Surface maintenance machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10765286-B2
Application number	US-201715696910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2017
Priority date	Dec 9, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

A surface maintenance machine comprising two front wheels, at least one rear wheel, a motive source for providing motive force to at least one front wheel to drive the machine on a surface. Embodiments also include an operator platform allowing an operator to stand thereon extending at least partly around the rear wheel, for supporting an operator in a standing position with the operator's feet on either side of the rear wheel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A surface maintenance machine comprising:
a maintenance head assembly supported by the machine and extending toward a surface, the maintenance head assembly comprising one or more surface maintenance tools for performing a surface maintenance operation;
two front wheels each having a rotational axis, at least one of which is steerable to change an angle between the rotational axis of the at least one steerable front wheel and a longitudinal centerline of the machine, the two front wheels being positioned to the front of a transverse centerline of the machine when the machine is moving in a forward direction;
at least one rear wheel positioned to the rear of the transverse centerline, the rear wheel being interior, relative to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the machine, to the at least one steerable front wheel, wherein the rear wheel is at a point about which the machine pivots when the machine is being turned; and
a motive source for providing motive force to at least one front wheel to drive the machine on a surface, the motive source being coupled to the at least one front wheel.

2. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1 , wherein one front wheel is steerable, and one front wheel being non-steerable, and wherein the non-steerable front wheel is a caster.

3. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1 , wherein the rear wheel is not propelled by the motive source.

4. The surface maintenance machine of claim 3 , wherein the rear wheel is centered about the longitudinal centerline of the machine such that the rear wheel extends on two opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline.

5. The surface maintenance machine of claim 4 , wherein the point about which the machine pivots when the machine is being turned is a stationary pivot point, wherein the stationary pivot point is at the intersection of the longitudinal centerline of the machine and a rotational axis of the rear wheel.

6. The surface maintenance machine of claim 4 , wherein the rotational axis of the rear wheel is parallel to the transverse centerline of the machine.

7. The surface maintenance machine of claim 4 , wherein the rotational axis of the rear wheel is pivotable relative to the transverse centerline of the machine.

8. The surface maintenance machine of claim 7 , wherein the rotational axis of the rear wheel is actively pivotable with respect to the transverse centerline of the machine.

9. The surface maintenance machine of claim 7 , wherein the rotational axis of the rear wheel is passively pivotable with respect to the transverse centerline of the machine.

10. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1 , wherein lateral confines of the machine is within about 48 inches.

11. The surface maintenance machine of claim 10 , wherein the machine has a maintenance path corresponding to an envelope of the surface in contact with the maintenance head assembly during a surface maintenance operation, wherein the maintenance path has a width of less than 42 inches.

12. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1 , wherein the rear wheel is steerable.

13. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1 , wherein the rear wheel is non-steerable.

14. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1 , wherein the rear wheel is positioned centrally along the longitudinal centerline of the machine, and the front wheels are positioned symmetrically about opposite side of the longitudinal centerline of the machine.

15. The surface maintenance machine of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal centerline of the machine extends through the rear wheel at a lateral center point of the rear wheel, and the front wheels are positioned asymmetrically about opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline of the machine.

16. A surface maintenance machine comprising:
a maintenance head assembly supported by the machine and extending toward a surface, the maintenance head assembly comprising one or more surface maintenance tools for performing a surface maintenance operation;
two front wheels each having a rotational axis, at least one of which is steerable to change an angle between the rotational axis of the at least one steerable front wheel and a longitudinal centerline of the machine, the two front wheels being positioned to the front of a transverse centerline of the machine when the machine is moving in a forward direction;
at least one rear wheel positioned to the rear of the transverse centerline, the rear wheel being interior, relative to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the machine, to the at least one steerable front wheel;
a motive source for providing motive force to at least one front wheel to drive the machine on a surface, the motive source being coupled to the at least one front wheel; and
a steering assembly comprising a steering wheel, the steering assembly being coupled to and configured for steering the steerable front wheel.

17. The surface maintenance machine of claim 16 , wherein the steering assembly is configured for steering either of the front wheels by an angle exceeding 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the machine when turning the machine away from the longitudinal centerline.

18. The surface maintenance machine of claim 17 , wherein the steering assembly is configured for steering either of the front wheel by an angle less 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal centerline of the machine when turning the machine toward the longitudinal centerline.

19. A surface maintenance machine comprising:
a maintenance head assembly supported by the machine and extending toward a surface, the maintenance head assembly comprising one or more surface maintenance tools for performing a surface maintenance operation;
two front wheels each having a rotational axis, at least one of the two front wheels is coupled to a steering assembly configured to steer the at least one front wheel to change an angle between the rotational axis of the at least one steerable front wheel and a longitudinal centerline of the machine, the two front wheels being positioned to the front of a transverse centerline of the machine when the machine is moving in a forward direction, and the two front wheels being spaced off of the longitudinal centerline of the machine;
at least one rear wheel positioned to the rear of the transverse centerline, the rear wheel being positioned on the longitudinal centerline of the machine and interior, relative to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the machine, to the at least one steerable front wheel, wherein the rear wheel is at a point about which the machine pivots when the machine is being turned; and
a motive source for providing motive force to at least one front wheel to drive the machine on a surface, the motive source being coupled to the at least one front wheel.

20. The surface maintenance machine of claim 19 , wherein the rear wheel is not coupled to the steering assembly and the rear wheel is not coupled to the motive source.

Assignees

• Tennant Co

Inventors

• Dickrell Martin L
• Lehman Ronald W
• Sedam Kyle D
• Stock Jacob L

Classifications

• A47L11/4072

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• A47L11/4069

  Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools · CPC title

• A47L11/4066

  Propulsion of the whole machine · CPC title

• A47L11/4038

  Disk shaped surface treating tools · CPC title

• A47L11/24

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title