Intermittent drive for bag house cleaning head

Claim 2

A bag house with an intermittently driven cleaning head, comprising: a housing; a plurality of sets of open-ended bag filters mounted within the housing; means associated with the bag house for generating a stream of air; a cleaning head mounted within the housing proximate the open ends of the bag filters; and an intermittent drive for the cleaning head, including; positioning means connected to the cleaning head for sequentially positioning the cleaning head and means to fluidly communicate with the open ends of a set of bag filters, thereby placing the set of bag filters in fluid communication with the means for generating a stream of air; a driven member connected to the positioning means for advancing the positioning means; a drive member rotatable about a drive axis at a constant speed; drive means for continuously rotating the drive member; and engaging means disposed on the drive member for intermittently engaging the driven member, after the cleaning head and positioning means have remained in a stationary position for a fixed period of time, to sequentially retain the positioning means in a stationary position for sequential positioning of the cleaning head in fluid communication with the open ends of a subsequent set of bag filters.

Claim 3

The bag house of claim 1, further comprising means for urging the engaging means into engagement with the driven member.

Claim 4

The bag house of claim 2, wherein the means for urging the engaging means comprises: a first friction surface defined by the drive member; and a second friction surface defined by the engaging means and frictionally contacting the first friction surface during rotation of the drive member to urge the engaging means into engagement with the driven member.

Claim 5

The bag house of claim 3, wherein the engaging means includes a drive arm having a base end portion pinned to the drive member at a location radially offset from the drive axis of the drive member and a distal end portion engagable with the driven member, the driven member remaining stationary during a fixed period of each rotation of the drive member and the drive arm then engaging with the driven member during a part of each rotation of the drive member to advance the driven member, the drive arm defining the second friction surface, the frictional contact between the first and second friction surfaces urging the distal end portion of the drive arm into engagement with the driven member.

Claim 6

The bag house of claim 4, wherein the drive arm comprises an elongated flat plate.

Claim 7

The bag house of claim 5, wherein the drive arm has an arcuate configuration.

Claim 8

The bag house of claim 1, wherein the driven member is rotatably advanced when engaged by the engaging means.

Claim 9

The bag house of claim 7, wherein the driven member includes a plurality of stop means spaced apart along the outer periphery of the driven member.

Claim 10

The bag house of claim 8, wherein the engaging means includes a drive arm having a base end portion pinned to the drive member at a location radially offset from the drive axis of the drive member and a distal end portion engagable with the stop means of the driven member, the driven member remaining stationary during a fixed period of each rotation of the drive member and the drive arm then engaging with a stop means of the driven member during a part of each rotation of the drive member to advance the driven member a radial distance corresponding to the distance between adjacent stop means.

Claim 11

The bag house of claim 9, wherein the positioning means includes a rotatable central shaft and the driven member is secured to the central shaft.

Claim 12

The bag house of claim 10, wherein the central shaft defines a central axis of rotation parallel to the drive axis of the drive member and the driven member is axially secured to the central shaft.

Claim 13

A bag house with an intermittently sequenced head assembly, comprising: a housing; a plurality of sets of open-ended bag filters mounted within the housing and nominally in fluid communication with means supplying an unfiltered air stream; means associated with the bag house for generating an air stream flowing reverse of the unfiltered air stream to clean the bag filters; a cleaning head having a passageway therein and means to fluidly communicate with the means for creating a reverse air stream the cleaning head being positionable to fluidly engage the passageway therein with the open ends of the bag filters; positioning means connected to the cleaning head for sequentially positioning the cleaning head; a driven member connected to the positioning means for advancing the positioning means; a drive member continuously rotatable about a drive axis at a constant speed by a drive means; drive means for continuously rotating the drive member; and engaging means disposed on the drive member for intermittently engaging the drive member to index the driven member and sequentially advance the positioning means from a position wherein the cleaning head is in registry with the open ends of a first set of bag filters, after the cleaning head has remained stationary in position with such first set of bag filters for a fixed period of time, to sequentially retain position the passageway of the cleaning head in a stationary position in fluid flow communication with the open ends of a second and subsequent sets of bag filters.

Claim 14

A bag house with an intermittently sequenced head assembly, comprising: a housing; a plurality of sets of open-ended bag filters mounted within the housing and nominally in fluid communication with means supplying an unfiltered air stream; means associated with the bag house for generating an air stream flowing reverse of the unfiltered air stream to clean the bag filters; a cleaning head having a passageway therein and means to fluidly communicate with the means for creating a reverse air stream the cleaning head being positionable to fluidly engage the passageway therein with the open ends of the bag filters; positioning means connected to the cleaning head for sequentially positioning the cleaning head; a driven member connected to the positioning means for advancing the positioning means; a drive member continuously rotatable about a drive axis at a constant speed by a drive means; drive means for continuously rotating the drive member; and engaging means disposed on the drive member for intermittently engaging the drive member to index the driven member and sequentially advance the positioning means from a position wherein the cleaning head is in registry with the open ends of a first set of bag filters, after the cleaning head has remained stationary in position with such first set of bag filters for a fixed period of time, to sequentially retain position the passageway of the cleaning head in a stationary position in fluid flow communication with the open ends of a second and subsequent sets of bag filters.

Claim 15

The bag house of claim 12, wherein the cleaning head comprises a suction head having a passageway therein, the suction head drawing a suction on the bag filters when the passageway is fluidly engaged with the open ends of the bag filters.

Claim 16

The bag house of claim 12, wherein the engaging means includes a drive arm having a base end portion pinned to the drive member at a location radially offset from the drive axis of the drive member and a distal end portion engagable with the driven member, the driven member remaining stationary during a fixed period of each rotation of the drive member and the drive arm then engaging with the driven member during a part of each rotation of the drive member to advance the driven member.

Claim 17

The bag house of claim 14, wherein the driven member includes a circular outer periphery in the form of a plurality of teeth that are engageable by the distal end portion of the drive arm, the driven member being rotatably connected to the positioning means and rotatably indexing when the teeth are engaged by the distal end portion of the drive arm.

Claim 18

The bag house of claim 15, wherein the positioning means includes a rotatable central shaft mounted within the bag house, the cleaning head is radially mounted on the central shaft, and the driven member is secured to the central shaft.

Claim 19

The bag house of claim 16, wherein the cleaning head comprises a suction head having a passageway therein, the suction head drawing a suction on the bag filters when the passageway is fluidly engaged with the open ends of the bag filters.

Claim 20

The bag house of claim 12, further comprising means for urging the engaging means into engagement with the driven member.

Claim 21

The bag house of claim 18, wherein the means for urging the engaging means is formed integrally with the engaging means.

Claim 22

The bag house of claim 19, wherein the engaging means includes a drive arm having a base end portion pinned to the drive member at a location radially offset from the drive axis of the drive member and a distal end portion engagable with the driven member, the driven member remaining stationary during a fixed period of each rotation of the drive member and the drive arm then engaging with the driven member during a part of each rotation of the drive member to index the driven member.

Claim 23

The bag house of claim 20, wherein the means for urging the engaging means comprises: a first friction surface defined by the drive member about the pinned base end portion of the drive arm; and a second friction surface defined by the drive arm and frictionally contacting the first friction surface during rotation of the drive member to urge the distal end portion of the drive arm in the direction of rotation of the drive member.

Claim 24

The bag house of claim 21, wherein the drive arm comprises an elongated flat plate.

Claim 25

The bag house of claim 22, wherein the drive arm has an arcuate configuration.