Groove travel device

Abstract

To provide a groove travel device suitable for removing a construction waste matter stored inside a groove of a construction site.SOLUTION: A groove travel device 1 includes: a device body 10; a travel mechanism 20 arranged in the device body 10; and a rotary brush 30 to be attached to the device body 10. The rotary brush 30 is arranged in the device body 10 so as to allow the rotation axis to be in parallel with a central line of the device body 10 and also to be projected to a front side of the device body 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a groove traveling device for a construction site.

Background Art

[0002] At construction sites such as apartment buildings, construction waste (garbage) tends to accumulate in the drainage grooves on balconies and corridors, and there is a desire to clean the inside of the grooves neatly. However, among the construction waste at construction sites, there are not only dust, but also relatively large and heavy objects such as concrete blocks, scraps of wood and other end materials, metal pieces, metal scraps, glass pieces, and glass scraps. In addition, pipes used for scaffolding may be arranged above the groove so as to cross the groove. Therefore, even if the inside of the groove is cleaned using a conventional sweeper that sweeps and collects dust on the floor surface such as a road with a brush that rotates around an axis perpendicular or inclined to the floor surface (for example, Patent Document 1), the construction waste in the groove may not be completely removed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a groove traveling device suitable for removing construction waste accumulated in the grooves at construction sites.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The groove traveling device according to the present embodiment includes a device main body, a traveling mechanism provided on the device main body, and a rotating brush provided on the device main body. The rotating brush is provided on the device main body such that its rotation axis is parallel to the center line of the device main body and protrudes forward of the device main body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, the groove traveling device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are made only when necessary.

[0008] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are views showing the usage state of the groove traveling device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view, and FIG. 2 is a front view. As shown in FIG. 1, the groove traveling device 1 is a device that discharges construction waste accumulated in a groove to the outside of the groove while traveling in a drainage groove provided on a balcony or a corridor of an apartment building at a construction site. Here, the construction waste includes dust and rubble. The dust is not limited to sand and dust, and includes dust, fine wood chips generated by wood processing, fine metal chips generated by metal processing, fine glass chips generated by glass processing, and other relatively small and relatively light construction waste that can be swept out. The rubble includes relatively large and relatively heavy construction waste such as concrete blocks, end materials such as wood, metal pieces, and glass pieces that are difficult to sweep out.

[0009] FIGS. 3 to 10 respectively show the external appearance of the groove traveling device 1. FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are a perspective view, a plan view, and a front view of the groove traveling device 1, respectively. FIG. 6 shows a front view (front view) of the groove traveling device 1 when the elastic plate 38 of the rotary brush 30 is in a horizontal posture. FIG. 7 shows a front view of the groove traveling device 1 when the elastic plate 38 of the rotary brush 30 is in a vertical posture. FIG. 8 shows a front view of the groove traveling device 1 when the elastic plate 38 of the rotary brush 30 is in an inclined posture. FIG. 9 shows a state where the splash prevention plate 50 is removed from the device body 10. FIG. 10 shows a state where the brush body 32 is removed from the rotary shaft 31. The device body 10 has an outer shape that is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped. For the convenience of explanation here, with the center of the rectangular parallelepiped as the origin, three orthogonal XYZ axes are defined. The X-axis is parallel to the length direction (front-rear direction) of the device body 10, the Y-axis is parallel to the width direction (left-right direction) of the device body 10, and the Z-axis is parallel to the height direction of the device body 10, respectively. The X-axis is appropriately used as the center line of the device body 10.

[0010] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, the groove traveling device 1 includes a device main body 10, a traveling mechanism 20, a rotating brush 30, and a splash prevention plate 50. The device main body 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction. A traveling mechanism 20 is equipped in the device main body 10 so as to travel parallel to the center line (X-axis) of the device main body 10. Here, a crawler is adopted as the traveling mechanism 20 so as to be suitable for traveling on rubble or unleveled ground. A crawler belt 23 is stretched between a drive wheel (sprocket) 21 and a driven wheel (roller) 22. In addition, in order to simplify the structure, instead of a guide wheel between the drive wheel 21 and the driven wheel 22, a sliding plate on which the inner surface of the crawler belt 23 slides is provided. The two crawlers are arranged separately in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the device main body 10. The total width of the two crawlers is configured to be equivalent to or slightly narrower than the width of the bottom surface of the groove where traveling is planned. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the entire device main body 10 can be accommodated in the groove, and the drive wheel 21, the driven wheel 22, the crawler belt 23 of the traveling mechanism 20, or the bumper 11 described later can travel along the groove while rubbing against the groove side wall, and stable traveling can be realized without tipping over or the like.

[0011] Note that if the groove traveling device 1 can be moved at least forward, the traveling mechanism 20 is not limited to the above configuration. For example, a traveling mechanism 20 in which four wheels are respectively dispersed and arranged on the front, rear, left, and right of the device main body 10 may be used. Of course, the number of wheels may be three or less, or five or more. Also, as the traveling mechanism 20, a moving mechanism such as a so-called suspended monorail in which a traveling path is provided above the groove and the device main body 10 is suspended from the traveling path may be adopted. Of course, since a mode in which an operator holds the device main body 10 and uses it while moving it like sweeping is also assumed, the groove traveling device 1 may not have a traveling mechanism 20.

[0012] At the upper left and right parts of the apparatus main body 10, bumpers 11 are provided across the front and rear ends. Typically, the bumpers 11 are integrally formed with the apparatus main body 10. The groove traveling device 1 traveling in the groove moves forward while rubbing against the side surface of the groove (the inner surface of the side wall of the groove). At this time, the bumper 11 alleviates the impact on the groove traveling device 1 and protects the traveling mechanisms 20 provided on both left and right side surfaces of the apparatus main body 10 from the side surface of the groove. The height of the bumper 11 is set to be equal to or slightly longer than the length by which the traveling mechanism 20 protrudes laterally with respect to the side surface of the apparatus main body 10. In the present embodiment, the length by which the traveling mechanism 20 protrudes laterally with respect to the side surface of the apparatus main body 10 is the same as the width of the drive wheels 21, 22. The tip portion of the bumper 11 facing the side surface of the groove is preferably made of a material having relatively low friction coefficient and slidability so as not to hinder the smooth traveling of the groove traveling device 1, more specifically, so that the bumper 11 slides even when rubbing against the side surface of the groove. Of course, if the first consideration is to alleviate the impact on the groove traveling device 1, the tip portion of the bumper 11 may be constituted by a member that absorbs impact, such as a rubber plate. Thus, providing the bumper 11 realizes the smooth movement of the groove traveling device 1 and reduces the frequency of damage to the components constituting the traveling mechanism 20. Of course, if the traveling mechanism 20 is provided on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body 10, the bumper 11 is not necessarily required.

[0013] The rotary brush 30 is provided such that its rotation axis coincides with the X-axis (the center line of the apparatus main body 10) and protrudes forward in the traveling direction of the apparatus main body 10, and is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown) such as a motor built in the apparatus main body 10. Thereby, since the traveling mechanism 20 travels on the bottom surface of the groove after the construction waste has been removed by the rotary brush 30, the possibility that the groove traveling device 1 rides on the construction waste and goes out of the groove can be reduced. Note that if the rotary brush 30, particularly the rotary shaft 31, hits the rubble accumulated in the groove vertically, the rotary shaft 31 may be damaged. In order to reduce this possibility, the rotary brush 30 may be provided such that its rotation axis is slightly inclined downward.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 10, typically, the rotary brush 30 is composed of a rotary shaft 31 and a brush body 32. The rotary shaft 31 is provided at the front end face of the apparatus main body 10 in a direction parallel to the X-axis direction so as to protrude forward, and the rear end thereof is connected to a motor (not shown) built in the apparatus main body 10. The brush body 32 is detachable from the rotary shaft 31. When a motor (not shown) built in the apparatus main body 10 rotates, the brush body 32 is rotated together with the rotary shaft 31 around the X-axis. Note that the rotary brush 30 may be formed by integrating the rotary shaft 31 and the brush body 32. However, in this case, from the viewpoint of ease of maintenance, it is desirable that the rotary brush 30 be detachable from the apparatus main body 10. Details of the brush body 32 will be described later.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, a handle 12 for gripping is provided at the upper rear part of the apparatus main body 10. An operator can easily carry the groove traveling device 1 by gripping the handle 12. Also, the operator can use the groove traveling device 1 for sweeping by gripping the handle 12. A battery box 13 is provided at the upper center of the apparatus main body 10. A battery serving as a drive source for the traveling mechanism 20 and the rotary brush 30 is housed in the battery box 13. The battery box 13 is one of the heavy components among the components constituting the groove traveling device 1. By arranging the heavy component at the center of the apparatus main body 10, the center of gravity position of the apparatus main body 10 can be made near the center of the length of the apparatus main body 10, and when the groove traveling device 1 is traveling in the groove, a situation where the front part or the rear part of the apparatus main body 10 floats for some reason can be preferably avoided. An attachment pedestal 15 for attaching a splash prevention plate 50 is provided at the upper front part of the apparatus main body 10. A power button 19 serving as a trigger for driving the rotary brush 30 and the traveling mechanism 20 is provided between the battery box 13 and the handle 12 at the upper part of the apparatus main body 10. A changeover switch 18 for switching the rotation direction of the rotary brush 30 is provided near the power button 19.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 9, the splash prevention plate 50 is configured as a rectangular plate body made of at least a hard resin or metal on the back surface so that it does not deform even when rubble collides. Note that the back surface of the splash prevention plate 50 against which construction waste collides is also referred to as a collision surface. Two depressions 501a and 501b are respectively provided at discrete positions in the front and rear on the left side with the width center in between at the rear part of the collision surface of the splash prevention plate 50, and two depressions 502a and 502b are respectively provided at discrete positions in the front and rear on the right side with the width center in between.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 9, the mounting pedestal 15 has a first mounting portion 153 and a second mounting portion 154 for mounting the splash prevention plate 50. Specifically, the upper surface of the mounting pedestal 15 is configured in an isosceles triangle shape when viewed from the front with the width center portion as the apex angle. Two protrusions 153a and 153b are respectively provided at discrete positions in the front and rear of the first inclined surface 151 on the left side of the mounting pedestal 15 (left side with respect to the traveling direction of the groove traveling device 1). The two protrusions 153a and 153b provided on the first inclined surface 151 correspond to the first mounting portion 153. The splash prevention plate 50 is arranged above the rotary brush 30 in a state of being mounted on the first mounting portion 153 of the mounting pedestal 15 such that its collision surface faces diagonally downward to the right of the groove traveling device 1, suppressing the scattering of construction waste to the right side of the groove traveling device 1. Two protrusions 154a and 154b are respectively provided at discrete positions in the front and rear of the second inclined surface 152 on the right side of the mounting pedestal 15 (right side with respect to the traveling direction of the groove traveling device 1). The two protrusions 154a and 154b provided on the second inclined surface 152 correspond to the second mounting portion 154. The splash prevention plate 50 is arranged above the rotary brush 30 in a state of being mounted on the second mounting portion 154 of the mounting pedestal 15 such that its collision surface faces diagonally downward to the left of the groove traveling device 1, suppressing the scattering of construction waste to the left side of the groove traveling device 1.

[0018] Note that since the splash guard 50 is located on the upper side in the groove traveling device 1, if the splash guard 50 hits the side surface of the groove, the groove traveling device 1 may fall due to the impact. To suppress this, in a state where the splash guard 50 is mounted on the first mounting portion 153 of the mounting pedestal 15, the splash guard 50 does not protrude significantly from the left side surface of the device main body 10, and in a state where the splash guard 50 is mounted on the second mounting portion 154, the splash guard 50 does not protrude significantly from the right side surface of the device main body 10. The width of the splash guard 50, the position in the width direction of the depression, the position in the width direction of the first mounting portion 153, and the position in the width direction of the second mounting portion 154 are respectively determined. Thereby, when the groove traveling device 1 collides with the side surface of the groove or rubs against the side surface of the groove, the bumper 11 provided below the splash guard 50 can contact the side surface of the groove before the splash guard 50. In the groove traveling device 1, the possibility that the groove traveling device 1 falls when the bumper 11 located below the splash guard 50 collides with the side surface of the groove is significantly lower than that when the splash guard 50 collides with the side surface of the groove. Note that the side surface of the device main body 10 constitutes the same plane together with the tip surface of the bumper 11 provided in the device main body 10.

[0019] The protrusions 153a, 153b, 154a, and 154b provided on the mounting pedestal 15 have shapes that match the depressions 501a, 501b, 502a, and 502b provided on the splash guard 50. In the present embodiment, since the depressions 501a, 501b, 502a, and 502b provided on the splash guard 50 are circular, the protrusions 153a, 153b, 154a, and 154b provided on the mounting pedestal 15 are configured as cylinders. Further, magnets are provided at the tips or inside of the protrusions 153a, 153b, 154a, and 154b, and magnets are provided at the bottom surfaces or inside of the depressions 501a, 501b, 502a, and 502b of the splash guard 50 so that the splash guard 50 does not come off from the mounting portions 153 and 154 and fall off due to vibrations of the groove traveling device 1 or the like. In a state where the splash guard 50 is attached to the mounting portions 153 and 154, the splash guard 50 is firmly attracted to the mounting portions 153 and 154 by the magnetic force generated between the magnets, and it is possible to suppress the splash guard 50 from falling off from the mounting portions 153 and 154. Of course, if the splash guard 50 is a magnetic material, it is not necessary to provide magnets in the depressions 501a, 501b, 502a, and 502b of the splash guard 50.

[0020] Note that the splash guard 50 is arranged at a height where the fiber tufts 37 of the rotary brush 30 contact the collision surface thereof and the elastic plate 38 does not contact. The effects thereof will be described later. Of course, there may be cases where it is desired to change to other rotary brushes 30 having different lengths of the elastic plate 38 and the fiber tufts 37. In order to be able to cope with such cases as well, the groove traveling device 1 may have an adjustment spacer interposed between the mounting pedestal 15 and the splash guard 50 in order to change the height of the splash guard 50.

[0021] Further, the splash prevention plate 50 is such that the inclination angle of its collision surface is an angle selected from 60 degrees to 80 degrees around the X-axis with respect to the height direction, preferably 70 degrees. For example, the inclination angles of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface on the upper surface of the mounting pedestal 15 are set. When the inclination angle of the collision surface is 70 degrees, the apex angle formed by the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface is 140 degrees. However, there may be a case where it is desired to change the inclination angle of the collision surface of the splash prevention plate 50 according to the on-site situation, the type of construction waste accumulated in the groove, etc. To be able to cope with such a case as well, the groove traveling device 1 may have a spacer with a non-uniform thickness for adjusting the inclination angle interposed between the mounting pedestal 15 and the splash prevention plate 50. Also, the mounting pedestal 15 may be detachable from the apparatus main body 10 so that the mounting pedestal 15 can be changed to another mounting pedestal 15 with different inclination angles of the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface, or another mounting pedestal 15 with a different height.

[0022] Figs. 11 to 13 respectively show the external appearance of the rotary brush 30. Fig. 11, Fig. 12, and Fig. 13 respectively show a perspective view, a plan view, and a front view (front view) of the rotary brush 30. The rotary brush 30 has a plurality of fiber tufts 37 made of synthetic resin having flexibility for sweeping the dust in the groove to the outside of the groove. The plurality of fiber tufts 37 are radially flocked on the rotary shaft body 35. The fiber tufts 37 spread from their roots to their tips, and the density of the fibers near the tips is lower than the density of the fibers near the middle, which is half of the total length of the fiber tufts 37.

[0023] Typically, the rotary shaft body 35 forms a cylinder, and an insertion hole penetrating the cylinder back and forth is formed at the center position thereof. The rotary shaft 31 is inserted into this insertion hole and fixed to the rotary shaft body 35 by fastening with a fastener. A plurality of fiber tufts 37 made of synthetic resin having flexibility for sweeping the dust in the groove to the outside of the groove are radially flocked on the rotary shaft body 35. Also, a plurality of elastic plates 38 made of elastic resin for scraping the debris in the groove to the outside of the groove are radially attached to the rotary shaft body 35 along the center line of the rotary shaft body 35. That is, on the same circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35, the plurality of fiber tufts 37 and the plurality of elastic plates 38 are dispersedly arranged.

[0024] Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, six fiber tufts 37 are arranged in parallel along the center line of the rotary shaft body 35 to form one fiber tuft row 36. The fiber tuft row 36 may have five or fewer or seven or more fiber tufts 37. As shown in FIG. 13, the brush body 32 has two elastic plates 38 and six fiber tuft rows 36. The two elastic plates 38 are arranged at positions shifted by 180 degrees in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft body 35. With respect to the rotary shaft body 35, the position of the circumferential surface to which one of the two elastic plates 38, i.e., elastic plate 38a, is attached is defined as 0 degrees. That is, the two elastic plates 38a and 38b are arranged at the 0-degree position and the 180-degree position of the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35, respectively. Three fiber tuft rows 36a, 36b, and 36c are evenly arranged at intervals of 30 degrees within a 60-degree range from the 60-degree position to the 120-degree position of the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35. Similarly, three fiber tuft rows 36d, 36e, and 36f are evenly arranged at intervals of 30 degrees within a 60-degree range from the 240-degree position to the 300-degree position of the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the lengths of the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 will be described. The distance from the surface of the rotary shaft body 35 to the bottom surface of the groove is defined as the reference length Lr. Note that the bottom surface of the groove can also be equivalently referred to as the traveling surface on which the traveling mechanism 20 travels. Also, the length of the fiber tuft 37 is defined as the distance from the surface of the rotary shaft body 35 to the tip of the fiber tuft 37. Similarly, the length of the elastic plate 38 is defined as the distance from the surface of the rotary shaft body 35 to the tip of the elastic plate 38.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 6, typically, the length Lh of the fiber tuft 37 is longer than the reference length Lr, and preferably, at the position of the lowest point on the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35 where the fiber tuft 37 is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the groove, the tip portion having a length of 1 / 3 or more and 2 / 3 or less of its total length is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove. When compared with the width of the groove traveling device 1, the length Lh of the fiber tuft 37 is longer than the reference length Lr, and at the position where the fiber tuft 37 is parallel to the bottom surface of the groove, it has a length that protrudes laterally beyond the side surface of the device main body 10 when viewed from the front. The side surface of the device main body 10 passes through the tip of the bumper 11 of the device main body 10 and is defined as a plane perpendicular to the traveling surface of the traveling mechanism 20. It should be noted that it is not denied that the length of the fiber tuft 37 is such that at the position of the lowest point on the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35 where the fiber tuft 37 is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the groove, the tip portion having a length of less than 1 / 3 of its total length is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 7, the length Lb1 of the elastic plate 38 is equivalent to the reference length Lr or slightly longer than the reference length Lr, and preferably, at the position of the lowest point on the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35 where the elastic plate 38 is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the groove, the tip portion having a length of 1 / 6 or more and 1 / 4 or less of its total length is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove. When compared with the width of the groove traveling device 1, the length Lb1 of the elastic plate 38 is longer than the reference length Lr, and at the position where the elastic plate 38 is parallel to the bottom surface of the groove (the traveling surface of the traveling mechanism 20), it has a length that protrudes laterally beyond the side surface of the device main body 10 when viewed from the front. It should be noted that it is not denied that the length Lb1 of the elastic plate 38 is slightly shorter than the reference length Lr, that is, the length where the elastic plate 38 does not contact the bottom surface of the groove. In an actual site, the elastic plate 38 has a length corresponding to the groove to be cleaned. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic plate 38 has a length that reaches three positions: the two corners P1, P2 of the groove and the inclined portion P3 of the groove. The inclined portion P3 of the groove is the upper edge of the groove, which serves as the boundary between the balcony floor and the groove if it is a balcony. It should be noted that it is not denied that the length of the elastic plate 38 is such that at the position of the lowest point on the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body 35 where the elastic plate 38 is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the groove, the tip portion having a length of less than 1 / 6 of its total length is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 8, in one embodiment, the elastic plate 38 has a length Lb2 that reaches the corner C defined by the running surface S1 of the running mechanism 20 and the side surface S2 of the apparatus main body 10 in a front view. For example, the length of the elastic plate 38 is determined to be the longer one of Lb1 and Lb2. Note that when the length of the fiber tuft 37 is compared with the length of the elastic plate 38, the fiber tuft 37 is longer than the elastic plate 38.

[0029] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 14, the effects of the rotary brush 30 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a supplementary view for explaining the operation of discharging the construction waste in the groove to the outside of the groove by the rotary brush 30. FIGS. 14(a), 14(b), and 14(c) show states in which the rotary brush 30 is disposed at the first position (the elastic plates 38a and 38b are horizontal with respect to the groove bottom surface), the second position (the elastic plates 38a and 38b are inclined), and the third position (the elastic plates 38a and 38b are vertical), respectively, and show how the rotary brush 30 rotates little by little. In FIG. 14, for ease of viewing the drawing, the rotary brush 30 is shown together with the splash prevention plate 50, and the illustration of the apparatus main body 10 of the groove traveling device 1 and the like is omitted.

[0030] In the present embodiment, the rotary brush 30 has a fiber tuft 37 and an elastic plate 38. The fiber tuft 37 presses its tip or near the middle against the bottom surface or the side surface of the groove, and sweeps the dust 100 in the groove out of the groove while sliding it. Of course, among the dust 100 discharged to the outside of the groove by the fiber tuft 37, there is not only the one discharged by the sweeping operation of the fiber tuft 37, but also the dust 100 that has been blown out of the groove along the air flow from the inside of the groove to the outside of the groove created by the rotation of the fiber tuft 37, the dust 100 that has been caught by the fiber tuft 37 and has been flung out of the groove due to the centrifugal force generated in the fiber tuft 37 as the rotary brush 30 rotates, or the restoring force of the fiber tuft 37 trying to return from the bent state. On the other hand, the elastic plate 38 scrapes the rubble 200 in the groove out of the groove while scraping the bottom surface and the side surface of the groove. Of course, among the rubble 200 discharged to the outside of the groove by the elastic plate 38, there is also the rubble 200 that has been bounced off by the rotational force of the elastic plate 38 accompanying the rotation of the rotary brush 30.

[0031] In this way, the rotary brush 30 has fine fiber tufts 37 that are good at sweeping out fine sand and dust 100, and specialized elastic plates 38 that are good at scraping out large and heavy debris 200. Thus, compared with a rotary brush having only the fiber tufts 37 or only the elastic plates 38, the construction waste in the groove can be discharged outside the groove more efficiently.

[0032] In this embodiment, the fiber tufts 37 have a length such that the tip portion with a length of 1 / 3 or more and 2 / 3 or less of the total length is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove. Thereby, the following effects are achieved. That is, since the sand and dust 100 are relatively fine, when trying to sweep up the sand and dust 100 near the tip of the fiber tufts 37 where the hair density per unit area is low, the sand and dust 100 will fall between the fibers, and the sand and dust 100 cannot be efficiently swept out. According to this embodiment, the fiber tufts 37 are bent in the middle part by the bottom surface of the groove, so the sand and dust 100 can be swept out in the middle part where the fiber density per unit area is higher than that at the tip. Thereby, the situation where the sand and dust 100 fall between the fibers as described above can be avoided, and the sand and dust 100 can be efficiently swept out. Also, since the middle part of the fiber tufts 37 in contact with the bottom surface of the groove is pressed against the bottom surface of the groove, compared with the case where the tip of the fiber tufts 37 is not pressed against the bottom surface of the groove, the apparent rigidity from the root to the middle part of the fiber tufts 37 increases due to the repulsive force received from the bottom surface of the groove, and the sand and dust 100 that cannot be swept out by the rigidity of the fiber tufts 37 themselves can also be swept out. Further, since the tips of the fiber tufts 37 that are easily deteriorated are not pressed against the side surface or the bottom surface of the groove, the replacement frequency of the fiber tufts 37 can be reduced.

[0033] On the one hand, the fiber tuft 37 is longer than the elastic plate 38, and since the density of the fiber hairs at its tip is low, each fiber hair of the fiber tuft 37 can move relatively freely compared to the vicinity of the middle part where the density of the fiber hairs is high, and can reach every corner of the groove. The fiber tuft 37 that reaches every corner of the groove scrapes out little by little the gravel 200 accumulated at the corners of the groove as well as the dust 100 accumulated at the corners of the groove. For example, the dust 100 scraped out from the corner of the groove by the fiber tuft 37 is directly swept out of the groove by the fiber tuft 37, and the gravel 200 scraped out from the corner of the groove by the fiber tuft 37 is swept out of the groove by the elastic plate 38 that arrives after it has been scraped out.

[0034] Originally, if only the dust 100 accumulated on the bottom surface of the groove was to be swept out, at least the tip portion of the fiber tuft 37 only needed to contact the bottom surface of the groove. However, as in this embodiment, since the fiber tuft 37 has a length such that its middle part bends at the bottom surface of the groove, the dust 100 can be efficiently swept out by utilizing both the vicinity of the tip and the vicinity of the middle part where the density of the fiber hairs is different. Specifically, the dust 100 accumulated at the corner of the groove can be scraped out near the tip of the fiber tuft 37 where the density of the fiber hairs is low, and the dust 100 can be swept out near the middle part of the fiber tuft 37 where the density of the fiber hairs is high.

[0035] In this embodiment, a plurality of fiber tufts 37 form a fiber tuft row 36 densely arranged along the center line of the rotary shaft body 35. When the rotary brush 30 makes one rotation, the amount of dust 100 that can be swept out simply increases. Therefore, compared with the case where the fiber tufts 37 are arranged individually, the efficiency of sweeping out the dust 100 can be improved. Further, since the fiber tufts 37 arranged along the center line of the rotary shaft body 35 are close to each other, compared with the case where the fiber tufts 37 exist individually, the spread of the fiber hairs when bent on the side surface or the bottom surface of the groove is suppressed, the decrease in the density of the fiber hairs of the fiber tuft 37 is suppressed, the dust 100 falling off between the fiber hairs is suppressed, and the dust 100 can be swept out more efficiently. When the fiber tufts 37 are arranged individually along the center line of the rotary shaft body 35 or when a plurality of fiber tufts 37 are arranged in an inclined direction with respect to the center line of the rotary shaft body 35, when contacting the side surface or the bottom surface of the groove, the fiber tuft 37 bends left and right or backward with respect to the rotation direction, and the bending direction is not uniquely determined. If the fiber tufts 37 bend in various directions, one fiber tuft 37 may get entangled with other fiber tufts 37, leading to a possible decrease in the efficiency of sweeping out the dust 100 with the fiber tufts 37. On the other hand, in the case of the fiber tuft row 36 in which a plurality of fiber tufts 37 are arranged along the center line of the rotary shaft body 35, when contacting the side surface or the bottom surface of the groove, since other fiber tufts 37 are arranged at positions close to the left and right of the fiber tuft 37, the entire fiber tuft row 36 can be induced to bend backward with respect to the rotation direction, and the above situation can be avoided.

[0036] In this embodiment, the elastic plate 38 has a tip portion with a length that is 1 / 6 or more and 1 / 5 or less of its total length, and this tip portion is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove. Since the rubble 200 is relatively heavy, in order to scoop up the rubble 200, a plate body with high rigidity and low bendability must be attached to the rotary shaft body 35. However, if a plate body with too high rigidity is attached to the rotary shaft body 35, when it collides with the rubble 200, the side surface of the groove, or the bottom surface of the groove, the plate body will not bend, and a large external force will be applied to the groove traveling device 1, and the groove traveling device 1 itself may float from the bottom surface of the groove, making it impossible to stably travel the groove traveling device 1. According to this embodiment, since the elastic plate 38 has only enough rigidity to bend near its tip by the bottom surface of the groove, it will bend when it collides with the rubble 200, the side surface of the groove, or the bottom surface of the groove. Therefore, the external force received by the groove traveling device 1 when colliding with these can be alleviated, and the possibility that the groove traveling device 1 itself floats from the bottom surface of the groove can be reduced. Also, since the vicinity of the tip of the elastic plate 38 is bent by the bottom surface of the groove, the apparent rigidity only from the base of the elastic plate 38 to the portion bent at the bottom surface of the groove can be increased by the repulsive force received from the bottom surface of the groove, compared to the case where the vicinity of the tip of the elastic plate 38 is not bent, and can be made larger than the original rigidity of the elastic plate 38. Thereby, even a rubble 200 that has a weight that would bend and cannot be scooped out with the original rigidity of the elastic plate 38 can be scooped out. In this way, the elastic plate 38 has only a certain degree of rigidity, suppressing a decrease in the traveling stability of the groove traveling device 1, and by deliberately having a length at which its tip is bent at the bottom surface of the groove, it can scoop out the heavy rubble 200.

[0037] In this embodiment, the elastic plate 38 is provided on the rotating shaft body 35 on which the fiber tuft 37 is flocked. Thereby, the following effects are achieved. That is, by dispersing the elastic plate 38 and the fiber tuft 37 in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35, compared with the case where the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 are separated back and forth along the center line of the rotating shaft body 35, the length of the rotating shaft body 35 can be simply shortened. This suppresses the overall length of the groove traveling device 1 and also avoids the center of gravity position of the groove traveling device 1 from being in the front, realizing stable traveling of the groove traveling device 1. Further, by shortening the rotating shaft body 35, the deflection due to the self-weight of the rotating shaft body 35 or the rotating shaft 31 inserted therein is suppressed, the shaking of the rotating brush 30 in the vertical and horizontal directions is suppressed, and stable rotation is realized.

[0038] For example, when the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 are separated back and forth along the center line of the rotating shaft body 35, the period during which the operation of scraping out the debris 200 from the corner of the groove by the fiber tuft 37 is executed and the period during which the operation of scraping out the debris 200 in the groove by the elastic plate 38 to the outside of the groove is executed are separated in time. Therefore, it takes time from when the debris 200 is scraped out from the corner of the groove by the fiber tuft 37 until the elastic plate 38 approaches the debris 200. During that time, if for some reason the debris 200 is moved back to the corner of the groove again, it will not be possible to scrape it out of the groove by the elastic plate 38.

[0039] According to the configuration of this embodiment, the debris 200 scraped out from the corner of the groove by the fiber tuft 37 can be quickly scraped out of the groove by the elastic plate 38 that arrives immediately after being scraped out from the corner of the groove. That is, the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 can cooperate to scrape out the debris 200 accumulated at the corner of the groove to the outside of the groove. Such an operation can be repeatedly executed not only every time the rotating brush 30 makes one rotation, but also during one rotation of the rotating brush 30. Thereby, the construction waste in the groove can be discharged to the outside of the groove more efficiently than the rotating brush in which the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 are separated back and forth along the center line of the rotating shaft body 35.

[0040] In this embodiment, two elastic plates 38 are provided on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft body 35, and six fiber tuft rows 36 are planted. In the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35, if two fiber tuft rows 36 are too close to each other, the two fiber tuft rows 36 will become entangled with each other, forming a large single fiber tuft 37. If this happens, the number of times the dust 100 is swept out while the rotating brush 30 makes one rotation will decrease, and the efficiency of sweeping out the dust 100 by the fiber tuft 37 will decrease. On the other hand, if the two fiber tuft rows 36 are too far apart from each other, simply the number of fiber tuft rows 37 planted on the rotating shaft body 35 will decrease, and the number of times the dust 100 is swept out while the rotating brush 30 makes one rotation will decrease, and the efficiency of sweeping out the dust 100 by the fiber tuft 37 will decrease.

[0041] In the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35, if the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 are too close to each other, there will be no gap for accommodating the debris 200 between the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38. Therefore, in the worst case, the elastic plate 38 will not be able to scrape the debris 200 in the groove out of the groove. On the other hand, if the fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 are too far apart from each other, simply the number of fiber tuft rows 36 that can be planted on the rotating shaft body 35 and the number of elastic plates 38 provided on the rotating shaft body 35 will decrease. Therefore, the efficiency of scraping out the debris 200 by the elastic plate 38 will decrease.

[0042] In the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35, if the elastic plates 38 are too close to each other, there will be no gap for accommodating the debris 200 between them. Therefore, in the worst case, the elastic plate 38 will not be able to scrape the debris 200 out. On the other hand, if the elastic plates 38 are too far apart from each other, simply the number of elastic plates 38 that can be provided on the rotating shaft body 35 will decrease. Therefore, the number of times the debris 200 is scraped out by the elastic plate 38 will decrease, and the efficiency of scraping out the debris 200 will decrease.

[0043] Under the above design concept, the inventors conducted repeated experiments and found the following multiple conditions. That is, the first condition is that in order to provide a gap between the elastic plate 38 and the fiber tuft 37 that can accommodate the rubble 200, the angle formed by the adjacent fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35 is not less than 30 degrees. The second condition is that in order to avoid the adjacent fiber tuft rows 36 in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35 from being entangled with each other, the angle formed by the fiber tuft rows 36 in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35 is not less than 30 degrees. The third condition is that the angle formed by the adjacent fiber tuft 37 and the elastic plate 38 in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35 is equivalent to or greater than the angle formed by the fiber tuft rows 36 in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft body 35. After satisfying these conditions, considering the number of times the rotating brush 30 scrapes out the rubble 200, the number of times it sweeps out the dust 100, the size of the rubble 200, etc. during one rotation of the rotating brush 30, the rotating brush 30 as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 was designed. Therefore, according to the rotating brush 30 shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, compared with a rotating brush in which there is no gap between the elastic plate 38 and the fiber tuft 37 that can accommodate the rubble 200, or a rotating brush in which the adjacent fiber tuft rows 36 are entangled with each other, the discharge efficiency of construction waste by the rotating brush 30 can be improved.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the dimensions of the apparatus main body 10 and the traveling mechanism 20 are determined such that the overall width including the apparatus main body 10 and the traveling mechanism 20 is substantially equivalent to the groove width (the width of the bottom surface of the groove). Here, "substantially equivalent" means being the same as the groove width or slightly narrower than the groove width. Thereby, when the groove traveling device 1 is disposed in the groove, it can fit almost exactly into the groove width and have only a slight gap with respect to both side surfaces of the groove. As a result, every time the rotating brush 30 hits the bottom surface or both side surfaces of the groove, even if the groove traveling device 1 sways left and right, the groove traveling device 1 itself only leans against both side surfaces of the groove and does not fall over, stabilizing the traveling of the groove traveling device 1 and suppressing a decrease in the efficiency of the cleaning operation using the groove traveling device 1.

[0045] In this embodiment, the splash guard 50 is disposed at a height such that the fiber tufts 37 of the rotary brush 30 contact the back surface thereof and the elastic plate 38 does not. Since the fiber tufts 37 are flexible, even when the fiber tufts 37 contact the back surface of the splash guard 50, the groove traveling device 1 does not sway left and right. On the other hand, when the elastic plate 38 having higher rigidity than the fiber tufts 37 contacts the back surface of the splash guard 50, the groove traveling device 1 may sway left and right due to the impact, which may inhibit the traveling stability. By disposing the splash guard 50 at a height where it does not contact the elastic plate 38 as in this embodiment, the above situation can be avoided. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 14(c), by intentionally applying the fiber tufts 37b to the splash guard 50, the dust 100 entangled with the fiber tufts 37b can be dropped, and it is possible to prevent the state where a large amount of the dust 100 adheres to the fiber tufts 37b. This contributes to suppressing a decrease in the efficiency of sweeping out the dust 100 and the like by the fiber tufts 37.

[0046] Also, as shown in FIG. 14, when the rotary brush 30 rotates, a spiral air flow along the rotation direction of the rotary brush 30 is generated around the rotation axis of the rotary brush 30. However, since the splash guard 50 is disposed on the path of the air flow, the air flow to one side of the groove traveling device 1 can be blocked and changed to the air flow to the other side of the groove traveling device 1. Thereby, the dust 100 lifted up as the rotary brush 30 rotates can be suppressed from scattering to one side of the groove traveling device 1 and efficiently guided to the other side of the groove traveling device 1.

[0047] Note that in the groove traveling device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the power button 19 is turned on, both the traveling mechanism 20 and the rotating brush 30 are driven. However, since it is conceivable that an operator holds the groove traveling device 1 in hand and uses it for sweeping, the power button for the traveling mechanism 20 and the power button for the rotating brush 30 may be provided separately. Thereby, when the operator holds the groove traveling device 1 in hand and uses it for sweeping, by driving the rotating brush 30 and not driving the traveling mechanism 20, it is possible to suppress a decrease in workability due to the movement of the traveling mechanism 20 and the risk of injury due to contact with the traveling mechanism 20.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the dust scattering prevention plate 50 functions to suppress the scattering of dust or debris scraped up by the rotating brush 30 to one side with respect to the traveling direction of the groove traveling device 1, and to guide the dust lifted up by the rotating brush 30 to the other side with respect to the traveling direction of the groove traveling device 1. In addition to this, it exhibits the following effects. Since the dust scattering prevention plate 50 is detachable from the device main body 10, for example, even when the groove traveling device 1 is dropped, if it collides with the collision surface from the dust scattering prevention plate 50, the dust scattering prevention plate 50 detaches from the device main body 10 at the time of the collision, so that the impact received by the device main body 10 from the collision surface is absorbed, and the load applied to the device main body 10 can be reduced.

[0049] In the present embodiment, a groove traveling device including a rotating brush for discharging construction waste accumulated in the groove to the outside of the groove has been described as a cleaning component for cleaning the inside of the groove. However, the cleaning component included in the groove traveling device is not limited to the rotating brush. For example, the groove traveling device may have a blade for removing mud, concrete blocks, etc. fixed to the bottom surface of the groove. Similar to the rotating brush, the blade is provided so as to project forward in the traveling direction of the groove traveling device.

[0050] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0051] 1... groove traveling device, 10... device main body, 11... bumper, 12... handle, 13... battery box, 15... mounting pedestal, 151, 152... inclined surfaces, 153, 154... mounting portions, 17... rotating shaft, 18... changeover switch, 19... power button, 20... traveling mechanism, 21... drive wheel, 22... driven wheel, 23... crawler belt, 30... rotating brush, 31... rotating shaft, 32... brush body, 35... rotating shaft body, 36... fiber tuft row, 37... fiber tuft, 38... elastic plate, 50... scattering prevention plate, 501, 502... depressions, 100... sand and dust, 200... rubble.

Claims

1. A groove traveling device that self - runs on the bottom surface of a groove, comprising: a device main body; a traveling mechanism provided on the device main body; a rotary brush provided on the device main body, wherein the rotary brush is provided on the device main body such that its rotation axis is parallel to the center line of the device main body and protrudes forward of the device main body.

2. The rotary brush has a plurality of fiber tufts for sweeping dust in the groove to the outside of the groove and a plurality of elastic plates for scraping out rubble heavier and larger than the dust in the groove to the outside of the groove. The groove traveling device according to Claim 1.

3. The fiber tufts are planted on the circumferential surface of a rotary shaft body, and the elastic plates are attached to the circumferential surface of the rotary shaft body together with the fiber tufts. The groove traveling device according to Claim 2.

4. The fiber tufts have a length such that a tip portion having a length of 1 / 3 or more and 2 / 3 or less of the total length of the fiber tufts is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove. The groove traveling device according to Claim 3.

5. The elastic plates have a length such that a tip portion having a length of 1 / 6 or more and 1 / 5 or less of the total length of the elastic plates is bent to contact the bottom surface of the groove. The groove traveling device according to Claim 3.

6. The groove traveling device according to Claim 1 further comprises a scattering prevention plate for suppressing scattering of the dust and rubble swept out and scraped out from the groove by the rotary brush to one side outside the groove. The groove traveling device according to Claim 1.

7. The scattering prevention plate is disposed above the rotary brush in a direction inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the groove. The groove traveling device according to Claim 6.

8. The scattering prevention plate is detachable from the device main body, wherein the device main body has a first attachment portion for disposing the scattering prevention plate at a position for suppressing scattering of the dust and rubble swept out and scraped out from the groove by the rotary brush to one side outside the groove, and a second attachment portion for disposing the scattering prevention plate at a position for suppressing scattering to the other side outside the groove. The groove traveling device according to Claim 6.

9. The rotary brush has a plurality of fiber tufts for sweeping dust in the groove to the outside of the groove and a plurality of elastic plates for scraping out rubble heavier and larger than the dust in the groove to the outside of the groove, and the fiber tufts are longer than the elastic plates. The scattering prevention plate is disposed at a position where the fiber tufts contact but the elastic plates do not contact.

10. The traveling mechanism is composed of crawlers, and the groove traveling device according to claim 1.

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