A floor-cleaning machine

Abstract

 A floor-cleaning machine comprising a support trolley (2), on which support trolley (2) at least a floor-cleaning group (7) is installed, which floor-cleaning group (7) is provided with at least a flexible blade (70) and is mobile on board the support trolley (2) between a work position, in which the flexible blade (70) is in contact with a floor, and a rest position, in which the flexible blade (70) is distanced from the floor, the floor-cleaning machine comprising magnetic means (26) which are destined to block the floor-cleaning group (7) in the rest position.

Description

[0001] The invention concerns a floor-cleaning machine, and in particular, a professional-type floor-cleaning machine which is mainly designed for cleaning relatively extensive floors, for example inside commercial and/or small industrial premises.

[0002] Professional floor-cleaning machines are usually divided into two different categories. Machines mounted on self-propelled vehicles, which are designed to be driven by an operative, are usually called "man on board" machines, while machines mounted on trolleys which are manually propelled by an operator walking behind the machine are referred to as "walk-behind" machines.

[0003] This invention concerns in particular "walk-behind" machines.

[0004] As is known, floor-cleaning machines of the walk-behind type comprise operating groups which perform specific floor-cleaning operations, among which, one or more motorised rotating brushes which scrub the surfaces, a dispenser group which dispenses a detergent liquid, and a suction group to which a floor-wiping group is associated. The floor-cleaning group normally comprises one or more flexible rubber blades, which drag on the floor to collect the detergent liquid and the dislodged dirt.

[0005] The operating groups are usually covered by suitable plastic or sheet-metal covers, and are mounted on board a sturdy, solid support trolley, usually of large dimensions, which is provided with handles or grips to be grasped by the operative in order to guide it in movement over the floor to be washed.

[0006] A common requirement in all profession floor-cleaning machines is to enable the floor-cleaning group to move vertically between a lowered work position, in which the blades are in contact with the floor, and a raised rest position, in which the blades are distanced from the floor such as not to scrape on it.

[0007] This movement is usually obtained by means of complicated kinematic activating systems, typically hinged systems having one or more jointed arms, which are mounted on the support trolley and to which the floor-cleaning group is coupled.

[0008] A drawback of professional floor-cleaning machines is therefore that they are rather expensive, not only because of the presence of the above-mentioned kinematic activating systems, but also because of the presence of all the motorisation organs and control organs which the kinematic systems require in order to function.

[0009] The aim of the present invention is to at least partly obviate the mentioned drawback, by providing a floor-cleaning machine which is so simple and ration as to enable a significant reduction in construction costs with respect to the floor-cleaning machines presently available.

[0010] The aim is attained by the characteristics of the invention included in the independent claim. The dependent claims delineate preferred and/or particularly advantageous aspects of the invention.

[0011] In particular, the invention provides a floor-cleaning machine which comprises a support trolley on which at least a floor-cleaning group is installed, which group is provided with at least a flexible blade, and is mobile on board the support trolley between a work position, in which the flexible blade is in contact with the floor, and a rest position, in which the flexible blade is distanced from the floor.

[0012] The floor-cleaning machine is provided with magnetic means which block the floor-cleaning group in the rest position.

[0013] Thanks to this solution, the user is effectively able to manually raise the floor-cleaning group, displacing it from the lowered work position into the raised rest position, where it is solidly blocked by magnetic means, without any need for complicated kinematic activating systems or motors or command organs therefor, making the constructional solution provided very simple and consequently very economical.

[0014] Further, owing to the absence of the above-mentioned activating systems, the support trolley can advantageously be made smaller and less sturdy than the trolleys usually used for professional floor-cleaners, thus further contributing to the constructional simplicity and therefore to the relative inexpensiveness of the machine.

[0015] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description provided by way of a non-limiting example, with the aid of the appended figures of the drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 is a side view of a floor-cleaning machine of the invention, shown with the floor-cleaning group 7 in the rest position

[0017] Figure 2 is a plan view of the floor-cleaning machine of figure 1 in which some components have been eliminated for better illustration of the aspects of the invention.

[0018] Figure 3 is a larger-scale detail of figure 1, in which the floor-cleaning group 7 is in the work position.

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic view of the transversal section of the floor-cleaning group 7 shown in figure 3, in which a broken line indicates the flexion of the blades 70 during the dragging thereof on the floor.

[0020] The floor-cleaning machine 1 comprises a rather compact, lightweight support trolley 2 which exhibits a horizontal base 20 and is provided with three support wheels, two of which are coaxial, fixed-axle, forward wheels 21, and one of which is a pivoting rear wheel 22.

[0021] Two oppositely-positioned salient side elements 23, which are identical in shape and preferably made of plastic, are fixed to the mobile support trolley 2 and laterally delimit the loading space of the mobile support trolley 2.

[0022] A rigid frame 3, which is preferably made from sheet steel, is hinged to the side elements 23.

[0023] As shown in figure 2, the frame 3 has rounded corners and exhibits two transverse bars, a forward transverse bar 30 and a rear transverse bar 31, which are connected by two oppositely-positioned, identical, shaped longitudinal bars 32.

[0024] The rigid frame 3 is inserted externally on the side elements 23 of the mobile support trolley 2, to which mobile support trolley 2 it is hinged by means of two hinge joints 24 which singularly join a respective side element 23 to the adjacent longitudinal bar 32.

[0025] The hinge joints 24 are perfectly coaxial, such as to define a single axis of rotation A of the rigid frame 3 with respect to the mobile support trolley 2.

[0026] As shown in figure 1, the axis of rotation A is oriented such as to be horizontal when the mobile support trolley 2 is resting on the floor, and is arranged in an intermediate position along the longitudinal bars 32, such that the rigid frame 3 is hinged to the mobile support trolley 2 like a reciprocating lever.

[0027] The rear transverse bar 31 functions as a grip for the user pushing the floor-cleaning machine 1.

[0028] A support plate 33 is further attached to the rigid frame 3 (see figure 2) at the forward transverse bar 30 position, an operating group denoted in its entirety by reference numeral 5 being installed upon the support plate 33; the operating group comprising a rotating cleaning organ 50 to which a gear reducer 51 is associated.

[0029] A suction group, denoted in its entirety by 6, is also mounted on the support plate 33, which suction group 6 schematically comprises a pump with the relative activating motor.

[0030] The suction group 6 is connected via a first flexible pipe 60 to a closed collecting reservoir 61, preferably made of plastic, which is arranged on board the mobile support trolley 2, and is in turn connected, via a second flexible pipe 62, to a floor-cleaning group 7.

[0031] The collecting reservoir 61 rests upon a lower reservoir 63, which is mounted on the base 20 of the mobile support trolley 2, which reservoir 63 contains a washing liquid, typically water or possibly water mixed with a detergent substance.

[0032] The lower reservoir 63 is connected via a flexible tube 64 to one or more dispensing nozzles of the cleaning liquid (not shown), which are attached to the rigid frame 3 at the cleaning organ 50.

[0033] As illustrated in figure 3, the floor-cleaning group 7 comprises two thin flexible blades 70, made of a coherent material, preferably rubber, which are oriented vertically so as to be arranged with edges thereof against the floor.

[0034] The flexible blades 70 are perfectly facing one another and have horizontal lower edges located substantially at a same height, such as to be contemporaneously in contact with the floor along the whole longitudinal development thereof.

[0035] As illustrated in figure 2, the flexible blades 70 develop transversally with respect to the trolley 2, from which they project on both lateral flanks, and exhibit a plan profile which is substantially crossbow-shaped, with the concavity thereof facing in the forwards direction.

[0036] The flexible blades 70 are joined together at the ends and are kept separate by a rigid framework 71, which defines a space that is open at a bottom thereof and closed at the top thereof (see figure 4).

[0037] A connector 73 is associated to the rigid framework, which connector 73 terminates within the space 72 and is connected to the second flexible pipe 62 coming from the collecting reservoir 61.

[0038] As shown in figure 2, the rigid framework 71 is borne on a central plate 74, to which it is removably joined in order to enable replacement of the floor-cleaning group 7 when the flexible blades 70 are worn.

[0039] A raised block 75 is welded to the central plate 74, to which the ends of two superposed con rods 76 are hinged, the con rods 76 being of equal length and parallel to one another, opposite ends of which are hinged to a support 77 fixed below the base 20 in the rear part of the trolley 2 (see figure 3).

[0040] The hinge axes of the con rods 76 with the block 75 and the support 77 are horizontal, such that the con rods 76 define a four-bar hinge enabling the floor-wiping group 7 to perform vertical movements of the floor-cleaning group 7, keeping the flexible blades 70 parallel to themselves.

[0041] In detail, the four-bar hinge enables the floor-wiping group 7 to be moved between a work position, in which the flexible blades 70 are in contact with the floor, and a rest position, in which the flexible blades 70 are raised and are not in contact with the floor (figure 1).

[0042] As illustrated in figure 5, a permanent magnet 26 is fixed on the trolley 2, which can be substituted by an electromagnet or like magnetic means, which magnet 26 is positioned such as to contactingly receive the upper con rod 76 of the four-bar hinge when the floor-cleaning group 7 is in the raised rest position.

[0043] In this way, the magnetic attraction exerted by the magnet 26 on the ferro-magnetic material of the con rod 76 enables the floor-cleaning group 7 to be effectively blocked in the rest position, for example when the floor-cleaning machine 1 is not being used.

[0044] Naturally the same result could be reached by mounting the magnet 26 on the con rod 76 and predisposing a ferro-magnetic stop on the trolley 2; or by mounting two magnets having opposite polarity respectively on the con rod 76 and the trolley 2, such that the magnets come into contact when the floor-cleaning group 7 is in the rest position.

[0045] Finally, the floor-cleaning group 7 comprises a shaped lever 78, which is fixed on the rigid frame 71 and develops in an upwards direction, such as to make available a comfortable grip for a user who, by acting on the shaped lever 78, can overcome the magnetic force exerted by the magnet 26 and unblock the floor-cleaning group 7 from the rest position, leaving it to rest by force of gravity on the floor, thus moving into the work position.

[0046] In use, the floor-cleaning group is in the lowered work position illustrated in figure 3, with the flexible blades 70 both being in contact with the floor. The work position of the floor-cleaning group 7 is maintained thanks to the actual weight of the group 7 itself, which presses the flexible blades 70 onto the floor.

[0047] During the cleaning operations, the rotating brush 50 is rotated by the gear reducers 51, and at the same time the suction group 6 is activated, which places the collecting reservoir 61 in depression and, via the flexible conduit 62, also the space 71 defined between the flexible blades 70 of the floor-cleaning group 7.

[0048] At the same time the command is given for the cleaning liquid to be dispensed from the lower reservoir 63.

[0049] The liquid is dispensed directly onto to bristles of the rotating brush 50 such that the scrubbing action of the brush 50 and the detergent action of the liquid enable the dirt to be removed from the floor.

[0050] The liquid mixed with dirt is then swept and collected by the flexible blades 70 which drag on the floor, and filters into the space 72, from where it is aspirated internally of the collecting reservoir 61.

[0051] When washing operations are terminated, the user grips the lever 78 and raises the floor-cleaning group 7, returning it into the rest position in which it is blocked by the magnet 26.

[0052] Obviously, a person skilled in the art might bring numerous technical and applicational modifications to the invention without forsaking the ambit of the invention as claimed herein below.

Claims

1. A floor-cleaning machine comprising a support trolley (2), on which support trolley (2) at least a floor-cleaning group (7) is installed, which floor-cleaning group (7) is provided with at least a flexible blade (70) and is mobile on board the support trolley (2) between a work position, in which the flexible blade (70) is in contact with a floor, and a rest position, in which the flexible blade (70) is distanced from the floor, characterised in that it comprises magnetic means (26) which are destined to block the floor-cleaning group (7) in the rest position.

2. The floor-cleaning machine of claim 1, characterised in that the magnetic means (26) comprise a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.

3. The floor-cleaning machine of claim 1, characterised in that the magnetic means (26) are fixed on the support trolley (2).

4. The floor-cleaning machine of claim 1, characterised in that the floor-cleaning group (7) is connected to the support trolley (2) by means of a four-bar hinge (76), and that the magnetic means (26) are destined to act on the four-bar hinge (76).

5. The floor-cleaning machine of claim 1, characterised in that the floor-cleaning group (7) comprises a pair of flexible blades (70) separated by a space (72).

6. The floor-cleaning machine of claim 5, characterised in that the space (72) is in communication with a suction group (6) via a collecting reservoir (61).

Drawing