Surface cleaning apparatus using abrading particulate cleaning material

Abstract

An abrasive cleaning apparatus comprising a housing defining a substantially closed operating chamber with a pair of rotating impellers therein. The abrasive cleaning material is directed into the chamber where the blades of the impellers contact the particulate cleaning material and throw the material through an open front area of the chamber against the surface to be cleaned. At the front of the housing is a yielding perimeter portion which provides a seal against the surface which is being cleaned. The waste material removed from the surface being cleaned is drawn through an outlet port to a cyclone type separating chamber where the abrasive particulate material is separated and directed back to the operating chamber, and the waste material is delivered to a waste location. The abrasive material in the housing remains in the housing and is directed repeatedly against the surface to be cleaned. When the abrasive material becomes sufficiently ground down to a small enough size, then it is removed through the waste removal conduit along with the waste material removed from the surface to be cleaned.

Therefore I claim:  
     
         1 . An abrasive surface cleaning/processing apparatus comprising: 
 a) a housing having a front portion, a back portion having a back wall portion, a top wall portion, a bottom wall portion, and side wall portions, which wall portions have interior surface portions that define an operating chamber to contain surface processing material therein, said apparatus having an open front portion, said top wall, bottom wall and side wall portions having a front perimeter portion defining a general impact region at the front opening, said perimeter portion being arranged to be positioned at an operating location adjacent to a work surface portion of a work surface to be processed;    b) at least one impeller section which has a plurality of impeller components and which is positioned in said operating chamber at an operating location to rotate about an axis of rotation;    c) said impeller section having its axis of rotation oriented and its impeller components positioned so that with the impeller section rotating as the impeller components impact processing material in the impact region, portions of the processing material are directed toward the impact region to strike against the work surface portion so that material striking against the work surface portion rebounds back into the operating chamber;    d) the housing being arranged so that with the perimeter portion being engaged with the work surface, the operating chamber is substantially closed, the interior surface portions of the housing being arranged to cause portions of the processing material that rebound from the work surface into the operating chamber to come in contact with the impeller components, and be caused to be redirected so that quantities of the processing material move into the operating location of the impeller to be impacted again by the impeller section and directed toward the impacted plane;    each of said impeller components comprising an impact member having a circumferentially forwardly facing impact surface relative to the direction of rotation of the impeller section, and a support member having an upwardly facing support surface which is circumferentially forward of said forward surface, whereby portions of the processing material remain in said chamber and are repetitively directed against the work surface to be cleaned, forward and upward components of travel are imparted to at least some portions of processing material in the chamber.    
     
     
         2 . A method of abrasively cleaning/processing a surface, said method comprising: 
 a) providing a housing having a front portion, a back portion having a back wall portion, a top wall portion, a bottom wall portion, and side wall portions, which wall portions have interior surface portions that define an operating chamber to contain surface processing material therein, said apparatus having an open front portion, said top wall, bottom wall and side wall portions having a front perimeter portion defining a general impact region at the front opening, said perimeter portion being arranged to be positioned at an operating location adjacent to a work surface portion of a work surface to be processed;    b) positioning in said operating chamber at least one impeller section which has a plurality of impeller components and which is positioned in said operating chamber at an operating location to rotate about an axis of rotation;    c) rotation of said impeller section about its axis of rotation, with the impeller section being oriented and its impeller components positioned so that with the impeller section rotating as the impeller components impact processing material in the impact region, portions of the processing material are directed toward the impact region to strike against the work surface portion so that material striking against the work surface portion rebounds back into the operating chamber;    d) arranging the housing so that with the perimeter portion being engaged with the work surface, the operating chamber is substantially closed, the interior surface portions of the housing being arranged to cause portions of the processing material that rebound from the work surface into the operating chamber to come in contact with the impeller components, and be caused to be redirected so that quantities of the processing material move into the operating location of the impeller to be impacted again by the impeller section and directed toward the impacted plane;    e) arranging said impeller components to comprise an impact member having a circumferentially forwardly facing impact surface relative to the direction of rotation of the impeller section, and a support member having an upwardly facing support surface which is circumferentially forward of said forward surface, and causing portions of the processing material to remain in said chamber so that these portions are repetitively directed against the work surface to be cleaned and with forward and upward components of travel being imparted to at least some portions of processing material in the chamber.