US20200069135A1

US20200069135A1 - Orbital single-brush machine for treating floors

Info

Publication number: US20200069135A1
Application number: US16/499,353
Authority: US
Inventors: Giampaolo RUFFO
Original assignee: TMB Srl
Current assignee: TMB Srl
Priority date: 2017-03-31
Filing date: 2018-03-23
Publication date: 2020-03-05
Also published as: EP3599963B1; IT201700035454A1; WO2018177958A8; EP3599963A1; ES2885150T3; WO2018177958A1

Abstract

An orbital single-brush machine comprising a frame which rests on the floor and is provided with at least one movement handle; the frame being connected to a motor which is adapted to actuate with combined rotary and orbital motion a work tool that acts on the floor; the frame comprising a first substantially plate-shaped footing which is spaced apart from the floor, and a second substantially plate-shaped footing which supports the motor and is arranged below the first footing and is supported so that it can rotate freely by the first footing about an oscillation axis that is substantially parallel to the floor and substantially perpendicular to the advancement direction of the machine.

Description

The present invention relates to an orbital single-brush machine for treating floors.
As is known, there are single-brush machines on the market that make it possible to carry out various types of treatment on floors, such as, for example, heavy-duty washing, wax-stripping, crystallization, polishing, micro-smoothing and so on.
Generally, these machines are comprised of a base fitted with wheels, to which a movement handle is hinged, in a rear region, with respect to the advancement direction of the machine, and which supports a work tool, typically constituted by a brush, which acts on the floor and can be actuated in rotation about its own axis by way of a motor.
Traditional single-brush machines have the drawback that they are rather difficult to maneuver, requiring the operator to exert a considerable physical force in order to keep the machine stable, especially for very heavy-duty treatments.
Furthermore, traditional single-brush machines are not very versatile in that they require a specific single-brush model to be used for each type of treatment that it is intended to carry out on the floor.
In order to seek to overcome these drawbacks, orbital single-brush machines have been proposed which are characterized in that the brush is actuated by the motor with a combined rotary and orbital motion which is conferred by the motor on the brush typically by way of the interposition of an eccentric mechanism.
Usually, orbital single-brush machines are structured in terms of construction so as to have, in a downward region, a pair of supporting side arms, substantially parallel to the advancement direction of the machine, which, at their rear end, rest on the floor by way of a respective supporting wheel and, at their front end, are connected by way of a hinge to a body that supports the motor and the mechanism that enables the actuation of the brush with a combined rotary and orbital motion.
The supporting arms are furthermore hinged to a handle that enables the machine to be moved by the operator.
Although orbital single-brush machines offer greater maneuverability over traditional single-brush machines, requiring less physical force for their handling during execution of the treatment on the floor, to date they have been used almost exclusively in industrial or professional contexts owing to their relatively high space occupation and to their weight, which is considerable compared to traditional single-brush machines.
Furthermore, again owing to their weight, they are not easy to transport, rendering their use inconvenient for cleaning firms, which for the most part employ female labor.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an orbital single-brush machine for treating floors that is capable of improving the known art in one or more of the above mentioned aspects.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an orbital single-brush machine that, owing to its peculiar characteristics of construction, has reduced dimensions and weight or at least dimensions and weight that are similar to those of a traditional single-brush machine, and which at the same time can be easily maneuvered by any operator and is highly versatile.
Another object of the invention is to provide an orbital single-brush machine that in terms of construction is simple to provide so that it can be easily used in various different application contexts.
Another object of the invention is to provide an orbital single-brush machine that, as needed, can also be equipped with machining tools other than the normal brush that is typically used, without any degradation in the performance of the machine.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an orbital single-brush machine that is highly reliable and which is competitive from an economic viewpoint as well.
This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an orbital single-brush machine according to claim 1, optionally provided with one or more of the characteristics of the dependent claims.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the orbital single-brush machine according to the invention, which is illustrated for the purposes of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the orbital single-brush machine according to the invention with a work tool constituted by a brush applied;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the orbital single-brush machine according to the invention in which, in place of the brush, a work tool constituted by a polishing pad is applied;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the machine according to the invention in which the work tool is omitted and a housing is shown as transparent;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 in which a work tool constituted by a polishing pad is instead applied to the machine according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 in which a work tool constituted by a brush is instead applied to the machine according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, the orbital single-brush machine according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a frame 2 which rests on the floor and is provided with at least one movement handle 3 in order to allow the frame 2 to be moved on the floor by an operator.
The frame 2 is connected to a motor 4 which makes it possible to actuate, with combined rotary and orbital motion, a work tool 5 that acts on the floor, which can be constituted, for example, by a normal brush or, alternatively, also by a polishing pad or the like, according to the treatment to be carried out.
The peculiarity of the invention consists in that the frame 2 comprises a first substantially plate-shaped footing 6, which is spaced apart from the floor and is provided in a rear region, with respect to the advancement direction of the machine, with at least one pair of wheels 7 resting on the floor, which are mutually opposite.
Also according to the invention, the frame 2 further comprises a second substantially plate-shaped footing 8, which supports the motor 4 and is arranged below the first footing 6 and is supported so that it can rotate freely by the first footing 6 about an oscillation axis 8 a that is substantially parallel to the floor and substantially perpendicular to the advancement direction of the machine.
In particular, the second footing 8 is freely pivoted to the first footing 6 about the oscillation axis 8 a by way of a pair of hinges 9 which are mutually opposite with respect to the motor 4. Such hinges 9 are for example made from a pair of bushings defined in respective eyelets which protrude downward from the first footing 8 and are engaged by respective rotation pivots.
It should be noted that, conveniently, the movement handle 3 is hinged in a downward region to a rear region of the first footing 6.
Advantageously, the motor 4 is fixed to the face of the second footing 8 that is directed toward the first footing 6 and is, conveniently, accommodated within a passage opening which is defined through the first footing 6.
Conveniently, on its side directed toward the floor, the second footing 8 supports means of kinematic connection 10, conventional, connecting the motor 4 with the work tool 5, which are adapted to give the work tool 5 a combined rotary and orbital motion, for example by way of a an eccentric transmission.
Advantageously, the first footing 6 and the motor 4 are accommodated within a single containment housing 11, which extends, conveniently, to also cover at least partially the second footing 8, so as to confer adequate protection and compactness on the machine.
Optionally, the first footing 6 can support at least one nozzle for dispensing a floor treatment liquid, not shown, which is connected to a supply tank, also not shown, which is conveniently associated with the movement handle 3.
Use of the machine, according to the invention, is evident from the foregoing description.
In particular, it should be noted, by virtue of the fact that it is structured with the first and the second footing 6 and 8, as described above, the machine can offer encumbrances and weight that are comparable to that of a traditional non-orbital single-brush machine.
Furthermore, it must also be emphasized that the fact that the motor 4 is supported by the second footing 8 and that the second footing 8 is pivoted to the first footing 6, so as to leave it free to rotate with respect to the latter, allows the work tool 5 to always remain completely in contact with the ground, as a consequence enabling to the machine to work correctly under any condition, i.e. with any type of floor and with any type of work tool 5, even of different height.
In this regard, as can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, by virtue of the possibility of relative oscillation between the first and the second footing 6 and 8, independently of the type and height of the work tool 5 used, i.e. a normal brush, a polishing pad or the like, the work tool 5 is capable of always remaining in complete contact with the floor, which offers the machine according to the invention the capability to achieve a level of efficacy in the treatment carried out that is superior to any single-brush machine in the known art, with the additional advantage of being lighter and more compact as well as easy to maneuver on the floor, and without the need to apply a considerable force.
In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects, and in particular attention is drawn to the fact that the machine according to the invention has a weight and space occupation that are such as to make it easily usable even in a domestic context.
All the characteristics of the invention, indicated above as advantageous, convenient or similar, may also be missing or be substituted by equivalent characteristics.
The individual characteristics set out in reference to general teachings or to specific embodiments may all be present in other embodiments or may substitute characteristics in such embodiments.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and to the state of the art.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102017000035454 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. An orbital single-brush machine comprising a frame which rests on the floor and is provided with at least one movement handle, a motor being connected to said frame and being adapted to actuate with a combined rotary and orbital motion a work tool that is adapted to act on the floor, wherein said frame comprises a first substantially plate-shaped footing which is spaced apart from the floor and a second substantially plate-shaped footing which is arranged below said first footing and is supported so that it can rotate freely by said first footing about an oscillation axis that is substantially parallel to the floor and substantially perpendicular to the advancement direction of the machine, said second footing supporting said motor.

13. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said first footing is provided in a rear region, with respect to an advancement direction of the machine, with at least one pair of wheels resting on the floor which are mutually opposite.

14. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said second substantially plate-shaped footing is freely pivoted to said first substantially plate-shaped footing about said oscillation axis by way of a pair of hinges which are mutually opposite with respect to said motor.

15. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said motor is fixed to a face of said second substantially plate-shaped footing that is directed toward said first substantially plate-shaped footing.

16. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said first substantially plate-shaped footing has a passage opening which is passed through by said motor.

17. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said second substantially plate-shaped footing supports, on a side thereof directed toward the floor, means of kinematic connection between said motor and said work tool which are adapted to give said work tool a combined rotary and orbital motion.

18. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said first substantially plate-shaped footing and said motor are accommodated within a single containment housing.

19. The machine according to claim 18, wherein said single containment housing extends to also cover at least partially said second footing.

20. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said first substantially plate-shaped footing supports at least one nozzle for dispensing a floor treatment liquid, which is connected to a supply tank.

21. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said work tool is a brush.

22. The machine according to claim 12, wherein said work tool comprises a polishing pad.