Sweeping machine

Abstract

A pushed or pulled sweeper (1) is provided for attachment to a self-propelled carrier vehicle, which has at least one driven rotating sweeping roller (19), wherein the sweeping roller (19) is driven by an electric drive unit (15) which can accommodate at least one electric buffer storage device (28).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a pushed or pulled sweeper mounted on a carrier vehicle, wherein the sweeping tools are electrically driven by a battery motor unit.

[0002] There are hand-held sweepers in which the axially or radially operating sweeping tools are electrically driven.

[0003] For more complex work, there are attachments such as sweepers that are pushed or pulled by a carrier vehicle such as a tractor, wheel loader, municipal vehicle or forklift truck. The state of the art in these attachable sweepers is to have a roller brush that runs transversely to the direction of travel of the machine and often also a sideways swing-out disc brush as an additional tool. The rotation of the roller brush and disc brush brushes any dust, coarse dirt, rubbish, etc. lying on the surface to be cleaned in a direction that roughly corresponds to the direction of travel of the carrier vehicle or, depending on the sweeper's equipment, is conveyed into a collection container in front of it. The respective working tools, roller brush and disc brush, are usually each driven by a hydraulic motor.The collection container can be pivoted from a working position to an emptying position and vice versa using a hydraulic cylinder. The carrier vehicle provides the hydraulic power through a standardized coupling of the sweeper to the hydraulic system. Attachments are also known to have a hydraulic unit mounted on the attachment, powered by a combustion engine or electric motor, which provides the necessary hydraulic power for the working tools.

[0004] The utility model application DE 20 2009 005 011 discloses an attachment with a generator and electrically powered tools, such as a sweeper. The attachment is carried or pushed by a carrier vehicle and braces itself against the ground during operation by means of support wheels. A generator is driven by the support wheels and supplies power to the electrical tools. Such attachments have not proven successful in practice, as the technical implementation, particularly the drive of the generator by the support wheels, is very complex and expensive.

[0005] Common carrier vehicles are typically equipped with combustion engines, which, through energy conversion, provide the drive power for the carrier vehicle as well as additional mechanical and hydraulic drive energy for the work tools of the attachments. Due to the combustion engine, these common carrier vehicles generate both harmful noise emissions and exhaust emissions. Therefore, new low-emission or zero-emission carrier vehicles, such as tractors, wheel loaders, or municipal vehicles, have been available on the market for some time. These new carrier vehicles are predominantly electrically powered and feature integrated energy storage in the form of batteries.These new carrier vehicles also have a hydraulic energy source for operating currently known work equipment. However, the energy conversion from electrical energy to hydraulic energy is very inefficient, meaning that the total running time of the carrier vehicle with hydraulically driven work equipment is extremely short and therefore only of limited practical use. For this reason, some of the electrically powered carrier vehicles also offer a second, powerful electrical energy source in addition to the standard 12V electrical energy source. The standard 12V electrical source is only designed for low electrical outputs, such as headlights, and can only be used to a very limited extent to operate electrical work tools in attachments. The second new electrical energy source in the carrier vehicle, on the other hand, is specifically designed for electrical work tools in attachments and is intended to replace the hydraulic energy source.This significantly increases the total operating time of the carrier vehicle with an electrically powered attachment. However, there is still no standardized second power source for the various carrier vehicles, so different electrical voltages are provided. This means that the electric motors in the attachments must be tailored to the specific carrier vehicle. This leads to the disadvantage that, on the one hand, the attachments can no longer be operated in the familiar way with different carrier vehicles, and, on the other hand, the production of individual attachments is more complex, and the procurement of the individual electrical components is also more expensive.

[0006] The invention is based on the object of creating an attachment sweeper with electric working tools that can be operated with a wide variety of carrier vehicles and can use a wide variety of electrical energy sources of the carrier vehicle or can also operate electrically autonomously.

[0007] This object is achieved according to the invention in that the attachable sweeper according to claim 1 has at least one electric drive unit, furthermore a buffer storage device for electrical energy and a charging unit for a wide variety of electrical voltages. The buffer storage device supplies the electric drive unit with energy, as a result of which the drive unit can advantageously also be operated independently. The charging unit can be coupled to a wide variety of electrical energy sources on different carrier vehicles and can supply the buffer storage device with electrical energy, for example during work. Furthermore, the charging unit can advantageously charge the buffer storage device even without a carrier vehicle by being connected to a public electrical voltage grid. In a further advantageous embodiment, the drive unit can also be operated without a buffer storage device by being supplied with energy directly from the carrier vehicle.

[0008] The drive unit is also advantageously used in hand-held tools, for example. This allows them to be produced in large quantities, is easy to obtain, and is also inexpensive. Gearboxes connected to the drive unit allow the output speed to be adjusted to the required speed of the work tools.

[0009] The invention will be explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment and purely schematic drawings. The corresponding drawings show: Fig. 1 an isometric view of the sweeper according to the invention seen from the rear Fig. 2 an isometric view of the sweeper according to the invention from the front Fig. 3 a first schematic control of the drive unit Fig. 4 a further schematic control of the drive unit Fig. 5 a further schematic control of the drive unit Fig. 6a an isometric schematic sectional view of the drive unit Fig. 6b an isometric schematic sectional view of the drive unit Fig. 7 an isometric schematic view of the drive unit

[0010] The Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 The attachment 1 shown is intended to be pushed along the ground by a motorized carrier vehicle so that dust, coarse dirt, waste, etc. can be swept and collected. The attachment 1 consists of a housing 2, which has two rear Fig. 2 visible swivel castors 5 and a swivel castor 4 mounted on the front of the collecting container 3. The three swivel castors 5 and 4 enable the attachment 1 to move in any direction relative to the ground. Preferably, the two rear swivel castors 5 carry the largest part of the mass of the attachment. The housing 2 has a number of holes to accommodate other components required for operation (e.g. swivel castors, collecting container, etc.) with corresponding fastening means. Roller arms 6 and 7 are fastened to the outer sides of the housing 2 via a rotatable bearing. The roller arms 6 and 7 are firmly positioned in the housing 2 via a length-adjustable adjusting means 8, which is connected on the one hand in an articulated manner to the roller arms 6 and 7 and on the other hand in an articulated manner to the housing 2. The sweeping roller 19 is held at the other end of the roller arms 6 and 7 via radial bearings 9.Due to operational wear of the sweeping roller 19, the effective diameter of the sweeping roller 19 becomes steadily smaller, therefore an adjustment of the sweeping roller 19 to the cleaned sweeping surface is necessary. The adjustment is carried out by shortening the length of the adjusting means 8 and moving the sweeping roller 8 relative to the housing 2 towards the sweeping surface. Further along the sides of the housing 2 there are receptacles 10 in which the collecting container 3 is rotatably mounted. A joint unit 11 connects the collecting container 3 to the housing 2. A length-adjustable adjusting means 12 is also connected to the joint unit 11 and the housing 2. The adjusting means 12 is advantageously designed as an electrical adjusting means. The collecting container 3 is held in the working position via the joint unit 11. In the working position shown, the adjusting means 12 has assumed the longest position.By shortening the adjusting means 12, the collection container 3 is pivoted from the working position into an emptying position. A pivotable connecting element 13 is arranged in the front central area of ​​the housing 2. An attachment holder 14 for a carrier vehicle is fastened to the connecting element 13. The attachment holder 14 can be designed differently depending on the type of carrier vehicle. An electric drive unit 15 is arranged above the housing 2. Below the drive unit 15, an angular gear 16 is connected to the housing 2. The output shaft of the drive unit 15 is torsionally connected to a first output shaft of the angular gear 16. The second output shaft of the angular gear 16 is torsionally connected to a drive shaft 17. The drive shaft 17 runs transversely to the housing 2 through the left roller arm 6. The drive shaft 17 is held in the opening of the roller arm 6 by a radial bearing 18.At the end of the drive shaft 17, a first sprocket 20 is torsionally connected to the drive shaft 17. Another sprocket 21 is torsionally connected in the left axis of the sweeping roller 19. The two sprockets 20 and 21 are non-positively connected by a chain 22. Thus, the drive unit 15 drives the sweeping roller 19 via the angular gear 16, the drive shaft 17 and the chain drive 48 consisting of 20, 21 and 22. The chain drive 48 is shown here only as an example; toothed belt drives or power belt drives or similar can also be used to advantage. Reduction or transmission ratios can also be achieved by using different diameters of the sprockets 20 and 21. The angular gear 16 can also be designed as a reduction or transmission gear, thus the speed of the working tool can be adapted to the output speed of the drive unit 15.

[0011] Fig. 3 shows the electric drive unit 15 with an integrated electric motor 34 and an integrated energy storage unit 28. The integrated energy storage unit 28 supplies the electric drive unit with energy. The energy storage unit 28 is advantageously rechargeable and can be replaced without tools. For example, several energy storage units 28 can be carried on the work device 1. If necessary, discharged energy storage units 28 can be replaced with charged energy storage units 28 in the drive unit 15. Furthermore, the drive unit 15 is connected via an electrical line 29 to a charging device 23 mounted on the work device 1. The charging device 23 advantageously has several further electrical lines 24 and 25 with corresponding electrical couplings 30 and 31. The task of the charging device 23 is to supply the energy storage unit 28 integrated in the drive unit 15 with external energy.In a further advantageous embodiment, the charger 23 can also supply the drive unit 15 directly with energy. The charger 23 is capable of accepting a wide variety of electrical voltages and converting them into the voltage required for the energy storage device 28 or for the drive unit 15. Via the electrical coupling 30, the charger 23 can be connected either to the electrical energy source of the carrier vehicle or, via the electrical coupling 31, to a public electrical supply network. By connecting the charger 23 to a public electrical supply network, the energy storage device 28 can also be charged when the work device 1 is at rest without a carrier vehicle. The drive unit 15 is also connected to an operating unit 36 ​​via a further electrical line 35 and is thus supplied with electrical energy.The control unit 36 ​​is in turn connected to the electrical actuating means 12 via another electrical line 27. The control unit 36 ​​serves, on the one hand, to switch the integrated electric motor 34 in the drive unit 15 on and off and, on the other hand, to control other electrical consumers such as the actuating means 12. The control unit 36 ​​can advantageously be operated from the carrier vehicle.

[0012] Fig 4 . shows a further embodiment of the drive unit 15 in conjunction with an operating unit 38. Here, the drive unit 15 is connected to a control unit 37 via the electrical line 35. The control unit 37 is in turn connected to the electrical actuating means 12 via a further electrical line 27. The operating unit 38 and the control unit 37 are advantageously connected to one another wirelessly (e.g., via radio). The operating unit 38 sends corresponding operating signals to the control unit 37, which in turn switches the integrated electric motor 34 in the drive unit 15 on and off and, on the other hand, controls other electrical consumers such as the actuating means 12.

[0013] Fig. 5 shows the electric drive unit 15 with an integrated electric motor 34 and an integrated energy storage device 28. The drive unit 15 is supplied with energy exclusively by the integrated energy storage device 28. The charging device 32 shown in this exemplary embodiment is mounted on the work device 1, can directly accommodate the energy storage device 28 and is not connected to the drive unit 15. The task of the charging device 32 is to recharge the energy storage device 28 with external energy. Two energy storage devices 28 are therefore used alternately on the work device 1. The first energy storage device 28 supplies the drive unit 15 with energy and the second energy storage device 28 is charged by the charging device 32 during work. The charging device 32 is also able to absorb a wide variety of electrical voltages and convert them into the voltage required for the energy storage device 28.Via the electrical coupling 30, the charger 32 can be connected either to the electrical energy source of the carrier vehicle or via the electrical coupling 31 to a public electrical supply network. By connecting the charger 32 to a public electrical supply network, the energy storage device 28 can also be charged when the work device 1 is at rest without a carrier vehicle. In a further advantageous embodiment, the charger 32 can also be supplied with energy via one or more photovoltaic modules 39 mounted on the work device 1. The photovoltaic module 39 also makes it possible to charge the energy storage device 28 without a carrier vehicle. The charger 32 can advantageously also supply other electrical consumers, such as the control unit 37, with electrical energy.

[0014] Fig. 6a und Fig. 6b show an exemplary drive unit 15 consisting of a drive housing 40 in which an electric motor 34 is installed. The drive shaft 41 of the electric motor 34 protrudes from the lower drive housing 40. Furthermore, the drive unit 15 has a fastening flange 42 with fastening holes 43 for receiving the drive unit 15. The drive housing 40 also has a battery compartment 45 that can be closed with a cover 44. The energy storage device 28 is received in the battery compartment 45 via corresponding guides and electrical contacts and is electrically connected to the drive unit 15. In the front lower area of ​​the drive unit 15, an electrical connection unit 46 is also provided, which has electrical contacts 47 for e.g. a control unit 37, for a charging device 23, 32 or also for other electrical consumers.

[0015] Fig. 7shows another exemplary embodiment of the drive unit 15, in which, instead of an energy storage device, an electrical line 33 is connected to the drive unit 15 via electrical contacts (not shown). At the other end of the electrical line 33 is the already known electrical coupling 30, which is connected to the carrier vehicle. Thus, the carrier vehicle supplies the drive unit 15 directly with energy. List of reference symbols

[0016] 1 Sweeper 2 Housing 3 Collection container 4 Caster 5 Caster 6 Roller arm 7 Roller arm 8 Adjusting device 9 Radial bearing 10 Mount 11 Joint unit 12 Adjusting device 13 Connecting element 14 Mounting bracket 15 Drive unit 16 Angular gear 17 Drive shaft 18 Radial bearing 19 Sweeping roller 20 Sprocket 21 Sprocket 22 Chain 23 Charger 24 Electric cable 25 Electric cable 27 Electric cable 28 Energy storage device 29 Electric cable 30 Electric coupling 31 Electric coupling 32 Charger 33 Electric cable 34 Electric motor 35 Electric cable 36 Operating unit 37 Control unit 38 Operating unit 39 Photovoltaic module 40 Drive housing 41 Drive shaft 42 Mounting flange 43Mounting holes 44Cover 45Battery compartment 46Connection unit 47Contacts 48Chain drive

Claims

1. Pushed or towed sweeper (1) for attachment to a self-propelled carrier vehicle such as a tractor, wheel loader or municipal vehicle which has at least one driven rotating sweeping roller (19), characterized in that the drive of the sweeping roller (19) is carried out by an electric drive unit (15) which can accommodate at least one electric buffer storage (28).

2. Sweeping machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sweeper (1) is supported on the ground during operation by at least one steering roller (5) and has a rotating sweeping roller (19) driven by the drive unit (15).

3. Sweeping machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the buffer storage (28) integrated in the drive unit (15) supplies the drive unit (15) with electrical energy.

4. Sweeping machine (1) according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the buffer storage (28) integrated in the drive unit (15) can be replaced without tools.

5. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive unit (15) is supplied with electrical energy from the carrier vehicle.

6. Sweeping machine (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the drive unit (15) is supplied with electrical energy from the carrier vehicle without an energy storage device (28).

7. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one gear (16) is interposed between the drive unit (15) and the sweeping roller (19) and the output speed of the drive unit (15) is different from the speed of the sweeping roller (19).

8. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one chain drive (48) is interposed between the drive unit (15) and the sweeping roller (19) and the output speed of the drive unit (15) is different from the speed of the sweeping roller (19).

9. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive unit (15) has a higher speed than the sweeping roller (19).

10. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive unit (15) is connected to a charging device 23 which is further connected to the carrier vehicle by means of an electrical coupling (30) and supplies the buffer storage device (28) integrated in the drive unit (15) with electrical energy.

11. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive unit (15) is connected to a charging device (23) which is further connected to the carrier vehicle by means of an electrical coupling (30) and supplies the drive unit (15) directly with electrical energy.

12. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charger (23, 32) can accommodate different electrical voltages.

13. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charger (23, 32) can accept both direct current and alternating current.

14. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charger (23, 32) can accommodate various direct voltages from 12 volts to 120 volts.

15. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a charger (32) is provided which can directly accommodate and charge an energy storage device (28).

16. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the charger (32) is connected to the carrier vehicle by means of an electrical coupling (30) and is thereby supplied with electrical energy.

17. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe charger (23, 32) is connected to a public electrical supply network by means of an electrical coupling (31) and thereby the charger (23, 32) is supplied with electrical energy.

18. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one photovoltaic module (39) is provided on the sweeper, which is connected to the charger (23, 32) and thereby supplies the charger (23, 32) with electrical energy.

19. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one photovoltaic module (39) is provided on the sweeper, which is connected to the drive unit (15) and thereby supplies the drive unit (15) with electrical energy.

20. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatan operating unit (36) is provided which is connected to the drive unit (15) and switches the electric motor (34) in the drive unit (15) on and off.

21. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit (36) also switches other electrical consumers on or off.

22. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a control unit (37) is provided which is connected on the one hand to the drive unit (15) and on the other hand to the wireless control unit (38) and switches the electric motor (34) in the drive unit (15) on and off.

23. Sweeping machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit (37) also switches other electrical consumers on or off via the wireless control unit (38).