Device for squeezing out tubes

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a device for emptying tubes. The device has at least one first and one second tooth roller, a housing, and an electric motor. The housing has at least one opening in the region of the two tooth rollers, the first tooth roller is arranged within the housing above the second tooth roller. The first tooth roller is freely rotatable, and the second tooth roller is driven by the electric motor. The two tooth rollers are in this case arranged one above the other such that a tube that is passed through the opening and between the two tube rollers with the tube fold at the front is drawn in by the rollers and the tube content can be pressed out of the tube.

Claims

1. A device for emptying tubes comprising: a first tooth roller; a second tooth roller; a housing defining a first opening in a region of said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller and a second opening; an electric motor; said first tooth roller being arranged within said housing above said second tooth roller; said first tooth roller being freely rotatable; said second tooth roller being configured to be driven by said electric motor with a torque in a range of 10 to 100 Ncm; said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller being arranged one above the other such that a tube that is passed through said opening and between said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller with a tube fold at the front is drawn in by said first and second tooth rollers and a tube content can be pressed out of the tube; and wherein said second opening is arranged in a side of said housing opposite to said first opening so that the tube fold that is passed through said first opening by said first and second tooth rollers inside the device may be pushed through said second opening, thereby exiting from the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said second tooth roller is configured to be driven by a synchronising disc via a timing belt.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller include teeth with an at least four-sided profile.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said profile is a trapezoidal profile or a rectangular profile.

5. The device of claim 1 further comprising a guide for said opening in said housing configured to aid an insertion of the tube fold into the device.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprising a funnel-shaped guide configured to aid an insertion of the tube fold into the device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said first tooth roller is constructed as a nip roll.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said second tooth roller is the only toothed roller driven by said electric motor.

9. A device for emptying tubes comprising: a first tooth roller; a second tooth roller; a housing defining an opening in a region of said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller; an electric motor; said first tooth roller being arranged within said housing above said second tooth roller; said first tooth roller being freely rotatable; said second tooth roller being configured to be driven by said electric motor with a torque in a range of 10 to 100 Ncm; said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller being arranged one above the other such that a tube that is passed through said opening and between said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller with a tube fold at the front is drawn in by said first and second tooth rollers and a tube content can be pressed out of the tube; wherein said housing is constructed from at least two parts, said two parts including an upper part and a lower part, said upper part of said housing being configured to perform a stroke movement towards said lower part of said housing; and, said electric motor is switched on by the stroke movement.

10. The device of claim 1 further comprising an automatic switch configured to switch off said electric motor as soon as the tube has been completely emptied.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a counting unit configured to determine a number of tubes which have already been emptied.

12. The device of claim 1 further comprising a dosing unit for dosing the tube content.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the dosing unit is configured to control a run-time of said electric motor; and, said electric motor is configured to run for a predetermined duration at a constant power, so that every switch-on procedure leads to a constant amount of tube content squeezed out of the tube.

14. A device for emptying tubes comprising: a first tooth roller; a second tooth roller; a housing defining an opening in a region of said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller; an electric motor; said first tooth roller being arranged within said housing above said second tooth roller; said first tooth roller being freely rotatable; said second tooth roller being configured to be driven by said electric motor with a torque in a range of 10 to 100 Ncm; said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller being arranged one above the other such that a tube that is passed through said opening and between said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller with a tube fold at the front is drawn in by said first and second tooth rollers and a tube content can be pressed out of the tube; said first tooth roller and said second tooth roller being arranged in a mutually spaced relationship in a non-operating state of the device; and, said first tooth roller being mounted in the housing so as to be moveable in a direction of said second roller during operation of the device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said first tooth roller is constructed as a nip roll.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the device comprises a tube recognition device.

17. The device of claim 16 further comprising a reader configured to read at least one of a bar code, a QR-code, and an RFID-chip.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein said tube recognition device is mounted to said housing.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein said tube recognition device is connected to at least one of a computer and a mobile terminal.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein said tube recognition device is connected to at least one of a computer and a mobile terminal via at least one of a LAN-cable, WLAN, radio communication, and Bluetooth.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a device for emptying tubes according to prior art;

(3) FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B show schematic representations of an embodiment;

(4) FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show schematic representations of an embodiment without housing;

(5) FIG. 4 shows schematic representation of the tooth profile of a tooth roller according to an embodiment;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment with a device for tube recognition;

(7) FIGS. 6A and 6B show schematic representations of a guiding device; and,

(8) FIG. 7 shows a photographic picture of an empty metal tube.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) FIG. 1 shows a device for emptying tubes according to the prior art, as shown in DE 43 38 273 A1. By using the shown device, it is possible to empty a tube 1 almost completely. The tube is emptied by coiling the end of the tube on a winding mandrel with a spring steel construction without interspaces. The device includes a mandrel 3 and a hull 4. The mandrel 3 is driven by hand via the handle 6. Both mandrel 3 and hull 4 show a smooth surface without any profile. The spring steel construction 5 presses the hull 4 onto the mandrel 3, thereby generating the pressure required to squeeze tube 1. Using the wing nut 6, the tube 1 is coiled up by hand and the content of the tube is squeezed in the direction of the tube opening. The tube 1 remains inside the device until it has been emptied completely. Here, tube 1 is coiled up in the device until its opening 2 is reached. To remove tube 1 from the device, it is necessary to turn mandrel 3 by handle 6 by hand, so that tube 1 is unwound. Hence, the process of emptying tube 1 as well as removing the partially or completely emptied tube 1 from the device is time-consuming.

(10) FIGS. 2A and 2B show an embodiment of the device according to the disclosure. The front of the device is shown in FIG. 2A, while FIG. 2B provides a side view of the device. The device includes a two-parts housing 7, 8. The upper part of the housing 7 is movable relative to the lower housing part 8. Hence, by applying pressure onto the top face of the upper part of the housing 7, a stroke movement can be performed in the direction of the lower housing part 8. The stroke movement is symbolized by arrow 14. The stroke movement further starts the electric motor inside the housing (not shown) driving the second tooth roller 12, so that second tooth roller 12 rotates. Further, first tooth roller 11 is moved towards second tooth roller 12. Thus, the interspace between tooth rollers 11, 12 during operation is smaller than in rest mode.

(11) The first tooth roller 11 is freely rotatable and functions as a nip roll. The upper part of the housing 7 includes two openings 9a, 9b, located in the height of the tooth rollers 11, 12. Opening 9a is located on the front side of the device and includes a guiding device 10. Guiding device 10 shows a funnel-shaped geometry. This facilitates inserting a tube or a tube fold, respectively, through opening 9a. The tube fold inserted into the device through opening 9a and the tooth rollers 11, 12 is transported in direction of opening 9b located on the opposite side of the device. The tube is not coiled, but flattened. At the same time, the teeth of the tooth rollers 11, 12 compress the tube and the content of the tube is pressed towards the tube opening 2. In case the length of the tube b is bigger than the depth of the device d, the tube fold may exit the device through housing opening 9b. Opening 9a and guiding device 10 are constructed in a way that the height of opening 9a is smaller than the diameter of the tube opening 2. This ensures that the upper part of the tube including the opening 2 is not pulled inside the device by the tooth rollers 11, 12. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the motor includes an automatic shut-off. When it is no longer possible to insert the tube further into the device, the motor is shut off. Further, the device includes a counting unit 27 to determine the number of emptying processes.

(12) FIGS. 3A and 3B show schematic representations of an embodiment of the device. FIG. 3B is an exploded assembly. The housing is not shown for the sake of clarity. To press down slide 19 and thus to turn tumbler switch 18, the device includes a bracket 16. The electric motor 26 is started by turning tumbler switch 18. According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the electric motor 26 is a 12 V DC-motor. The motor 26 drives a synchronized pulley 23. The synchronized pulley 23 is connected with another synchronized pulley 24 through the timing belt 28. The synchronized pulley 24 drives tooth roller 12. In order to achieve higher torques, the diameter of synchronized pulley 24 is bigger than the diameter of synchronized pulley 23. Higher torques, in particular torques in the range between 15 to 30 Ncm are advantageous, since with these torques, the tube is slowly transported by tooth rollers 11, 12, thereby being squeezed out with high load. Tooth roller 11 is freely rotatable and functions as a nip roll.

(13) Further, the device includes a guide plate 17 and a yoke 15 to shield the electric motor 26, thereby preventing that a tube inserted into the device may contact the electric motor 26.

(14) In the embodiment according to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B, the upper housing part 7 has a width of 120 mm and a depth d of 117 mm. The height of the housing is 119 mm.

(15) FIG. 4 shows the used tooth rollers 11, 12. In this embodiment, the tooth roller has a total length of ca. 77 mm (without hanger assembly 31). Hence, tubes with a fold with up to 77 mm can be emptied or squeezed with the device. The rollers show a profile 32 with trapezoid teeth 33.

(16) FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment including a device for tube recognition 34. According to this embodiment, the device for tube recognition 34 is a scanner and is mounted onto one of the side faces of the housing 7. For example, after complete emptying of a tube inserted into the device, the user can scan the tube with the tube recognition device. By connecting the device for tube recognition with a computer or mobile terminal (not shown), the tube scanned with the device for tube recognition may be managed with an appropriate program. For example, it can be configured in a way that after scanning a tube with the device for tube recognition 34, the tube is identified by the program as being empty. When connected to the internet, a reorder of the tube may be carried out automatically.

(17) FIGS. 6A and 6B show schematic representations of a guiding device 10 in top view (FIG. 6A) and in cross section (FIG. 6B). The guiding device 10 shows a funnel-shaped form. The front opening 29, that is, the opening of the guiding device through which the tube fold is guided, is bigger than the opening in the back 30. According to one embodiment, the height of the front opening 29 is 40 mm and the region of the back opening 30 is 22 mm. The guiding device 10 shows only at one side a funnel-shaped form. Hence, it is possible to insert and squeeze the tube up to its opening.

(18) FIG. 7 shows a photograph of a metal tube 35, which has been emptied with the device according to the disclosure. The profile of the tooth rollers 11, 12 has been transferred to the tube 35, thereby compressing the tube 35.

(19) It is understood that the foregoing description is that of the preferred embodiments of the invention and that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.