CLEANING DEVICE FOR CLEANING A SURFACE COMPRISING A BRUSH AND A SQUEEGEE ELEMENT

• US 20140189978A1
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versuni Holding BV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Van Der Kooi, Johannes Tseard, Roumen, Britt, Kingma, Pieter
• Granted Patent: US 9,173,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/364
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0477 Rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/0488 Combinations or arrangements of several tools, e.g. edge cleaning tools

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for cleaning a surface (20), comprising: —a brush (12) rotatable about a brush axis (14), said brush (12) being provided with flexible brush elements (16) that are substantially uniformly distributed over the periphery of the brush (12), wherein the brush (12) is at least partly surrounded by a nozzle housing (28) and protrudes at least partially from a bottom side (30) of said nozzle housing (28), which, during use of the device (100), faces the surface to be cleaned (20), wherein the brush elements (16), during the rotation of the brush (12), substantially form a sealing with the housing (28) at a first position (33) where the brush elements (16) leave the housing (28) during the rotation of the brush (12), and contact the surface to be cleaned (20) during the rotation of the brush (12) at a second position (35) for picking up dirt particles (22) and liquid (24) from said surface (20), thereby defining a suction area (34) in a space between the brush (12), said housing (28) and said surface to be cleaned (20) which is at least partly sealed at said first and second positions (33, 35), —a single squeegee element (32) which is spaced apart from the brush (12) and attached to the bottom side (30) of the nozzle housing (28) on a side of the brush (12), where the brush elements (16) enter the housing (28) during the rotation of the brush (12), wherein said squeegee element (32) is adapted for pushing or wiping dirt particles and liquid across or off the surface to be cleaned (20) during movement of the cleaning device (100), thereby defining a suction inlet (36) between the squeegee element (32) and the brush (12) that opens into the suction area (34), —a drive means for driving the brush (12) in rotation, and —a vacuum aggregate (38) which is arranged at a suction outlet (47) of the suction area (34) for generating an under-pressure in said suction area (34) for ingesting dirt particles (22) and liquid (24) from the suction inlet (36).

Claims

1. Cleaning device for cleaning a surface, comprising:

a brush rotatable about a brush axis, said brush being provided with flexible brush elements that are substantially uniformly distributed over the periphery of the brush, wherein the brush is at least partly surrounded by a nozzle housing and protrudes at least partially from a bottom side of said nozzle housing, which bottom side, during use of the device, faces the surface to be cleaned, wherein the brush elements, during the rotation of the brush, substantially form a sealing with the housing at a first position where the brush elements leave the housing during the rotation of the brush, and contact the surface to be cleaned during the rotation of the brush at a second position for picking up dirt particles and liquid from said surface, thereby defining a suction area in a space between the brush, said housing and said surface to be cleaned which is at least partly sealed at said first and second positions,

a single squeegee element which is spaced apart from the brush and attached to the bottom side of the nozzle housing on a side of the brush, where the brush elements enter the housing during the rotation of the brush, wherein said squeegee element is adapted for pushing or wiping dirt particles and liquid across or off the surface to be cleaned during movement of the cleaning device, thereby defining a suction inlet between the squeegee element and the brush that opens into the suction area,

a drive means for driving the brush in rotation, and

a vacuum aggregate which is arranged at a suction outlet of the suction area for generating an under-pressure in said suction area for ingesting dirt particles and liquid from the suction inlet.

2. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said under-pressure generated by the vacuum aggregate is in a range of 3 to 70 mbar, preferably in a range of 4 to 50 mbar, most preferably in a range of 5 to 30 mbar.

3. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing and the squeegee element substantially extend along a longitudinal direction that is parallel to the brush axis and transverse, preferably perpendicular to the intended direction of movement of the cleaning device.

4. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said squeegee element comprises switching means for switching the squeegee element to a closed position, in which the squeegee element is adapted to push or wipe dirt particles and liquid across or off the surface to be cleaned, when the cleaning device is moved on the surface in a forward direction, in which the squeegee element is, seen in the direction of movement of the cleaning device, located behind the brush, and for switching the squeegee element to an open position, in which dirt particles and liquid from the surface can enter the suction area through an opening between the squeegee element and the surface to be cleaned, when the cleaning device is moved on the surface in a backward direction, in which the squeegee element is, seen in the direction of movement of the cleaning device, located in front of the brush.

5. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a restriction element which is arranged in the suction area for at least partly restricting the suction effect between the suction inlet and the suction outlet.

6. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said restriction element is realized by a housing part that decreases the distance between the housing and the brush at a position in the suction area between the suction inlet and the suction outlet.

7. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said restriction element is realized by a housing part that contacts the brush at a position in the suction area between the suction inlet and the suction outlet.

8. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive means are adapted to realize a centrifugal acceleration at tip portions of the brush elements of at least 3,000 m/s², in particular during a dirt release period when the brush elements are free from contact to the surface during rotation of the brush.

9. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a linear mass density of a plurality of the brush elements is, at least at tip portions of the brush elements, lower than 150 g per 10 km, preferably lower than 20 g per 10 km.

10. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising positioning means for positioning the brush axis at a distance to the surface to be cleaned that is smaller than the radius of the brush with fully outstretched brush elements to realize an indentation of the brush part contacting the surface during operation in a range from 2% to 12% of said diameter.

11. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a packing density of the brush elements is at least 30 tufts of brush elements per cm², and wherein a number of brush elements per tuft is at least 500.

12. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive means are adapted to realize an angular velocity of the brush which is in a range of 3,000 to 15,000 revolutions per minute, more preferably in a range of 5,000 to 8,000 revolutions per minute, during operation of the device.

13. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brush has a diameter which is in a range of 10 to 100 mm, more preferably in a range of 20 to 80 mm, most preferably in a range of 35 to 50 mm, when the brush elements are in a fully outstretched condition, and wherein the length of the brush elements is in a range of 1 to 20 mm, preferably in a range of 8 to 12 mm, when the brush elements are in a fully outstretched condition.

14. A cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for supplying a liquid to the brush at a rate which is lower than 6 ml per minute per cm of a width of the brush in which the brush axis is extending.

15. A nozzle arrangement for a cleaning device as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a brush rotatable about a brush axis, said brush being provided with flexible brush elements that are substantially uniformly distributed over the periphery of the brush, wherein the brush is at least partly surrounded by a nozzle housing and protrudes at least partially from a bottom side of said nozzle housing, which bottom side, during use of the device, faces the surface to be cleaned, wherein the brush elements, during the rotation of the brush, substantially form a sealing with the housing at a first position where the brush elements leave the housing during the rotation of the brush, and contact the surface to be cleaned during the rotation of the brush at a second position for picking up dirt particles and liquid from said surface, thereby defining a suction area in a space between the brush, said housing and said surface to be cleaned which is at least partly sealed at said first and second positions,

a single squeegee element which is spaced apart from the brush and attached to the bottom side of the nozzle housing on a side of the brush, where the brush elements enter the housing during the rotation of the brush, wherein said squeegee element is adapted for pushing or wiping dirt particles and liquid across or off the surface to be cleaned during movement of the cleaning device, thereby defining a suction inlet between the squeegee element and the brush that opens into the suction area, and

a drive means for driving the brush in rotation.