Floor cleaning machine

Abstract

A floor cleaning machine is proposed which comprises a handle unit for operating the floor cleaning machine and a dead man's switching device with an actuation unit, wherein the actuation unit is retained on the handle unit by means of a first region, the actuation unit has a second region which is swivelable relative to the first region, and the second region is retained on the first region as a single piece by means of a hinge device, a swivel position of the second region relative to the first region determining whether the dead man's switch is switching or non-switching.

1 . A floor cleaning machine comprising:
 a handle unit for operating the floor cleaning machine and a dead man's switching device with an actuation unit;   wherein the actuation unit is retained on the handle unit by means of a first region;   wherein the actuation unit has a second region which is swivelable relative to the first region; and   wherein the second region is retained on the first region as a single piece by means of a hinge device, a swivel position of the second region relative to the first region determining whether the dead man's switching device is switching or non-switching.   
     
     
         2 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuation unit is provided with reinforcing ribs on at least one of the first region and the second region and does not have any reinforcing ribs on the hinge device. 
     
     
         3 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the handle unit comprises an envelope plane at the top and wherein a swivel axis of the hinge device for swivelability of the second region relative to the first region is oriented parallel or at a small acute angle of at most 30° to the envelope plane. 
     
     
         4 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the handle unit comprises a top and a bottom opposite thereto, the bottom facing a machine body, and wherein the actuation unit is arranged on the bottom. 
     
     
         5 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein a restoring spring device is associated with the actuation unit, a spring force of the restoring spring device having to be overcome for a switching position of the actuation unit. 
     
     
         6 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 5 , wherein the restoring spring device is arranged on the actuation unit. 
     
     
         7 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 5 , wherein the restoring spring device is arranged at least in part spaced from the hinge device. 
     
     
         8 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the hinge device comprises a first hinge and a spaced second hinge. 
     
     
         9 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 8 , wherein a spaced first restoring spring is associated with the first hinge and a spaced second restoring spring is associated with the second hinge, the first restoring spring and the second restoring spring being spaced from one another. 
     
     
         10 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuation unit takes the form of a rocker. 
     
     
         11 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the actuation unit is constructed as a single piece. 
     
     
         12 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the dead man's switching device is or becomes switching on pressing the actuation unit against the handle unit. 
     
     
         13 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , said floor cleaning machine comprising a transducer-sensor unit, by which an operational position of the actuation unit is detectable. 
     
     
         14 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 13 , wherein a passive transducer of the transducer-sensor unit is arranged on the second region. 
     
     
         15 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 13 , wherein a sensor of the transducer-sensor unit is arranged on the handle unit. 
     
     
         16 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 13 , wherein a transducer is of the transducer-sensor or comprises a pin and wherein the sensor of the transducer-sensor is a contact switch cooperating with the pin. 
     
     
         17 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one the actuation unit and the handle unit comprises a spoke unit. 
     
     
         18 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 17 , wherein at least one of the handle unit and the actuation unit is mirror-symmetrical relative to the spoke unit thereof. 
     
     
         19 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 17 , wherein one or more operating elements for the floor cleaning machine are arranged in the spoke unit of the handle unit. 
     
     
         20 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of (i) the handle unit takes the form of a stirrup-shaped handle and (ii) the actuation unit takes the form of a stirrup-shaped handle. 
     
     
         21 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 20 , wherein the handle unit and the actuation unit are configured such that, on gripping the stirrup-shaped handle of the handle unit, the stirrup-shaped handle of the actuation unit is also grippable. 
     
     
         22 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 20 , wherein the handle unit comprises a closed stirrup-shaped handle, which defines at least one internal opening. 
     
     
         23 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 22 , wherein the actuation unit comprises a first internal opening and a second internal opening, which are conformed to a first internal opening and the second internal opening of the handle unit. 
     
     
         24 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the second region of the actuation unit comprises a first stop face and the handle unit a corresponding second stop face, the second region being prevented from continuing to move towards the handle unit on contact of the first stop face with the second stop face. 
     
     
         25 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the handle unit comprises a guide for the second region of the actuation unit. 
     
     
         26 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 25 , wherein the handle unit comprises a recess and the second region of the actuation unit comprises an insertion element for the recess. 
     
     
         27 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein an end of the second region facing the handle unit is not spaced from the handle unit in any position of the actuation unit. 
     
     
         28 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the handle unit is arranged on a steering column. 
     
     
         29 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , said floor cleaning machine being configured as a scrubbing machine or sweeping machine. 
     
     
         30 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , said floor cleaning machine being configured as a self-propelled floor cleaning machine. 
     
     
         31 . A floor cleaning machine according to  claim 1 , said floor cleaning machine being configured as a walk-behind machine.