CONTAINER TRANSPORTATION DEVICE AND CONTAINER CLEANING DEVICE

Abstract

To provide a conveying device with excellent workability in conveying a container.SOLUTION: A conveying device 2 conveys a container 20 along a predetermined conveying route. The conveying device 2 includes: a first conveying path 49 capable of placing wheels 23, 24 of the container 20 on one side of the conveying route in a width direction; and a second conveying path 53 capable of placing the wheels 23, 24 of the container 20 on the other side in the width direction. At least one of the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53 includes a conveyor 7 for conveying the wheels 23, 24, so as to convey the container 20 along the conveying route by driving the conveyor 7 along the conveying route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport device that transports a container along a predetermined transport path, and a cleaning device that is equipped with the transport device and cleans the container. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, containers with internal shelves on which food, tableware, etc. can be placed have been used for the purpose of providing meals in various facilities (e.g., schools, medical facilities, nursing homes, etc.). This type of container generally has many storage spaces separated by shelves inside a large housing, making it difficult to clean manually. Therefore, a dedicated cleaning device has been proposed for cleaning containers after use (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-005384 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional cleaning apparatus described above, in order to clean a container while transporting it, a towing tool for towing the container is attached to a towing point such as the bottom of the container, and the container is then pulled into the cleaning apparatus by using the towing tool for transport. Due to this structure for transportation, the conventional cleaning apparatus requires special structures, such as a towing member, for both the cleaning apparatus and the container, and also requires an operator to visually check whether the towing tool and the towing point of the container are securely attached. Such work is a factor that prevents improvement in the operability of transporting and cleaning a container.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a transport device that has a simple configuration but is excellent in operability for transporting containers, and a container cleaning device that uses the transport device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a container transport device and a container cleaning device according to the present invention are characterized by the following [1] to [4]. [1] A conveying device for conveying a container equipped with wheels along a predetermined conveying route, comprising: a first conveying path on which the wheels of the container can be placed on one side of the width direction of the conveying path, and a second conveying path on which the wheels of the container can be placed on the other side of the width direction, At least one of the first transport path and the second transport path is The projections for engaging the wheels are fixed at predetermined intervals; a conveyor for conveying the placed wheels, and driving the conveyor along the conveying path; The wheel is engaged with the projection. configured to transport the container along the transport path; It is a container transport device. [2] In the conveying device described in the above [1], One of the first transport path and the second transport path is a running portion that is at a different position in the vertical direction of the conveying path than the other of the first conveying path and the second conveying path, and an inclined portion that is continuous with the running portion and inclined so as to approach the other of the first conveying path and the second conveying path in the vertical direction, It is a container transport device. [3] In the conveying device described in [2] above, The conveyor The projection fixed to teeth, a front wheel protrusion for engaging a front wheel that is the wheel located at the front of the transport path, and a rear wheel protrusion for engaging a rear wheel that is the wheel located at the rear of the transport path, the rear of the front wheel protrusion being spaced apart from the transport path by a distance greater than the distance between the front and rear wheels; It is a container transport device. [4] A cleaning apparatus including the conveying apparatus according to any one of the above [1] to [3], a water injection nozzle that injects cleaning water toward the container on the transport path; and cleaning the container with a jet of cleaning water. It is a container cleaning device.

[0007] According to the transport device having the configuration of [1] above, a container with wheels placed on the first transport path and the second transport path can be transported along the transport path by driving a conveyor of at least one of the first transport path and the second transport path along the transport path. This makes it possible to transport the container without the need for work such as assembling a towing tool to the container and having an operator check the assembly, as in the transport mechanism of the conventional cleaning device described above. Furthermore, there is no need to provide a special member for towing the container. Therefore, the transport device of this configuration has excellent workability in transporting containers while having a simple configuration.

[0008] According to the conveying device having the configuration of [2] above, one of the first conveying path and the second conveying path has a running section that is located at a different position in the vertical direction from the other of the first conveying path and the second conveying path, and an inclined section that is continuous with the running section and inclined so as to approach the other of the first conveying path and the second conveying path in the vertical direction. As a result, the container can be conveyed in a state in which it is supported in an inclined position in the width direction in the running section. In the inclined section, the container can be conveyed while returning the inclined container to an upright position, or while tilting the upright container. As a result, for example, when cleaning the container, the inclination of the container itself causes the cleaning water adhering to the container to flow off, thereby preventing the cleaning water from remaining in the container. Furthermore, in the inclined section, the container after cleaning can be returned from the inclined position to the upright position, making it easier to remove the container after cleaning from the conveying device.

[0009] According to the transport device having the configuration of [3] above, in the running section, the front wheel protrusion engages the front wheel of the container to suppress the front wheel from spinning, etc., thereby enabling efficient transport of the container. In the inclined section, even if the front wheel protrusion comes off the front wheel while the front wheel protrusion is pushing the front wheel of the container forward as the container passes through the inclined section, the rear wheel protrusion quickly engages with the rear wheel of the container to push the rear wheel forward, allowing the container to pass through the inclined section. As a result, even if one of the first transport path and the second transport path has the running section and inclined section described above, the container can be transported efficiently.

[0010] According to the cleaning device having the configuration of [4] above, the container can be cleaned by transporting the container with the above-mentioned transport device and spraying cleaning water from the water spray nozzle toward the container. As a result, the cleaning device of this configuration is superior in terms of operability for a series of operations including container transport and cleaning, compared to the conventional cleaning device described above. Effect of the Invention

[0011] Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport device that has a simple configuration yet is excellent in operability for transporting containers, and a container cleaning device that uses the transport device.

[0012] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following description of the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an outline of the internal structure of a container cleaning machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows the container during transportation, FIG. 2(a) is a side view thereof, FIG. 2(b) is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2(a), and FIG. 2(c) is a rear view of part A in FIG. 2(a). [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows the container during cleaning and drip removal, where FIG. 3(a) is a side view thereof, FIG. 3(b) is a rear view thereof, and FIG. 3(c) is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 3(b). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an outline of the internal structure of a container conveying device provided in the container washer shown in FIG. 1, with FIG. 4(a) being a side view thereof and FIG. 4(b) being a top view thereof. [Diagram 5] Figure 5 is a rear view showing the state in which a container is transported by a transport device, where Figure 5(a) shows the stage of passing through the entrance run, Figure 5(b) shows the stage of passing through the horizontal run, and Figure 5(c) shows the stage of passing through the exit run. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a transition of a contact state of the front casters and rear casters of the container with the front wheel protrusions and rear wheel protrusions of the first transport path during the process of the container being transported by the transport device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a rear view showing the rough cleaning process. [Figure 8]FIG. 8(a) is a rear view showing the first stage of the droplet removal process, and FIG. 8(b) is a rear view showing the second stage of the droplet removal process. [Figure 9] FIG. 9(a) is a rear view showing the state of the third stage of the droplet removing process, and FIG. 9(b) is a rear view showing the state of the fourth stage of the droplet removing process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing the fifth stage of the drip removal process. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how two leftward air jets, one above the other, are blown onto the top surface of each shelf board from two first nozzles, one above the other, which are disposed on the right side of the shelf board. [Figure 12] 12(a) and 12(b) are views corresponding to FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), respectively, showing a modified example. [Figure 13] FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) are views corresponding to FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), respectively, showing a modified example. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 in accordance with a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a washer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The washer 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an apparatus that, while sequentially conveying a plurality of containers 20 inserted from an inlet 12 provided in a housing 11 of the washer 1 by a conveying device 2 (see Fig. 4, etc.), cleans and removes drips from the containers 20 by a cleaning device 3 and a drip removal device 4 (see Fig. 1, etc.), and discharges the containers 20 after cleaning and drip removal from an outlet 13 provided in the housing 11. The containers 20 from which cleaning and drip removal are performed by the washer 1 can be assumed to be containers capable of storing a large number of foods, tableware, etc. for the purpose of providing meals at various facilities (for example, schools, medical facilities, nursing homes, etc.).

[0015] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used to refer to the "front-rear direction", "left-right direction", "up-down direction", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up", and "down" as shown in Figs. 1 to 14. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction", and "up-down direction" are perpendicular to each other. The front-rear direction coincides with the direction in which the container 20 is transported by the transport device 2 (the direction of the transport path), with the front side corresponding to the downstream side of the transport path and the rear side corresponding to the upstream side of the transport path.

[0016] First, the container 20 from which cleaning and dripping are performed by the washer 1 will be described. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the container 20 has a rectangular box-shaped metal container body 21 that is open on both the left and right sides. The inside of the container body 21 is a storage space that is vertically divided by a plurality of shelves 22 that are arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction. A large number of foods, tableware, etc. are placed on the upper surface of each shelf 22.

[0017] A pair of left and right front casters 23 and a pair of left and right rear casters 24 are provided at a pair of front corners and a pair of rear corners of the rectangular bottom surface of the container body 21, respectively. The container body 21 is provided with a pair of front and rear metal doors 25 (four doors 25 in total) for opening and closing each of the left and right openings of the container body 21. Each door 25 has the same shape as a rectangular flat plate. Each door 25 can rotate approximately 270 degrees from the closed state shown in FIG. 2(a) in the opening direction until it abuts against the corresponding one of the front and rear walls of the container body 21.

[0018] An upper bumper 26 made of resin is provided on the upper edge of the outer wall of each door 25, extending in the front-rear direction when the door 25 is in the closed state (see FIG. 2(a)), and a lower bumper 27 made of resin is provided on the lower edge of the outer wall of each door 25, extending in the front-rear direction when the door 25 is in the closed state (see FIG. 2(a)). The upper bumper 26 and the lower bumper 27 function to protect the door 25 when the door 25 rotates in the opening direction and abuts against the corresponding one of the front and rear walls of the container body 21.

[0019] The upper bumper 26 of each door 25 is provided with a fastener notch 26a (see FIG. 2(b)), and the lower bumper 27 of each door 25 is provided with a through-hole 27a (see FIG. 2(a)) that penetrates in the up-down direction. Fasteners 28 are provided on both left and right edges of the rectangular top surface of the container body 21, respectively, in correspondence with the fastener notch 26a of each door 25 in the closed state. Each fastener 28 is provided on the top surface of the container body 21 so as to be rotatable between an engagement position (see solid line in FIG. 2(c)) in which it engages with the corresponding fastener notch 26a, and a non-engagement position (see dashed line in FIG. 2(c)) in which it does not engage with the corresponding fastener notch 26a.

[0020] When food, tableware, etc. are stored in the storage space inside the container 20, the doors 25 on both the left and right sides of the container body 21 are closed when the container 20 is transported, as shown in FIG. 2(a), a pair of front and rear fastener notches 26a belonging to the pair of front and rear doors 25 in the closed state are engaged with a pair of front and rear fasteners 28 corresponding thereto, and a pair of pins 29a integrally provided on the fixing member 29 and extending in the vertical direction are inserted from above into a pair of front and rear through holes 27a belonging to the pair of front and rear doors 25 in the closed state. As a result, the top and bottom of the pair of front and rear doors 25 are fixed, and the pair of doors 25 can be reliably maintained in the closed state. As a result, the doors 25 can be prevented from opening unintentionally when the container 20 is transported.

[0021] When the cleaning machine 1 cleans and drips the container 20, the doors 25 on both sides of the container body 21 are opened from the closed state to a state rotated by approximately 180 degrees as shown in FIG. 3. At this time, the left and right through-holes 27a belonging to the pair of left and right doors 25 are arranged at positions facing each other in the left-right direction, and the bent parts 31a provided at both ends of the connecting plate 31, which extends in the left-right direction with approximately the same width as the pin 29a, can be inserted from above. By inserting the connecting plate 31 in this manner, the pair of left and right doors 25 can be reliably maintained in the open state, and the multiple shelves 22 inside the container 20 can be maintained in an exposed state. As a result, the doors 25 can be prevented from closing unintentionally when the container 20 is cleaned and drips are removed.

[0022] <Overall configuration of cleaning machine 1> Next, the overall configuration of the cleaning machine 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the cleaning machine 1 has a housing 11 that is generally a rectangular cylinder that is long in the front-rear direction. The housing 11 is placed on a recess 6 (see Fig. 1) that is provided on a horizontal floor surface 5, is recessed downward, and extends in the front-rear direction. A rear opening of the housing 11 functions as an inlet 12 for inserting a container 20, and a front opening of the housing 11 functions as an outlet 13 for discharging the container 20 that has been cleaned and dewatered.

[0023] The internal space of the housing 11 is composed of a lower space R1 located below the floor surface 5 (located inside the recess 6) and an upper space R2 located above the floor surface 5. The upper space R2 is composed of a rough cleaning chamber R3 located at the rearmost part of the upper space R2 and in which a rough cleaning process described later is performed, a main cleaning chamber R4 adjacent to the front side of the rough cleaning chamber R3 and in which a main cleaning process described later is performed, a finish cleaning chamber R5 adjacent to the front side of the main cleaning chamber R4 and in which a finish cleaning process described later is performed, and a drip removal chamber R6 located at the frontmost part of the upper space R2 and in which a drip removal process described later is performed, adjacent to the front side of the finish cleaning chamber R5. The rough cleaning chamber R3, the main cleaning chamber R4, the finish cleaning chamber R5, and the drip removal chamber R6 are connected in the front-rear direction. At predetermined positions in the front-rear direction of the upper wall of the housing 11, exhaust pipes 14 for discharging air from the internal space of the housing 11 are provided. By providing the exhaust pipe 14, steam and vapor inside the housing 11 are exhausted from the exhaust pipe 14, and the air blown against the container 20 in the dripping process described below is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 14, thereby preventing steam and vapor from being emitted from the inlet 12 and outlet 13.

[0024] <Transportation device 2> Next, the configuration of the transport device 2 of the cleaning machine 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, a conveyor 7 configured to extend horizontally in the front-rear direction is provided at a position left of the center in the left-right direction near the boundary between the lower space R1 and the upper space R2. The conveyor 7 has a drive gear 41 provided at the front end of the lower space R1 and having a rotation axis in the left-right direction, a driven gear 42 provided at the rear end of the lower space R1 and having a rotation axis in the left-right direction, and a transport chain 43 (see Fig. 4(b)) wound around the drive gear 41 and the driven gear 42 to extend in the front-rear direction.

[0025] A motor 44 is provided near the drive gear 41 in the lower space R1. A motor gear 45 is integrally provided on the rotating shaft of the motor 44. A drive chain 46 is wound around the motor gear 45 and the drive gear 41 so as to extend at an angle with respect to the vertical direction.

[0026] The conveying chain 43 is formed by connecting a plurality of links having flat surfaces on the outer periphery on which a heavy object can be placed. When the plurality of links are arranged in a straight line, the flat surfaces of the respective links form a substantially continuous plane. The outer surface (upper flat surface) of the conveying chain 43 facing the upper space R2 functions as a conveying path on which the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 on the left side of the container 20 are placed. In this way, the conveying path formed by the conveyor 7 (particularly, for convenience of explanation, the upper flat surface of the conveying chain 43) corresponds to the "first conveying path 49". The first conveying path 49 is flush with the floor surface 5 continuing to the entrance 12 and the exit 13 (see FIG. 4(a)).

[0027] 4(b), a plurality of front wheel projections 47 are fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the conveyor chain 43 (i.e., the first conveyor path 49) so as to be aligned at a predetermined first interval D1 (the interval between adjacent containers 20 being conveyed in the front and rear) in the extending direction of the conveyor chain 43, and rear wheel projections 48 are fixed at positions spaced a predetermined second interval D2 rearward from each front wheel projection 47. In this example, the front wheel projections 47 and the rear wheel projections 48 have the shape of ridges extending in the left-right direction.

[0028] The front wheel projection 47 and the rear wheel projection 48 are projections for locking the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 of the container 20, respectively (see FIG. 6 described later). The first distance D1 is wider than the second distance D2, which is wider than the front-to-rear distance D3 between the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 of the container 20 (see FIG. 2).

[0029] A pair of guide walls 51 (see FIG. 5) are provided near both left and right sides of the first conveying path 49 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. The pair of guide walls 51 function to prevent the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 on the left side of the container 20 placed on the first conveying path 49 from falling off the first conveying path 49 in the left-right direction. The pair of guide walls 51 at the entrance 12 are formed radially expanding rearward, and function as guide members that guide the front caster 23 to the first conveying path 49.

[0030] To drive the conveyor 7, the rotating shaft of the motor 44 is rotated at a constant rotation speed in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the left side. This causes the driving torque to be transmitted in sequence to the drive chain 46, the drive gear 41, the conveyor chain 43, and the driven gear 42. As a result, the conveyor chain 43 is rotated at a constant rotation speed in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the left side, so that the first conveyor path 49 moves from the entrance 12 to the exit 13 at a constant speed along the front-rear direction.

[0031] A metal rail 52 is provided to extend in the front-rear direction at a position to the right of the center in the left-right direction near the boundary between the lower space R1 and the upper space R2. The rail 52 integrally has a bottom wall 53 and a pair of guide walls 54 located on both sides of the bottom wall 53 in the left-right direction (see FIG. 5(a)). The bottom wall 53 of the rail 52 functions as a conveying path along which the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 on the right side of the container 20 run. The bottom wall 53 corresponds to the "second conveying path 53." Unlike the first conveying path 49, the second conveying path 53 does not move in the front-rear direction (it is fixed to the housing 11). The pair of guide walls 54 function to prevent the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 on the right side of the container 20 passing through the second conveying path 53 from falling off the second conveying path 53 in the left-right direction. The pair of guide walls 54 at the entrance 12 are formed radially so as to widen rearward, and function as guide members for guiding the front casters 23 to the second transport path 53.

[0032] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the rail 52 is composed of an entrance running section 52a located at the rearmost side of the rail 52, a first inclined section 52b connected to the front side of the entrance running section 52a, a horizontal running section 52c connected to the front side of the first inclined section 52b, a second inclined section 52d connected to the front side of the horizontal running section 52c, and an exit running section 52e connected to the front side of the second inclined section 52d and located at the frontmost side of the rail 52.

[0033] The inlet running portion 52a and the first inclined portion 52b extend in the front-rear direction from the rear end position of the rough cleaning chamber R3 to an intermediate position, the horizontal running portion 52c extends in the front-rear direction from the intermediate position of the rough cleaning chamber R3, through the main cleaning chamber R4 and the finish cleaning chamber R5, to an intermediate position of the drip-removal chamber R6, the second inclined portion 52d extends in the front-rear direction from the intermediate position of the drip-removal chamber R6 to the front end position of the drip-removal chamber R6, and the outlet running portion 52e extends in the front-rear direction forward of the drip-removal chamber R6.

[0034] The entrance run 52a (i.e., the second conveying path 53 of the entrance run 52a) extends horizontally in the front-rear direction and is flush with the first conveying path 49 and the floor surface 5 continuing to the entrance 12 (see Figs. 4(a) and 5(a)). The first inclined portion 52b (i.e., the second conveying path 53 of the first inclined portion 52b) extends in the front-rear direction and inclines (from the horizontal direction) in a direction moving downward as it approaches the front.

[0035] The horizontal run 52c (i.e., the second conveying path 53 of the horizontal run 52c) extends horizontally in the front-rear direction and is located below the first conveying path 49 (see FIG. 5(b)). The second inclined portion 52d (i.e., the second conveying path 53 of the second inclined portion 52d) extends in the front-rear direction at an incline (from the horizontal direction) in a direction moving upward so as to approach the first conveying path 49 in the up-down direction as it moves forward. The exit run 52e (i.e., the second conveying path 53 of the exit run 52e) extends horizontally in the front-rear direction and is flush with the first conveying path 49 and the floor surface 5 continuing to the exit 13 (see FIGS. 4(a) and 5(c)).

[0036] In the conveying device 2 having the above configuration, in a state where the motor 44 is driven (i.e., in a state where the conveyor 7 is driven and the conveying chain 43 is moving so as to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 4), the container 20 (see FIG. 3) with the door 25 kept in the open state is thrown in from the entrance 12. For example, at the timing when the rear wheel projection 48 goes around the driven gear 42 and goes out from the lower space R1 to the upper space R2, the notification means or the like notifies the worker that the container 20 should be thrown into the washer 1, and the worker pushes the container 20 into the entrance 12. By pushing the container 20 into the entrance 12 at this timing, the left front caster 23 is placed between the rear wheel projection 48 and the front wheel projection 47 of the first conveying path 49. At the same time, the right front caster 23 is also placed on the second conveying path 53. As the conveyor chain 43 continues to move counterclockwise, the front wheel projection 47 comes into contact with the left front caster 23 from the rear side toward the front side, and the front wheel projection 47 pushes the left front caster 23 toward the exit 13. As the conveyor chain 43 continues to move counterclockwise, the left front caster 23 starts to move, and the container 20 is pulled into the entrance 12 and conveyance starts. At this time, the worker only needs to push the container 20 while being guided by the guide members (i.e., the guide walls 51 and 54 that spread radially toward the rear) of the first conveyor path 49 and the second conveyor path 53 of the entrance 12, and there is no need to perform any special operation or confirmation, such as attaching a towing tool to the container 20 or visually checking the towing state.

[0037] As a result, the left front caster 23 engaged with the front wheel projection 47 moves forward integrally with the conveyor 7 while remaining placed on the first conveyor path 49, causing the entire container 20 to move forward along the first conveyor path 49. When the container 20 moves forward along the first conveyor path 49, the left front caster 23 and rear caster 24 do not rotate, while the right front caster 23 and rear caster 24 rotate following the rotation on the second conveyor path 53.

[0038] In this manner, as the container 20 moves forward, first, when the right-side front caster 23 and rear caster 24 pass through the entrance running section 52a, there is no difference in height between the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53, so the container 20 moves forward without tilting left or right (see Figure 5(a)).

[0039] Next, when the right front caster 23 passes over the first inclined portion 52b, the second conveyor path 53 moves downward relative to the first conveyor path 49 as the container 20 moves forward. As a result, the right front caster 23 moves downward relative to the left front caster 23, so that the container 20 starts to tilt slightly forward and also to the right, and the angle of tilt gradually increases. The increase in the angle of tilt continues until the right front caster 23 enters the horizontal running portion 52c.

[0040] As the container 20 tilts forward and to the right, the center of gravity of the container 20 also moves to the right front, and the left rear caster 24 temporarily floats off the first conveying path 49 (see the lower right diagram in FIG. 6). Even if the left rear caster 24 floats off in this way, the left front caster 23 and the front wheel projection 47 are kept engaged, so the container 20 continues to move forward along the first conveying path 49. The left rear caster 24 continues to float off in this way until the right rear caster 24 enters the horizontal running portion 52c. As described above, the container 20 starts to tilt to the right while moving through the rough cleaning chamber R3, and the angle of tilt gradually increases to a predetermined first angle (= a predetermined acute angle).

[0041] Next, at the stage where the right front caster 23 and rear caster 24 pass the horizontal running portion 52c, the downward movement amount of the second conveying path 53 relative to the first conveying path 49 is maintained constant, so the container 20 moves forward while being inclined at a predetermined first angle (= acute angle) to the right (see FIG. 5(b)). As described above, the container 20 moves forward while being inclined at a predetermined first angle (= acute angle) to the right while passing through the section from the midway position of the rough cleaning chamber R3, through the main cleaning chamber R4 and the finish cleaning chamber R5, to the midway position of the drip removal chamber R6.

[0042] Next, at the stage where the right front caster 23 passes through the second inclined portion 52d, the second conveying path 53 moves upward relative to the first conveying path 49 as the container 20 moves forward. As a result, the right front caster 23 moves upward relative to the left front caster 23, while the inclination angle of the container 20 to the right is maintained at the predetermined first angle (= acute angle), and the container 20 also starts to incline slightly rearward, so that the center of gravity of the container 20 moves to the right rear, and the left front caster 23 acts to float the container 20 from the first conveying path 49, and the amount of floating gradually increases. The increase in the amount of floating continues until the right rear caster 24 enters the second inclined portion 52d.

[0043] In this way, in the process in which the floating amount of the left front caster 23 from the first conveying path 49 increases, the engagement between the left front caster 23 and the front wheel protrusion 47 may be released (see the lower center diagram in FIG. 6). When the engagement is released, the pressure from the conveyor 7 (front wheel protrusion 47 of the conveying chain 43) disappears, and the container 20 does not move forward, and only the first conveying path 49 (conveying chain 43) continues to move forward due to the rearward component force (resistance) that the right front caster 23 receives from the second inclined portion 52d, and the first conveying path 49 (conveying chain 43) advances to a position where the rear wheel protrusion 48 abuts against the left rear caster 24 (see the lower left diagram in FIG. 6). After the left rear caster 24 is engaged with the rear wheel protrusion 48, the container 20 continues to move forward along the first conveying path 49 again due to the engagement between the left rear caster 24 and the rear wheel protrusion 48. The left front caster 23 continues to float until the right rear caster 24 enters the exit run 52e.

[0044] Next, when the right rear caster 24 passes through the second inclined portion 52d, the right rear caster 24 moves upward relative to the left rear caster 24, gradually decreasing the inclination angle of the container 20 to the right. This decrease in the inclination angle continues until the right rear caster 24 enters the exit run portion 52e. As described above, the inclination angle of the container 20 to the right starts to decrease and gradually decreases to zero while moving through the drip removal chamber R6.

[0045] Then, when the right-side front caster 23 and rear caster 24 pass through the exit running section 52e, there is no difference in height between the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53, so the container 20 moves forward without tilting in the left-right direction (see Figure 5 (c)).

[0046] Thereafter, when the container 20 moves forward and reaches the end of the exit run 52e, the front wheel protrusion 47 goes around the drive gear 41 and enters into the lower space R1, so that the front wheel protrusion 47 is no longer in front of the front caster 23, and the worker can pull out the container 20 as is.

[0047] As described above, when the container 20 (see FIG. 3 ) with the door 25 kept open is loaded from the entrance 12 by the worker, the left front caster 23 is locked to the front wheel projection 47 of the first conveying path 49, and the container 20 is transported forward in the housing 11 by the conveying device 2. That is, each time one of the multiple front wheel projections 47 provided on the first conveying path 49 reaches the vicinity of the rear end of the first conveying path 49 (the vicinity of the entrance 12), the container 20 with the door 25 kept open is sequentially loaded so that the left front caster 23 is locked to the front wheel projection 47 of the first conveying path 49, whereby the multiple containers 20 can be transported forward in the housing 11 with the above-mentioned first interval therebetween.

[0048] On the other hand, at the exit 13, when the front wheel protrusion 47 rotates downward as the drive gear 41 rotates, the worker can pull out the container 20 without having to perform any special operations or confirmations, such as releasing the towing device from the container 20 or visually confirming that the towing device has been released.

[0049] <Cleaning Equipment 3> Next, a description will be given of the cleaning device 3 of the cleaning machine 1. The cleaning device 3 includes a rough cleaning system, a main cleaning system, and a finish cleaning system. First, the rough cleaning system will be described below.

[0050] Rough cleaning system The rough cleaning system is a system for spraying cleaning water used in the rough cleaning process in the rough cleaning chamber R3 toward the container 20 transported by the transport device 2. The cleaning water used in the rough cleaning process is produced by mixing water and detergent.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 1, a cleaning tank 61 for storing cleaning water used in the rough cleaning step is provided in the lower space R1 below the rough cleaning chamber R3. The upper opening of the cleaning tank 61 is covered with a tank strainer (not shown) made of a mesh (a mesh with many fine through holes). The cleaning water used in the rough cleaning step in the rough cleaning chamber R3 is collected in the cleaning tank 61 through the mesh of the tank strainer. The cleaning water stored in the cleaning tank 61 is heated by a heater (not shown) and maintained at a predetermined high temperature.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 1, the cleaning tank 61 is connected to the suction side of a pump 62 located in the lower space R1. The discharge side of the pump 62 is connected to a rough cleaning pipe 64 via a pipe 63. In this example, as shown in Fig. 7, a pair of left and right rough cleaning pipes 64 extending in the vertical direction are provided on both the left and right sides of the container 20 that is transported by the transport device 2 in a state inclined to the right inside the rough cleaning chamber R3. In this example, as shown in Fig. 1, a pair of left and right rough cleaning pipes 64 shown in Fig. 7 are provided at four locations in the front-rear direction inside the rough cleaning chamber R3.

[0053] 7, the left rough cleaning pipe 64 is provided with water jet nozzles 65 at multiple positions in the vertical direction, extending to the right toward the container 20, and the right rough cleaning pipe 64 is provided with water jet nozzles 65 at multiple positions in the vertical direction, extending to the left toward the container 20. These multiple water jet nozzles 65 are arranged in accordance with the vertical positions of the multiple shelves 22 that are arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction inside the container body 21.

[0054] 7, in this example, a pair of caster cleaning pipes 66 extending in the vertical direction is provided on both the left and right sides of the casters 23, 24 of the container 20. Each caster cleaning pipe 66 is connected to a corresponding rough cleaning pipe 64. The pair of caster cleaning pipes 66 is provided with water injection nozzles 67 extending toward the casters 23, 24.

[0055] The rough cleaning process is carried out using the rough cleaning system having the above-mentioned configuration. In the rough cleaning process, high-temperature cleaning water pumped by the pump 62 is sprayed from multiple water jet nozzles 65 located on both the left and right sides of the container 20 mainly toward the multiple shelves 22 inside the container body 21. This performs rough cleaning of the inside of the container body 21. Furthermore, high-temperature cleaning water pumped by the pump 62 is sprayed from multiple water jet nozzles 67 toward the left and right casters 23, 24 of the container 20. This cleans the left and right casters 23, 24 of the container 20. The rough cleaning system has been described above. Next, the main cleaning system will be described.

[0056] Main cleaning system The main washing system is a system for spraying the washing water used in the main washing process toward the container 20 transported by the transport device 2 in the main washing room R4. The washing water used in the main washing process is also produced by mixing water and detergent. The detergent concentration of the washing water used in the main washing process may be the same as or different from the detergent concentration of the washing water used in the rough washing process.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 1, a cleaning tank 71 for storing cleaning water used in the main cleaning process is provided in the lower space R1 below the main cleaning chamber R4. The upper opening of the cleaning tank 71 is covered by a tank strainer (not shown) made of a mesh (a mesh with many fine through holes). The cleaning water used in the main cleaning process in the main cleaning chamber R4 is collected in the cleaning tank 71 through the mesh of the tank strainer. The cleaning water stored in the cleaning tank 71 is heated by a heater (not shown) and maintained at a predetermined high temperature. The temperature of the cleaning water used in the main cleaning process may be the same as or different from the temperature of the cleaning water used in the rough cleaning process.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 1, the cleaning tank 71 is connected to the suction side of a pump 72 located in the lower space R1. The discharge side of the pump 72 is connected to a main cleaning pipe 74 via a piping 73. In this example, like the pair of left and right rough cleaning pipes 64 shown in Fig. 7, a pair of left and right main cleaning pipes 74 extending in the vertical direction are provided on both the left and right sides of the container 20 transported by the transport device 2 in the main cleaning chamber R4 in a state inclined to the right. In this example, as shown in Fig. 1, a pair of left and right main cleaning pipes 74 are provided at two locations in the front-rear direction in the main cleaning chamber R4.

[0059] Similar to the pair of left and right rough cleaning pipes 64, water jet nozzles 75 extending toward the container 20 are provided at multiple positions in the vertical direction of the pair of left and right main cleaning pipes 74. These multiple water jet nozzles 75 are arranged in accordance with the vertical positions of the multiple shelves 22 arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction inside the container body 21.

[0060] The main washing process is carried out using the main washing system having the above-mentioned configuration. In the main washing process, high-temperature washing water pumped by the pump 72 is sprayed from the multiple water spray nozzles 75 located on both the left and right sides of the container 20 mainly toward the multiple shelves 22 inside the container body 21. In this way, the main washing is carried out on the inside of the container body 21 after the rough washing has been completed. The main washing system has been described above. Next, the finish washing system will be described.

[0061] Finishing cleaning system The finish cleaning system is a system for spraying water (hot water) used in the finish cleaning process toward the container 20 transported by the transport device 2 in the finish cleaning chamber R5.

[0062] 1, a water tank 81 for storing water to be used in the finish cleaning process is provided in the lower space R1 in front of the finish cleaning chamber R5. The water stored in the water tank 81 is heated by a heater (not shown) and maintained at a predetermined high temperature.

[0063] 1, the water tank 81 is connected to the suction side of a pump 82 located in the lower space R1. The discharge side of the pump 82 is connected to a finish cleaning pipe 84 via a piping 83. In this example, similar to the pair of left and right rough cleaning pipes 64 shown in FIG. 7, a pair of left and right finish cleaning pipes 84 extending in the vertical direction are provided on both the left and right sides of the container 20 transported by the transport device 2 in a state inclined to the right inside the finish cleaning chamber R5.

[0064] Similar to the pair of left and right rough cleaning pipes 64, water jet nozzles 85 extending toward the container 20 are provided at multiple positions in the vertical direction of the pair of left and right finish cleaning pipes 84. These multiple water jet nozzles 85 are arranged in accordance with the vertical positions of the multiple shelves 22 arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction inside the container body 21.

[0065] A reduction tank 86 for storing water used in the finish washing process is provided in the lower space R1 below the finish washing chamber R5. The upper opening of the reduction tank 86 is covered with a tank strainer (not shown) made of a mesh (a mesh with many fine through holes). The water used in the finish washing process in the finish washing chamber R5 is collected in the reduction tank 86 through the mesh of the tank strainer.

[0066] 1, the reduction tank 86 is connected to the suction side of a pump 87 located in the lower space R1. A pipe 88 connected to the discharge side of the pump 87 extends to the cleaning tank 71. An opening / closing solenoid valve 89 is interposed in the middle of the pipe 88. By controlling the opening / closing solenoid valve 89, the water pumped by the pump 87 is returned to the cleaning tank 71 as appropriate.

[0067] Pipe 91 branches off from branch 88a located upstream of on-off solenoid valve 89 in pipe 88 and extends to the cleaning tank 61. An on-off solenoid valve 92 is interposed in the middle of pipe 91. By controlling the on-off solenoid valve 92, water pumped by pump 87 is returned to the cleaning tank 61 as appropriate.

[0068] The finish washing process is carried out using the finish washing system having the above configuration. In the finish washing process, hot water pumped by the pump 82 is sprayed from the multiple water spray nozzles 85 located on both the left and right sides of the container 20 mainly toward the multiple shelves 22 inside the container body 21. In this way, finish washing is carried out on the inside of the container body 21 after the main washing has been completed. The finish washing system has been described above.

[0069] <Drip removal device 4> Next, the drip remover 4 of the cleaning machine 1 will be described. The drip remover 4 is a device that removes water droplets adhering to the container body 21 after the finish cleaning by blowing an air jet against the container body 21. As shown in FIG. 1, the drip remover 4 is provided with an air supply pipe 102 that is connected to a blower 101 and extends in the vertical direction. Compressed air generated by the blower 101 is supplied to the air supply pipe 102. Note that, in this example, a device for heating the air supplied to the air supply pipe 102 is not provided, but such a device may be provided.

[0070] In this example, as shown in Fig. 1, at five points in the front-rear direction in the drip-removal chamber R6, air supply pipes 102 extending vertically are provided on both the left and right sides or one side of the container 20 that is transported by the transport device 2 in the drip-removal chamber R6 in a state inclined at a predetermined first angle (= acute angle) to the right (see also Figs. 8 to 10). In the drip-removal device 4, an air jet is blown toward the shelf plate 22 in a state in which the container 20 is inclined to the left or right in this way, for example, in a state in which the container 20 is supported in a position in which the shelf plate 22 is inclined at a first angle (= acute angle) so that the right side of the shelf plate 22 is located lower than the left side. As a result, the water droplets on the shelf plate 22 can be blown off and removed by the air jet while the inclination of the shelf plate 22 itself causes the water droplets on the shelf plate 22 to flow down and be removed.

[0071] Specifically, among the five air supply pipes 102 provided in the drip-removal chamber R6, a single air supply pipe 102a extending vertically is provided on the left side, which is the higher side of the inclined posture of the container 20, as shown in FIG. 8(a), as the air supply pipe 102 through which the container 20 passes first (located at the rearmost side). A plurality of first injection nozzles 103 facing right are provided in the air supply pipe 102a so as to be aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction over substantially the entire area of ​​the container body 21 in the vertical direction. Each of the first injection nozzles 103 extends directly from the air supply pipe 102a in the vertical direction. For this reason, the pressure loss on the way from the air supply pipe 102a to the first injection nozzle 103 is smaller than when a complex piping is interposed between the air supply pipe 102 and the injection nozzle (for example, the second injection nozzle 104 described later).

[0072] Air jetted from the first jet nozzles 103 provided on the air supply pipe 102a toward the shelf board 22 in a substantially horizontal direction is blown at an acute angle against the lower surfaces of the shelf boards 22 in the container body 21. As a result, the air jet blown from the single air supply pipe 102a can mainly remove water droplets adhering to the lower surfaces of the shelf boards 22. By removing the water droplets from the lower surface of the shelf board 22 first in this manner, it is possible to prevent the upper surface of the shelf board 22 from being wet again by water droplets falling from the lower surface of the shelf board 22 to the upper surface of the shelf board 22 directly below it after removing the water droplets from the upper surface of the shelf board 22 as described below. Furthermore, since air is jetted to the entire inside of the container body 21 as described above at the beginning of a series of droplet removal processes, the jetting of air from the first jet nozzles 103 also acts as a rough droplet removal to reduce the amount of water droplets in the entire container 20. Therefore, each droplet removal process described below can be performed effectively. In the example shown in Figure 8(a), all of the first jet nozzles 103 are the same length, but the length of the first jet nozzles 103 may be changed to match the inclination of the container body 21 so that the distance between the first jet nozzles 103 and the container body 21 does not vary from place to place.

[0073] For ease of explanation, in the following, if the storage space within the container body 21 is divided into four spaces equally spaced vertically, the multiple shelves 22 belonging to the uppermost space will be referred to as the first shelf group, the multiple shelves 22 belonging to the second space from the top will be referred to as the second shelf group, the multiple shelves 22 belonging to the third space from the top will be referred to as the third shelf group, and the multiple shelves 22 belonging to the lowermost space will be referred to as the fourth shelf group.

[0074] Of the five air supply pipes 102 provided in the drip-removal chamber R6, a pair of left and right air supply pipes 102b extending vertically on both the left and right sides of the container 20 are provided as air supply pipes 102 arranged adjacent to the front side of the air supply pipe 102a, as shown in Figure 8(b).

[0075] The right air supply pipe 102b is provided with a plurality of first jet nozzles 103 facing left, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction in correspondence with the first shelf group. Each of the first jet nozzles 103 extends directly from the right air supply pipe 102b. The left air supply pipe 102b is provided with a plurality of second jet nozzles 104 facing right downward, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction in correspondence with the first shelf group. Each of the second jet nozzles 104 extends via a branch pipe erected from the left air supply pipe 102b. The orientation of the second jet nozzle 104 is adjustable in the vertical direction so as to rotate around the branch pipe. The jet pressure of the air jetted from the second jet nozzle 104 is lower than the jet pressure of the air jetted from the first jet nozzle 103 by the amount of pressure loss in the branch pipe located between the air supply pipe 102b and the second jet nozzle 104.

[0076] More specifically, the second injection nozzles 104 are arranged so that one nozzle corresponds to each shelf board 22 belonging to the first shelf board group. In contrast, the first injection nozzles 103 are arranged so that two nozzles correspond to each shelf board 22 belonging to the first shelf board group, one above the other, as shown in FIG.

[0077] Two first jet nozzles 103 (upper and lower) provided on the right air supply pipe 102b blow two leftward air jets, one above the other, at an acute angle to the upper surface of each shelf board 22 belonging to the first shelf board group, mainly to remove droplets from each shelf board 22, and one second jet nozzle 104 provided on the left air supply pipe 102b blows a rightward air jet in a direction that intersects with the upper surface of the shelf board 22 at an acute angle to remove droplets from areas that are difficult to remove with the first jet nozzle. In this way, the air jets blown from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102b can mainly remove water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the multiple shelves 22 belonging to the first shelf board group.

[0078] Furthermore, a lower air jet is blown as a droplet removal jet from the nozzle 103c (see FIG. 11) of the lower first jet nozzle 103a of the two upper and lower first jet nozzles 103, toward the upper surface of the shelf plate 22, and an upper air jet is blown as a guide jet from the nozzle 103c (see FIG. 11) of the upper first jet nozzle 103b so as to sandwich the droplet removal jet between the upper surface of the shelf plate 22. As a result, the water droplets on the upper surface of the shelf plate 22 are mainly blown away by the lower droplet removal jet, while the guide jet flowing above the droplet removal jet pushes the droplet removal jet, the flow velocity of which has decreased due to pressure loss or the like when it comes into contact with the upper surface of the shelf plate 22, in the jetting direction (to the left), thereby suppressing a decrease in the overall flow velocity of the two upper and lower air jets. By blowing out the guide jet along the droplet removal jet, the air jet can be made to flow at a sufficient flow rate over a wider area of ​​the shelf board 22 to remove droplets, compared to when droplets are removed by only a single air jet.

[0079] The first jet nozzle 103 is made of a single cylindrical tube with no irregularities on the inner surface of the nozzle, and the nozzle length is sufficiently longer than the inner diameter of the nozzle. For example, the nozzle length is four times or more the inner diameter of the nozzle. Therefore, the air jet blown from the first jet nozzle 103 has a very high linearity.

[0080] 8(b), the plurality of first jet nozzles 103 all have the same length. Therefore, due to the inclination of the container 20, the distance between the jet ports 103c of the plurality of first jet nozzles 103 and the container body 21 may become larger for the lower first jet nozzles 103, which may weaken the jet force on the shelf board 22. In response to this, in order to make the distance between the jet ports 103c of the plurality of first jet nozzles 103 and the container body 21 the same for all, the length of the first jet nozzles 103 may be made longer for the lower first jet nozzles 103.

[0081] Of the five air supply pipes 102 provided in the drip-removal chamber R6, a pair of left and right air supply pipes 102c extending vertically on both the left and right sides of the container 20 are provided as air supply pipes 102 arranged adjacent to the front side of the air supply pipe 102b, as shown in Figure 9(a).

[0082] The right air supply pipe 102c is provided with a plurality of first jet nozzles 103 facing left, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction to correspond to the second shelf group. The left air supply pipe 102c is provided with a plurality of second jet nozzles 104 facing downward and to the right, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction to correspond to the second shelf group.

[0083] The pair of left and right air supply pipes 102c differ from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102b in which a plurality of first injection nozzles 103 and a plurality of second injection nozzles 104 are provided corresponding to the first shelf group only in that the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102c are provided corresponding to the second shelf group. That is, the air jets blown from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102c can mainly remove water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 belonging to the second shelf group.

[0084] Of the five air supply pipes 102 provided in the drip-removal chamber R6, a pair of left and right air supply pipes 102d extending vertically on both the left and right sides of the container 20 are provided as the air supply pipes 102 arranged adjacent to the front side of the air supply pipe 102c, as shown in Figure 9(b).

[0085] The right air supply pipe 102d is provided with a plurality of first jet nozzles 103 facing left, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction in correspondence with the third shelf group. The left air supply pipe 102d is provided with a plurality of second jet nozzles 104 facing downward and to the right, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction in correspondence with the third shelf group.

[0086] The pair of left and right air supply pipes 102d differs from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102c in which the plurality of first injection nozzles 103 and second injection nozzles 104 are provided corresponding to the third shelf group in that the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102d is provided with a plurality of first injection nozzles 103 and second injection nozzles 104 corresponding to the second shelf group. That is, the air jets blown from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102d can mainly remove water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 belonging to the third shelf group.

[0087] Furthermore, the left air supply pipe 102d is provided with one second jet nozzle 104a facing downward and to the right, corresponding to the upper surface of the container body 21. This makes it possible to remove water droplets adhering to the upper surface of the container body 21 mainly by the air jet blown from the second jet nozzle 104a.

[0088] Of the five air supply pipes 102 provided in the drip-removal chamber R6, a pair of left and right air supply pipes 102e extending vertically on both the left and right sides of the container 20 are provided as the air supply pipes 102 located adjacent to the front of the air supply pipe 102d and positioned at the frontmost side, as shown in Figure 10.

[0089] The right air supply pipe 102e is provided with a plurality of first jet nozzles 103 facing left, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction in correspondence with the fourth shelf group. The left air supply pipe 102e is provided with a plurality of second jet nozzles 104 facing downward and to the right, aligned at equal intervals in the vertical direction in correspondence with the fourth shelf group.

[0090] The pair of left and right air supply pipes 102e differs from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102d provided with a plurality of first injection nozzles 103 and second injection nozzles 104 corresponding to the third shelf group in that the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102e is provided with a plurality of first injection nozzles 103 and second injection nozzles 104 corresponding to the fourth shelf group. That is, the air jets blown from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102e can mainly remove water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 belonging to the fourth shelf group.

[0091] Furthermore, in the left air supply pipe 102e, similar to the left air supply pipe 102d, one second jet nozzle 104a facing downward and to the right is provided in correspondence with the upper surface of the container body 21. This makes it possible to remove water droplets adhering to the upper surface of the container body 21 mainly by the air jet blown from the second jet nozzle 104a.

[0092] As described above, the drip removal process is performed using the drip removal device 4. That is, in the drip removal process, first, the water droplets adhering to the lower surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 are removed by the air jet blown from the air supply pipe 102a, then the water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 belonging to the first shelf group are removed by the air jet blown from the air supply pipe 102b, then the water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 belonging to the second shelf group are removed by the air jet blown from the air supply pipe 102c, then the water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 belonging to the third shelf group are removed by the air jet blown from the air supply pipe 102d, and finally, the water droplets adhering to the upper surfaces of the plurality of shelves 22 belonging to the fourth shelf group are removed by the air jet blown from the air supply pipe 102e. By removing the water droplets in this order, the water droplets adhering to the container 20 can be efficiently removed with a simple configuration. Furthermore, since only the blower 101 is connected to each air supply pipe 102, the drip remover 4 can be constructed compactly, and drips can be removed from the container 20 over a short distance.

[0093] In the above-mentioned drip removal device 4 (see Figures 8 to 10), a pair of left and right air supply pipes 102 extending vertically on both the left and right sides of the container 20 are provided for each of the air supply pipes 102b, 102c, 102d and 102e, a plurality of first injection nozzles 103 are provided in the right air supply pipe 102, and a plurality of second injection nozzles 104 are provided in the left air supply pipe 102.

[0094] In contrast to this, as shown in Figures 12 to 14, for each of the air supply pipes 102b, 102c, 102d and 102e, a pair of left and right air supply pipes 102 inclined to the right (with respect to the vertical direction) by an inclination angle greater than the inclination angle of the container 20 to the right (= first angle (= acute angle)) may be provided on both the left and right sides of the container 20, and a plurality of first injection nozzles 103 may be provided in the left air supply pipe 102, and a plurality of second injection nozzles 104 may be provided in the right air supply pipe 102.

[0095] In the example shown in Figs. 12 to 14, a leftward air jet is blown from a corresponding second jet nozzle 104 provided on the right air supply pipe 102 in a direction intersecting at an acute angle onto the upper surface of each corresponding shelf board 22, and two upper and lower air jets are blown from corresponding two upper and lower first jet nozzles 103 provided on the left air supply pipe 102 in a direction intersecting at an acute angle onto the upper surface of each corresponding shelf board 22. As a result, as in the above-mentioned drip removal device 4 (see Figs. 8 to 10), the air jets blown from the pair of left and right air supply pipes 102 can mainly remove water droplets adhering to the upper surface of each corresponding shelf board 22. Furthermore, in this example, the two upper and lower first jet nozzles 103 that mainly remove drips from the shelf board 22 are located on the higher side of the shelf board 22 that is inclined to the left and right, so that the water droplets removed by the first jet nozzle 103 tend to flow to the lower side of the shelf board 22, and the water droplets can be removed more efficiently.

[0096] The water droplets removed from the container 20 by the drip removal device 4 are collected in a drain tank 93 (see FIG. 1) provided in the lower space R1 below the drip removal chamber R6. The water collected in the drain tank 93 is discharged to the outside of the cleaning machine 1 through a drain outlet 94 provided in the drain tank 93.

[0097] <Actions and Effects> According to the conveying device 2 of the washer 1 of this embodiment, both wheels in the width direction (left and right direction) of the container 20 are placed on the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53, and the conveying chain 43 (i.e., the conveyor) of at least one of the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53 (the first conveying path 49 in this example) is driven along the conveying path, so that the container 20 can be conveyed in the washer 1. This makes it possible to convey the container 20 without the need for an operation of assembling a towing tool to the container 20 or an operation of an operator checking the assembly, as in the conveying mechanism of the conventional washer described above. Furthermore, there is no need to provide a special member for towing the container 20. Therefore, the conveying device 2 of the washer 1 of this embodiment has excellent workability in conveying the container 20 while having a simple configuration.

[0098] Furthermore, according to the conveying device 2 of the cleaning machine 1 according to this embodiment, one of the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53 (in this example, the second conveying path 53) has a horizontal running portion 52c at a different position (lower in this example) in the vertical direction than the other of the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53 (in this example, the first conveying path 49), and a second inclined portion 52d continuous with the horizontal running portion 52c and inclined toward the other of the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path (in this example, the first conveying path 49). As a result, the horizontal running portion 52c can convey the container 20 in a state in which the other side in the width direction (i.e., the side corresponding to the second conveying path 53) is supported in an inclined position so that it is positioned lower than the one side in the width direction (i.e., the side corresponding to the first conveying path 49). As a result, when the container 20 is washed, the inclination of the container 20 itself causes the washing water attached to the container 20 to flow down, thereby preventing the washing water from remaining in the container 20. Furthermore, by returning the container 20 after cleaning from an inclined position to an upright position by the second inclined portion 52d, the container 20 after cleaning can be easily carried out from the transport device 2, etc.

[0099] Furthermore, according to the conveying device 2 of the cleaning machine 1 according to this embodiment, the container 20 can be efficiently conveyed by locking the front caster 23 of the container 20 with the front wheel protrusion 47 on the horizontal running section 52c to suppress the idling of the front caster 23. Furthermore, in the second inclined section 52d, even if the front wheel protrusion 47 separates from the front caster 23 while the front wheel protrusion 47 pushes the front caster 23 of the container 20 forward and the container 20 climbs the second inclined section 52d, the rear wheel protrusion 48 quickly engages with the rear caster 24 and pushes the rear caster 24 forward, so that the container 20 can climb the second inclined section 52d. As a result, even if the second conveying path 53 has the horizontal running section 52c and the second inclined section 52d, the container 20 can be efficiently conveyed.

[0100] Furthermore, according to the cleaning machine 1 of this embodiment, the container 20 can be cleaned by transporting the container 20 with the transport device 2 and spraying cleaning water onto the container 20 from the water spray nozzles 65, 75. This makes the cleaning machine 1 excellent in terms of operability for a series of operations including transporting and cleaning the container 20.

[0101] <Other forms> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications, improvements, etc. are possible. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0102] In the above embodiment, in the conveying device 2, the first conveying path 49 is provided with the front wheel protrusion 47 and the rear wheel protrusion 48. In contrast, the front wheel protrusion 47 and the rear wheel protrusion 48 do not have to be provided on the first conveying path 49. Furthermore, instead of the front wheel protrusion 47 and the rear wheel protrusion 48, an engagement member configured not to engage with the wheel portions of the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 but to directly engage with the main body portions of the front caster 23 and the rear caster 24 may be provided.

[0103] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in the conveying device 2, only the first conveying path 49 is configured to have the conveying chain 43 (i.e., the conveyor 7). In contrast to this, the second conveying path 53 may also be configured to have a conveyor such as a conveying chain, similar to the first conveying path 49. In this case, the conveyor of the second conveying path 53 may also be provided with the front wheel protrusion 47 and the rear wheel protrusion 48, similar to the first conveying path 49.

[0104] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in the drip removal device 4, two upper and lower air jets are sprayed from two upper and lower first jet nozzles 103 to the upper surface of each shelf board 22. In contrast, three or more vertically aligned air jets may be sprayed from three or more vertically aligned first jet nozzles 103 to the upper surface of each shelf board 22.

[0105] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the container 20 is configured so that the storage space can be closed by opening and closing the right and left openings of the container body 21 with the doors 25. However, the container 20 does not necessarily need to have the door 25, and a container 20 that does not have the door 25 may be washed with the washer 1.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first conveying path 49 on which the conveying chain 43 (i.e., the conveyor 7) is provided is located above the second conveying path 53 in a portion of the conveying path (i.e., the horizontal running portion 52c). In contrast, the first conveying path 49 may be configured to be located below the second conveying path 53 in a portion of the conveying path (for example, the horizontal running portion 52c), or the first conveying path 49 and the second conveying path 53 may be configured to be at the same position in the up-down direction throughout the entire conveying path (i.e., the first inclined portion 52b and the second inclined portion 52d do not exist).

[0107] Here, the features of the embodiments of the transfer device 2 and the cleaning device 3 of the cleaning machine 1 according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4]. [1] A conveying device (2) for conveying a container (20) having wheels (23, 24) along a predetermined conveying route, comprising: a first conveying path (49) on one side of the width direction of the conveying path on which the wheels (23, 24) of the container (20) can be placed, and a second conveying path (53) on the other side of the width direction on which the wheels (23, 24) of the container (20) can be placed, At least one of the first conveying path (49) and the second conveying path (53) is a conveyor (7) for conveying the placed wheels (23, 24), and the container (20) is conveyed along the conveying path by driving the conveyor (7) along the conveying path; Container transport equipment (2). [2] In the conveying device (2) described in the above [1], One of the first conveying path (49) and the second conveying path (53) is a running portion (52c) that is at a different position in the vertical direction of the conveying path compared to the other of the first conveying path (49) and the second conveying path (53), and an inclined portion (52b, 52d) that is continuous with the running portion (52c) and inclined so as to approach the other of the first conveying path (49) and the second conveying path (53) in the vertical direction; Container transport equipment (2). [3] In the conveying device (2) described in the above [2], The conveyor (7) a front wheel protrusion (47) for engaging a front wheel (23) which is the wheel located at the front of the conveying path, and a rear wheel protrusion (48) for engaging a rear wheel (24) which is the wheel located at the rear of the conveying path, the rear wheel protrusion (48) being spaced apart from the front wheel protrusion (47) by a distance (D2) which is wider than the distance (D3) between the front wheel (23) and the rear wheel (24); Container transport equipment (2). [4] A cleaning device (3) including the conveying device (2) according to any one of the above [1] to [3], a water injection nozzle (65, 75) for injecting cleaning water toward the container (20) on the conveying path; and cleaning the container (20) with a jet of cleaning water. Container cleaning equipment (3). [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1. Cleaning machine 2. Conveyor device 3. Cleaning equipment 7 Conveyor 20 Container 22 Shelf 23 Front caster (wheel, front wheel) 24 Rear caster (wheel, rear wheel) 43 Conveyor Chain 47 Front wheel protrusion 48 Rear wheel protrusion 49 First conveyor route 52b 1st slope part (slope part) 52c Horizontal running part (running part) 52d 2nd slope part (slope part) 53 Bottom plate, second conveying path 65 Water Injection Nozzle 75 Water Injection Nozzle

Claims

1. A conveying device for conveying a container equipped with wheels along a predetermined conveying route, comprising: a first conveying path on which the wheels of the container can be placed on one side of the width direction of the conveying path, and a second conveying path on which the wheels of the container can be placed on the other side of the width direction, At least one of the first transport path and the second transport path is The container is configured such that protrusions for engaging the wheels are fixed at predetermined intervals, a conveyor is provided for transporting the placed wheels, and the wheels are engaged with the protrusions by driving the conveyor along the transport path, thereby transporting the container along the transport path. Container transport equipment.

2. 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, One of the first transport path and the second transport path is a running portion that is at a different position in the vertical direction of the conveying path than the other of the first conveying path and the second conveying path, and an inclined portion that is continuous with the running portion and inclined so as to approach the other of the first conveying path and the second conveying path in the vertical direction, Container transport equipment.

3. 3. The conveying device according to claim 2, The protrusion fixed to the conveyor is a front wheel protrusion for engaging a front wheel that is the wheel located at the front of the transport path, and a rear wheel protrusion for engaging a rear wheel that is the wheel located at the rear of the transport path, the rear of the front wheel protrusion being spaced apart from the transport path by a distance greater than the distance between the front and rear wheels; Container transport equipment.

4. A cleaning apparatus comprising the conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a water injection nozzle that injects cleaning water toward the container on the transport path; and cleaning the container with a jet of cleaning water. Container cleaning equipment.

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