Pump for stationary cleaning

Abstract

To provide a stationary washing pump capable of preventing a valve from twisting and falling when the valve is in operation.SOLUTION: A stationary washing pump 1 includes: a first housing 10 connected to a tank that stores liquid and / or composition for oral cavity; a valve 23 to control movements of the liquid and / or composition for oral cavity; a body part 20 having a pivot 24 to be connected with a drive lever so as to operate the valve; a control valve 30 configured in such way that the pivot can be arranged and operation of the valve can be controlled; and a ceiling member 40 provided between the valve and the control valve, and furthermore includes: at least one first bearing 51 to receive force in a rotation direction of the pivot 24; and a second bearing (thrust bearing) 52 to receive force in an axial direction of the pivot 24, the second bearing 52 provided between a first receiving surface 24M formed on a base end side of the pivot and a second receiving surface 30M formed on a base end side of the control valve.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pump for stationary cleaning.

Background Art

[0002] Pumps equipped with valves configured to control the movement of fluids have been known previously.

[0003] Generally, when manually performing cleaning, sterilization, etc. on equipment such as pumps, it is necessary to disassemble the components, and the work tends to become complicated. Therefore, in recent years, a stationary cleaning (CIP: cleaning in place) function that can automatically perform cleaning and sterilization on systems including equipment such as pumps has been added (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when attempting to perform cleaning, sterilization, etc. by adding a stationary cleaning function to equipment with a large number of components and small clearances between parts, it may be difficult to clean even the details of each component. Therefore, equipment with an added stationary cleaning function needs to reduce the number of components and increase the clearances between parts so that the cleaning liquid can easily clean the inside of the equipment in order to specialize in the stationary cleaning function.

[0006] For example, a valve (a conventional valve not corresponding to stationary cleaning) configured to rotate by connecting a pivot (pivot shaft) to a drive source is generally formed with the valve and the pivot as separate bodies, and the pivot is connected to the tip surface of the valve. However, when the valve and the pivot are integrally formed to reduce the number of components constituting the pump, the radial load generated when the valve operates and the thrust load generated when the piston is stroked in the front-rear direction concentrate on the proximal end side of the pivot, and when the valve operates, problems such as the valve being twisted or falling over occur. Further, when the valve is twisted or falls over, the components constituting the stationary cleaning pump interfere with each other, and when each component is damaged, problems such as a decrease in functionality and durability occur.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the problems associated with the above prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a stationary cleaning pump that suppresses the valve from being twisted or falling over when the valve operates.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The stationary cleaning pump of the present invention for achieving the above object is an inlet connected to a tank for storing a liquid and / or an oral composition, an outlet capable of discharging the liquid and / or the oral composition flowing in from the inlet, and a first housing having a first internal space provided between the inlet and the outlet. A piston movable from the inlet to the outlet for the liquid and / or the oral composition, a cylinder capable of accommodating the piston, and a valve disposed in the first internal space and configured to rotate when actuated, the valve partially accommodating the tip of the piston when the piston moves forward in the cylinder and configured to control the movement of the liquid and / or the oral composition caused by the operation of the piston; a pivot provided on the tip side of the valve and joined to a drive lever for actuating the valve, and a main body portion configured such that when the valve is actuated, the valve and the pivot reciprocate within a range of 90 degrees in the rotational direction. A second housing having a second internal space in which the pivot can be disposed, and a control valve configured to be able to control the operation of the valve. A sealing member provided between the valve and the control valve and disposed adjacent to the inlet and the outlet. At least one first bearing provided on the pivot disposed in the second housing and receiving the force of the pivot in the rotational direction. Further comprising a second bearing provided between a first receiving surface formed on the proximal end side of the pivot and a second receiving surface formed on the proximal end side of the second housing and opposing the first receiving surface, the second bearing receiving the axial force of the pivot.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the stationary cleaning pump configured as described above, by providing a second bearing (thrust bearing) on the proximal end side of the pivot integrally formed with the valve, the thrust load generated during the operation of the valve can be absorbed by the thrust bearing. Therefore, the stationary cleaning pump can suppress the twisting and falling of the valve caused by the application of a thrust load on the proximal end side of the pivot, and can improve the functionality and durability of each component constituting the stationary cleaning pump.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown here are examples for embodying the technical idea of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Also, all other possible embodiments, examples, and operation techniques that can be conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention are included in the scope and gist of the present invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

[0012] In addition, the drawings attached to this specification may be changed from the actual object and schematically represented in terms of scale, vertical and horizontal dimension ratios, shape, etc. for the convenience of illustration and easy understanding, but this is merely an example and does not limit the interpretation of the present invention.

[0013] Also, in the following description, when ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used for explanation, unless otherwise specified, they are used for convenience and do not define any order.

[0014] The stationary cleaning pump 1 of this embodiment is a pump configured to be able to fill an oral composition in a container (not shown), and has a function of automatically cleaning the inside of the pump with a cleaning liquid or the like without disassembling the pump.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stationary cleaning pump 1 includes a tank (not shown) capable of storing a liquid and / or an oral composition, a first housing 10 connected to the tank, a main body 20 disposed within the first housing 10 and including a valve 23 that controls the movement of the liquid and / or oral composition within the first housing 10, a control valve 30 configured to be able to control the operation of the valve 23, a sealing member 40 provided between the valve 23 and the control valve 30, and a plurality of bearings 50 that receive the force generated between the valve 23 and the control valve 30 during the operation of the valve 23.

[0016] As used herein, "liquid" is, for example, a cleaning liquid for stationary cleaning. Also, "oral composition" is, for example, toothpaste.

[0017] The tank includes a pipe (not shown), and the liquid and / or oral composition stored in the tank flows into the first housing 10 through the pipe.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the first housing 10 includes an inlet 11 connected to the pipe (not shown) of the tank, an outlet 12 through which the liquid and / or oral composition flowing in from the inlet 11 can be discharged, and a first internal space 13 provided between the inlet 11 and the outlet 12.

[0019] The outlet 12 of the first housing 10 is connected to a filling portion (not shown) capable of filling the oral composition into a container (not shown). Note that the discharging portion (not shown) provided in the filling portion is configured to be able to discharge the liquid flowing inside the stationary cleaning pump 1 to the outside of the stationary cleaning pump 1 when the stationary cleaning pump 1 performs stationary cleaning (that is, when no container is attached to the discharging portion).

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the main body 20 includes a piston 21 capable of moving a liquid and / or an oral composition from the inlet 11 toward the outlet 12, a cylinder 22 capable of accommodating the piston 21, a valve 23 for controlling the movement of the liquid and / or the oral composition within the first housing 10 as the piston 21 moves within the cylinder 22, and a pivot (also referred to as a support shaft) 24 provided on the tip side of the valve 23.

[0021] When the piston 21 moves forward within the cylinder 22 (the tip of the piston 21 moves from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1), the liquid and / or the oral composition that has flowed into the valve 23 can be moved to the outside of the valve 23 (the outlet 12 of the first housing 10). By alternately repeating the forward and backward movements of the piston 21 within the cylinder 22, the liquid and / or the oral composition that has flowed into the first housing 10 from the inlet 11 via the valve 23 can be moved to the outlet 12 of the first housing 10.

[0022] The valve 23 is disposed on the tip side of the cylinder 22 and includes a housing portion 23S (see Fig. 2) capable of at least partially accommodating the piston 21 that moves forward within the cylinder 22.

[0023] The valve 23 is provided with a plurality of holes formed along the circumferential direction (for example, four holes formed every 90 degrees, not shown). The liquid and / or the oral composition that has flowed into the first housing 10 flows into the housing portion 23S from one hole of the valve 23 disposed on the inlet 11 side, and when the valve 23 rotates 90 degrees in the rotational direction with respect to the axis of the pivot 24, it is discharged from another hole disposed on the outlet 12 side of the first housing 10.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, the pivot 24 is disposed in the first internal space 13 of the first housing 10. Further, the valve 23 and the pivot 24 are configured to reciprocate within a range of 90 degrees in the rotational direction with respect to the axis of the pivot 24 when the valve 23 operates.

[0025] The control valve 30 includes a drive lever (not shown) that operates the valve 23 by being joined to the pivot 24, and a second housing 31 having a second internal space in which the pivot 24 can be disposed. The drive lever is located on the back surface 30u side of the control valve 30 (see FIG. 2. Here, the back surface 30u refers to the surface that faces the front surface when the front side is defined as the front surface of the control valve 30 from the cross section shown in FIG. 2.).

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sealing member 40 is disposed adjacent to the inlet 11 and the outlet 12. Therefore, the sealing member 40 can prevent the liquid and / or oral composition that has flowed into the first housing 10 from flowing out toward the control valve 30 during the operation of the valve 23. The sealing member 40 is provided, for example, on the surface where the valve 23 contacts the control valve 30 (the surface where the first housing 10 contacts the valve 23 or the control valve 30).

[0027] The bearing 50 is composed of a ball bearing 51 (corresponding to the "first bearing") that receives a force in the rotational direction (radial direction) and a ball bearing 52 (corresponding to the "second bearing", hereinafter referred to as a thrust bearing in the following description) that receives a force in the axial direction (thrust direction) of the pivot 24.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two ball bearings 51 that receive a force in the radial direction are provided on the tip side 24a of the pivot 24. The positions of the ball bearings 51 are fixed by a spacer provided between the ball bearings 51. The number of ball bearings 51 provided on the pivot 24 is at least one, and preferably two as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one thrust bearing 52 that receives a force in the thrust direction is provided on the base end side 24b of the pivot 24.

[0030] Note that as long as the bearing 50 can receive forces in a specific direction, its configuration is not limited, and the type and structure of the bearing are not particularly limited.

[0031] Conventional pumps that do not support the stationary cleaning function had a separate valve and pivot, and only a bearing that receives radial forces was provided on the pivot. At this time, since the valve was configured to be in surface contact with the control valve, the conventional pump was designed to withstand the thrust load when the piston stroked in the front-rear direction. Also, in conventional pumps, generally, the pivot was made of a metal material (e.g., stainless steel), and the valve was made of a resin material (e.g., polyacetal (POM)), so the valve could be rotated while being in contact in the circumferential direction. Therefore, in conventional pumps, it was possible to configure the valve so that it was less affected by the radial load or no problems occurred even if the valve was affected by the radial load.

[0032] However, since the stationary cleaning pump is specialized for the stationary cleaning function, it is necessary to reduce the number of components constituting the pump and expand the clearance of each part so that the cleaning liquid can easily clean the inside of the stationary cleaning pump. Therefore, the valve and the pivot were integrally molded, and the material constituting the valve was changed from a resin material to the same metal material as the material constituting the pivot. Therefore, when the operation of rotating the valve while being in contact in the circumferential direction is performed, problems are likely to occur, and there is a risk that the radial load will concentrate on the proximal end side of the pivot. Also, due to the integration of the valve and the pivot, the thrust load generated when the piston strokes in the front-rear direction cannot be received by the front end face (front face) of the valve, and it is necessary to receive the thrust load on the proximal end side of the pivot. Therefore, it was necessary for the pivot to receive loads in both the radial and thrust load directions alone. Therefore, when the valve operates, problems such as the valve being twisted or tilted, the sealing member being impacted and the sealing performance being reduced, the inside of the control valve or the bearing being impacted and damaged, and the pivot being unevenly worn can easily be inferred to occur.

[0033] Therefore, the stationary cleaning pump 1 according to the present embodiment has been improved as follows.

[0034] (1) The pitch d (see FIG. 2) of each ball bearing 51 disposed within the control valve 30 and receiving radial force was reduced. By offsetting each ball bearing 51 to the tip side 24a of the pivot 24, the thickness required for installing the ball bearing 51 was reduced.

[0035] (2) A first receiving surface 24M (see FIG. 2) was formed on the base end side 24b of the pivot 24 of the main body 20, and a second receiving surface 30M (see FIG. 2) was formed on the base end side of the second housing 31 of the control valve 30, and a thrust bearing 52 for receiving thrust force was newly installed between the first receiving surface 24M and the second receiving surface 30M. At this time, in order to provide the thrust bearing 52 on the tip side of the valve 23, a recess 24R (see FIG. 2) was formed in the valve 23, and the second receiving surface 30M was formed in the recess 24R, thereby expanding the plane formed at the base end portion of the pivot 24 while making the recess 24R shallower, and sufficiently securing a configuration surface for supporting the thrust bearing 52.

[0036] By configuring the stationary cleaning pump 1 as described above, the stationary cleaning pump 1 can cause the thrust bearing 52 to absorb the thrust load generated during the operation of the valve 23. Therefore, the stationary cleaning pump 1 can suppress the occurrence of torsion or tilting in the valve 23 due to the application of a thrust load to the proximal end side 24b of the pivot 24, and can (1) improve the durability of the pivot 24, (2) improve the durability of the sealing member 40, and (3) improve the durability of the bearing 50. Further, by improving the functionality of the components constituting the stationary cleaning pump 1 (optimizing the components constituting the stationary cleaning pump 1), it can be expected to (4) improve the filling accuracy of the oral composition and (5) improve the accuracy of stationary cleaning (avoid the risk of leakage of the oral composition, etc. and leakage of liquids such as cleaning water). In addition, the stationary cleaning pump 1 can suppress the occurrence of torsion or tilting in the valve 23, so that when the metal valve 23 is twisted or tilted, interference between the components (for example, interference between the valve 23 and the control valve 30) occurs, and it can be expected to reduce the risk of foreign substances such as metal entering the flow path of the stationary cleaning pump 1.

[0037] <Function and effect> As described above, the stationary cleaning pump 1 according to the present embodiment an inlet 11 connected to a tank (not shown) for storing a liquid and / or an oral composition, an outlet 12 capable of discharging the liquid and / or the oral composition flowing in from the inlet 11, and a first housing 10 having a first internal space 13 provided between the inlet 11 and the outlet A piston 21 movable from an inlet 11 toward an outlet 12 for a liquid and / or oral composition, a cylinder 22 capable of accommodating the piston 21, a cylinder capable of accommodating the piston 21, and a valve disposed in a first internal space 13 and configured to rotate when actuated. When the piston 21 moves forward in the cylinder 22, the valve 23 partially accommodates the tip of the piston 21 and is configured to control the movement of the liquid and / or oral composition caused by the operation of the piston 21. The valve 23 is provided with a pivot 24 on the tip side thereof and joined to a drive lever so as to actuate the valve 23. When the valve 23 is actuated, the valve 23 and the pivot 24 are configured to reciprocate within a range of 90 degrees in the rotational direction with respect to the axis of the pivot 24, and a main body portion 20; A second housing 31 having a second internal space configured to be able to dispose the pivot 24, and a control valve 30 configured to be able to control the operation of the valve 23; A sealing member 40 provided between the valve 23 and the control valve 30 and disposed adjacent to the inlet 11 and the outlet 12. Further, the stationary cleaning pump 1 includes at least one first bearing 51 provided on a pivot 24 disposed in the second housing 31 and receiving a force in the rotational direction of the pivot 24; A first receiving surface 24M formed on the proximal end side 24b of the pivot 24, and a second bearing (thrust bearing) 52 provided between the first receiving surface 24M and a second receiving surface 30M formed on the proximal end side of the second housing 31 and facing the first receiving surface 24M, and receiving an axial force of the pivot 24.

[0038] According to the stationary cleaning pump 1 configured as described above, when the valve 23 is actuated, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of torsion or tilting in the valve 23, and improve the functionality and durability of each component constituting the stationary cleaning pump 1.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0039] 1 Stationary cleaning pump, 10 First housing, 11 Inlet, 12 discharge ports, 13 the first internal space, 20 body part, 21 piston, 22 cylinder, 23 valve, 24 pivot, 24M the first receiving surface, 30 control valve, 30M the second receiving surface, 31 the second housing, 40 sealing member, 51 the first bearing, 52 the second bearing (thrust bearing).

Claims

【Claim 1】 An inlet connected to a tank for storing a liquid and / or an oral composition, an outlet capable of discharging the liquid and / or the oral composition flowing in from the inlet, a first housing having a first internal space provided between the inlet and the outlet, a piston capable of moving the liquid and / or the oral composition from the inlet toward the outlet, a cylinder capable of accommodating the piston, and a valve disposed in the first internal space and configured to rotate when actuated, the valve having a receiving portion that partially accommodates a tip portion of the piston when the piston moves forward in the cylinder, and configured to control the movement of the liquid and / or the oral composition generated by the operation of the piston in the first internal space; a pivot provided to extend from the valve toward the tip side in the forward movement direction of the piston and joined to a drive lever for actuating the valve, and a main body portion configured such that when the valve is actuated, the valve and the pivot reciprocate within a range of 90 degrees in the rotational direction with respect to the axis of the pivot, a second housing having a second internal space configured to be able to dispose the pivot, and a control valve configured to be able to control the operation of the valve, a sealing member provided between the valve and the control valve and disposed adjacent to the inlet and the outlet, at least one first bearing provided on the pivot disposed in the second housing and receiving the force of the pivot in the rotational direction, a stationary cleaning pump further having a second bearing provided between a first receiving surface formed on a portion of the pivot located on the proximal end side with respect to the forward movement direction of the piston and disposed to face at least a part of the second housing, and a second receiving surface formed on a portion of the second housing located on the proximal end side with respect to the forward movement direction of the piston in the second internal space and facing the first receiving surface, and receiving the axial force of the pivot.

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