Abstract:
The invention relates to a cleaning apparatus, in particular for cleaning solar installation surfaces or photovoltaic installation surfaces, comprising a carrier, at least one cleaning roller rotatably supported at the carrier, and a rotary drive for the cleaning roller, wherein the rotary drive is designed as a fluid drive, wherein the flow of a cleaning fluid supplied to the cleaning roller for cleaning purposes is converted into a drive movement for the cleaning roller.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/091,240 filed Apr. 21, 2011, which claims priority of German Patent Application No. 10 2010 018 011.4 filed Apr. 23, 2010. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a cleaning apparatus, in particular for cleaning solar installation surfaces or photovoltaic installation surfaces, having a carrier, at least one cleaning roller rotatably supported at the carrier and a rotary drive for the cleaning roller. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Such cleaning apparatus are generally known, with an electric drive being provided to set the cleaning roller into rotation. The costs and inherent weight of such an apparatus are, however, relatively high so that they are basically not particularly suitable either for private households or for cleaning solar installation surfaces or photovoltaic installation surfaces, which are as a rule inclined, on building roofs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the invention to provide a cleaning apparatus of the initially named kind which can be manufactured inexpensively with a reliable operation and which has an inherent weight which is as low as possible. 
     This object is satisfied by the features of claim  1 . 
     In accordance with the invention, the rotary drive of the cleaning apparatus is designed as a fluid drive in which the flow of a cleaning fluid supplied to the cleaning roller for cleaning purposes is converted into a drive movement for the cleaning roller. 
     An additional drive of any kind for the cleaning roller, in particular an electric motor, can be dispensed with by the invention. The cleaning apparatus in accordance with the invention can hereby be manufactured inexpensively and with a low inherent weight. 
     The invention additionally relates to the use of two fluid drive units of dishwashing brushes as a rotary drive for a cleaning roller rotatably supported at a carrier, wherein the two fluid drive units are provided with different rotational senses and are otherwise designed with the same construction. The two fluid drive units are preferably used as a rotary drive simultaneously effect in the operation of both end faces of the cleaning roller. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the rotary drive is designed in accordance with the principle of a fluid drive for a dishwashing brush. Dishwasher brushes with a fluid drive are generally known. The effective surface of such a dishwasher brush, said effective surface being provided e.g. with a bristle arrangement, is formed by the flat side of a rotating disk which can be set into rotation by means of the fluid. A cleaning roller is now particularly not provided at the end face, but rather on its peripheral side with a bristle arrangement or with another piece of equipment suitable for cleaning. It has, however, been recognized by the inventor that the principle of a fluid drive known from a dishwasher brush can also be utilized for the rotary drive of a cleaning roller if the cleaning roller is coupled at the end face to the rotary drive of the dishwasher brush. The rotationally driven cleaning disk of a dishwasher brush is therefore replaced with a cleaning roller, while simultaneously the “end-face” bristle arrangement of the working disk are replaced with the bristle arrangement of the cleaning roller on the peripheral side. 
     In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary drive is a component of the carrier. The rotary drive can hereby simultaneously be used for holding the cleaning roller. 
     The rotary drive is preferably designed to hold the cleaning roller at at least one end face, preferably at both end faces. 
     The carrier can in particular be designed as a fork having tines formed by the rotary drive for holding the cleaning roller, with the rotary drive preferably including two drive units which each form a tine. 
     Provision is furthermore preferably made that the rotary drive is simultaneously effective in the region of both end faces of the cleaning roller. 
     Provision can be made in a further embodiment of the invention that the rotary drive includes two drive units provided with different rotational senses and otherwise designed with the same construction. 
     The invention therefore makes it possible in a preferred embodiment to set the cleaning roller into rotation simultaneously at both end faces by means of conventional fluid drives, with these drive units simultaneously serving for the holding and for the rotational supporting of the cleaning roller. A cleaning apparatus in accordance with the invention can hereby be realized extremely inexpensively and with a relatively small inherent weight without having to accept compromises in reliability and functional capability. Known fluid drives are easily in a position to provide a sufficiently high drive force even in the low-pressure range of, for example, up to approximately 5 bar. High rotational speeds of several 1,000 revolutions per minute can be realized using known fluid drives. A rotational speed suitable for the cleaning roller in accordance with the invention, for example, can be derived from this by means of a transmission arranged downstream. Such transmissions are used in known dishwasher brushes. 
     Since, on the use of known fluid drives for dishwasher brushes at the two end faces of the cleaning roller, these fluid drives are arranged with effective sides mutually facing one another, it is necessary that the two drive units have different rotational senses. The rotational sense of such fluid drives can be realized by a conversion associated with only a small effort so that the manufacturing costs do not substantially increase if the fluid drives to be used are not anyway already available in both rotational sense variants. 
     With a correspondingly stable design of the carrier and, optionally, of the rotary drive forming a component of the carrier, e.g. in the form of two drive units coupled to the cleaning roller in the manner of tines of a fork at the end face, it may be sufficient if the cleaning roller is only held by the rotary drive. Alternatively or additionally, transverse connections can be provided which in particular pass through the cleaning roller. The “tines” of the holding or carrier fork are, for example, connected to one another by such transverse connections in the region of the free ends or in a transverse holder present between the free ends at the base of the tines to give the carrier a respective desired stability or strength in this manner. 
     If more than one drive unit is provided for the rotary drive of the cleaning roller, provision can then be made in accordance with a further development of the invention that the carrier includes a holder for the drive unit which preferably extends substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the cleaning roller and which is formed as a common fluid supply for the drive unit. 
     The carrier can thus form a component of the fluid supply and vice versa. 
     In accordance with a further development of the invention, the rotary drive, in particular each drive unit, is formed to supply the cleaning fluid to the interior of the cleaning roller at the end face. Additional measures for supplying the cleaning fluid into the interior of the roller are consequently not required in this respect. The outlet of the cleaning fluid through outlet openings formed in the roller jacket can therefore be realized in a comparatively inexpensive and simple manner. 
     Provision can in particular be made that the rotary drive, in particular each drive unit, includes a work space to which the fluid is supplied and in which the fluid flow is converted into the drive movement, wherein the work space communicates with the interior of the cleaning roller. Provision is consequently made in this respect that kinetic energy for the rotary drive of the cleaning roller is first withdrawn from the cleaning fluid, whereupon the cleaning fluid is supplied to the interior of the cleaning roller in a suitable manner via the work space in which this energy transfer takes place in order subsequently to be output to the outside in the respective manner defined by the design of the cleaning roller. 
     Advantageous embodiments of the invention are also set forth in the dependent claims, in the description and in the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the drawing. There are shown: 
         FIG. 1  schematically, an embodiment of a cleaning apparatus in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  schematically, the basic structure of a fluid drive unit such as can be used for a cleaning apparatus in accordance with the invention; and 
         FIG. 3  a fluid drive unit in accordance with that of  FIG. 2  with an opposite rotational sense. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The cleaning apparatus in accordance with the invention shown in  FIG. 1  includes a cylindrical cleaning roller which is provided at its peripheral surface with a piece of equipment tailored to the respective cleaning purpose, for example with a bristle arrangement. In addition, outlet openings for a cleaning fluid, in particular water, are provided in the roller jacket which e.g. carries the bristle arrangement. 
     The holder and rotary drive of the cleaning roller  13  take place in this embodiment by two drive units  15 ,  17  which will be looked at in more detail in the following. These drive unit  15 ,  17  simultaneously serve as the fluid supply and are connected for this purpose via connections  43  to a common holder  21  which extends parallel to the axis of rotation  19  of the cleaning roller  13 . Together with the holder  21 , the two chive units  15 ,  17  form a carrier  11  for the cleaning roller  13 . 
     The holder  21  is in particular connectable to a commercial high-pressure cleaner  20  via a connection  22  so that the cleaning apparatus in accordance with the invention is also interesting for domestic households. 
     The flow path of the cleaning fluid through the holder  21  and through the chive units  15 ,  17  into the interior of the cleaning roller  13  is indicated by the arrows in  FIG. 1 . It is indicated in each case by “A” in the drive units  15 ,  17  that the cleaning fluid carries out work there to the extent that kinetic energy is removed from it in a turbine explained below in connection with  FIG. 2  in order hereby to realize a rotary drive of the cleaning roller  13 . 
     The drive units  15 ,  17  in each case in this respect satisfy a threefold function in that they hold and rotatably support the cleaning roller  13 , provide the supply of the fluid into the interior of the clearing roller  13  and additionally realize the rotary drive for the cleaning roller  13 . 
     As mentioned in the introduction part, the holder and the rotary support of the cleaning roller  13  can be provided solely by the drive units  15 ,  17  so-to-say forming the “tines” of a carrier  11  which is fork-like overall. The holding and/or support function for the cleaning roller  13  can, however, at least partly also be realized in another manner, for example by means of transverse braces which pass through the cleaning roller  13  and which provide the required or the additional stability or strength. It is, however, possible, with a correspondingly stable design of the transverse carrier  21  to hold the cleaning roller  13  only by means of the two drive units  15 ,  17  engaging at the end face and to support it about the axis of rotation  19  with respect to the rotation. 
     The diameter of the cleaning roller  13  is, for example, at around 200 mm, which has been found in particular to be especially suitable in particular for the cleaning of solar installation surfaces or photovoltaic installation surfaces. Different working widths, i.e. dimensions of the cleaning roller  13  along its longitudinal axis  19 , can be realized without problem by the described structure of the cleaning apparatus, said working widths being, for example, between approximately 500 mm and 1000 mm. A matching of the cleaning apparatus to the usual field sizes of solar installations or photovoltaic installations can hereby take place in an advantageous manner. Furthermore, for example with a sufficient length of the holder  21 , an adjustability of the two drive units  15 ,  17  engaging at the end face provided in the longitudinal direction can be provided which serves to be able to receive cleaning rollers  13  of different lengths with one and the same apparatus. 
       FIG. 2  shows the basis structure of a generally known dishwasher brush. 
     A drive disk  25  is rotatably supported about an axis of rotation  31  in a housing part  29  open at one side. The drive disk  25  is located in a work space  23  which is bounded in the axial direction by the housing part  29  and which is bounded in the radial direction by a peripheral wall  35  in which an opening  37  is formed. 
     Vanes  27  are formed at the drive disk  25  which are acted on by means of the cleaning fluid which is supplied from a line section  39  which bears a nozzle  41  at its free end. The line section  39 , and thus the drive unit, can be connected via a connection  43  to a fluid source, in particular in the manner shown in  FIG. 1  within the framework of a cleaning apparatus in accordance with the invention. 
     The drive disk  25  is rotationally fixedly provide with a sprocket  33  in the embodiment shown which is provided at the inlet side of a transmission arrangement, not shown. At the outlet side, this transmission arrangement is connected to the dish brush or to a carrier of the dish brush, which does not need to be looked at individually in any more detail here since such dish brushes are generally known. A single or multiple stepping down of the input speed of the drive disk  25 , which can amount to several 1,000 revolutions a minute, can take place by the transmission arrangement. 
     In accordance with the invention, it is no longer the dishwasher brush or its carrier which is set into rotation by means of the sprocket  33  and the connected transmission arrangement, but the cleaning roller  13  (cf.  FIG. 1 ) is coupled at the end face to the output of the transmission arrangement. The connecting of the cleaning roller  13  to the two drive units  13 ,  17  takes place in each case such that the cleaning fluid can move from the drive space  23  at least in a predominant portion only into the interior of the cleaning roller  13  in order to be able to exit in a predetermined manner the outlet openings provided in the roller jacket. 
     As can in particular be seen from a comparison of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a fluid drive having an opposite rotational sense, such as is required for the respective other end face of the cleaning roller  13 , can be realized simply in that the opening  37  and the orientation of both the line section  39  provided with the nozzle  41  and the vanes  27  are modified so that a rotation of the drive disk  25  in the clockwise sense ( FIG. 3 ) results. In other words, the drive unit of  FIG. 3  is formed as the mirror image of the drive unit shown in  FIG. 2  with respect to the rotational sense. Such a modification can be realized in a simple and inexpensive manner. 
     Since the anyway already existing drive units additionally satisfy a plurality of functions in accordance with the invention, costs and weigh of the cleaning apparatus can be kept surprisingly low in an advantageous manner. An inexpensive and light cleaning apparatus can thus be realized so-to-say “with the simplest means” while using known components, said cleaning apparatus being suitable for the cleaning of solar installation surfaces and photovoltaic installation surfaces provided on inclined roofs due to the low inherent weight and being especially interesting for domestic households due to the relatively low manufacturing costs.