Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06G—MECHANICAL OR PRESSURE CLEANING OF CARPETS, RUGS, SACKS, HIDES, OR OTHER SKIN OR TEXTILE ARTICLES OR FABRICS; TURNING INSIDE-OUT FLEXIBLE TUBULAR OR OTHER HOLLOW ARTICLES
  • D06G1/00—Beating, brushing, or otherwise mechanically cleaning or pressure cleaning carpets, rugs, sacks, hides, or other skin or textile articles or fabrics
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B7/00—Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass
  • B08B7/02—Cleaning by methods not provided for in a single other subclass or a single group in this subclass by distortion, beating, or vibration of the surface to be cleaned

Definitions

• This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the mechanical cleaning of carpets according to the preamble of the independent claim presented below.
• An apparatus according to the publication ES 2016512 is intended for the cleaning of car carpets. There the need slightly differs from that of regular household carpets.
• the apparatus in question puts emphasis on brushing the carpet with an apparatus intensified by manual beating. It is typical for especially rotating brushes, that long fibrous trash such as human and animal hair stick to the brush. In this case the brushes need to be cleaned often, especially before cleaning delicate carpets. Additionally, a wet brush accumulates all kinds of dirt, and if the brush itself is not continuously carefully cleaned, strongly discolouring water soluble impurities may copy discolouration at each cycle into the carpet.
• the brush according to the publication ES 2016512 is not cleaned otherwise despite once by a water shower, from which the dripping water is carried along to the same place as the treated carpet.
• An object of the invention is in particular a mechanical cleaning apparatus, which is as well as simple also light in use and furthermore, the cleaning takes place in the closed and ventilated inner part of the apparatus, which makes it practical to use in the common facilities of apartment buildings and/or terraced houses.
• An object of the invention is also a beating method, which is lighter and easier than manual beating.
• a typical beating apparatus for the beating of dry carpets comprises a frame, at least one main shaft that has been arranged to rotate, and which shaft has been arranged in connection with the frame, elongated beating elements that are fastened to the main shaft at their first ends and that rotate together with the main shaft, to the other end of which elements a roll has been arranged as a rotating beating head for beating and transporting a carpet through the beating apparatus.
• a typical method for the cleaning of dry carpets by beating is arranged to travel in a first direction by rotating the main shaft in the travel direction of the carpet, several blows are directed towards the carpet with the beating heads of the beating elements that are fastened to the rotating main shaft, and the beating heads are arranged to travel several centimetres along the surface of the carpets during each blow by arranging a rotating roll as the beating head of the beating elements.
• roll is meant a preferably flat circular discoid object.
• Bv beatin ⁇ element is meant a substantially firm, inflexible elonqated object.
• the_cleaning- Of_carpets-.of_loose- rash-by- beating is simple and light. This is possible with the apparatus according to the invention, because cleaning only requires that the user turns the apparatus on, places the carpet at the feed opening and uses the brakes lightly during cleaning. According to one embodiment of the invention it is further possible to arrange a fan in the apparatus, which fan automatically attends to the, -cleanliness of the air in the entire work environment. Heavier trash that does not leave while ventilating can be removed through a hatch that opens at the bottom of the apparatus. According to another embodiment of the invention the beating apparatus can be arranged inside the frame casing.
• the bottom of the casing can be formed funnel-shaped and a vacuum cleaner can be arranged on the bottom of the funnel, whereby a typical user does not have to attend to any other problem associated with dirt than the removal of trash that has fallen during the stages of bringing and feeding the carpet.
• the caretaker of the facility cleans the fans and the filters of the vacuum cleaner at regular intervals.
• this automatic removal of trash from the bottom of the apparatus is in a way an extra feature in addition to the actual beating and raises the purchase and operational costs of the apparatus.
• An apparatus is typically used for the beating of dry carpets.
• the beating elements have been fastened to the main shaft in at least one row in the direction of the shaft.
• the length of the beating elements is typically about 60 - 250 mm.
• a roll has been arranged as a rotating beating head advantageously at one end of the beating elements, the outer end thereof, for example by fitting with a bearing.
• the main shaft of the beating apparatus has advantageously been arranged in connection with a power source, such as an engine, for rotating the shaft.
• the main shaft can be brought in to a rotating motion also with a manual power source, such as a crank.
• the travel direction of the carpet in the beating apparatus is horizontal.
• the travel direction of the carpet is from upwards down regarding the surface of the earth in which case a grate is substituted by the effect of gravity.
• a flexible stopper element has been arranged in the vicinity of a tangent arch, or even somewhat inside it.
• Figure 1 shows a beating apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention and the principle of the cleaning event
• Figure 2 shows the situation in Figure 1 , when the main shaft has rotated
• Figure 3 shows a casing of the beating machine according to the invention and the cleaning of the work environment.
• Figure 1 shows a beating apparatus and the principle of the cleaning event according to an embodiment of the invention.
• Carpet 1 travels along the support grate 2 in direction A and simultaneously the main shaft 3 rotates mechanically under the grate in direction B, which is the same as direction A.
• Beating elements 4 have been fastened to the main shaft 3, at the end of which beating elements rolls 5 have been arranged, which rolls rise together whilst rotating with the shaft 3 about 30 - 150 mm above the grate 2.
• the beating elements 4 have thus been arranged to travel between slits of the grate 2 when the main shaft rotates.
• the grate has been arranged to support the carpet 1 during beating.
• Circle C indicates the travel path of the outermost point of roll 5 i.e. the tangent arch.
• the rolls 5 do not support the carpet 1 but the one on the left is approaching the carpet.
• the speed of incidence of the roll 5 regarding the carpet 1 can be made to match manual beating, i.e. a local and momentary acceleration created by roll 5 is achieved in the carpet 1 that corresponds to manual beating and thereby, loosening trash and dust from it.
• a blow arranged in this manner the roll 5 travels several centimetres along the surface of the carpet during each blow.
• the carpet 1 does not necessarily have time to return to the grate 2 merely by the effect of the earth's gravity, nor really to the tangent arch C before the next roll 5 comes up between slits of grate 2, whereby the next blow may miss and even during the following blow the carpet is only slightly inside the tangent arch C, whereby the carpet in a manner of speaking floats shivering above the rolls 5 and does not get beaten.
• flexible stoppers 6 can be arranged above the tangent arch C, which stoppers return the carpet 1 close to the grate 2 before the next blow.
• Flexible stoppers 6 are thus arranged close enough, outside the tangent arch C formed by the beating elements 4, in order to reverse the direction of the kinetic energy of the carpet 1 that has bounced outwards due to the force from the beating elements 4. Thus, the carpet is led between the beating elements 4 and the stopper element or elements 6.
• FIG 2 the situation in Figure 1 is shown, when the main axis has rotated 90 ° .
• the carpet 1 has been thrown against the flexible stopper elements 6.
• the flexible stopper 6 can be, for example a long bristled brush or an about 2 mm thick and about 30 - 70 mm high vertically arranged rubber sheet or a horizontal sheet, for example the cover to the casing of the beating apparatus.
• the beating apparatus may also comprise several stopper elements, such as vertical rubber sheets, which have been arranged successively in the travel direction of the carpet.
• the stopper element is advantageously a rubber sheet, which rubber sheet gives a more even beating result.
• the flaring of the carpet 1 is preventable also with the cover to the frame casing, which is close enough to the tangent arch C.
• FIG 3 a casing of the beating machine according to the invention and the cleaning of the work environment is shown. It shows the beating element of the beating apparatus according to Figure 1 arranged inside a casing 10, so that the cover 11 covers the entire beating event but allows the passage of the carpet through the gap 12 inside the apparatus and out through gap 13.
• the lower surface has been closed by a hatch 14 that can be opened for the removal of trash, this open hatch has been indicated by a dashed line.
• Fine dust that has been loosened during the beating is removed by a fan that has not been indicated in the figure, from the upper surface through suction opening 15 as indicated by arrow D. Thereby, an underpressure is created inside the apparatus.
• Replacement air enters the apparatus as indicated by arrows E trough the inlet gaps 12 and 13 of the carpet, therefore dust does not pass therethrough to the work space.
• some of the ventilation air can be returned back into the machine after the separation of dust.
• This is most suitably arranged as indicated by arrow E above the carpet 1 , and to the opposite side of the apparatus as the suction, whereby the transfer of dust is more efficient even from above broad carpets to the suction opening.
• the hatch 14 is opened and the trash is brushed from the trough into the waste bin in the direction of arrow F.
• the brushing does not substantially raise dust, because during beating the ventilation has removed the finest dust, and the trash and the rest of the dust have partially bound to each other.
• this is a functioning entity as compared to regular manual beating performed outdoors, because with beating performed outdoors small amount of nearly invisible dust travels with the wind to a vast area and large amount of dust and bigger pieces of trash remain in the immediate vicinity of the beating location.
• the person performing the beating is substantially inside the dirt flying in the air and finally the whole area remains dirty.
• the user only needs to turn on the apparatus by pressing the push button 16, whereby the beating unit begins to rotate and the ventilation starts and they remain operational. Then the carpets are individually fed through opening 12 and brakes are lightly used depending on the dirtiness of the carpet and the cleaned carpets are rolled to be taken away. Eventually the apparatus is stopped by pressing the push button 17.
• the bottom hatch 14 is opened to a position as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3 and the trash is swept away from a trough formed by the hatch according to arrow F. Finally the hatch 14 is closed, whereby the apparatus is left ready for the next user.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Cleaning In General (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=27838830

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (2)

Citations (5)

• 2003
  • 2003-08-11 FI FI20031144A patent/FI114993B/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2004
  • 2004-08-11 EP EP04742218A patent/EP1654410A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-08-11 WO PCT/FI2004/000475 patent/WO2005014910A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (5)

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