CN110623413A

CN110623413A - Cylindrical brush

Info

Publication number: CN110623413A
Application number: CN201910541177.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 安德里亚·唐迪; 罗伯托·唐迪
Original assignee: NUOVA F LLI DONDI Srl
Current assignee: NUOVA F LLI DONDI Srl
Priority date: 2018-06-21
Filing date: 2019-06-21
Publication date: 2019-12-31
Also published as: IT201800002834U1; EP3586672A1

Abstract

A cylindrical brush comprising: a central core of predetermined length having at least two modular elements assembled together in a sequential manner, and each modular element having a cylindrical body with an axial cavity, an outer surface and a first thickness; a cylindrical protrusion extending through the axial cavity, the protrusion having a second thickness and extending from a first end of the body; a hollow seat obtained at a second end of said body opposite said first end, said seat being associable in mating relationship with said projection of an adjacent modular element and having a third thickness; a plurality of transverse holes obtained in the plurality of module elements, the plurality of transverse holes having a bottom and an axial length; a plurality of bristle tufts inserted into the plurality of holes and protruding outwardly from the base; in the assembled plurality of modular elements, the axial length of the plurality of holes is greater than or equal to the third thickness.

Description

Cylindrical brush

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cylindrical brush, generally used for cleaning industrial and/or domestic surfaces, intended to be mounted on a mechanical device.

Background

A cylindrical brush is known having a predetermined length as a function of the intended use of the brush.

Typically, a plurality of the cylindrical brushes are mounted on a plurality of machines for cleaning a plurality of surfaces having a large size, such as a plurality of floors of a plurality of industrial buildings or large civil buildings.

Typically, the cylindrical brush has the predetermined length, which functions as a width of the cleaning front that the brush must provide and a plurality of dimensions of the plurality of machines on which the brush is mounted.

Currently, the brushes are made by assembling together a suitable number of cylindrical modular elements provided with radial bristles each assembled and clamped adjacent to each other on a central support tube forming a support structure for the bristles, coaxial to the support structure.

Terminal elements are provided at the free ends of an assembly of the module elements and are generally adapted to fasten the terminal elements together, to be packaged and to be fixed so that they cannot rotate independently of one another.

Typically, to avoid relative rotation, all the modular elements are clamped to the central tube by means of an adhesive, which after setting is made integral with each other.

It is known from US2012/0311799 to disclose a cylindrical brush which is particularly suitable for cleaning solar panels.

According to this patent document, the brush consists of a coaxial succession of modular elements, previously known provided with bristles arranged radially and having, at their respective ends, a plurality of threads, such that they can be screwed onto one another until a desired length of the brush is formed.

According to said patent document, the brush is also provided with a series of channels for a washing liquid, aimed at wetting the bristles and for cleaning a surface to be cleaned of the solar panel.

The prior art has some disadvantages.

A first drawback consists in the fact that when forming the brush, it is not possible to obtain a perfectly uniform distribution of the bristles along the entire length thereof, since it is not possible to implant in a stable manner the tufts of bristles which remain enclosed therein, in correspondence with the connection zones between the modules which make up the brush.

The reason for this problem is that the bristle tufts, which generally form the brushes, are implanted by automatic machines which form a general production line of cylindrical brushes, and in a first step create a programmed distribution of holes on the peripheral surfaces of each of the modular elements, and in a second step implant the bristle tufts in a forced manner into the holes which have previously been prepared for them.

The plurality of holes have a depth extending in a centripetal direction, but the depth is limited in a thickness of material made from exterior surfaces of each of the module elements.

For this reason, the surface distribution of the holes and the distribution of the bristle bundles depend on the condition that one or more holes cannot coincide with the connection zones between adjacent module elements, i.e. in an opposite area between the two ends of the adjacent module elements, since it is not possible in any way to clamp the bristle bundles corresponding to each of these particular holes.

Thus, in order to have an even distribution of the bristles, and at the same time to exclude the possibility of positioning one or more holes in correspondence with the connection zones, the internal distances between the holes, called pitches, should be constant and adapted to the presence of the connection zones between the modular elements.

This adaptation may optionally determine the need to provide a distribution of the plurality of holes with a plurality of non-constant pitches at least in the vicinity of the connection areas between the plurality of modular elements, or to provide a distribution of the plurality of holes with a wide enough pitch to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages, i.e. to ensure that no holes coincide with the connection areas.

A further disadvantage is that known brushes are made by assembling together various modular and non-modular parts, thus requiring a warehouse inventory of these parts to be maintained over the non-modular parts in order to make them always available.

Another drawback of known cylindrical brushes is that when the central cores have a considerable length of about 2.5 to 3.0 meters, it is difficult to make an axial hole which runs through their entire length and is intended to house a driving shaft of a cleaning machine, in particular when this axial hole must have a small diameter, because the tools and mechanical devices used must make a hole in a core which tends to bend in a central area due to its own weight.

Another drawback of the prior art is that the modules for forming a complete brush of the predetermined length must be attached to each other to avoid relative rotation, as described above, and for this reason they are integrated with each other by means of the adhesive, making them practically a single piece on the one hand, but on the other hand, if necessary, it will not allow the removal and replacement of a single module, for example when a portion of the bristles of the cylindrical brush has an abnormal wear, due to the impact of specific obstacles encountered during the cleaning of the surfaces to be cleaned.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome a number of disadvantages of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cylindrical brush having a plurality of bristles uniformly distributed along its entire length, even in regions where the modular elements making up it are close to each other.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cylindrical brush composed of a predetermined number of the modular elements, which are integrated with each other, and which, when the brush is formed, are not subject to the possibility of rotation relative to each other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cylindrical brush which allows, if necessary, the replacement of one or more of the modular elements constituting it, without the need to discard the whole brush.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cylindrical brush which allows to reduce the warehouse inventory of the modular elements which compose it.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cylindrical brush which allows to make axial holes which may even have a small diameter and be located over a considerable length, without the need to adapt the work by bending the modular elements.

According to an aspect of the invention, a cylindrical brush is provided according to the features of claim 1.

The invention allows to obtain the following advantages:

making a cylindrical brush of a desired length;

making a cylindrical brush having a uniform distribution of said plurality of bristles over the entire outer surface, even in the region of the connections between the modular elements that make up it;

making a cylindrical brush in which a plurality of relative rotations between the modular elements constituting it are avoided;

making a cylindrical brush which, if desired, allows even only the replacement of one or more of the modules constituting it, for example in the case of an asymmetric wear, without having to discard the entire brush; and

making a cylindrical brush allows making the axial holes in a simple and precise way.

Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of a cylindrical brush, a non-limiting example of which is provided with reference to the various drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an interruption of a central core portion of a cylindrical brush, without a plurality of bristles, according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an interruption of a central core portion of a cylindrical brush without a plurality of bristles in accordance with a possible first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an overall view of the cylindrical brush according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a portion of a front portion of the cylindrical brush without a plurality of bristle tufts for viewing the distribution of a plurality of holes intended to receive the plurality of bristle tufts in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view and an enlarged scale view of a portion of a connection area in two modular elements forming the cylindrical brush according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the attachment area of FIG. 5, wherein lateral forces holding the plurality of bristle tufts are indicated;

fig. 7 is a schematic view of the connection region between two of the modular elements making up the cylindrical brush according to the present invention, the direction of the plurality of bristle tufts being perpendicular to the plurality of modular elements making up the cylindrical brush in the first embodiment;

fig. 8 is a schematic view of the connection region between two of the modular elements making up the cylindrical brush according to the present invention, in a second embodiment the direction of the tufts of bristles being inclined with respect to the modular elements making up the cylindrical brush;

fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of an interruption of the connection zone between two modular elements for composing the cylindrical brush, according to the possible second embodiment;

fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the connection region of fig. 9 with two of the module elements connected to each other;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the modular elements comprising the cylindrical brush;

FIG. 12 is a front view of a hollow seat provided with the modular component of FIG. 11;

fig. 13 is a perspective view, on a considerably reduced scale, of the modular component of fig. 11.

Detailed Description

With reference to the various figures of the drawing, 1 indicates a cylindrical brush according to the invention.

The brush 1 comprises at least two modular elements 2 and 3 assembled together in an assembled manner, each of said modular elements having a cylindrical body defining an outer surface 2a and 3a, respectively, and which, in a preferred embodiment described below, is axially crossed by an axial cavity. But the cylindrical body may be solid if desired.

According to the invention, the number of modular elements can also be more than two, since this number is determined by a function of an overall length of the cylindrical brush 1 being manufactured.

An overall length of each of the modular elements may also be varied so that the cylindrical brush 1 has a desired length.

A first thickness S1 is defined between the outer surfaces 2a and 3a of each of the modular elements 2 and 3 and the axial cavity 4, the axial cavity 4 being common to both.

Each of said modular elements 2 and 3 has a central axis of symmetry a and, at a first end, a cylindrical projection 5 pierced by said axial cavity 4 and having a second thickness S2, and, at a second end opposite to said first end, a hollow seat 6 associable in pairing with said projection 5 of an adjacent modular element and having a projecting edge having a third thickness S3 defined between said hollow seat 6 and said external surface 2a or 3 a.

According to the invention, both an external surface of the protrusion 5 and an internal surface of the hollow seat 6 are provided with a plurality of threads 5a and 6a, respectively, said plurality of threads 5a and 6a being mutually engageable by screwing in order to connect the two modular elements 2 and 3 together, mutually screwed to each other.

The protrusion 5, the hollow seat 6 and the respective threads 5a and 6a form the assembly mentioned above.

Holes 7 are made in the module elements 2 and 3, the holes 7 being generally in a transverse direction, e.g. towards the central axis of symmetry a, i.e. in a centripetal direction, and the holes 7 having an axial length L and a bottom 8.

With reference to the various figures, it should be noted that said plurality of holes 7 is obtained at a plurality of equivalent distances, called pitches P, which are substantially constant, irrespective of the fact that, like some of said holes 7, they correspond to a plurality of connection zones between two of said modular elements 2 and 3, said connection zones being indicated with Z, i.e. more precisely in this particular case, in said zone Z, said protrusions 5 of said modular element 2 are screwed into said seats 6 of said modular element 3.

In more detail, as can be clearly seen in fig. 5, the axial length L of each hole 7 passes completely through the third thickness S3 of the hollow seat 6 until it also passes partially through the second thickness S2 of the protrusion 5 and positions the bottom 8 in the latter, but not through it.

However, a person skilled in the art can understand that in a particular case of couplings between tapered profiles between the protrusion 5 (convex) and the hollow seat (concave), the length L can also be just equal to the third thickness S3.

Each of said holes 7 is intended to receive the insertion of a tuft of bristles 9, said tufts of bristles 9 projecting generally from said base 8 towards the outside of both said module surfaces 2 and 3, i.e. beyond a plurality of said external surfaces 2a and 3a, in a generally forced manner, and all said tufts of bristles together forming a cleaning surface of said cylindrical brush 1.

Fig. 6 particularly indicates the lateral forces which hold the bristle tufts 9 in the respective holes 7.

More precisely, the forces F1 are forces that maintain a middle region 9b of the bristle bundles 9, and the forces F2 are forces that maintain a base region 9a of the bristle bundles 9.

With reference to fig. 8, a possible second embodiment of the cylindrical brush is shown, according to which the direction of the holes 7 is inclined with respect to the central axis a of symmetry.

An alternative embodiment of the assembly is shown with reference to fig. 10, which in this case comprises a cylindrical sleeve 11, said cylindrical sleeve 11 being externally provided with a thread 11a, said thread 11a being intended to be screwed into said thread 6a of said hollow seat 6 of one of the two modular elements 2 or 3.

The assembly of the cylindrical brush 1 is as follows: assembling together at least two of said cylindrical elements 2 and 3 by screwing the projection 5 of one of them into the hollow seat 6 of the other.

However, it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that in order to make a cylindrical brush 1 of greater length, it is possible to assemble more than two of said modular elements 2 and 3 together until a desired overall length is reached.

After completing the screwing and actually creating the core of the cylindrical brush 1, the core is placed, according to a predetermined work program, on an automatic drilling machine which automatically makes peripheral holes 7 on the surfaces 2a and 3a in a drilling station and is guided to drill from an outer side towards an inner side, generally in a centripetal direction, more generally towards the axial cavity 4, in the direction of the axis of symmetry a, and for a predetermined length.

Said length L is such that each of said holes 7 penetrates into said thickness S1 without passing through it, and also preferably passes completely through said thickness S3 in said zone Z connecting said protrusion 5 and said hollow seat 6, and extends into said thickness S2, but not through it.

It should be noted that the automatic machine produces the holes 7 with the pitch P so as to allow to obtain a distribution of the holes 7 on both the surfaces 2a and 3a according to a known pattern of rows and columns, for example as shown in fig. 1, and also an irregular pattern, as shown in an example in fig. 2 and 3.

The irregular distribution makes the distribution of the plurality of bristle bundles 9 denser than that of the known plurality of cylindrical brushes.

After completion of the drilling step, according to the work program, the automatic machine transfers the perforated core of the cylindrical brush 1 to a second work station in which the tufts 9 of bristles are forcibly inserted into the holes 7 until reaching the bottom 8 thereof.

It should be noted in particular that in said connection zones Z, when said holes 7 are located between the opposite lateral surfaces, said tufts 9 are forcibly secured in their respective holes 7 in their base 9a by said forces F2, indicated for the sake of clarity at 15 and 16 in figures 5 and 6; the plurality of opposing lateral surfaces 15 and 16 may be perpendicular to the central axis of symmetry a, as shown, and may also be inclined relative thereto.

Conversely, when the holes 7 fall between the protrusion 5 and the hollow seat 6, the tufts 9 are forcibly stabilized in their intermediate portion 9b by the forces F1: in both cases, the retention force F1 or F2, applied laterally through the hole walls of the holes 7, even only partially in the portions 9a or 9b, is sufficient to guarantee a stability of the bristle bundles 9 in the respective holes 7 and also in the connecting zones Z.

It should also be added that the plurality of bristle tufts 9 occupying the plurality of holes 7 obtained in the plurality of attachment zones Z act as a lateral clamping key between the two module elements 2 and 3 to avoid relative rotational movements.

Upon completion of a working step relating to the insertion of the tufts 9 of bristles, and therefore of the cylindrical brush 1, two end elements can be applied at the ends of the cylindrical brush, if necessary, shaped so as to allow them to be assembled to the components of a cleaning machine of known type and to be adapted to this function.

In practice, it has been found that the invention achieves a number of intended aims.

The invention as conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which fall within the scope of the inventive concept.

Moreover, all the details may be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

In practice, any materials, equipment and quantities may be used according to requirements without thereby departing from the field of protection of the following claims.

Claims

1. A cylindrical brush comprises

A central core having a predetermined length and a central axis of symmetry (a), and comprising at least two modular elements (2, 3), said modular elements (2, 3) being constrained to each other in a succession in an assembled configuration, said succession being defined by connection zones (Z), each of said modular elements having:

a cylindrical body having an outer surface (2a, 3a) and a first thickness (S1);

a cylindrical protrusion (5) having a second thickness (S2), the cylindrical protrusion (5) extending coaxially from a first end of the cylindrical body to the central axis of symmetry;

a hollow seat (6) obtained at a second end of said cylindrical body opposite to said first end, said hollow seat (6) being associable in mating relationship with said protrusion (5) of an adjacent modular element and having a peripheral edge having a third thickness (S3);

-a plurality of transverse holes (7) obtained in said plurality of modular elements, said plurality of transverse holes (7) having a bottom (8) and an axial length (L);

a plurality of tufts of bristles (9) inserted in said plurality of transverse holes (7) and projecting from said base (8) towards an outer side beyond said outer surface (2a, 3 a);

the method is characterized in that: the axial length (L) in the assembled configuration is equal to or greater than the third thickness (S3).

2. A brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the cylindrical body has an axial cavity (4), and wherein the first thickness (S1) is defined between the axial cavity (4) and the external surface (2a, 3a), the third thickness (S3) is defined between the hollow seat (6) and the external surface (2a, 3 a).

3. A brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the axial length (L) in the assembled configuration is comprised between the first thickness (S1) and the third thickness (S3).

4. A brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the bottom (8) is obtained in the second thickness (S2).

5. A brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the protrusion (5) and the hollow seat (6) have a plurality of threads (5a, 6a), the plurality of threads (5, 6) being engageable with a plurality of threads (5a, 6a) of a plurality of the adjacent modular elements (2, 3) so as to compose the central core having the predetermined length.

6. A brush as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein: said plurality of transverse holes (7) being obtainable in a plurality of said cylindrical bodies and in a plurality of said connection zones (Z).