Patent Application
20140102477
Automated container filling systems, such as, for example, those used to fill containers with powdered products (e.g., infant formula), often generate and/or are exposed to dirt, debris, product residue, and other contaminants that can adhere to the outer surfaces of the container. These contaminants may affect adhesion of labels to the containers, and may affect product cleanliness. Known methods for removing such contaminants include the application of pressurized air or vacuum suction, or the placement of bristle brushes along the conveyor line to brush contaminants from a container as the container is conveyed through the system.
The present application discloses exemplary embodiments of apparatuses, systems, and methods for cleaning an article, such as, for example, a container. In one embodiment, a cleaning apparatus includes a drive member that is powered to impart a forward motive force on the article and a wiper member that is powered to impart a wiping force on the article.
Accordingly, in an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for cleaning an article includes a drive belt and a wiper belt. The drive belt defines a first article engaging surface substantially parallel to a second article engaging surface of the apparatus and positioned to receive the article between the first and second article engaging surfaces. The drive belt is powered to move in a first direction such that the first article engaging surface imparts a forward motive force on a side wall of the article. The wiper belt defines an article wiping surface positioned to contact the article, the wiper belt being powered to move in a second direction opposite the first direction such that the first article wiping surface imparts a rearward wiping force on the article.
In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for cleaning an article includes a means for imparting a forward motive force on the article and a wiper belt. The wiper belt defines an article wiping surface and includes a plurality of flexible projections formed with the first wiper belt as an integral elastomeric component. The plurality of flexible projections are sized and positioned to impart a wiping force on the article when the wiper belt is moved with respect to the article.
In an exemplary method of cleaning an article, an article is received between first and second opposed article engaging surfaces. At least the first article engaging surface is moved to impart a forward motive force on a side wall of the article. The article is contacted with a first article wiping surface disposed on a first wiper belt. The first wiper belt is moved such that the first article wiping surface imparts a rearward wiping force on the article.
Further features and advantages will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains from a reading of the following description together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
This Description merely describes exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as claimed is broader than and unlimited by the exemplary embodiments, and the terms used in the claims have their full ordinary meaning.
As described herein, when one or more components are described as being connected, joined, affixed, coupled, attached, or otherwise interconnected, such interconnection may be direct as between the components (including being integrally formed with each other) or may be indirect such as through the use of one or more intermediary components. Also as described herein, reference to a “member,” “component,” or “portion” shall not be limited to a single structural member, component, or element but can include an assembly of components, members or elements.
According to one aspect of the present application, a cleaning apparatus is provided for cleaning one or more articles conveyed through an automated system (for example, an automated manufacturing, assembly, filling, and/or packaging system). In an exemplary embodiment, a drive member (e.g., a belt, chain, screw auger, rollers) applies a forward motive force to an article to bring the article into contact with an article wiping surface of a wiper member (e.g., a belt, pad, sheet, plate, drum, etc.). The article wiping surface imparts a wiping force on the article to clean the article as the article is conveyed in a forward direction by the drive member.
In one such exemplary embodiment, as shown in the schematic illustration of
In another exemplary embodiment, a cleaning apparatus may be configured to rotate an article conveyed through the apparatus, thereby increasing surface contact between the wiper member and the article and/or increasing the wiping force and cleaning effectiveness on the contacted portion of the article.
While the article A2 may remain stationary in the cleaning apparatus 20 during a cleaning operation (e.g., with the drive member only applying a rotational force to the article), the drive member may be configured to apply both a forward rotational force and a forward motive force on the article A2 to facilitate movement of the article A2 through the apparatus while cleaning. This may be facilitated by providing a second article engaging surface 27 opposite the article engaging surface 23 on the drive member 22 and positioned to receive the article A2 therebetween in close fit, contacting, or gripping engagement, such that the article A2 may rotate or roll against the article engaging surfaces 23, 27 in the forward direction.
In another exemplary embodiment, as schematically shown in
The second article engaging surface 37 may be provided on a stationary member (e.g., a plate, rail, pad, etc.) to merely provide close fit, contacting, or gripping engagement between the first and second article engaging surfaces 33, 37 and the article A3. In another exemplary embodiment, the second article engaging surface 37 may be provided on a second drive member 36 (e.g., a belt, chain, screw auger, or rollers) that is powered to apply an additional forward rotational force on the article (e.g., by moving the second article engaging surface 37 in the forward direction). In one such example, the second article engaging surface 37 is moved in the forward direction at a slower rate than the first article engaging surface 33 is moved in the forward direction, such that a net forward rotational force is imparted on the article A3 by the first and second article engaging surfaces 33, 37. In still another exemplary embodiment, the second article engaging surface may be provided on a second drive member that is powered to apply an additional forward rotational force on the article (e.g., by moving the second article engaging surface 37 in the rearward direction). In one such example, the second article engaging surface 37 is moved in the rearward direction at a slower rate than the first article engaging surface 33 is moved in the forward direction, such that a net forward motive force is imparted on the article A3 by the first and second article engaging surfaces 33, 37.
While the wiper member may be a stationary component, in the illustrated example, the wiper member 34 is powered to move such that the article wiping surface 35 imparts a rearward wiping force on the contacted portion C3 of the article A3, against the forward rotational and/or forward translational movement of the article A3. To effect such rearward movement of the article wiping surface 35, the wiper member 34 may include any suitable configuration, including, for example, belts, rails, pads, drums, and rollers.
As used herein, a drive member or wiper member may be powered by any suitable mechanical, electrical, electromechanical, magnetic, pneumatic, hydraulic, or other such means. In one such example, a continuous belt (e.g., drive belt or wiper belt) may be powered by a motor-driven pulley arrangement.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a cleaning apparatus includes one or more drive belts for imparting forward motive forces and forward rotational forces on an article conveyed to the apparatus, and one or more wiper belts for imparting wiping forces on the article and against one or both of the forward motive forces and forward rotational forces.
A cleaning apparatus may be supported or otherwise position using a variety of suitable structures. In the illustrated embodiment, the exemplary cleaning apparatus 100 includes a support frame 105 with adjustable support feet 105a configured to elevate the apparatus for alignment with other stations in an automated processing line. Covers 111, 141 may optionally be provided with the first and second side assemblies 110, 140 to protect the belts and other internal components and to protect users from inadvertent contact with the moving belts, while still permitting easy access to these components for maintenance or other adjustments. The covers 111, 141 may optionally be fitted to the side assemblies for sliding engagement, with handles 111a, 141a facilitating removal of the covers. The covers may include windows or clear panels 111b, 141b to allow for observation of the internal components while the covers remain installed. Additionally, the apparatus frame may be provided with electromechanical or electromagnetic sensors or switches configured to disable the apparatus when a cover is removed from the side assembly.
The sides of an article receiving passage in a cleaning apparatus may be defined by one or more drive belts and one or more wiper belts, as described above. In the illustrated example, the first side assembly 110 includes a first drive belt 112 interposed between first and second wiper belts 114, 118, with a first article engaging surface 113 (
The drive belts 112, 142, 146 and wiper belts 114, 118, 144 may be powered by any suitable configuration. In the illustrated example, the first and second side assemblies 110, 140 include motor driven pulleys that power the drive belts and wiper belts. Other configurations for powering the belts may occur to those skilled in the art may additionally or alternatively be employed. In the first side assembly 110, as shown in
In the second side assembly 140, as shown in
Wiper members for an article cleaning apparatus (e.g., the wiper belts 114, 118, 144, 174 of the cleaning apparatus of
Wiping elements on a wiper member may include one or more of many different shapes or structures, including, for example, nubs, cleats, fingers, nipples, cups, depressions, bosses, extrusions, ribs, holes, channels, or slots. These elements may be presented, for example, in repeating or random sequences. The wiper members may optionally be provided with holes or channels through which dust and debris can be vacuumed or blown with compressed air. The wiping elements may include different end shapes (e.g., flat, rounded, pointed, beveled, chamfered, cupped, flared, stepped, crowned, etc.). The wiper members may, for example, be formulated with anti-static material or other coating material to assist with the removal of dust and debris or to otherwise prevent powder from sticking to the wiper belts too readily. The wiper members may be formulated with an additive to attract dust or debris to facilitate removal from containers. The wiper member may be provided in the form of belts, pads, sheets, or plates, for example, wrapped around or inside a drum, cylinders, or spheres.
Wiping elements may be provided with varying lengths within the same structure (e.g., staggered fingers—short-tall-short-tall). The wiping elements may be angled (e.g., laid-back fingers). A combination of straight and angled wiping elements may be employed together (e.g., fingers alternating—angle-straight-angled-straight). The wiping elements may be provided in a range of sizes, lengths, or girths. The wiping elements may be provided in one or more of any suitable shape (circular profile, square profile, fins, triangular, and so-on).
Wiper belts may be formed in a variety of suitable configurations. In one embodiment, the wiper belt includes an inner, gear driven belt portion and an outer, wiper element carrying belt portion. In one example, the inner belt portion may be provided in a more durable material (e.g., urethane, natural rubber, Neoprene, nylon or other suitable belting, which may be reinforced, for example, with Kevlar, steel, aramid, fiberglass, or other suitable reinforcement) to withstand extended driven engagement with a gear driving mechanism, and the outer belt material may be provided in a more flexible material (e.g., FDA cast urethane, with a durometer of 50-65, or approximately 55) to facilitate effective wiping of the articles to be cleaned). The inner and outer belt portions may be cast together to ensure proper adhesion, or may be otherwise adhered together after manufacturing, such as by the use of an adhesive or fastener. In exemplary embodiments, as shown in
To provide sufficient wiping action, the projections 256, 266 may be sufficiently long and sufficiently thin to provide a gentle wiping action against the moving articles N. In one such example, elongated fin-shaped projections 255 (as shown in
In an exemplary cleaning operation using the illustrated cleaning apparatus 100, to provide for forward rotation and forward movement of the conveyed article N, the first drive belt 112 may be powered to move the first article engaging surface 113 in a forward direction to impart a forward motive force and a forward rotational force on the article N. To increase the net forward motive force (and the resulting velocity of the article N through the passage 101), while maintaining a net forward (albeit reduced) rotational force on the article N, the second and third drive belts 142, 146 may be powered to move the second and third article engaging surfaces 143, 147 in a forward direction at a slower speed than the forward movement of the first article engaging surface 113. To increase the net forward rotational force (and the resulting rotational velocity of the article N), while maintaining a net forward (albeit reduced) motive force on the article N, the second and third drive belts 142, 146 may be powered to move the second and third article engaging surfaces 143 in a rearward direction at a slower speed than the forward movement of the first article engaging surface 113. In an exemplary implementation of the illustrated apparatus 100, velocity and direction of movement of the drive belts 112, 142, 146 may be adjusted to provide the desired net forward motive and rotational forces on the conveyed articles N. In an exemplary cleaning process, the velocity and direction of movement of the drive belts are adjusted such that the article experiences at least one full rotation while the article is in contact with the wiper belts, to ensure that the entire circumferential surface of the article is engaged by the wiper belts as the article passes through the cleaning apparatus. In other embodiments, the article may rotate more than one full rotation (e.g., at least two rotations or more than two rotations). Similarly, the velocity and direction of movement of the drive belts may be adjusted such that the article experiences at least a predetermined multiple number of full rotations (e.g., two or more full rotations) while the article is in contact with the wiper belts for increased cleaning of the entire circumference of the article.
To provide for wiping of the conveyed article N opposite or against the movement of the contacted surface of the article, the first and second wiper belts 114, 118 may be powered to move the first and second article wiping surfaces 115, 119 in a rearward direction, against forward translational and forward rotational movement of a first contacted surface 51 of the article N. Where the forward rotational and forward translational movement of the conveyed article N results in a net forward movement of a second contacted surface S2 of the article (e.g., where translational velocity of the article is high and rotational velocity is low), the third wiper belt 144 may be powered to move the third article wiping surface 145 in a rearward direction, against the net forward movement of the second contacted surface S2. Where the forward rotational and forward translational movement of the conveyed article N results in a net rearward movement of the second contacted surface S2 of the article (e.g., wherein translational velocity of the article is low and rotational velocity is high), the third wiper belt 144 may be powered to move the third article wiping surface 145 in a forward direction, against the net rearward movement of the second contacted surface S2.
To clean surfaces of an article that extend transverse to drive member (e.g., drive belt) engaging surfaces, wiper members (e.g., wiper belts) may additionally or alternatively be configured to include article wiping surfaces that extend transverse to the article engaging surfaces of the drive belts and that are positioned to impart a wiping force on the transverse surface of the article. In the illustrated example, the cleaning apparatus 100 is provided with a lower assembly 170 extending between the first and second side assemblies 110, 140. The lower assembly 170, as shown in
To provide for wiping of the contacted transverse surface S3 of the conveyed article N opposite or against the forward movement of the transverse surface S3, the fourth wiper belt 174 may be powered to move the fourth article wiping surface 175 in a rearward direction, against forward translational movement of the transverse surface S3. While the fourth wiper belt 174 may be wide enough to extend across the entire transverse surface S3, when the article N is rotated as it is conveyed through the apparatus (by the drive belts, as described above, or by some other method), a wiper belt 174 that is narrower than the transverse surface S3 may be used to clean the entire transverse surface. Further, where the article N has a non-uniform end surface S3 (e.g., a can end with a raised rim), the wiper belt may be provided with narrower wiping projections (e.g., the finger-shaped projections 266 of
In operation, a wiper member may accumulate powder, dirt, and other contaminants that are removed from the cleaned articles and/or that settle onto the wiper member from the environment. Without periodic removal of such accumulated material from the wiper member, the wiper member may deposit some of these accumulated contaminants on the articles that the wiper member is intended to clean. According to an aspect of the present application, a cleaning apparatus may be configured such that an article wiping surface of the wiper member separates from the conveyed articles over a sufficient space and time during normal operation of the cleaning apparatus to permit performance of a wiper cleaning operation on the separated portion of the article wiping surface without shutting down the cleaning apparatus to clean the wiper member.
In an exemplary embodiment, a cleaning apparatus utilizing a continuous wiper belt includes a wiper cleaning assembly that cleans a return surface of the wiper belt, spaced apart from the article wiping surface and out of contact with the article, allowing the cleaning apparatus to remain in operation while the wiper belt is continuously cleaned, and minimizing or preventing re-contamination of the articles. Many different suitable cleaning assemblies may be utilized to clean the return side of the wiper belt, including, for example, one or more of a vacuum arrangement, a cleaning fluid (e.g., compressed gas, water, alcohol etc.) dispenser, and a belt agitating mechanism (e.g., ultrasonic treatment, vibration, beater bars, etc.). Other exemplary mechanisms involve ionization, steam, plasma treatment, and sterilization (e.g., UV light bombardment, peroxide treatment, high-temperature steam, alcohol, or ozone). In one such example, a cleaning apparatus is provided with a wiper belt cleaning assembly including an air knife configured to focus high pressure air on a return surface of a wiper belt to disperse powder and other contaminants from the return surface. The air knife may optionally discharge ionized air to facilitate cleaning. The wiper belt cleaning assembly may additionally include a vacuum mechanism configured to remove the dispersed contaminants from the apparatus.
In the illustrated embodiment of
Similarly, the second side assembly 140 is provided with a second wiper cleaning assembly 240 including an air knife 241 (
The lower assembly 170 may likewise be provided with a wiper cleaning assembly. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in
In an exemplary can cleaning process utilizing the exemplary article cleaning apparatus 100 of
While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventions may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, devices and components, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific invention. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated.
The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/495,469 entitled “CONTAINER CLEANING APPARATUS,” filed on Jun. 10, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US12/41506 | 6/8/2012 | WO | 00 | 12/5/2013 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61495469 | Jun 2011 | US |
