Vessel spray cleaning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9724738-B2
Application number	US-201514604852-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2015
Priority date	Jan 27, 2014
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A spray cleaning device for cleaning the interior of a vessel or the like through an access opening in an underside thereof. The cleaning device includes a wheeled carriage positionable in selected relation to a vessel to be cleaned, an elongated frame having a central drive shaft extending along its length, and a rotatable spray head supported in an upstanding relation to a downstream end of said elongated housing for rotation about multiple axes. The elongated frame is pivotably supported by said wheeled carriage for selective positioning of the spray head within the vessel to be cleaned, and the spray head has a liquid supply which communicates with a liquid inlet to an upstanding support thereof downstream of the central drive shaft so said liquid is not transmitted along the drive shaft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A spray cleaning device for cleaning a vessel through an access opening in an underside thereof comprising:
a carriage positionable in selected relation to a vessel to be cleaned;
an elongated frame supported by said carriage;
a rotatable spray head supported in elevated relation to said elongated frame by an upstanding support at a downstream end of said elongated frame;
said rotatable spray head having a liquid inlet for communication with a liquid supply;
a central drive shaft extending along said elongated frame;
a drive at an upstream end of said elongated frame for rotating said central drive shaft;
a control for controlling operation of said drive;
an angular gear mechanism at a downstream end of said elongated frame operable for rotating said spray head about a central axis of the upstanding support in response to rotatable driving movement of said central drive shaft;
a bevel gear mechanism between said rotatable spray head and said upstanding support for rotating said spray head about a transverse axis transverse to the central axis of said upstanding support as an incident to rotatable driving movement of said drive shaft and operation of said angular gearing mechanism;
said rotatable spray head having at least one spray nozzle communicating with said spray head inlet for discharging a liquid spray in a direction transverse to the transverse axis of said spray head; and
said elongated frame being pivotably supported by said carriage intermediate ends of the elongated frame for facilitating selective vertical positioning of said spray head into the underside opening of the vessel to be cleaned.

2. The spray cleaning device of claim 1 in which said carriage has wheels to facilitate selected movement of the carriage for positioning of said spray head relative to the access opening of the vessel to be cleaned.

3. The spray cleaning device of claim 2 in which said central drive shaft is disposed within said elongated frame, and said elongated frame is supported by said carriage in elevated relation to an axis of said wheels.

4. The spray cleaning device of claim 3 in which said upstanding support includes an internal tubular member which defines a liquid flow passage through the upstanding support to said rotatable spray head and which is rotatably driven by said central drive shaft and bevel gear mechanism for rotating said spray head about the central axis of the upstanding support.

5. The spray cleaning device of claim 2 in which said elongated frame is supported by said carriage in elevated relation to an axis of said wheels.

6. The spray cleaning device of claim 5 in which said elongated frame is supported by said carriage at a level adjacent an upper side of said wheels.

7. The spray cleaning device of claim 6 in which said wheels have a diameter of at least 8 inches.

8. The spray cleaning device of claim 5 including an adjustable stabilizing leg disposed in depending relation to an upstream end of said elongated frame for maintaining the spray head in predetermined position within a vessel to be cleaned.

9. The spray cleaning device of claim 1 in which said central drive shaft is disposed within said elongated frame.

10. The spray cleaning device of claim 9 in which said upstanding support includes a liquid supply passage communicating with the liquid inlet of said spray head, and said upstanding support liquid supply passage having a liquid inlet downstream of said elongated frame and central drive shaft wherein liquid is communicated to the liquid supply passage of said upstanding support without transmission about said central drive shaft.

11. The spray cleaning device of claim 10 in which said liquid supply passage of said upstanding support is defined by an internal tubular member, said internal tubular member having a liquid inlet in fluid communication with the liquid inlet of said upstanding support liquid supply passage, and said tubular member being rotatably driven by said angular gear mechanism in response to driving movement of said central drive shaft for rotating said spray head about the central axis of said upstanding support.

12. The spray cleaning device of claim 11 including a liquid inlet fitting mounting downstream of said angular gear mechanism defining said liquid inlet of said upstanding support liquid supply passage.

13. The spray cleaning device of claim 1 in which said central drive shaft has an upstream end coupled to an output shaft of a planetary gear mechanism which in turn has an input shaft coupled to said drive, and said planetary gear mechanism being operable for reducing the rotational speed of the output shaft and central drive shaft in relation to the speed of said input shaft.

14. The spray cleaning device of claim 1 in which said elongated frame is mounted on said carriage for adjustable positioning along the length of the elongated frame.

15. The spray cleaning device of claim 1 in which said rotatable spray head includes a plurality of discharge orifices for discharging liquid in directions transverse to the transverse axis of said spray head.

Assignees

• Spraying Systems Co

Inventors

• Buhl Boland

Classifications

• B08B9/0813 Primary

  by the force of jets or sprays · CPC title

• B05B3/027

  with radial fluid passages · CPC title

• B08B9/0826

  the containers being brought to the cleaning device · CPC title

• B05B13/0636

  by means of rotatable spray heads or nozzles · CPC title

• B08B9/0936

  using rotating jets · CPC title