LU85015A1 - UNIT FOR THE COLLECTION OF EXCRETION OF ANIMALS ON THE PUBLIC HIGHWAY AND VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THIS UNIT - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A cleaning assembly for road vehicles, in particular for collecting by spraying and suction animal excrements on the public thoroughfare, and in particular, sidewalks, the assembly being of the type comprising a suction apparatus, a sucking nozzle, a housing for collecting excrements therein and a liquid spraying nozzle opening into said sucking nozzle, said suction apparatus and said sucking nozzle being connected to said housing by supple sheathed ducts whereas said suction nozzle is connected to a supply of said liquid by a flexible duct, characterized in that said sucking nozzle is of the form of a pan (2), said sucking apparatus is a sucking turbine (1), said liquid spraying nozzle (4) opening into said pan is connected through a supple duct (E) to a pump (6) itself connected to a container (5) for said spaying liquid and in that the sucking (A) and spraying (E) ducts are directly carried and actuated by means of a handle (9) by an operator during utilization of said assembly.

Description

1.

The present invention relates to a cleaning unit for road vehicles allowing in particular the collection of animal excrement on the public highway and in particular on the sidewalks.

5 There are road vehicles for the collection of animal excrement, which include a brush box which is lowered to the level of the collection and which essentially comprises a rotary brush.

Road vehicles are also known which combine the spraying of washing water with the rotary brush.

In any case, brush pickup vehicles and devices have the major disadvantage of quickly clogging and spreading excrement products rather than picking them up efficiently.

The collection is of course all the more difficult as the nature of the excremental product is dispersed (droppings). Conversely, when the excremental product is too solid in nature (turd), the pickup device can become clogged by accumulation.

The present invention overcomes these drawbacks and is aimed at a cleaning unit characterized in that it comprises both at least one means for supplying liquid and one means for suction, hence a wet collection by spray-suction.

According to the invention, the spray liquid (generally water) can be added with a certain amount of a hardening substance so that the wet collection is obtained without liquefying both.

excrement already dispersed (droppings) but obtaining their almost instant hardening.

The cleaning unit according to the invention by wet collection can also comprise a means for fractionating solid excrement (drums), this means possibly being a rotary knife, hence the impossibility of an obstruction of the suction means and a wet collection by sprinkling-fractionation-suction.

The cleaning unit according to the invention is advantageously motorized and the invention therefore also relates to road vehicles equipped according to the invention.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wet pickup cleaning unit according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of a suction shovel which is preferably connected to the cleaning unit by a sheathed flexible tube;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of this suction shovel;

Figure 4 is a partial side elevational view of one of the sides of a three-wheeled motorcycle equipped according to the invention but devoid of the wheel-fork assembly?

Figure 5 is an even more stripped elevation view of this motorcycle-tricycle, on the other hand.

30 3.

In the embodiment shown, a cleaning unit by wet pickup by suction generally comprises a suction turbine (1), a suction shovel (2), a housing (3) for collecting the 5 excrement, a spray nozzle (4) opening into the suction shovel, a liquid tank (5) and a pump (6).

The cleaning unit is completed by a rotary knife (7) and a drive motor (8).

10

The turbine (1) and the suction shovel (2) are connected to the casing (3) by flexible tubes coated with suction (A); the spray nozzle (4) is connected to the pump (6) by a flexible conduit (E) (the coolant being preferably (but not exclusively, water); the rotary knife (7) is connected to the electric drive motor (8) by a flexible transmission (T). Of course, a command (not shown) makes it possible to act on the water supply and / or on the drive of the knife.

In FIG. 1, a shovel-suction assembly (2), tube (A), conduit (E) and transmission (T) is shown in its entirety and a second assembly is shown partially, the cleaning unit according to the invention can be equipped with two sets of suction-sprinkler and fractionation.

The suction shovel (2) can show a pick-up edge (2A) like a conventional shovel and a raised stop edge (2B); it can also be provided with an access cover (2C).

30

The shape of the knife can be that of a lying 'U', the two ends of which are mounted along a common vertical geometric axis "X".

The liquid, and preferably the water, contained in the tank (5) can be added with a certain 4.

quantity of a hardening substance which, depending on its nature, allows the almost instantaneous transformation of a dispersed excrement (droppings) into a solid product.

Already solid products such as hardened products are easily fractionated by the rotary knife (7) and all of the fragments can be easily sucked up to the collecting casing (3), without risk of obstruction of the suction shovel, suction tube (A) like a hollow handle (8) which can connect the suction shovel (2) to the suction tube (A).

The handle (9) can be used in the example of a vacuum cleaner handle by the operator seated on the seat (10) of the motorcycle-tricycle (immobilized or in motion) equipped with the unit according to the invention. This handle is capable of occupying a so-called "storage" position by any appropriate means during non-use.

Part of this unit is shown in Figure 4 mounted in a protective casing and cover (11).

20

The two-stage suction turbine (1) is driven by a PTO drive system (12) on the vehicle engine (M), belt (13) and declutching device (14).

The belt (13) can be closed around a pulley (15) allowing the drive of the starter-dynamo device (16) of the motorcycle.

The cleaning unit by wet collection by sprinkling-fractionation-aspiration may include its autonomous source of electrical energy and include for this purpose for example a battery (not shown) with regulator.

The collector housing (3) can contain a recovery tank (not shown) allowing the 35 5.

emptying easily after a certain time of operation of the cleaning unit according to the invention.

It is clearly understood, finally, that the present invention has only been described and represented by way of a preferred example and that it will be possible to provide equivalences in its constituent elements without, however, departing from the scope of the invention.

i

Claims (10)

1. Cleaning unit for road vehicles allowing in particular the collection of animal excrement on the public highway and in particular on the sidewalks, characterized in that it achieves a wet collection by sprinkling-suction and which it comprises this effect generally a suction turbine (1), a shovel-suction (2), a housing (3) for collecting excrement, a spray nozzle (4) opening into the shovel-suction, a liquid reservoir 10 (5) and a pump (6), said turbine (1) and said suction shovel (2) being connected to the casing (3) by flexible tubes sheathed with suction (A), said nozzle spray (4) being connected to said pump (6) by a flexible conduit (E). 2. Cleaning unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the spraying liquid is water or not with the addition of a certain amount of a hardening substance so that the wet collection is obtained without liquefying the excrement already dispersed but obtaining their almost instant hardening. 20 3. Cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it also comprises a means for fractionating solid excrement, this means possibly being a rotary knife (7), hence the impossibility of an obstruction of the suction means and a wet collection by sprinkling-fractionation-suction, said rotary knife (7) being disposed in said suction shovel with a drive means (8) for this knife via '' a flexible transmission (T). 4. Cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the shape of the knife is that of a lying "U", the two ends of which are mounted along a common vertical geometric axis "X". 5. Cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a hollow handle 35 (8) connects the suction shovel (2) to the suction tube (A). 7. 6. Cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the suction shovel (2) shows a pickup edge (2A) like a conventional shovel, a raised edge of stop (2B) and an access cover (2C). 6. 7. Cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 'to 6, characterized in that it is equipped with two sets of suction-spray and fractionation. 8. Road vehicle allowing in particular the 1 n collection of animal excrement on the public highway and in particular on the sidewalks, characterized in that it is equipped with a cleaning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. Vehicle according to claim 8, characterized in that it is constituted by a motorcycle-tricycle. 10. Vehicle according to any one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the suction turbine (1) of the cleaning unit is driven by a PTO drive system (12) on the engine (M) of the vehicle, belt (13) and clutch release device (14).