US20170290487A1

US20170290487A1 - Dusting device for cleaning machine

Info

Publication number: US20170290487A1
Application number: US15/096,285
Authority: US
Inventors: Ya-Ching Yang; Yi-Jun Pan; Pai-Yung Lin
Original assignee: Ya-Ching Yang; Yi-Jun Pan; Pai-Yung Lin
Priority date: 2016-04-12
Filing date: 2016-04-12
Publication date: 2017-10-12

Abstract

A dusting device for a cleaning machine, being capable of detachably assembled to a bottom of the cleaning machine, includes at least a first rotary disc, a second rotary disc, an idler pulley, a driving rope unit, and dusting elements respectively attached to the first and second rotary discs. The driving rope unit is movably disposed on the first rotary disc, the idler pulley, and the second rotary disc. The first rotary disc is driven to rotate by a motor installed in the cleaning machine, and the idle pulley is driven to rotate by the driving rope unit and the first rotary disc, so as to further drive the second rotary disc to rotate in conjunction with the first rotary disc, whereby enabling the dusting elements to rotate to dust and clean a surface to be cleaned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a dusting device, and more particularly to a dusting device capable of being quickly detachably assembled to a cleaning machine and operating with lower power consumption.

2. Related Art

The prerequisite step of floor dusting is to sweep the floor. The ways to sweep as known is performed with a sweep or a rag by humans. However, both ways as mentioned above are time-consuming and laborious. Although a vacuum cleaner can be used to suck up dust and dirt, it is still needed to be controlled manually for its moving.
To increase the efficiency of the prerequisite cleaning step, automatic cleaning machines which collect dust by suction were developed. These machines are configured to suck in dust from the bottom while moving, or are equipped with a bristled tool for brushing the floor being vacuum-cleaned. A traditional automatic cleaning machine typically operates on a built-in motor, which drives a rotary element into rotation. The rotary element is provided with plural bundles of bristles, generally made of nylon. Once the rotary element starts rotating, the bristles in contact with the floor sweep clean the floor. However, the bristles do not work effectively, especially for dirt or splotches on the floor. Furthermore, each rotary element is pivotally connected to a motor provided inside the cleaning machine, and is driven by the motor to rotate. In other words, if the cleaning machine is configured with two rotary elements, two motors are required to separately drive the two rotary elements. As a result, the more motors are equipped, the more costs of assembling and manufacturing are increased, and the more power of the cleaning machine is consumed. Moreover, too many motors will also raise the risk of malfunction. On the other hand, traditional cleaning machine is moved with two wheels configured on left and right sides of the bottom of the cleaning machine, and the two rotary elements are configured in front of the two wheels. It is noted that the cleaning machine is not moving in a fixed direction that is to say, moving backwards and forwards, or left to right is all possible to take place. However, the wheels on rotation are likely to leave dirt from itself on the floor when the cleaning machine is moving. Therefore, the cleaning machine cannot efficiently clean the dirt left by the wheels through only the rotary elements configured in front of the wheels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a dusting device being capable of operating with lower power consumption for the purpose of energy saving.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dusting device having a structure capable of being quickly easily assembled to or detached form a bottom of cleaning machine for conveniently replacement of dusting components, and being widely applicable to most cleaning machines without changing internal configuration of the cleaning machine.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the dusting device of the present invention is capable of detachably assembled to a bottom of the cleaning machine, and comprises at least a first rotary disc comprising abase board, a linking portion formed on the base board, and a connecting portion disposed on the linking portion, the linking portion having a first groove formed thereon, one end of the connecting portion being pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine and driven to rotate by a motor installed in the cleaning machine; at least a second rotary disc comprising a base board, a linking portion formed on the base board, and a connecting portion disposed on the linking portion, the linking portion having a second groove formed thereon, one end of the connecting portion being pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine. Dusting elements are respectively attached to the base boards of the at least a first rotary disc and a second rotary disc, and are in contact with a surface to be cleaned. At least a driving rope unit is movably disposed on the first and second grooves and is driven to rotate in conjunction with rotation of the first rotary disc so as to further drive the second rotary disc to rotate simultaneously, whereby enabling the dusting elements to rotate to dust and clean the surface to be cleaned.
In one aspect of the present invention, the dusting device further comprises at least an idler pulley comprising a shaft rod and a pulley body formed on one end of the shaft rod, the pulley body including a first guiding slot and a second guiding slot, the shaft rod pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine and located between the first and second rotary discs, the driving rope unit comprising a first driving rope and a second driving rope, the first driving rope movably disposed on the first groove and the first guiding slot, and the second driving rope movably disposed on the second groove and the second guiding slot, wherein when the first rotary disc rotates, the idler pulley is driven by the first driving rope to rotate and further drives the second rotary disc to rotate with the second driving rope, so as to enable the dusting elements to rotate to dust and clean the surface to be cleaned.
In another aspect of the present invention, the at least an idler pulley and the first and second rotary discs cooperatively form a set of the dusting device, and the cleaning machine is configured with two sets of the dusting devices peripherally arranged on the bottom of the cleaning machine.
The dusting device of the present invention utilizes the cooperation of the idler pulley, the first rotary disc, the second rotary disc, the first driving rope, and the second driving rope to effectively reduce power consumption, enable quickly and easily assembly and highly compatibility, whereby successfully overcoming drawbacks that traditional cleaning devices are relatively inconvenient to be assembled, detached, replaced, and requires much higher power consumption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective assembly view of a cleaning machine and a dusting device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of an idler pulley of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the idler pulley;

FIG. 5 is a side plan view of a first rotary disc of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of a second rotary disc of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective assembly view showing a dusting element attached to the first rotary disc;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing rotation of the dusting device of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the dusting device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 8 showing a preferable embodiment of a dusting device of the present invention, the dusting device 1 is capable of detachably assembled to a bottom 72 of a cleaning machine 7. The cleaning machine 7 can be a vacuum cleaner and is equipped with two wheels 71. The cleaning machine 7 can automatically moves forward and backward or from left to right through the wheels 71 when being switched on.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the bottom 72 of the cleaning machine 7 is configured with two sets of the dusting devices 1 arranged at left and right parts of the bottom 72 of the cleaning machine 7. Each set of the dusting devices 1 comprises an idler pulley 2, a first rotary disc 3, a driving rope unit 4, and a second rotary disc 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the two first rotary discs 3 and the two second rotary discs 5 are peripherally arranged on the bottom 72 of the cleaning machine 7, while the two idler pulleys 2 are located between the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5.
Referring to FIG. 3, the idler pulley 2 comprises a shaft rod 22 and a pulley body 21 formed on one end of the shaft rod 22. In this embodiment, the shaft rod 22 forms a plurality of embedding slots 221 spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction for being pivotally connected to a through hole 70 on the bottom 72 of the cleaning machine 7. The pulley body 21 includes a first guiding slot 211 and a second guiding slot 212 being overlapped with each other where a middle rim 213 is formed between the first and second guiding slots 211 and 212, and the second guiding slot 212 is located more adjacent to the bottom 72 than the first guiding slot 211.
Referring to FIG. 5 in combination with FIG. 2, the first rotary disc 3 comprises a base board 31, a linking portion 32 formed on the base board 31, and a connecting portion 33 disposed on the linking portion 32. All the base board 31, the linking portion 32 and the connecting portion 33 respectively have a round outline. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 33 is integrally formed with the linking portion 32 and has a fixing hole 331 for being pivotally connected to a though hole 70 on the bottom 72 of the cleaning machine 7. The fixing hole 331 is configured to be pivotally connected to an internal component coupled with a motor 73 installed in the cleaning machine 7 (as shown in FIG. 2), so that the first rotary disc 3 is capable of being driven to rotate by the motor 73. The motor 73 also functions to drive the wheels 71. One side of the linking portion 32 is formed with the base board 31 and located at the center of the base board 31, while the other side of the linking portion 32 is formed with the connecting portion 33. The linking portion 32 has a first groove 321 formed around the linking portion 32. The base board 31 extends out of the linking portion 32 and is attached with a fastening element 34 which is Velcro for being attached with a dusting element 6 having a hook-and-loop structure. The dusting element 6 is in contact with a surface to be cleaned and is made of non-woven fabric. Specifically, the dusting element 6 has a sheet shape having a size larger than the base board 31 and extending out of the base board 31 (as shown in FIG. 7) for reaching more areas of the surface to be cleaned.
Referring to FIG. 6 in combination with FIG. 2, the second rotary disc 5 comprises a base board 51, a linking portion 52 formed on the base board 51, and a connecting portion 53 disposed on the linking portion 52. One end of the connecting portion 53 is pivotally connected to a through hole 70 on the bottom 72 of the cleaning machine 7. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 53 has a rod-shape having a plurality of embedding slots 531 for being rotatably connected to the through hole 70. Additionally, the connecting portion 53 is inserted from one side of the base board 51 to the linking portion 52. One side of the linking portion 52 is formed with the base board 51 and located at the center of the base board 51, while the other side of the linking portion 52 is formed with the connecting portion 53. The linking portion 52 has a second groove 521 formed around the linking portion 52. The base board 51 extends out of the linking portion 52 and is attached with a fastening element 54 which is Velcro for being attached with a dusting element 6 having a hook-and-loop structure. The dusting element 6 is in contact with a surface to be cleaned and is made of non-woven fabric. Specifically, the dusting element 6 has a sheet shape having a size larger than and extending out of the base board 51.
Referring to FIG. 8, after the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5 are assembled to the bottom 72 of the cleaning machine 7, the base boards 31 and 51 respectively extend out of the bottom 72 so as to allow the dusting elements 6 to reach more areas of the surface to be cleaned and to achieve optimization cleaning effect. The first and second guiding slots 211 and 212, and the first and second grooves 321 and 521 are respectively horizontally formed on the idler pulley 2, the first rotary disc 3, and the second rotary disc 5. In this manner, the dusting elements 6 are driven to rotate horizontally. In the preferred embodiment, the first rotary discs 3 are disposed in front of the wheels 71, and the second rotary discs 5 are disposed behind the wheels 71, so that dirt left by the wheels 71 can be cleaned by the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5 whatever the cleaning machine 7 is moving frontward or backward.
Particularly, the driving rope unit 4 comprises a first driving rope 41 and a second driving rope 42, and both of the first and second driving ropes 41 and 42 have a ring shape. The first and second rotary discs 3 and 5 are respectively linked to the idler pulley 2 through the first and second driving ropes 41 and 42. Specifically, the first driving rope 41 is movably disposed on the first groove 321 and the first guiding slot 211, and is capable of moving on the first groove 321 in conjunction with rotation of the first rotary disc 3 so as to drive the idler pulley 2 to rotate simultaneously, wherein the first driving rope 41 rotates around and on the first groove 321 and the first guiding slot 211. The second driving rope 42 is movably disposed on the second groove 521 and the second guiding slot 212, and is capable of moving on the second guiding slot 212 in conjunction with rotation of the idler pulley 2 so as to drive the second rotary disc 5 to rotate and to allow the second driving rope 42 to rotate around and on the second groove 521 and the second guiding slot 212. The middle rim 213 is configured to prevent the first and second driving ropes 41 and 42 from interfering with each other.
In the preferred embodiment, the first and second guiding slots 211 and 212, and the first and second grooves 321 and 521 respectively have a same radial width so that the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5 rotate at a same speed, whereby providing an evenly cleaning effect on the surface to be cleaned. Furthermore, the idler pulley 2 has a bottom surface which is located at a position lower than or equal to bottom surfaces of the base boards 31 and 51 of the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5, so as to allow the dusting elements 6 to completely contact the surface to be cleaned. Particularly, the first and second driving ropes 41 and 42 are made of flexible material, for example, such as rubber, so as to be tightly attached to the first and second grooves 321 and 521, and the first and second guiding slots 211 and 212.
The dusting device 1 of the present invention is use, actuate the cleaning machine 7 to enable the motor 73 to drive one of the first rotary discs 3 to rotate in a clockwise direction (or anticlockwise direction); meanwhile, the idler pulley 2 is driven by the first driving rope 41 to rotate in the same direction as the first rotary disc 3 and further drives the second rotary disc 5 to rotate in the same direction through the second driving rope 42 (as shown in FIG. 8). Likewise, the other first rotary disc 3 symmetrically arranged on the bottom 72 rotates in an anticlockwise direction. The four dusting elements 6 rotate simultaneously to carry out the dust and clean work on the surface to be cleaned.
Referring to FIG. 9 showing another embodiment, the idler pulley 2 is not provided in this embodiment, and the driving rope unit 4 is directly disposed on the first and second rotary disc 3 and 5. All of the other components related to the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5 are the same as the embodiment as described above. In this manner, the second rotary disc 5 is driven to rotate by the driving rope unit 4 in conjunction with the first rotary disc 3. As a result, the dusting elements 6 also rotate at the same time in conjunction with the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5 so as to carry out dust and clean work on the surface to be cleaned. With the configuration of the dusting device 1, users can determine whether to install the idler pulley 2, the first rotary disc 3, or the second rotary disc 5, so as to facilitate smart configuration of the dusting device 1. For instance, in another embodiment, the first rotary disc 3 is not connected with the motor 73, while the idler pulley 2 is connected with the motor 73 (not shown); In other words, the first rotary disc 3 is driven to rotate by the idler pulley 2 and the driving rope unit 4, whereby the dusting element 6 rotates to dust and clean the surface to be cleaned.
As described above, the first rotary disc 3 utilizes the idler pulley 2 and the driving rope unit 4 to drive the second rotary disc 5 so as to reduce the power consumption of the cleaning machine 7. Furthermore, in the case that the first driving rope 41 or the second driving rope 42 or the dusting element 6 is in a worn out condition after a long term use, they can be quickly and easily detached and replaced with new one. On the other hand, the idler pulley 2 is allowed to be replaced with a new one having a different diameter in order to regulate rotation speed of the second rotary disc 5 for achieving different functions of cleaning, such as waxing. It is particularly noted that through holes 70 of the cleaning machine 7 are originally formed on the bottom 72 as screwing holes where can be used for the assembly of the first and second rotary discs 3 and 5, and the idler pulley 2, whereby avoiding changing original internal configuration of the cleaning machine 7 in a considerable way, reducing a cost of mold opening and assembling, and further rendering the dusting device 1 widely compatible to most existed cleaning machines.
Accordingly, the dusting device 1 of the present invention utilizes the cooperation of the idler pulley 2, the first rotary disc 3, the second rotary disc 5, the first driving rope 41, and the second driving rope to effectively reduce power consumption, enable quickly and easily assembly and highly compatibility, whereby successfully overcoming drawbacks that traditional cleaning devices are relatively inconvenient to be assembled, detached, replaced, and requires much higher power consumption.
It is understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the claims. Thus the present examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative, and not restrictive, of the invention defined by the claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A dusting device for a cleaning machine, being capable of detachably assembled to a bottom of the cleaning machine, the dusting device comprising:

at least a first rotary disc comprising a base board, a linking portion formed on the base board, and a connecting portion disposed on the linking portion, the linking portion having a first groove formed thereon, one end of the connecting portion being pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine and driven to rotate by a motor installed in the cleaning machine;

at least a second rotary disc comprising a base board, a linking portion formed on the base board, and a connecting portion disposed on the linking portion, the linking portion having a second groove formed thereon, one end of the connecting portion being pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine;

dusting elements respectively attached to the base boards of the at least a first rotary disc and a second rotary disc, the dusting elements being in contact with a surface to be cleaned; and

at least a driving rope unit movably disposed on the first and second grooves and being driven to rotate in conjunction with rotation of the first rotary disc so as to further drive the second rotary disc to rotate simultaneously, whereby enabling the dusting elements to rotate to dust and clean the surface to be cleaned.

2. The dusting device of claim 1, further comprising at least an idler pulley comprising a shaft rod and a pulley body formed on one end of the shaft rod, the pulley body including a first guiding slot and a second guiding slot, the shaft rod pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine and located between the first and second rotary discs, the driving rope unit comprising a first driving rope and a second driving rope, the first driving rope movably disposed on the first groove and the first guiding slot, and the second driving rope movably disposed on the second groove and the second guiding slot, wherein when the first rotary disc rotates, the idler pulley is driven by the first driving rope to rotate and further drives the second rotary disc to rotate with the second driving rope, so as to enable the dusting elements to rotate to dust and clean the surface to be cleaned.

3. The dusting device of claim 2, wherein the base boards of the first and second rotary discs respectively extend out of the corresponding linking portions and peripheries of the bottom of the cleaning machine.

4. The dusting device of claim 2, wherein the at least an idler pulley and the first and second rotary discs cooperatively form a set of the dusting device, and the cleaning machine is configured with two sets of the dusting devices peripherally arranged on the bottom of the cleaning machine.

5. The dusting device of claim 2, wherein a middle rim is formed between the first and second guiding slots for preventing the first and second driving ropes from interfering with each other.

6. The dusting device of claim 2, wherein the first and second guiding slots, and the first and second grooves are respectively horizontally formed on the idler pulley, the first rotary disc, and the second rotary disc.

7. The dusting device of claim 2, wherein the idler pulley has a bottom surface which is located at a position lower than or equal to bottom surfaces of the base boards of the first and second rotary discs, so as to allow the dusting elements to be capable of being in contact the surface to be cleaned.

8. The dusting device of claim 1, wherein the connecting portion of the second rotary disc has a rod-shape having a plurality of embedding slots, the connecting portion of the second rotary disc is inserted to the base board and the linking portion of the second rotary disc and is connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine through the embedding slots, the connecting portion of the first rotary disc is integrally formed with the linking portion of the first rotary disc, and the connecting portion of the first rotary disc has a fixing hole for being pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine.

9. The dusting device of claim 1, wherein each of the dusting elements has a sheet shape and is made of non-woven fabric, and the dusting elements have hook-and-loop structures so as to be attached to the base boards.

10. A dusting device for a cleaning machine, being capable of detachably assembled to a bottom of the cleaning machine, the dusting device comprising:

at least a first rotary disc comprising a base board, a linking portion formed on the base board, and a connecting portion disposed on the linking portion, the linking portion having a first groove formed thereon, one end of the connecting portion being pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine, and one side of the base board being attached with a dusting element;

at least an idler pulley comprising a shaft rod and a pulley body formed on one end of the shaft rod, the pulley body including a first guiding slot, the shaft rod pivotally connected to the bottom of the cleaning machine and being driven to rotate by a motor installed in the cleaning machine; and

at least a driving rope unit movably disposed on the first groove and the first guiding slot, and being capable of moving on the first guiding slot in conjunction with rotation of the idler pulley so as to drive the first rotary disc to rotate simultaneously, whereby the driving rope unit being capable of rotating on and around the first groove and the first guiding slot and enabling the dusting element to rotate to dust and clean a surface to be cleaned.