Cleaning liquid dispensing system for a hard floor surface cleaner

• US 6,735,811 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Seifert, James J., Christensen, Bryan, Pierce, Richard M., Field, Bruce F., Krueger, Joseph K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Snider, Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US10/143,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20030019069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 153/20, 153/83, 153/53, 401/37, 401/138, 401/139, 401/140, 401/188.R, 222/333, 222/334, 222/332, 137/565.16, 137/565.17, 251/121
• US Class Current: 15/320
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/03 characterised by having provisions for supplying cleaning or polishing agents A47L11/065, A47L11/085, A47L11/125, A47L11/145, A47L11/161, A47L11/1625, A47L11/185, A47L11/201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/29 Floor-scrubbing machines characterised by means for taking-up dirty liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/30 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4016 specially adapted for collecting fluids
• 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 11/4083 Liquid supply reservoirs; Preparation of the agents, e.g. mixing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/291 for obtaining foams or aerosols
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 13/0095 Preparation of aerosols

Abstract

A cleaning liquid dispensing system for use in a mobile hard floor surface cleaner includes fluid conduit and fluid communication with a supply of cleaning liquid, a pump, and a flow restriction member. The pump is adapted to drive a flow of the cleaning liquid through the conduit. The flow restriction member generates a pressure drop in the conduit, thereby restricting the flow of the cleaning liquid therethrough.

Claims

1. A cleaning liquid dispensing system of a mobile hard floor surface cleaner having a supply of cleaning liquid, the system comprising:

fluid conduit configured to receive a flow of cleaning liquid from the supply of cleaning liquid;

a pump in line with the fluid conduit and having an outlet that is maintained at a high pressure, the pump configured to drive the flow of cleaning liquid through the conduit and the outlet; and

a flow restriction member configured to generate a pressure drop in the conduit thereby restricting the flow of the cleaning liquid therethrough.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the flow restriction member includes a plate having an orifice therethrough.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the diameter of the orifice is approximately 0.03 inch.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a flow rate of the flow of cleaning liquid is less than 0.5 gallons per minute.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the pressure at the outlet of the pump is variable.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the pressure at the outlet is held substantially constant.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the pressure at the outlet is approximately 40 psi.

8. A hard floor surface cleaner including the system of claim 1.

9. A cleaning liquid dispensing system of a mobile hard floor surface cleaner having a supply of cleaning liquid, the system comprising:

fluid conduit in fluid communication with the supply of cleaning liquid;

a pump in line with the fluid conduit and having an outlet that is maintained at a high pressure, and an output flow of cleaning liquid through the outlet and the conduit; and

a flow restriction member in line with the conduit and the flow of cleaning liquid, the flow restriction member having an upstream high pressure side and a downstream low pressure side, thereby generating a pressure drop in the conduit that restricts a flow rate of the cleaning liquid through the conduit to a substantially constant value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the flow restriction member includes a plate having an orifice therethrough.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the diameter of the orifice is approximately 0.03 inch.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the flow rate is less than 0.5 gallons per minute.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the pressure at the outlet of the pump is variable.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the pressure at the outlet is held substantially constant.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the pressure at the outlet is approximately 40 psi.

16. A hard floor surface cleaner including the system of claim 9.

17. A hard floor surface cleaner comprising:

a supply of cleaning liquid; and

a cleaning liquid dispensing system including;

fluid conduit-configured to receive a flow of cleaning liquid from the supply of cleaning liquid;

a pump in line with the fluid conduit having an outlet that is maintained at a high pressure, the pump configured to drive the flow of cleaning liquid through the conduit and the outlet; and

a flow restriction member configured to generate a pressure drop in the conduit thereby restricting the flow of the cleaning liquid therethrough.

18. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the flow restriction member includes a plate having an orifice therethrough.

19. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein the diameter of the orifice is approximately 0.03 inch.

20. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein a flow rate of the flow of cleaning liquid is less than 0.5 gallons per minute.

21. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the pressure at the outlet of the pump is variable.

22. The cleaner of claim 21, wherein the pressure at the outlet of the pump is varied in accordance with a velocity of the hard floor cleaner.

23. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the pressure at the outlet is held substantially constant.

24. The cleaner of claim 23, wherein the pressure at the outlet is approximately 40 psi.

25. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the cleaning liquid includes a primary cleaning component and a cleaning agent.

26. The cleaner of claim 25, wherein the ratio of primary cleaning component to cleaning agent is approximately 1000:

1.

27. The cleaner of claim 25, where in the cleaning agent includes an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and/or a cationic surfactant.

28. The cleaner of claim 17, including:

a supply of a primary cleaning component; and

a chemical dispenser having an output flow of cleaning agent; and

a fluid mixing member configured to combine the primary cleaning component and the output flow of cleaning agent and produce the supply of cleaning liquid.

29. The cleaner of claim 28, wherein the chemical dispenser includes a removable cartridge containing a supply of the cleaning agent.

30. The cleaner of claim 17, wherein the cleaning liquid is a primary cleaning component.

31. The cleaner of claim 30, including:

a chemical dispenser having an output flow of cleaning agent; and

a fluid mixing member in fluid communication with the chemical dispenser and the cleaning liquid and producing an output flow comprising a combination of the cleaning agent and the cleaning liquid.

32. The cleaner of claim 17, including:

a fluid distributor in fluid communication with the conduit and directing the flow of cleaning liquid to a hard floor surface;

a scrubbing member engaging the hard floor surface and the cleaning liquid; and

a fluid recovery device adjacent the scrubbing member, the fluid recovery device removing at least a portion of the cleaning liquid from the hard floor surface.

33. The cleaner of claim 32, wherein the scrubbing member includes a rotatable scrub medium.

34. The cleaner of claim 33, wherein the scrub medium is a cylindrical-type scrub brush rotated about a generally horizontal axis of rotation relative to the hard floor surface.

35. The cleaner of claim 32, wherein the fluid recovery device is a vacuum device for conveying soiled cleaning liquid from the hard floor surface.

36. The cleaner of claim 17, including:

an aerator in fluid communication with the flow of cleaning liquid, the aerator converting the cleaning liquid to a foam-like aerated cleaning liquid;

a fluid distributor directing the foam-like aerated cleaning liquid onto the hard floor surface;

a scrubbing member engaging the hard floor surface and the foam-like aerated cleaning liquid; and

a fluid recovery device downstream of the scrubbing member and removing at least a portion of the foam-like aerated cleaning liquid from the hard floor surface.

37. The cleaner of claim 36, wherein the aerator includes a mixing member receiving the flow of cleaning liquid, pressurized air, or both.

38. The cleaner of claim 36, wherein the cleaning liquid is collected such that the foam-aerated cleaning liquid substantially de-aerates on the hard floor surface prior to removal by the fluid recovery device.

39. The cleaner of claim 36, including a defoaming device for de-aerating foam recovered by the fluid recovery device.

40. A mobile hard floor surface cleaner comprising:

a supply of cleaning liquid; and

a cleaning liquid dispensing system including;

fluid conduit in fluid communication with the supply of cleaning liquid;

a pump in line with the fluid conduit and having an outlet that is maintained at a high pressure, and an output flow of cleaning liquid through the outlet and the conduit; and

a flow restriction member in line with the conduit and the flow of cleaning liquid, the flow restriction member having an upstream high pressure side and a downstream low pressure side, thereby generating a pressure drop in the conduit that restricts a flow rate of the cleaning liquid through the conduit to a substantially constant value.

41. The cleaner of claim 40, wherein the diameter of the orifice is approximately 0.03 inch.

42. The cleaner of claim 40, wherein the pressure at the outlet of the pump is variable.

43. The cleaner of claim 40, wherein the pressure at the outlet is held substantially constant.

44. The cleaner of claim 40, wherein the flow restriction member limits the flow rate of the flow of cleaning liquid to less than 0.5 gallons per minute.

45. The cleaner of claim 40, wherein the cleaning liquid includes a primary cleaning component and a cleaning agent.

46. The cleaner of claim 45, wherein the ratio of primary cleaning component to cleaning agent is approximately 1000:

1.

47. The cleaner of claim 45, wherein the cleaning agent includes an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and/or a cationic surfactant.

48. The cleaner of claim 40, including:

a supply of a primary cleaning component; and

a chemical dispenser having an output flow of cleaning agent; and

a fluid mixing member in fluid communication with the chemical dispenser and the supply of a primary cleaning component and producing the supply of cleaning liquid as combination of the cleaning agent and the primary cleaning component.

49. The cleaner of claim 48, wherein the chemical dispenser includes a removable cartridge containing a supply of the cleaning agent.

50. The cleaner of claim 40, wherein the cleaning liquid is a primary cleaning component.

51. The cleaner of claim 50, including:

a chemical dispenser having an output flow of cleaning agent; and

a fluid mixing member in fluid communication with the chemical dispenser and the cleaning liquid and producing an output flow comprising a combination of the cleaning agent and the cleaning liquid.

52. The cleaner of claim 40, including:

a fluid distributor in fluid communication with the conduit and directing the flow of cleaning liquid to the hard floor surface;

a scrubbing member engaging the hard floor surface and the cleaning liquid; and

a fluid recovery device adjacent the scrubbing member, the fluid recovery device removing at least a portion of the cleaning liquid from the hard floor surface.

53. The cleaner of claim 52, wherein the scrubbing member includes a rotatable scrub medium.

54. The cleaner of claim 53, wherein the scrub medium is a cylindrical-type scrub brush rotated about a generally horizontal axis of rotation relative to the hard floor surface.

55. The cleaner of claim 52, wherein the fluid recovery device is a vacuum device for conveying soiled cleaning liquid from the hard floor surface.

56. The cleaner of claim 40, including:

an aerator in fluid communication with the flow of cleaning liquid, the aerator converting the cleaning liquid to a foam-like aerated cleaning liquid;

a fluid distributor directing the foam-like aerated cleaning liquid onto the hard floor surface;

a scrubbing member engaging the hard floor surface and the foam-like aerated cleaning liquid; and

a fluid recovery device downstream of the scrubbing member and removing at least a portion of the foam-like aerated cleaning liquid from the hard floor surface.

57. The cleaner of claim 56, wherein the aerator includes a mixing member receiving the flow of cleaning liquid, pressurized air, or both.

58. The cleaner of claim 56, wherein the cleaning liquid is collected such that the foam-aerated cleaning liquid substantially de-aerates on the hard floor surface prior to removal by the fluid recovery device.

59. The cleaner of claim 56, including a defoaming device for de-aerating foam recovered by the fluid recovery device.