LIQUID SUCTION APPARATUS CONNECTABLE TO A VACUUM CLEANER

Abstract: An apparatus connectable to a vacuum cleaner for feeding washing liquid under pressure to a location to be washed. The apparatus comprises a ring container (2) which surrounds a washing liquid container (18) and which has a connection (1) connectable to a vacuum cleaner. A communication (20, 16, 9) is provided from the connection (1) to a chamber located above the cover (21) of the washing liquid container (18) and defined by a diaphragm (4). The underpressure produced by the vacuum cleaner pulls the diaphragm (4) towards the cover (21a), whereby a piston connected to the diaphragm performs a stroke. After this has taken place, the underpressure connection (20, 16, 9) is closed, the pressure (11) in the chamber is restored through air intake holes, and a return spring (12) located within the chamber (11) returns the diaphragm with its piston.

Description: Liquid suction apparatus connectable to a vacuum cleaner The present invention relates to an apparatus by means of which washing liquid is pumped to an object to be washed, for example, onto a mat, from which it, after having acted for a moment, is sucked off. In known corresponding apparatuses, separate electric pumps have been used or the liquid has been let to flow into the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner whereby the suction has assisted in feeding the liquid to the object to be washed. The use of a separate electric pump renders the apparatus complicated and expensive. The use of a liquid system which passes the liquid to the object under vacuum again is possible only if the object to be cleaned and vacuum cleaned is located at a lower or approximately the same level as the liquid container and, in addition, the liquid, when entrying the nozzle, often gets directly into the suction tube without cleaning anything. The present invention includes a device in which the suction of the vacuum cleaner produces in a separate container an underpressure which operates a washing liquid pump which, in turn, under a desired overpressure feeds the washing liquid to a place which .is at an optional distance and height from the suction nozzle. The amount of washing liquid is thus adjustable, and it can be directed expressly to the object to be washed. The invention is more precisely characterized by the features disclosed in the patent claims. The invention will be described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows one preferred liquid suction apparatus according to the invention, to be connected OMPI ,4 WIPO to a vacuum cleaner, and Figure 2 shows a second preferred embodiment of the invention, in cross-sectional view. According to Figure 1 , the suction hose of a vacuum cleaner is connected to a tube 1 which is pro¬ vided with a normal means 3 preventing an overfilling of a container 2; in the Figure this is a ball. A hose coming from the object to be cleaned by means of the vacuum cleaner is connected to a tube 19 of the suction container 2. Within the ring container 2 is located a washing liquid container 18 from which a connection is provided to the tube 1 through a passage 16 and openings 20. To the outer wall of the ring container 2 is connected at least a substantially rigid cover structure 21 , a flexible diaphragm, for example of rubber, being connected to the part 21a of said cover structure located at the washing liquid container 18 for forming a chamber 11. To the diaphragm 4 is fastened a piston 5 through a rod 5b passing through the cover part 21a and provided with an axial bore 5a. Under the action of suction the diaphragm 4 moves downwards whereby the piston 5 pumping washing liquid strikes into. a cylinder 6 and the washing liquid flows through a back valve 7, the bore 5a and a hose, which is not shown in the drawing, to the washing object. After the diaphragm 4 has moved to a predetermined depth, a valve 8 closes an opening 9, whereafter a continuous leak through small holes 10 eliminates the underpressure from the space 11 under the diaphragm 4, and a spring 12 starts the return movement of the dia¬ phragm 4 and the piston 5. This can be accelerated by means of a valve 13 which, after the suction has been partly eliminated, opens under the action of a spring "BUREA OMPI 14. The return movement is followed by a new stroke of the piston after a cotter 15 has pulled the valve 13 to a closed position and the spring 12 has opened the valve 8. The cylinder 6 is during the return movement filled through holes 17 from the washing liquid con¬ tainer 18. In the embodiment according to Figure 2, an annular washing liquid container 18 is placed above a collecting container 2. A piston 21 is arranged in the space defined by the annular container (18) above the cover 23 of the collecting container for forming a chamber 11. The collecting container 2 is directly in communication with the suction tube 1 and through the opening 9 with the chamber 11 , whereby the underpressure in the container 2 also acts in the chamber 11 and the piston 21 is in this example case displaced downwards, whereby a pressure pump produces an air flow from the chamber 11 to the container 18 along a connection tube between them which is provided with a back valve for preventing a return air flow. From the container 18 the pressurized liquid is further conducted through a lead-through made in the wall of the container. The above mentioned pressure pump comprises a pump cylinder 6, which consists of a recess made in the cover of the collecting container, and a piston 5 which reciprocates in the cylinder and is through the piston rod 5b connected to a piston 2 ' 1 defining the operating space of the chamber 11. The chamber 11 is, in addition, provided with a valve 8 moving along with the piston and closing and opening the opening 9, which valve closes or opens the connecting openings 9 for under¬ pressure after the piston 21 has moved over a pre¬ determined distance. In order to produce the return movement of the pressure pump, the piston 21 is pro- vided with small air openings through which air is able to flow into the chamber 11, whereby the piston 21 the piston 5 of the pressure pump fastened thereto are raised. The invention has been described above by means of two preferred embodiments thereof only. By this, it is in now way desired to limit the invention to relate to these explicit example cases and, as is obvious to a person skilled in the art, the invention may in its details, such as the mutual arrangement of the con¬ tainers and the actuating member used in the chamber 11, vary considerably within the inventive idea defined in the appended patent claims.

Claims: Claims : 1. An apparatus connectable to a vacuum cleaner for feeding washing liquid or similar under pressure to a location to be washed, which comprises a washing liquid container (18) and a collecting container (2) for spent washing liquid, in which are provided a first connection (1) connectable to the suction hose of the vacuum cleaner and a second connection (19) connectable to a return hose coming from the wash object, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a chamber (11) defined by a preferably flexible diaphragm (4) or piston (21) of an actuating member is formed in connection with the washing liquid container (18) , that the washing liquid container (.18) is connected to a pump cylinder (6) the piston (5, 5b) of which is connected to the actuating member (4; 21), that a connection (9, 16, 20) is provided from the chamber (11) to the first connection (1) of the collecting container (2) so that the vacuum cleaner produces an underpressure in the chamber (11) and thus a stroke of the pump piston (5) through the actuating member (4, 21), and that the chamber (11) is provided with means (8, 10, 12) for closing said under¬ pressure connection (9, 16, 20), in order to relieve the underpressure in the chamber (11) and to return the actuating member (4, 21) when the actuating member (4, 21) has moved under the action of the underpressure over a predetermined distance. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the actuating member diaphragm (4) is located above the cover (21a) of the washing liquid container (18) provided with a recess, that the cover (21a) has an opening (22) for the rod (5b) of the pump piston (5) and an underpressure connecting opening (9) to the washing liquid container (18) , that a valve (8) movable along with the diaphragm (4) is arranged in the chamber (11) for closing said connecting opening (9) when the diaphragm (4) has moved over the predetermined distance, ' and that the diaphragm (4) has air intake holes (10) for raising the internal pressure of the chamber (11) after closing of the connecting opening (9) . 3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that an axial bore (5a) is formed in the rod (5b) of the pump piston for dis¬ charging washing liquid from the washing liquid container (18) , and that a back valve is provided at the end of the piston (5) . 4. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pump cylinder (6) is arranged at the bottom of the washing liquid container (18) . 5. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c e r i z e d in that the collecting container is formed as a ring container (2) surrounding the washing liquid container (18) , and that the cover (21a) of the washing liquid container (18) is through a flange (21) secured to the outer wall of the ring container (2) so that a passage (16) is left between the cover (21a) and the upper end of the wall of- the washing liquid container (18) . 6. An apparatus according to claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a piston (21) is positioned in the centre of the annular washing liquid container (18) above the cover of the collecting container (2) , that the cover (23) is provided with a pump cylinder (6) the piston (5) of which is connected through the piston rod (5b) to the piston (21) and from OMPI which a connection is provided through a tube provided with a back valve to the washing liquid container (18), and with an underpressure connecting opening (9) to the collecting container, that a valve (8) movable along with the piston (21) is arranged in the chamber (11) for closing said connection when the piston (21) has moved over a predetermined distance, and that the piston (21) has air intake holes (10) for raising the internal pressure in the chamber (11) after closing of the connection (9). 7. An apparatus according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the wall of the washing liquid container (18) is provided with a lead- through (24) for leading out pressurized washing liquid from the container. 8. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the pump cylinder (6) is formed by a recess made in the cover (23). 9. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the annular washing liquid container (18). is formed as a part of the cover of the collecting container (2) . lΪΛJ EA OMPI

Inventors: RITVANEN TAPIO, TUOMI HARRY REINO, RITVANEN, TAPIO, TUOMI, HARRY, REINO
Applicants: TUOMI HARRY REINO, TUOMI, HARRY, REINO
Application year: 1983
Main classification: A47L11
IPC codes: A47L11