EP1145679A1 - Machine for surfacing or maintaining floors with improved guidance - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine has a motor (4) carried on a chassis (1), a circular tool (21) support plate (9), driven by the motor around a shaft (6). The support plate remains practically parallel and in contact with the surface during machine operation. The chassis is fixed to an arm (7), fitted with handgrip (8) and motor controller (4). A flexible coupling has a set of flexible radial blades (14), ends of which are fixed to the shaft and to the tool support plate via a flat disk (17). The tool support plate is connected by a flexible coupling to the shaft (6). The flexible coupling includes a rubber crown (18) clamped between the tool support plate and the flat disk, as well as a flexible layer (20) clamped between the disk and the lower edge of a disk (11) fixed to the shaft (6). The shaft is hollow and has a helicoidal slot (24) cut from tempered spring steel. The flexible coupling, see Fig.7, may include several plaques (25) connected in pairs via flexible washers. This coupling is mounted between a lower plaque (25i) fixed to the plate (19) and an upper plaque (25s) clamped on a rotating part (30) fixed to the shaft. The machine has at least four screw jacks, mounted 90 degrees to each other, between the chassis and a rigid upper disc (11). The jacks act on pressure rollers (31) and permit, via a hand control unit, multi directional inclination of the chassis with respect to ground.

Description

The present invention relates to a machine for treatment or maintenance of floors, comprising a motor carried by a frame, a circular tool tray suitable for being driven by this engine around a shaft of the chassis so that said tool can remain applied to the ground during operation, the remaining tray practically parallel to the ground and said chassis being rigidly connected to a drawbar carrying at its end upper an operating handle provided with at least one engine control lever.

Known machines of this type make it possible to subject the floors to various cleaning treatments, polishing, crystallization, etc., the tools being able to, as the case may be, consisting of pads, brushes, industrial diamonds, abrasive discs, etc. Ordinarily, the machine is manually pushed by a operator, which requires some physical strength even to advance the machine in a straight line, with additional difficulties when it comes to changing steering except lifting the implement completely off the ground weighing on the operating handle and resting the machine on load wheels.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks, and for this purpose, a machine of the type indicated at the beginning is, according to the invention, characterized in that the tool tray is connected by an elastic coupling to the chassis shaft, and that said elastic coupling includes a set radial blades whose ends are fixed with a part at one end of the chassis shaft and the other part, at the opposite end, on the tool tray via a flat disc.

In this way, the operator can easily direct the machine on the ground, in the working position of the tool: to go forward in a straight line, weigh sideways on the operating handle, on the side for which the corresponding right half of the tray is moves backwards (for example on the right side if the tool turns clockwise), and on the opposite side, to know on the left side, to move backwards; to go to the right, it will suffice (in the same assumption of tool rotation clockwise) of weigh on the operating handle, i.e. weigh side for which the corresponding rear half of the tray moves to the left; to go to opposite to the left, it will just raise the operating handle, i.e. weighing from the side opposite, for which the corresponding front half of the tray moves to the right. The tray will be like this always under greater pressure on half of its circumference, but without the opposite half raises, precisely because the tool tray is connected elastically to the chassis shaft. The tool will therefore remain fully effective, even in changes of direction, since its entire surface will continue to be applied to the floor.

• la figure 1 est une vue en plan schématique de la machine, montrant ses principales parties ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe verticale partielle, selon l'axe de l'arbre du châssis ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en plan d'un accouplement élastique envisageable ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe verticale partielle, selon l'axe de l'arbre du châssis, montrant un accouplement élastique double ;
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe axiale d'un autre accouplement élastique, la figure 6 étant la vue en plan correspondante ; et
• la figure 7 est une vue en coupe verticale partielle, selon l'axe de l'arbre du châssis, montrant un autre type d'accouplement élastique.

The elastic coupling between the plate and the shaft can be achieved in different ways, which will be seen below, on reading several embodiments given by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the figures of the drawing below. annexed, in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the machine, showing its main parts;
• Figure 2 is a partial vertical sectional view along the axis of the chassis shaft;
• Figure 3 is a plan view of a possible elastic coupling;
• Figure 4 is a partial vertical sectional view along the axis of the chassis shaft, showing a double elastic coupling;
• Figure 5 is an axial sectional view of another elastic coupling, Figure 6 being the corresponding plan view; and
• Figure 7 is a partial vertical sectional view along the axis of the chassis shaft, showing another type of elastic coupling.

The machine shown in Figure 1 has a chassis 1 carrying a pair of wheels at the rear steering 2 and a pair of load-bearing wheels transport of the machine in the inactive position, referenced in 3. The chassis 1 carries a motor 4, for example electric, connected for example by a belt 4a housed in a casing 5 (see also figure 2) to a shaft 6 of the frame. The machine can be maneuvered on the ground thanks to a drawbar 7 carrying a handle at its upper end maneuver 8 provided with at least one control lever motor 4 (not shown) and, where appropriate, a steering cylinder control lever, as will be seen later.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, we have keyed to the shaft 6 a hub 9 housed in the chassis 1 via ball bearings 10 which hub is extended by a shouldered conical disc 11. On the threaded end 6a of the chassis shaft 6 are fixed by a nut 12 two washers 13 between which is tightened the central part of a number of blades elastic radial 14 on the outer ends which is fixed by a screw connection 15 and nuts 16, a flat disc 17 under which is hot glued under press a rubber crown 18 connected to the plate tool holder 19. On the other hand, the lower edge of the disc conical 11 is hot connected by another layer of rubber 20 at the edge of the upper surface of the disc flat 17.

We thus effectively obtain a coupling elastic between the tool-holder plate 19 and the shaft 6 of the chassis, by means of elastic blades 14 and the rubber crown 18; the latter, in addition, dampens vibrations caused by irregular friction on the ground and possible poor balance of the masses rotating, and attenuates its transmission to the handle 8 held by the operator. The machine can thus be steered on the floor with much more comfort, in the way that has been described above. The tool is shown schematically in 21 at the Figure 2; in the center of the tray 19 is a plate of riveted centering 22.

In the embodiment of Figure 4, where the references already used previously designate the same organs or equivalent, we have shown the use of a additional spherical bearing 23 between shaft 6 and the hub 9 of the disc 11 (which here is cylindrical), this to facilitate the orientation of the drawbar 7 and therefore the directivity of the machine on the ground, the remaining platform flat on the latter. We also showed on the Figure 4 the possibility of using a chassis shaft 6 hollow with axial elasticity, obtained by a groove in propeller 24 cut from hardened spring steel, this for the same purpose as before, namely to allow a multidirectional oscillation of the chassis 1 by relative to the ground by acting on the drawbar.

Figures 5 and 6 show another variant, according to which one uses between the shaft 6 of the chassis 1 and the tool holder plate 19 an elastic coupling to several plates 25 linked in pairs by washers perforated elastic 26 whose holes 27 receive studs 28 of these plates, this coupling being used in the embodiment of Figure 7 with the plate lower 25i fixed to the plate 19 and the upper plate 25s wedged on a rotating part 30 secured to the shaft 6.

In this figure 7, two of the four cylinders, for example electric, mounted at 90 ° one on the other between chassis 1 and a rigid disc upper 11 with interposition of pressure rollers 31, and which allow, from another joystick of the handle 8, to control the multidirectional tilt of chassis 1 relative to the ground, without energy expenditure physical on the part of the operator.

It should be noted however that this command tilt could also be provided by any other means such as a linkage, rods, levers or others, in a manner known per se.

Thus the invention will in any case allow a clear ergonomic improvement as well as an improvement of the performance of such floor care machines and a significant increase in their comfort of use.

Claims (7)

Soil treatment or maintenance machine, comprising a motor (4) carried by a chassis (1), a plate (19) circular tool holder suitable for being driven by this motor around a shaft (6) of the chassis so that said tool (21) can remain applied to the ground during its operation, the plate (19) remaining practically parallel to the ground and said chassis (1) being rigidly connected to a drawbar (7) carrying at its upper end a handle operating (8) provided with at least one engine control lever (4), characterized in that said plate (19) is connected by an elastic coupling to the shaft (6) of the chassis, and in that said elastic coupling comprises a set of radial blades (14) the ends of which are fixed on the one hand to one end of the shaft (6) of the frame (1) and on the other hand, at the opposite end, to the plate (19) tool holder via a flat disc (17). Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said elastic coupling comprises an elastic ring (18) clamped between the tool-holder plate (19) and said flat disc (17), as well as an elastic layer (20) clamped between said disc (17) and the lower edge of a disc (11) wedged on said shaft (6). Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said disc (11) comprises a hub (9) which is mounted on said shaft (6) by means of a spherical bearing (23). Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said shaft (6) of the chassis (1) has an axial elasticity. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said shaft (6) is hollow and has a helical groove (24) cut from a hardened spring steel. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said elastic coupling comprises several plates (25) linked in pairs by elastic perforated washers (26), the holes (27) of which receive studs (28) from these plates , this coupling being mounted between a lower plate (25i) fixed to the plate (19) and an upper plate (25s) wedged on a rotating part (30) integral with the shaft (6). Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises at least four cylinders mounted at 90 ° to each other between the chassis (1) and an upper rigid disc (11) with interposition of pressure rollers (31 ), and which allow, from another handle handle (8), to control the multidirectional inclination of the chassis (1) relative to the ground.

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