Sweeper with electromagnetic filter cleaning

A sweeping machine has a housing, wheels for moving the housing, a sweeping brush mounted on the housing, a hopper positioned adjacent the brush to receive dust and debris therefrom, a dust collection chamber on the housing, and a vacuum fan mounted on the housing and creating an air flow path from the brush through the hopper and to the dust collection chamber. There is a filter element in the air flow path, with the filter element including a plurality of generally parallel pleats having folds extending in a direction transverse to the air flow path. There is a pleat moving element extending generally transverse to the pleats and engaged with the pleats. An electric actuator is mounted on top of the pleats and a bar is associated with the actuator and movable upon actuation thereof. There is a spring connected between the pleat moving element and the filter frame. The application of pulsed electric power to the actuator with the electromagnetic field caused thereby moving the pleat moving element and the pleats associated therewith in a first direction, with the spring moving the pleat moving element and the pleats associated therewith in a second direction, with movement in said first and second directions imparting a shaking, cleaning movement to the pleats.