Flat mop for a cleaning station with a vertical orientation, and cleaning station

Abstract

The invention relates to a flat mop (1) for a cleaning station with a vertical orientation, comprising mounting panel (2) with a mop cover and comprising a handle (3) which is connected to the mounting panel (3) via a Cardan-type joint (4). The mounting panel (2) together with the mop cover can be pivoted about a pivot axis from a mopping position, in which the mounting panel (2) lies flat with the mop cover pointing downwards, into a wringing position, in which the mounting panel (2) is oriented parallel to the handle (3). According to the invention, means are provided, by means of which the mounting panel (2) together with the mop cover automatically pivots from the mopping position into the wringing position when the handle (3) is lifted.

Description

[0001] Flat wiper for a cleaning station with vertical alignment and cleaning station

[0002] Description

[0003] Technical area

[0004] The invention relates to a flat mop for a cleaning station with a vertical orientation, comprising a carrier plate with a mop cover, and a handle which is connected to the carrier plate via a cardan-like joint, wherein the carrier plate with the mop cover can be pivoted about a pivot axis from a wiping position in which the carrier plate rests flat with the mop cover pointing downwards into a wringing position in which the carrier plate with the mop cover is aligned parallel to the handle.

[0005] The invention also relates to a cleaning station with such a flat wiper.

[0006] State of the art

[0007] A generic flat mop is known from CN 107456179 B. This document describes a flat mop for a cleaning station with a vertical orientation. In such a cleaning station, the flat mop is inserted into a vertical wringing funnel in a vertical position for wringing out, i.e. with the support plate and mop cover folded onto the handle. The generic flat mop therefore has a support plate to which a mop cover can be attached. The support plate is connected to a handle via a cardan joint. For wringing out, the handle is brought into a vertical position parallel to the support plate and secured in this position by means of suitable fixing devices. In one embodiment, the fixing device consists of a longitudinally displaceable pressure element arranged in the handle, which is pressed onto the outer surface of a curved hinge of the cardan joint by means of a spring.This arrangement is intended to secure the support plate in both the wringing and wiping positions. In a further development of this positioning device, the hinge surface has flat sections in both the wringing and wiping positions to form a level support surface for the pressure element. Furthermore, the apex of the hinge can also have a groove into which a corresponding rib on the pressure element engages in the wiping position to securely hold the handle in this position.

[0008] The disadvantage of this generic flat wiper is that the carrier plate has to be turned from the wiping position to the wringing position with physical effort.

[0009] Description of the invention

[0010] The object of the invention is to further develop a generic flat mop such that the carrier plate with the mop cover can be easily and conveniently rotated into a wringing position parallel to the handle without the user having to exert any physical effort. A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning station with such a flat mop,

[0011] This object is achieved with a flat wiper according to claim 1 and a cleaning station according to claim 14. Advantageous embodiments are described in the subclaims.

[0012] According to the invention, in a flat mop for a cleaning station with a vertical orientation, comprising a carrier plate with a mop cover, and a handle which is connected to the carrier plate via a cardan-like joint, wherein the carrier plate with the mop cover can be pivoted about a pivot axis from a wiping position in which the carrier plate rests flat with the mop cover pointing downwards into a wringing position in which the carrier plate with the mop cover is aligned parallel to the handle, means are provided by which, when the handle is lifted, the carrier plate with the mop cover automatically rotates from the wiping position into the wringing position.

[0013] In the context of this invention, automatic means that the carrier plate rotates from the wringing position to the wiping position solely through the action of these means, without direct manual intervention on the carrier plate or by hand-operated levers or electrically driven or the like.

[0014] These agents primarily act mechanically.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, these means comprise an outer contour associated with the cardan-like joint, and a longitudinally displaceable resilient pressure element that interacts with the outer contour and is associated with the end of the handle. The handle end and the cardan-like joint with the outer contour are fixed via the articulated connection in their radial distance from the pivot axis for pivoting from the wiping position to the wringing position. The outer contour of the cardan-like joint thus represents a type of backdrop for the resilient, longitudinally displaceable pressure element. Preferably, the resilient, longitudinally displaceable pressure element rests on the outer contour under elastic prestress. Elastic prestress here means that the resilient pressure element is pressed in so far in every angular position of the handle that it exerts counterpressure on the outer contour of the cardan-like joint.The outer contour thus extends in the plane of the handle's pivoting movement when pivoting from the wiping position to the wringing position. By changing the angular position of the handle relative to the pivot axis perpendicular to this plane, the resilient pressure element is guided along the outer contour and moved along the direction of the handle depending on the radial distance of the outer contour from the pivot axis. The resilient pressure element is compressed to varying degrees. The invention utilizes this effect.

[0016] It has thus been surprisingly shown that an automatic rotation of the carrier plate with the mop cover from a wiping position into a parallel position to the handle can be achieved in a simple manner by a corresponding design of the outer contour of the cardan-like joint.

[0017] Preferably, the outer contour is associated with the outer surface of a joint head of the cardan-like joint, which protrudes upwards toward the stem end. Particularly preferably, the longitudinally displaceable, resilient pressure element rests on the outer surface of the joint head under elastic preload.

[0018] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the support plate has a longitudinal and a transverse direction, and the cardan-like joint has a lower joint element associated with the support plate, to which a central joint element with a pivot axis is pivoted in the longitudinal direction, as well as an upper joint element associated with the handle, which is pivoted to the central joint element with a pivot axis in the transverse direction, wherein the joint head is associated with the central joint element. In this embodiment, the pivot axis for pivoting from the wiping position to the wringing position is aligned in the transverse direction of the support plate.

[0019] In general, the pivot axis for pivoting from the wiping position to the wringing position can extend both longitudinally and transversely to the carrier plate with the mop head. For a carrier plate with a greater longitudinal than transverse extension, the pivot axis is usually in the transverse direction, so that the carrier plate with the mop head aligns with its greater longitudinal extension parallel to the handle and can be inserted into the wringing station in this vertical position.

[0020] Preferably, the outer contour has an apex pointing upwards, i.e., on the side facing the end of the handle when the handle is vertically aligned, and extends from this apex point to an angle of approximately 90° relative to the vertical through the apex point, at least on one side, in a curved downward path in the direction of the pivoting movement of the handle from the wiping position to the wringing position. The angle of 90° corresponds approximately to the parallel alignment of the support plate and the handle.

[0021] The outer contour, as a guide rail, can extend from the apex to only one side. Preferably, however, it is symmetrical on both sides. It has been shown that an outer contour is particularly suitable in which the radial distance of the outer contour from the pivot axis decreases continuously from a predetermined angle downwards to an angle of approximately 90° relative to the vertical through the apex.

[0022] The preset angle, as described below, is the angle at which the support plate with the mop cover should automatically rotate upwards into the wringing position, i.e., parallel to the handle, when the handle is raised. This angle can be freely selected.

[0023] Calculations have shown that the carrier plate rotates very reliably into the parallel position to the stem if, from the specified angle up to the angle of approximately 90° relative to the perpendicular through the apex, for every point on the outer contour with a radial distance r to the pivot axis, the angle between the tangent to the outer contour and the perpendicular to the radial distance r at this point is > arctan (p), where p is between 0.1 and 0.9, preferably between 0.3 and 0.5. This angle is also referred to below as the critical angle. This effect is maintained even with slight deviations from the angle calculated using the above formula; it only worsens with increasing deviation.

[0024] The above rule states that, starting from the specified angle, the critical angle remains constant or increases with increasing angle relative to the perpendicular through the vertex. Thus, even as the distance between the reference point on the outer contour and the swivel axis decreases, the critical angle does not decrease, but remains constant or increases.

[0025] A particularly good gliding behavior from the wiping position to the

[0026] The wringing position is obtained when the outer contour is selected in such a way that the limit angle increases with increasing angle relative to the perpendicular through the vertex.

[0027] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer contour has a constriction at an angle of approximately 90°, into which the resilient pressure element snaps when the support plate is positioned parallel to the handle, thus securing the handle in the wringing position. If a constriction is present, the above conditions for the shape of the outer contour do not apply up to an angle of approximately 90°, but only up to the beginning of the constriction.

[0028] The above value p includes, among other things, the sliding friction between the joint element supporting the outer contour and the pressure element. Both components are typically made of plastic, for example, POM, PP, or PA. For most suitable plastic combinations, the value p lies between 0.1 and 0.9, preferably between 0.3 and 0.5. This results, without loss of generality, in a critical angle in the range of 13° to 31°, for example.

[0029] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer contour is flattened around the apex, particularly preferably in a range of approximately + / - 15° from the vertical, to form a flat support surface for the pressure element. This stabilizes the carrier plate with the mop cover in the wiping position against folding away.

[0030] For larger distances a between the center of gravity of the support plate with the mop head and the pivot axis for pivoting from the wiping position to the wringing position, it may be advantageous to compensate for the torque exerted by the weight on the support plate with the mop head, particularly when the handle is vertically aligned, by appropriately modifying the outer contour. Calculations have shown that even at larger distances a, the support plate reliably folds into the wringing position if the following equation is met for the outer contour at each contour point: am 9.81 m / sec 2sin(ß) < Fß r cos(aß) sin(aß) with a = arctan(p), where a is the distance of the center of gravity of the carrier plate with wiping cover to the pivot axis for pivoting from the wiping position to the wringing position, m is the mass of the carrier plate with wiping cover, ß is the angle between the radius of the pivot axis to the contour point relative to the perpendicular through the vertex of the outer contour, rß is the radius to the contour point on the outer contour at the angle ß and p is between 01 and 0.9, preferably between 0.3 and 0.5.

[0031] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the resilient pressure element is arranged inside the stem and is longitudinally displaceable there. Particularly secure guidance over the outer contour can be achieved if a joint fork is used as the upper joint element, the forks of which encompass the outer contour, for example, the outer surface of the joint head, on both sides, thus laterally limiting the movement of the resilient pressure element.

[0032] Preferably, the specified angle is selected so that it corresponds approximately to an outstretched arm's length, allowing the user to fold the support plate with the mop cover upwards for wringing or pressing with a slight lateral arm movement. An angle of < 25°, preferably in the range of approximately 8° to 18° to the vertical direction, has been shown to be particularly suitable for this purpose, as this range generally accommodates the different body sizes of users well.

[0033] It is further preferred that the carrier plate with mop cover does not fold upwards suddenly when the predetermined angle is reached, but only slides upwards slowly when the carrier plate is slightly lifted. This prevents the carrier plate from folding away unintentionally when the handle is tilted accordingly while wiping. In addition to the geometric design of the outer contour of the joint head, the sliding friction between the associated surfaces of the joint head and the pressure element is responsible for the sliding speed. The higher the sliding friction, the slower the carrier plate rotates into the parallel position to the handle. The sliding friction can be adjusted, for example, by suitable material pairings of the two components. Furthermore, surface coatings and / or treatments (smoothing, roughening or the like) to influence the sliding friction are also conceivable.

[0034] Another control variable is the preload of the spring pressure element, i.e. the force with which the spring pressure element presses on the outer surface with the outer contour.

[0035] In practice, it has proven advantageous to first define the outer contour of the outer surface of the joint head facing the end of the handle for a given material pairing and then to adjust the desired sliding properties by preloading the spring-loaded pressure element. A person skilled in the art can find the appropriate preload simply by trial and error, without requiring inventive steps. Ideally, the spring preload is selected so that the carrier plate with mop cover does not accidentally fold away due to its own weight and / or slight pressure on the handle when mopping, even when the specified angle is reached, but is held in place. If the carrier plate is then slightly lifted, it should slide into the parallel position.

[0036] All materials and configurations that exhibit sufficient elastic deformation are suitable for the resilient pressure element. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the resilient pressure element comprises a pressure body that rests on the outer contour and a spring element that exerts the pressure on the pressure body. As a simple and cost-effective solution, a helical spring, particularly made of metal, is preferred as the spring element. The pressure body can be made of plastic, for example, whereby the surface resting on the outer contour can be optimized with regard to the desired torque transmission. This surface preferably has the shape of a half cylinder.

[0037] Preferably, without limitation of generality, the carrier plate has a greater length in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction. This corresponds to the usual design of carrier plates in vertically oriented cleaning stations. However, the invention is also applicable to flat wipers with carrier plates of any geometry, in particular round ones or those with a greater transverse dimension.

[0038] According to the invention, the middle joint element has a joint connection to the lower joint element. A particularly simple design results if the lower joint element is also fork-shaped and engages in a corresponding opening in the middle joint element. It is obvious that, to achieve the inventive effect, the outer contour and spring force of the resilient pressure element must be matched to the weight and geometry of the carrier plate with the damp mop cover. A person skilled in the art can easily find the appropriate sizes by simple trial and error using the specifications in this description, without having to resort to inventive activity.

[0039] A cleaning station according to the invention with vertical orientation has a bucket comprising at least one washing unit and at least one wringing unit and a flat wiper according to the above description.

[0040] As far as the present invention refers to above, below, vertically or horizontally, the information refers to the flat wiper in the wiping position, ie with the horizontally aligned support plate resting on the floor.

[0041] Short description of the drawing

[0042] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures.

[0043] They show:

[0044] Fig. 1 : in a perspective view a flat wiper with

[0045] Support plate and lower part of the stem, and cardan-like joint according to the invention,

[0046] Fig. 2: in an enlarged view the cardan joint of the

[0047] compartment wiper from Fig. 1 , Fig. 3: in a lateral sectional view the cardan-like joint from

[0048] Fig. 2,

[0049] Fig. 4 shows a side sectional view of the cardan joint from Figures 2 and 3 with a parallel alignment of the support plate and the stem,

[0050] Fig. 5 a) + b) in a perspective and side sectional view of a middle joint element according to the invention,

[0051] Fig. 6 a) to e): the sequence of movements when guiding the pressure element along the outer contour according to the invention,

[0052] Fig. 7 a) to e): the sequence of movements during the automatic movement of the support plate from the horizontal to the vertical position according to the invention,

[0053] Fig. 8 a) to i): outer contours calculated for different friction values ​​according to the invention.

[0054] Fig. 9 a), b) based on a schematic principle sketch the position of the angles o and ß related to an outer contour according to the invention (a), with angle information according to the embodiment (b),

[0055] Fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a flat wiper with a large distance a between the carrier plate and the pivot axis.

[0056] CORRECTED SHEET (RULE 91 ) ISA / EP Execution of the invention

[0057] Fig. 1 shows a flat wiper 1 according to the invention with a carrier plate 2 that can be connected to a mop cover (not shown here). The wiper plate 1 according to the invention has a longitudinal and a transverse direction, as well as a handle 3 that is connected to the carrier plate 2 via a cardan-like joint 4. The cardan-like joint 4 has, for example, a lower joint element 5 assigned to the carrier plate, to which a middle joint element 6 is articulated with a pivot axis in the longitudinal direction, as well as an upper joint element 7 assigned to the handle 3, which is articulated to the middle joint element 6 with a pivot axis 8 in the transverse direction.

[0058] Fig. 2 shows, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gimbal-like joint element 4 on the support plate 2 (shown here only in detail). The lower joint element 5 is integrated into the support plate 2 without restriction of generality. The upper joint element 7 is also attached to the lower end of the handle without restriction of generality. It is fork-shaped, for example, with the two fork arms being articulated to the central joint element 6 with the pivot axis 8 extending in the transverse direction.

[0059] Fig. 3 shows the cardan-like joint 4 from Fig. 2 in a lateral longitudinal section. In the embodiment shown, the support plate 2 rests on the ground, and the stem 3 is shown, for example, in an inclined position to the vertical. The middle joint element 6 has an upwardly projecting joint head 6a (see Fig. 5), the outer surface of which, with the outer contour 9, faces the lower end of the stem 3. In the lower end of the stem 3, for example, a longitudinally displaceable pressure element 10 is arranged, which is pressed against the outer contour 9 by a spring 11. The pressure element 10 sits under preload on the outer surface with the outer contour 9.

[0060] Fig. 4 shows the gimbal-like joint element with the support plate 2 and handle 3 in a parallel position. It can be seen that, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the pressure element 10 is snapped into the constriction 14 of the outer contour 9 of the joint head 6a, thus stabilizing the support plate 2 and the handle 3 in this wringing position. Also visible is the flattened apex region 12 in the outer contour 9, which stabilizes the support plate 2 and the handle 3 in the wiping position.

[0061] Fig. 5 shows the middle joint element in a configuration according to the invention, in perspective a) and in a lateral longitudinal section b). The lower connecting element 6b for the lower joint element can be seen. In the assembled state, it extends in the longitudinal direction of the support plate and has openings on both sides for the engagement of joint forks. The joint head 6a protrudes upwards from the connecting element 6b. The joint head 6a is, without loss of generality, symmetrical on both sides with respect to a perpendicular through the apex. The flattened region 12 around the apex for stabilizing the flat wiper in the wiping position and the constriction 14 for stabilizing the flat wiper in the parallel position to the handle can be seen. The outer surface 6c with the outer contour 9 can also be seen.

[0062] Figures 6 a) to e) show, by way of example, the sequence of movements for guiding the pressure element 10 along the outer contour 9 for the cardan-type joint from Figures 2 to 4, from the vertical position of the support plate 2 to the stem 3 to the parallel position. For reasons of clarity, the support plate is shown in a horizontal position, while the stem 3 changes its angular position. In fact, the support plate folds up toward the stem 3, as can be seen from Figures 7 a) to e).

[0063] In Figures 7 a) to e) it can be seen that, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, when the handle 3 tilts from the vertical, the support plate 2 initially remains on the ground due to its own weight and only then folds upwards when the handle 3 is slightly lifted and the weight is removed by the user.

[0064] Figures 8 a) to i) show how the outer contour of the outer surface of the rod end becomes increasingly steeper with an increase in the coefficient of friction (p * 1,2 = 0.1, 0.2, ..., 0.9). The outer contours were determined using the formula in patent claim 3.

[0065] Fig. 9 a) shows, in a schematic longitudinal section, the limiting angle α at a contour point at a radial distance from the pivot axis at an angle β relative to the perpendicular through the apex. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer contour is designed such that the limiting angle α increases with increasing angle β. Fig. 9 b) shows the arrangement according to Fig. 9 a) with the angle specifications according to the following exemplary embodiment.

[0066] Fig. 10 shows a schematic representation of a support plate 2 aligned vertically parallel to the handle 3, with the center of gravity located at a distance a from the rotation axis. This exerts a torque on the support plate 2 with the mop cover, which can be compensated by a suitable design of the outer contour, as described above.

[0067] REVISED SHEET (RULE 91 ) ISA / EP Example:

[0068] The following was assumed for the calculation of an exemplary embodiment: A carrier plate with a mop pad that was, without loss of generality, dry was provided. In practice, the weight of a damp or dripping wet mop pad will be included in the design of the outer contour. The weight of the carrier plate and mop pad was assumed to be approximately 180 g. This also corresponds to real values. The longitudinal dimension of the carrier plate in the calculation was approximately 32 cm, and the transverse dimension 10 cm. Supported on the shorter side, a torque of approximately 0.28 Nm acts on the carrier plate due to the force of gravity. This moment must be sufficient to align the plate parallel to the ground (see Fig. 7 c). Adding half the weight of the handle would result in a weight of 340 g and a torque of 0.53 Nm.

[0069] The outer contour and the spring should interact in such a way that with a typical deflection of the handle from the vertical during a sideways movement at arm's length of about 15°, a lower torque is generated than the force caused by the weight, so that the carrier plate with the mop cover does not flip up in the wiping position.

[0070] Therefore, the calculations were based on a spring with a nominal length of 64 mm, compressed by 34 mm to create a preload. With a spring constant of 1.4 N / mm, this results in a spring force of approximately 47.6 N.

[0071] Using the equation in patent claim 7, the outer contour shown in Fig. 9 b) was determined. With a sliding friction value p = 0.33, a critical angle of 22° was determined. The contour of the joint head calculated in this way is shown in Fig. 9 b). For an angle of 47.4° relative to the perpendicular through the apex of the joint head, the critical angle of 22° between the tangent and the perpendicular to the radius is shown as an example. The angle of 47.4° corresponds to the deflection of the handle when the wiper plate is lying flat relative to the vertical. The spring-loaded pressure element, which presses against the outer contour at this point, generates a torque (without friction) of approximately 0.17 Nm, which acts on the carrier plate. Thus, the moment caused by the spring and the contour at this point is lower than the moment caused by the weight, and the mop can still be maneuvered very well with this deflection of the handle.

[0072] At an angle of 15°, the torque is approximately 0.23 Nm, which is also much lower than the torque generated by the weight.

Claims

Patent claims 1 . Flat mop 1 for a cleaning station with vertical orientation, comprising a support plate 2 with a mop cover, and a handle 3 which is connected to the support plate 3 via a cardan-like joint 4, wherein the support plate 2 with the mop cover can be pivoted about a pivot axis from a wiping position in which the support plate 2 rests flat with the mop cover pointing downwards into a wringing position in which the support plate 2 is aligned parallel to the handle 3, characterized in that means are provided by which when the handle 3 is lifted the support plate 2 with the mop cover rotates automatically from the wiping position into the wringing position.

2. Flat wiper according to claim 1, characterized in that the means comprise an outer contour 9 which is assigned to the cardan-like joint 4, and a longitudinally displaceable resilient pressure element 10, 11 which cooperates with the outer contour 9 and is assigned to the end of the handle 3.

3. Flat wiper blade according to claim 2, characterized in that the outer contour 9 is assigned to the outer surface of a joint head of the cardan-like joint 4 projecting upwards towards the end of the handle.

4. Flat wiper according to claim 3, characterized in that the longitudinally displaceable resilient pressure element 10, 11 rests under elastic prestress on the outer surface of the joint head.

5. Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the carrier plate has a longitudinal and a transverse direction, and the cardan-like joint 4 has a lower, the carrier plate associated Has a joint element 5, to which a middle joint element 6 is articulated with a pivot axis in the longitudinal direction, and an upper joint element 7 assigned to the handle 3, which is articulated to the middle joint element 6 with a pivot axis in the transverse direction 8, wherein the joint head is assigned to the middle joint element 4. Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the outer contour 9 has an apex region towards the top and extends from this apex region up to an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the perpendicular through the apex at least on one side in the longitudinal direction of the support plate in a curved path downwards.Flat wiper according to claim 4 or 6, characterized in that the distance of the outer contour to the pivot axis in the transverse direction continuously decreases at least from a predetermined angle, relative to the perpendicular through the apex, which corresponds to a predetermined lateral deflection of the handle, downwards up to an angle of approximately 90°. Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that from the predetermined angle up to an angle of approximately 90° relative to the perpendicular through the apex, for each point on the outer contour 9 with a radial distance r to the pivot axis in the transverse direction, the angle between the tangent to the outer contour 9 at this point and the perpendicular to the radial distance r at this point is > arctan (px 1,2), where p is the sliding friction coefficient of the material combination between the mutually associated surfaces of the outer contour 9 and the pressure element 10.

9. Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the outer contour 9 is flattened in a region around the apex.

10. Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the outer contour 9 has a constriction 14 in an angular range around 90 °, into which the resilient pressure element 10, 11 snaps when the carrier plate 2 is positioned parallel to the handle 3 in order to fix the handle 3 in the wringing position. 11 . Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the longitudinally displaceable resilient pressure element 10, 11 is guided inside the handle 3.

12. Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the upper joint element 7 is a joint fork.

13. Flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the spring effect is achieved by means of a helical spring.

14. A cleaning station with a vertical orientation with a bucket, comprising at least one washing unit and at least one wringing unit and a flat wiper according to one of claims 1 to 13.

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