Patent attributes
Provided is a street sweeper for collecting debris from a street surface. The street sweeper includes a chassis mounted on wheels, a rotating broom for removing debris from a street surface, and a hopper for collecting the removed debris. A passageway extends between the broom and the hopper to transfer the debris removed from the street surface. To remove debris from areas difficult to access with the rotating broom, the street sweeper also includes a litter hose connected to an air flow generating device that communicates with the hopper. The airflow generating device provides a suction force within the litter hose for removing debris and discharges that debris into the hopper. The airflow generating device and suction force work independently of the internal conditions of the hopper. In an embodiment, the airflow discharged into the hopper can exhaust through the passageway extending between the broom and the hopper.
