Irradiation system utilizing conveyor-transported article carriers

An article irradiation system, comprising

• a radiation source;
• a plurality of article carriers;
• and
• a process conveyor for transporting the article carriers past the radiation source;
• wherein the radiation source is disposed along an approximately horizontal axis and the process conveyor is disposed in relation to the radiation source such that articles carried by article carriers having a first horizontal orientation receive radiation impinging upon a first side of the articles;
• the system further comprising
• a reroute conveyor coupled to the process conveyor for transporting said article carriers carrying articles that have received radiation impinging upon only the first side of the articles;
• passive means disposed adjacent the reroute conveyor for reorienting the article carriers about a vertical axis by 180 degrees as the article carriers are being transported by the reroute conveyor;
• and
• means for transporting the reoriented article carriers from the reroute conveyor to the process conveyor for retransportation past the radiation source by the process conveyor so that a second side of said carried articles opposite to said first side receives impinging radiation from the radiation source.

An article irradiation system, comprising

• a radiation source;
• a plurality of article carriers;
• and
• a process conveyor for transporting the article carriers past the radiation source:
• wherein the radiation source is disposed for scanning articles carried by the article carriers being transported by the process conveyor with a radiation beam so that the transported articles are scanned at a given rate in a plane perpendicular to the direction of transport;
• means for measuring a speed at which said article carrier is being transported past the radiation source;
• means for processing said measurements to determine whether said article carrier transport speed is outside of a given range;
• and means responsive to said processing means for interrupting both radiation from said radiation source and said transport by the conveyor when the processing means determine that the article carrier transport speed is outside of said given range.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• process conveyor means having first and second opposite ends;
• first means for driving the process conveyor means at the first opposite end of the process conveyor means;
• second means coupled to the first means for driving the process conveyor means at the second opposite end of the process conveyor means;
• third means disposed between the first and second means for coordinating the movements of the first and second means;
• fourth means disposed on the process conveyor means for holding the article for movement with the process conveyor means;
• and
• fifth means for irradiating the article with the electron beam in the space between the first and second means during the movement of the article with the process conveyor means to sterilize the articles.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• first means for holding the article in a flat relationship;
• second means for irradiating the article in the first means with the electron beam to sterilize the article;
• overhead conveyor means for moving the first means toward the second means from a position above the second means;
• third means disposed relative to the overhead conveyor means for receiving the first means from the overhead conveyor means and for moving such article past the second means;
• and
• fourth means for releasing the first means from the overhead conveyor means when the first means becomes received by the third means for movement past the second means.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• first means for holding the article in a flat relationship;
• second means for irradiating the article in the first means with the electron beam to sterilize the article;
• third means disposed relative to the first means for moving the first means past the second means from a position below the first means;
• fourth means disposed relative to the second and third means for receiving the first means at a position above the first means after the second means has irradiated the article with the electron beam;
• and
• fifth means for providing a transfer of the first means from the third means to the fourth means after the second means has irradiated the article with the electron beam.

In combination for irradiating articles with an electron beam to sterilize such articles,

• first means for irradiating the articles with the electron beam;
• a plurality of second means each constructed to hold an individual one of such articles in a particular relationship to the first means;
• third means for storing the second means in the plurality in a staging area;
• fourth means for transferring each individual one of the second means in sequence from the staging area and for moving such an individual one of the articles toward the first means;
• fifth means for moving each individual one of the articles past the first means at a given speed;
• and
• sixth means for receiving each individual one of the first means transferred in sequence by the fourth means from the staging area and for accelerating such individual one of the first means to a speed above said given speed and for then decelerating such individual one of the first means to said given speed for transfer to the fifth means.

In combination for irradiating articles with an electron beam to sterilize such articles,

• a plurality of first means each constructed to hold an individual one of the articles;
• second means for storing the articles in sequence in a staging area;
• escapement means for releasing the individual ones of the first means for movement from the escapement area;
• third means associated with the escapement means for preventing the next one of the first means in the plurality from being released by the escapement means from the staging area until after the individual one of the first means in the plurality has moved past the escapement means;
• fourth means for irradiating the articles in the individual ones of the first means with the electron beam;
• and
• fifth means for transporting each individual one of the first means past the fourth means after such individual one of the first means has been released from the staging area.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• first means for holding the article;
• second means for irradiating the article with the electron beam;
• third means for moving the first means past the second means for irradiation of the article with the electron beam by the second means;
• fourth means for determining the speed of movement of the third means;
• fifth means responsive to the determinations by the fourth means for maintaining the speed of the third means within a given range during the movement of the article past the second means;
• sixth means for determining the speed of the movement of the article;
• and
• seventh means for interrupting the movement of the first means and the operation of the second means when the speed of movement of either the third means or the article is outside of said given range.

In combination for irradiating articles with an electron beam to sterilize such articles,

• a plurality of first means each constructed to hold an individual one of the articles in the plurality;
• second means for irradiating each individual one of the articles with the electron beam;
• third means for holding the first means in the plurality in a stacked relationship in a staging area;
• fourth means for providing a controlled transfer of each individual one of the first means in the stacked relationship from the staging area after the previous one of the first means in the stacked relationship in the staging area has been transferred from the staging area;
• fifth means for maintaining a particular spacing between successive ones of the first means in the plurality after such successive ones of the first means in the plurality have been transferred from the staging area;
• and
• sixth means for moving the individual ones of the first means past the second means at a given speed after such individual ones of the first means have been transferred from the staging area.

In combination for irradiating articles with an electron beam to sterilize such articles,

• a plurality of first means each constructed to hold an individual one of the articles;
• second means for irradiating the articles with the electron beam;
• third means for moving the first means in the plurality in sequence past the second means for irradiation of the articles in such first means by the electron beam;
• fourth means for holding individual ones of the first means in a stacked relationship in a staging area;
• fifth means for transferring successive ones of the first means from the staging area and for moving such successive ones of the first means to the third means for transfer to the third means;
• and
• sixth means for regulating the speed of movement of the fifth means to maintain a particular spacing between the successive ones of the first means of the fifth means.

In combination for irradiating articles with an electron beam to sterilize such articles,

• a plurality of first means each having a body for holding individual ones of the articles, each of the first means having leading and trafiing ends;
• second means for irradiating the articles in the individual ones of the first means with the electron beam;
• third means for holding individual ones of the first means in a stacked relationship in a staging area;
• fourth means for transferring the individual ones of the first means in the staging area in sequence from the staging area for movement past the second means for irradiation with the electron beam;
• the leading and trailing ends of each of the first means being constructed to maintain a minimal spacing between the bodies of successive ones of the first means;
• and
• fifth means for operating upon the fourth means to maintain a particular spacing greater than the minimal spacing between the successive ones of the first means transferred from the staging area to the fourth means.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• first means for holding the article;
• second means for irradiating the article with the electron beam;
• third means for providing a first movement of the first means past the second means in a first particular relationship of the first means to the second means for the irradiation of the article by the electron beam;
• fourth means for providing for a second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means;
• fifth means for re-orienting the first means in the second movement past the second means in a second particular relationship to the second means to obtain an irradiation of the article in the first means by the second means, the second particular relationship of the first means to the second means being different from the first particular relationship of the first means to the second means;
• sixth means for defining an unloading area for receiving the first means after the second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means;
• seventh means for routing the first means to the unloading area after the second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means;
• eighth means for indicating whether the first means has been properly routed by the seventh means to the unloading area after the second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means;
• and
• ninth means for interrupting the movement of the first means and the operation of the second means when the first means has not been properly routed to the unloading area after the second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means.

In combination for irradiating articles with an electron beam to sterilize the articles,

• a plurality of first means each constructed to hold an individual one of the articles;
• second means for irradiating the articles with the electron beam;
• third means for moving successive ones of the first means past the second means for an irradiation of the articles in such successive ones of the first means by the second means;
• fourth means disposed relative to the movement of the successive ones of the first means by the third means past the second means for producing a signal upon each such movement;
• and
• fifth means for determining the frequency of the signal from the fourth means for indicating whether the successive ones of the first means are being moved by the third means at a speed within a given range.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• first means for disposing the article on a horizontally disposed surface,
• second means for moving the first means in a horizontal direction,
• third means for irradiating the article with the electron beam horizontally from opposite sides of the article during the movement of the article by the second means past the third means to provide the article with a uniform radiation throughout the article,
• the second means being operative to move the first means at a substantially constant speed past the third means, and
• fourth means for moving the first means to the second means and for transporting the first means to the second means at the speed of movement of the second means.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• first means for disposing the article on a horizontally disposed surface,
• second means for moving the first means in a horizontal direction,
• third means for irradiating the article with the electron beam horizontally from opposite sides of the article during the movement of the article by the second means past the third means to provide the article with a uniform radiation throughout the article,
• the second means being operative to move the first means at speeds within particular limits, and
• fourth means responsive to the speed of movement of the second means for discontinuing movement of the second means and the irradiation by the electron beam when the speed of the second means is outside the particular limits.

In combination for irradiating an article with an electron beam to sterilize such article,

• first means for holding the article;
• second means for irradiating the article with the electron beam;
• third means for providing a first movement of the first means past the second means in a first particular relationship of the first means to the second means for the irradiation of the article by the electron beam;
• fourth means for providing for a second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means;
• fifth means for re-orienting the first means in the second movement past the second means in a second particular relationship to the second means to obtain an irradiation of the article in the first means by the second means, the second particular relationship of the first means to the second means being different from the first particular relationship of the first means to the second means;
• sixth means for determining whether the first means has the second particular relationship to the second means in the second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means;
• and
• seventh means for interrupting the movement of the third means and the irradiation by the second means when the sixth means determines that the first means does not have the second particular relationship to the second means in the second movement of the first means by the third means past the second means.