Shoe washing machine

Abstract

To provide a technology of suppressing occurrence of a case where dehydration of a shoe is insufficient due to a posture of the shoe inappropriate for dehydration.SOLUTION: A shoe washing machine 100 includes an outer tank 2 that stores water, an inner tank 3 accommodated in the outer tank 2, a brush unit 4 provided in the inner tank 3, and a control unit 7 that controls rotation of the inner tank 3 and the brush unit 4. The control unit 7 performs a first dehydration step of rotating the inner tank 3 during a predetermined first time with a predetermined number of dehydration rotations, a loosening step of rotating the brush unit 4 by a predetermined number of loosening rotations after the first dehydration step, and a second dehydration step of rotating the inner tank 3 during a second time longer than the first time by a number of dehydration rotations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shoe washing machine for washing shoes. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a shoe washing machine used for washing various shoes such as sneakers, indoor shoes, etc. The shoe washing machine disclosed therein has an outer tub and an inner tub arranged in a housing, a main brush is provided on the side of a rotating shaft erected on the bottom of the inner tub, and an auxiliary brush is provided on the bottom of the inner tub.

[0003] In this configuration, when the shoes to be washed (specifically, one left shoe and one right shoe) are placed in the inner tub, water is stored there and the rotating shaft is rotated. This creates a rotating water current, causing the shoes placed in the inner tub to move freely, and the shoes are scrubbed by the main brush and auxiliary brush. After the scrubbing by the brushes is completed and rinsing is performed, the water in the inner tub is drained and the inner tub is rotated at high speed (spinning process). As a result, the water contained in the shoes is shaken off by centrifugal force, and the shoes are spinned out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Public Disclosure No. 62-120956 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Generally, the soles of shoes are made of a water-impermeable material such as rubber, so if the shoes are in a position where the soles face the circumferential wall of the inner tub (outward facing position) during the dewatering process, the water will not be sufficiently shaken off, and the shoes may not be sufficiently dewatered.

[0006] Conventionally, if shoes were not sufficiently dehydrated even after a specified period of dehydration, the user had to adjust the position of the shoes in the inner tub so that the soles were facing toward the center of the inner tub (inward facing position) and then perform additional dehydration, which was a time-consuming process.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide technology that can prevent situations in which shoes are not sufficiently dehydrated because the shoes are in an unsuitable position for dehydrating. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

[0009] That is, the present invention is a shoe washing machine including an outer tub for storing water, an inner tub housed in the outer tub, a brush unit provided in the inner tub, and a control unit for controlling the rotation of the inner tub and the brush unit, the control unit rotating the inner tub at a predetermined spinning speed for a first predetermined time in a first spin-drying step, and rotating the brush unit at a predetermined loosening speed after the first spin-drying step. and changes the position of the shoes accommodated in the inner tub. The method is characterized by carrying out a loosening process and a second dehydration process in which the inner tub is rotated at the dehydration rotation speed for a second time period longer than the first time period.

[0010] In the shoe washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit executes a judgment process to judge whether or not the loosening process should be performed after the first spin-drying process, and in the judgment process, judges that the loosening process should be performed if the change in the physical quantity of the inner tub while the first spin-drying process is being performed is below a predetermined threshold value.

[0011] In the shoe washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the physical quantity of the inner tub used in the determining step is an acceleration of the inner tub.

[0012] In the shoe washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit executes, after the loosening step, a repeating step of repeating the first spin-drying step and the determining step.

[0013] In the shoe washing machine of the present invention, it is preferable that after the second loosening step is performed, the process proceeds to the second spin-drying step without performing the repeating step.

[0014] In the shoe washing machine of the present invention, if it is determined in the judgment process that the loosening process should not be performed, it is preferable that the second spin-drying process is performed consecutively to the first spin-drying process while maintaining the spin-drying rotation speed.

[0015] In another aspect, the present invention provides a water tank comprising an outer tank for storing water and an inner tank for storing water. A tank, a brush unit provided in the inner tank, and a rotation of the inner tank and the brush unit. and a control unit for controlling the rotation of the inner tub. a detection value of the acceleration sensor, When the change range of is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, The shoes stored in the inner tub and an outward orientation in which the sole faces the peripheral wall of the inner tub. It has become and The present invention is characterized in that it determines Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the shoe washing machine of the present invention, the loosening step is performed after the first spin-drying step. Therefore, even if the shoes are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying (typically an outward position with the soles facing the circumferential wall of the inner tub) at the stage when the first spin-drying step is performed, the position of the shoes may be changed in the loosening step. This prevents the occurrence of a situation in which the shoes are not sufficiently dehydrated because the second spin-drying step is performed while the shoes are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying.

[0017] According to the shoe washing machine of the present invention, when the change in the physical quantity of the inner tub during the first spin-drying step is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the loosening step should be performed. The relatively small change in the physical quantity of the inner tub during the first spin-drying step means that there is little change in the state of the inner tub and the shoes contained therein, that is, the amount of water blown off from the shoes is small. At this time, the shoes are likely to be in an unsuitable position for spin-drying. In such a case, the loosening step is expected to change the position of the shoes. Therefore, the occurrence of a situation in which the shoes are insufficiently dehydrated because they are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying is effectively suppressed.

[0018] According to the shoe washing machine of the present invention, the physical quantity of the inner tub used in the judgment process is the acceleration of the inner tub. A relatively small change in the acceleration of the inner tub means that the total weight of the inner tub and the shoes stored therein changes little, that is, the amount of water blown off from the shoes is small. Therefore, based on the change in the acceleration of the inner tub, it is possible to appropriately judge whether or not to perform the loosening process.

[0019] According to the shoe washing machine of the present invention, after the loosening step, the first spin-drying step and the determination step are repeated. That is, after the loosening step, the first spin-drying step is performed again, and it is determined whether or not to perform the loosening step again based on the change in the physical quantity of the inner tub while the first spin-drying step is performed. Therefore, for example, if the position of the shoes is not appropriately changed in the first loosening step, the second loosening step is performed, and it is possible to sufficiently prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the second spin-drying step is performed with the shoes in a position unsuitable for spin-drying.

[0020] According to the shoe washing machine of the present invention, after the second loosening step, the machine proceeds to the second spin-drying step without performing the repeating step. If the shoe position is not changed appropriately even after the loosening step is performed twice, the shoe position is unlikely to change even if the loosening step is performed more times. In other words, the third and subsequent loosening steps are less effective than the first two loosening steps. Here, it is possible to avoid the process time being unnecessarily long by performing such an ineffective loosening step.

[0021] According to the shoe washing machine of the present invention, when it is determined that the loosening process should not be performed, the second spin-drying process is performed consecutively to the first spin-drying process while maintaining the spin-drying rotation speed, thereby preventing the process time from being unnecessarily long.

[0022] According to the shoe washing machine of the present invention, an acceleration sensor is provided for detecting the acceleration of the inner tub, and based on the detected value, it is determined whether the shoes stored in the inner tub are in an unsuitable position for dewatering. Therefore, when the shoes stored in the inner tub are in an unsuitable position for dewatering, this can be appropriately detected. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a shoe washing machine 100 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration and the functional configuration of a control unit 7. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the results of an experiment in which the relationship between the rotation time and the weight of shoes is measured when the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are placed facing inward and the inner tub 3 is rotated at the spin-drying rotation speed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of a series of steps performed in the shoe washing machine 100. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of a series of steps relating to a dehydration process. [Figure 6] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining the flow of a dewatering process for each shoe position. [Figure 7]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another flow of a series of steps relating to the dehydration process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] <1. Configuration of shoe washing machine> The shoe washing machine according to the embodiment is a device for washing various shoes such as sneakers, indoor shoes, etc., and is installed in, for example, a coin laundry. The configuration of this shoe washing machine will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the entire shoe washing machine 100.

[0026] The shoe washing machine 100 comprises a housing 1, an outer tub 2 housed in the housing 1, an inner tub 3 housed in the outer tub 2, a brush unit 4 provided inside the inner tub 3, a drive unit 5 for rotating the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4, an acceleration sensor 6 which is a sensor for detecting the state of the inner tub 3, and a control unit 7 for controlling each of these parts.

[0027] (Case 1) The housing 1 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member that forms an internal storage space, and is provided with a lid 11 for closing / opening an opening formed on the top surface of the housing 1. In addition, the housing 1 is provided with an operation unit 12 for receiving various operations from a user.

[0028] (Outer tank 2) The outer tub 2 is a storage tank for storing water, and is elastically supported inside the housing 1 by a hanging rod 21. The outer tub 2 is a cylindrical member with an open top and a closed bottom, and is disposed with its central axis extending approximately vertically.

[0029] A water supply pipe 22, one end of which is connected to an external water supply facility, is disposed above the outer tub 2, with its water supply port facing the opening of the outer tub 2. A water supply valve 221 is provided midway along the water supply pipe 22, and when this water supply valve 221 is opened, water supplied from an external water supply facility flows through the water supply pipe 22 into the inner tub 3 and ultimately the outer tub 2, and is stored in the outer tub 2.

[0030] In addition, one end of a drain pipe 23, the other end of which is connected to an external drainage facility, is connected to the bottom of the outer tub 2. A drain valve 231 is provided in the middle of the drain pipe 23, and when this drain valve 231 is opened, the water in the outer tub 2 is drained through the drain pipe 23.

[0031] (inner tank 3) The inner tub 3 is a so-called dehydration tub, and is nested inside the outer tub 2. Like the outer tub 2, the inner tub 3 is a cylindrical member with an open top and a closed bottom, and is disposed so that its central axis is coaxial with that of the outer tub 2. The inner tub 3 has a peripheral wall with a large number of water-passing holes (not shown) drilled over almost the entire circumference. In addition, a balance ring (not shown) is provided near the upper part of the inner peripheral wall of the inner tub 3.

[0032] (Brush unit 4) The brush unit 4 is a member provided inside the inner tub 3 for scrubbing the shoes stored therein, and includes a base portion 41, a main brush portion 42, and an auxiliary brush portion 43.

[0033] The base part 41 is a member provided inside the inner tank 3, and includes a base part 411 and a shaft part 412. The base part 411 is a flat plate-like member provided on the bottom surface of the inner tank 3, and is arranged at a position concentric with the bottom surface of the inner tank 3 in a plan view. The shape of the base part 411 may be circular in a plan view, or may be a shape that spreads radially in a plan view. The shaft part 412 is an elongated cylindrical member that stands upright from the center of the base part 411 in the normal direction, and is arranged in such a manner that its central axis is coaxial with that of the inner tank 3.

[0034] A large number of hair-like members 421 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 412. Each hair-like member 421 is formed of an elongated elastic member, and extends upright in the radial direction of the shaft portion 412 (the normal direction of the outer circumferential surface of the shaft portion 412). The length of each hair-like member 421 is approximately three-quarters of the inner radius of the inner tub 3. These large number of hair-like members 421 constitute the main brush portion 42 for scrubbing shoes stored in the inner tub 3 from the central axis side of the inner tub 3.

[0035] The numerous hair-like members 421 are divided into two rows, and the hair-like members 421 in each row are arranged in a spiral shape along the axial direction of the shaft portion 412, drawing a 180-degree spiral in a plan view in the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 412. One row and the other row are arranged symmetrically with respect to the shaft portion 412, and the hair-like members 421 in each row at the same height are arranged in opposing positions with the shaft portion 412 in between. Therefore, the central axis side portion of the storage space of the inner tub 3 is divided into two spaces by the hair-like members 421 in each row.

[0036] A large number of hair-like members 431 are evenly provided on the upper surface of the base part 411. Each hair-like member 431 is formed of an elongated elastic member, and extends upright in the normal direction of the upper surface of the base part 411. These large number of hair-like members 431 constitute the auxiliary brush part 43 for scrubbing shoes stored in the inner tub 3 from the bottom side of the inner tub 3.

[0037] (Drive unit 5) The drive unit 5 is a mechanism for rotating the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 around their central axes. The drive unit 5 includes a motor 51 and a power distribution unit 52 disposed below the inner tub 3. A first pulley 511 is attached to the output shaft of the motor 51, and a second pulley 521 is attached to the input shaft of the power distribution unit 52, and an endless belt 53 is wound between the first pulley 511 and the second pulley 521. This enables the transmission of power from the motor 51 to the power distribution unit 52.

[0038] The power distribution unit 52 is equipped with a clutch mechanism, and switches the output destination of the driving force input from the motor 51 through the pulleys 511, 521 to selectively realize a rotation mode (brush rotation mode) in which the driving force of the motor 51 is transmitted only to the brush unit 4, and a rotation mode (integral rotation mode) in which the driving force of the motor 51 is transmitted to both the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 provided therein. In the brush rotation mode, the inner tub 3 does not rotate, and only the brush unit 4 rotates around the central axis of the shaft portion 412. Also, in the integral rotation mode, the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 rotate integrally (i.e., at the same rotation speed) around the central axis.

[0039] (Acceleration sensor 6) The acceleration sensor 6 is a sensor that detects the acceleration of the inner tub 3. In this shoe washing machine 100, the motor 51 is provided so that one end of its shaft is indirectly or directly in contact with the bottom surface of the outer tub 2, and the acceleration sensor 6 is attached to this shaft to detect the acceleration of the inner tub 3 via the outer tub 2. The acceleration sensor 6 is a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in three orthogonal directions (i.e., a direction parallel to the central axis of the inner tub 3 (vertical direction) and directions along two axes perpendicular to the direction parallel to the central axis of the inner tub 3 in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction (horizontal plane)). The acceleration sensor 6 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and the detection value detected by the acceleration sensor 6 is input to the control unit 7.

[0040] (Control Unit 7) The control unit 7 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 in addition to Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control unit 7 and the functional configuration realized by the control unit 7.

[0041] Control unit 7 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and includes a CPU 71 which is a central processing unit, memory 72 which is a volatile storage device such as a RAM, storage unit 73 which is a non-volatile storage device such as a ROM, a communication interface 74 which communicates with acceleration sensor 6 etc., and communication unit 75 which is a network interface for communicating with external devices via a communication network such as the Internet, etc. Storage unit 73 stores program P for executing a series of operations in shoe washing machine 100, various parameters and control flags used in executing program P, etc.

[0042] The control unit 7 is also connected to each unit included in the shoe washing machine 100 (specifically, the water supply valve 221, the drain valve 231, the motor 51, the power distribution unit 52, the acceleration sensor 6, etc.).

[0043] The control unit 7 includes an operation control unit 701, a determination unit 702, etc. These units 701 and 702 are realized, for example, by the CPU 71 reading out a program P stored in the storage unit 73 into the memory 72 and executing the program P. However, some or all of these functional units 701 and 702 may be realized by mounting a circuit module for realizing the function.

[0044] The operation control unit 701 controls each unit of the shoe washing machine 100 in accordance with the program P stored in the storage unit 73 to perform a series of operations described below.

[0045] As will be apparent later, in the spin-drying process (step S7 in FIG. 4), which is one of the steps included in the series of operations performed by the shoe washing machine 100, the inner tub 3 containing wet shoes is rotated at a predetermined spin-drying speed. If the shoes are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying at this time (i.e., a position in which the soles prevent water from being shaken off, typically an outward position in which the soles face the circumferential wall of the inner tub 3), water will not be sufficiently shaken off, and the shoes may not be sufficiently spin-dried.

[0046] In such a case, the operation control section 701 executes the loosening process (step S73 in FIG. 5). The loosening process is a process for changing the posture of the shoes stored in the inner tub 3, and specifically, a process for rotating the brush unit 4 at a predetermined loosening rotation speed. If the posture of the shoes is changed by the loosening process so that the shoes are no longer in a posture unsuitable for dehydration, the water in the shoes will be sufficiently shaken off thereafter, and insufficient dehydration of the shoes will be avoided.

[0047] The determination unit 702 determines whether or not this loosening process should be performed. Specifically, the determination unit 702 judges whether or not the change in acceleration of the inner tub 3 when the inner tub 3 in which wet shoes are stored is rotated at a predetermined spin rotation speed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and if it is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, determines that the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for spinning and that a loosening process should be performed to change the position.

[0048] The range of change in acceleration of the inner tub 3 when the inner tub 3, in which wet shoes are stored, is rotated at a specified spin-drying speed reflects the change in the total weight of the inner tub 3 and the shoes stored therein. In other words, the acceleration is a physical quantity that changes with the change in the total weight of the inner tub 3 and the shoes stored therein. As will be described below, by observing the range of change in such a physical quantity, it is possible to determine whether the shoes are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying.

[0049] Fig. 3 shows the results of an experiment measuring the relationship between the rotation time and the weight of shoes when shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are rotated at a spin-drying speed of 720 rpm while the shoes are placed in an inward orientation (the orientation shown in Fig. 1) with the soles facing the central axis of the inner tub 3. As shown here, when the shoes are placed in an inward orientation, the weight of the shoes decreases as the rotation time increases. Needless to say, this is because the water is gradually shaken off from the shoes.

[0050] That is, if the shoes are not in an unsuitable position for dehydration and dehydration is proceeding appropriately, the total weight of the inner tub 3 and the shoes stored therein decreases relatively greatly according to the rotation time (FIG. 3), and this is reflected in the relatively large change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3. On the other hand, if the shoes are in an unsuitable position for dehydration and dehydration is not proceeding appropriately, the decrease in the total weight is relatively small, and this is reflected in the small change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3. In other words, if the change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3 is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, it can be estimated that the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for dehydration, and the judgment unit 702 judges that the loosening process should be performed in such a case.

[0051] The specific value of the threshold value used for this judgment can be arbitrarily specified. As described above, a typical posture unsuitable for dehydration (unsuitable posture) is an outward posture in which the sole faces the circumferential wall of the inner tub 3. A typical posture that is not unsuitable for dehydration (suitable posture) is an inward posture in which the sole faces the central axis of the inner tub 3. Whether an intermediate posture that is neither outward nor inward is regarded as unsuitable or suitable depends on the threshold value used for the loosening judgment. That is, the smaller the threshold value is set, the narrower the range of postures that are regarded as unsuitable, and the larger the threshold value is set, the narrower the range of postures that are regarded as suitable. For example, various combination conditions are set for the number of shoes stored in the inner tub 3, the posture of each shoe, etc., and dehydration experiments and dehydration simulations are performed under each combination condition to collect the relationship between the range of change in acceleration and the quality of dehydration, and a threshold value that is considered appropriate can be derived appropriately based on this.

[0052] <2. How the shoe washing machine works> Next, a series of steps performed in the shoe washing machine 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the flow of the series of steps.

[0053] First, the user opens the lid 11 of the housing 1 and places the shoes to be washed (specifically, one left shoe and one right shoe) into the inner tub 3. The inner tub 3 is sized to accommodate up to about two pairs of adult shoes (i.e., up to about four pairs of shoes), and up to about two pairs of adult shoes can be washed at the same time. As described above, the central axis side portion of the storage space of the inner tub 3 is divided into two spaces by the main brush portion 42 (specifically, the bristle members 421 in each row). It is preferable that the two or four pairs of shoes are placed in equal numbers on one side and the other side of the two spaces divided by the bristle members 421.

[0054] When the user places the shoes to be washed in the inner tub 3, the user closes the lid 11 of the housing 1, inserts a coin or the like, and inputs a command to start washing via the operation unit 12.

[0055] A series of operations related to washing shoes is started when a command to start washing is input via operation unit 12. The series of operations described below is executed by operation control unit 701 reading out program P stored in memory unit 73 and corresponding parameters, etc., and controlling each unit of shoe washing machine 100 according to program P.

[0056] Step S1: Water supply process First, the operation control unit 701 locks the lid 11 and opens the water supply valve 221. Then, water supplied from an external water supply facility or the like flows into the inner tub 3 housed in the outer tub 2 via the water supply pipe 22. The water that flows into the inner tub 3 passes through a water passage hole (not shown) formed therein and flows out into the outer tub 2, where it is stored. When a predetermined time (e.g., one minute) has elapsed since the start of water supply and the water level in the outer tub 2 reaches a predetermined height, the operation control unit 701 closes the water supply valve 221 to stop the water supply.

[0057] Before the water supply step is performed, a step of supplying water to flow into the inner tub 3 to rinse the inside (tub cleaning step) may be performed in response to an instruction from a user.

[0058] Step S2: Brush rotation washing process Next, the operation control unit 701 dispenses detergent and controls the motor 51 and the power distribution unit 52 to rotate only the brush unit 4 at a predetermined washing rotation speed without rotating the inner tub 3. This creates a rotating water flow in the inner tub 3, causing the shoes to move freely, and the shoes are scrubbed by the main brush unit 42 and the auxiliary brush unit 43. A suitable washing rotation speed is about 113 rpm. Also, a suitable time for continuing the rotation is about 10 minutes.

[0059] Step S3: Drainage and dehydration process Next, the operation control unit 701 opens the drain valve 231 to drain the water stored in the outer tub 2. Then, the operation control unit 701 controls the motor 51 and the power distribution unit 52 to rotate the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 together at a predetermined spin-drying speed. Then, the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 rotate at high speed around the central axis of the inner tub 3, and the water contained in the shoes is shaken off by centrifugal force and discharged from the water passage hole, and the shoes are dehydrated. The spin-drying speed is higher than the washing speed, and is preferably about 720 rpm. The time for which the rotation is continued is preferably about 2 minutes 22 seconds.

[0060] Step S4: Water supply process Next, the operation control unit 701 opens the water supply valve 221 to start supplying water to the outer tub 2.

[0061] Step S5: Rinse process When a predetermined time (e.g., 1 minute) has elapsed since the start of water supply and the water level in the outer tub 2 has reached a predetermined height, the operation control unit 701 controls the motor 51 and the power distribution unit 52 to rotate only the brush unit 4 at a predetermined rinsing rotation speed without rotating the inner tub 3. As a result, the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are rinsed while being scrubbed by the main brush unit 42 and the auxiliary brush unit 43. The rinsing rotation speed can be set to the same value as the washing rotation speed. The time for which rotation is continued is preferably about 1 minute 45 seconds. During this rinsing process, the operation control unit 701 keeps the water supply valve 221 open for a predetermined time (e.g., about 30 seconds) to perform water supply rinsing.

[0062] Step S6: Drainage process Next, the operation control section 701 opens the drain valve 231 to drain the water stored in the outer tub 2.

[0063] Step S7: Dehydration process When a predetermined time (e.g., about 30 seconds) has elapsed since the start of the drainage process in step S6 and the water in the outer tub 2 has been drained, the operation control unit 701 executes a spin-drying process. A series of steps related to this spin-drying process will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the flow of a series of steps related to the spin-drying process.

[0064] Step S71: First dehydration step In the first spin-drying step, the operation control unit 701 controls the motor 51 and the power distribution unit 52 to rotate the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 together at a predetermined spin-drying speed for a predetermined first spin-drying time. As a result, the water contained in the shoes is shaken off by centrifugal force and discharged from the water holes, and the shoes are dehydrated. As described above, the spin-drying speed is higher than the washing speed, and is preferably about 720 rpm.

[0065] During the first spin-drying step, the acceleration sensor 6 detects the acceleration of the inner tub 3 and sends the detected value to the determination unit 702 in real time. In other words, the first spin-drying step is a step for proceeding with the dehydration of the shoes, and is also a step for obtaining the range of change in acceleration, which is data used to determine whether or not the loosening step should be performed. Therefore, it is preferable that the first spin-drying time is a time necessary and sufficient to obtain the data required for the determination. Specifically, the first spin-drying time is preferably about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

[0066] Step S72: Judging process When the first spin-drying step is completed, the determination unit 702 subsequently determines whether or not the loosening step should be performed. Specifically, while the first spin-drying step is being performed, the acceleration sensor 6 detects the acceleration of the inner tub 3 and sends the detected value in real time to the determination unit 702. If the change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3 while the first spin-drying step is being performed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the determination unit 702 determines that the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying (unsuitable position) and that the loosening step should be performed.

[0067] If it is determined in the judgment process that the loosening process should be performed (YES in step S72), the process proceeds to the loosening process (step S73). On the other hand, if it is determined in the judgment process that the loosening process should not be performed (NO in step S72), the process proceeds to the second spin-drying process (step S75), which is the final spin-drying process, without performing the loosening process.

[0068] However, the operation control section 701 maintains the rotation speed of the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 at the predetermined spin-drying rotation speed until the judgment result of the judgment process is obtained, and reduces the rotation speed only when it is judged that the loosening process should be performed. In other words, when it is judged that the loosening process should not be performed, the rotation speed of the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 is maintained at the predetermined spin-drying rotation speed, and the second spin-drying process is performed consecutively to the first spin-drying process.

[0069] Step S73: Loosening process In the loosening process, the operation control unit 701 controls the motor 51 and the power distribution unit 52 to rotate only the brush unit 4 at a predetermined loosening rotation speed without rotating the inner tub 3. As a result, the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 come into contact with the main brush unit 42 and the auxiliary brush unit 43, changing their posture and position. The loosening rotation speed can be set to the same value as the washing rotation speed or a value smaller than the washing rotation speed. The time for which the rotation is continued is preferably about 10 seconds.

[0070] Step S74: Repeated judgment process Next, the operation control unit 701 judges whether or not the second loosening process has been performed. If it is judged that the second loosening process has not been performed (i.e., the loosening process has been performed once), the operation control unit 701 repeats the first spin-drying process (step S71) and the judgment process (step S72) once again (repeated process). On the other hand, if it is judged that the second loosening process has been performed (i.e., the loosening process has been performed twice), the operation control unit 701 proceeds to the second spin-drying process (step S75) without performing the repeated process.

[0071] Step S75: Second dehydration step In the second spin-drying step, the operation control unit 701 controls the motor 51 and the power distribution unit 52 to rotate the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4 together at a predetermined spin-drying speed for a predetermined second spin-drying time. As a result, the water contained in the shoes is shaken off by centrifugal force and discharged from the water holes, and the shoes are dehydrated. However, the second spin-drying time is longer than the first spin-drying time, and is preferably about 2 minutes.

[0072] <3. Dehydration process for each shoe position> As described above, in the shoe washing machine 100, the flow of the spin-drying process (step S7) actually performed varies depending on the position of the shoes. This will be described with reference to Fig. 6 in addition to Fig. 5. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of the spin-drying process for each position of the shoes.

[0073] (Case 1) If the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are not in an unsuitable position for dehydration (appropriate position) at the start of the dehydration process, a determination step based on the first dehydration process determines that the loosening process should not be performed. Therefore, the first dehydration process and the second dehydration process are performed consecutively while the rotation speed is maintained at the predetermined dehydration rotation speed.

[0074] In this way, if the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in the appropriate position at the start of the dehydration process, the first and second dehydration processes will proceed in that state, so that the shoes are dehydrated sufficiently and uneven dehydration is less likely to occur.

[0075] (Case 2) If the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for dehydration (unsuitable position) at the start of the dehydration process, a judgment step based on the first dehydration process for the first time judges that the loosening step should be performed, and the first loosening step is performed. Assume that the position of the shoes is changed to an appropriate position in this first loosening step. In this case, a judgment step based on the second first dehydration process thereafter judges that the loosening step should not be performed. Therefore, the second first and second dehydration steps are performed consecutively while the rotation speed is maintained at the predetermined dehydration rotation speed.

[0076] In this way, even if the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an improper position at the start of the spin-drying process, if they are changed to an appropriate position by the first loosening process, the first and second spin-drying processes will proceed with the shoes in the appropriate position, as in case 1. Therefore, the shoes are sufficiently dehydrated and uneven dehydration is unlikely to occur.

[0077] (Case 3) On the other hand, if the shoes are not changed to the appropriate position in the first loosening process, it is determined in the judgment process based on the second first spin-drying process that the loosening process should be performed, and the second loosening process is performed. After the second loosening process is performed, the second spin-drying process is performed. In other words, in this case, the second spin-drying process is performed regardless of whether the shoes are changed to the appropriate position by the second loosening process.

[0078] If the shoes are adjusted to the appropriate position by the second loosening process, the second spin-drying process will proceed with the shoes in the appropriate position. In this case, the shoes will be sufficiently dehydrated and uneven dehydration will be less likely to occur.

[0079] On the other hand, even if the shoes are not changed to the appropriate position by the second loosening process, the second spin-drying process will proceed without performing the third loosening process. In this case, the second spin-drying process will proceed with the shoes in an inappropriate position, so there is a risk that the shoes will not be sufficiently dehydrated. However, if the shoes are not changed to the appropriate position even after the loosening process has been performed twice, the shoes are unlikely to be changed in position even if the loosening process is performed more times. In other words, the third and subsequent loosening processes are less effective than the first two loosening processes. Here, it is possible to avoid the process time being unnecessarily long by performing such an ineffective loosening process.

[0080] <4. Effects> The shoe washing machine 100 according to the above embodiment includes an outer tub 2 for storing water, an inner tub 3 housed in the outer tub 2, a brush unit 4 provided in the inner tub 3, and a control unit 7 for controlling the rotation of the inner tub 3 and the brush unit 4. The control unit 7 executes a first spin-drying step (step S71) for rotating the inner tub 3 at a predetermined spin-drying rotation speed for a predetermined first time, a loosening step (step S73) for rotating the brush unit 4 at a predetermined loosening rotation speed after the first spin-drying step, and a second spin-drying step (step S75) for rotating the inner tub 3 at the spin-drying rotation speed for a second time longer than the first time.

[0081] According to this configuration, since the loosening process is performed after the first spin-drying process, even if the shoes are in an unsuitable position for dehydration (typically an outward position with the soles facing the circumferential wall of the inner tub) at the stage when the first spin-drying process is performed, the position of the shoes may be changed in the loosening process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the shoes are not sufficiently dehydrated because the second spin-drying process is performed with the shoes in an unsuitable position for dehydration.

[0082] In addition, in the shoe washing machine 100 of the above embodiment, the control unit 7 executes a judgment process (step S72) to judge whether or not a loosening process should be performed after the first spin-drying process, and in the judgment process, if the change in the physical quantity of the inner tub 3 while the first spin-drying process is being performed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, it is judged that the loosening process should be performed.

[0083] The relatively small change in the physical quantity of the inner tub 3 during the first spin-drying step means that there is little change in the state of the inner tub 3 and the shoes stored therein, i.e., the amount of water blown off from the shoes is small. At this time, the shoes are likely to be in an unsuitable position for spin-drying. In such a case, the loosening step is expected to change the position of the shoes. Therefore, the occurrence of a situation in which the shoes are insufficiently spin-dryed because they are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying is effectively suppressed.

[0084] Moreover, in the shoe washing machine 100 according to the above embodiment, the physical quantity of the inner tub 3 used in the determination process is the acceleration of the inner tub 3.

[0085] A relatively small change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3 means that there is little change in the total weight of the inner tub 3 and the shoes stored therein, i.e., the amount of water blown off from the shoes is small. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to perform the loosening process based on the change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3. In addition, since the change in acceleration of the inner tub 3 can be detected relatively easily using a sensor or the like, it is possible to determine whether or not to perform the loosening process with a simple configuration.

[0086] Furthermore, in the shoe washing machine 100 according to the above embodiment, the control unit 7 executes, after the loosening step, a repeating step of repeating the first spin-drying step and the determining step.

[0087] According to this configuration, the first spin-drying process is performed again after the loosening process, and whether or not to perform the loosening process again is determined based on the amount of change in the physical quantity of the inner tub 3 while the first spin-drying process is being performed. Therefore, for example, if the position of the shoes is not appropriately changed in the first loosening process, the second loosening process is performed, and it is possible to sufficiently prevent the second spin-drying process from being performed with the shoes in a position unsuitable for spin-drying.

[0088] Furthermore, in the shoe washing machine 100 according to the above embodiment, after the second loosening step is performed, the shoe washing machine 100 proceeds to the second spin-drying step without performing the repeating step.

[0089] If the shoe position is not changed appropriately even after the loosening process is performed twice, the shoe position is unlikely to be changed even if the loosening process is performed more times. In other words, the third and subsequent loosening processes are less effective than the first two loosening processes. Here, it is possible to avoid the process time being unnecessarily long by performing such an ineffective loosening process.

[0090] In addition, in the shoe washing machine 100 of the above embodiment, if it is determined in the judgment process that the loosening process should not be performed, the second spin-drying process is performed consecutively to the first spin-drying process while maintaining the spin-drying rotation speed.

[0091] This configuration prevents the process time from becoming unnecessarily long.

[0092] In addition, the shoe washing machine 100 according to the above embodiment is equipped with an acceleration sensor 6 that detects the acceleration of the inner tub 3, and the control unit 7 determines whether the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for dewatering based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor 6.

[0093] According to this configuration, when the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for dewatering, this can be appropriately detected.

[0094] <5. Other embodiments> Other configurations can also be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0095] For example, in the above embodiment, a determination step is performed in the spin-drying step (step S7) to determine whether or not the loosening step should be performed, but this step may be omitted. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the above-mentioned first spin-drying step may be performed (step S701), followed by the above-mentioned loosening step (step S702), and then the above-mentioned second spin-drying step (step S703).

[0096] In the above embodiment, after the first loosening step is performed, a repeating step of repeating the first spin-drying step and the determination step is performed, but such a repeating step may not be performed. That is, the loosening step may be performed a maximum of once, and after the first loosening step is performed, the process may proceed to the second spin-drying step.

[0097] In the above embodiment, after the second loosening process is performed, the repeating process of repeating the first spin-drying process and the determination process is not performed. That is, the loosening process is performed a maximum of two times. However, the maximum number of times the loosening process is performed may be three or more times. That is, when it is determined that the nth loosening process (n is any integer equal to or greater than 2) has been performed, no further repeating process may be performed.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the judgment unit 702 judges that the loosening step should be performed when the change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3 during the first spin-drying step is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold, but it goes without saying that the change in acceleration during the short time period immediately after the start of the first spin-drying step until the rotation speed of the inner tub 3 reaches the predetermined spin-drying rotation speed should be excluded from the change in acceleration to be compared with the threshold. In other words, the change in the time period after the rotation speed of the inner tub 3 reaches the predetermined spin-drying rotation speed should be used as the change in acceleration to be compared with the threshold.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the determination unit 702 determines whether or not the loosening step needs to be performed based on the change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3 during the first spin-drying step, but the physical quantity used for this determination is not limited to the acceleration. As described above, if the shoes are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying and the spin-drying is not proceeding properly, the state of the inner tub 3 in which the shoes are stored will change little. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the shoes are in an unsuitable position for spin-drying, and therefore whether or not the loosening step needs to be performed, using various physical quantities that change with the change in the state of the inner tub 3 during the first spin-drying step (i.e., various physical quantities that change to reflect the change in the state of the inner tub 3). In order to perform the determination simply and with sufficient accuracy, it is also preferable to use physical quantities that change with the change in the total weight of the inner tub 3 and the shoes stored therein. Specifically, for example, the vibration, displacement, speed, inclination, vibration amplitude, vibration period, natural frequency, etc. of the inner tub 3 can be adopted as the physical quantity used for the determination. Furthermore, if it is possible to directly measure the total weight of the inner tub 3 and the shoes contained therein, the total weight may be used as the physical quantity used for the determination.

[0100] Needless to say, in the above embodiment, the sensor for acquiring the physical quantity used for the judgment is not limited to the acceleration sensor 6. For example, it may be a sensor that directly or indirectly detects the displacement, speed, inclination, etc. of the inner tub 3. Also, for example, it may be a vibration sensor that outputs the vibration value of the inner tub 3 based on the acceleration, displacement, speed, etc.

[0101] In the above embodiment, the determination unit 702 determines that the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for dehydration based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor 6. Specifically, when the change in the acceleration of the inner tub 3 during the first dehydration step is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 702 determines that the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for dehydration. When such a determination is made, the loosening step is performed. However, when such a determination is made, the loosening step does not necessarily have to be performed. For example, when the determination unit 702 determines that the shoes stored in the inner tub 3 are in an unsuitable position for dehydration based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor 6, the determination unit 702 may notify the user of this by sounding an alarm or turning on a lamp.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the shoe washing machine 100 is installed in a coin laundry store, but the shoe washing machine may be a home-use one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1 Case 2 Outer tank 3 Inner tank 4 Brush unit 41 Base 42 Main brush section 43 Auxiliary brush part 5 Drive unit 6 Acceleration Sensor 7 Control section 701 Motion control section 702 Judgment section 100 Shoe washing machine S7 Dehydration process S71,S701 1st dehydration process S72 Judgment process S73, S702 Loosening process S74 Repeated judgment process Steps S75 and S703: Second dehydration step

Claims

1. A shoe washing machine comprising an outer tub for storing water, an inner tub housed in the outer tub, a brush unit provided in the inner tub, and a control unit for controlling rotation of the inner tub and the brush unit, The control unit: a first dehydration step of rotating the inner tub at a predetermined dehydration rotation speed for a predetermined first time; a loosening step of rotating the brush unit at a predetermined loosening rotation speed after the first spin-drying step to change the position of the shoes accommodated in the inner tub; a second dehydration process of rotating the inner tub at the dehydration rotation speed for a second time period longer than the first time period; A shoe washing machine comprising:

2. 2. The shoe washing machine according to claim 1, The control unit: a determination step of determining whether or not the loosening step should be performed after the first dehydration step; Run In the determination step, determining that the loosening process should be performed when a change in a physical quantity of the inner tub during the first spin-drying process is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value; A shoe washing machine comprising:

3. 3. The shoe washing machine according to claim 2, the physical quantity of the inner tank used in the determination step is the acceleration of the inner tank; A shoe washing machine comprising:

4. The shoe washing machine according to claim 2 or 3, The control unit: a repeating step of repeating the first dehydration step and the determination step after the loosening step; A shoe washing machine comprising:

5. 5. The shoe washing machine according to claim 4, After the second loosening step is performed, the process proceeds to the second dehydration step without performing the repeating step. A shoe washing machine comprising:

6. In the shoe washing machine according to any one of claims 2 to 5, When it is determined in the determination step that the loosening step should not be performed, the second dehydration step is performed successively to the first dehydration step while maintaining the dehydration rotation speed. A shoe washing machine comprising:

7. A shoe washing machine comprising an outer tub for storing water, an inner tub housed in the outer tub, a brush unit provided in the inner tub, and a control unit for controlling rotation of the inner tub and the brush unit, an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the inner tub; Equipped with The control unit: When a change in the detected value of the acceleration sensor is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the shoes stored in the inner tub are in an outward orientation with their soles facing the peripheral wall of the inner tub. A shoe washing machine comprising:

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