EP4706792A1

EP4706792A1 - Clay tennis court sweeper

Info

Publication number: EP4706792A1
Application number: EP23936508.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rafael MONTES MONTESINOS
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2023-05-05
Filing date: 2023-05-05
Publication date: 2026-03-11
Also published as: WO2024231580A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a tennis court sweeper that has a casing (1) with a generally rectangular prism-like shape, the front portion of which has a curved profile, and having two pairs of wheels (2) on its sides. It also has sweeping means and safety means, and it is driven by a motor (7) powered by a rechargeable battery (6) via a charging station, wherein the sweeping means comprise a stationary brush (3) attached to the rear portion of the machine and a rotary roller (10) driven by the motor (7). This motor is located in the inner space defined under the casing (1) and the safety means of the sweeper are, on one side, an obstacle sensor (5) and a light signal (4) that is activated when it moves along the court.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is the subject of the present invention, as the title of the invention states, a clay tennis court sweeper which seeks to minimise the sweeping effort and to even out the surface of clay tennis courts.
The purpose of the sweeper is to brush the clay court in a short period of time. The result is a uniform straightening of the clay surface where the tennis ball bounces perfectly.
The present invention is characterised by the special design and configuration of each and every one of the elements that form part of the same, such that the sweeping of the tennis courts is carried out autonomously by means of a rechargeable battery, as well as a charging station.
The present invention therefore falls within the scope of sweeping means for clay tennis courts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the state of the art for sweeping clay tennis courts, manual sweepers are available. There are also motorised sweepers which, however, have to be pushed and driven by the user.
All sweepers in the state of the art require effort as they have to be driven and pushed by the user and are therefore a source of injury.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the state of the art, namely the effort and the need to be pushed and propelled by the user, by developing a sweeper for tennis courts as described below and set out in essence in the first claim.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is essentially included in the independent claim and the different embodiments are included in the dependent claims.
The present invention relates to a tennis court sweeper with a generally rectangular flat arrangement prism-like shape, with a curved front portion, provided with rolling means, preferably by means of two pairs of wheels, and under the casing of which is located a motorised roller driven by means of a motor. The latter is powered by a rechargeable battery housed under the casing. A fixed brush is attached to the rear portion of the machine, the function of which is to shape the final straightening.
The fact that the front part is curved is due to the need to be able to move the tennis balls to the right or left without hindering the progress of the machine during operation.
In addition, the sweeper is also provided with means for sweeping the court marking lines consisting of a brush of the same width as the court lines, associated with a line detection sensor that activates the brush. It moves horizontally along a guide placed under the housing.
The sweeper's motor is responsible for driving the motion wheels as well as rotating the sweeping roller.
The sweeping machine has different sweep types that can be manually selected.
Associated with the sweeper is a charging station consisting of a mast and a support stand. It is provided with wheels on the stand for easy transport.
On the mast there is a first visor that emerges transversely to form a lower space in which to house the sweeper during the charging process. In addition, it is also provided with a button panel at the top of the mast to select the sweep mode, which is also protected by a second visor.
The speed of the machine is around 18 km/h.
Among the safety features of the sweeper are the following:

a light signal placed at the top to indicate that the sweeper is in motion.
a front sensor that prevents collision with objects while reducing speed.
a delay of 2 or 3 seconds when operating the machine to allow time for a person to be able to move out of the way of the machine.
an entry and exit of the charging station at a reduced speed.

Due to the characteristics described above, an autonomous sweeper is achieved, which works automatically, is safe, has interchangeable rollers, achieving a simple, optimal sweep without the need for any human intervention.
Except when indicated otherwise, all of the technical and scientific elements used in this specification have the meaning commonly understood by a person with average skill in the art to which this invention belongs. When this invention is put into practice, methods and materials may be used that are similar or equivalent to the ones described in the specification.
Throughout the description and the claims, the word "comprise" and its variants are not intended to exclude other technical features, additions, components or steps. For those skilled in the art, other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be deduced from both the description and the practical use of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

As a complement to the description provided herein, and for the purpose of helping to make the features of the invention more readily understandable, in accordance with a preferred practical exemplary embodiment thereof, said description is accompanied by a set of drawings which, by way of illustration and not limitation, represent the following.

Figure 1 shows an upper perspective view of the sweeper that is the subject of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a front view of the sweeper.
Figure 3 shows a first view of the lower portion of the sweeper.
Figure 4 shows a more detailed representation of the lower portion of the sweeper.
Figure 5 shows a perspective representation of the charging station.
Figure 6 shows a rear view of the charging station.
Figure 7 shows the different sweep types that the sweeper can perform.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In light of the figures, a preferred embodiment of the proposed invention is described below.
Figure 1 displays in the view shown that the sweeper has a casing (1)with a generally rectangular prism-like shape, with a curved front portion and having two pairs of wheels (2) on its sides, while a stationary brush (3) for sweeping the soil can be seen at the rear portion. On the top of the casing there is a light signal (4), activated when it is moving along the court as a warning signal to any person who might be on the court.
In figure 2, which shows a front view, which as we have pointed out has a curved profile, it can be seen that there is an obstacle sensor (5) arranged on the front forward face, so that when it encounters a ball it will reduce speed, but will not change direction, so the ball will roll to the sides of the machine and the machine will continue on its way and recover its sweep speed. It will only change direction if it encounters a heavy object that it cannot move and forces it to change direction.
Figure 3, which shows the lower view of the sweeper, shows that under the casing there is a rechargeable battery (6), a motor driven by said battery which is responsible for moving the rotary roller (10) (Figure 4), in addition to a brush (8) for cleaning the court marking lines, wherein said brush has a width equal to the width of the lines and moves along a guide (9) placed under the protective casing and which runs from side to side of the sweeper.
Figure 4 shows more structural details of the sweeper, in a more complete version, among which it should be noted that the cleaning brush (8) is associated with a sensor (17) responsible for detecting the location of the tennis court marking lines. It can also be seen that the rotary roller (10) is present and that in order to protect the line cleaning sensor from splashes, there is a protective separating sheet (18) that divides the inner space into two halves, with each of the mechanisms being arranged in each space.
The sweeper is complemented by a charging station, which, as figure 5 shows, comprises a mast (11) supported on a stand (12) with wheels (13) for transporting the charging station, and on the front face of the mast (11) there is a protective visor (14) for the sweeper when it is in the charging station.
The charging station (11) is controlled by a control panel (15) preferably located, but not limited to, at the top of the mast (11) and protected by a visor (16) so that rainwater does not reach said control panel directly.
Figure 6, which shows a rear view of the charging station, shows that it is provided with an attachment ring (17) for being attached to a fixed element.
The power socket shall be located at the rear portion of the mast (at a height of about 40 cm), where the electrical connection shall be protected inside the mast and shall be accessible through a cover (21).
Figure 7 shows the different sweeping directions of the sweeper, which as can be seen can be:

horizontal row sweeping (18)
vertical row sweeping (19) or transverse to the former.
spiral sweeping (20)

Having thus adequately described the nature of the present invention, as well as how to put it into practice, it must be noted that, within its essential nature, the invention may be carried out according to other embodiments differing in detail from that set out by way of example, which the protection sought would equally cover, provided that the fundamental principle thereof is not altered, changed or modified.

Claims

A tennis court sweeper characterised in that it has a casing (1) with a generally rectangular prism-like shape, the front portion of which has a curved profile, and having two pairs of wheels (2) on its sides; it also has sweeping means and safety means, and it is driven by a motor (7) powered by a rechargeable battery (6) via a charging station.
The tennis court sweeper according to claim 1, characterised in that the sweeping means comprise a stationary brush (3) attached to the rear portion of the machine and a rotary roller (10) driven by the motor (7), this motor is located in the inner space defined under the casing (1).
The tennis court sweeper according to claim 2, characterised in that the line cleaning mechanism and the rotary roller (10) are separated from each other by means of a plastic separating sheet (18).
The tennis court sweeper according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the safety means of the sweeper are, on one side, an obstacle sensor (5) and a light signal (4) that is activated when it moves along the court.
The tennis court sweeper according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it also includes a cleaning brush (8) for the court lines, which is associated with a sensor (17) responsible for detecting the location of the tennis court marking lines, and which moves along a guide (9) housed under the casing.
The tennis court sweeper according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the sweeper can carry out different sweeping operations, specifically:
- horizontal row sweeping (17)

- vertical row sweeping (18) or transverse to the former.

- Spiral sweeping (19).
The tennis court sweeper according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the charging station comprises a mast (11) supported on a stand (12) with wheels (13) for transporting the charging station, and on the front face of the mast (11) there is a protective visor (14) for the sweeper when it is in the charging station.
The tennis court sweeper according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the charging station is controlled by a control panel (15) protected by a visor (16) so that rainwater does not reach said control panel directly.