Patent Grant
9903052
The disclosed method and apparatus relates to an improvement to the current means of cleaning cotton lint. Specifically, the system described herein relates to an improved air ducting system that utilizes inertial energy to separate foreign material from cotton lint.
Machine harvested cotton contains undesirable foreign material primarily comprised of soil particles, plant parts, various types of “trash”, and other non-cotton materials. After harvesting, the unprocessed cotton (which includes commingled foreign material) is taken to a cotton gin for processing. One common device used for this process comprises a jet lint cleaner, which utilizes a high volume of air moving through a specialized ducting system at a high rate of speed. A sectional schematic of the conventional (prior art) jet cleaner 10, is shown in
Specifically, as shown in
Although conventional jet lint cleaners 10 are reasonably effective, they are generally inefficient. For example, in the conventional cleaner shown in
The need exists for a more efficient lint cleaning system. The system described herein enables a user to exert greater control over the supplemental air 20 entering the jet air cleaner 10. The system also enables a user to segregate the incoming supplemental 20 air from the foreign material 24 that is discharged from the system.
This disclosure is directed to a cotton processing system. The system is comprised of an incoming duct and an outgoing duct, with a foreign material discharge aperture positioned between the incoming duct and the outgoing duct. A supplemental air control vane is positioned adjacent the outgoing duct and the discharge aperture. The system is structured so that as an incoming airflow (which includes entrained cotton fibers and foreign material) flows from the incoming duct to the outgoing duct, the foreign material in the incoming airflow is ejected through the discharge aperture. Simultaneously, the supplemental air control vane controls a volume and a pathway of supplemental air entering the system through the discharge aperture.
This disclosure is further directed to a method of making a lint cleaning module. In accordance with the current method, an incoming air duct is connected to an outgoing air duct, with a foreign material discharge aperture positioned between the incoming duct and the outgoing duct. A supplemental air control vane is positioned adjacent to the discharge aperture. A supplemental air aperture is defined by the position of the supplemental air control vane. In operation, an incoming airflow flow with commingled cotton lint and foreign material is directed through the incoming duct. Foreign material in the incoming air flow is ejected out of the discharge duct and, simultaneously, the supplemental air control vane meters supplemental air into the system.
As generally shown in
Specifically, as best shown in
The negative pressure created by the suction in the outgoing duct 36 results in supplemental air (schematically shown as the arrow 40) being drawn into the outgoing duct 36. The incoming air stream 32 (comprising commingled lint and foreign materials) meets the supplemental air 40 at the discharge aperture 38. At the discharge aperture 38, the cleaned cotton lint (schematically shown as the arrow 42) turns upward into the outgoing duct 36, as the foreign material (schematically shown as the arrow 44) having higher density than the lint 42, is discharged through the discharge aperture 38.
However, as best shown in
As the supplemental air 40 flows through the supplemental air aperture 52 and then though the discharge aperture 38, the supplemental air creates a “high speed air curtain” at the discharge aperture 38. In the current air cleaner 30, the high speed air curtain deflects the discharged foreign materials 44 downwardly and away from the discharge aperture 38. The discharged foreign materials 44 are prevented from circulating around and contaminating the incoming supplemental air 40 by (among other things) the supplemental air vane 50.
For the purposes of this disclosure, a “high speed air curtain” comprises a supplemental air flow that has a flow velocity of at least 4,000 feet per minute and makes a change in direction (i.e. a turn) of greater than 90°, as schematically illustrated by the path of the supplemental air 40 in shown in
Essentially, in operation, the current lint cleaner 30 is similar to a conventional jet lint cleaner 10, however the current system 30 further comprises a supplemental air control vane 50. The supplemental air control vane 50 comprises a control surface that creates a high speed air curtain. In the preferred embodiment, the supplemental air control vane 50 changes position to control the volume and/or pathway of supplemental air 40 entering a system through the discharge aperture 38.
For the purposes of this disclosure, an “air control vane” comprises a variable control surface that controls an amount and a pathway of supplemental air entering a system. The position of the supplemental air control vane 50 also segregates the incoming supplemental air 40 source from the outgoing foreign materials 44, and thereby prevents contamination of the incoming supplemental air 40.
In the preferred embodiment, the size of the supplemental air aperture 52 is self-adjusting. Specifically, the air control vane 50 may be comprised of a semi-rigid material so that when the negative pressure (i.e. the suction) in the outgoing duct 36 reaches a threshold value, the air control vane 50 bends or otherwise deforms to increase the size of the supplemental air aperture 52, and thereby enables a greater volume of supplemental air 40 to enter the outgoing air duct 36.
In alternative embodiments, the size of the supplemental air aperture 52 may simply be manually adjusted by repositioning the air control vane 50 or by extending or retracting a portion (or all) of the air control vane 50 to effectively lengthen/shorten the air control vane 50 and thereby increase/decrease the size of the supplemental air aperture 52. Alternatively, the position of the upper portion of the outgoing duct 36 may be adjusted to effectively increase/decrease the size of the supplemental air aperture 52.
In further alternative embodiments, the size and position of the air control vane 50 may be mechanically or electrically controlled via a control system 54 shown schematically in
In further alternative embodiments, the size of the supplemental air aperture 52 may be electronically controlled by an electrical solenoid, or an electrical and/or hydraulic motor controlling a screw-type drive, or by any motive means known in the art. The size of the supplemental air aperture 52 may also be varied as a part of a larger computer controlled system. A more comprehensive electronic control system includes an array of sensors and also controls the size of the discharge aperture 38 and the negative pressure present in the outgoing duct 36, and thereby optimizes the performance of the overall system.
Although
Additionally, as best shown in
By contrast, prior art cleaning processes that are used to produce similarly cleaned lint, frequently use multiple interlocking combs or continuously rotating saw cylinders which scrub fibers against sharpened stationary grid bars as a means of removing the foreign material from the cotton lint. Although these techniques effectively remove the foreign material, the cleaning mechanisms break some lint fibers so that only relatively short fibers remain after the cleaning process. The ability to produce clean long lint fibers is an important advantage of the current technology.
Further, the compact, modular construction of the current lint cleaners enables 30 an operator to quickly remove and replace any malfunctioning cleaner stage with minimal down time. The individual modular stages/cleaners are also easier to trouble-shoot and simpler to repair than non-modular systems with more complex and interconnected mechanisms. The current individual stages/cleaners have variable adjustment mechanisms, but essentially no continuously moving parts and therefore exhibit very little wear over time. Additionally, the current cleaners 30 offer improved worker safety relative to saw/grid or comb type cleaners due to the lack of continuously moving (frequently sharp) components. Unlike the prior art saw and comb-type cleaners, the lint cleaner described herein requires no sharpening, lubrication, or synchronization with cooperating components.
For at least the foregoing reasons, it is clear that the method and apparatus described herein provides an innovative air cleaner that may be used in cotton processing operations. The air cleaner may be modified in multiple ways and applied in various technological applications. The disclosed method and apparatus may be modified and customized as required by a specific operation or application, and the individual components may be modified and defined, as required, to achieve the desired result.
Although the materials of construction are not described, they may include a variety of compositions consistent with the function described herein. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160305046 A1 | Oct 2016 | US |
