This application generally relates to a surface-treatment apparatus having a head unit that facilitates treatment of a surface with a fluid.
Conventional surface-treatment apparatuses have a head unit that dispenses fluid onto a surface and applies the fluid with a rotary head.
A head unit for a surface-treatment apparatus is provided and comprises a housing, a fluid inlet and a dispensation unit. The fluid inlet is for receiving fluid from a fluid reservoir. The dispensation unit defines a dispensation chamber and an input port in fluid communication with each of the dispensation chamber and the fluid inlet. The dispensation unit comprises at least one wall that defines an elongated dispensation outlet for the fluid. Said at least one baffle extends from said at least one wall at a height above said at least one wall such that the baffle extends into the dispensation chamber. Said at least one baffle is located adjacent to the input port and extends away from the input port.
A head unit for a surface-treatment apparatus is provided and comprises a housing a rotary member and a collection container. The housing comprises a fluid inlet, a dispensation unit, and at least one baffle. The fluid inlet is for receiving fluid from a fluid reservoir. The dispensation unit defines a dispensation chamber in fluid communication with the fluid inlet. The dispensation unit defines an elongated dispensation outlet for the fluid. Said at least one baffle is disposed within and extends into the dispensation chamber. Said at least one baffle is configured to direct the flow of fluid through the dispensation unit and out of the elongated dispensation outlet. The rotary member is rotatably coupled with the housing and is rotatable about a rotational axis. The rotary member is positioned adjacent the dispensation unit and is configured to collect the fluid that is dispensed from the elongated dispensation outlet onto a surface. The collection container is associated with the housing and is configured to collect the fluid from the rotary member.
A surface-treatment apparatus comprises a body, a motor, a fluid reservoir, and a head unit. The motor is coupled with the body. The fluid reservoir is coupled with the body and is configured to store fluid therein. The head unit is operably coupled with the motor and comprises a housing, a rotary member, and a collection container. The housing comprises a fluid inlet, a dispensation unit, and at least one baffle. A fluid inlet for receiving fluid from the fluid reservoir. The dispensation unit defines a dispensation chamber in fluid communication with the fluid inlet. The dispensation unit defines an elongated dispensation outlet for the fluid. Said at least one baffle is disposed within and extends into the dispensation unit. Said at least one baffle is configured to direct the flow of fluid through the dispensation unit and out of the elongated dispensation outlet. The rotary member is rotatably coupled with the housing and is operably coupled with the motor. The rotary member is rotatable about a rotational axis and is positioned adjacent the elongated dispensation outlet. The rotary member is further configured to collect the fluid dispensed from the elongated dispensation outlet. The collection container is associated with the housing and is configured to collect the dispensed fluid from the rotary member.
Certain embodiments will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Certain embodiments are described herein in connection with the views and examples of
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In one embodiment, the rotary member 48 can be selectively removed from the housing 44 to allow for effective maintenance and/or replacement of the rotary member 48. It is to be appreciated that in some embodiments, the rotary member 48 can be removed and/or installed without requiring specialized tools, a high level of user skill, or extensive disassembly of the surface-treatment apparatus 20.
As illustrated in
Referring again to
Referring now to
In one embodiment, the fluid reservoir 64 can include a suds generator (not shown). The suds generator can be configured to combine the fluid stored within the fluid reservoir 64 with exhaust air from the exhaust outlet 36 such that suds are formed in the fluid and then dispensed through the conduit 66, through the fluid inlet 54, and to the dispensation unit 52 for dispensation from the elongated dispensation outlet 62 and onto the surface 40. An example suds generator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,315 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The dispensation unit 52 can additionally include a cover wall 84, as illustrated in
Referring again to
Each of the first, second, and third baffles 86, 88, 90 can have respective first, second, and third lengths D1, D2, D3. The first length D1 can be greater than the second and third lengths D2, D3. The third length D3 can be less than the first length D1 but greater than the second length D2. The second length D2 can be less than each of the first and third lengths D1, D3. In one embodiment, with the cover wall 84 installed over the dispensation chamber 81, the first, second, and third baffles 86, 88, 90 can be located adjacent to the input port 82 and can extend away from the input port 82 in a direction that is substantially parallel to the rotational axis Al of the rotary member 48. As illustrated in
Each of the first, second, and third baffles 86, 88, 90 can be tapered such that at least a portion of their respective heights decreases as they extend away from the input port 82. For example, referring now to
When fluid from the fluid inlet 54 is introduced through the input port 82 and into the dispensation chamber 81 of the dispensation unit 52, the fluid can interact with the first, second, and third baffles 86, 88, 90 in such a manner to encourage consistent and uniform dispensation of fluid from the elongated dispensation outlet 62. For example, when the fluid flows from the input port 82 towards the left end wall 78, the tapered profiles of each of the first, second, and third baffles 86, 88, 90 can provide a diminishing obstacle for the fluid as it flows towards the left end wall 78 which can substantially equalize the fluidic pressure across the elongated dispensation outlet 62 thereby providing consistent dispensation of the fluid from along the elongated dispensation outlet 62. The dispensation unit 52 can accordingly be less susceptible to increased amounts of fluid dispensed at the input port 82 than some conventional arrangements. It is to be appreciated that one or more baffles can be provided in any of a variety of suitable arrangements within a dispensation unit to encourage consistent and uniform dispensation of fluid from a dispensation outlet of a surface-treatment apparatus. In particular, a baffle can be of any suitable length, width, or depth and can be graduated, either gradually or in steps, to achieve any of a variety of tapered configurations. Furthermore, a baffle can also be disposed on a single wall or on a combination of walls at any angle with respect to the wall. If more than one baffle is provided, the baffles can be dissimilar or substantially uniform with respect to dimensions, graduation, placement, and angle positioning and can be any dimension, graduation, placement and angle position that is suitable to direct the flow of the fluid in a manner that encourages consistent and uniform dispensation of fluid.
Referring now to
In one embodiment, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Still referring to
It is to be appreciated that the rotary member 48 can be interchanged with other rotary members having different nap lengths, materials, and/or absorption characteristics. The rotary member 48 can be selected depending upon the type of surface (e.g., 40), the type of fluid being applied to the surface, and/or intended surface-treatment. For example, to shampoo carpets, a rotary member having a soft (e.g., cotton) long nap suitable to deposit and work fluid into the carpet and subsequently absorb the fluid can be selected. To clean hard floors, a rotary member having a dense, short nap can be selected. To buff or polish a surface (e.g., granite), a rotary member having a nap that permits fluid to remain substantially in contact with the surface (e.g., 40) can be selected for polishing the surface (e.g., granite). To burnish a surface, a rotary member having a rough nap able to withstand higher temperatures associated with the heating and melting of wax during the burnishing process can be selected. Additionally, to effect an abbreviated cleaning, of for example a carpet, a rotary member having bristles can be selected to whisk dirt out of the carpet and provide a cursory shampoo.
The length (e.g., L1) of the nap material (e.g., 104) can also affect the extent to which the fluid is removed from the rotary member 48. For example, the wiper member 100 can extend further into a longer nap length than a shorter nap length such that more fluid is removed from the rotary member 48 with the longer nap or bristle length. The nap length can thus be additionally or alternatively be selected to achieve certain removal characteristics based upon the type of surface (e.g., 40) and/or the type of fluid being applied to the surface. For example, a rotary member 48 having a nap length that is short enough to avoid contact with the wiper member 100 can be selected for applying a coating (e.g., a sealer) to a hard floor.
In another embodiment, the wiper member 100 can be movable between a retracted position (not shown) and a contacting position (not shown) to facilitate selective removal of fluid from the rotary member 48. When the wiper member 100 is in the retracted position, the wiper member 100 can be spaced from the rotary member 48. When the wiper member 100 is in the contacting position, the wiper member 100 can extend into the rotary member 48. The wiper member 100 can thus be positioned between the retracted and contacting positions to achieve a desired removal characteristic for the rotary member 48.
It is to be appreciated that a rotary member can having an outer cover substantially devoid of a nap material and formed of a variety of suitable alternative materials, such as foam (e.g., for paint) or silicon (e.g., for pushing fluid). Additional embodiments of suitable rotary members are disclosed in in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/186,943, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
It is to be appreciated that although the head unit 42 is described as comprising each of a rotary member (e.g., 48) and a dispensation unit (e.g., 52), in an alternative embodiment, a head unit might be devoid of a dispensation unit for applying a fluid to a surface. In such an embodiment, the fluid can be dispensed onto the surface manually and without requiring a fluid reservoir (e.g., 64) and applied to the surface by a rotary member (e.g., 48). In another alternative embodiment, a head unit might be devoid of a rotary member. In such an embodiment, the fluid can be dispensed onto the surface from a dispensation unit and manually applied/removed to/from the surface (e.g., with a mop).
The foregoing description of embodiments and examples have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described for illustration of various embodiments. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples or embodiments set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather it is hereby intended the scope be defined by the claims appended hereto.
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