Floor surface cleaning machine

• US 5,829,095 A
• Filed: 10/17/1996
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nilfisk-Advance Incorporated (Nilfisk Holding A/S)
• Original Assignee: Nilfisk-Advance Incorporated (Nilfisk Holding A/S)
• Inventors: Legatt, Donald Joseph, Swenson, Galen M., Vetse, Kurt M.
• Primary Examiner(s): OLEKSA, DIANA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US08/731,658
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 15/353, 15/412
• US Class Current: 15/412
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/283 the tools being disc brushes
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/30 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4005 Arrangements of batteries or cells; Electric power supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4036 Parts or details of the surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4038 Disk shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4058 for adjusting the height of the tool
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4097 Means for exhaust-air diffusion; Exhaust-air treatment, e.g. air purification; Means for sound or vibration damping
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/50 Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A floor scrubber (10) is disclosed including a drive lug (62) for removably connecting a scrubbing member (64) to a drive (60) and having a trough for receipt and catching of solution for passage to the surface. The mount (58) for the drive (60) is biased by a spring (67) to pivot relative to a linkage plate (46) in turn pivotably mounted to the chassis (12) at an acute angle to the forward movement direction. The vacuum assembly (92) is sandwiched in a socket (100) formed in the bottom wall of a recovery tank (90) by a mount (106) to deaden the sound generated thereby and to allow air communication inside of the socket (100) but generally preventing entry of solution therein. The squeegee assembly (152) is biased by a gas spring (150) to engage the surface at a constant force independent of the pivotal position of the squeegee mount (148). The batteries (68, 70) can be easily electrically connected and disconnected to each other in series and to the scrubber (10) by polarity type connectors (80, 82, 84, 86) for ease of removal, replacement, and interchange of the batteries (68, 70) in the scrubber (10) without requiring the use of tools. The bumper wheels (30) are secured to a first plate (32) of a pocket (28) by a pin connector (36) passing therethrough and through the legs of a U-shaped bracket (42) having a central portion flushly abutting with a second plate (38) of the pocket (28) for transferring forces thereto.

Claims

1. Vacuum system comprising, in combination:

a vacuum assembly including an inlet and an outlet for passage of air and including a drive having a free end;

a socket of a size for receipt of the vacuum assembly and having a socket wall and an open end, with the inlet of the vacuum assembly passing through the socket wall in a sealed manner to generally prevent entry of solution into the socket around the inlet, with the outlet passing through the open end of the socket;

a mount of a size for closing the open end of the socket in a sealed manner to generally prevent entry of solution into the socket through the open end and around the outlet; and

means for removably securing the mount to the socket.

2. The vacuum system of claim 1 wherein the mount includes an indentation for partially receiving the outlet and the socket includes a seat for receiving the remaining portions of the outlet, with the outlet being sandwiched between the indentation and the seat when the mount is removably secured to the socket.

3. The vacuum system of claim 2 further comprising, in combination:

means for providing air communication into and out of the socket while generally preventing entry of solutions into the socket comprising, in combination;

a hollow interior formed in the mount by an inner wall and an outer wall, with the free end extending through the inner wall into the interior; and

an air entry portion having an air entry for allowing entry of air and providing a first tortuous path into the hollow interior to generally prevent solutions sprayed into the air entry from reaching the hollow interior.

4. The vacuum system of claim 3 wherein the drive is sealed in the inner wall, with the drive including air flow from the hollow interior of the mount through the free end and the drive and into the socket on the opposite side of the inner wall than the hollow interior;

and wherein the air communication providing means further comprises, in combination;

a second tortuous path from the socket to an air port for allowing passage of air from the hollow interior while generally preventing solutions sprayed into the air port from reaching the interior of the socket comprising a groove formed in the socket and abutting with the inner wall of the mount.

5. The vacuum system of claim 2 further comprising, in combination:

a recovery tank including a bottom wall and a top wall, with the socket formed in and by the bottom wall, with the inlet of the vacuum assembly passing through the socket wall formed in and by the bottom wall of the recovery tank being located adjacent the top wall of the recovery tank.

6. The vacuum system of claim 5 further comprising, in combination:

a chassis for movement on a support surface; and

means for mounting the recovery tank for pivotable movement relative to the chassis between an operative position and a service position where access is available to the removably securing means.

7. The vacuum system of claim 2 wherein the vacuum assembly is sandwiched between the socket and the mount.

8. The vacuum system of claim 1 further comprising, in combination:

means for providing air communication into and out of the socket while generally preventing entry of solutions into the socket comprising, in combination;

a hollow interior formed in the mount by an inner wall and an outer wall, with the free end extending through the inner wall into the interior; and

an air entry portion having an air entry for allowing entry of air and providing a first tortuous path into the hollow interior to generally prevent solutions sprayed into the air entry from reaching the hollow interior.

9. The vacuum system of claim 8 wherein the drive is sealed in the inner wall, with the drive including air flow from the hollow interior of the mount through the free end and the drive and into the socket on the opposite side of the inner wall than the hollow interior;

and wherein the air communication providing means further comprises, in combination;

a second tortuous path from the socket to an air port for allowing passage of air from the hollow interior while generally preventing solutions sprayed into the air port from reaching the interior of the socket comprising a groove formed in the socket and abutting with the inner wall of the mount.

10. The vacuum system of claim 8 further comprising, in combination:

a recovery tank including a bottom wall and a top wall, with the socket formed in and by the bottom wall, with the inlet of the vacuum assembly passing through the socket wall formed in and by the bottom wall of the recovery tank being located adjacent the top wall of the recovery tank.

11. The vacuum system of claim 10 further comprising, in combination:

a chassis for movement on a support surface; and

means for mounting the recovery tank for pivotable movement relative to the chassis between an operative position and a service position where access is available to the removably securing means.

12. The vacuum system of claim 1 further comprising, in combination:

a recovery tank including a bottom wall and a top wall, with the socket formed in and by the bottom wall, with the inlet of the vacuum assembly passing through the socket wall formed in and by the bottom wall of the recovery tank being located adjacent the top wall of the recovery tank.

13. The vacuum system of claim 12, further comprising, in combination:

a chassis for movement on a support surface; and

means for mounting the recovery tank for pivotable movement relative to the chassis between an operative position and a service position where access is available to the removably securing means.

14. The vacuum system of claim 1 wherein the vacuum assembly is sandwiched between the socket and the mount.

15. The vacuum system of claim 14 wherein the vacuum system includes radially extending ears;

wherein the socket includes shoulders for abutting with the ears of the vacuum system;

wherein the mount includes upstanding pillars for abutting with the ears of the vacuum system opposite to the shoulders of the socket; and

wherein the socket includes troughs of a shape and configuration for at least partial slideable receipt of the upstanding pillars.

16. Machine for treating a floor surface comprising, in combination:

a chassis for movement on the floor surface in a forward direction, with the chassis including at least a first wall;

a linkage plate pivotably mounted to the chassis about a linkage axis which is at an acute angle to the forward direction;

a first mount pivotably mounted to the linkage plate about a first mount axis which is parallel to but spaced from the linkage axis;

a drive mounted to the first mount;

a floor surface treating member;

a drive lug for removably connecting the floor surface treating member to the drive for rotation thereby, with rotation of the floor surface treating member on the floor surface tending to assist the movement of the chassis on the floor surface;

means for biasing the first mount to pivot about the first mount axis in a direction to move the portion of the floor surface treating member opposite the linkage plate towards the floor surface and the portion of the floor surface treating member adjacent the linkage plate away from the floor surface and thereby engage the floor surface treating member with a cleaning pattern on the floor surface extending over substantially the full diametric width of the floor surface treating member perpendicular to the forward direction;

a bracket mounted to the chassis;

a second mount pivotably mounted to the bracket about a second mount axis generally parallel to the surface;

means secured to the second mount for picking up solution from the surface;

a gas spring having a first end pivotably mounted relative to the bracket and a second end pivotably mounted relative to the second mount about axes parallel to and spaced from the second mount axis to thereby engage the picking means with the surface at a force which is constant independent of the pivotal position of the second mount about the second mount axis;

a pocket extending from the first wall, with the pocket including a first plate extending parallel to the surface and a second plate extending generally perpendicular to the surface;

a wheel having a periphery and an axis;

a U-shaped bracket having first and second legs extending parallel to each other and from a central portion;

a fastener extending through the first leg, the axis of the wheel, and the second leg and secured to the first plate, with the central portion having a shape for flushly abutting with the second plate, with the periphery of the wheel extending beyond the first wall, with the central portion transferring forces to the second plate in the event that the periphery of the wheel engages an obstacle; and

a vacuum system;

wherein the drive lug comprises, in combination;

a hub portion for receipt on and for rotation with the drive, a cylindrical portion of a diametric size larger than the hub portion, means for securing the cylindrical portion to the hub portion concentric to the drive and defining at least one opening, an annular flange extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical portion and rotatable therewith, and a plurality of ears integrally extending radially from the cylindrical portion and axially spaced from the flange; and

wherein the vacuum system comprises, in combination;

a vacuum assembly including an inlet and an outlet for passage of air and including a drive having a free end, a socket of a size for receipt of the vacuum assembly and having a socket wall and an open end, with the inlet of the vacuum assembly passing through the socket wall in a sealed manner to generally prevent entry of solution into the socket around the inlet, with the outlet passing through the open end of the socket, a third mount of a size for closing the open end of the socket in a sealed manner to generally prevent entry of solution into the socket through the open end and around the outlet, and means for removably securing the third mount to the socket to sandwich the vacuum assembly between the socket and the third mount.