US20130152335A1 - Debris shredding pick-up head system - Google Patents

Abstract

A debris shredding pick-up head system for use with a surface cleaning vehicle comprises a housing having an interior and a suctioning bottom opening in fluid communication and debris transfer relation to the interior, and defining a fore-aft axis. There is a debris receiving inlet in the housing for receiving debris to be shredded into the housing, and a debris outlet in the housing for permitting debris to egress from the housing. A debris path connects together in fluid communication the debris receiving inlet and the debris outlet. A debris shredder is operatively mounted in the housing for shredding debris within the interior of the housing, to thereby produce shredded debris to egress from the housing through the debris outlet.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/496,410 filed on Jun. 13, 2011, which is herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to pick-up head systems for factory, sidewalk and street sweepers, and more particularly to such dustless pick-up head systems that have a contained debris shredder.
• Prior art pick-up heads do not fully seal to the ground and allow material to readily enter the front of the pick-up head. Material enters the pick-up head by way of pushing back the pliable front flap that runs along the front, or by way of an opening to permit passage of debris into the housing. This readily presents the opportunity for dust and other fine particulate matter to escape from the housing in re-circulating air units.
• Furthermore, the pliable front flaps on conventional pick-up heads allow for a temporary loss of suction power within the width of the pick-up head as debris enters. This causes the suction port to reject internal re-circulating airflow while it is receiving air from the atmosphere and material is subsequently left behind which is highly undesirable.
• Larger debris, such as twigs or the like, are often encountered in addition to smaller debris, such as gravel or the like, in the sweeping application. Larger debris and sticks can clog the suction port decreasing air speed in the housing and causing material to be left behind. The complete plugging up of vacuum sweepers from debris is quite common in heavy litter, leaves (sticks), etc. and is a downtime operational issue. Further, large debris can cause the pliable front flap in re-circulating air units to remain in temporarily open position which causes a pressure decrease and also leads to leaving material behind. Both of these circumstances are not desirable.
• It is known in prior art to incorporate debris access points in pick-up heads which can be controlled from the operator's seat in order to allow access for large accumulations of litter, leaves, etc. This, however, is meant to be temporary to avoid continuous loss of suction pressure within the vacuum chamber, and this large debris can clog the vacuum hose and drop performance or completely stop operation.
• It is an object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system wherein at least one debris shredder is disposed within the housing of the pick-up head.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system which does not allow the opportunity for larger debris such as twigs or the like to clog the internal suction port and stop or impede the sweeper's efficiency.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system wherein the front face of the pick-up head is in sealing relation to the ground thereby precluding the entry of debris.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system that can digest large accumulations of debris, litter and leaves without greatly reducing vehicle travel speed.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system that allows the continuous entry of debris while precluding any loss of suction pressure within the entire width of the pick-up head.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system that precludes dust and other fine particulate matter from escaping the pick-up head housing.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system that operates its shredding components inside the pick-up head for operator safety.
• It is another object of the present invention to provide a debris shredding pick-up head system that is more efficient allowing either a faster effective sweeping speed or a reduction of energy, thus fuel, to perform the same job.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a novel debris shredding pick-up head system for use with a surface cleaning vehicle. The debris shredding pick-up head system comprises a housing having an interior and a suctioning bottom opening in fluid communication and debris transfer relation to the interior, and defining a fore-aft axis; a debris receiving inlet in the housing for receiving debris to be shredded into housing; a debris outlet in the housing for permitting debris to egress from the housing; a debris path in the housing connecting together in fluid communication the debris receiving inlet and the debris outlet; and a debris shredder operatively mounted in the housing for shredding debris within the interior of the housing, to thereby produce shredded debris to egress from the housing through the debris outlet.
• Other advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, the latter of which is briefly described herein below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the debris shredding pick-up head system according to the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of example. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:
• FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the debris shredding pick-up head system according to the present invention mounted on a surface cleaning vehicle;
• FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the preferred embodiment dustless pick-up head system ofFIG. 1; and,
• FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional side elevational view of the preferred embodiment dustless pick-up head system ofFIG. 1, taken along section line3-3 ofFIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• Reference will now be made toFIGS. 1 through 3, which show a preferred embodiment of the debris shredding pick-up head system of the present invention, as indicated bygeneral reference numeral100. The dustless pick-up head system100 is for use with asurface cleaning vehicle102 for removing dust (including fine particulate matter) and debris (including bottles, cans, leaves, dirt, and so on) from a surface to be cleaned104.
• The preferred embodiment dustless pick-up head system100 basically comprises ahousing110, adebris outlet120,debris path130, adebris receiving inlet142, a substantially sealeddoor apparatus150, and adebris shredder170. The dustless pick-up head system100, particularly thehousing110, define a generally central fore-aft longitudinal axis “L”.
• The dustless pick-up head system100 comprises ahousing110 extending between andfirst end111 and asecond end112, and having a substantiallyhollow interior119 and a suctioning bottom opening114 defined by a bottomperipheral edge109. The suctioning bottom opening114 is in fluid communication and debris transfer relation with the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110. There is also a firstdebris suctioning inlet140adisposed at thefirst end111 of thehousing110 and a seconddebris suctioning inlet140bdisposed at thesecond end112 of thehousing110.
• Further, thehousing110 has a front wall115, aback wall116, interconnected by aroof portion118. Dust and fine particulate on the surface to be cleaned104 pass under the frontperipheral edge109 and are suctioned into the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110. The front wall115 also precludes the passage of larger debris, such as stones, bottles, cans, leaves, sticks and the like, from passing under the bottomperipheral edge109 of the front wall115 as thehousing100 and moves along the surface to be cleaned104.housing110.
• Thehousing110 further comprises a debris receivingmain inlet142 in the front wall115 in debris receiving relation with respect to a surface to be cleaned104, for receiving debris to thehousing110. Thedoor apparatus150 is operatively mounted at said debris receivingmain inlet142. Thedoor apparatus150 preferably comprises a substantially sealed door apparatus that itself comprises arotatable door assembly146 defining a substantially horizontally oriented central pivot axis “P” and anouter periphery147, and aseal190 operatively disposed in sealing relation between therotatable door assembly146 and thehousing110. The front wall115 directs debris, such as bottles, sticks, etc. along thehousing110 to the debris receivingfront inlet142 at the substantially sealeddoor apparatus150.
• Thedebris receiving inlet142 is disposed in thehousing110 for receiving debris to be shredded into thehousing110. Thedebris receiving inlet142 is disposed in the front wall115 of thehousing110 in order to receive debris as thesurface cleaning vehicle102 moves forwardly.
• Thedebris outlet120 in thehousing110 is for permitting debris to egress from thehousing110. Thedebris outlet120 is connected in air flow delivery relation through adelivery duct121 to a hopper (not specifically shown) for permitting shredded debris to egress from thehousing110 into the hopper.
• Thedebris path130 in thehousing110 is for connecting together in fluid communication thedebris receiving inlet142 and thedebris outlet120.
• Thedebris shredder170 is operatively mounted in thehousing110 for shredding debris within theinterior119 of thehousing110, to thereby produce shredded debris to egress from thehousing110 through thedebris outlet120. Thedebris shredder170 is operatively mounted in thehousing110 adjacent thedebris receiving inlet142, preferably immediately rearwardly of thedebris receiving inlet142, and immediately forwardly of thedebris outlet120.
• Thedebris shredder170 comprises at least one blade, an in the preferred embodiment, as illustrated, a plurality ofblades172 mounted on adriveshaft174 that is rotatable about a shredder axis “S”, and adrive motor176 that is operatively connected in driving relation to thedriveshaft174.
• As can be readily seen inFIG. 3, thedrive motor176 is disposed outside thedebris path130, and more specifically is disposed generally rearwardly of thehousing100. Thedebris outlet120 is disposed immediately above at least a portion of the plurality of blades of the shredder, and as illustrated, is disposed immediately above the plurality ofblades172 of theshredder170. In order to accommodate this specific arrangement, the shredder axis is oriented generally horizontally and forwardly.
• As further can be seen in the Figures, thedebris shredder170 is a primary debris shredder, and further comprising a firstauxiliary debris shredder170adisposed between thefirst end111 of thehousing110 and thedebris outlet120, and a secondauxiliary debris shredder170bdisposed between thesecond end112 of thehousing110 and thedebris outlet120. More specifically, the firstauxiliary debris shredder170ais disposed adjacent thefirst end111 of thehousing110 and the secondauxiliary debris shredder170bis disposed adjacent thesecond end112 of thehousing110. The firstauxiliary debris shredder170ais for shredding debris that enters the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110 through the firstdebris suctioning inlet140a. Similarly, the secondauxiliary debris shredder170bis for shredding debris that enters the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110 through the seconddebris suctioning inlet140b.
• In use, as the mobilesurface cleaning vehicle102 travels forwardly, dust and debris on the surface to be cleaned104 are encountered by the debris shredding pick-uphead100. Any debris that is encountered by the left and right front walls115 ofhousing110 will be moved to the debris receivingfront inlet142, due to slope of the “V”-shaped front walls115 of thehousing110. The debris will enter the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110 through the debris receivingfront inlet142, through the substantially sealeddoor apparatus150, where the debris encounters theprimary debris shredder170. Furthermore, debris that enters the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110 through the firstdebris suctioning inlet140aencounters the firstauxiliary debris shredder170a. Also, debris that enters the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110 through the seconddebris suctioning inlet140bencounters the secondauxiliary debris shredder170b.
• Dust and shredded debris in the substantiallyhollow interior119 of thehousing110 are suctioned out of thehousing110 through thedebris outlet120 and theduct121, and into the hopper (not specifically shown), by a source of suction, such as the main fan (not specifically shown).
• As can be understood from the above description and from the accompanying drawings, the present invention provides a debris shredding pick-up head system wherein at least one debris shredder is disposed within the housing of the pick-up head, which does not allow the opportunity for larger debris such as twigs or the like to clog the internal suction port and stop or impede the sweeper's efficiency, that operates its shredding components inside the pick-up head for operator safety and that allows the continuous entry of debris while precluding any loss of suction pressure within the entire width of the pick-up head all of which features are unknown in the prior art.
• Other variations of the above principles will be apparent to those who are knowledgeable in the field of the invention, and such variations are considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Further, other modifications and alterations may be used in the design and manufacture of the dustless pick-up head system of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims (16)

I claim:

1. A debris shredding pick-up head system for use with a surface cleaning vehicle, for suctioning debris from a surface to be cleaned, wherein the pick-up head of the pick-up head system is substantially sealed to the surface to be cleaned during use, said debris shredding pick-up head system comprising:

a housing having an interior, and a suctioning bottom opening in fluid communication and debris transfer relation to said interior, and defining a fore-aft axis;

a debris receiving inlet in said housing for receiving debris to be shredded into said housing;

a debris outlet in said housing for permitting debris to egress from said housing;

a debris path in said housing connecting together in fluid communication said debris receiving inlet and said debris outlet;

a debris shredder operatively mounted in said housing for shredding debris within the interior of said housing, to thereby produce shredded debris to egress from said housing through said debris outlet.

2. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 1, wherein said debris shredder is operatively mounted in said housing adjacent said debris receiving inlet.

3. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 2, wherein said housing has a front wall, and wherein said debris receiving inlet is disposed in the front wall of said housing.

4. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 3, wherein said debris shredder is operatively mounted in said housing immediately rearwardly of said debris receiving inlet.

5. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 4, wherein said debris shredder is operatively mounted in said housing immediately forwardly of said debris outlet.

6. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 5, wherein said debris shredder comprises at least one blade mounted on a driveshaft that is rotatable about a shredder axis, and a drive motor operatively connected in driving relation to said driveshaft.

7. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 6, wherein said shredder axis is oriented generally horizontally and forwardly.

8. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 7, wherein said drive motor is disposed outside said debris path.

9. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 6, wherein said drive motor is disposed generally rearwardly of said housing.

10. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 6, wherein said debris outlet is disposed immediately above said plurality of blades of said shredder.

11. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 6, wherein said debris outlet is disposed immediately above at least a portion of said plurality of blades of said shredder.

12. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 5, wherein said housing has a first end and a second end, and wherein said debris shredder is a primary debris shredder, and further comprising a first auxiliary debris shredder disposed between said first end of said housing and said debris outlet, and a second auxiliary debris shredder disposed between said second end of said housing and said debris outlet.

13. The debris shredding pick-up head system ofclaim 12, wherein said first auxiliary debris shredder is disposed adjacent the first end of said housing and said second auxiliary debris shredder is disposed adjacent the second end of said housing.

14. The pick-up head system ofclaim 1, wherein said housing has a front wall, and further comprising a debris receiving main inlet in said front wall of said housing in debris receiving relation with respect to a surface to be cleaned, for receiving debris to said housing, and a door apparatus operatively mounted at said debris receiving main inlet.

15. The pick-up head system ofclaim 14, wherein said door apparatus comprises a substantially sealed door apparatus.

16. The pick-up head system ofclaim 15, wherein said substantially sealed door apparatus comprises a rotatable door assembly defining a substantially horizontally oriented central pivot axis and an outer periphery, and a sealing operatively disposed in sealing relation between said rotatable door assembly and said housing.

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