JP2000325065A - Washing apparatus for plant leaf - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently wash plant leaves utilized for wrapping and/or decorating a food and as the dishes by means of a machine without scratching them. SOLUTION: In this washing apparatus, a first pair of top and bottom rotating brushes 5 and a second pair of top and bottom rotating brushes 6 are alternately arranged, and the two kinds of rotating brushes are made to rotate at different speed from each other. When passing object leaves to be cleaned between the top and bottom brushes, one pair of rotating brushes holds the leaves and another pair of rotating brushes cleans the leaves.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to persimmons, cherry blossoms, magnolias,
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plant leaf cleaning apparatus capable of efficiently and efficiently cleaning leaves such as bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots, kashiwa, and orchids.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Plant leaves that are used to wrap, decorate, or replace food are used after being washed thoroughly, but the washing has been done manually until now.
The winter months, when the hands are squeezing, are particularly inefficient and have limited capabilities.

[0003]

The reason for having to rely on manual cleaning of plant leaves is that the shape, size,
Because the degree of warpage, softness, and thickness of the stem vary depending on the type of plant, it has been difficult to feed the leaves stably using a machine and to reliably remove dirt.

The inventor also attempted to feed the leaves by sandwiching them with a rubber roller in order to realize automatic washing. However, in this method, soft young leaves or salted cherry leaves are attached to the rollers and rolled. Feeding does not work properly due to sticking and wrinkling. In addition, the leaves with thick stems and hard leaves may tear,
The stem will be crushed or damaged. For this reason, leaf washing has been performed manually, knowing that it is inefficient, but this makes it difficult to process large quantities.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to automatically and efficiently wash plant leaves without impairing commercial value.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a first rotating brush in which two brushes are vertically arranged in parallel, and two brushes which are also vertically arranged in parallel. Are arranged alternately in the leaf feeding direction, the first rotating brush and the second rotating brush are rotationally driven with a speed difference, and one of the leaves passed between the upper and lower brushes is rotated. The cleaning brush was pressed by one rotating brush and the other rotating brush was used for cleaning.

[0007] This washing apparatus is provided with a sprinkling nozzle above the first and second rotating brushes, or a drainer for sucking moisture on the surface of the leaves by passing the washed leaves therebetween in the forward direction of the rotating brush. Rollers can be arranged.

In addition, an idle gear that is rotatable is attached to the rotating shaft of the first rotating brush and the rotating shaft of the second rotating brush, and an idle gear that rotates the first rotating brush to the rotating shaft of the second rotating brush. If the rotation of the second rotating brush is performed via an idle gear attached to the rotating shaft of the first rotating brush via gears, the arrangement pitch of the rotating brushes is reduced, and the device is small and has a wide range of use. Can be realized.

[0009]

When the first and second rotating brushes having different rotational speeds are alternately arranged, one of the rotating brushes presses the leaf sandwiched between the upper and lower brushes, and the other rotating brush applies both sides of the leaf. Can be washed.

Further, since the leaf is fed by the rotating brush, the leaf does not wind around the brush, and the bristles of the brush are deformed along the shape of the leaf, so that the leaf and stem are not damaged.

The apparatus provided with a watering nozzle can simultaneously wash away dirt rubbed off with a brush, eliminating the need for rinsing and increasing the cleaning efficiency.

[0012] In addition, the device to which the draining roller is added eliminates the necessity of wiping the water on the leaf surface after washing.

Further, an apparatus for driving the first rotating brush via an idle gear attached to the rotating shaft of the second rotating brush and the second rotating brush via an idle gear attached to the rotating shaft of the first rotating brush. Since the arrangement pitch of the rotating brushes can be reduced, small-sized cherry blossom leaves and the like can be washed smoothly, and the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

[0014]

1 to 5 show an embodiment of a cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

In the cleaning device 1, a net conveyor 4 is provided on one side of a main body frame 3 having a water receiving tray 2 below, and a first rotating brush 5 and a second rotating brush 6 are provided at a predetermined pitch behind the net conveyor 4. The auxiliary rotating brush 7 and the draining roller 8 are arranged alternately and further behind,
A watering nozzle 9 is provided above the rotating brush. The net conveyor 4 is a preferable element. The leaves to be cleaned are placed on the conveying surface of the net of the conveyor, and are sent to the first rotary brush 5 at the forefront stage.

The first rotating brush 5 is formed by arranging two pairs of brushes vertically in parallel. The first rotating brush 5 is provided with a rotating shaft 10 supported on both sides by the main body frame 3 and is exchangeably attached to each rotating shaft 10.

The second rotating brush 6 is also a brush composed of two brushes, and is provided with a rotating shaft 11 supported on both sides by the main body frame 3 and is exchangeably attached to each rotating shaft 11.

The auxiliary rotary brush 7 is a brush provided to feed the leaves to the position of the draining roller 8, and a total of 4 brushes are provided.
It is exchangeably mounted on the rotating shaft 12 provided here.

The draining roller 8 is also a preferred element. This roller is formed of a soft porous material having a water absorbing property, and is attached to a pair of upper and lower rotating shafts 13 provided in total.

The rotary brushes 5, 6, and 7 are made by planting fibers having an appropriate wire diameter, and commercially available products can be used. In the prototype machine, each of the rotating brushes employs a hair planted with nylon fiber bristles, but the material of the bristles may be a synthetic resin other than nylon, or a natural fiber such as a spatula may be used. Hair thickness (diameter) is about 0.1-0.3mm,
The flocking density was preferably about 200 to 300 fibers / cm ^2, but is not limited thereto.

The first and second rotating brushes 5 and 6 preferably have different contact pressures on leaves.

The rotating shaft 10 of the first rotating brush 5 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, upper and lower shafts forming a pair are connected by gears G1, G2 and G3, G4 fixed to the other end of each shaft.
A gear G which is connected to the lower two gears G1 and G3 via an idle gear iG1 and is fixed to one end of the lowermost shaft of the foremost stage.
5 meshes with a gear G6 attached to the output shaft of the motor 14, and is driven by the motor 14. The idle gear iG1 is rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft 11 of the second rotating brush between the rotating shafts 10 and 10, and the power is transmitted through the idle gear iG1 to transmit the gears G1 and G3 (that is, the lower two gears). The first rotating brush) rotates in the same direction.

G24 in FIG. 2 is a gear attached to the drive shaft of the net conveyor 4 and meshed with the gear G6, whereby the net conveyor 4 is also driven by the motor 14.

The rotating shaft 11 of the second rotating brush is composed of gears G7, G8 and G in which a pair of upper and lower shafts is fixed to one end of each shaft.
9, G10, and further, the lower gears G7, G9 are connected via an idle gear iG2 which is rotatably attached to one end of a first rotating shaft 10 between them, for a total of four rotating shafts. 11 rotates at a constant speed in conjunction therewith.

As shown in FIG. 1, three rotating shafts 12 for the auxiliary rotating roller are arranged on the lower side, and the remaining one is paired with the lower central shaft. The shafts are connected by gears G11 and G12 shown in FIG. The lower shaft in the center is driven by a motor 15 via a gear G13 meshing with a gear G11, and the rotation of this shaft is performed via an idle gear iG3 which is rotatably mounted on the lower left rotating shaft 12 in the figure. The gear G9 fixed to the lower rotating shaft 11 on the right end is transmitted to the gear G9, and the rotation of the shaft with the gear G9 is further transmitted to the left end rotating shaft 12 via the gear G14 fixed to the shaft, the idle gear iG4, and the gear G15. And the rotation of the shaft
16, G17, and the right rotating shaft 12 via an idle gear iG5 which is rotatably mounted on the lower rotating shaft 12 at the center, so that the second rotating brush 6 and the auxiliary rotating brush 7 are interlocked. Rotate.

Similarly, the rotating shaft 13 for the draining roller 8 is provided with three sets of upper and lower gears G18, G19, G20, G2 that mesh with each other with the rotation-free idle gears iG6, iG7.
1, G22 and G23 drive the motor 15. This device can change the auxiliary rotating brush 7 into a first rotating brush and a second rotating brush by changing gears and adding a rotating brush. The number of the first rotating brushes 5 and the number of the second rotating brushes 6 are not particularly limited.

In addition to the above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a main body frame 3, a lower frame 3a for supporting a lower rotating brush and a draining roller, an upper rotating brush and a draining roller. The upper frame 3b is mounted on the lower frame 3a with hinge pins 16 so that the upper frame 3b can be opened and closed. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotating brush and the draining roller attached to the upper frame
The distance between the upper and lower rotating brushes and the distance between the upper and lower drainers can be adjusted so that the optimum contact pressure can be set according to the type of leaf.

Further, the gears are all made of resin gears to achieve both weight reduction and cost reduction of the apparatus.

The cleaning apparatus 1 configured as described above rotates the first rotating brush 5 and the second rotating brush 6 with a speed difference. Here, the rotation speed of the second rotating brush 6 was set higher than the rotation speed of the first rotating brush 5, and the contact pressure of the second rotating brush 6 was set lower than the contact pressure of the first rotating brush 5.

As a result, the first rotating brush 5 having a slow rotation
The leaf can be washed without damaging the leaf by the second rotating brush 6 which presses the leaf and rotates quickly. The contact pressure of the brush may be set so that the second rotating brush 6 is higher than the first rotating brush 5. In this case, the leaves are pressed by the second rotating brush 6, and the washing is slow in rotation. First rotating brush 5
Done by

The contact pressure on the leaves of the rotating brush causes a difference not only by changing the interval between the upper and lower brushes forming a pair, but also by changing the thickness (wire diameter), material, and density of the bristle of the brush. be able to. For example, a brush in which bristles having a large wire diameter or bristle with a high waist are planted or a brush in which the bristle implantation density is increased is difficult to deform the bristles, so that the contact pressure increases.

The difference between the rotation speed and the contact pressure between the first rotating brush 5 and the second rotating brush 6 is determined in consideration of the hardness and shape of the leaves to be washed.

[0033]

As described above, in the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, two types of rotating brushes having different speeds are alternately arranged, and one of the brushes presses a leaf and performs cleaning with the other. The leaves can be washed smoothly and efficiently washed without damage.

Thick, long and hard bamboo leaves and large warped leaves are liable to cause crushing of the stem and uneven washing, and salted thin and very soft cherry leaves are entangled with rollers. In the past, mechanical washing could not be performed, but the rotating brush used for feeding and washing in the present invention is easy to adjust to the leaf surface and does not cause leaf adhesion, washing unevenness and entanglement,
No torn or scratched troubles. Therefore, various kinds of leaves can be washed cleanly and efficiently without deteriorating the commercial value, and large-scale processing can be performed.

Further, the first rotary brush is driven via an idle gear rotatably mounted on the rotary shaft of the second rotary brush, and the first rotary brush is driven via an idle gear rotatably mounted on the rotary shaft of the first rotary brush. A device that drives a two-rotation brush can reduce the arrangement pitch of the rotation brushes to increase the range of use of the device, and can also achieve miniaturization of the device at the same time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an outline of an embodiment of a cleaning device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a gear arrangement of a drive mechanism.

FIG. 3 is an end view showing the gear arrangement on one end side and the other end side separately;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the frame.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing apparatus 2 Water receiving tray 3 Main body frame 3a Lower frame 3b Upper frame 4 Net conveyor 5 First rotating brush 6 Second rotating brush 7 Auxiliary rotating brush 8 Drain roller 9 Sprinkling nozzle 10, 11, 12, 13 Rotating shaft 14, 15 Motor G1 to G24 Gear iG1 to iG6 Idle gear

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first rotating brush having two brushes arranged in parallel vertically and a second rotating brush having two brushes arranged in parallel vertically alternately in a leaf feeding direction. The first rotating brush and the second rotating brush are rotated at different speeds, and the leaves passing between the upper and lower brushes are pressed with one rotating brush and washed with the other rotating brush. Leaf cleaning equipment. 2. The apparatus for cleaning leaf of a plant according to claim 1, wherein a watering nozzle is provided above the first and second rotating brushes. 3. The apparatus for washing leaves of a plant according to claim 1, wherein a draining roller is disposed in front of the rotary brush in the feeding direction to drain the water on the surface of the leaves through the washed leaves. 4. A rotatable idle gear is attached to the rotating shaft of the first rotating brush and the rotating shaft of the second rotating brush, respectively.
The first rotary brush is driven to rotate via an idle gear mounted on the rotary shaft of the second rotary brush, and the second rotary brush is driven to rotate via an idle gear mounted on the rotary shaft of the first rotary brush. An apparatus for washing leaves of a plant according to any one of claims 1 to 3.