Washing apparatus

JP2025029151AActive Publication Date: 2025-03-05MORIGO SEIKI
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024212094
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-12-05
Publication Date
2025-03-05
Estimated Expiration
2041-06-01

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

【0026】 以上のように、本発明に係る洗浄装置によれば、複雑な被洗浄物の各部を精度良く洗浄することができる。

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Abstract

To provide a washing apparatus that can wash an object to be washed, more accurately than before.SOLUTION: A washing apparatus, which washes an object W to be washed, while turning and conveying the object, comprises a plurality of work chambers, openable and closable partition parts partitioning the work chambers, a plurality of arms extending in a radial direction with respect to a rotary shaft for turning and conveying the object to be washed, a rotating mechanism that turns the plurality of arms, and tables 5 that are mounted on tips of the plurality of arms. The plurality of work chambers comprise a first work chamber for performing attachment and detachment of the object W to be washed, a second work chamber in which the object W to be washed is washed, and a third work chamber in which the object W to be washed is dried, which further comprise jigs for placing the object W to be washed on the tables 5. The jig has a driving cylinder that has a pressing clasp 10C for pressing and holding the object W to be washed, from above, a support member 10B that supports the pressing clasp 10C turnably, and a spring 10D that energizes the pressing clasp 10C downward, and can put a load on the pressing clasp 10C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning device for cleaning objects to be cleaned, such as machined parts, machined products, and automotive parts. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a washing apparatus that is divided into several rooms by partitions. Such a washing apparatus includes a room for mounting the object to be washed, a room for washing the object, and a room for draining the object after washing, and the object is rotated and transported to each room. Prior art related to such a washing apparatus includes, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 61-064385 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-343047 (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-064385 [Patent Document 2] JP 2000-343047 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the cleaning device of Patent Document 1, only the lower parts of the exchange chamber, pre-wash chamber, cleaning chamber, and water washing chamber are separated by partitions, but this does not mean that the exchange chamber, pre-wash chamber, cleaning chamber, and water washing chamber are separated. In other words, since only the lower parts of each chamber are separated, there is a risk that the cleaning solution in the cleaning chamber and the water in the water washing chamber will splash into other chambers. This is especially true in the case of high-pressure cleaning. In addition, debris mixed with the cleaning solution and water may also splash into other chambers.

[0005] The cleaning device in Patent Document 2 rotates the object to be cleaned on a turntable while spraying it with a cleaning liquid, but this method of cleaning may not be able to clean modern complex parts completely. That is, Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not provide detailed descriptions of the structure for fixing the object to be cleaned, and if the object is not firmly fixed, it may shift when the cleaning liquid is sprayed on it, making it impossible to perform high-precision cleaning.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device which has separate chambers, is capable of cleaning and transporting objects to be cleaned, and is also capable of cleaning complex parts, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is a cleaning apparatus that swivels and transports objects to be cleaned and cleans them, and includes a plurality of work chambers, an openable and closable partition that divides each work chamber, a plurality of arms extending radially from a rotation shaft that swivels and transports the objects to be cleaned, a rotation mechanism that swivels the plurality of arms, and a table attached to the ends of the plurality of arms, and the plurality of work chambers include at least a first work chamber for loading and unloading the objects to be cleaned, a second work chamber for cleaning the objects to be cleaned, and a third work chamber for drying the objects to be cleaned, and includes a jig for placing the objects to be cleaned on the table, The jig has a clamp that presses down and holds the object to be cleaned from above, a support member that rotatably supports the clamp, and a spring that urges the clamp downward, and is characterized by being equipped with a drive cylinder that can apply a load to the clamp.

[0008] According to this configuration, the object to be cleaned can be cleaned while the clamps are firmly holding it during cleaning, which prevents the object from shifting due to the spraying of cleaning fluid, etc., and enables more accurate cleaning. The clamps can be released by the drive cylinder, which allows the object to be attached and detached. In other words, since automation is becoming more and more common in modern cleaning processes, using the drive cylinder to attach and detach the object to be cleaned can also be performed by robot control without human intervention. In addition, the object to be cleaned can be held firmly by the clamps and support member, which is preferable as it is less likely to interfere with the object when it is being cleaned.

[0009] In addition, this cleaning apparatus can be configured so that when the drive cylinder is not applying a load to the clamp, the clamp uses the spring to press down and hold the object to be cleaned from above, with the attachment part with the support member as the rotation axis, and when the drive cylinder is applying a load to the clamp, the clamp rotates in the opposite direction to the biasing direction of the spring, with the attachment part with the support member as the rotation axis, thereby releasing its hold on the object to be cleaned.

[0010] In addition, in this cleaning device, the clamping fixture of the jig has a main body that is attached to the support member and a clamping portion that holds the object to be cleaned, and the main body is composed of a mounting portion that is rotatably attached to the support member, a portion to which the clamping portion and the end of the spring are fixed, and a portion that protrudes from the support member in the opposite direction to the object to be cleaned and to which a load is applied by the drive cylinder.

[0011] With this configuration, when no load is applied to the clamp, the clamp holds the item to be cleaned, and when a load is simply applied by the drive cylinder, the clamp rotates and the item to be cleaned is released, making it possible to hold and release the item to be cleaned with a simple structure.

[0012] The cleaning device also includes a sensor that detects whether the drive cylinder is applying a load to the presser metal fitting or not. With this configuration, the operation of the drive cylinder can be detected and controlled by the sensor.

[0013] This cleaning device is also characterized in that it is provided with a nozzle block having a plurality of nozzles arranged in at least a second working chamber for cleaning the object to be cleaned, and the nozzle block is movable between a cleaning position and vertically or horizontally.

[0014] According to this configuration, the object to be cleaned is attached to a jig or the like on a rotating table in the first working chamber, then the partition is opened and the arm is rotated to transport the object to the second working chamber, and the partition is closed to clean the object. At this time, while the object to be cleaned is stopped in the second working chamber, a nozzle block with multiple nozzles arranged at predetermined positions descends from above and stops. Then, cleaning liquid is sprayed from each nozzle so as to target each part of the object to be cleaned.

[0015] The multiple nozzles may be configured with only cleaning nozzles that spray only cleaning liquid, or may be a combination of cleaning nozzles that spray air, or cleaning nozzles that spray both cleaning liquid and air at the same time. This allows the multiple nozzles to accurately target each part of the object to be cleaned, so that even if the object has a complex shape, it can be reliably cleaned.

[0016] In addition, with conventional cleaning equipment, the cleaning nozzle is arranged on the wall of the cleaning chamber, etc., so there is a distance between the cleaning nozzle and the object to be cleaned, but with this device, the nozzle block that moves up and down can spray the cleaning liquid from near the object to be cleaned, thereby improving cleaning performance compared to conventional devices.

[0017] After cleaning, the partition is opened again and the arm is rotated to rotate and transport the object to the third working chamber, the partition is closed to dry the object, and then the partition is opened and the arm is rotated to rotate and transport the object to the first working chamber, the partition is closed and the object is removed. A nozzle block may be provided in the third working chamber. In this case, the nozzles provided in the nozzle block are air nozzles that spray air, and air is sprayed from the multiple air nozzles to dry each part of the object.

[0018] This allows the objects to be washed and dried in a single operation. Furthermore, by performing this operation sequentially on multiple tables, multiple objects can be washed and dried efficiently.

[0019] In addition, the multiple work chambers are not limited to the first, second, and third work chambers, but may include a fourth or fifth work chamber, or may include more than one work chamber. The work chambers may include, for example, a mounting / removal chamber, a washing chamber, a water washing chamber, a draining chamber, a drying chamber, a high-pressure washing chamber, a low-pressure washing chamber, a rotary washing chamber, a fixed washing chamber, and the like, and may be appropriately selected from these depending on the number of work chambers.

[0020] This cleaning device may be configured to include a plurality of nozzle blocks, and a pair of the nozzle blocks may be arranged opposite each other so as to sandwich the object when cleaning the object. With this configuration, the nozzle blocks stop at a predetermined position so as to sandwich the object, and cleaning liquid or the like may be sprayed from the plurality of nozzles on both sides to clean each part of the object, so that objects with more complex shapes can be effectively cleaned.

[0021] Furthermore, when cleaning the object to be cleaned, another pair of the nozzle blocks can be arranged opposite each other so as to sandwich the object to be cleaned, so that four nozzle blocks are arranged to surround the object to be cleaned.

[0022] In this cleaning device, multiple nozzles provided in the nozzle block are arranged at positions determined by a template that targets each part of the object based on drawing data of the object. With this configuration, the nozzle positions arranged in the nozzle block are determined by a template based on the drawing data of the object, so that the cleaning liquid can be reliably sprayed onto each part of the object, enabling extremely accurate cleaning.

[0023] In this cleaning device, the nozzle block is connected to a drive cylinder that allows the nozzle block to move between a position where the object is cleaned and a position where the object is not cleaned, and the drive cylinder is equipped with a sensor that detects these positions. With this configuration, the nozzle block can be stopped reliably at a predetermined position, enabling highly accurate cleaning. In addition, when the nozzle block is not cleaning, i.e., when the table is rotating, the nozzle block retreats to a position where it does not interfere with the table or the object.

[0024] In addition, this cleaning device can be configured such that, during cleaning, the nozzle block moves to the vicinity of the object to be cleaned and then sprays the cleaning liquid while swinging. With this configuration, since the nozzle block swings, in addition to cleaning each part of the object to be cleaned, the entire object can be cleaned.

[0025] Furthermore, this cleaning apparatus may be configured so that the table is a fixed table or a rotating table. Effect of the Invention

[0026] As described above, the cleaning device according to the present invention can clean each part of a complex object with high precision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 4 is a plan view showing an outline of a mechanism of a rotation table in the cleaning device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view of an entire cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a front view of an entire cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a side view of an entire cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an outline of a jig for a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of a nozzle block of the cleaning device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 13 is a plan view showing an outline of a mechanism of a rotation table in a cleaning device according to another embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 13 is an enlarged plan view showing an engagement portion between a rotary table and a sprocket of a cleaning device according to another embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing modified examples of the nozzle block of the cleaning device. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a conceptual plan view showing a modified example of the cleaning device. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing modified examples of the partition of the cleaning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In particular, when numbers, dimensions, materials, etc. are mentioned in the embodiments described below, the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to those numbers, dimensions, materials, etc.

[0029] <1. Cleaning equipment configuration> 1 to 6 show an example of an embodiment of the cleaning device of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the rotation mechanism of a turntable, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the entire cleaning device, FIG. 3 is a front view of the same, FIG. 4 is a side view of the same, FIG. 5 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of a jig, and FIG. 6 is an oblique view showing the schematic configuration of a nozzle block.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device 1 of this embodiment has an attachment / detachment chamber 2 for attaching and detaching the object to be cleaned, a cleaning chamber 3 for cleaning the object to be cleaned, and a drying chamber 4 for drying the object to be cleaned. This embodiment is an example of a three-chamber system. The number of work chambers does not have to be three, and may be four, five, or more. For example, there may be an attachment chamber, a removal chamber, an attachment / detachment chamber, a cleaning chamber, a water-washing chamber, a draining chamber, a drying chamber, a high-pressure cleaning chamber, a low-pressure cleaning chamber, and the like, and these may be appropriately selected according to the number of work chambers, or a configuration may be adopted in which there are multiple cleaning chambers and drying chambers, such as a cleaning chamber for rotary cleaning and a cleaning chamber for fixed cleaning.

[0031] 2, the cleaning device 1 has an open mounting / removal chamber 2 at the front, exposing a circular table 5. Three arms 7 are radially arranged at intervals of 120 degrees around a vertically disposed rotation shaft 6, and the center of the table 5 is rotatably supported at the tip of each arm 7 via a support shaft 8.

[0032] The rotating shaft 6 penetrates the upper surface of the housing 1a of the cleaning device 1 and protrudes upward, and is connected to a motor 9 arranged on the housing 1a, and in this example, repeats an operation of intermittently rotating and stopping by 120 degrees. In this example, the motor 9 and the rotating shaft 6 driven by it constitute a rotation mechanism of the arm 7.

[0033] The inside of the housing 1a is divided into two chambers, a cleaning chamber 3 and a drying chamber 4, as shown in Figure 2, and partitions 11 are provided at the boundary B between the cleaning chamber 3 and the drying chamber 4, the boundary A between the attachment / detachment chamber 2 and the cleaning chamber 3, and the boundary C between the attachment / detachment chamber 2 and the drying chamber 4.

[0034] The partitions 11 are arranged so as to be movable up and down, and as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the partitions are opened when they are pulled up by air cylinders 12 erected on the upper surface of the housing 1a, and closed when they are lowered by the air cylinders 12. Note that in this embodiment, as an example, the air cylinders 12 are linked to each other so that all the partitions 11 are raised and lowered simultaneously, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation of the air cylinders 12 and the raising and lowering of the partitions 11 may be changed. Alternatively, each of the steps may be performed individually.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 5, a jig 10 is attached to the table 5, and an object W to be cleaned is attached to the jig 10. The jig 10 mainly comprises a mounting table 10A on which the object W to be cleaned is placed, a support member 10B, a clamp 10C, and a spring 10D. The mounting table 10A is a table for placing the object W to be cleaned, and has a base on the bottom surface and a peripheral wall erected on the periphery of the base. A support member 10B erected vertically is fixed to the mounting table 10A. A clamp 10C is rotatably attached to the upper part of the support member 10B.

[0036] The presser 10C has a main body 10Ca attached to the support member 10B and a presser 10Cb fixed near the tip of the main body 10Ca. One end of a spring 10D is fixed to the main body 10Ca between the presser 10Cb that presses down the object W and the attachment 10Ba to the support member 10B. The other end of the spring 10D is fixed to the mounting table 10A. The spring 10D is biased downward, that is, in the direction to press down the object W, and the presser 10C is biased by the spring 10D in the rotation direction to press down the object W with the attachment 10Ba as the rotation axis. This holds the object W.

[0037] Meanwhile, the main body 10Ca has a portion 10CX on the side of the pressing portion 10Cb and a portion 10CY protruding in the opposite direction from the mounting portion 10Ba, with the mounting portion 10Ba rotatably attached to the support member 10B as the boundary. The portion 10CY protruding in the opposite direction from the mounting portion 10Ba is pressed from above by an air cylinder 13 for the pressing metal fitting, which moves up and down, so that the pressing portion 10Cb of the pressing metal fitting 10C rotates in a direction away from the object W to be cleaned, with the mounting portion 10Ba as the rotation axis. This releases the holding of the object W to be cleaned.

[0038] Normally, there is no load on the clamp 10C by the air cylinder 13, so that the object W is normally held by the clamp 10C. On the other hand, the air cylinder 13 applies a load to the clamp 10C, and the clamp 10C releases the object W, in principle, when the object W is attached to or detached from the jig 10. In addition, the air cylinder 13 in this embodiment is fixed to the attachment / detachment chamber 2, but it may be configured to be fixed to the jig 10.

[0039] A clamp 13A that applies a load directly to the clamp 10C is fixed to the tip of the air cylinder 13, and this directly applies a load by pressing down the main body 10Ca of the clamp 10C. The air cylinder 13 is also provided with two sensors 13B that control the vertical movement of the clamp 13A. The number of sensors 13B is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more.

[0040] As described above, after the object W to be cleaned is attached to the jig 10 in the attachment / detachment chamber 2, the air cylinder 13 is driven upward to release the load on the clamp 10C, and the object W to be cleaned is held by being pressed by the clamp 10C. Then, the partition 11 is raised, the arm 7 is rotated 120 degrees, and the table 5 on which the object W to be cleaned is placed is stopped in the cleaning chamber 3, and then the partition 11 is lowered to close the cleaning chamber 3.

[0041] 6, a nozzle block 14 having a plurality of nozzles 14A arranged at the top is disposed in the cleaning chamber 3. The nozzle block 14 is attached to an air cylinder 15 and is arranged so as to be movable in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, one nozzle block 14 is disposed, but two nozzle blocks 14 may be disposed so as to sandwich the object W to be cleaned, or four nozzle blocks 14 may be disposed so as to surround the object W to be cleaned on the front, rear, left and right sides.

[0042] In addition, two sensors 15A are provided on the air cylinder 15, and the stop positions of the up and down movement of the nozzle block 14 are controlled by these sensors 15A. Note that the number of sensors 15A is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more.

[0043] The nozzle block 14 has a plurality of nozzles 14A arranged therein, and the cleaning liquid sprayed from each nozzle 14A is configured to accurately target each portion of the object to be cleaned W. The nozzle 14A can be configured as a cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid, an air nozzle that sprays air, or a two-fluid nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid and air simultaneously, or these can be combined.

[0044] In addition, the arrangement of the multiple nozzles 14A is determined by creating a nozzle arrangement template based on the drawing data of the object W so that the cleaning liquid hits important parts of the object W, and the nozzles 14A are arranged in the nozzle block 14 according to this template. This ensures that the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto important parts of the object W.

[0045] Furthermore, compared to conventional cleaning devices in which cleaning nozzles are arranged on the wall surface of the cleaning chamber, the nozzle block 14 of this embodiment can be located closer to the object to be cleaned W. Therefore, compared to conventional cleaning devices, the distance between the nozzle 14A and the object to be cleaned W is closer, so that the cleaning liquid can be sprayed strongly and accurately.

[0046] At this time, the cleaning liquid is sprayed while the object W is held by the clamp 10C of the jig 10, so the cleaning liquid can be sprayed accurately to each part of the object W. In addition, the holding by the clamp 10C prevents misalignment due to the spraying of the cleaning liquid and allows accurate spraying of the cleaning liquid, so high-precision cleaning is possible even when the object W has a complex shape.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the nozzle block 14 stops at a predetermined position to perform cleaning so that the cleaning liquid can be sprayed accurately onto each part of the object W, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning liquid can also be sprayed from the nozzle 14A while the nozzle block 14 is swung up and down. In this way, the entire object W can be cleaned. It is also possible to configure the nozzle block 14 to perform both cleaning while stopped and cleaning while swung up and down.

[0048] The nozzle 14A for spraying the cleaning liquid is connected to a cleaning liquid tank 22 at the bottom of the cleaning device 1 via piping, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 22 is sucked in by a supply pump 16 installed midway through the piping, and the cleaning liquid is heated by a heater 18, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the nozzle 14A under high pressure toward the object to be cleaned. After use, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzle 14A is discharged from the bottom of the cleaning chamber to the outside of the cleaning machine, filtered, and then returned to the tank 22. The cleaning liquid in the tank 22 is filtered by a circulation filtration pump 17. In the figure, reference numeral 19 denotes a mist collector, reference numeral 20 denotes an oil skimmer, and reference numeral 21 denotes a filter.

[0049] After the cleaning in the cleaning chamber 3 is completed, the partition 11 is raised and the arm 7 is rotated 120 degrees to stop the table 5 carrying the object W in the drying chamber 4, and then the partition 11 is lowered to close the drying chamber 4. Then, the object W is drained and dried in the drying chamber 4. There are several methods that can be used for draining and drying, such as using a blower or an air nozzle.

[0050] Also, in the drying chamber 4, the nozzle block 14 which can move in the vertical direction can be disposed at the top. In this case, the nozzles 14A of the nozzle block 14 may function as air nozzles to spray compressed air from the vicinity of the object W to each part to drain and dry it. The air nozzles are used to spray compressed air supplied from outside the washer toward the object W. In addition, a separate compressor may be provided to supply compressed air to the air nozzle. This allows each part of the object W to be reliably dried even if it has a complex shape.

[0051] After drying in the drying chamber 4 is completed, the partition 11 is raised, the arm 7 is rotated 120 degrees, and the table 5 on which the object W is placed is stopped in the attachment / detachment chamber 2, after which the partition 11 is lowered to close the attachment / detachment chamber 2. Then, in the attachment / detachment chamber 2, the air cylinder 13 for the presser metal fittings is driven downward to press the presser metal fittings 10C. This causes the presser metal fittings 10C to rotate with the mounting portion 10Ba as the rotation axis in a direction in which the presser portion 10Cb of the presser metal fittings 10C moves away from the object W. This releases the object W from its hold, and the object W after washing and drying is removed from the jig 10.

[0052] In the above-described cleaning device 1, the work time in each work chamber 2, 3, 4 is unified to a predetermined time, for example, 2 minutes, as described below, and after the work is completed, the rotation and stopping of the arm 7 by the rotating shaft 6 and the opening and closing operation of the partition section 11 by the air cylinder 12 are linked.

[0053] In the cleaning device 1 according to this embodiment configured as described above, the operations of the partitioning sections 11 and the rotating mechanisms 6 and 9 are coordinated as follows: For example, the arm 7 is rotated by 120 degrees at regular time intervals by the rotating mechanisms 6 and 9, and just before the arm 7 starts to rotate, all the partitioning sections 11 rise to open the partitions, and just after the arm 7 stops, all the partitioning sections 11 fall to close.

[0054] In this way, in the cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the worker can repeatedly remove the cleaned object attached to a jig or the like in front of the attachment / detachment chamber 2, and then attach the object to be cleaned to the jig, thereby enabling the worker to remove the object that has been cleaned every two minutes.

[0055] A group of objects to be cleaned attached to the jig is cleaned for 2 minutes, then dried for 2 minutes, and assuming that the work of attaching and detaching to the jig takes 2 minutes, the total time will be 6 minutes, but as mentioned above, the objects to be cleaned can be removed every 2 minutes after cleaning, so the time can be reduced to 1 / 3 compared to cleaning and drying one by one. This is because while the objects to be cleaned are being attached and detached to the jig, the cleaning work is being carried out in one cleaning chamber 3, and the drying work is being carried out in the other drying chamber 4 at the same time.

[0056] <2. Another embodiment of the cleaning device> 7 to 9 are plan views showing a cleaning device according to another embodiment. A cleaning device 30 according to this embodiment 2 is an embodiment in which the fixed table 5 of the above embodiment is changed to a rotary table 40. When changing to the rotary table 40, a structure for rotating the rotary table 40 and a structure for stopping the rotary table 40 are added, but the same reference numerals are used for other configurations that are the same as those in the first embodiment. A description of the same configurations as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0057] 7 is a plan view of the entire cleaning device, FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing the annular meshing portion of the rotary table and the meshing portion of the sprocket, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

[0058] 7, the cleaning device 30 has an open mounting / dismounting chamber 2 at the front, exposing a circular rotating table 40 equipped with an annular frame 40a. The jig 10 is placed on the rotating table 40, and the object W to be cleaned is attached thereto. Three arms 7 are radially arranged at intervals of 120 degrees around a vertically disposed rotating shaft 6, and the center of the rotating table 40 is rotatably supported by the tip of each arm 7 via a support shaft 8.

[0059] A chain 40b that meshes with a sprocket 31 (described later) is attached to the side peripheral wall of the annular frame 40a that constitutes the outer shape of the turntable 40. Meanwhile, in the cleaning chamber 3 and the drying chamber 4, a sprocket 31 that can mesh with the chain 40b of the annular frame 40a is provided on an extension line of the arm 7 in a stopped state.

[0060] The sprocket 31 is fixed to a rotating support shaft 32 that penetrates the center of the sprocket 31 in the vertical direction so as to be rotatable together with the rotating support shaft 32. In this embodiment, each of the two rotating support shafts 32 is connected to a drive motor disposed on the upper surface of the housing 1a, and rotates at a constant speed in the opposite direction to the arm 7 that rotates intermittently in the clockwise direction, i.e., in the counterclockwise direction. Note that the rotation direction is one example of this embodiment, and the arm 7 may also be configured to rotate intermittently in the counterclockwise direction, or the arm 7 and the turntable 40 may also be configured to rotate in the same direction.

[0061] 8 and 9, just before the arm 7 stops after rotating 120 degrees at a time, the chain 40b of the annular frame 40a meshes with the sprocket 31 rotating at a constant speed. In other words, the peripheral speed of the sprocket 31 and the moving speed of the annular frame 40a rotated intermittently by the arm 7 are set to be substantially the same, and at the meshing portion, the moving directions of the teeth 31a of the sprocket 31 and the chain 40b of the annular frame 40a are the same and move at substantially the same speed, allowing for smooth meshing.

[0062] When the arm 7 stops at a fixed position, the turntable 40 rotates clockwise at a fixed speed by the sprocket 31 which rotates in mesh with the chain 40b of the annular frame 40a. As a result, the object on the turntable 40 is washed by the washing liquid sprayed from the washing nozzle while the turntable 40 rotates. Note that instead of the chain 40b, a plurality of openings which mesh with the sprocket 31 may be provided on the side peripheral wall of the annular frame 40a. Also, instead of the sprocket 31, for example, a pulley may be used, and a turntable equipped with an annular rotation transmission part which can be spliced ​​to the pulley may be used.

[0063] In this way, the cleaning liquid can be sprayed onto the object W while rotating it on the turntable 40, thereby cleaning the entire object W. By spraying the cleaning liquid while swinging the nozzle block 14 up and down, the entire object W can be cleaned even more thoroughly.

[0064] The cleaning device 30 is also configured to be capable of cleaning the object W while the turntable 40 is fixed. Cleaning while the turntable 40 is fixed is performed by lowering the nozzle block 14, stopping the nozzle block 14 at a predetermined position, and spraying cleaning liquid from the multiple nozzles 14A.

[0065] In order to ensure that the cleaning liquid from the nozzle 14A is accurately sprayed onto each part of the object to be cleaned W, a detection dog 34A (first detection part) is attached to the annular frame 40a of the turntable 40 in one location, and a detection sensor 34B (first detection sensor) is arranged at a position where it comes into contact with the detection dog 34A on its rotational orbit, which rotates along with the turntable 40.

[0066] With this configuration, when the rotary table 40 rotates and the detection dog 34A comes into contact with the detection sensor 34B, the rotation of the sprocket 31 is stopped, thereby stopping the rotation of the rotary table 40. This allows the position and orientation of the object W to be stopped in a predetermined state.

[0067] Further, an engaged portion 37 with which the stopper 36 (first stopper) is engaged is attached to the annular frame 40a of the rotary table 40. The stopper 36 is engaged with the engaged portion 37. The engaged portion 37 is formed in a concave shape so as to be firmly engaged with the engaging protrusion 36a of the stopper 36.

[0068] As a result, in addition to stopping the detection sensor 34B, the rotation of the turntable 40 is physically stopped reliably by the stopper 36, and the turntable 40 is prevented from rattling or otherwise becoming loose, thereby reliably fixing the turntable 40.

[0069] In this way, the position and posture of the object W to be cleaned are firmly fixed, so that the nozzle 14A aimed at each part of the object W can more accurately target each part of the object W for precise cleaning. Furthermore, in the cleaning device 30, the posture of the object W to be cleaned is held by the jig 10, so more accurate and precise cleaning is possible than when a jig without a holding function is used.

[0070] In the drying chamber 4, similarly to the cleaning chamber 3, the rotation of the turntable 40 is stopped at a predetermined position by the detection dog 34A and the detection sensor 34B provided on the annular frame 40a of the turntable 40, so that the position and orientation of the object W to be cleaned can be stopped in a predetermined state. This allows air to be sprayed accurately to each part of the object W to be cleaned. In addition, the above-mentioned stopper 36 and the engaged part 37 allow air to be sprayed even more accurately to each part of the object to be cleaned, thereby achieving precise drying.

[0071] In addition, a center boss from which three arms 7 extend is fixed to the rotating shaft 6, and the arms 7 rotate when the rotating shaft 6 rotates. An annular table 33 (mounting table) is fixed to the rotating shaft 6, and the annular table 33 is fixed to each of the arms 7 to prevent the arms 7 from wobbling.

[0072] A detection dog 35A (second detection unit) is attached to the annular table 33, and a detection sensor 35B (second detection sensor) is disposed at a position where the detection dog 35A comes into contact with the detection dog 35A on its rotational orbit, which rotates together with the rotation of the rotary shaft 6 and the annular table 33. Two detection sensors 35B are disposed at a predetermined interval, the first for deceleration and the second for stopping.

[0073] Furthermore, the annular table 33 is not an essential component, and the detection dog 35A may be attached to the center boss of the rotating shaft 6 or the arm 7. The detection dog 35A may be attached to the base of each arm.

[0074] As a result, the arm 7 rotates together with the rotating shaft 6 and the annular table 33, and when the detection dog 35A comes into contact with the first detection sensor 35B, the rotation speed thereof is decelerated, and when the detection dog 35A comes into contact with the second detection sensor 35B, the rotation is stopped. With this configuration, each arm 7 can be reliably stopped at a predetermined position in the cleaning chamber, drying chamber, etc., further improving the accuracy of cleaning and drying.

[0075] Furthermore, in order to stop each arm 7 at a predetermined position, an L-shaped stopper 38 (second stopper) is provided in the cleaning device 30 of this embodiment. The L-shaped stopper 38 engages the tip side of the arm 7, thereby physically stopping the rotation of the rotating shaft 6 and the arm 7. The L-shaped stopper 38 is disposed outside the track of the tip of the arm 7 when the arm 7 rotates, and when the arm 7 is to be stopped, the L-shaped stopper 38 is moved onto the track on the tip side of the arm 7 and engaged therewith, thereby reliably stopping the rotation of the arm 7. This allows the rotating table 40 to be reliably stopped at a predetermined position in the cleaning chamber 3 or the drying chamber 4.

[0076] By stopping the rotation of arm 7 at a predetermined position, the turntable 40 can be stopped reliably at a predetermined position, and by stopping the rotation of the turntable 40 at a predetermined position, the position and orientation of the object to be cleaned can be stopped in a predetermined state, thereby enabling precise cleaning and drying that accurately targets each part of the object to be cleaned.

[0077] <3. Modifications of the cleaning device> Figures 10(a) and (b) show modified examples of the nozzle block. In the above embodiment, the nozzle block 14 moves up and down, but as shown in Figure 10(a), it can also be configured to be movable horizontally. When cleaning, it moves to a cleaning position near the object to be cleaned, and when in standby, it moves to a standby position that does not interfere with the rotation of the object to be cleaned. Also, as shown in Figure 10(b), the nozzle block does not have to be rectangular, and may be, for example, a rod-shaped nozzle block with three sides that surrounds the object to be cleaned.

[0078] 11(a) and (b) are plan views showing a cleaning device according to another embodiment. The cleaning device shown in Fig. 11(a) is an embodiment in which the number of support arms is increased to four and each arm is rotated by 90 degrees by a rotation mechanism. In this case, for example, the number of cleaning chambers can be increased to two, one for rotational cleaning and one for stationary cleaning, to increase the cleaning capacity.

[0079] The cleaning device shown in Fig. 11(b) is an embodiment in which the number of support arms is increased to five, and each arm is rotated by 72 degrees by a rotation mechanism. In this case, for example, two cleaning chambers and two drying chambers may be provided. Also, two cleaning chambers, one drying chamber, and separate chambers for mounting and removing objects to be cleaned may be provided.

[0080] Also, as shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), the partition can have a different structure. For example, the partition shown in Figure 12(a) is made up of a pair of partitions on the left and right, and opens and closes like a double door.

[0081] As another structure of the partition, as shown in Fig. 12(b), a pair of bellows-like structures can be used, and the partition can be opened and closed by expanding and contracting the bellows in the left and right direction. In this case, the time required for washing and drying the objects can be reduced compared to the case of vertical lifting.

[0082] 4. Effects of the cleaning device of this embodiment As described above, the cleaning device of this embodiment has the following excellent effects. The cleaning apparatus of this embodiment can simultaneously perform a plurality of steps constituting a series of cleaning operations in sequence and in parallel, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and capacity of the cleaning operations and shortening the operation time.

[0083] In addition, by using a nozzle block 14 having an array of nozzles 14A that can be raised and lowered, the cleaning liquid can be sprayed accurately and from nearby portions of the object W, enabling precise cleaning. Furthermore, since the object W is held by the jig 10 during cleaning, the object W is prevented from shifting in its position or from being shifted by the spray of the cleaning liquid, enabling more precise cleaning. When attaching or detaching the object W, the object W can be released by operating the air cylinder 13 for the presser metal fittings, and by controlling the air cylinder 13, attachment and detachment by a robot is also possible, and the series of processes of attachment and detachment, cleaning, and drying can be automated.

[0084] In addition, when the cleaning is performed while rotating the turntable 40, it is possible to perform a rotary cleaning in which the entire object is cleaned, and a stationary cleaning in which each part of the object is cleaned reliably while stopping the turntable 40. In the case of stationary cleaning, the detection dog 34A and the detection sensor With the rotary table 40 securely fixed in a predetermined position by the stoppers 34B, the stoppers 36 and the engagement portions 37, each portion can be reliably washed and dried.

[0085] In addition, the detection dog 35A, the detection sensor 35B, and the L-shaped stopper 38 allow the arm 7 and the rotary table 40 to be stopped at a predetermined position, which, combined with the above, allows each part of the object to be more reliably washed and dried. As a result, even if the object has a complex shape, each part can be reliably washed and dried.

[0086] As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings, but various additions, modifications, and deletions are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the above embodiment is an example in which an air cylinder is used as the driving cylinder, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a driving cylinder other than an air cylinder may be used. Therefore, such things are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1 Cleaning equipment 1a Housing 2 Detachable room 3. Cleaning Room 4 Drying room 5 Tables 6 Rotation Axis 7 Arm 8 spindle 9 Motor 10 Jig 10A Mounting stand 10B Support member 10Ba mounting part 10C Clamp 10Ca main unit 10Cb Presser 11 Partition 12 Air cylinder 13 Air Cylinder 13A Clamp 13B Sensor 14 Nozzle Block 14A Nozzle 15 Air Cylinder 15A Sensor 30 Cleaning Equipment 31 Sprocket 32 Rotating shaft 33 Circular Table 34A Detection dog (first detection part) 34B Detection sensor (first detection sensor) 35A Detection dog (second detection part) 35B Detection sensor (second detection sensor) 36 Stopper (First Stopper) 36a Engagement protrusion 36b Slide mechanism 37 Engaged part 38 L-shaped stopper (second stopper) 40 Rotating Table 40a Circular frame 40b chain

Claims

1. A cleaning device that rotates and transports an object to be cleaned, The cleaning system comprises a plurality of work chambers, partitions that can be opened and closed to separate the work chambers, a plurality of arms extending in a radial direction relative to a rotation shaft that turns and transports the object to be cleaned, a rotation mechanism that turns the plurality of arms, and a table attached to the tip of the plurality of arms; The plurality of working chambers include at least a first working chamber for loading and unloading the object to be cleaned, a second working chamber for cleaning the object to be cleaned, and a third working chamber for drying the object to be cleaned; The table further includes a jig for placing an object to be cleaned on the table. The jig is The cleaning device has a metal presser that presses down and holds the object to be cleaned from above, a support member that rotatably supports the metal presser, and a spring that urges the metal presser downward, A drive cylinder capable of applying a load to the presser is provided. Cleaning equipment.

2. The jig is When the drive cylinder is not applying a load to the clamp, The pressing metal fitting rotates around the attachment portion with the support member, and the spring presses and holds the object to be cleaned from above, In a state where the drive cylinder applies a load to the presser fitting, The presser metal member rotates in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the spring around the mounting portion with the support member as a rotation axis, thereby releasing the hold of the object to be cleaned.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1.

3. The clamp of the jig has a main body to be attached to the support member and a clamping portion to hold down the object to be cleaned, The main body is composed of a portion to which the pressing portion and the end of the spring are fixed, and a portion that protrudes from the support member in the opposite direction to the object to be cleaned and to which a load is applied by the drive cylinder, with a mounting portion that is rotatably mounted on the support member as a boundary.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 2.

4. The drive cylinder is provided with a sensor that detects whether the presser metal fitting is under load or not under load.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1.

5. At least in a second working chamber for cleaning the object to be cleaned, A nozzle block is provided in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, The nozzle block is movable vertically or horizontally.

5. A cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A plurality of the nozzle blocks are provided, When cleaning the object, The pair of nozzle blocks are arranged opposite each other so as to sandwich the object to be cleaned.

6. The cleaning device according to claim 5.

7. When cleaning the object, Another pair of the nozzle blocks are arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the object to be cleaned, Four nozzle blocks are arranged to surround the object to be cleaned.

7. The cleaning device according to claim 6.

8. The nozzles provided in the nozzle block are arranged at positions determined by a template that targets each part of the object to be cleaned based on drawing data of the object to be cleaned.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1.

9. The nozzle block includes: When cleaning the object, the nozzle moves to a position where cleaning liquid or air can be sprayed from the nozzle to each predetermined part of the object.

6. The cleaning device according to claim 5.

10. The nozzle block includes: During cleaning, the device moves to the vicinity of the object to be cleaned and then sprays the cleaning liquid while swinging.

6. The cleaning device according to claim 5.

11. The nozzle block includes: connected to a drive cylinder that enables the cleaning device to move between a position where the cleaning device is cleaning the object and a position where the cleaning device is not cleaning the object; The drive cylinders are provided with sensors for detecting their positions.

6. The cleaning device according to claim 5.

12. The table is a fixed table.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1.

13. The table is a rotary table.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1.

Citation Information

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