Surface cleaning machine with multiple control positions

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to surface cleaning machines, for example a vacuum sweeper for outdoor use which has counter rotating brushes to sweep debris into a central area from which a vacuum head picks up the debris and deposits it in a hopper. The invention should not be limited to this specific machine, but the invention will be described in connection with a surface cleaning apparatus of this type.

The vacuum sweeper, which is to be described, is capable of picking up litter in such places as city centers, malls, sidewalks and the like and customarily, this type of operation will take place with the operator walking behind the machine. The machine also may be driven with the operator seated upon it which will enable the machine to move at an accelerated speed from one area to another. In particular, the invention provides a surface cleaning machine, whether it be sweeper or scrubber, in which the operator may drive and control the machine from one of two independent and distinct positions. The machine may be driven with the operator seated upon its chassis or the machine may be driven with the operator walking behind it. The steering and speed control mechanism is pivotally movable on the chassis from a position in which it is mounted for seated control by the operator or movable to a second position in which it is mounted for control by the operator from behind the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to surface cleaning machines and particularly to such a machine which may be manipulated from one of two control positions.

A primary purpose of the invention is to provide a simply constructed reliably operable surface cleaning machine in which the operator may drive the machine from a sitting position, or from a walk-behind position.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a sweeping machine of the type described which includes a steering and speed control mechanism which is pivotally movable on the chassis from a first position in which the mechanism is used by a sitting operator and a second position in which the mechanism is used by an operator standing behind the machine.

Another purpose is a surface cleaning machine, for example, a vacuumized sweeper, in which the steering and speed control mechanism is pivotally mounted on the machine chassis and may be connected, by the operator, to a first mount on the forward part of the machine, or to a second mount on a rear portion of the machine, thereby providing multi-position control of the machine by an operator.

Other purposes will appear in the ensuing specification, drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1

is a side view of a surface cleaning machine of the type described, showing the control mechanism in a first position;

FIG. 2

is a side view, similar to

FIG. 1

, but showing the control mechanism in a second position;

FIG. 3

is an enlarged side view, showing the machine chassis in outline, and illustrating the steering mechanism for multi-position control;

FIG. 4

is an exploded perspective illustrating the steering and speed control assembly and its pivotal mount to the machine chassis;

FIG. 5

is an exploded perspective of the steering and speed control assembly;

FIG. 6

is an exploded perspective illustrating the connection of the steering and speed control assembly and its connection to the drive coupling for the forward or driver seated operation; and

FIG. 7

is an exploded perspective illustrating the connection of the steering and speed control assembly to the rear or walk-behind coupling connection.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The surface cleaning machine includes a chassis indicated generally at

10

, which is supported on forward drive wheels

12

and rear steering wheels

14

. There are counter-rotating disc cleaning brushes

16

mounted toward the forward end of the chassis and the chassis, as is conventional in this art, will include drive motors for the brushes and a motor for moving the machine. Controls for both the brushes and for driving the machine are a part of an operator console which is indicated generally at

18

in FIG.

1

.

FIG. 1

shows the operator, in phantom, upon a seat

20

on the chassis. The control console or drive console

18

is in the forward position for driver seated operation.

FIG. 2

shows the machine with the drive console

18

moved to a rear position for use by an operator walking behind the machine. The drive console, which is a part of the steering and drive control assembly, is shown in more detail in the following figures.

The steering mechanism is shown in detail in FIG.

3

. The steerable wheels

14

may be turned by a vertically oriented shaft

22

, rotation of which is controlled by a lever arm

24

. The lever arm

24

is connected pivotally to a rear steering link

26

, which is pivoted at its rearward end to a lever arm

28

(FIG.

7

). The lever arm

24

is connected by forward steering link

30

to a front lever arm

32

. Thus, the vertical shaft

22

may be rotated through the lever arm

24

by either the steering link

26

or the front steering link

30

.

FIGS. 4 and 5

illustrate the control assembly and the control console. The console

18

, comprising all the parts shown in

FIG. 5

, includes a base

34

upon which is pivotally mounted a bracket

36

having a shaft

38

secured to it and extending therethrough. The lower end of the shaft

38

is attached to a drive coupling element

40

. The bracket

36

mounts the steering handlebar

42

, having hand grips

44

and

46

at its opposite ends thereof, for manipulation by the operator in steering the vehicle. An upper cover

48

is attached by threaded fasteners

50

(only one of which is shown) to the lower bracket

36

and will rotate therewith. A speed control bell crank lever

52

is welded to a speed control arm

54

with these elements being pivotally mounted to a bracket

56

which in turn is mounted by fasteners

58

to the bracket

36

. Thus, the speed control arm may be rocked toward and away from the steering handlebar

42

, so that the operator may simultaneously control both speed and direction. A speed control cable

60

is pivotally attached to the bell crank lever

52

by bracket

53

such that movement of the speed control arm

54

will move the speed control cable

60

and thus govern the, speed of the vehicle as it is controlled by the operator.

As illustrated in

FIG. 4

, the console

18

described and shown in detail in

FIG. 5

, is pivotally mounted between a pair of arms

62

extending from a steering yoke

64

. Yoke

64

in turn is pivotally mounted by pins

66

to a bracket

68

which will be mounted on a frame

70

forming a part of the vehicle chassis. A cover

72

will be mounted to the frame

70

as shown by the fasteners and dotted lines in FIG.

4

. The control assembly with the console

18

pivotally mounted to the arms

62

will be mounted on the chassis as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

so that the assembly may be moved by pivotal movement of yoke

64

between the forward

FIG. 1

position and the rearward

FIG. 2

position. Both yoke

64

and the steering console

18

, will pivot when they are moved between the FIG.

1

and

FIG. 2

positions.

The console

18

includes a threaded shaft

74

having a knob

76

which will extend downwardly through shaft

38

, through the coupling element

40

for threaded attachment to either the front drive shaft

78

or rear drive shaft

96

, depending upon whether the console is mounted for front or for rear drive.

FIG. 6

illustrates the connection for a front drive. The threaded rod

74

will thread into the top of shaft

78

when the operator desires to physically attach the control assembly to the front mount. The coupling element

40

has a plurality of tabs

80

which will interlock with notches

82

in the disc

84

which is attached to the top of shaft

78

. In this manner, rotation of the steering handlebar

42

will turn shaft

38

, coupling element

40

and thus shaft

78

.

As shown in

FIG. 6

, shaft

78

extends through a housing

86

, upper and lower bearings

88

and

90

to the forward lever arm

32

. Arm

32

is pivotally connected, by a ball joint

92

to the front steering link

30

, and the link

30

in turn is pivotally attached by a threaded stub shaft

94

to the lever portion

95

of lever arm

24

. Accordingly, when the drive assembly and the drive console are in the forward mount position of

FIG. 1

, turning of the steering handlebar

42

, through the above described mechanism, will rotate the vertical shaft

22

for steering control of the turning wheels

14

. Speed control is provided by arm

54

connected to cable

60

which has sufficient slack to operate from either the front or rear position.

FIG. 7

illustrates the connection when the drive console and the drive assembly are in the rear mount position of FIG.

2

. In this instance, the rod

74

and the knob

76

will have first been manipulated by the operator to release the connection of the drive assembly to the front mount and to permit the control assembly to pivot as described earlier to the rear mount position. Threaded rod

74

will then be inserted through the same portions of the drive console and will thread into a shaft

96

which has a disc

98

with notches

100

which will interact with the coupling element

40

and its tabs

80

in the same manner as described in connection with the front mount. A universal joint

102

will connect the shaft

96

to a further shaft

104

which is journaled in a sleeve

106

having an upper and lower bearings

107

and

109

within a bracket

108

. Shaft

104

mounts the rear lever arm

28

as shown particularly in FIG.

7

. Again, turning movement of the steering handlebar

42

will cause rotation of shaft

104

through the above-described mechanical connections to turn the lever arm

28

in consort with turning movement of handlebar

42

. Lever arm

28

is pivotally connected by a threaded fastener

110

to the rear steering link

26

, shown in FIG.

3

. Thus, rotation of the steering handlebar when the drive console and the drive assembly are in the rear mount position, and attached thereto by the threaded rod

74

, effectively rotates the vertical turning shaft

22

.

Of importance in the invention, is the use of a single control console and control assembly which is pivotally movable by a pivotally mounted yoke between forward and rear positions. In each such position, the operator may physically attach the control assembly to the drive elements which permit the assembly to be functional at that mounted location on the chassis. This provides a means whereby the operator may ride the machine and drive it or he may walk behind and drive it, and in each case the same control console, same control assembly and the same vertical turning shaft are utilized. It is only that the console is moved between one position or another position, and physically attached in either position by the operator which provides the alternate control positions to drive and steer the surface cleaning machine.

Whereas the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it should be realized that there may be many modifications, substitutions and alterations thereto.