Surface maintenance machine with a quick alignment mechanism for a cleaning tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016338563-A1
Application number	US-201615158111-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 18, 2016
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cleaning head assembly for a surface maintenance machine comprising a cleaning tool having a tool adapter, a driver adapted to provide a generally rotational motion to the cleaning tool to clean the floor surface, the driver being releasably connected to the tool adapter of the cleaning tool by a hub, and an aligning receptacle coupled to the tool adapter of the cleaning tool and positioned between the hub and the tool adapter, the aligning receptacle having an receptacle opening for receiving the hub, wherein the aligning receptacle is adapted to guide and matingly seat the hub into the receptacle opening and thereby engage the cleaning tool to the driver such that the cleaning tool and the driver are rotationally aligned and a rotational motion of the driver is transferred to the cleaning tool by the hub.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cleaning tool assembly for a surface maintenance machine positioned on a floor surface, comprising:
a cleaning tool adapted to be releasably loaded to or unloaded from the surface maintenance machine, the cleaning tool adapted to clean the floor surface, the cleaning tool having a tool adapter for engaging with the surface maintenance machine, the tool adapter having a tool adapter interface; a driver having a rotating hub adapted to provide a generally rotational motion to the cleaning tool to clean the floor surface, the hub adapted to rotate about a rotational axis, the tool adapter being releasably connectable to the hub, the tool adapter interface being of complementary shape to the hub such that the hub and tool adapter have one or more predetermined relative rotational orientations in which the hub and the tool adapter are engageable to interlock the rotation of the hub with the tool adapter; an aligning receptacle coupled to the tool adapter, the aligning receptacle having a receptacle opening for receiving the hub, the aligning receptacle being positioned between the hub and the tool adapter when the hub and the tool adapter are moved toward each other generally along the rotational axis of the hub, the aligning receptacle adapted to change the relative rotational orientation of the hub and the tool adapter into one of the one or more predetermine relative rotational orientations when the hub and the tool adapter are moved toward each other generally along the rotational axis of the hub to interlock the rotation of the hub with the tool adapter.

2 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hub is symmetrically shaped about the rotational axis of the hub.

3 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 2 , wherein the tool adapter interface is symmetrically shaped about a tool adapter axis of the tool adapter interface.

4 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 3 , wherein the tool adapter has a spring-loaded clip positioned thereon, the spring-loaded clip adapted to lock the hub in the tool adapter after the cleaning tool is loaded to the surface maintenance machine.

5 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 4 , wherein the spring-loaded clip expands radially outwardly away from the tool adapter axis when loading the cleaning tool to the surface maintenance machine and contracts radially inwardly toward the tool adapter axis when the cleaning tool is loaded, the radially-inwardly directed contraction of the spring-loaded clip locking the hub in the tool adapter and thereby holding the cleaning tool in place in the surface maintenance machine.

6 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of projections spaced along an edge perimeter of the tool adapter, the projections having grooves defined therein for holding the spring-loaded clip in tension substantially around the edge perimeter of the tool adapter.

7 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 6 , further comprising a plurality stoppers spaced along the surface of the tool adapter, the stoppers adapted to limit an extent of radially-outwardly directed extension of the spring-loaded clip when the cleaning tool is loaded to the surface maintenance machine.

8 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 4 , wherein the spring-loaded clip extends radially into the tool adapter interface when a cleaning tool is not loaded.

9 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 8 , wherein the aligning receptacle is placed above the spring-loaded clip to lock the hub once the cleaning tool is loaded to the surface maintenance machine.

10 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hub is star shaped, and the tool adapter interface and the receptacle opening being star shaped.

11 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hub is stationary when the cleaning tool is loaded to the surface maintenance machine.

12 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aligning receptacle has a cut-off portion proximate to a leading edge of the tool adapter.

13 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the aligning receptacle is configured for self-centering and seating the hub in the receptacle opening such that the hub is positioned concentrically in the tool adapter when the cleaning tool is loaded to the surface maintenance machine.

14 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tool adapter allows interchangeable connection of the cleaning tool, wherein the cleaning tool is one of a sweeping brush, a scrubbing brush, a pad driver for scrubbing, polishing, stripping and burnishing concrete or hard surfaces comprising mastic and resin.

15 . A cleaning tool assembly for a surface maintenance machine positioned on a floor surface, comprising:
a cleaning tool adapted to be releasably loaded to or unloaded from the surface maintenance machine, the cleaning tool adapted to clean the floor surface, the cleaning tool having a tool adapter for engaging with the surface maintenance machine, the tool adapter having a tool adapter interface; a driver having a rotating hub adapted to provide a generally rotational motion to the cleaning tool to clean the floor surface, the hub adapted to rotate about a rotational axis, the driver being releasably connected to the tool adapter of the cleaning tool by a hub; and an aligning receptacle being positioned between the hub and the tool adapter when the hub and the tool adapter are moved toward each other generally along the rotational axis of the hub, the aligning receptacle having a receptacle opening for receiving the hub, the aligning receptacle having a receptacle axis, a portion of the aligning receptacle having a chamfered surface directed in a generally downwardly direction and oriented in a generally radially inwardly direction toward the receptacle axis, the aligning receptacle is adapted to guide and seat the hub into the receptacle opening and thereby engage the cleaning tool to the driver such that the receptacle axis is coaxial with the rotational axis of the hub.

16 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 15 , wherein a portion of the receptacle opening has a cross-sectional area that decreases gradually along the receptacle axis in the generally downwardly direction.

17 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 16 , wherein a cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the hub is less than or equal to a smallest cross-sectional area of the receptacle opening.

18 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 17 , wherein the smallest cross-sectional area of the receptacle opening is equal to a cross-sectional area of the tool adapter interface.

19 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 15 , wherein the aligning receptacle is disc-shaped and a portion of the aligning receptacle has a frustoconical shape.

20 . The cleaning tool assembly of claim 15 , wherein the tool adapter and the hub are coupled such that the hub transmits a rotational motion of the driver to the cleaning tool, the hub further adapted to transmit the rotational motion of the driver without slippage occurring between the hub and the tool adapter.

21 . A cleaning tool assembly for a surface maintenance machine positioned on a floor surface, comprising:
a cleaning tool adapted to be releasably locked to or released from the surface maintenance machine, the cleaning tool adapted to clean the floor surface, the cleaning tool having a tool adapter for engaging with the surface maintenance machine, the tool adapter having a major surface, a tool adapter in

Assignees

• Tennant Co

Inventors

• Larson Warren L
• Williams Kevin R
• Runnoe Adam J C
• Lehman Ronald W

Classifications

• A47L11/283

  the tools being disc brushes · CPC title

• A47L11/4055

  for lifting the tools to a non-working position · CPC title

• A47L11/24

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title

• A47L11/4038 Primary

  Disk shaped surface treating tools · CPC title

• A47L11/4069

  Driving or transmission means for the cleaning tools · CPC title