EP0282850B1 - Mobile floor cleaning machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to be able to regulate the supply of liquid to the rotor whilst permanently observing the requirement and without physical effort, in a mobile floor-cleaning machine having an integrated fresh liquid and soiled liquid compartment (10, 11) and having a cleaning rotor (19), which is provided with cleaning liquid from the fresh liquid compartment (10), the supply of liquid to the cleaning rotor (19) is controlled by an alternating current oscillating piston pump (31). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a mobile floor cleaning machine with integrated fresh and dirty liquid compartments, with a regulated cleaning rotor to be supplied from the fresh liquid compartment and with a suction nozzle conveying into the dirty liquid compartment and with a handlebar receiving control elements.

A cleaning machine of this type already used in practice has on its underside a rotor holder which can be coupled to an accessory, in particular a brush or a drive plate with a pad, by placing the accessory on the floor and moving the device over and over the accessory is put on. All that is required to snap the accessory into place is a brief tap on the motor assigned to the rotor.

In use, cleaning fluid is sprayed onto the floor to be treated from a separate fresh water tank via the rotor. At the same time, the rotor is scrubbing. With the help of a bar-like water suction nozzle that follows the rotor when the machine is pushed forward, this is still possible after scrubbing Remaining dirty water is sucked up again, so that the floor can be scrubbed thoroughly in one operation and, at the same time, wiped dry, that is, vacuumed off.

The amount of fresh liquid supply to the cleaning rotor should, e.g. be changeable depending on the pollution to be removed. For devices in use, the liquid supply to the rotor is opened with an electro valve and then regulated with the help of a manual valve. This manual valve must of course always be installed in the area below the liquid tank, i.e. close to the floor. It is therefore difficult to use. Another problem is that the fresh liquid pressure depends on the amount of fresh liquid reserve. This difficulty becomes particularly serious when a flexible liquid tank is used, in which, for example, the partition between fresh and dirty liquid is designed as a tight membrane or water bag.

A mobile floor cleaning machine of the type described above is known from DE-U-8617171.

The invention has for its object to provide a convenient to use quantity control of the fresh liquid supply for the cleaning machine mentioned above, which can also be used when using a flexible tank.

In a mobile floor cleaning machine of the type mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved according to the invention by a DC-powered machine network and an AC oscillating piston pump for regulating the fresh liquid supply to the cleaning rotor, which is preceded by an electronic pulse generator for controlled regulation of the pump delivery rate.

It is achieved by the invention that the control means of the fresh liquid supply is to be laid in the handlebar of the machine or in its dashboard. It can therefore be operated without physical effort and at the same time with greater precision because of the better observation of the floor. For example, two buttons, namely a plus button and a minus button, which are integrated in the handlebar or dashboard of the machine, are provided for regulating the amount of fresh liquid.

Of course, it is also advantageous for the operation of the machine according to the invention to recognize fresh liquid quantities still available. For this purpose, probes are preferably provided in the fresh liquid compartment of the tank for detecting the current fill level. In particular, these probes are to be supplied with alternating voltage via an integrated circuit (IC) which switches through when the (probes) are immersed in the fresh liquid. The IC should switch through when and as long as the probe is covered by the respective liquid. In this way, the fill level can be displayed, for example, by means of light-emitting diodes, pointer instruments, warning lights or the like.

In the present context, the term “fresh liquid” is understood to mean a mixture of fresh water and cleaning concentrate. "Dirty liquid" is fresh liquid drawn up from the floor. For the sake of simplicity, we also speak of fresh water or dirty water.

Fig. 1

eine Seitenansicht, teilweise im Schnitt, eines fahrbaren Bodenreinigungsautomaten;

Fig. 2

eine Projektion des Automaten nach Fig. 1 auf dem Boden mit zwei Positionen des verstellbaren Maschinenrahmens;

Fig. 3

eine Ansicht des Automaten von Fig. 1 von links, teilweise im Schnitt;

Fig. 4

eine Seitenansicht, teilweise im Schnitt, des fahrbaren Bodenreinigungsautomaten mit auswechselbarer mechanisch fester Zwischenwand;

Fig. 5

einen Schnitt längs der Linie V-V von Fig. 4;

Fig. 6

einen Schnitt entsprechend Fig. 5 für den Fall einer als Membran oder Wassersack ausgebildeten flexiblen Zwischenwand;

Fig. 7

einen Schnitt längs der Linie VII-VII von Fig. 6; und

Fig. 8

den Kupplungsbereich von Gerätemitnehmer und Reinigungsrotor

Details of the invention are explained on the basis of the schematic drawing of exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1

a side view, partly in section, of a mobile floor cleaning machine;

Fig. 2

a projection of the machine of Figure 1 on the floor with two positions of the adjustable machine frame.

Fig. 3

a view of the machine of Figure 1 from the left, partly in section.

Fig. 4

a side view, partly in section, of the mobile floor cleaning machine with replaceable mechanically fixed partition;

Fig. 5

a section along the line VV of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6

a section corresponding to Figure 5 in the case of a flexible partition formed as a membrane or water bag.

Fig. 7

a section along the line VII-VII of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8

the coupling area of the device driver and cleaning rotor

1 to 3 show a mobile floor cleaning machine in three different views, projections or sections. The machine consists of a total of 1 carriage with casters 2 and support rollers 3 and handlebar 4 with control panel. A large part of the interior of the carriage 1 is occupied by a liquid tank designated 5 in total. This has a lid 6 with a metering container 7 attached to it, which has a scale. The scale should correspond to the desired mixing ratio of fresh water to cleaning concentrate. When the lid 6 is open, the metering container 7 can be filled according to the predetermined mixing ratio. By closing the lid 6 in the closing direction 8, the contents 9 of the metering container 7 are emptied into the liquid tank 5.

The liquid tank 5 consists of a fresh water compartment 10 and a dirty water compartment 11. In the exemplary embodiment, a plurality of probes 12 are provided in the fresh water compartment 10 for detecting and displaying the fill level. With an integrated circuit or IC, the probes are supplied with an alternating voltage (to prevent galvanic erosion of the probes, direct current is not used). The IC switches through as soon as and as long as the probes are covered by a liquid. The fill level can be indicated by LEDs, pointer instruments, warning lights or the like.

The fresh water compartment 10 and the dirty water compartment 11 are separated from one another by an intermediate wall 13. The partition can represent a fixed partition between the two compartments 10 and 11 as in Fig. 2 or 3. It can be adapted to the respective Quantity ratio can also be arranged laterally displaceable or adjustable to separate the compartments 10 and 11. 4 and 5, a fixed partition 13 with filter candles 14 inserted therein is shown schematically. 6 and 7, a flexible partition 15 can also be used to separate the fresh water compartment 10 from the waste water compartment 11 instead of a fixed partition 13.

1 and 2, an adjustable machine frame 16 is attached to the underside of the carriage 1, the frame parts to be pushed apart or into one another from at least two approximately radially with respect to the cleaning rotor 19 coupled in a receptacle 18 on the underside 17 of the carriage 1 20, 21 exists. The frame parts 20, 21 are therefore radially displaceable in the direction of the arrows 22 and 23 shown in FIG. 2 in the direction of the receptacle 18. By adjusting the machine frame 16 in this way, it is possible to replace a rotor 19 with a smaller diameter by a rotor 24 with a larger diameter, and the machine room or washroom at least partially enclosed by the machine frame 16 in and under the cleaning rotor 19 or 24 as well as possible to adapt to its diameter.

On the rear of the machine, that is to say on the side of the driving rollers 2 facing away from the cleaning rotor 19 or 24, a suction nozzle 25 is provided according to FIGS. 1 and 2, which can have the shape of a squeegee. On the front of the machine, as opposed to the suction nozzle 25 and on the sides of the machine, that is to the side of the rotor, a curtain 26 is attached to the machine frame 16 according to FIGS. 1 and 4. It is thereby achieved that after the sides shielded by the machine frame 16 or curtain 26, water can practically not run off — at least on a level floor.

An exemplary embodiment of the rotor changing system is described with reference to FIG. 8. For coupling a e.g. A cleaning rotor 19 in the form of a brush in the receptacle of the machine, designated 18 as a whole, is first raised in the direction of arrow 29 by a drive star 27 provided as a clutch (with motor 28). The rotor 19 is then pushed under the machine until it hits a centering pin for precentering. Finally, the motor 28 is lowered in the direction of the arrow 29 such that the driving star 27 enters a driving receptacle of the rotor 19 and engages there.

In this context, it is important that the fresh water supply, for example through the motor 28, with a connecting line 30 between the fresh water compartment 10 and the cleaning rotor 19. This connecting line 30 contains an AC oscillating piston pump 31 for regulating the fresh water supply to the rotor 19 Pulse generator electronics 32, which is connected to a (not shown) control button arrangement in the dashboard or the like on the one hand and to the oscillating piston pump 31 on the other hand via a line 33. The electronics 32 can preferably also have a control connection originating from the probes 12 according to FIG. 3 and a further control connection to the motor 28, also not shown, in order to prevent the cleaning rotor 19 from running dry in the absence of liquid in the compartment 10.

The mobile floor cleaning machine can be operated either from a battery or directly from the mains. In the case of battery operation, for example with 24 volts, a battery pack is inserted into a battery compartment 34 according to FIG. 1 of the machine in a fully wired manner and connected to the machine network. During mains operation (220 volts, alternating current) of the machine designed for battery operation, a power pack containing a transformer and a rectifier is inserted into the battery compartment 34 and connected to the machine network.

Reference symbol list

1

= Carriage

2nd

= Castor

3rd

= Support roller

4th

= Handlebar

5

= Liquid tank

6

= Lid (5)

7

= Dosing container

8th

= Closing direction

9

= Content (7)

10th

= Fresh water compartment

11

= Waste water compartment

12

= Probe

13

= fixed partition

14

= Filter candle

15

= flexible partition

16

= Machine frame

17th

= Bottom (1)

18th

= Recording (19)

19th

= Cleaning rotor

20th

= Frame part

21

= Frame part

22

= Arrow (20)

23

= Arrow (21)

24th

= Rotor, large diameter

25th

= Suction nozzle

26

= Protective curtain

27th

= Carrier star

28

= Motor

29

= Arrow

30th

= Connecting line

31

= Oscillating piston pump

32

= Electronics

33

= Line

34

= Battery compartment

Claims (6)

1. Mobile automatic floor cleaning machine with integrated compartments (10, 11) for fresh and dirty liquid, with a cleaning rotor (19) to be supplied in regulated manner from the fresh liquid compartment (10) as well as with at least one suction nozzle (25) conveying into the dirty liquid compartment (11) and with a steering device (4), which receives operating elements, characterised by a machine mains unit fed by direct current and an alternating current vibrating piston pump (31) for regulating the fresh liquid feed to the cleaning rotor (19), upstream of which is connected an electronic pulse generator system (32) for the controlled regulation of the conveying performance of the pump.
2. Automatic machine according to claim 1, characterised thereby, that the electronic system (32) comprises about ten regulating steps.
3. Automatic machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterised by operating keys, in particular a plus key and a minus key, which are integrated into either the steering device (4) or a dashboard and provided for the regulation of the vibrating piston pump (31).
4. Automatic machine according to one or more of the claims 1 to 3, characterised thereby, that probes (12) for the detection of the tank filling state are arranged in the fresh liquid compartment (10).
5. Automatic machine according to claim 4, characterised thereby, that the probes (12) are to be acted on by alternating voltage by way of an integrated switching circuit which becomes conductive on the probes dipping into the fresh liquid.
6. Automatic machine according to claim 5, characterised thereby, that filling state indicating means, such as luminescent diodes, pointer instruments or warning lights are associated with the integrated switching circuit and the probes.

Images