Mobile surface cleaner having a sparging device

Abstract

A mobile surface cleaner is provided, which includes a mobile body configured to travel over a surface, a source of a liquid, a liquid dispenser, a flow path from the liquid source to the liquid dispenser, and an electrolyzing sparging device in fluid communication with the flow path.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a functional generator, which can be used to electrochemically activate a liquid to be treated for use in cleaning, such as water, onboard or off-board a hard and/or soft floor cleaner according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a functional generator according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an apparatus having a sparging device located downstream of a functional generator, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an apparatus having a sparging device located upstream of a functional generator, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an apparatus having an electrolysis cell type sparging device located upstream of a functional generator, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an apparatus having sparging devices located upstream and downstream of a functional generator, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an electrolysis cell type sparging device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 8A and 8B together illustrate a housing containing a sparging device and a functional generator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the sparging device shown in FIG. 8B.

FIG. 10A is a side elevation view of a mobile hard floor surface cleaner in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the mobile hard floor surface cleaner shown in FIG. 10A with its lid in a closed state.

FIG. 10C is a perspective view of the mobile hard floor surface cleaner shown in FIG. 10A with its lid in an open state.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a liquid distribution flow path of the cleaner shown in FIGS. 10A-10C in greater detail according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a floor cleaner that is configurable with multiple types of cleaning tools and extractors to accommodate different cleaning operations while using the same overall cleaner.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram, which illustrates the cleaner shown in FIG. 12 in a mode adapted to clean soft floors, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram, which illustrates the cleaner shown in FIG. 12 in a mode adapted to deeply clean soft floors, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram, which illustrates the cleaner shown in FIG. 5 in a mode adapted to clean hard floors, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a soft floor cleaner (e.g. carpet extractor), according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an all-surface cleaner, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a truck-mounted system according to a further embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a simplified block diagram, which illustrates a cleaner having an EA water distribution system with an odorous compound source according to a further embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a simplified block diagram of a cleaning liquid generator that mounted to a platform according to another embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a system, which includes an indicator representing an operating state of a functional generator.

Claims

1. A mobile surface cleaner comprising: a mobile body configured to travel over a surface;a source of a liquid;a liquid dispenser;a flow path from the liquid source to the liquid dispenser; andan electrolyzing sparging device in fluid communication with the flow path.

2. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the electrolyzing sparging device comprises: first and second electrically conductive electrodes, which are separated by a gap, wherein the flow path is in fluid communication with the gap.

3. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 2, wherein: at least one of the first or second electrodes is tubular; andthe first and second electrodes are coaxial with one another.

4. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 3, wherein the electrolyzing sparging device further comprises: a tubular dielectric mesh positioned in the gap between the first and second electrodes, and wherein one of the first and second electrodes comprises a solid tubular metallic plate and the other electrode comprises a tubular metallic mesh.

5. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 2, wherein the first and second electrodes are planar.

6. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein: the liquid source comprises a tank; andthe electrolyzing sparging device is coupled in the flow path, between the tank and the liquid dispenser.

7. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein: the liquid source comprises a tank; andthe electrolyzing sparging device is located at least partially within the tank.

8. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 1, wherein the cleaner comprises a control circuit which applies power to the sparging device, wherein the sparging device is operable to generate nanobubbles in the liquid by electrolysis, and wherein the nanobubbles have a size that is too small to break surface tension of the liquid.

9. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 1 and further comprising: a functional generator in the flow path, which comprises an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane and which electrochemically activates at least one of the liquid from the source or the sparged liquid from the sparging device.

10. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 9 wherein a flow of the liquid from the anode chamber is combined with a flow of the liquid from the cathode chamber along the flow path, or at the liquid dispenser to form a combined flow, or a combination thereof, which is dispensed from the liquid dispenser.

11. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 9 wherein the flow path comprises a first flow path from the anode chamber to the liquid dispenser and a second flow path from the cathode chamber to the liquid dispenser, and wherein the liquid dispenser dispenses the liquid from the first flow path and the liquid from the second flow path as separate flows.

12. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the liquid source comprises a tank to carry a supply of the liquid and wherein the cleaner further comprises: a pump in fluid communication with the flow path.

13. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 12, wherein the cleaner comprises: a first operating mode during motion of the cleaner relative to the surface being cleaned, during which the cleaner energizes the pump to pump the liquid along the flow path and energizes the electrolyzing sparging device to sparge the liquid that is passed through the device and delivered to the surface by the liquid dispenser; anda second operating mode when the cleaner is at rest relative to the surface being cleaned, during which the cleaner de-energizes the pump to terminate flow of the liquid along the flow path and the cleaner de-energizes the electrolyzing sparging device.

14. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 1 wherein the liquid source comprises a tank carried by the cleaner and wherein the cleaner further comprises: a motorized cleaning head connected to the mobile body and comprising a cleaning tool;a pump in fluid communication with the flow path, wherein the liquid dispenser is configured to apply sparged liquid to at least one of the elements of the group comprising the surface, the cleaning tool or both the surface and the cleaning tool; anda fluid recovery device connected to the mobile body.

15. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 14, wherein the cleaning tool comprises a hard floor surface cleaning tool and the fluid recovery device comprises a vacuum squeegee connected to the mobile body to engage the surface.

16. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 15, wherein the hard floor surface cleaning tool comprises a hard floor scrub brush.

17. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 14, wherein: the cleaning tool comprises a soft floor surface cleaning tool comprising a soil transfer roller or a soft floor extraction tool; andthe fluid recovery device comprises a vacuum extractor configured to remove liquid from at least one of the surface being cleaned or the cleaning tool.

18. A mobile surface cleaner comprising: a mobile body configured to travel over a surface;a tank carried by the mobile body;a motorized cleaning head connected to the mobile body and comprising a cleaning tool;a liquid dispenser;a flow path from the tank to the liquid dispenser; andan electrolyzer onboard the cleaner, which sparges the liquid by electrolysis.

19. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 18, wherein the electrolyzer comprises: first and second electrically conductive electrodes, which are separated by a gap, which is in fluid communication with the flow path.

20. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 19, wherein: at least one of the first or second electrodes is tubular; andthe first and second electrodes are coaxial with one another.

21. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 20, wherein the electrolyzer further comprises: a tubular dielectric mesh positioned in the gap between the first and second electrodes, and wherein one of the first and second electrodes comprises a solid tubular metallic plate and the other electrode comprises a tubular metallic mesh.

22. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 19, wherein the first and second electrodes are planar.

23. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 18, wherein: the electrolyzer is coupled in the flow path, between the tank and the liquid dispenser.

24. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 18, wherein: the electrolyzer is located at least partially within the tank.

25. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 18, wherein the electrolyzer is operable to generate nanobubbles in the liquid by electrolysis, which have a size that is generally too small to break surface tension of the liquid.

26. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 18 and further comprising: a functional generator in the flow path, which comprises an anode chamber and a cathode chamber separated by an ion exchange membrane and which electrochemically activates at least one of the liquid from the liquid source or the sparged liquid from the electrolyzer.

27. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 18 and further comprising: a pump in fluid communication with the flow path.

28. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 27, wherein the cleaner comprises: a first operating mode during motion of the cleaner relative to the surface being cleaned, during which the cleaner energizes the pump to pump the liquid along the flow path and the cleaner energizes the electrolyzer to sparge the liquid from the source of the liquid that is passed through the electrolyzer and delivered to the surface by the liquid dispenser; anda second operating mode when the cleaner is at rest relative to the surface being cleaned, during which the cleaner de-energizes the pump to terminate flow of the liquid along the flow path and the cleaner de-energizes the electrolyzer.

29. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 18 wherein cleaner further comprises: a pump in fluid communication with the flow path, wherein the liquid dispenser is configured to apply the sparged liquid to at least one of the elements of the group comprising the surface, the cleaning tool or both the surface and the cleaning tool; anda fluid recovery device connected to the mobile body.

30. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 29, wherein the cleaning tool comprises a hard floor surface cleaning tool and the fluid recovery device comprises a vacuum squeegee connected to the mobile body to engage the surface.

31. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 30, wherein the hard floor surface cleaning tool comprises a hard floor scrub brush.

32. The mobile surface cleaner of claim 29, wherein: the cleaning tool comprises a soft floor surface cleaning tool comprising a soil transfer roller or a soft floor extraction tool; andthe fluid recovery device comprises a vacuum extractor configured to remove liquid from at least one of the surface being cleaned or the cleaning tool.

33. A mobile surface cleaner comprising: a mobile body configured to travel over a surface;a source of a liquid;a liquid dispenser;a flow path from the liquid source to the liquid dispenser; andmeans for sparging onboard the cleaner, which sparges the liquid by electrolysis.