Floor surface cleaning apparatus

Abstract

A floor surface cleaning apparatus according to one or more embodiments may include a water collecting nozzle, rotating brushes that may retain water, and a water collecting box that has a pooling portion in which wastewater may be pooled. In response to the rotating brushes being rotationally driven, wastewater on the floor surface is absorbed and retained by the rotating brushes, and the wastewater retained in the rotating brushes may be made into a mist and flung upwards by a centrifugal force generated by rotation of the rotating brushes and passed through an opening and a suction port and pooled in the pooling portion in the water collecting box.

1 . A floor surface cleaning apparatus for cleaning a floor surface using a cleaning liquid while moving over the floor surface, the floor surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
 a nozzle portion elongated in a width direction intersecting a movement direction of the floor surface cleaning apparatus, and configured to collect wastewater including the cleaning liquid as the floor surface cleaning apparatus moves;   rotating brushes rotatably supported by the nozzle portion in a state of contact with the floor surface, and configured to retain water and fling the wastewater upward using a centrifugal force generated during rotation; and   a wastewater collecting box provided above the nozzle portion and comprising a suction port in communication with an inner portion of the nozzle portion and a pooling portion configured to pool the wastewater that has entered therein from the suction port.   
     
     
         2 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a ventilator configured to suck air from an internal space of the wastewater collecting box and generate an air current that moves wastewater droplets dispersed by rotation of the rotating brushes upward from the suction port; and   a wastewater guiding path provided in the wastewater collecting box and having a tapered shape extending upward from the suction port, and configured to guide the wastewater droplets to the internal space of the wastewater collecting box.   
     
     
         3 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the wastewater guiding path is provided on one side of the movement direction in the internal space, and   a discharge port for air from the ventilator is provided on the other side of the movement direction in the wastewater collecting box.   
     
     
         4 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the wastewater collecting box comprises:
 a pair of side walls separated in the movement direction, the pair of side walls comprising a first side wall and a second side wall; and   an inclined plate provided between the pair of side walls, the pooling portion being provided between the inclined plate and the first side wall and the wastewater guiding path being provided between the inclined plate and the second side wall.   
     
     
         5 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a wastewater tank configured to contain the wastewater; and   a first pump configured to suck the wastewater pooled in the pooling portion and transfer the wastewater to the wastewater tank.   
     
     
         6 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the rotating brushes comprise at least one roller brush that is elongated in the width direction. 
     
     
         7 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the rotating brushes comprise a first roller brush and a second roller brush parallel to each other and separated from each other in the movement direction,   the first roller brush is arranged on the movement direction side relative to the suction port, and is configured to be rotationally driven so as to slide rearwards opposite to the movement direction against the floor surface, and   the second roller brush is arranged on a rear side opposite to the movement direction relative to the suction port, and is configured to be rotationally driven so as to slide in the same direction as the movement direction against the floor surface.   
     
     
         8 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein a water retaining capacity of the second roller brush is greater than a water retaining capacity of the first roller brush. 
     
     
         9 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a guard member provided on a rear side opposite to the movement direction in the nozzle portion, and configured to block the wastewater droplets dispersed rearward by the rotation of the rotating brushes.   
     
     
         10 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the guard member comprises a curved surface that comes in contact with or is provided in a vicinity of an outer circumferential surface of the rotating brush. 
     
     
         11 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the rotating brushes comprise a water absorbing material that has absorbability. 
     
     
         12 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cleaning liquid tank configured to contain the cleaning liquid;   a linking tube configured to link the cleaning liquid tank and the nozzle portion; and   a second pump configured to suck the cleaning liquid and transfer the cleaning liquid into the nozzle portion via the linking tube.   
     
     
         13 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the wastewater collecting box comprises:
 a pair of side walls separated in the movement direction, the pair pf side walls comprising a first side wall and a second side wall; and   an inclined plate provided between the pair of side walls, the pooling portion being provided between the inclined plate and the first side wall and the wastewater guiding path being provided between the inclined plate and the second side wall.   
     
     
         14 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a wastewater tank configured to contain the wastewater; and   a first pump configured to suck the wastewater pooled in the pooling portion and transfer the wastewater to the wastewater tank.   
     
     
         15 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the rotating brushes comprise at least one roller brush that is elongated in the width direction. 
     
     
         16 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the rotating brushes comprise a first roller brush and a second roller brush provided parallel to each other and separated from each other in the movement direction,   the first roller brush is arranged on the movement direction side relative to the suction port, and is configured to be rotationally driven so as to slide rearwards opposite to the movement direction against the floor surface, and   the second roller brush is arranged on the rear side opposite to the movement direction relative to the suction port, and is configured to be rotationally driven so as to slide in the same direction as the movement direction against the floor surface.   
     
     
         17 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein the water retaining capacity of the second roller brush is greater than the water retaining capacity of the first roller brush. 
     
     
         18 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a guard member provided on a rear side opposite to the movement direction in the nozzle portion, and configured to block the wastewater droplets dispersed rearward by the rotation of the rotating brushes.   
     
     
         19 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the guard member comprises a curved surface that comes in contact with or is provided in the vicinity of an outer circumferential surface of the rotating brush. 
     
     
         20 . The floor surface cleaning apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the rotating brushes comprise a water absorbing material that has absorbability.