TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to rollers of a sugarcane mill set, where the roller is having longitudinal holes for providing passage for flow of extracted juice from sugarcane. More particularly relates an on-board longitudinal holes cleaning mechanism for the sugarcane mill set.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE AND PRIOR ARTS

Generally, sugarcane mill set, as shown in FIGS, la and lb, is provided with a plurality of rollers (100, 102) for juice extraction by crushing sugarcane (104) between the rollers (100, 102). The sugarcane mill set may include a top roller (100) and a bottom roller (102). The sugarcane (104) may be fed in between the rollers (100, 102) for extraction of juice. The extracted juice may be then collected by a passage / drainage system formed inside the rollers (100, 102) for further processing of extracted juice. The drainage system could be either by circumferential “V” shape grooves which drains the juice radially downwards and sometimes assisted by longitudinal internal holes, for assisting juice to flow out axially.

Conventional roller (100), as shown in FIGS. 1-3, include longitudinal holes (106), also known as lotus holes, through which the extracted juice may be passed and collected for easy drainage of juice. These lotus holes (106) may be disposed inside the roller (100), and nozzles (108) may be disposed radially on the roller (100) for connecting the lotus holes (106) with a crushing surface (110) of the roller (100). The extracted juice may flow from the crushing surface (110) of the roller (100) to the lotus holes (106) via the nozzles (108). A juice guard (112), as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, may be disposed at ends of the roller (100) for preventing the flow of juice from a predefined longitudinal limits of the roller (100). With continuous operation of the roller (100) for extraction of juice, the pulpy residue / small or fine fibres of the sugarcane, also known as bagasse, may pass into the nozzle (108) and the lotus holes (106), and may get accumulated therein. This may result in narrowed or blocked passage inside the roller (100). The disadvantage of narrow passage may be low juice extraction, i.e. the required amount of juice may not be extracted from the roller (100). Another disadvantage of narrow passage may be the juice may get re-absorbed by the bagasse accumulated in the lotus holes (106) and the nozzles (108), thus affecting the mill efficiency. In addition, when the mill is not in operation, the clogged / accumulated bagasse may get hardened and cleaning of the lotus holes (106) may become a difficult task.

With the conventional roller (100), as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cleaning of the lotus holes (106) and the nozzles (108) of the roller (100) may not be possible without dismantling the roller (100) and removing the juice guard (112). Dismantling of the roller (100) or juice guard (112) from the mill would be a long maintenance procedure and may be conducted only at the end of crushing season, which may last for about 6-9 months. With the clogged lotus holes (106) and the nozzles (108), the mill may suffer extreme loss of performance during the crushing season.

One kind of roller set similar to the aforesaid mill set is disclosed in a Chinese utility model publication number CN201214663Y (hereinafter referred to as the Pat ’663). The roller in the Pat ’663 discloses cover rings at the ends of the roller. In this type of mill set, the cover rings may also be required to be dismantled for cleaning the lotus roots/holes of the roller.

In light of the above and other limitations of the conventional rollers, it is objectively desired to provide a mill set that would allow cleaning of the lotus holes without dismantling the roller or guard plate. It is also desired to improve the mill performance by obtaining higher juice flow without any blockage in the juice flow passage. Further, it is desired to improve the efficiency of the mill by reducing the time required for cleaning the lotus holes of the roller and prevent hardening of the bagasse inside the lotus holes and the nozzles of the roller. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure provides a sugarcane mill set. The mill set comprises at least a pair of rollers, each driven by a shaft, wherein at least one roller comprises a plurality of longitudinally oriented holes inside the roller such that said plurality of holes is extended from a first end of the roller to a second end of the roller. Each hole is connected to a crushing surface of the roller via a plurality of nozzles. The mill set also comprises an assembly of guard plates disposed at each end of the roller. Each assembly of guard plates comprises an outer plate having a plurality of holes, the outer plate disposed proximal to each end of the roller; and an annular ring disposed between the roller and the outer plate, the annular ring having a plurality of holes. The annular ring and the outer plate are adapted to be rotatable about the shaft, whereby the plurality of holes of the annular ring and the plurality of holes of the outer plate are configured to be aligned with the holes of the roller for cleaning longitudinally oriented holes of the roller by a cleaning device.

In an embodiment, the outer plate has a central collar/pipe.

In an embodiment, the annular ring is rotatably disposed on the outer plate via the collar/pipe.

In an embodiment, the assembly of guard plates is disposed on the roller shaft via threads of the shaft.

In an embodiment, the annular ring comprises a plurality of slotted grooves for locking the annular ring during extraction of juice, and unlocking and rotating the annular ring for aligning the holes of the annular ring with the longitudinal holes of the roller.

In an embodiment, the assembly of guard plates has at least one locking member including one of a bolt and a screw for locking the outer plate and the annular ring such as to restrict relative rotation of the outer plate and the annular ring. In an embodiment, the annular ring and the outer plate are adapted to be positioned and locked in a position such that the holes of the outer plate are not in fluid communication during extraction of juice.

In an embodiment, the annular ring and the outer plate are adapted to be positioned and locked in a position such that the holes of the outer plate and the holes of the annular ring are coaxially aligned with the holes of the roller (202) for cleaning of the holes of the roller.

In an embodiment, the plurality of holes are disposed circumferentially on the ends of the roller and each nozzle is disposed radially from the crushing surface of the roller to the longitudinally oriented hole of the roller.

In an embodiment, size of the holes of the annular ring is greater than or equal to the size of the longitudinally oriented holes of the roller and size of the holes of the outer plate is greater than or equal to the size of said holes of the roller.

In an embodiment, the cleaning device is one of a long brush and a rod.

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a method of cleaning longitudinally oriented holes of the roller. The method comprising the steps of: unlocking the locking member of the assembly of guard plates such that the annular ring is freely rotatable about the shaft; rotating the annular ring and the outer plate such that holes of the annular ring and holes of the outer plate are aligned with the longitudinally oriented holes of the roller; and inserting the cleaning device inside the longitudinally oriented holes of the roller via holes of the outer plate and the holes of the annular ring and for cleaning the holes of the roller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. la shows a sectional front view of a sugarcane mill set, according to the prior art; FIG. lb shows a sectional side view of the sugarcane mill set shown in FIG. la, according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a sugarcane mill set, according to the prior art;

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the roller shown in FIG. 2, according to the prior art;

FIG. 4 shows a sectional front view of a sugarcane mill set, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a roller, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of the roller shown in FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a bare roller without assembly of guard plate, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an outer plate and an annular ring of the roller shown in FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the roller shown in FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows perspective view of the roller shown in FIG. 5 illustrating a cleaning device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows a sectional view of the roller shown in FIGS. 5 & 10 during cleaning, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 12 shows steps of a method of cleaning the roller shown in FIGS. 5 & 10, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE WITH REFERENCE TO ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

Provided below is a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of the present invention and a reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, corresponding or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or corresponding parts. Moreover, references to various elements described herein, are made collectively or individually when there may be more than one element of the same type. However, such references are merely exemplary in nature. It may be noted that any reference to elements in the singular may also be construed to relate to the plural and vice-versa without limiting the scope of the disclosure to the exact number or type of such elements unless set forth explicitly in the appended claim.

Referring to FIG. 4, which illustrate a front sectional view of a sugarcane mill set (200). The sugarcane mill set (200) includes at least one pair of rollers (202, 204). The sugarcane mill set (200) is used for crushing sugarcane (104) for extracting sugarcane juice. The sugarcane (104) is fed between the pair of rollers (202, 204) where the sugarcane (104) is crushed between the pair of rollers (202, 204) by rotating each roller (202, 204) of the pair of rollers in opposite directions with respect to each other. In an embodiment, the sugarcane mill set (200) may include more than one pair of rollers (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the roller mill set (200) includes one pair of rollers (202, 204) having a top roller (202) and a bottom roller (204). The top roller (202) and the bottom roller (204) are disposed parallel to each other, creating a gap between them to allow the sugarcane (104) under a crushing pressure (pressure exerted by rollers on sugarcane) to pass between the top roller (202) and the bottom roller (204). Each of the top roller (202) and the bottom roller (204) is mounted on a shaft (208, 210). The shafts (208, 210) are adapted to rotate, by a rotating means such as a motor, which in turn rotate the rollers (202, 204). The direction of rotation of one shaft is opposite to the other shaft. The top roller (202) and the bottom roller (204) include a crushing surface (212), a first end (214) and a second end (216). The crushing surface (212) is a curved surface of the rollers (202, 204) which is in direct contact with the sugarcane (104). The first end (214) and the second end (216) of the roller are flat circular surfaces configured perpendicular to the shaft (208, 210). The sugarcane (104) is fed between the crushing surfaces (212) of the rollers (202, 204) for extracting juice from the sugarcane (104).

The design and configuration of both the top and bottom rollers (202, 204) are same. Hence, for sake of brevity, top roller (202) has been used for explanation purpose. The roller (202) includes a plurality of longitudinally oriented holes (218) inside the roller (202). The plurality of longitudinal holes / lotus holes (218) extends from the first end (214) of the roller (202) to the second end (216) of the roller (202). The terms “longitudinal hole” and “lotus hole” are interchangeably used throughout the specification. However, the terms “longitudinal hole” and “lotus hole” are relating to same component and they are one and the same. The longitudinal holes (218) are configured on the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202) in a circular / circumferential pattern. Centre (O) of the circular pattern coincides with centre (O) of the shaft (208). Each longitudinal hole (218) is connected to the crushing surface (212) of the roller (202) via a plurality of nozzles (220) disposed radially from the crushing surface (212) of the roller (202) to the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202).

The term “nozzle” refers to a radial hole for passage of fluid such as juice. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of nozzles (220) connects the longitudinal holes (218) with the crushing surface (212) of the roller (202) to allow passage of extracted sugarcane juice to pass through the longitudinal holes (218). The sugarcane mill set (200) further includes an assembly of guard plates (222) disposed at the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202).

As shown in FIGS. 4 & 5, the assembly of guard plates (222) is disposed on the shaft (208) at each end (214, 216) of the roller (202). The assembly of guard plates (222) include an outer plate (224) and an annular ring (226). The outer plate (224) of each assembly of guard plates (222) is disposed proximal to the end (214, 216) of the roller (202). The outer plate (222) is a circular plate having a central hole (228), shown in FIG. 8. The central hole (228) of the outer plate (224) is greater than diameter of the shaft (208) so as to allow the disposal of the outer plate (224) on the shaft (208). The assembly of guard plates (222) also includes a collar / pipe (230) for supporting the assembly of guard plates (222) on the shaft (208). The collar / pipe (230) may be integrally formed with the outer plate (224) and may be internally threaded (not shown). The assembly of guard plates (222) is disposed on the shaft (208) by threads (232) shown in FIG. 5-7.

The outer plate (224) further includes the plurality of holes (234) in a circular pattern (P), shown in FIG. 9. The holes (234) of the outer plate (224) are configured on the basis of the position of the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). The diameter (D) of the holes (234) of the outer plate (222) is greater than or equal to the diameter of the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) for accessing of longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) from outside the outer plate (224). In an embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the outer plates (224) are configured on the shaft (208) in a position in which the holes (234) of the outer plates (224) are coincident with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) during juice extraction. In other embodiment, (not shown) the outer plate (224) may be configured on the shaft (208) in a position in which the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) are non-coincident with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) during juice extraction.

The outer plate (224) further includes a plurality of locking holes (236), shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, for inserting a locking member (237), shown in FIG. 9, for locking the outer plate (224) and the annular ring (226) such as to prevent relative rotation between the outer plate (224) and the annular ring (226). The locking member (237) may include one of a bolt, screw, stud, cottar pin or any such fastening member known in the art. The extracted juice is prevented from splashing via the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202) by disposing the assembly of guard plates (222) proximal to the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202). The assembly of guard plates (222) are disposed on shaft (208) of the roller (202) at a distance from the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202), leaving a gap (G), shown in FIG. 4, for allowing juice to flow through the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). The assembly of guard plates (222) including the annular ring (226) and the outer plate (224) prevents splashing of juice at the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202) when the juice exits from the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) by creating a wall-like barrier at the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202). The juice after exiting from the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) is stopped by the assembly of guard plates (222) and subsequently the juice falls into drainage system after striking the annular ring (226) of the assembly of guard plates (222).

Referring further to FIGS. 6 and 8, the annular ring (226) are circular plates having a central hole (238). Diameter of the central hole (238) of the annular ring (226) is greater than outer diameter of the collar / pipe (230) such as to allow the rotatable placement / mounting of the annular ring (226) on the collar / pipe (230).

The annular ring (226) also includes a plurality of holes (240) in a circular pattern. The holes (240) of the annular ring (226) are configured on the basis of the position of the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). Diameter of the holes (240) of the annular ring (226) is greater than or equal to the diameter of the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) for accessing of longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) from outside the outer plate (224). The annular ring (226) is rotatably mounted on the collar / pipe (230) such that the annular ring (226) can be rotated and positioned on the basis of the requirement of accessing the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) from outside the outer plate (224).

The annular ring (226) further includes a plurality slotted grooves (242) for receiving the locking member (237) for locking and unlocking the annular ring (226) and the outer plate (224). During extraction of juice, the locking member (237) is tightened such that the relative rotation between the outer plate (224) and the annular ring (226) is not possible, and the annular ring (226) and the outer plate (224) are locked in a position in which the holes (240) of the annular ring (226) and the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) are misaligned. During cleaning of lotus holes (218), the locking member (237) is loosened and the annular ring (226) and/or the outer plate (224) is rotated such as to align the holes of the annular ring (226) and the outer plate (224) with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) for accessing the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) from outside the assembly of guard plates (222). The slotted grooves (242) allow the rotation of the annular ring (230) without removing the locking member (237) from the roller (202).

During the extraction of juice from the roller (202), the annular ring (226) is locked in a position such that the holes (240) of the annular ring (226) and the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) do not coincide with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) and thus, the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) are not in fluid communication. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) coincide with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) and the holes (240) of the annular ring (226) do not coincide with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202), and thus the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) are not in fluid communication. Thus, the assembly of guard plates (222) prevents splashing of juice when the juice exits from ends (214, 216) of the roller during juice extraction. When the sugarcane mill set (200) is not in operation and the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) require cleaning, the locking member (237) is loosened and the annular ring (226) is rotated, as shown in FIG. 8, such that the holes (240, 234) of the annular ring (234) and the outer plate (224) are coaxially aligned with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) for cleaning using a cleaning device (244), shown in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the cleaning device (244) is inserted into the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) for cleaning. The holes (234) of the outer plate (224) and the holes (240) of the annular ring (226) can be aligned with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) for allowing the cleaning device (244) to be inserted inside the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) from outside without removing the outer plate (224) and/or the annular ring (226) from the shaft (208). The cleaning device (244) includes one of a long brush, an iron rod or any such device as may be known to a skilled person. In the illustrated FIGS. 10 and 11, the cleaning device (244) is inserted into one of the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). Similarly, all longitudinal holes (218) can be cleaned using the cleaning device (244). The cleaning may be done either manually or automatically / machine assisted.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method (300) for cleaning longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202), when the sugarcane mill set (200) is not in operation. The method (300) includes a step (302) of unlocking the locking member (237) of the assembly of guard plates (222). In this step (302) the locking member (237) is loosened such that the annular ring (226) is free to rotate about the shaft (208) from one angular position to another angular position. The angular positions are based on the relative rotation of the slotted groove (242) of the annular ring (226) and the locking member (237).

The method (300) further includes a step (304) of rotating the annular ring (226). In this step (304), the annular ring (226) is rotated such that holes (240) of the annular ring (226) and the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) are aligned with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). Thus, the holes (240) of the annular ring (226) and the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) are coaxial with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202), so that the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) is accessible from outside the assembly of guard plates (222).

The method (300) further includes a step (306) of inserting the cleaning device (244) inside the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). In this step (306), the cleaning device (244) such as, a brush, an iron rod or any similar long object as may be obvious to a skilled person, is inserted inside the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) for cleaning the holes (218) of the roller (202). The cleaning device (244) removes sugarcane fibre / bagasse stuck inside the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). Thus, the cleaning of the longitudinal holes (218) is possible without dismantling the roller (202).

Advantages

The sugarcane mill set (200) having assembly of guard plates (222) allows cleaning of the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) without dismantling the roller (202), or without removing the assembly of guard plates (222) from the shaft (208), thus, reduces the time and effort required for cleaning the roller (202). Also, the downtime of the sugarcane mill set (200) is reduced at a large extent. Therefore, the mill efficiency of the sugarcane mill set (200) is higher as compared with the conventional sugarcane mill set.

The sugarcane mill set (200) allows larger juice flow without any blockage in the passage or absorption of juice in the sugarcane fibre. Thus, juice flow is higher in the sugarcane mill set (200) as compared with the conventional sugarcane mill set.

The sugarcane mill set (200) allows cleaning of the roller (202) at a regular time interval. Thus, preventing accumulation and hardening of the bagasse inside the longitudinal holes (218) and the nozzles (220) of the roller (202).

The annular ring (226) and the outer plate (224) prevent splashing of juice via ends (214, 216) of the roller (202) during juice extraction.

The annular ring (226) is rotatable about the shaft (208) for aligning the holes (240) of the annular ring (226) with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) during cleaning and misaligning the holes (240) during juice extraction. The outer plate (224) is also rotatable about the shaft via the threads (232) for aligning / misaligning the holes (234) of the outer plate (224) with the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). Thus, longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) are easily accessible from outside the roller (202).

The annular ring (226) includes a plurality of slotted grooves (242) for allowing the rotation of annular ring (226) without removing the outer plate (224) from the shaft (208).

The outer plate (224) and the annular ring (226) are tightened with respect to each other using the locking members (237). The locking members (237) enable efficient locking of the outer plate (224) and the annular ring (226) for preventing any relative rotation of the outer plate (224) and the annular ring (226) during juice extraction, thus, providing an efficient barrier for preventing splashing of juice at the ends (214, 216) of the roller (202).

The outer plate (224) includes a collar / pipe (230). The advantage of providing the collar (230) on the outer plate (224) is that it provides a guide for rotatable feature of the annular ring (226).

The longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202) are connected to the crushing surface (212) of the roller (202) via a plurality of nozzles (220). The advantage of providing nozzles (220) is that the nozzles (220) form passage for flow of juice from the crushing surface (212) to the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202).

The size of the holes (240, 234) of the annular ring (226) and the outer plate (224) is greater than or equal to the size of the longitudinal holes (218) of the roller (202). This enables easily access of the longitudinal holes (218) and insertion of the cleaning device (244) into the longitudinal holes (218) from outside the roller (202).

Industrial Applicability

The disclosed sugarcane mill set (200) finds its potential application in sugar industry for extracting juice from sugarcane. The mill set may also be used for extracting any type of fluid from a solid/semi- solid objects. In particular, the mill set can be used for efficiently extracting juice from sugarcane. However, the disclosed mill set may also find its application apart from the sugar industry, such as, but not limited to, food processing industry for extracting juice or oil from fruits / vegetables or any other similar food items, wherein pair of pressuring rollers are used for squeezing out the liquid from parent items.

While aspects of the present invention have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by modification of the disclosed device without departing from the scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present invention as determined based upon claims and any equivalents thereof.

List of referral numerals:

100, 102: Conventional roller;

104: Sugarcane;

106: Lotus holes of the conventional roller;

108: Nozzles of the conventional roller;

110: Crushing surface of the conventional roller;

112: Juice guard of the conventional roller;

200: Sugarcane mill set;

202: Top roller;

204: Bottom roller;

208: Shaft of top roller;

210: Shaft of bottom roller;

212: Crushing surface of the roller;

214: First end of the roller;

216: Second end of the roller;

218: Longitudinal holes of the roller;

220: Nozzles of the roller;

222: Assembly of guard plates;

224: Outer plate;

226: Annular ring;

228: Central hole of the outer plate;

230: Collar / pipe;

232: Thread of the shaft;

234: Holes of the outer plate;

236: Locking holes of the outer plate;

237: Locking members;

G: Gap between roller end and the annular ring;

O: Centre of the shaft;

P: Circular pattern of the holes of the outer plate;

D: Diameter of holes of the outer plate; 238: Central hole of the annular ring;

240: Holes of the annular ring;

242: Slotted grooves of the annular ring;

244: Cleaning device; 300: Method of cleaning longitudinal holes of roller;

302: Step of unlocking / loosening locking member;

304: Step of rotating annular ring;

306: Step of inserting cleaning device inside longitudinal holes