U.S. patent number 3,909,869 [Application Number 05/473,837] was granted by the patent office on 1975-10-07 for floor sweeper.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Hukuba Future Research. Invention is credited to Masumi Ando, Hiroshi Hukuba, Takubi Kubota.
United States Patent |
3,909,869 |
Hukuba , et al. |
October 7, 1975 |
Floor sweeper
Abstract
A floor sweeper, comprising travelling wheels installed on a
housing whose bottom edge is equipped with a flexible seal member
coming in sliding contact with the floor surface, a driving shaft
with said wheels thereon and drivingly longitudinal follow-shafts
disposed in front and rear thereof so that said follow-shafts
rotate in opposite directions with the rotation of said driving
shaft, main pulleys as respectively fixed on each follow-shaft,
sub-pulleys as practically aligned with the respective main pulley
by spacing along the direction of rotation of said main pulley,
belt brushes as respectively stretched between the main pulley and
sub-pulley, said belt brush consisting of a flexible belt-body and
short bristles having a relatively weak resilience as densely set
up on said belt-body, a cylindrical brush adjoining each said belt
brush and equipped on each follow-shaft, said cylindrical brush
consisting of a cylindrical body and plural rows of bristles having
a relatively strong resilience as set up on the circumference of
said cylindrical body by spacing said rows along the radial
direction, and dust receivers disposed in the housing on the
opposite sides of each brush.
Inventors: |
Hukuba; Hiroshi (Nagarayama,
JA), Ando; Masumi (Nagareyama, JA), Kubota;
Takubi (Nagareyama, JA) |
Assignee: |
Kabushiki Kaisha Hukuba Future
Research (Nagarayama, JA)
|
Family
ID: |
26347102 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/473,837 |
Filed: |
May 28, 1974 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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|
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May 28, 1973 [JA] |
|
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48-59594 |
Jan 28, 1974 [JA] |
|
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49-11638 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/49.1; 15/41.1;
15/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L
11/4072 (20130101); A47L 11/4013 (20130101); A47L
11/4047 (20130101); A47L 11/4069 (20130101); A47L
11/4052 (20130101); A47L 11/4041 (20130101); A47L
11/33 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47L
11/00 (20060101); A47L 11/33 (20060101); A47L
011/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;15/41R,42,5R,49R,98,99,22B |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
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1,403,142 |
|
Oct 1968 |
|
DT |
|
1,923,908 |
|
Nov 1970 |
|
DT |
|
Primary Examiner: Roberts; Edward L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A floor sweeper, comprising a housing defining a recess therein
and whose bottom edge is equipped with a flexible seal member
devised to be in sliding contact with the floor surface, wheels
supporting said housing, said wheels being mounted on shaft means
supported within the housing and defining an axis perpendicular to
the direction of travel of the housing, a follow-shaft supported on
each side of said axis and perpendicular to said axis, means for
interconnecting said shaft means and the follow-shafts for rotating
the follow-shafts in opposite directions upon rotation of said
shaft means, a main pulley mounted on each follow-shaft, a
sub-pulley spaced from each said main pulley and mounted for
rotation in the same plane as said main pulley, a belt brush on
each main pulley and stretched between each said main pulley and
said aligned sub-pulley, dust receivers formed in the recess within
the housing and positioned adjacent said belt brushes to receive
floor sweepings from said belt brushes, each said belt brush
including a flexible endless belt and a multiplicity of bristles
having a relatively weak resilience as densely set up on said
endless belt, and a cylindrical brush fixed on each follow-shaft so
as to be adjoining a portion of the belt brush located on the main
pulley, said cylindrical brush including a cylindrical body and
plural rows of bristles having a relatively strong resilience as
set up on the circumference of said cylindrical body by spacing
said rows along the radial direction.
2. A floor sweeper according to claim 1, wherein said
interconnecting means comprises a gear installed on the shaft
means, gears installed on the follow-shafts, and a one-way clutch
for connecting said shaft means with the gear installed thereon,
whereby the tip of each brush is prevented from moving in a
direction opposite to the dust receiver along the floor surface
regardless of the direction of movement of the housing.
3. A floor sweeper according to claim 1, wherein said wheels, shaft
means, follow-shafts and interconnecting means are installed on a
supporting box, said supporting box being resiliently suspended
from the top of said housing and disposed in about the center of
the housing, whereby the wheels and each brush can be displaced
vertically according to the undulations of the floor surface.
4. A floor sweeper according to claim 1, wherein said sub-pulleys
are always pulled in the direction of straining the belt brush by
means of a tension device equipped on the housing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a floor sweeper which is suitable
for sweeping off dust lying on a relatively flat floor such as a
concrete floor, boarded floor, tiled floor and the like.
The conventional floor sweeper of this kind comprises a housing, a
cylindrical brush rotatably supported within said housing about an
axis perpendicular to the direction of travel of the housing, and
dust receivers formed in front and in rear of said cylindrical
brush, whereby dust is swept off into the front dust receiver by
the cylindrical brush at the time of the forward movement of the
housing while it is swept off into the rear dust receiver at the
time of the backward movement of the housing.
However, such a known floor sweeper has been defective in that
minute particles of dust swept up by the cylindrical brush are apt
to fly out of the housing to cause environmental pollution.
With a view to overcoming such defects of the prior art, there has
been developed an improved floor sweeper on which an application
for patent has already been filed on Jan. 23, 1974 U.S. Ser. No.
435,680, also owned by the same assignee as the present invention
said floor sweeper being characterized in that a flexible seal
member devised to come in sliding contact with the floor surface is
equipped on the bottom edge of the surrounding walls of the
housing; a pair of belt brushes are disposed perpendicularly to the
direction of movement of the floor sweeper, each of said belt
brushes being stretched between a main pulley fixed on a front
follow-shaft and a rear follow-shaft connected with a wheel shaft
of the housing through an interlocking mechanism and a sub-pulley
disposed by spacing along the transverse direction relative to the
direction of rotation of said main pulley; and the tips of bristles
set on the belt brush are to slide on the floor surface while
moving toward the longitudinal center line of the housing with the
forward and backward movement of the housing, whereby dust is swept
up into a dust receiver formed on the opposite side of said center
line.
This previously proposed floor sweeper is admittedly capable of
overcoming the aforesaid defects of the conventional floor sweeper,
but because the plural rows of bristles set up on the belt brush
thereof are disposed, by spacing, perpendicularly to the direction
of movement of the belt brush, dust lying on the portion of floor
surface corresponding to the space between the adjoining two rows
of bristles fails to be swept off completely at the time of
sweeping, and the unswept dust is left in a stripe-pattern on the
floor surface. Besides, a sizable dust such as cigarette butts is
hard to sweep up by this floor sweeper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal object of the present invention is to provide a floor
sweeper capable of overcoming the aforesaid defects of the
conventional floor sweepers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a floor
sweeper which comprises belt brushes disposed perpendicularly to
the direction of movement of the housing and symmetrically relative
to the longitudinal center line of the housing in front and in the
rear of the housing, each of said belt brushes comprising a
flexible endless belt and a multiplicity of bristles having a
relatively weak resilience as densely set up on said endless belt
and being so devised as to move toward said center line with the
movement of the housing while making the tips of said bristles
slide on the floor surface, thereby rendering it possible to sweep
off throughly the relatively small-sized dust lying on the floor
surface without sending it flying excessively or whirling up the
powder dust to the outside of the housing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a floor
sweeper, which comprises a cylindrical brush adjoining the belt
brushes as installed on the rotary shaft for rotating the belt
brushes, said cylindrical brush consisting of a cylindrical body
and plural rows of bristles having a relatively strong resilience
as set up on the circumference of said cylindrical body by spacing
said rows along the radial direction, whereby relatively sizable
dust, such as cigarette butts, which strikes against the side edge
of the belt brush but can not get in thereunder and is dragged
thereby toward the dust receiver, is flipped up into the dust
receiver by dint of a strong resilience of the row of bristles
after being held in the space between the adjoining rows of
bristles of said cylindrical brush and can be smoothly swept away
from the floor surface.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a
floor sweeper, wherein the means for connecting the driving shaft
with the follow-shaft comprises a gear train installed on the
driving shaft and the follow-shaft to engage therewith and a
one-way clutch for connecting the driving shaft with the gear
installed thereon, whereby the bristles of each brush facing
downward move toward the dust receiver while sliding on the floor
surface at the time of movement of the housing in one direction but
each brush never moves in the opposite direction even when the
direction of movement of the housing changes, so that dust will be
never swept away in the direction opposite to the dust receiver
regardless of the direction of movement of the housing.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a floor
sweeper, wherein the wheel, driving shaft, follow-shaft and
interconnecting means are installed on a supporting box, said
supporting box being resiliently suspended from the top of the
housing and disposed in about the center of the housing, whereby
the wheels and each brush can be displaced vertically according to
the undulation of the floor surface so that the wheel steadily
rolls along the floor surface regardless of the undulation of the
floor surface and the brush keeps on sliding on the floor surface,
rendering it possible to perform a uniform sweeping of dust.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a floor
sweeper, wherein the sub-pulley is pulled in the direction of
straining the belt brush by means of a tension device equipped on
the housing, whereby the belt brush is always strained to prevent
the occurrence of a gap between the belt brush and the floor
surface due to slacking of the belt brush so as to ensure the
sweeping of dust.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a front view of the longitudinal section of the first
apparatus embodying the present invention, which shows a
cross-section along the line I--I in FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, as taken along the direction of
arrow, of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 upon cutting it along the
line II--II.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, as taken along the direction of
arrow, of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 upon cutting it along the
line III--III.
FIG. 4 is a plane figure illustrative of the inside, as uncovered,
of the second apparatus embodying the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, as taken along the direction of
arrow, of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4 upon cutting it along the
line V--V.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, as taken along the direction of
arrow, of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5 upon cutting it along the
line VI--VI.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, as taken along the direction of
arrow, of the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 upon cutting it along the
line VII--VII.
FIG. 8 is a partial front view of the third apparatus embodying the
present invention, which is illustrative of the arrangement of the
supporting device as well as the guide plate member for the belt
brush.
FIG. 9 is a partial front view of the apparaus shown in FIG. 8,
which is illustrative of the roller member thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In FIGS. 1 - 3, the reference numeral 1 denotes the square housing
whose contour consists of the top plate 24, the two side plates 25
and 25' and the front and rear plate 26 and 26'. At a prescribed
distance from the front and rear plates 26 and 26' and in parallel
therewith respectively, the transverse baffle plates 27 and 27' are
perpendicularly suspended from the top plate 24. Two recesses
enclosed by the front and rear plates 26 and 26' and the baffle
plates 27 and 27' and having their bottom left open respectively
accommodate the rollers 11 and 11' rotatably installed therein, and
above each roller there is suspended the scraping plate 19 from the
top plate 24. These rollers 11 and 11' are made of sponge rubber,
and their bottom face projects below the level of the lower end of
the housing 1.
At a prescribed distance from the baffle plates 27 and 27' and in
parallel therewith respectively, there are suspended the transverse
baffle plates 28 and 28', which are shorter than the baffle plates
27 and 27', from the top plate 24. In this case, one end each of
the baffle plates 28 and 28' is fixed on the side plates 25 and
25', respectively, while the other end each of the baffle plates 28
and 28' is separated from the side plates 25 and 25', respectively.
The longitudinal baffle plates 29 and 29' connected with the thus
separated ends of the baffle plates 28 and 28' and parallel with
the side plates 25 and 25' are suspended from the top plate 24.
By means of these tranverse baffle plates 27, 27', 28, 28' and
longitudinal baffle plates 29, 29', a square recess 10 is formed in
the center of the housing, and a dissymmetric pair of transversely
L-shaped recesses adjoining this recess 10 are also formed.
The transverse recesses 13 and 13' parallel with the front and rear
plates 26 and 26' for the L-shaped recesses have their bottom left
open, and the longitudinal recesses 8 and 8' form the dust receiver
equipped with the cover plates 14 and 14' which can be lifted at
will.
About the center of both side plates 25 and 25' there is rotatably
supported the driving shaft 3, and the wheels 2 and 2' are fixed on
the two ends of the driving shaft 3, the bottom face of said wheels
being practically on a level with the rollers 11 and 11' and
projecting below the level of the lower end of the housing 1. The
driving shaft 3 penetrates the baffle plates 29 and 29', and its
portion located in the recess 10 is provided with the level gear 15
with the one-way clutch 12. The bottom of the recess 10 is closed
with a cover plate.
The bevel gears 16 and 16' engaged with the level gear 15 are
disposed on both sides of the driving shaft 3, and said gears 16
and 16' are fixed on the tip of the follow-shafts 18 and 18',
respectively, said follow-shafts 18 and 18' being pivotally
supported by the baffle plates 27, 28 and the baffle plates 27',
28', respectively.
The cylindrical brushes 5 and 5' are fixedly screwed on the portion
of the shafts 18 and 18' located in the recesses 13 and 13',
respectively and the main pulleys 20 and 20' are integrally fixed
on one side of said cylindrical brushes 5 and 50', respectively.
The sub-pulleys 23 and 23' are disposed parallel with the main
pulleys 20 and 20' so as to be practically aligned with said main
pulleys 20 and 20', respectively, by spacing along the direction of
rotation of the main pulleys 20 and 20'. These sub-pulleys 23 and
23' are rotatably supported by one end of the bent shafts 22 and
22', respectively, whose opposite end is rotatably supported by the
supporting members 21 and 21' fixed on the side plates 25 and 25'.
The endless belt brushes 4 and 4' are respectively stretched
between the pulleys 20 and 23 and between the pulleys 20' and
23'.
The cylindrical brushes 5 and 5' consist of a cylindrical body and
plural rows of bristles 6 having a relatively strong resilience as
set up on the circumference of said cylindrical body by spacing
said rows along the radial direction. The belt brushes 4 and 4'
consist of a flexible endless sheet 7 made of cloth, rubber and the
like and a multiplicity of short, narrow leaf-shaped bristles 9
made of a soft synthetic resin such as nylon and having a
relatively weak resilience as densely set up on the surface of said
sheet 7. The bristle 9 is of such a length as will make its tip
project below the level of the bottom face of the wheel 2, so that,
at the time of operation, it is pressed against the floor surface
to incline as shown in FIG. 3.
Both ends of the rollers 11 and 11' are conical. The bottom face of
the housing 1 near the side plates 25 and 25' is equipped with the
longitudinal belt-shaped resilient plates 31 and 31' made of rubber
and the like which are slant to come in sliding contact with the
surface of the conical portion of said rollers 11 and 11'. By
virtue of the thus devised rollers 11 and 11', coupled with the
resilient plates 31 and 31', there is no fear of the occurrence of
a gap between the bottom edge of the surroundings of the housing 1
and the floor surface, and accordingly, dust swept up by each brush
will never be sent flying to the outside of the housing 1. Besides,
the front roller 11 works to flatten bulky articles such as paper
scraps lying on the floor surface.
17 denotes the longitudinal guide plate installed on the base plate
of the dust receivers 8 and 8', said guide plate being slant and
slightly curved so as to bring the tip of each brush 4, 5, 4' and
5' in sliding contact therewith.
30 denotes the handle whose lower end loosely fits on the driving
shaft 3 by its portion projecting from the housing 1.
When an apparatus having the above-described construction is pushed
to advance by means of the handle 30 along a floor surface to be
swept, with the rotation of the wheels 2 and 2', the gear 15
installed on the shaft 3 by means of the clutch 12 rotates, and the
gears 16 and 16' engaged with said gear 15 rotate in opposite
directions, to wit, in FIG. 2 the gear 16 rotates anticlockwise
while the gear 16' rotates clockwise.
With the rotation of these gears 16 and 16', the cylindrical
brushes 5 and 50' and the pulleys 20 and 20' also rotates by means
of the shafts 18 and 18' in the same direction as the gears 16 and
16', respectively. Referring to FIG. 2, with the rotation of the
pulleys 20 and 20', the bottom face of the belt brush 4 moves
rightward while the bottom face of the belt brush 4' moves
leftward; that is, both brushes 4 and 4' move toward the dust
receivers 8 and 8', respectively, while the tip of the bristle 9
thereof slides on the floor surface.
Through the foregoing operation, dust passing under the bottom face
of the roller 11 and entering the bottom of the housing 1 is swept
up into the dust receivers 8 and 8'; that is, dust lying under the
left portion of the apparatus in FIG. 2 is swept up by the brushes
4 and 5 while dust lying under the right portion thereof is swept
up by the brushes 4' and 5'. To be precise, the relatively fine
particles such as dust gets under the bottom face of the belt
brushes 4 and 4' to be conveyed by the densely set bristles 9 along
the direction of movement thereof and swept up into the dust
receivers 8 and 8', while the relatively sizable trash such as a
cigarette butt strikes against the side edge of the belt brushes 4
and 4' and is conveyed in the direction of movement of the belt
brushes in the state of being dragged by said side edge without
getting under the bottom face thereof to be swept up into the dust
receivers 8 and 8' by means of the cylindrical brushes 5 and
5'.
In this case, as the bristles 9 of the belt brushes 4 and 4' are
relatively weak in resilience and densely set up, they can convey
dust gently toward the dust receivers 8 and 8' without sending it
flying unnecessarily, while the bristles 6 of the belt brushes 5
and 5.dbd. are relatively strong in resilience and disposed by
spacing regularly so that they can smoothly send a relatively
sizable trash flying toward the dust receivers 8 and 8'.
When the apparatus is next made to retrocede by pulling the handle
30, inasmuch as the gear 15 is installed on the shaft 3 by means of
the one-way clutch 12, even when the rotation of the shaft 13 is
reversed, the gear 15 does not rotate and accordingly the brushes 4
and 5, 4' and 5' do not rotate, either.
Dust accumulated in the dust receivers 8 and 8' through the
foregoing operation is discharged by lifting the cover plates 14
and 14'.
Next, shown in from FIG. 4 onward is the second embodiment of the
present invention, and in the following will be given an
explanation of this embodiment. In this connection, it goes without
saying that there are many common features between the foregoing
first embodiment and the present embodiment, so that detailed
explanation hereunder will be centered on the features different
from the first embodiment and the rest will be explained just
briefly.
41 denotes the square housing. The cover 64 of said housing is
shaped like an inverted square platter with skirts perpendicularly
suspended from its surroundings. The lower end of the front skirt
is fixed on the front frame 66 by means of the hinge 67 to be
capable of opening and shutting. The bottom edge of each skirt is
provided with the packing 68, said packing 68 mounting on the top
faces of the front and rear frames 66 and 66' and the side frames
65 and 65' so as to seal the interstice between the cover 64 and
each frame. The bottom of the housing 41 is left open, and inside
said bottom there are installed the rollers 51 and 51' identical
with the rollers 11 and 11' in the foregoing first embodiment, by
disposing them to be adjoining the front and rear frames 66 and 66'
and in parallel therewith. Above these rollers 51 and 51' there are
suspended the scraping plates 78 and 78', respectively.
The supporting beam 69 is disposed along the longitudinal center
line of the housing 41, and the perpendicular legs of said
supporting beam 69 are fixed on the top face of the front and rear
frames 66 and 66'. A pair of parallel links 46 and 46' are pivoted
by one end each on the supporting beam 69, and the top of the
supporting box 50 is pivotally connected to the other end of the
links 46 and 46'. The supporting beam 69 and the top plate of the
supporting box 50 are further interconnected by means of the
adjusting bolt 49. Springs 47 are interposed between the beam 69
and the top plate of the supporting box 50 and constantly presses
the supporting box 50 downward.
The driving shaft 43 is rotatably supported on the practical
centers of both side plates of the supporting box 50. The outside
extremities of the driving shaft 43 are provided with the wheels 42
and 42' fixed thereon, and the bevel gears 55 and 55' with the
one-way clutches 52 and 52' are installed near the center of said
shaft 43. The clutches 52 and 52' are so devised that either of the
two can effectively works exclusively according to the forward and
backward movement of the floor sweeper. For instance, at the time
when the floor sweeper moves forward and the clutch 52 works to
transmit the rotation of the driving shaft 43 to the gear 55, the
clutch 52' does not work; on the contrary, at the time when the
floor sweeper moves backward, the clutch 52' works exclusively.
The bevel gears 56 and 56' to engage with the gears 55 and 55',
respectively, are disposed within the supporting box 50, and the
follow-shafts 58 and 58' to support these bevel gears are rotatably
supported by the cylindrical bearing equipped on the front and rear
plate of the supporting box 50.
The fore ends of the shafts 58 and 58' are respectively provided
with the cylindrical brushes 45 and 45' fixed thereon, and the main
pulleys 60 and 60' are fixed on the body of said cylindrical
brushes. The sub-pulleys 63 and 63' are disposed in parallel with
the main pulleys 60 and 60' by spacing along the direction of
rotation of the main pulleys 60 and 60', and these pulleys are
rotatably supported on the supporting plates 62 and 62' projecting
from the front and rear frames 66 and 66'. Between the pulleys 60
and 63 and between the pulleys 60' and 63' there are disposed the
guide rollers 54 and 54', respectively, as rotatably supported on
the supporting plates 53 and 53' projecting from the front and rear
frames 66 and 66'. The endless belt brushes 44 and 44' are
respectively applied to the set of pulleys 60, 63 and roller 54 and
the set of pulleys 60', 63' and roller 54', and the rollers 54 and
54' function to prevent the floating-off of the brushes 44 and
44'.
The material and construction of the brushes 44, 44' and 45, 45'
are identical with those of the brushes 4, 4' and 5, 5' in the
foregoing first embodiment, saving that the present embodiment is
different from the first embodiment in that the bristles of the
brushes 45 and 45' are disposed along both sides of the brushes 44
and 44'. Further, in the present embodiment, the force end of the
shafts 58 and 58' does not reach the front and rear frames 66 and
66', respectively, and forms a space among them, so that the
brushes 44 and 44' can be simply replaced when damaged. Within the
spaces among both side frames 65, 65' and the supporting beam 69
there are detachably installed the dust boxes 48 and 48'. The dust
boxes 48 and 48' are provided with the dust inlet as equipped
exclusively on the wall-plate facing the brushes 44, 45 and 44',
45'; the rest faces are surrounded by the respective wall-plate
forming a cubic box. The upper part of the wall-plate of the dust
boxes 48 and 48' on the side of the supporting beam 69 is provided
with the pins 59 and 59', said pins 59 and 59' fit in the notch
formed between each pair of clips 61 and 61' provided on both sides
of the supporting beam 69. A pair of pins 72 and 72' project
respectively from the portion of the front and rear wall of the
dust boxes 48 and 48' near the side frames 65 and 65' of the
housing 41, said pins 72 and 72' being respectively engaged with
the supporting members 73 and 73' provided on both side frames 65
and 65'. The thus constructed dust boxes 48 and 48' are detachably
installed within the housing 41 to see that the position of the
base plate of said box be elevated from the floor surface by a
prescribed distance. And, in the front dust box 48 there is
installed the guide plate 79 for the purpose of augmenting the dust
receiving capacity, said guide plate being curved from the front to
the rear to protrude outward gradually and perpendicularly
suspended from the top plate of the dust box 48, while on the base
plate of the dust box 48' in the rear there is installed plural
slanted plates 74 for the purpose of preventing dust from flowing
backward to slip out through the inlet after sweeping.
57 denotes the guide plate installed aslant on the lower part of
the supporting box 50 by means of the supporting plate 75, and the
top edge of said guide plate 57 corresponds with the bottom edge of
the dust inlet of the dust boxes 48 and 48', while the bottom edge
thereof is provided with the belt-shaped resilient plate 76
consisting of urethane rubber and the like. The bottom edge of said
resilient plate 76 is so devised as to come in sliding contact with
the floor surface as well as the tip of brushes 44, 45 and 44',
45', whereby dust is not only smoothly led into the dust boxes 48
and 48' but also prevented from entering beneath the bottom of the
dust boxes 48 and 48'.
The resilient plates 71 and 71' made of the same material and
serving for the same purpose as that of the resilient plates 31 and
31' in the first embodiment are installed on the lower end of both
side frames 65 and 65' of the housing 41 in the same way as in the
first embodiment.
70 denotes the handle, which is pivotally connected, through the
spring washer 77, to about the center of both side frames 65 and
65' of the housing 41 so as not to fall unnecessarily.
This apparatus as the second embodiment of the present invention is
to perform sweeping as it is moved forward and backward on the
floor surface by plying the handle 70 like in the foregoing first
embodiment. In the present embodiment, however, inasmuch as the
clutches 52 and 52' are to work as described above, each brush can
be moved toward the dust box at all times during the forward and
backward movement of the apparatus. Therefore, compared with the
first embodiment capable of sweeping only at the time of either
forward movement or backward movement, the present embodiment is
superior.
Further, in the present embodiment, inasmuch as the supporting box
50 is suspended from the supporting beam 69 by means of the
parallel links 46 and 46' and the spring 47 is interposed between
the supporting box 50 and supporting beam 69, even when the floor
surface has undulations, the supporting box 50 makes vertical
motions according to said undulations without changing its
horizontal position, so that the wheels 42 and 42' and each brush
are automatically kept in contact with the floor surface, whereby
not only the wheels can steadily roll over the floor surface but
also the movement of each brush never changes with the condition of
the floor surface. In this context, the degree of projection of the
wheels 42 and 42' below the level of bottom face of the apparatus
is adjusted by operating the adjusting bolt 49.
When dust has been accumulated within the dust boxes 48 and 48' as
a result of the above operation, it is discharged by lifting the
cover 64 and demounting the dust boxes 48 and 48' from the inside
of the housing 41.
FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are illustrative of only such features of the
third embodiment as being different from the foregoing first and
second embodiments. The sub-pulley 81 is rotatably supported by the
arm 84 whose upper end is pivotally connected to the bracket 83
fixed on the side frame 82, and the tension spring 85 is stretched
between the lower end of the arm 84 and the bracket 83. By virtue
of such arrangement, the belt brush is constantly held at a fixed
degree of tensity regardless of somewhat difference in length of
the belt brushes.
To be precise, the hinge 90 with the spring 89 is fixed on the
horizontal plate 88 of the supporting plate 87 installed on the
lower part of the supporting box 86, the guide plate 91 is fixed on
the upper slanted member of said hinge, and the bottom edge of the
resilient plate 92 is devised to go up and down automatically
according to the undulations of the floor surface so as to be
always in sliding contact with the floor surface and prevent the
occurrence of a gap between said bottom edge and the floor surface.
The longitudinal reinforcing wire 93 is fixed on the resilient
plate 92, and the front and rear ends of said wire 93 projecting
beyond the resilient plate 92 is slanted upward. The provision of
this reinforcing wire 93 has an effect that, even when the floor
surface has a projecting part, as the wire 93 mounts said
projecting part, the resilient plate 92 ascends along with the
guide plate 91 in defiance of the pushing force of the spring 89 of
the hinge 90 and climbs over the projecting part, thereby
preventing occurrence of damages on the resilient plate 92 and the
guide plate 91.
FIG. 9 is illustrative of an example of modification having rollers
as transversely supported on the front and rear of the housing and
relevant arrangement of supporting members therefor. To be precise,
the roller 94 consists of the shaft 95 and the resilient tube 96
made of sponge rubber as fixed on said shaft 95, the two
extremities of the roller 94 are provided with the hard rubber
wheels 97 fixed thereon, the hollow conical cap 98 is fixed on the
end of the wheel 97, the hollow shaft portion 99 projecting from
the top of the cap 98 rotatably fits in the stud 101 projecting
from the side frame 82, the conical surface of the cap 98 is held
in sliding contact with the resilient plate 102 fixed on the lower
part of the side frame 82 like other embodiments, and this portion
is sealed. Further, between the bottom edge of the scraping plate
103 stretched between the slide frames 82 and the outer surface of
the roller 94, there is formed a space, and this space is filled
with the felt 104 fixed on the scraping plate 103. Accordingly,
dust adhering to the surface of the roller 94 with the rotation
thereof is entirely scraped off by the felt 104 and falls in the
rear of the roller 94 to be swept away by the aforesaid brush.
* * * * *