Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F22—STEAM GENERATION
  • F22B—METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
  • F22B1/00—Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method
  • F22B1/28—Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method in boilers heated electrically
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B2230/00—Other cleaning aspects applicable to all B08B range
  • B08B2230/01—Cleaning with steam

Definitions

• the invention relates to a cleaning device with a housing which surrounds a steam generator, the steam generator comprising an electrically heatable steam boiler for generating steam which can be applied to a surface to be cleaned.
• Such cleaning devices are used for cleaning a wide variety of surfaces, in particular hard surfaces, for example for cleaning floor surfaces. They comprise a steam generator with an electrically heatable steam boiler for evaporating a liquid cleaning agent, for example for evaporating water. The steam generated in this way can be applied to the surface to be cleaned.
• the electrically heatable steam boiler leads to considerable heating of the interior of the housing during operation of the cleaning device. This can damage other mechanical or electrical components of the cleaning device. To avoid impermissibly high temperatures in the interior of the housing, it is therefore customary to wrap the steam boiler with an insulating mat. However, the thermal insulation of the steam boiler that can be achieved with this is limited.
• the object of the present invention is therefore to develop a cleaning device of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that it has improved thermal insulation of the steam boiler and is inexpensive to produce.
• the heat insulation part surrounding the steam boiler at least in regions, forming an intermediate space between a wall of the heat insulation part and the steam boiler.
• the heat insulation part has a rigid wall which is positioned at a distance from the steam boiler, so that an intermediate space is defined by the wall of the heat insulation part on the one hand and by the steam boiler on the other hand, in which an air cushion is formed which ensures very good thermal insulation of the steam boiler ,
• the heat emitted by the steam boiler to the environment through heat loss is largely emitted via convection and to a lesser extent via radiation.
• the heat insulation part Through the use of the heat insulation part, the heat given off by convection is greatly reduced, because the air surrounding the steam boiler cannot circulate freely due to the formation of the intermediate space.
• the heat insulation part is placed on the steam boiler.
• the steam boiler thus forms a holder for the heat insulation part, so that additional holding elements within the housing for the heat insulation part can be omitted. It also ensures that at least the top - based on the position of use of the cleaning device of the steam boiler is covered by the heat insulation part and thus an air cushion can form in the upper space between the heat insulation part and the steam boiler. Since the air heated by the steam boiler rises, very good thermal insulation is ensured by the upper end of the steam generator in the form of the heat insulation part.
• the heat insulation part is hood-shaped.
• the heat insulation part can then not only cover an upper side of the steam boiler, but it can also overlap the steam boiler from the side. This results in increased thermal shielding.
• the heat insulation part has a large number of intermediate walls which divide the intermediate space like a honeycomb. Due to the honeycomb-like subdivision of the intermediate space, a large number of separate air cushions form in it, which are in flow connection with one another only to a very small extent. This practically prevents circulation of air within the space. It has been shown that the thermal insulation of the heat insulation part can be additionally improved.
• the heat insulation part comprises a supporting wall arranged at a distance from the steam boiler, from whose underside facing the steam boiler the intermediate walls protrude.
• the latter can be held on the supporting wall, in particular it can be provided that the partitions are integrally connected to the supporting wall.
• the intermediate walls In the position of use of the cleaning device, the intermediate walls can be oriented essentially vertically, while the supporting wall is arranged practically horizontally.
• the heat insulation part comprises a side wall which is arranged at a distance from the steam boiler and which surrounds the steam boiler at least in regions in the circumferential direction.
• the arrangement of the side wall at a distance from the steam boiler enables the formation of an annular space surrounding the steam boiler which leads to improved thermal insulation of the steam generator leads.
• the side wall is oriented essentially vertically in the position of use of the cleaning device.
• the side wall can be integrally connected to the supporting wall.
• the heat insulation part is designed as a molded plastic part. As a result, the manufacturing costs for the steam generator can be considerably reduced.
• the heat insulation part preferably forms a carrier for electrical components, in particular for electrical switching elements, of the cleaning device.
• the heat insulation part thus not only serves for the thermal insulation of the steam boiler, but it also serves to fix electrical components without additional support elements having to be provided within the housing.
• the manufacturing costs of the cleaning device can be further reduced.
• the cleaning device comprises a cable reel-up device with a rotatable cable reel for automatically winding up an electrical connection cable. Using such cable reeling devices, the handling of the cleaning device is simplified in that the electrical connecting cable of the cleaning device can be rolled up in a simple manner by means of a reeling spring that is used.
• the cable reeling device is arranged below the steam generator. It when the cable reel is positioned adjacent to a bottom wall of the housing of the cleaning device is particularly advantageous.
• the arrangement of the cable retractor below the steam generator ensures that ambient air heated by heat losses from the steam generator flows in the direction away from the cable retractor, namely upwards, and thus does not lead to additional heating of the cable retractor.
• a particularly low overall height of the cleaning device can be achieved in that the axis of rotation of the cable reel is oriented vertically in the position of use of the cleaning device.
• the cable reeling device arranged inside the housing is essentially in the form of a cylinder. designed, the cylinder axis being predetermined by the axis of rotation of the cable reel.
• the cylinder is in this case relatively flat, so that despite the arrangement of the cable reeling device below the steam generator, there is a small overall height for the cleaning device according to the invention.
• a partition is arranged between the steam generator and the cable reeling device.
• the partition wall forms a radiation shield, so that thermal radiation emanating from the steam generator is reflected to a not inconsiderable extent by the partition wall and the heating of the cable reeling device is thereby reduced.
• the partition has at least one opening. Via such an opening, an air flow originating from the cable reel-up device can form upward within the housing. This allows air heated by the cable reeling device to flow upward out of the region of the cable reel. It is advantageous if the housing has air outlet openings above the partition so that the heated air can be discharged to the outside.
• the cable reel has two cheeks which are arranged at a distance from one another and which accommodate the electrical connecting cable between them and which are aligned parallel to the partition.
• Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a cleaning device according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 an oblique view from above of a steam generator used in the cleaning device according to the invention
• Figure 3 a view obliquely from below of the steam generator with raised heat insulation part
• Figure 4 a bottom view of the steam generator.
• a cleaning device designated as a whole by reference number 10
• a housing 12 which surrounds an interior 14 in which a steam generator 16 with a steam boiler 18 and a heat insulation part in the form of an insulation hood 20 are arranged.
• the steam boiler 18 is connected via electrical connecting lines known per se and therefore not shown in the drawing to a cable winding device 22 which is arranged inside the housing 12 below the steam generator 16 and which has a cable reel 24 which is rotatably mounted within the housing 12 for the automatic winding of a cable known per se and therefore in the drawing, not shown, electrical connection cable which can be inserted via a housing opening 26 into the region of the cable reel 24 delimited by two cheeks 27, 29 arranged at a distance from one another.
• the area of the cable retractor 22 is in flow connection within the housing 12 via the opening 32 with the area of the interior 14 surrounding the steam generator 16.
• the cleaning device 10 also includes a steam line, which is known per se and is therefore not shown in the drawing in order to achieve a better overview, and which is in flow connection with the steam boiler 18 in the customary manner and at the free end of which a cleaning nozzle can be attached, so that it is inside the steam boiler 18 generated steam can be applied via the steam line and the cleaning nozzle to the surface to be cleaned, for example a hard surface, preferably a floor surface.
• a steam line which is known per se and is therefore not shown in the drawing in order to achieve a better overview, and which is in flow connection with the steam boiler 18 in the customary manner and at the free end of which a cleaning nozzle can be attached, so that it is inside the steam boiler 18 generated steam can be applied via the steam line and the cleaning nozzle to the surface to be cleaned, for example a hard surface, preferably a floor surface.
• the steam boiler 18 is constructed in two parts and comprises a lower boiler part 34 and an upper boiler part 36, which are screwed together in a steam-tight manner by means of screw bolts, not shown in the drawing.
• the insulating hood 20, which is designed in one piece as a rigid plastic molded part, overlaps the upper boiler part 36 and comprises a horizontally extended in the use position of the cleaning device 10.
• the support wall 38 is also arranged at a distance from the steam boiler 18, a plurality of intermediate walls 46 oriented perpendicular to one another projecting downward from the underside 44 of the support wall 38 facing the steam boiler 18, all of which form a honeycomb-like structure with a plurality of air chambers 48 open on the underside , which are separated from each other by partitions 46. This is particularly clear from Figure 3.
• the air chambers 48 form an intermediate space which is delimited on the one hand by the supporting wall 38 and the side wall 40 and on the other hand by the upper boiler part 36 of the steam boiler 18 and forms an air cushion for the thermal insulation of the steam boiler 18.
• the intermediate walls 46 do not form a circulating air flow, and the air exchange between the area of the interior 14 surrounding the steam generator 16 and the above-mentioned intermediate space is also greatly reduced.
• the steam generator 16 is distinguished by very good thermal insulation. This makes it possible to position a further heat source in the form of the cable reel-up device 22 inside the housing 12 in addition to the steam generator 16. This is subject to considerable self-heating due to the current inside the cable reel 24 that exceeds that in the drawing Electrical connection cable, not shown, flows. It should be noted here that the connecting cable is mostly only partially unwound from the cable reel during operation of the cleaning device 10. Much of the heat generated by the cable winder 22 is released to the ambient air below the partition 30, and the heated air can flow through the opening 32 into the area above the partition 30.
• the heated air can be emitted to the outside via air outlet openings, which are known per se and are therefore not shown in the drawing, and which are formed in the housing 12, while fresh air can enter the housing 12 via air inlet openings (not shown) formed in the bottom wall 28.
• the cable reel-up device 22 Since the cable reel-up device 22 is arranged below the steam generator, it is practically not subject to any noticeable heating by the steam generator 16, because ambient air heated by heat loss from the steam generator 16 also flows upward, that is to say in the direction facing away from the cable reel-up device 22. An additional heating of the cable reeling device 22 by the heat loss of the steam generator 16 is thus avoided.

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

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• 2002
  • 2002-09-20 DE DE10245012A patent/DE10245012B3/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-08-27 AU AU2003258670A patent/AU2003258670A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-08-27 WO PCT/EP2003/009467 patent/WO2004029509A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-08-27 EP EP03798132A patent/EP1540246B8/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-08-27 AT AT03798132T patent/ATE334342T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation

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