Patent ID: 8029583

Claim:
A cleaning apparatus for an air filter that has clean and dirty air chambers separated by a partition having a plurality of openings each provided with a filter bag extending into the dirty air chamber, wherein the partition is divided into a plurality of segments with an equal number of the openings disposed in approximately the same arrangement in each segment, the cleaning apparatus comprising: a source of cleaning gas; a support disposed within the clean air chamber; a number of orifices disposed on the support and arranged in approximately the same arrangement as the arrangement of openings in each segment, wherein: the number of orifices corresponds to the number of the openings disposed in each segment, the orifices are divided into at least first, second and third groups of orifices, each of the first group of orifices is fluidly connected to a first valve, each of the second group of orifices is fluidly connected to a second valve, and each of the third group of orifices is fluidly connected to a third valve, at least one division that fluidly divides each one of the first, second, and third groups of orifices from the other groups of orifices, each one of the first, second and third valves is configured to selectively deliver cleaning gas from the source of cleaning gas to the orifices fluidly connected to that valve without delivering cleaning gas to the orifices fluidly connected to another one of the first, second and third valves, and each of the orifices is configured to discharge cleaning gas toward the partition; a drive mechanism configured to move the support relative to the partition from a first cleaning position toward a second cleaning position and a third cleaning position, where in the first cleaning position the support positions the orifices proximate the openings disposed in a first one of the segments, in the second cleaning position the support positions the orifices proximate the openings disposed in a second one of the segments, and in the third cleaning position the support positions the orifices proximate the openings disposed in a third one of the segments; a sensor configured to provide: a first indication when the support is proximate a first one of the first, second and third cleaning positions, a second indication when the support is proximate a second one of the first, second and third cleaning positions, and a third indication when the support is proximate a third one of the first, second and third cleaning positions; and a control system, wherein responsive to the first indication the control system is configured to activate the first valve to discharge cleaning gas from the first group of orifices, responsive to the second indication the control system is configured to activate the second valve to discharge cleaning gas from the second group of orifices, and responsive to the third indication the control system is configured to activate the third valve to discharge cleaning gas from the third group of orifices.