JP2015517422A - Tool for cleaning large surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tool (100) for cleaning a large surface, in particular a hull, which has a tool body (110) and at least one nozzle body (200), the nozzle (202) of this nozzle body. , 202 ′) are arranged to move radially outward from the center point of the surface of the nozzle body (200). Two rotary nozzle bodies (200) are disposed on the tool body (110), and at least one seal member (120) is attached to the tool body (110) by a spring.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tool for cleaning a large surface, in particular a hull, which comprises at least one tool body and at least one nozzle arranged substantially radially from the surface center point of the nozzle body. A nozzle body, and two rotary nozzle bodies are disposed on the tool body, and at least one seal member is provided.

  A tool of the type described above is disclosed in WO 1996/12570, in which a substantially cylindrical tool body is provided, and a nozzle body comprising a plurality of nozzles is arranged in its circular base region. Yes. The rotating nozzle body has a substantially rectangular base region. The disadvantage of this device is that the removal rate of the hull paint layer is very low due to the relatively small effective area of the tool.

  A tool of the type described above is described in Austrian patent 401 147, in which a nozzle head is provided which comprises a nozzle carrier which is rotatably mounted and an extraction cover which surrounds the nozzle head. The take-out cover is disposed on the bottom edge in the circumferential direction and is placed on the surface to be cleaned, and further includes a seal fixedly attached to the outer portion of the nozzle head via a spacer ring.

International Publication No. 1996/12570 Austrian patent 401147

  The object of the present invention is to provide a tool of the type described above, which is highly efficient, requires little maintenance and is environmentally friendly in its operation.

  This object is achieved according to the invention by a configuration in which at least one sealing member is arranged on the tool body via at least one spring device. A high removal rate is achieved by placing two rotating nozzle bodies in the base region of the tool body. The tool is preferably used on uneven surfaces such as hulls, as it generates a large amount of waste that should not be discharged into the environment when removing impurities and paint layers by water jet and / or sandblasting methods. According to the invention, the nozzle body is provided with at least one elastic sealing member. Due to the elastic support, the sealing member conforms to the contour of the surface to be treated, thereby greatly improving the adhesion of the tool.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member is configured as a substantially annular brush body. The brush body surrounds the two rotating nozzle bodies and seals the tool body on the surface to be processed against the surrounding environment, whereby the removal material can be taken out by suction through the nozzle body.

  In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing member further comprises a substantially flat plastic seal, in particular made of neoprene, which at least partly surrounds the brush body, whereby the sealing member is closely attached. The sex is further greatly improved. The combination of a flexible and flat plastic seal and brush body increases adhesion, thereby reducing the power required for the suction system.

  In a particularly preferred configuration, the nozzle body comprises three rotor arms, to which the nozzles are attached. According to this rotor system, since the nozzle body is particularly suitable for a high rotation speed, a high removal speed can be realized. At the same time, the nozzle body of this embodiment generates a suction action, thereby further assisting removal of the removal material by suction.

  In a particularly preferred configuration, the plurality of nozzles are disposed along a longitudinal axis of a rotor arm of the nozzle body, and the longitudinal axis of the nozzle is substantially perpendicular to a base region of the rotor arm. Intersect. Experiments conducted by the applicant have shown that this arrangement optimizes the removal of impurities and paint layers from the treated surface.

  When cleaning only that particular area, rather than cleaning the entire surface to be treated as is normally done when repairing the hull, the area of the It is required that the joint with the region as it is is not formed suddenly but is continuous. For this reason, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one nozzle is provided on at least one rotor arm, this nozzle being arranged at the distal end of said rotor arm and the base of this rotor arm. It is configured to intersect the base region of the rotor arm in a state where it deviates at an angle of 2 ° to 10 ° from the perpendicular on the region. Here, the phrase “far end of the rotor arm” refers to the end of the rotor arm that is separated from the center point of the surface of the nozzle body. This slanted arrangement of the last nozzle reduces the removal rate in this region, thereby making a suitable “soft” connection between the treated and untreated surfaces.

  An important point in using the tool of the present invention is that the waste material is prevented from leaking out to the surrounding environment. For this purpose a suction system is provided, wherein the tool body has one suction port, preferably two or four suction ports, for connection of the suction system. In a particularly preferred configuration, the shape of the tool body corresponds to an open cylinder with an elliptical base region, wherein preferably two suction ports are arranged on both longitudinal sides of the base region. The two suction ports on the tool body side are arranged in the top region of the elliptical base region. It is also possible to arrange all these suction ports in the tool body wall and / or the base region.

  According to another embodiment of the invention, at least one suction channel is provided in the tool body wall, the suction channel opening into at least one suction port. Thereby, the flow state in the tool body is improved, and the suction force is also greatly increased by the combination with the seal member.

  In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle body is driven by a drive system comprising a hydraulic motor and a gear.

Perspective view from the front of the tool Cross section of tool body

  The tool 100 according to the present invention has a tool body 110 having a substantially oval base region 111, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which two nozzle bodies 200 are disposed. Yes. Further, a tool body wall 112 erected substantially perpendicular to the base region 111 surrounds the two nozzle bodies 200.

  A seal member 120 is disposed outside the tool main body wall 112, and the seal member includes an integral brush body 121 and a neoprene seal 122 that partially surrounds the brush body 121. The seal member 120 is fixed to the tool body 110 via four spring devices 123, which are here configured as spring supports, and the elastic support supports the surface to be processed of the seal member 120. Adjustment is possible. The tool 100 according to the present invention provides optimum adhesion to the surrounding environment during its operation by the combined seal consisting of the brush body 121 and the neoprene seal 122, and further by the elastic support via the spring device 123. Provided, so that virtually no waste material reaches the surrounding environment, and at the same time it is possible to optimize the size of the suction system.

  A suction port 113 is provided in the tool body 110 to take out the waste material by suction, and the flow state in the tool body is further improved by the configuration of the suction path 114 extending to the suction port 113. The

  In order to achieve the optimum removal performance of the tool 110 according to the present invention, each of the nozzle bodies 200 has three rotor arms 201, on which the nozzles 202 are disposed substantially in the radial direction. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal axis A of the nozzle 202 is disposed on at least one rotor arm substantially perpendicular to the base region E of the rotor arm 201 and has a proximal end. Only 203 nozzles 202 'have an inclined configuration, and in this embodiment of the invention, the angle α is about 5 degrees. This results in a low removal rate in the area of the surface to be treated by this part of the rotor arm 201, thereby making the connection between the treated and untreated surfaces desirable.

  A cleaning agent such as water and an abrasive such as sand, or a mixture of abrasive and water or solvent is guided to the nozzles 202 and 202 'through the central supply line 115 at a high pressure (500 to 3000 bar). The nozzles 202 and 202 ′ supply the surface to be processed. In order to ensure uniform treatment of the surface, the nozzle body 200 is rotated by a hydraulic motor, for example, via a bevel gear. In order to minimize the contamination of the surrounding environment by these materials, the waste material generated in this way and the used water and / or abrasive are removed by suction through the suction port 113. Furthermore, the sealing member 120 according to the present invention assists (supports) the suction during removal.

  Finally, a sensor may be additionally provided on the tool body 110 that monitors and controls the optimal placement of the tool 100 on the surface. These can be configured as proximity sensors based on ultrasonic technology. An inspection device such as a camera can also be provided. The tool 100 has been found particularly useful in automated maintenance systems for treating curved surfaces such as hulls. In this case, the tool 100 is provided in a tool retainer that is moved toward the surface to be processed via the arm system.

Claims (10)

  A tool (100) for cleaning a large surface, particularly a hull, wherein the tool body (110) and its nozzles (202, 202 ') are substantially originated from the center point of the surface of the nozzle body (200). At least one nozzle body (200) arranged radially, wherein the tool body (110) is provided with two rotary nozzle bodies (200), and at least one seal member (120). ), Wherein the at least one sealing member (120) is attached to the tool body (110) via at least one spring device (123).   The tool (100) according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member (120) is configured as a substantially annular brush body (121).   The tool (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing member (120) further comprises a substantially flat plastic seal (122), in particular made of neoprene and at least partially surrounding the brush body (121). ).   The tool (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the nozzle body (200) comprises three rotor arms (201) on which the nozzles (202, 202 ') are arranged. .   The nozzle (202, 202 ′) is disposed along the longitudinal axis of the rotor arm (201) of the nozzle body (200), and the longitudinal axis (A) of the nozzle (202, 202 ′) is The tool (100) of claim 4, wherein the tool (100) intersects substantially perpendicularly to the base region (E) of the rotor arm (201).   At least one nozzle (202 ′) disposed at the far end (203) of the rotor arm (201) is provided in the at least one rotor arm (201), and the nozzle is disposed on the rotor arm (201). Claims configured to intersect the base region (E) of the rotor arm (201) in a state of deviating by an angle of 2 to 10 degrees, preferably 5 degrees from the perpendicular on the base region (E). Item 4. A tool (100) according to item 4 or 5.   The tool (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tool body (110) has at least one suction port (113), preferably two or four suction ports.   The shape of the tool body (110) corresponds to an open cylinder with an elliptical base region (111), where preferably two suction ports (113) are on both longitudinal sides of the base region (111). The tool (100) according to claim 7, wherein two suction ports (113) are arranged in the top region of the elliptical base region (111) on the tool body wall (112) side. .   The tool (100) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein at least one suction channel (114) is provided in the tool body wall (112), the suction channel opening into at least one suction port (113). .   The tool (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the nozzle body (200) can be driven by a drive system comprising a hydraulic motor and gears.

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