Street cleaning vacuum system

Abstract

A truck configured to support one or more vacuum systems including one or more vacuum pick-up devices for vacuuming debris from a roadway, street, runway, parking lot or similar surface. One or more air nozzles positioned aft of a vacuum pick-up housing serve to disrupt the debris such that the vacuum pick-up devices are more efficiently able to vacuum the debris through vacuum ducts and ultimately into a debris container. Flaps forward of vacuum housings further contain disrupted debris so that the vacuum pick-up devices are able to vacuum the debris. The system is used by driving the truck over a subject area and activating an air source to disrupt debris on the subject area. The disrupted debris is then suctioned or vacuumed into vacuum ducts and deposited into a debris container. The debris container includes an exhaust fan for disseminating clean air separated from debris including dirt and dust.

1 . A surface cleaning system comprising:
 a vacuum source;   a compressor;   a debris container;   one or more vacuum pick-up devices in communication with said vacuum source;   one or more debris ducts leading from said one or more vacuum pick-up devices to said debris container;   one or more air nozzles positioned proximate said one or more vacuum pick-up devices and positioned to disrupt debris proximate the vacuum pick-up devices, said one or more air nozzles further positioned such that ejected air initially contacts a surface beneath openings of said one or more vacuum pick-up devices to disrupt debris directly beneath said openings.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the one or more vacuum pick-up devices include an elongated housing. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein said one or more air nozzles are positioned near or along a trailing edge of the housing and directed forward. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3  further comprising a flap positioned along a leading edge of the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2  wherein said one or more air nozzles are positioned near or along a leading edge of the housing and directed rearward. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 3  further comprising a flap positioned along a trailing edge of the housing. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the debris container includes one or more air filters. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein said debris container includes one or more exhaust openings.