Street Sweeper Attachment With Three-Dimensional Coupler
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial street sweepers lack the ability to perform three-dimensional movements between the sweeper attachment and the prime mover, limiting their efficiency and flexibility in debris collection and dumping processes.
Innovation Solution
A street sweeper attachment with a forward debris collection hopper coupled to a rotary brush compartment and a coupler that allows for three-dimensional movements, featuring a hinged debris hopper, hydraulic cylinders for lifting and locking, and adjustable linkages for independent operation, enabling efficient debris collection and dumping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the sweeper attachment is rigidly coupled to the prime mover, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility and adaptability to various surfaces are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler incorporates dynamic elements including a pivot joint that enables rotational movement and a telescopic linkage that allows length adjustment. This dynamic design permits the sweeper attachment to adapt its position and orientation relative to the prime mover, maintaining structural stability while providing flexibility for various operating surfaces and conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupler adds an additional degree of freedom by incorporating vertical adjustment capability through the telescopic linkage. This dimensional change allows the sweeper attachment to move not only horizontally but also vertically, enabling adaptation to different ground conditions and surface types while maintaining stable operation.
2Strength
If the hopper is permanently fixed to the brush compartment, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of maintenance and repair are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hopper is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently removed from the brush compartment. This segmentation maintains structural integrity during operation while enabling easy removal and replacement for maintenance or repair purposes, as the hopper can be detached without affecting the brush compartment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The hopper is extracted as a removable component from the overall sweeper attachment structure. This extraction allows the hopper to be taken out for separate maintenance, repair, or replacement while the rest of the brush compartment remains intact and functional, significantly improving ease of maintenance.
3Manufacturing precision
If the brush is fixed in position, then sweeping consistency is improved, but adaptability to different surface heights is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The brush mounting incorporates a floating mechanism with spring elements that allow the brush to dynamically adjust its position vertically. This dynamic design maintains consistent sweeping contact with the surface while adapting to variations in surface height, preserving sweeping consistency across different terrain conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush position is made variable through the floating mechanism that allows vertical displacement. By changing the vertical position parameter of the brush, the system adapts to different surface heights while maintaining optimal sweeping contact pressure and consistency across varying terrain.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the coupler allows three dimensional movements, then flexibility and adaptability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler achieves three-dimensional movement capability through a combination of a pivot joint for rotational movement and a telescopic linkage for linear adjustment. This dynamic design provides flexibility and adaptability while using well-established mechanical components that minimize overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupler merges multiple functions into a single integrated mechanism that simultaneously provides rotational adjustment, telescopic extension, and locking capability. This consolidation of functions reduces the number of separate components needed, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining three-dimensional movement flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient debris collection and dumping with improved safety and reduced wear on skid shoes by allowing the sweeper attachment to move independently of the prime mover, with the ability to adjust contact pressure and height for various surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of hydraulic cylinders each operating a hopper lifting arm
Implementation Method 2
each arm riding in an arcuate track and supported to the brush compartment with a spring to allow the brush to float
Data Source
AI summary
An industrial street sweeper attachment removably attaches to a prime mover with a quick coupler and has a forward debris collecting hopper mounted on the front of a rotary brush compartment having a floating sweeping brush therein. The debris collecting hopper is hingedly attached to the brush compartment and has a linkage therebetween having a lifting arm and a lifting hydraulic cylinder which can remotely lock the debris collecting hopper to the brush compartment to receive swept debris from the rotary sweeping brush and can be remotely lifted to an open position for discharging debris.