Floor cleaning apparatus

Apparatus is provided for cleaning horizontal surfaces, such as the grated flooring of paint workshops, by hydrodynamic action. The apparatus includes a carriage which can be moved back and forth over the surface to be cleaned, and a winding drum which is carried by the carriage and is arranged to pay out and wind in a high-pressure water supply hose as the carriage moves back and forth. The hose feeds water under pressure to nozzles carried at the ends of rotary arms mounted at the front and to both sides of the carriage. Water under pressure is also supplied to nozzles provided on two transverse arms of the carriage. These latter arms are angularly orientable about their longitudinal axes.

The present invention relates to apparatus for cleaning horizontal 
surfaces, particularly grated flooring of painting chambers, by 
hydrodynamic action. 
The subject of the present invention is intended to provide apparatus of 
the type specified above which allows the rationalisation of the 
trajectories of the water jets so as to use the energy available in the 
jets for the least possible time and over as large a possible surface. 
A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus in which the 
arrangement and the drive for the water jets are such as to allow it to 
operate very close to the surfaces to be treated and with an entirely 
automatic action. 
The apparatus which is the subject of the invention is characterised 
essentially by the fact that it comprises a motorised carriage which can 
be moved back and forth along the surface to be cleaned and carries a 
winding drum for tubing for supplying water under pressure, means for 
drivingly rotating the winding drum, two rotary arms, one on each side of 
the carriage, provided with nozzles supplied with water under pressure, a 
rotary arm carried at the front of the carriage and provided with nozzles 
supplied with water under pressure, two transverse arms extending 
laterally of the carriage in a direction perpendicular to the direction of 
advance and provided with nozzles supplied with water under pressure, the 
said transverse arms being angularly orientable about their axes, and 
drive means for angularly orientating these tranverse arms.

By 1 is indicated the chassis of a carriage provided with wheels 2 running 
on guide rails 3 which extend centrally along the longitudinal axis of a 
painting chamber. 
The carriage 1 carries a pneumatic motor 4 which transmits drive to the 
wheels 2 through a gearbox 5 and chain transmission (not illustrated). 
Drive is also transmitted, through flexible transmissions housed within 
protective casings 6, 7 to a drum 8 on which is wound a tube 9 for 
supplying water under pressure and to a drum 10 on which is wound a tube 
11 for supplying compressed air. 
The tubes 9 and 11 are fixed by means of a bracket 12 to the flooring of 
the painting chamber. 
Two cowls 14 are hinged by means of hinges 13 (FIG. 3) on the two sides of 
the carriage 1. 
A third cowl 15 is carried at the front of the carriage. 
Within the two cowls 14 and the front cowl 15 are rotatably supported three 
nozzle-carrying arms 16 each provided with two end nozzles. 
The arms 16 are rotated by the effect of the reaction of the pressurised 
water jet which is emitted from the two symmetrically disposed nozzles. 
The pressure at which the water is supplied is of the order of 400 
kg/cm.sup.2. 
The rate of rotation of the arms 16 is controlled by means of an 
oleodynamic regulator generally indicated 17. This regulator includes an 
oleodynamic pump 18 connected through a chain transmission 19 to the shaft 
20 of the arm 16. 
The pump 18 circulates oil in a closed circuit including a reservoir 21 and 
a micrometer cock 22 which allows the throttling of the oil passage. 
The carriage 1 carries at its front two nozzle-carrying arms 23 extending 
on the two sides of the carriage in directions perpendicular to the 
direction of advance. 
Each of the arms 23 is hinged about a longitudinal axis 24 to a support bar 
25 rotatably mounted about its own axis on supports 26. 
By 27 is indicated a pneumatic cylinder the rod 28 of which is arranged to 
cause angular displacement of the bar 25 and of the two nozzle-carrying 
bars 23 connected thereto to vary the orientation of the nozzles 29 
carried by the bars 23. 
The carriage also carries a reservoir (not illustrated) which allows the 
supply of a protective product to the nozzle-carrying bars 23 for 
protecting the grating of the painting chamber after the hydrodynamic 
cleaning phase. 
The said reservoir is connected to the two nozzle-carrying bars 23 through 
a servo-controlled distributor in alternation with the supply of water 
under pressure to the said nozzle-carrying bars 23. 
The nozzle-carrying bars 23 have the function of effecting the cleaning of 
the bottom of the tank which is underneath the gratings. 
The fact that the cowls 14 and the nozzle-carrying bars 23 are hinged about 
longitudinal axes enables the apparatus to be reduced in bulk to allow it 
to pass through the entry bulkhead 30 of the painting chamber. 
The carriage also carries a control panel 31 which controls the automatic 
distribution of water at high pressure to the various nozzles in a 
predetermined sequence. 
In use of the apparatus described above the carriage is first moved into 
the painting chamber and cleans the central strip of the chamber itself by 
means of the rotary arm housed in the front cowl 15. 
Then with a further two passes, the two lateral bands of the flooring of 
the chamber are cleaned by means of the rotary arms 16 housed in the two 
side cowls 14. 
In the final, return phase of the carriage, the nozzle-carrying bars 23 are 
brought into action and effect the cleaning of the bottom of the tank. 
The distributor is then actuated and with a further passage of the carriage 
the bars 23 distribute the protective product for the grating. 
Blocks are provided at the ends of the track to operate sensors for the 
purpose of completing the working sequence completely automatically. 
Since the number of rotating nozzles is limited (two or at most four when 
the two side rotors 16 are operated simultaneously) the pump unit may be 
of relatively low power. 
Indeed the trajectories described for the nozzles are rigorously controlled 
and the energy available is distributed uniformly with a continuous and 
progressive action. As a result, the entire surface of the grating may be 
cleaned in a relatively short time and uniformly, considerably reducing 
the cleaning costs relative to the previous methods. 
The apparatus which is the subject of the invention may be used for 
cleaning flooring surfaces in general and airport runways, as well as for 
cleaning painting chambers.