Cleaning device for automatically cleaning tools, in particular portable mixer using agitators

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools, in particular agitators of portable mixers. The device consists of a stationary vibration ring (3) which is arranged immovably in the front housing of the mixer (1) centrally to the mixing shaft (2). A movable vibration ring (4) is arranged opposite it in the longitudinal direction and is attached to the mixing shaft (2) via a freewheel clutch (5). The stationary vibration ring (3) and the movable vibration ring (4) are provided with intermeshing teeth in the longitudinal direction. The diameter of the movable vibration ring (4) decreases gradually in the longitudinal direction. An axial roller bearing (9), on which one end of the spring (10) rests, rests on the resulting annular surface (8).The other end of the spring (10) rests on a ring (11), which is supported on the housing of the mixer (1) via a driver (12) mounted in the housing of the mixer (1). The force of the spring (10) thus acts on the movable vibration ring (4) on the one hand and on the ring (11) on the other side, the longitudinal displacement of which is limited by the driver (12). The movable vibration ring (4) is immovably connected to the mixing shaft (2) in the longitudinal direction, so that the longitudinal movement of the movable vibration ring (4) is transmitted to the mixing shaft (2). The mixing shaft (2) is mounted in the front housing of the mixer (1) in such a way that it can move partially in the longitudinal direction.

Description

[0001] The subject matter of the invention is a cleaning device for automatically cleaning tools, in particular agitators of portable mixers, according to the patent claims. According to the International Patent Classification, the invention belongs to class B01F 7 / 06.

[0002] The technical problem that the proposed solution of the cleaning device for automatic cleaning of tools effectively solves is the design of the cleaning device, which is particularly suitable for portable mixers and is designed in such a way that it allows automatic cleaning of the agitators immediately after the mixing process, without the need to change the grip of the mixer due to the activation of the automatic cleaning.

[0003] Portable mixers are primarily used in the construction industry for mixing various mortars, screeds, plasters, paints, and construction adhesives. The agitators are designed in the form of rods that are clamped into the mixer at one end and have blades of various shapes at the other. These blades are immersed in the mix by the user during mixing, and the material is mixed accordingly by switching on the mixer. Naturally, the mix material adheres to the agitator blades and must be removed after mixing, as otherwise it would become stuck to the blades, making further use impossible. Because the shape of the agitators is rather unsuitable for cleaning and has relatively narrow gaps, cleaning the agitator blades is relatively difficult. Typically, the material is scraped off the blades using a solid object.Alternatively, one can attempt to remove the material by striking the agitator against the rim of the container or by immersing the agitator in a container of water while the agitator is rotating. In this case, the mixed material enters the water, which the user then typically pours out somewhere nearby, causing the mixed material to enter and contaminate the surrounding area. Of course, cleaning with water is only possible if the material being mixed has a composition that allows it to be removed with water. However, such cleaning also requires a certain amount of time and effort.

[0004] There are no known solutions in the technical literature or for the mixers currently on the market that enable quick, efficient, and easy cleaning of the agitators. Only one solution is known that somewhat simplifies cleaning the agitators. This is a device used by the company Collomix. It consists of cleaning brushes mounted in a special container. After use, the agitator is inserted into this container and cleaned by rotating it. While this method allows the agitator to be cleaned relatively well, it also causes the mixing material to land on the cleaning brush, which also requires cleaning, which may be even more difficult than cleaning the agitator itself. In addition, the entire device takes up a relatively large amount of space and represents an additional element that must be transported to the mixer's place of use.

[0005] The basic idea of ​​the invention is to clean the agitator with strong longitudinal vibrations of the agitator, which cause the mixed material to separate from the agitator. With appropriate vibration alignment, the material can be forced back into the mixing vessel. For this purpose, a vibration device is built into the agitator housing. This causes the agitator to move toward the mixing vessel, then abruptly stops this movement, causing the material to fly from the agitator back into the mixing vessel. With several rapid, consecutive vibrations of this kind, the agitator can be cleaned relatively thoroughly, and the adhering material can be returned to the mixing vessel. The vibration device thus serves as a cleaning device for cleaning the agitator.

[0006] To keep the agitator clean, this process must be performed after each mixing session. To begin the cleaning process, the vibration or cleaning device must be switched on. This is done using the cleaning device activation mechanism, which is located on the housing, on the handle of the mixer.

[0007] Embodiments of the proposed cleaning device are explained using figures that complement and illustrate the description: Figure 1 Longitudinal section through a part of the front part of the mixer of the first embodiment, in which the cleaning device is mounted; Figure 2 Cut along line AA from Figure 1 , unfolded into a plane; Figure 3 Longitudinal section through the front part of the mixer of the second embodiment of the cleaning device; Figure 4 Cut along line B - B from Figure 3 , unfolded into one plane.

[0008] The first embodiment of the cleaning device according to the invention is arranged in the front housing of the mixer 1 near the point where the mixing shaft 2 exits the housing of the mixer 1. It consists of a stationary vibration ring 3, which is arranged immovably in the front housing of the mixer 1 centrally to the mixing shaft 2. A movable vibration ring 4 is arranged opposite it in the longitudinal direction and is attached to the mixing shaft 2 via a freewheel clutch 5. The stationary vibration ring 3 has wedge-shaped teeth 6 on the side surface facing the inside of the front housing of the mixer 1, which engage with wedge-shaped teeth 7 on the side surface of the movable vibration ring 4. The diameter of the movable vibration ring 4 decreases gradually in the longitudinal direction. An axial roller bearing 9, on which one end of the spring 10 rests, rests on the resulting annular surface 8.The other end of the spring 10 rests on a ring 11, which rests on the housing of the mixer 1 via a driver 12 mounted in the housing of the mixer 1. Thus, the force of the spring 10 acts on the movable vibration ring 4 on one side and on the ring 11 on the other side, whose longitudinal displacement is limited by the driver 12.

[0009] The overrunning clutch 5 is designed so that it does not transmit rotation to the movable vibrating ring 4 when the shaft rotates in the direction used for mixing the substance, while in the opposite direction, which is used for cleaning the agitator, the rotation is transmitted to the movable vibrating ring 4.

[0010] The movable vibration ring 4 is immovably connected to the mixing shaft 2 in the longitudinal direction, so that the longitudinal movement of the movable vibration ring 4 is transmitted to the mixing shaft 2. The movable vibration ring 4 is connected longitudinally to the mixing shaft 2 via two rings 13 that close the opening 14 on the movable vibration ring 4. On one side, the first ring 13 rests on an annular surface created by the enlargement of the diameter of the mixing shaft 2; on the other side, the second ring 13 rests via an annular plate 15 on a driver 16 mounted on the mixing shaft 2.

[0011] The mixing shaft 2 is mounted in a rolling bearing 17 at the outlet from the front part of the housing of the mixer 1. Since the cleaning device requires the possibility of a slight longitudinal movement of the mixing shaft 2, it is mounted in such a way that it can move partially longitudinally in the bearing 17.

[0012] At the end of the mixing shaft 2, the agitator 18 is attached, which serves to mix the substance.

[0013] When the mixing shaft 2 rotates in the direction used for mixing the substance, the overrunning clutch 5 does not transmit the rotation to the movable vibration ring 4, so that it remains at rest.

[0014] However, when rotating in the opposite direction, indicated by arrow D, the overrunning clutch 5 transmits the rotation to the movable vibration ring 4. As the movable vibration ring 4 rotates, the teeth 7 of the movable vibration ring 4 slide over the opposing teeth 6 of the stationary vibration ring 3. This sliding motion causes a longitudinal movement of the movable vibration ring 4, which is transmitted via the ring 13, the annular plate 15, and the driver 16 to the mixing shaft 2, causing it to move toward the interior of the mixer. At the same time, the movement of the movable vibration ring 4 is also transmitted via the axial roller bearing 8 to the spring 10, which is further tensioned by this movement. When the movable vibration ring 4 rotates forward by one tooth pitch 7, the tensioned spring 10 jerks the movable vibration ring 4, which also moves the mixing shaft 2 outward.

[0015] This movement stops when the teeth 7 of the movable vibrating ring 4 reach the bottom of the teeth 6 of the stationary vibrating ring 3. Due to the rigidity of the elements of the front housing of the mixer 1, the stopping occurs relatively quickly, resulting in a significant deceleration of the longitudinal movement of the mixing shaft 2. The process repeats with each further rotation of the movable vibrating ring 4 by one tooth pitch forward. This creates a vibrating movement of the mixing shaft 2 with pronounced decelerations of the mixing shaft 2 during its outward movement.

[0016] These strong decelerations of the mixing shaft 2, or the vibratory movement of the mixing shaft 2, cause the adhering mixing material to detach from the agitator 18 and fly in the direction in which the deceleration forces act, i.e., toward the mixing container. Since the number of vibrations is relatively high, the agitator is cleaned quickly. The spring force 10 required to generate the vibratory movement of the mixing shaft 2 and the agitator 18 depends on the mass of the agitator 18 and the mixing shaft 2, as well as on the required acceleration value of the mixing shaft 2. The distance available to achieve the required speed of the mixing shaft 2 to generate effective vibrations is relatively small and corresponds to the height of the teeth 6. Therefore, the required acceleration of the mixing shaft 2 is relatively large, which means that the required spring force 10 is also relatively high.This applies particularly to agitators 18 with larger dimensions and thus greater mass. In such a case, the sliding friction force during mutual sliding of teeth 6 and 7 is relatively high, which leads to relatively strong heating of the vibration rings 3 and 4 as well as the mixer housing 1 and to relatively high wear of teeth 6 and 7. To prevent this, the design of the vibration device must be modified so that rolling friction occurs instead of sliding friction, which minimizes heating and wear of the elements.

[0017] A longitudinal section through such a vibration cleaning device is shown in Figure 3 To avoid repetition in the description, Figure 3Only those parts that differ from those of the first embodiment are specially marked. Parts that are not marked are identical to the first embodiment. Parts that have the same function as those of the first embodiment are marked with the same number and additionally with the designation A. The fixed vibration ring 3A has an annular groove 19A on its side surface with a cross-section in the shape of a part of a circle. A groove 19A of the same shape is also located on the side surface of the opposite movable vibration ring 4A. The grooves 19A are shaped in the circumferential direction so that relatively gentle ascents and rapid descents alternate in the form of steps. Balls 20 are located in the grooves 19A, which separate the vibration rings 3A and 4A from one another. The number of balls corresponds to the number of ascents and descents on the vibration rings 3A and 4A.The balls 20 are held at a constant distance from each other in the direction of rotation by an annular ball spacer 21 mounted between the rings 3A and 4A. The ball spacer 21 has spherical recesses along its circumference, at the same distance as the rises and falls on the vibrating rings 3A and 4A, with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the balls 20. The balls 20 are arranged in these recesses. The outer diameter of the ball spacer 21 is dimensioned such that the balls 20 can move freely in the spherical recesses while being held at a constant distance from each other.

[0018] The operation of this embodiment is similar to the operation of the first embodiment. When the mixing shaft 2A rotates in the working direction, the one-way clutch 5A does not transmit the rotation to the movable vibration ring 4A. However, when it rotates in the opposite direction, indicated by arrow E, the rotation is transmitted to the movable vibration ring 4A. This causes the balls 20 to begin rolling in the grooves 19A on the movable vibration ring 4A and on the fixed vibration ring 3A. When the balls 20 reach the stepped descents in the grooves 19A, the spring 10A abruptly presses the movable vibration ring 4A against the fixed vibration ring 3A. Together with the movable vibration ring, the mixing shaft 2A and the agitator 17A also move. This movement is abruptly stopped when the balls 20 reach the bottom of the recesses in the groove 19A.As the movable vibration ring 4A continues to rotate, the movements are repeated sequentially. This creates a vibrating motion that causes the material to detach from the agitator 17A and fly away, thus cleaning the agitator. Portable mixers are used to mix a wide variety of materials that adhere to the agitator blades to varying degrees. If some of the material sticks to the agitator, it can simply be wiped off with a suitable cloth or finally cleaned in the conventional way. If the mixed material is water-soluble (like most adhesives for bonding construction materials), the agitator is immersed in water after the initial vibration cleaning, and the cleaning process is started again. This ensures that the agitator is completely cleaned.

Claims

1. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools, in particular agitators of portable mixers (18), installed in the front housing of the mixer (1), characterized by that it consists of a fixed vibration ring (3) which is arranged immovably in the front housing of the mixer (1) centrally to the mixing shaft (2), and that a movable vibration ring (4) is arranged opposite it in the longitudinal direction and is connected to the mixing shaft (2) via a freewheel clutch (5).

2. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claim 1, characterized by that the fixed vibration ring (3) has wedge-shaped teeth (6) on the side surface facing the inside of the front housing of the mixer (1).

3. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claim 1 and 2, characterized by thatthe movable vibration ring has wedge-shaped teeth (7) on the side surface facing the fixed vibration ring (3) which engage with the teeth (6) of the fixed vibration ring (3).

4. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized by that the diameter of the movable vibration ring (4) is gradually reduced in the longitudinal direction and that an axial rolling bearing (9) is supported on the annular surface (8) thus created.

5. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1 to 4, characterized by that one end of the spring (10) is supported on the axial roller bearing and the other end of the spring (10) is supported on the front housing of the mixer (1) via a ring (11) and a driver (12) which is mounted in the front housing of the mixer (1).

6. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the opening for the freewheel clutch (14) on the movable vibration ring (4) is closed on both sides by rings (13) which can rotate freely on the mixing shaft (2).

7. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the movable vibration ring (4) is supported in the direction of the inside of the front housing of the mixer (1) in the longitudinal direction on a sliding plate (15), which in turn is supported on the mixing shaft (2) via a driver (16) which is mounted on the mixing shaft (2).

8. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1 to 7, characterized by thatthe movable vibration ring (4) is supported longitudinally on the mixing shaft (2) towards the outside of the front housing of the mixer (1), which gradually changes or increases its diameter at this point.

9. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1, 2 and 5 to 8, characterized by that the fixed vibration ring (3A) has an annular groove (19A) with a cross-section in the form of a part of a circular area on the side surface and that a groove of the same shape is also present on the side surface of the opposite movable vibration ring (4A).

10. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1, 2 and 5 to 9, characterized by that the grooves (19A) are shaped in the circumferential direction so that relatively gentle ascents and rapid descents alternate in the form of steps.

11. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1, 2 and 5 to 10, characterized by that There are balls (20) in the grooves (19A) that separate the vibration rings (3A) and (4A) from each other.

12. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1, 2 and 5 to 11, characterized by that the balls (20) are kept at a constant distance from one another in the direction of rotation by an annular ball spacer (21) which is mounted between the rings (3A) and (4A) and extends in the radial direction between the balls (20) and the mixing shaft (2A).

13. Cleaning device for the automatic cleaning of tools according to claims 1, 2 and 5 to 12," characterized by thatthe ball spacer (21) has recesses in the form of part of a circular area on the circumference at the same distance as the rises and descents on the vibration rings (3A) and (4A), the diameter of which corresponds to the diameter of the ball (20).

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