Floor cleaning machine with liquid storage device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor cleaning machines face challenges in maintaining maximum overlap with the cleaning area during cornering while avoiding vertical walls, leading to increased wear and maintenance costs due to the need for side scrapers and squeegee arrangements that compromise maneuverability.
Innovation Solution
The drawbar of the liquid intake device is pivoted about a vertical axis, allowing the squeegee to pivot and maintain a large overlap with the cleaning area, and is articulated to move transversely, enabling it to deviate from vertical walls without sacrificing coverage or maneuverability, thus eliminating the need for side scrapers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the squeegee is arranged behind the rear axle and articulated via a trapezoidal arrangement to enable lateral movement during cornering, then the squeegee can execute lateral movement toward the instantaneous center of cornering, but the squeegee performs a pivoting movement towards the wall when cornering away from a vertical wall, leading to collision risk
Solution Approach 1:
The drawbar is made dynamically adjustable through a telescopic mechanism that allows length variation. During cornering away from walls, the drawbar can extend to increase the distance between the squeegee and the vehicle body, preventing collision. During normal operation, it maintains a compact configuration. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between enabling lateral movement and preventing wall collision.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameter of the drawbar length is changed based on operating conditions. The telescopic mechanism allows the drawbar length to vary, extending when cornering away from walls is required and retracting during normal operation. This parameter change enables the system to adapt to different operational scenarios, avoiding wall collisions while maintaining maneuverability.
2Productivity
If side scrapers are fitted to the scrub deck to concentrate liquid into a narrower strip, then the liquid area width is reduced to be fully caught by the squeegee, but the side scrapers are subject to considerable wear and must be replaced regularly, increasing maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The side scrapers are completely removed from the scrub deck. Instead of using scrapers to concentrate liquid, the invention relies on the squeegee's direct action and the vehicle's maneuverability to maintain optimal positioning. This extraction of the scraper component eliminates wear-related maintenance issues while preserving liquid collection efficiency through alternative means.
Solution Approach 2:
The squeegee is given a multi-functional role: it not only collects liquid but also serves the positioning function previously performed by side scrapers. By combining these functions and relying on the telescopic drawbar for positioning, the system eliminates the need for separate scraper components, reducing maintenance requirements while maintaining productivity.
3Device complexity
If the drawbar is made fixed in length to simplify the structure, then the manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the machine's maneuverability when cornering away from vertical walls is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The drawbar transitions from a fixed structure to a dynamically adjustable one through the telescopic mechanism. This allows the drawbar length to change based on operational needs, enabling the machine to maneuver effectively when cornering away from walls while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. The dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction between structural simplicity and maneuverability.
4Area of stationary object
If the squeegee is positioned to maximize overlap with the scrubbing deck area during cornering, then coverage of the cleaning area is improved, but the machine's ability to avoid vertical walls is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The drawbar's telescopic mechanism enables dynamic repositioning of the squeegee. During cornering away from walls, the drawbar extends to push the squeegee outward, maximizing coverage of the cleaning area. During straight-line operation or when approaching walls, it maintains a compact configuration to avoid collisions. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between coverage and collision avoidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the squeegee is changed through telescopic adjustment of the drawbar. By varying the drawbar length, the system can optimize the squeegee's position for maximum coverage during cornering while preventing collision with walls during normal operation. This parameter change enables adaptive positioning that satisfies both requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration ensures maximum coverage of the cleaning area without increasing maintenance costs, as the squeegee can pivot to maintain a large overlap with the scrubbing deck's area and avoid collisions with vertical walls, maintaining the machine's maneuverability and reducing wear on components.
Implementation Method 1
the drawbar is pivoted on a holding element about a first vertical pivot axis, which extends vertically to the floor surface to be cleaned
Implementation Method 2
the holding element can be displaced horizontally from a normal position, transversely to the direction of travel for cleaning
Implementation Method 3
the holding element is biased into the normal position by biasing means
Implementation Method 4
which is arranged in such a way that it can rest with one edge on the floor surface to be cleaned
Implementation Method 5
a negative pressure can be generated in the dirty water tank with the aid of a blower, so that liquid can be sucked out of the gap into the dirty water tank
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
Shown and described is a floor cleaning machine with a vehicle frame (3), with a cleaning device (13) attached to the vehicle frame (3), with a liquid receiving device (19) for scraping off and receiving the cleaning liquid applied to the floor surface (11) to be cleaned, which is opposed to is arranged behind the cleaning device (13) as viewed in the cleaning travel direction (9), the liquid receiving device (19) having at least one sealing lip (25) which extends transversely to the cleaning travel direction (9), which is attached to a drawbar (59) and which is arranged in such a way that it can rest with one edge on the floor surface (11) to be cleaned, and wherein the drawbar (59) is movably mounted on the vehicle frame (3) transversely to the direction of travel (9) for cleaning. The task of providing a floor cleaning machine with a liquid intake device which is mounted on the vehicle frame in such a way that the greatest possible overlap with the area impinged by the cleaning device is provided even when cornering and which can nevertheless avoid a vertical wall without problems when cornering , is achieved in that the drawbar (59) is articulated on a holding element (55) so that it can pivot about a first vertical pivot axis (57) which extends vertically to the floor surface (11) to be cleaned, the first vertical pivot axis (57 ) is at a distance from the sealing lip (25) towards the cleaning device (13), that the holding element (55) can be displaced from a normal position horizontally, transversely to the direction of travel (9) for cleaning, the holding element (55) being pushed into the Normal position is biased.