RU2283801C2 - Device to pump out air from container for storing food products locked by valve - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: food industry; air evacuation devices; storage of food products.

SUBSTANCE: proposed device contains vacuum pump set into operation by rotation. Device is made in form of attachment of hand electric appliance, for instance, rod mixer of hand agitator and is provided with connecting member for shaft which is made for connection with drive shaft of appliance and by means of which vacuum pump is set into operation. Vacuum pump is made in form of pump with rotor arranger inside graphite ring and provided with plates placed inside rotor slots for sliding towards inner wall of ring and made of graphite.

EFFECT: provision of powerful pumping out of air from container to be evacuated.

7 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of food storage and relates to the design of a device for pumping air from a food storage container, which is locked by a valve.

For storing food products, systems are known for preserving them under better conditions than those under which food products are stored unprocessed or without improved storage conditions. Food storage in containers under vacuum provides the possibility of improved food storage. It turned out that such systems show good results in the absence of the appearance of microorganisms, parasites, mold and growth of yeast fungi. In addition, they prevent the oxidation of food products, which also avoids changes in the humidity and smell of food products.

To achieve such storage conditions, a device is required that draws air from the storage tank to create a vacuum in it. The prior art various pumps, with which this problem is solved. At the same time, pumps intended for domestic use are based on piston pumps or fans.

US Pat. No. 5,195,427 describes a similar electric hand-held vacuum pump for domestic use. A hand-held device designed exclusively as a vacuum pump consists of many parts. In particular, a costly conversion of the rotational movement of the shaft into an oscillating movement and a reduction gear for driving the piston pump is provided. The system is designed to create a vacuum in containers for food storage. Using such a device in a simple way, you can achieve the appropriate pressure ratio for storing food in a container under vacuum.

A rod mixer for stirring or grinding food is known from DE 19504638 A1, in which a knife rotating in a bell-shaped recess creates a vacuum during rotation, which is achieved by connecting the flow coming from the top of the shaft mixer shank. The vacuum concentrated in the bell promotes a better and more intensive mixing of food products.

From the utility model DE 29920316 U1, a device is known for creating a vacuum in a container from which air is pumped out with a vacuum cleaner. For this, an adapter is used in the vacuum cleaner in the form of a prefix, mounted on a valve located on the lid of the container. It is difficult to control such a suction made in the form of a vacuum cleaner, it also requires a lot of costs. Food hygiene problems may also occur.

The manufacture of electric vacuum pumps for domestic use requires a lot of costs, since here for lever mechanisms and gears a lot of details are needed. In addition, the design itself determines the relatively large dimensions of the device. In addition, the creation of an appropriate vacuum pump leads to the appearance of another new additional household appliance, which will be used only in rare cases.

Therefore, the basis of the proposed invention is the task of creating a device for pumping air from containers for storing food products, which can be manufactured in a simple and inexpensive way.

This problem is solved using a device for pumping air from a container for storing food products, locked with a valve, due to the characteristics of claim 1 of the formula. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

The claimed attachment for a hand-held electric household appliance has the advantage of being a small, inexpensive and easily controllable vacuum pump for domestic use. Unlike technical solutions known from the prior art, this is not a separate new household appliance, which requires, respectively, additional space. On the contrary, the prefix as another useful component continues the list of existing consoles, such as a mixer, chopper, etc. It saves space and is significantly more convenient than an additional electric device with its own drive. The claimed prefix is simple and reliable when used in everyday life. The invention is a simple and inexpensive technical solution, since the connection of both ends of the shafts occurs with the closure of the geometric circuit by simply jointly inserting the connecting elements for the shafts. The connecting elements for the shafts can be made in the form of end teeth.

The proposed design of the vacuum pump is characterized, in particular, by a greater suction power than vacuum pumps used so far in everyday life. In addition, due to this, the height of the structure can be insignificant, since there is no need for expensive linkage mechanisms and gears. The vacuum pump can be activated along with the rotation of the drive shaft of the household appliance. This also reduces the number of parts, which again has a positive effect on manufacturing costs. Finally, using such a vane pump, the desired pressure level can be achieved in a food container within a few seconds. Thanks to the design of the vacuum pump housing using a graphite ring, the set-top box vacuum pump maintains a stable temperature in the working area. In addition, the effect of self-lubrication is achieved. This contributes to the fact that the vacuum pump suffers only minor pressure losses and it does not require maintenance. Vacuum pump plates, for example rectangular ones, can move freely either only due to centrifugal force or due to spring pressure. As a result of choosing the appropriate material - graphite, a self-lubricating structure is formed that does not require maintenance.

Another advantageous embodiment of the invention is shown by the features of claim 2. The sealing lip made of elastomeric plastic is an annular lip protruding at the end from the suction side. In cross section, the sealing lip can expand toward the free end. This makes it possible to simply attach the set-top box to the corresponding valve of the food storage container. This eliminates the need for centering with a communicating valve hole, as is required in devices known from the prior art. The sealing lip acts in the same way as a vacuum suction cup.

Another advantageous embodiment of the proposed invention is described using the features of claim 3 of the formula. Thanks to them, a simple and inexpensive connection with a hand-held household appliance, such as a rod mixer, is possible. This connection is very stable and can serve simultaneously as a centering element for connecting to the shaft.

Finally, another advantageous embodiment of the invention is represented by the features of claim 4. Thanks to them, an additional protective function has been created that prevents the penetration of liquid into the pump chamber during the process of pumping air. Moreover, the solution is simple and inexpensive. For example, a simple float in the form of a ball can be provided in the lift pipe, which, when a predetermined liquid level is reached, floats and closes the valve opening.

Another advantageous embodiment is represented by the features of claim 6 of the formula. Thanks to them, temperature stability in the work area is also ensured. In addition, the resulting centrifugal forces can withstand the load without unacceptably large deformations. This is also facilitated by the lightweight construction due to the material from which it is made.

Another advantageous form of execution of the claimed prefix is described by the characteristics of claim 7 of the formula. In this case, the choice of material determines the creation of an inexpensive and reliable, from the point of view of hygiene, design that allows a variety of forms. Some possible materials are, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide or any other suitable thermoplastic.

Other embodiments and advantages of the invention are disclosed in the description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 - schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of the claimed device for pumping air from a container for storing food;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a vane pump, which is part of the device of figure 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rod mixer with a prefix according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;

Figure 5 is a schematic sectional view of a second embodiment of the claimed device for pumping air from a food storage container with a float area;

6 is a comparative chart showing the time of pumping air from a container with a capacity of 700 ml using the declared attachments and using known vacuum pumps intended for domestic use.

Identical or similar elements are indicated below by the same reference numbers.

Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of an advantageous embodiment of the claimed prefix 1. The prefix 1 has a connection region 2, a pump location region 3, and a suction region 4.

The connection region 2 is formed in this case by a nozzle-shaped shank 6 having a pot shape and a connecting gear rim 7. The nozzle shank has an opening 9 in the area of its base, into which a shaft 8 is connected, connected to the gear rim 7.

The vacuum pump located in region 3 is made in the form of a vane pump 17, as shown in perspective in figure 3. The housing of the vane pump 17 is a graphite ring 16, closed at the top and bottom, respectively, by the upper circular end disk 18 and the lower circular end disk 12. A rotating cylindrical rotor 10 is installed in the pump casing, which occupies an eccentric position. The rotor 10 has uniformly distributed radial grooves 32. In the grooves 32 are plates 11 made with the possibility of movement in the radial direction.

The plates 11 are pressed by means of centrifugal force to the graphite ring 16, in this embodiment, they are supported by the force of the springs 26. Due to this, injection cells 22 are formed, having a crescent-shaped expansion and narrowing.

The rotor 10, as can be seen in figure 1, is connected to the shaft 8, which is inserted at one end into the end disk. The end of the shaft 8, protruding from the upper end disk 18, has a connecting gear rim 7, made in the form of end teeth. In addition, a casing is provided on the connecting portion of the connection region 2, which extends on the wall of the housing 5. This wave-shaped end of the attachment housing 1, made in the form of a nozzle 6, is provided for connection with the end of the rod mixer located on the tool side.

At the other end of the casing 5, on the outer circumference, an annular sealing lip 13 is made of elastic rubber material, which is connected through a groove 15 to the partition 14. The sealing lip 13 is thus configured to act as a vacuum suction during operation. The coating 33 at this end of the housing 5 has corresponding grooves for suction 28. The grooves 28 are inside the coating 33, surrounded by an annular edge 13.

Figure 2 schematically shows a form of execution of figure 1 in a disassembled form. Shown here is a shank 6 made on the connecting portion of the joint region 2 essentially in the form of a pot, and a connecting gear ring 7 located on its base. In addition, in the region 3 of the pump, a rotor 10 and a shaft 8 are schematically shown, which connects the ring gear 7 to the rotor 10. The rotor 10 is placed in a graphite ring 16, which, in turn, is located in the housing 5. Finally, at the lower end of the elongated cylindrical body 5 is a suction connection (suction region 4) with a sealing edge 13 of elastomeric plastic.

Figure 3 schematically shows in perspective the elements of the vane pump 17 of figure 1. Shown here is a tilted upper end disk 18, which, like the cylindrical ring 16 and the lower end disk 12, is made of graphite. With offset relative to the center of the circular upper end disk 18, a drilled hole is made that serves as a support 20 for the shaft of the rotor 8, not shown here. The shaft support 20 is a self-lubricating sliding bearing. Inside the cylindrical graphite ring 16, forming together with the upper end disk 18 and the lower end disk 12, the housing of the vane pump 17, is located the rotor 10, which rests on the shaft 8.

The rotor 10, made of carbon fiber, is located in the graphite ring 16 with an offset relative to its center. It has three grooves 32, between which lies an angle of 120 ° and into which plates 11 are inserted, moving in the longitudinal direction, i.e. respectively in the radial direction. The plate 11 is made in this case essentially in the form of rectangular plates of graphite. The ends of the plates 11 facing the hole for the shaft 21 of the rotor 10 are pressurized by a compression spring 26. In addition, a suction hole 19 is located on the lower end disk 12, through which air is drawn from the food storage container. Due to the rotor 10, the upper end disk 18, the lower end disk 12, the graphite ring 16 and the plates 11, injection cells 22 are formed.

During the operation of the vane pump 17, the rotor rotates at a rotational speed of the shaft of the rod mixer 23. The plates 11 by means of centrifugal force and spring force slide along the inner wall of the graphite ring 16 and prevent the onset of pressure equalization between different pressure cells.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the claimed set-top box 1, which is mounted on the end of the rod mixer 23 from its output side. At the upper end of this instrument cluster, which has a substantially oblong cylindrical shape, there is a handle 24, which the user can fully grasp with his hand. On the front side of the rod mixer 23 in the upper area is a start switch 25, which can be controlled manually.

The upper region of the housing 5 of the attachment 1, made in the form of a liner 6, is pulled at the same time on the slightly conical end of the rod mixer 23 from its output side. At the same time, a connection with the shaft is obtained to actuate the vacuum pump.

At the lower end of the prefix 1 is an annular sealing lip 13 of elastomeric plastic. The smooth outer walls of the rod mixer 23 and the attachment 1 made of thermoplastic material make it easy to clean such a combination of appliances, which, in particular, is very important for household appliances for reasons of hygiene.

During operation, the prefix 1 is connected to the rod mixer 23 from its output side. In this case, the prefix 1 is reliably prevented from spinning and falling out due to the annular casing at the output end of the rod mixer 23. The output shaft of the rod mixer 23 is connected to the ring gear 7 of the vane pump 17 with a geometric contour closure. The prefix 1 is mounted with its suction side on the valve device, which is located on the container for storing food. In this case, the annular sealing lip 13 is attached to the flat annular edge of the connecting device of the valve device. During the pumping of air from the container for storing food products, the rotor 10 of the attachment 1 is driven by the output shaft of the core mixer 23.

Fig. 5 shows a second embodiment of the proposed invention, in which a region for the float 29 is additionally provided. This prevents the penetration of liquid into the region of the vane pump 17. With this form of execution, the design of the connecting section of the connection region 2 and the region 3 of the pump is essentially design described in figures 1-4.

In this embodiment, the area of the float 29 is connected with the area of the pump 3. In this case, the area of the float 29 is formed by a substantially cylindrical body for the float 31 made of thermoplastic material. At the lower end of the housing for the float 31 there is a baffle 14, which enters the groove 15 of the sealing edge 13 with the formation of a suction connection in the area of the suction 4.

In the housing for the float 31 is a round float 30. The float 30 is made in the form of a hollow body, so that it easily floats to the surface of the incoming liquid. When the liquid level in the housing with the float 30 reaches a critical value, the float 30 closes the lower opening of the suction tube 27. Thus, the liquid does not penetrate the vane pump 17. To reliably ensure the suction of air in the food storage container at the lower end end the housing for the float 31 provides additional grooves 28.

6 is a diagram showing the time for pumping air out of a 700 ml container. In this case, the time t is indicated on the abscissa axis in seconds, and the pressure on the ordinate axis is indicated in mbar. The pressure inside the container at time t = 0 corresponds to the pressure of the environment. When the vacuum pump is activated, the pressure inside the tank decreases. The nature of the change in pressure over time can be represented as a logarithmic function. Only in the claimed embodiment of the invention after 5 seconds the pressure in the tank reaches about 300 mbar, while in other devices known from the prior art, by this time the pressure reaches about only 500-700 mbar. Already after 15 seconds, with the help of the stated prefix, the pressure reaches 200 mbar and in the future does not drop significantly anymore. In devices that are known from the prior art and with which comparisons are made, at the moment the pressure is only about 300-400 mbar. Thus clearly shows the power and speed of the suction of air using the claimed device.

Claims (7)

1. A device for pumping air from a container for storing foodstuffs, locked by a valve, having a vacuum pump configured to be actuated by rotational movement, characterized in that it is made in the form of an attachment (1) for a manual electric household appliance , in particular a rod mixer or hand mixer, and has a connecting element for the shaft (7), which is made with the possibility of connection with the drive shaft of the household appliance and with which it is driven smart pump (17), while the vacuum pump (17) is made in the form of a vane pump including a rotor (10) located inside a graphite ring (16) and having plates (11) placed inside the rotor slots with the possibility of sliding towards the inner wall rings and made of graphite. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the prefix (1) has at its end from the suction side an annular sealing lip (13) for attachment to the connecting device. 3. The device according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the prefix (1) at its end on the drive side has a shank (6) that is configured to fit onto the output conical end of a hand-held electrical household appliance. 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that between the vacuum pump (17) and the sealing lip (13) there is a region for the float (29) to prevent liquid from entering the vacuum pump (17). 5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the vacuum pump housing (17) is formed by a graphite ring, an upper end disk (18) and a lower end disk (12). 6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotor (10) of the vacuum pump (17) is made of carbon fibers. 7. The device according to one of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the housing (5) of the attachment (1) is made of a suitable thermoplastic material.

Images