SE2350052A1

SE2350052A1 - An improved floor scraper

Info

Publication number: SE2350052A1
Application number: SE2350052A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Eijden Barry Van; David Kwant; Rijn Hugo Van
Original assignee: Husqvarna Ab
Priority date: 2023-01-23
Filing date: 2023-01-23
Publication date: 2024-07-24
Also published as: WO2024158329A1

Abstract

A floor scraper (100, 300, 400) for removing a surface material from a floor surface (101),the floor scraper (100, 300, 400) comprising a chassis portion (110) and a vibrating portion (120) movably supported by the chassis portion (110), where the chassis portion (110) is arranged to support the floor scraper (100, 300, 400) on the floor surface (101),where the vibrating portion (120) is arranged to hold a blade arrangement (130) for removing the surface material from the floor surface (101), andwhere a vibratory device (140, 410) comprising a power source (140) arranged to generate vibration is attached to the vibrating portion (120).

Description

TITLE TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to floor scrapers, and in particular to manually guided floor scrapers arranged to remove a covering material from a floor surface using a cutting blade arrangement, also known as a scraper.

BACKGROUND A floor scraper is a device which can be used to remove various covering materials from a floor surface, such as hardwood flooring, ceramics, linoleum, vinyl, carpet, adhesives and glue. A floor scraper normally comprises a chassis part supported on the floor surface and a blade portion arranged to cut or "scrape" the covering material from the floor surface.

The blade portion is normally vibrated with respect to the material to be removed in order to improve the efficiency of the floor scraping operation.

There is a desire to improve the floor scraper design, in particular with respect to the durability and floor scraping efficiency of the machine.

SUMMARY lt is an object of the present disclosure to provide improved floor scraper designs. This object is at least in part obtained by a floor scraper for removing a surface material from a floor surface. The floor scraper comprises a chassis portion and a vibrating portion that is movably supported by the chassis portion. The chassis portion is arranged to support the floor scraper on the floor surface and the vibrating portion is arranged to hold a blade arrangement for removing the surface material from the floor surface by a cutting or scraping operation. A vibratory device comprising a power source arranged to generate vibration is attached to the vibrating portion, and thus also movably supported by the chassis portion.

This way there is no need for complex mechanical Iinkage between the vibration power source and the vibration portion of the floor scraper, which is an advantage compared to the traditional designs where the power source is mounted onto the chassis portion and where the vibratory device on the vibration portion is powered via mechanical Iinkage from the power source. There is a reduced amount of vibration by the chassis portion as a consequence, and in particular at the handle portion of the floor scraper, which is an advantage. A further advantage is that the weight of the vibrating portion is increased due to the inclusion of the power source, which improves the scraping performance of the blade arrangement. A weight of the vibrating portion comprising the blade arrangement and the vibratory device may exceed 15kg and preferably exceeds 20kg, due to the added weight of the DOWGI' SOU FCG.

The vibrating portion may, e.g., be attached to the chassis portion by a plurality of resilient bushings, metal springs, or other resilient damping elements. These resilient damping elements are preferably matched in choice of material and dimension to the desired motion by the blade arrangement.

The vibratory device preferably comprises an excentre mass arranged to be rotated in a plane by the power source. The rotation by the excentre mass generates a strong vibration component directed along the cutting blade of the blade arrangement, which improves the cutting efficiency of the blade arrangement. A plane of the blade arrangement is preferably angled acutely with respect to the floor surface, which furthers the cutting operation by the blade arrangement.

An attack angle of the blade arrangement relative to the floor surface is optionally configured to be adjustable by an operator of the scraper or automatically using one or more actuators. This can be achieved, e.g., by adjustment of a pivot angle of the vibrating portion relative to the chassis portion. This adjustment is simplified because of the lack of complex mechanical linkage between a power source mounted to the chassis portion and the vibratory device attached to the vibrating portion.

The power source used to generate vibration optionally comprises an electric machine, a combustion engine or a hybrid electric power source comprising both electric machine and combustion engine. Thus, a wide variety of power source options exist, which is an advantage. The electric machine may be powered by cable to electrical mains or by battery.

The vibrating portion optionally comprises a connector for releasably attaching an electrical harness and/or a fuel line for a combustion engine to the vibrating portion. An electrical energy storage device and/or a fuel tank for energizing the power source may be supported by the chassis portion.

The entire vibrating portion with the power source and the blade arrangement may, for instance, be releasably attached to the chassis portion such that it can be exchanged in dependence of the floor scraping task to be performed. Some floor scraping tasks may, e.g., be better performed using an electric machine powered from electrical mains, while other floor scraping tasks are better performed using a battery powered electric machine, or a propane fueled combustion engine, e.g., if no reliable electrical mains connection is available at the work site. By mounting the power source directly to the vibrating portion on the floor scraper and arranging the vibrating portion as an exchangeable portion, an operator or service technician may conveniently optimize the floor scraper for the task at hand by mounting an appropriate vibration portion with a suitable power source and blade arrangement. The blade arrangement is preferably releasably attached to the vibrating portion, allowing different blade configurations to be used with the same vibrating portion.

The electric machine and/or the combustion engine used as power source may be configured to extend away from the floor surface from a mounting location on the vibrating portion through an opening formed in the chassis portion. This way the power source is separated from the chassis portion, and still allowed to occupy a reasonably sized volume.

According to some aspects, an angle formed between a motor axle of the power source and an extension plane of the carrier plate of the vibrating portion is between 80-100 degrees, and preferably 90 degrees. ln other words, the motor axle essentially extends along a normal to the extension plane of the carrier plate. The motor axle is also normal to the excentre mass plane of rotation. This improves the efficiency of the vibrating portion, and also results in less vibration transmitted to the chassis of the floor scraper. The rotation of the excentre mass is indicated by the arrow R in Figure 3 and in Figure 4. This arrow R lies in the plane of rotation of the excentre mass.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated. Further features of, and advantages with, the present invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the following description. The skilled person realizes that different features of the present invention may be combined to create embodiments other than those described in the following, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, where Figure 1 shows an example floor scraper; Figure 2A illustrates a floor scraping operation; Figure 2B is a flow chart illustrating methods; and Figures 3-4 are detailed illustrations of an example floor scraper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain aspects of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments and aspects set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description. lt is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure 1 illustrates an example floor scraper 100. The floor scraper 100 comprises a chassis portion 110 and a vibrating portion 120. The chassis portion 110 is supported on the floor surface 101 by one or more supporting members, such as the wheels 170 shown in Figure 1. The wheels 170 are normally driven wheels, i.e., wheels arranged to generate a tractive force relative to the floor surface 101 to move the floor scraper 100 across the floor surface 101, although passive undriven wheels may also be used. The example floor scraper in Figure 1 comprises a propulsion motor 190 arranged to drive the wheels 170, thus propelling the floor scraper across the floor surface.

The vibrating portion 120 supports a floor scraping blade arrangement 130 that removes surface covering material from the floor surface 101, such as hardwood flooring, ceramics, linoleum, vinyl, carpet, adhesives and glue. Figure 2A shows an example floor scraping operation where a floor scraper 100 is used to remove covering material from a floor surface 210. Most floor scrapers are manually guided by an operator walking behind the machine, semi-autonomous floor although autonomous or scrapers are also conceivable. Figure 2B is a flow chart illustrating a method of scraping a floor using a floor scraper. This method will be discussed in more detail below.

A protective shield 135 or guide is mounted to the vibrating portion close to the blade arrangement 130 to guide scraped material away from the power source and the chassis of the floor scraper 100.

The blade arrangement 130 is configured at an angle a relative to the floor surface 101, as exemplified in Figure 1. This "attack angle" a can be made adjustable in dependence of the surface material to be removed from the floor surface in order to optimize the floor scraping operation to the specific surface material to be removed and/or to the material of the floor surface under the material to be removed. The blade is also mounted at an angle a' relative to an extension plane P of the vibrating part, as shown in Figure 1. The angle a' may be equal to the attack angle a of the blade arrangement 130, or different, depending on floor scraper configuration.

The vibrating portion 120, and the blade arrangement 130 in particular, is arranged to vibrate relative to the floor surface 101 by means of a vibratory device which will be discussed in more detail below in connection to Figures 3 and 4. The power source used to drive the vibratory device may also be used to power a set of driven wheels 170, although a separate power source may also be used to drive a number of supporting wheels 170.

The vibratory device on a floor scraper traditionally comprises complex mechanical linkage between a power source 140 supported by the chassis portion, i.e., an electric machine or a combustion engine bolted to the chassis portion 110, and the vibrating portion 120 of the floor scraper 100. This complex mechanical linkage is prone to failure and also conveys vibration from the vibrating portion 120 to the chassis portion 110. Any vibration transmitted to the chassis portion is highly undesired since the chassis portion comprises the handle part 150 used by an operator to manually guide the floor scraper 100 in use. Vibration transmitted to the supporting wheels 170 is also undesired since it may cause uneven "jumpy" motion by the floor scraper in USG. lt has been realized that an improved floor scraper design is obtained if the power source of the vibratory device, i.e., the electric machine, combustion engine or hybrid electric machine used to power the vibratory device, is instead mounted directly and fixedly onto the vibrating portion and thus movably arranged in relation to the chassis portion of the floor scraper. This voids the need for complex linkage between chassis portion and vibrating portion, and also results in less vibration of the chassis portion, in particular its handle part 150, which is an advantage. The power source 140 will then be a part of the vibrating portion, and vibrate together with the blade arrangement 130.

Figure 3 and Figure 4 illustrate details of an example floor scraper 300, 400 according to this teaching, i.e., where the power source 140 has been mounted directly onto the vibrating portion 120 of the floor scraper 100, and where the vibrating portion 120 (along with the power source 140) is movably supported by the chassis portion 110 and vibrationally isolated therefrom. ln other words, there is no longer any rigid mechanical connection between the chassis portion 110 and the power source 140 used to generate vibration, since this power source 140 is now mounted directly onto the vibrating portion 120 of the floor scraper 100 which is vibrationally isolated from the chassis portion 110.

The floor scraper 100, 300, 400 exemplified in the drawings comprises a chassis portion 110 and a vibrating portion 120, where the vibrating portion 120 is movably supported by and vibrationally isolated from the chassis portion 110. The chassis portion 110 is arranged to support the floor scraper 100 on the floor surface 101, and the vibrating portion 120 is arranged to hold a blade arrangement 130 for removing the surface material from the floor surface 101. A vibratory device 140, 410 comprising a power source 140 arranged to generate vibration is attached to the vibrating portion 120. The power source 140 may, e.g., be bolted directly onto a carrier plate 430 of the vibrating portion 120, or otherwise be fixedly attached to the vibrating portion.

The vibrating portion 120 may, for instance, be attached to the chassis portion 110 by a plurality of resilient bushings 310 as exemplified in Figure 3. The bushings may be held in position by bolts 320 that extend longitudinally (along axis A) through each resilient bushing 310. Resilient bushings may be formed in, e.g., rubber, or some other vibrationally damping material. Metal springs or other resilient mounting members may also be used to vibrationally isolate the vibrating portion 120 from the chassis portion 110 of the floor scraper 100.

The vibratory device 140, 410 may comprise any form of vibration generating arrangement, but an excentre mass arranged to be rotated in an extension plane P of the vibrating portion as illustrated in the Figures is preferred, since this vibration furthers cutting efficiency by the blade arrangement 130.

With reference to Figure 1, an attack angle a of the blade arrangement 130 relative to the floor surface 101 is optionally configured so as to be adjustable by an operator or by a technician. This means that an operator of the floor scraper 100 can adjust the attack angle a of the blade relative to the floor surface to optimize the cutting performance of the blade arrangement 130 in a convenient manner. The angle of the entire vibrating portion 120 can be adjusted relative to the chassis portion 110 to adjust the attack angle a, since there is no longer any complex mechanical linkage between the chassis portion 110 and the vibrating portion. Figure 1 illustrates an example angle adjustment mechanism 180 which can be used to adjust the attack angle a of the blade arrangement relative to the floor surface 101. The adjustment mechanism 180 illustrated in Figure 1 is used together with a vibrating portion 120 that is pivotable 185 about a pivot axis parallel to a wheel axle of the supporting wheels 170.

The power source 140 used to vibrate the vibrating portion may comprise an electric machine, a combustion engine, or a hybrid electric power source comprising both electric machine and combustion engine. The combustion engine may be realized as a propane-powered combustion engine, in which case the propane tank can be carried by the chassis portion and the propane fuel guided in a flexible fuel line from the chassis portion to the vibrating portion. An electric machine may be powered via cable to electrical mains and/or from an on-board electrical energy storage such as a battery or capacitor.

The power source may for instance be an electric machine that is fixedly mounted onto a carrier plate 430 of the vibrating portion 120. The carrier plate 430 is then preferably suspended from the chassis portion 110 by a p|ura|ity of bushings 310 arranged around the electric machine, as illustrated in Figure 3.

The vibrating portion 120 preferably comprises a connector for releasably attaching an electrical harness and/or a fuel line for a combustion engine. A fuel tank and/or an electrical energy storage device such as a may be supported by the chassis portion 110. The power source may as noted above also be purely electrical and powered via cable to electrical mains, in which case an electrical power cable extends from the floor scraper.

An electric machine and/or a combustion engine may be mounted so as to extend from a mounting location on the vibrating portion 120 through an opening 330 formed in the chassis portion 110, as illustrated in the example of Figure 3. This way the power source can occupy more space, since it may extend up through the chassis portion, which is an advantage. There is an air gap formed between chassis portion and power source, over which no vibration is transmitted.

According to some aspects, the vibrating portion 120 is releasably attached to the chassis portion 110, allowing it to be replaced by an alternative vibrating portion. This means that an operator of the machine can disconnect the vibrating portion from the chassis portion and replace the vibrating portion with another vibrating portion, possible having a different power source or a different type of blade arrangement, or optimized for a given floor covering material. A snap lock, excentre lock, or a set of threaded fasteners can be used to releasably secure the vibrating portion to the chassis portion in this manner. Some work sites may, e.g., not comprise a reliable electrical mains connection, whereupon a battery powered vibrating portion can be selected, or a vibrating portion with a combustion engine. A battery pack or fuel tank can be mounted to the chassis portion as needed.

The blade arrangement 130 is preferably releasably attached to the vibrating portion 120, such that different cutting blades can be attached to the floor scraper in dependence of the floor scraping task at hand. Figure 4 illustrates an example blade holding arrangement 420.

An angle b (shown in the insert in Figure 4) between a motor axle M of the power source 140 and the carrier plate 430 of the vibrating portion 120 is preferably between 80-100 degrees, and more preferably 90 degrees, i.e., orthogonal to the extension plane of the vibrating portion.

A weight of the vibrating portion 120 comprising the blade arrangement 130 and the vibratory device preferably exceeds 15kg and more preferably exceeds 20kg. This is about 10-20 percent of the total weight of the floor scraper 100, which according to one example is about 130 kg and according to another example is about 170 kg. The power source 140 preferably has a power between 600-900W, and more preferably about 750W. The propulsion motor 190 of the floor scraper 100, used to propel the scraper over the floor surface, may have a power essentially equal to that of the vibrating portion power source, i.e., a power between 600-900W, and more preferably about 750W.

To summarize the discussion above, with reference to the flow chart in Figure 2B, there is disclosed herein a method for removing a surface material from a floor surface 101 by a floor scraper 100, 300, 400, the method comprising obtaining S1 a floor scraper 100, 300, 400 comprising a chassis portion 110 and a vibrating portion 120 movably supported by the chassis portion 110 and vibrationally isolated from the chassis portion 110, where the chassis portion 110 is arranged to support the floor scraper 100, 300, 400 on the floor surface 101, mounting S2 a blade arrangement 130 selected for the floor scraping task in a vibrating portion 120 arranged to hold the blade arrangement 130, and operating S3 the floor scraper by activating a vibratory device 140, 410 comprising a power source 140 arranged to generate vibration.

Claims

1. A floor scraper (100, 300, 400) for removing a surface material from a floor surface (101), the floor scraper (100, 300, 400) comprising a chassis portion (110) and a vibrating portion (120) movably supported by the chassis portion (110) and vibrationally isolated from the chassis portion (110), where the chassis portion (110) is arranged to support the floor scraper (100, 300, 400) on the floor surface (101), where the vibrating portion (120) is arranged to hold a blade arrangement (130) for removing the surface material from the floor surface (101 ), and where a vibratory device (140, 410) comprising a power source (140) arranged to generate vibration is attached to the vibrating portion (120).

2. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to claim 1, where the vibrating portion (120) is attached to the chassis portion (110) by a plurality of resilient bushings (310) or metal springs.

3. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to claim 2, where respective bolts (320) extend longitudinally (A) through each resilient bushing (310).

4. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where the vibratory device (140, 410) comprises an excentre mass arranged to be rotated in a plane (P) by the power source (140).

5. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to claim 4, where an attack angle (a) of the blade arrangement (130) relative to the floor surface (101) is adjustable.

6. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where the power source (140) comprises an electric machine and/or a combustion engine.

7. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to claim 6, where the combustion engine is a propane-powered combustion engine.

8. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to claim 6 or 7, where the power source (140) is a hybrid electric power source.

9. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any of claims 6-8, where the power source comprises an electric machine that is fixedly mounted onto a carrier plate (430) of the vibrating portion (120), where the carrier plate (430) is suspended from the chassis portion (110) by a plurality of bushings (310).

10. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any of claims 6-9, where the electric machine and/or the combustion engine extends from a mounting location on the vibrating portion (120) through an opening (330) formed in the chassis portion (110).

11. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where the vibrating portion (120) comprises a connector for releasably attaching an electrical harness and/or a fuel line for a combustion engine.

12. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where an electrical energy storage device and/or a fuel tank is supported by the chassis portion (110).

13. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where the vibrating portion (120) is releasably attached to the chassis portion (110).

14. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where the blade arrangement (130) is releasably attached to the vibrating portion (120).

15. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where the chassis portion (110) comprises a handle part (150) for guiding the floor scraper (100, 300, 400).

16. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where an angle (b) between a motor axle (M) of the power source (140) and a carrier plate (430) of the vibrating portion (120) is between 80-100 degrees, and preferably 90 degrees.

17. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where a weight of the vibrating portion (120) comprising the blade arrangement (130) and the vibratory device exceeds 15kg and preferably exceeds 20kg.

18. The floor scraper (100, 300, 400) according to any previous claim, where the power source (140) has a power between 600-900W, and preferably about 750W.

19. A method for removing a surface material from a floor surface (101) by a floor scraper (100, 300, 400), the method comprising obtaining (S1) a floor scraper (100, 300, 400) comprising a chassis portion (110) and a vibrating portion (120) movably supported by the chassis portion (110) and vibrationally isolated from the chassis portion (110), where the chassis portion (110) is arranged to support the floor scraper (100, 300, 400) on the floor surface (101), mounting (S2) a blade arrangement (130) selected for the floor scraping task in a vibrating portion (120) arranged to hold the blade arrangement (130), and operating (S3) the floor scraper by activating a vibratory device (140, 410) comprising a power source (140) arranged to generate vibration.