Cleaning liquid dispensing in a mobile hard surface cleaner

• US 20060032519A1
• Filed: 08/25/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Field, Bruce F., Pouliot, Joseph L., Krueger, Joseph K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,172,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/6
• 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 11/30 by suction
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 having rotary tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/305 the tools being disc brushes
• 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

Abstract

A hard surface cleaner includes a motorized scrub head, a fluid recovery device, a primary cleaning liquid component container, a cleaning agent container, a flow control device and a fluid flow path. The flow control device is configured to supply a flow of cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container at a flow rate of less than approximately cubic centimeters per minute to a flow of primary cleaning liquid component from the primary cleaning liquid component container. The fluid flow path is configured to receive a flow of cleaning liquid, which comprises the cleaning agent and the primary cleaning liquid component. A method of dispensing a chemical for use in a mobile hard surface cleaner includes driving a flow of cleaning agent from a cleaning agent container at a flow rate of less than approximately 10 cubic centimeters per minute, supplying a flow of primary cleaning liquid component from a cleaning liquid component container supported by the hard floor surface cleaner, combining the flow of cleaning agent and the flow of primary cleaning liquid component to form a flow of cleaning liquid, and dispensing the flow of cleaning liquid to either a motorized scrub head or a surface under the hard floor surface cleaner.

Claims

1. A mobile hard surface cleaner comprising:

a motorized scrub head;

a fluid recovery device;

a primary cleaning liquid component container;

a cleaning agent container;

a flow control device configured to supply a flow of cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container at a flow rate of less than approximately 10 cubic centimeters per minute to a flow of primary cleaning liquid component from the primary cleaning liquid component container; and

a fluid flow path configured to receive a flow of cleaning liquid, which comprises the cleaning agent and the primary cleaning liquid component.

2. The cleaner of claim 1 including a pump configured to drive the flow of cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container.

3. The cleaner of claim 2, wherein the pump is configured to drive the flow of cleaning agent at one or more predetermined substantially constant flow rates.

4. The cleaner of claim 2 including a check valve in line with the pump.

5. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the flow rate of the flow of cleaning agent is less than approximately cubic centimeters per minute.

6. The cleaner of claim 1 including a first pump configured to drive the flow of cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container and a second pump configured to drive the flow of primary cleaning liquid component from the primary cleaning liquid component container.

7. The cleaner of claim 6 including a controller having first and second control signals, wherein the first pump drives the flow of cleaning agent in response to the first control signal and the second pump drives the flow of primary cleaning liquid component in response to the second control signal.

8. The cleaner of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first and second control signals includes a pulse-width modulated signal.

9. The cleaner of claim 6, including a fluid flow junction at which the flow of cleaning agent and the flow of primary cleaning liquid component are combined to form the flow of cleaning liquid, wherein the second pump is positioned in line with the flow of primary cleaning liquid and upstream of the fluid flow junction relative to the flow of primary cleaning liquid component.

10. The cleaner of claim 6, including a fluid flow junction at which the flow of cleaning agent and the flow of primary cleaning liquid component are combined to form the flow of cleaning liquid, wherein the second pump is positioned in line with the flow of primary cleaning liquid and downstream of the fluid flow junction relative to the flow of primary cleaning liquid component.

11. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaning agent container is removable.

12. The cleaner of claim 11, wherein the cleaning agent container includes a rigid container.

13. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein a flow rate of the flow of cleaning liquid is substantially constant.

14. The cleaner of claim 13, wherein the flow rate of the flow of cleaning liquid is less than 0.5 gallons per minute.

15. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the fluid flow path includes a cleaning liquid distributor configured to discharge the flow of cleaning liquid to the motorized scrub head.

16. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the motorized scrub head includes a movable scrubbing member.

17. The cleaner of claim 1, wherein the fluid recovery device includes a vacuumized squeegee.

18. A mobile hard surface cleaner comprising:

a frame;

a motorized scrub head;

a fluid recovery device;

a primary cleaning liquid component container supported by the frame;

a cleaning agent container;

a first fluid flow path connected to the cleaning agent container;

a flow control device including a first pump configured to drive a flow of cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container and through the first fluid flow path at a flow rate of less than approximately 10 cubic centimeters per minute;

a second fluid flow path connected to the primary cleaning liquid component container and configured to receive a flow of primary cleaning liquid component; and

a fluid flow junction coupled to the first and second fluid flow paths and configured to receive the flow of cleaning agent and the flow of primary cleaning liquid component, and to discharge a flow of cleaning liquid, which comprises the cleaning agent and the primary cleaning liquid component.

19. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein the first pump is configured to drive the flow of cleaning agent at one or more predetermined substantially constant flow rates.

20. The cleaner of claim 18 including a check valve in line with the first pump.

21. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein the flow rate of the flow of cleaning agent is less than approximately 5 cubic centimeters per minute.

22. The cleaner of claim 18 including a second pump configured to drive the flow of primary cleaning liquid component from the primary cleaning liquid component container and through the second fluid flow path.

23. The cleaner of claim 22 including a controller having first and second control signals, wherein the first pump drives the flow of cleaning agent in response to the first control signal and the second pump drives the flow of primary cleaning liquid component in response to the second control signal.

24. The cleaner of claim 23, wherein at least one of the first and second control signals includes a pulse-width modulated signal.

25. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein the second pump is positioned in line with the second fluid flow path upstream of the fluid flow junction relative to the flow of primary cleaning liquid component.

26. The cleaner of claim 22, wherein the second pump is positioned in line with the second fluid flow path downstream of the fluid flow junction relative to the flow of cleaning liquid.

27. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein the cleaning agent container is removable.

28. The cleaner of claim 27, wherein the cleaning agent container includes a rigid container.

29. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein a flow rate of the flow of cleaning liquid is substantially constant.

30. The cleaner of claim 29, wherein the flow rate of the flow of cleaning liquid is less than 0.5 gallons per minute.

31. The cleaner of claim 18 including a cleaning liquid distributor configured to discharge the flow of cleaning liquid to the motorized scrub head.

32. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein the motorized scrub head includes a movable scrubbing member.

33. The cleaner of claim 18, wherein the fluid recovery device includes a vacuumized squeegee.

34. A method of dispensing cleaning liquid in a hard surface cleaner comprising steps of:

driving a flow of cleaning agent from a cleaning agent container at a flow rate of less than approximately 10 cubic centimeters per minute;

supplying a flow of primary cleaning liquid component from a cleaning liquid component container supported by the hard floor surface cleaner;

combining the flow of cleaning agent and the flow of primary cleaning liquid component to form a flow of cleaning liquid; and

dispensing the flow of cleaning liquid to either a motorized scrub head or a surface under the hard floor surface cleaner.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the driving step includes pumping the cleaning agent from the cleaning agent container with a first pump.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the supplying step includes pumping the primary cleaning liquid component from the cleaning liquid component container with a second pump.

37. The method of claim 34 including moving the hard floor surface cleaner and scrubbing a surface with a scrubbing member of the motorized scrub head during the driving, supplying, combining and dispensing steps.

38. The method of claim 37 including recovering liquid from the hard surface with a fluid recovery device.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the driving step includes driving the flow of cleaning agent at one or more predetermined substantially constant flow rates.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the driving step includes driving the flow of cleaning agent at a flow rate of less than approximately 5 cubic centimeters per minute.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein the dispensing step includes dispensing the flow of cleaning liquid at a substantially constant flow rate.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the dispensing step includes dispensing the flow of cleaning liquid at a flow rate of less than 0.5 gallons per minute.