Sweeping system with front removable hopper

• US 7,313,839 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2002
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Shinler, Kevin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich; Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/159,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20020179116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,043 Days
• Field of Search: 15/78, 15/87, 15/83, 15/85, 15/491, 15/521, 15/522, 153/403, 153/404, 153/402, 153/20, 15/411, 15/792
• US Class Current: 15/49.1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/283 the tools being disc brushes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/04 taking- up the sweepings, e.g. for collecting, for loading with dust collector; E01H1/0854 takes precedence; suction machines with brushes E01H1/0845, E01H1/0872; taking- up devices with other mechanical loosening instruments E01H1/106
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/047 Collecting apparatus characterised by the hopper or by means for unloading the hopper

Abstract

A surface maintenance apparatus is described, having a sweeping system positioned near the front or leading edge of the apparatus. The sweeping system includes a plurality of brushes and a removable hopper for collecting debris. The sweeping system is capable of being raised off the surface being maintained when the sweeping system encounters an obstacle or irregularity on the surface. The brushes are pivotally mounted to the surface maintenance apparatus to allow the brushes to be rotated away from each other, providing access to the removable hopper from the front end of the surface maintenance apparatus.

Claims

1. A sweep brush assembly for a surface maintenance machine, said sweep brush assembly comprising:

a rotatable surface engaging brush being connected to the surface maintenance machine by a selective coupling, said selective coupling providing the brush between a first operational orientation and a second displaced orientation, said second displaced orientation being laterally displaced away from a longitudinal centerline of the machine as compared to the first operation condition, said coupling including an arm connected at a proximal end to the machine by a pivot and said brush being coupled to an electric motor connected to a distal end of the arm, during forward movement of said machine said electric motor being closer to a front of said machine than said pivot, wherein the distal end of the arm, electric motor and brush are rotated in a lateral direction away from the machine centerline as the brush is provided in its second displaced orientation; and

a hopper in operative relation to the brush to receive debris from the surface when the brush is in its first operational orientation wherein said brush blocks removal of said hopper, said hopper being removable from the surface maintenance machine when the brush is in its second displaced orientation.

2. The sweep brush assembly of claim 1 wherein the selective coupling further comprises a spring for biasing the arm, said spring being connected to the arm.

3. The sweep brush assembly of claim 1 wherein the rotatable surface engaging brush comprises a pair of counter-rotating brushes.

4. The sweep brush assembly of claim 3 wherein each of the pair of counter-rotating brushes is coupled to the machine upon a different movable arm.

5. A sweep brush assembly for a surface maintenance machine, said sweep brush assembly comprising:

a pair of rotatable surface-engaging brushes coupled to a pair of electric motors;

a hopper provided in operative relation to the pair of brushes; and

a brush coupling associated with each of the pair of brushes, said brush coupling selectively providing each of the pair of brushes in an operative orientation and a displaced orientation relative to the hopper, wherein when the pair of brushes are in the operative orientation the hopper receives debris from the floor surface and the pair of brushes blocks removal of said hopper from said surface maintenance machine, and when the pair of brushes are in the displaced orientation the pair of brushes are laterally offset relative to the operative orientation and relative to the machine longitudinal centerline so that the hopper can be accessed and removed, wherein the brush coupling comprises a pair of pivotable arms which rotate about a pair of generally vertical axes passing through a pair of pivots at proximal ends of the arms, wherein the electric motors and brushes are at distal ends of the arms, and wherein rotation of the arms about the pivots causes the distal arm ends, electric motors and brushes to displace in a lateral direction away from the hopper and machine centerline.

6. A sweep brush assembly for a surface maintenance machine, said sweep brush assembly including;

a carriage;

a carriage coupling which movably connects the carriage to the surface maintenance machine so that said carriage follows undulations in a floor surface, said carriage coupling allowing vertical displacement of the carriage relative to the floor surface;

a rotatable surface-engaging brush connected to the carriage by a selective brush coupling comprising a movable arm pivotally connected to the carriage at a proximal end, and said brush being coupled to an electric motor at a distal end of the arm, said arm pivoting about a generally vertical axis at the proximal end and providing the brush between a first operational orientation and a second displaced orientation, said displaced orientation providing the brush, electric motor and distal arm end a further lateral distance away from a machine centerline as compared to the first operational orientation; and

a removable hopper in operative relation to the brush to receive debris from the surface when the brush is in its first operational orientation, and said brush blocking removal of said hopper from said surface maintenance machine, said hopper being removable when the brush is in its second displaced orientation.

7. A sweep brush assembly of claim 6 wherein the removable hopper is connected to the carriage to follow undulations in the floor surface.

8. The sweep brush assembly of claim 6 wherein the selective coupling further comprises a spring for biasing the movable arm, said spring generating a spring force being transferred to the distal end of the arm.

9. The sweep brush assembly of claim 6 wherein the rotatable surface engaging brush comprises a pair of counter-rotating brushes.

10. A sweep brush assembly for a surface maintenance machine, said sweep brush assembly comprising:

a pair of arms connected at proximal ends to the machine by a pair of pivot connections;

a pair of rotatable surface-engaging brushes coupled to a pair of electric motors at distal ends of the pair of arms; and

a hopper provided in operative relation to the pair of brushes, wherein said pair of arms providing each of the pair of brushes in an operative orientation and a displaced orientation relative to the hopper, wherein when the pair of brushes are in the operative orientation the hopper receives debris from the floor surface, and removal thereof is blocked by the brushes and when the pair of brushes are in the displaced orientation the pair of brushes are laterally offset relative to the operative orientation and relative to the machine longitudinal centerline so that the hopper can be accessed and removed, and wherein rotation of the arms about the pivots causes the distal arm ends, electric motors and brushes to displace in a lateral direction away from the hopper and machine centerline, and wherein said electric motors are positioned ahead of said pivots as the surface maintenance machine is operating to perform a sweeping function.

11. The sweep brush assembly of claim 10 further comprising a pair of springs for biasing the arms toward the machine centerline and said pair of springs being connected to the arms.