Solenoid valve and timing module kit for a floor treating apparatus

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6301738
  • Patent Number
    6,301,738
  • Date Filed
    Friday, March 24, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 16, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A solenoid valve and timing module kit for use with a floor treating apparatus. The apparatus includes a reservoir for holding a cleaning solution, a flow control valve, a head assembly adapted to carry a floor treating device, a fluid flow line for delivering the liquid supply to a supply point adjacent to the floor treating device, an operator control, and a timing module for continuously opening and closing the flow control valve in response to the operator control.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates generally to a floor treating apparatus, and more particularly to a solenoid valve and timing module kit to control the liquid supply system in a floor treating apparatus.




In a floor treating apparatus such as a floor scrubber, liquid from a liquid supply reservoir is supplied to a floor treating device such as a brush or a pad. The rate or amount of liquid supplied to the floor treating device is manually controlled by a choke cable and a conventional metering valve or ball valve. In order to control the amount of liquid supplied to the floor treating device, an operator must manually adjust the ball or needle valve until the desired amount of liquid supplied is achieved. It is difficult to accurately adjust the amount of liquid supplied because, as is known in the art, the design of a ball valve does not allow a linear increase or decrease in the amount of liquid that passes through the ball valve. Further, the operator must continuously open and close the ball valve to adjust the supply to avoid providing too little or too much liquid to the floor treating device. This manual operation sometimes causes undesirable liquid flow levels due to the inaccurate method of adjusting the ball valve to create the desired flow.




In addition to the inaccurate adjustment and delivery of liquid flow, the use of a ball valve in a floor treating apparatus has other drawbacks. The ball valve is normally located in the liquid flow line a few feet from the floor treating device. This causes a lag time when starting the liquid flow since the liquid must travel a few feet from the ball valve to the floor treating device when the ball valve is first opened. The location of the ball valve also causes a lag time when stopping the liquid flow since the liquid in the flow line between the ball valve and the floor treating device will continue to flow once the ball valve is closed. Another drawback to a ball valve or other conventional metering valves is that it is not always completely open when liquid is supplied. Therefore, particles tend to become trapped between the needle and seat or ball and seat thereby affecting the flow of liquid.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is an object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein such kit eliminates the need for a ball or needle valve and therefore eliminates the inaccurate, nonlinear manual adjustment of liquid flow due to the ball or needle valve. It is another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein such kit electronically controls the liquid flow from the liquid supply to the floor treating device using a timing module to continuously open and close a solenoid valve in the fluid flow line. It is still another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein such kit has a timing module designed to control the amount of liquid supplied to the treating device by opening and closing the solenoid valve at different duty cycles to create anything from a trickle to a full flow of liquid. It is still another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system such that a timing module allows an operator to maintain a constant flow of liquid. It is another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein a solenoid valve is placed directly at or in close proximity to the supply point at the treating device to eliminate any lag time when starting or stopping the flow of liquid. It is another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein a solenoid valve opens completely when activated allowing particles to pass through the valve without affecting the flow of liquid. It is still another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein the kit provides linear control of the liquid delivery system. It is another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein such kit provides electronic control of the liquid delivery system as opposed to manual control. It is still another object of this invention to provide a kit for a floor treating apparatus having a liquid delivery system wherein such kit repeatedly allows the supply of the same amount of liquid to the supply point at the treating device.




The invention comprises a kit for use with a floor treating apparatus which engages a floor and is responsive to an operator. The floor treating apparatus includes a reservoir for holding a supply of liquid; a head assembly adapted to carry a floor treating device for engaging and treating the floor with the liquid in the reservoir, said head assembly including a motor for rotating the floor treating device; and a fluid flow line for delivering liquid from the reservoir to a supply point adjacent to a point at which the floor treating device engages the floor. The kit comprises a flow control valve adapted to be positioned in line with the fluid flow line for permitting liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is open and for inhibiting liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is closed. The kit also includes an operator control responsive to the operator for generating an operating signal. The kit further includes a timing module responsive to the operator control for opening and closing the flow control valve such that the flow control valve is open for a period of time which corresponds to the operating signal whereby the operator controls the open period of the flow control valve via the operator control to thereby control the liquid supplied from the reservoir via the fluid flow line and the fluid control valve to the supply point.




The invention also comprises a kit for use with a floor treating apparatus for use on a floor. The floor treating apparatus includes a reservoir for holding a supply of liquid and a head assembly adapted to carry a floor treating device for engaging and treating the floor with the liquid in the reservoir. The head assembly includes a motor for rotating the floor treating device. A fluid flow line delivers liquid from the reservoir to a supply point adjacent to a point at which the floor treating device engages the floor. The kit comprises a flow control valve adapted for placement in line with the fluid flow line for permitting liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is open. The flow control valve inhibits liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is closed. The kit also comprises a timing module for generating a control signal in response to an operating signal for repeatedly opening and closing the flow control valve such that the flow control valve has a duty cycle wherein the flow control valve is open for a period of time which corresponds to the operating signal allowing liquid to flow from the reservoir to the supply point via the fluid flow line and the fluid control valve.




Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a diagrammatic view of one preferred embodiment of a liquid delivery system of a floor treating apparatus having a solenoid valve and timing module in accordance with the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a block diagram illustrating one preferred embodiment of electrical components of the present invention.





FIG. 3

is a graph illustrating time (t) along the x-axis and voltage along the y-axis of a reference signal which is compared to a voltage range for an operating signal provided by the operator control to the timing module.





FIG. 4

is an electrical schematic of one preferred embodiment of the control module for the present invention including a power supply, potentiometer, comparator, overcurrent detector, start up inhibit, and oscillator.











Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.




DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring now to

FIG. 1

, one preferred embodiment of a floor treating apparatus


10


of the present invention is shown. The apparatus


10


includes a reservoir


100


for holding a supply of liquid


102


. A fluid flow line


106


delivers the supply of liquid


102


from the reservoir


100


to a supply point SP adjacent to a point at which a floor treating device


104


engages the floor. The floor treating device


104


includes brushes


105


for engaging and treating a floor with the liquid


102


and motors M for rotating the brushes. A flow control valve, such as a solenoid valve


108


in line with the fluid flow line


106


, controls the liquid flow in response to a timing module


110


and an optional operator control


112


. (The operator control


112


is optional because the timing module may have a fixed rather than variable duty cycle, as noted below.) Although

FIG. 1

shows two brushes


105


, it is understood that there may be one or more than two brushes for engaging and treating a floor.




The liquid


102


, such as water or cleaning solution, flows from the reservoir


100


into the fluid flow line


106


due to gravitational force. It is understood that the liquid


102


may also flow from the reservoir


100


into the fluid flow line


106


via an optional pump


101


shown in phantom. The liquid


102


flows through the fluid flow line


106


to a solenoid valve


108


. When the solenoid valve


108


is in a closed position, the liquid


102


is inhibited from flowing any further through the fluid flow line


106


. When the solenoid valve


108


is in an open position, the liquid


102


flows through the fluid flow line


106


via the solenoid valve


108


to the supply point SP adjacent to a point at which the floor treating device


104


engages the floor. The solenoid valve


108


may be of the type such as Deltrol Controls solenoid valve, part number DSVP11-7PX-8SR-6L5 or DSVPII-1PX-8SL-645 or part number 70163-60.




It is understood that the floor treating device


104


may comprise one or more brushes


105


(as shown) or one or more pads (not shown). It is also understood that the floor treating apparatus


10


may comprise a head assembly


107


adapted to support and carry the floor treating device


104


and motors M for rotating the brushes


105


. The head assembly


107


may raise and lower the floor treating device


104


for engaging and treating a floor. The floor treating apparatus


10


may also include a splitter


114


, which splits the fluid flow line


106


into two fluid delivery lines


116


, each of which separately delivers liquid to one of the brushes


105


. Although

FIG. 1

shows one fluid flow line


106


, it is understood that there may be one or more fluid flow lines


106


for delivering the supply of liquid


102


from the reservoir


100


to one or more supply points SP. It is also understood that a separate solenoid valve


108


may be located in line with each fluid flow line


106


.




Preferably, the solenoid valve


108


is located immediately above the supply point(s) SP to minimize any lag time in starting or stopping the supply of liquid


102


to the floor treating device(s)


104


. When the apparatus


10


is initially ready for use, solenoid valve


108


is closed and there is no liquid located in the fluid flow line


106


between solenoid valve


108


and supply point SP. When solenoid valve


108


is initially opened, there may be a brief lag time in supplying liquid


102


from the solenoid valve


108


to the supply point SP. This lag time corresponds to the time required for the liquid


102


to flow through the empty fluid flow line


116


between solenoid valve


108


and supply point SP. By placing the solenoid valve


108


immediately above the supply point SP, this lag time is minimized. Similarly, when the apparatus


10


is in use and liquid is flowing through the opened solenoid valve


108


, and the solenoid valve


108


is then closed, there may be a small amount of residual liquid


102


in the fluid flow line


116


between the closed solenoid valve


108


and the supply point SP causing a brief lag time while the residual liquid flows to the supply point(s) SP. By placing the solenoid valve


108


immediately above the supply point(s) SP, this lag time is also minimized.




The operator control


112


generates an operating signal OS and is responsive to an operator. The operating signal OS is provided to the timing module


110


which is responsive to the operator control


112


for selectively providing a control signal CS to the solenoid valve


108


for opening and closing the solenoid valve


108


.





FIG. 2

is a block diagram illustrating one preferred embodiment of the electrical components of the present invention. The operator control


112


comprises a variable resistor, such as a potentiometer


200


, having a resistance which varies according to operator control. (The operator control


112


may be replaced by a fixed resistance if a fixed duty cycle and consequently a fixed flow rate is desired.) The timing module


110


comprises a reference signal generator


202


, such as an oscillator, for generating a reference signal RS. The timing module


110


also comprises a comparator


204


. The comparator


204


compares a parameter, such as the voltage or current, of the operating signal OS with a parameter of the reference signal RS. The comparator


204


provides a pulse width modulated output control signal CS which controls a transistor switch


206


to selectively energize and open the solenoid valve


108


by a power supply


208


to allow liquid to flow to the floor treating device


104


when the parameter of the operating signal is greater than the parameter of the reference signal. The power supply


208


is preferably a 15 volt power supply supplied by a 24 volt battery. The solenoid valve


108


is normally closed when not energized to inhibit fluid flow to the floor treating device


104


when the parameter of the operating signal OS is less than or equal to the parameter of the reference signal RS.




An alternative method of powering the transistor switch is to selectively energize the solenoid valve


108


simultaneously with the motors M for rotating the brushes


105


so that the solenoid valve


108


is only operational when the motors M for rotating the brushes


105


are operating. Similarly, the solenoid valve


108


may be selectively energized simultaneously with a machine traverse motor


209


for driving wheels which traverse the floor cleaning apparatus


10


across a floor so that the flow control valve


108


is only operational when the machine traverse motor


209


is operating and the apparatus is moving across the floor.





FIG. 2

also shows a overcurrent detector


210


and a start up inhibit


212


which inhibit the operating signal. The current detector


210


and start up inhibit


212


are discussed below in the description of FIG.


4


.





FIG. 3

is a graph illustrating an example of the reference signal RS and a voltage range for the operating signal OS. The operator control


112


generates the operating signal OS that can be adjusted to a maximum voltage of V


1MAX


and a minimum voltage of V


1MIN


as shown in FIG.


3


. An operator can vary the voltage of the operating signal OS between V


1LMIN


to V


1MAX


by adjusting the variable resistance of the potentiometer


200


of the operator control


112


. The signal generator


202


of the timing module


110


generates a periodic reference signal RS such as a triangle wave shown in FIG.


3


.




In the example of

FIG. 3

, the reference signal RS is a triangle waveform which ranges from ⅓ V


DD


to ⅔ V


DD


so that it has a period of ten seconds and has a magnitude which varies between a maximum voltage of V


2MAX


and a minimum voltage of V


2MIN


. It is preferable that the reference signal RS have a period of ten seconds in order to regularly provide liquid to the supply point SP. As the liquid


102


is supplied to the supply point SP adjacent to a point at which the floor treating device


104


engages the floor, the brushes


105


(or pads) receive with the liquid


102


and spread the liquid


102


over the floor. A reference signal RS with a longer period than ten seconds may cause dry and wet spots to occur along the floor. Further, a reference signal with a shorter period than ten seconds may cause too much noise and wear due to the frequent energizing of the solenoid valve


108


. In addition, a reference signal RS having a period of ten seconds allows for maximum valve life of the solenoid valve


108


.




As explained above, the output control signal CS of comparator


204


controls a transistor switch


206


which selectively energizes and opens the solenoid valve


108


to allow liquid to flow to the floor treating device


104


when a parameter of the operating signal OS is greater than a parameter of the reference signal RS. As illustrated in

FIG. 3

, the comparator


204


compares the voltage of the operating signal OS with the voltage of the reference signal RS. The potentiometer signal varies from slightly less than ⅓ V


DD


to slightly more than ⅔ V


DD


. When the voltage of the operating signal OS is greater than the voltage of the reference signal RS, the output control signal CS of comparator


204


goes high to close the transistor switch


206


to energize and thereby open the solenoid valve


108


and to allow liquid


102


to flow to the floor treating device


104


.




At the lowest setting, the voltage from the potentiometer is always lower than the triangle wave. The comparator will then give a full “off” signal for our solution valve. At the highest setting, the voltage from the potentiometer is always higher than the triangle wave. The comparator will then give a full “on” signal for our solution valve. At intermediate settings, the portion of periods where the voltage from the potentiometer is greater than the triangle wave, the comparator will turn the solenoid valve on for those respective times.




Preferably, the maximum voltage of the operating signal OS (V


1MAX


) is greater than the maximum voltage of the reference signal RS (V


2MAX


) and the minimum voltage of the operating signal OS (V


1MIN


) is less than the minimum voltage of the reference signal RS (V


2MIN


). This allows the solenoid valve


108


to fully close as the voltage of the operating signal OS decreases and approaches the minimum voltage of the reference signal RS (V


2MIN


). This also allows the solenoid valve to fully open when the voltage of the operating signal increases and approaches the maximum voltage of the reference signal RS (V


2MAX


). As an example, the reference signal RS may oscillate between 5 volts and 10 volts and the operating signal may vary from 4.5 volts to 10.5 volts. Referring to

FIG. 3

, the solenoid valve


108


will not be energized and will remain in a closed position to inhibit the flow of liquid


102


to the floor treating device


104


when the voltage of the operating signal OS is between V


1MIN


and V


2MIN


. When the voltage of the operating signal OS is between V


2MIN


and V


2MAX


, the solenoid valve


108


will be energized and opened for the portion of the ten second period when the voltage of the operating signal OS is greater than the voltage of the reference signal RS. It follows, then, that the solenoid valve


108


will be energized and opened for the full ten second period of the reference signal RS when the voltage of the operating signal OS is between V


2MAX


and V


1MAX


.




In the example illustrated in

FIG. 3

, the comparator


204


compares the voltage of the operating signals OS


1


-OS


5


with the voltage of the reference signal RS shown as a triangle wave. The solenoid valve


108


will remain closed when the voltage of an operating signal OS


1


is below V


2MIN


as illustrated from 0 to 10 seconds. Similarly, the solenoid valve


108


remains open when the voltage of an operating signal OS


4


is greater than V


2MAX


. A as illustrated from 30 to 40 seconds. When the voltage of the operating signal OS


2


, OS


3


, OS


5


is between V


2MIN


and V


2MAX


, the solenoid valve


108


has a duty cycle which corresponds to the operating signal. For example, if, in adjusting the operator control


112


, an operator adjusts the voltage of the operating signal to a voltage OSS between V


2MIN


and V


2MAX


, then the solenoid valve


108


will have a 50% duty cycle. In other words, the voltage of the operating signal OS


5


is greater than the voltage of the reference signal RS between 5 and 10 seconds, between 15 and 20 seconds and between 25 and 30 seconds and between 35 and 40 seconds. Therefore, for every 10 second period of the reference signal RS, the comparator


204


closes the transistor switch


208


to open the solenoid valve


108


for 5 seconds. This cycle repeats until the operator changes the voltage of the operating signal OS


5


by adjusting the operator control


112


.





FIG. 3

illustrates two more examples of operating signals OS


2


and OS


3


between V


2MIN


and V


2MAX


. Operating signal OS


2


is illustrated in

FIG. 3

from 10 to 20 seconds. In comparing this operating signal OS


2


to the reference signal RS, the solenoid valve


108


remains closed from 10 seconds to t


1


because the voltage of operating signal OS


2


is less than the voltage of reference signal RS for that time. Solenoid valve


108


opens from t


1


to t


2


because the voltage of operating signal OS


2


is greater than the voltage of the reference signal RS during this interval. The solenoid valve


108


then closes from t


2


to 20 seconds because the voltage of the operating signal OS


2


is less than the voltage of the reference signal RS. This cycle continues for each ten second period of reference signal RS until the operator changes the voltage of the operating signal OS


2


by adjusting the operator control


112


. Operating signal OS


3


is illustrated in

FIG. 3

from 20 to 30 seconds. In comparing this operating signal OS


3


to reference signal RS, the solenoid valve


108


is open from 20 seconds to t


3


because the voltage of operating signal OS


3


is greater than the voltage of reference signal RS for that time. Solenoid valve


108


then closes from t


3


to t


4


because the voltage of operating signal OS


3


is less than the voltage of reference signal RS. From t


4


to 30 seconds, the solenoid valve


108


opens again. This cycle continues for each ten second period of reference signal RS until the operator changes the voltage of the operating signal OS


3


by adjusting the operator control


112


.




Although a reference signal RS having a ten second period (duty cycle) is preferred, it is understood that a reference signal RS having a shorter or longer period may be used. The duty cycle of the solenoid valve


108


may vary depending on the period of the reference signal RS generated by the reference signal generator


202


. As noted above, it has been found that a 10 second duty cycle is short enough to provide a substantially continuous delivery of liquid and is long enough to minimize solenoid valve cycling so that the life of the solenoid valve is not substantially shortened.





FIG. 4

is an electrical schematic diagram of one preferred embodiment of the control module for the present invention further detailing the electrical components of the block diagram of FIG.


2


.

FIG. 4

specifically illustrates the components for the potentiometer


200


, reference signal generator


202


, switch control comparator


204


, transistor switch


206


, power supply


208


, overcurrent detector


210


and start up inhibit


212


according to the present invention. Preferably, the potentiometer


200


is a variable resistor having a range from 0 to 5000 ohms in series with two additional resistors


400


and


401


having resistances of 4600 ohms each. The solenoid valve


108


is connected to Solenoid+ on the high side and Solenoid− on the low side.




The overcurrent detector


210


protects the timing module and particularly switch


206


from excessive current. The current through the switch


206


is detected by shunt resistor


402


and applied to an inverting (−) input pin of a comparator


404


. A voltage defined by resistor


406


corresponding to the maximum allowable current is applied to a non-inverting (+) input pin of the comparator


404


. When the switch current exceeds the maximum current, the inverting (−) input pin carries a higher voltage than the non-inverting (+) input pin of comparator


404


which causes an output


408


of the comparator to go low. The output


408


is connected to a junction


410


which is connected to the operating signal OS from the potentiometer


200


. The output


408


pulls junction


410


low to ground the operating signal OS and disables the transistor switch


206


from closing the solenoid valve


108


since the voltage of the operating signal OS input to the non-inverting (+) input pin of comparator


204


will not be greater than the reference signal RS applied to the inverting (−) input pin. The overcurrent detector


210


also detects short circuits in the solenoid circuit by detecting large currents through the switch


206


and disabling the switch in response thereto.




The start up inhibit


212


prevents an undesired flow of liquid


102


from being supplied to the floor treating device


104


when the floor treating apparatus


10


is initially started. When the floor treating apparatus


10


is first powered up, the capacitor C


4


is probably fully discharged and must charge up to the minimum voltage (V


2MIN


) of the reference signal RS. Once it is fully charged, the capacitor C


4


charges and discharges between the minimum voltage V


2MIN


and maximum voltage V


2MAX


to generate the reference signal RS as long as the floor treating apparatus


10


is continuously provided with power from the power supply


208


. Without the start up inhibit


212


, when the floor treating apparatus


10


is first powered up, the fully discharged capacitor C


4


causes the voltage of the reference signal RS at the inverting (−) input pin of the comparator


204


to be low. Since the voltage of the operating signal OS will likely be greater than the initial, charging voltage of the reference signal RS when the floor treating apparatus is first started, the transistor switch


206


will be energized by comparator


204


causing the solenoid valve


108


to open and allow liquid


102


to flow to the floor treating device


104


. This causes an undesired supply of liquid


102


to the floor treating device


104


for the period of time during which the capacitor C


4


charges to the minimum voltage V


2MIN


of the reference signal RS. The start up inhibit


212


prevents this undesired supply of liquid


102


by pulling junction


410


low until the voltage of the capacitor C


4


reaches the minimum voltage of reference signal RS. A low output


412


of a start up inhibit op amp


414


of start up inhibit circuit


212


prevents the voltage of the operating signal OS from being higher than the voltage of the reference signal RS for the time it takes C


4


to charge to the minimum voltage V


2MIN


of the reference signal RS, thereby preventing the output control signal CS of comparator


204


from energizing the transistor switch


206


. The low output


412


of start up inhibit op amp


414


is present as long as the voltage of the reference signal RS (which is applied to its non-inverting (+) input pin) is less than the minimum voltage V


1MIN


(which is applied to its inverting (−) input pin). In other words, the start up inhibit op amp


414


does not allow the voltage of the reference signal generator


202


to be compared with the voltage of the potentiometer


200


until the voltage of the reference signal generator


202


rises above V


1MIN


. (It puts a V


1MIN


shift in the required reference signal generator output voltage.) Until the voltage of the reference signal generator


202


rises into this valid region, the output of the start up inhibit op amp


414


pulls the operating signal OS at the comparator input down. (This would be similar to turning the potentiometer


200


all the way down, and expecting the water flow to stop.) The solenoid valve


108


is thereby kept closed during start up, inhibiting liquid


102


from flowing to the floor treating device


104


. Once the capacitor C


4


charges to the minimum voltage V


2MIN


of the reference signal RS, the system works as described above, opening the solenoid valve


108


when the voltage of the operating signal OS is greater than the voltage of the reference signal RS.




It is also contemplated that the invention may be a kit which is retrofitted to an existing floor cleaning apparatus. In particular, the existing ball valve and cable control would be replaced by the flow control valve and timing circuit (and optional operator control).




In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.




As various changes could be made in the above products without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.



Claims
  • 1. A kit for use with a floor treating apparatus which engages a floor and is responsive to an operator, said apparatus including a reservoir for holding a supply of liquid; a head assembly adapted to carry a floor treating device for engaging and treating the floor with the liquid in the reservoir, said head assembly including a motor for rotating the floor treating device; and a fluid flow line for delivering liquid from the reservoir to a supply point adjacent to a point at which the floor treating device engages the floor; said kit comprising:a flow control valve adapted for placement in line with the fluid flow line, said valve permitting liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is open and inhibiting liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is closed; an operator control responsive to the operator for generating an operating signal; and a timing module responsive to the operator control for opening and closing the flow control valve such that the flow control valve is open for a period of time which corresponds to the operating signal whereby the operator controls the open period of the flow control valve via the operator control to thereby control the liquid supplied from the reservoir via the fluid flow line and the fluid control valve to the supply point.
  • 2. The kit of claim 1 wherein the timing module opens and closes the flow control valve such that the flow control valve has a duty cycle which corresponds to the operating signal whereby the operator controls the duty cycle of the flow control valve via the operator control to thereby control the flow rate of liquid supplied from the reservoir via the fluid flow line and the fluid control valve to the supply point.
  • 3. The kit of claim 2 wherein the timing module comprises a reference signal generator for generating a reference signal and a comparator for comparing a parameter of the operating signal and a parameter of the reference signal, wherein the timing module opens the flow control valve to allow fluid to flow to the supply point when the parameter of the operating signal is greater than the parameter of the reference signal, and closes the flow control valve to inhibit fluid flow to the supply point when the parameter of the operating signal is less than the parameter of the reference signal.
  • 4. The kit of claim 3 further comprising a transistor switch responsive to the output of the comparator for energizing the flow control valve.
  • 5. The kit of claim 3 wherein a minimum of the parameter of the reference signal is greater than a minimum of the parameter of the operating signal and a maximum of the parameter of the reference signal is less a maximum of the parameter of the operating signal.
  • 6. The kit of claim 3 wherein the reference signal generator for generating the reference signal comprises an oscillator.
  • 7. The kit of claim 3 wherein the reference signal comprises a periodic signal.
  • 8. The kit of claim 7 wherein the periodic signal has a period of ten seconds.
  • 9. The kit of claim 8 wherein the periodic signal is a triangle wave.
  • 10. The kit of claim 3 wherein each parameter of said operating and reference signals comprises voltage and wherein the operator control comprises a variable resistor having a resistance controlled by the operator.
  • 11. The kit of claim 10 wherein the variable resistor comprises a potentiometer.
  • 12. The kit of claim 1 wherein the operating signal is indicative of an amount of liquid to be supplied from the reservoir to the supply point.
  • 13. The kit of claim 1 wherein the operating signal is indicative of a rate of flow of liquid to be supplied from the reservoir to the supply point.
  • 14. The kit of claim 1 wherein the flow control valve is a solenoid valve.
  • 15. The kit of claim 1 wherein the flow control valve is selectively energized simultaneously with the motor for rotating the floor treating device so that the flow control valve is only operational when the motor for rotating the floor treating device is operating.
  • 16. The kit of claim 1 wherein the floor treating apparatus icnludes a machine traverse motor for traversing the apparatus across the floor and wherein the flow control valve is selectively energized simultaneously with the machine traverse motor so that the flow control valve is only operational when the machine traverse motor is operating.
  • 17. The kit of claim 1 further comprising a start-up inhibit circuit which initially inhibits operation of the flow control valve when the apparatus is initially energized.
  • 18. A kit for use with a floor treating apparatus which engages a floor, said apparatus including a reservoir for holding a supply of liquid; a head assembly adapted to carry a floor treating device for engaging and treating the floor with the liquid in the reservoir, said head assembly including a motor for rotating the floor treating device; and a fluid flow line for delivering liquid from the reservoir to a supply point adjacent to a point at which the floor treating device engages the floor; said kit comprising:a flow control valve adapted for placement in line with the fluid flow line, said valve permitting liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is open and inhibiting liquid flow from the reservoir through the fluid flow line to the supply point when the valve is closed; and a timing module for generating a control signal in response to an operating signal for repeatedly opening and closing the flow control valve such that the flow control valve is open for a period of time which corresponds to the operating signal allowing liquid to flow from the reservoir to the supply point via the fluid flow line and the fluid control valve.
  • 19. The kit of claim 18 wherein the timing module further comprises a reference signal generator for generating a reference signal and a comparator for comparing a parameter of the operating signal and a parameter of the reference signal such that the timing module opens the flow control valve to allow fluid to flow to the supply point when the parameter of the operating signal is greater than the parameter of the reference signal, and closes the flow control valve to inhibit fluid flow to the supply point when the parameter of the operating signal is less than the parameter of the reference signal.
  • 20. The kit of claim 19 further comprising an operator control responsive to an operator for adjusting the parameter of the operating signal wherein the timing module is responsive to the operator control for opening and closing the flow control valve such that the flow control valve is open for a period of time which corresponds to the operating signal whereby the operator controls the open period of the flow control valve via the operator control to thereby control the liquid supplied from the reservoir via the fluid flow line and the fluid control valve to the supply point.
Parent Case Info

This is a division of application Ser. No. 09/050,539, filed Mar. 30, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,192.

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