Suspension device for floor maintenance appliance
AssigneeKevin Shinler
InventorKevin L. Shinler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A suspension device for coupling a surface maintenance appliance to a surface maintenance machine is disclosed. The suspension device includes a carriage member movably supported upon the maintenance machine through a plurality of linkages coupled to the carriage member. Together the plurality of linkages permit the carriage and surface maintenance appliance to follow undulations in the floor surface during operation of the surface maintenance machine. An actuator engages a lost motion device to lift the carriage member away from the ground surface. A variety of different floor surface maintenance appliances may be coupled to surface maintenance vehicles according to aspects of the present invention.
Claims17
A suspension device for coupling a surface maintenance appliance to a surface maintenance machine, said suspension device comprising:
- a carriage member;
- a surface maintenance appliance coupled to the carriage member;
- a plurality of linkages coupled to the carriage member, each of the plurality of linkages having a pair of ends, wherein one end of each of the plurality of linkages is coupled to the surface maintenance machine, and the other end of each of the plurality of linkages is coupled to the carriage;
- and
- an actuator engaging a lost motion device to lift the carriage member away from the ground surface, said lost motion device permitting the carriage and the surface maintenance appliance to follow undulations in the floor surface during operation of the surface maintenance machine.
The suspension device of claim I wherein the plurality of linkages comprises 3 linkages.
A suspension device for coupling a surface maintenance appliance to a surface maintenance machine, said suspension device comprising:
- a carriage member;
- a surface maintenance appliance coupled to the carriage member;
- a plurality of linkages coupled to the carriage member, each of the plurality of linkages having a pair of ends, wherein one end of each of the plurality of linkages is coupled to the surface maintenance machine, and the other end of each of the plurality of linkages is coupled to the carriage, together the plurality of linkages permit the carriage and surface maintenance appliance to follow vertical undulations in the floor surface during operation of the surface maintenance machine while restraining the carriage and surface maintenance appliance from movement in a horizontal direction which is transverse to a direction of surface maintenance machine movement, and an actuator engaging at least one of the plurality of linkages to lift the carriage member away from the ground surface.
A method of suspending and lifting a surface maintenance appliance to a surface maintenance machine, said method comprising the steps of:
- coupling the surface maintenance appliance to the surface maintenance machine with a suspension device comprising:
- a carriage member;
- a surface maintenance appliance coupled to the carriage member;
- a plurality of linkages coupled to the carriage member, each of the plurality of linkages having a pair of ends, wherein one end of each of the plurality of linkages is coupled to the surface maintenance machine, and the other end of each of the plurality of linkages is coupled to the carriage, together the plurality of linkages permit the carriage and surface maintenance appliance to follow undulations in the floor surface during operation of the surface maintenance machine;
- providing an actuator which engages at least one of the plurality of linkages;
- engaging the actuator to lift the carriage member away from the ground surface;
- engaging the actuator to lower the carriage member toward the ground surface;
- operating the surface maintenance appliance to perform a surface maintenance procedure across a floor surface having undulations and obstacles;
- permitting the surface maintenance appliance to maintain contact with the floor surface as the machine travels across said undulations;
- and
- permitting the surface maintenance appliance to be biased away from the floor surface upon contact with the obstacles so that the machine can pass over the obstacles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.