Method for regulating the operation of cleaning equipment on a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle

Abstract

Method for regulating the operation of a cleaning equipment on a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle. The invention relates to a method for regulating the operation of a cleaning equipment fitted to a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle, as a function of the forward speed Va of said vehicle, said comprising a rotating circular brush, means for vacuuming dust and / or waste, and means for spraying said brush with water, said equipment being capable of moving from an inactive position, raised relative to the ground, to an active working position in which it is lowered, said brush in contact with the ground, and vice versa.In this process, the positioning of the equipment and the rotation of the brush are managed according to a correlation with the vehicle speed Va, based on at least one speed threshold chosen from at least Vamin (minimum forward speed) and Vamax (maximum forward speed) previously defined. Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Method for regulating the operation of cleaning equipment on a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of street cleaning and urban cleanliness.

[0002] The present invention is more particularly suited to self-propelled vehicles of the sweeper, brusher and washer type used in the context of cleaning roads, in particular paved, cobbled or concreted surfaces, and comprising a driver's cab and capable of traveling on motor vehicle roads.

[0003] The present application relates more particularly to a method for optimizing both the water consumption of such vehicles, and of the brushes equipping them.

[0004] Street cleaning vehicles are generally composed mainly of a chassis mounted on a front axle and a rear axle and carrying, at the front, a driver's cab accommodating at least one driver of the vehicle and equipped with a control station for the various equipment which make up the vehicle and which will be detailed below.

[0005] At the rear of said vehicle is positioned a waste collection tank which is collected from the road by means of a brush assembly mounted at the front of the cab and comprising, in addition to a plurality of circular brushes, or brooms, driven in rotation around a vertical axis, means for suctioning waste and dust.

[0006] The waste thus collected and sucked up from the ground, at the level of a suction nozzle, is conveyed into said waste collection tank by a suitable suction conduit connecting, for example, said suction nozzle to a suction turbine located at the level of said collection tank.

[0007] The brushing assembly advantageously includes additional functional elements to improve road cleaning, such as means of spraying water or washing liquid, like nozzles for spraying liquid directly onto the brushes or brooms, or even a device for suctioning residual water.

[0008] In this event, the vehicle is also equipped with a water or washing fluid reserve tank of sufficient capacity, and an additional collection tank when means for suctioning residual water are also equipped on the vehicle.

[0009] It should also be noted that the brushing system can be associated with lowering and raising means, so that it is lowered when the vehicle is started to be positioned as close as possible to the ground, and raised when the vehicle is stopped.

[0010] With regard more specifically to the starting of the vehicle, and from the moment that it is in "work" mode, the brushes are therefore lowered, driven in rotation by suitable means, and water can be sprayed on the brushes.

[0011] The start-up of all this equipment is, very often, carried out automatically, when the street cleaning vehicle is started.

[0012] Once the start-up has been carried out, the stopping or adjustment of these two functions, namely rotation of the brushes and spraying of water on these same brushes, are carried out manually by the operator who drives the vehicle.

[0013] However, it has been observed that it is common for the wipers, as well as the spray of water or washing fluid, to continue to operate when the driver stops moving the vehicle forward.

[0014] Indeed, users are often unscrupulous with regard to both water consumption and brush wear, and, consequently, do not stop the rotation of the latter, particularly during short stops of the street cleaning vehicle, which can be frequent for this type of vehicle.

[0015] As a result, when the vehicle stops moving forward, the brushes continue their rotation in contact with the ground, while the water continues to flow over the brushes.

[0016] The adverse consequences of this continuous operation of the cleaning equipment, even when the vehicle is stopped, are numerous.

[0017] On the one hand, this leads to abnormal and premature wear of the cleaning brushes or brooms. On the other hand, a visible, lighter mark on the floor, resulting from the continuous friction of the brush, is likely to remain where the vehicle was stopped, creating an unsightly appearance of the floor in that area and giving the impression of uneven or poorly executed cleaning.

[0018] Moreover, such continuous operation of the equipment generates unnecessary water consumption, which proves to be harmful from an ecological point of view.

[0019] The present invention is intended to remedy, at least in part, the disadvantages of self-propelled road cleaning vehicles known from the prior art.

[0020] In an inventive approach, it was conceived to develop a system enabling the automatic stopping of the rotation functions of the brooms or brushes and water spraying, in certain situations which do not require the use of these equipment.

[0021] To this end, more particularly, the invention relates to a method for regulating the operation of cleaning equipment fitted to a self-propelled road surface cleaning vehicle, as a function of the forward speed Va of said vehicle, said cleaning equipment comprising, at least, a rotating circular brush, means for vacuuming dust and / or waste, and means for spraying said at least one brush with water or a washing liquid, said cleaning equipment being capable of moving from an inactive position, in which it is raised relative to the ground, to an active working position in which it is lowered so that said at least one brush is in contact with the ground, and vice versa, said regulation method being characterized in that it comprises, at least, the following steps: - Definition, at least, of a minimum speed Vamin and a maximum speed Vamax of forward movement of the self-propelled vehicle (in km / h), and of a rotation speed of said at least one rotating brush, noted Vb (in rpm); - Automatic switching of the cleaning equipment to "work" mode upon starting of said self-propelled vehicle, resulting in the start of a start-up cycle for said cleaning equipment, including the switching of said cleaning equipment from its raised inactive position to its lowered active working position, as well as the automatic rotation of said at least one brush at speed Vb, the activation of said suction and spraying means, - Taking measurements, at regular time intervals or continuously, of the vehicle's forward speed Va using a speed measuring device, - Management of the positioning of said cleaning equipment and the rotation of said at least one brush according to a correlation with the speed of movement Va of the vehicle, according to at least one speed threshold chosen from at least Vamin and Vamax previously defined.

[0022] According to a particular embodiment of the method of the present invention, in the management of the positioning of said cleaning equipment and the rotation of said at least one brush, the correlation is defined between the forward speed Va of the vehicle and the maintenance of rotation at speed Vb or the stopping of the rotation of said at least one brush, such that: - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is greater than or equal to the minimum speed Vamin and less than or equal to the maximum speed Vamax, maintaining the rotation of said at least one brush at the rotational speed denoted Vb, - If the vehicle's forward speed Va exceeds the maximum speed Vamax, the rotation of at least one brush must stop and the cleaning equipment must be moved from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position. - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is at a standstill (Va=0 km / h), stop the rotation of said at least one brush.

[0023] Preferably, the method for regulating the operation of cleaning equipment on a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle comprises, in addition to the aforementioned steps, at least the following steps: - Definition, in addition to the minimum speed Vamin and the maximum speed Vamax of forward movement of the self-propelled vehicle, of a minimum rotational speed of said at least one brush Vbmin, relative to a maximum rotational speed of said brush Vbmax which is equal to 100%, - Automatic switching of the cleaning equipment to "work" mode upon starting of said self-propelled vehicle, resulting in the start of a start-up cycle for said cleaning equipment, including the switching of said cleaning equipment from its raised inactive position to its lowered active working position, the automatic rotation of said at least one brush at speed Vbmin, the activation of said suction and spraying means, - Taking measurements, at regular time intervals or continuously, of the vehicle's forward speed Va using a speed measuring device, - Definition of a correlation between the forward speed Va of the vehicle and the rotational speed to be applied to said at least one brush, as follows: • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is equal to the minimum speed Vamin, application of the minimum rotational speed Vbmin of said at least one brush; • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is equal to the maximum speed Vamax, application of the maximum rotational speed Vbmax of said at least one brush; • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle increases between Vamin and Vamax, or decreases between Vamax and Vamin, application of a proportional increase, respectively a proportional decrease, to the rotation speed of said at least one brush; • If the vehicle's forward speed Va exceeds the maximum speed Vamax, the rotation of at least one brush must stop and the cleaning equipment must be moved from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position. • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is at a standstill (Va=0 km / h), the rotation of said at least one brush is stopped.

[0024] According to an additional advantageous feature, if the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is stopped (Va=0 km / h), in addition to stopping the rotation of said at least one brush, said spraying means are stopped and / or the power of the suction means is reduced.

[0025] According to yet another advantageous additional feature, if the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is at a standstill (Va=0 km / h), in addition to the stopping of the rotation of said at least one brush, and possibly the stopping of the spraying means and / or the reduction of the power of the suction means, said cleaning equipment passes from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position.

[0026] Preferably, in the method of regulating the operation of a cleaning equipment of a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle, if the forward speed Va of the self-propelled vehicle is greater than or equal to Vamin and less than or equal to Vamax, the occasional and reversible activation of a "manual" mode allows manual control of the rotation speed of the brushes Vb by a potentiometer.

[0027] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the following description relating to embodiments which are given only by way of indicative and non-limiting examples.

[0028] Understanding this description will be facilitated by referring to the single figure attached in the appendix, described below:

[0029] [Fig.1] illustrates, schematically, a particular embodiment of the method for regulating the operation of a cleaning equipment fitted to a self-propelled road floor cleaning vehicle, as a function of the speed of advance of said vehicle, and more particularly the regulation of the rotation speed of at least one rotating brush fitted to said cleaning equipment, proportionally to the speed of advance.

[0030] The present invention relates to a method for regulating the operation of a cleaning equipment fitted to a self-propelled vehicle for cleaning road surfaces.

[0031] The regulation of the operation of the cleaning equipment is carried out, more particularly, according to the present invention, as a function of the forward speed Va of said vehicle.

[0032] Within the framework of the invention, such cleaning equipment is composed, at least, of a rotating circular brush, of means for suctioning dust and / or waste likely to be found on the road to be cleaned, and of means for spraying said at least one brush with water or with a washing liquid.

[0033] Said cleaning equipment for the self-propelled road cleaning vehicle may comprise a single rotating brush or, preferably, a plurality of rotating brushes.

[0034] The following description of the method for regulating the cleaning equipment is valid regardless of the number of rotating brush(s) equipping the vehicle.

[0035] As part of its operation, when the cleaning vehicle is started up and is moving forward, the cleaning equipment with which said vehicle is equipped is able to move from an inactive position, in which it is raised relative to the ground, to an active working position in which it is lowered so that said at least one brush is in contact with the ground.

[0036] Conversely, the cleaning equipment is able to move from its active working position to its raised inactive position, in particular when the work cycle is finished and the vehicle is stopped.

[0037] In a first embodiment of the method for regulating the operation of this cleaning equipment according to the invention, it comprises, at least, the steps described in detail below.

[0038] In a first step, at least a minimum speed Vamin and a maximum speed Vamax of advancement of the self-propelled vehicle (in km / h) and a rotation speed of said at least one rotating brush, denoted Vb (in rpm), are defined.

[0039] Generally, the minimum speeds Vamin and maximum speeds Vamax of said vehicle are determined according to its construction, according to the manufacturer's recommendations or others.

[0040] In a second step, said vehicle is started by an operator, which preferentially results in an automatic switch of the cleaning equipment into "work" mode.

[0041] Such a transition of said cleaning equipment into "work" mode results in the start-up of said cleaning equipment.

[0042] This start-up includes, in particular, the movement of said cleaning equipment from its raised inactive position to its lowered active working position, as well as an automatic rotation of said at least one brush, the activation of said suction means and spraying means.

[0043] During the movement of the cleaning vehicle, a means for measuring the forward speed, with which said vehicle is equipped, allows measurements to be taken, at regular time intervals, of this forward speed Va of the vehicle.

[0044] Even more preferably, the speed Va of the vehicle can also be measured continuously.

[0045] Such a means of measuring speed may, for example, consist of at least one speed sensor.

[0046] In the implementation of the method of the invention, management of the positioning of the cleaning equipment on the one hand, and of the rotation of said at least one brush on the other hand, is carried out, according to a correlation with the speed Va of the vehicle, and as a function of at least one of the two speed thresholds, namely as a function of at least Va min and / or Vamax, which have been previously defined.

[0047] Thus, in the process of the present invention, it is, for example, possible to control a stop of the rotation of the brushes and a raising of the cleaning equipment if the forward speed of the vehicle Va is less than the predefined minimum speed Vamin (Va < Vamin) and / or if said speed Va is greater than the predefined maximum speed Vamax (Va > Vamax).

[0048] Preferably, in managing the positioning of the cleaning equipment and the rotation of said at least one brush, this correlation is established more particularly between the forward speed Va of the vehicle on the one hand, and maintaining rotation at speed Vb or stopping the rotation of said at least one brush on the other hand, such that:

[0049] - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is greater than or equal to the speed minimum predefined Vamin, and less than or equal to the maximum predefined Vamax speed, said at least one brush, which has previously been set in rotation when the vehicle is started, and more particularly when the cleaning equipment is switched to "work" mode, is kept in rotation, at the rotation speed noted Vb,

[0050] - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle, detected by the measuring means of the speed, is greater than the maximum speed Vamax, the rotation of said at least one brush is stopped (zero rotation speed) and said cleaning equipment moves from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position,

[0051] - Finally, if the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the speed minimum predefined Vamin, or if said vehicle is at a standstill (Va=0 km / h), the rotation of said at least one brush is also stopped.

[0052] In other words, in this first embodiment of the method for regulating the operation of a vehicle cleaning equipment for road maintenance, the rotating brush(s) is / are stopped if the forward speed Va of the vehicle is too low (below the predefined Vamin) or too high (above Vamax).

[0053] Furthermore, when said vehicle moves at a speed Va between Vamin and Vamax, the rotating brush(s) is / are kept rotating at a constant or relatively constant speed Vb which is also predefined.

[0054] Thus, for example, Vamin can be determined by construction as being equal to 0.1 km / h, while Vamax is defined as being equal to 7 km / h.

[0055] The rotation speed of the rotary brush, or of the rotary brushes as appropriate, is chosen and maintained constant between 40 and 100 rpm.

[0056] Note that, as indicated above, when the forward speed Va of the vehicle, detected by the speed measuring means, is greater than the maximum speed Vamax, the rotation of said at least one brush is stopped (zero rotation speed) and said cleaning equipment passes from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position.

[0057] Thus, in addition to the rotation of the brushes, the spraying of them by water or washing liquid is stopped, while the suction is also reduced, or even stopped.

[0058] Preferably, when the actual forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the predefined minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is stopped (Va=0 km / h), the water spraying and / or suction is / are also stopped, simultaneously with the stopping of the rotation of said at least one brush.

[0059] In a second embodiment of the method of the invention, described now with reference to the attached [Fig.1], the rotation speed Vb of the rotary brush, or rotary brushes, with which the cleaning equipment is equipped, and represented schematically by reference 1 in the attached figure, is regulated proportionally to the forward speed Va of the road cleaning vehicle.

[0060] In other words, unlike the first embodiment in which either said at least one brush is rotating at a certain rotational speed Vb, for example between 40 and 100 rpm and constant during the cleaning operations, or the rotation of said brush is stopped (Vb=0) when the vehicle speed Va is too low or too high, in the embodiment described below, the rotational speed Vb of brush 1 will be able, in addition, to be adapted according to whether the forward speed Va of the vehicle increases or decreases.

[0061] Thus, in the context of this second embodiment of the method for regulating the operation of the cleaning equipment according to the invention, it comprises, at least, the steps described in detail below.

[0062] Initially, it is necessary to define, at least, a minimum speed Vamin and a maximum speed Vamax of forward movement of the self-propelled vehicle (in km / h), and a minimum rotation speed of said at least one brush 1, denoted Vbmin, in relation to a maximum rotation speed of said brush, denoted Vbmax, which corresponds to 100%.

[0063] Next, and similarly to the first embodiment, the self-propelled cleaning vehicle is started, which results in the automatic switching of the cleaning equipment into "working" mode and the start of a start-up cycle of said cleaning equipment, including the switching of said cleaning equipment from its raised inactive position to its lowered active working position as well as the automatic rotation of said at least one brush 1, the activation of said suction means and spraying means.

[0064] Preferably, when switching the cleaning equipment to "work" mode, the brushes 1 are set to rotate at the minimum speed Vbmin.

[0065] The switch to "work" mode is schematically illustrated in the attached figure by reference 2, showing the display on the dashboard of an "AUTO" indicator accompanied by a change in color of the brush 1 shown schematically on the dashboard of the vehicle and which is therefore visible to the driver of the vehicle.

[0066] Thus, on the dashboard, the brush 1 can for example turn green when the "work" mode 2 is switched on.

[0067] Again, the forward speed Va of the vehicle is determined, by a speed measuring means, and at regular time intervals or continuously, by a sensor or any other suitable means.

[0068] Next, a correlation is defined between the forward speed Va of the vehicle and the rotational speed Vb to be applied to said at least one brush 1, and implemented as follows: - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is equal to the minimum speed Vamin, see reference 3 on the figure, application of the minimum rotation speed Vbmin of said at least one brush 1; - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is equal to the maximum speed Vamax, see reference 4 on the figure, application of the maximum rotation speed Vbmax of said at least one brush 1; If the forward speed Va of the vehicle increases between Vamin and Vamax, or decreases between Vamax and Vamin, see reference 5 in the figure, application of a proportional increase, respectively a proportional decrease, to the rotation speed Vb of said at least one brush 1; If the vehicle's forward speed exceeds the maximum speed Vamax (see reference 6 in the figure), the rotation of at least one brush must stop, and the cleaning equipment must be moved from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position. If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is at rest (Va=0 km / h), see reference 7 on the figure, the rotation of said at least one brush 1 stops (Vb=0).

[0069] The following is an example of the operation of the method of the invention, considering the second embodiment with proportional regulation between the forward speed Va of the vehicle and the rotational speed Vb of the rotating brushes, with: Vamin equals 0.1 km / h; Vamax equals 7 km / h, Vbmin equals 40% and corresponds to 40 revolutions / min, Vbmax equals 100% and corresponds to 100 revolutions / min.

[0070] In this embodiment, starting the vehicle leads to starting the "work" mode 2 with a start-up cycle which takes place, including the automatic start-up of the rotating brushes, preferably at a minimum rotation speed Vbmin, the suction and wetting of the brushes, and the descent of the brushes and the suction nozzle.

[0071] The display on the dashboard is active, and the operator can see the "AUTO" pictogram on said dashboard, as well as the change in color of the indicator representing the rotating brushes, indicating that they are activated and are rotating.

[0072] From there, if the forward speed Va of the vehicle is reduced but remains greater than 0.1 km / h (Va > 0.1 km / h), the brushes will have a rotation speed Vb corresponding to Vbmin, of 40%, i.e. about 40 rpm 3.

[0073] If the forward speed Va of the vehicle increases, and is between Vamin and Vamax (0.1 km / h < Va < 7 km / h), the rotation speed Vb of the brushes increases proportionally to reach Vbmax, 100%, i.e. about 100 rpm at the maximum working speed of 7 km / h.

[0074] Beyond a travel speed of 7 km / h (Va > 7 km / h), the rotation of the brushes is stopped 6, the suction nozzle and the brushes are raised to Avoid touching the floor. At the same time, the wetting of the brushes and the suction nozzle stops, and the suction system reduces power.

[0075] As soon as the vehicle's travel speed Va falls below 7 km / h, (Va < 7km / h), the entire cleaning equipment descends to become operational, the rotation of the brushes restarts, the suction system regains its full power, and the spraying of water or washing liquid, or wetting, resumes.

[0076] In the event that the vehicle stops (Va = 0 km / h), or if its speed is particularly reduced and less than Vamin, without the driver stopping the "work" mode, the rotating brushes, as well as the wetting, will stop and the suction power will decrease (reference 7 in the figure).

[0077] In the event that the vehicle has been stopped or has passed a speed lower than Vamin, the simple act of restarting and reaching Vamin again will cause a restart of 3 of the rotating brushes at a minimum (40%), wetting and suction at the preselected power, preceding the moment of stopping.

[0078] Thus, just as for the first embodiment of the method of the invention, when the forward speed Va of the vehicle is greater than the maximum speed Vamax, the rotation of said at least one brush is stopped (zero rotation speed) and said cleaning equipment passes from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position.

[0079] Consequently, in this case, in addition to the rotation of the brushes, the spraying of them by water or washing liquid is stopped, while the suction is also reduced, or even stopped, due to the passage of the cleaning equipment into its raised inactive position.

[0080] Furthermore, advantageously, when the actual forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the predefined minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is stopped (Va=0 km / h), the water spraying and / or suction is also stopped, simultaneously with the stopping of the rotation of said at least one brush.

[0081] It should also be noted that, for both embodiments, after stopping the rotation of the brushes and passing the cleaning equipment into its raised inactive position, in the case where Va>Vamax, once the speed measurement means have detected that Va is again less than or equal to Vamax, the cleaning equipment is able to return to its lowered active position and the rotation of the brushes is restarted, as are the other elements of the cleaning equipment (suction, water spraying).

[0082] Similarly, after a stoppage of the rotation of the brushes in the case where Va <vamin ou si va les brosses sont remises en rotation dès lors que est à nouveau supérieure égale vamin.

[0083] Preferably, and in order to allow the vehicle operator to control the operation of the cleaning equipment himself, he can, by a voluntary action on the dashboard, switch the management of the cleaning equipment, and in particular the brushes, to "manual" mode, and thus adapt the rotation speed of said brushes, through a potentiometer, according to the needs, for a very specific cleaning job for example.

[0084] The switch to "manual" mode can be visualized on the vehicle's dashboard by the extinction of the "AUTO" pictogram representing operation in automatic mode, and more specifically the switch to "work" mode of the cleaning equipment, in the operation as described above.

[0085] The manual mode is configured so that it is automatically deactivated when the vehicle is stopped. Therefore, when the vehicle is restarted, the cleaning equipment returns to automatically managed working mode.

[0086] Thus, the cleaning equipment of the self-propelled road cleaning vehicle operates as often as possible in an automatic mode which makes it more economical in water and energy, and generates minimized wear of the brushes, as well as reduced noise pollution.

[0087] In order to implement the method of regulating the cleaning equipment equipping a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle, the latter is equipped with means of controlling and piloting the elements which make up this equipment, in particular the rotating brush(s), the means of vacuuming waste, and the means of spraying water on said brushes, the piloting being carried out according to the forward speed Va of said vehicle.

[0088] Therefore, said self-propelled street cleaning vehicle is equipped with at least one means of measuring its forward speed Va, preferably in the form of at least one speed sensor located on said vehicle.

[0089] That being said, the measurement of the speed of said motor vehicle can also be carried out by other means, in particular via a GPS antenna, or any other means suitable for this purpose.

[0090] Thus, the means for controlling and operating the elements constituting the cleaning equipment may include means for calculating and controlling, through adapted algorithms, the rotational speed of the brushes Vb, as a function of the forward speed Va of the vehicle, in particular when regulating the rotational speed Vb of the brushes proportional to the forward speed Va of the vehicle. To complement these control means, these include means of communication and information transmission between said at least one speed measurement means Va and said control means, and between the latter and the various elements of the cleaning equipment (rotating brush(s), waste suction means and water spraying means on said brushes).

[0091] The method of the invention, allowing automated management of the rotation speed of the brushes and the spraying of water, as a function of the forward speed of the self-propelled road cleaning vehicle, results in an improvement in the performance of said vehicle in several aspects.

[0092] Indeed, on the one hand, cutting off the spraying of water, or washing liquid, preferably as soon as the rotating brushes are stopped, in particular when the vehicle's forward speed is high, allows for lower water consumption and, consequently, a greater autonomy between two vehicle refills.

[0093] Furthermore, this increase in autonomy results in an increase in the efficiency of sweeping and cleaning, because stops of the vehicle for filling the water or washing fluid reserve tank with which it is equipped will be less frequent.

[0094] Furthermore, managing the rotational speed of the cleaning brushes according to the vehicle's forward speed, according to a preferred aspect of the invention, minimizes and optimizes the energy consumption required for sweeping. This is an important point in the context of street cleaning vehicles, which can be electric.

[0095] Stopping or slowing down the rotating brushes and automating the rotation also minimizes wear on said brushes and thus reduces the costs associated with immobilizing the vehicle to change the brushes, which are consumable parts.

[0096] Furthermore, the proportional control of the brush speed linked to the vehicle speed also makes it possible to maintain a constant sweeping efficiency as defined by the manufacturer. Indeed, sweeping quality is determined by the number of brush bristle passes over each elementary surface, which results in an increase in the brush rotation speed if the vehicle speed increases.

[0097] Until now, this function was managed, in the prior art, only manually by the driver, who increased the rotation speed of the brushes according to his forward speed.

[0098] However, since the speed of the vehicle is not constant, it was extremely difficult for the driver to maintain this quality of sweeping.

[0099] Consequently, the driver positioned the system at an average brush rotation speed (generally between 40 and 100 rpm, more particularly 60 to 70 rpm in general) and then tried to maintain the vehicle speed at a constant speed.

[0100] The system implemented in the present invention makes it possible to maintain a quality of sweeping and also to reduce the rotation speed of the brushes, for example to 40 rpm, if the vehicle slows down and, therefore, saves energy compared to a medium speed maintained (between 60 and 70 rpm).

[0101] Finally, this optimized management of the brushes, and of the wetting of the latter, also reduces the noise emissions of the vehicle, which constitutes a significant advantage in an urban environment.< / vamin>

Claims

Demands

1. A method for regulating the operation of cleaning equipment fitted to a self-propelled road surface cleaning vehicle, as a function of the forward speed Va of said vehicle, said cleaning equipment comprising, at least, a rotating circular brush, means for vacuuming dust and / or debris, and means for spraying said at least one brush with water or a washing liquid, said cleaning equipment being capable of moving from an inactive position, in which it is raised relative to the ground, to an active working position in which it is lowered so that said at least one brush is in contact with the ground, and vice versa, said regulation method being characterized in that it comprises, at least, the following steps: - Definition, at least, of a minimum forward speed Vamin and a maximum forward speed Vamax of the self-propelled vehicle (in km / h),and a rotation speed of said at least one rotating brush, denoted Vb (in rpm); - Automatic switching of the cleaning equipment to "work" mode upon starting said self-propelled vehicle, resulting in the start of a start-up cycle for said cleaning equipment, including the movement of said cleaning equipment from its raised inactive position to its lowered active working position, as well as the automatic rotation of said at least one brush at speed Vb, the activation of said suction and spraying means, - Measurement, at regular time intervals or continuously, of the forward speed Va of the vehicle by a speed measuring means, - Management of the positioning of said cleaning equipment and the rotation of said at least one brush according to a correlation with the travel speed Va of the vehicle,depending on at least one speed threshold chosen from at least Vamin and Vamax previously defined.

2. A method for regulating the operation of cleaning equipment on a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the management of the

3. positioning of said cleaning equipment and the rotation of said at least one brush, the correlation is defined between the forward speed Va of the vehicle and the maintenance of rotation at speed Vb or the cessation of rotation of said at least one brush, such that: - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is greater than or equal to the minimum speed Vamin and less than or equal to the maximum speed Vamax, maintaining the rotation of said at least one brush at the rotational speed denoted Vb, - If the vehicle's forward speed Va exceeds the maximum speed Vamax, the rotation of at least one brush must stop and the cleaning equipment must be moved from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position. - If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is at a standstill (Va=0 km / h), stop the rotation of said at least one brush. Method for regulating the operation of cleaning equipment on a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it comprises, at least, the following steps: - Definition, in addition to the minimum speed Vamin and the maximum speed Vamax of forward movement of the self-propelled vehicle, of a minimum rotational speed of said at least one brush Vbmin, relative to a maximum rotational speed of said brush Vbmax which is equal to 100%, - Automatic switching of the cleaning equipment to "work" mode upon starting of said self-propelled vehicle, resulting in the start of a start-up cycle for said cleaning equipment, including the switching of said cleaning equipment from its raised inactive position to its lowered active working position, the automatic rotation of said at least one brush at speed Vbmin, the activation of said suction and spraying means, Taking measurements, at regular time intervals or continuously, of the forward speed Va of the vehicle by a speed measuring device, Defining a correlation between the forward speed Va of the vehicle and the rotational speed to be applied to said at least one brush, as follows: • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is equal to the minimum speed Vamin, application of the minimum rotational speed Vbmin of said at least one brush; • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is equal to the maximum speed Vam, application of the maximum rotational speed Vbmax of said at least one brush; • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle increases between Vamin and Vam ax, or decreases between Vam ax and Vamin, application of a proportional increase, respectively a proportional decrease, to the rotation speed of said at least one brush; • If the vehicle's forward speed Va exceeds the maximum speed Vam ax, the rotation of at least one brush must stop and the cleaning equipment must be moved from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position. • If the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is at a standstill (Va=0 km / h), the rotation of said at least one brush is stopped.

4. A method for regulating the operation of a cleaning device on a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that, if the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is stopped (Va=0 km / h), in addition to stopping the rotation of said at least one brush, said

5.

6. spraying equipment is switched off and / or the power of the suction equipment is reduced. Method of regulating the operation of a cleaning equipment of a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 4 characterized in that if the forward speed Va of the vehicle is less than the minimum speed Vamin, or if said vehicle is at a standstill (Va=0 km / h), in addition to stopping the rotation of said at least one brush, and possibly stopping the spraying means and / or reducing the power of the suction means, said cleaning equipment moves from its lowered active working position to its raised inactive position. Method of regulating the operation of a cleaning equipment of a self-propelled road cleaning vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that, if the forward speed Va of the self-propelled vehicle is greater than or equal to Vamin and less than or equal to Vamax, the punctual and reversible activation of a "manual" mode allows manual control of the rotation speed of the brushes Vb by a potentiometer.

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