AU4444802A - Floor cleaning machine - Google Patents

Description

Our Ref:7711390 P/00/011 Regulation 3:2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): Rotowash Reinigungsmaschinen Ges.m.b.H.

Karl-Fink-Park 1 A-8435 Wagna Austria Address for Service: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 10, 10 Barrack Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Invention Title: Floor cleaning machine The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 5020 1 FLOOR CLEANING MACHINE 2 3 CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

I

4 This application claims the priority of Austrian Patent Application Serial 6 No. A 635/98, filed April 14, 1998, the subject matter of which is incorporated 7 herein by reference.

8 9 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 11 The present invention relates to a drive system for two counter-rotating 12 cylindrical brushes of a floor cleaning machine which includes a motor, a gear 13 mechanism and a force transmitting system for transmitting a torque from the 14 gear mechanism to the cylindrical brushes.

16 Floor cleaning machines with two counter-rotating cylindrical brushes are 17 known. Such machines typically include a rotating drum that is arranged between 18 the cylindrical brushes and has a rotation axis that is located above the rotation 19 axes of the cylindrical brushes. Water is applied to the floor to be cleaned or to one of the brushes, and the water together with the dirt, picked up by the 21 brushes, is then propelled towards the drum surface. A water film forms on the 22 drum which holds the dirt that is picked up from the floor on the surface of the 23 drum. Also provided are devices for lifting the soiled water film from the drum 1 and transferri-ng the soiled water film to a waste water container.

2 3 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 4 In general, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved design of 6 such floor cleaning machines. The object is attained by several design features 7 described hereinafter.

8 9 A first important aspect of the invention is the drive system. The drive system includes as mentioned above a motor, a gear mechanism and a force 11 transmitting system for transmitting a torque from the gear mechanism to the 12 cylindrical brushes. Conventional gear mechanisms have a single driven shaft.

13 Typically, the two cylindrical brushes are driven by a multistage gear drive 14 disposed on each cylindrical brush, by several meshing gear wheels having parallel rotation axes. A gear mechanism constructed in this manner 16 disadvantageously requires multiple stages to drive the brushes, which 17 significantly reduces the efficiency of the drive system and also generates 18 objectionable noise.

19 It is therefore an object of the invention to obviate these drawbacks, and to 21 provide a drive system of the type described above with a high efficiency.

22 23 This object is attained in accordance with the invention by providing each 1 cylindrical brush with its own separate driven shaft.

2 3 In this way, both cylindrical brushes can be connected directly and 4 independently of each other to the gear mechanism, and a malfunction of one drive connection does not affect the other drive connection. The direct 6 connection of each brush to the gear mechanism produces the required high 7 efficiency.

8 9 According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the force transmitting system may include toothed disks and toothed belts which are 11 secured to the driven shafts and to the shafts of the cylindrical brushes and 12 which connect one of the toothed disks of the driven shaft with a respective 13 toothed disk located on the cylindrical brush. A toothed belt drive of this type is 14 very effective and highly efficient. The toothed belt drive also operates very quietly, so that of the cleaning machine produces very little noise.

16 17 According to another embodiment of the invention, a further toothed disk 18 may be secured on a driven shaft and connected via another toothed belt to a 19 toothed disk that is secured on the driven shaft of the drum. The drum is then driven independently from the brushes, so that the drum is still operational in the 21 event that the drives of the brushes malfunction. Furthermore, the toothed belt 22 drive is very effective and operates very quietly.

23 3 1 According to another feature of the drive system of the invention, the gear 2 mechanism may include a pinion secured to the motor drive shaft and two 3 primary gear wheels that engage with the pinion, as well as a secondary gear 4 wheels meshing with the primary gear wheels, wherein the first driven shaft is connected to one of the primary gear wheels and the second driven shaft is 6 connected to the secondary gear wheel. In this manner, the counter-rotation of 7 the cylindrical brushes can be attained employing only a few components. The 8 driven shafts of the gear mechanism are connected to the motor pinion only via 9 one or two stages, thereby further contributing to the high overall efficiency of the drive system.

11 12 According to yet another feature of the invention, the pinion, the primary 13 gear wheels and the secondary gear wheel may be implemented as spur gears 14 made of steel. This guarantees a long lifetime of the gear wheels.

16 According to another advantageous feature of the invention, the pinion, 17 the primary gear wheels and the secondary gear wheel may be helical gears that 18 are known to produce a particularly low noise level.

19 The toothed disks of the force transmitting system may also be made of 21 steel, aluminum, plastic and the like. Toothed disks made of steel 22 advantageously have a long lifetime which reduces the frequency of repairs of 23 the cleaning machine. Plastic and aluminum gears advantageously produce low 4 1 noise levels. 2 3 According to another embodiment of the invention, the motor is a 4 synchronous motor. Motors of this type can be controlled with relatively simple control circuits. Moreover, synchronous motors are known to support the high 6 brush rotation speed required, for example, for waxing floors. Consequently, the 7 cleaning machine according to the invention is suitable for waxing floors, in 8 particular marble floors.

9 Advantageously, an electronic device for controlling the rotation speed of 11 the motor can be provided to adapt the cleaning machine to different dirt 12 conditions encountered in practice. The motor can be started smoothly with such 13 control, thereby improving the motor lifetime.

14 According to another advantageous feature, the floor cleaning machine of 16 the invention includes a stripping device for lifting the soiled water film from the 17 floor, transferring the film to the drum and then transferring the soiled water film 18 to a waste water container. Such floor cleaning machines with a stripping device 19 with at least one rotating brush, preferably a cylindrical brush, and with a drum, on which a water film is disposed and to which the dirt picked up by the brush is 21 transferred, are known in the art. The stripping device lifts this soiled water film 22 from the drum and transfers the film to a waste water container. The stripping 23 device is formed as a strip which contacts the outer surface of the drum along the 1 entire width of the drum.

2 3 Conventionally, the strip is biased by a plurality of spaced-apart springs 4 and thereby pressed against the surface of the drum. The thus realized pressing of the strip at only spaced-apart localized points may cause problems, since the 6 water film is then properly lifted from the drum surface only in certain sections, 7 while the water film in other sections forms a dam in front of the strip before 8 being lifted. This significantly impairs the reliable removal of dirt.

9 It is therefore another object of invention to provide an improved stripping 11 device which obviates these drawbacks and ensures that the water film is reliably 12 lifted across the entire width of the drum.

13 14 Thus, according to another aspect of the invention, a rigid strip holder is provided that extends substantially across the entire lengths of the strip, wherein 16 the strip holder is biased towards the surface of the drum by at least one spring.

17 The rigid strip holder distributes the spring bias force evenly across the entire 18 length of the strip and therefore biases the strip against the drum surface with a 19 biasing force that is constant over the entire length of the strip. Uneven biasing forces that can otherwise cause the water film to form a dam, are thereby 21 eliminated.

22 23 Advantageously, the strip holder is pivotally supported, with the spring 1 pivoting the portion of the strip holder carrying the strip towards the drum surface.

2 This type of support can be easily implemented.

3 4 According to yet another feature of the invention, the strip holder can be secured in fixed rotative engagement on a pivot shaft which projects beyond the 6 end faces of the strip holder and is supported in the side members of the floor 7 cleaning machine. A lever is arranged on at least one pivot shaft end that 8 projects beyond the side member, with the at least one spring acting on the lever.

9 The spring acting on the lever can then be secured to the side member, so that the floor cleaning machine is of significantly simpler construction than could 11 otherwise be achieved if the spring were attached at a level with the drum.

12 13 According to another feature of the invention, the spring may be 14 implemented as a compression spring, with one end of the spring supported on the side member and the other end of the spring supported on the lever. Such 16 springs are standard components, and their use reduces the manufacturing cost 17 and facilitates maintenance of the floor cleaning machine according to the 18 invention.

19 According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the compression 21 spring may be accommodated in a housing formed as a hollow cylinder and 22 closed off on one end, wherein the housing is supported for rotation parallel to 23 the plane of the side member, with the one end of the compression spring being 1 supported onthe bottom of the housing, whereas the second end is supported on 2 a piston extending into the housing and rotatably supported on the lever. The 3 compression spring is thereby encapsulated and sealed against dust and 4 protected from the environment.

6 According to another embodiment of the invention, the spring can be 7 formed as a tension spring, with one end of the spring secured to a side member 8 and the other end of the spring secured to the lever. These springs are also 9 standard components, so that their use results in a simplified maintenance of the floor cleaning machine and in reduced the manufacturing cost.

11 12 In addition, a conventional stripping device adapted for use with a floor 13 cleaning machine of a type having at least one rotating brush, preferably a 14 cylindrical brush, and a rotating drum on which a water film is arranged for receiving dirt picked up by the brush, and provided for lifting the soiled water film 16 from the drum and transferring the film to a waste water container, has the 17 following further drawback: Dirt, in particular dirt in form of long fibers, tends to 18 accumulate and form a dam on the strip, and is therefore not immediately 19 transferred to the waste water container. When the dam is formed on the stripping device, the stripping device frequently clogs, interrupting the cleaning 21 process.

22 23 It is therefore an object of the invention, to provide a new design of a 1 stripping device, which ensures that the dirt is transferred directly to the waste 2 water container.

3 4 According to the invention, this object is attained by providing a rotating cylindrical brush that extends substantially across the entire width of the drum, 6 with the free brush ends of the brush bearing upon the drum surface.

7 8 Unlike conventional stripping devices, the stripping device according to the 9 present invention lifts the dirt from the drum surface and simultaneously transfers the dirt to the waste container. Consequently, the dirt cannot form a dam.

11 12 Another aspect of the present invention relates to the handle of the floor 13 cleaning machine for manual maneuvering the machine. Conventional floor 14 cleaning machines that include a motor, preferably an electric motor, for driving cleaning devices, such as cylindrical brushes, and at least one switch to switch 16 the motor on and off, employ a handle which operates the switch with a portion of 17 the handle. Typically, the switch is actuated by pivoting the entire handle. For 18 example, if the handle is oriented perpendicular to the floor, the switch is 19 switched OFF, whereas when the handle is pivoted by a predetermined angle, then the switch is moved into an ON position, which starts the floor cleaning 21 machine. This mode of actuation has however the drawback that the machine 22 can be inadvertently switched on even though the intention of the user is only to 23 move the machine with the handle.

9 1 It is therefore another object of the invention to provide an improved 2 handle which can be tilted in an arbitrary direction without activating the switch.

3 4 This object is attained according to the present invention by providing a switch that is arranged at a fixed location on the handle, wherein the portion of 6 the handle that actuates the switch is implemented in form of a lever that can be 7 pivoted with respect to the handle. In this way, the switch can be actuated 8 independent of the rotation angle of the handle, thereby entirely eliminating the 9 disadvantages described above.

11 Advantageously, the lever may include a pivot shaft supported in the 12 handle, wherein a separate actuator is provided on the pivot shaft for each 13 switch, and wherein the actuating element of the switch is attached to the handle 14 and located in the path along which the actuator is rotated. The switch can then be arranged inside the handle and effectively protected from the environment.

16 17 According to another embodiment of the present invention, the actuator 18 can be formed by a cylindrical disk that is eccentrically secured to the rotating 19 shaft. This configuration realizes a smooth activation of the actuating element, thereby extending the lifetime of the switch.

21 22 According to another feature of the invention, the at least one switch can 23 be a microswitch having a lever as an actuating element. Microswitches are 1 standard components which contribute to reduced manufacturing costs of the 2 floor cleaning machine. Moreover, microswitches have a long lifetime and 3 therefore make the floor cleaning machine more reliable.

4 The present invention also relates to a handle for a floor cleaning machine 6 with cleaning devices that make contact with the floor, in particular cylindrical 7 brushes, as well as with an undercarriage having wheels supported in wheel 8 supports which are movable with respect to the cleaning devices. The wheels 9 can thereby- be raised above or lowered below the section of the cleaning devices that contacts the floor, by using a portion of the handle. Conventionally, 11 the wheel supports are normally raised and lowered by moving the entire handle.

12 For example, the wheel supports are lowered by orienting the handle 13 perpendicular to the floor, whereas the wheel supports are raised by rotating the 14 handle by a certain angle. In this way, however, the undercarriage can be inadvertently raised when the machine is only to be moved using the handle.

16 17 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved 18 handle which can be tilted regardless if the wheel supports are to be raised or 19 lowered.

21 This object is attained in accordance with the invention, by providing the 22 portion of the handle, which raises the undercarriage, in the form of a lever which 23 is pivotally supported on the handle., and by providing cables having first ends 1 secured to the wheel support of the undercarriage and second ends secured to 2 the lever. The wheel supports can then be lifted independently of the tilt angle of 3 the handle, thereby eliminating the disadvantages described above.

4 According to another feature of the present invention, the lever may 6 include a pivot shaft supported on the handle, wherein the second end of the 7 cables is secured to the outer surface of the pivot shaft. In this way, the cables 8 can be routed inside the handle and thereby effectively protected from the 9 environment, Advantageously, the cables can be guided in a particularly good manner by attaching disks on the pivot shaft on both sides of the attachment 11 points of the cables.

12 13 The invention also relates to a floor cleaning machine of a type including 14 at least one rotating brush, preferably a cylindrical brush, a rotating drum having a water film that receives the dirt picked up by the brush, and a nozzle for 16 applying water for the water film to the floor to be cleaned or at least to a rotating 17 brush. Common to all conventional floor cleaning machines is the fact that water 18 for the water film is ejected through nozzles that are rigidly attached to the 19 machine and are oriented in such a way that the cone of the water jet either impinges entirely on the floor to be cleaned or entirely on a brush.

21 22 Water, however, is preferably applied to different areas depending on the 23 type of the floor to be cleaned: In floors that strongly absorb water, for example 1 carpets, water should be applied to the brush and not to the absorbent floor; 2 whereas in floors that do not absorb water, for example tiled floors, concrete or 3 parquet, water should be aimed directly to the floor. Conventional machines with 4 rigid attachment of the nozzles to the floor cleaning machine can only be used for a specific type of floor.

6 7 It is therefore an object of the invention, to provide an improved floor 8 cleaning machine, which can be equally employed with absorbent and non- 9 absorbent floors.

11 This object is attained in accordance with the present invention, by so 12 securing the nozzle to the floor cleaning machine as to be rotatable about an axis 13 that is approximately perpendicular to the symmetry axis of the water spray cone.

14 The user can then easily adjust the location where the jet spray cone impinges on the floor and/or brush and select the orientation of the cone according to the 16 requirements of the floor to be cleaned.

17 18 Advantageously, the nozzle may have at least one locking lug which 19 cooperates with recesses disposed in the region of the nozzle of the floor cleaning machine. In this way, the nozzle cannot be tilted by the hydraulic force 21 and the recoil forces acting on the nozzle, and therefore remains in the position 22 selected by the user.

23 13 1 The present invention also relates to a transport cart for a floor cleaning 2 machine of a type described above, with wheels and a hand grip. Transport carts 3 that are specifically designed for floor cleaning machines are not known in the 4 art. Until now, floor cleaning machines could only be moved with the help of the undercarriage attached to the machines -if such undercarriage is provided at all.

6 As the undercarriage of the floor cleaning machines typically has relatively small 7 wheels, a maneuvering becomes difficult when negotiating obstacles, such as 8 doors saddles or low steps. Alternatively, the use of common transport carts 9 having a frame, four wheels, a support surface and a hand grip was proposed.

While these common transport carts do not encounter the problems as discussed 11 above, because they significantly greater wheels, these carts, however, make it 12 difficult to move the floor cleaning machine since the machine has to be lifted by 13 hand onto and from the support surface, which is time-consuming and 14 exhausting.

16 It is therefore an object of the invention, to provide an improved transport 17 cart which is simple in design and can receive a floor cleaning machine such that 18 the floor cleaning machine can be moved onto and from the transport cart in a 19 simple and ergonomically advantageous manner.

21 This object is attained in accordance with the present invention, by 22 providing a transport cart which includes a frame having a handle, a mounting, 23 connected to a handle-distal end of the frame, for support of wheels for mobility 14 1 of the frame, support braces, secured to the mounting, for supporting the 2 transport cart; and, receiving rods, secured to the mounting, for engagement in 3 pockets of the floor cleaning machine. Because of its simple construction, the 4 transport cart can be easily and inexpensively manufactured. In addition, the transport cart is small and therefore takes up very little space. Since the 6 receiving rods can engage pockets provided in the floor cleaning machine, there 7 is no need to lift the floor cleaning machine by hand for placement onto the 8 transport cart or removal from the transport cart.

9 According to another feature of the present invention, the hand grip may 11 include holders for spare parts for the floor cleaning machine, in particular 12 replacement brushes. In this way, essential replacement parts can be stored at 13 specific locations known to the user of the floor cleaning machine and are readily 14 accessible.

16 In addition, at least one coupling member may be provided, such as a 17 rope, a rigid bracket and the like, which can be attached at one end to the frame 18 and at the other hand to the floor cleaning machine, after the machine is placed 19 onto the transport cart, for reliably securing the floor cleaning machine to the transport cart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: FIG. 1 is schematically a side view of a floor cleaning machine according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the floor cleaning machine according to FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the floor cleaning machine according to the invention; FIG. 3a spring is used; is the machine of FIG. 3, except that a different type of FIG. 4 FIGS. 3 and 3a; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIGS. 3 and 3a; FIG. 5a is identical to FIG. 5, except that the motor is attached differently to the side members; FIG. 6 FIGS. 3 and 3a; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of is a partial vertical cross-section of the motor with attached gear; FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the motor in the direction indicated by arrow VIII in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 line IX-IX in FIG. 8; is a cross-sectional view of the motor, taken along the FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the motor in the direction indicated by arrow X in FIG. 7; FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the floor cleaning machine of the invention according to FIG. 12; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XII-XII of FIG. 11; FIG. 13 is a detailed top elevational view of a first embodiment of a stripping device according to the invention; FIG. 14 is a front face of the strip holder according to FIGS. 12 and FIG. 15 is a cross-section taken along the line XII-XII of FIG. 11, wherein the floor cleaning machine shown in cross-section is provided with a second embodiment of the stripping device according to the invention; FIGS. 16a-c show a left side view, a top view and a right side view of a floor cleaning machine according to the invention, with the directions referring to the top view of FIG. 16b; FIGS. 16d-f show a handle different from that illustrated in FIGS. 16a-c; FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of the handle as illustrated in FIG. 16a; FIG. 17a shows the handle of FIGS. 16a-c in the representation of FIG. 17; FIG. 18 FIG. 16b; is a schematic illustration of the handle as illustrated in FIG. 18a shows the handle of FIGS. 16a-c in the representation of FIG. 18; FIG. 19 is a partial section along the line XIX-XIX in FIG. 18; FIG. 19a shows the handle of FIGS. 16a-c in the representation of FIG. 19; FIG. 20 is a cutaway view taken along the line XX-XX in FIG. 19; FIG. 20a shows the handle of FIGS. 16a-c in the representation of FIG. FIG. 21 is a cutaway view taken along the line XXI-XXI in FIG. 18; FIGS. 22 and 23 show a side elevational view of the same floor cleaning machine provided with an undercarriage of the invention in a raised and a lowered position, respectively; 19 1 FIG. 24 a perspective view of a transport cart of the invention for a 2 floor cleaning machine; and 3 4 FIG. 25 the transport cart according to FIG. 24 with a floor cleaning machine secured to the transport cart.

6 7 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 8 9 Throughout all the Figures, same or corresponding elements are generally indicated by same reference numerals.

11 12 Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there are shown schematically a floor 13 cleaning machine according to the invention, including two spaced-apart side 14 members 1 and 2 in parallel relationship, with two cylindrical brushes 3, 4 disposed between the side members 1, 2 and mounted on shafts 31, 41 (FIG. 3), 16 with proximate ends of bristles, which extend radially outwardly from the 17 shafts 31, 41, secured to the shafts 31, 41.

18 19 The axes of symmetry 30, 40 of the cylindrical brushes 3, 4 are oriented essentially perpendicular to the surfaces of the side members 1, 2. The 21 shafts 31, 41 project beyond the end faces of the cylindrical brushes 3, 4 and are 22 supported for rotation in the side members 1, 2. A drum 5 in the form of a hollow 23 cylinder is arranged between the cylindrical brushes 3, 4 and has a symmetry 1 axis 5' that is also oriented essentially perpendicular to the surfaces of the side 2 members 1, 2 and is supported for rotation therein. The two cylindrical 3 brushes 3, 4 preferably rotate in opposite directions, whereas the drum 5 rotates 4 in the same direction as the rear cylindrical brush 4 (see arrows in FIG. 1 indicating the rotation direction). The brushes 3, 4 and the drum 5 are driven by 6 a motor 6 which is arranged inside the hollow cylindrical drum 5. The motor 6 has 7 a stator which is secured to the side members 1, 2 (see FIG. and a driven 8 shaft 60 which projects beyond the end face of the drum 5 and extends into a 9 gear arrangement 7 secured to the side member 2. The gear arrangement 7 connects the driven motor shaft 60 with the drive pinion of the cylindrical 11 brushes 3, 4 and the drum 12 13 The floor cleaning machine according to the invention is not self-propelled 14 and must therefore be moved by hand. To move the machine, a handle 10 which terminates approximately at hip height, is attached on the upper ends of the side 16 members 1, 2. A fresh water container 13 is arranged on the handle 10. Water 17 is conducted downwardly from the fresh water container 13 and is either applied 18 in front of the cylindrical brush 3 to the floor to be cleaned, or is directly applied to 19 the brush 3 in form of a spray cone.

21 Water is applied to the floor to be cleaned or to the cylindrical brush 3 as 22 follows: water is drawn from the fresh water container 13 by a pump 92 through a 23 valve 90 (ball valve and the like) and a hose 91 and conveyed to a nozzle 94 21 1 through another hose connection 93 or a similar distribution arrangement. The 2 nozzle 94 spays the water onto the floor or onto the cylindrical brush 3 over an 3 area covering the entire width of the brush in front of the front cylindrical brush 3.

4 The spray cone 113 formed by the nozzle 94 is illustrated in FIGS. 2a, b.

6 The two cylindrical brushes 3, 4 propel the dirt that is picked up from the 7 floor together with the sprayed water towards the drum 5, thereby forming on the 8 drum 5 a water film 52 which retains the dirt on the surface of the drum 5. If 9 fresh water is applied directly to the cylindrical brush 3, the brushes 3, 4 lift from the floor only the dirt encountered on the floor. The water applied to the brush 3, 11 however, is also propelled in the direction of the drum 5, thereby forming on the 12 drum surface a water film 52 that retains the dirt.

13 14 A stripping device 14 contacting the drum 5 is positioned approximately at the 1 o'clock position of the drum 5. This stripping device 14 lifts the soiled water 16 film 52 from the drum surface and transfers the film to a waste water 17 container 50. After passing the stripping device 14, a new water film 52 18 containing dirt lifted from the floor is formed on the drum 5. The thickness of the 19 water layer 52 depends on the amount of water used. A small amount of water provides a thin water film. The amount of a water, however, has to be large 21 enough so that the water film 52 can retain the dirt on the outer surface of the 22 drum.

23 22

I-

1 As seen in FIG. 2b and also in FIGS. 2c, d, the nozzle 94 can be secured 2 to the floor cleaning machine for pivoting about an axis 115 oriented 3 perpendicular to the symmetry axis 114 of the spray cone. The nozzle can 4 assume two pivot positions, with the first position indicated as "index position A" and the second position as "index position The nozzle position can be 6 adjusted by the user directly at the nozzle 94. Alternatively, a mechanical 7 actuating device (for example, a cable) or an electrical actuating device (for 8 example, a magnetic coil with a movable armature) can be provided to remotely 9 control the nozzle 94 (for example, with an actuating element secured to a handle 10 described in greater detail below).

11 12 As shown more clearly in FIGS. 2c, d, the nozzle 94 includes at least one 13 locking lug 111 adapted to engage in pockets 112 arranged on the floor cleaning 14 machine in the region of the nozzle 94. This ensures to'maintain the nozzle 94 in the selected position. In the index position A (see FIG. 2c), the nozzle 94 is so 16 oriented that the spray cone 113 does not contact the cylindrical brush 3, but 17 rather impinges entirely on the floor to be cleaned. Conversely, in the index 18 position B (FIG. 2d), the nozzle 94 is so oriented that the spray cone 113 19 impinges entirely on the cylindrical brush 3.

21 The user of the floor cleaning machine can select a suitable spray mode 22 for the respective floor by simply indexing the nozzle 94 (index position A for 23 hard, non-absorbing floors, and index position B for absorbing floors), so that a 1 floor cleaning machine according to the invention cleans uniformly regardless of 2 the floor type.

3 4 It is sufficient, for proper operation of the floor cleaning machine, to provide the side members 1, 2 in the form of flat plates. Suitably, the side 6 members 1, 2 are in the form of hollow bodies to cover the ends of the shafts and 7 the gear arrangement 7, i.e. the side members 1, 2 include covers 11, 12, as will 8 be discussed in more detail furtherbelow with reference to the construction of the 9 floor cleaning machine of the invention.

11 An undercarriage is attached to the side members 1, 2, and includes four 12 wheels 8 which are supported by wheel supports 9 that are movable with respect 13 to the cylindrical brushes 3, 4. The wheel supports 9 are in the form of levers, 14 with the wheels 8 supported in first ends of these levers. The second ends of the wheel supports 9 are swingably secured to the side members 1, 2. The 16 lever-shaped wheel supports 9 can be tilted back and forth into the direction of 17 the arrow through means that are further described below. Either the wheels 8 18 (when the wheels 8 are lowered) or the cylindrical brushes 3, 4 (when the 19 wheels 8 are raised) of the floor cleaning machine can be selected to touch the floor. In the latter position, the floor can be cleaned, whereas in the former 21 position the machine can be moved easily, without cleaning the floor.

22 23 Following this overview over the basic design of the floor cleaning 1 machine of the invention, the construction of the machine will now be described 2 in greater detail.

3 4 Referring now to FIG. 3, the cover 12 of the side member 2 is removed to illustrate the drive system according to the invention. Located behind the side 6 member 2 (not visible) is the motor 6 which is connected to a gear 7 mechanism 16. The gear mechanism 16 has two separate driven shafts 17, 18, 8 with driven shaft 17 provided for the cylindrical brush 3, and with driven shaft 18 9 provided for. the cylindrical brush 4. The transfer of a torque from the gear mechanism 16 to the cylindrical brushes 3, 4 is realized by toothed belt drives 11 which include toothed disks 19, 20 secured to the driven shafts 17, 18, toothed 12 disks 21, 22 secured to the shafts 31, 41 of the cylindrical brushes 3, 4, as well 13 as toothed belts 23, 24. The toothed belt 23 connects the toothed disk 19 of the 14 driven shaft 17 with the toothed disk 21 of the cylindrical brush 3 while the toothed belt 24 connects the toothed disk 20 of the driven shaft 18 with the 16 toothed disk 22 of the rear cylindrical brush 4. The toothed disks 19, 20, 21, 22 17 may be made of any suitable material, preferably, steel, aluminum, plastic or the 18 like.

19 A further toothed disk 25 that is oriented parallel to the toothed disk 20 is 21 secured on the driven shaft 18. The toothed disk 25 is connected through 22 another toothed belt 26 with a toothed disk 28 that in turn is attached to the 23 driven shaft 27 of the drum 1 FIG. 4 shows in detail the arrangement and support of the cylindrical 2 brush 3 in the side members 1, 2. The second cylindrical brush 4 is constructed 3 and supported in the same manner and is therefore not shown in drawing. The 4 cylindrical brush 3 includes a shaft 31 to which a brush hub 29 is attached. The brush hub 29 has bristles that extend radially outwardly. For sake of clarity, the 6 drawing only shows the contours of the brushes 3, 4, but not individual bristles.

7 The shaft 31 projects on both sides beyond the brush hub 29 and extends 8 through the side members 1, 2. The section of the shaft 31, which projects 9 beyond the side member 1 shown on the right side of FIG. 4, has a bushing 32 that is rotatably supported in the side member 1 by a ring ball bearing 33. The 11 toothed disk 21 is secured to the left end of the shaft 31 which is in turn 12 supported in the side member 2 by a ring ball bearing 33.

13 14 Ring ball bearings 33 are preferred because of their low friction; however, other suitable bearing means, such as roller bearings, friction bearings and the 16 like, can also be used. FIG. 5 shows the support for the drum 5 and also the 17 arrangement and installation of the motor 6. Also indicated are the two side 18 members 1, 2 and the cover 12. The side members 1, 2 are connected with 19 each other through rods 34, wiherein each of the ends of the rods 34 is secured to the side members 1, 2 with a machine screw 36. Rollers 35 are arranged on 21 the rods 34, wherein the running surfaces of the rollers 35 contact the inner 22 surface of the drum 5 to rotatably support the drum 5. As seen in FIG. 3, the 23 rods 34 and the rollers 35 are not only provided in the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock 26 1 positions described above, but also in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, so 2 that the drum 5 is guided at four angular locations that are offset from each other 3 by 900222.

4 Sealing collars 37, which seal against the side members 1, 2 to exclude 6 water from the inside of the drum 5, are secured to both end faces of the drum 7 The motor 6 and its two mounting flanges 61, 62 are shown only as contour lines 8 for sake of clarity. The rods 34 extend through bores 63 of the mounting 9 flanges 61, 62 to provide a fixed rotative engagement between the motor stator and the side members 1, 2. Located adjacent to the side member 2 is the 11 housing 38 of the gear mechanism 16. Also shown are the driven shaft 17 of the 12 gear mechanism 16, and the toothed disk 19 mounted on the driven shaft 17 as 13 well as the motor driven shaft 60. As shown on the right hand side of FIG. 5, a 14 rotor fan 46 is attached to the end face of the motor 6 (see also FIG. The mounting flange 62 is provided with a corresponding opening 47 to enable the 16 rotor fan 46 to draw in fresh air. In addition, a further opening 42 is provided in 17 the side member 1 for supply of cooling air. Bores 39 adapted to receive a 18 handle 10 are provided in the upper ends of the side members 1, 2.

19 Referring now to FIG. 5a, the motor 6 can be secured in fixed rotative 21 engagement to the side members 1, 2 by tension bolts 36' instead of the rods 34 22 and the machine screws 36. The tension bolts 36' are slightly longer than the 23 machine screws 36 and provided in the positions of the machine screws 36. For 1 this purpose, interior threads adapted to engage with the tension bolts 36' are 2 provided in the bores 63 of the mounting flanges 61, 62. The rollers 3 supporting the drum 5 are rotatably supported on the tension bolts 36'.

4 Reference is made to FIG. 6 for a more detailed description of the drive for 6 the drum. The drum drive shaft 27 is arranged approximately at the 1 o'clock 7 position of the drum 5 (see also FIG. The drum drive shaft 27 extends over 8 the entire width of the drum 5 and projects beyond the side members 1, 2. Ball 9 bearings 43 rotatably support the drum drive shaft 27 in the side members 1, 2.

A toothed disk 28 is secured to the end of the drive shaft 27 shown on the left 11 hand side of FIG. 6. The toothed disk 28 is in driving connection via the toothed 12 belt 26 with the toothed disk 25 that is secured on the driven shaft 18 of the gear 13 mechanism 16. A respective drive pinion 44, which is in mesh with an interior 14 gear 45 located on the inside surface of the drum 5, is secured to the drive shaft 27 on the inside of and in close proximity to each of the two end faces of 16 the drum 5. Since the circumference of the drum 5 is significantly larger than the 17 circumference of the drive pinion 44, the rotation speed of the drum 5 is lower 18 than the rotation speed of the cylindrical brushes 3, 4.

19 The construction of the motor 6 and the interconnected gear 21 mechanism 16 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. FIG. 7 22 shows a partial cross-section of the motor 6 with the motor mounting flanges 61, 23 62 and the gear mechanism 16 (only the gear housing 38 is shown), before the 28 1 motor 6 is installed in the cleaning machine. Also illustrated on the right hand 2 side of FIG. 7 and also in FIG. 10 is the rotor fan 46 attached to the motor driven 3 shaft 60 and the opening 47 for the fresh air supply. The rotor package 65 is 4 connected to the shaft 60 with an adhesive, with both ends of the shaft 60 being supported in the stator via ball bearings 64.

6 7 The motor 6 may be an electric motor of any suitable type, for example a 8 DC motor or an asynchronous motor. Preferred, however, is a synchronous 9 motor. Regardless of the selected motor type, an electronic rotation speed controller is provided for the motor 6. The rotation speed controller can be used 11 to adjust the optimal rotation speed for the brushes and the drum 5 for the 12 selected floor type at hand and to provide a smooth start-up of the drive when the 13 motor 6 is switched on. In particular, a high rotation speed can be attained with a 14 synchronous motor, so that the floor cleaning machine according to the invention can also be used to wax floors, in particular marble floors.

16 17 Also illustrated in FIG. 7 is the attachment of the toothed disks 19, 20, 18 to the driven shafts 17, 18 are attached. Inserted in the driven shafts 17, 18 are 19 springs 48 which engage in complementary recesses provided in the toothed disks 19, 20 to prevent a rotation of the toothed disks 19, 20, 25 with respect to 21 the driven shafts 17, 18. To prevent the toothed disks 19, 20, 25 from moving in 22 the longitudinal direction of the driven shafts 17, 18, Seeger or circlip rings are 23 secured on the outside surfaces of the driven shafts 17, 18, whereas the disks 29 7,J 1 are secured on the driven shafts 17, 18 with screws 51 that extend into the driven 2 shafts 17,18.

3 4 The second driven shaft 18 which drives the cylindrical brush 4 and also the drum 5, is longer than the first driven shaft 17 and has two toothed disks 6 and 25 arranged side-by-side for driving to brush 4 and the drum 7 8 The arrangement of the gear mechanism 16 is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9.

9 The gear mechanism 16 includes a pinion 53 secured to the motor driven shaft 60 and two primary gear wheels 54 engaging the pinion 53. The upper 11 primary gear wheel 54 is directly secured to the second driven shaft 18, whereas 12 the second primary gear wheel 54 is secured to a shaft 55 that does not extend 13 to the outside.

14 Like the first driven shaft 17 which is not illustrated in FIG. 9, the second 16 driven shaft 18 and the shaft 55 are also supported in the housing 38 of the gear 17 mechanism 16 by two ball bearings 56. In addition, a secondary gear wheel 57 18 is provided which engages the lower primary gear wheel 54. The secondary 19 gear wheel 57, which is not visible in the particular cross-section of FIG. 9, is secured to the first driven shaft 17. The specific spatial arrangement of the three 21 gear wheels 54, 57 of the gear mechanism 16 is illustrated in detail in FIG. 8. The 22 gear wheels 54, 57 are not visible in FIG. 8 since they are covered by the 23 housing 38. However, to provide a better understanding of the gear design, the ,7 1 caps of the housing 38 that cover the gear wheels 54, 57, show the respective 2 reference numerals of these gear wheels.

3 4 With this gear wheel configuration, the second driven shaft 18 is directly driven by the pinion 53, whereas the first driven shaft 17 is only indirectly in 6 driving relationship with the pinion 53 via the second primary gear wheel 54. By 7 connecting the primary gear wheel 54 between the motor pinion 53 and the 8 driven shaft gear wheel 57, the driven shafts 17, 18 rotate in opposite directions, 9 as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 8.

11 The pinion 53, the primary gear wheels 54 and the secondary gear 12 wheel 55 can be made of any suitable material; however, spur gears made of 13 steel are preferred because of their long service life. A helical structure can also 14 be advantageously employed for the pinion gear 53 and the primary gear wheel 54 and secondary gear wheel 16 17 The stripping device 14 according to the invention will now be described.

18 As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the stripping device 14 has a strip 58 that 19 extends across the entire widtl of the drum 5 and contacts the outer surface of the drum 5. The strip 58 is preferably made of steel and thus not very flexible; 21 However, the strip 58 may also be designed instead as an elastic rubber strip 22 (similar to a windshield wiper blade). Also provided is a rigid strip holder 59 that 23 extends essentially over the entire length of the strip 58. The strip 58 lifts the 31 1 soiled water film 52 from the surface of the drum 5 for transfer to the strip holder 2 59, from where the water film 52 is transferred to the wastewater container 3 Basically, the strip holder 59 needs only be in form of a strip, as long as it is able 4 to hold the strip 58 across the entire length thereof.

6 As seen in particular in FIGS. 13 and 14, the strip holder 59 7 advantageously has an approximately triangular profile provided with a slot 66 8 adapted to clamp the strip 58. The slot 66 terminates in a surface 68, which 9 when installed is oriented horizontally or tilted slightly towards the wastewater container 15, for removing the wastewater film 52. The surface 89 terminates in 11 a drip edge 69 of the strip holder 59, with the drip edge 69 projecting over the 12 side wall of the wastewater container 15 so as to direct wastewater to the 13 wastewater container 15. To lift the water film 52 from the drum surface, the strip 14 58 is biased against the drum surface by at least one spring 67 which pushes the strip holder 59 towards the drum surface. The spring 67 may be arranged 16 directly on the strip holder 59 or, alternatively, on an auxiliary strip extending 17 parallel to the strip holder 59 so as to displace the strip holder 59 in the direction 18 of the drum surface.

19 Advantageously, the strip holder 59 may be pivotally supported, and the 21 spring 67 may be arranged so as to pivot the portion of the strip holder 59 that 22 carries the strip 58 in the direction of the drum surface. This pivotal support can 23 be attained by providing each side face of the strip holder 59 with a stub, wherein 32 1 the stubs are pivotally supported in the side members 1, 2. One end of the 2 spring 67 may be supported on the strip holder 59 and the other end on the 3 auxiliary strip extending parallel to the strip holder 59. The strip holder 59, 4 however, is preferably in fixed rotative engagement with a pivot shaft 70. In this case, the pivot shaft 70 is preferably a profile in form of a regular hexagon, with a 6 bore 71 that matches the hexagonal profile provided in the strip holder 59. The 7 pivot shaft 70 projects beyond the end faces of the strip holder 59 and is pivotally 8 supported in the side members 1, 2. Any type of pivot support can be used.

9 Since the pivot shaft 70 only performs small movements, it is sufficient to provide the side members 1, 2 with bores and to insert the pivot shaft 70 into these bores 11 without special bearings.

12 13 Arranged on at least one end of the pivot shaft 70, that projects over a 14 side members 1, 2, is a lever 72, with at least one spring 67 acting on the lever 72. This situation is illustrated more clearly in FIG. 3. The spring-lever 16 arrangement, discussed above, is duplicated for the side member 1 (not shown 17 in FIG. The spring 67 is formed as a compression spring, wherein a first end 18 of the spring 67 is supported on the side member 1, 2 and the second end is 19 supported on the lever 72. The compression spring 67 is housed in a housing 73 that has the form of a hollow cylinder and is closed at one end. The housing 73 21 is pivotally supported in the side member 1, 2 and is oriented parallel to the side 22 member 1, 2. The first end of the compression spring 67 is supported on the 23 bottom 74 of the housing 73 and the second end thereof is supported on a 33 1 piston 75 that is pivotally supported on the lever 72 and projects into the 2 housing 73.

3 4 The swingable support of the housing 73 on the side member 1, 2, and of the piston 75 upon the lever 72 is realized by a respective axle 76 which is 6 secured to the side member 1, 2 and the lever 72, respectively. The housing 73 7 and the piston 75, respectively, have a bore surrounding the axles 76. The bore 8 may be replaced. by a fork located on the housing 73 and the piston 9 respectively,, and bearing upon the axles 76. Forks of this type may have an opening facing away from the spring 67.

11 12 As seen in FIG. 3a, the spring 67 can also be formed as a tension spring, 13 with its first end secured to the side member 1, 2 via a bolt 67', and with its 14 second spring end being secured to the lever 72.

16 FIG. 15 shows another embodiment of the stripping device 14 according 17 to the invention. In this case, the water film 52 is not lifted by a strip, but by a 18 rotating cylindrical brush 77 extending essentially across the entire width of the 19 drum 5 and having free bristle ends contacting the drum surface. Similar to the cleaning brushes 3, 4, the cylindrical brush 77 is rotatably supported in the side 21 members 1, 2, preferably by ball bearings. Like the drive of the drum 5, the 22 cylindrical brush 77 is rotatably driven by securing another toothed disk on the 23 driven shaft 17 of the gear mechanism 16, with the disk being in driving 1 relationship via a toothed belt with a toothed disk secured to the shaft 78 of the 2 cylindrical brush 77.

3 4 The rotating cylindrical brush 77 lifts the soiled water film from the surface of the drum 5 and at the same time propels the film in the direction of the waste 6 container 15 (indicated by the arrow in FIG. 15). In order to direct the so 7 produced soiled water mist completely into the waste container 15, the 8 container 15 is slightly modified compared to the configuration illustrated in 9 FIGS. 11 to.14. In particular, the container 15 includes a catch plate 150 that extends over the actual container 15 and the cylindrical brush 77.

11 12 Although the stripping device 14 according to the invention is described 13 only in conjunction with a floor cleaning machine of a type including includes two 14 counter-rotating cylindrical brushes 3, 4, the same stripping device 14 can also be employed with other types of cleaning machines that include at least one 16 rotating brush and a rotating drum 5, which has a water film 52 adapted to 17 receive the dirt removed by the brush. With this arrangement, the soiled water 18 film 52 can be lifted from the drum 5 and transferred to a waste water 19 container 21 The floor cleaning machine according to the invention can be moved with 22 a handle 10 that is arranged on the upper ends of the side member 1, 2. A floor 23 cleaning machine provided with a handle 10 of this type is illustrated 1 schematically, by way of an overview, in FIGS. 16a-c. The configuration of the 2 handle 10 will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 17 3 and 18. The handle 10 has a center section 79, a grip 80 in the form of a looped 4 strap which is provided on the upper end of the handle 10, and a fork 81 which is provided on the lower end of the handle 10 and has two legs 82. The free ends 6 of the legs 82 of the fork 81 are supported on the side members 1, 2 of the floor 7 cleaning machine by machine screws which traverse bores 83 provided in the 8 fork ends and bores 39 provided in the side members 1, 2.

9 A pump switch 109 which is used to turn the pump 92 (see FIG. 1) on and 11 off to apply fresh water to the floor to be cleaned or to the first cylindrical brush 3, 12 is secured on the grip 13 14 The center section 79 of the handle 10 is formed as a hollow profile, as shown in FIG. 21. In this way, at least portions of the electrical components 16 controlling the operation of the motor 6, such as speed adjustment, capacitor 84 17 and the like, can be arranged inside the handle 10 and thus protected from the 18 environment. The form of the handle 10, however, is not essential for the 19 invention, and the center section can have the form of a simple rod.

21 A switch 86 is provided to switch the motor 6 on and off. The motor 6 may 22 be a single phase AC motor, with a respective switch 86 being arranged in each 23 of the main power wires. The two switches 86 are stationary and arranged in the 1 upper end of the center section 79 of the handle 10. In addition, the handle 2 has a lever 85 that is pivotally supported on the upper end of the center 3 section 79. According to the invention, the switch 86 can be activated with this 4 lever 85. The lever 85 may be a simple rod, with a first end of the rod pivotally secured to the handle 10. The actuating elements 87 of the switch 86 would thus 6 have to be arranged inside the rotation path of the lever 85 so as to be able to 7 make contact with the lever 8 9 As shown, for example, in FIG. 18, the lever 85 may be in the form of a loop (for example, in the shape of the grip 80) and provided with a pivot shaft 88 11 supported on the handle 10. The pivot shaft 88 extends fully through the profile 12 of the center section 79 and is supported in bores disposed in the side walls 79'.

13 Each switch 86 has a respective actuator 89 located on the pivot shaft 88, with 14 the actuating element 87 of the switch 86 being arranged on the handle 10 and located in the rotation path of the actuator 89. The actuators 89 may have the 16 form of cams; in a preferred embodiment, however, the actuators 89 are 17 implemented in the form of cylindrical disks that are eccentrically secured on the 18 pivot shaft 88, as illustrated in FIG. 20. The switches 86 are in the form of 19 microswitches, and the actuatirig element 87 is a lever.

21 In FIG. 18, the lever 85 is shown in the "ON" position, the switches 86 22 are closed and the motor 6 is in operation. To turn the motor off, the lever 85 is 23 rotated clockwise downwardly, as shown in FIG. 17. In FIG. 18 this movement 37 1 would means a swinging of the lever 85 out of the drawing plane. As indicated in 2 FIG. 20 by an arrow, the pivot shaft 88 is rotated clockwise when the lever 85 is 3 actuated, so that the actuating disks 89 rotate to move the switch actuators 87 4 clockwise into the "OFF" position.

6 A somewhat different variation of the handle 10 is illustrated in 7 FIGS. 16d-f. The handle 10 has, in addition to the center section 79, a 8 housing 110 that is moved over the center section 79 and fixedly connected to 9 the upper pqrtion of the center section 79. Accordingly, the housing 110 should be considered as part of the handle 10. The housing 110 is adapted to 11 accommodate all electrical/electronic components and assemblies that operate 12 the motor 6, for example, the protective motor switch 116, the capacitor 84, the 13 switch 86, the electronic speed controller and the like, and protect these 14 components from the water spray. Moreover, the main power connection 117 is also located in the wall of the housing 110. The housing 110 also supports the 16 pivot shaft 88 of the lever 85. The switches 86 and the associated actuators 89 17 are arranged inside the housing 110 as shown in FIGS. 18 to 21 (cf. FIGS. 17a to 18 20a). The motor 6 can then be switched on and off in the manner described 19 above.

21 Another difference between the handle 10 according to FIGS. 16a-c and 22 the handle according to FIGS. 16d-f is the arrangement of the pump switch 109: 23 In FIGS. 16d-f, the pump switch 109 is arranged inside the housing 110, with the 38 1 operating lever 109' being attached to the upper end of the housing 110, whereas 2 in FIGS. 16a-c the pump switch 109 is attached to the grip 3 4 Although the handle 10 according to the invention is described only with reference to a cleaning machine as illustrated in the drawings, i.e. a cleaning 6 machine with two counter-rotating cylindrical brushes 3, 4, the same handle 7 can also be employed with other floor cleaning machines that have a motor 6, 8 preferably an electric motor, for driving cleaning devices implemented as 9 cylindrical brushes 3, 4, as well as at least one switch 86 for switching the motor 6 on and off, wherein the switch 86 can be actuated by a portion of the 11 handle 10, more particularly by the lever 12 13 As mentioned above, an undercarriage is attached to the side members 1, 14 2 of the floor cleaning machine illustrated in the drawing. The undercarriage includes four wheels 8 supported in wheel supports 9 that are movable relative to 16 the cylindrical brushes 3, 4. The wheel supports 9 are formed as levers, with the 17 wheels 8 supported on one ends of the levers. The second ends of the wheel 18 supports 9 are pivotally secured.to the side members 1, 2 of the floor cleaning 19 machine. As shown more particularly in FIGS. 22 and 23, the wheel supports 9 can be rotated into two positions. In the first position of the wheel supports 9 21 illustrated in FIG. 23, the wheels 8 are lifted above the section of the cylindrical 22 brushes 3, 4 so that the brushes 3, 4 make contact with the floor. The floor can 23 then be cleaned. In the position illustrated in FIG. 22, the wheels 8 are lowered 39 1- 1 below the section of the cylindrical brushes 3, 4 that contact the floor. The floor 2 cleaning machine then rests on the wheels 8 and the cylindrical brushes 3, 4 are 3 lifted from the floor. In this position of the wheel supports 9, the floor cannot be 4 cleaned, but the floor cleaning machine can now be easily moved.

6 Cables 95 are provided to move the wheel supports 9 in the manner 7 described above; whereby a first end of the cables 95 is secured to the first ends 8 of the wheel supports 9 distal from the second ends of the wheel supports 9. By 9 pulling the cables 95 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 22, the wheel support 9 can be moved into the position according to FIG. 23.

11 12 Compression spring devices 97 are provided for lowering the 13 undercarriage, for rotating the wheel supports 9 from the position according 14 to FIG. 23 into the position according to FIG. 22. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the compression spring devices 97 are formed as stacked disks 16 springs. Alternatively, the devices 97 can also be formed as conventional 17 compression coil springs. First ends of the compression spring devices 97 are 18 secured to the wheel supports 9 distal from the second ends of the wheel 19 supports 9. The second ends 6f the compression spring devices 97 are secured to the floor cleaning machine, in particular to the side members 1, 2.

21 22 The compression spring devices 97 continually bias the wheel supports 9, 23 wherein the bias force urges the wheel supports 9 to rotate into the extended 1 position. To prevent this rotation, the cables 95 have to absorb this force, i.e. the 2 second ends of the cables have to be fixedly attached, after the undercarriage is 3 in the position shown in FIG. 23. When the wheel supports 9 are to be rotated 4 into the position shown in FIG. 22, then only the attachment of the cables 95 will have to be manually released. The forces produced by the compression spring 6 devices 97 can then freely act on and rotate the wheel supports 9.

7 8 In general; one cable 95 and one compression spring device 97 is 9 provided for. each wheel support 9. To reduce the number of cables 95 and compression spring devices 97, according to the invention, two wheel supports 9 11 can be aligned in the longitudinal direction, with the second ends of the wheel 12 supports 9 making contact with each other (see also FIG. The two ends are 13 provided with meshing teeth 96. Consequently, pairs of wheel supports 9 are 14 now coupled to each other, the rotation transmitted to one of the wheel supports 9 is transferred to the other wheel support, so that the two wheel 16 supports 9 rotate synchronously.

17 18 With this coupling method, only one cable 95 and one compression spring 19 device 97 have to be provided for each pair of wheel supports 9. It is unimportant for proper rotation to which of the two coupled wheel supports 9, the cable 21 and the compression spring device 97, respectively, are secured. In the 22 embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the first end of the cable 95 is secured to 23 the rear wheel support 9, whereas the first end of the compression spring 41 1 device 97 is secured to the front wheel support 9.

2 3 To rotate the wheel supports 9, a force has to be applied to the second 4 ends of the cables 95. For example, the two second ends may be arranged on the outside of the floor cleaning machine and directly attached to the ends of the 6 cables.

7 8 According to a preferred embodiment of a floor cleaning machine 9 illustrated in the drawing, the second ends of the cables are secured to a portion of the handle 10, so that the wheel supports 9 can be lifted by lifting a portion of 11 the handle 10. This portion of the handle 10 is implemented in form of a lever 12 that is pivotally supported on the handle 10. The portion of the handle 10 can 13 also be formed by the motor switch lever 85, if the handle 10 includes a lever 14 for actuating the motor switch 86. Such a motor switch lever 85 is shown in the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, and the lever for operating the cable is 16 constructed in the same manner as described above.

17 18 As best seen in FIGS. 18 and 19, the two ends of the cables 95 are 19 attached to the outer surface 6f the pivot shaft 88 of the lever 85. The second ends of all the cables 95 can also be routed to the outer surface of the pivot 21 shaft 88. Likewise, the second ends of the cables 95 may also be connected with 22 each other outside the floor cleaning machine and connected to the pivot 23 shaft 88 through another cable 95' (see also FIG. 16b). When the lever 85 is 1 rotated from the position according to FIG. 22 into the position according to 2 FIG. 23, then the pivot shaft 88 is rotated counterclockwise, and the cable 95' is 3 wound onto the pivot shaft 88, which pulls the cables 95 into the direction of the 4 arrow of FIG. 22. The wheel supports 9 are thereby lifted.

6 When the lever 85 is rotated in the opposite direction, the cable 95' is 7 unwound from the pivot shaft 88 and the cables 95 are released. The wheel 8 supports 9 are then lowered by the bias force of the compression spring 9 devices 97. The cables 95 can be locked after the undercarriage has reached the position indicated in FIG. 23, by holding the lever 85 by hand in the position 11 shown in FIG. 23. The lever 85 hereby operates like a dead man's button, 12 because the lever 85 has to be held down by hand while simultaneously 13 operating the motor switch 86. If the lever 85 is released even unintentionally 14 then the compression spring devices 97 can rotate the wheel supports 9 downwardly. The cables 95, 95' are also pulled downwardly, so that the lever 16 rotates into the position shown in FIG. 22. The floor cleaning machine is then 17 placed on the wheels 8 and the motor is switched off, so that the floor cleaning 18 machine can no longer operate.

19 Disks 98 may be attached on the pivot shaft 88 on both sides of the 21 attachment points of the cables 95 and to both sides of the attachment point of 22 the cable 95', respectively. The cables 95, 95' are thereby held in a kind of pulley 23 block.

43 7, 1 Referring now to FIGS. 24 and 25, the arrangement of a transport cart 2 according to the invention will be discussed. Such transport cart is adapted to 3 transport a floor cleaning machine constructed in the manner described above.

4 The transport cart has a frame 99, which comprises only four components: an essential component is the wheel axle mounting 100 for rotatable support of the 6 wheels 101. Also secured to the wheel axle mounting 100 are a hand grip 102, 7 support braces 103 and receiving rods 104. The wheel axle mounting- 100 has 8 three parts: a tubular center section 100' and wheel axle members 100" which 9 are inserted into the end faces of the center section 100'. The support braces 103 and the receiving rods 104 are attached to the wheel axle 11 components 100", whereas the hand grip 102 is attached to the center 12 section 100'.

13 14 As a consequence of the three-part construction, the transport cart can be easily suited to a great number of cleaning machines of different widths. Only 16 the length of the center section 100' has to be changed, whereas the basic 17 design and the dimensions of all other components remain unchanged.

18 19 As seen in FIG. 25, the support members 103 support the transport cart in such a way that the hand grip 102 is oriented approximately perpendicular to the 21 floor. A floor cleaning machine can be secured to the transport cart with the 22 receiving rods 104. The receiving rods 104 engage in pockets 105 provided in 23 the floor cleaning machine, more particularly pockets 105 located in the side 1 members 1, 2 (see FIG. 25). The transport cart is lifted off the floor by tilting the 2 machine counterclockwise. The support members 103 are then also lifted from 3 the floor, so that the transport cart and the cleaning machine rest only on the 4 wheels 101 of the transport cart. The transport cart and the floor cleaning machine can thus be easily moved.

6 7 The floor cleaning machine is lowered in a similar fashion: the transport 8 cart is tilted clockwise until the cleaning machine makes contact with the floor (in 9 the position shown in FIG. 25). The cart is then moved to the left (as shown in FIG. 25) and the receiving rods 104 are pulled out of the pockets 105.

11 12 A coupling member 108, such as a rope, a rigid strap or the like, is 13 provided to reliably secure the floor cleaning machine on the transport cart. The 14 coupling member 108 may be attached to both the frame 99 of the transport cart and to the floor cleaning machine. It is unimportant at what height the coupling 16 member 108 is attached. As illustrated in the drawing, the coupling member 108 17 can be provided proximate to the upper end or near the center section of the 18 hand grip 102. The coupling member 108 may be oriented approximately 19 perpendicular to the hand grip" 102 and to handle 10, respectively, of the floor cleaning machine. Alternatively, the coupling member 108 may also define an 21 obtuse angle with the hand grip 102 and the handle 10, respectively, as indicated 22 by the dashed line. The coupling member 108 is preferably securely fixed to the 23 transport cart so that the coupling member 108 cannot get lost.

Holders 106 for accommodating spare parts of the floor cleaning machine, in particular replacement cylindrical brushes, are arranged on the hand grip 102 of the transport cart. The frame 99 may also include coverings to give the transport cart the same appearance as the floor cleaning machine.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a floor cleaning machine, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims: Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims (23)

1. A stripping device for a floor cleaning machine of a type including at least one rotating brush, a rotating drum having a width and adapted to receive a water film, wherein the water film contains dirt picked up by the brush, a wastewater container, said stripping device comprising: a strip having a length substantially identical to the width of the drum; a rigid strip holder extending essentially over the length of the strip; and at least one spring for urging the strip holder towards an outer surface of the drum, thereby enabling the strip to lift the water film from the drum for transfer to the wastewater container.

2. The stripping device of claim 1, wherein the strip holder is pivotally supported and has a portion for receiving the strip, said spring pivoting the portion of the strip holder that carries the strip, towards the drum surface.

3. The stripping device of claim 2, and further comprising a pivot shaft, said strip holder being secured in fixed rotative engagement to the pivot shaft, wherein the pivot shaft projects beyond opposite end faces of the strip holder and is supported in side members of the floor cleaning machine, wherein a lever is secured to one end of the pivot shaft projecting beyond a respective one of the side members, with the at least one spring acting on the lever.

4. The stripping device of claim 3, wherein the spring is a compression spring having two ends, with one end of the compression spring supported on said side member and the other end of the compression spring supported on the lever.

The stripping device of claim 4, and further comprising a hollow-cylindrical housing adapted to receive the compression spring, and a piston projecting into the housing and pivotally supported on the lever, said housing being closed on one end and swingably supported in said side member for pivoting about a plane parallel to the side member, PA\WPDOCS'dys\pie\725 180 div claims.dm-29/05/O2 48 wherein the closed end of the housing supports, the one end of the compression spring and the piston supports the other end of the compression spring.

6. The stripping device of claim 3, wherein the spring is a tension spring having two ends, with one end of the tension spring secured to said side member and the other end of the tension spring secured to the lever.

7. A stripping device for a floor cleaning machine of a type including at least one rotating cleaning brush, a rotating drum having a width and adapted to receive a water film which contains dirt picked up by the cleaning brush, and a wastewater container, said stripping device comprising a rotating stripping brush extending essentially over the width of the drum and having bristles with free bristle ends which bear upon an outer surface of the drum for lifting the water film from the drum and transferring the water film to the wastewater container.

8. The stripping device of claim 7 wherein the rotating brush is a cylindrical brush.

9. The stripping device of claim 7 wherein the stripping brush is a cylindrical brush.

10. A handle assembly for a floor cleaning machine having a cleaning device, a motor for driving the cleaning device, and at least one switch for switching the motor on and off, said handle assembly comprising a handle, and a lever pivotally supported on the handle, said switch being attached on the handle at a fixed location and being activated by the lever.

11. The handle assembly of claim 10, and further comprising a pivot shaft disposed on the handle for supporting the lever, and an actuator attached to the pivot shaft and associated with the switch, said switch having an actuating element arranged on the handle and located in a rotation path of the actuator.

12. The handle assembly of claim 11, wherein the actuator is a cylindrical disk P:\WPDOCSy"'pci\725 180 div cldims.doe-29/05/02 -49- eccentrically secured to the pivot shaft.

13. The handle assembly of claim 11, wherein the at least one switch is a microswitch, said actuating element being a switch lever.

14. A handle assembly for a floor cleaning machine of a type including cleaning devices adapted for contact with a floor, an undercarriage having wheel supports movable with respect to the cleaning devices and supporting wheels, said handle assembly comprising a handle; a lever pivotally supported on the handle; and a plurality of cables having first ends attached to the wheel supports and second ends attached to the lever; said cleaning devices being lifted from and lowered onto the floor by moving the lever.

The handle assembly of claim 14, wherein the lever includes a pivot shaft supported on the handle, said second ends of the cables being attached to an outer surface of the pivot shaft.

16. The handle assembly of claim 15, and further comprising disks secured to the pivot shaft on both sides of points of attachment of the cables to the pivot shaft.

17. A floor cleaning machine comprising: at least one rotating brush for lifting dirt from a floor; a rotating drum having a water film for receiving the dirt lifted by the brush; and a nozzle for applying water to at least one of the floor and the rotating brush, for forming the water film, said nozzle being secured to the floor cleaning machine and capable of pivoting about an axis oriented approximately perpendicular to a symmetry axis defined by a spray cone of the nozzle.

18. The floor cleaning machine of claim 17, wherein the nozzle includes at least one locking lug for engagement in recesses formed in a region of the nozzle on the floor cleaning machine. PAWPDOCS'dy\speic\725 180 div ehis.do-29/05/0 2

19. A transport cart for a floor cleaning machine, comprising: a frame having a handle; a mounting, connected to a handle-distal end of the frame, for support of wheels for mobility of the frame; stand means, secured to the mounting, for supporting the transport cart; and receiving means, secured to the mounting, for engagement in pockets of the floor cleaning machine.

The transport cart of claim 19, and further comprising holders, mounted to the handle, for storing replacement parts of the floor cleaning machine.

21. The transport cart of claim 19, and further comprising at least one coupling member having two ends, wherein one end of the coupling member is attached to the frame and the other end is attached to the floor cleaning machine placed on the transport cart.

22. The transport cart of claim 19, wherein the coupling member is a rope or a rigid strap.

23. Floor cleaning machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. DATED this 29 th day of May, 2002 ROTOWASH REINIGUNGSMASCHINEN GES.M.B.H. By Their Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE