Abstract:
A vacuum receiver for separating particles entrained in a gas-particle stream and for allowing a gas stream to exit from the vacuum receiver to an exhaust blower while simultaneously allowing the particles to remain in a particle receiving vessel having an open top. A cover is provided which has a top wall with a perimeter thereof resting on a surface of the receiving vessel encircling the open top. The cover has two openings therethrough, the first opening being oriented directly above the particle receiving vessel and a second opening being oriented on an axis that is wholly outside a peripheral boundary of the particle receiving vessel. The cover further includes a structure defining a passageway extending from the particle receiving vessel to the aforesaid second opening. A reciprocal valve member is mounted in the passageway and a drive motor is provided therefor which is mounted on an exterior part of the passageway to facilitate easy access thereto.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a vacuum receiver that separates a granular product from an incoming air stream without the use of internal filters. More particularly, this invention relates to a vacuum receiver in a pneumatic conveying system of the type wherein a granular product is conveyed by an air stream from a material supply to a machine or like destination in a processing line where the product is to be used. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention disclosed herein arose out of a need to further simplify the constructions in my earlier vacuum receiver products represented by the teachings in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,885 and 5,776,217. In order to dismantle the aforesaid vacuum receivers, several complicated steps need to be taken in order to effect the removal of the components that deliver the gas entrained particulate to the interior of the vacuum receiver. During use of these vacuum receivers, time is usually of the essence and, therefore, any reduced amount of down time for servicing purposes will be appreciated by the end user. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a vacuum receiver that separates a granular product from an incoming air stream and delivers the particulate to a vacuum receiver vessel, wherein the structure for delivering the gas entrained particulate to the vacuum receiver is configured to be in a slip-fit relation to the vacuum receiver to enable it to be simply removed from the vacuum receiver without removal of the lid covering the top of the vacuum receiver. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a vacuum receiver, as aforesaid, wherein the gas entrained particulate delivery structure includes a housing with an interior chamber that is larger in cross section than an area of a perpendicular cross section of a gas entrained particulate delivering pipe so that the deceleration of the particles prior to their entry into the vacuum receiver occurs before the particles enter the vacuum receiver. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum receiver, as aforesaid, wherein the entry port into the vacuum receiver includes an elongate pipe which has a plurality of circumferentially and lengthwise spaced perforations along a length thereof to facilitate the flow of gas therethrough and to reduce the amount of gas flowing out through the outlet end of the pipe. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum receiver, as aforesaid, wherein the structure that effects a deceleration of the particles is contained on a removable plate forming a wall of the interior chamber to thereby enable removal of the plate and a replacement thereof with a new one. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum receiver, as aforesaid, wherein a downwardly inclined ramp surface is provided between a region adjacent a lower edge of the removable plate and an entrance from the interior chamber into the vacuum receiver so as to facilitate the movement of slowed particles from the plate to and into the entry port to the vacuum receiver. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum receiver, as aforesaid, wherein the inlet pipe delivering gas entrained particulate to the interior chamber is slidingly secured in the inlet opening of the housing and is removable from the housing through an opening created when the removable plate is removed. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum receiver, wherein the inlet opening to the vacuum receiver is oriented directly above the particle receiving vessel and a second opening into the particle receiving vessel and to which a suction blower is connected is oriented on an axis that is wholly outside the peripheral boundary of the particle receiving vessel, with the lid for the vacuum receiver further including structure defining a passageway extending from the particle receiving vessel to the aforesaid second opening. A reciprocal valve mechanism is mounted in the passageway with a drive motor therefor being mounted on the exterior part of the passageway to facilitate easy access thereto. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objects and purposes of the invention are met by providing a vacuum receiver for separating particles entrained in a gas-particle stream and for allowing a gas stream to exit from the vacuum receiver to an exhaust blower while simultaneously allowing the particles to remain in a particle receiving vessel having an open top. A cover is provided which has a top wall with a perimeter thereof resting on a surface of the receiving vessel encircling the open top. The cover further includes first and second separate openings through the top wall with the second opening being configured to be connected to the aforesaid exhaust blower. An inlet housing is provided which includes a wall defining an interior chamber. The interior chamber has an inlet opening provided through the wall. A pipe is sealingly received in the inlet opening and is configured to deliver gas entrained particles to the interior chamber. An end of the pipe located inside the interior chamber has a check valve mechanism mounted thereon to limit to a single direction the flow of gas entrained particles through the pipe. A first outlet opening is provided in the housing which is axially aligned with the first opening through the top wall of the lid. An elongate pipe is provided with one end thereof being fixedly connected to the outlet opening from the housing and extending through the first opening in the lid. An opposite end of the outlet pipe terminates in the aforesaid particle receiving vessel. The inlet housing and the elongate outlet pipe are configured to be removable as a unit from and insertable as a unit into the first opening through the top wall enabled by a slip-fit relation between the inlet housing and the elongate pipe connected thereto and the first opening in the top wall so that an exhaust blower, in operation, will create a less than atmospheric pressure in the particle receiving vessel to draw either the inlet housing or the elongate outlet pipe connected thereto into a snug and sealed relation to the top wall. 
     The objects and purposes of this invention are further met by providing a cover on the upper end of the particle receiving vessel which has two openings therethrough, the first opening being oriented directly above the particle receiving vessel and a second opening being oriented on an axis that is wholly outside a peripheral boundary of the particle receiving vessel. The cover further includes a structure defining a passageway extending from the particle receiving vessel to the aforesaid second opening. A reciprocal valve member is mounted in the passageway and a drive motor is provided therefore which is mounted on an exterior part of the passageway to facilitate easy access thereto. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a central sectional view through a vacuum receiver embodying the invention; and 
     FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 but in an altered state of operation. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Certain terminology may be used in the following description for convenience and reference only and will not be limited. The words “up” and “down” will designate direction in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “upstream” and “downstream” will refer to the direction of material flow through the device, “upstream” to “downstream” being the normal flow direction. The words “in” and “out” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the device and designated parts thereof. Such terminology will include the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. 
     While the following discussion does not refer to the use of the device in conjunction with any specific type of equipment, it is to be understood that its application is broad based and can be applied to the filling of a variety of extruders, injection molding machines, storage silos, mixers, and virtually any other receiving vessel or device to which the particulate material would have to be conveyed. 
     The subject matter of my earlier issued U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,885 and 5,776,217 are incorporated herein by reference. Environments into which this invention can be utilized are disclosed in my earlier issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,457 and the subject matter of this patent is to be incorporated by reference as well. In addition, a device for effecting the entrainment of particles into a gas stream is disclosed in my earlier issued U.S. Patent No.  5   340   241  and the subject matter of this patent is to be incorporated herein by reference as well. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a vacuum receiver  10  adapted to separate a particulate material or particles P entrained in a gas-particle stream S from a particulate material source  11 . The particles at the source  11  are entrained into a gas-particle stream by, for example, a pneumatic vacuum conveying system as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,885, 5,340,241 and 5,490,745. The subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,745 is additionally to be incorporated by reference. The blower means  12  creates a gas flow within a gas tight gas flow system represented in FIG. 1 by the inlet unit or pipe  13 , outlet unit or pipe  14  and the vacuum receiver  10  generally oriented between the inlet pipe  13  and the outlet pipe  14 . 
     The vacuum receiver  10  includes a hollow interior hopper or vessel  16 . The vessel includes a cylindrical shell  17  mounted on a base  18  defining a funnel-like structure leading to an outlet opening  19 . A conventional flap valve  21  is provided in the outlet opening  19  and is rotatable between open and closed positions in relationship to the outlet opening  19 , the closed position being illustrated in FIG.  1  and the open position being illustrated in FIG.  2 . In this particular embodiment, the cylindrical shell  17  rests on a shelf  22  provided adjacent the upper edge of the base  18 . The upper end of the shell  17  is open as indicated at  23 . 
     A gas tightly closed cover  26  is mounted on the upper end of the shell  17 . A plurality of internally threaded openings are provided around the periphery of the lower edge of the cover  26  and are adapted to receive the threaded end of elongate bolts  27  which are used to draw the cover  26  tightly down on to the upper end of the shell  17 . More specifically, the upper edge of the base  18  includes an annular radially outwardly extending flange  28  having a plurality of holes therein which are to be axially aligned with the internally threaded holes in the cover  26  so that the bolts  27  can extend through the holes in the flange  28  and be threadedly engaged with the internally threaded holes in the cover  26  to draw, as aforesaid, the cover tightly down onto the top of the vessel  17 . 
     The cover  26  includes an upstanding side wall  29  extending upwardly from the top of the shell  17  to a top wall  31  which effectively closes off the upper portion of the cover  26 . An opening  32  is provided in the top wall  31  which is sealingly closed off by a lid  33  hingedly secured thereto as at  34 . A latch, schematically illustrated as at  36 , is provided to lock the lid  33  in the closed, sealed, position as illustrated in FIG.  1 . 
     An opening  37  is provided in the lid  33 , the axis of the opening  37  being generally coaxial with the central axis of the shell  17 . While the coaxial relationship between the opening  37  and the central axis of the shell  17  is not critical, the opening  37  is preferably oriented directly above the opening  23 . 
     As is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover  26  and side wall  29  include a radially outwardly extending section  38  that is oriented wholly outside the theoretical cylinder defined by the shell  17 . This section  38  is open on the inside thereof to the interior of the cover  26 . An opening  39  is provided in the top wall  31  covering the top of the section  38 . The outlet pipe  14  is connected to the top wall  31  with its end thereof gas-tightly received in the opening  39 . 
     A reciprocal valve mechanism  41  is mounted on the radially outwardly projecting section  38  and includes a valve member  42  which is supported for movement toward and into a sealed engagement with a lower end  43  of the pipe  14  (as shown in FIG. 2) as well as away therefrom to the position illustrated in FIG.  1 . This reciprocal movement of the valve member is controlled by an actuator  44  of the valve mechanism  41  oriented on the external portion of the section  38 . The valve member  42  is connected to the actuator  44  by a reciprocal rod  46  thereof extending through a not illustrated opening in a wall section of the section  38 . 
     An inlet housing  47  is provided which includes a through opening  48  in one wall thereof and a further opening  49  directly aligned therewith but at an opposite side of the housing  47 . The inlet pipe  13  is received in the opening  48  and a sealed relation exists between the periphery of the pipe  13  and the radially inwardly facing surface of the opening  48 . A flat plate  51  is hingedly secured as at  51  to the end of the inlet pipe  13  oriented in an interior chamber  53  of the inlet housing  47 . The flat plate  51  is movable between two positions, namely, the open position illustrated in solid lines in FIG.  1  and the closed position illustrated in solid lines in FIG.  2 . When the flat plate  51  is in the closed position illustrated in FIG. 2, it serves as a check valve preventing the back flow of gas into the inlet pipe  13 . 
     The opening  49  is closed by a cover plate  54  secured to the inlet housing  47  by a plurality of screws  56 . In this particular embodiment, the cover plate  54  includes an inclined flat surface  57  adjacent a bottom edge of the cover plate  54 . The angle of inclination is in the range of 40° to 60° to the horizontal, preferably about 50°. The inclined surface  57  can be provided on a key-like extension piece  58  of the cover plate so that the key will assure a proper placement of the cover plate  54  onto the inlet housing  47 . 
     The bottom wall  59  of the inlet housing  47  has an opening  61  therein into which is secured, as by a threaded connection, an elongate pipe  62  having a plurality of through holes  63  therein. As is illustrated in the drawings, the holes are circumferentially and lengthwise spaced along the length of the pipe  62 . Furthermore, the size of the through holes  63  is selected so that particulate entering the inlet end  64  of the pipe  62  will not pass through the holes  63 . Instead, only gas and dust particles, if any, will pass through the openings  63 . 
     The bottom wall  59  of the inlet housing  47  includes a cylindrical sleeve-like section  66  that is adapted to be snuggly sleeved into the opening  37  in the lid  33 . The fit between the radially outward surface of the sleeve-like section  66  and the radially inwardly facing surface of the opening  37  is of a slip-fit type so that the exhaust blower means  12 , in operation, will be able to create a less than atmospheric pressure in the particle receiving vessel  10  to draw the sleeve-like section  66  into the opening  37  and be sealed thereat. If desired, an O-ring or other type of gasket material can be provided between the outwardly facing surface of the sleeve-like section  66  and the radially inwardly facing surface of the opening  37  to enhance the aforesaid sealed relationship. In the alternative, the opening  37  can be of a diameter to receive just the outlet pipe  62  therethrough with the sealed relationship existing between the peripheral surface of the outlet pipe  62  and the radially inwardly facing surface of the opening  37 . 
     A level sensor  67  is provided inside the shell  17  portion of the vacuum receiver  10  and is configured to sense and indicate the level of the particulate gathering in the vacuum receiver  10  when the flap valve  21  is in the closed position as illustrated in FIG.  1 . When the level sensor  67  detects an appropriate particle level inside the vacuum receiver  10 , a signal will be sent to a control circuit  68  which, in turn, sends a signal to the actuator  44  to cause the actuator  44  to drive the valve member  42  into a closed and sealed relation with the end  43  of the outlet pipe  44 , namely, to the position illustrated in FIG.  2  and thereafter send a signal to the flap valve  21  to cause it to rotate from the closed position illustrated in FIG. 1 to the open position illustrated in FIG. 2 to facilitate the dumping of the contents collected in the vacuum receiver into an end user machine. 
     OPERATION 
     Although the operation of the vacuum receiver described above will be understood from the foregoing description by skilled persons, a summary of such description is now given for convenience. 
     When the suction blower means  12  is activated, an airflow is caused to occur, provided the actuator  44  of the valve mechanism  41  has moved the valve member  42  to the open position illustrated in FIG. 1, a flow of gas will cause a gas-particle stream S to flow from the particulate material source  11  through the inlet pipe  13  into the interior chamber  53  of the inlet housing  47  and causing the particulate to strike the inside facing surface of the cover plate  54  to decelerate the particulate P. The particulate P 1  so decelerated will move into the inlet end  64  of the pipe  62  and thence fall out of the outlet end of the pipe  62  into the shell  17  of the vessel  16 . All during the aforesaid operation, the control circuitry  68  will have oriented the flap valve  21  into the closed position as illustrated in FIG. 1, the flap valve  21  preventing the back flow of gas into the outlet end  19  of the base  18  and thence into the interior of the vessel  16 . The gas entering the inlet end  64  of the pipe  62  will be permitted to travel through the perforations  63  so as to minimize the volume of gas traveling out the outlet end of the pipe  62  and thence to the outlet pipe  14 . The “bleeding” of gas through the perforations  63  further facilitates the disentrainment of the particles P 1  from the gas stream so that the particles will not be drawn into the outlet pipe  14 . 
     An advantage of the aforesaid construction is that if the gas-particle stream S is ladened with dust particles, the dust particles will be sucked through the perforations  63  to enable them to exit through the outlet pipe  14  and thereby effect a de-dusting of the particulate entering the vessel  16 . 
     When the particulate level has reached the point where the level sensor  67  is tripped, the control circuitry  68  will effect an actuation of the actuator  44  of the valve mechanism  41  to effect a closing of the valve member  42  to the position illustrated in FIG.  2 . Thereafter, the control circuitry  68  will effect a movement of the flap valve  21  to the open position also illustrated in FIG. 2 to effect a dumping of the particulate content in the vessel  16  into an end user machine. 
     For servicing the vacuum receiver as disclosed herein and with the suction blower means  12  rendered inactive, the machine operator need only to pull up on the inlet housing  47  to effect a removal thereof from an association with the lid  33 . If desired, although not necessarily, quick release connectors, not illustrated, can be provided to initially hold the inlet housing  47  to the lid  33 . Thereafter, the latch  36  can be released to enable the lid  33  to be pivoted about the axis of the hinge  34  to an open position to allow access into the interior of the vacuum receiver  10  to facilitate cleaning and other maintenance. Thereafter, the operator need only to close the lid  33 , relock the latch  36  and place the inlet housing  47 , particularly the outlet pipe  62  thereon back into the opening  37  and affect the sealed relationship between the inlet housing  47  and the lid  33  as aforesaid. 
     Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.