JP2003001201A - Washing apparatus for pellet abrasive - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the washing efficiency of a washing apparatus for a pellet abrasive. SOLUTION: This washing apparatus is constituted so that a large quantity of pellets are put into a large-volume washing tank 3 and washed with washing water while the pellets are circulated forcibly together with the washing water by an air lift 5 by abolishing the washing bucket used in the conventional apparatus when the pellet to be washed is put in/out of the washing tank. The tank 3 is partitioned into a washing chamber 3a and a washing spare chamber 3b by an inverted cone-shaped partition plate part 9. The lift 5 is erected in the central part of the chamber 3a. The washing water and pellets filled until the specified water level are circulated forcibly in the tank 3 by supplying high pressure air into the lift 5 from an air supplying port 5b. After the washing and rinsing steps are completed, the pellets accumulated in the chamber 3a are dried by supplying warm air from a warm air supplying port 3d.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pellet abrasive cleaning device for cleaning pellet abrasives for polishing pachinko balls, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Rice pellet-sized resin pellets are used as abrasives for pachinko balls and the like, which are washed and reused when they become dirty due to repeated use. There are various types of models used for cleaning such polishing pellets, and a typical model of the pellet cleaning machine is, for example, the invention described in JP-A-6-269560. This pellet washing machine stores a washing bucket that can be freely put in and taken out in a washing tank provided in the frame body, and the pellets to be washed and washing water put in this are mixed together in a circulatory manner and Can be washed by stirring with a stirring plate. The stirring plate is rotatable by rotating a motor that constitutes a flip-up type drive unit provided on the main body frame and transmitting this rotation to the center shaft. In addition, the cleaning water is supplied and drained by a water supply pipe and a drain pipe connected to the lower part of the cleaning tank.To move the bucket into and out of the cleaning tank, the drive unit is flipped up to move it upwards. It is supposed to be done with a space created.

In the washing procedure by the pellet washing machine, first, the drive unit is rotated around a hinge so as to be flipped up, and the washing bucket is stored in the washing tank. Next, the pellets to be cleaned and the detergent are put in the bucket, the water supply valve is opened, and the cleaning water is introduced into the bucket through a large number of through holes provided at the bottom of the bucket, and the water is supplied to the surface where the pellets are accumulated. Then, the drive unit that had been flipped up is lowered to the original position, and the center shaft supporting the stirring plate is set to be rotatable. When the start switch is turned on when the preparation is completed in this way, the stirring plate rotates and the pellets are washed by stirring the mixed fluid in which the washing water and the pellets are integrated. After the lapse of a predetermined time in the cleaning process, open the drain valve to drain the water. Subsequently, rinsing water is supplied into the cleaning tank in the same manner as in the cleaning step, and rinsing is performed by stirring for a predetermined time. After draining the rinse water, warm air is blown into the washing tank by the drying device to dry the wet pellets. When the pellets are dried, the drive unit is flipped up again to take out the washing bucket, and the washed pellets are transferred to a storage tank or the like to complete a series of steps.

Various improvements have been added to the pellet washing machine having such a basic structure. As a first example, a method in which work efficiency is increased by completely continuous operation from washing to drying and recovery of the pellet abrasive (utility model registration No. 1862768). As a second example, when cleaning the pellet abrasive, the pellets are prevented from sticking to the inner peripheral wall surface of the cleaning bucket to prevent the cleaning efficiency from decreasing (Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-152). As a third example, there is one that employs a simple configuration to increase the cleaning efficiency by vigorously stirring the pellet abrasive with the cleaning liquid (JP-A-6-269560).

[0005]

However, each of the above-mentioned conventional techniques has the following problems. First, since these washing machines stir the pellets and washing water by rotating the stirring plate, the circulating flow of fluid flows along the inner peripheral surface of the washing container, and the circulating flow is used for washing the pellets. Since it was difficult to create a suitable turbulent flow, there was a limit to the improvement in cleaning efficiency. Secondly, the structure of the washing machine is complicated because it requires two motors for stirring and drying, and as a result, the manufacturing cost is high. Thirdly, since the series of steps is carried out with the pellets to be cleaned put in the bucket, there is a limit to the amount of cleaning once, and the presence of the bucket hinders improvement of cleaning efficiency and drying efficiency. ing. Fourthly, since the drive unit is of a flip-up type, the work of putting in and out the cleaning bucket is troublesome, and the rotating body is exposed, which poses a work risk. Fifthly, since the upper part of the cleaning tank and the bucket are open, heat in the cleaning tank heated by the drying hot air is dissipated upward, so that the drying efficiency is low, and There was a problem with the long drying time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device for pellet abrasives which overcomes the above problems and has improved safety and cleaning efficiency at low cost.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the cleaning apparatus for pellet abrasives according to the present invention adopts several constitutions which are radically changed from the conventional cleaning mechanism. By adopting the configuration, the following operational effects are obtained.

The pellet abrasive cleaning apparatus according to the present invention has a cleaning tank, a cleaning tank lid, an air lift, a hot air supply port, and a piping device as basic components. The following items can be mentioned.
First, the use of buckets, which was indispensable in the prior art for loading and unloading the pellets to be cleaned, was abolished, and in response to this, a unique structure was adopted as the cleaning tank. Secondly, an air lift without mechanical movement is adopted as the stirring means, and a large amount of pellets can be washed at the same time with a small power. Thirdly, as a means for exerting these two major features, other components also have their own configurations.

(Structure of the Invention According to Claim 1) The cleaning tank serves as a central portion of the cleaning device. The main body of the cleaning tank is composed of a vertically long cylindrical body erected on the frame main body. Become. The inside of the cleaning tank made of this cylindrical body is divided into a cleaning chamber and a cleaning pre-chamber by a partition plate portion having a plurality of through holes that prevent the pellets to be cleaned from passing therethrough.
A cleaning tank lid is detachably attached to the main body of the cleaning tank. Next, the air lift as the stirring means is composed of a cylinder vertically provided in the cleaning tank, and an air supply port for supplying stirring air is provided at a predetermined position of the cylinder. is there. Other,
In this pellet washing device, a warm air supply port for receiving warm air from the drying means provided near the lower end of the washing tank,
It is provided with a piping device that regulates water supply and drainage to the cleaning tank and the foam cleaning gutter.

(Operation and effect of the invention described in claim 1) The present invention is of a type in which pellets are directly put into a washing tank for washing, and in response to this, a unique constitution which has not been available has been adopted. Therefore, the following effects are produced. First
In addition, the cleaning tank in the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention has a configuration in which an air lift can be installed by using a vertically long cylindrical body having a height greater than the diameter of the tank. Secondly, by installing an air lift, a large amount of pellets can be washed simultaneously with a small amount of power. Thirdly, it is possible to remove the restriction on the amount of pellets to be cleaned per one work cycle, which is caused by the fact that the operation of loading and unloading pellets by a bucket is not necessary. Fourthly, a partition plate having a plurality of through holes through which pellets cannot pass through the cleaning tank is divided into a cleaning chamber and a pre-cleaning chamber, and the pellets to be cleaned are stored in the cleaning chamber regardless of the bucket. The cleaning efficiency is high because it is directly put in and cleaned. Fourthly, the plurality of ventilation holes arranged around the upper part of the cleaning chamber and the foam cleaning gutter provided around the ventilation hole are used together with the cleaning tank lid placed on the cleaning tank, and the dirt components generated by the cleaning action. Since the foam treatment means for treating the foam containing water is constituted, purification of wastewater is considered. Fifth
In addition, the cleaning tank lid also improves the drying efficiency by preventing the upward heat dissipation during the drying process.

Although the principle of the air lift is well known,
In the present invention, this is provided in a cleaning tank and adopted as a means for stirring a fluid (hereinafter, referred to as “mixed fluid”) formed by mixing cleaning water and pellets. Specifically, a cylinder that serves as an air lift is installed vertically in the cleaning chamber, and air is sent from the air supply port provided in the middle of the cylinder to cause the mixed fluid filling the cylinder to foam, It is designed to raise the mixed fluid in the body. As a result, these mixed fluids are discharged from the upper end of the tubular portion into the cleaning tank, and the mixed fluid is sucked from the lower end of the tubular body in order to replenish this, so that a forced circulation action occurs in the cleaning tank. It becomes possible.

The hot air supply port is a hot air inlet for drying the washed pellets, and is connected to a heater and a blower constituting a drying means via a blower hose.
Since this warm air supply port is provided in the pre-cleaning chamber, it can uniformly enter between the pellets in the cleaning chamber from the entire surface of the partition plate. Further, the piping device functions to control the supply / drainage of cleaning water or rinsing water in the cleaning tank.

(Structure of the invention described in claim 2) In the invention described in claim 2, the air lift is constituted by vertically extending a cylindrical body. This cylindrical body has a diameter of an upper half portion. It is characterized in that it is made larger than the diameter of the lower half and that the boundary between the large diameter portion belonging to the upper half portion and the small diameter portion belonging to the lower half portion is formed so as to change gently. If the diameter of the cylinder is uniform over the entire length, it is easy to manufacture and is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost, but here, the length range of the lower half part is intentionally made narrower than the range of the upper half part. The flow velocity is increased to improve the suction ability of the mixed fluid from the lower end.

(Characteristics of the invention described in claim 3) In the invention described in claim 3, the partition plate part for partitioning the inside of the cleaning tank is
The outer peripheral portion is in contact with the inner peripheral portion of the cleaning tank, and the center portion is formed of an inverted conical body provided so as to be located near the bottom portion of the cleaning tank. As described above, the partition plate portion replaces the bucket bottom portion that has been used so far, due to the obsolete use of the bucket in the related art. As a result, the cleaning water and the warm air once stored in the partitioned cleaning prechamber can be uniformly supplied to the entire cross section of the cleaning chamber, and the cleaned pellets are easily collected under the suction port of the air lift. Further, if the lower end of the air lift is located above the lower end of the inverted conical shape, it becomes easy to suck the fluid in the cleaning process and the rinsing process. Further, since the washed pellets are easily collected under the suction port of the air lift, they serve to facilitate the pellet collecting operation by the suction pipe of the vacuum suction device in the pellet collecting step described later.

(Structure of the Invention According to Claim 4) The invention according to claim 4 is for cleaning pellet abrasives using the cleaning device for pellet abrasives according to any one of claims 1 to 3. It is about the method. This cleaning method is composed of the following five steps. (1) A preparatory step in which a predetermined amount of pellets to be cleaned and a detergent are put into the cleaning tank, the cleaning tank lid is covered, and cleaning water or the like is supplied to the cleaning layer and the foam cleaning trough by a piping device. (2) A cleaning step in which air having a predetermined pressure is supplied from the air supply port into the air lift to clean the pellets by foaming cleaning water. (3) Rinse water is continuously supplied into the cleaning layer by the piping device, and air having a predetermined pressure is continuously supplied from the air supply port into the air lift to cleanse the pellets by foaming the cleaning water. Process. (4) A drying step of supplying hot air from the hot air supply port into the cleaning tank for a predetermined time to dry the pellets after the rinsing step. (5) A pellet collecting step of collecting the pellets dried by the drying step.

(Effect of the invention described in claim 4) The invention described in claim 4 is a method for cleaning the polishing pellets by the pellet cleaning apparatus described in claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the above steps is performed. The above-mentioned cleaning method enables cleaning with a large amount of cleaning per cycle and high cleaning efficiency.
In particular, since the pellets are agitated by the foaming action by the air lift and forced circulation, a tall and large-capacity washing tank can be adopted, and even if the simultaneous washing amount increases, a small air supply power is sufficient. It is possible to give a stirring ability. Moreover, since all the steps except the operation of adding the pellets to be cleaned and the detergent in the preparation step can be automated, the efficiency of the cleaning operation can be improved.

(Characteristics of the Invention According to Claim 5) The pellet collecting step described above can be automated by attaching a pellet collecting means to the cleaning device. However, the feature of the pellet collecting step here is that the suction pipe of the vacuum suction device is inserted into the air lift and the pellets are transported to the outside of the cleaning tank. This is because the pellet recovery means is independent of the pellet cleaning device, and simplifies the configuration of the cleaning device.
The equipment cost is reduced by making one set of pellet collecting means compatible with a plurality of cleaning devices.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (Overall Structure) As shown in FIG. 1, a cleaning apparatus is mainly composed of a frame body 1 indicated by a two-dot chain line.
It is housed inside and can be run by running means 1a, 1a provided on the frame body. The central part of the apparatus is, of course, the cleaning tank 3, and this cleaning tank is composed of a container whose upper opening is a cylindrical body having a height twice or more the diameter. Prior art cleaning tanks
In contrast to the ratio of diameter to height being about 1: 1, in the cleaning tank of the present invention, by setting this ratio to 1: 2 or more, the cleaning amount per cycle is more than twice the conventional value. In addition, there is a great feature in that the insertion and removal work eliminates the troublesome intervention of the bucket. An air lift 5, which will be described later, is vertically provided at the center of the inside of the cleaning tank 3. Further, it is shown that the upper part of the cleaning tank 3 can be covered with the cleaning tank lid 7.

(Construction of Cleaning Tank) A partition plate 9 having an inverted conical shape is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the cleaning tank 3, with the partition plate serving as a boundary, the upper part of the cleaning tank is the cleaning chamber 3a, and the lower part is the cleaning chamber 3a. The cleaning preparatory room 3b is provided. The outer peripheral portion of the partition plate portion 9 is the cleaning tank 3
Is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of, and the central pointed portion is located near the center of the bottom of the cleaning tank. A large number of through holes 9a, ... Are arranged in the partition plate portion 9. The diameter of the through hole 9a is such that the washing water can pass but the pellets to be washed cannot pass. By the way, the diameter of the pellet is about 2.
When it is 5 mm, the diameter of the through hole is preferably 1.6 mm. Further, a water supply / drainage hole 3c is provided at the center of the bottom of the cleaning tank 3, and a piping device 11 connected below the cleaning tank is connected to this. Further, a warm air supply port 3d is provided on one side of the pre-cleaning chamber 3b, and a warm air supply hose 35 described later is connected to this protruding portion. In the vicinity of the upper end around the cleaning tank 3, a plurality of ventilation openings 3e for discharging bubbles described below generated in the cleaning tank.
Are arranged at the same height and at equal intervals. Also, cleaning tank 3
A foam cleaning gutter 3f is provided on the outer periphery of the upper part of the so as to surround these ventilation openings 3e. The cleaning chamber 3a and the foam cleaning gutter 3f are communicated with each other through the ventilation ports 3e described above. As will be described later, the ventilation port 3e, the foam cleaning gutter 3f, and the cleaning tank lid 5 constitute a foam processing means 13 (see FIG. 3) described later. The foam treatment means 13 has a function of crushing the foam discharged from the ventilation port 3e to the foam cleaning gutter 3f with water pressure to remove the dirt component contained in the foam and to release the air in the foam to the atmosphere. To do.

A water level sensor 15 is provided at one side of the cleaning tank 3 (on the right side in FIG. 1) to detect that the cleaning water supplied into the cleaning tank has reached a specified water level. This water level sensor 15 employs a continuity sensor that is connected to a circuit and outputs a detection signal when the cleaning water rising in the water level pipe 15a at the tip (lower end) reaches the reference water level. . Further, a rinse water overflow port 3g is provided at a position closer to the upper part of the other side portion of the washing tank 3, and an overflow pipe 17 is connected to the overflow port. At the end of the overflow port 3g located in the cleaning tank, a sludge 3h is attached to prevent the pellets from overflowing together with the overflow water. The overflow pipe 17 is connected to the piping device 11 located below.

An auxiliary water discharge port 3i for discharging the auxiliary cleaning water supplied to the cleaning gutter is provided on the outer periphery of the foam cleaning gutter 3f, and an auxiliary water discharge pipe 19 is connected to the discharge port. There is. The tip (lower end) of the auxiliary water discharge pipe 19 can discharge the auxiliary cleaning water to the filtration device 27. The filtering device 27 is filled with the filtering material 27a, and the contaminants floating in the auxiliary water passing through the filtering device can be removed by this filtering material. The water filtered by the filtering device 27 can be drained to the piping device 11 through the filtered water drain pipe 28. Note that the filter material 27a needs to be replaced as appropriate to prevent a decrease in the filtration capacity. Further, a foam cleaning gutter 3f on the other side of the cleaning tank 3 (on the right side in FIG. 1) is provided with an auxiliary water supply / drainage port 3k, and a cleaning auxiliary water supply / drainage pipe 21 is connected to the tip thereof. The water supply / drainage pipe 21 is connected to the water supply branch pipe 121 of the piping device 11 and can regulate the supply and discharge of the cleaning auxiliary water to the foam cleaning gutter 3f.

(Structure of Air Lift) Next, the air lift will be described. The air lift 5 is composed of a main body 5a having a smaller diameter in the lower half of a tubular body, and an air supply port 5b provided in the central portion of the cleaning tank 3 at two upper and lower positions via support members 6 and 6. It stands in the department. The main body 5a has a different diameter in the upper half and the lower half. About 60% of the length from the upper end is the large diameter portion 5c, and the remaining lower portion is the small diameter. It is part 5d. The boundary between the large-diameter portion 5c and the small-diameter portion 5d is gently changed to reduce the fluid resistance. The lower end of the main body 5 is located slightly above the center of the partition plate 9, and the mouth of this lower end is slightly widened so that the mixed fluid can be easily sucked over a wide range.
Further, the upper end of the main body 5a is flared so that the mixed fluid that has risen in the main body spreads to the surroundings and is easily discharged.

The air supply port 5b is provided in the vicinity of the lower end of the large-diameter portion 5c of the main body, and the air supply pipe 5e integral with the air supply port is obliquely upward and penetrates the flank of the cleaning chamber 3a. And then project outside the cleaning tank. The protruding end of the air supply pipe 5e is connected to a blower pipe 31 connected to a blower (not shown). The amount of air blown through the air blow pipe 31 can be adjusted by the air supply valve 31a. The blower pipe 31 is located on the upstream side of the air supply valve 31a and the blower main pipe 3 is provided.
Connected to 3. The blower main 33 is connected to a blower (not shown), but the blower main 33 is connected to the air supply valve 31a.
It is also possible to blow air to the warm air supply hose 35 by branching on the upstream side. The warm air supply hose 35 is provided with a heater 37 that constitutes a drying means, and the air that is overheated therein becomes warm air and is supplied from the warm air supply port 3d into the cleaning prechamber 3b. It is possible. The hot air supply hose 35 is not provided with an air supply valve, but the air supply valve 3
While 1a is open, air flows only to the air supply port 5b side having a small flow path resistance, and does not flow to the warm air supply hose 35 having a large flow path resistance. Therefore, when the air lift air supply valve 31a is open, there is no risk that the air lift supply air will flow to this hose. On the other hand, when the air-lift air supply valve 31a is closed and the water in the cleaning tank 3 is exhausted, as long as the pressure in the cleaning prechamber 3b is lower than the hot air supply pressure, It is possible to supply warm air from the warm air supply port 3d into the cleaning tank.

(Structure of Cleaning Tank Cover) Next, the cleaning tank cover 7 will be described. The cleaning tank lid 7 has a peripheral portion 7a having an inner periphery that fits in a state in which there is a slight gap on the outer peripheral upper portion of the cleaning tank 3.
It is composed of an inverted conical top plate portion 7b and a handle 7c. As will be described later, the cleaning tank lid 7 prevents the heat of drying from being dissipated into the atmosphere and constitutes the foam processing means 13. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the cleaning tank lid 7 is covered on the cleaning tank 3, a gap c is formed between the ventilation hole 3e in the upper part of the cleaning tank and the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral portion 7a. The foam sent so as to spread to the surroundings along the lower slope of the top plate portion 7b can be discharged to the foam cleaning gutter 3f through the ventilation hole 3e. As will be described later, this foam is a foam cleaning gutter 3f.
It can be purified by passing through the auxiliary cleaning water flowing inside.

(Structure of Piping Device) Next, the piping device 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the main water supply pipe 11 is connected to the main water supply port 111 provided on the right side of the frame body 1.
3 is connected. The main water supply pipe 113 is horizontally arranged in the frame body 1 from the outside toward the lower part of the central portion of the cleaning tank 3, and is connected to the cross pipe joint 115 connected to the water supply / drainage hole 3c of the cleaning tank 3 there. is there. The main water supply pipe 113 has a main water supply valve 1 for controlling the supply of the cleaning water into the cleaning tank 3.
17 is provided. Main water supply valve 1 in main water supply pipe 113
Immediately upstream of 17, a water supply branch pipe 121 is connected via a first T-shaped pipe joint 119. This water branch pipe 12
1, a water supply adjusting valve 123, a second water supply valve 125, a second T-shaped pipe joint 127, and a second drain valve 129 are sequentially arranged. The second T-shaped pipe joint 127 has a foam cleaning gutter 3f as described above.
The water supply / drainage pipe 21 connected to is connected. A drain branch pipe 131 is connected to the downstream side of the second drain valve 129. A third drainage pipe 133 is connected to the other connection port of the cross pipe joint 115, and its tip is connected to the irregular cross pipe joint 135. The third drain pipe 133 is provided with a main drain valve 137, and in cooperation with the main water supply valve 117, the supply and drain of cleaning water and the like in the cleaning tank 3 can be regulated.

A vertical thin pipe 139 is connected to the downward connection port of the cross pipe joint 115, and a throttle valve 141 for appropriately flowing the water accumulated in the cross pipe joint to the main drain pipe 145 is provided at the lower end portion thereof. It is provided. Further, a diversion drainage pipe 143 is connected to a connection port of the throttle valve 141, and a tip of the diversion drainage pipe is provided at one end of a main drainage pipe 145.
It is connected to the T-shaped pipe joint 147. In addition, the diversion drain pipe 1
A third drain valve 149 is provided at 43. The above-mentioned third drain pipe 1 is provided on the right side connection portion of the above irregular cross pipe fitting 135.
33 is connected, and the discharge pipe 28 of the above-described filtering device 27 is connected to the connection port facing leftward. Further, the upper end of the irregular cross pipe joint 135 is connected to the lower end of the overflow pipe 17 whose upper end is connected to the above-described overflow port 3g. Furthermore, the downward connection port of this irregular cross pipe fitting 135 is
Third T-shaped pipe joint 14 provided in the main drain pipe 145 described above
Connected to 7. The drain branch pipe 131 is connected to the fifth T-shaped pipe joint 151 provided on the downstream side of the third T-shaped pipe joint 147. With the above configuration, the overflow pipe 17, the filtering device 27, the drain branch pipe 131, and the diversion drain pipe 143 can always drain water regardless of whether the main drain valve 137 is opened or closed.

(Structure of foam processing means) Foam processing means 13
Covers the upper part of the cleaning tank 3 with the cleaning tank lid 7 to remove the foam cleaning gutter 3
This is a temporary structure that is established when cleaning auxiliary water is passed through f. That is, the foam treatment means 13 is a state in which the cleaning tank 3 is covered with the cleaning tank lid 7, the cleaning auxiliary water and the cleaning tank cover in the ventilation port 3e, the top plate portion 7b of the cleaning tank cover, and the foam cleaning gutter 3f. The foam passage 22 is formed by interposing the peripheral portion 7a (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
The foam passage 22 disappears when the cleaning tank lid 7 is removed.
The foam processing means 13 is not established either.

When the cleaning tank 3 is covered with the cleaning tank lid 7, the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral portion 7a of the cleaning tank lid faces the upper outer peripheral surface of the cleaning tank with a space c therebetween, and the peripheral portion A lower end of the cleaning gutter is provided with a gap d between the bottom surface of the cleaning gutter 3f and the bottom of the cleaning gutter 3f. Further, between the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral portion 7a and the inner peripheral surface of the cleaning gutter 3f, a groove portion f having a width larger than the interval c is defined. The foam passage 22 is, as described above,
In the state in which the cleaning tank lid 7 is covered, the above-mentioned interval c, the gap d, and the groove portion f that are established in the cleaning gutter 3f are established as being continuous. Since the space c communicates with the inside of the cleaning tank 3 through the plurality of ventilation holes 3e, when the pressure in the cleaning tank becomes high, the air in these foams passes through the ventilation passage 22 from the ventilation holes to the air. It is possible to diffuse to. That is, if the cleaning auxiliary water passes through the foam passage 22 when passing the cleaning auxiliary water through the foam passage 22, the foam passes through the water, so that the bubbles are crushed by the water pressure. As a result, the internal air is released into the atmosphere from the surface of the auxiliary cleaning water, some of the dirt components contained in the foam are released into the atmosphere together with the air, and the rest is dissolved in the auxiliary cleaning water. It is designed to be discharged from the auxiliary water discharge port 3i.

The auxiliary cleaning water is supplied to the cleaning gutter 3f by closing the second drain valve 129 of the piping device 11 and opening the second water supply valve 125 (see FIG. 6). The supply amount of the cleaning auxiliary water can be adjusted by the water supply adjusting valve 123. However, if the water level in the foam cleaning gutter 3f rises above the prescribed water level due to the continuous supply of the auxiliary water, the auxiliary water discharge port 3i It can be discharged through the auxiliary water discharge pipe 19. In addition, when the auxiliary cleaning water is not needed, such as in the drying process, the second water supply valve 125 is closed to
By opening the drain valve 129, cleaning auxiliary water supply and drain pipe 2
1. The water can be drained from the main water distribution pipe 145 via the drain branch pipe 131.

Next, the pellet collecting means will be described.
The pellet recovery means is capable of recovering the cleaned pellets accumulated in the cleaning chamber 3a by sucking them with a vacuum suction device. As a pellet recovery means,
There are two types, one is that the suction port is fixedly installed in the lower part of the cleaning chamber 3a, and the other that the suction port is inserted into the cleaning chamber from above.
There is a street. Here, an independent pellet collecting means capable of handling a plurality of pellet cleaning devices with one vacuum device is adopted. The pellet collecting means comprises a vacuum device, a pellet collecting box (neither is shown), and a suction means. As shown in FIG. 5, the suction means 41 comprises a flexible hose 43 connected to a pellet collection box and a suction pipe 45 made of a rigid pipe connected to the tip of the flexible hose 43, and a stop valve 47 is connected to both ends.
It is provided with.

(Cleaning Method and Operation) Next, a cleaning method using the pellet cleaning apparatus described in the above embodiment, that is, a cleaning apparatus of a type in which pellets are collected after the cleaning operation is completed by an independent pellet collecting means, and the accompanying method The operation will be described.

(Preparation Step) First, as shown in FIG. 2, under the condition that the cleaning layer lid 7 is removed from the cleaning tank 3, the pellets to be cleaned and the location to be cleaned up to a reference line (not shown) in the cleaning chamber 3a. Add a certain amount of detergent. Unwashed pellets are in wash room 3
In addition to the inside a, the air lift 5 is also accumulated inside the air lift from the expanded upper end portion. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning tank 3 is covered with the cleaning tank lid 7. At this time, since the blower is stopped, the main water supply valve 117 and the second water supply valve 1
25, the main drain valve 137, the second drain valve 129, and the third drain valve 149 are also closed. Next, the water supply is started by turning on a start switch (not shown). When the start switch is turned on, the main water supply valve 117 of the piping device 11 is opened, and the cleaning water introduced from the main water supply port 111 is supplied to the cleaning prechamber 3b through the main water supply pipe 113.
The cleaning water further enters the cleaning chamber 3a through through holes 9a, ... Provided in the inverted conical plate surface of the partition plate portion 9. The cleaning water also fills the air lift 5, the blower pipe 31, and the warm air supply hose 35 so as to be flush with the inside of the cleaning chamber 3a. When the water level sensor 15 detects that the water level rising in the cleaning chamber 3a has reached the upper limit, the main water supply valve 117 is closed upon receiving this output signal. In addition, the specific gravity of the polishing pellets that is normally used is about 1.1, and when it is mixed with the washing water, it becomes a so-called mixed fluid in which both flow substantially as one body. Washing room 3
If the cleaning water rising in water level in a exceeds the specified water level, or if the water level in the cleaning tank 3 rises abnormally, the residual purified water overflows from the overflow port 3g. Therefore, the water level does not exceed the predetermined level.

(Washing process) When the wash water reaches the specified water level, the main water supply valve 11 is activated by the detection signal from the water level sensor 15.
As 7 closes, a blower (not shown) starts up,
Then, the blow valve 31a is opened, and air is supplied from the air supply port 5b to the large diameter portion 5c of the air lift. At this time, the air supply port 5b has already been filled up with the cleaning water up to the intermediate position of the air supply pipe 5e and the blower pipe 31 connected to the air supply pipe 5e. It is necessary to allow air to enter the air lift 5 against the water pressure of the wash water. Here, assuming that the height from the air supply port 5b to the specified water level is 500 mm, the air supply pressure is set to 6 kPa or more in consideration of the specific gravity of the pellet (usually about 1.1) and the flow path resistance of the small diameter portion 5d. It is desirable to do. As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning water contained in the blower pipe and the air supply pipe 5e is pushed by the above-mentioned pressure of the air by the air having the predetermined supply pressure sent out from the blower pipe 31 to have a large diameter of the air lift 5. It is pushed back into the portion 5c. The air in which the cleaning water is pushed back into the air lift 5 enters into the mixed fluid filled in the large diameter portion 5c, where it is foamed and bubbles rise in the large diameter portion. Since the bubbles rise while growing, the washing water and pellets in the large diameter portion located above the air supply port are entrained and raised, and are discharged from the upper end portion of the large diameter portion into the washing chamber 3a.

Further, the air supply port 5b in the large diameter portion 5c
In the vicinity of, due to the foaming action by the supply of air from the blower pipe 5e, the mixed fluid rises, so that a hollow state occurs. In the low-pressure portion due to this hollow state, the cleaning water and the pellets in the small diameter portion 5d rise to compensate for this, and the foam reproduction continues. Further, since the lower end of the small-diameter portion 5d sucks and replenishes the cleaning water and the pellets near the lower end of the cleaning chamber 3a, the flow drops in the outer peripheral part of the cleaning tank 3 as indicated by the black arrow in the cleaning chamber. Forced circulation effect occurs. While being forcedly circulated in this way, the pellets to be washed are washed by violently contacting the foam containing the detergent, and the dirt components produced by washing off are accumulated as foam on the water surface. The accumulated amount of these foams gradually increases due to the continuation of the above air supply, and the top plate portion 7 of the cleaning tank lid 7 is
Ascends while spreading to the surroundings along the slope of b.

In this way, these bubbles are generated from the top plate portion 7 of the cleaning tank lid 7 as the pressure in the tank increases due to the continuous supply of air.
It moves to the outer peripheral part along the inverted conical surface of b, and each ventilation port 3e,
Is discharged from the tank through the foam processing means 13. That is, these foams are forcedly passed through the cleaning auxiliary water of the foam cleaning gutter 3f through the foam passage 22 from an arbitrary ventilation port 3e. During the cleaning process, the second water supply valve 125 of the water supply branch pipe 121 opens the foam cleaning gutter 3f, so that clean cleaning auxiliary water is always supplied from the piping device 11 via the water supply / drain pipe 21. The foam discharged to the foam cleaning gutter 3f is crushed by passing through the cleaning auxiliary water in the foam passage 22 and the air in the foam becomes a gas and is discharged from the surface of the cleaning auxiliary water into the atmosphere. The remaining foam and dirt components contained in the foam are mixed with the cleaning auxiliary water and flow in the foam cleaning gutter 3f, and the auxiliary water discharge port 3i and the auxiliary water discharge pipe 1 are provided.
It is discharged to the filtering device 27 via 9. The waste water filtered by the filter device 27 is discharged from the main drain pipe 145 through the irregular cross pipe joint 135 and the third T-shaped pipe joint 147.

After a lapse of a predetermined time in the cleaning process, the blower (not shown) is stopped to complete the cleaning operation with the cleaning water. Therefore, the main drain valve 137 and the third drain valve 149 are opened to supply the cleaning water remaining in the cleaning tank 3 to the drainage hole 3c, the cross pipe joint 115, and the irregular cross pipe joint 135.
And, it is discharged to the outside from the main drain pipe 145 via the third T-shaped pipe joint 147. At this time, the second water supply valve 125 is closed in parallel with the above-described drainage operation, and the second drainage valve 1
29, the cleaning auxiliary water in the foam cleaning gutter 3f flows backward from the water supply / drain pipe 21 and flows down, and is discharged from the main drain pipe 145 through the second T-shaped pipe joint 127 and the drain branch pipe 131.

(Rinsing Step) Next, the main drain valve 137 and the third drain valve 149 are closed, the main water supply valve 117 is opened, and the rinse water is washed from the main water supply port 111 by the same operation as the above-described water supply step. Introduce inside. When the water level in the cleaning tank 3 reaches the predetermined height position, the blower is activated, and then the air supply valve 31a is opened to open the air lift 5 from the air supply port 5a.
Force the air into the inside. Similar to the above-mentioned cleaning step, the pellets are rinsed by forcibly circulating a mixed fluid composed of rinse water and washed pellets. Since the supply of air and rinse water to the air lift 5 is continuously performed, the forced circulation action in the cleaning chamber 3a is continuously performed, and the excess water is drained from the overflow port 3g. In this way, by continuously supplying rinse water from below, bubbles and dirt separated from the pellets are successively sent out upward. The dirty rinse water becomes the above-mentioned excess water and is discharged from the overflow port 3g through the overflow pipe 17 connected thereto, whereby the detergent and dirt components contained in the rinse water are discharged together with it. When this rinsing step is completed after the elapse of the set time, the rinsing water is then drained by the same operation as the drainage in the cleaning step.

(Drying process) After draining the rinse water,
The main drain valve 137, which has been open until now, is closed to start the preparation for the drying process. Next, the blower and the heater 37 are turned on, and at the same time, the intake valve 31a is closed. As a result, warm air passes through the warm air supply hose 35 and the cleaning prechamber 3b after draining water.
Supplied within. As shown by the large arrow in FIG. 4, this warm air passes through the through holes 9a, ... Of the partition plate portion 9 and creates a gap between the washed (rinsed) pellets accumulated in the washing chamber 3a and the air lift 5. Pass through and rise. Furthermore, this warm air rises through the space formed above the accumulated upper surface of the pellets after drainage and hits the lower surface of the top plate portion 7b of the cleaning tank lid 7. Further, this warm air flows while spreading to the outer peripheral portion along the inverted conical surface of the top plate portion 7b, and each ventilation port 3e,
After that, auxiliary water is diffused into the atmosphere through the foam cleaning gutter 3f in which no auxiliary water is flowing. As described above, since the cleaning tank lid 7 is covered on the cleaning tank 3 to prevent the warm air from radiating, the upward heat radiation is prevented, so that the drying efficiency is high. There is.

At the beginning of the drying process, a large amount of water still exists between the pellets, so that the water drips downward.
After passing through the pre-cleaning chamber 3b, they accumulate in the downward portion of the cross pipe joint 115. In the drying step, the pooled water loses heat of vaporization when it is evaporated by warm air, and since this vapor passes between the pellets to be dried, it causes a decrease in drying efficiency, so it needs to be appropriately extracted. The drainage is performed by appropriately draining water from the vertical thin tube 139, the throttle valve 141, the distribution water distribution pipe 143 and the main water distribution pipe 145.

(Pellet collecting step) When the washed (rinsed) pellets are completely dried by the drying step, they are then collected by the pellet collecting means (see FIG. 5). FIG. 6 shows a state in which the washing tank lid 7 is removed and the suction pipe 45 of the suction means 41 is inserted into the washing tank 3 to collect pellets. To collect the washed pellets, the suction pipe 45 is inserted into the air lift 5 from above, and the stop valve 47 is opened. Then, the dried pellets are sucked by the vacuum pressure to start the collection operation in the collection box. Air lift 5
When the suction pipe 45 is inserted into the pellets accumulated therein, there is a frictional resistance, and therefore there is a limit to the insertion depth. However, since the upper surface of the accumulated pellets descends as the recovery work progresses, all the pellets can be recovered by advancing the tip of the suction pipe to the lower end of the cleaning chamber 3a in accordance with this descending operation.

In the case where the pellets do not collect at the bottom of the cleaning chamber 3a due to spontaneous fall and a shelf cannot be collected from the air lift, as indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. The suction pipe 45 may be inserted near the inner peripheral surface of the cleaning chamber 3a, the shelf may be crushed, and the suction pipe 45 may be inserted from outside the air lift or into the air lift again to be recovered. By repeating this operation, the recovery operation of all pellets is completed.

The pellet cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is
Although the diameter of the air lift is changed so as to have a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost by making the diameter the same throughout the entire length. As for the pellet collecting device, it can be attached to the cleaning device as described above to automate all the processes from the preparation process to the pellet collecting process.
Besides, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the above-described configuration, and various configurations can be adopted and is not concerned with changes in details. Further, although it is possible to manually operate the various switches and valves in the above-described embodiment, by automating as described above, it is possible to perform a series of cleaning work only by turning on the start switch. Is desirable.

[0043]

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION Firstly, the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention does not use a stirring plate rotated by a motor as a stirring means, but employs a forced circulation system utilizing an air lift. Since a drive unit and the like, which are in the form of a formula, are not necessary and the exposed movable part which has been regarded as dangerous in the past is eliminated, it is possible to make the operation quiet and easy and less dangerous. Secondly, since the forced circulation system of the fluid by the air lift is adopted as the cleaning means, a large amount of pellets can be cleaned at the same time, and the cleaning efficiency can be remarkably improved. Thirdly, instead of using the cleaning bucket used in the prior art, a partition plate section is provided in the cleaning tank to share the function of the bucket bottom.
Since the incompleteness of the forced circulation action due to the use of the bucket is improved, it is possible to improve the cleaning efficiency. Fourth
In addition, the pellets to be cleaned are configured to be put directly into the cleaning tank for cleaning, and the heat of drying can be introduced from the cleaning prechamber directly into the pellets in the cleaning chamber to prevent hot air leakage. The drying efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing the entire structure.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state in which pellets to be cleaned have been introduced.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state of forced circulation in the cleaning tank in the cleaning step.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a partially cutaway cross section showing a drying action by warm air in a cleaning tank in a drying step.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a main part of pellet collecting means.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a partially cutaway cross section showing a state of pellet recovery in a pellet recovery step.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 frame body 3 cleaning tank 3a Washing room 3b Washing preparatory room 3c Water supply / drainage hole 3d Hot air supply port 3e Vent 3f cleaning gutter for foam 3 g overflow mouth 5 air lift 5b Air supply port 5c Large diameter part 5d small diameter part 7 Cleaning tank lid 7a Surrounding part 7b Top plate part 9 Partition plate 9a through hole 11 Piping equipment 13 Foam processing means 21 water supply and drainage pipe 22 Passage for foam 37 heater 31 Air supply pipe 35 Hot air supply hose 41 Pellet collection means 45 Suction tube

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A vertical plate-shaped cylindrical member provided upright on a frame main body, and the inside of the cylindrical member is washed by a partition plate section having a plurality of through holes that prevent the pellets to be cleaned from passing through. A cleaning tank divided into a cleaning chamber and a cleaning prechamber, a cleaning tank lid detachably attached to the cleaning tank, and a cylindrical body vertically provided in the cleaning tank. An air lift provided with an air supply port at a position, a drying means for supplying warm air from a warm air supply port provided near the lower end of the cleaning tank, and a piping device for regulating water supply and drainage to the cleaning tank. A cleaning device for pellet abrasives, characterized in that 2. The air lift according to claim 1,
The diameter of the upper half portion is made larger than the diameter of the lower half portion, and the boundary between the large diameter portion belonging to the upper half portion and the small diameter portion belonging to the lower half portion is formed so as to change gently. A cleaning device for pellet abrasives, which is characterized in that 3. The partition plate portion according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral portion of the partition plate portion abuts an inner peripheral portion of the cleaning tank, and a center portion of the partition plate portion is located near a bottom portion of the cleaning tank. A cleaning device for pellet abrasives, which comprises an inverted conical body provided in the. 4. A method of cleaning a pellet abrasive using the pellet abrasive cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a predetermined amount of pellets to be cleaned and a detergent are contained in the cleaning tank. A preparatory step of charging, covering the cleaning tank lid, and supplying cleaning water to the cleaning layer by the piping device, and supplying air of a predetermined pressure from the air supply port into the air lift to foam the cleaning water. A washing step for washing the pellets, while continuously supplying rinsing water into the washing layer by the piping device, continuously supplying a predetermined pressure of air from the air supply port into the air lift to perform the washing. A rinse step of cleaning the pellets by bubbling water, a drying step of supplying warm air from the warm air supply port into the cleaning tank to dry the pellets after the rinse step, The method of cleaning pellets abrasive which comprises a pellet recovery step of recovering the pellets were dried by a drying step. 5. The pellet polishing according to claim 4, wherein the pellet collecting step is a step of inserting a suction pipe of a vacuum suction device into the air lift and transporting the pellets to the outside of the washing tank. How to wash wood.