Drive system for a cleaning unit, and cleaning unit

• US 9,364,129 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG
• Original Assignee: Carl Freudenberg KG
• Inventors: Weis, Norbert, Flath, Johannes, Gibis, Karl-Ludwig
• Primary Examiner(s): JENNINGS, MICHAEL DEANGILO
• Application Number:
  US13/822,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20130192019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 15/491, 153/19, 153/40
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/00 Machines for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/24 Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/32 Carpet-sweepers combined with suction cleaners A47L7/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4063 Driving means; Transmission means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4066 Propulsion of the whole machine
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4069 Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/00 Robotic cleaning machines, i.e. with automatic control of the travelling movement or the cleaning operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/001 one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle

Abstract

The invention relates to a drive system (1) for driving an automatic cleaning unit, comprising: —a carrier unit (7, 10); —a drive motor (2), which is fastened on the carrier unit (7, 10); —a driveshaft (4), which is arranged in a rotatable manner on the carrier unit (7, 10) and can be driven by the drive motor (2); —an advancement device (15), which is arranged on the driveshaft (4) and can be rotated about the driveshaft, wherein the advancement device (15) is coupled to the driveshaft (4) in order to generate advancement transversely to the extent of the driveshaft (4) and in order, when advancement is stopped, to cause the advancement device (15) to rotate in relation to the carrier unit.

Claims

1. A drive system for driving an automatic cleaning unit, the drive system comprising:

a carrier unit;

a drive motor attached to the carrier unit;

a drive shaft rotatably disposed on the carrier unit and drivable by the drive motor;

a forward propelling unit disposed on the drive shaft and rotatable about the drive shaft through a driving axle that is coupled to the drive shaft through a gear unit; and

a cleaning element;

wherein the forward propelling unit is coupled to the drive shaft so as to generate a forward propelling movement in perpendicular relation to a longitudinal direction of the drive shaft and to cause the forward propelling unit to rotate relative to the carrier unit whenever the forward propelling movement is obstructed;

wherein the carrier unit supports a mounting element that encloses the forward propelling unit;

wherein the cleaning element is attachable to the mounting element; and

wherein the carrier unit is constructed so as to rotate the cleaning element about the forward propelling unit when the forward propelling unit generates the forward propelling movement.

2. The drive system as in claim 1, wherein the forward propelling unit is coupled to the drive shaft in such a manner that the rotation of the forward propelling unit is initiated when the forward propelling movement is obstructed beyond a certain threshold value.

3. The drive system as in claim 1, wherein the drive shaft is coupled to a damper element, the damper element having a damping capacity to enable setting of a predetermined distribution of a motive energy provided by the drive motor between rotation of the carrier unit and the forward propelling movement.

4. The drive system as in claim 1, wherein the forward propelling unit comprises at least one drive roll that is disposed on the driving axle.

5. The drive system as in claim 4, wherein the forward propelling unit comprises at least one auxiliary roll that is disposed so as to be laterally offset relative to the driving axle, the auxiliary roll having an axis of rotation of the auxiliary roll that extends substantially parallel to the driving axle.

6. A cleaning unit comprising:

a drive system including;

a carrier unit;

a drive motor attached to the carrier unit;

a drive shaft rotatably disposed on the carrier unit and drivable by the drive motor;

a forward propelling unit disposed on the drive shaft and rotatable about the drive shaft through a driving axle that is coupled to the drive shaft by a gear unit; and

a cleaning element;

wherein the forward propelling unit is coupled to the drive shaft so as to generate a forward propelling movement in perpendicular relation to a longitudinal direction of the drive shaft and to cause the forward propelling unit to rotate relative to the carrier unit whenever the forward propelling movement is obstructed;

wherein the carrier unit supports a mounting element that encloses the forward propelling unit;

wherein the cleaning element is attached to the mounting element; and

wherein the carrier unit is constructed so as to rotate the cleaning element about the forward propelling unit when the forward propelling unit generates the forward propelling movement.

7. The cleaning unit as in claim 6, wherein the drive system is enclosed in a housing that is connected in a spring-loaded manner to the drive system in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft.

8. The cleaning unit as in claim 7, wherein the housing has a noncircular shape relative to a plane parallel to a plane of the forward propelling movement of the forward propelling unit.

9. The cleaning unit as in claim 7, wherein the carrier unit is constructed so as to be rotatable about the housing.

10. The cleaning unit as in claim 6, wherein the mounting element is disposed parallel to a plane of the forward propelling movement of the forward propelling unit.

11. The cleaning unit as in claim 10, wherein the mounting element is surrounded by a weighting element so as to push an attached cleaning element onto a floor surface.

12. The cleaning unit as in claim 6, further comprising a control unit for controlling a direction of rotation of the drive motor, wherein the control unit is constructed so as to reverse the drive motor.

13. The cleaning unit as in claim 12, wherein the control unit is constructed so as to reverse the direction of rotation of the drive motor when translational and rotational movement of the forward propelling unit is completely blocked.