JP2019018264A - Coolant tank cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a coolant tank cleaning device capable of suppressing sludge residue in a coolant tank. A coolant tank cleaning device according to the present invention is a coolant tank cleaning device 1 that cleans sludge S in a coolant tank, and includes a transport mechanism 11 that moves the coolant tank cleaning device 1 in an arbitrary direction, and sludge. And a recovery device 12 that recovers S, and has a void portion AS1 that forms a space filled with air in at least a portion of the coolant tank, and the void portion AS1 collects the collected sludge S. 15 is installed, and when the sludge S is collected, the sludge S is conveyed from the collection device 12 to the collection container 15. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a coolant tank cleaning device.

  The coolant is a liquid for cooling the machine and is repeatedly used by circulating. Due to the circulation, the sludge that is a foreign matter may be mixed in the coolant. Sludge becomes a hotbed of bacteria, causing the coolant to rot and causing odors from the coolant. Patent Document 1 discloses a coolant tank cleaning device that separates coolant and sludge.

JP-A-2005-007210

  The inventor of the present application studied a technique for separating the coolant and the sludge in the coolant tank when cleaning the coolant tank. The conventional coolant tank cleaning device is installed in the circulation path of the coolant tank, that is, outside the coolant tank. In other words, in order to separate the coolant and the sludge, it is necessary to draw out the coolant containing the sludge and to once lead it out of the coolant tank. However, when the coolant is led out from the coolant tank or when the purified coolant is returned to the coolant tank, the sludge that has submerged in the coolant tank rises, and the sludge cannot be removed sufficiently. It has been found that there is a problem that sludge remains.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a coolant tank cleaning device capable of suppressing sludge residue in a coolant tank.

  A coolant tank cleaning device according to the present invention is a coolant tank cleaning device that cleans sludge in a coolant tank, a transport mechanism that moves the coolant tank cleaning device in an arbitrary direction, and a recovery device that recovers the sludge. And having a void portion that forms a space filled with air in at least a part of the coolant tank, a collection container for collecting the collected sludge is installed in the void portion, and the sludge is collected. At times, the sludge is transported from the collection device to the collection container.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress sludge remaining in the coolant tank when cleaning the coolant containing sludge.

It is a side view of the coolant tank cleaning apparatus concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coolant tank cleaning device according to a first embodiment. It is a rear view of the coolant tank cleaning apparatus concerning Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a coolant tank cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the coolant tank cleaning device according to the first exemplary embodiment. It is a side view of the coolant tank cleaning apparatus concerning Embodiment 2. It is a side view of the coolant tank cleaning apparatus provided with the camera concerning Embodiment 3. It is a side view of the coolant tank cleaning device carrying AI concerning Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a side view of a coolant tank cleaning apparatus provided with the power line concerning Embodiment 5. It is a side view of a coolant tank cleaning apparatus provided with the non-contact charger concerning Embodiment 6.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. In addition, the drawings are appropriately simplified for the sake of clarity.
As a matter of course, the left-handed xyz coordinates shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 are convenient for explaining the positional relationship of the components. Usually, the z-axis plus direction is vertically upward, and the xy plane is a horizontal plane, which is common between the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a side view of a coolant tank cleaning apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. 2 to 5 are a perspective view, a rear view, a plan view, and a bottom view, respectively, of the coolant tank cleaning device 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG.1 and FIG.3, the water surface of a coolant is shown with a dashed-two dotted line. That is, in the present embodiment, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is in a state of being submerged in the coolant CL (underwater) except for the vicinity of the upper surface portion thereof.
Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1-5, the structure of the coolant tank cleaning apparatus 1 concerning this Embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIGS. 1-5 has shown a mode that the sludge S is collect | recovered by the collection | recovery apparatus 12, moving the coolant tank cleaning apparatus 1 to arbitrary directions. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a bottom plate 10, a transport mechanism 11, a recovery device 12, a scraper 13, a belt cleaner 14, and a recovery container 15. The battery B, the cover C1, and the frame F are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bottom plate 10 is a rectangular plate member. On the side surfaces on both sides of the bottom plate 10 in the longitudinal direction (x-axis positive direction), a transport mechanism 11 is disposed. The conveyance mechanism 11 enables the coolant tank cleaning device 1 to move in an arbitrary direction. Details of the transport mechanism 11 will be described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a recovery container 15, a battery B, and a motor 11 a are mounted on the upper surface of the bottom plate 10 in order from the front side with respect to the traveling direction (x-axis positive direction) of the coolant tank cleaning device 1. Is placed. As shown in FIG. 2, the collection container 15 has, for example, a box shape with an upper surface opened. As shown in FIG. 4, the collection container 15 is a container for storing the collected sludge S. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the collection container 15 includes a belt cleaner 14 that removes the sludge S carried by the belt conveyor 12 e from the belt conveyor 12 e and drops it to the collection container 15. Thus, the sludge S can be more reliably collected by dropping the sludge S from the belt conveyor 12e to the collection container 15 using the belt cleaner 14. That is, it is possible to prevent the sludge S from returning to the coolant CL while adhering to the belt conveyor 12e and diffusing into the coolant CL.

  The battery B is a battery that drives the motor 11a and the motor 12a. The motor 11a is a device that operates a transport mechanism 11 that moves the coolant tank cleaning device 1 in an arbitrary direction. The motor 12a is a device that operates a collecting device 12 that collects sludge.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the motor 12 a of the collecting device 12 that collects the sludge S is placed on the upper surface of the battery B. Details of the collection device 12 (12a to 12f) will be described later. By mounting the battery B on the coolant tank cleaning device 1, it is not necessary to provide a power line for supplying electric power from the outside. Therefore, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 can freely move in the coolant tank in any direction without being restricted in the operation in the coolant tank. Furthermore, since the coolant tank cleaning apparatus 1 does not have a power line, it is possible to clean even a place away from the opening of the coolant tank.
Moreover, the coolant tank cleaning apparatus 1 can be remotely operated by providing a control unit (not shown) provided with the battery B.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cover C1 covers the coolant tank cleaning device main body MB1. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover C <b> 1 has a box shape with an open bottom surface. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the cover C1 is fixed to a frame F (not shown in FIG. 1). However, it is only necessary that the cover C1 can be fixed to the coolant tank cleaning device main body MB1, and the fixing method of the cover C1 is not limited to the method of fixing to the frame F. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame F is a planar rectangular plate-like member. The frame F is disposed along the side surfaces on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the bottom plate 10 and the side surface of the sludge collection container 15.

  The interior of the cover C1 has a gap AS1 that is a space filled with air. That is, by providing the cover C1, the inside of the cover C1 is filled with air even when the coolant tank cleaning device main body MB1 is submerged in the coolant CL (underwater) as in the present embodiment. It has space part AS1 which is space. In the present embodiment, the entire coolant tank cleaning device main body MB1 is covered by the cover C1, but the entire coolant tank cleaning device main body MB1 is not necessarily covered, and at least the upper part of the recovery device 12, It is only necessary to cover the opening on the upper surface of the collection container 15 (see the second embodiment and FIG. 6).

  Further, the shape of the cover C1 is not limited to the box shape. Any shape that covers the upper part of the recovery device 12 and the opening on the upper surface of the recovery container 15 may be used, and examples thereof include a hemispherical shape, a conical shape, and a pyramidal shape.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the transport mechanism 11 and the collection device 12 will be described in detail.

(Configuration of the transport mechanism 11)
First, the configuration of the transport mechanism 11 will be described. The transport mechanism 11 allows the coolant tank cleaning device 1 to move in the coolant tank in any direction, front, back, left, and right. The transport mechanism 11 is, for example, a crawler or a wheel. In this embodiment, a crawler is used.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transport mechanism 11 includes a motor 11a, an activation wheel 11b, a crawler belt 11c, and an idler wheel 11d.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the starting wheel 11b is a gear that transmits the rotation of the motor 11a to the crawler belt 11c. An idler wheel 11d is disposed forward (x-axis positive direction side) with respect to the traveling direction of the coolant tank cleaning device 1 so as to be paired with the starter wheel 11b. By rotating the crawler belt 11c, the crawler belt 11c can move in any direction, front, back, left, and right. The crawler belt 11c includes, for example, rubber or metal.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when a crawler is used for the transport mechanism 11, the contact area between the transport mechanism 11 and the bottom surface of the coolant tank is increased. When moving in the coolant CL (underwater), resistance of the coolant CL (water) may occur. By using a crawler for the transport mechanism 11, the contact area between the crawler belt 11 c and the bottom surface of the coolant tank is widened. Therefore, even when the resistance of the coolant CL (water) occurs, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 Stability can be further increased. In the present embodiment, the transport mechanism 11 is a crawler, but wheels such as tires may be used.

(Configuration of the collection device 12)
Next, the configuration of the collection device 12 will be described. The recovery device 12 is a device that recovers the sludge S by scooping up the sludge S collected at the bottom of the coolant tank by the scraper 13, placing it on the belt conveyor 12e, and carrying it to the recovery container 15 by the belt conveyor 12e.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the collection device 12 includes a motor 12a, a drive pulley 12b, a flat belt 12c, a snubb pulley 12d, a belt conveyor 12e, and a tail pulley 12f.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotation of the motor 12a is transmitted to the drive pulley 12b. A flat belt system is used as the driving system of the belt conveyor in the present embodiment. The drive pulley 12b is a pulley that drives the flat belt 12c and the belt conveyor 12e by transmitting rotation from the motor 12a. The flat belt 12c is a belt that connects the drive pulley 12b and the snubber pulley 12d and transmits the rotation from the drive pulley 12b to the snubber pulley 12d. The snubb pulley 12d adjusts the winding angle of the belt around the pulley. The belt conveyor 12e, the angle of which is adjusted by the snubber pulley 12d, is provided obliquely from the outer edge (the end in the x-axis positive direction and the end in the z-axis positive direction) of the collection container 15 toward the bottom of the coolant tank. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rotation direction of the belt conveyor 12e is a direction in which the surface (upper surface in the z-axis direction) of the belt conveyor 12e is directed from the lower side of the slope to the upper side (see FIG. 1). 1 and white arrow direction in FIG. 2). The sludge S collected by the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is sludge and contains moisture. That is, if the angle θ at which the belt conveyor 12e is obliquely increased, the sludge S slides down from the belt conveyor 12e, making recovery difficult. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1, the angle θ when the belt conveyor 12e is obliquely set is set to an angle that does not cause the sludge S to slide down when placed on the belt conveyor 12e. The angle is preferably smaller. Moreover, since the height (z-axis direction height) of a cover C1 to be described later can be reduced by reducing the angle θ, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 can be further downsized.

  The tail pulley 12f is a pulley located at the tail portion of the belt conveyor 12e. A scraper 13 is connected to the tail pulley 12f. The scraper 13 is disposed so that the tip thereof is in contact with the bottom surface of the coolant tank. The scraper 13 includes, for example, a metal scraper such as stainless steel, a resin scraper, a ceramic scraper, and the like. When a scraper made of a material having flexibility, such as a resin scraper, is used as the scraper 13, even if the bottom of the coolant tank is not a flat surface but a curved surface, the sludge S can be scraped off.

  In the present embodiment, a flat belt driving method is shown as an example of a driving method of the belt conveyor, but the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, the belt conveyor driving method includes a round belt driving method, a chain driving method, an adjacent roller driving method, a free roller method, a non-contact driving method, and the like.

  Hereinafter, a series of flows in which the coolant tank cleaning apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment collects sludge collected on the bottom of the coolant tank will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  1 and 2 show a state where the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is submerged in the coolant CL (underwater) in the coolant tank except for the vicinity of the upper surface portion thereof. In FIG. 1, the two-dot chain line indicates the water surface of the coolant CL. In the present embodiment, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is not installed outside the coolant tank, but is submerged in the coolant CL (in water). Therefore, the coolant CL is cleaned by closing the coolant tank lid (not shown). It can be done in the state.

  First, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the scraper 13 scoops up the sludge S collected on the bottom of the coolant tank. The scooped up sludge S is placed on the upper surface of the belt conveyor 12e, which is the collection device 12. The sludge S placed on the belt conveyor 12e is carried from the lower side to the upper side of the inclined surface of the belt conveyor 12e (in the direction of the white arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, while the sludge S is being conveyed by the belt conveyor 12e, the sludge S enters the space inside the cover C1. The inside of the cover C1 is a space filled with air, that is, the gap AS1. When the sludge S enters the gap AS1 in the cover C1, the coolant CL, which is a liquid, flows down toward the lower side of the belt conveyor 12e according to gravity. Therefore, in the gap AS1 in the cover C1, the coolant CL can be removed and the sludge S that is a solid matter can be taken out.

  At this time, the shorter the distance between the bottom surface of the cover C1 and the bottom surface of the coolant tank, the less affected by the buoyancy of the coolant CL. That is, it is possible to prevent the sludge S, which is sludge, from diffusing again into the coolant CL on the belt conveyor 12e. Furthermore, with the movement of the coolant tank cleaning device 1, the coolant CL may flow in the coolant tank. Even when such coolant CL flows, the gap AS1 is Not affected by CL flow. Therefore, as the distance between the bottom of the cover C1 and the bottom surface of the coolant tank is shorter, the coolant CL and the sludge S can be more reliably separated and the sludge S can be recovered.

  Thus, even when the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is submerged in the coolant CL (underwater) by having the gap AS1 that is a space filled with air inside the cover C1, the coolant CL (liquid). And sludge S (solid) can be separated. In the present embodiment, the amount of the coolant CL is large and the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is submerged in the coolant CL. However, even if the amount of the coolant CL is small, the above configuration allows the coolant CL ( Liquid) and sludge S (solid) can be separated.

  When the amount of the coolant CL is extremely small, the coolant CL can be cleaned without attaching the cover C1. Specifically, when the amount of the coolant CL is smaller than the opening on the upper surface of the recovery container 15, the coolant CL and the sludge S can be separated without attaching the cover C1.

  Further, by synchronizing the speed at which the transport mechanism 11 of the coolant tank cleaning device 1 advances in an arbitrary direction and the rotation speed of the belt conveyor 12e, the sludge S is recovered while moving the coolant tank cleaning device 1 in an arbitrary direction. can do. In addition, the said speed shall be suitably set to the speed which sludge collect | recovers easily.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sludge S carried to the position of the snubbing pulley 12 d that is the turning point of the belt conveyor 12 e is removed by the belt cleaner 14 and falls into the collection container 15. When a certain amount of sludge S is collected in the recovery container 15, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is recovered from the coolant tank.
The above is a series of flows in which the coolant tank cleaning device 1 according to the first embodiment collects sludge accumulated at the bottom of the coolant tank.

  The inventor of the present application studied a technique for separating the coolant and the sludge in the coolant tank when cleaning the coolant tank. The conventional coolant tank cleaning device is installed in the circulation path of the coolant tank, that is, outside the coolant tank. That is, in order to separate the coolant and the sludge, it is necessary to suck out the coolant containing the sludge and take it out of the coolant tank. When taking out the coolant from the coolant tank or returning the purified coolant to the coolant tank, it turns out that the sludge that has submerged in the coolant tank rises and the sludge remains in the coolant tank did.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 is provided with a transport mechanism that moves the coolant tank cleaning device in an arbitrary direction and a recovery device that recovers sludge, and air is at least partially in the coolant tank. There is a gap AS1 that forms a filled space, and a collection container for collecting the collected sludge is installed in the gap AS1, and the sludge is transported from the collection device to the collection container when collecting the sludge. With such a configuration, the coolant tank cleaning device 1 can separate the coolant CL and the sludge in the coolant tank, and the residual sludge in the coolant tank can be suppressed.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the coolant tank cleaning apparatus 2 concerning Embodiment 2 is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a side view of the coolant tank cleaning device 2 according to the second embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIGS. 1-5, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shape of the cover C2 has a box shape with an open bottom surface, but is not limited thereto. Specifically, the shape of the cover C2 includes, for example, a hemispherical shape, a conical shape, and a pyramid shape. The cover C <b> 2 covers the upper part of the collection device 12 and the opening of the collection container 15. The inside of the cover C2 is a space filled with air, that is, the gap portion AS2, like the cover C1 in the first embodiment. When the sludge S is carried by the belt conveyor 12e and enters the gap AS2 inside the cover C2, the coolant CL, which is a liquid, flows down toward the lower side of the belt conveyor 12e according to gravity. Therefore, in the gap portion AS2 in the cover C2, the liquid coolant CL and the solid sludge S can be separated, and the sludge S can be recovered. Compared with the size of the cover C1 of the first embodiment, the size of the cover C2 is small, so that the coolant tank cleaning device 2 as a whole can be downsized.
The configuration other than the cover C2 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, the coolant tank cleaning device 3 according to the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a side view of the coolant tank cleaning apparatus including the camera according to the third embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIGS. 1-5, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the camera Cam is installed on the cover C1. In FIG. 7, as an example of the installation position of the camera Cam, the upper surface (the end on the x-axis positive side) in front of the cover C1 with respect to the traveling direction of the coolant tank cleaning device 3 is used, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Specifically, for example, a rotation axis may be provided in the center of the upper surface of the cover C1 in the vertical direction with respect to the cover C1, and the camera Cam may be attached to the rotation axis. In this case, it is assumed that the rotation axis rotates and can direct the direction of the camera Cam in an arbitrary direction.
The configuration other than the camera Cam is the same as that of the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, the coolant tank cleaning device 4 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a side view of the coolant tank cleaning device on which the AI according to the fourth embodiment is mounted. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIGS. 1-5, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, instead of the control unit in the first embodiment, artificial intelligence (AI) is mounted in combination with the battery B. When the AI recognizes the sludge S, the AI is set to automatically collect the sludge S.
The configuration other than the AI is the same as that of the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 5>
Next, the coolant tank cleaning device 5 according to the fifth embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a side view of a coolant tank cleaning device including a power line according to the fifth embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIGS. 1-5, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, it has a wired power line CC that supplies electric power to the battery B in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the coolant tank cleaning device 5 is submerged in the coolant CL, and the coolant tank is periodically cleaned. By providing a wired power line CC to the coolant tank cleaning device 5, power is always supplied to the battery B, and the battery does not run out. That is, the sludge S can be collected after the sludge S is accumulated to the full capacity in the collection container 15, and the collection efficiency can be increased.
The configuration other than the power line CC for wired charging is the same as that of the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 6>
Next, the coolant tank cleaning apparatus 6 concerning Embodiment 6 is demonstrated. FIG. 10 is a side view of a coolant tank cleaning device that performs non-contact charging according to the sixth embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component as FIGS. 1-5, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, the battery B according to the first embodiment includes a non-contact charger WC that supplies power by non-contact power feeding. The non-contact charger WC is disposed so as to be adjacent to the motor 11a, and forms a pair with the non-contact charger WC provided on the inner wall of the coolant tank. By providing the non-contact charger WC with respect to the coolant tank cleaning device 6, electric power is appropriately supplied to the battery B, and the battery does not run out. Furthermore, since non-contact charging eliminates the need for power lines, the inside of the coolant tank can be freely moved in any direction.
The configuration other than the non-contact charger WC is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Coolant tank cleaning device 10 Bottom plate 11 Transport mechanism 11a, 12a Motor 11b Starting wheel 11c Crawler belt 11d Idle wheel 12 Recovery device 12b Drive pulley 12c Flat belt 12d Snub pulley 12e Belt conveyor 12f Tail pulley 13 Scraper 14 Belt cleaner 15 Recovery container AS1, AS2 Cavity B Battery C1, C2 Cover Cam Camera CC Power line CL Coolant MB1, MB4, MB5, MB6 Coolant tank cleaning device body S Sludge WC Non-contact charger

Claims (1)

A coolant tank cleaning device for cleaning sludge in a coolant tank,
A transport mechanism for moving the coolant tank cleaning device in an arbitrary direction;
A recovery device for recovering the sludge,
Having a gap that forms a space filled with air in at least a portion of the coolant tank;
A collection container for collecting the collected sludge is installed in the gap,
When collecting the sludge,
Transporting the sludge from the recovery device to the recovery container;
Coolant tank cleaning device.

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