Rotating nozzle device

Abstract

To provide a rotary nozzle device capable of sufficiently extending a jet reaching distance which enables an effective washing force to be maintained.SOLUTION: A rotor 3 is rotatably fitted around a rotor shaft 2. A straight nozzle tip 7, 8 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 3. The jetting direction of the straight nozzle tip 7, 8 is inclined in a peripheral direction. Washing water is jetted while rotating the rotor 3 through reaction to the jet. A commutator 9 for aligning the direction of water flowing is provided on the upstream side of the straight nozzle tip 7, 8 to commutate the washing water. A commutation pipe 10 for making uniform a flow velocity of the washing water is provided on the upstream side of the commutator 9. Water flowing into the straight nozzle tip 7, 8 is commutated, and a jet reaching distance which enables an effective washing force to be maintained is sufficiently extended.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rotary nozzle device that injects water while rotating a rotor by the reaction of injection, with the injection direction of an injection nozzle being inclined in the circumferential direction with respect to a direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a nozzle device used for various cleaning removes dirt by a high-pressure jet flow ejected from an injection nozzle. As such a nozzle device, there is a case where an injection nozzle is inclined in the circumferential direction with respect to a direction parallel to the central axis and attached to a rotor, and a rotary nozzle device that injects cleaning water while rotating the rotor by the reaction of the injection is used.

[0003] In such a rotary nozzle device, a straight-through nozzle tip that ejects water straight at high speed is adopted for the injection nozzle, and by increasing the reach distance of the jet flow that can maintain effective cleaning power, the distance between the cleaning surface and the injection nozzle is made as large as possible to prevent the injection nozzle rotating at high speed from contacting the cleaning surface.

[0004] However, in a rotary nozzle device, the water to be injected is supplied to the injection nozzle through a flow path that is formed in a bent shape or has a sudden change in cross-sectional area, for example, inside a rotor. Therefore, turbulence occurs in the water flow in the flow path, and it is easy to reduce the straightness of the jet flow. In this case, even if a straight-through nozzle tip is used for the injection nozzle, the reach distance of the jet flow that can maintain effective cleaning power can only be extended to about 300 mm to 400 mm, for example. Since it is necessary to bring the rotary nozzle device closer to the cleaning surface to some extent, there remains a risk that the injection nozzle contacts the cleaning surface.

[0005] In contrast, Patent Document 1 discloses a rotary nozzle device that prevents a decrease in the cleaning effect by providing a rectifying piece on a straight-through nozzle tip to rectify a turbulent fluid (see, for example, FIG. 5).

[0006] The rotating nozzle device shown in Figure 5 has a rotor 102 that is rotatably supported by the main body 101, to which a straight nozzle tip 103 is screwed at an angle, and a flow straightening piece 104 is provided on the straight nozzle tip 103. The central through hole 105 of the main body 101 communicates with the straight nozzle tip 103 via a conductive hole 106 drilled in the radial direction of the rotor 102, and by supplying high-pressure cleaning water to the central through hole 105, the rotor 102 rotates due to the jet pressure of the straight nozzle tip 103. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-329404 (paragraphs 0014, 0017, Figure 4) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, in the rotating nozzle device of Patent Document 1, the cleaning water passes through the central through-hole of the main body and the conductive hole of the rotor, then changes direction significantly before flowing into the straight nozzle tip, resulting in the flow path bending at two points.

[0009] At bends in the flow path, the flow velocity increases on the outside of the bend and decreases on the inside. This difference in flow velocity creates strong turbulence in the cleaning water flow, and this strongly turbulent cleaning water flow into the straight nozzle tip shortens the reach of the jet that can maintain effective cleaning power.

[0010] Patent Document 1 describes a method of providing a flow straightening piece on a straight nozzle tip to smooth out turbulence in the flow. However, this flow straightening piece simply aligns the direction of the flow by setting its surface parallel to the flow path direction, and is not sufficient to eliminate differences in the flow velocity of the cleaning water within the flow path. Therefore, even if a flow straightening piece is simply provided on a straight nozzle tip, it is not possible to straighten the cleaning water to a sufficient extent to extend the reach of the jet while maintaining effective cleaning power.

[0011] The present invention aims to provide a rotating nozzle device that can sufficiently extend the reach of a jet of water while maintaining effective cleaning power. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To achieve the above objective, the rotary nozzle device according to the present invention comprises a rotor shaft, a rotor rotatably fitted onto the rotor shaft, a water supply channel formed in the rotor shaft, a water guide channel that guides water supplied to the central hole of the rotor through the water supply channel to an outlet on the outer surface of the rotor, and an injection nozzle that injects the water guided to the outlet by the water guide channel. The injection direction of the injection nozzle is inclined circumferentially with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor, and the water is injected while rotating the rotor by the reaction of the injection. A commutator is provided upstream of the injection nozzle to straighten the water flowing into the injection nozzle, and a flow straightening pipe is interposed between the outlet and the commutator to equalize the flow velocity of the water.

[0013] With the above configuration, a flow straightening pipe is interposed between the outlet on the outer surface of the rotor and the commutator upstream of the injection nozzle to equalize the flow velocity. For example, even if there is a bend in the flow path leading to the injection nozzle, causing a difference in flow velocity in the flow path cross-section nearby, this difference in flow velocity can be suppressed as the water passes through the flow straightening pipe. As a result, the flow velocity of the water can be equalized within the flow path cross-section before it reaches the commutator, and the direction of the water flow is aligned by the commutator, straightening the water flowing into the injection nozzle and sufficiently extending the reach of the jet while maintaining effective cleaning power.

[0014] Alternatively, the rectifier pipe may be curved to tilt the injection direction of the injection nozzle radially with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor.

[0015] With this configuration, by making the straightening pipe curved, the spray direction of the injection nozzle is tilted in the radial direction of the rotor. Therefore, by appropriately adjusting the curved shape of the straightening pipe, the spray direction of the rotating nozzle device can be set to a desired spread. In this way, by adjusting the circumferential tilt of the spray direction of the injection nozzle, the rotational speed of the rotor due to the reaction of the injection can be adjusted, while by adjusting the curved shape of the straightening pipe, the spread of the spray direction can be adjusted. Thus, both the rotational speed and the spread of the spray direction can be adjusted in a single rotating nozzle device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, according to the present invention, a commutator is provided upstream of the injection nozzle of the rotating nozzle device, and a flow straightening pipe is interposed between the outlet on the outer surface of the rotor and the commutator to equalize the flow velocity of the water flowing into the commutator. As a result, even if a difference in flow velocity occurs due to a bend in the flow path leading to the injection nozzle, for example, the difference in flow velocity is suppressed as the water flow passes through the flow straightening pipe, and the direction of the water flow is aligned by the commutator, thereby straightening the water flowing into the injection nozzle.

[0017] As a result, the reach of the jet while maintaining effective cleaning power can be extended to, for example, about 1000 mm, and the distance between the cleaning surface and the spray nozzle can be sufficiently large to prevent the high-speed rotating spray nozzle from coming into contact with the cleaning surface. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] Perspective view of a rotary nozzle device according to the present invention [Figure 2] Side view of the rotating nozzle device [Figure 3] Longitudinal cross-sectional view of a rotating nozzle device [Figure 4] Perspective view of the rectifier [Figure 5] Longitudinal cross-sectional view of a conventional rotary nozzle device [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing the rotary nozzle device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rotary nozzle device 1 sprays high-pressure washing water from the nozzles while rotating to remove dirt on an automobile or the like. It includes a rotor shaft 2, a rotor 3 that is rotatably externally fitted to the rotor shaft 2, a water supply passage 4 formed in the rotor shaft 2, a water guide passage 6 that guides the washing water supplied to the central hole 5 of the rotor 3 through the water supply passage 4 to the outlet 6a on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor 3, and a pair of straight-through nozzle tips 7 and 8 as injection nozzles that spray the washing water guided to the outlet 6a by the water guide passage 6. The injection directions of the straight-through nozzle tips 7 and 8 are inclined in the circumferential direction with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor 3, and high-pressure washing water is sprayed while rotating the rotor 3 by the reaction force of the injection. Further, a rectifier 9 for rectifying the washing water flowing into the straight-through nozzle tips 7 and 8 is provided on the upstream side of the straight-through nozzle tips 7 and 8, and a rectifying pipe 10 for equalizing the flow velocity of the washing water is interposed between the outlet 9a and the rectifier 9. The rectifying pipe 10 is formed in a curved shape to incline the injection directions of the straight-through nozzle tips 7 and 8 in the radial direction with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor 3.

[0021] The rotor shaft 2 has a large-diameter base end portion 2a that is, for example, cylindrical and can be connected to a high-pressure hose. The water supply passage 4 is formed in the range from the base end to the outer peripheral surface near the center in the length direction. The water supply passage 4 extends from the water inlet 11 on the base end surface of the rotor shaft 2 along the central axis to near the axial center, and further extends in the radial direction while branching in four directions to reach the outer peripheral surface near the axial center of the rotor shaft 2.

[0022] The rotor 3 is cylindrical with a central hole 5 and is rotatably externally fitted to the rotor shaft 2. This rotor 3 is held by a nut 12 bolted to the tip of the rotor shaft 2 and a sliding plate 13 disposed on the stepped surface on the front side of the base end portion 2a of the rotor shaft 2 while allowing slight movement in the front-rear direction.

[0023] The nut 12 is larger in diameter than the central hole 5 of the rotor 3 and is sized to fit into the recess 14 formed on the peripheral edge of the opening at the tip of the central hole 5, thereby restricting the rotor 3 from coming out of the rotor shaft 2.

[0024] The water conduits 6 are formed to extend from two locations in the central hole 5 of the rotor 3 to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 3, and connecting parts 15 are screwed into the outlet 6a of each water conduit 6 via a flow straightening pipe 10 to connect straight nozzle tips 7 and 8. The connecting parts 15 are L-shaped with an arc-shaped bent flow path inside, and the flow path direction is changed perpendicular to a direction that is inclined circumferentially with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis direction, from the radial direction.

[0025] The cleaning water supplied to the central hole 5 of the rotor 3 from the four discharge ports 16 of the water supply channel 4 is guided to the outlets 6a of each water conduit 6, where its flow direction is changed at the connection part 15 to be inclined circumferentially with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis, and then changed again at the curved flow straightening pipe 10 to be inclined radially, and then sprayed from the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8.

[0026] The straight nozzle tips 7 and 8 adjust the rotational speed of the rotor 3 due to the reaction of the injection by adjusting the angle of the connection part 15 with the outlet 6a as the center of rotation, thereby adjusting the circumferential inclination angle with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor 3 in the injection direction. In this case, by setting the inclination angles of the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8 to different angles, for example, the straight nozzle tip 7 with a large inclination can be used for driving, and the straight nozzle tip 8 with a small inclination can be used for braking, and the rotor 3 can be rotated stably by combining them.

[0027] The commutator 9 has a structure in which a flow straightening piece 17 is housed inside a pair of hexagonal cylindrical bodies 9a and 9b that are screwed together to form a single unit. The base end of the base end cylindrical body 9a is externally fitted and connected to the flow straightening pipe 10, and the tip of the tip end cylindrical body 9b is connected to the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, the rectifier piece 17 is configured with plates parallel to the flow direction in a cross shape, dividing the inside of the commutator 9 into four sections and rectifying the direction of the cleaning water passing through it so that it is aligned with the flow direction. For example, the base 17a of the rectifier piece 17 protrudes radially and is held between the cylindrical body 9b at the tip and the rectifier pipe 10.

[0029] The rectifier pipe 10 is interposed between the outlet 9a and the commutator 9 to equalize the flow velocity of the cleaning water before it reaches the commutator 9. By appropriately selecting its curved shape, the inclination angle of the spray direction of the radially moving nozzle tips 7 and 8 with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor 3 is adjusted, thereby setting the spray of the rotating nozzle device 1 to a desired spread.

[0030] According to the above configuration, the cleaning water flowing from the water supply channel 4 into the water conduit channel 6 changes direction at a right angle at the connection part 15, causing the flow velocity of the cleaning water to become uneven and turbulent. However, by providing a commutator 9 and a flow straightening pipe 10 upstream of the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8, the flow velocity can be made uniform in the flow straightening pipe 10, and then the direction of the flow can be aligned in the commutator 9, thereby regulating the turbulent flow. As a result, the cleaning water that is sufficiently straightened can be ejected from the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8, extending the reach of the jet that can maintain effective cleaning power to, for example, about 1000 mm, and the rotating nozzle device 1 can be kept sufficiently far from the cleaning surface, preventing the high-speed rotating straight nozzle tips 7 and 8 from coming into contact with the cleaning surface.

[0031] Furthermore, by making the rectifier pipe 10 curved, the injection direction of the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8 is inclined in the radial direction of the rotor 3. By appropriately adjusting the curved shape of the rectifier pipe 10, the injection direction of the rotating nozzle device 1 can be set to a desired spread. This allows for adjusting the circumferential inclination of the injection direction of the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8 to adjust the rotational speed of the rotor 3 due to the reaction of the injection, while simultaneously adjusting the curved shape of the rectifier pipe 10 to adjust the spread of the injection direction. Thus, both the rotational speed and the spread of the injection direction can be adjusted in a single rotating nozzle device 1.

[0032] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. For example, the rotating nozzle device 1 only needs to have a commutator 9 and a flow straightening pipe 10 on the upstream side of the straight nozzle tips 7 and 8, and the flow straightening pipe 10 does not necessarily need to be curved. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1. Rotating nozzle device 2 rotor shafts 2a Proximal end 3 rotors 4 Water supply channel 5 center hole 6. Water conduit 6a Outlet 7, 8 Straight nozzle tip 9 commutator 9a, 9b cylinder 10. Rectifying pipe 11 Water inlet 12 nuts 13 slides 14 recess 15 Connection part 16 Outlet 17 Rectifier piece 17a base

Claims

1. A rotary nozzle device comprising a rotor shaft, a rotor rotatably fitted onto the rotor shaft, a water supply channel formed in the rotor shaft, a water guide channel that guides water supplied to the central hole of the rotor via the water supply channel to an outlet on the outer surface of the rotor, and an injection nozzle that injects the water guided to the outlet by the water guide channel, wherein the injection direction of the injection nozzle is inclined circumferentially with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor, and the device injects water while rotating the rotor with the reaction force of the injection, A rotary nozzle device characterized in that a commutator is provided upstream of the injection nozzle to straighten the water flowing into the injection nozzle, and a flow straightening pipe is interposed between the outlet and the commutator to equalize the flow velocity of the water.

2. The rotary nozzle device according to claim 1, characterized in that the straightening pipe has a curved shape that causes the injection direction of the injection nozzle to be inclined radially with respect to the direction parallel to the central axis of the rotor.

Images