Mattress dehydration device

Abstract

To improve dehydration performance. [Solution] The mattress dewatering device comprises a mounting section on which a mattress can be placed with the mattress surface facing up and down, a dewatering section which consists of two rollers that extend parallel to the surface of the mattress and are positioned to sandwich the mattress in the thickness direction of the mattress, and dewaters the mattress by sandwiching the mattress placed on the mounting section between the two rollers, and a water intake port which absorbs the water squeezed out from the mattress.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , [Figure 1] ,

[0007] , , ,

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a mattress dehydrating device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, cleaning a used mattress involves absorbing water and becoming very heavy, which is hard work. Therefore, there has been a concept of a device that can automatically clean and dehydrate such a mattress.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, a mattress dehydrating device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The mattress dehydrating device 10 shown in the figures is a device for dehydrating a water-containing mattress. The mattress dehydrating device 10 can dehydrate the mattress while standing the mattress upright, that is, in a posture where the surface direction of the mattress is in the vertical direction.

[0009] The mattress dehydrating device 10 includes a housing 20, a conveying mechanism 30, a dehydrating mechanism 40, and a water absorption mechanism 50. The housing 20 constitutes the outer shell of the mattress dehydrating device 10. The housing 20 is configured in a box shape by combining, for example, an aluminum frame and a steel plate. Since the mattress dehydrating device 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the like is a prototype, an exterior cover is not attached, but an exterior cover may be attached to the configurations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the like to form a box shape.

[0010] The conveying mechanism 30 includes a placement part 31 and a driving part 32 for a mattress to be dehydrated. The placement part 31 is configured to be able to place the mattress in a posture where the surface direction of the mattress faces the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the placement part 31 is composed of, for example, a plurality of conveying rollers 311 with a horizontal rotation axis. The conveying rollers 311 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the moving direction of the mattress. The driving part 32 is composed of, for example, an electric motor that can rotate forward and backward. The rotational force of the driving part 32 is transmitted to the conveying rollers 311 via, for example, a transmission belt 33 shown in FIG. 4.

[0011] <000009​​​​​​​​​​​​The dewatering mechanism 40 comprises two dewatering units 41. That is, the dewatering mechanism 40 has four rollers 411 and 412. The two dewatering units 41 are arranged along the forward and backward directions of the mattress M, i.e., along the direction of movement of the mattress M, as shown in Figure 11. The rollers 411 and 412 of the two dewatering units 41 are synchronized and rotate to move the mattress M in the same direction.

[0015] The moving parts 42 are provided in correspondence with each of the two dewatering parts 41. That is, the mattress dewatering device 10 has two moving parts 42. The moving parts 42 have the function of moving at least one of the two rollers 411 and 412 that make up each dewatering part 41, in this case roller 412, in a direction away from the other roller 411.

[0016] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, one of the two rollers 411 constituting the dewatering unit 41 is referred to as the movable roller 412, and the other as the immovable roller 411. In this case, the movable roller 412 is configured to move toward and away from the immovable roller 411. That is, the movable roller 412 is configured to move in a direction that compresses the mattress M between itself and the immovable roller 411, and in a direction that releases that compression. In contrast, the immovable roller 411 is configured to be immovable, that is, it is fixed.

[0017] The movable part 42 has the function of moving the movable roller 412 in a direction away from the immovable roller 411. Both ends of the immovable roller 411 are rotatably supported, for example, on the ceiling and bottom surface of the housing 20. Therefore, although the immovable roller 411 is configured to rotate around its axis, its position relative to the housing 20 does not change. The mattress dewatering device 10 is equipped with two movable parts 42, corresponding to the movable roller 412 of each dewatering unit 41. That is, the movable roller 412 of each dewatering unit 41 can be moved independently.

[0018] The movable parts 42 are provided at both the upper and lower ends of the movable roller 412. The movable parts 42 can be configured as a linear motion mechanism that converts rotational force from a motor or the like into linear motion force. The movable parts 42 can be configured, for example, with a screw jack or a screw jack. As shown in Figure 10, the movable parts 42 have, for example, a screw shaft 421 and a housing 422. The screw shaft 421 is a shaft with a male thread formed on it and, although not shown in Figure 10, is fixed to the ceiling and bottom surfaces of the housing 20.

[0019] The housing 422 has a female thread that corresponds to the male thread of the screw shaft 421, and is passed through the screw shaft 421 and fixed to both ends of the movable roller 412. In this case, since housings 422 through which the screw shaft 421 passes are provided at both ends of the movable roller 412, the rotation of the movable roller 412 in conjunction with the rotation of the screw shaft 421 is restricted. Therefore, when the screw shaft 421 rotates, the movable roller 412 moves along the screw shaft 421.

[0020] One end of the screw shaft 421 is connected to the drive shaft 424, for example, via a Berl gear 423. The drive shaft 424 is connected to a motor for the moving part (not shown). The motor for the moving part is, for example, an electric motor. When the motor for the moving part rotates, its rotational force is transmitted to the screw shaft 421 via the drive shaft 424 and the Berl gear 423, causing the screw shaft 421 to rotate. As a result, the movable roller 412 moves along the screw shaft 421 in a direction away from the stationary roller 411.

[0021] The dewatering motor 43 shown in Figures 16 and 17 is, for example, an electric motor that rotates the rollers 411 and 412 of the dewatering unit 41. The rollers 411 and 412 rotate in cooperation to move the mattress M forward or backward. In this embodiment, the rollers 411 and 412 of the two dewatering units 41 are driven by one dewatering motor 43.

[0022] In other words, the rotational force of the dewatering motor 43 is transmitted to each roller 411, 412 via the transmission unit 44. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the transmission unit 44 includes a transmission belt 441, a stationary roller side gear 442, a first transmission gear 443, a second transmission gear 444, and a movable roller side gear 445. The transmission belt 441 is configured as one for each of the two dewatering units 41. The stationary roller side gear 442, the first transmission gear 443, the second transmission gear 444, and the movable roller side gear 445 are configured as two for each of the two dewatering units 41.

[0023] The immovable roller side gear 442 is located at the end of the immovable roller 411. Therefore, the immovable roller 411 rotates integrally with the immovable roller side gear 442. Similarly, the movable roller side gear 445 is located at the end of the movable roller 412. Therefore, the movable roller 412 rotates integrally with the movable roller side gear 445. The rotational force of the dewatering motor 43 is transmitted to the two immovable roller side gears 442 via the transmission belt 441.

[0024] In this case, the modules of the stationary roller side gear 442, the first transmission gear 443, the second transmission gear 444, and the movable roller side gear 445 are the same. Also, since the gear ratio between the stationary roller side gear 442 and the movable roller side gear 445, and the gear ratio between the first transmission gear 443 and the second transmission gear 444 are both 1, the rotation of the stationary roller side gear 442 is transmitted to the movable roller side gear 445 without reduction. In other words, in this configuration, the rotational force of the dewatering motor 43 is transmitted from the stationary roller side gear 442 to the first transmission gear 443 and the second transmission gear 444, and then from the second transmission gear 444 to the movable roller side gear 445, causing the stationary roller 411 and the movable roller 412 to rotate synchronously.

[0025] Furthermore, the transmission unit 44 is configured to include a first transmission gear 443, a second transmission gear 444, and a movable roller side gear 445. Therefore, as the moving unit 42 moves, the first transmission gear 443, the second transmission gear 444, and the movable roller side gear 445 can move in a direction away from the immovable roller side gear 442, as shown in Figures 16 and 17.

[0026] The water absorption mechanism 50 has the function of absorbing water that has been dehydrated from the mattress M by the dehydration mechanism 40. As shown in Figures 3, 7, and 10, the water absorption mechanism 50 is composed of a water absorption device 51, a hose 52, a water absorption pipe section 53, and a guide member 54. The water absorption device 51 can be made up of, for example, a vacuum cleaner capable of sucking up water. The hose 52 connects the water absorption device 51 and the water absorption pipe section 53.

[0027] The water intake pipe section 53 is made of, for example, a square steel pipe with a hollow interior and extends in the vertical direction. The horizontal cross-section of the water intake pipe section 53 is formed in a rectangular tube shape. As shown in Figure 7, the water intake pipe section 53 is provided between the two dewatering sections 41, specifically between the two stationary rollers 411. The guide member 54 is made of, for example, a metal plate and spans the two stationary rollers 411, and is provided on the mattress M side of the central axis of the two stationary rollers 411.

[0028] As shown in Figure 12, the guide member 54 has an exposed hole 541 and a water intake port 542. The exposed hole 541 is formed, for example, as a rectangular hole that is long in the vertical direction and penetrates the guide member 54 in the thickness direction. A portion of the stationary roller 411 is exposed to the mattress M side through the exposed hole 541. The water intake port 542 is formed as a long, narrow slit shape in the vertical direction and penetrates the guide member 54 to communicate with the inside of the water intake pipe 53. In this case, the vertical length of the water intake port 542 is about the same as the length of the rollers 411 and 412.

[0029] The water intake port 542 is located between the two dewatering units 41, specifically between the two stationary rollers 411. As a result, as shown in Figure 11, the mattress M is pressed and indented in the areas that come into contact with the two stationary rollers 411, while the area between the two stationary rollers 411 bulges and comes into contact with the water intake port 542. The water squeezed out of the mattress M by the dewatering unit 41 is then drawn in through the water intake port 542 to the water intake pipe 53 and collected by the water intake device 51 via the hose 52.

[0030] In this case, the dewatering unit 41 operates the stationary roller 411 and the movable roller 412 in the direction indicated by (forward rotation) in Figures 16 and 17 for a predetermined period of time, thereby moving the mattress M, which is sandwiched between the stationary roller 411 and the movable roller 412, in the forward direction as shown in Figure 1 to dewater it. After that, the dewatering unit 41 operates in the direction indicated by (reverse rotation) in Figures 16 and 17 for a predetermined period of time, thereby moving the mattress M, which is sandwiched between the stationary roller 411 and the movable roller 412, in the backward direction as shown in Figure 1 to dewater it. The dewatering unit 41 repeats this forward and reverse rotation, causing the mattress M to reciprocate multiple times in the forward and backward directions to dewater it. In this case, by operating the conveying mechanism 30 and the dewatering mechanism 40 while operating the water absorption device 51, and by having the conveying mechanism 30 and the dewatering mechanism 40 cooperate to reciprocate the mattress M in the forward and backward directions, the mattress can be dewatered more effectively.

[0031] In this case, when the mattress M is moved forward, the mattress dewatering device 10 narrows the space between the rollers 411 and 412 of the dewatering section 41 on the forward side to less than the thickness of the mattress M, and widens the space between the rollers 411 and 412 of the dewatering section 41 on the backward side to less than the thickness of the mattress M. Also, when the mattress M is moved backward, the mattress dewatering device 10 narrows the space between the rollers 411 and 412 of the dewatering section 41 on the backward side to less than the thickness of the mattress M, and widens the space between the rollers 411 and 412 of the dewatering section 41 on the forward side to less than the thickness of the mattress M. This allows the water squeezed out of the mattress M by the dewatering section 41 to be guided to the water intake port 542 more efficiently.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the loading of the mattress M into the dewatering section 41 and the discharge of the mattress M from the dewatering section 41 are performed at the same location. That is, the mattress dewatering device 10 has a loading / discharging section 21, as shown in Figures 2, 5, 13, and 21. The loading / discharging section 21 is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the cross-section of the mattress M when it is standing upright. The loading / discharging section 21 serves as both a loading section for loading the mattress M into the housing 20, i.e., into the dewatering section 41, and a discharge section for discharging the mattress M from inside the housing 20, i.e., discharging it from the dewatering section 41. When dewatering the mattress M, the operator loads the mattress M into the housing 20, i.e., into the dewatering section 41, through the loading / discharging section 21, and dewaters the mattress M. The operator then discharges the dewatered mattress M from inside the housing 20, i.e., discharges it from the dewatering section 41, through the loading / discharging section 21.

[0033] According to the embodiment described above, the mattress dewatering device 10 comprises a mounting section 31, a dewatering section 41, and a water intake port 542. The mounting section 31 is configured to allow the mattress M to be placed in a position where the surface direction of the mattress M faces up and down. The dewatering section 41 consists of two rollers 411 and 412 that extend parallel to the surface of the mattress M and are positioned to sandwich the mattress M in the thickness direction. The mattress M placed on the mounting section 31 is dewatered by being sandwiched between the two rollers 411 and 412. The water intake port 542 then absorbs the water squeezed out from the mattress M.

[0034] According to this design, the water squeezed out of the mattress M is sucked in and collected through the water intake port 542. This prevents the water squeezed out of the mattress M from being reabsorbed by the mattress M, which would reduce the efficiency of dewatering, and also prevents water from accumulating on the bottom surface of the housing 20. Therefore, the efficiency of dewatering can be improved compared to conventional designs.

[0035] Furthermore, the mattress dewatering device 10 includes two dewatering units 41 arranged along the direction of movement of the mattress M. The water intake port 542 is located between the two dewatering units 41. This arrangement allows the water squeezed out of the mattress M to be more efficiently guided to the water intake port 542 when the mattress M is moved forward and backward for dewatering.

[0036] Furthermore, of the two rollers 411 and 412 that make up the dewatering section 41, one roller 412 is a movable roller 412 that can move in a direction away from the other roller 411, and the other roller 411 is a fixed roller 411 that is configured not to move. The mattress dewatering device 10 includes a dewatering motor 43, a fixed roller side gear 442, a movable roller side gear 445, and two transmission gears 443 and 444.

[0037] The dewatering motor 43 rotates the rollers 411 and 412 of the dewatering unit 41. The stationary roller side gear 442 is provided on the stationary roller 411 and is configured to rotate integrally with the stationary roller 411. The movable roller side gear 445 is provided on the movable roller 412 and is configured to rotate integrally with the movable roller 412. Two transmission gears 443 and 444 are provided between the stationary roller side gear 442 and the movable roller side gear 445. The rotational force of the dewatering motor 43 is transmitted from the stationary roller side gear 442 to the transmission gears 443 and 444, and from the transmission gear 444 to the movable roller side gear 445, thereby enabling the stationary roller 411 and the movable roller 412 to rotate synchronously.

[0038] According to this, each roller 411, 412 can be driven by a single dewatering motor 43, thereby reducing the number of parts and cost of the mattress dewatering device 10.

[0039] Furthermore, the dewatering unit 41 dewaters the mattress M by moving it back and forth in the forward and backward directions by rotating the stationary roller 411 and the movable roller 412 in the forward and reverse directions. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the dewatering performance can be significantly improved compared to simply passing the mattress M through the dewatering unit 41.

[0040] Furthermore, the loading of the mattress M into the dewatering section 41 and the discharge of the mattress M from the dewatering section 41 are performed at the same location. In other words, in this embodiment, both the loading of the mattress M into the mattress dewatering device 10 and the discharge of the mattress from the mattress dewatering device 10 are performed at the loading / discharging section 21. In a configuration where the mattress M is passed through the mattress dewatering device 10, it is necessary to secure a space for the discharged mattress M in addition to the space for the mattress M to be loaded into the mattress dewatering device 10. In contrast, according to this embodiment, since the mattress M loaded into the mattress dewatering device 10 is discharged from the same location where it was loaded, there is no need to secure a separate space for the discharge of the mattress M. Therefore, the dewatering of the mattress M can be performed in a space-saving manner.

[0041] The embodiments described above are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10... Mattress dewatering device, 31... Mounting section, 41... Dewatering section, 411... Roller, 411... Immovable roller, roller, 412... Movable roller, roller, 441a... Gear on the side of the immovable roller, 412... Roller, 442... Gear on the side of the immovable roller, 443... First transmission gear, transmission gear, 444... Second transmission gear, transmission gear, 445... Gear on the side of the movable roller, 542... Water intake port, M... Mattress

Claims

1. A mounting section on which the mattress can be placed in a position where the surface direction of the mattress faces up and down, A dewatering unit is comprised of two rollers that extend parallel to the surface of the mattress and are positioned to sandwich the mattress in the thickness direction of the mattress, and dewaters the mattress by sandwiching the mattress placed on the aforementioned mounting unit between the two rollers, A water intake port for absorbing water squeezed out from the aforementioned mattress, A mattress dewatering device equipped with the following features.

2. The mattress comprises two dewatering units arranged along the direction of movement of the mattress, The water intake port is provided between the two dewatering sections. The mattress dewatering device according to claim 1.

3. One of the two rollers constituting the dewatering section is a movable roller that can move toward and away from the other roller, and the other roller is a fixed roller that is not movable. A motor that rotates the rollers of the dewatering section, A gear on the stationary roller that is provided on the stationary roller and is rotatable integrally with the stationary roller, A movable roller-side gear provided on the movable roller and capable of rotating integrally with the movable roller, The system further comprises two transmission gears provided between the fixed roller side gear and the movable roller side gear, The rotational force of the motor is transmitted from the fixed roller side gear to the transmission gear, and from the transmission gear to the movable roller side gear, thereby enabling the fixed roller and the movable roller to rotate synchronously. The mattress dewatering device according to claim 1.

4. The dewatering unit dewaters the mattress by rotating the rollers in the forward and reverse directions, causing it to reciprocate in the forward and backward directions. The mattress dewatering device according to claim 1.

5. The loading of the mattress into the dewatering section and the discharge of the mattress from the dewatering section are performed at the same location. The mattress dewatering device according to claim 1.

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