Floor cleaner

Abstract

A floor cleaner including a recovery tank that receives a fluid and a suction airflow from a suction inlet and separates the suction airflow from the fluid. The recovery tank includes a top side, a bottom wall opposite the top side, a sidewall that extends from the bottom wall. The bottom wall and the sidewall at least partially define a storage volume of the recovery tank. The recovery tank further includes an inlet duct having an inlet aperture configured to direct the fluid from the inlet duct into the storage volume, and a baffle wall connected to the sidewall, the baffle wall facing toward the top side of the recovery tank. The inlet aperture is directed along an inlet direction toward the sidewall adjacent the baffle, and the inlet aperture is disposed above the baffle in a direction from the bottom wall to the top side.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floor cleaner comprising:
 a supply tank configured to store a fluid;   a fluid distributor in fluid communication with the supply tank, the fluid distributor operable to dispense the fluid from the floor cleaner;   a suction inlet;   a suction source in fluid communication with the suction inlet, the suction source operable to generate a suction airflow that is configured to draw the fluid through the suction inlet; and   a recovery tank in fluid communication with the suction inlet and the suction source, the recovery tank configured to receive the fluid and the suction airflow from the suction inlet and separate the suction airflow from the fluid, the recovery tank including,
 a top side, 
 a bottom wall opposite the top side, 
 a sidewall that extends from the bottom wall and defines a perimeter of the recovery tank, the bottom wall and the sidewall at least partially define a storage volume of the recovery tank, 
 an inlet duct having an inlet aperture configured to direct the fluid from the inlet duct into the storage volume, and 
 a baffle wall connected to the sidewall, the baffle wall facing toward the top side of the recovery tank, 
 wherein the inlet aperture is directed along an inlet direction toward the sidewall adjacent the baffle, and 
 wherein the inlet aperture is disposed above the baffle in a direction from the bottom wall to the top side. 
   
     
     
         2 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall includes the baffle wall such that the sidewall and the baffle wall are integrally formed as a single component. 
     
     
         3 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the baffle wall is approximately parallel to the bottom wall. 
     
     
         4 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the baffle wall slopes away from the sidewall. 
     
     
         5 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the baffle wall slopes transverse to the inlet direction. 
     
     
         6 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the baffle wall is below the inlet aperture and above the bottom wall such that the baffle wall is between the inlet aperture and the bottom wall. 
     
     
         7 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the baffle wall is approximately perpendicular to the sidewall. 
     
     
         8 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the inlet duct extends from the bottom wall toward the top side of the recovery tank. 
     
     
         9 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the baffle wall is spaced a baffle height measured from the bottom wall, the baffle height is greater than a maximum fill level of the storage volume measured from the bottom wall. 
     
     
         10 . The floor cleaner of  claim 9 , wherein the baffle height is greater than the maximum fill level of the storage volume measured from the bottom wall by at least 50% of the maximum fill level. 
     
     
         11 . The floor cleaner of  claim 9 , wherein the baffle height is greater than the maximum fill level in a range from 2 millimeters to 80 millimeters. 
     
     
         12 . The floor cleaner of  claim 11 , wherein the baffle height is greater than the maximum fill level in a range from 30 millimeters to 60 millimeters. 
     
     
         13 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , further comprising an outlet duct including an outlet aperture configured to receive the suction airflow from the storage volume and direct the suction airflow toward the suction source. 
     
     
         14 . The floor cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the outlet duct extends inside the recovery tank from the bottom wall of the recovery tank toward the top side of the recovery tank. 
     
     
         15 . The floor cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the recovery tank includes a lid removably coupled to the sidewall, wherein the lid defines at least a portion of the top side of the recovery tank and wherein the outlet duct is disposed in the lid. 
     
     
         16 . The floor cleaner of  claim 13 , wherein the recovery tank includes a lid removably coupled to the sidewall, wherein the lid includes a redirecting rib on an inner surface of the lid extending toward the bottom wall, disposed along the lid between the baffle wall and the outlet aperture. 
     
     
         17 . The floor cleaner of  claim 13 , further comprising a float that closes the outlet aperture when the fluid reaches the maximum fill level. 
     
     
         18 . The floor cleaner of  claim 17 , wherein the float moves along the outlet duct to close the outlet aperture. 
     
     
         19 . The floor cleaner of  claim 17 , wherein the float includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is at least partially below the baffle wall, between the baffle wall and the bottom wall, when the float is in the closed position, and the second portion extends above the baffle wall, between the baffle wall and the top side of the recovery tank, when the float is in the closed position. 
     
     
         20 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , further comprising an inlet aperture axis that extends centrally through the inlet aperture, wherein the inlet aperture axis extends through the sidewall at a location between the top side of the recovery tank and the baffle wall. 
     
     
         21 . The floor claim of  claim 1 , further comprising an inlet duct axis that extends centrally through the inlet duct along a length of the inlet duct, wherein the inlet duct axis extends through the bottom wall. 
     
     
         22 . The floor cleaner of  claim 21 , further comprising an inlet aperture axis that extends centrally through the inlet aperture, wherein the inlet aperture axis extends through the sidewall at a location between the top side of the recovery tank and the baffle wall. 
     
     
         23 . The floor cleaner of  claim 22 , wherein the inlet aperture axis is perpendicular to the inlet duct axis. 
     
     
         24 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the recovery tank includes a lid removably coupled to the sidewall, wherein the lid defines at least a portion of the top side of the recovery tank and wherein the inlet aperture is adjacent the lid. 
     
     
         25 . The floor cleaner of  claim 1 , wherein the baffle wall slopes in a direction away from the outlet aperture.