GB2132176A

GB2132176A - Cleaning apparatus for tub- shaped containers

Info

Publication number: GB2132176A
Application number: GB08333303A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Walter Welledits
Original assignee: Salm O and Co GmbH
Current assignee: Salm O and Co GmbH
Priority date: 1982-12-22
Filing date: 1983-12-14
Publication date: 1984-07-04
Also published as: AT383056B; GB2132176B; GB8333303D0; DE3345374A1; ATA463682A

Abstract

Cleaning apparatus for tub- shaped containers to hold goods such as foodstuffs, production engineering components, empty barrels et cetera, has a guide track (3) passing through a liquid bath, devices to convey the containers along the guide track through the liquid bath, and spraying devices (30, 31). The guide track (3) is passed into, through and out of the cleaning bath (2) in the form of a loop or at least of a coil with an approximately horizontally oriented loop axis or coil axis. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cleaning apparatus for tub-shaped containers The invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for tub-shaped containers to hold goods such as foodstuffs, production engineering components, empty barrels et cetera, with a guide track passing through a liquid bath, devices to convey the containers along the guide track through the liquid bath, and with spraying devices.

Known apparatuses of this type comprise a tank to hold a liquid bath and a guide track passing through the tank and the liquid bath, along which the containers to be cleaned are passed through the liquid by means of conveyor devices. In these known apparatuses the guide track extends from one side of the tank approximately horizontally into the latter, whereupon it extends downwards in an arc into the cleaning bath, and after a further arc, approximately horizontally through the cleaning bath. Next follows an upward arc, whereby it leaves the cleaning bath, and a further arc whereby it extends horizontally once more.

In front of the tank and/or behind the tank, devices for spraying the coarse dirt and/or devices to removeXresidues of cleaning liquid from the containers and/or drying devices are associated with the guide track. Preferably a heating device is provided in the cleaning bath whereby the latter can be raised to desired temperatures. Further preferably an ultrasonic vibrator device is provided in the cleaning bath, whereby the chemical cleaning process performed by the cleaning bath can be supported mechanically.

Irrespectively of these measures, the capacity of such a cleaning apparatus is decisively a function of the dwell time of the tub-shaped containers in the cleaning bath. The dwell time is directly proportional to the length of the guide track and inversely proportional to the speed at which the containers are passed along the guide track through the cleaning bath. Thus it is only possible to increase the capacity of such a cleaning apparatus by increasing the length of the guide track through the cleaning liquid, in which case an equal dwell time is then obtained despite an increased conveying speed through the cleaning bath. However, this means that in order to increase the capacity of such installations, their length has to be increased. This however is frequently impossible and/or undesirable due to structural considerations.

It is therefore the underlying aim of the invention to produce a cleaning apparatus for tub-shaped containers, the capacity of which is substantially increased compared to known apparatuses, without thereby causing increased space requirements. This is achieved according to the invention in that the guide track is passed into, through and out of the cleaning bath in the form of a loop or at least of a coil with an approximately horizontally oriented loop axis or coil axis.

Preferably the guide track extends from above a lateral surface of the tank to accommodate the cleaning bath, above the cleaning bath, then in a downwardly curved arc into the latter, then through the latter and after this in an upwardly curved arc out of the same. It may then, adjacently to the upwardly curved arc, extend past above the cleaning bath and extend out of the region of the cleaning tank above the lateral face opposite the first lateral face.

According to further preferred features, spraying devices are associated with the regions of the guide track located over the cleaning tank, whilst discharge surfaces arranged beneath the guide track and above the cleaning bath may be provided.

The object of the invention is described more fully below with reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 shows an apparatus according to the application diagrammatically in side elevation, Fig. 1a shows a detail on a larger scale, Fig. 2 shows a section along the line ll-ll in Fig. 1 and Figs. 3 to 5 show diagrammatic views of the apparatus according to the invention with associated devices for conveying and/or discharging the tub-shaped containers.

As Fig. 1 shows clearly, an apparatus according to the application exhibits a tank 1 to hold a cleaning liquid 2. Within the tank 1 is a guide track 3 which is formed by a plurality of rails 4 extending approximately parallel.

The guide track 3 consists of an approximately straight section 3a, which penetrates the tank 1 in the region of the right-hand side wall in the drawing, which is adjoined in the left-hand end region of the tank 1 by an approximately semicircularly curved section 3b which merges into a straight section 3c located in the cleaning bath 2. This section 3c is adjoined by an again approximately semicircularly curved section 3d which leads out of the cleaning bath 2 and which merges in the form of a coil or of a screwthread into a section 3e which lies approximately parallel to the section 3a. This section 3e of the guide track 3 leads out of the tank 1 at its left-hand side wall.

A plurality of conveyor devices which are associated with the guide track 3 are formed by belts, chains et cetera, from which movable dogs, hooks, pins, et cetera movable along the guide track 3 serve to convey the tubs 5. Of these, a first approximately plane conveyor device 6, which is associated with the section 3a of the guide track 3, is formed by a continuous conveyor element 8 guided over rollers 7, from which pin 9 project out wards. In the region of the transition from the section 3b into the section 3c, and further in the region of the section 3d of the guide track 3, is a second conveyor device 16, which is formed by return rollers 17, support rollers 20, a continuous conveyor belt 1 8 running over the rollers 1 7, 20, and dog pins et cetera 1 9 projecting therefrom.Lastly, in the region of the transition from the section 3d to the section 3e of the guide track 3 there is a third conveyor device 26 which is formed by return rollers 27, a conveyor element 28 guided over the latter and conveyor pins 29 projecting therefrom.

Cleaning nozzles 30 spraying upwards and downwards and/or nozzles 31 spraying approximately horizontally, are further provided in the region of the section 3a of the guide track 3. Beneath these nozzles 30, 31 is located a discharge plate 33. An ultrasonic vibrator 10 is further arranged in the cleaning bath 2.

As is clear from the above explanations, and as is also apparent from the diagrammatic illustration in Fig. 3, the guide track 3 is passed through the tank in the form of a coil.

The guide track also adjoins a conveyor device 40 for the containers 5, whilst a turning device 41 may be provided to achieve the correct attitude of the containers 5. At the exit of the guide track 3 from the cleaning tank a further turning device 43 whereby the containers are tipped onto a conveyor belt 44 is conveniently provided.

As may further be seen from Fig. 4, the conveyance of the tub-shaped containers 5 to the guide track 3 may be effected by means of a conveyor belt 45, whilst the containers 5 are tipped from the latter onto the guide track 3 by the conveyor device 6, whereby they can assume the desired attitude. As is clear from Fig. 5, the containers 5 may also be conveyed up and tipped onto the guide track 3 by a conveyor belt 46 which is located over the cleaning tank.

The principle of operation of the aboveexplained apparatus is as follows: The tub-shaped containers 5 are moved into the section 3a of the guide track 3, in which they are sprayed and pre-cleaned by the nozzles 31, 32 arranged beneath, above and at the sides. In order to prevent contamination of the cleaning bath 2, the discharge plate 33 is provided beneath these cleaning nozzles 30, 31, whereby the cleaning liquid is discharged and therefore does not pass into the cleaning bath 2.

By means of the first conveyor device 6 the tubs 5 are conveyed into the second section 3b, in which, due to their dead weight, they pass downwards into the third section 3c and therefore into the cleaning bath 2. There they are cleaned chemically by the cleaning bath 2 and mechanically by the ultrasonic vibrator 10. In this section they are transported onwards by means of the second conveyor device 16 and out of the cleaning bath 2, whilst in the section 3d they are accepted by the third conveyor device 26 and conveyed through the section 3e and out of the apparatus. There, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing they may be tipped onto the conveyor belt 44, whereby cleaning liquid adhering to them is thrown off.

As illustrated in Fig. 1a of the drawing, conveyance of the tubs 5 in the cleaning bath 2 may be effected by a current created in the cleaning bath 2 by means of a propeller 11, instead of by a conveyor device.

As is clear from the above explanations, an apparatus according to the application represents a substantial improvement compared to the prior art in that a substantial amount of space is economised by the coil-shaped configuration of the guide track through the cleaning tank, whereby such apparatuses exhibit only half the overall length of conventional apparatuses for comparable capacity, or else double capacities can be achieved for comparable apparatuses.

For amplification it is pointed out that, instead of a coil-shaped configuration of the guide track, a loop-shaped configuration may also be provided, whereby an economy of space compared to the prior art may likewise be achieved. Furthermore, a plurality of coils juxtaposed may be provided instead of a single coil whereby an increased cleaning effect can be achieved.

Claims

1. Cleaning apparatus for tub-shaped containers to hold goods such as foodstuffs, production engineering components, empty barrels et cetera, with a guide track passing through a liquid bath, devices to convey the containers along the guide track through the liquid bath, and spraying devices, characterised in that the guide track is passed into, through and out of the cleaning bath in the form of a loop or at least of a coil with an approximately horizontally oriented loop axis or coil axis.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that the guide track extends from above a lateral face of the tank to accommodate the cleaning bath, above the cleaning bath, then in a downwardly curved arc into the latter, then through the latter and after this in an upwardly curved arc out of the same.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised in that the guide track, adjacently to the upwardly curved arc, extends past above the cleaning bath and extends out of the region of the cleaning tank above the lateral face opposite the first lateral face.

4. Apparatus according to Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that spraying devices are associated with regions of the guide track lo cated over the cleaning tank.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterised in that discharge surfaces arranged beneath the guide track and above the cleaning bath are associated with the spraying devices.

6. Cleaning apparatus for tub-shaped containers substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

7. Any novel integer or step, or combination of integers or steps, hereinbefore described, irrespective of whether the present claim is within the scope of, or relates to the same or a different invention from that of, the preceding claims.