US20070089250A1

US20070089250A1 - Power floor cleaning apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20070089250A1
Application number: US11/256,369
Authority: US
Inventors: Tien Hsiao
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-10-20
Filing date: 2005-10-20
Publication date: 2007-04-26

Abstract

A power floor cleaning apparatus includes a length-adjustable handle, and a cleaner unit, which is coupled to the handle and has two sweepers for sweeping floor dust into the inside of the cleaner unit, a dustbin, a dust conveyer for conveying dust to the dustbin, a motor-based transmission mechanism for rotating the two sweepers to sweep dust from the floor onto the dust conveyer, and a power supply unit that provides the necessary working voltage to the motor-based transmission mechanism.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a floor cleaning apparatus and more particularly, to a power floor cleaning apparatus that can conveniently be moved on the floor by the user to remove dust from the floor automatically.
2. Description of the Related Art:
When cleaning the floor, we may use a broom to broom up the scraps of paper and other waste substances, and then use a dustpan to collect the gathered scraps of paper and waste substances and carry the gathered scraps of paper and waste substances to a dustbin or dust bag. When cleaning the floor, dust may fly about, and the person who cleans the floor will breathe in dust.
A floor cleaning apparatus is known for cleaning the floor efficiently, preventing flying of dust when cleaning the floor. This design of floor cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaner unit and a handle pivoted to the cleaner unit. The cleaner unit is equipped with rollers for moving on the floor. When moving the cleaner unit on the floor, the rollers are rotated to drive a transmission gear set to rotate a brush assembly, causing the brush assembly to move dust from the floor into a dustbin inside the cleaner unit. Because the cleaner unit of this design of floor cleaning apparatus is manually operated, the user must employ much effort to move the cleaner unit on the floor and to further rotate the transmission gear set and the brush assembly. When the rollers of the cleaner unit are covered with dust or start to wear, the user shall have to employ much more effort to move the cleaner unit on the floor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a power floor cleaning apparatus, which can conveniently be moved on the floor in all directions with less effort to automatically remove dust from the floor.
To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, the power floor cleaning apparatus comprises a housing, the housing comprising a bottom cover shell and a top cover shell covering the bottom cover shell; a handle connected to the top cover shell of the housing; a transmission mechanism mounted inside the housing, the transmission mechanism comprising a gearbox, the gearbox having an input end, a first output end, a second output end and a third output end, an actuator adapted to rotate the gearbox, and a transmission belt coupled between the actuator and the input end of the gearbox; a support mounted inside the housing, the support holding a first axle bearing and a second axle bearing corresponding to the second output end and the third output end; a first sweeper mounted inside the housing, the first sweeper comprising a head, a radial brush fastened to the head, an axle connected to the head and inserted through an axle bush at the bottom cover shell, and a parachute gear mounted on the axle of the second sweeper and meshed with the first output end of the gearbox; a second sweeper mounted inside the housing, the second sweeper comprising a cylindrical sweeper body and two pins disposed at two distal ends of the cylindrical weeper body and respectively coupled to the second output end of the gearbox and the first axle bearing; a dust conveyer mounted inside the housing, the dust conveyer comprising an axle coupled between the third output end of the gearbox and the second axle bearing, and a plurality of arched carrier plates mounted around the periphery of the axle of the dust conveyer; and a dustbin mounted inside the bottom cover shell of the housing at a rear side of the dust conveyer, the dustbin having a cover disposed in flush with an outside wall of the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic elevational view of the transmission mechanism of the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is another schematic elevational view of the transmission mechanism of the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention when viewed from another angle.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the second sweeper of the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the dustbin for the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the cleaner unit of the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view of an alternate form of the second sweeper of the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view showing the alternate form of the second sweeper installed in the power floor cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a power floor cleaning apparatus in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a handle 1 and a cleaner unit 2. When the user operates the handle 1 to move the cleaner unit 2 over the floor, the cleaner unit 2 automatically sweeps floor dust into the inside of the cleaner unit 2 and then gathers the dust. The handle 1 comprises a plurality of rod members 11 a, 11 b and 11 c detachably connected to one another through, for example, a respective screw joint, a handle grip 14 at one end, namely, the top end of the rod member 11 a for holding by the user to operate the floor cleaning apparatus conveniently, an extension rod 11 d axially movable in and out of one end, namely, the bottom end of the rod member 11 c, a chuck 12 provided at the bottom end of the rod member 11 c and adapted to lock the extension rod 11 d, and a swivel connector 13 provided at the outer end of the extension rod 11 d and coupled to the cleaner unit 2 for enabling the user to conveniently control steering of the cleaner unit 2 on the floor in different directions.
Referring to FIG. 2, the cleaner unit 2 comprises a housing 3, a transmission mechanism 4, a first sweeper 5, a second sweeper 6, a dust conveyer 7, a dustbin 8 (see FIG. 6), and a power supply unit 9.
The housing 3 comprises a bottom cover shell 32, a top cover shell 31 covering the bottom cover shell 32 and fastened to the swivel connector 13, a bumper 33 fastened to the connection area between the top cover shell 31 and the bottom cover shell 32, a power switch 311 mounted inside the top cover shell 31 for power on/off switching control, a button 313 supported on a spring member 312 outside the top cover shell 31 for pressing by the user to alternatively switch on/off the power switch 311, a locating plate 314 mounted inside the top cover shell 31 for securing the first sweeper 5, and a plurality of rollers 321 pivotally mounted on the bottom side of the bottom cover shell 32 to make the cleaner unit 2 easy to move on the floor.
The transmission mechanism 4 comprises a gearbox 41, an actuator, for example, a motor 42, and a transmission belt 43 coupled between the motor 42 and a belt pulley 411 at the input side of the gearbox 41. The gearbox 41 comprises first output end 412, a second output end 413 and a third output end 414 (see also FIGS. 3 and 4). Further, the bottom cover shell 32 has fixedly mounted therein a support 44. The support 44 supports two axle bearings 441 and 442. The axle bearings 441 and 442 are respectively aimed at the second output end 413 and third output end 414 of the gearbox 41.
The first sweeper 5 comprises a head 51, a radial brush 52 fastened to the head 51, an axle 53 inserted through the bottom cover shell 32 and having one end connected to the head 51 and the other end coupled to the locating plate 314, an axle bush 54 mounted inside the bottom cover shell 32 and sleeved onto the axle 53, and a parachute gear 55 mounted on the axle 53 and meshed with the first output end 412 of the gearbox 41.
The second sweeper 6 comprises a roller-like brush 61 and a frame 62 (see FIG. 5). The roller-like brush 61 is comprised of a plurality of plate-like brush elements 611. Each plate-like brush element 611 has a plurality of brush portions 612 extending in different directions. The frame 62 is comprised of an upper clamping frame 621 and a bottom clamping frame 622. The upper clamping frame 621 and the bottom clamping frame 622 are fastened together to secure the roller-like brush 61, Further, the upper clamping frame 621 has two pins 623 and 624 respectively extending from the two distal ends thereof and respectively coupled to the second output end 413 of the gearbox 41 and the axle bearing 441. The second sweeper 6 further comprises a guard 63 mounted inside the bottom cover shell 32 over the roller-like brush 61 to prohibit flying dust from passing to the inside of the housing 3.
The dust conveyer 7 comprises an axle 71 coupled between the third output end 414 of the gearbox 41 and axle bearing 442, and a plurality of arched carrier plates 72 mounted around the periphery of the axle 71.
The dustbin 8 is mounted in the bottom cover shell 32 of the housing 3 behind the dust conveyer 7, having a cover 81 covered therein (see FIG. 6). When installed, the cover 81 is kept in flush with the outside wall of the housing 3. Alternatively, the dustbin 8 can be provided at one lateral side of the housing 3 or any suitable location at the housing 3, for example, the location below the connection area between the handle 1 and the housing 3.
The power supply unit 9 is a storage battery mounted inside the housing 3 and adapted to provide the necessary working voltage to the transmission mechanism 4.
Referring to FIG. 7, when in use, the handle 1 is adjusted to the desired length. When pressed the button 313 to switch on the power switch 311, battery power supply is transmitting from the power supply unit 9 to the transmission mechanism 4 to start the actuator 42 and to further rotate the internal gear trains of the gearbox 41, and therefore the first output end 412, the second output end 413 and the third output end 414 are driven to rotate the first sweeper 5, the second sweeper 6 and the dust conveyer 7 respectively. During rotary motion, the first sweeper 5 and the second sweeper 6 sweep solid waste substances from the floor onto the arched carrier plates 72 of the dust conveyer 7, and the rotating arched carrier plates 72 carry the collected solid waste substances to the dustbin 8. When the dustbin 8 is filled up with solid waste substances, the user can open the cover 81 and pour collected solid waste substances out of the dustbin 8 into, for example, a dust bag.
When cleaning the floor with the power floor cleaning apparatus, the rollers 321 allow the cleaner unit 2 to conveniently be moved on the floor with less effort. Further, the swivel connector 13 allows the user to conveniently control steering of the cleaner unit 2 on the floor in different directions.
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, a longitudinal series of rolls 10 may be used and covered with a layer of hook material 101 for the fastening of a cloth pad to substitute the aforesaid second sweeper 6.
Although particular embodiment of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A power floor cleaning apparatus comprising:

a housing, said housing comprising a bottom cover shell and a top cover shell covering said bottom cover shell;

a handle connected to said top cover shell of said housing;

a transmission mechanism mounted inside said housing, said transmission mechanism comprising a gearbox, said gearbox having an input end, a first output end, a second output end and a third output end, an actuator adapted to rotate said gearbox, and a transmission belt coupled between said actuator and the input end of said gearbox;

a support mounted inside said housing, said support holding a first axle bearing and a second axle bearing corresponding to said second output end and said third output end;

a first sweeper mounted inside said housing, said first sweeper comprising a head, a radial brush fastened to said head, an axle connected to said head and inserted through an axle bush at said bottom cover shell, and a parachute gear mounted on the axle of said second sweeper and meshed with the first output end of said gearbox;

a second sweeper mounted inside said housing, said second sweeper comprising a cylindrical sweeper body and two pins disposed at two distal ends of said cylindrical weeper body and respectively coupled to the second output end of said gearbox and said first axle bearing;

a dust conveyer mounted inside said housing, said dust conveyer comprising an axle coupled between the third output end of said gearbox and said second axle bearing, and a plurality of arched carrier plates mounted around the periphery of the axle of said dust conveyer; and

a dustbin mounted inside the bottom cover shell of said housing at a rear side of said dust conveyer, said dustbin having a cover disposed in flush with an outside wall of said housing.

2. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle comprises a handle body formed of a plurality of rod members that are detachably connected to one another through a respective screw joint, said handle body having a top end and a bottom end, a handle grip at the top end of said handle body, an extension rod axially movable in and out of the bottom end of said handle body, a chuck provided at the bottom end of said handle body and adapted to lock said extension rod, and a swivel connector provided at an outer end of said extension rod and coupled to said housing.

3. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a power switch mounted inside said top cover shell of said housing for power on/off control, a spring member mounted on said top cover shell of said housing corresponding to said power switch, and a button supported on said spring member for pressing by the user t5o switch on/off said power switch.

4. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a locating plate mounted inside said top cover shell and supporting one end of the axle of said first sweeper.

5. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of rollers pivotally mounted in a bottom side of said bottom cover shell of said housing for moving.

6. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing further comprises a bumper mounted around the connection area between said top cover shell and said bottom cover shell.

7. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said actuator is a motor.

8. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical sweeper body of said second sweeper is comprised of a plurality of plate-like brush elements arranged in parallel, said plate-like brush elements each having a plurality of brush portions extending in different directions.

9. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical sweeper body of said second sweeper comprises a roller-like brush and a frame holding said roller-like brush, said frame comprising an upper clamping plate and a bottom clamping plate fastened to said upper clamping plate to hold down said roller-like brush.

10. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second sweeper further comprises a guard mounted inside said housing and covered over a top side of said cylindrical sweeper body.

11. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a power supply unit formed of a storage battery and adapted to provide the necessary working voltage to said actuator.

12. The power floor cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cylindrical sweeper body of said second sweeper is comprised of a plurality of rolls connected in series and respectively covered with a layer of hook material for the fastening of a cloth pad.