JP7620433B2 - Floor Cleaning Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to floor cleaning device technology.

Cleaning devices have been developed to clean floors and other surfaces. The cleaning device brings cleaning water containing detergent etc. into contact with the object to be cleaned, such as a floor, and absorbs dirt such as dust and dirt adhering to the object into the cleaning water, which is then collected to clean the object. In general, cleaning devices have containers for holding the cleaning water before use and the cleaning water after use.

Patent Document 1 discloses an aquarium in which the inner cavity can be separated into two by moving a partition placed inside, and the volumes of the two can be adjusted.

JP 2019-136485 A

However, when a partition moves along the inner cavity, dirt and other debris tend to accumulate in the gap between the end that comes into contact with the inner wall and the inner wall.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to prevent sediment from remaining in the tank that collects used cleaning water in a floor cleaning device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides, in a first aspect, a floor cleaning device which cleans a floor, recovers cleaning water used for cleaning , and stores the recovered cleaning water in a tank which has no convex area on its inner wall surface and has a drain outlet at the lowest position, the tank being a bottomed cylindrical body whose central axis is inclined relative to the vertical direction in a predetermined horizontal direction in which the drain outlet is located, and the drain outlet is provided at the end of the bottom of the tank in the predetermined direction .

According to the floor cleaning device of the first aspect, after used cleaning water contained in the bottomed cylindrical tank is discharged from the drain outlet, sediment and the like are less likely to remain in the tank.

In the floor cleaning device of the first aspect, a second aspect may be adopted in which the tank has an opening that can be opened and closed by a lid.

The second aspect of the floor cleaning device allows the lid to be opened to clean the inner wall of the tank.

In the floor cleaning device of the second aspect, a configuration in which the cleaning water is collected in the tank through a collection hole that penetrates the lid may be adopted as a third aspect.

According to the floor cleaning device of the third aspect, the tank does not need to have a recovery hole.

In the floor cleaning device of the third aspect, a fourth aspect may be adopted in which the cleaning water is collected in the tank by sucking air from inside the tank, the opening of which is blocked by the lid, through a suction hole that penetrates the lid.

According to the fourth aspect of the floor cleaning device, the tank does not need to have a suction hole.

A fifth aspect of the floor cleaning device may be adopted in which the floor cleaning device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects has a holder for holding the lid in a position that does not block the opening.

The fifth aspect of the floor cleaning device allows the lid to be held in place when the tank opening is not covered with the lid.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a floor cleaning device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal configuration of the floor cleaning device 1. FIG. 2 is an elevational view showing an example of the internal configuration of the floor cleaning device 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the floor cleaning device 1 from above. 4 is a view looking downward from the plane L shown in FIG. 3 . FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the position of a drain outlet 1510. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a holder 110 and a hinge 113. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the function of a holder 110.

<Embodiment>
<Configuration of floor cleaning device>
In the following figures, the space in which each component is arranged is represented as an xyz right-handed coordinate space. Among the coordinate symbols shown in the figures, a symbol with a dot in a circle represents an arrow pointing from the back of the paper to the front, and a symbol with two intersecting lines in a circle represents an arrow pointing from the front of the paper to the back. The direction along the x-axis in space is called the x-axis direction. Among the x-axis directions, the direction in which the x component increases is called the +x direction, and the direction in which the x component decreases is called the -x direction. For the y and z components, the y-axis direction, +y direction, -y direction, z-axis direction, +z direction, and -z direction are defined according to the above definition. In the following figures, the -z direction is the direction of gravity.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the exterior of a floor cleaning device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the internal configuration of the floor cleaning device 1. Figure 3 is an elevation view showing an example of the internal configuration of the floor cleaning device 1.

The floor cleaning device 1 has a housing 10, a control panel 11, and a squeegee 12. Inside the housing 10, the floor cleaning device 1 also has a supply section 13, a cleaning unit 14, a recovery section 15, and a pressure reduction section 16.

<Housing configuration>
The housing 10 is a member that covers the internal components of the floor cleaning device 1 from the side surfaces and houses them inside. The housing 10 has a cover 101, rear wheels 103, and a handle 104. The housing 10 also has front wheels 102 (see FIG. 7) that are not shown in FIG. 1. The cover 101 is a member that protects the internal components and is formed of, for example, synthetic resin. The front wheels 102 and rear wheels 103 are wheels that support the floor cleaning device 1 so that it can move. The handle 104 is a handle that allows the user to adjust the traveling direction of the floor cleaning device 1.

<Control panel configuration>
The control panel 11 is installed on the top of the housing 10 and is a device that controls the floor cleaning device 1. The control panel 11 has a display unit 111 and an operation unit 112. The display unit 111 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays an image that notifies the user of the status of the floor cleaning device 1, etc. The operation unit 112 is a panel on which are arranged operators such as switches and dials that allow the user to operate the floor cleaning device 1. The control panel 11 also has a holder 110 and a hinge 113 (not shown in FIG. 1) (see FIG. 7).

<Squeegee configuration>
The squeegee 12 is a member that removes used cleaning water that has been sprinkled on the floor. The squeegee 12 has a blade made of, for example, rubber, which is pressed against the floor to prevent the cleaning water from spreading or flowing out. The squeegee 12 shown in Fig. 1 is disposed in the -y direction when viewed from the main body of the floor cleaning device 1, and has a blade that extends approximately in the x-axis direction. By pressing this blade against the floor, the cleaning water that has been sprinkled directly below the main body of the floor cleaning device 1 is wiped by the squeegee 12, preventing it from spreading or flowing out in the -y direction.

<Configuration of Supply Section>
3 is configured to supply new cleaning water to the cleaning unit 14. The supply unit 13 includes an inlet 130, an outer container 131, a supply pipe 132, a water level indicator pipe 133, and a supply pump 134.

The outer container 131 is a container that holds new cleaning water before use, and uses the outer wall surface of the inner container 151 (described later) as part of the inner wall surface.

The inlet 130 is an opening for pouring in cleaning water before use into the outer container 131. The supply pipe 132 is connected to a supply hole 1310 provided at the bottom of the outer container 131, and is a pipe that sends the cleaning water contained in the outer container 131 to the supply pump 134. The water level indicator pipe 133 is a pipe whose lower end communicates with the supply pipe 132 and whose upper end is open to the atmosphere. The amount of cleaning water contained in the outer container 131 is displayed to the user by the water level indicated by the water level indicator pipe 133.

The supply pump 134 shown in FIG. 3 is, for example, a screw pump or a diaphragm pump, and discharges the cleaning water drawn from the supply pipe 132 in the direction of the arrow to supply it to the cleaning unit 14.

<Configuration of cleaning unit>
3 includes a drive unit 141 and a brush 142. The brush 142 rotates about an axis extending substantially parallel to the z-axis direction to scrub the floor on which cleaning water has been sprinkled. The drive unit 141 rotates the brush 142 using a motor, and supplies cleaning water received from the supply pump 134 to the brush 142.

<Configuration of the recovery section>
The recovery section 15 shown in Fig. 3 has an inner container 151, a recovery pipe 152, and a lid 153. The inner container 151 is a tank for recovering and storing used cleaning water used in cleaning. The recovery pipe 152 is a pipe that sucks up and recovers the cleaning water that has been spread on the floor and used in floor cleaning by the rotating brush 142 from the area blocked by the squeegee 12. As shown in Fig. 1, the lower end of this recovery pipe 152 is disposed above the squeegee 12, and the upper end is connected to the lid 153.

The lid 153 is a lid that covers the opening 1511 provided at the top of the inner container 151. The opening 1511 provided in the inner container 151 can be opened and closed by the lid 153.

<Lid configuration>
Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the floor cleaning device 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the lid 153 covers the upper part of the inner container 151. The lid 153 has a recovery hole 1531, a suction hole 1532, a hook 1533, and a sensor 1534.

The recovery hole 1531 is a hole that penetrates the lid 153 and is used to send used cleaning water into the inner container 151. The cleaning water used for cleaning is recovered into the inner container 151 through the recovery pipe 152 and this recovery hole 1531.

The suction hole 1532 is a hole that penetrates the lid 153 and is a hole for reducing the pressure inside the inner container 151. Through the suction pipe 162 (described later) and this suction hole 1532, the air inside the inner container 151, whose opening 1511 is blocked by the lid 153, is sucked to the outside of the inner container 151. As a result, the pressure inside the inner container 151 is reduced, and the cleaning water blocked by the squeegee 12 is sucked in from the lower end of the recovery pipe 152.

The hook 1533 is, for example, a ring-shaped handle attached to the top surface of the lid 153. When the user grasps and lifts the hook 1533, the lid 153 moves away from the opening 1511 of the inner container 151, and the inner container 151 becomes open.

Sensor 1534 is a sensor that extends through lid 153 into the interior of inner container 151. Sensor 1534 detects the level, i.e., the amount, of used cleaning water contained in inner container 151 based on the electrical current state when its tip is submerged in the cleaning water. A signal indicating the detection result is sent to control panel 11.

<Configuration of pressure reducing section>
The pressure reducing section 16 shown in FIG. 3 includes a filter 161 , a suction pipe 162 , an exhaust pipe 163 , and a vacuum pump 164 .

The filter 161 is a filtering mechanism that is installed on the underside of the lid 153, below the suction hole 1532, and removes solid matter such as dust and dirt contained in the air contained in the inner container 151 as the air passes through the suction hole 1532 and flows into the suction pipe 162.

The suction pipe 162 is a pipe whose upper end is connected to a suction hole 1532 provided in the lid 153 and whose lower end is connected to the suction side (suction) of the vacuum pump 164. The exhaust pipe 163 is a pipe whose one end is connected to the exhaust side (delivery) of the vacuum pump 164 and whose other end is open to the atmosphere. Air sucked in by the vacuum pump 164 is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 163.

The vacuum pump 164 is, for example, a rotary pump or a roots pump, and sucks air from inside the inner container 151 through the suction pipe 162 and exhausts it through the exhaust pipe 163. In this way, the vacuum pump 164 reduces the pressure inside the inner container 151.

<Detailed configuration of each container>
Fig. 5 is a view looking downward from plane L shown in Fig. 3. As described above, the outer wall surface of the inner container 151 is used as part of the inner wall surface of the outer container 131. A drain outlet 1510 is provided at the end in the -y direction of the bottom surface of the inner container 151. A supply hole 1310 is provided at the bottom surface of the outer container 131. As described above, this supply hole 1310 is connected to the supply pipe 132.

<Drain configuration>
Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the position of the drain port 1510. Fig. 6 shows a view of the inner container 151 viewed from the +x direction toward the -x direction.

The inner container 151 shown in FIG. 6 is a cylindrical container with a bottom (i.e., a bottomed cylindrical body). The central axis O of the inner container 151 shown in FIG. 6 is inclined with respect to the z-axis direction (i.e., the vertical direction). This central axis O is on the yz plane, and is inclined such that as the z component increases along the central axis O, the y component decreases. The drain outlet 1510 is located in the -y direction from the central axis O.

In other words, the inner container 151 shown in FIG. 6 is a bottomed cylindrical tank whose central axis is inclined toward the drain outlet (referred to as the drain outlet direction) relative to the vertical direction.

As described above, the drain outlet 1510 is provided at the end of the bottom surface of the inner container 151 in the -y direction. The central axis O of the inner container 151 is inclined toward the drain outlet 1510 with respect to the vertical direction.

Plane B is a plane perpendicular to the z-axis and is a plane that contacts the lowermost position (i.e., the lowest position) of inner container 151. Drain outlet 1510 is provided at the portion where inner container 151 contacts plane B. Therefore, inner container 151 shown in FIG. 6 is an example of a tank that has a drain outlet at the lowest position.

The inner container 151 does not have a convex area on its inner wall. Therefore, solid matter such as dust and dirt contained in the collected cleaning water is unlikely to remain on the inner wall and is likely to flow downward from the drain outlet 1510. In addition, because there is no convex area on the inner wall, the user can easily clean the inner wall of the inner container 151 through the opening 1511 by removing the lid 153.

<Configuration of the holder>
Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the holder 110 and the hinge 113. As shown in Fig. 7, the floor cleaning device 1 is grounded on the floor surface G by the front wheels 102 and rear wheels 103 provided on the housing 10. The control panel 11 is attached to the top surface of the cover 101, at the end in the +y direction, by a hinge 113 so as to be swingable around an axis parallel to the x axis.

The control panel 11 has a holder 110 fixed to the downward surface facing the top surface of the cover 101. The holder 110 has a notch on the surface away from the hinge 113.

Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the function of the holder 110. When the control panel 11 swings around the hinge 113 with the hook 1533 hung in the notch described above, the holder 110 lifts up the hook 1533. At this time, the opening direction of the notch faces upward, so the hook 1533 is less likely to fall off the notch, and as a result, the holder 110 holds the lid 153.

The configuration, shape, size, and layout relationship described in the above embodiments are merely shown in a schematic manner to enable the present invention to be understood and implemented. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and can be modified in various forms without departing from the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims.

<Modification>
The above is a description of the embodiment, but the contents of this embodiment may be modified as follows. In addition, the following modifications may be combined.

＜1＞
In the above-described embodiment, the inner container 151 is a cylindrical body with a bottom, but it may have another shape as long as it does not have a convex area on the inner wall surface and has a drainage hole at the lowest position.

＜2＞
In the above-described embodiment, the central axis of the inner container 151 is inclined toward the drain outlet, but it does not have to be inclined. For example, if the bottom surface is inclined or has a mortar-like or conical recess and has a drain outlet at the lowest position, the central axis does not have to be inclined.

＜3＞
In the above-described embodiment, the lid 153 has the holder 110 provided with a notch for hanging the hook 1533, but this is not essential.

1...floor cleaning device, 10...housing, 101...cover, 102...front wheels, 103...rear wheels, 104...handle, 11...control panel, 110...holding device, 111...display unit, 112...operation unit, 113...hinge, 12...squeegee, 13...supply unit, 130...feeding port, 131...outer container, 1310...supply hole, 132...supply pipe, 133...water level indicator tube, 134...supply pump, 14...cleaning unit, 141...drive unit, 142...brush, 15...recovery unit, 151...inner container, 1510...drain, 1511...opening, 152...recovery pipe, 153...lid, 1531...recovery hole, 1532...suction hole, 1533...hook, 1534...sensor, 16...pressure reduction unit, 161...filter, 162...suction pipe, 163...exhaust pipe, 164...vacuum pump.

Claims (5)

washing the floor, recovering the washing water used for washing, and storing the recovered washing water in a tank having no convex area on an inner wall surface and having a drain outlet at a lowest position ;
The tank is a bottomed cylindrical body whose central axis is inclined with respect to the vertical direction toward a predetermined direction in the horizontal direction where the drain outlet is located,
The drain outlet is provided at the end of the bottom surface of the tank in the predetermined direction . The floor cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the tank has an opening that can be opened and closed by a lid. The floor cleaning device according to claim 2 , wherein the cleaning water is collected in the tank through a collection hole penetrating the lid. The floor cleaning device according to claim 3 , wherein the cleaning water is collected in the tank by sucking air inside the tank, the opening of which is blocked by the lid, through a suction hole that penetrates the lid. The floor cleaning device according to claim 2 , further comprising a holder for holding the lid in a position that does not block the opening.

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