| 摘要 |
An apparatus for cleaning dust particles from open-ended cans and the like in an automated container filling assembly line. The apparatus utilizes an ionized air injector with a nozzle and a vacuum source having an inlet positioned in close proximity thereto. Both the injector nozzle and the inlet are situated so that the containers can be made to move with their open ends crossing the paths of air flows directed from the nozzle and into the inlet. By means of the injector, an ionized air stream is directed into each empty container to dislodge any dust particles there and to neutralize electrostatic charges causing the particles to adhere to the container walls. Suction, acting through the vacuum source inlet immediately downstream of the ionized air flow, removes any dislodged dust particles before electrostatic charges can build up again between them and the container. The apparatus further includes an enclosure surrounding the injector nozzle and vacuum source inlet. The enclosure, through whose end openings the containers pass virtually unimpeded, is pressurized with filtered air to keep the containers from being recontaminated immediately after cleaning. Ideally, the enclosure is sited close to the location where the containers are ultimately filled and sealed. For highly efficient cleaning, a series of ionized air injector nozzles each followed by its own vacuum source inlet is employed. The apparatus can be readily added to a conventional automated container filling assembly line.
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