Fire Hydrant Sweeping Machine with Pivoting Brush Arm
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snow removal and cleaning tools are inadequate for effectively sweeping around obstacles like fire hydrants and utility poles due to limited radius of action and inability to handle significant heights, making it difficult to maintain cleanliness and access on private property.
Innovation Solution
A sweeping machine with a rotating brush assembly and pivoting mechanism mounted on an arm, allowing for horizontal and vertical movement, which can be secured to a blower for efficient debris collection and direction towards a blower for removal, featuring hydraulic actuators for control and a skid for ground contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If existing snow removal tools are used, then general area cleaning is achieved, but cleaning around obstacles like fire hydrants and utility poles is ineffective due to limited radius of action
Solution Approach 1:
The brush assembly is mounted on a multi-axis pivoting mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the brush position and orientation. The arm can swivel about a horizontal axis to lift or lower the brush assembly, and about a vertical axis to move the brush assembly within a horizontal plane, enabling the brush to reach around obstacles like fire hydrants and utility poles that were previously inaccessible to static cleaning tools
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds multiple degrees of freedom to the brush assembly positioning system. By incorporating pivoting mechanisms that enable movement in both vertical and horizontal planes, the system transitions from a single-plane operation to three-dimensional positioning, allowing the brush to access areas around obstacles at various heights and distances
2Length of stationary object
If existing cleaning apparatus are used, then simple surface cleaning is possible, but handling obstacles of significant height including signaling posts is not adapted
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal axis pivoting mechanism enables the arm to lift or lower the brush assembly, providing dynamic vertical adjustment capability. This allows the brush to reach obstacles of varying heights, including tall signaling posts and fire hydrant caps, while maintaining adaptability to different obstacle configurations through controlled movement rather than fixed positioning
3Ease of operation
If fixed brush assemblies are used, then simple structure is maintained, but the ability to swivel and position brush around obstacles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The arm is divided into multiple segments with pivot points that allow independent movement about horizontal and vertical axes. This segmentation enables the brush assembly to navigate around obstacles through coordinated movement of separate arm sections, providing positioning flexibility while keeping each individual pivot mechanism relatively simple and manageable
Data Source
AI summary
A sweeping machine for mounting to a blower is adapted for sweeping debris, e.g., snow, from an area around an obstacle, e.g., fire hydrant. The sweeping machine comprises a rotating brush having an axis of rotation which is horizontal, a frame for the rotating brush, an arm extending from a proximal end to a distal end to which the frame is secured, a blower, and a pivoting mechanism secured to the blower. The pivoting mechanism is adapted to swivel the arm upwardly to lift the rotating brush and to swivel the arm within a horizontal plane to move the rotating brush horizontally relative to the blower. Thereby, the sweeping machine is adapted to sweep debris from the area around the obstacle by the rotating brush toward the blower which is itself adapted to blow the debris away from the obstacle.