US3482698A - Arrangement for cleaning gratings,grids,racks,etc. - Google Patents

Description

3,482,698 ARRANGEMENT FOR CLEANING GRATINGS, GRIDS, RACKS, ETC. Filed March 22, 1968 9. 1969 LARS-OLOF LENNART bsTwAs 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

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Dec. 9, I969 ARRANGEMENT FOR CLEANING GRATINGS,'GR IDS, RACKS, ETC. Filed March 22, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet :3

United States Patent 3,482,698 ARRANGEMENT FOR CLEANING GRATENGS, GRIDS, RACKS, ETC.

Lars-Olaf Lennart Ostniis, Hagersten, Sweden, assignor to AB Tolu, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Mar. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 715,244 Claims priority, application Sweden, Mar. 28, 1967, 4,214/ 67 Int. Cl. B01d 35/16 US. Cl. 210159 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cleaning system for cleaning gratings, waste water gates, grids, etc. comprises a power-driven vertically reciprocable rake movable along the grating. The rake is carried by a lower arm which is pivoted to an upper arm. The upper arm is moved along a guide by a carriage. The guide has a horizontally extending leg such that toward the upper end of the stroke, the upper arm is swung rapidly upwardly thereby rapidly to raise the rake and also to lessen the total height of the two arms.

Different systems are known for cleaning and clearing filter means, such as a grating, rack, grid, etc. for example when such a filter is provided at a waste water sewer or sewage channel at a place where rubbish impurity particles are to be separated out. Such cleaning systems have been used to remove the rubbish accumulated at said place.

The known systems have the disadvantage of being very voluminous, particularly in the vertical direction, and this disadvantage is particularly marked if the depth of the sewer or channel is big. Furthermore, the driving machinery of such systems frequently is intricate and voluminous.

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the disadvantages of the known systems of this kind by creating an arrangement of relatively low volume and height which is effective and reliable.

Another object is to provide a cleaning arrangement having a drive which may be constructed as a separate unit being independent of the width and/ or height of the grating, grid or rack to be cleaned, and which may be located, if desired, considerably spaced in the vertical direction from the grating.

The arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that the cleaning means are provided on an arm or lever or on part thereof, which is connected through V a joint to a guiding and supporting arrangement which is movable in operation along a guide extending above the grating.

The joint support of the cleaning means permits effective cleaning of the grating and a fast and reliable mover Thus, the driving, guiding and supporting arrangement of the cleaning system may substantially consist of standard elements the structure of which will be substantially independent of the height and/ or width of the grating.

The guiding and supporting arrangement preferably comprises an upper arm portion and is such that at least part of the stroke of the cleaning means reciprocating between the grating and the collecting place in- 3,482,698 Patented Dec. 9, 1969 volves varying of the angle included by the parts of the arm.

The desirable variation of said angle may be obtained in that the guide has an upper angular part which is entered by at least part of the guiding and supporting arrangement during the end phase of the movement of the cleaning means towards the collecting place.

Further characteristic features and advantages of the invention may be seen from the following description of a number of embodiments of the invention shown by way of example.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a cleaning arrangement according to the invention, being located at a sewer which is provided with a grating of rods.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the lower part of the system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a lateral view of another embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show alternative arrangements of the drive of the cleaning system shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 at different levels above the grating.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a sewer 1 including separating means for impurities which means is shown as a grating or grid 2, for example a grating consisting of parallel rods or bars. The impurities retained by the grating are removed by a movable cleaning element substantially consisting of a rake 3 the shape of which is described more below. By means of this rake 3 the impurities retained by and accumulated on the grating are moved to a collecting place 4 which may be a gutter, a belt conveyor, a car or the like.

The cleaning rake 3 consists of a lower cleaning member 5 being mounted on two arms 6 each comprising two sections 6a and 6b pivotally joined by joints 6c.

The upper arm section 6b forms part of a guiding and supporting arrangement for the lower arm section 6a which is provided with the cleaning member 5. This guiding and supporting arrangement is movable in a guide 9 arranged above the sewer 1. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, said arrangement forms also a drive for the cleaning rake, and for this reason the upper arm sections 6b are interconnected by a sleeve 10 enclosing a shaft 11 and being rotatable relative to this shaft 11. The shaft 11 is rotatable in both of the directions of rotation by means of a driving motor 13 mounted on the sleeve. Bearings 12 are inserted between the sleeve 10 and the shaft 11.

Each one of the two ends of the shaft 11 projects from the respective end of the sleeve and carries a toothed wheel 15 engaging a rack 16 which extends along the guide 9 and operates the rake, and a roller 17 moving between planar surfaces 9a of the guide. The sleeve 10 is also joined to two levers 20 provided with supporting rollers 19 and is fixedly attached to two arms 21 opposite to the levers 20. A compression spring 22 is inserted between each lever 20 and arm 21 and is connected to the arm 21. An abutment 23 limits the relative movement of the levers 20 and the arms 21. The supporting roller 19 engages a guiding surface 9b of the guide. The upper part of the surface 9b has a bracket or projection approximately at right angles to the remainder of the surface which is carried by a guide frame 24.

When the shaft 11 is rotated by the driving motor 13, the rake 5, 6 and its associated guiding and driving aggregate moves upwards by means of the toothed wheel 15 engaging the rack 16, the movement being guided by the rollers 17. By rotating the shaft 11, the motor 13 tends to rotate in a sense opposite to the sense of rotation of the shaft. However, the supporting roller 19, the

compression spring 22 inserted between the lever 20 and the arm 21, and the abutment 23 limits the swinging movement of the rake during the upward stroke of the rake so that during this upward movement the spring 22 is kept compressed and the cleaning member 5 of the rake resiliently engages the grating 2.

When the upper end of the rake arrives at the upper end of its path, the supporting roller 19 enters the bracket part 9c of the guide whereby the upper arm sections 6b move in a direction away from the guide so that the angle between the sections 6a and 6b is altered. At the same time an upper limit switch switches off the driving .motor and afterwards switches on the motor in the reverse direction of rotation of the rotor thereof so that the rake is moved downwards.

During said movement of the arm sections 61) away from the proper guide, the cleaning member 5 of the section 6a moves along an inclined plate 31 extending from the upper cover or rim of the sewer 1 to the collecting place 4. If desired, a special guide (not shown) may keep the arm section 6a spaced from the plate 31 such that the cleaning member 5 does not engage the plate.

A scraper 28 is mounted on the frame 24 approximately in the center of the frame to clean the cleaning member 5. In its lowest position the scraper 28 rests on a support lug 29 and may be moved to a substantially horizontal position shown by chain lines in FIG. 1 by a projection 30 of the lower arm section 6a when this section 611 moves. At the same time, rubbish and impurities caught by the cleaning member 5 are pushed down to the collecting place 4.

When the driving motor 13 is reversed, the rake is moved downwards along the guide so that the two arm sections 6a, 6b perform a relative angular movement until they are aligned again whereupon an abutment 6d prevents further relative angular movement. During the down stroke of the rake, the spring biased supporting member 19, 20 causes the sleeve and the arms 6 to be turned in the opposite direction, that is counter-clockwise in FIG. 1. This involves that the rake swings away from the grating 2 to the position shown by chain lines in FIG. 1. When the rake reaches its lower position, the driving motor is switched off, and the process described above will be repeated.

The required height of the frame 24 above the sewer 1 is low because the rake is articulated owing to the joints 6c between the sections 6a and 612. As the driving means of the rake consist of a fairly simple aggregate moving together with the rake, the described embodiment has no space requiring driving elements outside the frame. The upper part of the rake automatically causes the swinging or angular movements around horizontal axes by means of the guiding and supporting arrangement as described above, whereby the operation of the rake will be effective.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the cleaning member 105 is mounted on an arm section 106a which is pivotally connected by a joint 1060 and an arm section 10Gb to a guiding and supporting arrangement in the same way as in the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The guiding and supporting arrangement comprises a carriage 110 provided with rollers 117, the arm sections 106b hanging down from the carriage. Each of the sections 106a carries an upper angular part or bracket 1066, the end of which carries an exchangeable rotatable roller 106] forming a counterpoise. The angular part 1062 serves as a lever for the counterpoise roller 106 so that, if unprevented, the clean ing member moves into engagement with the grating 102 by pivoting around the axis of the joint 1060. During the down stroke of the cleaning member 105, the roller 106 engages a counterpoise guide 140 being located such that the cleaning member is kept disengaged from the grating. The counterpoise guide 140 is connected to a stationary frame section 141 by links 142 so as to be movable with respect to the frame such that during the upward stroke of the cleaning member the guide 140 may be displaced to be clear from the path of the angular part 1062 and the roller 106 and occupies the position shown by chain lines in FIG. 3.

The carriage 110, 117 is movable along a linear vertical carriage guide 109 consisting of I-beams in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The length of the beams can be increased downward as far as desired. Similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide 109 has an upper angular part or bracket 1090. When the carriage 110, 117 enters the bracket, the angle included by the arm sections 106a and 10612 is changed and the cleaning member moves along the slide plate 131, an adjustable scraper 128 transferring the impurity particles to the collecting place 104.

In this embodiment, the driving system and the upper part of the guide form part of an upper driving station 145 for the rake. A motor 113 drives a reduction gearing 114, 115 the output of which is connected to a shaft 116 journalled above the guide 109 and having fixed to it sprocket wheels 118. One end of each of the chains driven by the sprocket wheels 118 is fixed to the carriage 110, 117, the other end being loaded with a counterpoise 121, one for each chain. Suitably positioned limit switches (not shown) control the stroke of the carriage 110, 117 between the upper and lower limits of the stroke. The reliability of operation is improved by suitable switches actuated by the chains 118 loaded with the counterpoises, the switches being arranged such that the'driving motor 113 is switched off (and braked, if required) if the chains relax, for example when during the upward stroke of the rake the cleaning member lifts some bigger object which might damage the driving system.

As may be seen from FIG. 4 the driving station 145 of the rake may be used independently of the width of the grating to be cleaned.

It may be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6 that one and the same driving station 145 can be used irrespectively of the height of the grating and irrespectively of the vertical spacing between the grating and the collecting place. FIG. 5 shows the grating 102 of a sewer or waste water duct 100 extending in the lower floor of a building whereas the driving station including the upper part of the guide 109 and the motor 113 together with associated ancillary equipment are located on a fioor several storeys above the grating and comprising the collecting place 104. The arrangement shown in FIG. 3 may be modified to be in accordance with FIG. 5, simply by extending the guide 9, the slide plate 131 and counterpoise wires to correspond to the increased distance of the collecting place 104 from the grating 102. FIG. 6 shows how the driving station may be mounted on a base 132 if the collecting place 104 is elevated. A corresponding arrangement may be required if the grating is very high and, thus is provided in a sewer of great depth.

Considering the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 it will be understood that all of the elements of the driving and guiding assembly may be standard elements which may be readily exchanged and are adapted for use with all existing types of gratings, grids and racks.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for cleaning filter means such as gratings, gates, grids and the like, comprising a cleaning member for removing impurity particles and rubbish accumulated at the filter means, a lower arm on which said cleaning member is mounted, an upper arm pivotally connected to said lower arm, an upwardly extending guide adjacent the filter means, a carriage movable along said guide and carrying said upper arm, said upper arm constructed and arranged to extend a substantial distance outwardly beyond said guide, said guide having a horizontally extending portion that said carriage enters to swing said upper arm rapidly upwardly and to cause said outward extension thereby to accelerate the upward movement of the cleaning member adjacent the upper portion of its path of travel.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said horizontally extending guide portion meeting the upwardly extending portion of the guide at a sharp angle of substantially 90.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and a slide plate intermediate the length of said guide, said plate being engageable by said cleaning member during at least a portion of the upward movement of the cleaning member, an arm carrying a counterweight secured to said lower arm to keep the cleaning member angularly displaced toward the filter means during upward movement of the cleaning member, and means engageable by said counterweight arm during downward movement of said cleaning member to keep the cleaning member away from the filter means during the downward stroke of the cleaning member.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said carriage including a horizontal shaft movable along said guide, a driving unit carried by said shaft for rotating said shaft,

a rotatable tubular sleeve about said shaft, said sleeve having an arm having a roller thereon engaging said guide and pivotal with respect to the sleeve, said sleeve having an arm thereon which is fixed with respect to the sleeve, and compression spring means acting between the two said arms carried by said sleeve.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and a toothed wheel carried by the shaft and engaging a rack extending along the guide to move the cleaning member vertically.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,023 4/1893 Ctirrell 210159 1,823,823 9/1931 Dundas et al 210-159 3,358,837 12/1967 Tillett et al 210-159 3,347,382 10/1967 Quast 210159 REUBEN FRIEDMAN, Primary Examiner T. A. GRANGER, Assistant Examiner

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