CN114867402B - Shoe-cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

A shoe polishing device (1) capable of automatically polishing shoes. The shoe-cleaning device (1) comprises: a storage (6) for storing shoes; a polishing liquid storage unit (18) for storing a polishing liquid for shoes; and a nozzle (27) having an injection port (27A) for injecting the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage section (18) into the shoe in the storage tank (6).

Description

Shoe-cleaning device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a shoe-cleaning device.

Background

In a general operation procedure of wiping shoes such as leather shoes, an operator first brushes the shoes to remove dirt, and thereafter applies a commercially available polishing cream or polishing spray to the shoes to polish the shoes.

It is convenient if polishing of the shoe can be automatically performed.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shoe polishing device capable of automatically polishing shoes.

Solution for solving the problem

The present invention is a shoe-cleaning device comprising: a storage house for storing the shoes; a polishing liquid storage unit for storing a polishing liquid for shoes; and a nozzle having an injection port for injecting the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage portion toward the shoe in the storage chamber.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the shoe-cleaning apparatus further comprises: and a sliding mechanism for sliding the nozzle in the accommodating warehouse.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the shoe-cleaning apparatus further comprises: a support portion rotatably supported by the housing chamber and supporting shoes in the housing chamber; and a driving unit that generates a driving force for rotating the support unit.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the shoe-cleaning apparatus further comprises: a cleaning liquid storage unit for storing the cleaning liquid for the shoe; and a supply unit that switches and supplies the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage unit and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit to the nozzle.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the shoe-cleaning apparatus further comprises: and a changing unit that changes the posture of the nozzle so that the ejection port faces laterally or upwardly when the ejection is stopped.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, as long as the shoe is accommodated in the accommodation chamber of the shoe-polishing device, the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage section is then sprayed from the spray opening of the spray nozzle toward the shoe in the accommodation chamber, so that the polishing liquid can be applied to the shoe without manual operation. Thus, polishing of the shoe can be automatically performed.

Further, according to the present invention, the nozzle slides in the housing by the sliding mechanism, so that the polishing liquid ejected from the ejection port of the nozzle can be applied to the shoes in the housing over a wide range. Thus, a wide range of polishing of the shoe can be automatically performed.

Further, according to the present invention, since the shoe in the storage is supported by the support portion that is rotated by the driving force of the driving portion, the shoe changes its posture by rotating together with the support portion, and thus the area of the shoe to which the polishing liquid from the injection port of the nozzle is applied can be changed. Thus, the polishing liquid can be applied to all areas of the shoes in the storage tank to which the polishing liquid should be applied without omission. Thus, polishing of the entire shoe can be automatically performed.

Further, according to the present invention, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage portion and the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage portion are supplied to the nozzle by switching the supply portion, so that the cleaning liquid and the polishing liquid can be selectively sprayed from the spray opening of the nozzle toward the shoe in the accommodation reservoir. In this way, in the shoe polishing apparatus, the shoe can be polished by applying the polishing liquid to the shoe after the shoe is cleaned by applying the cleaning liquid to the shoe in the storage. That is, in the shoe-cleaning apparatus, cleaning and polishing of the shoe can be automatically performed.

Further, according to the present invention, at least when the spraying of the polishing liquid is stopped, the posture of the nozzle is changed so that the spraying port faces laterally or upwardly, and therefore, for example, the polishing liquid can be prevented from being accidentally hung down from the spraying port to adhere to the shoe after the polishing liquid is applied to the shoe.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine and a shoe-cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe-cleaning apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a piping diagram for a cleaning liquid and a polishing liquid in the shoe polishing apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the shoe-cleaning apparatus as seen from a direction different from that of fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the shoe-cleaning apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view from A-A of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a B-B cross-sectional view of fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a process performed in the shoe polishing apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a process performed in the shoe polishing apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a process performed in the shoe polishing apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a front view, in longitudinal section, of the shoe-polishing device with the support portion supporting the shoe in the 180 degree position.

Fig. 12 is a front view in longitudinal section of the shoe-cleaning apparatus with the support portion in the 0 degree position.

Fig. 13 is a front view in longitudinal section of the shoe-cleaning apparatus with the support portion in the left 45 degree position.

Fig. 14 is a front view in longitudinal section of the shoe-cleaning apparatus with the support portion in the left 90 degree position.

Fig. 15 is a front view in longitudinal section of the shoe-cleaning apparatus with the support portion in the right 150 degree position.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a shoe-cleaning device; 6: a housing library; 11: a support section; 15: a sliding mechanism; 17: a cleaning liquid storage part; 18: a polishing liquid storage section; 27: a nozzle; 27A: an ejection port; 28: a changing unit; 30: a supply unit; 32: a second driving section; s: shoes.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a washing machine 100 and a shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the left-right direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the up-down direction Z are defined with reference to the washing machine 100 and the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 of fig. 1 when viewed from the front. The left-right direction X includes a left side X1 corresponding to the upper left side of fig. 1 and a right side X2 corresponding to the lower right side of fig. 1. The front-rear direction Y includes a front side Y1 corresponding to the lower left side of fig. 1 and a rear side Y2 corresponding to the upper right side of fig. 1. The up-down direction Z includes an upper side Z1 corresponding to the upper side of fig. 1 and a lower side Z2 corresponding to the lower side of fig. 1. The left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y are included in the lateral direction, and more specifically, are included in the horizontal direction. The up-down direction Z is the same as the vertical direction, i.e., the height direction of the washing machine 100, the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1.

An example of the washing machine 100 is a drum type washing machine having a rotary drum (not shown) built therein with a rotation axis extending in a horizontal direction or a substantially horizontal direction in a front-rear direction Y. The washing machine 100 has a box-shaped casing 101. An inlet 101B through which laundry is introduced into and discharged from the rotary drum is formed in the front surface 101A of the casing 101. A door 102 for opening and closing the entrance 101B is provided in the front portion 101A. The periphery of the doorway 101B in the front face 101A is provided with: a display unit 103 for displaying information provided to a user; and an operation unit 104 configured by a knob or the like, and operated by a user to perform an operation of the washing machine 100.

The shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 is disposed at the lower side Z2 of the washing machine 100. In the present embodiment, the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 and the washing machine 100 are separate apparatuses, and the washing machine 100 is mounted on the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1, but the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 may be incorporated in the lower portion of the casing 101 as a part of the washing machine 100. Regardless, the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 is configured in such a manner that the lower space of the washing machine 100 is effectively utilized. The shoe-cleaning device 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped cabinet 2 constituting its outer case and a pull-out portion 3. Legs 4 are provided at four corners of the lower surface of the cabinet 2, and are in contact with a horizontal mounting surface such as a floor surface.

The drawer 3 includes a front door 5 and a storage box 6, and is slidably supported by the cabinet 2 in the front-rear direction Y. The pull-out part 3 in fig. 1 is in the accommodated position. In the drawer 3 in the storage position, the storage container 6 is stored in the internal space of the cabinet 2. The front door 5 is formed in a plate shape having a plate thickness direction that matches the front-rear direction Y, and is disposed on the front side Y1 of the cabinet 2. Both end portions of the front door 5 in the left-right direction X are disposed so as to protrude outward from the cabinet 2. The upper end surface of the front door 5 is provided with, for example, in order from the left side X1: a recess 5A for a user to catch a finger so as to slide the pull-out part 3; and an operation unit 5B that is operated by a user to perform operation of the shoe polishing device 1.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the accommodating magazine 6. The storage 6 is a rectangular parallelepiped made of resin or metal and smaller than the cabinet 2 by one turn, and is disposed on the rear side Y2 of the front door 5. The storage library 6 includes: a front wall 6A fixed to the front door 5, a rear wall 6B disposed on the rear side Y2 of the front wall 6A, a left wall 6C erected between the left ends of the front wall 6A and the rear wall 6B, and a right wall 6D erected between the right ends of the front wall 6A and the rear wall 6B. The accommodating chamber 6 also has a rectangular bottom wall 6E that is erected between the lower ends of the front wall 6A and the rear wall 6B and also erected between the lower ends of the left wall 6C and the right wall 6D. The front surface portion of the front wall 6A, the rear surface portion of the rear wall 6B, the left surface portion of the left wall 6C, the right surface portion of the right wall 6D, and the lower surface portion of the bottom wall 6E (lower surface portion 6H described later) are a plurality of outer surface portions, specifically, five outer surface portions, of the accommodating reservoir 6.

The storage box 6 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped internal space 6F surrounded by a front wall 6A, a rear wall 6B, a left wall 6C, a right wall 6D, and a bottom wall 6E. The interior space 6F is sized to accommodate a pair of shoes S. The shoe S of the present embodiment is a leather shoe, but may be a shoe other than a leather shoe. A rectangular entrance 6G is formed at the upper end of the storage 6, which is defined by the upper ends of the front wall 6A, the rear wall 6B, the left wall 6C, and the right wall 6D, and opens the internal space 6F of the storage 6 to the upper side Z1.

The bottom wall 6E has an upper surface provided with: a disk-shaped rotary disk 7 supported by the central portion of the bottom wall 6E and rotatable about a longitudinal axis; and four ridges 8 disposed in a cross shape across the rotary disk 7. Each ridge portion 8 has: a triangular first inclined surface 8A disposed near the rotating disk 7 and inclined upward Z1 as it moves away from the rotating disk 7; and a pair of second inclined surfaces 8B connected to both sides of the first inclined surface 8A, respectively. The pair of second inclined surfaces 8B are mountain-shaped and rise upward Z1 from the upper surface portion of the bottom wall 6E.

The pull-out section 3 further includes: a pair of supporting portions 11 for supporting a pair of shoes S in the storage 6; a mop 12 mounted on the rotary disk 7; and a spraying unit 13 for spraying the cleaning liquid and the polishing liquid to the shoe S.

The pair of support portions 11 is constituted by a left support portion 11L of the left side X1 and a right support portion 11R of the right side X2. The left support portion 11L and the right support portion 11R are arranged symmetrically with respect to the rotary disk 7 in a plan view. Each support portion 11 has the same structure as a so-called shoe stretcher. Specifically, each support portion 11 includes: a disk-shaped root 11A supported by the rear wall 6B of the accommodating chamber 6; a stem 11B extending from a position on the circumference of the outer periphery of the root 11A toward the front side Y1; and a heel support part 11C provided in the middle of the lever part 11B. Each support portion 11 has: a toe support portion 11D provided on the front side Y1 of the lever portion 11B; and a pair of wire-shaped connecting portions 11E extending from the toe support portion 11D to the rear side Y2 and connected to the rod portion 11B.

The root portion 11A can rotate 360 degrees about a rotation axis J (refer to fig. 7 described later) extending in the front-rear direction Y through its center. Therefore, the entire support portion 11 can also rotate about the rotation axis J. The lever portion 11B is formed with: a groove 11F into which the pair of connecting portions 11E are inserted; and a plurality of adjustment holes 11G arranged in the front-rear direction Y, provided on both left and right sides of the groove 11F. The heel support part 11C is disposed so as to protrude from the rod part 11B in a manner orthogonal to the rod part 11B extending in the front-rear direction Y. The toe support 11D has a semi-cylindrical shape having an arc surface bulging in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the heel support 11C. The rear end portions of the pair of coupling portions 11E are bent away from each other and fitted into the adjustment holes 11G of the respective rod portions 11B one by one. By changing the adjustment hole 11G into which the rear end portion of each connecting portion 11E is fitted, the amount of projection from the lever portion 11B to the front side Y1 of each connecting portion 11E can be adjusted, and thereby the length of the support portion 11 in the front-rear direction Y can be adjusted according to the size of the shoe S.

The support portion 11 when the rear end of the lever portion 11B is located at the lower end of the root portion 11A is located at a position of 0 degrees in the rotational direction about the rotational axis J. The support portion 11 when the lever portion 11B is located at the upper end of the root portion 11A is located at a 180-degree position in the rotational direction. Hereinafter, regarding the rotational position, which is the position in the rotational direction of each support portion 11, the position at which the clockwise rotation starts from the 0-degree position is defined by a combination of "left" and "rotational angle", or the position at which the counterclockwise rotation starts from the 0-degree position is defined by a combination of "right" and "rotational angle", with reference to the 0-degree position at the time of main view. For example, the position of each support portion 11 in fig. 2 is located at a "right 135-degree position" rotated by 135 degrees counterclockwise from the 0-degree position in the main view.

The mop 12 is made of, for example, a cloth formed in a disk shape. The central portion of the mop 12 is attached to the rotary disk 7 by being wrapped around the rotary disk 7, and is thereby supported by the bottom wall 6E of the storage 6 via the rotary disk 7. Thus, the mop 12 as a whole can rotate integrally with the rotating disk 7. A pair of velcro strips 12A adhered to each other are provided at the center of the mop 12 so as to maintain the state of wrapping the rotary disk 7.

The ejection unit 13 includes: a slide mechanism 15; and a slide unit 16 that slides on an upper portion of the inner space 6F of the accommodating chamber 6 by the slide mechanism 15. The injection unit 13 further includes: a cleaning liquid storage unit 17 which is a container for storing a cleaning liquid for shoes, that is, a so-called scavenger; and a polishing liquid storage unit 18 which is a container for storing a polishing liquid for shoes.

The slide mechanism 15 includes: a rail portion 21 extending in the front-rear direction Y so as to bisect the inner space 6F of the storage 6 in the left-right direction and provided between the upper ends of the front wall 6A and the rear wall 6B; a drive roller 22 provided at the rear end of the guide rail 21; and a driven roller 23 provided at the front end of the guide rail 21. The rear end portion of the rail portion 21 penetrates the rear wall 6B and is disposed on the rear side Y2 than the rear wall 6B, and the front end portion of the rail portion 21 penetrates the front wall 6A and is disposed on the front side Y1 than the front wall 6A. The driving roller 22 and the driven roller 23 are rotatable about rotational axes extending in the left-right direction X, respectively.

The slide mechanism 15 includes: a drive motor 24 provided at an upper end portion of the rear surface portion 6I of the rear wall 6B and connected to the drive roller 22; and an endless conveyor belt 25 which is flat in the up-down direction Z and long in the front-rear direction Y, and which is suspended on the driving roller 22 and the driven roller 23. When the drive motor 24 is operated, the drive roller 22 is driven to rotate, and the conveyor belt 25 performs a circumferential rotational movement. The driven roller 23 is driven to rotate accordingly. The drive motor 24 is operable to rotate the drive roller 22 in the forward and reverse directions, and the circumferential rotation direction of the conveyor belt 25 is changed according to the rotation direction of the drive roller 22.

The slide unit 16 further includes: a bracket 26 having a plate shape extending in the left-right direction X and fixed to the conveyor belt 25; a pair of left and right nozzles 27 provided at both end portions of the bracket 26 in the left and right direction X; and a changing unit 28 for changing the posture of each nozzle 27. The carriage 26 is fixed to the conveyor belt 25, and therefore the slide unit 16 can slide in the front-rear direction Y in accordance with the circumferential rotational movement of the conveyor belt 25. The slide unit 16 is in a retracted position at the rear end of the slide range as shown in fig. 2. The slide unit 16, which is advanced to the front end of the slide range, is located at the advanced position and is disposed at the front end of the internal space 6F of the storage container 6. In the present embodiment, the waiting position of the slide unit 16 is the forward position, but may be the backward position.

Each nozzle 27 has, for example, a tubular shape, in which an injection port 27A for injecting a cleaning liquid or a polishing liquid is formed at the tip end portion, and the root portion of each nozzle 27 is fixed to the bracket 26. Each nozzle 27 in this state is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction X between a waiting position indicated by a solid line in fig. 2 and an ejecting position indicated by a broken line in fig. 2. The nozzle 27 located at the waiting position assumes a horizontal posture with the ejection port 27A directed laterally. In the present embodiment, the ejection port 27A of the nozzle 27 located at the waiting position is directed to the front side Y1, but may be directed to the left side X1 or the right side X2, for example. The nozzle 27 located at the ejection position assumes a vertical posture with the ejection port 27A facing the lower side Z2.

The changing unit 28 is an actuator constituted by an electric motor or the like, and is connected to each nozzle 27 via a transmission mechanism (not shown). The changing unit 28 rotates the pair of nozzles 27 together. Therefore, among the pair of nozzles 27, when one nozzle 27 is located at the standby position, the other nozzle 27 is also located at the standby position, and when one nozzle 27 is located at the ejection position, the other nozzle 27 is also located at the ejection position. As will be described later, when the ejection of the cleaning liquid or the polishing liquid is stopped, the changing unit 28 changes the posture of each nozzle 27 to be placed at the waiting position, and the ejection port 27A of each nozzle 27 is directed laterally. The ejection port 27A of each nozzle 27 in the waiting position may be directed directly upward or obliquely upward instead of being directed in the lateral direction.

Fig. 3 is a piping diagram of the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 relating to the cleaning liquid and the polishing liquid. The injection unit 13 further includes: a supply path 29 which connects the cleaning liquid storage portion 17 and the polishing liquid storage portion 18 to the respective nozzles 27; and a supply unit 30 which is an electric switching valve provided in the middle of the supply path 29. In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid storage 17 and the polishing liquid storage 18 are fixed to the bracket 26 (see fig. 2) as part of the slide unit 16, but may be fixed to the storage 6, for example, and the supply path 29 in this case may be set long so as not to interfere with the sliding of the slide unit 16.

The supply path 29 includes: a first upper flow path 29A connecting the cleaning liquid storage 17 and the supply unit 30; a second upper flow path 29B connecting the polishing liquid storage section 18 to the supply section 30; a middle flow path 29C extending from the supply unit 30 to the nozzle 27; and a pair of lower flow paths 29D branched from the intermediate flow path 29C and connected to the pair of nozzles 27, respectively. The cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage portion 17 is supplied to the first upper flow path 29A. The spray unit 13 may include a pump for pumping the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage portion 17 to the first upper flow path 29A. The polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage section 18 is supplied to the second upper flow path 29B. The injection unit 13 may include a pump for feeding the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid reservoir 18 to the second upper flow path 29B.

The supply unit 30 is, for example, a multi-way valve, and selectively supplies the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid storage unit 17 to the first upper flow path 29A and the polishing liquid supplied from the polishing liquid storage unit 18 to the second upper flow path 29B to the intermediate flow path 29C, or stops the supply of the cleaning liquid and the polishing liquid to the intermediate flow path 29C. The cleaning liquid or polishing liquid supplied to the intermediate flow path 29C is supplied from the lower flow path 29D to each nozzle 27, and is sprayed from the spray ports 27A of the pair of nozzles 27 simultaneously into the accommodating chamber 6, that is, the inner space 6F. That is, the supply unit 30 switches between the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit 17 and the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage unit 18 and supplies the switching to the nozzles 27. The cleaning liquid and the polishing liquid may be supplied to each nozzle 27 by negative pressure.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1, viewed from a direction different from that of fig. 2. The pull-out unit 3 includes: a first driving unit 31 that generates a driving force for rotating the rotary disk 7 to which the mop 12 is attached; a second driving unit 32 that generates a driving force for rotating each of the pair of support units 11; and a transmission mechanism 33 for transmitting the driving force of the second driving unit 32 to each support unit 11.

The first driving portion 31 is an electric motor, and is provided in a central portion of the lower surface portion 6H of the bottom wall 6E, which is one of the plurality of outer surface portions of the housing box 6. The first driving unit 31 has an output shaft 31A (see fig. 2) that outputs the generated driving force. The output shaft 31A penetrates the bottom wall 6E and protrudes upward Z1, and is coaxially fixed to the rotary disk 7 in the storage 6. The second driving portion 32 is also an electric motor, and is provided on the lower surface portion 6H provided with the first driving portion 31, specifically, is disposed on the rear end portion of the lower surface portion 6H so as to be adjacent to the first driving portion 31 from the rear side Y2. The second driving portion 32 has an output shaft 32A that outputs the generated driving force. The output shaft 32A protrudes to the rear side Y2, and the rear end portion thereof is disposed further to the rear side Y2 than the lower surface portion 6H.

The transmission mechanism 33 includes: a drive gear 34 mounted on the output shaft 32A of the second drive section 32; a pair of left and right driven gears 35 mounted one by one on each of the pair of support portions 11; a relay gear 36 meshed with each of the pair of driven gears 35; and a transmission unit 37 that transmits the driving force of the second driving unit 32 from the driving gear 34 to the relay gear 36.

The drive gear 34 is a spur gear rotatable integrally with the output shaft 32A. In association with the driven gear 35, a rotation shaft 11H protruding from the center of the root 11A to the rear side Y2 and penetrating the rear wall 6B of the storage 6 is provided in the root 11A (see fig. 2) of each support portion 11. The rotation axis J (see fig. 7) passes through the center of the rotation shaft 11H. Each driven gear 35 is a spur gear that is continuously connected to the rear end portion of the rotary shaft 11H of each support portion 11, and is rotatable integrally with the corresponding support portion 11. The relay gear 36 is a spur gear rotatably supported by a support shaft 38 protruding from the rear wall 6B toward the rear side Y2, and has a larger diameter than the drive gear 34 but a smaller diameter than the driven gear 35. The relay gear 36 is disposed between the left and right driven gears 35 and on the upper side Z1 of the drive gear 34. The relay gear 36 has: a large gear 36A meshed with each of the left and right driven gears 35; and a pinion 36B disposed coaxially with the large gear 36A and fixed to a front surface portion of the large gear 36A. The transmission portion 37 is a toothed endless belt suspended from the drive gear 34 and the pinion gear 36B. When the second driving unit 32 is operated to generate a driving force, the driving force is output from the driving gear 34 to rotationally move the transmission unit 37 circumferentially, and the relay gear 36 is rotated. As a result, the left and right driven gears 35 engaged with the relay gear 36 rotate in the same direction.

A pair of plate-shaped shields 39 extending downward Z2 one by one from the left and right edges thereof are provided on the bottom wall 6E of the storage 6. The lower end portions of the pair of the guard bands 39 are bent in directions approaching each other. The first driving unit 31 and the second driving unit 32 are disposed between the pair of the enclosures 39, and thus are protected by the pair of enclosures 39 so as not to collide with the outside.

The shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 further includes a control unit 40 (see fig. 1) constituted by a microcomputer including a CPU, a memory, a timer, and the like. The operation unit 5B (see fig. 1), the drive motor 24, the changing unit 28, the supply unit 30, the first drive unit 31, and the second drive unit 32 are electrically connected to the control unit 40. The shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 may include a detection unit (not shown) such as a sensor that detects the rotational position of each support unit 11 and inputs the rotational position to the control unit 40, and another detection unit (not shown) that detects the position of the slide unit 16 in the front-rear direction Y and inputs the position to the control unit 40.

Next, the cleaning operation performed in the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 will be described in detail. The cleaning operation includes: a decontamination process for removing dirt such as dust and garbage from the shoe S; and a wiping process of wiping the shoe S from which dirt is removed. In the decontamination process, there are a plurality of modes such as a general removal mode of the shoe S in which contamination is less presumed and a strong removal mode of the shoe S in which contamination is more serious than the general mode is washed. In the wiping process, there are a plurality of modes, that is, a simple wiping mode and a powerful wiping mode in which the shoe S is wiped more strongly than the simple wiping mode. The user can select the mode in each of the decontamination process and the wiping process by operating the operation portion 5B. The user can omit one of the decontamination process and the wiping process by operating the operation unit 5B. The result of the user's selection of the mode is temporarily stored in the control section 40.

Before starting the cleaning operation, the user pulls out the pull-out unit 3 of the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1 to the pulled-out position to open the entrance 6G of the storage 6, and stores a pair of shoes S in the storage 6 from the entrance 6G. At this time, referring to fig. 5, the user inserts the toe support 11D and the heel support 11C of each support 11 into the inner space of the shoe S after sequentially inserting them into the opening SH of the shoe S. Accordingly, in the storage 6, the pair of shoes S are supported by the pair of support portions 11 in a state where the toes of each pair of shoes S are aligned in the lateral direction X so as to face the front side Y1. In fig. 5, the mop 12, the cleaning liquid storage 17, the polishing liquid storage 18, the changing unit 28, and the like are not shown.

In fig. 5, fig. 6 which is a sectional view from A-A in fig. 5, and fig. 7 which is a sectional view from B-B in fig. 5, each support portion 11 is located at a right 135 degree position, but the waiting position of each support portion 11 when accommodating the shoe S is 0 degree position (see fig. 12). Accordingly, each shoe S supported by each support 11 is in a downward posture. In each of the pair of shoes S facing downward, the instep portion SU and the welt SH face directly downward, and the sole SZ faces directly upward. In this state, the rotation axis J of each support portion 11 is disposed inside the outline of the shoe S (the two-dot chain line of the shoe S shown in fig. 7) supported by the support portion 11, as viewed from the front-rear direction Y, which is the extending direction of the rotation axis J.

In the inner space of each of the pair of shoes S supported by the support portion 11, the toe support portion 11D of the support portion 11 is in contact with the sole SZ from the inside of the shoe S, and the heel support portion 11C of the support portion 11 is in contact with the heel portion SK of the shoe S from the inside of the shoe S. By such two-point contact, the toe support 11D and the heel support 11C are in a state of being spread in the inner space of the shoe S, and therefore each of the pair of shoes S is supported by the corresponding support 11 so as not to be accidentally detached from the support 11. After that, the user returns the pull-out unit 3 to the accommodated position. Thereby, the preparation for the cleaning operation is completed.

Fig. 8 to 10 are flowcharts showing the processing executed by the control unit 40 during the washing operation. Referring to fig. 8, as the cleaning operation starts, first, the control unit 40 checks the mode of the present decontamination process (step S1). When the present decontamination process is in the power removal mode (yes in step S1), the control unit 40 operates the second driving unit 32 to rotate each support unit 11 to the 180-degree position (see fig. 11), thereby turning the shoe S supported by each support unit 11 upward (step S2). In each of the pair of shoes S facing upward, the instep portion SU and the welt SH face directly upward, and the sole SZ faces directly downward. Hereinafter, a portion of the outer surface of the shoe S other than the sole SZ will be referred to as a surface of the shoe S.

Next, the control unit 40 applies the cleaning liquid to the shoe S (step S3). Specifically, first, the control unit 40 causes the changing unit 28 of the injection unit 13 to operate, thereby causing the pair of left and right nozzles 27 of the slide unit 16 to rotate from the standby position to the injection position, and causing the injection ports 27A of the nozzles 27 to face downward. At this time, the nozzle 27 on the left side X1 is disposed at the same position in the left-right direction X and at the position on the upper side Z1 with respect to the shoe S supported by the left support portion 11L (see fig. 11). The nozzles 27 on the right side X2 are disposed at the same position in the left-right direction X and at the positions on the upper side Z1 with respect to the shoe S supported by the right support portion 11R (see fig. 11).

Then, the control unit 40 controls the supply unit 30 to supply the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit 17 to the nozzles 27 and jet the cleaning liquid from the jet ports 27A of the nozzles 27 toward the shoe S (see a broken line in fig. 11), and operates the drive motor 24 to slide the slide unit 16 in the front-rear direction Y. At this time, the slide unit 16 slides at least to the retreating position from the advanced position as the waiting position, so that the cleaning liquid ejected from the ejection port 27A of the nozzle 27 is uniformly applied to the entire area of the surface of the shoe S. The sliding unit 16 slid to the retreated position may be reciprocally slid once by returning to the advanced position or may be reciprocally slid more than once so that the cleaning liquid is more finely applied to the surface of the shoe S. On the surface of the shoe S coated with the cleaning liquid, dirt is decomposed or emerges. When the sliding of the slide unit 16 is completed, the control unit 40 rotates the pair of left and right nozzles 27 of the slide unit 16 from the ejection position to the waiting position by operating the changing unit 28 after the control supply unit 30 stops the ejection of the cleaning liquid. Further, the slide unit 16 at this time is located at the advanced position.

The control unit 40 that applies the cleaning liquid to the shoes S in this way causes the second driving unit 32 to operate to rotate each support unit 11 to the 0 degree position (see fig. 12), thereby causing the shoes S supported by each support unit 11 to face downward (step S4).

Next, the control unit 40 operates the first driving unit 31 to start the rotation of the rotary disk 7 and the mop 12 (step S5). The mop 12 rotates while coming into contact with each of the pair of shoes S facing downward in the storage 6 from the lower side Z2. In particular, the mop 12, when being turned over each of the four raised portions 8 disposed in a cross shape on the upper surface portion of the bottom wall 6E of the storage 6, is raised toward the upper side Z1, and thereby actively contacts the shoe S. During the rotation of the mop 12, the control unit 40 operates the second driving unit 32 to rotate the support units 11, thereby changing the postures of the pair of shoes S (step S6). Specifically, the control unit 40 rotates each support unit 11 45 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the 0 degree position (see fig. 13) or 90 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise from the 0 degree position (see fig. 14) so that the mop 12 reaches the vicinity of the sole SZ on the surface of the shoe S. The rotation angle of the support portion 11 from the 0 degree position may be any angle other than 45 degrees or 90 degrees. The mop 12 may be rotated continuously only in one direction, or may be rotated repeatedly in the forward and reverse directions.

By bringing the mop 12 into contact with the surface of the shoe S in this manner, dirt on the surface of the shoe S is erased by the mop 12 together with the cleaning liquid. When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of rotation of the mop 12 (yes in step S7), the control unit 40 stops the first driving unit 31 to stop the rotation of the mop 12 (step S8). Thereby, the decontamination process ends. When the rotating mop 12 is caught by the shoe S, the pair of velcro 12A (see fig. 2) on the mop 12 are separated from each other, and the rotating disk 7 is separated from the mop 12 by passing between the pair of velcro 12A. This prevents the shoe S from being damaged by the mop 12 continuing to rotate while being caught by the shoe S.

After the decontamination process is completed, the control unit 40 confirms the mode of the current wiping process (step S9). When the present wiping process is neither the powerful wiping mode nor the simple wiping mode, that is, when the wiping process itself is omitted (no in step S9 and no in step S10), the entire present cleaning operation is ended with the end of the previous decontamination process. During the decontamination process, dirt on the shoe S is erased by the mop 12, and the user can detach the pair of velcro 12A of the mop 12 at an appropriate time point to detach the mop 12 from the rotary disk 7 and wash the mop 12 with water, etc., thereby maintaining the mop 12.

When the present wiping process is in the simple wiping mode (no in step S9 and yes in step S10), the control unit 40 operates the first driving unit 31 to rotate the mop 12 and operates the second driving unit 32 to change the posture of the shoe S as the simple wiping mode (step S11). Thus, the surface of the shoe S from which dirt is removed during the decontamination process is simply wiped by being gently wiped by the rotating mop 12.

When the present wiping process is in the powerful wiping mode (yes in step S9), referring to fig. 9, the control unit 40 starts the powerful simple wiping mode, and first, the second driving unit 32 is operated to rotate each support unit 11 to the 180-degree position, thereby turning up the pair of shoes S (step S12). Then, the control unit 40 rotates the pair of left and right nozzles 27 of the slide unit 16 from the standby position to the ejection position (step S13).

Next, the control unit 40 slides the slide unit 16 from the advanced position to the rear side Y2, and moves the nozzle 27 to a first position (see fig. 6) immediately above the vicinity of the front end of the instep portion SU of the shoe S (step S14). Then, the control unit 40 controls the supply unit 30 to supply the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage unit 18 to the nozzles 27 and jet the polishing liquid from the jet ports 27A of the nozzles 27 toward the shoe S (step S15). At this time, the control unit 40 causes the second driving unit 32 to operate, thereby rotating each support unit 11 from the 180-degree position to the left 150-degree position and to the right 150-degree position (see fig. 15), and thereby rotating each pair of shoes S by 30 degrees to the left and right, i.e., clockwise and counterclockwise (step S15). Thereby, the polishing liquid is applied to the entire area of the front end portion of the instep portion SU of each shoe S.

Next, the control unit 40 further slides the slide unit 16 toward the rear side Y2, and moves the nozzle 27 at the injection position to a second position (see fig. 6) immediately above the vicinity of the middle of the instep portion SU of the shoe S (step S16). Then, as in step S15, the control unit 40 sprays the polishing liquid from the spray ports 27A of the respective nozzles 27 onto the shoes S, and rotates the pair of shoes S by 30 degrees in the left and right directions (step S17). Thereby, the polishing liquid is applied to the entire area of the middle of the instep portion SU of each shoe S.

Next, the control unit 40 further slides the slide unit 16 to the rear side Y2, and moves the nozzle 27 at the injection position to a third position (see fig. 6) immediately above the vicinity of the rear end of the instep portion SU of the shoe S (step S18). Then, as in steps S15 and S17, the control unit 40 sprays the polishing liquid from the spray ports 27A of the respective nozzles 27 onto the shoes S, and rotates the pair of shoes S by 30 degrees to the left and right (step S19). Thereby, the polishing liquid is applied to the entire area of the rear end of the instep portion SU of each shoe S. The sliding unit 16 is repeatedly moved and stopped in this way, and the polishing liquid is sequentially sprayed to the front end, midway, and rear end of the instep portion SU of the shoe S while the shoe S is rotated left and right at the time of stopping the sliding unit 16, whereby the polishing liquid is uniformly applied to the entire area of the instep portion SU. After applying the polishing liquid to the instep portion SU in this manner, the control unit 40 controls the supply unit 30 to stop the ejection of the polishing liquid.

The user can select whether or not the polishing liquid is also applied to the side surface SS of the shoe S by operating the operation unit 5B in advance. The side SS is a region from the toe to the heel in the surface of the shoe S other than the instep portion SU (see fig. 15). Referring to fig. 10, if the polishing liquid needs to be applied to the side surface SS of the shoe S (yes in step S20), the control unit 40 rotates the pair of left and right nozzles 27 of the slide unit 16 from the ejection position to the waiting position by the changing unit 28 in preparation for the application (step S21), and slides the slide unit 16 toward the front side Y1 to return to the advanced position (step S22). When the slide unit 16 returns to the advanced position, each support 11 is positioned at 180 degrees, and the pair of shoes S is in an upward state.

Next, the control unit 40 rotates each support unit 11 from the 180-degree position to the left 135-degree position by operating the second drive unit 32, thereby rotating the pair of shoes S45 degrees to the left, i.e., counterclockwise, in front view (step S23). Then, the control unit 40 rotates the pair of left and right nozzles 27 of the slide unit 16 from the standby position to the ejection position (step S24), and then ejects the polishing liquid from the ejection openings 27A of the nozzles 27 to the side surface SS of the right side X2 of the shoes S while sliding the slide unit 16 from the forward position to the backward position (step S25). Thereby, the polishing liquid is uniformly applied to the entire area from the toe to the heel in the side surface SS of the right side X2 of each shoe S. If the supporting portion 11 is located at the left 135-degree position, the polishing liquid sprayed from the nozzle 27 does not adhere to the sole SZ of the shoe S.

Next, the control unit 40 rotates the support units 11 to the right 135-degree position by operating the second driving unit 32, thereby rotating the pair of shoes S45 degrees rightward, that is, clockwise in front view (step S26). Then, the control unit 40 sprays the polishing liquid from the spraying port 27A of each nozzle 27 toward the side surface SS of the left side X1 of each shoe S while sliding the sliding unit 16 from the retracted position to the advanced position (step S27). Thereby, the polishing liquid is uniformly applied to the entire area from the toe to the heel in the side surface SS of the left side X1 of each shoe S. When the supporting portion 11 is positioned at the right 135-degree position (see fig. 15), the polishing liquid sprayed from the nozzle 27 does not adhere to the sole SZ of the shoe S.

As described above, in each of the pair of shoes S, the polishing liquid is applied to the entire area of the surface, that is, the entire areas of the instep portion SU and the left and right side surfaces SS. When the slide unit 16 returns to the advanced position, the control unit 40 controls the supply unit 30 to stop the ejection of the cleaning liquid, and then rotates the pair of left and right nozzles 27 of the slide unit 16 from the ejection position to the waiting position (step S28). If it is not necessary to apply the polishing liquid to the side surface SS of the shoe S (no in step S20), the control unit 40 omits the processing in steps S21 to S27, and rotates the nozzle 27 from the ejection position to the waiting position (step S28).

The user can select whether to erase the polishing liquid in the shoe S coated with the polishing liquid by operating the operation section 5B in advance. If the polishing liquid does not need to be erased (no in step S29), the wiping process is ended, and the entire cleaning operation of this time is ended. When the polishing liquid needs to be erased (yes in step S29), the control unit 40 operates the second driving unit 32 to change the posture of the shoe S while operating the first driving unit 31 to rotate the mop 12 (step S30). Thereby, the surface of the shoe S is polished by the rotating mop 12, whereby the polishing liquid is wiped from the surface of the shoe S and the drying time of the shoe S is shortened, and the gloss of the surface of the shoe S is increased. When the wiping of the polishing liquid is finished, the wiping process is finished, that is, the whole cleaning operation of this time is finished. After the cleaning operation is completed, the user pulls out the pull-out unit 3 of the shoe-cleaning device 1 to the pulled-out position, and takes out the shoe S from the entrance 6G of the storage 6.

As described above, when the shoe S is accommodated in the accommodation chamber 6 of the shoe-polishing device 1, the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage section 18 is then sprayed from the spraying port 27A of the nozzle 27 toward the shoe S in the accommodation chamber 6, and therefore the polishing liquid can be applied to the shoe S without manual operation. Thus, polishing of the shoe S can be automatically performed.

In particular, since the nozzle 27 slides in the storage 6 by the slide mechanism 15, the polishing liquid injected from the injection port 27A of the nozzle 27 can be applied to the shoes S in the storage 6 in a wide range. Further, since the shoe S in the storage 6 is supported by the support portion 11 that is rotated by the driving force of the second driving portion 32, the shoe S changes its posture by rotating together with the support portion 11, and thus the area of the shoe S to which the polishing liquid from the injection port 27A of the nozzle 27 is applied can be changed. Thus, the polishing liquid can be applied to all areas except the area where the application of the polishing liquid is to be avoided in the shoes S in the housing tank 6 without omission. As described above, polishing of the entire shoe S can be automatically performed. Examples of the area of the shoe S to be protected from the polishing liquid include a shoe lace, in addition to the sole SZ. In the decontamination process, a cleaning liquid is applied not only to the surface of the shoe S but also to the sole SZ.

Further, since the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage portion 17 and the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage portion 18 are supplied to the nozzle 27 by switching the supply portion 30, the cleaning liquid and the polishing liquid can be selectively injected from the injection port 27A of the nozzle 27 toward the shoe S in the storage 6. Thus, in the shoe polishing device 1, the shoe S in the storage 6 can be cleaned by applying the cleaning liquid to the shoe S, and then the shoe S can be polished by applying the polishing liquid to the shoe S. That is, in the shoe-cleaning apparatus 1, cleaning and polishing of the shoe S can be automatically performed. Further, when the spraying of the cleaning liquid or the polishing liquid is stopped, the posture of the nozzle 27 is changed and the spraying port 27A is directed laterally or upward, so that, for example, the polishing liquid can be prevented from adhering to the shoe S by being accidentally hung down from the spraying port 27A after the polishing liquid is applied to the shoe S.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims.

For example, the nozzle 27 may be fixed in a fixed position within the receiving chamber 6. For example, an air blowing unit such as a fan may be provided in the bottom wall 6E of the storage 6. When the polishing liquid is sprayed from the nozzle 27, the air blowing portion blows air from the sole SZ side of the shoe S, whereby the polishing liquid is less likely to touch the sole SZ, and therefore the polishing liquid can be prevented from adhering to the sole SZ. In the present embodiment, the inner space 6F of the storage 6 has a size that can store a pair of shoes S, but may be a size that stores a single shoe S. In this case, only one support portion 11 may be provided without providing a pair.

Claims (4)

1. A shoe polishing device, comprising:

a storage house for storing the shoes;

a polishing liquid storage unit for storing a polishing liquid for shoes; and

a nozzle having an injection port for injecting the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage portion toward the shoe in the storage chamber;

a support portion rotatably supported by the housing chamber and supporting shoes in the housing chamber;

the support portion includes: a disc-shaped root supported by a rear wall of the accommodating chamber; a stem portion extending forward from a portion on the circumference of the outer peripheral portion of the root portion; a heel support part provided in the middle of the lever part; a toe support portion provided on a front side of the lever portion; a pair of wire-shaped connection portions extending rearward from the toe support portion and connected to the rod portion; when a pair of shoes are accommodated in the accommodating warehouse, the toe supporting part and the heel supporting part of the supporting part are inserted into the inner space of the shoe after being sequentially inserted into the shoe opening of the shoe;

and a driving unit that generates a driving force for rotating the support unit, wherein the shoes in the storage compartment change their posture by rotating together with the support unit.

2. The shoe polishing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

and a sliding mechanism for sliding the nozzle in the accommodating warehouse.

3. The shoe-cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1-2, further comprising:

a cleaning liquid storage unit for storing the cleaning liquid for the shoe; and

and a supply unit configured to switch between the polishing liquid in the polishing liquid storage unit and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit and supply the switching to the nozzle.

4. The shoe-cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1-2, further comprising:

and a changing unit that changes the orientation of the nozzle so that the ejection port faces laterally or upwardly when the ejection is stopped.