Surface cleaner with multiple uses

Abstract

A surface cleaner with a connection to a high-pressure medium, consisting of a pot- shaped housing (11) open on one side, in which at least one rotor arm (6) is rotatably mounted on a swivel joint (5) in the center of the housing, wherein one or more cleaning nozzles (27) are arranged on the rotor arm (6), which are connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the high-pressure medium guided through the swivel joint (5), wherein the housing (11) is designed to be able to turn 180 degrees for a second operating mode, wherein the surface cleaner can be operated in the at least two different operating modes, wherein the first operating mode consists of a surface cleaning operation with the housing (11) and the cleaning nozzles (27) arranged therein pointing downwards toward a floor, and wherein the second operating mode is designed as a cleaning operation in which the housing (11), turned over 180 degrees with the cleaning nozzles (27) pointing upwards, is directed toward a cleaning surface arranged at a distance from the floor, characterized in that the surface cleaner has a chassis (8, 9, 17) for supporting the housing (11) in the first and second operating positions relative to the floor surface.

Claims

1. A surface cleaner with a connection to a high-pressure medium, consisting of a pot-shaped housing (11) open on one side, in which at least one rotor arm (6) is rotatably mounted on a swivel joint (5) in the center of the housing, wherein one or more cleaning nozzles (27) are arranged on the rotor arm (6), which are connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the high-pressure medium guided through the swivel joint (5), wherein the housing (11) is designed to be able to turn 180 degrees for a second operating mode, wherein the surface cleaner can be operated in the at least two different operating modes, wherein the first operating mode consists of a surface cleaning operation with the housing (11) and the cleaning nozzles (27) arranged therein pointing downwards toward a floor, and wherein the second operating mode is designed as a cleaning operation in which the housing (11), turned over 180 degrees with the cleaning nozzles (27) pointing upwards, is directed toward a cleaning surface arranged at a distance from the floor, characterized hi that the surface cleaner has a chassis (8, 9, 17) for supporting the housing (11) in the first and second operating positions relative to the floor surface.

2. The surface cleaner according to claim 1, characterized hi that the chassis consists of individual castors (9) which are uniformly distributed around the circumference of the housing (11) in a horizontal swivel axis (21) in a manner allowing swiveling 180 degrees, and locking.

3. The surface cleaner according to any one of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each castor (9) forms a swivel unit (8) which is pivotably mounted via a vertical swivel axis (17) at one end of a horizontal angled cross member (18), in that the other end of the angled cross member (18) is bent by 90 degrees and received in a horizontal swivel axis of a swivel joint (19) of the housing, and in that each of the swivel positions of the swivel joint (19) can be locked by a spring-loaded locking pin (20).

4. A surface cleaner with a connection to a high-pressure medium, consisting of a pot-shaped housing (11) open on one side, in which at least one rotor arm (6) is rotatably mounted on a swivel joint (5) in the center of the housing, wherein one or more cleaning nozzles (27) are arranged on the rotor arm (6), which are connected in a fluid-conducting manner to the high-pressure medium guided through the swivel joint (5), wherein the housing (11) is designed to be able to turn 180 degrees for a second operating mode, wherein the surface cleaner can be operated in the at least two different operating modes, wherein the first operating mode consists of a surface cleaning operation with the housing (11) and the cleaning nozzles (27) arranged therein pointing downwards toward a floor, and wherein the second operating mode is designed as a cleaning operation in which the housing (11), turned over 180 degrees with the cleaning nozzles (27) pointing upwards, is directed toward a cleaning surface arranged at a distance from the floor, characterized hi that the surface cleaner has two separate chassis for supporting the housing (11) in the first and second operating positions relative to the floor surface.

5. The surface cleaner according to claim 5, characterized in that the surface cleaner has a first chassis (8, 9, 17) only for supporting the housing (11) in the first operating position relative to the floor surface, and in that a second chassis (8, 9, 17) is present only for supporting the housing (11) in the second operating position relative to the floor surface.

6. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized hi that the high-pressure medium is guided via a manually operated push rod (15) into an articulation joint (3) attached to the side of the housing (11) of the surface cleaner.

7. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized hi that the surface cleaner can be operated in a third operating mode when the housing (11) is turned only 90 degrees from its first or second operating position.

8. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, in order to reduce the constructed height of the surface cleaner, the high-pressure medium is introduced into the swivel joint (5) in the center of the housing via a connecting tube (4) attached to the side of the swivel joint (5), which is connected to the articulation joint (3) in a fluid-conducting manner.

9. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized hi that the push rod (15) of the surface cleaner is formed by a hand-operated high-pressure gun (1) which is connected to a high-pressure lance (2a, 2b) in a fluid-conducting manner.

10. The surface cleaner according to claim 9, characterized in that the high- pressure lance (2) consists of two lance parts (2a, 2b) screwed together, and in that the lower lance part (2b) is screwed to the articulation joint (3) of the housing in a sealed manner.

11. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a protective plate (12) which partially covers the rotor arm (6) and leaves the cleaning nozzles (27) uncovered is arranged in the interior of the housing (11).

12. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that one or more outlet openings (26) are arranged in the cover region of the housing (11).

13. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the surface cleaner has a low constructed height in order to be able to clean surfaces that are close together and that are opposite to each other at an angle of 180 degrees.

14. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, in order to switch between the two operating modes, the housing (11) is turned from one flat side by 180° to the opposite flat side.

15. The surface cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the housing (11) with the chassis (8, 9) has a low constructed height, such that it is possible to expediently carry out an underbody cleaning even with little floor clearance of underbodies or other cleaning surfaces to be cleaned.

Description

[0041] IN THE DRAWINGS

[0042] FIG. 1: is perspective illustration of a surface cleaner in the floor surface cleaning operating mode,

[0043] FIG. 2: is the same illustration as FIG. 1, in the underbody cleaning operating mode,

[0044] FIG. 3: is the surface cleaner in its working position, turned 180 degrees,

[0045] FIG. 4: is a side view of the surface cleaner in the working position according to FIG. 3, and

[0046] FIG. 5: is a detailed view of a chassis detail according to FIG. 1.

[0047] The surface cleaner shown in FIG. 1 preferably has a pot-shaped, cylindrical housing 11 that is open at the bottom. It is pushed by hand over a cleaning surface; in FIG. 1, the cleaning surface over which the surface cleaner is pushed is the floor. The cleaning surface is not shown in FIG. 2 because it is above the housing 11 which is open at its top.

[0048] A push rod 15 is used for manually moving the surface cleaner in both cleaning modes. In the preferred embodiment, the push rod 15 of the surface cleaner consists of an upper high-pressure gun 1 with a suitable actuating handle, which is connected to an upper lance part 2a in a fluid-tight manner via a first screw connection.

[0049] On the underside of the upper lance part 2a is a quick screw connection 10, in which the upper end of a lower lance part 2b is received, which in turn leads with its lower end via a screw connection into an articulation joint 3 of the housing, which is preferably able to swivel over an angular range of 180° or less about a horizontal swivel axis 28. The swivel angle in the direction of arrow 13 can be 180° or less in this case.

[0050] Instead of the design of the push rod 15 composed of the high-pressure gun 1 and the lance 2a, 2b attached to it, the push rod 15 can also consist of a tube, at the upper end of which the high-pressure gun 1 is arranged, which is connected to the articulation joint 3 via a high-pressure hose that is guided along the outside or inside of the tube.

[0051] Proceeding from the articulation joint 2, the high-pressure medium flows via a further screw connection into an approximately horizontally oriented connecting tube 4, which is fastened to the outer circumference of the housing 11 with the aid of a cross member, and thus the high-pressure medium is guided to the central swivel joint 5.

[0052] A rotor arm 6 is rotatably mounted on the central swivel joint 5 in the interior of the housing 11. The swivel joint 5 guides the high-pressure medium to the rotor arm, and in the process must absorb the relatively high axial forces during use both in the surface cleaning mode and in the underbody cleaning mode.

[0053] The housing 11 is essentially cylindrical and pot-shaped, and is closed on the edge by an approximately circumferential brush ring 23.

[0054] The high-pressure medium, which is supplied through the swivel joint 5, therefore acts directly on the rotor arm 6 and the cleaning nozzles 27, which are directed downwards at an angle at the free end of the rotor arm, and which are supported during high-pressure operation with their spray jets at an angle to the cleaning surface, thereby driving the rotor arm 6 to rotate.

[0055] A chassis is arranged on the outer circumference of the housing 11 of the surface cleaner, which in the embodiment shown consists of three swivel units 8 evenly distributed around the circumference, each swivel unit being designed to be swivelable by 180° about a horizontal swivel axis 21 in the direction of the arrow 22. A detailed view of the swivel mount of a castor 9 can be seen in FIG. 5.

[0056] According to FIG. 5, each swivel unit has a castor 9 which is rotatably mounted in a bearing bracket which is received in a vertical swivel axis 17 at the end of an angled cross member 18.

[0057] The other end of the angled cross member 18 is angled as a vertical limb through which the swivel joint 19, which is received in a locking housing 14, extends. The locking housing 14 is fixed to the outer circumference of the housing 11.

[0058] A spring-loaded locking pin 20 is arranged in the locking housing 14 and acts with its spring-loaded, bolt-side end on a locking groove in a swivel shaft of the swivel joint 19. When the locking pin 20 is engaged, the swivel joint 19 is blocked with the force of a spring (not shown). If, on the other hand, the locking pin 20 is pulled against its spring force, the swivel unit 8 can be swiveled in the swivel axis 21 by 180° in the direction of the arrow 22.

[0059] Decisive for the ability of the housing 11 of the surface cleaner to turn over is the fact that the articulation joint 3 for the inlet of the high-pressure medium has been relocated laterally outside the outer circumference (circumferential circle 25) of the housing 11, so that the housing can be turned by 180°. This can be seen in particular in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, it can be seen that when the surface cleaner is turned over into its second working position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the articulation joint 3 comes close to the floor, and the circumferential brush ring 23 is the uppermost part of the surface cleaner.

[0060] Accordingly, the articulation joint 3 lies in the region of an outer circle 24, the radius of which is greater than the circumferential circle 25 of the housing 11.

[0061] The radius of the outer circle 24 should preferably not be greater than the outer circumference formed by the swivel unit 8. This results in a space-saving structure because the articulation joint does not protrude beyond the outer diameter of the chassis formed by the castors.

[0062] However, it can also be provided that the radius of the outer circle 24 projects beyond the outer radius of the swivel unit 8. This is shown in FIG. 4 as a further preferred embodiment. It is also preferred if the constructed height of the chassis 8, 9, 14, 18, 19 does not protrude beyond the constructed height of the cylindrical, pot- shaped housing 11 of the surface cleaner. This means that the surface cleaner can also be pushed into narrow, slot-shaped surfaces to be cleaned, such as those found in the filter plates of a plate filter.

[0063] FIG. 1 also shows an outlet opening 26 approximately in the middle region of the housing 11, which performs a function in the second operating mode according to FIG. 2. This will be explained later.

[0064] If an underbody cleaning takes place with the transition from FIGS. 1 and 2 to FIGS. 3 and 4, the given locking pin 20 is pulled back on the swivel unit 8 according to FIG. 5, and then the angled cross member 18 swivels about the swivel axis 21 in the direction of the arrow 22, and the locking pin 20 is released again, such that the swivel position of the swivel unit 8, 9 is locked in a position pivoted by 180 degrees, and assumes the swivel position according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

[0065] In this underbody cleaning operation, it is provided in a preferred embodiment that the upper region of the housing 11 open at the top is at least partially covered at the top by a protective plate 12. The rotor arm 6 is thus largely covered, and only cleaning nozzles 27 in an outer circle outside the protective plate 12 are accessible and active. It is then no longer possible to grasp the rotor arm 6 itself.

[0066] At the same time, when the operating mode is changed, the articulation joint 3 is swiveled 180° or less, in order to achieve the swivel position according to FIG. 2.

[0067] During the process of turning over, it is therefore not necessary to loosen the screw connection on the articulation joint 3, because the high-pressure inlet is designed as a sealed articulation joint 3.

[0068] As already stated in the general description, the ability to turn the swivel unit 8, 9, 18 180 degrees is not necessary for the solution. It can be provided that the surface cleaner also works in the surface cleaning mode according to FIG. 1 with the orientation of the castors 9 shown in FIG. 2—specifically, with the castors swiveled upward, the position of which is actually intended for underbody operation—such that the castors 9 are no longer active, and do not have a supporting function on the floor-side cleaning surface. In this case, the castors 9 no longer roll on the surface to be cleaned, and the device is only pushed over the floor surface to be cleaned via the brush ring 23. It is clear from the foregoing that the ability to turn the swivel units by 180° is preferred, but is not absolutely necessary for the solution.

[0069] In the third described embodiment, the chassis 8, 9, 18 with the castors 9 can be completely omitted. In this case, sliding elements or runners (not shown in more detail) are then present on the upper side of the housing 11.

[0070] The advantage of the measure according to the invention which allows for the multiple use of such a surface cleaner is the minimal workload required for the transition from surface cleaning operation to underbody cleaning operation. Another advantage is the low constructed height, which is achieved by the special type of swivel units 8, 9, 18, which do not project beyond the height of the housing 11 in terms of their constructed height.

[0071] Another advantage is that the articulation joint 3 can be swiveled even when high pressure prevails, which means that it can be swiveled directly from one operating state to the other even when high pressure is applied to the surface cleaning device.

[0072] Another advantage is that the swivel units 8, 9, 18 can be swiveled without tools.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0073] 1 High-pressure gun

[0074] 2 Upper lance part 2a; Lower lance part 2b

[0075] 3 Articulation joint

[0076] 4 Connecting tube

[0077] 5 Swivel joint

[0078] 6 Rotor arm

[0079] 7

[0080] 8 Swivel unit

[0081] 9 Castor

[0082] 10 Quick screw connection

[0083] 11 Housing

[0084] 12 Protective plate

[0085] 13 Direction of arrow

[0086] 14 Locking housing

[0087] 15 Push rod

[0088] 16

[0089] 17 Swivel axis (vertical)

[0090] 18 Angled cross member

[0091] 19 Swivel joint

[0092] 20 Locking pin

[0093] 21 Swivel axis (horizontal)

[0094] 22 Direction of arrow

[0095] 23 Brush ring

[0096] 24 Outer circle

[0097] 25 Circumferential circle (housing 11)

[0098] 26 Outlet opening

[0099] 27 Cleaning nozzle

[0100] 28 Swivel axis