Cleaning trolley

The present invention relates to a cleaning cart comprising a base, at least three side or arranged beneath the base wheels and one arranged on the base structure for receiving cleaning utensils as well as a handle.

Cleaning trolley of this type are in a variety of embodiments have long been known (see for example DE-A-10010852). The base, which is generally configured as a carrying platform or frame arrangement can consist of a plastic or metal plate or a metal tubular structures.

The structure for receiving the cleaning utensils is usually formed by a column structure or a frame arrangement of lance that can be made variable depending on the intended use and often assembled by a kind of modular system.

In particular, in the office or hospital operation, it is necessary in addition to the cleaning utensils also more liquid containers, such as buckets or troughs with clean water or pressing for Wischmopgeräte carry on the cleaning cart. In this way, equipped wash carts are relatively heavy and must in particular be moved in the hospital operating over longer distances. This requires a significant use of force and leads to fatigue of the cleaning efficiency, whereby an increased amount of time must be provided for cleaning.

Object of the present invention is therefore to provide a cleaning carriage which is labor-saving and effortless to move, even with heavy loads, while simple.

This object is achieved in that on the underside of the base at least one electric motor is arranged with each standing in operative connection gear that acts on at least one of the wheels.

Transport vehicles for the transport of loads that are driven by an electric motor, belong to the basic equipment of industrial enterprises. However, they are technically very complex and have relatively large volume drives. Such designs are not suitable for use of cleaning cars, since these are relatively filigree designed and cleaning utensils to achieve a fatigue-free use must be arranged ergonomically, so that there is no space for conventional drives.

While it is for hand-held car, such as golf carts, children or shopping cart already known to provide electric drives (see. For example, DE 199 09 020). Such electric motors are, however, usually arranged to save space in the central axis of the drive wheel, that is configured as a so-called "hub drive" that requires minimal space requirement in the hub area complicated constructions and particular gear assemblies, which are relatively expensive and therefore also not suitable for use in cleaning trolley ,

The invention is based on the idea rather than creating conventional heavy industrial drives or elaborate hub drives a kind of "underground" construction that utilizes the already necessary for the necessary ground clearance of the cleaning cart space under the base and create more space in the region of over requires base provided structure.

It is advantageous if in addition to the or to the electric motors and the respectively associated with these gear assemblies also the necessary accumulators as energy storage assembly is also mounted on the underside of the base. However, depending on the purpose and duration accumulators arrangement can optionally be arranged in the region of the top of the base between the cleaning utensils.

In principle, any suitable control can be provided for controlling the or electric motors. Thus, it is for example possible to provide a thrust sensor, which supplies the electric motor and the energy from the accumulators arrangement, as soon as the operator exerts a thrust force on the handle or the carriage. A particularly simple and inexpensive construction is obtained, however, when there is the or the electric motors and the accumulators arrangement associated control arrangement of a simple actuator in the handle, which may have as a control element, for example a slider, rotary handle, joystick or the like.

Basically enough three edges for driving such a cleaning trolley. It is advantageous, however, if four arranged under the base wheels are provided, of which two wheels are fixed and two wheels formed as a so-called steering wheels.

Basically, the wheels may be arranged in any manner. It is however advantageous if - viewed in the direction of travel - the fixed wheels is arranged approximately in the middle of the wagon in the region of the side edges of the base and one movable wheel in each case centrally in the region of the front edge and the rear edge of the base.

A particularly simple design and optimal as regards the gravity arrangement is achieved when the heavy elements of the drive, such as the electric motor, the gear assembly and the accumulator arrangement approximately in the middle of the base, ie the platform or the frame assembly are arranged. Depending on the chosen system offer this to the most varied constellation. A particularly flat and the ground clearance is only slightly reducing assembly is then achieved when two electric motors are arranged approximately in the center of the base, which are in each case via a transmission in each case with one of the fixed wheels in operative connection.

However, it is also possible only to arrange an electric motor approximately in the center of the base and this couple on a gear with differential with fixed wheels.

In order to simplify the charging of the accumulators arrangement after the cleaning and drive operation, it is expedient in the edge region of the base, ie the platform or the frame assembly, a so-called "docking bar" to arrange. The operator then has to bring a fixed to a wall or the like loading ledge in connection connecting via contacts accumulators arrangement with a fixedly arranged charger only the docking bar to the parking station of the cleaning cart.

When using a cleaning trolley according to the invention in spacious buildings such as airports, train stations or hospitals, the path from the parking station is up to the job often several hundred meters, in special cases several kilometers.

In such cases, it is advantageous to equip the base of the cleaning cart with a stand device for an operator.

Basically, the state device can be designed in various ways. So it is for example possible to integrate the stand equipment in the base.

It is particularly advantageous to design the stand equipment as dockable to the base's platform, which in turn is equipped with wheels.

In the following, an embodiment of the invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and described for further explanation and for better understanding.<dl id="dl0001"><dt>figure 1</dt><dd>shows a perspective view of a cleaning cart having a base in the form of a platform, as well as a structure for receiving cleaning utensils,</dd><dt>figure 2</dt><dd>shows the platform of the cleaning carriage (without structure) in a plan view, with the elements and the arrangement of the drive are illustrated with dotted lines</dd><dt>figure 3</dt><dd>shows a side view of the platform (without structure) from a ground perspective and</dd><dt>figure 4</dt><dd>shows in the Figure 1 corresponding perspective view of a cleaning cart with a stand device for an operator.</dd></dl>

As shown in Figure 1, the cleaning trolley from a base in the form of a platform 1, arranged under the platform 1 wheels 2, and one arranged above the platform 1 Structure 3, for the sake of only partially constructed of clarity and unladen, ie presented without cleaning utensils is.

In the present embodiment, the structure 3 is equipped with a handle 4 in the form of a handle.

As is particularly apparent from Figure 2, the cleaning trolley shown has a total of four wheels 2 of which seen in the direction of travel F, in the middle of the car in the area of ​​the side edges 5 two fixed wheels 2 and one movable wheel respectively centrally in the region of the front edge 6 and of the trailing edge 7 of the platform 1 is arranged.

The illustrated embodiment has a drive with two electric motors 8, which are each via a gear 9 with the associated fixed wheel 2 in the region of the side edges 5 in operative connection. The in the area of ​​the front edge 6 and trailing edge 7 centrally arranged wheels 2 can be steered.

In the present embodiment a two accumulators 10 accumulators arrangement is also arranged on the underside of the platform first

The electric motors 8 are connected in the illustrated embodiment with the accumulators 10 via an electronic control arrangement (not shown). The control arrangement is connected to an actuating device 11 (Figure 1), which is arranged in the region of the handle 4 and a joystick 12, via which the rotational speed of the two electric motors can be controlled each independently in a known manner.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4 of the cleaning trolley according to the invention is equipped with a stand device 13 for an operator 14th

The stand device 13 is formed in this embodiment of a stand-on platform 15 of the operator 14, (not shown) can be coupled by a suitable coupling means to the base 1 of the cleaning cart.

The operator platform 15 is equipped with separate wheels 16, which transfer the brunt of the weight of the operator 14 on the ground.

The arrangement shown in Figure 4 has the advantage that the cleaning car can be converted for the respective operating relatively fast and easy.