Patent Application
20170333950
The invention relates to a sieve cleaner for cleaning a sieving surface of a sieving tray, said sieving tray containing the sieving surface and a sieve bottom. A sieve cleaner of this kind may, in particular, be configured to clean a sieving surface of a sieving tray of a plan sifter. Furthermore, the invention relates to a sieve unit and a method for upgrading or modifying a sieving tray.
Movable sieve cleaners which can be placed on a sieve bottom of a sieving tray and with the help of which a sieving surface of the sieving tray can be cleaned are known per se. Sieves of this kind are stackable and can be arranged as sieve stacks in plan sifters, for example, in order to separate or sift granular to floury products into different fractions and qualities. The sieve cleaners in this case absorb the vibrating movements of the plan sifter and the sieving trays and, as a result of this, are moved around randomly on the sieve bottom, wherein they repeatedly rebound against the sieve frame.
Generic sieve cleaners are known from EP 0 694 341 B1, for example. These sieve cleaners contain a wobble foot which extends along a neutral axis of the sieve cleaner and is configured in such a manner that it can be placed on the sieve bottom and the sieve cleaner can be tilted about the wobble foot. The movement is influenced by inertia, the sliding friction between the wobble foot and the sieve bottom and by the asymmetric structure of the sieve cleaner. The actual cleaning action is achieved by rounded burls or brushes which, due to the wobbling movement of the sieve cleaner, strike the sieving surface and/or slide along it. In this case, brushes tend to be used for finer sieving surfaces with mesh widths in the region of 85 to 250 μm, for example, and burls for coarser sieving surfaces with mesh widths of 250 μm or more, for example. Similar sieve cleaners, in which the cleaning is performed by burls or brushes striking the sieving surface, are also disclosed in DE 10 2006 005 970 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,339 A, DE 36 40 569 A1, DE 24 11 455 A1, DE 29 52 215 A1, DE 79 36 430 U1, DE 90 15 461 U1, DE 86 31 814 U1, EP 0 536 803 B1, EP 2 465 616 A1, WO 99/28053 A1, DE 1 507 747 A1, DE 873 345 C, U.S. Pat. No. 2,086,199 and DE 164924.
All these sieve cleaners known in the art have certain disadvantages, however. The bristles of the brushes can fall out in time due to mechanical stresses, something that is unacceptable from a hygienic standpoint—particularly when the sieving cleaners are used in plan sifters in which foodstuffs such as grain or milled grain products, for example, are sifted. It has been shown that sieve cleaners with burls have a tendency to smear the product layer adhered to the sieve surface even further rather than removing it. Furthermore, many of the known sieve cleaners have proved not to be particularly efficient, as they only clean the sieve surface to an inadequate extent.
More compact sieve cleaners are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,925,447 and WO 2010/045284 A1. These sieve cleaners are made up of simple geometric figures such as balls, cylinders and polyhedrons. Tests involving at least similar sieve cleaners have shown, however, that they tend to cause a blockage in the sieving surface.
In view of the disadvantages of the state of the art, a problem addressed by the present invention is that of providing an improved and/or alternative sieve cleaner. In particular, the sieve cleaner should clean the sieving surface as efficiently as possible, without damaging the sieve cleaner or the sieve frame, wherein the hygiene requirements in terms of food processing should also be met.
As part of costly and extensive test series, a plurality of very different forms of possible sieve cleaners was tested to see if they met the above requirements. For example, sieve cleaners with silicone cloths or with aluminum pins instead or burls or brushes were used, eccentric focal points were produced, the elastic properties were varied, influences of the dimensions and the ratios thereof were evaluated, etc. As these test series revealed, the sieve cleaners described and claimed below have proved to be particularly advantageous.
The aforementioned problems are therefore solved by a sieve cleaner in a first aspect of the invention. This sieve cleaner is designed for cleaning a sieving surface of a sieving tray, said sieving tray containing the sieving surface and a sieve bottom. The sieving surface may be a sieve fabric, for example. The sieve cleaner may be designed to clean a sieving surface such as a sieve fabric, a sieving tray of a plan sifter, for example. The sieve cleaner contains a wobble foot which extends along a main axis of the sieve cleaner and is configured in such a manner that it can be placed on the sieve bottom and the sieve cleaner can be tilted around about this wobble foot. The aforementioned main axis may, for example, be a neutral axis of the sieve cleaner. Furthermore, the sieve cleaner contains at least one cleaning element with a cleaning region, wherein the, or each, cleaning region has a plurality of cleaning surfaces for cleaning the sieving surface.
According to the invention, the cleaning surfaces are each designed for an at least linear contact with the sieving surface and separated from one another by slots formed in the cleaning region.
Linear contact in this case and in the following should be taken to mean one-dimensional contact—by contrast with punctiform, so zero-dimensional, contact, which exists between a rounded burl or bristle ends known from the state of the art and a planar sieve surface. The expression “at least linear” in this case also includes planar, so two-dimensional, contact.
The at least linear contact leads to the cleaning surfaces during rotation about the main axis of the sieve cleaner sweeping over a planar, in other words two-dimensional, region of the sieving surface. In this way, a substantial proportion of the cleaning is achieved by wiping the fine material from the sieving surface which has passed through said surface. Tapping, such as that mainly caused by the burls known from the state of the art, can therefore be more or less disregarded. Consequently, the damage to the sieving surface that accompanies this tapping is also reduced. The slots formed in this case between the cleaning surfaces ensure that some of the fine material is able to pass through these slots. The fine material in the cleaning regions is thereby prevented from simply being wiped into the sieving surface or the sieving surface is prevented from being pushed away from the sieve cleaner due to the fine material which is accumulating. All in all, therefore, the sieve cleaners according to the invention have the advantage that they can clean the sieving surface at least as well or even more efficiently than the state-of-the-art versions. This advantage also applies to sieving surfaces, in particular sieve fabrics, with relatively small mesh widths, for which sieve cleaners with bristles are used in the state of the art, in particular, therefore, for sieving surfaces with mesh widths of less than 250 μm, preferably of less than 180 μm, more preferably of less than 150 μm, even more preferably of less than 125 μm and particularly preferably of less than 90 μm.
The wobble foot may be rounded, as a result of which tilting is simpler and the freedom of movement of the sieve cleaner can be increased. The cleaning region preferably contains no brushes. Consequently, since no bristles can be pulled out the sieve cleaner is able to meet hygiene requirements.
The slots preferably extend in a slot direction which forms an angle with a radial direction in respect of the main axis which is in the region of 0° to 90°, preferably of 30° to 60°, and particularly preferably of 40° to 50°, and quite particularly preferably is 45°. Angles of this kind ensure that there are more wiping edges which are particularly useful in different movement directions.
Where there is rotation about the main axis, the cleaning surfaces sweep over an imaginary cleaning line in each case, in a radial direction in respect of the main axis. The ratio of the radial spacing of two adjacent cleaning lines and the radial length of the cleaning lines preferably lies in the region of 50% and 100%, particularly preferably of 90% and 95%.
Alternatively, it is also conceivable and falls within the framework of the invention for the cleaning lines of the individual cleaning surfaces to be directly joined to one another or even overlap one another.
The cleaning elements, in particular the preferred cleaning arms explained further down, may exhibit a height parallel to the main axis and the slots may exhibit a depth parallel to the main axis. The ratio between the depth of the slots and the height of the cleaning elements, in particular the cleaning arms, is preferably greater than 0% and smaller than, or equal to, 20%; the ratio is preferably roughly 10%. The greater this ratio, the smaller the sliding friction between the sieve cleaner and sieving surface and the accumulation of fine material at a given height of the cleaning elements and the smaller the risk of the sieve cleaner breaking down. Excessively high ratios, on the other hand, would result in an excessively large amount of fine material accumulating in the slots.
The slots of one and the same cleaning element preferably run parallel to one another.
The sieve cleaner particularly advantageously has a center region containing the main axis with an upper side opposite the wobble foot which is recessed in respect of the cleaning surfaces in such a manner that it cannot be brought into contact with the sieving surface, in particular it cannot be brought into contact with a substantially planar sieving surface. In particular, the aforementioned upper side does not therefore form a cleaning surface for cleaning the sieving surface. Cleaning surfaces present on the upper side of the center region which were not recessed in respect of the cleaning surfaces of the cleaning elements would cause said cleaning surfaces to come into contact with the sieving surface, even with the sieve cleaner in the untilted state. This would cause the sieve cleaner to slow down or even jam between the sieve bottom and the sieving surface.
The sieve cleaner preferably contains at least three cleaning elements, in particular at least three cleaning arms, as described in detail below. In this embodiment, each of the at least three cleaning arms is provided with a cleaning region, wherein each cleaning region has a plurality of cleaning surfaces for cleaning the sieving surface. The cleaning surfaces are arranged and configured in such a manner that when the sieving tray is inoperative (so particularly in the absence of movements of the sieving tray which support sieving) and when the sieving surface is tightly stretched, the cleaning surfaces of at least two of the cleaning elements, but not the cleaning surfaces of all cleaning elements, are in contact or can be brought into contact with the sieving surface simultaneously, wherein in this case substantially all cleaning surfaces of these cleaning elements are in contact or can be brought into contact with the sieving surface.
In other words, it is not possible for all cleaning elements to be brought into contact with the sieving surface simultaneously. Instead of this, the wobbling movement of the sieve cleaner means that the cleaning surfaces of different cleaning elements repeatedly come into contact with the sieving surface. The slots of the cleaning elements which are not in contact with the sieving surface in each case are each able to be emptied. If, for example, the sieve cleaner contains exactly three cleaning elements, when the sieving tray is at a standstill and the sieving surface is tightly stretched, precisely two cleaning elements are simultaneously in contact with the sieving surface.
If the cleaning surfaces of two or more cleaning elements are simultaneously in contact with the sieving surface, substantially all cleaning surfaces of these cleaning elements are in contact with the sieving surface. In this case “substantially all” means that at least 50%, preferably at least 70%, further preferably at least 90%, and particularly preferably all cleaning surfaces of the aforementioned two cleaning elements are in contact with the sieving surface. In this embodiment it is therefore impossible, for example, for two cleaning elements only to have a single cleaning surface in contact with the sieving surface. In this way, contact with the sieving surface and therefore also the cleaning effect is increased.
The sieve cleaner is advantageously produced from a sufficiently elastic material. For this purpose, it has proved favorable for the sieve cleaner to be produced from a comparatively soft polyurethane, such as Elastollan®, for example, which is available from BASF. Elastollan® is also permitted for the processing of foodstuffs such as grain or milled grain products. Elastic materials have, among other things, the advantage that a sieve frame of the sieving tray is less damaged by the jolting of the sieve cleaner. The sieve cleaners according to the invention can be produced by injection molding, for example.
Likewise, the sieve cleaner advantageously exhibits an odd number of cleaning elements, in particular cleaning arms. In this case, the aforementioned number is preferably at least three and particularly preferably exactly three. Likewise preferably, the cleaning elements are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. This design is particularly simple and allows an advantageous compromise to be reached between the cleaning action and the free space formed between the cleaning elements, in particular the cleaning arms.
Likewise, it is particularly advantageous for the cleaning element(s) to be configured as (a) cleaning arm(s) which extend(s) from a center region of the sieve cleaner containing the main axis radially outwards. This also contributes to the aforementioned advantageous compromise.
It is likewise preferable for the cleaning surfaces to be arranged in a single row along the cleaning arms. In this way, a sufficiently low sliding friction between the sieve cleaner and sieving surface is likewise achieved, which prevents the slots from becoming clogged with fine material and also prevents the sieve cleaner from being inoperative.
The cleaning arms may exhibit a length falling within the region of 5 to 15 cm, preferably of 6.5 to 7.5 cm. Furthermore, the cleaning regions preferably exhibit a radial length, wherein the ratio of this radial length to the length of the cleaning arms lies in the region of 50 to 100%, and is preferably roughly 85%.
At the outer ends of the cleaning elements, in particular of the cleaning arms, impact protection may be arranged. The risk of the cleaning surfaces wearing out due to contact with the sieve frame can thereby be reduced. The impact protection may take the shape of reinforcements of the cleaning elements, for example, in a plane running perpendicularly to the main axis.
In order to remove from the sieving tray the fine material that has been removed from the sieving surface with the help of the cleaning elements, the sieve cleaner may exhibit at least one clearer for clearing out fine material found on the sieve bottom through a clearing opening formed in a sieve frame of the sieving tray. Advantageously, a clearing opening of this kind is arranged at the end of a cleaning arm.
The sieve cleaner is preferably of one-piece configuration. This makes it easier to produce and, furthermore, reduces the risk of individual components being lost.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a sieve unit. This contains at least one sieving tray with a sieve bottom and a sieving surface, in particular a sieve fabric, and also at least one sieve cleaner which can be placed or is placed on the sieve bottom.
The sieve cleaner of the sieve unit according to the invention has at least three cleaning elements, in particular three cleaning arms, each having a respective cleaning region, wherein each cleaning region has a plurality of cleaning surfaces for cleaning the sieving surface. In this case, the cleaning surfaces are arranged and configured in such a manner that when the sieving tray comes to a standstill (so in particular in the absence of movements of the sieving tray which support sieving) and when the sieving surface is tightly stretched, at least two of the cleaning elements, but not the cleaning surfaces of all cleaning elements, are in contact or can be brought into contact with the sieving surface simultaneously, wherein substantially all cleaning surfaces of these cleaning elements are in contact or can be brought into contact with the sieving surface.
This and other advantages can be achieved in that the sieve cleaner has at least three cleaning elements and the sieve cleaner and the sieving tray are configured and adjusted to one another in such a manner that when the sieving tray is at a standstill (so particularly in the absence of movements by the sieving tray which support sieving), when the sieving surface is correctly clamped and when the wobble foot is placed on the sieve bottom, the cleaning surfaces of all cleaning elements exhibit a spacing of less than 5 mm, preferably of less than 3 mm, particularly preferably of less than 1.4 mm, from the sieving surface. Due to this small maximum spacing from the sieving surface, the speed component perpendicular to the sieving surface, so in particular the vertical speed component at which the cleaning surfaces encounter the sieving surface when the sieve cleaner tilts around the wobble foot, is limited.
As already explained above, efficient cleaning of the sieving surface is also possible when the mesh width of the sieving surface, particularly of the sieve fabric, is smaller than 250 μm, preferably smaller than 180 μm, further preferably smaller than 150 μm, even further preferably smaller than 125 μm, and particularly preferably smaller than 90 μm.
Finally, a further aspect of the invention relates to a method of upgrading or modifying a sieving tray. In this method, a sieve cleaner according to the invention is placed on a sieve bottom of the sieving tray in such a manner that a sieve unit of the kind described above is formed.
The invention is explained in greater detail below with the help of a plurality of exemplary embodiments and drawings. In these
The first embodiment of the sieve cleaner 1′ shown in
From a center region 10′ of the sieve cleaner 1′ extend three cleaning elements configured as cleaning arms 6′ which are distributed uniformly about the neutral axis A′ in the circumferential direction. Each of the cleaning arms 6′ contains a cleaning region 7′ in each case. Each of the cleaning regions 7′ has a plurality of rectangular cleaning surfaces 8′ which run perpendicularly to the neutral axis A′ and are each configured for planar contact with a sieve surface not depicted here (see
There are also cleaning regions 18′ in each case in the region between two of the cleaning arms 6′, in other words in the center region 10′ of the sieve cleaner 1′. In addition, the center region 10′ contains three openings 19′ through which fine material can pass. When the sieving tray is at a standstill and the sieving surface is tightly stretched, the cleaning surfaces 8′ of exactly two of the cleaning arms 6′ can always be brought into contact simultaneously with the sieving surface, wherein in this case substantially all cleaning surfaces 8′ of these two cleaning arms 6′ can be brought into contact with the sieving surface.
The second sieve cleaner 1″ according to the invention shown in
Unlike the exemplary embodiments depicted in
This is explained in greater detail with the help of
In
Unlike the sieve cleaner 1′″ according to
According to
Finally, a sieve unit is shown in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14190278.3 | Oct 2014 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2015/074535 | 10/22/2015 | WO | 00 |
