Apparatus for cleaning liquid storage tank
First Claim
1. Apparatus for cleaning fluid material accumulated on a surface, said apparatus comprising:
- a self-propelled steerable cleaning machine for disposition on said surface;
means including a pump having a suction port for ingesting fluid material and mounted on said cleaning machine and a discharge hose operatively connected to said pump for discharging fluid material ingested through said suction port, said discharge hose extending from said cleaning machine to a remote location;
means for ascertaining the position of said cleaning machine on said surface and for providing signal information indicative of said position;
and means for receiving signal information and for controlling the propulsion and steering of said cleaning machine in accordance with said signal information.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A self-propelled, sludge cleaning machine including a sludge auger, a sludge pump, crawler tracks and hydraulic motors for propulsion, steering and pumping is assembled at a job-site and inserted into the storage tank through a top access opening. A tether line is connected between the cleaning machine and a control assembly temporarily installed near the access opening to sense tether line length and angle. A sludge discharge hose, hydraulic lines and an electric wire for an ultrasonic sludge-depth sensor on the machine extend outwardly through the access opening. The hose discharges sludge through a filter and into a sludge-collection tank on a first truck. The hydraulic lines are connected to a control valve assembly located on a second truck and controlled by a preprogrammed job-site computer located in the second truck. Length, angle and sludge-depth data from the sensors are fed to the job-site computer which provides a visual display showing cleaning machine position and sludge-depth. The job-site computer operates the control valve assembly to drive and steer the machine according to a previously-designed (but overridable) program contained on a computer disk (which requires a password or code to actuate). The computer is phone-linked to a central computer and together they monitor and save clean-up operational data.
13 Citations
21 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for cleaning fluid material accumulated on a surface, said apparatus comprising:
-
a self-propelled steerable cleaning machine for disposition on said surface; means including a pump having a suction port for ingesting fluid material and mounted on said cleaning machine and a discharge hose operatively connected to said pump for discharging fluid material ingested through said suction port, said discharge hose extending from said cleaning machine to a remote location; means for ascertaining the position of said cleaning machine on said surface and for providing signal information indicative of said position; and means for receiving signal information and for controlling the propulsion and steering of said cleaning machine in accordance with said signal information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. Apparatus for cleaning sludge from the bottom of a liquid storage tank, said tank comprising a floor and an access opening near the top of the tank, said apparatus comprising:
-
a self-propelled steerable cleaning machine for disposition on the floor of said tank; means including a pump having a suction port for ingesting sludge mounted on said cleaning machine and a discharge hose operatively connected to said pump for discharging sludge ingested through said suction port, said discharge hose extending from said cleaning machine through said access opening to the exterior of said storage tank; means for ascertaining the position of said cleaning machine on said tank floor and for providing signal information indicative of said position; and means for receiving signal information and for controlling the propulsion and steering of said cleaning machine in accordance with said signal information. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. Apparatus for cleaning sludge from the bottom of a liquid storage tank, said tank comprising a floor, a side wall and a top cover and having an access opening near the top of the tank, said apparatus comprising:
-
a self-propelled steerable cleaning machine for disposition inside and on the floor of said tank through said access opening and having a suction nozzle for ingesting sludge; means including a pump and a discharge hose operatively connected to said suction nozzle for discharging sludge ingested by said suction nozzle, said discharge hose extending from said cleaning machine through said access opening to the exterior of said storage tank; means for ascertaining the position of said cleaning machine on said tank floor and for providing a signal indicative of said position; and means for receiving said signal and for controlling the propulsion and steering of said cleaning machine in accordance with said signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification