Importance

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Abstract

A floor care machine such as a burnisher may operate in a manual or automatic mode for controlling the operating pressure of the working unit, such as a brush or pad. The illustrated machine has a motor and pad driver assembly mounted for height adjustment by an actuator. In the automatic mode, a transducer senses motor current (i.e., load) and generates a signal representative of the actual operating pressure exerted by the pad on the floor. A microprocessor-based controller controls the actuator to adjust the height of the pad relative to the floor, and thus adjusts the pad pressure on the floor, according to a setting selected by the operator. The controller is programmed to reduce the effect of 'hunting' by entering a Lock Mode after operation has achieved predetermined conditions. System operation remains in the Lock Mode as long as other criteria are met, and operation returns to a Hunt Mode if these other criteria are not met. The operator may enter data into the controller to adjust the sensitivity of the system in the Hunt Mode and the Lock Mode for different applications or floor conditions.

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First Claim