EP0634514A1 - Method, device and installation for washing mattresses, particulary foam mattresses - Google Patents

Abstract

In a method for washing mattresses, the mattresses (6), lying flat, are introduced into a container (1) filled with liquid (2) and are dipped so deep into the liquid that the mattress rests on a base (3) and does not float, for the top side of the mattress is fulled and simultaneously subjected to liquid. A device for carrying out the method consists of a trough-shaped container (1) for receiving the liquid, a rotary conveyor (3) arranged in the container underneath the liquid level, a liquid outflow (8) arranged at a distance above the liquid level (2a), a pump arrangement (9) for conveying liquid out of the container to the liquid outflow, and a fulling roller (7) movable over the liquid level (2a). A plurality of devices of this type can be assembled in a modular manner to form an entire installation. The device can also be operated as an individual installation. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method, a device and a system for washing mattresses, in particular foam mattresses, according to the preambles of claims 1, 15 and 28, respectively.

A washing installation for mattresses is known from EP 0157252, in which the mattresses are passed one after the other through a plurality of tubs filled with liquids and are washed, disinfected, rinsed and dried. A special design effort for guiding and mechanical processing of the mattress is required.

The invention has for its object to provide a method for washing mattresses, which can be easily adapted to different requirements with regard to the treatments to be carried out, the amount and type of mattresses and enables the washing of a higher number of mattresses in the same time. Furthermore, a device is to be created which is suitable for carrying out the method and is structurally simple, and a system is to be made available which can be operated with the aid of the device according to the invention using the method according to the invention and with high performance and economy.

With regard to the method, the object is achieved by the features of claim 1, the teaching of which is expediently supplemented by the features of claims 2 to 16.

The part of the object relating to the device is achieved by the features of claim 17, expedient refinements being the subject of claims 18 to 30.

With regard to the system, the solution to the problem results from claim 31, the features of which are further developed by claims 32 to 38.

According to the invention, the mattress to be treated is treated in a walking device, the underside of which is only in the wash bath or just above it, while the liquid is applied to the top from above.

The device according to the invention makes it possible to assemble a system in a modular manner and to adapt it to the particular circumstances. The device can be used for washing, disinfecting or rinsing. These processes can be carried out in succession in the same device in the bath changing process, so that a single device is sufficient for smaller systems. On the other hand, for larger throughputs, several devices of the same type can be arranged one behind the other and / or in parallel and operated in continuous operation, a different time requirement for the different treatment processes being able to be compensated for.

Due to the modular structure of the system, it can also be easily adapted to changing circumstances, i.e. by expanding or differently assigning the individual devices to one another, adaptation to the respective operating conditions is possible. Optimal use of space is also achieved, since the individual devices can be arranged at different locations if they work independently of one another and are connected to one another via conveyor devices.

Fig. 1

eine einzelne Vorrichtung zum Waschen, Desinfizieren oder Spülen einer Matratze;

Fig. 2

die Anordnung mehrerer Vorrichtungen gemäß Fig. 1 hintereinander, und

Fig. 3

im Grundriß eine Anlage mit einer möglichen Anordnung mehrerer Vorrichtungen zum Waschen, Desinfizieren, Spülen und Trocknen von Matratzen in einem Gebäude.

Various embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1

a single device for washing, disinfecting or rinsing a mattress;

Fig. 2

the arrangement of several devices according to FIG. 1 in a row, and

Fig. 3

the layout shows a system with a possible arrangement of several devices for washing, disinfecting, rinsing and drying mattresses in a building.

The device shown schematically in Fig. 1 consists of a trough-shaped container 1, the internal dimensions of which are adapted to the largest mattress format to be treated. There is a liquid 2 in the container, which can be a washing, disinfecting or rinsing liquid.

A circulation conveyor in the form of a belt 3 is arranged in the container below the liquid level 2a and is guided around two deflection rollers 4, 5, at least one of which is driven. The height of the conveyor unit formed by the belt and the deflecting rollers can be adjusted with respect to the liquid level 2a by means not shown. Of the Liquid level is set via an overflow 32. The height of this overflow can be adjusted accordingly.

On the belt 3 is the mattress 6 to be treated, which has the shape of a flat cuboid and can be provided with a cotton cover.

At an adjustable distance above the liquid level 2a, a flexing roller 7 is mounted, which extends over the entire width of the belt 3. The fulling roller 7 can be moved in both directions over the length of the belt and is connected to a rotary drive which can be switched in both directions of rotation. In addition, a drive for the linear reciprocation can also be present. Both their speed of rotation and the speed of the back and forth movement are adjustable.

The height of the flexing roller 7, which can be automatically adjusted to different mattress thicknesses, is adjusted in the manner shown that the mattress 6 is compressed or compressed below the roller. When the rotary drive is switched on, the flexing roller 7 then rolls on the mattress 6 and continuously rolls it through. The mattress is held immovably by the belt 3.

So that the mattress 6 can be inserted unhindered into the bath, the flexing roller is moved into the right end position, while the mattress is inserted on the left side of the ball. By driving the fulling roller 7 it is prevented that the mattress 6 is shifted when starting the fulling roller. The fulling roller rolls up on the mattress.

A liquid distribution system is located above the milling roller 7. This can be designed in the form of a surge shower 8 with a slot-shaped outlet opening extends parallel to the rolling roller 7 located below. The surge shower 8 is guided in a frame-like holder in such a way that it moves together with the flexing roller 7 and specifically supplies the liquid to the area just rolled.

Another preferred embodiment consists in the manner shown of a flat housing, the underside of which is provided with a large number of bores. Due to the liquid emerging from the holes, the mattress underneath is irrigated evenly over its entire surface.

Instead of the surge shower, a ball shower can also be provided, from which the liquid is sprayed over a larger area. A further possibility of supplying and distributing the liquid consists in guiding the liquid into the interior of the rolling roller 7, which then has to be designed as a perforated roller, so that the liquid is fed directly to the rolled area.

The liquid is removed from the container 1 and fed with a pump 9 through a line 10 to the liquid distribution system, from where it returns to the container 1 in the circuit.

At the outlet-side, in Fig. 1 right end of the container 1, two press or squeeze rollers 11, 12 are arranged, which form a gap between them for the passage of the mattress, the mattress being largely dewatered by this liquid soaked up. The gap is located above the liquid level 2a and its width can be adjusted. The press rolls are coupled with a suitable drive, which can act on one or both rolls.

Depending on the method to be used, a plurality of storage containers 13, 14, 15 are arranged below the container 1, from which everyone can hold the entire contents of the trough-shaped container 1. Through a line 16 and a valve 17, the liquid is supplied from the container 1 into one of the storage containers 13, 14 or 15, and a line 18 and a pump 19 are used to fill the container 1 from one of the storage containers Container 1, like the storage containers 13, 14, 15, is connected to a channel drain 33.

The device described works as follows.

The mattress 6 to be treated is inserted into the device from the left side in FIG. 1 and placed on the belt 3 with the front edge. The belt then transports the mattress 6 in the direction of the arrow 34 into the position shown in the drawing. The fulling roller 7 is in its right end position.

The upper run of the belt 3 is set at such a height that the inserted mattress is not completely immersed in the liquid, but only with its underside. The immersion depth depends on the thickness and density of the mattress and is dimensioned so that the mattress does not float in the liquid, but remains on the belt due to its own weight.

Next, the fulling roller 7 is rotated to the left by the drive in the manner shown in dashed lines and moved to the left. The own rotary drive of the flexing roller causes the roller to roll on the mattress, compressing it underneath and not shifting it to the left. In addition, the mattress is held by the belt.

Simultaneously with the drive of the flexing roller 7, the pump 9 is switched on, so that liquid from the container 1 passes through the line 10 is pumped to the surge shower 8, which is located in the manner described above the fulling roller.

During its movement, the flexing roller 7 presses the mattress 6 together in the manner shown and squeezes the absorbed liquid out of the compressed area. When the mattress material is subsequently expanded, liquid is again sucked up from the container 1. In addition, liquid is supplied from above from the surge shower 8. In this way, the mattress is tumbled and, at the same time, alternately squeezed and relieved with an abundant supply of fluid, so that there is a thorough flooding.

When the treatment has ended after the roller 7 has been rolled back and forth several times, the roller is brought into the left position and the belt 3 is driven again in order to feed the mattress 6 to the press rollers 11, 12. These pull the mattress between them, the squeezed liquid running back into the container 1.

It would also be possible to raise the belt 3 and / or a suitable support at the end of the processing to such an extent that the mattress 6 is completely lifted out of the liquid and that the flexing roller 7 is then used to squeeze out the liquid.

After pressing, the mattress is fed to the next treatment step.

The device according to the invention can be used in different ways in the context of an overall system for treating mattresses.

For smaller systems, a single device of this type is sufficient, which is then operated using the bath changing process. For this purpose, the mattress 6 is introduced in the manner described the container 1 filled with a washing liquid and the mattress washed. After completion of this process, the washing liquid is drained through the line 16 and the valve 17 into the reservoir 13. The flexing roller 7 can be guided over the mattress one or more times with the pump 9 switched off and the washing liquid drained off in order to squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. The belt 3 can also be raised or the flexing roller can also be lowered in order to achieve better drainage.

Next, the pump 19 is switched on in order to pump disinfectant liquid from the storage container 14 into the container 1 through the line 18. The treatment is then carried out in the same way,

After disinfection, which can extend over a prescribed period of time, a further change of liquid takes place in the manner already described, water being pumped from the storage container 15 into the container 1 for the subsequent rinsing process.

If necessary, individual operations can also be carried out several times, which may require a larger number of storage containers.

For systems with higher performance, several devices can be arranged one behind the other to wash the mattresses in a continuous process. An example of such a system is shown schematically in FIG. 2. Here, three individual devices of the type shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in series, through which the mattresses pass one behind the other. The mattresses are inserted into the first device 20 and subjected to a first washing treatment and then transferred successively to the devices 21 and 22, in which they are then disinfected and rinsed. From the device 22, the transport takes place in a further device for drying.

As can be seen from Fig. 2, the washing is not carried out in the bath changing process, but in the countercurrent process, i.e. the washing liquid is conveyed from one device to the next by pumps 23 and 24 and lines 26 and 27 against the direction of transport of the mattresses and leaves the first device through an overflow 29. The pumps 25 supply the shower with line 28 via liquid. If the devices 20, 21, 22 are installed at different heights, the liquid can be conveyed through a natural gradient and the pumps 23 and 24 can be dispensed with.

In the continuous process according to FIG. 2, the individual devices can also be operated in a different way than explained in connection with the bath changing process. In this variant, the belt 3 and the dewatering rollers are not stopped, but continue to be operated, during the flexing of the mattress 6 by the flexing roller 7, so that the mattress moves slowly through the device and is treated continuously. The transport speed of the belt and the dewatering rollers must be noticeably lower than the linear speed of the flexing roller. With this mode of operation, a completely continuous operation of the system is possible.

A further possibility of arranging several devices in an overall system is shown in plan in FIG. 3. This system takes into account the fact that disinfection generally takes more time than washing.

The system outlined in Fig. 3 as an example consists of a device marked with "W" for washing the Mattresses, two "D" devices for disinfection, one with "S" devices for rinsing and two devices with "T" devices for drying. The individual devices W, D, D, S can also be arranged one behind the other, as shown in the right part of FIG.

As shown in Fig. 3, the two disinfecting devices work in parallel and are loaded alternately by the washing device W, so that the increased time requirement is compensated. Or they work one after the other, with the mattress in each disinfection device D only staying half of the disinfection time. The mattresses are directed from the rinsing device S to the dryers arranged here in parallel.

As indicated in Fig. 3, the individual devices are not spatially arranged in a row, but partly separated from each other. Depending on the local conditions, they can also be located in different rooms. The mattresses are transported from one device to the next by suitable conveyors 30, 31 which e.g. can be designed as a lifting belt.

As can be easily seen, any other combinations are also possible.

Reference list

1

container

2nd

liquid

2a

Liquid level

3rd

Wire mesh belt

4th

Deflection roller

5

Deflection roller

6

mattress

7

Fulling roller

8th

Surge shower

9

pump

10th

management

11

Press roll

12th

Press roll

13

Storage container

14

Storage container

15

Storage container

16

management

17th

Valve

18th

management

19th

pump

20th

Single device

21

Single device

22

Single device

23

pump

24th

pump

25th

pump

26

management

27

management

28

management

29

Overflow

30th

Sponsor

31

Sponsor

32

Overflow

33

Sewer drain

34

Direction of conveyance

Claims (38)

Process for washing mattresses, in particular foam mattresses with a washing and possibly a disinfectant liquid and a rinsing liquid, squeezing the liquid and subsequent drying, the mattress to be washed being placed flat in a container filled with liquid, characterized in that the container (1) only so far filled with liquid that the mattress (6) lying on a base is during washing with its underside in the liquid or above the liquid, and that the top of the mattress is loaded with liquid and mechanically processed. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the liquid is filled into the container (1) only so far above the base that the mattress (6), which is only partially immersed in the liquid, rests on the base due to its own weight and does not float . A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mechanical processing of the mattress (6) by the back and forth movement of a flexing roller (7) on the top of the mattress (6) takes place simultaneously with the application of liquid to the mattress. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the speed of the back and forth movement of the flexing roller (7) is set as a function of the type of mattress and / or the mattress material. A method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that when the mattress (6) is introduced , the flexing roller (7) is brought into an end position remote from the insertion opening of the container (1) and is driven to subsequently carry out the flexing work. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mattress (6) in the same container (1) is subjected to at least one washing and disinfecting and rinsing cycle. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the washing and disinfecting and rinsing liquid is drained and replaced by another (bath changing method). A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the washing and disinfecting and rinsing liquid is stored in separate storage containers (12, 13, 15) and is pumped from the corresponding storage container to the liquid outlet (8) and out of the container during the respective cycle (1) is returned directly to the storage container (12, 13, 15). A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the liquid discharged after each cycle is passed into its own storage container (13, 14, 15) and is returned to the container (1) for the same cycle of a subsequent washing process, with certain amounts of the respective liquid to be renewed. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mattress (6) is subjected to at least one washing and disinfecting and rinsing cycle by using for each cycle is transported to a different container (1), each with its own liquid, with certain amounts of the respective liquid being renewed. (Continuous process). A method according to claim 10, characterized in that the liquid is conveyed in the opposite direction to the transport direction of the mattress or mattresses (6) from a container in the previous one (continuous process with counterflow). Method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mattress (6) is continuously conveyed through the container during the washing or disinfection or rinsing process. Method according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the mattress (6) is pressed out after each washing or disinfection cycle and rinsing cycle. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the mattress (6) is passed between two press rolls (11, 12). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the bath changing method after the washing or disinfection or rinsing cycle, the application of liquid is interrupted and the liquid is drained from the container and the pressing is carried out with the aid of the flexing tool (7). A method according to claim 15, characterized in that the flexing tool (7) to achieve an improved Drainage is lowered during its reciprocating motion. Device for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 16 with a trough-shaped container (1) for holding the liquid (2), characterized by a circulation conveyor (3) arranged partially or completely below the liquid level (2a) in the container, one with Distance above the liquid level (2a) arranged liquid outlet (8), a pump arrangement (9) for conveying liquid from the container (1) to the liquid outlet (8), a flexing roller (7) movable above the liquid level and an overflow (32) for setting the liquid level (2a) in the container (1). Apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the circulation conveyor consists of a belt (3) guided around two deflection rollers. Apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the circulation conveyor (3) is adjustable in height below the liquid level (2a). Apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the liquid outlet (8) is arranged to be movable together with the flexing roller (7). Apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the liquid outlet is designed as a surge shower (8). Apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the liquid outlet is designed as a ball shower. Apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the liquid outlet has liquid outlet openings which are distributed over the entire surface of the liquid level. Apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the liquid outlet is arranged within the flexing roller (7) and the flexing roller is provided with liquid outlet openings. Device according to one of claims 17 to 24, characterized in that the flexing roller (7) is linearly movable back and forth and rolls on the mattress body. Apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that the flexing roller (7) is driven to rotate in both directions of rotation. Device according to one of claims 17 to 26, characterized in that the leveling roller (7) is adjustable in height above the circulating conveyor (3). Device according to one of Claims 17 to 27, characterized in that the trough-shaped container (1) is assigned a plurality of storage containers (13, 14, 15) for holding different washing or disinfection liquids and rinsing liquids, and in that the storage containers are provided via supply and discharge lines (16 , 18) and valves (17) and pumps (19) are connected to the trough-shaped container (1). Device according to one of claims 17 to 28, characterized in that the individual devices (20, 21, 22) via lines (26, 27), valves and / or pumps (23, 24) is connected to at least one other similar trough-shaped container. Device according to one of claims 17 to 29, characterized in that two pressing rollers (11, 12) are arranged in the conveying direction (34) after the circulating conveyor (3) and parallel to this in the trough-shaped container (1), which presses between them form the press nip lying for the pressing out of the mattress (6). System for washing and, if necessary, disinfecting and rinsing mattresses using the method according to at least one of claims 1 to 16 and the device according to at least one of claims 17 to 30, characterized in that at least two of the devices for washing and disinfecting and rinsing in succession are arranged for the sequential treatment of mattresses (6) supplied in cycles. System according to claim 31, characterized in that at least two devices (D) for disinfection are assigned to the outlet of a device (W) for washing, to which the mattresses are fed alternately. System according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that at least one device (S) for rinsing the mattress is arranged after the device or devices (D) for disinfecting. System according to one of claims 31 to 33, characterized in that the devices (W, D, S) for washing and disinfecting and rinsing arranged one behind the other are fed the liquid one after the other in countercurrent to the transport direction of the mattresses. Installation according to claim 34, characterized in that the devices arranged one behind the other have a different height level and in that the liquid is supplied by a natural gradient. System according to one of the preceding system claims, characterized in that the devices (W, D, S) for washing and disinfecting and rinsing are spatially separated and connected by conveyors (30, 31). System according to claim 36, characterized in that at least one of the conveyors (30, 31) is a lifting conveyor belt or the like. System according to one of the preceding system claims, characterized in that the devices (W, D, S) for washing and disinfecting and rinsing are assigned at least one device (T) for drying the mattresses.

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