US2403374A - Roll cleaner - Google Patents

Description

July 2 r1946- A. F.A KALMAR ETAL l 2,403,374

Y l ROLL CLEANER Filed June 5, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet l- July 2, 1946. A. F. KALMA Erm.

ROLL CLEANER Filed June 5, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 WE L mam/70,05- .fr/f 541m July 2, 1946. A; F. KALMAR ETAL ROLL CLEANER Filed June 5, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 N1 Ks E Patented July 2, 1946 UNITED STATE ROLL CLEANER Arthur F. Kalmar and Glenn-E. Stilwell, Riverside, Calif., assignors to Food Machinery Corporation, San Jose, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application .lune 5, 1944, Serial No. 538,838

(c1. ias-229) 18 Claims. 1

This invention relatesto theart of cleaning deposits from conveyor rolls and is particularly useful in the fruit coating art.

In order to brighten and aid in preserving certain fruits and vegetables and especially citrus fruits, it has become regular commercial practice to coat these products as a part of the process of preparing them for shipment to market. One of the most popular methods of accomplishing this coating is that disclosed in United States Letters Patent to J. N. Sharma, No. 2,212,621, August 27, 1940. Under the conditions generally met with, the most desirable results are obtained with this method by applying a resinous coating material to the product.

The coating material is applied in this process by rst dissolving it in a highly volatile petroleum hydrocarbon solvent and then spraying the solution onto the product while the latter is traveling on an endless rotating roller conveyor. When resinous coating materials are thus applied, a tacky deposit rapidly forms on the conveyor rollers which on drying becomes very hard and accumulates from day to day so that it is imperative that this deposit be removed regularly.

It is an objectV of this invention to provide a method of Iand apparatus for readily remov-y ing hard resinous deposits from the rolls of an endless conveyor.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a method and apparatus which is relatively simple in operation, which will perform the desired function in a relatively short time and which is inexpensive in operating cost as well ascost of manufacture.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages' will be made manifest inv the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a fruit coating applicator with the housing broken away to illustrate the construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig, 3 is an enlarged detailed perspective view illustrating the operation of a slip clutch of the invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view taken of 4the area indicated by line `4--4 in Fig. l and showing the apparatus of the invention in a given operating position.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 and illustrates the apparatus of the invention in a different operating position.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view- Ataken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line of Fig. 6 and illustrating the structure of one of the over-running clutches of the invention.

Referring specically to the drawings apreferred embodiment of the V- invention is there shown as incorporated with an endless traveling roller conveyor I0 of the type commonly used commercially for conveying fruit through an atmosphere of spray particles of a solution of resinous coating material. This conveyor has a frame in the form of a sheet metal'housing having side walls I2 and |3 from whichanges I4 and I5 are bent and end walls I6 and secured tok said side walls. Fruit F may be delivered into the housing II through an opening 20 over a delivery board 2| which is permanently Xed on the housing. The fruit is discharged fromv the conveyor I0 over a delivery plate 22 mounted on the'housing just below a discharge opening 23at the opposite end of the device. J ournaled in suitablebearings mounted on the housing side wallsIZ and |3 are shafts 30, 3|, 32, 33, 34 and 35. `Mounted on the shaft 30 is a sprocket which is power driven through a chain 39 by any suitable source of power such as a geared electric motor (not shown) This shaft has also fixed thereon sprockets 4|l-which are in tracking alignment with sprockets 4| which rotate freely on shaft 3| and with sprockets 42 which rotate freely on shaft 32. Trained about sprockets 40, 4I and.n 42 are endless conveyor chains 45 upon which are carriedran endless series of rotatable conveyor rollers 46 to form upper, lower and uprightconveyor flights. Theserollers are preferably formed of` steel tubing land each roller is provided at one end thereof (see Fig. 1) with a spinner sprocket 41. When the shaft 30 is rotated the chains andseries of rollers 46 are caused to travel about the shafts 3|), 3| and 32 so that oranges gravitating into the machine from the delivery board 2| are conveyed upwardly on the rollers 46 and are discharged onto the delivery plate 22.

The shaft 33 has sprockets 5D and 5| and the shaft 34 has a sprocket 52 and a spool 53, while the shafts 30, 3| and 32 have spools 54, 55 and 53. The sprocket 5| is connected by a chain 51, the lower flight of which runs over the spool 53, to a sprocket 58 xed on the vshaft 3|. This positively drives the-shaft 33 in the same direction as the shaft 3|. The spools 54, 55 and 56 and the sprockets 50 and 52 are in tracking alignment with each other and with the spinner sprockets 41. A spinner chain 68 is trained about these spools and the sprockets 50 and 52 (as shown in Fig. 2).

Secured to the housing side walls I2 are spinner chain guides 6| and 62 which hold the spinner chain 60 in meshing relation with the spinner sprockets 41. It is thus seen thatn the rollers 46 are rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig, 2 by the spinner chain 6I] while these rollers are passing around the shaft 3|, and throughout the time they are disposed in the upper and upright traveling flights of the conveyor and while turning about the shaft 32. This latter location may be termed a roller cleaning station for it is here that the roller cleaning unit 65 of the invention is mounted.

Rotatably mounted between the discharge end of the conveyor I and the delivery board 22 is a transfer roller 66 which is constantly rotated by a suitable connection with the conveyor in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. This protects the fruit while it is being transferred onto the delivery board as disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent to Howard L. Porch #2,325,- 919.

The unit 65 includes a rotary brush 61 fixed on the shaft 68. the latter journaling in bearings 69 provided at the lower ends of arms 1U which are iixed upon the shaft 35. The arms are preferably made in two parts bolted together (as shown in Fig. 1) so as to facilitate the disassembling of the unit 65 for repair purposes.

One of the ends of the shaft 35 extends through the side wall I3 (see Figs. 1, 4 and 5) where it carries a pin 15, and the hub 1B of a hand crank 11 is slideably and rotatably mounted on the extending end of the shaft 35 just inside the pin 15. The hub 16 is provided with a slot 18 which is adapted to receive the pin when crank 11 is turned to bring the slot in alignment with this pin and the hub is then shifted outwardly. Connected at one end to the crank 11. and at the opposite end to a stud 8D provided on the wall I3 is a contractile spring 8| which exerts a strong upward pull on the crank 11. The latter also has a handle 82 by which it may be manipulated and the spring 8| thus thrown into or out of operative relation with the shaft 35.

The shaft 68 also extends outwardly through an aperture 85 in the side wall I3. Fixed on the extending end of the shaft is the double base 86 of a twin slip clutch 81. This clutch has individual clutches 88 and 89 which are duplicates of each other, the clutch 89 being illustrated in Fig. 7 so that a description of this clutch will sufiice for both. Mounted in recesses '90 in the base 86 are three pinch rollers 9| which are urged outwardly by springs 92. A clutch ring 93 is rotatably held on the base 86 by side plates 94. These rings have arms 95 and 96 respectively, the first of which extends upwardly and the second of which extends horizontally. Ends of these arms are pivotally connected by a horizontal link 91 and an upright link 98 to a bracket B fixed on the housing side wall I3.

Fixed on the frame |I beneath the brush 61 so that the brush extends downwardly therein is a solvent pan 99 with a drain |08 having a plug I 0| provided in the bottom thereof. Hinged from the end wall I6 is a cover |02 which rests on the pan 99 and covers this.

Operation As formerly indicated, the conveyor ID is employed for carrying fruit through a coating inaterial applicator which may preferably be embodied with the conveyor. Thus it is customary to extend the side walls I2 and I3 upwardly and roof over the space between these to form a coating chamber directly over the conveyor I9. A spray mechanism is mounted in one end of this chamber over the delivery board 2| and operates continuously to spray a solution of resinous coating material downwardly at an oblique angle onto the fruit F which is resting on the upper flight of the conveyor I8. The conveyor is, of course, also continuously operated so that the fruit F is being rotated and conveyed upwardly to the delivery plate 22 as shown in Fig, 2 throughout the time that it is subjected to the spray.

As the harder resins form a bright protective coating on the fruit, these have ybecome widely used in this process. The use of such resins, however, introduces a problem in that a certain portion of the solution sprayed towards the fruit goes between the fruit and forms a tacky deposit of resinous material on the conveyor rollers 46 which becomes extremely vhard when it dries. Prior to this invention it has been the practice to clean this deposit from the rollers 46 by manually chipping it off. This is a tedious task and take-s from an hour to an hour and one-half of a mans time to do even an imperfect job.

During the normal operation of the conveyor Il in the coating of fruit, the unit is inoperative as shown in Fig. 2, this being effected by shifting the crank 11 inwardly on the shaft 35 as shown in Fig. 3 so that the spring 8| does not act on the brush -61 to pull this into engagement with the rollers 4B and the brush thus hangs just out of contact with the rollers.

When it is desired, as at the end of a days run, to clean the resinous deposits from the rollers 46, a quantity of solvent S is placed in the pan 99 so that the downwardly disposed bristles of the brush 61 constantly extend into this solvent. Handle 82 is then gripped and the crank 11 rocked to stretch the spring 8| and bring' the slot 18 into alignment with the pin 15. The crank 11 is then shifted outwardly on the shaft 35 so as to receive the pin 15 in the slo-t 18 after which the handle 82 is released. The spring 8| is thus connected to the shaft 35 and rotates this to swing the brush 61 to maintain this in constant contact with the rollers of the conveyor. Each of these rollers as it passes the brush 61, swings the brush outwardly away from the conveyor and the spring 8| then pulls the brush 61 back towards the conveyor as the valley following this roller comes opposite the brush. This produces a rocking movement by the brush 61 about the shaft 35 between the positions'in which the brush is shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Each of the rollers 46 is rotated by the spinner chain 68 in the direction indicated by the arrows on these rollers in Figs. 4 and 5 while these rollers are in contact with the brush 61. There is thus a friction set u-p between the rollers 46 and the brush 61 which would rotate the latter in rolling contact with the rollers if it were not for the clutches 88 and 89 which not only prevent such a rolling contact, but rotate the brush 61 a slightA distance in the same rotational direction as the rollers 46 with each movement of the brush 31 towards the conveyor I0. When the brush 61 moves away from the conveyor III` the clutch 89, instead of rotating the brush, merely holds the brush against rotation, this limited action pre- Venting excessive strain being placed on the spinner chain su by the friction between tnelrouers k46 and the brush''l. v

The brush 61 thus' has a constant scrubbing action on'the deposit carried on the rollers 46, and due to its slow intermittent rotation by the clutches 88 and 89,v carries solvent S from the pan 98 into contact with the vrollers 46.

As each roller 46 moves downwardly in contact with the brush 61 and thus passes over the bristles of the brush, these bristles, as they spring back to their normalradial positions, nip solvent upwardly onto the following rollers 46. Thus each roller, by this flipping action and by contact with the brush 61, becomes thoroughly wet with solvent S each time it passes the brush 61.

The eifectiveness of the process depends rupon the solvent S remaining on the outer surfaces of the deposits on the rollers 46 throughout the travel of these rollers between successive contacts with the brush 61 because it is necessary in accordance with this .process to subject the deposit to the maximum amount of solvent action between brushings so that at each brushing of each roll by the brush 61 a considerable portion of the deposit will have beensoftened to the point where it will be removed by the bristles of the brush 61 during the scrubbing contact therewith.

To effect this end we have found that the solvent S should preferably lie within a range of end points of 285 F. to 450 F. A higher end point solvent could be used, but it is necessary, after the cleaning operation is finished, that the solvent which remains on the rollers evaporate therefrom within a reasonablyshort time so that the coating of fruit may be resumed on the conveyor as sometimes the cleaning operation is done during the noon hour. We have found that a solvent S with a range of 285 F. to 365 F. will dry from the rollers in twenty minutes after the cleaning operation is finished. A commercial solvent of this range at present being used in this process is Shell Oil Company T. S. 27.

As the process employing this solvent will clean a fairly thick deposit of resinous coating kmaterial from the rollers 46 in thirty minutes, this means that the cleaning process may be employed and operations resumed with less than one hour of shutdown. Where quicker operation is desired, we have found it preferable to add to the solution S, of trichlor-ethylene which reduces the time of cleaning about one-half.

The dissolved deposit thus removed by the brush 61 from the rollers 46 gradually washes out of the brush bristles as these are swished back and forth in the solvent S by the swinging movement of the brush 611511 Thus the brush loses the dissolved deposit and conveys relatively fresh solventonto the rollers 46 with each contact therewith.

We claim:

1. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; means for rotating said rollers where they travel with said conveyor past a cleaning station; a rotary cleaning brush; means for mounting said brush with freedom Vto move towards and away from said conveyor; means yieldably holding said brush in contact with the rollers of said conveyor as the latter travels through said station; means for keeping said brush supplied with a solvent for said deposit and means actuated by the movement of said brush towards and away from said conveyor to cause said brush to rotate in the same direction assaid conveyor rollers.

2. In combination; an endless traveling roller conveyor,'the rollers lof which may acquire ade'- -posit in use, there being kvalleys formed 'by adjacent rollers; means for rotating said rollers where they travel with said conveyor pasta cleaning station; a rotary cleaning brush; means for mounting said brush with freedom to move towards and away from said conveyor; means yield'- ably holding saidbrush in contact with the rollers of said conveyor as the latter travels through said station and shifting said brush pressurally into each of said valleys as the latter comes opposite said brush; means for causing said rotary brush to rotate in non-rolling relation with said conveyor rollers; and means for continually supplying to said brush an excess of asolvent suitable for attacking said deposit so that said solvent is transmitted to said rollers and the deposit removed from said rollers by said brush', and Washed from said brush.

3. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; means Afor rotating said rollers where they travel with said conveyor past a cleaning station; a rotary cleaning brush; means for mounting said brush with freedom to move towards and away from said conveyor; means yieldably holding said brush in contact with the rollers of saidV conveyor as the latter travels through said station and causing said brush to move towards vand away from said conveyor; means actuated by the movement of said brush towards and away from said conveyor and causing said rotary brush to rotate in the same direction as said conveyor rollers; and a pan for holding a supply of solvent for attacking said deposit so that said brush dips into said solvent as it rotates andas it shifts towards'and away from said conveyor.

4. A combination as in claim 3 in which the rotation of said brush is accomplishedby a pair of over-running clutches provided on said brush, one of said clutches acting when said brush moves towards said conveyor and the other of which acts when said brush moves away from 'said conveyor.

5. A combination as in claim 3 in which said conveyor is mounted on a frame, said brush is supported on arms pivoted on said frame and in which said brush rotating means comprises two clutches provided on said brush and connected by links to said frame so that one of said clutches operates when said brush moves towards said conveyor and the other of said clutches operates when said brush moves away from said conveyor, said clutches thus cooperating to rotate said brush in the same direction as said conveyor rollers.

6. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a de'- posit in use; means for rotating said rollers opposite a cleaning station; a rotary brush; arms swingably supporting said brush; yieldably means urging said brush to swing towards said conveyor and permitting it to move away from said conveyor and thus keep in uniform brushing contact with the deposit on said rollers while the latter are traveling with said conveyor; and means responsive to said movement ofv said brush to cause the latter 'to rotate in the same direction as said rollers.

7. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; means for rotating said rollers -opposite a cleaning station; .a rotarybrush; arms rswngably supporting said brush; yieldable means urging said brush to swing towards said conveyor and permitting it to move away from said conveyor and thus keep in uniform brushing contact with the deposit on said rollers While the latter are traveling with said conveyor; means responsive to said movement of said brush to cause the latter-to rotate in the same direction as said rollers; and means for supplying a solution to said brush whereby said solution will be transmitted to said rollers, and the deposit brushed from said rollers, and said deposit thereafter washed from said brush. j

8, In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire adeposit in use; means for rotating said rollers opposite a cleaning station; a rotary brush; arms swingably supporting said brush; yieldable means urging said brush to swing towards said conveyor and permitting it to move away from said conveyor and thus keep in uniform brushing contact with the deposit on said rollers while the latter are traveling with said conveyor; means responsive to said movement of said brush to cause the latter to rotate in the same direction as said rollers; means for supplying a solution to said brush whereby said solution will be transmitted to said rollers, and the deposit brushed from said rollers, and said deposit thereafter washed from said brush; and a readily operatable means for connecting or disconnecting said yieldable means with said brush to start said brush cleaning said rollers or to render said brush inoperative.

9. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush; means for rotating said rollers opposite said brush; means operating in timed relation with said conveyor for causing said brush to shift towards and away from said conveyor so as to remain in uniform brushing Contact therewith as said rollers travel past said brush; and means for causing said brush to turn in non-rolling contact with said rollers so that the bristles thereof uniformly brush off deposit in said contact.

10. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush; means for rotating said rollers opposite said brush; means operating in timed relation with said conveyor for causing said ,brush to shift towards and `away from said conveyor so as to remain in uniform brushing contact therewith as said rollers travel past said brush; and means actuated by said shifting of said brush for causing said brush to turn in non-rolling contact with said rollers so that the bristles thereof uniformly brush off deposit in said contact.

11. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush; means for rotating said rollers opposite said brush; means operating in timed relation with said conveyor for causing said brush to shift towards and away from said conveyor so as to remain in uniform y brushing contact therewith as said rollers travel past said brush; means for causing said brush to turn in non-rolling contact with said rollers so that the bristles thereof uniformly brush off deposit in said Contact; and means for supplying solvent into which said brush moves certain of said bristles with each shifting cycle aforesaid.

12. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush; means for rotat- Cil ing said rollers oppositesaid brush; means operating in timed relation with said conveyor for causing said brush to shift towards and away from said conveyor so as to remain in uniform brushing contact therewith as said rollers travel past said brush; means for causing said brush to turn in non-rolling contact with said rollers so that the bristles thereof uniformly brush olf deposit in said contact; and means for washing a certain different group of said bristles in solvent each time said brush shifts away from said conveyor.

13. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush; means for rotating saidrollers opposite said brush; means operating in timed relation with said conveyor for causing said brush to shift towards and away from said conveyor so as to remain in uniform brushing contact therewith as said rollers travel past said brush; means actuated by said shifting of said brush for causing said brush to turn in nonrolling contact with said rollers so that the bristles thereof uniformly brush olf deposit in said contact; and means for containing a quantity of solvent through which a certain different group of said bristles are moved to wash deposit therefrom during each shifting cycle of said brushing aforesaid, said bristles retaining a portion offsaid solvent and applying the latter subsequently'to the conveyor rollers.

14. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush disposed parallel with the rollers'of said conveyor and adjacent thereto as said rollerstravel with said conveyor; means for rotatably supporting said brush While permitting the latter to move freely towards or away from said conveyor; means retarding rotation of said brush in response tc its Contact with said rollers; and means for yieldably urging said brush towards said conveyor to cause said brush to alternately shift bodily into one of the valleys between adjacent rollers of said conveyor and then be shifted outwardly as the next roller of said conveyor comes directly opposite said brush, said yieldable means holding said brush in brushing contact with said rollers during said inward and outward shifting of said brush.

15. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush disposed parallel with the rollers of said conveyor and adjacent thereto as said rollers travel with said conveyor; means for rotatably supporting said brush while permitting the latter to move freely towards or away from said conveyor; means applying pressure to said brush to yieldably urge it towards said conveyor to cause said brush to alternately shift bodily into one of the valleys between adjacent rollers of said conveyor and then yield to allow it to be shifted outwardly as the next roller of said conveyor comes directly opposite brush, said yieldable means holding said brush in brushing contact with said rollers during said inward and outward shifting of said brush; and means responsive to said shifting of said brush for causing said brush to turn in non-rolling contact with said rollers so that the bristles thereof scrub off deposit in said contact.

16. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a rotary brush disposed parallel with the rollers of said conveyor and adjacent thereto H as said rollers travel with said conveyor; means for rotatably supporting said brush while permitting the latter to move freely towards or away from said conveyor; means applying pressure to said brush to yeldably urge it towards said conveyor to cause said brush to alternately shift bodily into one of the valleys between adjacent rollers of said conveyor and then yield to allow it to be shifted outwardly as the next roller of said conveyor comes directly opposite said brush, said yeldable means holding said brush in brushing contact with said rollers during said inward and outward shifting of said brush; and means for holding a body of cleaning uid in the path of downwardly disposed bristles of said brush so that the reciprocation of said brush as aforesaid swishes said bristles in said fluid.

17. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a brush disposed parallel with the rollers of said conveyor and adjacent thereto as said rollers travel with said conveyor; means for supporting said brush while permitting the latter to move freely towards or away from said conveyor; and means for yieldably urging said brush towards said conveyor to cause said brush to alternately shift bodily into one of the valleys between adjacent rollers of said conveyor and 10 then yield to permit said brush to be shifted outwardly as the next roller of said .conveyor comes directly opposite said brush, said yieldable means holding said brush in brushing contact with said rollers during said inward and outward shifting of said brush.

18. In combination: an endless traveling roller conveyor the rollers of which may acquire a deposit in use; a brush disposed parallel with the rollers of said conveyor and adjacent thereto as said rollers travel with said conveyor; means for supporting said brush while permitting the latter to move freely towards or away from said conveyor; means for yieldably urging said brush towards said conveyor to cause said brush to alternately shift bodily into one ofthe valleys between adjacent rollers of said conveyor` and then yield to permit said brush to .be shifted outwardly as the next roller of Said conveyor comes directly opposite said brush, said yeldable means holding said brush in brushing contact Iwith said rollers during said inward and outward shifting of said brush; and means responsive to said reciprocation of said brush to wash the bristles thereof in a cleaning fluid.

ARTHUR F. KALMAR. GLENN E. STILWELL.

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