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EP-4736726-A1 - FLOOR SCRUBBER

EP4736726A1EP 4736726 A1EP4736726 A1EP 4736726A1EP-4736726-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a walk-behind machine (10) provided with a handle (13) for steering and guiding the machine as it travels over a floor surface, comprising a base portion comprising: at least one floor-facing rotatable tool (23) for treating a floor surface; drive means for rotating the tool or tools on the floor surface; floor-engaging wheel means (26) for supporting the base portion, wherein the base portion is configured so that in use the weight of the machine is shared between the treatment tool (23) and the wheel means (26);

Inventors

  • FOOKS, Matthew

Assignees

  • NUMATIC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251029

Claims (15)

  1. A hand-guided walk-behind floor treatment machine comprising a base portion comprising: at least one floor-facing rotatable treatment tool for treating a floor surface; drive means for rotating the tool or tools on the floor surface; floor-engaging wheel means for supporting the base portion, wherein the base portion is configured so that in use the weight of the machine is shared between the treatment tool or tools and the wheel means, the machine further comprising a handle portion, a lower region of which is attached to the base portion in a manner which permits pivoting of the handle portion relative to the base portion, so as to facilitate guiding of the machine by a user manipulating an upper region of the handle portion; characterised in that the wheel means comprises one or more wheels, balls or rollers that are configured and disposed to roll in a manner which permits travel of the machine over the floor surface in a primary longitudinal direction of the wheel means in a first wheel configuration, and in opposite transverse directions to the left or right of the primary longitudinal direction in a second wheel configuration.
  2. A floor treatment machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the wheel means comprises one or more omniwheels, one or more ball rollers each with an associated cup, one or more castor wheels, or mixtures thereof.
  3. A floor treatment machine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the wheel means comprises one or more omniwheels, which omniwheel or wheels have a primary axis of rotation that is transverse of the base portion, thereby defining the primary longitudinal travel direction.
  4. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the omniwheel or omniwheels are disposed at a rear region of the base portion.
  5. A floor treatment machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the wheel means comprises two transversely spaced apart castor wheels, which preferably each have a directional lock so that each castor can be configured between a first configuration in which free castor swivelling about a vertical castor axis is permitted, and a second configuration in which the castors are both fixed against swivelling.
  6. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 wherein there are two treatment tools disposed in a front region of the base portion.
  7. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the treatment tools comprise floor facing disc-type tools which, in use, rotate about a vertical, or substantially vertical, axis, wherein the treatment tools may be arranged to counter-rotate with respect to one another.
  8. A treatment machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein one or more treatment tool is configured to act to propel the machine during agitation of the floor.
  9. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the wheels means are configured to be driven so as to propel the machine over the floor surface in the primary longitudinal direction.
  10. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the wheel means are disposed to the rear of the treatment tool or tools in the base portion.
  11. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein a lower region of the handle portion is attached to the base portion via an articulated joint which preferably permits up/down pivoting of the handle about the joint.
  12. A floor treatment machine as claimed in claim 11 wherein the articulated joint permits side-to-side pivoting of the handle about the joint.
  13. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein forward propulsion of the machine is provided by tool rotation on the floor surface being treated.
  14. A floor treatment machine as claimed in any of the preceding machines wherein the drive means comprises one or more electric motors carried by the base portion and coupled to the rotatable tool or tools.
  15. A floor treatment machine as claimed in claim 14 wherein there are two generally disc-shaped floor tools disposed side-by-side and oriented to rotate about a respective vertical axis of rotation, with two electric motors, each disposed above its associated floor tool, wherein the motors are configured and/or controlled to cause the rotatable tools to counter-rotate with respect to one another with one tool inclined (tilted) with respect to the other in a manner which provides an anhedral or dihedral effect, thereby to provide a propulsive force.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of floor treatment machines for scrubbing, polishing, sanding or burnishing floors. In these machines one or more driven rotatable work heads (such as scrubbing brushes) are provided for agitating the floor surface. In particular the invention relates to a walk-behind machine provided with a handle for steering and guiding the machine as it travels over a floor surface. Scrubber driers improve the cleaning action by the use of cleaning liquid or steam when agitating the floor surface. The used cleaning liquid may be collected and dried by known means, such as a squeegee with suction collector. The collected soiled water may be deposited in a waste water tank carried by the machine for subsequent disposal at a sink or drain. EP2832277A1 (i-mop GmbH) discloses a walk-behind floor scrubber drier having two side-by-side work heads, each comprising disc-shaped floor brushes. There is a trailing squeegee collector and associated suction drive and waste tank for collecting used liquid from the floor surface. The brushes support the entire weight of the machine and may counter-rotate. A similar arrangement is present in the machine of US2015/113757A1 (i-mop GmbH) but with a small amount of dihedral tilt applied to the scrubbing brushes so that the brushes tilt inwardly. The tilt provides net propulsion in a working direction. The suction drive is disposed on a handle portion of the machine, along with a clean water reservoir for feeding a cleaning-liquid dispenser. The hand has dual pivot axes permitting up/down handle movement as well as side-to-side movement of the handle. This allows steering of the machine by applying torque (twisting) to the handle. US2949619A (Holt William) discloses a walk-behind floor scrubbing machine which has a disc-shaped work head supported at a rear end region thereof by a pair of side-by-side wheels disposed at the base of an upstanding handle portion. WO2019207290A2 (Numatic International Ltd) discloses a floor treatment machine which is provided with a guide wheel having a fixed transverse axis of rotation for supporting an articulating handle portion, and for assisting travel of the machine over a floor being treated. WO2022/129900A1 (Numatic International Ltd) discloses a floor treatment machine in which the weight of the machine is shared between two side-by-side rear rollers having a common axis of rotation (disposed at the rear of the machine), and two floor-facing disc-shaped work head brushes towards the front of the machine. A deployable castor wheel at the front of the machine is used to relieve weight from the brushes when the machine is stored or transported over a floor surface between cleaning tasks. A problem with known machines is that the wheels/rollers can hinder manoeuvrability of the machine as the guide wheels tend to constrain free movement. The present invention seeks to improve mobility / manoeuvrability of floor scrubbing machines, without doing away with the support conferred by guidewheels. These aims and others are met by the present invention in its various aspects, as will be evident from the following description. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a hand-guided (preferably walk-behind) floor treatment machine comprising a base portion comprising: at least one floor-facing rotatable treatment tool for treating a floor surface; drive means for rotating the tool or tools on the floor surface; floor-engaging wheel means for supporting the base portion, wherein the base portion is configured so that in use the weight of the machine is shared between the treatment tool or tools and the wheel means; the machine further comprising an upright portion, a lower region of which is attached to the base portion in a manner which permits pivoting of the upright portion relative to the base portion, so as to facilitate guiding of the machine by a user manipulating an upper region of the upright portion. The machine may be characterised in that the wheel means comprises one or more wheels, balls or rollers that are configured and disposed to roll in a manner which permits travel of the machine over the floor surface in a primary longitudinal direction of the wheel means in a first wheel configuration, and in opposite transverse directions to the left or right of the primary longitudinal direction in a second wheel configuration. The wheel means preferably comprises one or more omniwheels, or one or more ball rollers each with an associated cup, or one or more castor wheels. The omniwheels, typically have a primary axis of rotation that is transverse of the base portion defining the primary longitudinal travel direction. In a preferred arrangement there are two transversely paced apart omniwheels in the base portion, or one omniwheel disposed centrally in the base portion. The wheels means are preferably disposed at a rear region of the base portion. The rotatable floor tool is preferably