FLOOR GRINDING/POLISHING MACHINE WITH GIMBAL-MOUNTED GRINDING/POLISHING HEAD
A floor grinding/polishing machine with a gimbal-mounted grinding/polishing head is disclosed. The floor grinding/polishing machine includes a wheeled carriage, a handle attached to the carriage for controlling the wheeled carriage, a grinding/polishing head attached to the wheeled carriage, and a motor supported on the grinding/polishing head for driving one or more abrasive discs on the bottom of the grinding/polishing head. The grinding/polishing head mounts to the wheeled carriage with a gimbal mount, allowing fore-and-aft pivoting of the head, as well as side-to-side pivoting of the head relative to the wheeled carriage.
The present invention relates generally to floor grinding and/or polishing machines and, in particular, to a floor grinding/polishing machine with a pivoting grinding/polishing head.
BACKGROUNDAs shown in
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for an improved floor grinding and/or polishing machine that better tracks local floor contours. It is to the provision of such that the present invention is primarily directed.
SUMMARYGenerally described, the present invention relates to a floor grinding/polishing machine having a wheeled carriage, a handle attached to the carriage for controlling the wheeled carriage, and a grinding/polishing head attached to the wheeled carriage. A motor is supported on the grinding/polishing head and drives at least one abrasive disc on the underside of the grinding/polishing head. Optionally, the grinding/polishing head can contain and drive multiple abrasive discs. The grinding/polishing head is mounted to the wheeled carriage with a gimbal mount, allowing fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head, as well as side-to-side pivoting of the grinding/polishing head relative to the wheeled carriage. This allows the grinding/polishing head to better track the floor surface.
Advantageously, the side-to-side orientation of the grinding/polishing head is not influenced by the floor surface under the carriage wheels, such that a local irregularity under the rear wheels does not cause the grinding/polishing head to want to tilt slightly in a direction inconsistent with the local orientation of the floor directly under the grinding/polishing head. Instead, the fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head, as well as side-to-side pivoting of the grinding/polishing head, is accomplished more or less independently of the orientation of the rear wheels of the wheeled carriage. As a result, the grinding/polishing head reacts to and tracks the local orientation of the floor directly under the grinding/polishing head, instead of being influenced by the orientation and contour of the floor in the areas surrounding that under the grinding/polishing head. By keeping the grinding/polishing head as parallel to the portion of the floor then under it, a better and more effective job of grinding and/or polishing can be achieved.
In another form, the present invention comprises a floor grinding/polishing machine having a wheeled carriage, a handle attached to the carriage for controlling the wheeled carriage, and a grinding/polishing head attached to the wheeled carriage. A motor is supported on the grinding/polishing head and drives one or more abrasive discs on the underside of the grinding/polishing head. The grinding/polishing head is mounted to the wheeled carriage with a two-axis mount, allowing fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head, as well as side-to-side pivoting of the grinding/polishing head relative to the wheeled carriage.
The specific techniques and structures employed to improve over the drawbacks of the prior devices and accomplish the advantages described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments and the appended drawings and claims.
It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters of the example embodiments described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be unnecessarily limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.
Generally described, the present invention relates to a floor grinding/polishing machine having a wheeled carriage, a handle attached to the carriage for controlling the wheeled carriage, and a grinding/polishing head attached to the wheeled carriage. A motor is supported on the grinding/polishing head and drives one or more abrasive discs on the underside of the grinding/polishing head. The grinding/polishing head is mounted to the wheeled carriage with a gimbal mount, allowing fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head, as well as side-to-side pivoting of the grinding/polishing head relative to the wheeled carriage. This allows the grinding/polishing head to better track the floor surface.
As used herein, the term grinding/polishing machine refers to machines used for grinding floor surfaces, machines used for polishing floor surfaces, or machines that do both. Similarly, the term grinding/polishing head refers to a head for grinding, to a head for a polishing, or a head for a grinding and/or polishing.
In example forms, a hand grip 26 is provided near the handle 25 for grasping and controlling the grinding/polishing machine 10. Optionally, a skirt 32 is provided along the periphery of the polishing head 30 for containing contents or debris that may be present and/or created during grinding and/or polishing.
The frame arms 24 of the wheeled carriage 20 mount to the grinding/polishing head with a gimbal mount 50, allowing fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head (about a pivot axis A), as well as side-to-side pivoting of the grinding/polishing head relative to the wheeled carriage 20 (about a pivot axis B). As such, the gimbal mount 50 allows the grinding/polishing head 30 to remain level with the floor surface independent of the orientation of the carriage wheels 23a, 23b. Thus, the grinding/polishing head reacts to and tracks the local orientation of the floor directly under the grinding/polishing head allowing for a better and more effective job of grinding and/or polishing.
Further, the first and second U-shaped members 52, 54 comprise pivots 64, 66 that are generally coaligned to define a longitudinal pivot axis B. In example forms, the pivot axis A is generally perpendicular relative to the pivot axis B. Preferably, the gimbal mount 50 may be formed and shaped as desired, for example, diamond-shaped, hexagonal-shaped or otherwise shaped as desired such that the pivots 60, 62, 64, 66 coalign to define the pivot axes A, B, respectively.
The pivots 64, 66 of the first and second U-shaped members 52, 54 pivotally mount to fore and aft lugs 34, 35 (see
Described another way, the present invention comprises a floor grinding and/or polishing machine having a wheeled carriage, a handle attached to the carriage for controlling the wheeled carriage, and a grinding/polishing head attached to the wheeled carriage. A motor is supported on the grinding/polishing head for driving at least one abrasive disc on the underside of the grinding/polishing head. A multi-axis mount is provided for mounting the grinding/polishing head to the wheeled carriage, allowing fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head, as well as side-to-side pivoting of the head relative to the wheeled carriage. Preferably, the multi-axis mount is in the form of a gimbal mount including a hoop-like gimbal frame, a first pair of pivot pins pivotally securing the hoop-like gimbal frame to the wheeled carriage and a second pair of pivot pins pivotally securing the hoop-like gimbal frame to the grinding/polishing head. Optionally, the hoop-like gimbal frame includes a first U-shaped portion and a second U-shaped portion removably bolted to the first U-shaped portion.
While the claimed invention has been shown and described in example forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. A floor grinding and/or polishing machine comprising:
- a wheeled carriage;
- a handle attached to the carriage for controlling the wheeled carriage;
- a grinding/polishing head;
- a motor supported on the grinding/polishing head; and
- a gimbal mount movably connecting the grinding/polishing head to the wheeled carriage and allowing both fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head relative to the wheeled carriage and side-to-side pivoting of the grinding/polishing head relative to the wheeled carriage.
2. The floor grinding and/or polishing machine of claim 1, wherein the gimbal mount includes a hoop-like gimbal frame, a first pair of pivot pins pivotally securing the hoop-like gimbal frame to the wheeled carriage and a second pair of pivot pins pivotally securing the hoop-like gimbal frame to the grinding/polishing head.
3. The floor polishing machine of claim 2, wherein the hoop-like gimbal frame includes a first U-shaped portion and a second U-shaped portion removably bolted to the first U-shaped portion.
4. A floor polishing machine comprising:
- a wheeled carriage;
- a handle attached to the carriage for controlling the wheeled carriage;
- a grinding/polishing head attached to the wheeled carriage;
- a motor supported on the polishing head for driving at least one abrasive disc on the underside of the polishing head; and
- a multi-axis mount for mounting the grinding/polishing head to the wheeled carriage, allowing fore-and-aft pivoting of the grinding/polishing head, as well as side-to-side pivoting of the grinding/polishing head relative to the wheeled carriage.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 13, 2013
Publication Date: Aug 14, 2014
Inventors: Georgi Popov (Braselton, GA), Miroslav Popov (Braselton, GA)
Application Number: 13/766,491