JP7595977B2 - Water remover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water remover, and more specifically to a water remover that removes moisture from the surface of products such as retort packs, aluminum packs, and trays that have become wet after undergoing processes such as cleaning, sterilization, and cooling, by spraying air onto them just before they are packed into cardboard boxes or box containers.

In the above water remover, air is ejected from a nozzle, but because the nozzle has a large effect on water removal, various manufacturers have developed nozzles of various shapes. Although the shapes vary, in the case of many water removers, multiple nozzles are arranged in one nozzle pipe (chamber). The nozzle pipes are arranged above and below the conveyor that transports the objects to be treated, straddling the transport surface at right angles to the direction of travel, and air is sprayed from both above and below the objects to be removed from the water that is being transported.

In this configuration, the nozzle pipes are fixed relative to the conveyor's transport surface, so each nozzle always sprays air at the same position on the conveyor. This means that there may be parts of the object to be dewatered that are not directly exposed to the air spray, and these parts may not be able to be sufficiently dewatered.

In the case of a nozzle pipe with the above configuration, the nozzle is fixed and does not move, but there is also a nozzle pipe with a configuration in which multiple rotating nozzles that can rotate on their own axis due to air pressure are attached (Patent Publication No. 6586675).

However, when using this configuration of rotating nozzle, the chlorine contained in the water droplets that fly off during water removal often adheres to the bearings that support the rotating nozzle, causing the rotating nozzle to stop rotating with air pressure alone. When the rotating nozzle stops rotating in this way, there are areas where the air does not reach, creating a problem where water cannot be removed. Also, since the rotating nozzle rotates but does not change position, and only rotates in the same position, there is a possibility that there will be areas where the air does not reach the object to be removed.

As such, there are two types of dewatering machines known: fixed nozzle type, in which the nozzle is fixed, and rotating nozzle type, in which the nozzle rotates. Each type has its advantages (suitability/unsuitability) depending on the shape of the object to be dewatered, and customers choose one of them to use.

Patent No. 6586675

As mentioned above, there are two types of water removers: fixed nozzle type, where the nozzle is fixed, and rotating nozzle type, where the nozzle rotates. Each type has its advantages (suitability and unsuitability) depending on the shape of the object to be removed water, so customers can choose which one to use. However, with either type of water remover, the nozzle pipe does not move and air is sprayed from the same position, so there is a possibility of water leakage.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems with conventional water removers, and aims to provide a water remover that can select between air injection with the nozzle pipe in a fixed position and air injection while moving the nozzle pipe, depending on the shape of the object to be removed, and can therefore perform uniform and stable water removal regardless of the shape of the object to be removed.

The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above problem is a water remover that removes water from a surface of a water removal object by injecting air from a nozzle pipe equipped with a number of injection nozzles onto the water removal object conveyed by a conveyor,
The air injection from the nozzle pipe can be selectively switched between air injection while the nozzle pipe is stationary and air injection while the nozzle pipe is moving in a horizontal circular motion,
The horizontal circular motion of the nozzle pipe is achieved by connecting two nozzle pipes horizontally with a connecting plate, and driving the connecting plate to describe a circular orbit by a drive mechanism installed on the connecting plate,
The drive mechanism includes a gear box fixedly installed in a main body case, a drive motor provided in the gear box, a gear set assembled in the gear box, a disk fixed to a gear shaft extending from the gear box, and an eccentric shaft attached to each of the disks, and each of the eccentric shafts is fixed to the connecting plate,
The gear set incorporated in the gear box is composed of a drive gear fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor and four driven gears that mesh with the drive gear, and the gear shafts of the driven gears protrude from the gear box and each of the discs is fixed to one of the gear shafts of the water remover.

In one embodiment, the nozzle pipes are positioned above and below the conveyor.

In one embodiment, the nozzle pipe, which is disposed above the conveyor, can be adjusted in height to match the object to be dewatered. The spray nozzle is fixed or rotatable.

In one embodiment, a splash prevention cover is placed over the conveyor at the air injection position. In addition, a stopper is provided above the conveyor to ensure stable transportation of the object to be dewatered when the air is injected.

The water remover according to the present invention is as described above, and the air spray from the nozzle pipe can be switched between spraying air with the nozzle pipe stationary and spraying air while the nozzle pipe makes a horizontal circular motion depending on the shape of the object to be removed, which has the effect of always performing uniform and stable water removal work regardless of the shape of the object to be removed.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of the overall configuration of a water remover according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of a water remover according to the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of a water remover according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of a main part of a water remover according to the present invention.

The water remover according to the present invention is a device that removes water from the surface of an object to be dewatered by injecting air from a nozzle pipe equipped with multiple injection nozzles onto the object to be dewatered, which is conveyed by a conveyor. The air injection from the nozzle pipe can be switched between air injection while the nozzle pipe is stationary and air injection while the nozzle pipe is moving, and further, the nozzle pipe can inject air while making a circular motion in the horizontal direction.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. As shown in each figure, the water remover according to the present invention is configured by installing a water removal mechanism 1 and a conveying unit 31 on a stand case 41 with a built-in blower, and is a device that sprays air from nozzle pipes 2 extending from the water removal mechanism 1 to the upper and lower sides of the conveying surface of the conveyor 33 on the objects to be removed from the water, such as retort packs and aluminum packs, conveyed by the conveyor 33 that constitutes the conveying unit 31, to remove water from the outer surface of the objects to be removed from the water.

The illustrated nozzle pipe 2 is placed above the transport surface of the conveyor 33, with the nozzle 2a facing downwards, but the nozzle pipe placed below the transport surface of the conveyor 33 is the inverted version, with the nozzle 2a facing upwards. Typically, the upper nozzle pipe 2 and the lower nozzle pipe 2 are paired, and multiple pairs (two pairs in the illustrated example) are arranged. The spray nozzle 2a in the illustrated example is a fixed type fixed to the nozzle pipe 2, but it may also be a rotary type that rotates using air pressure.

The transport section 31 is made up of a transport section case 32, a conveyor 33 arranged at the top inside the transport section case 32, and a motor arranged in a motor room connected to one end of the transport section case 32 to drive the conveyor 33 in a circulating manner. A drawer 36 is installed at the bottom of the transport section case 32 to collect falling water droplets. A wire conveyor that is breathable in the vertical direction is used as the conveyor 33. A height adjustment handle 15 is installed on the top surface of the main body case 4. This height adjustment handle 15 is used to adjust the upper nozzle pipe 2 up and down by rotating it according to the height (thickness) of the object to be dewatered being transported.

If necessary, a splash prevention cover 37 is provided on the middle of the transport case 32 to prevent water droplets blown away by the air from scattering. The splash prevention cover 37 is hinged to the front of the main body case 4 of the waterproofing mechanism 1, and can be opened and closed by holding a handle 38 attached to the front. A curtain 39 is provided on both sides of the splash prevention cover 37 in the conveying direction of the conveyor 33. Although not shown, a conveyor for bringing in objects to be dewatered is installed adjacent to the upstream end of the conveyor 33, and a conveyor for carrying out objects to be dewatered is installed adjacent to the downstream end of the conveyor, and objects to be dewatered are handed over between them.

A flexible hose extending from a blower inside the stand case 41 is connected to the nozzle pipe 2, and is positioned above and below the conveying surface of the conveyor 33 so as to cross that surface. Typically, the nozzle pipe 2 extends perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor 33, but it may be angled slightly upstream or downstream. The spray direction may also be slightly tilted rather than straight down or straight up.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 to 4, two nozzle pipes 2 are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the conveyor 33 to spray air while moving circularly in the horizontal direction. To this end, the two nozzle pipes 2, 2 are connected by a connecting plate 45, and a drive mechanism installed on the connecting plate 45 drives the connecting plate 45 to move in a circular orbit, causing the nozzle pipes 2, 2 to move in a circular orbit in the horizontal direction.

The drive mechanism is composed of a gear box 46 installed inside the main body case 4, a drive motor 47 arranged on the gear box 46, a gear set incorporated in the gear box 46, a disk 49 fixed to a gear shaft 48 protruding from the bottom surface of the gear box 46, and an eccentric shaft 50 attached to each disk 49, and each eccentric shaft 50 is fixed to the connecting plate 45. The gear set incorporated in the gear box 46 is composed of a drive gear 51 fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor 47 and four driven gears 52 meshing with the drive gear 51, and the gear shaft 48 of the driven gear 52 protrudes from the bottom surface of the gear box 46, and a disk 49 is fixed to each tip.

In this configuration, when the drive motor 47 operates, the drive gear 51 fixed to its drive shaft rotates, which rotates the four driven gears 52 meshing with it, and the rotation of the driven gears 52 is transmitted directly to the disk 49 via the gear shaft 48. When the disk 49 rotates, the eccentric shaft 50 rotates about the gear shaft 48, causing the connecting plate 45 to which the eccentric shaft 50 is fixed to perform a circular motion, and the nozzle pipe 2 fixed to the connecting plate 45 moves in a circular orbit.

The operation of a dewatering machine with this configuration will be explained below. The objects to be dewatered are successively supplied onto the conveyor 33 from the conveyor for bringing in the objects to be dewatered (not shown). The objects are transported to the conveyor 33, pass through the curtain 39 and enter the anti-scattering cover 37. As they pass through the cover, they are sprayed with air from above and below by the nozzle pipe 2, and the water is removed. After that, the objects leave the anti-scattering cover 37 and are transferred to the conveyor for carrying out the objects to be dewatered (not shown) and are carried out.

The nozzle pipe 2 extends perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 33 and moves horizontally in a circular motion as described above while spraying air, so air can be sprayed thoroughly on both the top and bottom surfaces of the object to be dewatered as it passes, eliminating any leaks.

The speed of the piston movement can be adjusted according to the transport speed of the object to be dewatered and the properties of the object to be dewatered by adjusting the rotation speed of the drive motor 47. In addition, the height position of the upper nozzle pipe 2 can be changed according to the height (thickness) of the object to be dewatered, and the distance between the upper nozzle pipe 2 and the object to be dewatered can be adjusted, making it possible to always perform stable dewatering for objects of various sizes and properties.

Depending on the object to be dewatered, it is expected that the object may bounce up when hit by air spray from below, or be held down by an air curtain created by air spray from above and below, preventing it from moving forward. For this reason, a holding means may be provided above the conveyor 33 to ensure stable transport of the object to be dewatered when air is sprayed. As such a holding means, for example, a holding bar or free rollers that hold down the object to be dewatered above the conveyor 33 may be provided, or a holding conveyor (wire conveyor) that travels at the same speed as the conveyor 33 may be provided to pinch and transport the object to be dewatered.

The water remover according to the present invention is as described above, and the air spray from the nozzle pipe can be switched between spraying air with the nozzle pipe stationary and spraying air while the nozzle pipe makes a horizontal circular motion, depending on the shape of the object to be removed from. This has the effect of always performing uniform and stable water removal work regardless of the shape of the object to be removed from, and has great industrial applicability.

1 Water removal mechanism 2 Upper nozzle pipe 3 Lower nozzle pipe 4 Main body case
31 Transport section 32 Transport section case 33 Conveyor 37 Anti-scattering cover 41 Frame case 45 Connecting plate 46 Gear box 47 Driving motor 48 Gear shaft 49 Disk 50 Eccentric shaft 51 Driving gear 52 Driven gear

Claims (6)

A water remover that removes water from the surface of a water removal object by injecting air from a nozzle pipe equipped with a number of injection nozzles onto the water removal object conveyed by a conveyor.
The air injection from the nozzle pipe can be selectively switched between air injection while the nozzle pipe is stationary and air injection while the nozzle pipe is moving in a horizontal circular motion,
The horizontal circular motion of the nozzle pipe is achieved by connecting two nozzle pipes horizontally with a connecting plate, and driving the connecting plate to describe a circular orbit by a drive mechanism installed on the connecting plate,
The drive mechanism includes a gear box fixedly installed in a main body case, a drive motor provided in the gear box, a gear set assembled in the gear box, a disk fixed to a gear shaft extending from the gear box, and an eccentric shaft attached to each of the disks, and each of the eccentric shafts is fixed to the connecting plate,
This water remover is characterized in that the gear set incorporated in the gear box is composed of a drive gear fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor and four driven gears that mesh with the drive gear, and the gear shafts of the driven gears protrude from the gear box and the discs are fixed to each of them . The water remover according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle pipes are disposed above and below the conveyor. The water remover according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle pipe arranged above the conveyor can be adjusted in height to match the object to be removed water. The water remover according to claim 1, wherein the injection nozzle is fixed or rotary. The water remover according to claim 1, in which a splash prevention cover is placed over the conveyor at the air injection position. The water remover according to claim 1, wherein a restraining means is disposed above the conveyor to ensure stable transport of the object to be dewatered during the air injection.

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