CLEANING MACHINE

Field of the invention

The present invention generally concerns the field of car washes and relates to a cleaning machine for vehicle floor carpets.

More particularly, the present invention is aimed at providing a cleaning machine that allows deep antibacterial cleaning of such carpets.

Background art

It is known that a critical aspect in vehicle maintenance is interior cleaning. If exterior cleaning is important for aesthetic aspects and for preservation of vehicle bodies, on the other hand interior cleaning is essential for user's health.

It is also known that vehicle users spend much time inside the vehicles. As vehicle compartments, whatever the vehicle maybe, have small and often narrow compartments, it is understood that any lack of deep cleaning thereof causes the user to stay in an unhealthy environment for a long time.

Considering that vehicle ventilation systems often create turbulent air circulation, both in winter for heating and in summer for air conditioning, if the vehicle interior is not hygienically sound, then the user will be forced to breathe dust, bacteria and other unhealthy impurities.

In view of the above, it is known that the dirtiest parts are generally vehicle floor carpets. They are susceptible of receiving not only dust containing polluting particles, but also soil, gravel and anything that may be deposited thereon from user shoes.

The most common method of cleaning carpets is manual. This method i

provides manually beating carpets and possibly washing them with water often added with a cleanser.

Such cleaning cannot apparently remove all the dirt from the carpet. This method may be useful to remove dirt from the surface but not dirt that has settled deep down therein.

Furthermore, at the end of the washing process, the carpet is wet and is laid back into the vehicle in this state, with the obvious drawback that it will later release unpleasant odors.

For improved cleaning, car. washing plants sometimes feature machines having rotating brushes, which add a brushing action to carpet cleaning for enhanced dirt removal. While this method improves carpet cleaning as compared with the one described above, it still proves to be inadequate because it cannot ensure deep cleaning.

Moreover, these machines expose cleaning operators to the dust raised by the brushes.

This carpet brushing action may be also complemented by washing with liquids. While this method further improves the cleaning effect, it cannot yet provide deep dirt removal. Also, in addition to still having the drawback of exposing operators to dust, it also causes liquid splashing on them from the carpet.

Also, there is still the drawback that the carpet will be placed back Into the vehicle in a wet state.

In view of improving carpet cleaning, machines are also known from US 4,968,166, US 4,194,262 and US 4,202,072. In spite of their differences these machines have the common feature of including an extensible hose equipped with an applicator through which pressurized liquid is sprayed upon

the carpet and removed by suction for drying the carpet.

These solutions can of course at least partially remove dirt from deep down the carpet and dry it, but still suffer from certain drawbacks.

First, their effectiveness depends on the application accuracy with which the operator uses them. Furthermore, since a rather long extensible hose is used, the pressure that the liquid has when it impinges upon the carpet may not be sufficient for it to penetrate deep down the carpet and remove the dirt that has settled therein.

The same problem occurs in the drying phase. The drying may not only be affected by inappropriate application by the user, but also by the length of the hose which may cause the vacuum created thereby to be insufficient to ensure drying of the liquid that has penetrated the deepest part of the carpet.

Also, these apparatus still expose operators to liquid splashing from the carpet surface.

Automatic carpet cleaning machines are further known, in which the carpet to be cleaned has to be introduced. Examples of such machines are disclosed in JP 4,210,282 and JP 2005/118610.

Nevertheless, in certain cases, the machines only provide dry cleaning of the carpet and dirt removal therefrom. The carpet may be possibly subjected to percussion to enhance dirt removal, but nothing more than this.

Thus, while operators are so protected from raised dust or liquid splashes, cleaning of the carpet is not effective.

Disclosure of the invention

The object of this invention is to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks,

by providing a cleaning machine that is particularly effective in vehicle carpet cleaning.

Particularly, one object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning machine that enables deeper cleaning of vehicle carpets as compared with the prior art cleaning machines.

One particularly intended object is to provide a cleaning machine that does not expose operators to dust or liquid splashes. Particularly, the intended object is to provide a cleaning machine that does not require the operator to attend cleaning.

Yet another object is to provide a cleaning machine that returns the carpet in a clean and dry state, to prevent release of any unpleasant odors within the compartment.

These and other objects, which will be more apparent hereafter, are fulfilled by a cleaning machine, particularly for vehicle carpets, as defined in the main claim. Particularly, such cleaning machine is of the type that comprises:

- a substantially box-like housing;

- a support surface within said housing, adapted to define a base for a carpet to be cleaned;

- carpet cleaning means located within said housing; - at least one opening formed in said housing for introducing the carpet into said housing and laying it onto said support surface, characterized in that said cleaning means include at least one spray unit for delivering pressurized liquids onto a surface of the carpet to wash it and, operably downstream of said spray unit, a suction vacuum unit for removing liquids from the carpet and drying it.

The advantages derived from using such cleaning machine are immediately apparent.

First, since carpet cleaning occurs within a housing, operators are protected from dust or liquid splashes. Particularly, the user may not attend the washing step.

Therefore, cleaning accuracy is independent of the operator, and a random parameter can be thus eliminated.

Furthermore, since liquids are sprayed onto the carpet at high pressure, they can penetrate deep therein and remove all the dirt. Suitably, the spray means are located close to the carpet, in such a manner that the spraying pressure is not reduced and can be fully used for cleaning.

Likewise, the suction means are also located close to the carpet, so that the vacuum created thereby is not lost through useless distances, but is directly applied to the carpet. This allows the best water suction effect even in deeper parts of the carpet, for proper drying results.

In one aspect of the invention, the support surface includes a conveyor belt located proximately to and operably downstream of the opening.

Particularly, the conveyor belt is made up of a plurality of substantially longitudinally extending flat elements in side-by-side relationship and having their axis of extension substantially normal to the advancement direction of the conveyor belt.

This allows easy maintenance of the conveyor belt. Failure of a longitudinal element will simply require replacement of that element and not of the whole belt.

Suitably, each flat element consists of a grid preferably but not necessarily with a rectangular mesh, allowing the passage of liquids sprayed into the carpet and suction thereof, without constituting an obstacle.

It will be appreciated that, while the cleaning machine of the invention is particularly suitable for cleaning and disinfecting motor vehicle carpets, it can be obviously also used for cleaning other carpets, such as those used in the premises in which machine tools are located.

Brief description of the drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent upon reading the detailed description of several preferred, non-exclusive embodiments of a cleaning machine, particularly for vehicle carpets according to the invention, which are described as non-limiting examples with the assistance of the annexed drawings, in which:

- FIG. 1 is a partially broken away axonometric view of a cleaning machine of the present invention; - FIG. 2 is a partially broken away front view of a cleaning machine of the present invention;

- FIGS. 3 and 4 show details of the cleaning machine of FlG. 1.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a cleaning machine 1 of the invention. As mentioned above, it is particularly adapted to be used for cleaning and disinfection of vehicle carpets and, to this end, it comprises a substantially box-like housing 2, having at least one opening 3 through which a carpet T to be cleaned may be introduced.

Inside the housing 2 there is also provided a support surface 4 which acts as a base plane for the carpet T to be cleaned. For this purpose, the opening 3 is arranged to allow the carpet T to be laid onto the support surface 4.

In one aspect of the invention, the support surface 4 includes a conveyor belt 5 located proximate to and operably downstream of the opening 3.

Accordingly, the opening 3 for the carpet may be a slot formed in the housing 2. Such slot conveniently extends along the width of the support surface 4 and has an extension that is substantially equal to the width of the support surface 4, thereby only allowing insertion of carpets T that can be laid thereon.

Such embodiment is obviously not intended to exclude different embodiments, in which the opening may be a door formed in the housing, which may be opened to provide full access to the support surface and lay the carpet thereon. Furthermore, the support surface shall not necessarily be a conveyor belt but may be also stationary.

The housing 2 further contains cleaning means 6 for cleaning the carpet T.

According to the invention, the cleaning means 6 include at least one spray unit 7 for delivering pressurized liquids onto a surface of the carpet T to wash it and, operably downstream of the spray unit 7, a suction unit 8 under vacuum for removing liquids from the carpet T and drying it.

A first advantage of this embodiment 1 is that the carpet T is cleaned within the housing 2, wherefore operators are protected from dust or liquid splashes.

The spray means 7 are preferably, but not necessarily, obtained using at least one pump 9 which sucks in the liquids to be sprayed from a tank and conveys then under pressure to a plurality of nozzles 10 located proximate to the support surface 4 where the carpet T has to be laid. By this arrangement, the distance that the liquids have to cover from the pump 9 to the nozzles 10 and from the nozzles 10 to the carpet T is short enough to avoid any pressure loss along the circuit between the pump 9 and the nozzles 10.

Likewise, the suction means 8 are preferably, but not necessarily obtained using at least one fan 11 which generates a suction air flow from a manifold

12 located proximate to the support surface 4. Particularly, as shown in Fig. 3, the manifold 12 has one or more openings 13 formed in the area facing towards the support surface 4, which allow to exert by suction a vacuum near the carpet T ₁ to remove the liquid absorbed during the washing step.

The distances between the fan 11 and the manifold 12 and between the manifold 12 and the support surface 4 are advantageously small, to optimize operation of the fan 11 and allow the negative pressure created on the carpet to be sufficient for deep liquid removal.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the cleaning machine may also comprise, as shown in Fig. 2, means 14 for delivering scented liquids onto the carpet T, which means also generally consist of a pump for drawing such scented liquids from a tank and spraying them through nozzles onto the carpet T.

In another aspect of the invention, as also shown in the detail of Fig. 4, the conveyor belt 5 is made of a plurality of substantially elongate flat elements 16 in side-by-side relationship and having their axis of extension X substantially normal to the direction of feed Y of the conveyor belt 5.

This advantageously allows easy maintenance of the conveyor belt. Damage to one or more flat elements 16 will simply require replacement of those elements and not of the whole belt 5.

An advantage also results from a reduction of the costs for manufacture of the conveyor belt 5 and management of spare parts.

The figures also show that the cleaning means 6 are in such arrangement that the support surface 4 is interposed between such cleaning means 6 and the carpet T. This arrangement shall be intended as an exemplary embodiment and without limitation to different embodiments of the invention, in which the cleaning means may be in direct contact with the carpet surface β

and on the side opposite the support surface.

In the illustrated embodiment, the support surface 4 constitutes no obstacle both to spraying and suction of liquids to and from the carpet T. Each flat element 16 consists of a grid, preferably but not necessarily with rectangular meshes. This shape minimizes hindrance to the water flow directed to the carpet as well as to the suction air flow generated by vacuum by the suction unit 8.

For this purpose, the openings 13 on the manifold 12 preferably have a rectangular extension which matches the grid mesh.

The grid form of the conveyor belt 5 provides a particular advantage. Parts of the carpets T to be washed will be certainly old and worn. Some will be certainly frayed at least at their edge and may have deteriorated parts or even holes. These carpets T cannot be easily carried by a common conveyor belt, whereas a belt 5 like the one proposed herein allows perfect control of any carpet T, even in the worst conditions.

Such control is facilitated by an abutment surface 20 defining an extension plane substantially parallel to the support surface for the carpet T and adapted to contact the carpet T for the latter to be held between the abutment surface 20 and the conveyor belt 5 during operation of the spray unit 7 and the suction unit 8. For this purpose, the abutment surface 20 shall be moved like the conveyor belt 5.

The provision of an abutment surface 20 not only allows the conveyor belt 5 to handle even the most worn-out carpets T but also affords an additional advantage.

As mentioned above, the spray unit 7 delivers the washing liquids under pressure onto the surface of the carpet T. During such step, the abutment surface 20 advantageously holds the carpet T in a planar position proximate

to the nozzles 10, thereby maximizing the pressurized liquid spraying effect.

In operation, the user will take the carpet T to be washed off the vehicle and introduce it into the cleaning machine 1 through the opening 3. Then, the carpet T will be moved by the conveyor belt 5 in cooperation with the abutment surface 20.

As the carpet T is being fed, it will be sprayed with washing liquid by the nozzles 10.

Such washing under pressure allows liquid to penetrate deep into the carpet T and remove all the dirt contained therein.

As the carpet T is fed further, it will be subjected to the action of the suction unit 8v The negative pressure so created will be of such degree as to allow full removal of the previously sprayed liquid, even at the deepest parts.

At the end of the drying process, the carpet T will be expelled through the same opening 3 and can be extracted by the operator and laid back into the vehicle.

The above disclosure clearly shows that the cleaning machine of the invention fulfils the intended objects and particularly allows effective cleaning of vehicle carpets.

Particularly, it fulfills the object of deeper cleaning of vehicle carpets as compared with prior art cleaning machines, while providing a dry carpet, ready to be reintroduced into the vehicle.

Furthermore, the cleaning machine not only protects operators from raised dust and liquid splashes but also allow operators to avoid attending the washing step and do something else.

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It will be appreciated that the cleaning machine of this invention is susceptible of a number of further changes and variants, in addition to those mentioned above, within the inventive principle as disclosed in the appended claims.

Furthermore, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements, and any size, shape and material may be used according to various needs.