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(11) | EP 2 136 171 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Centrifugal machine |
| (57) Centrifugal machine for drying containers (11) for food and/or medical and pharmaceutical
products comprising a rotating drum (12) provided with a lower surface (13) defining
a support plane (P) and an upper surface (14). The rotating drum (12) is provided
inside with a plurality of compartments (18), so as to house said containers (11)
to be dried, disposed in an eccentric position with respect to the center of rotation
of the rotating drum (12).
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In particular, the centrifugal machine according to the present invention is used preferably, but not only, to dry containers for food, such as boxes to contain fruit, vegetables, meat and the like, and/or containers for medical and pharmaceutical products, advantageously, but not exclusively of the folding type, which have already undergone a previous washing step.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A centrifugal machine is known, to dry containers of the folding type which have previously been washed.
[0004] The known centrifugal machine comprises a rotating drum provided with a compartment in its central part inside which the boxes to be dried can be stacked by means of known feed means such as conveyor belts. Said feed means cooperate with a reclosable lateral opening made along the lateral surface of the drum, achieving in practice a direct loading in a lateral direction with respect to the drum itself.
[0005] A centrifugal machine is also known comprising a rotating drum in which feed means of the known type feed boxes into a compartment disposed inside the rotating drum and in a central position with respect to the latter, in a vertical direction with respect to the drum itself.
[0006] One disadvantage of such known centrifugal machines is that they do not dry the boxes uniformly and completely. In fact the boxes are positioned inside compartments disposed in a substantially central position with respect to the axis of rotation of the machine where, during the rotation step, the peripheral speed is substantially zero and the effect of the centrifugal force is not sufficient to completely eliminate the washing liquid used to wash the boxes. This results in a partial drying of the boxes which can determine over time the formation of mold or calcareous residues on the boxes themselves with the consequent problems for the food and in general for the products contained inside.
[0007] One solution to this technical problem is to increase the rotation speed of the drum by using motor means which are increasingly more powerful and costly, but this causes a considerable waste of energy.
[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to achieve a centrifugal machine which allows a complete and uniform drying of the boxes, which is not costly and which does not use too much energy.
[0009] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.
[0011] In accordance with the above purpose a centrifugal machine for drying containers of the type indicated comprises a rotating drum provided with a lower surface defining a support plane and an upper surface.
[0012] According to a characteristic feature of the present invention the rotating drum is provided inside with a plurality of compartments, for housing said containers to be dried, disposed in an eccentric position with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating drum.
[0013] According to an advantageous feature of the present invention the compartments have a shape coordinated with the shape of the containers.
[0014] According to a variant of the present invention the compartments are provided with clamping means able to clamp the containers in said compartments.
[0015] In a further variant form of the present invention the centrifugal machine comprises feed means able to feed the containers to be dried to the support plane of the drum through an opening made on the upper surface of the drum, in a first direction substantially inclined with respect to the support plane.
[0016] The above feed means are also able to feed the containers to thee compartments in a second direction substantially parallel to the support plane of the rotating drum.
[0017] According to a variant of the present invention the compartments are disposed radially with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating drum.
[0018] According to another variant the compartments are disposed angularly equidistant with respect to each other.
[0019] In this way a centrifugal machine is made in which the boxes which have to be dried, being disposed eccentrically with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating drum, are in a position in which the peripheral speed and the effect of the centrifugal force are very high, and such so as to allow the complete elimination of the liquid used for washing the boxes. Therefore the centrifugal machine according to the present invention carries out a complete and uniform drying of the boxes even with the same speed of rotation of the drum as that of centrifugal machines of the known type. Consequently there is no need to use more powerful motor means to achieve a satisfactory result, thus containing costs and obtaining a considerable saving of energy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:
- fig. 1 is a schematic view from above in section of a centrifugal machine according to the present invention,
- fig. 2 is a schematic view in section from II to II in fig.1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL FORM OF EMBODIMENT
[0021] With reference to fig. 1, a centrifugal machine 10 according to the present invention is used to dry containers 11 for food, such as boxes to contain fruit, vegetables, meat or suchlike, and/or containers for medical and pharmaceutical products, advantageously but not exclusively of the folding type, which have previously been subjected to a washing step.
[0022] The centrifugal machine 10 comprises a rotating drum 12 having a lower surface 13 (fig. 2) defining a support plane P and an upper surface 14 provided with an opening 15, in this case having a circular shape, disposed in a substantially symmetrical position with respect to the center of the drum 12.
[0023] The rotating drum 12 is supported in a known manner by a fixed frame not shown in the figures and motor means 16, of the known type, are associated by means of motor reduction members 17 with the lower surface 13 of the rotating drum 12, to make it rotate around a rotation axis X.
[0024] The rotating drum 12 is provided inside with a plurality of compartments 18, disposed in an eccentric position with respect to the center of the rotating drum 12 and open toward the latter. In this case the compartments 18 are disposed radially with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating drum 12 and angularly equidistant with respect to each other. It is not excluded that the compartments 18 can be disposed in a different way, but always in an eccentric position with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating drum. The compartments 18 are able to accommodate stacks of containers 11 to be dried. The compartments 18 have a shape substantially coordinated with the shape of the containers 11 to be accommodated, and such as to prevent unwanted oscillations in the containers themselves during the rotation of the rotating drum 12. The compartments 18 have a development in height substantially equal to the height of the rotating drum 12.
[0025] According to a variant of the present invention each compartment 18 is provided with clamping means, of the known type and not shown in the drawings, to clamp the stacks of containers 11 in the corresponding compartments 18, so that during the centrifuge operations they are always in a stable and secure position.
[0026] Feed means 19, of the known type and schematically shown in the drawings, such as, advantageously but not exclusively, robotized arms, cranes or other similar or comparable feed means, are associated with the centrifugal machine 10 to feed the compartments 18 with containers 11, and/or stacks of containers 11. In particular the feed means 19, due to the distribution of the compartments 18, are able to feed the containers 11 beforehand to the support plane P of the rotating drum 12 through the opening 15 in a first direction substantially inclined with respect to the support plane P. In this case said direction is substantially orthogonal to the support plane P. The containers 11 are disposed on the support plane orientated toward the opening of the compartment 18 in which they are to be positioned. Subsequently the feed means 19 are therefore able to feed the containers 11 to the compartments 18 in a second direction substantially parallel to the support plane P.
[0027] It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the centrifugal machine 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.
[0028] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of centrifugal machine, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.
1. Centrifugal machine for drying containers (11) for food and/or medical and pharmaceutical
products comprising a rotating drum (12) provided with a lower surface (13) defining
a support plane (P) and an upper surface (14), characterized in that said rotating drum (12) is provided inside with a plurality of compartments (18),
so as to house said containers (11) to be dried, disposed in an eccentric position
with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating drum (12).
2. Centrifugal machine as in claim 1, characterized in that the compartments (18) have a shape coordinated with the shape of the containers (11).
3. Centrifugal machine as in claim 1, characterized in that the compartments (18) are provided with clamping means able to clamp the containers
(11) in the compartments (18).
4. Centrifugal machine as in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises feed means (19) able to feed the containers (11) to the support plane
(P) of the rotating drum (12) through an opening (15) made in the upper surface (14)
in a first direction substantially inclined with respect to the support plane (P).
5. Centrifugal machine as in claim 4, characterized in that the feed means (19) are able to feed the containers (11) to the compartments (18)
in a second direction substantially parallel to the support plane (P).
6. Centrifugal machine as in claim 1, characterized in that the compartments (18) are disposed radially with respect to the center of rotation
of the rotating drum (12).
7. Centrifugal machine as in claim 1, characterized in that the compartments (18) are angularly equidistant with respect to each other.
8. Method to dry containers (11) for food and/or medical and pharmaceutical products
by means of a centrifugal machine (10) provided with a rotating drum (12) having a
lower surface (13) defining a support plane (P) and an upper surface (14), characterized in that it comprises at least a step in which the containers (11) to be dried are housed
in a plurality of compartments (18) disposed inside the rotating drum (12), and in
an eccentric position with respect to the center of rotation of the rotating drum
(12).
9. Method as in claim 8, characterized in that it comprises at least a first sub-step in which feed means (19) feed the containers
(11) to the support plane (P) of the rotating drum (12) through an opening (15) made
in the upper surface (14) in a first direction substantially inclined with respect
to the support plane (P).
10. Method as in claim 9, characterized in that it comprises at least a second sub-step in which feed means (19) feed the containers
(11) to the compartments (18) in a second direction substantially parallel to the
support plane (P).