Cleaning equipment

Abstract

To provide a washing device suitable for a container.SOLUTION: In a washing device 100, a drawer 20 moves downward in a housing 10 while a holder 40 holds a container 300. In this process, a cutter 50 cuts the container 300 along a vertical direction 7 and divides the container 300 into two. In a process of guiding a left divided body 306 and a right divided body 307 downward by a guide 60, the left divided body 306 and the right divided body 307 are expanded so as to make their inner surfaces face forward. An injection portion 80 jets liquid while a support portion 70 supports the left divided body 306 and the right divided body 307 whose inner surfaces face forward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning device. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, designated containers and packaging bearing recycling identification marks for plastic containers and packaging are required to be disposed of as recyclable waste. However, if contents remain in the designated containers and packaging, they cannot be disposed of as recyclable waste. Patent Document 1 describes a processing device 100 for designated containers and packaging. In the processing device 100, designated containers and packaging are fed into a hopper 90 and then guided to a cutting device 10 having two sets of rotating cutters A and B. The cutting device 10 cuts the designated containers and packaging into small pieces using the rotating cutters A and B to create plastic fragments. The cutting device 10 is provided with multiple cleaning liquid spray nozzles 31 directed toward the rotating cutters A and B. The cleaning liquid spray nozzles 31 spray cleaning liquid toward the rotating cutters A and B to wash off any contents adhering to the plastic fragments. The plastic fragments fall from the cutting device 10 into a container 41. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-059130 (see Figs. 1 and 4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, cleaning liquid is sprayed from a cleaning liquid spray nozzle 31 toward rotating cutters A and B as the plastic pieces fall from the cutting processing section 10 toward the container 41. However, with this configuration, the cleaning liquid may not reach the contents adhering to the plastic pieces. Even if the cleaning liquid does reach the contents adhering to the plastic pieces, the plastic pieces are blown away by the cleaning liquid (i.e., the jet), so not all of the contents adhering to the plastic pieces are necessarily washed off from the plastic pieces.

[0005] Furthermore, specific container packaging includes tube- or bottle-shaped containers containing mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard paste, wasabi paste, etc. Cleaning the inside of these containers by hand is extremely time-consuming. Furthermore, since containers are often discarded with a significant amount of content remaining, it is extremely difficult to wash away the content of the container using the cleaning device 100 described in Patent Document 1.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device suitable for containers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) The cleaning device of the present invention comprises a housing having an upward first opening, a drawer that can move up and down relative to the housing through the first opening and has a forward-facing second opening and a downward-facing third opening that intersect the vertical direction, a holder that supports the container to be cleaned within the drawer, a cutter that is located within the drawer when it is stored in the housing and has teeth that extend in the forward direction, guides that are located below the cutting edge of the cutter and on both sides of the cutting edge of the cutter in a left-right direction that intersects the forward and vertical directions, and that guide each of the divided pieces of the container to be cleaned cut by the cutter so that their inner surfaces face forward, a support part that supports the divided pieces whose inner surfaces face forward, and an injection part that injects liquid onto the inner surfaces of the divided pieces supported by the support part.

[0008] According to the above configuration, as the drawer moves downward within the housing with the container supported by the holder, the container is cut vertically by the cutter's cutting edge and divided into two. As each divided body is guided downward by the guide, it is unfolded by the guide so that the inner surface of each divided body faces forward. The sprayer sprays liquid while each divided body with its inner surface facing forward is supported by the support part, thereby cleaning the inner surface of the container. This allows the contents of the container to be washed away efficiently.

[0009] (2) The guide has a first inclined surface that extends downward and to the left and right from a position below the cutter, and a second inclined surface that is connected to the first inclined surface and protrudes forward as it extends downward.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the orientation of the divided body of the container to be cleaned is changed by the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface. In other words, there is no need to use a motor to change the orientation of the divided body. This reduces the manufacturing cost of the cleaning device.

[0011] (3) The guide further includes a return plate that protrudes in the left-right direction from the front end and the bottom end of the first inclined surface.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the return plate prevents the divided body from rotating too much.

[0013] (4) The spray unit is a plurality of nozzles that spray liquid backward. The plurality of nozzles are arranged in a vertical and horizontal direction. The cleaning device further includes a controller. The controller sequentially switches the spray of liquid from the upper nozzles to the lower nozzles among the plurality of nozzles.

[0014] The liquid (i.e., jet) from the nozzles blows away the contents of the container to be cleaned. According to the above process, the lower nozzles are controlled to spray liquid after the upper nozzles. This reduces the amount of contents blown upward, and prevents the contents from re-adhering to the container to be cleaned.

[0015] (5) The cleaning device further includes a sensor that outputs a signal indicating the range of the divided body supported by the support part in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the controller causes the liquid to be ejected from the nozzles corresponding to the range indicated by the output signal of the sensor.

[0016] Spraying of liquid that does not hit the inner surface of the container to be cleaned is suppressed.

[0017] (6) The drawer has first and second inner surfaces facing each other in the left-right direction. The holder has a first cylindrical body extending in one direction in the left-right direction from the first inner surface, a first spring housed in the first cylindrical body, a first clamping member slidably provided in the left-right direction at the extending end of the first cylindrical body and biased by the first spring in one direction in the left-right direction, a second cylindrical body extending in the other direction in the left-right direction from the second inner surface, a second spring housed in the second cylindrical body, and a second clamping member slidably provided in the left-right direction at the extending end of the second cylindrical body and facing the first clamping member and biased by the second spring in the other direction in the left-right direction.

[0018] According to the above configuration, the holder can support containers to be cleaned of different sizes, that is, the cleaning device can clean containers to be cleaned of different sizes.

[0019] (7) The cleaning device further includes a release mechanism that, when the first clamping member and the second clamping member reach a position below the cutting edge in the vertical direction during the downward movement of the drawer, moves the first clamping member in the other left-right direction against the force of the first spring urging the first clamping member, and moves the second clamping member in one left-right direction against the force of the second spring urging the second clamping member.

[0020] The release mechanism separates the divided parts of the container to be cleaned from the holder and guides them downward by the guides.

[0021] (8) The support portion faces the nozzle and has a suction surface that supports the divided body by suction.

[0022] According to the above configuration, the container to be cleaned is sucked onto the suction surface, so that the container to be cleaned is maintained facing the nozzle.

[0023] (9) The cleaning device further includes a pressing member that is movable to a first position that does not face the suction surface in the front-to-rear direction and a second position that faces the suction surface in the front-to-rear direction, and a linkage mechanism that moves the pressing member from the first position to the second position as the drawer is moved downward.

[0024] According to the above configuration, the container to be cleaned is pressed against the suction surface by the pressing member, so that the suction surface can easily suck in the container to be cleaned. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, a cleaning device suitable for tubular containers can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1A is a perspective view showing the cleaning device 100 when the drawer 20 is in the mounting position 402, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the cleaning device 100 when the drawer 20 has been removed from the housing 10. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the housing 10 of the cleaning device 100. [Figure 3] 3A is a front view of the holder 40, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIB-IIIB in FIG. 3A, seen from above. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a cleaning device 100. [Figure 5]1A is a front view of the support part 70, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the ejection part 80. FIG. [Figure 6] (A) is a cross-section taken along line VIA-VIA in FIG. 5(A) as seen from the left, and (B) is a longitudinal cross-section taken along line VIB-VIB in FIG. 5(A) as seen from the right. [Figure 7] (A) is a front view of the left holding portion 714, left interlocking mechanism 715, right holding portion 716 and right interlocking mechanism 717 when the drawer 20 is in the mounting position 402, and (B) is a left side view of the left holding portion 714 and left interlocking mechanism 715 when the drawer 20 is in the mounting position 402. [Figure 8] (A) is a left side view of the left holding portion 714 and the left interlocking mechanism 715 when the upper end of the drawer 20 is at the fifth position 408, and (B) is a left side view of the left holding portion 714 and the left interlocking mechanism 715 when the engagement piece 7153 abuts against the teeth of the left gear 7142. [Figure 9] (A) is a left side view of the left pressure member 714 and the left interlocking mechanism 715 when the left pressure bar 7141 is in the second position 405, and (B) is a left side view of the left pressure member 714 and the left interlocking mechanism 715 when the left pressure bar 7141 moves from the second position 405 to the first position 404. [Figure 10] 1A is a top view of the release mechanism 120, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the release mechanism 120. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a front view of the release mechanism 120 when the drawer 20 is in the mounting position 402. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] A cleaning device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely one example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a vertical direction 7 is defined based on the use position in which the cleaning device 100 (see FIG. 1) is installed on an installation surface 200 so that it can be used. A front-to-rear direction 8 is defined with the side where the dustbin 30 is located as the front, and a left-to-right direction 9 is defined when the cleaning device 100 is viewed from the front. The vertical direction 7, the front-to-rear direction 8, and the left-to-right direction 9 are perpendicular to one another.

[0028] [Overview of the cleaning device 100, container 300] As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device 100 is an apparatus for cleaning the inside of a container 300 (an example of a container to be cleaned) and includes a housing 10, a drawer 20, and a trash receptacle 30. The container 300 is a type of specified container packaging that is marked with a recycle identification mark for plastic container packaging. The container 300 is made of a flexible resin material and has a tube or bottle shape. The container 300 has a neck 301, a body 302, and a bottom 303, and stores semi-solid contents. The tip of the neck 301 is formed with a squeeze spout 304 for squeezing the contents. The outer periphery of the neck 301 is formed with a screw 305 for attaching a cap (not shown). The tip of the body 302 is continuous with the end of the neck 301. The end of the body 302 is closed by the bottom 303. The contents are typically ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard paste, or wasabi paste.

[0029] [Case 10] The housing 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and has an upper wall 11 and a front wall 12. An upward-facing opening 13 (an example of a first opening) is formed in the upper wall 11. A forward-facing opening 14 is formed near the lower end of the front wall 12. The openings 13 and 14 are rectangular in shape.

[0030] 1(A) shows a vertical center plane 4. The vertical center plane 4 is an imaginary plane that passes through the center of the front wall 12 in the left-right direction 9 and is parallel to both the up-down direction 7 and the front-back direction 8. Hereinafter, the term "bilaterally symmetrical" means symmetry in the left-right direction 9 with the vertical center plane 4 as the reference.

[0031] [Drawer 20] The drawer 20 is moved by the user in the vertical direction 7 within the housing 10 through the opening 13. Specifically, the drawer 20 is inserted into the housing 10 through the opening 13, and is moved downward within the housing 10 until it reaches the mounting position 402 (position in FIG. 1(A)) within the housing 10. The drawer 20 is moved upward from the mounting position 402 and removed from the opening 13 (see FIG. 1(B)).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the drawer 20 is a box-shaped body having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and has multiple outer walls: an upper wall 21, a rear wall 22, a left wall 23, and a right wall 24. The upper wall 21, the rear wall 22, the left wall 23, and the right wall 24 form a space 25 for accommodating a container 300. The front end of the drawer 20 forms a forward-facing opening 26 (an example of a second opening). The bottom end of the drawer 20 forms a downward-facing opening 27 (an example of a third opening). The openings 26, 27 are continuous at the lower front corner of the drawer 20. The openings 26, 27 are indicated by dashed lines. As shown in FIG. 1(A), when the drawer 20 is in the attached position 402, the upper wall 21 is parallel to the upper wall 11 without any step.

[0033] Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the term "drawer 20" refers to the drawer 20 in the position when being inserted into or removed from the housing 10.

[0034] [Garbage Dump 30] As shown in Fig. 2, trash bin 30 is a roughly rectangular box with multiple outer walls that define a space for storing cleaned containers 300 as recyclable waste. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper end of trash bin 30 forms an upward-facing opening 31. A user can move trash bin 30 in the front-to-rear direction within housing 10 through opening 14 (see Fig. 1) and remove it from housing 10.

[0035] [Internal configuration of cleaning device 100] As shown in Fig. 3, the cleaning device 100 includes a holder 40 (see Fig. 3) in a drawer 20. The cleaning device 100 includes a cutter 50, a guide 60, a support portion 70, and an ejection portion 80 (see Fig. 2) in a housing 10 (see Fig. 1).

[0036] [Holder 40] As shown in Fig. 3, the holder 40 is located near the upper wall 21 in the space 25 and supports the container 300 (see Fig. 1(B)). Specifically, the holder 40 has a left cylinder body 41, a left spring 42, a left clamping member 43, and a left rubber sheet 44. The left spring 42 is not shown in Fig. 3(A).

[0037] The left cylindrical body 41 extends from the right-facing inner surface 231 of the left wall 23. The left cylindrical body 41 extends to a position closer to the longitudinal center plane 4 than the inner surface 231 in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 3(B), the left cylindrical body 41 has an inner circumferential surface 413. The inner circumferential surface 413 has an axis (not shown) that extends along the left-right direction 9. The right end of the left cylindrical body 41 is closed by a plate-shaped stopper 411. The stopper 411 has a through hole 412. The through hole 412 is coaxial with the axis of the inner circumferential surface 413 and has a smaller diameter than the inner circumferential surface 413.

[0038] The left spring 42 is disposed inside the inner circumferential surface 413 so as to be coaxial with the inner circumferential surface 413. The left spring 42 is a compression coil spring having approximately the same diameter as the inner circumferential surface 413.

[0039] The left clamping member 43 has a left rod 431 and a left abutment member 432. A first portion 433 on the left side of the left rod 431 is fixed to the right end of the left spring 42. A second portion 434 of the left rod 431 to the right of the first portion 433 has a diameter slightly smaller than that of the through-hole 412. The second portion 434 protrudes rightward beyond the stopper 411 through the through-hole 412. The left abutment member 432 is attached to the right end of the second portion 434. A left rubber sheet 44 is attached to the right end of the left abutment member 432. The left rubber sheet 44 is located slightly left of the vertical center plane 4 when the left spring 42 is at its natural length.

[0040] The holder 40 further includes a right cylindrical body 45, a right spring 46, a right clamping member 47, and a right rubber sheet 48. The right cylindrical body 45, the right spring 46, the right clamping member 47, and the right rubber sheet 48 are bilaterally symmetrical to the left cylindrical body 41, the left spring 42, the left clamping member 43, and the left rubber sheet 44, and therefore a description of each will be omitted.

[0041] The minimum value of the gap between the left rubber sheet 44 and the right rubber sheet 48 in the left-right direction 9 is smaller than the minimum diameter of the neck portion 301 of the container 300 that can be cleaned by the cleaning device 100.

[0042] [Cutter 50] As shown in FIG. 1(B), the cutter 50 has an upward-facing cutting edge 51. The cutting edge 51 extends in the front-rear direction 8 along the vertical center plane 4 (see FIG. 1(A)) directly below the opening 13 in the up-down direction 7, between the front and rear ends of the opening 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the cutter 50 is an ultrasonic cutter and further includes a vibrator 52 made of, for example, ceramic. When a voltage is applied to the vibrator 52 under the control of a controller 90 (described later), the vibrator 52 generates ultrasonic waves for vibrating the cutting edge 51.

[0043] [Guide 60] As shown in FIG. 2, the guide 60 has a left wall 61, a right wall 62, a rear surface 63, a first left inclined surface 64, a second left inclined surface 65, a left return plate 66, a first right inclined surface 67, a second right inclined surface 68, and a right return plate 69.

[0044] The left side wall 61 is a thin partition that extends parallel to and to the left of the vertical center plane 4 (see FIG. 1). In detail, the left side wall 61 extends downward from directly below the opening 13 (see FIG. 1) in the up-down direction 7, and extends between the front and rear ends of the opening 13 in the front-to-rear direction 8. The rear end of the left side wall 61 is spaced forward from the rear end of the opening 13 by the thickness of the rear wall 22 of the drawer 20.

[0045] The right side wall 62 is bilaterally symmetrical to the left side wall 61. The rear surface 63 connects the rear ends of the left side wall 61 and the right side wall 62 and is a surface parallel to the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9.

[0046] The left side surface of the left wall 61 is separated to the right from the left end of the opening 13 (see FIG. 1) and from the left wall 23 of the drawer 20. The rear surface 63 is separated forward from the rear end of the opening 13 by the thickness of the rear wall 22 of the drawer 20. This allows the drawer 20 to move in the vertical direction 7 along the outside of the left wall 61, right wall 62 and rear surface 63. A left notch 612 and a right notch 621 are formed in the left wall 61 and the right wall 62 so as not to interfere with the left cylindrical body 41 and the right cylindrical body 45 which move in the vertical direction 7 together with the drawer 20.

[0047] The left first inclined surface 64 (an example of a first inclined surface) extends downward in the up-down direction 7 from directly below the cutting edge 51 extending in the front-rear direction 8. The left first inclined surface 64 is located closer to the cutting edge 51 of the cutter 50 in the left-right direction 9 as it moves higher in the up-down direction 7, and is located farther away from the cutting edge 51 of the cutter 50 in the left-right direction 9 as it moves lower. At a lower position, the left first inclined surface 64 forms a curved portion 641 that extends forward from the right side of the left second inclined surface 65 and curves leftward in an arc shape in a plan view.

[0048] The left second inclined surface 65 (an example of a second inclined surface) is a flat surface located between the left side wall 61 and the left first inclined surface 64 in the left-right direction 9. The left second inclined surface 65 is located closer to the rear end of the left side wall 61 (i.e., the rear surface 63) in the front-rear direction 8 as it moves higher in the up-down direction 7, and is located closer to the front end of the left side wall 61 as it moves lower. In other words, the left second inclined surface 65 is inclined so as to protrude more forward as it moves lower.

[0049] The left return plate 66 has a generally triangular shape in a plan view from the front, and extends rightward from the front end of the left side wall 61. The left return plate 66 is positioned closer to the front end of the left side wall 61 in the left-right direction 9 as it moves upward in the up-down direction 7, and is positioned farther away from the front end of the left side wall 61 as it moves downward. The lower right corner of the left return plate 66 is located further to the left than the lower left corner of the left first inclined surface 64.

[0050] The left side wall 61, the first left inclined surface 64, the second left inclined surface 65, and the left return plate 66 define a left guide groove that guides the left divided body 306 (see FIG. 2) of the container 300 to the support part 70.

[0051] The right first inclined surface 67, the right second inclined surface 68, and the right return plate 69 are symmetrical to the left first inclined surface 64, the left second inclined surface 65, and the left return plate 66, respectively, and define a right guide groove that guides the right partition 307 (see Figure 2) of the container 300 to the support portion 70.

[0052] [Support part 70] As shown in FIG. 2, the support portion 70 has a left suction surface 71, a left bottom surface 72, a right suction surface 73, a right bottom surface 74, a central partition wall 75, and an inclined surface 76.

[0053] The left suction surface 71 extends downward from the lower ends of the left second inclined surface 65 and the left return plate 66, and expands in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9. The left suction surface 71 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view from the front. As shown in FIG. 5(A), a forward-facing left intake / exhaust port 711 extending in the up-down direction 7 is formed in the center of the left suction surface 71 in the left-right direction 9.

[0054] 2, the left bottom surface 72 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, extends forward from the lower end of the left suction surface 71, and expands in the front-to-rear direction 8 and the left-to-right direction 9. At least one left drainage port 721 is formed in the left bottom surface 72.

[0055] As shown in Figure 5(A), the right suction surface 73 may be symmetrical to the left suction surface 71, and has a right intake and exhaust port 731 that is symmetrical to the left intake and exhaust port 711. The right bottom surface 74 may be symmetrical to the left bottom surface 72. At least one right drain port 741 is formed in the right bottom surface 74. The left drain port 721 and the right drain port 741 communicate with a drain pipe (not shown) provided in the installation surface 200.

[0056] The central partition 75 separates the left suction surface 71 from the right suction surface 73 in the left-right direction 9, and separates the left bottom surface 72 from the right bottom surface 74.

[0057] The inclined surfaces 76 extend obliquely downward and forward from the front ends of the left and right bottom surfaces 72 and 74 , and reach above the dust bin 30 of the housing 10 .

[0058] [Injection part 80] As shown in FIG. 2, the spray unit 80 has a housing 81 with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is located in front of the left suction surface 71 and the right suction surface 73. The housing 81 has a rectangular rear surface extending in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9 as a nozzle surface 82. As shown in FIG. 5(B), the nozzle surface 82 has a left region 83 and a right region 84 that are bilaterally symmetrical to each other. In the left region 83, a plurality of left nozzles 85 are arranged in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9. Each left nozzle 85 has a rearward-facing nozzle and sprays cleaning liquid (an example of a liquid) rearward from its nozzle under the control of the controller 90. In the right region 84, a plurality of right nozzles 86 are provided bilaterally symmetrical to the plurality of left nozzles 85. Note that in FIG. 5(B), a single left nozzle is designated by the reference symbol "85" and a single right nozzle is designated by the reference symbol "86."

[0059] [Left sensor 712, right sensor 713] As shown in FIG. 5(A), the cleaning device 100 further includes a plurality of left sensors 712 and a plurality of right sensors 713. In FIG. 5(A), the single left sensor is denoted by the reference symbol "712," and the single right sensor is denoted by the reference symbol "713." The multiple left sensors 712 are provided in an area of ​​the left suction surface 71 excluding the left intake / exhaust port 711. Each of the multiple left sensors 712 faces one of the multiple left nozzles 85 in the front-rear direction 8. The multiple right sensors 713 are provided symmetrically with the multiple left sensors 712. Each of the left sensors 712 and the right sensors 713 is a reflective ultrasonic sensor. Each ultrasonic sensor emits ultrasonic waves forward and receives reflected waves from an object in front of it. Each of the multiple left sensors 712 and multiple right sensors 713 measures the time from the transmission of an ultrasonic wave to the reception of a reflected wave using the TOF (Time Of Flight) method, and outputs a signal indicating the measurement result (hereinafter referred to as a "TOF signal") to the controller 90 (see Figure 4).

[0060] [Left duct 111, left pump 112, right duct 113, right pump 114] As shown in FIG. 6(A), a left intake / exhaust port 78 and a right intake / exhaust port 79 are formed on the rear surface 77 of the support portion 70, and are symmetrical to each other. As shown in FIG. 6(A), the cleaning device 100 includes a left duct 111, a left pump 112, a right duct 113, and a right pump 114. The left duct 111 connects the left intake / exhaust port 711 and the left intake / exhaust port 78 so that air can flow through them. In this embodiment, the left duct 111 extends in the front-to-rear direction 8. The left pump 112 is a dual-purpose intake / exhaust pump and is provided in the left duct 111. Under the control of the controller 90, the left pump 112 draws air from either the front or rear of itself and discharges it to the other side. When air is drawn in from the front of the left pump 112, an airflow is generated in the left duct 111 from the left intake / exhaust port 711 to the left intake / exhaust port 78. When air is drawn in from behind the left pump 112, an airflow is generated in the left duct 111 from the left intake / exhaust port 78 to the left intake / exhaust port 711. The right duct 113 may be bilaterally symmetrical to the left duct 111, and the right pump 114 differs from the left pump 112 only in that it is provided in the right duct 113, and therefore a detailed description of each will be omitted.

[0061] [Left holding portion 714, left interlocking mechanism 715, right holding portion 716, right interlocking mechanism 717] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the cleaning device 100 further includes a left pressing unit 714, a left interlocking mechanism 715, a right pressing unit 716, and a right interlocking mechanism 717.

[0062] The left pressing portion 714 and the left interlocking mechanism 715 cooperate with each other to press the left divided body 306, which has dropped from the guide 60 onto the left bottom surface 72 (see FIG. 6), against the left suction surface 71.

[0063] The left pressing portion 714 has a left pressing bar 7141 , a left gear 7142 , and a left arm 7143 .

[0064] The left pressure bar 7141 is movable between a first position 404 (see FIG. 7 ) not facing the left suction surface 71 and a second position 405 (see FIG. 9(A)) facing the left suction surface 71, and extends in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 7 , at the first position 404, the left pressure bar 7141 is located near the bottom end of the left suction surface 71 in the up-down direction 7, and is located between the left suction surface 71 and the left region 83 (see FIG. 5(B)) in the front-to-back direction 8. As shown in FIG. 9(A) , at the second position 405, the left pressure bar 7141 is located near the top end of the left suction surface 71 in the up-down direction 7, and is located closer to the left suction surface 71 in the front-to-back direction 8 than the first position 404.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, the left gear 7142 is located below the lower end of the left wall 23 of the drawer 20 in the mounting position 402 in the up-down direction 7. The left gear 7142 is directly in front of and faces the left rod 7151 (described below). In this position, the left gear 7142 is supported by the housing 10 (see FIG. 1) so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the left-right direction 9. A plurality of teeth protrude from a specific region (hereinafter referred to as the "first specific region") on the outer circumferential surface of the left gear 7142. The first specific region is the region from the rear end to the upper end on the outer circumferential surface of the left gear 7142 when the left pressure bar 7141 is in the first position 404 (see FIG. 7(B)).

[0066] The left arm 7143 extends linearly between the left end of the left pressure bar 7141 and a predetermined position of the left gear 7142. The predetermined position is near the front end of the outer circumferential surface of the left gear 7142 when the left pressure bar 7141 is in the first position 404 (see FIG. 7(B)). One end and the other end of the left arm 7143 are fixed to the left pressure bar 7141 and the left gear 7142, respectively.

[0067] The left interlocking mechanism 715 has a left rod 7151 , a plurality of protrusions 7152 and a plurality of engagement pieces 7153 to press the left divided body 306 against the left suction surface 71 in cooperation with the left pressing portion 714 .

[0068] The left rod 7151 is integral with the left wall 23 of the drawer 20 and extends downward from the lower end of the left wall 23.

[0069] The plurality of protrusions 7152 protrude forward from the front surface of the left rod 7151 and are arranged at intervals in the up-down direction 7 .

[0070] The multiple engagement pieces 7153 are made of a flexible resin sheet or the like. As shown in the two-dot chain circle in FIG. 7(B), the multiple engagement pieces 7153 extend from the front surface of the left rod 7151 along the undersides of the multiple protrusions 7152 and protrude forward beyond the front surfaces of the multiple protrusions 7152. Each engagement piece 7153 is fixed to the left rod 7151 so as to become thinner in the vertical direction 7, but is not fixed to the protrusions 7152. When the drawer 20 is in the installation position 402, the uppermost engagement piece 7153 is positioned slightly below the lower end of the left gear 7142 in the vertical direction 7. The lowermost engagement piece 7153 is positioned a predetermined distance below the uppermost engagement piece 7153. The predetermined distance corresponds to the range in which teeth are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the left gear 7142. The dimensions of each engagement piece 7153 and each protrusion 7152 are selected so that the front end of each engagement piece 7153 abuts against the teeth of the left gear 7142, but each protrusion 7152 does not abut against the tip of the teeth of the left gear 7142.

[0071] [Release mechanism 120] 10, the release mechanism 120 includes a left locking portion 121, a left string 122, a left cylinder body 123, a left spring 124, a left rod 125, a left thrust pin 126, and a left protrusion 127. For convenience, the configuration of the release mechanism 120 is not shown in any figures other than FIG.

[0072] 10(A), the left locking portion 121 is a small piece that protrudes forward from the front end of the left contact member 432. The left locking portion 121 has a through-hole that penetrates in the left-right direction 9.

[0073] One end of the left string 122 is fixed to the left locking part 121 through a through-hole in the left locking part 121. The other end of the left string 122 is fixed to the left of the left locking part 121 on the inner surface 231 of the drawer 20. The length of the left string 122 is selected so that there is the least slack when the left spring 42 (see Figure 3) is at its natural length.

[0074] Left cylinder body 123 extends in the up-down direction 7 at a position lower than left cylinder body 41 (see FIG. 3) on inner surface 231 of drawer 20. An inner circumferential surface 128 of left cylinder body 123 has an axis that runs along up-down direction 7. The upper end of left cylinder body 123 is closed by plate-shaped stopper 129, and the lower end of left cylinder body 123 is closed by plate-shaped stopper 1210. A through-hole that is coaxial with inner circumferential surface 128 and has a smaller diameter than inner circumferential surface 128 is formed in stopper 1210.

[0075] The left spring 124 is located in the space formed by the inner circumferential surface 128 and is a compression coil spring having approximately the same diameter as the inner circumferential surface 128 .

[0076] The left rod 125 is fixed to the lower end of the left spring 124 and extends downward beyond the stopper 1210 through a through-hole in the stopper 1210 .

[0077] The left push-up pin 126 has a first portion 1212 and a second portion 1213 .

[0078] As shown in FIG. 10(B), the first portion 1212 is located directly below the left string 122. The first portion 1212 is located to the right of the left cylindrical body 123 in the left-right direction 9. In this position, the first portion 1212 extends along the up-down direction 7. When the left thrust pin 126 is not in contact with the left protrusion 127, the first portion 1212 is located at a third position 406 in the up-down direction 7. In the third position 406, the upper end of the first portion 1212 is located below the left string 122, and the lower end of the first portion 1212 is spaced downward from the lower end of the left cylindrical body 123.

[0079] 11 , when the housing 10 is in the mounting position 402, the first portion 1212 moves from the third position 406 to the fourth position 407 within the drawer 20. At the fourth position 407, the upper end of the first portion 1212 is positioned above the left string 122, and the lower end of the first portion 1212 is positioned slightly below the lower end of the left cylinder body 123.

[0080] 10 and 11 , the second part 1213 extends in the left-right direction 9 between the lower end of the first part 1212 and the lower end of the left rod 125. The right end of the second part 1213 is fixed to the lower end of the first part 1212, and the left end of the second part 1213 is fixed to the lower end of the left rod 125.

[0081] The left protrusion 127 is fixed to the left side wall 61 and is located between the left side wall 61 and the inner surface 231 in the left-right direction 9. The left protrusion 127 is located directly below the second part 1213. As the drawer 20 moves to the mounting position 402, the second part 1213 abuts against the left protrusion 127 from above. As a result, the left protrusion 127 moves the left thrust pin 126 from the third position 406 (see FIG. 10(B)) to the fourth position 407 (see FIG. 11) against the force of the left spring 124 urging the left rod 125 downward. As the left protrusion 127 reaches the fourth position 407, the upper end of the left thrust pin 126 thrusts the left string 122 upward. As a result, the left abutting member 432 is pulled leftward by the left string 122 and moves against the force of the left spring 42 urging the left abutting member 432 rightward.

[0082] The release mechanism 120 further includes a right locking portion 131, a right string 132, a right cylindrical body 133, a right spring 134, a right rod 135, a right push-up pin 136, and a right protrusion 137. The right locking portion 131, the right string 132, the right cylindrical body 133, the right spring 134, the right rod 135, the right push-up pin 136, and the right protrusion 137 are bilaterally symmetrical with the left locking portion 121, the left string 122, the left cylindrical body 123, the left spring 124, the left rod 125, the left push-up pin 126, and the left protrusion 127, and therefore a description of each will be omitted.

[0083] [Controller 90 and other components] As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning device 100 further includes a controller 90, a power switch 91, and a contact sensor 92.

[0084] The controller 90 includes a CPU and a memory. The CPU executes a control program stored in advance in the memory, using a work area reserved in the memory.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 1, the power switch 91 is located on, for example, the front wall 12 of the housing 10, and outputs a signal (hereinafter referred to as an "operation signal") to the controller 90 in response to a user operation.

[0086] The contact sensor 92 outputs a signal (hereinafter referred to as a "position signal") to the controller 90 in response to the drawer 20 reaching the mounting position 402.

[0087] [Operation of the cleaning device 100] The operation of the cleaning device 100 will now be described.

[0088] In response to receiving an operation signal from the power switch 91, the controller 90 applies a drive voltage to the cutter 50, the left sensor 712, the right sensor 713, and the contact sensor 92 via a power supply circuit (not shown). This causes the transducer 52 in the cutter 50 to emit ultrasonic waves, causing the cutting edge 51 to begin vibrating. Each of the left and right sensors 712 and 713 begins emitting ultrasonic waves forward. To avoid interference between the left sensors 712, the controller 90 operates each of the left sensors 712 in a time-sharing manner. If the left bottom surface 72 does not have the left division 306 (see FIG. 5A), the TOF signals from each left sensor 712 indicate approximately the same distance. In contrast, if the left division 306 is present, the TOF signal from the left sensor 712 located immediately behind the left division 306 indicates a different distance from the TOF signals from the other left sensors 712. The multiple right sensors 713 are controlled in the same way as the multiple left sensors 712.

[0089] With the spout 304 of the container 300 facing upward within the space 25, the user pushes the neck 301 from front to rear between the left rubber sheet 44 and the right rubber sheet 48. As the neck 301 moves rearward, the left clamping member 43 slides leftward against the force of the left spring 42 biasing the left clamping member 43 rightward. The right clamping member 47 slides rightward in the opposite direction to the left clamping member 43. As a result, the holder 40 supports the container 300 within the space 25 of the drawer 20 by the left clamping member 43 and the right clamping member 47.

[0090] Next, the user inserts the drawer 20 into the housing 10 through the opening 13. Thereafter, the user moves the drawer 20 downward within the housing 10 toward the mounting position 402 (the position in FIG. 1(A)). During the process of moving the drawer 20 to the mounting position 402, the bottom 303 of the container 300 supported by the holder 40 reaches the vibrating cutting edge 51 from above. The cutting edge 51 moves upward relative to the container 300, vibrating due to ultrasonic waves from the vibrator 52, thereby successively cutting the bottom 303, body 302, and neck 301. As a result, the cutter 50 divides the container 300 into a left division 306 and a right division 307 (see FIG. 2). The inner surface of the left division 306 faces left immediately after being cut by the cutting edge 51.

[0091] The guide 60, the support part 70, and the ejection part 80 each have a bilaterally symmetrical shape. Therefore, in the following, the actions and functions of the configurations on the left side of the vertical center plane 4 for each of the guide 60, the support part 70, and the ejection part 80 will be described, and the description of the right side will be simplified or omitted.

[0092] As the container 300 is divided into the left section 306, the bottom 303 and the body 302 contact the first left inclined surface 64 and the second left inclined surface 65, in that order. The curved portion 641 of the first left inclined surface 64 extends forward and curves leftward in an arc, while the second left inclined surface 65 extends downward and protrudes forward. Due to this shape, the guide 60 guides the left section 306 using the first left inclined surface 64 and the second left inclined surface 65, while applying a contact force to the left section 306 obliquely rearward to the left by the curved portion 641 and an obliquely upward and forward contact force by the left second inclined surface 65. As a result, after the left section 306 contacts the curved portion 641 and the second left inclined surface 65, it is rotated clockwise in a plan view from above and directed obliquely forward to the right. The left return plate 66 abuts against the outer surface of the left divided body 306 from the left near the lower ends of the left first inclined surface 64 and the left second inclined surface 65. This prevents the left divided body 306 from rotating too much and falling off the holder 40.

[0093] As the left clamping member 43 and the right clamping member 47 pass over the cutting edge 51 from above to below in the vertical direction 7, the second portion 1213 comes into contact with the left protrusion 127 from above, causing the left protrusion 127 to move the left thrust pin 126 from the third position 406 to the fourth position 407. As the left clamping member 43 reaches the fourth position 407, the upper end of the left thrust pin 126 thrusts the left string 122 upward, causing the left clamping member 43 to be pulled leftward by the left string 122 and move. The right clamping member 47 moves rightward at approximately the same time as the left clamping member 43. As a result, the release mechanism 120 releases the left divided body 306 and the right divided body 307 from between the left clamping member 43 and the right clamping member 47.

[0094] The left divided body 306 is released from between the left clamping member 43 and the right clamping member 47, passes over the left first inclined surface 64 and the left second inclined surface 65, and then falls onto the left bottom surface 72 of the support part 70. The support part 70 abuts the bottom part 303 of the left divided body 306 with the left bottom surface 72, and supports the left divided body 306 with the inner surface facing diagonally forward to the right. The support part 70 supports the left divided body 306 with the left suction surface 71 and the central partition wall 75 to prevent it from falling over.

[0095] The controller 90 applies a drive voltage to the left pump 112 through the power supply circuit in response to recognition based on the TOF signals from each of the left sensors 712 that the left divided body 306 is positioned in front of the left suction surface 71. The left pump 112 is driven by the drive voltage and sucks in air from the front.

[0096] As the drawer 20 moves to the mounting position 402, the upper end of the drawer 20 reaches a fifth position 408 above the mounting position 402, as shown in FIG. 8(A). When the drawer 20 is at the fifth position 408, the left section 306 is supported by the left bottom surface 72. After the upper end of the drawer 20 passes through the fifth position 408, the lowermost engagement piece 7153 of the left interlocking mechanism 715 comes into contact with the rearmost tooth of the left gear 7142 from above. Because the engagement piece 7153 is aligned with the underside of the protrusion 7152, when it comes into contact with the tooth of the left gear 7142 from above, it rotates the left gear 7142 counterclockwise around the axis of the left gear 7142 in a plan view from the left with almost no bending. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8(B), as the drawer 20 moves downward, the engagement piece 7153 of the left interlocking mechanism 715 successively comes into contact with the teeth of the left gear 7142 from above, causing the left gear 7142 to rotate. As a result, the left pressure bar 7141 moves from the first position 404 (see FIG. 7) to the second position 405, as shown in FIG. 9(A). As the left pressure bar 7141 moves to the second position 405, it comes into contact with the cut surface of the left section 306 from the front, moving the left section 306 rearward until it comes into contact with the left suction surface 71. As described above, the left pump 112 sucks air from the front, causing the left section 306 to be adsorbed to the left suction surface 71.

[0097] 9(B), after the uppermost engagement piece 7153 of the left interlocking mechanism 715 abuts against the teeth of the left gear 7142 from above, none of the engagement pieces 7153 engages with the teeth of the left gear 7142. As a result, the left pressing bar 7141 returns from the second position 405 (see FIG. 9(A)) to the first position 404 due to its own weight.

[0098] When the controller 90 recognizes from the position signal from the contact sensor 92 that the drawer 20 has reached the mounting position 402, it identifies the left sensor 712 located immediately behind the left divided body 306 based on the TOF signal from each of the left sensors 712. This identifies the area occupied by the left divided body 306 in the vertical direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9 (hereinafter referred to as the "second specified area"). The controller 90 further sprays cleaning liquid by sequentially switching from the uppermost left nozzle 85 to the lowermost left nozzle 85 among the multiple left nozzles 85 located in the second specified area.

[0099] After the controller 90 causes the lowermost left nozzle 85 to spray cleaning liquid, it applies a drive voltage to the left pump 112 via the power circuit. The left pump 112 is driven by the drive voltage to suck in air from the rear and expel it forward, thereby discharging the air from the left intake / exhaust port 711 of the left duct 111. This airflow applies a forward force to the left divided body 306, causing it to slide down the inclined surface 76 (see FIG. 2) and drop into the dust bin 30 through the opening 31.

[0100] [Effects of the cleaning device 100] According to the cleaning device 100 of this embodiment, the spray unit 80 sprays cleaning liquid from the front while the left and right divisional bodies 306, 307, whose inner surfaces face forward, are supported by the support unit 70. This cleans the inner surfaces of the left and right divisional bodies 306, 307. This allows the contents of the container 300 to be washed away effectively.

[0101] In this embodiment, the orientation of the left divided body 306 is changed from facing right to facing forward by the shapes of the left first inclined surface 64 and the left second inclined surface 65, the left retaining portion 714, and the left interlocking mechanism 715. The orientation of the right divided body 307 is changed from facing left to facing forward by the shapes of the right first inclined surface 67 and the right second inclined surface 68, the right retaining portion 716, and the right interlocking mechanism 717. In other words, there is no need to use a motor to change the orientation of the divided bodies. This reduces the manufacturing cost of the cleaning device 100.

[0102] The contents of the left divided body 306 and the right divided body 307 are blown away by the cleaning liquid (i.e., jets) from the left nozzle 85 and the right nozzle 86. In this embodiment, the lower left nozzle 85 and the right nozzle 86 spray the cleaning liquid later than the upper left nozzle 85 and the right nozzle 86. This reduces the amount of contents blown away upward, and prevents the contents from adhering to the container 300 again.

[0103] Furthermore, of all the left nozzles 85, only the left nozzles 85 located in the second specific region spray the cleaning liquid. The same applies to the right nozzles 86. Therefore, spraying of the cleaning liquid that does not hit the inner surfaces of the left divided body 306 and the right divided body 307 is prevented.

[0104] [Variations] In the embodiment, the left sensor 712 and the right sensor 713 are described as ultrasonic sensors. However, the left sensor 712 and the right sensor 713 are not limited to this, and sensors capable of detecting objects, such as infrared sensors and optical sensors, can also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 100 Cleaning equipment 10. Housing 13,26,27...Aperture 20... drawer 40 holder 41,45...left cylinder, right cylinder 42, 46... Left spring, right spring 43, 47... Left clamping member, right clamping member 50 cutter 51 Cutting edge 60 Guide 64,65...Left 1st slope, Left 2nd slope 66, 69... Left return plate, right return plate 67,68...Right first slope, right second slope 70...Support part 71,73...Left suction surface, right suction surface 80...Injection part 85, 86... Left nozzle, right nozzle 90...Controller 120···Release mechanism 231...Inside 300...container 306, 307... Left division body, right division body 712, 713... Left sensor, right sensor 714, 716... Left clamping part, right clamping part 715, 717... Left interlocking mechanism, right interlocking mechanism

Claims

1. a housing having a first opening facing upward; a drawer that is movable up and down relative to the housing through the first opening and has a second opening facing forward and a third opening facing downward, the second opening intersecting the up-down direction; a holder for supporting a container to be cleaned in the drawer; a cutter located in the drawer when housed in the housing, the cutter having teeth extending forward; guides located below the cutting edge of the cutter, facing forward and on both sides of the cutting edge of the cutter in a left-right direction intersecting the up-down direction, for guiding each of the divided bodies of the container to be cleaned cut by the cutter so that the inner surfaces of the divided bodies face forward; a support portion that supports the divided body, the inner surface of which faces forward; a spraying unit that sprays a liquid onto the inner surface of the divided body supported by the support unit.

2. the guide has a plurality of first inclined surfaces on both left and right sides of the cutting edge of the cutter, the first inclined surfaces extending downward and in the front-rear direction from positions below the cutting edge of the cutter, and the distance between the plurality of first inclined surfaces in the left and right direction increases as the guide extends downward; The cleaning device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide has a plurality of second inclined surfaces connected to the plurality of first inclined surfaces and bulging out forward as it extends downward.

3. The above guide is 3. The cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a return plate projecting in the left-right direction from a front end and a lower end of the first inclined surface.

4. the ejection unit is a plurality of nozzles that eject liquid backward, and the plurality of nozzles are aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions, The cleaning device further includes a controller, 4. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the controller sequentially switches the spray of the liquid from the upper nozzle to the lower nozzle among the plurality of nozzles.

5. a sensor that outputs a signal indicating a range of the divided body supported by the support portion in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, 5. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the controller causes the liquid to be ejected from the nozzles among the plurality of nozzles that correspond to the range indicated by the output signal of the sensor.

6. The drawer has a first inner surface and a second inner surface that face each other in the left-right direction, The holder is a first cylindrical body extending in one of the left and right directions from the first inner surface; a first spring housed in the first cylindrical body; a first clamping member provided at an extended end of the first cylindrical body so as to be slidable in the left-right direction and biased by the first spring in one direction in the left-right direction; a second cylindrical body extending in the other of the left and right directions from the second inner surface; a second spring housed in the second cylindrical body; A cleaning device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a second clamping member that is slidably mounted in the left-right direction at the extended end of the second cylindrical body, faces the first clamping member, and is biased by the second spring in the other left-right direction.

7. 7. The cleaning device of claim 6, further comprising a release mechanism that, when the first clamping member and the second clamping member reach a position below the cutting edge in the vertical direction during downward movement of the drawer, causes the first spring to move the first clamping member in the other left-right direction against the force urging the first clamping member, and causes the second spring to move the second clamping member in one left-right direction against the force urging the second clamping member.

8. 6. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the support portion has a suction surface that faces the nozzle and supports the divided body by suction.

9. a pressing member that is movable between a first position that does not face the suction surface in the front-rear direction and a second position that faces the suction surface in the front-rear direction; The cleaning device according to claim 8, further comprising: a linkage mechanism that moves the pressing member from the first position to the second position in response to the drawer being moved downward.

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