GB2139082A - Apparatus for cleaning lamps - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for cleaning lamps comprises a high-pressure pump 1 which can draw cleaning liquid from a tank 3 and deliver it under pressure through a flexible pressure hose to a spray gun which ejects the liquid on to a lamp to be cleaned in the form of fine jets in association with a blower 10 which draws in, through an intake hose, cleaning liquid deposited in the hollows of the lamp, together with air, the liquid/air mixture being delivered to a liquid separator 11, the air flowing, after separation of the liquid, to the blower, which blows the air through a heating duct 15 to an outlet hose, the hot air being used to dry the wet lamp. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatuszcleaning lamps This invention relates to apparatus for cleaning lamps.

The cleaning of lamps, more particularly of spider luminaires, chandeliers and the like, causes problems some of which result from the difficulty of cleaning any surface having a number of recessed and projecting parts very prone to the formation of accumulations of dirt. When it is further considered that a spider luminaire, for example, is a delicate article consisting of a large number of parts which can readily become detached (with the consequent risk of breakage, since the parts are usually made of fragile materials) and that it is situated in an inaccessible place calling for the use of ladders (or scaffolding if heights are considerable), it will be apparent that cleaning of such lamps is a tedious, lengthy and, therefore, expensive operation. As already stated, these disadvantages are found above all in the cleaning of spider luminaires.The only known way of cleaning a spider luminaire properly is to take it apart, clean all its parts individually, then reassemble it. It is unnecessary to point out the disadvantages of such a procedure and the high labour costs associated with it.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for cleaning lamps which is of novel design and by means of which the above noted difficulties and disadvantages may be overcome.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for cleaning lamps, comprising a tank for cleaning liquid, a high-pressure pump, a spray gun, and a flexible hose connecting the pump with the spray gun, the pump being operable to draw cleaning liquid from said tank and to deliver the liquid under pressure via said flexible pressure hose to said spray gun, the spray gun having a plurality of jet orifices whereby cleaning liquid delivered under pressure, via said hose, to the spray gun will issue therefrom, via said jet orifices, in a plurality of fine streams to impinge upon a lamp to be cleaned; the apparatus further comprising a blower, an intake hose, a liquid separator, a heating duct having heating means therein, and a delivery hose, means connecting the intake hose with the liquid separator, means connecting the liquid separator with the blower, means connecting the blower with said heating duct and means connecting said heating duct with said delivery hose, whereby, in operation, the blower can draw in through the intake hose liquid deposited in the hollows of a lamp to be dried together with air, the air then flowing after separation of the liquid in the liquid separator to the blower which propels the air to said heating duct to pass via said delivery hose to a lamp to be dried.

An embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus viewed from the opposite side to that shown in Figure land with the apparatus being shown disposed on a trolley; Figure 3 shows an elevation view of a gun used to spray cleaning liquid on to a lamp to be cleaned; Figure 4 is a perspective view showing means used to collect the cleaning liquid dripping off a lamp being cleaned, and Figure 5 shows with greater clarity and in partly fragmented form a tank for cleaning liquid, and an associated pump, forming part of the apparatus of Figure 1.

The apparatus shown in the figures basically comprises a high-pressure pump 1 driven by an electric motor 2. The pump 1 draws in cleaning liquid from a tank 3 disposed above it and, through a spigot 4 (to which a flexible pressure hose (not shown in Figures 1 and 2) is connected), delivers cleaning liquid under pressure to a gun 5. The gun has a body part in its handle, a trigger 6, by means of which a valve (not shown) in the body part can be operated to prevent liquid passing to a delivery head 8 of the gun, from the hose, or to allow such passage of liquid, as desired. The gun has a push button 7 operable to lock the trigger releasably in its operative position allowing passage of water to the delivery head, so that the operative does not need to keep the trigger 6 pressed all the time when spraying is to continue for a prolonged period.The delivery head 8 has a plurality of jet orifices therein, which, in the embodiment shown are formed in respective nozzles projecting from head 8, and when liquid under pressure is supplied to the head 8, the liquid issues from these jet orifices in respective fine jets or streams. The delivery head 8 is disposed at the end of a rigid tube, forming the barrel of the gun and head 8 is pivotally mounted on said tube. It will be appreciated that, in practice, the said tube may be made substantially longer than shown in Figure 3, for access to high or difficult-to-reach lamps so that it can swing in the directions indicated by the arrows, to orient the head as described, thus facilitating the penetration of cleaning liquid into places of difficult access.

A second electric motor 9 drives a blower 10. The same has an intake connected, via a liquid separator, with a flexible intake hose (not shown) which is used to remove the cleaning liquid deposited in irregular parts of the surface of the lamp being cleaned, the liquid being drawn into the intake hose together with air. The liquid-air mixture enters the liquid separator 11,flowing through a bent tube 12 in separator 11, so that the liquid separates and drops to the bottom of the separator by gravity. The air then flows to a silencing filter 13 by way of a pipe 20, then to the intake of the blower 10. At the output of the blower the latter delivers air into a second silencing filter 14 and thence to a heating duct 15 having inside it an electrical resistance to heat the air flowing through it.The electrical resistance may be variable by control means, (not shown) to vary the heating effect thereof. The resulting dry hot air issuing from duct 15 goes through another hose (not shown) from the free end of which such air is directed onto a lamp being cleaned to provide the final drying of the lamp.

The delivery of the pump 1 can be controlled by means of a control member 16, a second control being provided which, upon the pump stopping, relieves the pressure in the pump rotor, returning the liquid therein to the tank 3 via a duct 17. The tank 3 can be removed from the remainder of the apparatus and has in its base a filter mesh 18 and a valve 19 which closes automatically when the tank is disconnected from the intake conduit (not shown) of the pump below, so that such separation can be performed even when the tank is full.

Figure 4 shows a means for collecting cleaning liquid dripping offa lamp being cleaned, the means comprising a folding tripod 21 supporting a flexible (and therefore also folding) plastic tank 22.

The complete apparatus is secured to a base, shown in Figure 1,which may be mounted on, or incorporated in, a wheeled hand trolley having a handle which is articulated so that it can be folded down to reduce the storage space required for the apparatus.

In use of the apparatus, after disconnection from the electrical supply mains, a lamp to be cleaned is first sprayed with cleaning liquid, by means of the gun, the liquid being directed onto the lamp in fine jets or streams, from the head 8, without the liquid being atomised by the gun. Such cleaning liquid is, of course, supplied to the gun from the tank 3 by operation of the pump 1. During such spraying of cleaning liquid onto the lamp, the cleaning liquid dripping from the lamp in collected by the tank 22 disposed directly beneath.

When the lamp has been thus washed clean, excess liquid remaining thereon is removed by operation of the blower and placing the open free end, (not shown) of the intake hose in proximity to the lamp to draw in, with air passing into the intake hose, the excess liquid from the lamp. The liquid thus removed is prevented by the liquid separator 11 from passing, with the air, to the blower. The lamp is finally dried completely by directing over the lamp hot dry air, from the outlet hose from the heating duct and the blower outlet, so that since no trace of water is present in the lamp bases and electrical connections, the lamp can be reconnected to the mains quite safely upon the completion of cleaning.

The motors 2 and 9 are preferably single-phase motors. The free ends of the intake and outlet hoses extending to the blower are preferably provided with respective appropriately formed nozzles.

The apparatus described with reference to the drawings has the following advantages: 1. Cleaning is performed by spraying pressurised cleaning liquid and forming streams or jets of such liquid of reduced diameter, so that the cleaning product can penetrate all the areas where dirt is likely to accumulate; 2. Because of the reduced diameter of the streams, there is no risk of parts of the lamp becoming detached; 3. The cleaning liquid is sprayed by a spray gun, so that there is no need for the operative to touch the lamp, with the result of eliminating risk of accident involved in manipulation at the top of a ladder or scaffold; 4. The cleaning liquid is not atomized, so that there is no soiling of furniture and movables in the premises, it being sufficient to provide immediately below the lamp a folding receptacle to catch the liquid which discharges together with the dirt; 5. The apparatus also provides subsequent drying of the lamp, thus obviating the risk of short-circuits and accidents. The only precaution needed for cleaning is to disconnect the lamp from its power supply; 6. Cleaning takes much less time than when carried out by conventional methods, with a resulting increase in productivity and economic benefit.

Apparatus according to the invention can be embodied in a variety of shapes and in appropriate materials, it being possible for details to be altered provided that the essential characteristics of the device, as defined by the appended claims, are not altered thereby.

Claims (12)

1. An apparatus for cleaning lamps, comprising a tank for cleaning liquid, a high-pressure pump, a spray gun, and a flexible hose connecting the pump with the spray gun, the pump being operable to draw cleaning liquid from said tank and to deliver the liquid under pressure via said flexible pressure hose to said spray gun, the spray gun having a plurality of jet orifices whereby cleaning liquid delivered under pressure, via said hose, to the spray gun will issue therefrom, via said jet orifices, in a plurality of fine streams to impinge upon a lamp to be cleaned; the apparatus further comprising a blower, an intake hose connected via a liquid separator with an intake of the blower, a heating duct connecting an outlet of the blower with a delivery hose, the heating duct having heating means therein, whereby in operation, the blower can draw in, through the intake hose liquid deposited in the hollows of a lamp to be dried together with air, the air then flowing after separation of the liquid in the liquid separator to the blower which propels the air to said heating duct to pass via said delivery hose to a lamp to be dried.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said pump and said blower are each driven by a respective electric motor.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which said pump has a valve for controlling flow.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3 in which said pump has means for eliminating internal pressure upon stoppage of the pump.

5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising a flexible plastics receptacle for collecting liquid dripping off a lamp, and a folding tripod for supporting said receptacle.

6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the spray gun for the cleaning liquid has a body part and a delivery head provided with said jet orifices, said delivery head being mounted for angular orienting movement relative to said body part.

7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein said spray gun has valve means for stopping and allowing the flow of liquid from said flexible hose to said jet orifices, a manually operable trigger for operation of said valve means, and a control means operable to retain said trigger releasably in its position allowing the flow of liquid to said jet orifices.

8. An apparatus according to any preceding claim including a filter disposed between said tank and said pump.

9. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein a first silencing filter is connected between the liquid separator and the blower includes a second silencing filter and is connected between the blower and said heating duct.

10. Apparatus for cleaning lamps, comprising a high-pressure pump, a tank, disposed above the pump, for cleaning liquid, a spray gun, and a flexible hose connecting the pump with the spray gun, a filter between said pump and said tank, the pump being operable to draw cleaning liquid from said tank through said filter and to deliver the liquid through said flexible hose to the spray gun, the spray gun having a plurality of jet orifices whereby cleaning liquid delivered under pressure, via said hose to the gun will issue therefrom, via said jet orifices, in a plurality of fine streams to impinge upon a lamp to be cleaned, the apparatus further comprising a blower having an intake connected, via a liquid separator having a drain valve, with an intake hose, the blower having an outlet connected with a delivery hose via a heating duct having variable electrical heating resistances therein, a first silencing filter being connected between the liquid separator and the blower, a second silencing filter being connected between the blower and the heating duct, whereby, in operation, the blower can draw in, through the intake hose, liquid deposited in the hollows of a lamp to be cleaned together with air, the air flowing after separation of the liquid in the liquid separator, through the first silencing filter to the blower which propels the air through the second silencing filter and the heating duct to the delivery hose through which the air can flow to a lamp to be dried thereby.

11. Apparatus for cleaning lamps, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

12. Any novel feature or combination of feature described herein.