Patent
System, tool and method for cleaning the interior of a freight container
| العنوان: | System, tool and method for cleaning the interior of a freight container |
|---|---|
| Patent Number: | 9,061,326 |
| تاريخ النشر: | June 23, 2015 |
| Appl. No: | 13/322824 |
| Application Filed: | May 05, 2010 |
| مستخلص: | A tool and method for cleaning the interior of a freight container of ISO type. The tool having a framework, a robot movably connected to the framework and provided with a nozzle for supplying dry ice. The robot and the nozzle are adapted to clean the interior of the container by means of dry ice blasting. An actuating unit is arranged to move the robot between the framework and the interior of the container. The tool is a portable unit and has a size and a design that allows a truck adapted for gripping and carrying freight containers of ISO type to grip and carry the tool in order to move the tool to and from the container to be cleaned. |
| Inventors: | Eriksson, Kerstin (Eskilstuna, SE); Jansson, Erik (Eskilstuna, SE); Thunell, Anders (Uppsala, SE); Reyier, Ingemar (Vasteras, SE) |
| Assignees: | IBC ROBOTICS AB (SE) |
| Claim: | 1. A tool for cleaning an interior of a freight container of ISO type having an access opening for receiving goods, the tool comprising: a framework; a robot movably connected to the framework and provided with a nozzle for supplying a cleaning medium; and an actuating unit arranged to move the robot between the framework and the interior of the container, wherein: the tool is a portable unit; the tool has a size and design that allows a truck adapted for gripping and carrying freight containers of ISO type to grip and carry the tool in order to move the tool to and from the container to be cleaned; said cleaning medium is dry ice; and the robot and the nozzle are adapted to clean the interior of the container by means of dry ice blasting, and wherein the framework comprises a housing enclosing the robot and the actuating unit, the housing having an opening for receiving the robot and the actuating unit is arranged to move the robot between an interior of the housing and the interior of the container when the opening of the housing is facing the opening of the container and wherein the housing further includes a ventilation duct for transporting waste products originating from the dry ice cleaning from the container to the tool, the ventilation duct having an inlet arranged in the opening of the housing. |
| Claim: | 2. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the housing is sized and designed as an ISO-container. |
| Claim: | 3. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the housing is elongated, the housing has a rectangular cross section, and the housing opening has a rectangular cross section and is provided in one of the short sides of the housing. |
| Claim: | 4. The tool according to claim 3 , wherein the housing comprises means for attaching to a gripping tool of said truck. |
| Claim: | 5. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the opening of the housing is sized to attach to the access opening of the container, and the tool comprises means for attaching the opening of the housing to the opening of container. |
| Claim: | 6. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the opening of the housing is provided with a door and the housing is designed to sealingly enclose the robot when the door is closed in order to protect the robot from the surrounding environment. |
| Claim: | 7. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the tool comprises a dry ice producing unit arranged to produce dry ice and to provide the nozzle with the dry ice, and the dry ice producing unit is located inside the housing. |
| Claim: | 8. The tool according to claim 7 , wherein the tool comprises a power unit for providing power to the robot, the actuating unit and to the dry ice producing unit, and the power unit is located inside the housing. |
| Claim: | 9. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the robot is an industrial robot having at least four rotational axes. |
| Claim: | 10. A system for cleaning an interior of a freight container of ISO type having an access opening for receiving goods, the system comprising: a cleaning tool including a framework; a robot movable connected to the framework and provided with a nozzle for supplying a cleaning medium; and an actuating unit arranged to move the robot between the framework and the interior of the container, wherein: said cleaning medium is dry ice and the robot is adapted to clean the interior of the container by means of dry ice blasting; and the framework further includes a ventilation duct for transporting waste products originating from the dry ice cleaning from the container to the tool, the ventilation duct having an inlet arranged in an opening of the framework; the system further comprises a truck adapted for gripping and carrying freight containers of ISO type; the tool is portable unit; and the framework has a size and design that allows said truck to grip and carry the cleaning tool in order to move the cleaning tool to the container to be cleaned. |
| Claim: | 11. A tool for cleaning an interior of a freight container of ISO type having an access opening for receiving goods, the tool comprising: a framework; a robot movably connected to the framework and provided with a nozzle for supplying a dry ice cleaning medium; an actuating unit arranged to move the robot between the framework and the interior of the container; a dry ice producing unit located inside the framework, and arranged to produce the dry ice and to provide the nozzle with the dry ice; and a power unit located inside the framework and configured to providing power to the robot, the actuating unit and to the dry ice producing unit, wherein the power unit is arranged to produce power from a fossil fuel and emit waste gases that include carbon dioxide, and wherein the dry ice producing unit is configured to receive the waste gases from the power unit and reuse the carbon dioxide of the waste gases when producing the dry ice, wherein: the tool is a portable unit; the tool has a size and design that allows a truck adapted for gripping and carrying freight containers of ISO type to grip and carry the tool in order to move the tool to and from the container to be cleaned; and the robot and the nozzle are adapted to clean the interior of the container by means of dry ice blasting, and the framework comprises a housing enclosing the robot and the actuating unit, the housing having an opening for receiving the robot and the actuating unit is arranged to move the robot between an interior of the housing and the interior of the container when the opening of the housing is facing the opening of the container. |
| Patent References Cited: | 3461889 August 1969 Saxonmeyer 3534746 October 1970 Posner 3830430 August 1974 Hartunian 3897263 July 1975 Davis et al. 3961983 June 1976 Crandall et al. 4106516 August 1978 Wiegand 4112533 September 1978 Brager 4141374 February 1979 McMahan 4240175 December 1980 Rogers 4817653 April 1989 Krajicek et al. 5624745 April 1997 Lapidus 5642745 July 1997 Landry et al. 6279589 August 2001 Goodley 6517639 February 2003 Toepfer et al. 8834609 September 2014 Joh et al. 2006/0089090 April 2006 Johnson et al. 2007/0037484 February 2007 Ohishi et al. 698563 August 2009 1404342 August 1975 9639277 December 1996 2007027111 March 2007 |
| Other References: | International Search Report for PCT/EP2010/056060, Completed by the European Patent Office on Jun. 25, 2010, 4 Pages. cited by applicant |
| Primary Examiner: | Rachuba, Maurina |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: | Brooks Kushman P.C. |
| رقم الانضمام: | edspgr.09061326 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | USPTO Patent Grants |
| الوصف غير متاح. |