US 6,887,290 B2Granted

Debris separation and filtration systems

AssigneeFederal Signal Corporation

InventorsDaniel P. Strauser, Sean Stuart Troutt, Philip Wayne Stein

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Abstract

The invention provides a debris separation-filtration unit comprising a housing; an inlet that receives debris-laden air delivers the air in a tangential, centrifugal airflow-forming manner to the interior of housing; an inner shell that includes a number of airflow passageways; and a debris-capturing filter, the sides of which filter are at least substantially surrounded by the inner shell. Due to the formation of the centrifugal airflow and presence of the inner shell in the housing, only a portion of the debris particles entering the unit come in contact with the filter. The invention also provides debris collection, separation, and filtration systems comprising one or more of the separation-filtration units of the invention; debris collection vehicles comprising one or more of such units or systems; and related methods of collecting, separating, and filtering debris.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A debris collection vehicle comprising at least one combined debris separation and filtration unit, the combined debris separation and filtration unit comprising:

a housing having a substantially circular cross section, which housing comprises a middle section defined by a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom debris-collecting section, wherein the bottom section of the housing has a reduced diameter as compared to the middle section,
an inner shell positioned in the middle section of the housing and comprising a number of airflow passageways, the exterior side of the inner shell and interior side of the housing sidewall being spaced apart so as to form an outer chamber having a bottom end in communication with the bottom section of the housing, which outer chamber is substantially circular along its cross section,
an inlet that communicatively engages the cylindrical sidewall such that debris-laden air entering the outer chamber through the inlet is directed in a substantially tangential path with respect to the substantially circular cross section of the outer chamber, and
at least one filter, the sides of which at least one filter are at least substantially surrounded by the inner shell,
wherein when the debris separation and filtration unit receives debris-laden air having a sufficient airflow rate a centrifugal airflow is formed in the outer chamber such that at least a portion of the debris particles in the debris-laden air is collected in the housing before debris-laden air passes through the airflow passageways of the inner shell and into the filter.

2 more elements

A debris separation and filtration system comprising:

(a) first and second debris separation and filtration units, each of which debris separation and filtration units includes a perforated inner shell and a filter that is at least partially surrounded by the inner shell;
wherein each debris separation and filtration unit centrifugally separates debris-laden air that it receives and filters a portion of the debris-laden air that passes through the inner shell,
(b) a detector that generates a signal upon a passage of a period of time, the occurrence of an event, the presence of a condition, or any combination thereof;
(c) a debris body;
(d) an airflow-generating device that, when operated, causes the debris separation and filtration units to receive debris-laden air and filtered air to exit the debris separation and filtration units;
(d) first and second outlet control valves;
(e) first and second purge control valves;
and
(f) an automatic control system,
wherein, upon receiving a signal from the detector, the automatic control system causes (i) the first outlet control valve to close and the first purge control valve to open, such that filtered and/or atmospheric air is delivered into the first debris separation and filtration unit so as to purge the filter of the first debris separation and filtration unit and pneumatically transport debris from the first debris separation and filtration unit to the debris body;
or (ii) the second outlet control valve to close and the second purge control valve to open, such that filtered and/or atmospheric air is delivered into the second debris separation and filtration unit so as to purge the filter of the second debris separation and filtration unit and pneumatically transport debris from the second debris separation and filtration unit to the debris body.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/253,592Filed 25 Sep 2002
Published: US 2004/0055470 A125 Mar 2004
Granted: 3 May 2005
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

E01H 1/0827
Pneumatically dislodging or taking-up undesirable matter or small objects; Drying by heat only or by streams of gas ; Cleaning by projecting…:…
B01D 50/20
Combinations of methods or devices for separating particles from gases or vapours: combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
E01H
Street cleaning
B01D
Separation