US1255275A - Conveyer adapted to road-sweeping machines. - Google Patents

Description

W. BARNETT & J. FLORENDINE. CONVEYER ADAPTED T0 ROAD'SWEEPIN'G MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 2911916- Patented Feb. 5,1918.

' z. SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. BARNETT 6: J. FLORENDINE, CONVEYEB ADAPTED T0 ROAD SWEEPING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29.1916.

. Patented Feb. 5,1918.

2 SHEETS -SHEET 2.

* l era GONVEYEB ADAPTED TO ROAD-SWEEPIN'G MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5., 19 18..

Application filed November 29, 1916. Serial No. 134,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, lVALrnn BARNETT and JAMES Fiionnnniivn, subjects of the King of Great Britain residing at Rugby, Warwickshire, England, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Con-- veyers ,Adapted to Road-Sweeping Ma chines and of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to conveyer mechanism which is particularly applicable to road sweeping machines of that kind in which the refuse, swept by a rear rotary brush driven from the road wheels of the machine, is delivered to a refuse receiving trough extending the width of the machine, the trough contain ing a revoluble shaft carrying two oppositely inclined helical blades to convey the refuse from each end of the trough to the center thereof where the trough is conjoined by an endless conveyor to elevate the refuse and deliver it into any suitable receptacle.

The present invention consists in providing such a refuse receiving trough to receive refuse from a rearwardly located road brush, the forward edge of said trough be ing directly fixed to the boot of an elevator casing which is less in width than said trough, the said boot and said trough conjoining in such manner that an elevated dividing ridge is formed located at the junction between the said receiving trough and the .boot of said elevator casing: with this construction oppositely inclined helical blades meeting opposite the center of the boot of said conveyer and operating not only to carry the refuse in the trough to a position centrally of the elevator. but also acting to lift and transfer the refuse from the trough over the said dividing ridge into the boot of the elevator.

The invention will be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings, whereon Figure 1 is a side elevation showing so much of a machine according to this invention as will be necessary for the purposes of this specification, Fig. 2 being a part plan view of Fig. 1, while Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the machine shown at Fig. 1.

Referring to the accompanying drawings. the machine, which is intended to be traveled in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1, is carried by road wheels 1 supporting a suitable framework 2, the rear end of which is carried by a pivot wheel 3. The rotary road brush 4 is carried in suitable bearings from the framework 2 and may be cylindrical, but as we prefer according to this invention the bristles of the brush are cut away as at 5 to form grooves extending parallel with the axis of the brush, so that the end view or vertical section of the brush transversely of the axis presents a serrated series of bristles extending the full diameter, a gap existing between any two such projecting parts so that the said projecting parts come consecutively into contact with the road with short intervals between such actions. The rotary brush 4 is conveniently revolved in a direction opposite to the road wheels.

The brush 4 receives its rotary motion from sprocket wheels 6 indicated by dotted lines at Fig. 3, say one on each end of the road wheel axle 7, the sprocket wheels 6 being preferably connected with the road wheel axle through ratchet gear (not shown), so that the machine may be re versed in its direction of travel without operating the sprocket wheels 6 which will, then only be revolved when the machine is traversed in a forward direction.

From the sprocket wheels 6 chains 8 (shown by dotted lines only at Fig. 3) extend to sprocket wheels 9 mounted on stud axles extending-from the framework. the sprocket wheels 9 carrying toothed wheels gearing with pinions on the axle of the brush 4.

Also on each end of the axle of the brush 4 sprocket wheels are provided, from which chains 10 extend to drive a shaft 11. hereafter referred to, extending the full width of a refuse receiving trough 12 and carried in bearings at the ends thereof.

The receiving trough 12 is located forward of the brush, extends the full width of the machine, and has its rear edge 13 at a proper distance from the brush 4 and at a proper elevation above the road surface, so that the brush 4 throws the refuse from the road directly into the trough 12.

The receiving trough 12 is as shown at Fig. 3, fixed or constructed with the lower part of an inclined elevator casing 14, so that between the elevator boot and the trough 12 there is an upstanding dividing ridge, and the elevator 14 is as shown at Fig. 2, less in width than the trough 12 and is connected with the trough centrally of the width of the same.

Fixed upon the shaft 11 in the trough 12 are two helical'blades, one helical blade 15 being inclined in one direction, and the other helical blade 16 in the opposite direction,

. the blades extending from the ends of the trough to about the center of the trough where the central termination of the helical blades 15 and 16 meet. In the drawing Fig. 2 the blades at the center terminate upon opposite sides of the shaft; obviously they may be arranged to terminate on the same side of the shaft whiclr is a design that we have found to act well.

In constructing this machine the helical blades 15 and 16 are made of flexible and resilient material, such as india rubber, leather .or bristles, as describedinthe specification of our divisional application Serial No. 179,476, filed July 9, 1917 this construction being adopted in order that the helical blades may not be thrown out of action or damaged by hard substances foreigntothe bulk of the material being conveyed.

The base or lower surface of the trough 12 is brought close'to the road surface, and therefore it is desirable that the trough should be movably carried from the framework of the machine so that it can become lifted or raised relatively to the surface of the road by any obstruction. upon the road which it may encounter, so that the trough shall pass over such obstruction without causing damage to the machine.

To this end we so support the trough 12 andso carry the same from the framework-- that it is permitted to be lifted by any obstruction it may encounter upon the road, and since it is frequently desirable that the floor of the boot 14 of the conveyor should extend as low down toward the road as pos sible in order to prevent any of the refuse thrown into the boot being turned back into the trough by the action of the conveyer buckets, the conveyer casing 1% is fixed to or constructed in a piece with the trough 12.

The casing 14 of the conveyer is supported from the framework 2 of the vehicle by means of a pivot 17 carried by brackets 18, one of which brackets is located at each side of the conveyor casing, and the said brackets are fixed to and carried by the side frames of the machine, so that the conveyor casing 14L and consequently the trough 12 may have rocking motion within limits about the pivot 17 should an obstruction on the road come beneath the said trough 12, or the bucket 14, and thereby damage to the machine is prevented.

In order to support the trough 12 and the .lower portion of the conveyer connected therewith and to limit the distance between thesald trough 12 and the road surface, the

trough 12 is supported at each end from two points of support, the first of which consists of a lever 19, one end of which is pivoted at 20 to the end of the trough 12, the said lc- Yer-1.9 extending forwardly of the machine and having its fulcrum at 21 carried from the frame work forward of the trough 12, the second arm of the lever 19 (the lever being two-armed) being counterweiglited at 22 so as to partly balance the weight of the trough 12 and the parts connected therewith.

The end of the forward arm of the lever 19 is fitted with a pin 23, entering a slot in the end of an arm 24, pivoted at its upper end to a crank arm 25 on a transversely extending shaft 26, which latter is carried in bearing bracket from the forward end of the frame 2 of the machine.

Fixed on the shaft 26 are two two-armed levers 27 to the upper ends of which the triangular bar connection 28 is fixed, which connection 28 forms a means by which the machine is drawn along the road.

In the normal position of the lovers 27, that is in the position shown at Fig. 1, when the vehicle is being traveled the levers 27 are held in the position shown and the pin 2 of the lever 19 is at the upper end of the slots in the arm 2 1, and the pivot 20 assists in retaining the trough 12 in position. while the lever 19 permits the trough 12 to lift should the base of the trough encounter an obstruction on the road.

The trough 12 further has (as a second point of support) on each end, a bolt 29 pivoted to its end, extending upward and pass ing rather freely through a bearing sleeve 30 carried in the framework 2 of the machine, above which bearing sleeve the bolt 29 has a nut or head and preferably an elastic washer 31 between the said head and the said sleeve, so that the distance between the trough 12 and the road surf-ace is definitely limited by the bolt 29, while the trough 12, together with the lower part of the elevator casing 14, is permitted to lift upon meeting any obstruction.

Not only is the trough 12 permitted to lift upon any obstruction on the road contacting with its base, but also with the arrangement. described, when the machine is moved rearwardly the bar 28 rocks the levers 27, actuating the levers 19, and mechanically raising the trough 12 away from the road. Obvi ously the distance of the trough 12 away from the road can be adjusted by means of nuts on the bolts 29. It should be understood, as already mentioned, that the trough is supported by similar members on both sides of the machine.

The casing 14 contains an elevator of any well known or approved construction, and as indicated at Fig. 3 this may consist of chains 82 passing over a lower sprocket wheel 33 and an upper sprocket wheel 34, and the chains 32 carry buckets 85 which collect the refuse from the boot of the elevator, and tilt the refuse down a chute 36 into a wagon 87 Fig. 3.

In order to drive the chains 32 of the elevator there is fixed on the axle of the lower chain wheels 33, a chain wheel 88, connected by an endless chain to a chain wheel 39 revoluble on the pivot 17 about which the elevator casing may rock, and the chain wheel 39 is connected to a chain wheel 40011 the same pivot 17, and the chain wheel 40 is con nected by an endless chain 42 with a chain wheel ell fixed on the axle 7 of the road wheels. I

hat we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In conveyer mechanism applicable to road sweeping machines of the kind specifiod; the combination of a trough, an elevator casing fixed at its lower boot end to said trough, an elevated dividing ridge located at the junction between said trough and the boot of said elevator casing, a shaft extending through said trough, two oppositely inclined helical blades carried by said shaft the helical blade of one inclination meeting the helical blade of the opposite inclination opposite the boot of said elevator casing to carry the refuse in said trough to a position adjacent to said boot of said ele vator casing and to transfer the refuse from said trough over said elevated dividing ridge into the boot of said elevator casing, and means for driving said shaft carrying said helical blades. v

2. In eonveyer mechanism applicable to road sweeping machines of the kind specified; the combination of a trough segmental in cross section to receive the refuse to be conveyed, an elevator casing less in width than said trough located forward of same and fixed at its lower boot end to said trough, an elevated dividing ridge located at the junction between said receiving trough and the boot of said elevator casing, a shaft extending through said receiving trough, two oppositely inclined helical blades carried by said shaft the helical blade of one inclination meeting the helical blade of the opposite inclination opposite the center of said ridge between said trough and elevator casingto carry the refuse in said trough to a position central of said boot of said elevator casing and to lift and transfer the refuse over said elevated ridge into the boot of said elevator casing and means for driving said shaft carrying said helical blades.

3. In conveyer mechanism of the kind specified; the combination of a trough segmental in cross section to receive the refuse to be conveyed, an elevator casing less in width than said trough attached at its lower boot end centrally of said trough, an elevated dividing ridge at the junction of said elevator boot and said trough, a shaft ex tending through and lengthwise of said trough, two oppositely inclined helical blades of a flexible and resilient character carried by said shaft the helical blade of one inclination meeting the helical blade of the opposite inclination centrally of said trough and being adapted to carry the refuse to the center of said trough and there lift said refuse over said dividing and elevated ridge into the boot of the elevator easing and means for driving said shaft carrying said helical blades, all substantially as hereiubefore specified.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

WALTER BARNETT. JAMES FLORENDINE. Witnesses:

ERNEsT HARKER, DAVID C. KERR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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