A machine for cleaning floors

Abstract

Machine for cleaning floors comprising a head (10) equipped with a laser generator (22) for the ablation of stains on the surface to be treated, collection means (17) for collecting debris produced during the ablation, an electric power supply module (12) and movement means (13) adapted to allow easy displacement of the machine on the surface to be treated.

Description

[0001] TITLE

[0002] A MACHINE FOR CLEANING FLOORS

[0003] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to a dry floor cleaning machine exploiting a laser emission for removing dirt and scale from the treated surfaces.

[0005] PRIOR ART

[0006] The machines currently available for cleaning and washing floors are based on the use of rotating brushes or cylinders, and chemical agents and cleaning liquids that are distributed onto the surface to be cleaned by means of special hydraulic circuits.

[0007] These machines generally comprise two tanks, one adapted to contain the cleaning liquid, generally comprising a cleaning solution with water and chemical products, the other adapted to contain the dirty liquid collected from the floor after the surface has been treated. The drawbacks related to these types of machines for cleaning and washing floors concern the considerable consumption of water and detergents - which are chemical agents never completely bio-degradable and therefore harmful to the environment - in addition to the consumption of electricity.

[0008] In fact, when operating these machines, in addition to actuating the movement system of the machine itself, electric motors actuate the dispensing system for dispensing the cleaning solution onto the surface to be treated and the suction system for sucking up the dirty liquid from the floor after the cleaning treatment.

[0009] The electric power currently available used by machines for cleaning and washing floors is always greater than 500W, easily exceeding 1 kW in the case of the largest models used for cleaning industrial environments. Thus, it is apparent that the available state-of-the-art machines for cleaning and washing floors have a considerable impact as regarding environment and energy. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce new floor-cleaning machines with lower current draw, which do not utilize chemical substances usually used as detergents and which avoid, or at least considerably limit the use of water.

[0010] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present description overcomes the described technical problems by means of a machine for cleaning floors, which, instead of using one or more rotating brushes (or one or more rotating cylinders) and chemical cleaning agents, uses a laser generator for removing dirt and scale from the floor to be treated.

[0012] Thus, the machine described comprises a head equipped with a laser generator for the ablation of stains on the surface to be treated, collection means for collecting the debris produced during ablation, an electric power supply module and movement means adapted to allow easy displacement of the machine on the surface to be treated.

[0013] In preferred variants, the collection means may include a floor wiper and a suction system, optionally provided with anti-particulate filters.

[0014] The laser generator used may be of the pulse type, e.g. of the Q-switched type. Furthermore, said laser generator may be equipped with a protective and containing structure adapted to prevent the outlet of light beams or fumes resulting from the floor treatment, so as to protect the user from accidental contact with the laser beam emitted and favor the efficiency of the suction of fumes produced during the treatment of the surface to be cleaned.

[0015] Furthermore, the machine may include optics associated with the laser generator. These optics consist of at least one lens and may have a varying configuration so as to modify the laser beam directed towards the surface subjected to treatment. Both the laser generator and the associated optics can be connected to a controller for regulating the intensity of the emission and the configuration of the optics.

[0016] Finally, the machine for cleaning floors according to the present description can be manually operated and provided with a handle adapted to be gripped by an operator, or it can be provided with an automatic movement system based on sensors for identifying obstacles and mapping the surface to be treated.

[0017] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0018] Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from reading the following description given by way of non-limiting example, with the aid of the figures shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for cleaning floors according to the present description, and

[0020] Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of another preferred embodiment of the apparatus for cleaning floors according to the present description.

[0021] The following description of exemplary embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The following detailed description does not limit the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims.

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0023] With reference to the accompanying figures, the machine for cleaning floors according to the present description comprises:

[0024] A head 10, in turn comprising a laser generator 11 adapted to emit a low-intensity laser beam 15 directed towards the surface to be treated and having such an intensity as to allow the ablation of stains and contaminations from the aforesaid surface. The aforesaid ablation allows performing the removal of foreign material from the surface of the floor to be treated by means of induced vaporization and erosion processes.

[0025] Collection means for collecting debris resulting from the ablation performed by means of the laser beam.

[0026] An electric power supply module 12 conveniently connected to said laser generator. The power supply module 12 is connectable to the mains voltage by means of a power supply cable, or provided with a local rechargeable battery if desiring to ensure machine operability also in the absence of connection sockets for connecting to the power supply. The power supply module 12 is further configured to supply the necessary electric power to the floorcleaning machine according to this description, and it is preferably provided with normal electric protection and heat dissipation systems, ensuring the proper safe working thereof in all operating conditions.

[0027] Movement means for allowing easy displacement of said floor-cleaning machine on the surface to be treated. Said movement means may comprise at least one wheel 13 arranged on the lower face of said head 10. Said at least one wheel may be an electrically operated wheel or a non-drive wheel adapted to allow the displacement of the machine following the thrust by an operator.

[0028] Said laser generator 11 is advantageously associated with a containing structure 14, preferably cylindrical or frustoconical, arranged on the lower face of the head 10 and adapted to enclose the emitter of the laser generator 11 , the beam emitted by said emitter and a portion of the surface to be treated facing said emitter so as to allow neither reflected light beams nor the fumes produced during the cleaning to come out.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the laser generator 11 used is of the pulse type, i.e. adapted to emit short pulses of elevated intensity instead of a continuous beam. For example, the pulse laser generator can be of the so-called Q-switched type, the name of which derives from the Q factor, a parameter that expresses the quality of the resonant cavities. The principle underlying the Q-switched type pulse laser consists of momentarily inhibiting the effect of the resonant cavity of the laser generator with the result of obtaining a concentration of energy in a narrow time interval, allowing obtaining lasers with pulses having a duration in the order of nanoseconds.

[0030] The machine according to the present description may further comprise optics associated with said laser generator 11 and configured to conveniently direct and focus the laser beam 15 emitted onto the surface of the floor to be treated. Advantageously, these optics will comprise at least one lens and they may have the possibility to be configured by the user in different ways to obtain different focusing and treatment efficiency levels and thus to adapt to stains of varying sizes, compositions and degrees of resistance.

[0031] Furthermore, advantageously, the laser generator 11 and the associated optics can be connected to a controller adapted to regulate the intensity and the configuration thereof, respectively, e.g. based on the detection made by at least one sensor, of the areas of the floor to be treated and the level or dirt and contamination thereof, the type of stains etc., and based on the settings received by a user interface connected to said controller.

[0032] The aforesaid laser generator will also be conveniently equipped with protection means adapted to prevent laser emissions from being directed towards the user or towards pets or other obstacles present on the surface to be treated and adapted to prevent the laser beam from being emitted when the machine is not positioned on the surface to be treated.

[0033] In one embodiment, the collection means for collecting debris comprise a floor-wiper 16, configured to scrape and aspirate the floor, thus collecting the solid carbonized debris resulting from ablation performed by means of the laser beam, and a suction system 17 comprising a fan 18 powered, directly or indirectly, by an electric motor and configured to capture the fumes and solid debris produced during the cleaning process.

[0034] Advantageously, said floor-wiper 16 can be made with a comb-like structure having teeth of different sizes and heights so as to operate efficiently in the presence of grooves in the surface to be treated, such as, for example in the case of escalator steps.

[0035] Advantageously, said at least one suction system 17 may comprise a filter 19 for capturing the particulate of the fumes produced during the cleaning process. In one embodiment, said filter is a water filter in which, in a container filled with a water-based solution, the fumes resulting from the ablation performed by means of the laser beam are caused to bubble so that said fumes are purified of the constituent particulate.

[0036] The machine for cleaning floors according to the present description may be further configured to be controlled by an operator and further provided, for example, with a handle 20 comprising a grasp or a grip to allow easy driving thereof. Alternatively, the aforesaid machine may be equipped with an automatic movement system, which can be programable or adaptive based on the detection of special sensors adapted to determine the presence of obstacles and map the surface to be treated.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A machine for cleaning floors comprising: a head (10) comprising a laser generator (11 ) adapted to emit a laser beam (15) directed towards the surface to be treated to perform the ablation of stains and contaminations from said surface; at least one suction system (17) adapted to capture and collect the fumes and solid debris produced during the treatment of said surface; movement means for allowing the displacement of said machine on the surface to be treated; an electric power supply module (12).

2. A machine according to claim 1 , comprising optics associated with said laser generator (11 ) and configured to direct and focus the laser beam (15) on the surface to be treated.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a controller adapted to regulate the intensity and direction of emission of the laser generator (11 ).

4. A machine according to claim 1 , wherein said controller is associated with a user interface.

5. A machine according to the preceding claim, wherein said controller is adapted to regulate the configuration of said optics based on the settings received by means of said user interface and / or by means of at least one sensor connected to said controller.

6. A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said suction system (17) comprises at least one suction fan (18) and a floor -wiper (16).

7. A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the laser generator (11 ) is of the pulse type.

8. A machine according to the preceding claim, wherein the pulse laser generator (11 ) is of the Q-switched type.

9. A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the laser generator (11 ) is advantageously associated with a containing structure (14), adapted to enclose the laser emitter of the laser generator (11 ), the beam emitted by said laser emitter and a portion of the surface to be treated facing said laser emitter so as to allow neither reflected light beams nor the fumes produced during the cleaning to come out.

10. A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the laser generator (11 ) comprises a protection system adapted to prevent laser emissions from being directed towards the user and prevent the laser beam (15) from being emitted when the machine is not positioned on the surface of the treatment to be carried out.

11. A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said movement means comprise at least one wheel (13) arranged on the lower face of said head (10).

12. A machine according to the preceding claim, wherein said at least one wheel (13) is electrically operated.

13. A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said electric power supply module (12) comprises a rechargeable battery.1 . A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising a handle (20) provided with a grasp or a grip to allow an easy driving thereof by a user.

15. A machine according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising an automatic movement system.

16. A machine according to the preceding claim, wherein said automatic movement system is of the programable type or of the adaptive type based on the detection of sensors adapted to determine the presence of obstacles and map the surface to be treated.

17. A machine according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said suction system (17) comprises a filter (19) for capturing the particulate of the fumes produced during the cleaning process.

18. A machine according to the preceding claim, wherein said filter (19) is a water filter.