GB1574120A - Cleaning heads - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CLEANING HEADS (71) We, BABCOCK KINA LIMITED, a British Company, of Lady Lane.Industrial Estate, Hadleigh, Suffolk, England, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to-be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a cleaning head and, more particularly, to a cleaning head traversable across a floor surface to direct a jet of deaning water onto the surface.

According to the -present invention there is provided a cleaning head having a chamber open on one side and adapted to be movable relative to a surface- to be cleaned with the open side adjacent the surface, a jet device, and means for-rotating the jet device about an axis approximately perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned, the jet device having cleaning fluid discharge nozzle means radially spaced from the axis of rotation of the jet device and disposed within, and directed towards said open side of, said chamber.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying, partly diagrammatic, drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectioned elevation of..a cleaning head; Figure 2 is a view along the line II-II of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of a modified arrangement of the head shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a cleaning head 1 having a chamber 2 formed by a circular dished casing 3 open at the base and movable over a floor surface 4 to be cleaned on externally mounted wheels 5.

A jet device 6 is mounted on the casing and includes a hollow stem 7, which extends through the top of the casing 3, a tangentially and downwardly directed nozzle 8 provided at the end of a hollow arm 9 connected to the stem 7 by a tee- piece 1.0 which also carries an arm ,ll hav- ing a radially adjustable balance weight 12 diametrically opposite the nozzle.

The end of the stem remote frOm,tht.ee piece - forms an inlet - 13.for the jet device provided with a coupling for connection to -a supply of.water for use in - cleaning the surface -4.

- The stem :7 is mounted in bearings .l4, in a housing 15 secured-to the casing .3,.for rotation about a central axis 16. Drive means for rotating-t.he jet device about its axis of rotation 16, shown.in chain dotted out-line, include a pulley 17 secured.- to, the stem 7 connected by a belt 18 to an electric motor 19. The casing.3 is provided with. .a peripheral, flexible rubber skirt 22 which helps to contain the cleaning fluid issuing from the nozzle within the head.

In operation, water is supplied through the inlet 13 to the jet device and issues as a fan shaped jet 20 from the nozzle. The jet device is-rotated about its.axis-of r.ota- tion 16 by the drive means so that the .jet 20 from the nozzle 8 impinges. on the sur face 4 over a substanially.annular area 21, shown in chain-dotted outline in Figure 2, when the head is . stationary. Upon moving the. head over the surface 4 in a straight line the jet acts on a band of width D which corresponds substantially to the width W of the fan shaped jet together with twice the radial distance of the nozzle 8 from the axis 16. Thus the area cleaned in a single pass is greater than would be the case if the nozzle were stationary with the same configurations. In order for a stationary fan jet nozzle to act over the same area of the surface to be cleaned a relatively high setting above the surface must be utilised, which, for same inlet conditions results in the impact pres sure of the jet being greatly reduced.

In addition, since the nozzle 8 is tan gentially directed, the rotational speed of the device, which is approximately 1500 r.p.m., is superposed on the jet discharge velocity to increase the impact velocity of the jet on the surface to be cleaned.

The weight 12 is adjustable radially in dependence on nozzle outlet conditions dynamically to balance the jet device for smooth rotation.

The cleaning water is either hot or cold water, depending upon the condition of the surface to be cleaned, a solvent being added either to the surface prior to cleaning or to the water, if necessary.

In the modified arrangement shown in Figure 3, an additional, outer, chamber 24 is formed between the casing 3 and a similar but smaller casing 25 nested therewithin and provided with a flexible rubber skirt 26. The outer chamber 24 is provided with an outlet 27, which, in use, is connected to a source of vacuum, such as a suction pump, for removing cleaning water and soils from the head. The provision of the outer chamber connected to vacuum in the modified head also helps to limit the passage of cleaning fluid and soils from the head under the skirt 22. Thus, the modified head is particularly suitable for use where excessive residual liquid has to be avoided on the surface being cleaned.

In a further modification (not shown) the electric motor drive is dispensed with and rotation is achieved by virtue of the reaction of discharge of the jet. It will be appreciated that in such an arrangement the impact velocity of the jet is somewhat reduced.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:- 1. A cleaning head including a chamber open on one side and adapted to be movable relative to a surface to be cleaned with the open side adjacent the surface, a jet device, and means for rotating the jet device about an axis approximately perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned, the jet device having cleaning fluid discharge nozzle means radially spaced from the axis of rotation of the jet device and disposed within, and directed towards said open side of, said chamber.

2. A cleaning head as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the chamber is formed with a peripheral flexible skirt arranged to contact the surface to be cleaned.

3. A cleaning head as claimed in Claim 2, wherein a further peripheral flexible skirt arranged to contact the surface to be cleaned is provided and the region between the skirts is connectable to a suction pump.

4. A cleaning head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cleaning fluid discharge nozzle means is tangentially directed.

5. A cleaning head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a drive motor is connected to effect rotation of the jet device.

6. A cleaning head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the jet device includes a cleaning fluid supply stem extending co-axially of the axis of rotation, a hollow first arm extending substantially perpendicular to the stem connecting the stem to the cleaning fluid discharge nozzle means, and a second arm extending in a diametrically opposite direction to the first arm carrying a dynamic balancing weight.

7. A cleaning head arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or with reference to Figures 1 and 2 as modified by Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. velocity to increase the impact velocity of the jet on the surface to be cleaned. The weight 12 is adjustable radially in dependence on nozzle outlet conditions dynamically to balance the jet device for smooth rotation. The cleaning water is either hot or cold water, depending upon the condition of the surface to be cleaned, a solvent being added either to the surface prior to cleaning or to the water, if necessary. In the modified arrangement shown in Figure 3, an additional, outer, chamber 24 is formed between the casing 3 and a similar but smaller casing 25 nested therewithin and provided with a flexible rubber skirt 26. The outer chamber 24 is provided with an outlet 27, which, in use, is connected to a source of vacuum, such as a suction pump, for removing cleaning water and soils from the head. The provision of the outer chamber connected to vacuum in the modified head also helps to limit the passage of cleaning fluid and soils from the head under the skirt 22. Thus, the modified head is particularly suitable for use where excessive residual liquid has to be avoided on the surface being cleaned. In a further modification (not shown) the electric motor drive is dispensed with and rotation is achieved by virtue of the reaction of discharge of the jet. It will be appreciated that in such an arrangement the impact velocity of the jet is somewhat reduced. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1. A cleaning head including a chamber open on one side and adapted to be movable relative to a surface to be cleaned with the open side adjacent the surface, a jet device, and means for rotating the jet device about an axis approximately perpendicular to the surface to be cleaned, the jet device having cleaning fluid discharge nozzle means radially spaced from the axis of rotation of the jet device and disposed within, and directed towards said open side of, said chamber.

2. A cleaning head as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the chamber is formed with a peripheral flexible skirt arranged to contact the surface to be cleaned.

3. A cleaning head as claimed in Claim 2, wherein a further peripheral flexible skirt arranged to contact the surface to be cleaned is provided and the region between the skirts is connectable to a suction pump.

4. A cleaning head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cleaning fluid discharge nozzle means is tangentially directed.

5. A cleaning head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a drive motor is connected to effect rotation of the jet device.

6. A cleaning head as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the jet device includes a cleaning fluid supply stem extending co-axially of the axis of rotation, a hollow first arm extending substantially perpendicular to the stem connecting the stem to the cleaning fluid discharge nozzle means, and a second arm extending in a diametrically opposite direction to the first arm carrying a dynamic balancing weight.

7. A cleaning head arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or with reference to Figures 1 and 2 as modified by Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.