Water-Driven Cleaning Device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to water driven cleaning devices. More particularly, it relates to water driven cleaning devices which have a rotor with a plurality of vanes arranged in a housing so that when water passes through the housing and issues from the housing, it drives the rotor into rotation and thereby also a cleaning tool connected with the rotor.

Background Art

Such devices are disclosed for example in my U.S. Patents numbers 4,228,558 and 4,374,444. In these patents a transmission of rotation from the rotor to the cleaning tool is performed through a planetary gear transmission, and the rotor is supported in corresponding supports or bearings during its rotation, it is believed that the devices disclosed in these patents can be further improved.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water driven cleaning device which is a further improvement of my patented devices.

In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a water driven cleaning devices which has a housing with a water inlet, water outlet and a rotary chamber located between the water inlet and the water outlet, with a rotor rotatable in the water chamber, and the rotor is arranged in the housing so that it is not in contact with any part of the housing and does not have bearings with which it is in direct contact. Instead, there is a gap provided around the rotor and filled with water so as

to form a so-called water bearing. This eliminates heating of the rotor during its rotation.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims . The invention itself, however, both as to its constructions and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a view showing a cross-section of a water driven cleaning device in accordance with the present invention taken along an axis I - 1 of a rotor in FIG. 3;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rotor of the inventive device located in a portion of the housing in a section II - II in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross-section of the inventive device with a cover cup in a section taken along the line III - III of FIG. 9;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a cross-section of the planetary gear box taken along the line IV - IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view from bottom of the device in accordance with present invention with the cover cup in a jet position as seen in direction of the arrow V in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view from the bottom of the inventive device with a cover cup in a spray position as seen in direction of the arrow VI in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a housing of a diffuser in a section taken along line VII in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the diffuser of the inventive devices;

FIG. 9 is a view showing the diffuser in a section taken along the line IX - IX in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view from the top of the inventive cleaner as seen in direction of the arrow X in FIG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a view showing a brushless attachment in a section taken along the line XI - XI in FIG. 12;

FIG. 12 is a view showing a brushless attachment as seen in direction of the arrow XII in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a general view of a shower cleaner with a brush of the inventive device;

FIG. 14 is a general view of an all purpose cleaner of the inventive cleaning device with a brushless attachment.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A water driven cleaning device in accordance with the present invention has a housing which is identified with reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and separated by partitions into sections 2, 3, 4, 5. The section 2 forms a chamber for storing, preparing and dosing a washing solution. An upper wall of the housing is provided with a threaded opening 6, and a plug 7 with an inner throttle 8 is screwed into the opening. The plug has a sealing ring 9. A partition 10 which separates the two sections of the housing has a two-side tubular member 11 with an opening 12. Its upper part abuts against a conical surface of the throttle 8 when the plug 7 is completely screwed in. The partition 10 in a pressure zone is provided with a conical needle point hole 13.

The section 3 forms a rotor chamber. A rotor 18 is provided with eight open vanes 19 arranged perpendicular to a rotor disc 9 and eccentric to its axis of rotation. As can be seen from the drawings, the vanes 19 of the rotor extend downwardly from the disc in particular toward a water outlet from the housing. The rotor 18 has a collar 22 connected with the disc 20 at the side of the vanes and provided with an end pinion 23. The side wall 24 of the

housing in FIG. 2 is provided with an opening 15 which is eccentric to the axis of the rotation of the rotor and has a diameter and a length selected in accordance with the laws of hydraulics to provide a bundled concentration of water flow, so as to form a jet which is directed exactly onto the vanes of the rotor.

The lower wall 14 of the housing has a central hub 17 with an opening such that the rotor collar 22 extends outwardly beyond the housing and its end pinion 23 engages with three gears 27 of a planetary transmission supported on three hollow axles 25 in the housing 1. The gears 27 are engaged with an inner toothed gear 28 formed as a ring. Its outer surface 29 has a cone of two degrees (Morse) and is utilized for mounting of a washing tool.

The planetary transmission is covered by a flange 44 with a diffuser body 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 mounted on axles 25 in openings 46 by ultrasound welding. The flange is provided with a hollow hub in its center having an opening 39. The circular perimeter of the flange is provided with a cylindrical ring 47 with a conical surface 45 on its inner side. A diffuser insert shown in FIGS. 3, 8, 9 has three projections 44 with openings 43 located coaxially with the openings 26 of the axles and the openings 46 of the diffuser flange. The side conical surface 36 has three sectors with conical grooves 37 which, during contact with the conical surface 45 of the diffuser body in FIG. 7 form an opening of the shower spray. The diffuser insert is connected with the diffuser body by a central split axle 38 with an opening 39, by snapping on. The diffuser can be turned from a position for providing a spray to a position for providing a jet, by a handle 38' and set by a stop 31 located on the inner surface of the diffuser body as shown in FIG. 5.

A rotatable working tool formed as a brush 40 or a brush with attachment 41 is shown in FIGS. 1 , 13, 14 and mounted on the conical

surface of the planetary ring by snapping on the circular surface. It is sealed by a ring catch. When the device is used as an all purpose cleaner, an on/off switch 48 is provided in a handle 49 as shown in FIG. 14. A set of working tools includes the brush 40 in FIG. 13 (scrubber or all purpose brush) or a brush with attachment 41 in FIGS. 14, 11 , 12 which include a disc 53 composed of felt or another material subdivided radially into strips 54 with a central opening 55. The disc is sealed between an inner ring 56 and a block 57 having a setting cone 58 and the ring catch 41. The inner surface of the block formed as a cone 60 forms an inclination of the disc strips so as to convert them into a washing tool.

When the device has to be used as a body cleaner, the handle 50 in FIG. 13 is provided with a split pipe 51 for a standard shower hose.

As can be seen from the drawings, the rotor does not contact any bearings. It is arranged in the rotor chamber with a gap so that water fills the gap to form a so-called water bearing. The gears of the planetary transmission are composed of a self-lubricating material as known per se in the art and arranged on the axis of the housing so as to prevent heating of the plastic material during rotation. The gears of the planetary transmission arranged in the space between the housing 1 and the diffuser flange 44 are constantly cooled by the passing water which issues from the central hub toward the periphery.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.