EP3359007B1 - Cleaning roller - Google Patents

Description

Technical field

The invention relates to a cleaning roller for a cleaning device for processing a surface to be cleaned, in particular a wiping roller for a wet cleaning device, the cleaning roller having a roller core rotatable about a longitudinal axis with a bearing for a drive shaft and a roller shell surrounding the roller core in the circumferential direction.

Furthermore, the invention relates to a cleaning device with a rotatable cleaning roller.

State of the art

Cleaning rollers of the aforementioned type are known in the prior art. These are used for wet or dry cleaning of surfaces.

The cleaning roller usually has a cylindrical roller core made of a foam. The roller core is rotatable about a longitudinal axis, which is received centrally in the roller core. For this purpose, the roller core has a bearing for a drive shaft of the cleaning device. A roller jacket is applied to the outside of the roller core. This jacket usually consists of a microfiber material and is preferably removable from the roll core.

The publication DE 10 2007 052 982 A1 discloses a cleaning device with a cleaning roller, and a cleaning roller for such a cleaning device, wherein the cleaning roller has a roller axis on which a tubular cleaning element is removably applied, which cleaning element has a tubular soft foam hollow body. A cleaning cover is applied to the outside of the foam hollow body and is firmly connected to it.

The publication EP 1479 336 A2 discloses a cleaning roller for a cleaning device for processing a surface to be cleaned, the cleaning roller having a roller core rotatable about a longitudinal axis with a bearing for a drive shaft and a roller shell surrounding the roller core in the circumferential direction.

Starting from the aforementioned prior art, it is the object of the invention to develop a cleaning roller or a cleaning device with such a cleaning roller, in particular with regard to an optimized cleaning effect.

Summary of the invention

To achieve the aforementioned object, the invention proposes that the roller core of the cleaning roller has a plurality of spring elements, which are formed side by side in the circumferential direction of the cleaning roller and which extend from the bearing to the roller shell, with respect to a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

The roller core thus has a plurality of spring elements which are arranged around the bearing. The spring elements extend on the one hand in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller and on the other hand between the bearing and the roller shell. The spring elements are advantageously designed as flat disks which are arranged on the bearing and point in the direction of the roll shell. Through this configuration What is achieved is that the roller jacket is pressed against the surface to be cleaned with an increased spring force compared to a cleaning roller with a conventional foam roller core and lies on the surface to be cleaned with a larger contact surface. Due to the increased spring force of the spring elements compared to the prior art, the roller jacket is tensioned by the spring elements when the weight of the cleaning roller is applied, so that the roller jacket does not wrinkle during cleaning, which could otherwise impair the cleaning effect. The spring force of the spring elements makes it possible to compensate for unevenness in the surface to be cleaned, so that the roller jacket makes as full contact as possible with the surface to be cleaned. Due to the displacement or spreading of the spring elements upon contact with the surface to be cleaned, the circumference of the cleaning roller remains constant, so that wrinkling of the roller shell is prevented. The spring elements have the advantage over a soft foam that the restoring forces are stronger and immediately effective. In particular, the weight is also transmitted to the edge areas of the support surface between the cleaning roller and the surface to be cleaned.

The invention can of course also be used in cleaning rollers, the bearings of which are not formed over the entire length of the cleaning roller, but rather have bearing points for connection to the drive shaft only at the end regions of the cleaning roller. In relation to different cross-sectional planes in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller, cross-sectional planes can therefore exist in which no bearing is formed. In the sense of the invention, the spring elements then extend - in relation to this cross-sectional plane - from a direction from the longitudinal axis to the roll shell.

It is proposed that the spring elements are made of an elastically deformable material, in particular a plastic. Plastics which can be processed by extrusion or injection molding are particularly suitable, so that the spring elements can be extruded or injection molded as a mass product and then stamped into spring elements. The spring elements are then layered onto the bearing of the cleaning roller. Alternatively, it is also possible to design the spring elements from metal, in particular as metal disks.

Furthermore, it is proposed that a first end region of a spring element is assigned to the bearing and a second end region of the spring element is assigned to the roller shell, both the first end regions and the second end regions of adjacent spring elements being spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction. The spring elements extend from a linear region (first end region) on the circumferential plane of the bearing to the roller shell. It is not necessary for the spring elements to be connected to the roller shell. In particular, it is recommended instead that the roll shell is separated from the roll core so that it can be removed and cleaned if necessary. The second end regions of the spring elements advantageously lie on a peripheral surface of the roller core, which is either designed as a closed surface that surrounds the spring elements or in the manner of an open structure, the second end regions of the spring element being at the same distance from the bearing and thus also describe a circle with respect to a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller. It is recommended that the first end regions and / or the second end regions are arranged equidistantly on the respective circumference, so that the roller core has a homogeneous arrangement of the spring elements. Alternatively, however, in a different embodiment it can also be provided that the first end regions of a plurality of spring elements are in the same circumferential position of the bearing are formed and extend to different circumferential positions of the roll shell. This results in a non-homogeneous arrangement of the spring elements within the roller core.

Furthermore, it is proposed that adjacent spring elements can be displaced relative to one another by applying the weight of the cleaning roller to the spring elements in such a way that a contact area of the roller shell spanned in the circumferential direction between the spring elements is enlarged on the surface to be cleaned. As a result of this configuration, two or more spring elements which are adjacent to one another are displaced and spaced from one another by being subjected to the weight of the cleaning roller when the cleaning roller is placed on a surface to be cleaned, so that the distance between their end regions increases. The area of the roller shell assigned to the respective spring elements is thereby stretched between the end regions of the spring elements, so that the contact area of the roller shell on the surface to be cleaned between the spring elements increases. As a result, the cleaning roller lies with a larger area on the area to be cleaned, which leads to a better cleaning result. By stretching the support area, the roll shell is prevented from wrinkling. With an effective weight of, for example, 1 kilogram, the contact area of a cleaning roller with a diameter of 45 millimeters reaches, for example, 20 to 25 millimeters (in the circumferential direction). For example, a speed of the cleaning roller of 250 to 500 revolutions per minute is assumed and a length of the cleaning roller of approximately 250 millimeters.

In combination with the roller core made up of spring elements, it is also recommended that the roller shell have a textile (in particular elastic) cleaning covering, such as a microfiber covering, which keeps the circumference of the cleaning roller constant, i.e. supports the prevention of wrinkling and can nevertheless be deformed for the largest possible contact area on the surface to be cleaned. The roller jacket also transfers the weight of the cleaning roller to the edge areas of the support area.

According to a possible embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the spring elements are essentially U-shaped, adjacent spring elements being connected to one another in a meandering manner, in particular in the circumferential direction. The legs of the U-shaped spring elements are advantageously connected to one another in the region of the bearing, the portion of the U-shape lying between the legs facing the roller shell. If necessary, the spring elements can be arranged with the aid of webs on a circumferential surface of the roll core, on which the roll shell lies. This results in a meandering structure of the spring elements between the bearing and the roll shell, the adjacent loops of the meandering shape being arranged equidistantly along the circumference. When the spring elements are loaded with the weight of the cleaning roller, the loops of the meandering shape arranged in the area of the surface to be cleaned are compressed, so that the contact area of the cleaning roller increases. In this case, webs arranged between the spring element and the roller jacket are spread apart, i. H. spaced from each other so that the cleaning roller rests on the surface to be cleaned with the largest possible area. At the same time, the roller jacket is tensioned to counteract wrinkling.

It is proposed that the spring elements be formed radially between the bearing and the roller shell. According to a particularly simple embodiment, the spring elements are radial from the bearing to the roller shell pointing disks, which point radially outwards from the bearing in relation to a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. In relation to the previously illustrated embodiment with U-shaped spring elements, however, these can also be aligned radially between the bearing and the roller shell, so that, for example, the axis of symmetry of a loop of the meandering shape points in the radial direction.

According to a further embodiment, it can be provided that the spring elements in the circumferential direction and in the radial direction are sickle-shaped, curved lamellae, the concave side of which faces the bearing. According to this embodiment, there is an arrangement of the spring elements, which is known, for example, from lamellae of an iris diaphragm. The spring elements are thus offset one above the other along the circumference of the bearing, the first end regions and second end regions of the spring elements on the bearing or in the region of the roller shell being offset from one another and thus resulting in a partial stacking of the spring elements in the radial direction. Due to the crescent-shaped curvature of the spring elements, they also extend in the circumferential direction of the cleaning roller, so that, on the one hand, radial expansion is achieved at the walking end areas of the support area and, on the other hand, the greatest possible compression in a central area of the support area.

It is further proposed that the spring elements are pivotally held on the bearing. For example, the side of the bearing facing in the direction of the roller core can have groove-shaped receptacles for the spring elements, into which the first end regions of the spring elements engage and can be pivoted within a defined angular range. The spreading of adjacent spring elements can thereby be supported, so that the spring elements differ on the one hand by their elasticity and on the other hand spaced apart by the pivoting movement on the bearing. If necessary, provision can also be made for the spring elements to be stiff, ie not elastic, according to one embodiment, and for the spring property to result from the connection of the spring element to the bearing, for example through the use of a resilient receiving element for the spring element on the bearing.

It is proposed that the spring elements be formed in the direction of the longitudinal axis over the entire length of the cleaning roller. The spring elements are advantageously thin disks which extend on the one hand along the entire longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller and on the other hand between the bearing and the roller shell. Alternatively, however, it can also be provided that the spring elements are formed only at certain partial sections along the longitudinal axis of the roller core. This results in areas within the roll core, viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis, in which spring elements are arranged and areas which do not have spring elements but are, for example, filled with a foam.

According to the invention, a cleaning roller can also have different types of the spring elements explained above, in particular in relation to different partial sections along the longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller. In addition, the previously proposed pivotable mounting of the spring elements on the bearing is possible with different configurations of the spring elements, for example based on the U-shaped spring elements, the crescent-shaped lamellae or also spring elements formed radially between the bearing and the roller shell.

In order to achieve a uniform cleaning success, it can also be provided that the roller shell has areas with long and shorter fibers on its outer side, so that possibly unevenly distributed moisture accumulations within the roller shell are reduced at the support area. In addition, the roller shell can have both load-bearing and non-load-bearing areas, which on the one hand enable the roller shell to spread as large as possible on the surface to be cleaned and on the other hand fulfill the task of dirt release and dirt absorption.

In addition to the cleaning roller explained above, the invention also proposes a cleaning device with a rotatable cleaning roller, the cleaning roller having a roller core rotatable about a longitudinal axis with a bearing for a drive shaft and a roller shell surrounding the roller core in the circumferential direction, the roller core relating to a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis has a plurality of spring elements formed side by side in the circumferential direction of the cleaning roller, each of which extends from the bearing to the roller shell. The advantages for the cleaning device according to the invention can be derived analogously from the features and advantages of the cleaning roller. Overall, a cleaning device is thus created which enables particularly thorough and quick cleaning of a surface to be cleaned.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1

ein erfindungsgemäßes Reinigungsgerät,

Fig. 2

eine erste Ausführungsform einer Reinigungswalze in einer perspektivischen Ansicht,

Fig. 3

einen Querschnitt der Reinigungswalze gemäß Figur 2,

Fig. 4

eine zweite Ausführungsform einer Reinigungswalze in unbelastetem Zustand,

Fig. 5

die Reinigungswalze gemäß Figur 4 in einem belasteten Zustand,

Fig. 6

eine dritte Ausführungsform einer Reinigungswalze in perspektivischer Ansicht,

Fig. 7

die Reinigungswalze gemäß Figur 6 in einem Querschnitt,

Fig. 8

eine vierte Ausführungsform einer Reinigungswalze in perspektivischer Ansicht,

Fig. 9

die Reinigungswalze gemäß Figur 8 in einem Querschnitt,

Fig. 10

eine fünfte Ausführungsform einer Reinigungswalze in unbelastetem Zustand,

Fig. 11

die Reinigungswalze gemäß Figur 10 in belastetem Zustand,

Fig. 12

eine sechste Ausführungsform einer Reinigungswalze,

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1

a cleaning device according to the invention,

Fig. 2

a first embodiment of a cleaning roller in a perspective view,

Fig. 3

a cross section of the cleaning roller according Figure 2 ,

Fig. 4

a second embodiment of a cleaning roller in the unloaded state,

Fig. 5

the cleaning roller according to Figure 4 in a stressed state,

Fig. 6

a third embodiment of a cleaning roller in perspective view,

Fig. 7

the cleaning roller according to Figure 6 in a cross section,

Fig. 8

a fourth embodiment of a cleaning roller in perspective view,

Fig. 9

the cleaning roller according to Figure 8 in a cross section,

Fig. 10

a fifth embodiment of a cleaning roller in the unloaded state,

Fig. 11

the cleaning roller according to Figure 10 in a loaded state,

Fig. 12

a sixth embodiment of a cleaning roller,

Description of the embodiments

Figure 1 shows a cleaning device 2, which is designed here as a hand-held wet cleaning device. The cleaning device 2 has a basic device 12 and a front device 11 arranged on the basic device 12. The front attachment 11 has a cleaning roller 1, the longitudinal axis 3 of which is perpendicular to a usual direction of travel of the cleaning appliance 2, namely in relation to a cleaning movement in which a user pushes the cleaning appliance 2 in front of him or pulls it towards him. The attachment 11 is also equipped with a liquid tank (not shown) and has an upper-side fill opening 15 for filling cleaning liquid into the tank. A handle 13 is also formed on the base device 12, which is in particular telescopic and can thus be adapted to the size of a user. At the free end area of the handle 13, a handle 14 is arranged, which may have an on and off switch or the like.

Although this is not shown, the invention can also be applied to a cleaning device 2 which is designed for dry cleaning of a floor surface by means of the cleaning roller 1. The structure of the cleaning roller 1 described below remains unaffected by this.

The Figures 1 and 2nd show a first embodiment of a cleaning roller 1 in perspective. The cleaning roller 1 is essentially designed as a cylindrical body with a longitudinal axis 3. In detail, the cleaning roller 1 consists of a central bearing 5 for receiving a drive shaft of the cleaning device 2 for rotating the cleaning roller 1, a roller core 4 and a roller shell 6 surrounding the roller core 4. The roller shell 6 is here a microfiber cover, which can be removed from the roller core 4 pushed in the direction of the longitudinal axis 3 is. For exchange or cleaning, the roller jacket 6 can be removed from the cleaning roller 1. The roller core 4 has a multiplicity of spring elements 7 which, according to this embodiment, are sickle-shaped, curved lamellae. The spring elements 7 extend both in the direction of the longitudinal axis 3 of the cleaning roller 1 and in its circumferential direction. The spring elements 7 here consist of an elastically deformable plastic, so that they can be deformed when a weight force of the cleaning roller 1 or the cleaning device 2 is attacked, in particular they can be bent in the direction of the bearing 5. The spring elements 7 each have a first end region 8 and a second end region 9. The first end region 8 is assigned to the bearing 5, while the second end region 9 is assigned to the peripheral region of the roller core 4 which is adjacent to the roller shell 6. The roller shell 6 here lies directly on the second end regions 9 of the spring elements 7, which form a closed cylindrical peripheral surface of the roller core 4. The roller jacket 6 is designed to be elastic, so that it rests under tension on the roller core 4 and does not rotate around the roller core 4 when the cleaning roller 1 rotates. The first end regions 8 of the spring elements 7 have a common end region base 17 with grooves, into which projections 18 of the bearing 5 can engage. The grooves and the projections 18 run parallel to the longitudinal axis 3 of the cleaning roller 1, ie in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the cleaning roller 1, so that they are connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner. Figure 3 shows the cleaning roller 1 in a cross-sectional view. The sickle shape of the spring elements 7, whose concave side faces the bearing 5, can be seen.

The Figures 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of a cleaning roller 1, in which the unloaded situation ( Figure 4 ) and the stressed situation ( Figure 5 ) is shown. In Figure 4 the cleaning roller 1 is not yet placed on a surface to be cleaned, so that the spring elements 7 are not yet deformed, but the roller core 4 and the roller shell 6 still have equidistantly arranged spring elements 7 which are not deformed by the action of a weight force of the cleaning roller 1 or the cleaning device 2. The design of the cleaning roller 1 is similar to the first embodiment, the bearing 5 being shown here in a simplified manner only as a point. Furthermore, the embodiment differs according to FIGS Figures 4 and 5 in that the second end regions 9 of the spring elements 7 do not form a closed cylindrical peripheral surface of the roller core 4, but rather an open structure on which the roller shell 6 rests. The Figure 5 shows the cleaning roller 1 in a state placed on the surface to be cleaned. The bearing area 10 can be seen, which forms the contact area between the roller jacket 6 and the surface to be cleaned. The spring elements 7 ending in the support area 10 are compressed by the weight force of the cleaning roller 1 or the cleaning device 2, which acts on the spring elements 7. The spring elements 7 assigned to the edge areas of the support area 10 are radially stretched, while the spring elements 7 arranged in a central area of the support area 10 are essentially compressed. As a result of the displacement or spreading of the spring elements 7 due to the compression or expansion, the support area 10 is widened in the circumferential direction, so that the cleaning roller 1 has a particularly large support area 10 on the surface to be cleaned. At the same time, the circumference of the cleaning roller 1 remains constant, so that the roller jacket 6 does not crease and an optimal cleaning result can be achieved.

The Figures 6 and 7 show a third embodiment of the invention, in which the cleaning roller 1 has spring elements 7 formed radially between the bearing 5 and the roller shell 6. The spring elements 7 are formed in the direction of the longitudinal axis 3 and radially protruding from the bearing 5 plastic discs. The spring elements 7 are pivotable arranged on the bearing 5, the first end regions 8 of the spring elements 7 each engaging in a corresponding groove 19 on the outside of the bearing 5. The opening width of the groove 19 and the thickness of the spring element 7 determine the maximum possible pivot angle of the spring elements 7 relative to the bearing 5. In the loaded state of the cleaning roller 1, the spring elements 7, which stand on the surface to be cleaned, are spaced apart from one another the maximum swivel angle is used and on the other hand an elastic deformation of the spring elements 7 occurs. As a result, the roller jacket 6 is tensioned again, so that the largest possible contact area 10 results on the surface to be cleaned.

The Figures 8 and 9 show a fourth embodiment of the invention, in which a plurality of U-shaped spring elements 7 are connected in a meandering shape in the circumferential direction of the roll core 4. This results in loops of the meander shape in the circumferential direction, the apexes of which form the first end regions 8 and second end regions 9, which point on the one hand in the direction of the bearing 5 and on the other hand in the direction of the roller shell 6. The second end regions 9 each have a web 16 which is connected to a cylindrical peripheral surface of the roller core 4. The roller jacket 6 bears against this circumferential surface. When the cleaning roller 1 is loaded with the weight of the cleaning roller 1 or the cleaning device 2, the second end regions 9 of the meandering shape pointing in the direction of the roller shell 6 are compressed, as a result of which the support region 10 on the surface to be cleaned is enlarged, so that a particularly large-area system is created the cleaning roller 1 is given on the surface to be cleaned. At the same time, the circumference of the cleaning roller 1 is kept constant, so that no folds form on the roller shell 6.

The in the Figures 10 and 11 Fifth embodiment shown includes spring elements 7, which are each L-shaped. The material of the spring elements 7 is tapered in the connecting region of the two legs of the L-shape, so that there is an elastic deformability in the manner of a film hinge. When these spring elements 7 are loaded with a weight, the spring elements 7 are buckled until one or more of the legs assigned to the roller jacket 6 advantageously abuts the roller jacket 6. This creates a particularly large contact area 10.

Figure 12 shows a sixth embodiment of a cleaning roller 1, in which the spring elements 7 are each designed in the manner of a Y. Each spring element 7 has a first end region 8 which is arranged on the bearing 5 and two second end regions 9 which are arranged on the outer circumference of the roller core 4. When the spring elements 7 are loaded, the two second end regions 9 of a spring element 7 are spaced apart from one another, so that the area spanned between the second end regions 9 forms a particularly large contact region 10 of the cleaning roller 1.

List of reference numbers

1

Cleaning roller

2nd

Cleaning device

3rd

Longitudinal axis

4th

Roll core

5

camp

6

Roller shell

7

Spring element

8th

First end area

9

Second end area

10th

Support area

11

Front attachment

12th

Base unit

13

stalk

14

Handle

15

Filling opening

16

web

17th

End range basis

18th

head Start

19th

Groove

Claims (10)

1. A cleaning roller (1) for a cleaning appliance (2) for processing a surface to be cleaned, in particular a wiping roller for a wet cleaning appliance, wherein the cleaning roller (1) has a roller core (4) that can rotate around a longitudinal axis (3), with a bearing (5) for a drive shaft and a roller cover (6) surrounding the roller core (4) in the circumferential direction, characterized in that the roller core (4) has several spring elements (7) arranged one next to the other in the circumferential direction of the cleaning roller (1) relative to a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (3), which each extend from the bearing (5) to the roller cover (6).
2. The cleaning roller (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring elements (7) are fabricated out of an elastically deformable material, in particular a plastic.
3. The cleaning roller (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a first end region (8) of a spring element (7) is allocated to the bearing (5), and a second end region (9) of the spring element (7) is allocated to the roller cover (6), wherein both the first end regions (8) and the second end regions (9) of adjacent spring elements (7) are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction.
4. The cleaning roller (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that adjacent spring elements (7) can be displaced relative to each other by exposing the spring elements (7) to the weight force of the cleaning roller (1) in such a way that a bearing area (10) of the roller cover (6) clamped between the spring elements (7) in the circumferential direction is enlarged on the surface to be cleaned.
5. The cleaning roller (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the spring elements (7) are essentially U-shaped in design, wherein adjacent spring elements (7) are meanderingly connected with each other, in particular in the circumferential direction.
6. The cleaning roller (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the spring elements (7) are designed radially between the bearing (5) and roller cover (6).
7. The cleaning roller (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the spring elements (7) are sickle-shaped, curved lamellae arranged one next to the other in the circumferential direction and radial direction, the concave side of which faces the bearing (5).
8. The cleaning roller (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring elements (7) are pivoted to the bearing (5).
9. The cleaning roller (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spring elements (7) are formed over the entire length of the cleaning roller (1) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (3).
10. A cleaning appliance (2) with a rotatable cleaning roller (1), characterized in that, the cleaning roller (1) is designed according to one of the preceding claims.

Images