JP2016216142A - Carrying mechanism and cleaning device applied with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new carrying device that advances intermittently (feeds in a stepping manner) a plate-like work-piece such as a tray by one pitch when cleaning the work-piece, and a cleaning device applied with the same.SOLUTION: The carrying mechanism comprises: a carrying space R formed in a proper machine casing to extend in a longitudinal direction; an intermittent carrying body 5 which repeats reciprocating motion at a fixed stroke in the longitudinal direction of the carrying space R; a support body 6 which supports the intermittent carrying body 5 in the carrying space R to be freely reciprocated. In the intermittent carrying body 5 are provided push-in bodies 52 and 53 which push in a rear part of the work-piece W in a transferring direction, while in the support body 6 is provided a check body 62 which checks retreat of the work-piece W for each pitch, so that the work-piece W is repeatedly transferred at each fixed pitch in the carrying space R by forward and backward motion at a fixed stroke of the intermittent carrying body 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a new workpiece transport mechanism suitable for cleaning flat workpieces such as trays (flat containers), pallets, panels, and the like, and to a new cleaning apparatus using the same.

For example, a prior document of Patent Document 1 has been devised for transporting a flat work, particularly for transporting a tray on which used tableware is placed.
This Patent Document 1 discloses a method of continuously transferring a tray, which is a workpiece, by a belt conveyor to which a chain is applied. Conventionally, such a method is generally used for transferring a flat workpiece. It was.
However, in the transfer mode using such a chain, the return process of the chain (belt conveyor) is useless, and particularly when the transfer path is provided horizontally, a large installation space is required. There was an inconvenience.

  Moreover, in the transfer by the chain, the chain may be extended, which may have an adverse effect. That is, when the chain is extended, the pitch of the chain is out of order, and as a result, for example, the time during which the workpiece passes the cleaning process (cleaning time) may change. In addition, it has been considered that metal powder that may be generated due to wear of the chain adheres to the workpiece (tray) after cleaning.

JP-A-8-266457

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and in cleaning a workpiece such as a tray, a novel conveyance mechanism that intermittently advances (sends incrementally) the workpiece one pitch at a time. The issue is to develop a new cleaning device to which this is applied.

That is, the transport mechanism according to claim 1 is:
A transport space formed in a suitable machine frame so as to extend in the longitudinal direction;
An intermittent transport body that repeats reciprocating movement with a constant stroke in the longitudinal direction of the transport space;
A support for reciprocally supporting the intermittent transport body in the transport space;
The intermittent carrier is provided with a pusher that pushes the rear part of the workpiece in the transfer direction,
On the other hand, the support body is provided with a check body that prevents the workpiece from moving backward at a certain pitch.
The workpiece is repeatedly transferred at a constant pitch in the transfer space by moving the intermittent transfer body back and forth at a fixed stroke.

In addition to the requirement of claim 1, the transport mechanism according to claim 2
The pushing body provided in the intermittent transport body is set so as to be pushed in a protruding state with respect to the transport space when the intermittent transport body is advanced by 1 pitch, and pushes the back of the work, and the intermittent transport body is 1 pitch. When returning, it is set so as to leave the transfer space by contact with the workpiece waiting immediately behind the pushing body,
On the other hand, the non-return body provided on the support body is biased in a protruding state with respect to the transport space when the intermittent transport body returns one pitch, and prevents the workpiece from moving backward. When moving forward by 1 pitch, it is set so that the workpiece sent from the rear of the protruding non-return body contacts the non-return body so as to retreat from the conveyance space. It is.

Moreover, in addition to the requirements of the said Claim 1 or 2, the conveyance mechanism of Claim 3 is
The workpiece includes a flat plate surface portion, and has a structure in which the flat plate surface portion is transported in the transfer space in an upright posture with the flat plate surface portion oriented substantially vertically.

In addition to the requirement of claim 3, the transport mechanism according to claim 4
The intermittent transport body is structured to be transported while holding the upper and lower end edges of the work.

In addition to the requirement of any one of claims 1 to 4, the transport mechanism according to claim 5
In the intermittent transport body, the input portion pushing body for pushing the work by one pitch from the most upstream portion of the transport space is configured to be able to protrude and retract in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the transport space,
The other pusher is characterized in that it is configured to be able to protrude and retreat in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the conveyance space.

In addition to the requirement of claim 5, the transport mechanism according to claim 6
The throwing-in push-in body and the check-out body are both configured to be able to protrude and withdraw in a substantially horizontal direction, but are characterized in that they are configured to have different operating positions with respect to the workpiece.

In addition to the requirement of any one of claims 1 to 6, the transport mechanism according to claim 7
The intermittent transport body is constituted by an aligned free rotating roller.

In addition to the requirement of any one of claims 1 to 7, the transport mechanism according to claim 8
The pusher is configured such that a plurality of free rotating rollers are attached to a support arm, and the supporting arm is configured to be rotatable so that the plurality of free rotating rollers can protrude into the conveyance space,
On the other hand, the non-return body is also configured such that a plurality of free rotating rollers can be protruded into the conveyance space by mounting a plurality of free rotating rollers on the support arm and allowing the support arm to rotate. It is characterized by this.

The cleaning device according to claim 9
A cleaning nozzle is provided midway in the longitudinal direction of the transport space,
An apparatus for cleaning the work by injecting a cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle onto the work while the work is being transferred in the transfer space,
In transferring the workpiece, the transfer mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is applied.

The cleaning device according to claim 10 is in addition to the requirement according to claim 9,
The workpiece is transported in a transfer space in an upright posture with a flat plate surface portion oriented substantially vertically, and the cleaning nozzle is configured to eject cleaning liquid over the entire height direction of the workpiece. It consists of.

Further, the cleaning device according to claim 11 is in addition to the requirement according to claim 10,
The cleaning nozzle is installed in a downwardly inclined state in the workpiece transfer direction.

  First, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the workpieces are transferred one by one at a constant pitch by moving the intermittent carrier having a pushing body back and forth for a fixed stroke with respect to the support provided with the check body. For this reason, for example, it is not necessary to adopt a conveyance form to which a chain is applied, there is no adverse effect when the chain is applied, for example, there is no useless return stroke of the chain, and the chain does not grow with age. Further, metal powder due to chain rubbing is not generated, and there is no fear that the metal powder adheres to the workpiece during conveyance.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, while the pushing body and the check body are protruded by urging, when the protruding state is released and the push body and the check body are withdrawn, Because it is set to retreat (push back) by contact, it is possible to automatically push and retract the pusher and check body, and to naturally synchronize with the movement of the work (operation of the intermittent carrier). it can. For this reason, when a pushing body and a non-return body are protruded / retracted, no special sensor or switch is required, and a simple structure can be adopted as a transport mechanism, and the operation mechanism of the push body or the non-return body can be simplified. Incidentally, the protrusion / retraction of the push-in body and the check body can be mechanically performed by a switch operation using a contact sensor, for example. It is necessary to take measures in consideration of malfunctions (timing may not be synchronized), malfunctions of sensors and switches, etc., and it is inevitable that equipment and auxiliary equipment will increase and the structure will become complicated. Is.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the work is flat and is conveyed in a standing posture, for example, when cleaning is performed by spraying the cleaning liquid onto the work, the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the work is made of gravity. Can be quickly dropped and the workpiece can be cleaned efficiently.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the intermittent conveying body is structured to move while holding the upper and lower end edges of the workpiece, even when the standing posture is generally unstable, it is being transferred. The workpiece can be held more reliably. For this reason, for example, even if the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the workpiece at a high pressure (high pressure cleaning), the workpiece can be transported while being firmly held, and the workpiece can be prevented from shaking or rattling at the time of cleaning.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, unlike the other pushers, the pusher for the loading portion is configured to be able to protrude and retreat in a substantially horizontal direction. When a workpiece is thrown in an upright position from a perpendicular direction, even if the workpiece may come into contact with the loading unit pusher, the loading unit pusher can be withdrawn once receiving this contact. It can be reliably put into the most upstream part of the transfer space.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, when the intermittent conveying body is moved forward by 1 pitch in order to make the acting position on the workpiece different between the pushing section pushing body and the check body, the pushing section pushing body is Although the closest to the non-return body installed approximately one pitch forward from the most upstream part of the conveyance space, the pushing-in body for the feeding section and the non-return body do not interfere with each other, and the intermittent conveyance body can be smoothly It can be reciprocated.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the intermittent conveyance body is constituted by the free rotating roller, the relative movement of the workpiece can be performed very smoothly. That is, when the intermittent transport body returns one pitch, the work is prevented from being retracted by the check body, and only the intermittent transport body returns, but the intermittent transport body is constituted by a free rotating roller. The workpiece moves relative to (slides) smoothly on the intermittent carrier.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the non-return body and the push-in body are both constituted by free rotating rollers attached to the support arm, the non-return body and the push-in body can be smoothly projected and retracted. . In addition, when the intermittent conveyance body is configured with the same free rotating roller, the conveyance mechanism can be made to have a common member and a uniform structure, which contributes to cost reduction.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the transport mechanism is applied to the cleaning device, the workpiece can be cleaned while being reliably and accurately fed one pitch at a time.
Moreover, since the workpiece | work is transferred by the said conveyance mechanism, since the washing | cleaning liquid is sprayed on a workpiece | work and the stain | pollution | contamination adhering to a workpiece | work is washed away, the workpiece | work washing | cleaning operation can be performed efficiently.
Furthermore, since the transfer of the workpiece is not a conveyance form to which a chain is applied, there is no adverse effect when the chain is applied. For example, in the transport mode using a chain, the return stroke is useless, the chain is stretched with use over time, and metal powder due to rubbing can also be generated. There are no harmful effects.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the cleaning liquid is sprayed over the entire area in the height direction while the workpiece is transferred in an upright posture, the workpiece can be cleaned evenly.

  According to the invention of claim 11, since the cleaning nozzle is installed in a downwardly inclined state toward the workpiece transfer direction, when the workpiece is viewed in the vertical direction (height direction), the cleaning liquid first hits the upper portion of the workpiece. After that, it hits the lower part of the work with an appropriate time difference. For this reason, the cleaning liquid (cleaning liquid containing dirt) that hits the upper part of the work drips down to the lower part of the work. Such dirty cleaning liquid can also be washed off with the cleaning liquid applied to the lower part of the work with a time difference. In other words, it is possible to efficiently clean the workpiece without leaving the cleaning liquid that includes the dirt dripping from the upper portion of the workpiece in the lower portion of the workpiece.

It is the front view (a) which shows the washing | cleaning apparatus to which the conveyance mechanism of this invention is applied, top view (b), and the perspective view (c) which shows a washing | cleaning process (main washing process) skeleton. It is the perspective view (a) which shows the transfer condition of the workpiece | work in a washing | cleaning apparatus skeleton, and the perspective view (b) which shows a mode that a washing | cleaning liquid is injected on a workpiece | work in steps. It is the front view (a) which mainly shows the mode of the initial state of a support body in a washing | cleaning apparatus (conveyance mechanism), and the partial top view (b) which shows the mode of a non-return body. It is the front view (a) which shows the mode of the initial state of an intermittent conveyance body mainly in a washing | cleaning apparatus (conveyance mechanism), and the partial perspective view (b) which shows the mode of a cover guide. The front view (a) which shows the state in which the intermittent conveyance body is moving forward by 1 pitch while pushing the workpiece by the pushing body from the initial state, and the partial plan view showing the withdrawal state of the check body at that time (B). It is the front view (a) which shows a mode when an intermittent conveyance body complete | finishes 1 pitch advance, and the partial top view (b) which shows the protrusion condition of the non-return body in that case. It is the front view (a) which shows a mode when the intermittent conveyance body is returning 1 pitch, and the partial top view (b) which shows the protrusion condition of the non-return body in that case. It is a front view which shows a mode when an intermittent conveyance body complete | finishes 1 pitch return. It is a front view which shows the mode of the intermittent conveyance body by which the workpiece | work was supplied to the most upstream part of conveyance space.

  The mode for carrying out the present invention includes one described in the following embodiments, and further includes various methods that can be improved within the technical idea.

The transfer mechanism 1 of the present invention includes an intermittent transfer body configured to be movable back and forth in a transfer space R for transferring a workpiece W, and the intermittent transfer body is slidable along the transfer direction of the workpiece W (movable back and forth). It is a great feature that the workpiece W is fed forward one pitch at a time (so-called step conveyance) by repeatedly moving the intermittent conveyance body back and forth. Here, in the present specification, as described above, a transfer form in which the work W is transferred by one pitch and stopped is referred to as an intermittent stop position. For this reason, the pitch is the pitch of the intermittent stop position (it also corresponds to the pitch of a pusher or a checker described later). Moreover, the workpiece | work W is conveyed in the state arranged in the shape of a daisy chain (series shape) along the transfer direction.
Furthermore, a cleaning device S (hereinafter simply referred to as “cleaning device S”) to which the transport mechanism is applied injects a cleaning liquid or the like onto the workpiece W while sequentially feeding the workpiece W to the intermittent stop position by the transport mechanism 1. The main feature is that the dirt adhering to the workpiece W is washed away.

As shown in FIG. 1 (particularly, see the plan view (b)), the cleaning apparatus S is based on the apparatus main body 2 formed so as to cover the machine frame with a cover body, a door, etc. It is formed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction in the machine frame (inside the apparatus main body 2).
Here, the conveyance space R includes a feeding unit R1, an actual cleaning unit R2, a drying unit R3, and a discharging unit R4 from the front side in the transfer direction.
The “actual cleaning unit (R2)” is a part that substantially performs cleaning of the workpiece W. In the case of the cleaning apparatus S, the actual cleaning unit R2 as well as the workpiece W is placed in the transfer space R. It also includes an input unit R1 that supplies and supplies, a drying unit R3 that dries (drains) the workpiece W after washing, a discharge unit R4 that extracts the dried workpiece W from the conveyance space R, and the like.

Next, a specific example of the workpiece W to be transferred and cleaned in the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, as the workpiece W, for example, as shown in FIG. 1C or FIG. 2, a flat plate-like workpiece having a flat plate portion is assumed. In particular, a rectangular tray in the form of a flat container is used here. (The same reference numeral “W” as that of the workpiece is also given to the tray).
In this case, the flat plate portion of the tray W is conveyed in an upright posture (particularly in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a vertical posture in which the longitudinal direction of the flat plate portion forming a rectangular shape is vertically oriented). However, the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the tray W to remove the attached dirt. The reason why the tray W is conveyed in an upright posture is that the cleaning liquid sprayed on the workpiece W is naturally dropped and the cleaning liquid is not collected in the container portion of the workpiece W.
Incidentally, the workpiece W is not necessarily limited to such a tray (flat container) W, and may be a pallet or a panel, or may be of other shapes (for example, a non-flat container). I do not care.

Hereinafter, the transport mechanism 1 will be further described.
The transport mechanism 1 holds the transport space R, the intermittent transport body 5 that moves back and forth by 1 pitch in the transport direction of the workpiece W in the transport space R, and the intermittent transport body 5 so as to be slidable (movable back and forth). And a support 6.

As described above, the intermittent carrier 5 sequentially feeds the workpieces W arranged in a daisy chain to the next intermittent stop position. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 as an example, a plurality of free rotations are performed. A roller (roller) 51 is arranged in series.
Here, in this embodiment, the intermittent conveyance body 5 does not hold only the lower end edge of the workpiece W but also holds the upper end edge of the workpiece W, and this means that the workpiece W is intermittently conveyed. This is because the workpiece W is securely held by being sandwiched from above and below by 5. That is, when the flat workpiece W is conveyed in an upright posture, the workpiece W is usually easily swayed (easily shaken) and unstable, but the workpiece W can be stably transferred by the above configuration. Further, at the time of cleaning, the cleaning liquid is often sprayed at a high pressure, and the workpiece W is securely held by being sandwiched from above and below so as to withstand such a high pressure.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the intermittent transport body 5 is provided with pushers 52 that push the upper and lower corners (upper and lower corners) of the rear part of the work, thereby the work W (one work W). However, when receiving a one-pitch feed, it is pushed at two places up and down.
The pusher 52 is configured to be able to protrude and retract from the work holding surface of the intermittent carrier 5 (here, an alignment line in which a plurality of free rotating rollers 51 are arranged substantially in a straight line) with respect to the conveyance space R through which the workpiece W passes. When the workpiece W is advanced by 1 pitch, the workpiece W protrudes from the alignment line to the transport space R side and pushes the workpiece W forward in the transfer direction. In other words, the pusher 52 provided on the lower intermittent carrier 5 projects upward, and the pusher 52 provided on the upper intermittent carrier 5 projects downward.
Further, when the intermittent conveyance body 5 returns by one pitch, the pushing body 52 is set so as to retreat from the conveyance space R to the alignment line by contact with the workpiece W waiting immediately behind it. As described above, in the present embodiment, the protrusion / retraction operation of the pusher 52 is substantially the operation (rotation operation) in the vertical direction (vertical direction).

In order to make the pusher 52 projectable / retractable, it is possible to use a biasing force of an elastic body such as a spring, and normally bias it in a protruding state toward the conveyance space R side. . Of course, this protruding state is set to such an extent that it is pushed back by contact (contact) with the workpiece W.
Thereby, the pushing body 52 can be automatically protruded / retreated, and the operation of the pushing body 52 can be naturally linked to the movement of the workpiece W (the operation of the intermittent conveyance body 52). Therefore, a simple structure can be adopted as the transport mechanism 1 without requiring a special sensor or switch when the pusher 52 is protruded / retracted, and the operation mechanism of the pusher 52 can be simplified. Incidentally, the protrusion / retraction of the pusher 52 can be mechanically performed, for example, by a switch operation using a contact sensor or the like. In this case, the protrusion / retraction operation of the pusher 52 is caused by an intermittent carrier due to some trouble. It is necessary to take measures that take into account that the operation of 5 is not synchronized (the timing is not met) and that the sensor or switch is malfunctioning. It is not possible.

  As described above, the normal pushing body 52 performs a substantially vertical projecting / retreating operation, but the pushing body 53 that pushes the workpiece W put into the intermittent conveyance body 5 (conveyance space R) by 1 pitch (especially this). As shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the “inserting portion pushing body 53” may be distinguished from each other, and is configured so as to perform a substantially horizontal projecting / retreating operation. In other words, the insertion portion pushing body 53 is provided so as to push two places near the center of the rear end edge of the workpiece, and is configured to perform a substantially horizontal protruding / withdrawing operation. In addition, the site | part into which the workpiece | work W is thrown into the intermittent conveyance body 5 (conveyance space R) is made into the most upstream part (the most upstream part of the conveyance space R).

As a specific configuration of the pushing bodies 52 and 53, as shown in FIG. 4 as an example, a plurality of (here, three) free rotating rollers (rollers) 521 and 531 are provided in series on the support arms 522 and 532. The support arms 522 and 532 are rotatably attached to the intermittent carrier 5 (the rotation shaft of the free rotation roller 51 located on the alignment line).
The protrusions / retraction operations of the pushers 52, 53 are caused by rotating the support arms 522, 532 so that the plurality of free rotation rollers 521, 531 protrude from the alignment line of the intermittent carrier 5 toward the conveyance space R side.・ Easy to leave.
Note that the pitch of the pair of upper and lower pushers 52 is set to be the same as the distance between the intermittent stop positions. Therefore, the pitch described in this specification is not only the pitch of the intermittent stop positions, but also the pushers 52. Also hit the pitch.
Further, since the intermittent transport body 5 including the pushing bodies 52 and 53 moves back and forth along the transfer direction, the pushing bodies 52 and 53 themselves are moved back and forth, and the protrusion and withdrawal to the transport space R side are performed. It becomes.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B as an example, cover guides 54 are provided on both sides of the upper and lower pushing bodies 52 in the intermittent conveyance body 5 at positions where the workpiece W is sandwiched. For this reason, the workpiece W transferred by the intermittent transfer body 5 is in a state of being accommodated in the cover guide 54, and as a result, the workpiece W is transferred while the upper, lower, left, and right corners are sandwiched between the cover guides 54.
The relative acceptability of the workpiece W is enhanced by the cover guide 54. This “relative (acceptable)” will be described. Since the cover guide 54 moves together with the intermittent conveyance body 5, when the intermittent conveyance body 5 returns by one pitch, the cover guide 54 also takes the same movement form (returns by one pitch). At this time, the workpiece W is prevented from returning (retracting) by the action of the check body 62 described later. For this reason, the workpiece W relatively approaches the cover guide 54, and The operation, that is, the work W being sent relative to the cover guide 54 is referred to as “relative (acceptance)”.
In addition, for such a purpose of operation, the cover guide 54 is formed so that the workpiece receiving side, which is in the direction opposite to the transfer direction, is formed so as to be widened so that the workpiece W approaching relatively can be received more easily. ing.
Note that the cover guide 54 that guides and holds the four corners of the workpiece W during the transfer can also contribute to preventing the workpiece W from shaking.

Incidentally, when the intermittent carrier 5 is moved back and forth, for example, an actuator using a motor and a ball screw can be applied. That is, in this case, a motor is attached to a machine frame (device main body 2) that is fixedly installed, and a female screw nut that is screwed to the ball screw is attached to the intermittent carrier 5 that moves back and forth, and the ball screw is rotated forward by driving the motor. Or it reverses and the intermittent conveyance body 5 provided with the internal thread nut is moved back and forth by 1 pitch.
Of course, as the actuator for moving the intermittent carrier 5 back and forth, other mechanisms such as an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder can be applied.

Next, the support 6 will be described.
The support 6 supports the intermittent carrier 5 in a slidable manner, and is formed integrally with the machine frame (device main body 2). For this reason, also when the intermittent conveyance body 5 moves back and forth, the support body 6 does not always move and maintains an immobile state.
As shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the support 6 includes rolling wheels 61 up and down, and holds the intermittent carrier 5 slidably therebetween. In addition, the support body 6 is comprised so that the intermittent conveyance body 5 may be pinched | interposed from the flat plate surface direction of the workpiece | work W, and it may be comprised so that the intermittent conveyance body 5 may move back and forth in the conveyance space R of the inside.

In addition, the support body 6 is provided with a check body 62, and the check body 62 is provided with the workpiece W that is sent when the intermittent transport body 5 that has advanced one pitch forward returns one pitch. As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, it is provided so as to be locked at two upper and lower positions on the rear edge of the workpiece.
This non-return body 62 is also configured to be able to project and retract with respect to the transport space R (protrusion / withdrawal operation in a substantially horizontal direction), and when the intermittent transport body 5 returns by one pitch, that is, When it is desired to prevent the workpiece W from returning, it is set so as to protrude toward the transfer space R side. Further, when the intermittent transport body 5 moves forward by one pitch, the intermittent transport body 5 is set so as to retreat from the transport space R upon receiving a contact (contact) of the workpiece W moving forward by the pushing action of the intermittent transport body 5. .
In this case as well, the structure in which the check body 62 can be protruded and retracted can be urged in a protruding state, usually by using an urging force of an elastic body such as a spring. is there. Of course, this protruding state is set to the extent that it is pushed back by contact (contact) with the workpiece W. Accordingly, the check body 62 can be automatically protruded and retracted, and the operation of the check body 62 can be naturally linked to the movement of the workpiece W (the operation of the intermittent conveyance body 5). Incidentally, the effect that the check body 62 can be automatically projected and retracted is the same as that of the push-in body 52 described above.

  As described above, the check body 62 projects and retracts in the substantially horizontal direction in the same manner as the above-described pushing portion pushing body 53 and acts on the rear edge of the workpiece W in the same manner. However, the position where the check body 62 is provided is, as an example, as shown in FIG. 1A, a position that is further up and down than the pushing-in portion pushing body 53, and the action positions of both are different. Are considered not to interfere with each other.

The specific structure of the check body 62 is the same as that of the pushing bodies 52 and 53. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality (three in this case) of free rotating rollers (rollers) 621 are provided as support arms. The support arm 622 is attached to the support body 6 so as to be rotatable. The protrusion / retraction operation of the check body 62 is such that the plurality of free rotation rollers 621 can be protruded / removed with respect to the conveyance space R by rotating the support arm 622.
The pitch of the check body 62 is set to be the same as the distance between the intermittent stop positions. Therefore, the pitch described in this specification is not only the intermittent stop position and the pitch of the pusher body 52, but also the reverse It also hits the pitch of the stop 62.
Further, as described above, since the support body 6 on which the check body 62 is provided does not move, the check body 62 always repeats protrusion and withdrawal at the same position.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the pushing bodies 52 and 53 and the check body 62 can use the free rotating roller which is the main member of the intermittent conveyance body 5, so that the conveyance mechanism 1 has a common member and a configuration. This contributes to cost reduction of the transport mechanism 1 and thus the cleaning device S as a whole.

Further, the cleaning device S includes a cleaning nozzle 3 for injecting a cleaning liquid onto the workpiece W. This is for washing off the dirt adhering to the workpiece W as described above.
Here, as the cleaning liquid sprayed to the workpiece W from the cleaning nozzle 3, various cleaning agents such as a detergent, water, hot water (warm water), steam, sodium bicarbonate water, citric acid water, carbonated water, alkaline ionized water and the like are various. including. Also, alcohol or organic solvent can be applied depending on the workpiece W, dirt to be removed, or the like.
In addition, the cleaning process P is a pre-cleaning process P1, a main cleaning process, as shown in FIG. 1A as an example, because the workpiece W is a tray W in the form of a flat container in this embodiment. The cleaning nozzle 3 is provided for each process. Here, when distinguishing the cleaning nozzles 3 in the respective steps, they are referred to as a pre-cleaning nozzle 3A, a main cleaning nozzle 3B, and a rinsing nozzle 3C. Details of each cleaning step will be described later.

  As an example, as shown in FIGS. 1C and 2B, the cleaning nozzle 3 has a substantially straight pipe material as a main member, and the cleaning liquid injection holes 31 at substantially equal intervals on the side thereof. Is formed. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid can be sprayed almost uniformly over the entire height direction of the workpiece W conveyed in the standing posture, and the workpiece W can be evenly cleaned.

  Further, as an example, the cleaning nozzle 3 is installed in a downwardly inclined state toward the transfer direction of the workpiece W as shown in FIGS. 1C and 2B. This is because the cleaning liquid is applied (sprayed) from the upper part to the lower part of the work W when the work W being transferred is viewed in the height direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the work W is transferred to the lower part in a state including dirt, so the cleaning nozzle 3 is inclined as described above and If the cleaning liquid hits first, when the cleaning liquid hits the lower part of the workpiece W, the dirt transferred from the upper part can be washed out together with the cleaning liquid, and a high cleaning effect can be obtained. When the inclination of the cleaning nozzle 3 is reversed and the cleaning liquid is applied from the lower part of the work W, the cleaning liquid including dirt that is sprayed on the upper part of the work is transferred to the lower part of the work cleaned with the cleaning liquid. (There is a possibility that dirt on the upper part of the work may adhere to the lower part of the work), and it is considered that the work W cannot be efficiently cleaned.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the drying unit R3 is provided at the subsequent stage of the actual cleaning unit R2, and here, from the front side of the workpiece W (inner side in the case of the tray W) and the back side. The air is blown to drain and dry. In addition, here, since gas is mainly sprayed on the workpiece | work W, it is not necessarily required to use the same ejection apparatus (nozzle) as the washing | cleaning process P, but it shows in figure similarly in Fig.1 (a).
The air blown to the work W in the drying unit R3 may be warm air or hot air as appropriate, and this may be set as appropriate according to the drying time, the type of the work W, dirt to be removed, or the like.

Next, the input part R1 of the conveyance space R will be described.
In the present embodiment, the workpiece W before being supplied to the cleaning apparatus S is carried into the cleaning apparatus S in an accumulated state in which a plurality of sheets are stacked as an example (so-called stacked supply). This stacked state is a state in which the flat surface portion is laid almost horizontally when viewed from each workpiece W. To supply the workpiece W to the cleaning device S from this state, one stacked workpiece W is used. After each take-out (for example, take out from the bottom of the stacked state), the workpiece W is raised 90 degrees and supplied to and put into the loading section R1 of the cleaning device S (the most upstream section of the transfer space R) in a state of being converted into a standing posture. (See FIG. 2).
In the present embodiment, unlike the other pushers 52 as described above, the pusher 53 for making part is configured to be able to protrude and retreat in a substantially horizontal direction. When the workpiece W is thrown up in a standing posture from a direction substantially perpendicular to the workpiece transfer direction of the body 5, even if the workpiece W may come into contact with the loading portion pushing body 53, the loading portion receives this contact. The pushing body 53 can be withdrawn once, and the workpiece W can be reliably put into the uppermost stream portion of the transfer space R.

Next, the discharge part R4 of the conveyance space R will be described.
In the present embodiment, the work W drained by the drying unit R3 is taken out from the cleaning device S in the discharge unit R4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2 as an example, the posture W is changed so that the workpiece W in the standing posture is tilted 90 degrees (returned to the sleeping posture), and the workpieces W are stacked and collected to an appropriate height. (So-called stacked collection).

The cleaning device S has the basic structure as described above. Hereinafter, an operation mode (transfer mode and cleaning mode) for removing dirt adhered to the workpiece W by the cleaning device S will be described. In the description, a state in which the workpiece W has already been input to the input unit R1 will be described as an initial state.
[1] Initial state (state of support)
In the initial state of the cleaning device S, particularly the support body 6, as shown in FIG. 3 as an example, the check body 62 of the support body 6 protrudes toward the conveyance space R (work W) by the biasing of the elastic body. As a result, the check body 62 is engaged with the rear end edge of the workpiece W to prevent the workpiece W from returning (locked state).
In the present embodiment, the non-return body 62 is configured to be able to protrude and retract in a substantially horizontal direction, and in the protruding state, is engaged with two upper and lower portions of the work rear end edge.

[2] Initial state (Pushing body status)
In this initial state, the pushing bodies 52 and 53 of the intermittent transport body 5 are also urged so as to protrude toward the transport space R (work W) by the urging of the elastic body as shown in FIG. 4 as an example. Thus, the pushers 52 and 53 are engaged with the rear part of the work W, and are ready for feeding the work W by 1 pitch.
In this embodiment, the pusher 52 is configured to be able to protrude and retreat substantially in the vertical direction (vertical direction), and in a protruding state, the pusher 52 is in a standby state in which the vertical corners of the rear part of the work are pushed in.
Incidentally, the pushing-in portion pushing member 53 is configured to be able to protrude and retreat in a substantially horizontal direction, and in a protruding state, it is in a standby state in which the two positions near the center of the rear end edge of the work are pushed.

In order to transfer each workpiece W from this state to the next intermittent stop position, the intermittent carrier 5 is moved forward by one pitch (one stroke).
As shown in FIG. 5, as an example, the pushing bodies 52 and 53 are moved to the intermittent transport body 5 by one pitch, as shown in FIG. W is pushed in by one pitch, and each workpiece W is transferred to the next intermittent stop position.
During the transfer of the workpiece W, the check body 62 that protrudes from the support 6 to the transfer space R is connected to the workpiece W that is sent from immediately behind the support 6 as shown in FIG. As a result of the contact, the protruding state is gradually released (pushed back) and gradually moves away from the conveyance space R. Further, in this embodiment, the non-return body 62 is mainly composed of a free rotating roller 621, so that the contact resistance with the workpiece W can be suppressed, and the retreating operation by the contact with the workpiece W can be performed very smoothly. It is.

Further, the state shown in FIG. 6 is a state in which the intermittent carrier 5 has finished one pitch advance, and in this state, each workpiece W reaches (stops) the next intermittent stop position. In this state, the non-return body 62 of the support body 6 is an elastic body because contact with the workpiece W is released (being pushed by the workpiece W is released) as shown in FIG. Due to this urging, the state again protrudes into the conveyance space R. In other words, in this state, the check body 62 comes to press the upper and lower portions of the work rear end edge, and is in a locked state that prevents the work W from returning.
Further, at this time, as shown in FIG. 6A, the insertion portion pushing body 53 comes closest to the check body 62 located one pitch forward from here. Are different from each other, so that they do not interfere with each other. In other words, the insertion portion pushing body 53 and the check body 62 are made to have different height positions (installation positions) so that they do not interfere with each other.

Thereafter, as an example, as shown in FIG. 7, the intermittent carrier 5 is returned by one pitch (retracted). At this time, the workpiece W that has advanced by one pitch together with the intermittent conveyance body 5 does not move backward (does not move) due to the action of the check body 62 protruding into the conveyance space R. For this reason, the return of one pitch is an operation of retreating only with the intermittent carrier 5.
In addition, the pushing body 52 protruding from the intermittent conveyance body 5 (alignment line) to the conveyance space R with the 1-pitch return is the workpiece W behind the pushing body 52 (the workpiece W that the pushing body 52 has advanced by 1 pitch). Will come into contact with the workpiece W) located immediately after. This contact is a relative push from the workpiece W to the pusher 52, whereby the pusher 52 is gradually pushed back from the protruding state and retreats to enter the alignment line (this FIG. 7 ( a)). In addition, the pushing body 52 provided on the lower side of the intermittent conveyance body 5 is not only retreated by contact with the work W (pushing by the work W) but also retreats with the weight of the work W added.
Here, in this embodiment, since the pushing body 52 is mainly composed of the free rotating roller 521, the contact resistance with the workpiece W is suppressed, and the retreating operation by the contact with the workpiece W can be performed very smoothly. .

Further, the state shown in FIG. 8 is a state in which the intermittent carrier 5 has returned one pitch, and is the same as the initial state of the intermittent carrier 5.
When the intermittent conveyance body 5 returns by one pitch, the pushing body 52 is released from the contact with the work W as shown in FIG. It will be in the locked state. Of course, this state is the initial state shown in FIG. 4, that is, the initial state of the intermittent carrier 5, and is a standby state in preparation for one pitch advance.

In the state where the intermittent conveyance body 5 has returned by one pitch, as shown in FIG. 8 above, there is no work W in the most upstream part of the conveyance space R, so at this stage the most upstream part (the input part) The workpiece W is supplied to R1).
For example, the work W is fed from the front side of the sheet of FIG. 9 to the most upstream part, and the stacked works W are taken out one by one and supplied while being raised 90 degrees, that is, converted into a standing posture. To do.
When the workpiece W is input / supplied to the most upstream portion in this way, the forward movement of one pitch shown in FIG. 5 is repeated.

Next, the aspect of cleaning the workpiece W will be described.
As described above, the intermittent conveyance body 5 having the pushing bodies 52 and 53 configured to be protruded and retractable in the conveyance space R reciprocates by one pitch, and the check body 62 of the support body 6 also enters the conveyance space R. By repeatedly performing the protrusion and withdrawal operations, the workpiece W is sent to the intermittent stop position one by one in order, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the workpiece W while passing through the actual cleaning section R2, and the workpiece W The dirt adhering to W is washed away.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the work W is a cleaning process P from the most upstream part to the second intermittent stop position to the fifth intermittent stop position, and the eighth from the most upstream part. It is dried at the intermittent stop position.
In cleaning the workpiece W, it is preferable to specialize in the shape or the like of the workpiece W. For example, in this embodiment, since the tray W in the form of a flat container is assumed as the workpiece W, As described above, the cleaning process P is divided into three stages. In particular, in the main cleaning process P2, the cleaning liquid is sprayed only from the front side of the workpiece W (inside the container W in the case of the tray W).

That is, the preliminary cleaning process P1 of the present embodiment is a process of spraying hot water, water, steam, or the like from the front side and the back side of the workpiece W to easily remove relatively strong dirt (solid dirt). Of course, in the preliminary cleaning step P1, relatively light dirt (weakly adhered dirt) can be washed off as it is.
In the preliminary cleaning step P1, two preliminary cleaning nozzles 3A are provided on the front side and the back side of the workpiece W, respectively. In addition, the same cleaning liquid may be sprayed onto the workpiece W from the two preliminary cleaning nozzles 3A, or different cleaning liquids may be sprayed. The first one is mainly intended to lift up the dirt, and it is possible to select a cleaning liquid for the purpose of washing away the dirt that has risen in the second.

Further, in the main cleaning step P2, as shown in FIG. 1 above, a cleaning liquid such as a cleaning agent is sprayed only on the front side (inside) of the workpiece W at a high pressure. In this embodiment, the tray W is assumed as the work W, and stubborn dirt tends to adhere mainly to the inside, so the intention is to intensively clean the inside of the work. Of course, if the work W has a strong stain on the back side, it is possible to perform high-pressure cleaning on the back side in the main cleaning step P2.
Here, as described above, the two intermittent stop positions are set as the main cleaning process P2, and the two main cleaning nozzles 3B are installed at the first stage (intermittent stop position) in the main cleaning process P2. In this stage (intermittent stop position), one main cleaning nozzle 3B is installed (a total of three main cleaning nozzles 3B are installed).

The rinsing step P3 is a step of washing away dirt and cleaning liquid still remaining on the workpiece W (so-called rinsing), and hot water or water is sprayed from both the front and back sides of the workpiece W. Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 as an example, one rinsing nozzle 3C is installed on each of the front side and the back side of the workpiece W.
Note that the above-described method of dividing the cleaning process, increase / decrease in the number of nozzles, and the like can be appropriately changed depending on the workpiece W, dirt to be removed, or the like.

  The workpiece W thus cleaned is drained by air blowing in the drying unit R3 and then taken out from the discharge unit R4.

[Other Examples]
The present invention has the above-described embodiment as one basic technical idea, but the following modifications can be considered.
First, in the basic embodiment described above, the intermittent conveyance body 5 is configured by aligning a plurality of free rotating rollers 51. However, the intermittent conveyance body 5 is not necessarily limited to this, and is formed in a simple rail shape. It is possible. In this case, the work W is step-conveyed while sliding on the rail.
Further, in the basic embodiment described above, the support of the workpiece W by the intermittent carrier 5 supports the upper and lower end edges of the workpiece W. However, depending on the workpiece W, it may be supported only on one side, For example, it is possible to transfer the workpiece W while supporting only the lower edge of the workpiece W with the intermittent carrier 5.
Further, in the previous embodiment, it has been described that the pushing by the pushing body 52 and the pushing-in part pushing body 53 and the backward movement prevention by the non-returning body 62 act on the rear part of the workpiece W at two places. It does not matter, and you may make it act more than three places. Of course, the pushing bodies 52 and 53 and the check body 62 can be changed not only in the location (number) acting on the workpiece W but also in the position and the like. Various modifications are possible as long as possible.
Further, in the previous embodiment, the pushing bodies 52 and 53 and the check body 62 mainly include the free rotating rollers 521, 531 and 621 so as to be configured in the same manner as the intermittent conveying body 5 (free rotating roller 51). However, these do not necessarily need to be unified. In particular, when the intermittent transport body 5 is formed of a rail-like member, a part of the rail can be used as a push-in body 52, which can be formed so as to protrude and retract with an air cylinder or the like.
Of course, it is not necessary to match the configuration of the pusher body 52 with the configuration of the check body 62, and it is also possible to configure them with different structures and members.

S Cleaning device (cleaning device to which the transport mechanism is applied)
1 Transport mechanism 2 Device body 3 Cleaning nozzle

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transfer mechanism 5 Intermittent transfer body 6 Support body

5 Intermittent Conveying Body 51 Free Rotating Roller 52 Pushing Body 521 Free Rotating Roller 522 Support Arm 53 Inserting Unit Pushing Body 531 Free Rotating Roller 532 Support Arm 54 Cover Guide

6 Support body 61 Rolling wheel 62 Non-return body 621 Free rotation roller 622 Support arm

3 Cleaning nozzle 3A Preliminary cleaning nozzle 3B Main cleaning nozzle 3C Rinsing nozzle 31 Injection hole

R Transport space R1 Input section R2 Actual cleaning section R3 Drying section R4 Discharge section

P Cleaning process P1 Preliminary cleaning process P2 Actual cleaning process P3 Rinse process

W Work

Claims (11)

A transport space formed in a suitable machine frame so as to extend in the longitudinal direction;
An intermittent transport body that repeats reciprocating movement with a constant stroke in the longitudinal direction of the transport space;
A support for reciprocally supporting the intermittent transport body in the transport space;
The intermittent carrier is provided with a pusher that pushes the rear part of the workpiece in the transfer direction,
On the other hand, the support body is provided with a check body that prevents the workpiece from moving backward at a certain pitch.
A conveyance mechanism characterized in that a workpiece is repeatedly transferred at a constant pitch in a conveyance space by a back-and-forth movement of an intermittent conveyance body at a constant stroke.
The pushing body provided in the intermittent transport body is set so as to be pushed in a protruding state with respect to the transport space when the intermittent transport body is advanced by 1 pitch, and pushes the back of the work, and the intermittent transport body is 1 pitch. When returning, it is set so as to leave the transfer space by contact with the workpiece waiting immediately behind the pushing body,
On the other hand, the non-return body provided on the support body is biased in a protruding state with respect to the transport space when the intermittent transport body returns one pitch, and prevents the workpiece from moving backward. When moving forward by one pitch, the workpiece is set so as to retreat from the conveyance space by the contact of the workpiece sent from behind the protruding check body with the check body. Item 2. The transport mechanism according to Item 1.
The transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece includes a flat plate surface portion and has a structure in which the flat plate surface portion is transported in the transfer space in an upright posture with the flat plate surface portion oriented substantially vertically.
The transport mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the intermittent transport body has a structure for transporting the work while holding upper and lower end edges of the work.
In the intermittent transport body, the input portion pushing body for pushing the work by one pitch from the most upstream portion of the transport space is configured to be able to protrude and retract in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the transport space,
5. The transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the other pusher is configured to be able to protrude and retract in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the transport space.
6. The conveyance according to claim 5, wherein both of the pushing-in body for the insertion portion and the check body are configured so as to be able to protrude and retreat in a substantially horizontal direction, but are configured to have different working positions with respect to the workpiece. mechanism.
The conveyance mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the intermittent conveyance body is configured by aligned free rotation rollers.
The pusher is configured such that a plurality of free rotating rollers are attached to a support arm, and the supporting arm is configured to be rotatable so that the plurality of free rotating rollers can protrude into the conveyance space,
On the other hand, the non-return body is also configured such that a plurality of free rotating rollers can be protruded into the conveyance space by mounting a plurality of free rotating rollers on the support arm and allowing the support arm to rotate. The transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein:
A cleaning nozzle is provided midway in the longitudinal direction of the transport space,
An apparatus for cleaning the work by injecting a cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle onto the work while the work is being transferred in the transfer space,
A cleaning apparatus, wherein the workpiece is transferred by applying the transport mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The workpiece is transported in a transfer space in an upright posture with a flat plate surface portion oriented substantially vertically, and the cleaning nozzle is configured to eject cleaning liquid over the entire height direction of the workpiece. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 9.
  The cleaning apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cleaning nozzle is installed in a downwardly inclined state in a workpiece transfer direction.

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