Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – Wiping
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-13
2001-10-30
Till, Terrence R. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
Wiping
C015S049100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308360
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a floor care machine, such as a floor polisher, with at least one floor care disc that can be driven in rotation and acts as a polisher disc. The machine can be designed in particular in the form of what is designated in the trade as a high-speed machine, whereby a frame supports a drive unit with the polishing disc, and the frame is movably supported on the floor by means of guide elements, and the height of the polishing disc with respect to the floor can be adjusted to set the application pressure, taking the characteristics of the floor into consideration.
2. Background Information
Floor care machines of this type are described in some publications for industrial and professional applications. One problem with these high-speed machines, so called because the polishing disc, which is also designated a “pad”, rotates at high speed, is that depending on the characteristics of the floor, the application pressure of the pad against the floor must be adjusted manually. This adjustment is necessary to avoid causing any damage to the floor surface, to achieve a continuous result and to ensure that the drive mechanism will not be overloaded. Therefore the application pressure on the floor can only be adjusted by trained or qualified operators, which limits the use of the machine to applications in the industrial and professional sector.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to improve a system of the type described above to make it possible to substantially adjust the machine to the current floor conditions, to automatically adjust the height of the pad and to achieve a substantially continuous result. In other words, an object of the present invention can be to make a floor care machine that automatically responds to various conditions of the floor to adjust the height of the pad relative to the floor and therefore obtain a substantially even finish over all areas of the floor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention teaches that the drive system is connected with a driving element that is mounted so that it rotates in the axis of rotation of the pad, which driving element is connected via a transmission element with a coaxial driven element as the drive shaft for the pad. The driven element is installed so that it can rotate and move axially with respect to the driving element and can be displaced axially, whereby the transmission element with a clamping element automatically regulates the displacement and rotation, thereby acting as a torque regulator to regulate the height of the pad with respect to the floor as a function of the torque.
In other words, the present invention teaches that the drive system can be connected with a driving element mounted so that it rotates in the axis of rotation of the pad. This driving element can be connected via a transmission element with a coaxial driven element to form the drive shaft for the pad. Additionally, the drive element can be installed so that it can rotate around the driving element so that the transmission element, which has a torsion spring or a clamping, gripping, or chucking element, may automatically regulate the torque of the pad and thereby regulate the height of the pad relative to the floor as a function of the torque.
One advantage of the invention is that there is a substantially precise regulation of the power of the drive unit, whereby the torque that occurs and thus the output are used as a controlled variable and the height of the pad above the floor is used as the manipulated variable. The height adjustment is made when the machine is turned on and off, and is substantially achieved by the rotational inertia of mass into the upper or lower limit position, unless the drive system is provided with a process that increases and decreases the speed gradually when the machine is turned on or off.
In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the drive system can substantially increase the speed of rotation of the pad gradually when the floor machine is turned on and can substantially decrease the speed of rotation of the pad gradually when the floor machine is turned off.
In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pad may be set at an angle to the floor in the range of up to about 3 degrees.
In other words, in one possible embodiment of the invention, the back of the pad may be set at an angle to the floor in the range of up to approximately 3 degrees—that is, the back of the pad may be higher than the front of the pad.
In another possible embodiment of the invention, the front of the pad may be set at an angle to the floor in the range of up to approximately 3 degrees—that is, the front of the pad may be higher than the back of the pad.
In another possible embodiment of the invention, the front of the pad may be set at an angle to the floor, which angle may be approximately 0.5 degrees, 1.0 degrees, 1.5 degrees, 2.0 degrees, or 2.5 degrees—that is, the front of the pad may be higher than the back of the pad.
In yet another possible embodiment of the invention, the back of the pad may be set at an angle to the floor, which angle may be approximately 0.5 degrees, 1.0 degrees, 1.5 degrees, 2.0 degrees, or 2.5 degrees—that is, the back of the pad may be higher than the front of the pad.
In a further possible embodiment of the invention, the front of the pad may be set at an angle to the floor, which angle may be approximately 3.5 degrees, 4.0 degrees, or 4.5 degrees—that is, the front of the pad may be higher than the back of the pad.
In yet a further possible embodiment of the invention, the back of the pad may be set at an angle to the floor, which angle may be approximately 3.5 degrees, 4.0 degrees, or 4.5 degrees—that is, the back of the pad may be higher than the front of the pad.
In an additional advantageous embodiment, there is a guide element in the form of a roller to support the frame in the axis of rotation of the pad.
In another possible embodiment of the invention, the drive element may rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
To create substantially favorable conditions for operation, the invention teaches that the torque regulator formed from the transmission element and the clamping element between the input element and the driven element, has a PT
2
control response.
In other words, to create substantially favorable conditions for operation, the invention teaches that the torque regulator formed from the transmission element and the torsion spring between the driving element and the driven element, has a PT
2
or second-order time delay control response. This time delay control response may provide for a delay in the height of the pad, the driving element, and the driven element to prevent flailing or uncontrolled fluctuation, oscillation, or chattering of the pad, the driving element, and the driven element, which flailing or uncontrolled fluctuation, oscillation, or chattering may damage the floor or parts of the floor care machine. In other words, the PT
2
or second-order time delay control response may regulate the height and speed of the pad such that the pad may move upward or downward substantially slowly when it encounters a substantially small bump in the floor and may move substantially quickly when it encounters a substantially large bump in the floor.
In one embodiment of the invention, the factors involved in determining the PT
2
or second-order time delay control response may include the number of turns on the helical or spiral guides, the number of turns on the torsion spring or clamping element, the weight of the pad or disc, and the angle of the parallel helical guides on the driving element and the corresponding guides on the driven element, the height of the pad or disc, the position of the guide rods, and the position of the coupling rods.
To realize an additional advantageous arrangement, the invention teaches that the driving element is substantially realized in the form of a ring-shaped sleeve, and is rotationally mounted by means of a sta
Nils H. Ljungman & Associates
Stein & Co. GmbH
Till Terrence R.
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