Roller cover for a floor-cleaning machine and floor-cleaning machine with a roller cover

Abstract

A roller cover for a floor-cleaning machine with a housing, a cleaning roller, a drive, a dirt container, and a dirt strip. The housing having a rear wall and defining an opening that faces a floor surface during operation of the roller cover. The cleaning roller includes a cleaning element that extends through the opening. The drive rotationally powers the cleaning roller such that the cleaning roller rotates toward the rear wall. The dirt container is disposed in the housing and faces away from the rear wall. The dirt strip has a bottom edge that is arranged on that side of a longitudinal axis of the cleaning roller that faces the rear wall and configured to engage a surface of a floor. The dirt strip is movably coupled to the housing to permit changes in the distance between the bottom edge and the longitudinal axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A roller cover for a floor-cleaning machine ( 1 ), with a housing ( 19 ),
 wherein the housing ( 19 ) has a housing wall arrangement which delimits a housing interior ( 21 ) and which comprises a rear wall ( 23 ) and two opposite side walls ( 25 ,  27 ) and which has an opening ( 33 ) which is arranged so as, during the operation of the roller cover ( 13 ), to face a floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned,   with a cleaning roller ( 35 ) ( 39 ), which extends along a longitudinal axis and has at least one cleaning element ( 41 ) radially on the outside,   wherein the cleaning roller ( 35 ) extends along its longitudinal axis ( 39 ) through the housing interior ( 21 ) from the first side wall ( 25 ) to the second side wall ( 27 ),   wherein the at least one cleaning element ( 41 ) of the cleaning roller ( 35 ) extends through the opening ( 33 ),   with a drive ( 43 ) which is coupled to the cleaning roller ( 35 ) in order to drive the latter rotationally,   wherein the drive ( 43 ) is configured in such a manner that, whenever the cleaning roller ( 35 ) is driven, that part of the cleaning roller ( 35 ) which is provided to engage with a floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned rotates towards the rear wall ( 23 ),   wherein a dirt container ( 47 ) is arranged in the housing interior ( 21 ) on that side of the cleaning roller ( 35 ) which faces away from the rear wall ( 23 ),   wherein fitted to the housing wall arrangement is a dirt strip arrangement ( 63 ,  65 ,  73 ) which has a bottom edge ( 77 ) which runs parallel to the longitudinal axis ( 39 ) and is configured to rest on a floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned,   wherein the dirt strip arrangement ( 63 ,  65 ,  73 ) is held on the housing wall arrangement in such a manner that the bottom edge ( 77 ) is arranged on that side of the longitudinal axis ( 39 ) of the cleaning roller ( 35 ) which faces the rear wall ( 23 ), and   wherein the dirt strip arrangement ( 63 ,  65 ,  73 ) is held movably on the housing wall arrangement such that the distance ( 91 ) of the bottom edge ( 77 ) from the longitudinal axis ( 39 ), as seen perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis ( 39 ) and perpendicularly to the plane of the opening ( 33 ), can be changed.   
     
     
         2 . A roller cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one cleaning element comprises a multiplicity of bristles ( 41 ) which extend away radially from a roller core ( 37 ) extending along the longitudinal axis ( 39 ), and
 wherein, when the cleaning roller ( 35 ) is driven by the drive, the bristles ( 41 ) extending through the opening move towards the rear wall ( 23 ).   
     
     
         3 . A roller cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the dirt strip arrangement ( 63 ,  65 ,  73 ) is held movably on the housing wall arrangement in such a manner that the distance ( 91 ) of the bottom edge ( 77 ) from the longitudinal axis ( 39 ), as seen perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis ( 39 ) and perpendicularly to the plane of the opening ( 33 ), can be automatically changed by contact of the dirt strip arrangement ( 63 ,  65 ,  73 ), preferably of the bottom edge ( 77 ), with a floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned. 
     
     
         4 . A roller cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the distance of the bottom edge ( 77 ) from the longitudinal axis ( 39 ), as seen perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis and perpendicularly to the plane of the opening ( 33 ), can be changed in a region, and
 wherein a pretensioning device ( 79 ) is provided which pretensions the dirt strip arrangement ( 63 ,  65 ,  73 ) into a position in which the distance ( 91 ) of the bottom edge ( 77 ) from the longitudinal axis ( 39 ), as seen perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis ( 39 ) and perpendicularly to the plane of the opening ( 33 ), is at maximum within the region.   
     
     
         5 . A roller cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the dirt strip arrangement has a holder ( 65 ) and a flexible sheetlike dirt strip element ( 73 ) which has the bottom edge ( 77 ) and which is fitted releasably to the holder ( 65 ), and
 wherein the holder ( 65 ) is fastened preferably releasably to a holding element ( 63 ) which is held movably on the housing wall arrangement.   
     
     
         6 . A roller cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the dirt strip element ( 73 ) runs in an upwardly inclined manner from the bottom edge ( 77 ) to the housing ( 19 ) and away from the cleaning roller ( 35 ). 
     
     
         7 . A roller cover according to  claim 5 , wherein the dirt strip arrangement ( 63 ,  65 ,  73 ) on the holder ( 65 ) has at least one rotatable guide wheel ( 85 ), wherein the at least one guide wheel ( 85 ) is fitted to the holder ( 65 ) in such a manner that, whenever the bottom edge ( 77 ) rests on a floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned, the guide wheel ( 85 ) also rests on the floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned. 
     
     
         8 . A roller cover according to  claim 5 , wherein the holding element ( 63 ) is held on the rear wall ( 23 ) so as to be displaceable between a retracted position and an extended position,
 wherein the distance ( 91 ) of the bottom edge ( 77 ) from the longitudinal axis ( 39 ), as measured perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis ( 39 ) and perpendicularly to the opening ( 33 ), is smaller in the retracted position than in the extended position.   
     
     
         9 . A roller cover according to  claim 8 , wherein a first and a second lever arm ( 79 ) are coupled pivotably to the rear wall ( 23 ), the free ends ( 81 ) of which lever arms are coupled to the holding element ( 63 ) such that, by pivoting of the lever arms ( 79 ) in relation to the housing ( 19 ), the holding element ( 63 ) is displaced in a direction perpendicular to the opening ( 33 ). 
     
     
         10 . A roller cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the dirt container ( 47 ) can be pushed through an opening in one of the side walls ( 25 ,  27 ) as far as an end position in the housing interior ( 21 ) and can be pulled out of the housing interior ( 21 ) from the end position, and
 wherein, in the end position, the dirt container ( 47 ) extends over the entire length of the cleaning roller ( 35 ).   
     
     
         11 . A roller cover according to  claim 10 , wherein an end switch ( 49 ) is provided on the housing wall arrangement, said end switch being arranged in such a manner that it is in a first position when the dirt container ( 47 ) is in the end position, and is moved out of the first position when the dirt container ( 47 ) is not in the end position. 
     
     
         12 . A roller cover according to  claim 1 , wherein a detection element ( 53 ) is provided and arranged in such a manner that it extends into the dirt container ( 47 ),
 wherein the detection element ( 53 ) is displaceable between a first position and a second position,   wherein an end of the detection element ( 53 ) facing the dirt container ( 47 ) is closer to a base ( 55 ) of the dirt container ( 47 ) in the first position than in a second position,   wherein a detection device ( 59 ) is provided which is configured to detect whether the detection element ( 53 ) is in the first position or in a position remote from the first position, and   wherein the detection device ( 53 ) is configured to generate a first signal when the detection element ( 53 ) is in the first position, and to generate a second signal when the detection element ( 53 ) is in a position remote from the first position.   
     
     
         13 . A floor-cleaning machine with a running gear with wheels such that the running gear ( 5 ) is configured to be moved over a floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned, and with a machine housing ( 3 ),
 wherein a roller cover ( 13 ) according to  claim 1  is held on the machine housing ( 3 ) in such a manner that the cleaning roller ( 35 ) can engage with the floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned,   wherein the housing ( 19 ) is held displaceably on the machine housing ( 3 ) in such a manner that it can take up different positions along a vertical direction which extends vertically away from the floor surface ( 11 ) to be cleaned,   wherein a position detection device ( 87 ) is provided which is configured to detect the position of the housing ( 19 ) relative to the machine housing ( 3 ) in the vertical direction, and   wherein the position detection device ( 87 ) is configured to output a predetermined signal if the distance of the housing ( 19 ) from the machine housing ( 3 ) exceeds a predetermined value.