumferential speed which is equal to the speed of travel, wherein the direction of rotation of the brush at the location of the contact of the brush with the floor is opposite to the direction of travel.

39. The method according to claim 31, wherein the device travels over the floor at a speed, in a selected one of two opposite directions of travel, and the brush is driven in rotation in a direction in dependence on the selected direction of travel.

40. A method of removing material from a stable floor surface with the aid of a slide which is provided on a mobile device and a brush provided on said device, wherein the operating pressure of the brush on the floor is set in dependence on at least one of:

the condition of the floor and the surroundings.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the pressure of the slide on the floor and the pressure of the brush on the floor is set in mutual dependency.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the mutual dependency is according to inverse proportion.

43. The method according to claim 41, wherein there is made use of a brush that is rotatable about a substantially horizontal rotational centre line.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the brush is rotatable about a rotational centre line transverse to the direction of travel.

45. The method according to claim 40, wherein the brush is a motor-driven brush.

46. The method according to claim 40, wherein the device is unmanned self-propelled and self-steering.