Washing centers for machinery

• US 6,125,860 A
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fernando Gomez De Sebastian
• Original Assignee: Fernando Gomez De Sebastian
• Inventors: de Sebastian, Fernando Gomez
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US09/225,168
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 134/56 R, 134/57 R, 134/58 R, 134/95.2, 134/95.3, 134/99.2, 134/107, 134/113, 134/123, 134/172
• US Class Current: 134/57.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/044 Hand-held cleaning arrangements with liquid or gas distributing means B60S3/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/20 for washing or drying articles, e.g. clothes, motor cars

Abstract

PLANT FOR WASHING MACHINERY, which is characterized by being a compact plant which includes a small engine room of approximately 9m3, inside which the different elements such as the following are housed: pressure pumps, electric motors, a diesel boiler, a hot water accumulator, a plant for osmotizing water, an electronic robot mechanism, an electric switchboard, fuel tanks, osmotized water tank, measurement pumps and auxiliary material. The washing liquids come out under pressure through hoses and reach a manual shuttle.

Claims

1. A plant for washing machinery, comprising

an engine room, in which water from a main supply is filtered, purified and prepared to perform a washing process of three stages of washing including prewashing, washing, rinsing,

a structure housing washing machinery and supporting partly or totally external structures for carrying out the washing process, and

a rotating arm disposed at the structure,

a high pressure hose carrying a liquid having a temperature greater than ambient temperature and hanging from the rotating arm,

a shuttle assembled to the high pressure hose, wherein washing water comes from a nozzle of the high pressure hose, an electronic coin-operated machine with selection buttons for the washing process including the stages of prewashing, washing, and rinsing, and a drying and polishing stage, wherein the engine room contains one or several of the following elements:

a diesel tank,

an osmotized water tank,

a chimney for evacuating gases,

a hot water accumulator,

a boiler,

a burner,

a heat exchanger,

an electric motor,

a pressure pump,

two cationic exchangers,

an anionic exchanger,

a water intake filter,

an osmotizing plant,

a salt tank,

a detergent measurement pump,

a control cabinet including an electronic mechanism which operates individually for each one of the external structures for carrying out the washing process and carries out at least one of the following operations;

managing of operation of each one of the elements in the engine room,

associating fault alarms a corresponding external structure for carrying out the washing process,

reacting when an alarm signal reaches the control cabinet,

receiving new instructions by modem about new pricing of washing service,

sending data accumulated since a reference point.

2. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the engine room is contained in a construction of 9 cubic meters or less, laid out on a rectangular floor of approximately 1.5 meters by 2.5 meters.

3. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the engine room is disposed adjoining to the washing area.

4. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the engine room is connected to the washing area by means of the high pressure hose capable of transporting water under a pressure of between 50 and 110 bars and at a temperature of between 40 to 90°

C., and wherein the high pressure hose ends in the shuttle out of whose nozzle comes the washing water.

5. The plant according to claim 4, wherein the rotating arm is disposed in a geometric center of the washing area, wherein the high pressure hose is connected to the rotating arm, and wherein the rotating arm is articulated into two arms which hang from a top of a six meter high post to perform the washing process of lorries and coaches.

6. The plant according to claim 1, wherein its service is offered to a user in exchange for inserting coins or tokens into the electronic coin-operated machine, wherein the selection buttons of the electronic coin-operated machine serve for selecting a desired washing service, and wherein the coins are accumulated in a removable coin box.

7. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the washing process is made up of a combination of any of some or all four of the following stages:

prewash at a temperature of between ambient temperature and 90°

C. with a measured amount of detergent;

wash with hot water at a temperature of between 40°

C. and 90°

C., at a pressure between 50 and 110 bars containing detergent in a proportion of between 5% and 40% by weight and at a pressure of between 50 and 110 bars;

rinsing with micro-filtered, delimed water;

drying and polishing with osmotized water at a pressure of between 50 and 110 bars;

wherein the hot water is pretreated by means of a first filter disposed at the osmotizing plant and which removes particles of a size larger than 80 microns in suspension,

wherein the hot water is pretreated by means of the cationic exchangers;

and wherein the hot water, pretreated with the first filter, is kept at a temperature of between 40°

C. and 90°

C. in the osmotized water tank.

8. The plant according to claim 7, wherein the rinsing is carried out with water at ambient temperature from the main supply, pretreated by means of filters which remove particles of a size larger than 80 microns in suspension and by means of the cationic exchangers and at a pressure of between 50 and 110 bars.

9. The plant according to claim 7, wherein the polishing and drying are carried out with water treated through the osmotizing plant at ambient temperature and at a pressure of between 50 and 110 bars;

wherein the water, pretreated by means of filters which remove particles of a size larger than 80 microns in suspension and by means of the cationic exchangers, is fed to and treated in the osmotizing plant, wherein said water is heated to a preestablished temperature in order to guarantee an osmotization, and wherein the osmotizing plant incorporates at least two filters of particles of up to ten microns, from one to four active carbon filters, from one to four filters of particles of up to five microns, of one to four osmotization torpedoes with production membranes for between 50 and 80 liters of water per hour, and the osmotized water tank.

10. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the pressure pump supplies the hot water and incorporates the detergent measurement pump, wherein the detergent measurement pump measures detergent and adds the detergent to the hot water of a respective stage of washing.

11. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the engine room contains from one to four pressure pumps, a first one of the pressure pumps accompanied by the electric motor, a flow regulator, and the detergent measurement pump and each other one of the pressure pumps accompanied by another electric motor, by another flow regulator, and by another detergent measurement pump;

wherein one engine room deals with between one and four independent washing areas.

12. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the measurement of flow to a manifold of the pressure pump is performed by one of a conventional electrovalve, a zero pressure valve, a helicoidal or ball tap, and a mixer lever, operated by the electric motor or a pneumatic adjustment valve by an electrovalve.

13. The plant according to claim 1, wherein an intake of the pressure pump has a manifold with a minimum of three and a maximum of six mouths.

14. The plant according to claim 13, wherein one of the manifold mouths of the pressure pump operates during the washing stage with the aim of allowing a passage of hot delimed water with a preestablished measurement of detergent.

15. The plant according to claim 13, wherein one of the manifold mouths of the pressure pump operates during the rinsing stage with the aim of allowing a passage of micro-filtered, delimed water at a temperature according to that of the engine room.

16. The plant according to claim 13, wherein one of the manifold mouths of the pressure pump operates during the third washing stage with the aim of allowing a passage of osmotized water at ambient temperature.

17. The plant according to claim 13, wherein the manifold mouths of the pressure pump are provided with flow regulators, each one of them complemented with a directional or non-return valve.

18. The plant according to claim 13, wherein one of the manifold mouths of the pressure pump is connected by means of the high pressure hose to an output pipe of said pressure pump.

19. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mechanism is equipped with an RS 232 interface card.

20. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mechanism manages the working of the engine room and controls break-downs, faults and levels of consumable liquids.

21. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the plant is equipped with the electronic mechanism for transmitting and receiving data and instructions.

22. The plant according to claim 1, further comprising

a pressure-stat valve disposed at the main supply of water;

wherein the plant is equipped with a safety burglar alarm, wherein the plant is equipped with a generator of piped-in music,

wherein the plant is located inside a cubic building,

wherein the cubic building is formed as a solidly joined unit based on a connection between floor and walls and walls and ceiling,

wherein a ceiling of the cubic building has a frame formed by four flatbars, wherein each flatbar has two or four holes,

wherein the plant is provided with a door with a lock,

internal lighting and enough free space inside for at least two people.

23. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the pressure at which the washing water is dispersed is provided by a compact piece of equipment made up of the electric motor, the pressure pump and the detergent measurement pump, and wherein the electric motor, the pressure pump and the detergent measurement pump have necessary connections and are placed on a single tray removably attached on a long wall of a cubic building of the engine room,

wherein the compact piece of equipment is placed in and removed from the engine room as a single unit.

24. The plant according to claim 1, wherein the plant includes space to allow a placement of elements necessary to provide service to from one to four washing areas, and to place working control elements for up to four external complementary service machines;

and further comprising

a timer clock disposed inside the control cabinet for timing a part of the electronic mechanism included in the control cabinet;

a heating system inside the engine room;

a system for evacuating fluid from the high pressure hoses, the pressure pumps, the manifold, the filters which are subject to a risk of freezing;

an access hatch to the main supply of water, electric cable box and drains;

wherein the engine room is disposed remote from the washing area.

25. A washing center comprising a compact plant including

an engine room, in which water from a main supply is filtered, purified and prepared to perform a washing process of three stages of washing including prewashing, washing, rinsing, wherein a pressure pump has at an intake a manifold with four mouths from which a first mouth acts during the prewashing and the washing and a second mouth acts during the rinsing,

a building structure for housing washing machinery and supporting partly or totally external structures for carrying out the washing process,

a rotating arm disposed at the building structure, a high pressure hose carrying a liquid having a temperature greater than ambient temperature and hanging from the rotating arm;

a shuttle attached to the high pressure hose, wherein washing water comes from a nozzle of the high pressure hose,

a coin-operated electronic machine with selection buttons for the washing process including the stages of prewashing, washing, and rinsing, and a drying and polishing stage;

washing areas selected of a member of the group consisting of

a washing area without ceilings or walls, served by the high pressure hose which comes from a tubular structure fastened to a ceiling of the engine room,

a washing area with ceiling but without walls, served by the high pressure hose which comes from the ceiling,

a washing area with a ceiling and walls, served by the high pressure hose which comes from ceiling, and

a washing area disposed remote from the engine room and equipped with a 2 to 6 meter high post, the top of which has a fixed elevated arm from which the high pressure hose comes;

and wherein the rotating arm is disposed in a geometric center of every washing area.

26. The washing center according to claim 25, wherein a time of use is regulated by means of a manual micro-switch system inside the electronic coin-operated machine or by means of an electronic program recorded in an electric switchboard and robot inside a control cabinet in the engine room;

wherein the machinery washing stage uses a detergent composed of approximately 5% potassium bleach, 10% triazine, 20% ethylene glycol, 30% triethylamine and 35% triethylamine chlorine.

27. A plant for washing machinery, comprising an engine room, in which water from a main supply is filtered, purified and prepared to perform a washing process of three stages of washing including prewashing, washing, rinsing,

a structure housing washing machinery and supporting partly or totally external structures for carrying out the washing process, and

a rotating arm disposed at the structure,

a high pressure hose carrying a liquid having a temperature greater than ambient temperature and hanging from the rotating arm,

a shuttle assembled to the high pressure hose, wherein washing water comes from a nozzle of the high pressure hose, an electronic coin-operated machine with selection buttons for the washing process including the stages of prewashing, washing, and rinsing, and a drying and polishing stage, wherein the engine room contains one or several of the following elements:

means providing a supply of cleaning fluid and the heating thereof,

filtering and purifying means,

a control cabinet including an electronic mechanism which operates individually for each one of the external structures for carrying out the washing process and carries out at least one of the following operations;

managing of operation of each one of the elements in the engine room,

associating fault alarms a corresponding external structure for carrying out the washing process,

reacting when an alarm signal reaches the control cabinet,

receiving new instructions by modem about new pricing of washing service,

sending data accumulated since a reference point.

28. The plant according to claim 27, wherein the means providing a supply of cleaning fluid and the heating thereof includes:

a diesel tank,

an osmotized water tank,

a chimney for evacuating gases,

a hot water accumulator,

a boiler,

a burner,

a heat exchanger,

an electric motor,

a pressure pump.

29. The plant according to claim 27, wherein the filtering and purifying means includes:

two cationic exchangers,

an anionic exchanger,

a water intake filter,

an osmotizing plant,

a salt tank,

a detergent measurement pump.