FLOOR TOOL FOR LARGE VACUUM CLEANERS

Abstract: A floor tool (10) for vacuum cleaning, for instance of stables, is formed with a projecting edge (46) inside on both sides of the sunction hole, and by this, straws sucked up are sucked in abutment against these edges and broken or folded on the middle by the effect of the suction air, and thus the straws can be sucked up in the hose (12) instead of blocking the suction hole. The floor tool is designed with a roller (22) along the front edge, so that it can roll over the straws without pushing them in front of itself.

Description: FLOOR TOOL FOR LARGE VACUUM CLEANERS. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a floor tool for large vacuum cleaners. BACKGROUND ART Such vacuum cleaners are used increasingly within agri¬ culture, and both in this field and for certain other us the problem of removing material such as straw from the floor arises. It is true that the tool is so wide that can cover longish straws, but for obvious reasons the ho connection between the vacuum cleaner and the tool is no correspondingly wide and therefore, the sucked-up straws have a tendency to gather at that part of the wall of th tool where the suction hole to the suction hose is situa DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a floor tool that can suck up straws more effectively than tools alre known. According to the invention, this is achieved using a tool inside of which extending edge-parts are situated around on opposite sides of the suction hole at a radial distanc from same. By this means, a straw sucked up wil'l not be sucked in flat abutment against the wall part immediately at the suction hole, but it will be sucked to abut against the edge-parts and stretch across the suction hole some distance away from same. The suction air will affect the straw in the area outside the suction hole, and as the straw now rests on edge-parts the intervals of which are considerably larger than the diameter of the suction hole, for instance 10 to 15 cm, an ordinary straw may by this be broken by the effect from the suction air, that is, the area of the straw at the middle between the edge-parts will be folded upwards or outwards towards the suction hol and thereafter, the entire straw can be sucked into the hose. According to claim 1, the mentioned edge-parts can be pro¬ duced in a simple way as integral parts of the wall sur- face in which the suction hole is found. The fact that the tool according to the invention can suck up straws makes it particularly undesirable that dur¬ ing work it just pushes straw and other "large particles" in front of itself, so it is of special importance, ac- cording to the invention, that use also be made of the type of tool which along its front edge is provided with a roller for abutment against the floor, as such a roller will pass over the straws without pushing them. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is further explained in the following with reference to the drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows, in perspective, a floor tool according to the invention placed on a corresponding wheel sup¬ port, Fig. 2 is a lateral view of the above, partly in section, and OMPI iPO Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the floor tool. BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The instrument shown in fig. 1 includes a wheel frame 2 with a base frame 4 resting on the rear wheels 6 and on the front swivel wheels 8. A suction tool 10 is attach¬ ed to the front part of the base frame 4, said tool havin a projecting suction hose 12 intended to be connected to an industrial vacuum cleaner placed on the wheel frame 2, such as it is indicated by a dotted line in figure 2. The floor tool 10 consists of a lower box part 14 open downwards (fig. 2) and a box part 16 open to the rear and designed above said box part 14, these parts having commo lateral walls 18. A longitudinal downwards projecting lipped strip 20 is screwed on the back wall of the box part 14, and the fron wall of said box part is a roller 22 embedded between pro¬ jecting console parts of the lateral walls 18. The top wall of box part 14 extends into the front wall of the up¬ per box part 16 by a section 24 located close to an upper peripheral part of the roller 22. At the back of the upper wall part 26 of the upper box part 16, a couple of holes 28 are designed being lined with rubber bushings 30. These are placed over upwards extending supporting pins 32 on the mentioned front base frame portion of the wheel frame, on which pins supporting nuts 34, adjustable in height, are situated, by means of which nuts the floor tool 10 can be supported at such a height that the lower edge of the lipped strip 20 just avoids the floor or touches it quite lightly. At its front, the floor tool is carried by the roller 22 such that the lower edges of the lateral walls 18 are sit uated slightly above the floor and, in this manner, oppo¬ site intake fissures 26 for suction air are formed. The suction hose 12 is led through a hole 38 in the front wall of the upper box part 16 and is connected with a cen tral suction opening 40 in the upper sheeting 42 of the lower box part 14. As shown in figure 3, said upper shee ing is placed inclined inwards-upwards, showing in the middle an upwards bent section 44 in the top side of whic the suction opening 40 is placed. The lower corners of said upwards bent section are indicated as 46, and it can be seen that these corners are situated at a distance fro each other which is larger than the distance correspondin to the diameter of the suction opening 40. Upon advancing the wheel frame 2, the suction tool 10 is moved across the floor with the lipped strip 20 and the roller 22 in almost tight abutment against same and the suction of air into the hose 12 takes place through the l er lateral fissures 36, as the slot between the roller 22 and the wall part 24 is so narrow that the false air suck ed in there is of no practical importance. Should a small object or assembly of dirt on the floor be encountered du ing advancing, the roller 22 will just roll over it, as t roller and with it the entire front edge area of the tool 10 will be temporarily lifted and thus, the tool will jus swing upwards and then down around the support pins 32. B the upwards swinging, a great deal of false air will slip in through the slot which is formed underneath the roller 22, but as soon as the tool has swung down again after th roller has passed the object or accumulation of dirt the latter will be underneath the actively working tool and will thereby be sucked up together with water and dirt fo in the entire relevant strip-shaped area. As it can be seen, it is extraordinarily simple to mount the tool 10 on the wheel frame 2 and to remove it again, and it can be done under secured height adjustment. It has been mentioned above that the upper sheeting 42 of the lower suction chamber 14 at its middle is provided with an upwards bent extension, whereby the effective suc¬ tion opening between the corners 46 becomes wider than the suction opening 40 itself. This arrangement ensures that impurities of oblong form, for instance pieces of straw, when vacuum-cleaning a stable floor, are more easily broke making it possible for them to be sucked up, than when the sucking-up takes place directly against the suction open¬ ing 40. The roller 22 may possibly be axially divided in sections thus facilitating advance through curves. If special atte tion must be paid to the tool's ability to suck water from an even floor surface, the roller may be designed to have a grooved pattern on the surface such that even at close abutment against a plane floor the possibility still exist for it to roll over water and "smaller impurities" without these just being pushed in front. An axial division into sections of the roller 22 in connection with an individual height adjustability of the sections will be advantageous for reduced intake of false air, when the roller moves ove a larger impurity. The same result may be obtained by de¬ signing the roller or the sections more in the shape of a balloon. OMPI . wipo

Claims: C L I M S 1. A floor tool for a large vacuum cleaner having a wall part provided with a suction hole for connecting a suction hose, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that project- ing edge parts (46) are placed inside the floor tool aroun the suction hole or on opposite sides thereof at a radial distance from said hole. 2. A floor tool according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the edge parts are the outer edges

Inventors: IVERSEN THORKIL KRAMER, IVERSEN, THORKIL, KRAMER
Applicants: WESTERGAARD KNUD E IND AS, K.E.W. INDUSTRI A/S
Application year: 1984
Main classification: A47L9
IPC codes: A47L9, E01H1