AU753946B2 - Post maintaining device - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT

S..

Invention Title: Applicant: POST CLEANING DEVICE LEONARD JOHN CROSSWELL The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 1 C:\WINWORD\SUEWMMH\FORMS\PP8048.DOC 2 POST MAINTAINING DEVICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for maintaining posts. It is particularly concerned with a device for maintaining marker posts by cleaning them, optionally together with application of herbicide and/or paint.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many thousands of kilometres of roads throughout Australia, most of which have marker posts defining the sides thereof.

Marker posts are typically around 1/2 to 1 1/2 metres tall and can be *constructed from a variety of different materials, for example wood, plastics or metal. Marker posts perform an important safety function in defining the edges of a road into the distance during periods of poor visibility such as at night time or in wet, foggy conditions. To achieve this function, marker posts are typically of a white or other highly visible colour and/or have light reflectors attached thereto.

A problem has existed, however, in maintaining the effectiveness of marker .o..posts over time.

Due to their constant exposure to the elements, marker posts acquire mud, grime, mould and/or fungal growth thereon which seriously undermines their visibility and/or reflectivity. Furthermore, weathering of painted marker posts S°results in material degradation and/or flaking paint, again adversely affecting visibility, and ultimately resulting in loss of protection of the material underneath.

This causes rotting, in the case of wooden marker posts, and rusting in the case of steel posts.

To overcome these problems a number of solutions have been previously employed. Weathered marker posts may be manually cleaned and/or painted.

However, this procedure is extremely slow and labour intensive and is consequently rather expensive. An alternative has been to simply replace the degraded marker posts with fresh ones. However, again this solution is slow and labour intensive. It is also extremely wasteful.

C:\WINWORD\SUE\IIMH\SPECIES'PP8048.DOC 3 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for maintaining road marker posts which overcomes, or at least alleviates, one or more of the above referenced disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a device for maintaining posts, said device including a support assembly mountable to a support surface, and a cleaning assembly mounted for substantially vertical movement, relative to said support assembly, said cleaning assembly being mounted to said support assembly by a substantially vertically extendable member comprising a hydraulic ram, said cleaning assembly including at least two laterally spaced counter rotatable brushes and at least one nozzle for directing cleaning fluid onto the brushes and/or the post, wherein, in use, said cleaning assembly is positioned above said post and lowered onto said post such that each rotating brush contacts and moves down a 15 respective side of the post, such that the net force exerted on the sides of the post by the rotating brushes is in a downward direction, while said at least one nozzle directs 0: said cleaning fluid onto said brushes and/or said sides of said post, to thereby effect cleaning of said post.

While the following description will focus on the use of the invention in 20 maintaining roadside marker posts, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such use and may extend to the maintenance of other posts and signs.

The support assembly is preferably mountable for sliding movement onto a support surface, such as a truck tray or a utility tray from a first, retracted position to a second, extended position. The support assembly preferably includes a vertically extendable member, such as a ram, depending therefrom which carries the cleaning assembly.

The cleaning assembly is preferably mounted to said support assembly by said extendable member so that it can be moved vertically between a raised position and a lowered position.

In a preferred embodiment, the extendable member is a hydraulic ram operable between extended and retracted conditions and comprising a hydraulically driven piston and cylinder arrangement. One of the piston and cylinder is connected to the frame and the other is connected to the cleaning assembly. By controlling the ingress I and egress of hydraulic fluid into and out of W:\maryMMHNODEL\28122-99A.DOC the cylinder, the hydraulic ram is extended or contracted, thereby effecting the raising or lowering of the cleaning assembly. The hydraulic ram is preferably petrol or diesel powered.

Preferably the cleaning assembly is orientated in the desired position by locating means which typically comprise a race rod, assembly including two race rods, each of which is preferably located either side of said extendable member.

Each race rod typically comprises a substantially straight rod received in a race or channel, with one of the race and rod attached to the frame and the other attached to the cleaning assembly. By locating the race rod assemblies either side of the extendable member, twisting of the cleaning assembly about the extendable member is prevented and stabilisation of the cleaning assembly is "enhanced.

:The cleaning assembly includes at least two laterally spaced rotatable brushes. Each brush preferably comprises radially extending bristles about a central cylindrical shaft operable by a motor, typically a hydraulic motor.

Preferably each rotatable brush is separately driven by a respective motor; more preferably each brush is counter rotating in use.

The cleaning assembly further includes one or more nozzles for directing a cleaning fluid, such as water or a water/detergent mix, onto the brushes and/or the sides of the marker post. Preferably, the cleaning assembly includes two or more nozzles, with each nozzle directed to a respective rotatable brush. More preferably, the cleaning assembly includes two nozzles, each of which is positioned above a respective rotatable brush. Typically, the nozzles are connected to fluid conduit extending therefrom to a source of water or cleaning fluid. Where the device is mounted onto a truck tray or the like, the source of water is usually provided by a portable water tank, also located on the truck tray.

While water may be fed from the water tank to the nozzles under the action of gravity, preferably the water flow is pressurised under the action of a pump, such as a miniature electric pump. In this arrangement, the water leaves the nozzles as spray jets which assist in dislodging dirt, grime etc. from the marker post.

In use, the cleaning assembly in its raised position is located above a marker post. It is then lowered, such as by operation of the hydraulic ram, until C:\WINWORD\SUEMMHSPECIES PP8048.DOC each rotating brush contacts a respective side of the marker post. Either prior to or during said contact, the water (or cleaning fluid) flow is switched on, resulting in the one or more nozzles directing water onto said brushes and/or said marker post. The rotating brushes are spaced laterally a sufficient distance to receive therebetween said marker post. As the brushes travel down respective sides of said marker post, they scrub the sides and, together with the action of the water, any grime, dirt, mould or fungal growth is removed.

After the lowermost extent of the cleaning assembly's journey has been reached, it commences to travel upwardly along the marker post. Preferably, the brushes continue to rotate and the water continues to be sprayed on the brushes, during the upward journey, so that cleaning of the marker post is maximised.

The cleaning assembly preferably includes a stop member which detects the lowermost extent of the assembly's journey and automatically reverses the direction of travel. The stop member preferably comprises a pressure sensitive foot located beneath the rotatable brushes. When the foot contacts the ground, an upward pressure is exerted on the foot which trips a switch, automatically 0 reversing the operation of the hydraulic ram and thereby effecting the upward :.:.:movement of the cleaning assembly.

The rotatable brushes preferably move in counter rotating directions. More preferably, the direction of rotation of each brush is such that the bristles of each brush move down the side of the marker post during rotation. This typically requires that, when looking along the axes of rotation of the brushes, the rotatable brush to the left of the marker post moves in a clockwise direction and that on the right moves counter clockwise. In this manner, the next force exerted on the sides of the marker post is in a downward direction and thereby prevents the post from being pulled out of the ground by the action of the brushes.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cleaning assembly further includes a herbicide spraying means for spraying herbicide on and about the base of the marker post, to control growth of weeds, mould, fungus, etc. The herbicide spraying means preferably comprises one or more nozzles connected via conduit to a herbicide reservoir. The nozzle/s are preferably provided below the rotatable brushes and are operable to spray herbicide on the marker post and/or the C:\WINWORD\SUE\MMH\SPECIES\PP8048.DOC 6 ground about the base of the marker post. This typically requires the nozzle/s to operate at around the lowermost extent of the cleaning assembly's journey. The Soperation of the herbicide nozzle/s may be linked to the operation of the stop member, such that upon reversal of the direction of travel of the cleaning assembly, the nozzles automatically spray herbicide.

In another embodiment of the invention, the device further includes a painting assembly, which is operable in the same manner as the cleaning assembly, except that paint is applied to the marker post through spray nozzles contained within a tubular spray hood.

Where the inventive device is mounted to a vehicle, such as on the tray of a truck or utility vehicle, it is preferably operable from inside the vehicle.

Advantageously, the device is operable by the driver of the vehicle who monitors its operation by use of a closed circuit camera and screen. In this manner, a single operator is all that is needed to drive the vehicle and operate the device, without having to leave the vehicle. The time and labour required to maintain the market posts is therefore minimised.

*.-:DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will become more readily apparent from the following exemplary description in connection with the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the embodiment of Figure 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2.

FIGURE 4a and 4b illustrate the operating and retracted positions of the embodiment in Figures 1 to 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device 10 according to the invention, as mounted to the tray 20 of a truck 30. The device 10 is shown in its operating position, extending from the side of the tray 20. The device 10 includes a support assembly 40 and a cleaning assembly 50. The support assembly 40 comprises a C:\WINWORDSUEWMMI\SPECIES \PP8048.DOC fixed support member 42 mounted to the truck tray 20, and a moveable support member 44 which carries the cleaning assembly Turning now to Figure 2, there is a more detailed front view of the device The moveable support member 44 includes a frame 60 at the free end of which is provided a vertically extendable member comprising a ram assembly The frame 60 comprises a connecting member 62 pivotably mounted to the fixed support member 42 via hinge 63. Extending laterally from the connecting member 62 is an arm 64, which is braced by bracing member 66. A mounting plate 68 is provided at the point where the free ends of the arm 64 and bracing number 66 meet.

Mounted to mounting plate 68 is a locating means comprising race rod assembly 74 and an extendable member comprising a hydraulic ram 72. The hydraulic ram 72 comprises a cylinder 76, mounted to the front face 78 of race rod assembly 74, and piston 80 at the lower end of which is attached the cleaning assembly 50. The race rod assembly 74 comprises races or sleeves 82, 84 o which are connected to the mounting plate 68 via race mount 86. Passing though each sleeve 82, 84 is a rod 88, 90, respectively, the lower ends of which are connected to the cleaning assembly The cleaning assembly 50 comprises two laterally spaced counter rotatable brushes 92, 94, which are rotatable in the respective directions of the arrows. Accordingly, in use, brush 92 rotates in a clockwise direction and brush 94 rotates in a counter clockwise direction. Each rotatable brush 92, 94 comprises a cylindrical shaft 96, 98 about which is provided radially extending bristles 100. Each rotatable brush 92, 94 is mounted for rotatable movement onto mounting plate 102 and driven by a hydraulic motor, one of which 104 is illustrated in Figure 2.

Located above each rotatable brush 92, 94 is a nozzle 104, 106 for directing a water/detergent mixture onto a respective rotatable brush 92, 98. The nozzles 104, 106 are connected by fluid conduit to a water tank* also located on the truck tray (see Figure The flow of water from the water tank to the nozzles 104, 106 is pressurised by the action of a miniature electric pump also located on the truck tray (not shown). The pressurised water leaves each nozzle 104, 106 C:\WINWORD\SUE\MMH\SPECIES\PP8048.DOC as a spray jet which assists in the removal of dirt and grime etc from the marker post.

The water/detergent mixture may contain other beneficial components such as fungicides, herbicides etc to discourage the growth of fungus, weeds etc and thereby prolong the beneficial effects of the cleaning.

The cleaning assembly 50 further includes a stop member, in the form of a pressure sensitive foot 108, located beneath the rotatable brushes 92,94. The foot 108 is mounted at the end of spring loaded rod 110. When the foot 108 contacts the ground, an upward force is exerted on the foot and a limit switch (not shown) is tripped, automatically reversing the operation of the hydraulic ram 72.

Also located beneath the rotatable brushes 92, 94 is the optional herbicide nozzle S: 110 which is connected via conduit to a source of herbicide (not shown). The activation of the herbicide nozzle 110 can advantageously be linked to the pressure sensitive foot 108 such that when the foot 108 contacts the ground, herbicide is released from the nozzle 110.

The operation of the device 10 will now be described. The cleaning assembly 50 in its raised position (see Figure 2) is positioned above a marker 12 and rotation of the rotatable brushes 92, 94 commenced. The hydraulic ram 72 is activated and piston 80 extended, thereby effecting the lowering of the cleaning assembly 50, until each rotating brush 92, 94 contacts a respective side of the marker post. Simultaneously, water flow to the nozzles 104, 106 is commenced to cause a water detergent mixture to be sprayed onto the brushes.

As the rotating brushes 92, 94 contact and travel down respective sides of the marker post 12, their action, together with the water spray jets from the nozzles 104, 106, causes any grime, dirt, mould and/or fungal growth to be removed.

The lowermost extent of the cleaning assembly's 50 journey is attained upon contact of the foot 108 with the ground. The upward pressure consequently applied to the foot 108 trips the limit switch, automatically reversing the operation of the hydraulic ram 72. Simultaneously the herbicide nozzle 110 is activated and herbicide is sprayed about the base of the marker post 12 for subsequent weed control. The retracting piston 80 effects a raising of the cleaning assembly 50. At this stage rotation of the brushes 92, 94 may stop, or advantageously may C:WIN WORD\SUE\M4MHSPECIESPP8O48.DOC 9 continue during the extent of the cleaning assembly's 50 upward journey. Once the brushes 92, 94 clear the top of the marker post 12, rotation ceases and water flow from the nozzles 104, 106 discontinued.

The operation of the maintenance device 10 between its retracted and operating positions will now be described with reference to Figure 4. For ease of description, the cleaning assembly 50 has been omitted and only the frame 60 of the support assembly 40 is shown (normally the ram assembly 70 is mounted on the mounting plate 68).

Figure 4a shows a solid line, a side view of the frame 60 mounted to a truck tray and in its operating condition. The maintenance device 10 is mounted for rotational movement about the hinge 63 provided on the truck tray 20. It is S° also retractable to within the confines of the truck tray 20 for safe transport. The retracting means 120 comprises slideable members which extend inwardly from the base of the maintenance device 10. Each slideable member 122, 124 is slideably receivable in a respective guide sleeve 126, 128 (see Figure 4b). In order to achieve its retracted position, the frame 60 is rotated from its operating position (shown in solid line on Figure 4a) to its intermediate position (dashed line). The maintenance device 10 is then pushed inwardly of the truck tray causing the slideable members 122, 124 to slide into the guide sleeves 126, 128.

When fully received therein, the apertures 130, 132 provided in slideable member 122 and guide sleeve 126 become vertically aligned enabling a locking pin (not shown) to be received therein to prevent unintentional lateral movement during transport. Unintentional rotational movement of the moveable support member 44 relative to the fixed support member 42 is achieved by alignment of the apertures 134, 136 in the fixed and moveable support members 42, 44, respectively, and passing a locking pin therethrough (not shown). In a similar fashion, passing a locking pin through aligned apertures 136, 138 when the device 10 is in its operating position prevents unintentional movement of the device 10 during its use.

Further, it is to be understood that various other modifications and/or alterations may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as outlined herein.

C:\WINWORD\SUE\MMH SPECIES\PP8048.DOC

Claims (11)

1. A device for maintaining posts, said device including a support assembly mountable to a support surface, and a cleaning assembly mounted for substantially vertical movement, relative to said support assembly, said cleaning assembly being mounted to said support assembly by a substantially vertically extendable member comprising a hydraulic ram, said cleaning assembly including at least two laterally spaced counter rotatable brushes and at least one nozzle for directing cleaning fluid onto the brushes and/or the post, wherein, in use, said cleaning assembly is positioned above said post and lowered onto said post such that each rotating brush contacts and moves down a respective side of the post, such that the net force exerted on the sides of the post by the rotating brushes is in a downward direction, while said at least one nozzle directs said cleaning fluid onto said brushes and/or said sides of said post, to thereby effect S 15 cleaning of said post.

2. The device of Claim 1, wherein said support surface is the tray of a truck or •utility vehicle.

3. The device of Claim 1 or 2, wherein said support assembly is mountable on said support surface so as to be slideable from a first, retracted position to a second operable position.

4. The device of any preceding claim wherein said cleaning assembly is mounted 25 to said support assembly by a substantially vertically extendable member.

The device of Claim 4 wherein said vertically extendable member is a hydraulic ram comprising a hydraulically driven piston and cylinder arrangement.

6. The device of any preceding claim further including locating means for orienting the cleaning assembly in the desired position.

7. The device of Claim 6, wherein said locating means comprises two race rods. W:\mary\MMHNODEL\28122.99A.DOC 11

8. The device of Claim 7, wherein each said race rod is located either side of the said extendable member.

9. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the brushes are counter rotatable such that in use the brush on the left hand side of the marker post moves clockwise and the brush on the right hand side moves counter clockwise.

The device of any preceding claim further including a stop member operable to detect the lowermost extent of the cleaning assembly's travel and reverse the direction of travel of said cleaning assembly.

11. A device for maintaining marker posts substantially as herein described Swith reference to the accompanying drawings. with reference to the accompanying drawings. *o a. C:\WINWORD\SUEMMH\SPECIESlPP8048.DOC