Combined sweeper and scrubber

• US 5,093,955 A
• Filed: 08/29/1990
• Issued: 03/10/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tennant Company
• Original Assignee: Tennant Company
• Inventors: Sampson, William J., Blehert, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, REGINALD
• Application Number:
  US07/574,656
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 15/320, 15/347, 15/349, 15/352, 15/353, 15/401, 15/341, 15/348, 15/321, 15/83
• US Class Current: 15/320
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/302 having rotary tools
• 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 11/4022 with means for recycling the dirty liquid treatment of waste water C02F
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees

Abstract

A combination floor sweeping and scrubbing machine is as compact and maneuverable as an equivalent machine which only sweeps or scrubs, while retaining typical hopper and tank volumes. Its operator can change it from sweeping to scrubbing or vice versa at any time by moving a few controls and without adding or removing any parts. It has one debris hopper and one horizontal cylindrical rotating brush and they function in both the sweeping and scrubbing modes. A vacuum system supplies dust control during sweeping and vacuum pickup of dirty solution during scrubbing. In the scrubbing mode a single tank supplies scrubbing solution and receives dirty solution picked up from the floor.

Claims

1. A compact combination sweeping and scrubbing machine for sweeping a floor in a sweeping mode or scrubbing a floor in a scrubbing mode, and which can be used in either mode without the addition or removal of parts, said machine including, from front to rear, a debris hopper for both scrubbing and sweeping, a brush housing and a scrubbing solution tank, the length of the machine being essentially determined by the distance between the debris hopper and the tank, a single brush for both scrubbing and sweeping positioned in said brush housing, means on the machine for supplying solution from the tank to the vicinity of the brush and for returning used solution to the tank, at least a portion of the solution supplied from the tank to the vicinity of the brush being recycled, said machine being so constructed that the debris hopper, the brush in its brush housing and the scrubbing solution tank remain in position on the machine during both the sweeping mode and the scrubbing mode.

2. In a combination sweeper-scrubber machine for cleaning a floor type surface selectively in either a sweeping mode or a scrubbing mode, a frame adapted to proceed in a forward direction, a hopper and a permanently mounted tank in the frame, a brush for either sweeping or scrubbing mounted adjacent the center of the frame, and a squeegee on the rear of the frame, the hopper being for use as a dry debris receptacle when the machine is operating in its sweeping mode and for receiving wet debris when the machine is operating in its scrubbing mode, drain means for liquids in the hopper, a conduit system on the frame for supplying cleaning solution from the tank to the surface in the vicinity of the front of the frame and for returning used solution from the surface by way of the squeegee to the tank on the frame, means in the conduit system for recirculating at least a portion of the used solution from the tank to the surface in the vicinity of the front of the frame, means for removing impurities from the used solution prior to recirculation, a dust control system on the frame for cleaning and exhausting air from around the brush when the machine is operating in its sweeping mode, the dust control system including a filter and fan means, the fan means being used for drawing air through the filter in the sweeping mode and for creating a vacuum in the squeegee to pick up used solution in the scrubbing mode, and control means for directing air flow through the filter and fan means to atmosphere and stopping the supply of scrubbing solution from the tank to the surface when the machine is operating in its sweeping mode and for supplying scrubbing solution from the tank to the surface and stopping air flow through the filter when the machine is operating in tis scrubbing mode.

3. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that the control means for stopping airflow through the filter include a valve for blocking communication between the fan and the filter.

4. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that the hopper is on the front of the frame and is removably mounted.

5. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that the brush is a generally cylindrical rotary brush having its axis of rotation horizontal and transverse to the forward direction of the frame.

6. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that the controls include means for raising the squeegee above the surface when the machine is operating in its sweeping mode and for lowering it into contact with the surface when the machine is operating in its scrubbing mode.

7. A combination sweeper-scrubber machine operable in both a sweeping mode and a scrubbing mode for cleaning a surface, the machine having a frame, a debris hopper removably mounted on the frame, a single cylindrical rotary brush having a horizontal axis disposed laterally across the frame, a suitable brush housing mounted on the frame, a scrubbing solution tank mounted on the frame, the hopper, brush housing and tank all being longitudinally aligned on the frame and essentially contiguous, a squeegee on the frame for engaging the surface adjacent the rear of the machine, the squeegee being in liquid communication with the tank, means for raising and lowering the squeegee to place it out of contact with the surface to be cleaned during sweeping and in contact with the surface to be cleaned during scrubbing, said frame mounting an air filter and fan means for creating a vacuum, air circuit means on the frame for connecting the fan means, filter, brush housing, squeegee and solution tank, means for controlling the air circuit so that during the sweeping mode air is drawn from around the brush and through the filter and so that during the scrubbing mode a vacuum is communicated to the scrubbing solution tank so that dirty scrubbing solution from the surface adjacent the rear of the machine will be drawn through the squeegee into the tank, means for rotating the brush to propel debris from the surface into the hopper during the sweeping mode, and debris and scrubbing solution from the surface into the hopper during the scrubbing mode, the hopper having means for draining solution back onto the surface being cleaned, and means for cleaning and recirculating at least a portion of the solution from the tank and applying such recirculated solution to the surface to be cleaned adjacent the front of the machine.