Abstract:
The invention relates to systems and methods that remove debris from conveyor systems, such as swarf conveyors used in machining operations. In an example, the invention relates to swarf conveyor cleaning and collecting systems and methods, or may be generally applicable for operation with other conveyor systems and environments. The washing system according to an example is positioned in association with a swarf conveyor adjacent the discharge end of the conveyor and at a position adjacent the return path immediately after the conveyor discharge end. The washing systems may be used in a variety of industries and applications, for example, metal machining operations, agricultural operations, food operations, recycling operations, lumber operations, or other operations using a conveyor system to move or remove products which can be undesirably retained on the conveyor system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/026,847, filed Feb. 7, 2008, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to industrial conveyor equipment, and more particularly to an apparatus for washing unwanted conveyor debris from a conveyor belt. The invention further relates to systems and methods for cleaning or washing debris from a conveyor belt, such as relating to swarf which collects on a conveyor system. The systems and methods clean swarf from the conveyor to remove it from the conveyor prior to the return of the conveyor to a reservoir to alleviate contamination of the fluid in the reservoir and to remove swarf which can cause excessive conveyor motor and drive component loading. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In various applications, conveyor systems are used to move products between locations, or to remove products from a location. For example, various industries use computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, where a computer “controller” reads code commands and drives a machine tool or powered mechanical device used to fabricate components by the selective removal of material. Such equipment includes routers, lathes, drills, mills and other machinery having specially configured cutting bits to shape metal work pieces by removing metal therefrom. The metal turnings or chips which are removed come in many different shapes and sizes, and are collectively referred to as swarf. Such debris can be gathered, and possibly recycled or disposed of. The swarf is generated at the location of machining and typically flushed away from the work piece by machining fluids used in the machining process. To cool work pieces and machine cutting tools and to flush swarf away from cutting bits during machining, a liquid coolant flows at or near the cutting bits. The swarf generally therefore has coolant fluids on its surfaces, and the coolant also helps in cooling the swarf after it is flushed away from the work piece. 
         [0004]    Swarf may be removed from the machining station via swarf conveyor belts that are driven by a motor and move the swarf away from the site of machining to be gathered for recycling or disposal. During machining, the conveyor belt may be driven to convey swarf from machine work stations. To remove swarf from machining stations, a conveyor belt may be positioned below or adjacent a machine or machine line to catch flushed swarf, and convey the swarf to a collection bin at the end of the conveyor belt. Some such conveyor systems include an upwardly directed section which conveys the swarf upwardly at an inclined angle (e.g. 45 degrees) to then be dumped into a large bin located at its inclined end, thereby allowing the use of large collection bins. To maintain swarf on the conveyor belt during conveying, a conveyor housing may be provided. The conveyor housing may also form a reservoir for the coolant fluids used in the machining processes, where the coolant fluids are caught and drip or flow back to the coolant reservoir for further use in a recirculating manner. Upon being flushed onto the conveyor system, the coolant on the surfaces of the swarf may cause it to stick to the conveyor belt such that it is circulated with the conveyor belt, and causing it not to fall off into the collection bin. Such swarf may then be circulated back to the coolant reservoir. This can result in various problems, including causing contamination or degradation of the coolant in the reservoir. The swarf, which may still be hot, can cause burning or degradation of the coolant fluids in the reservoir. Such degradation of the coolant fluids can lead to having to treat the fluids as a hazardous material, thereby greatly increasing the cost of handling and disposal. Further, if the swarf fall offs the conveyor into the reservoir, it can potentially clog the pumping and piping systems used to supply coolant to the machining area. The sticking of swarf on the conveyor system may also cause excessive loading of the conveyor and of the drive motor and system, or interfere with proper movement of the conveyor. 
         [0005]    There thus exists a need for a system that will alleviate swarf retained on such conveyor systems and that protect the conveyor system and coolant fluids used in a machining operation. Similarly, in other environments where conveyors are used, such as with recycling, agricultural or food processing systems, retained materials on conveyor systems can also cause problems, and it would be desirable to provide systems and methods that would remove debris from such conveyor systems in a simple and effective manner. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is therefore directed to systems and methods that remove debris from conveyor systems, such as swarf conveyors used in machining operations. The problems with the operation of the conveyor systems described above can be addressed by providing a washing or cleaning system and process that positively dislodges retained materials and debris on a conveyor system and removes the materials from the conveyor system. In an example, the invention relates to swarf conveyor cleaning and collecting systems and methods, or may be generally applicable for operation with other conveyor systems and environments. The washing system according to an example is positioned in association with a swarf conveyor adjacent the exit end of the conveyor system and at a position immediately after the conveyor system path is made to return. The invention in an example provides a swarf conveyor debris washing apparatus to remove the debris that remains on the conveyor from a metal machining operation, and prevents the swarf, cuttings or filings from contaminating the coolant solution used in the machining operation. The invention also relates to a method of washing debris from a conveyor system and collecting debris to avoid interference with conveyor operation or other processes in an application or environment. The present invention relates to systems and methods for washing conveyor systems which may be used in a variety of industries and applications, for example, metal machining operations, agricultural operations, food operations, recycling operations, lumber operations, or other operations using a conveyor system to move or remove products which can be undesirably retained on the conveyor system. 
         [0007]    These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show examples of the invention. The examples as shown and described do not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention, and reference should only be made to the claims which define the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  shows a schematic illustration of a conveyor system with a conveyor washing apparatus, in accordance with an example of the subject invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a partial illustration of the conveyor system and the conveyor washing apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  shows a cross sectional view of the housing associated with the conveyor washing apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a portion of the conveyor washing apparatus of  FIG. 1  with a perforated catch tray removed from the housing of the washing system according to an example. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  shows a top plan view of the perforated catch tray according to an example. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  shows an illustration of a second example of a conveyor washing apparatus in accordance with the subject invention in association with a conveyor system. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  shows a sectional view of the housing associated with the conveyor washing apparatus of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of the housing and catch tray associated with the conveyor washing apparatus of  FIG. 6  with the perforated tray removed from the housing. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  a top plan view of the perforated catch tray according to the example of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  shows a sectional view of a further example of a washing system according to the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0018]    Various examples of the invention will now be described with reference to the figures. The spirit and scope of the invention is not limited to the examples selected for illustration. Furthermore, the apparatus may vary as to construction and details of the parts, without departing from the concepts as disclosed herein. 
         [0019]    Turning to  FIG. 1 , a conveyor system  10  with a conveyor washing apparatus  100 , according to a first example, is illustrated schematically. It should be understood that in the example shown, the conveyor system is a swarf conveyor that is used in association with a machine tool, with the machine tool generally having a source of coolant and a pumping system associated therewith, with the conveyor system  10  provided to remove swarf or metal shavings or filings or other debris. Though the reservoir and pump systems for the coolant used in the machining process are discussed in association with the conveyor system  10 , it should be understood that the systems are each associated with a machine tool or the like, and the FIGS. are a schematic representation of these systems without showing the machine tool itself for clarity. The conveyor system  10  as shown in  FIG. 1  is a swarf conveyor for use in association with a metal machining system (not shown), but the washing system  100  may be used with other conveyor systems if desired. The conveyor system  10  generally comprises components or assemblies including a conveyor belt  12 , a motor  14  for driving the conveyor belt  12 , a reservoir  16  for containing coolant fluids for use in the machining operation, and a pump  18  for supplying coolant fluids to the location of the machining tool(s). A control system  19  may be provided for operation of the various systems of the conveyor system  10 . Other systems or components may also be a part of the conveyor system  10 , such as an inverter for driving motor  14 , a parameter programming unit, a computerized numerical control system or other systems or components. The conveyor system  10  may include a belt-guiding track (not shown), and a belt cover or housing  20  if desired. As seen, the conveyor belt  12  may include an upper run  22 , and a lower return run  24 . The conveyor belt  12  may also include an upwardly directed section  26  which conveys the swarf  28  upwardly at an inclined angle (e.g. 45 degrees) to then be dumped into a large bin  30 , located at its elevated discharge end  35 . Referring specifically to  FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the conveyor belt can be run continuously in the direction of arrows  40 , to move swarf collected at a loading end  32  along a path including a first horizontal section and inclined section  26  and to a further horizontal section  34  to the exit or discharge end  35 . The belt  12  then travels along the return path or run  24  back to the loading end. The belt  12  may run through the coolant fluid reservoir  16 , and it is desirable to prevent swarf from contaminating the coolant fluid reservoir  16 . 
         [0020]    The conveyor belt  12  can be of any suitable design, and may generally be a continuous belt that is directed along upper path  22  by suitable support, such as a channel or pan, and around a motor shaft at an end, such as end  32 , and passes to return path  24  around a hub  33  at end  35  for example. Belt  12  may also be configured to rest on, and be supported by runners or guides if desired. The motor  14  may be a three-phase squirrel cage induction motor or any other suitable motor for driving the conveyor belt  12 . If desired, the motor  14  may allow movement of the conveyor  12  in either a forward or reverse directions, and at high, medium and/or low speeds. Motor  14  is suitably linked to belt  12  to provide a rotational driving force thereto. Therefore, when motor  14  operates in either the forward or reverse directions, the motor causes belt  12  to move accordingly, conveying belt  12  in either forward or reverse directions. 
         [0021]    The washing system  100  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  to be positioned adjacent the return belt run  24  proximate to the exit end  35  of the upper conveyor run  22 . In this position, the swarf  28  that has not fallen off of conveyor  12  into the bin  30  may be removed before following the return path  24  to any significant extent, thereby avoiding problems that may occur if it were to remain on the conveyor  12 . Further, the position of the system  100  also captures a significant portion of the coolant fluids used in the machining process for recovery of such fluids. As may be understood, the machining process uses coolant fluids which reduce the heat generated in the machining process and also facilitate removal of the swarf from the machining site. The coolant fluids are generally deposited on the conveyor belt  12  along with the swarf or other debris, and are conveyed to the discharge end  35  along with the debris. Generally, some fluid may drip into the bin  30  at the discharge end  35  or in association with swarf or debris that falls into bin  30 , but a significant amount of such coolant fluid is captured by the wash system  100  as the conveyor continues to move past the discharge end  35 . In this way, the loss of coolant fluids is minimized, and coolant fluids are recovered and recirculated to the reservoir  16  in a desired manner. Further, by removal of swarf or other debris from the belt  12 , such debris is not returned to the reservoir  16 . As seen, the conveyor return path  24  is positioned in the reservoir  16 , and any swarf that would remain on the conveyor  12  would generally fall off into the coolant fluid in the reservoir  16 , thereby contaminating the fluid. Further, swarf deposited in to the reservoir  16  could also tend to clog pumping systems and conduit used in supplying the coolant fluid to the site of machining in association with one or more CNC machines or the like. By positioning the washing system  100  at this location, the swarf  28  that may be retained on conveyor  12  is removed by washing system  100  and captured for recycling or disposal. The location of washing system  100  just after collection of swarf  28  by falling into bin  30 , ensures that any retained swarf  28  on the conveyor  12  is removed virtually immediately after it would normally fall off into the bin  30 , and before following the return path  24  down the inclined section  26 . For other applications, such as with conveyor systems used in agricultural, food processing, recycling or the like, other locations for system  100  may be suitable. 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , an example of the washing system  100  is shown, and includes several different components. The system  100  may be integrally formed in conjunction with the machine  10  or may comprise a separate system that is retrofit into use with machine  10 . The washing system  100  may include a housing  102  positioned below the conveyor return path  24 . In this way, any swarf or other materials dislodged by the washing system  100  fall into the housing  102  to be captured for recycling or disposal. The system  100  further includes at least one spray manifold  104  positioned adjacent the belt  12 , and dimensioned to extend across substantially the entire width of belt  12 . In the example shown, a single spray manifold  104  is positioned at the top portion of the housing  102  at approximately the center thereof. The spray manifold  104  has a plurality of spray nozzles  106  provided in spaced apart positions to spray substantially the entire belt  12  in conjunction with one another. The spray manifold  104  is coupled to a source of fluid which is pumped thereto via a conduit or pipe  108 , to force the fluid from the plurality of spray nozzles  106  under pressure and against the conveyor  12  with force sufficient to dislodge retained swarf or other materials therefrom. If desired, a valve  109  may be provided in association with pipe  108  to selectively turn off or control the supply of washing fluid to the manifold  104 . The spray nozzles  106  may be a plurality of multi-directional spray nozzles which allow the spray characteristics from the spray nozzles  106  to be varied as may be desired. In an example, the spray nozzles  106  provide a fan type spray pattern, with the spacing between spray nozzles  106  allowing the sprayed solution  110  from each nozzle  106  to overlap, thus covering the entire area of the conveyor  12  designated to be washed. The spray nozzles  106  may be positioned one to five inches from the conveyor belt  12  for example, or at other suitable distances as may be desired. The fluid  110  may be sprayed under pressure in operation, with the fluid pumped to the manifold  104  by a suitable pump system  18  is shown in  FIG. 1 , and may be the same pumping system provided with the conveyor system  10 , which is provided to pump coolant fluid from reservoir  16  to the site of a machining operation. The fluid  110  may be the coolant fluid used in the machining operation, such that the systems and components of the conveyor system  10  are also used to facilitate the cleaning or washing of the conveyor  12  via the washing system  100 . As an example, the conveyor machine pump  18  used to pump coolant to the machining operation may be a 65 pounds per square inch (PSI) pump, with sufficient capacity to provide fluid  110  under pressure to the spray manifold  104  and from the spray nozzles  106  with sufficient pressure to thoroughly wash and clean the conveyor  12  as desired. Any suitable pump  18  may be used, and the pump pressure may vary depending on the needs of the application or user. Thus, the same fluid  110  that is provided in reservoir  16  may be pumped from the conveyor machine&#39;s reservoir  16  through conduit or piping  108  to the manifold  104 , where the solution  110  is sprayed against the conveyor  12 , thus cleaning any retained swarf or other materials  28  from the conveyor machine&#39;s belt  12 . Further, the operation of the washing system  100  to apply the cleaning solution  110  may be controlled by the control system  19  of the conveyor system  10  if desired. In this manner, the same systems used in the operation of the conveyor system  10  may also be used in operation of the washing system  100 , thereby making the integration of system  100  both simple and cost-effective. For example, operation of the washing system may be controlled to only provide washing of the conveyor  12  when a machining operation is producing swarf, or while conveyor  12  is moving or the like. Alternatively, as will be described in other examples, the washing system  100  may include a separate reservoir, cleaning fluid, pumping system, control system or other components if desired, rather than using the same components or materials (coolant fluid) that may already be provided in association with conveyor system  10 . Other suitable cleaning fluids may be used for example, such as water or the like, which may also be recirculated in the washing system. In operation, in this example, the cooling fluid already in the system  10  is used in the cleaning operation as described, and once sprayed against belt  12 , either falls into the housing  102  or onto the bottom of the conveyor system  10 , where it is returned or recirculated to the reservoir  16 . Upon washing fluid falling into housing  102 , a drain  116  may be provided to circulate the fluid  110  back to the reservoir  16 . There may be provided filtration system in the drain line if desired to filter particles from the coolant being returned to the reservoir, or the coolant may other wised be treated or reconstituted in other manners if desired. The drain  116  may be coupled to a conduit or pipe to return the coolant back to the reservoir. 
         [0023]    As seen in  FIGS. 3-5 , after spraying against the conveyor belt  12 , the coolant/cleaning fluid  110  along with swarf  28  or other materials falls into housing  102  and is collected. The drain  116  may be positioned on a side wall of the housing  102  at a position above the bottom wall  118 , such that fluid  110  collects until it reaches the level of the drain  116 . In this way, any swarf  28  or other materials sink to the bottom wall  118 , and will be inhibited from flowing out through drain  116 . To collect the swarf  28  or other materials, the washing system  100  may further include a catch tray  120 , formed to catch and collect the swarf  28  while allowing the cleaning fluid  110  to pass therethrough and be recirculated back to reservoir  16 . The catch tray  120  may be formed as a filter tray for example, with a plurality of holes  122  or as a mesh type configuration. The catch tray  120  may be made to be selectively removable from housing  102 , to allow collected swarf  28  or other materials to be periodically removed as seen in  FIG. 4 , and recycled or dumped as desired. To facilitate this, the housing  102  may have one side open to receive the catch tray  120 , and may have guides  103  for mating with rails  124  on tray  120  for example. Any other suitable arrangement for enabling the catch tray to be selectively positioned in housing  102  and removed as needed may be used and is contemplated. In operation, if the catch tray  120  needs to be dumped, the operation of the washing system  100  may be suspended by closing valve  109  to stop the spray of fluid  110 , and the catch tray  120  may be removed using handles  125 , and dumped and then replaced for resumption of the washing operation. To further prevent the possible ingress of swarf  28  or other materials back to the cooling fluid reservoir  16 , there may also be provided a filter (not shown) in association with drain  116  if desired. 
         [0024]    Another example of a system according to the invention is shown in  FIGS. 6-9 . In this example, the washing system  200  may have its own systems instead of using components or materials of the conveyor system  10 . The washing system  200  may again be integrally formed in conjunction with the machine  10  or may comprise a separate system that is retrofit into use with machine  10 . The washing system  200  may again include a housing  202  positioned below the conveyor return path  24 . The system  200  further includes at least one spray manifold  204  positioned adjacent the belt  12 , and dimensioned to extend across the entire width of belt  12 . In the example shown, a plurality of spray manifolds  204  are positioned at the top portion of the housing  202  adjacent approximately the center thereof. The spray manifolds  204  may each have a plurality of spray nozzles  206  provided in spaced apart positions to spray the entire belt  12  in conjunction with one another, with adjacent manifolds  204  having nozzles that are offset with respect to one another. The spray manifolds  204  are each coupled to an independent source  205  of cleaning fluid which is pumped thereto via a separate pump  207  and conduit or pipe  208 , to force the fluid from the plurality of spray nozzles  206  into each manifold  204  under pressure. The cleaning fluid sprays from each nozzle  206  against the conveyor  12  with force sufficient to dislodge retained swarf or other materials therefrom. If desired, a valve may again be provided in association with pipe  208  to selectively turn off or control the supply of washing fluid to the manifolds  204 . The spray nozzles  206  may again be a plurality of multi-directional spray nozzles which allow the spray characteristics from the spray nozzles  206  to be varied as may be desired. The spray nozzles  206  provide a spray pattern in conjunction with others on the same or other manifolds  204 , to allow the sprayed solution to fully clean the entire area of the conveyor  12  and to fully wash the conveyor  12  of any debris. The spray nozzles  206  may be positioned at a suitable distance from the conveyor  12  as may be desired. The cleaning fluid may be sprayed at a desired pressure in operation, with the pump system  207  providing the desired spray pressure. The cleaning fluid may be water, with or without a detergent, or other suitable fluid. The operation of the washing system  200  to apply the cleaning solution may be controlled by a separate control system  210 . In this manner, the washing system  200  may be retrofit into use with a conveyor system  10  as a package or plug-and-play type system, thereby making the integration of system  200  simple and efficient. In operation, as in the prior example, the cleaning fluid after being sprayed against belt  12  falls into the housing  202 , where it is returned or recirculated to the reservoir  205 . A drain  216  may be provided to circulate the cleaning fluid back to the reservoir  205 . 
         [0025]    As in the prior example, after spraying against the conveyor belt  12 , the cleaning fluid along with swarf  28  or other materials falls into housing  202  and is collected. The drain  216  may be positioned on a bottom wall  217  of the housing  202  at approximately the center thereof, with bottom wall  217  being sloped to urge the fluid toward drain  216 . To collect the swarf  28  or other materials, the washing system  200  may again include a catch tray  220 , formed to catch and collect the swarf  28  while allowing the cleaning fluid to pass therethrough and be recirculated back to reservoir  205 . The catch tray  220  may be formed similar to the previous example, such as a filter tray for example, with a plurality of holes  222  or as a mesh type configuration. As seen in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the catch tray  220  may have a hole  224  corresponding to the drain  216 , and a filter or mesh  226  may be disposed over the hole  224  to prevent any debris from falling into the drain  216 . Further, a filter or mesh  228  may be provided over the opening of drain  216  into housing  202 . The catch tray  220  may again be made to be selectively removable from housing  202 , to allow collected swarf  28  or other materials to be periodically removed as seen in  FIG. 8 , and recycled or dumped as desired. The housing  202  may again have one side open to receive the catch tray  220 , and be positioned in the housing  202  in a manner similar to the prior example or other suitable arrangement for enabling the catch tray to be selectively positioned in housing  202  and removed as needed. In operation, if the catch tray  220  needs to be dumped, the operation of the washing system  200  may again be suspended by closing a valve (not shown) to stop the spray of cleaning fluid, and the catch tray  220  may be removed using handles  225 , and dumped and then replaced for resumption of the washing operation. The conveyor washing apparatus  200  may be controlled using the separate control system  210  or the conveyor machine&#39;s control system as in the prior example. The control system  210  may control pump on/off, pump pressure, or other variables or functions as may be desired. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 10 , another non-limiting embodiment of the conveyor washing apparatus  300  is shown, with many features being similar to that described in prior embodiments. In this example, instead of a removable catch tray, there may be provided a debris removal system  310  with the system, to intermittently or continuously remove debris from the catch tray or housing of the system. In the example shown in  FIG. 10 , the debris removal system  310  may comprise an auger system in association with housing  302  that is selectively operated to convey debris collected in housing  302  out from housing  302 . The auger  312  may be located in a filter housing that will collect debris removed from conveyor  12  and be urged therefrom by rotation of the auger  312 . Such an arrangement, or other suitable arrangement allows selective removal of debris without removal of a catch tray or the like as in prior examples. For example, instead of an auger  312 , there may be a conveyor system in the housing  302 , or the bottom wall of the housing  302  could be sloped and flushed to selectively remove debris therefrom, or other suitable examples are contemplated. In operation of this example, as the swarf or other debris materials are washed from the conveyor belt  12  and collected into the collecting container  302 , the auger  312  may automatically remove the materials from the collecting container  302  by pushing the materials toward a discharge opening  314 . The use of the auger  312  or other suitable system, provides a self-cleaning mechanism that may eliminate the need to use the perforated catch tray for example. The user of the washing apparatus  300  may then not have to stop the washing system  300  to remove and clean the perforated catch tray as in prior examples. The auger  312  may be controlled by the conveyor machine&#39;s  10  control system or by the washing system  300  control system (not shown) as may be desired. 
         [0027]    The washing apparatus according to the invention may be integrated into a conveyor system or retrofitted to a specific conveying machine as described, thereby allowing use with existing machines or originally manufactured machines. Additionally, in another non-limiting embodiment, the washing apparatus may be portable. A portable washing apparatus may allow the user to easily move and use the conveyor washing apparatus from one conveyor machine to another. 
         [0028]    The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention is by way of example only, and other variations of the above described embodiments are provided by the subject invention. The embodiments presented herein have bee presented for purpose of illustration and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Many variations and modifications are possible in light of the foregoing teaching.