A DEVICE FOR THE SELF-LEVELLING AND THE ADJUSTMENT OF THE PRESSURE OF THE FLOOR ROLLER IN INDUSTRIAL SWEEPING MACHINES

Abstract: The present invention pertains to the field of industrial sweeping machines. To be more precise, the invention refers to a device for the self-levelling and the adjustment (7) of the brush roller (2) which includes elastic means (11) for controlling and adjusting the oscillation of the roller (2) about its own suspension and oscillation axis (3) in such a way that the brush roller (2) exerts a pre-established pressure normally different from that due to its own weight force on the surface to be swept.

Description: A device for the self-levelling and the adjustment of the pressure of the floor roller in industrial sweeping machines. Description The present invention relates to a device for the self-levelling and the adjustment of the pressure of the floor roller in industrial sweeping machines. Prior art industrial sweeping machines foresee the use of rotating rollers which are provided with brushes for the cleaning of floors or general wide surfaces. Generally a sweeping machine includes, a frame to which is fixed the brush roller in an oscillating way about a horizontal axis in such a way that during the cleaning operations, the roller is kept in contact with the surfaces to be cleaned as a result of its own weight-force and so the roller can adapt to the surface to be cleaned and any possible irregularities of the said surfaces by oscillating about its own suspension axis. In other sweeping machines it is foreseen, in addition to a pneumatic cylinder which is used for the lifting of the roller during the transporting of the machine, the use of a nut screw device manually adjustable and capable of modifying the working position of the roller and the pressure of the roller exerted on the surface to be cleaned. The principal drawback of this type of sweeper is represented by the fact that despite the possibility to vary the pressure which is exerted by the roller on the surface to be cleaned, such adjustment causes the roller to be rigidly positioned with respect to the surface to be cleaned, thus becoming no longer capable of oscillating about its own suspension axis. The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks by making available a device for the adjustment of the pressure exerted by the brush roller on the surfaces to be cleaned, allowing the brush roller to maintain the possibility to carry out oscillations about its own support axis so as to ensure the maximum adhesion of the roller to the structure of the surfaces to be cleaned. A further aim of the present invention is to allow the brush roller to be kept elastically pressed against the surface to be cleaned with an adjustable force with respect to the weight-force. The said aims are fully attained by the device in the present invention, as characterised in the appended claims and in particular for the fact that the device includes elastic means for controlling and adjusting the oscillation of the roller about its own oscillation axis in such a way that the brush roller carries out a determined pressure, which is normally different to that due to its own weight-force on the surfaces to be swept. The said elastic means are preferably constituted by a spring which is fixed at one extremity to one fixed frame of the machine, having the other extremity working on a lever which is kinematically connected, by means of transmissions, to the roller so as to vary the pressure exerted onto the surfaces to be swept. These and other characteristics will better emerge from the following description of a preferred embodiment, which is shown as a non-limiting example in the attached drawings, in which: -Figure 1) shows a vertical median section of a particular of the sweeping machine; -Figure 2) shows a lateral view of the particular of the sweeper; -Figure 3) shows the particular according to a section I-I of figure 2). With reference to the figures, 1 denotes a frame, of an industrial sweeping machine, only partially shown, which supports a substantially horizontal axis 3 whose extremities are inserted into seats 4. The seats 4 are fixed onto a couple of opposed plate shaped flanges 5 which support a brush roller in the lower area, said brush roller being denoted with 2 as a whole. The brush roller 2 includes an internal drum 2a to which are fixed the proper brushes 2b, which is made to rotate by a motorisation 6 which is connected to the said internal drum 2a in a known way. The embodiments described above permit the brush roller 2 to oscillate about its own suspension axis 3. The possibility of oscillation of the roller about its own suspension axis is adjusted by an original adjusting device, denoted with 7 as a whole and shown in figures 2) and 3). The device 7 includes a first lever 8 fixed onto the axis 3 and operated by an arm 9, of an adjustable length, which in turn is motioned by a second lever 10 splined on a pivot 20 which is held up by two supports 22 constrained to the frame 1 of the sweeper. Also splined on the pivot 20 is an arm 10a which is fork shaped and supports a stop plate 23. On the arm 10a acts a spring 11 having one extremity constrained to the frame of the sweeper and the other extremity is fixed to the arm 10a. By means of an adjusting nut 12 it is possible to adjust the returning force of the spring 11 on the arm 10a and as a consequence it is possible to adjust the pressure exerted by the brush roller 2 on the surface to be swept. The spring 11, with the nut 12 and the transmissions 8,9 and 10, constitute elastic means to control and adjust the oscillations of the roller 2 about the suspension axis 3. In this way, during the cleaning phases, according to the moving direction indicated by the arrow 19 in figure 2), if it is desired that the roller exerts a force which is higher than that of its own weight on the surface to be cleaned it is sufficient to act on the adjusting nut 12 to ensure that the roller 2 is pressed harder against the surface to be cleaned. In the case in which the roller needs to be completely lifted when transporting the sweeping machine (where it is advisable that the roller itself is not kept in contact with the floor), provision is made for a lifting device 13 which is capable of pushing on a lever 21 after a free stroke corresponding to an adjusting stroke of the spring 11. The lever 21 is inserted in a neutral position on the pivot 20 and after a free stroke strikes against the stop plate 23. The device 13 is made of a nut screw device operated by an electric actuator 14. The lifting device 13 can also be made by means of a pneumatic cylinder or other suitable equivalents. The adjusting device 7 enables the roller 2 to be kept elastically pressed against the surface to be cleaned, during the sweeping phases, with a force which is different from its own weight-force.

Claims: Claims A device for the self-levelling and the adjustment of the pressure of the floor roller, in industrial sweeping machines, of types including a brush roller (2) freely rotating to oscillate about an axis (3) different from its own rotating axis characterised in that the device includes elastic means (11) for controlling and adjusting the oscillation of the roller (2) about said axis (3) in such a way that the brush roller (2) exerts a determined pressure on the surface to be swept, which is normally different from that due to the weight-force thereof. A device for the self-levelling and the adjustment as in claim 1, characterised in that the said elastic means include a spring (11), constrained to an extremity of the fixed frame (1) of the machine having the other extremity operating on a lever (10) which iε kinematically connected, by means of transmissions (8,9), to the roller (2) so as to vary the pressure exerted onto the surface to be swept. A device for the self-levelling and the adjustment as in claim 2, characterised in that the said device includes an adjusting nut (12) of the returning action exerted by the spring (11) on the lever (10). A device for the self-levelling and the adjustment as in claim 1, characterised in that the said device includes a pivot (20) supported by the frame of the sweeping machine to which is splined the lever (10), on said pivot being splined to one arm (10a) onto which acts the spring (11). A device for the self-levelling and the adjustment as in claim 1, characterised in that the said device includes a lifting device (13) for the roller to act on a lever (21), in a neutral position on the pivot (20), for pushing the arm (10a) after a free stroke corresponding to the adjusting stroke of the spring (11).

Inventors: CATTANI ENDI, CATTANI, ENDI
Applicants: ECOLOGICA SPA, ECOLOGICA S.P.A.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A47L11
IPC codes: A47L11