DE29607848U1 - Floor cleaning machine, in particular scrubber drier - Google Patents

Description

Floor cleaning machine, especially scrubber dryer.

The invention relates to a bath cleaning machine, in particular a scrubber-dryer, with a housing consisting of a lower part and a hood-like upper part that can be opened up against it, with several wheels attached to the underside of the lower part, with a brush unit mounted on the lower part by means of a support that can be adjusted to any height and which can be driven by a brush drive motor arranged on the lower part via a brush gear, with a strip-conveying

10· suction nozzle connected to a suction pump, with a tank with one hammer and with several batteries and/or other power supply units

In such scrubber-driers (cf. US-PS 3,277,511) the lower part usually consists of a frame construction welded together from several steel profiles, which has a panel made of sheet metal or plastic on the outside. The brush drive motor, the suction pump and the support for the brush unit are usually arranged in the lower part of this frame construction. These parts are largely invisible due to side panels, but are exposed to heavy soiling because the frame construction is open at the bottom. The aforementioned parts are difficult to access for cleaning, maintenance and repair. The brush gear is located directly above the bristle unit. To protect it from dust and water, it must be appropriately encapsulated. The same applies to the brush drive motor, which in many other designs is mounted directly on the brush unit. Since at least the brush gear, but often also the brush drive motor, is connected to the brush unit, the brush unit cannot simply be exchanged for another brush unit, e.g. with a different working width, or for a new one. The

The frame construction including the paneling provided for the lower part is relatively expensive to manufacture and also heavy. In the known machine, the tank is also located in the lower part. The batteries are placed on top of the lower part. Cleaning the tank is therefore very difficult and is only possible after removing the batteries. A relatively low-lying tank also has the disadvantage that the tank contents cannot easily be emptied into a drain that is located some distance from the floor. An additional drain pump is therefore usually required.

In the scrubber-dryers known to date, which work with one or more disc brushes, the brush unit is arranged either in front of the wheels or behind the wheels, as seen in the direction of travel. Both systems have certain advantages but also disadvantages. However, all known scrubber-dryers have in common that the arrangement of the brush unit in relation to the wheels cannot be subsequently changed, i.e. a scrubber-dryer with a brush unit arranged at the front cannot be converted into one with a brush unit arranged at the rear in a simple way.

The invention is based on the object of creating a floor cleaning machine, in particular a scrubber-dryer, of the type mentioned at the beginning, which is simpler in construction, in which most of the components are housed in an optimally protected manner and are nevertheless easily accessible if necessary, and which is also easy to clean.

This is achieved according to the invention in that the lower part is designed as a self-supporting tub which is open at the top and essentially closed at the bottom, the vertical side walls of which extend over at least one third of the total height of the housing and in which at least the brush drive motor, the brush gear, a lifting motor for the carrier, essential parts of the same and the batteries are arranged, and that the upper part contains the tank.

The self-supporting tub is of great importance in the new machine. It replaces the previous frame construction and its cladding. The tub can be manufactured inexpensively, it forms a supporting structure and also a cladding in one. At the same time, it also provides effective protection against contamination of the most important machine components, as it is essentially closed not only at the sides but also at the bottom. The most important machine components are optimally protected inside the tub. This applies not only to the brush motor, the brush gear, the lifting motor and external parts of the carrier, but also to the batteries and in particular the electronic control of the machine, which can advantageously be mounted in the tub. After opening the upper part containing the tank, all components contained in the tub are freely and easily accessible for service and repair purposes. If necessary, they can be easily detached from their holders in the tub and removed upwards. The wheels are mounted directly on the underside of the tub. Since most parts of the brush drive, namely the brush motor, the brush gear and also the lifting motor as well as essential parts of the carrier in the

• · · ♦·· JJ J^

The machine is very easy to clean because the brushes are arranged inside the tub so that they are protected from dirt. Practically only the brush unit and the wheels need to be cleaned. The smooth outer walls of the tub and the upper part can also be cleaned quickly and easily. Since the new machine houses important parts of the brush drive, in particular the brush drive motor and the brush gear, in the tub, the new machine also has the advantage that the motorless brush units can be easily replaced if necessary. If a motorless brush unit is damaged, it can easily be replaced with a new or repaired one or one with a different working width. The arrangement of the tank in the upper part has the advantage that the tank is relatively high and its contents can therefore be easily emptied into a sink without a drain pump.

It is particularly advantageous if the upper part is designed as a self-supporting tank. For this purpose, the upper part can be made of glass fiber reinforced plastic. By designing the upper part as a self-supporting tank, the construction is simplified and thus the manufacturing costs and weight are reduced.

A further, particularly advantageous embodiment consists in that a control panel with the essential operating and display elements is arranged on the guide handle, and that the guide handle can be optionally connected to one or the other end of the machine, in particular the tub.

- 5 —

This makes it possible to convert a machine with a brush unit at the front into one with a brush unit at the back with relatively little assembly work. In particular, the machine manufacturer can offer both types of machine without increasing the production or storage costs.

Further advantageous embodiments are characterized in the remaining subclaims.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following embodiment shown in the drawing.

explained. They show:
15

Figure 1 a side view of the machine with the brush unit arranged at the rear,

Figure 2 a front view of the machine in direction II

Figure 1,

Figure 3 shows a cross-section along the line III-III of Figure 1,

Figure k is a horizontal section along the line IU-IU of Figure 1,

Figure 5 shows a longitudinal section of the machine along the line U-U of Figure 2, but with the brushes removed

unit ,

Figure G is a side view of the machine with the top part opened,

Figure 7 shows a partial cross-section along the line UII-UII of Figure 1,

Figure B is a side view of the machine in a conversion phase,

Figure 9 a side view of the machine after conversion, with the brush unit arranged at the front,

6 -

Figure 10 a top view of the bearing of the guide handle and the upper part with the guide handle locked,

Figure 11 is a partial top view with the guide handle released. 5

The scrubber-drier shown in the drawing has a housing 1 consisting of a lower part 2 and an upper part 3 which can be opened up. The lower part 2 is designed as a self-supporting tub which is open at the top and essentially closed at the bottom and is therefore also referred to below as tub 2. The tub 2 and the upper part 3 have an essentially rectangular outline, as can be seen in Figure 1. The vertical side walls 2a and 2b of the tub should extend over at least one third of the total height of the housing 1, on the one hand in order to be able to house the essential components of the machine in a protected manner in the tub and on the other hand in order to give the tub the necessary stability so that the tub simultaneously forms a stable lower part even without an additional frame structure. The height of the tub 2, however, depends essentially on the height of the components to be housed in it, which are described in more detail below. 25

The drive k, which drives the main wheels 5, is screwed to the underside of the floor 2c of the tub 2 and is protected from dirt by a hood. The steering wheels 6 are also attached to the floor 2c.

The tub 2 is preferably made of sheet metal, in particular of stainless steel. Inside the tub 2 are the brush drive motor 7, the brush gear B, a

—7—

The support column 10 serving as a carrier for the brush unit 9, a lifting mechanism 11 for the support column, a fresh water pump 12, if necessary a recycling pump 13, the batteries 14 and above all the control electronics are housed in a clean and protected environment and in a maintenance-friendly manner. After the upper part 3 has been folded open, as shown in Figures 1 and 6, all of the aforementioned parts are easily accessible for maintenance purposes and, if necessary, for repair or replacement. However, if the upper part 3 is folded down as shown in Figures 1-5, the upper part 3 completely covers the upwardly open tub 2, so that the components housed in the tub 2 are protected from dirt and also from splashing water. In this context, it is expedient if the lower edge 3d of the upper part 3 encloses the upper edge 2d of the tub 2 from the outside, as shown in Figure 3.

The tub 2 can also be expediently provided with a transverse wall 16, which separates the battery compartment from the rest of the interior of the tub and also serves to stiffen the tub 2.

The upper part 3 is expediently designed as a self-supporting tank 17. The tank 17 has a fresh water chamber 17a and a dirty water chamber 17b, which are separated from one another either by a rigid partition wall 1B or by a movable membrane (not shown). Expediently, the upper part 3 consists of glass fiber reinforced plastic, in particular glass fiber reinforced polyester. The upper part 3 has a large-area lid on top, not shown in the drawings.

-B-

This allows good access to the tank for filling with water and also for cleaning the tank.

The suction pump (suction turbine) 20 is conveniently housed in a central cavity 19 of the upper part 3. The cavity 19 is surrounded on all sides by tank sections 17a, 17b, which are completely or partially filled with water. Due to these measures and the fact that the upper part 3 is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic 1D, the noise of the suction pump 20 is greatly dampened.'

The suction pump 20 is connected via a suction hose 21 to a strip-shaped suction nozzle 22 of known design. The suction hose 22 and further ventilation hoses 23 serving to cool the suction pump 20 are expediently guided along the underside of the tank base 17c. The ventilation hoses 23 are, however, only shown in Figure 3.

An exhaust air pipe Zh leads downwards from the suction pump 20. When the upper part 3 is closed, this is aligned with the upper end 25a of an exhaust air pipe 22 arranged in the tub 2, the lower end of which opens into the open air at the bottom 2c of the tub 2. The connection between the exhaust air pipes 2k, 25 is automatically sealed when the upper part 3 is closed.

A vertically displaceable support column 10 is expediently provided as a support for the brush unit 9. This support column 10 has, as can be seen from Figure 7, a square or possibly rectangular cross-section. It extends

through a recess 26 in the bottom 2c of the tub downwards. The larger part of the support column 10 is, however, arranged inside the Lüanne 2, as is its guide, which can be formed by several guide rollers 27.

The guide rollers 27 are of course mounted in corresponding holders (not shown) that are connected to the bottom 2c of the tub. A seal (not shown) can also be arranged between the recess 26 and the support column 10.

An arm is connected to the upper end 10a of the support column 10, to which the lifting motor 11 is attached. With the lifting motor 11, the support column 10 can not only be moved up and down in the vertical direction U, but the contact pressure of the disc brushes 29 or pad disks on the floor can also be regulated by the lifting motor 11.

A support plate 3D is connected to the upper end 10a of the support column 10, which on the one hand carries the brush gear B designed as a belt drive and on the other hand also the brush drive mat 7. The latter and the brush gear B can therefore be raised and lowered together with the entire support column 10. The drive shaft 31 driven by the brush gear B is mounted inside the support column. At the lower end of the same is one half 32 of a claw coupling or the like, the other half 33 of which can be plugged together with an output shaft 35 mounted in the brush housing 3k . The disk brushes 29 housed in the brush housing 3k are driven in a known manner by the output shaft 35 via a distribution gear (not shown).

- 10 -

In order to be able to easily remove and reassemble the brush housing 3k from the support column 1D, as shown in particular in Figure 7, two support brackets 36 are attached to the brush housing 3k on two opposite sides of the support column 10, each of which has a transverse bore 37. At the lower end 1Gb of the support column, two transverse brackets 38 are also provided on the opposite sides mentioned, which are aligned with one another in the connected position of the support column 10 and the brush housing 3k , as shown in Figure 7. The connecting bolts 39 can be inserted into these transverse bores 37, 38 and can be locked by means of the latches kü arranged pivotably on the brackets 36.

To dismantle a brush unit 9 from the support column 10, the latter is moved downwards by means of the lifting motor 11 until the disc brushes 29 rest on the ground. The latches 40 are unlocked and the connecting bolts 39 can then be easily pulled out of the cross holes 37, 38. The support column 10 can then be moved upwards a little and the entire brush unit can be pulled out sideways or forwards from under the tub 2. Another brush unit can then be pushed under the machine. In the opposite order, the support column 10 is then lowered and brought back between the tabs 36 of the new brush unit. As soon as the cross holes 38 of the support column 10 are aligned with the cross holes 37 of the bracket 36, the connecting bolts 39 can be inserted into both cross holes 36, 37 and secured using the latches k0 . When the support column is lowered, the two halves 32, 33 of the claw coupling automatically engage with each other again, whereby the drive connection between

- 11 -

Drive shaft 31 and output shaft 35. In this way, one can very easily exchange a brush unit with a working width of, for example, 550 mm for another brush unit with a working width of, for example, 700 mm and vice versa.

In addition, thanks to the simple assembly and disassembly options, the brush unit can also be easily removed for cleaning and ventilation purposes and then cleaned, maintained or repaired on a work table at a comfortable working height.

If the cross supports 37, 38 are arranged in the machine’s longitudinal direction L-L, as is the case in the embodiment shown, then the axis A of the connecting bolts 39 serves as a pendulum axis for the brush housing 34. Thanks to this pendulum suspension of the brush housing 34, the two disc brushes 29 can adapt better to the bath geometry.

For guiding and operating the machine, a guide handle 41 is also provided, which is expediently designed as a substantially U-shaped bracket. The closed end 41a of this bracket, which is remote from the machine, is angled upwards. This upwardly angled part 41a expediently encloses, as can be seen from Figure 2, a control panel 42, which has the essential control elements 43 and display elements 44. In this way, the bracket 41 is not only ergonomically shaped, but the control elements 43 are also easily accessible without having to let go of the bracket part 41a. The control panel 42 is expediently attached to a crossbar 45 of the bracket 41. The arrangement of the control panel 42 with all the essential control elements

- 12 -

and display elements 43, 44 on the bracket 41, it is also essential if the scrubber-dryer SD is to be converted so that the brush unit 9 is not arranged at the rear of the machine, as shown in Figures 1 - 5, but at the front, as shown in Figure 9. This is described in more detail below.

The U-shaped bracket 41 1D provided as a guide handle has two legs 41b directed towards the machine. These two legs 41b are pivotably and lockably mounted on the bearing pieces 46 about a horizontal axis B running transversely to the machine's longitudinal direction L-L. The bracket 41 or its pivot axis B is arranged on one of the two narrow sides of the machine, whereby the bearing pieces 46 can be fastened to one of the narrow sides 2a of the tub 2 by means of screws 47, as shown in Figure 10.

By pivoting the bracket 41 around the axis B, the bracket 41 can not only be adjusted in height, but the distance of the bracket part 41a from the narrow side of the machine can also be changed. In this way, the bracket 41 can easily be brought into the ergonomically correct working position. To fix the bracket 41 in place relative to the one bearing piece 46, one half 48a of a Hirth toothing is attached to the latter. The other half 48b is attached to the one leg 41b. The locking lever provided with a cam 49

-^ normally holds the two halves 48a, 48b of the Hirth toothing in engagement, whereby the bracket 41 is held in the set height position. To change this height position, the locking lever 50 is pivoted in direction C. The spring force of the bracket 41

■" forces the two halves 48a, 48b apart, so that the bracket 41 can then swing up or down

- 13 -

Re-locking is carried out in the opposite way by moving the locking lever 50 in the opposite direction to the arrow C.

The two bearing pieces kB also serve advantageously to support the pivot axis of the upper part 3, which in this case coincides with the axis B. For this purpose, a bearing bush 51 is rotatably mounted on the two bearing pieces kB . The two pivot arms 52 are firmly connected to this bearing bush 51' on the one hand and to the upper part 3 on the other. In this way, the upper part 3 can be folded upwards about the axis B, which is arranged on a narrow side 2a of the tub 2, as shown in Figure 6. The components contained in the tub 2 are then easily accessible.

So that the upper part 3 can be easily opened despite its weight, at least one relief spring 55 is provided between the two parts, which in the present case is designed as a leg spring. Such relief springs 55 are expediently provided on the two long sides 2b of the tub 2 or the upper part 3.

With reference to Figures 1, B and 9, it will now be described how the machine with the brush unit 9 arranged at the rear according to Figure 1 can be easily converted into a machine with the brush unit 9 arranged at the front according to Figure 9. To do this, first the towing arm 53, which carries the suction nozzle 22, is detached from the tub 2. Then the screws kl of the bearing pieces k£s are also removed. The entire unit, consisting of the upper part 3, bracket 41, suction hose 21 and suction nozzle 22, can now be lifted off the tub 2 and rotated by 180°.

&ohgr;!e it is shown with dot-dash lines in Figure 8. &Mgr;&agr;&tgr; After removing this unit, some electrical cables must be disconnected which lead from the control panel through one of the hollow legs A-Ib of the bracket 41 and through a channel in one of the bearing pieces 46 into the interior of the tub and are connected to the control unit 15 via plug connections. The bearing pieces 46 are then attached to the opposite narrow side 2a of the tub, where corresponding supports have already been prepared for the screws 47 and also for the electrical cables which previously served to attach a bumper which is now attached to the front wall to which the bearing pieces AS were previously mounted.

After fastening the bearing pieces to the opposite front wall 2a, it is only necessary to reconnect the electrical cables to the control unit 15. Furthermore, the exhaust pipe 24 must be moved to a different position relative to the upper part 3 so that it is then aligned again with the exhaust pipe 25 in the tub 2. It may also be necessary to replace the drag arm 53 with a slightly differently shaped drag arm 53'. After converting the machine, the brush unit 9 is now arranged at the front end of the machine, i.e. in front of the wheels 5.

To convert the machine from a rear-mounted brush unit to a front-mounted brush unit, it is also essential that the suction pump 20 is located in the upper part and that the upper part 3 is turned together with the bracket 41. The suction hose 21 and other hose connections can then remain connected to the suction pump 20 and the tank 17. For this purpose, the suction hose 21 is also attached to the guide handle or bracket 41.

- 15 -

associated narrow side 3a of the upper part 3 is introduced into it and guided along the underside of the tank bottom 17c to the suction pump 20.

For the same reason, the linear motor 5k, which serves to raise and lower the suction nozzle 22 with a cable pull 56, is arranged on the underside of the tank bottom 17c, as can be seen in Figure 8. In order to convert the machine from a rear-mounted brush unit 9 to a front-mounted one and vice versa, it is therefore essential that the bracket 41, the upper part 3, its pivot bearing and the suction nozzle 22 together with the suction hose 21 and the lifting device for the towing arm 53 are combined to form a relocatable unit.
15

There are also floor cleaning machines that are operated via a power cable from the normal power grid. Since such machines do not require batteries, a voltage converter and other units used to supply electricity are housed in Lüanne 2.

Claims (1)

- 16 - Expectations 1. Bath cleaning machine, in particular a scrubber-drier, with a housing consisting of a lower part and a hood-like upper part that can be opened up, with several wheels attached to the underside of the lower part, with a brush unit mounted on the lower part by means of a height-adjustable carrier, which can be driven by a brush drive motor arranged on the lower part via a brush gear, with a strip-shaped suction nozzle that is connected to a suction pump, with a tank having two chambers and with several batteries and/or other power supply units, characterized in that the lower part is designed as a self-supporting housing (2) that is open at the top and essentially closed at the bottom, the vertical side walls (2a, 2b) of which extend over at least one third of the total height of the housing (1) and in which at least the brush drive motor (7), the brush gear (8), a lifting motor (11) for the carrier (10), essential parts thereof and the batteries (1^) and/or other Power supply units are arranged, and that the upper part (3) contains the tank (17). 2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the tub (2) consists of sheet metal, in particular of stainless steel. 3. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part (3) is designed as a self-supporting tank. k. Machine according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the upper part (3) consists of glass fiber reinforced plastic. 5. Machine according to claim 1, 3 or k, characterized in that the suction pump (2D) is arranged in a central cavity (19) of the upper part (3). 6. Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the cavity (19) is surrounded by ν/απ tank sections (17a, 17b). 7. Machine according to one of claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the lower edge (3d) of the upper part (3) surrounds the upper edge (2d) of the tub (2) from the outside. B. Machine according to one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the blade (2) and the upper part (3) have a substantially rectangular floor plan and that the upper part (3) can be folded open relative to the tub (2) about a horizontal pivot axis (B) arranged on a narrow side (2a) of the tub (2). 9. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the pivot axis (B) is arranged on the same narrow side (2a) as the guide handle (41). ?Q. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that a vertically displaceable support column (10) is provided as a carrier for the brush unit (9), which extends through a recess (26) in the bottom (2c) of the support (2). - 18 - 11. Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that dal3 the guide device (27) for the support column (10) is arranged and supported inside the tub (2). 12. Machine according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the brush gear (8) and the brush drive gear (7) are connected to the upper end (10a) of the support column (10) and together with this IQ can be raised and lowered, with a drive shaft (31) for the brush unit (9) being housed inside the support column (10). 13. Machine according to one of claims 10 - 12, characterized in that the lower end (10b) of the support column (10) is easily detachably connected to the brush housing (34) of the brush unit (9). 14. Machine according to claim 13, characterized in that for the detachable connection to the brush housing (34) two support brackets (36) are provided on opposite sides of the support column (10), each of which has a transverse bore (37) which, in the connecting position, is aligned with a transverse bore (38) in the support column (10) and into which a lockable connecting bolt (39) can be inserted. 15. Machine according to claim 14, characterized in that the axis (A) of the transverse bores (37, 38) extends in the machine longitudinal direction (LL). - 19 - 16. Machine according to claim 13, characterized in that that one half (32) of a claw coupling or the like is arranged at the lower end of the drive shaft (31), the other half (33) of which is connected to an output shaft (35) mounted in the brush housing and can be axially plugged together with the one half (32). 17. Machine in particular according to one of the claims 1 - 16, characterized in that a control panel (42) with the essential operating and display elements (43, 44) is arranged on the guide handle (41) and that the guide handle (41) can be connected optionally to one or the other vertical end face (2a) of the machine, in particular the LJanne (2). 18. Machine according to claim 17, characterized in that that the guide handle (41) is designed as a substantially U-shaped bracket, the two legs (41b)' of which engage bearing pieces (4S) which can be connected optionally to one or the other narrow side (2a) of the tub (2) by means of screws (47).
25 19. Machine according to claim 18, characterized in that the bearing pieces (4S) also carry the pivot axis (B) of the upper part (3). 20. Machine according to one of claims 1 - 19, characterized in that at least one relief spring (55) is provided between the upper part (3) and the arm (2). - 20 - 21. Machine according to claim 18, characterized in that the bracket (41) can be pivoted relative to the bearing pieces (46) about an axis (B) coaxial with the pivot axis (B) and can be locked relative to at least one of the bearing pieces (46), preferably by means of a Hirth toothing (48a, 48b). 22. Machine according to claim 5 and 9 or 19, characterized in that a suction hose (21) connecting the suction nozzle (22) to the suction pump (2D) is introduced into the narrow side (3a) of the upper part (3) associated with the guide handle or bracket (41) and is guided along the underside of the tank bath (17c) to the suction pump (2D). 23. Machine according to one of claims 1 - 22, characterized in that a linear motor (54) for lifting the suction nozzle (22) is arranged on the underside of the tank bottom (17c). 24. Machine according to one of claims 1 - 23, characterized in that a vertical exhaust pipe (25) is arranged in the tub (2), the lower end of which opens out into the open at the bottom of the tub (2) and the upper end (25a) of which, when the upper part (3) is closed, is aligned with an exhaust pipe or exhaust hose (24) of the suction pump (22) and is sealed off from it. 25. Machine according to one of claims 1 - 24, characterized in that the control panel (42) is connected to a cross brace (45) of the bracket (41) and is enclosed on three sides by a bracket section (41a) at a distance. - 21 - 26. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the separation plane between the upper part (3) and the trough (2) runs horizontally.