Cleaning head and surface cleaning device comprising said type of cleaning head

• US 7,600,698 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Alfred Kã¤Rcher GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Treitz, Felix
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorman; Darren W
• Application Number:
  US11/820,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20080006715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 239/66, 239/93, 239 97-100, 239/225.1, 239/231, 239/263.1, 239/264, 239/525, 239/532, 239/581.1, 239/754, 239288-2885, 134172-176, 134/178, 134/179, 134/198, 134/199, 15320-322
• US Class Current: 239/66
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/34 Machines for treating carpets in position by liquid, foam, or vapour, e.g. by steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4036 Parts or details of the surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/024 Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/026 Cleaning by making use of hand-held spray guns; Fluid preparations therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/101 Hydraulic loosening or dislodging, combined or not with mechanical loosening or dislodging, e.g. road washing machines with brushes or wipers E01H1/005 takes precedence; cleaning rails E01H8/105, E01H8/125; applying liquids in general E01H3/00; scrubbing machines for floors or similar surfaces A47L11/26 - A47L11/30

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning head for enabling pressurized cleaning liquid to act upon a surface to be cleaned, comprising at least one spray arm which is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation and on which is mounted at least one nozzle which can be fed with cleaning liquid by a pressure pump. The invention also relates to a surface cleaning device comprising said type of cleaning head. In order to further develop the surface cleaning device and the cleaning head in such a way that the surface cleaning device can be handled more easily, the invention proposes that the pressure pump is integrated into the cleaning head.

Claims

1. Cleaning head for enabling pressurized cleaning liquid to act upon a surface to be cleaned, comprising:

a rotor housing which surrounds an eccentric and can rotate about an axis of rotation with respect to the eccentric,

a pressure pump integrated into said cleaning head,

at least one spray arm which is rotatably mounted on the rotor housing for rotation about the axis of rotation, and

at least one nozzle mounted on the at least one spray arm, said at least one nozzle being adapted to be fed with cleaning liquid by the pressure pump,

the pressure pump comprising a delivery piston displaceably mounted in the at least one spray arm, it being possible to drive said delivery piston to and fro within the spray arm in accordance with the revolving movement of the rotor housing about the eccentric, the delivery piston entering into a cylinder space which is in flow connection with the least one nozzle and which can be fed with the cleaning liquid.

2. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid is fed to the cylinder space through the eccentric and the delivery piston.

3. Cleaning head according to claim 2, wherein the eccentric comprises a radially extending flow channel which extends only over a partial region of the eccentric in a circumferential direction of the eccentric.

4. Cleaning head according to claim 3, wherein the flow channel extends over an angular range of at least 90°

in the circumferential direction of the eccentric.

5. Cleaning head according to claim 3, wherein the flow channel extends over an angular range of more than 180°

in the circumferential direction of the eccentric.

6. Cleaning head according to claim 2, wherein the eccentric is held in a rotationally fixed manner on a hollow shaft via which the cleaning liquid can be fed to the eccentric.

7. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the delivery piston is mounted in a sliding shoe which engages against a circumferential surface of the eccentric.

8. Cleaning head according to claim 7, wherein the sliding shoe has a through-hole via which a flow channel of the eccentric can be brought into flow-connection with a cut-out region in the delivery piston.

9. Cleaning head according to claim 8, wherein the cut-out region in the delivery piston is configured as a longitudinal bore.

10. Cleaning head according to claim 7, wherein the sliding shoe and the delivery piston engage against one another by means of a spheroidal recess and a spheroidal projection which enters into the recess.

11. Cleaning head according to claim 10, wherein an end region of the delivery piston which faces the sliding shoe forms the spheroidal projection which enters into a spheroidal recess in the sliding shoe.

12. Cleaning head according to claim 8, wherein the sliding shoe has a depression in a region of an abutment surface of the sliding shoe which engages against the eccentric, and the through-hole connects with said depression in the direction of the delivery piston.

13. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the delivery piston is preloaded in a direction of the eccentric by means of a return spring.

14. Cleaning head according to claim 13, wherein the return spring is disposed in the cylinder space.

15. Cleaning head according to claim 13, wherein the return spring is clamped in between the delivery piston and a nozzle holder on which the least one nozzle is mounted.

16. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the delivery piston is surrounded by at least one sealing ring in a circumferential direction.

17. Cleaning head according to claim 16, wherein the sealing ring is configured as a piston ring.

18. Cleaning head according to claim 16, wherein the sealing ring is produced from a plastics material based on PEEK.

19. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the delivery piston is produced from a light metal or a plastics material.

20. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the rotor housing is mounted on a shaft such that it can rotate and is sealed off from said shaft by means of at least one sealing ring.

21. Cleaning head according to claim 20, wherein the at least one sealing ring is configured as a piston ring.

22. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the rotor housing is adapted to be coupled to a drive motor by means of gear elements.

23. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the rotor housing is fixedly connected to a rotor of an external-rotor motor.

24. Cleaning head according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning head has a splash-protection hood in which the rotor housing is rotatably mounted and which has a liquid discharge opening.

25. Cleaning head according to claim 24, wherein a shaft is held in a rotationally fixed manner on the splash-protection hood, and the rotor housing is rotatably mounted on said shaft.

26. Surface cleaning device, comprising:

a cleaning head, said cleaning head comprising;

a rotor housing which surrounds an eccentric and can rotate about an axis of rotation with respect to the eccentric,

a pressure pump integrated into said cleaning head,

at least one spray arm which is rotatably mounted on the rotor housing for rotation about the axis of rotation, and

at least one nozzle mounted on the at least one spray arm, said at least one nozzle being adapted to be fed with cleaning liquid by the pressure pump,

the pressure pump comprising a delivery piston displaceably mounted in the at least one spray arm, it being possible to drive said delivery piston to and fro within the spray arm in accordance with the revolving movement of the rotor housing about the eccentric, the delivery piston entering into a cylinder space which is in flow connection with the least one nozzle and which can be fed with the cleaning liquid.

27. Surface cleaning device according to claim 26, wherein the surface cleaning device comprises a handle on which the cleaning head is mounted.

28. Surface cleaning device according to claim 26, wherein the surface cleaning device has support elements for supporting the surface cleaning device on a surface to be cleaned.

29. Surface cleaning device according to claim 26, further comprising a manually operated switching member for controlling the cleaning liquid discharge from the cleaning head.

30. Surface cleaning device according to claim 29, wherein the switching member is mounted on an end of a handle which is remote from the cleaning head.

31. Surface cleaning device according to claim 27, wherein the handle forms a feed line for cleaning agent, the feed line being adapted to be connected to a supply hose.