Patent Application
20140246047
The invention relates generally to surface treatment appliance, more particularly to a reciprocating appliance drive apparatus that is used in a surface treatment appliance.
Surface treatment appliances are used in the home and office to clean and treat floors. Various types of surface treating appliances are known, including reciprocating cleaning appliances, which use individual cleaning pads that are attached to the cleaning head of the appliance.
According to one embodiment, a surface treatment apparatus includes an appliance head that includes a support member. The surface treatment apparatus also includes first and second moveable members that move relative to the support member. The surface treatment apparatus also includes a sliding member attached to the support member and a guide member attached to the first moveable member. The guide member is fixed to the first moveable member and moveable relative to the sliding member. A drive apparatus, including a motor, is constructed and arranged to drive the first and second moveable members in a linearly reciprocating manner.
According to another embodiment, a method includes linearly reciprocating first and second moveable members relative to a support member. A sliding member is attached to the support member. A guide member is attached to the first moveable member and moveable relative to the sliding member. A drive apparatus, including a motor, that is constructed and arranged to drive the first and second moveable members in a linearly reciprocating manner.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
Surface treatment appliances, such as cleaning appliances which include reciprocating cleaning heads, are used to clean and treat floors and other surfaces in the home, office, and so on.
Provided herein are embodiments where a surface treatment appliance includes moveable members that are driven by a slide crank mechanism. The moveable members, which are driven in linearly reciprocating motion, are attached to guide members such that there is relative movement between the guide members and a stationary support member that is part of an appliance head.
The appliance 2 also includes a liquid reservoir 13 on the appliance body 4 that communicates with a liquid applicator 15 on the appliance head 6 to apply a treatment or cleaning solution to a surface. Although the liquid applicator 15 is shown on only the front of the appliance head 6 in this embodiment, applicators 15 may be positioned on the sides of the appliance head 6 as well as the back of the appliance head 6 so as to allow multi-directional use of the treatment appliance 2. In some embodiments, the applicators 15 are positioned on the appliance body 4 or on an underside of the appliance head 6.
The drive apparatus for the moveable members will now be described. The appliance head includes a support member and moveable members. The support member and moveable members move relative to one another. The support member has two sides—a top side and a bottom side. The drive apparatus may be mounted on the support member and may include a motor and a slider crank mechanism, each of which will be discussed in turn.
As shown in
It should be appreciated that power may be transmitted from motor 22 to drive gears 24, 25 in any suitable manner, and is not limited to the gear and belt system shown in
The bottom side of support member 20 also includes sliding members 50 and a guide member 40. Guide members 40 and sliding members 50 are arranged to move relative to one another. Sliding member 50 may be a rod or hollow shaft which travels within an inner channel of guide member 40, permitting sliding member 50 and guide member 40 to slide relative to one another. Sliding member 50 is fixed relative to the support member 20, while guide member 40 is moveable relative to the support member 20. Each guide member 40 may be attached to a bracket 42. Bracket 42 may attach to guide member 40 via an interference fit, one or more fasteners, an adhesive, or in any other suitable manner, as this aspect is not limited in this regard. The slider 34 of the slider crank mechanism cooperates with the guide members 40 to drive the moveable members 8 in a linearly reciprocating manner, as will be explained below.
Because moveable member 8 is attached to guide members 40, which are limited to linear movement relative to sliding members 50, moveable member 8 is constrained to linear movement in the direction of the sliding members 50 as well. The slide crank mechanism that includes crank 30, connecting rod 32, and slider 34 work to convert rotary motion of the drive gears 24, 25 to reciprocating motion of the moveable member 8. Rotation of drive gear 24 by the motor 22 causes the crank 30 to rotate in place. The first end of the connecting rod, which is connected to the crank 30, orbits around the crank 30 in a circle as the crank 30 turns. However, the second end of the connecting rod, which is attached to the slider, is limited to linear movement because slider 34 and moveable member 8 are constrained to linear movement in the direction of sliding members 50. Thus, because the first end of the connecting rod is forced to orbit in a circle and the second end of the connecting rod is forced to move along a linear direction, as crank 30 rotates, connecting arm 32 pushes slider 34 linearly back and forth. Moveable member 8, which is attached to slider 34, is thereby driven in a reciprocating motion. The same slide crank mechanism may used to reciprocate both moveable members 8. In some cases, the moveable members 8 may be driven to linearly reciprocate in opposite directions relative to one another.
The above described appliance drive apparatus may be used for any treatment of a surface, including, but not limited to, cleaning, sanding, or refinishing, as the invention is not necessarily so limited.
Various pad arrangements may be used with the appliance disclosed herein, including pad arrangements disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/783,211 filed Mar. 1, 2013 and entitled “SURFACE TREATMENT PAD ARRANGEMENT.” For example, a pad with shag material, olefin, glide portions (e.g. taffeta material), terry knit cloth, any combination thereof, or any other suitable pad material may be used. In some embodiments, two pads may be connected, or, two unconnected pads may be used in some embodiments.
The above described components may be made with various materials, as the invention is not necessarily so limited.
The above aspects may be employed in any suitable combination, as the present invention is not limited in this respect. Additionally, any or all of the above aspects may be employed in a surface treatment appliance; however, the present invention is not limited in this respect, as the above aspects may be employed in other appliances that use reciprocating motion.
Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.
