JP2022124956A - Shopping basket washing method and shopping basket washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To collectively wash a plurality of shopping baskets, and completely remove dirt and bacteria of the shopping baskets without damaging the shopping baskets during washing.SOLUTION: A shopping basket washing device includes a washing drum, a lid part, a rotary plate 8 mounted in the washing drum, a geared motor 9 for rotating the rotary plate 8, a tank 10 for storing washing liquid, a pump 11 for supplying the washing liquid into the washing drum from the tank 10, and a control part, wherein a basket holding tool for holding stacked shopping baskets is mounted on the rotary plate 8, the control part controls operations of the geared motor 9 so as to perform main washing of the stacked shopping baskets so that acceleration and deceleration of rotation of the stacked shopping baskets are alternately repeated, and a basket pressing part 18 for pressing the shopping basket at the upper most stage in a vertical direction so that the stacked shopping baskets are lifted up by a constant distance when rotation of the stacked shopping baskets is accelerated is mounted on the lid part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Patent Act Article 30, Paragraph 2 Application Applied Self Service February 2021 issue (No.739) published on February 1, 2021 Food Engineering Times distributed on February 10, 2021 Ver. 632 Shokuhin Shimbun No. 5048, published on February 11, 3rd year of Reiwa March 2021 issue of Monthly Cold Distribution, published on February 15th, 3rd year of Reiwa

The present invention relates to a shopping basket cleaning method and apparatus for cleaning shopping baskets used in supermarkets, convenience stores, home centers, drug stores, and the like.

Many shopping baskets are used in supermarkets, convenience stores, home centers, drug stores, and the like.
This shopping basket is used with various products such as perishables put in it and becomes dirty or contaminated with germs. Hand washed by the operator once.
In this case, a large number of shopping baskets are used in large stores such as supermarkets, and not only is the burden on the workers who wash them by hand considerable, but also dirt and germs are generated when the workers wash them by hand. The problem is that it cannot be completely removed.
For this reason, various cleaning devices for shopping baskets have been proposed in order to reduce the burden on the operator who manually cleans the shopping baskets and to completely remove dirt and germs from the shopping baskets.
For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-93913), a basket-shaped or box-shaped case to be cleaned is placed on a guide rail and moved horizontally, and the bottom and side surfaces of the case are cleaned from the cleaning nozzle. A cleaning device is disclosed that cleans a case by spraying water and collects the sprayed cleaning water with a pan.
However, in the cleaning apparatus of Patent Document 1, the cases that move horizontally on the guide rail are cleaned one by one. Therefore, it takes time to clean a large number of cases. , a chain, a guide rail, a guide bar, etc. is required, and the apparatus becomes large-scaled and requires a large installation space.

In addition, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-52783) describes a brushing preliminary washing machine having a vertical rotating brush and a horizontal rotating brush capable of pressing a super basket and a cleaning liquid supply source, a rotary drive source and high-pressure water. A water pressure pre-washing machine having a nozzle, and washing baskets each capable of storing a predetermined amount of super baskets are arranged at three or more locations around the horizontal axis, and each washing basket is arranged on the horizontal axis. A rotary drive source capable of rotationally driving around the center, and a cleaning liquid supply source capable of supplying an amount of cleaning liquid sufficient to submerge the cleaning basket below the liquid surface when moved directly below the horizontal axis are arranged. a high-pressure water nozzle for rinsing by spraying high-pressure water to the rotatingly driven washing basket, and a hot air supply source for blowing hot air to each washing basket for drying. A washing system in which mold washing machines are arranged in order, and each process of brushing pre-washing, water pressure pre-washing, main washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying can be performed.
However, in the cleaning system of Patent Document 2, the brushing preliminary cleaning, water pressure preliminary cleaning, and main cleaning are performed by separate machines, so it is necessary to attach and detach the super basket to each machine. Not only does this take time, but it is also necessary to install a brush pre-washing machine, a water pressure pre-washing machine, and a rotary washing machine that stores a predetermined amount of super baskets in each of three or more locations. There is a problem that the apparatus becomes larger than the washing apparatus and requires an installation space for the apparatus.
Moreover, in the rotary washing machine of the washing system of Patent Document 2, since main washing, rinsing, dehydration, and drying are performed by rotating the washing basket storing a predetermined amount of super baskets, the washing baskets do not move during rotation. There is a problem that the super basket is damaged by colliding with the wall surface of the

In this regard, in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-227582), washing water is injected into the washing chamber by a pouring and draining means, and the object to be washed immersed in the water is made to collide with countless air bubbles to perform underwater washing. In this apparatus, a turntable on which an object to be washed is placed and which can be rotated is installed at the bottom of a washing chamber, and the object to be washed placed on the turntable is pressed against the turntable and in that state A rotatable rotating presser board was installed on a member located in the upper part of the cleaning chamber so as to face the rotating table, and was fixed by the rotating table and the rotating pressing board in order to cause the air bubbles and the water stream to collide with the object to be cleaned at high speed. A rotary underwater washing apparatus is disclosed which is provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating an object to be washed.
In the rotary underwater washing apparatus of Patent Document 3, when the object to be washed is a shopping basket, the rotary underwater washing apparatus of Patent Document 3 has no means for rinsing the washed object after washing. It is necessary to remove the washing liquid adhering to the shopping basket.
In addition, since the rotary underwater washing apparatus of Patent Document 3 washes objects to be washed one by one, it takes a long time to wash a large number of shopping baskets.
In this case, since the rotary washing machine of Patent Document 2 cleans stacked supermarket baskets, the rotary underwater washing device of Patent Document 3 also has a plurality of shopping baskets in a stacked state (stacked state). Washing is also conceivable.
However, in the rotary submersible washing apparatus of Patent Document 3, since the objects to be washed (stacked shopping baskets) are washed while being pressed against the turntable by the rotary presser, overlapping portions (contacts) of the stacked shopping baskets are washed. There is a problem that the cleaning of the shopping basket becomes incomplete because dirt and germs cannot be removed from the shopping basket.

Next, in Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-19764), a cleaning workpiece is formed by providing a space in a box-shaped main body, and an object to be cleaned is placed in a cleaning basket that rotates within the cleaning workpiece. Disclosed is an article washing apparatus in which a series of washing, rinsing, sterilizing, and draining operations are performed by squirting a washing liquid, a rinsing liquid, air, and steam from the nozzles, and arranging nozzles in the vicinity of the washing basket. ing.
In the article washing apparatus of Patent Document 4, if the object to be washed is a shopping basket, the shopping basket is housed in a rotating washing basket and a series of operations of cleaning, rinsing, sterilization, and draining are performed. There is a problem that the rotation of the basket causes the shopping basket to collide with the basket portion of the washing basket and damage the shopping basket.
It is conceivable to wash stacked shopping baskets with the article washing apparatus of Patent Document 4. Not only is the shopping basket damaged by collision with the basket, but it takes time and effort to remove the scattered shopping basket from the cleaning basket after a series of cleaning, rinsing, sterilization, and draining operations are completed.

JP-A-2000-93913 JP-A-2005-52783 JP-A-7-227582 JP-A-8-19764

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus that does not require a large-scale installation space for cleaning shopping baskets, and that allows a plurality of shopping baskets to be cleaned together. To completely remove stains and germs from shopping baskets without damaging the inside of the shopping baskets and to easily take out a plurality of washed shopping baskets.

A shopping basket washing machine comprising a washing tank, a rotating body mounted in the washing tank, a rotating body rotating means for rotating the rotating body, and a washing liquid supply means for supplying a washing liquid into the washing tank. A shopping basket washing method for washing a plurality of vertically stacked shopping baskets in the washing tank using an apparatus, wherein the bottommost shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets is attached to the rotating body. On the other hand, in a state in which the stacked shopping baskets are placed on the rotating body so as not to move in the rotating direction, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means into the cleaning tank, and the stacked shopping baskets are immersed in the cleaning liquid. a cleaning liquid supplying step, and rotating the stacked shopping baskets through the rotating body by the rotating body rotating means to increase the rotation speed of the stacked shopping baskets so that the cleaning liquid is supplied to each shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets. and after the shopping cart stack has been lifted a certain distance, the rotation of the shopping cart stack is decelerated to lower the shopping cart stack lifted a certain distance back to the original position, and the The above problem is solved by providing a shopping basket cleaning method including a main cleaning step of cleaning each shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets by alternately repeating acceleration and deceleration of the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets. .

According to the second aspect of the invention, the rotator rotating means alternately repeats forward rotation in which the stacked shopping baskets are rotated clockwise and reverse rotation in which the stacked shopping baskets are rotated counterclockwise via the rotator. , speeding up the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets after the start of the forward rotation or the reverse rotation so that the stacked shopping baskets are lifted by a certain distance; When switching to reverse rotation or switching from said reverse rotation to said forward rotation, the rotation of said shopping basket stack is accelerated and decelerated such that said shopping basket lifted by said predetermined distance is lowered to its original position. The object is to solve the above problems by providing a shopping basket cleaning method that is alternately repeated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the shopping basket cleaning apparatus includes shopping basket pressing means for pressing the uppermost shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets placed on the rotating body in a vertical direction, and in the main cleaning step, To provide a shopping basket cleaning method in which, when the stacked shopping baskets are lifted by the fixed distance, the shopping basket pressing means presses the uppermost shopping basket with a force smaller than the lifting force. is to solve

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the shopping basket cleaning apparatus further comprises a rinse liquid supplying means for supplying a rinse liquid into the washing tank,
After the main cleaning step, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning tank, the rotating body rotating means rotates the stacked shopping baskets via the rotating body, and the rinsing liquid supplying means rotates the stacked shopping baskets. To solve the above problems, a shopping basket cleaning method is provided that includes a rinsing step of rinsing the stacked shopping baskets by applying a rinsing liquid.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dehydration step in which, after the rinsing step, the rotator rotating means rotates the stacked shopping baskets at high speed via the rotator to remove the rinsing liquid adhering to the stacked shopping baskets. to solve the above problems.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning tank provided with an opening, a lid portion closing the opening, a rotating body mounted in the cleaning tank, rotating body rotating means for rotating the rotating body, and a cleaning liquid tank for storing the cleaning liquid. (a) a shopping basket cleaning apparatus comprising cleaning liquid supply means for supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank to the cleaning tank; and cleaning control means, wherein a plurality of shopping baskets are vertically stacked on the rotating body. A basket holder is attached to hold the shopping basket at the bottom of the stack of shopping baskets so that it does not move in the direction of rotation with respect to the rotating body. A cleaning liquid is supplied, the stacked shopping baskets held by the basket holder and placed on the rotating body are immersed in the cleaning liquid, and the stacked shopping baskets are moved through the rotating body by the rotating body rotating means. controlling the operation of the washing liquid supply means and the rotating body rotating means so as to perform main washing of the stacked shopping baskets by rotating the stacked shopping baskets alternately between acceleration and deceleration; The lid portion is provided with a basket pressing means for vertically pressing the uppermost shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets placed on the rotating body. When the rotation of the baskets is accelerated, the stacked shopping baskets are lifted by a certain distance, and when the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets is decelerated, the stacked shopping baskets lifted by the certain distance are lowered to the original position. To solve the above problems, a cleaning device for a shopping basket is provided which presses the uppermost shopping basket in such a manner as to do so.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the washing control means alternately repeats forward rotation in which the stacked shopping baskets are rotated clockwise and reverse rotation in which the stacked shopping baskets are rotated counterclockwise. It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems by providing a shopping basket cleaning apparatus that controls the operation of the rotating body rotating means so as to alternately repeat acceleration and deceleration of rotation.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the basket pressing means includes a pressing member movable with respect to the lower surface of the lid portion, and an elastic member for pressing the pressing member against the uppermost shopping basket. An apparatus is provided to solve the above problems.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the shopping basket cleaning apparatus further comprises cleaning liquid discharge means for discharging the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank and rinsing liquid supply means for supplying rinsing liquid into the cleaning tank, and the cleaning control means After the main cleaning, the cleaning liquid discharging means discharges the cleaning liquid from the cleaning tank, the rotating body rotating means rotates the stacked shopping baskets via the rotating body, and the rinsing liquid supplying means Provided is a shopping basket cleaning apparatus that controls the operations of the cleaning liquid discharging means, the rotating body rotating means, and the rinsing liquid supplying means so that the rinsing liquid is applied to the stacked shopping carts to rinse the stacked shopping carts. to solve the above problems.

According to the invention of claim 10, the cleaning control means causes the rotating body rotating means to rotate the stacked shopping baskets at high speed via the rotating body after the rinsing, so that the rinsing liquid adhering to the stacked shopping baskets is removed. The above problem is solved by providing a shopping basket cleaning device that controls the operation of the rotating body rotating means so as to remove the dehydration.

In the shopping basket cleaning method of the invention described in claim 1, when cleaning the shopping baskets by the cleaning device, a plurality of shopping baskets can be cleaned together, and the shopping baskets can be cleaned without damaging the shopping baskets during cleaning. and bacteria can be completely removed.

In the shopping basket cleaning method according to the second aspect of the invention, when the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets is switched from normal rotation to reverse rotation or from reverse rotation to normal rotation, the change in the flow of the cleaning liquid is increased. , there is an effect that stains and germs in the shopping basket can be removed more completely.

The shopping basket cleaning method according to the third aspect of the invention has the further effect of being able to completely remove stains and germs from the shopping basket by simple means.

According to the shopping basket cleaning method of the fourth aspect of the invention, it is possible to move from the main cleaning step to the rinsing step without removing the shopping basket from the shopping basket cleaning apparatus.

In the shopping basket cleaning method according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the rinsing process can be transferred to the dehydration process without removing the shopping baskets from the shopping basket cleaning apparatus, and a plurality of washed shopping baskets can be easily washed. It has the effect of being able to be taken out.

In the washing machine for shopping baskets according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the equipment does not become large and does not require installation space. It is possible to completely remove stains and germs from the shopping basket.

In the shopping basket cleaning method according to the seventh aspect of the invention, when the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets is switched from normal rotation to reverse rotation or from reverse rotation to normal rotation, the change in the flow of the cleaning liquid is increased. , the effect of being able to more completely remove stains and germs from the shopping basket.

According to the shopping basket cleaning apparatus of the eighth aspect of the invention, there is further the effect that stains and germs on the shopping basket can be completely removed by a simple means.

According to the shopping basket cleaning apparatus of the ninth aspect of the invention, there is an effect that the main cleaning can be shifted to the rinsing without removing the shopping basket from the shopping basket cleaning apparatus.

According to the shopping basket cleaning apparatus of the tenth aspect of the invention, the washing can be shifted from rinsing to dehydration without taking out the shopping baskets from the shopping basket cleaning apparatus, and a plurality of washed shopping baskets can be easily taken out. It works.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the shopping basket cleaning device of the present invention with the lid portion opened 90 degrees; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the shopping basket cleaning device shown in FIG. 1; Fig. 2 is a left side view of the shopping basket cleaning device shown in Fig. 1; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cleaning drum portion in the basket cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inner lower portion of the outer cover in the basket cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an outer cover in the basket cleaning device of FIG. 1; 1. It is an exploded perspective view of the cover part and basket holding part in the basket cleaning apparatus of FIG. 2 is a piping control diagram showing a piping system and a control system of the shopping basket cleaning device 1. FIG. 1A and 1B are a perspective view and a front view of a shopping basket to be cleaned by the shopping basket cleaning device 1; FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view, a front view, and an enlarged longitudinal sectional view in the horizontal direction (X direction) of a stacked shopping basket in which ten shopping baskets 30 are vertically stacked; 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view in the X direction of the shopping basket cleaning device in which the stacked shopping baskets 40 are set in the basket holder 7 and the cover plate 3a is closed. FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of time change of the number of revolutions of the rotating plate 8 (output shaft 9a) in one cycle. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view in the X direction of the shopping basket cleaning apparatus with stacked shopping baskets 40 lifted by a certain distance;

[Configuration of shopping basket cleaning device]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the shopping basket cleaning apparatus of the present invention with the lid opened 90 degrees, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the shopping basket cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the shopping basket shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along AA in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a cleaning drum portion in the basket cleaning device in FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is an external view of the basket cleaning device in FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the outer cover in the basket cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the lid portion and the basket holding portion of the basket cleaning apparatus of FIG.
In the figure, 1 is a shopping basket cleaning device, 2 is an outer cover, 2a is a top plate, 2am is a window, 2b is a side plate, 2c is a bottom plate, 3 is a lid portion, 3a is a lid plate, 3b is a frame member, and 3c. 4 is a handle, 3d and 3e are hinges, 4 is a partition plate, 4a is a shaft hole, 4b and 4c are pipe holes, 4d is a drainage hole, 5 is a washing drum, 5a is a mouth, 5ak is an opening, 5b is a body, 5bh is a hole, 5bm is an inlet, 5c is a bottom, 5ch is a shaft hole, 5ck is a drainage port, 6 is a lid receiving member, 6a is a flat plate, 6ak is an opening, 6b is a receiving frame, 7 is a basket holder, and 7a is an upper part. Frame, 7b is lower frame, 7c is side frame, 7d is grid bar, 7e is mounting plate, 8 is rotating plate, 9 is geared motor, 9a is output shaft, 10 is tank, 10a is hole, 10b is drop port, 10c is a hole, 11 is a pump, 11a is an inlet, 11b is an outlet, 11c is a pipe, 12 is a washing pipe, 12a is an outlet, 13 is a connecting pipe, 14 is a rinse pipe, 14a is a rinse port, and 14b is a supply. 15 is a drainage damper, 15a is a box, 15b is a motor, 16 is an overflow pipe, 18 is a cage holding part, 18a is a holding member, 18a1 is an outer ring, 18a2 to 18a5 are grid bars, 18b is a spring, and 18c is a support. 18d and 18e are clamping plates; 18dh and 18eh are shaft holes; 18f is a blade plate; 118f1 is a substrate; 18f2 to 18f5 are blades; , X is the left-right direction, Y is the direction perpendicular to the X direction (front-rear direction), and Z is the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane (XY plane) (vertical direction).
As shown in the figure, the shopping basket cleaning apparatus 1 includes an outer cover 2, a lid portion 3, a partition plate 4, a cleaning drum 5, a lid receiving member 6, a basket holder 7, a rotary plate 8, a geared motor 9, a tank 10, and a pump. 11, a washing pipe 12, a connecting pipe 13, a rinsing pipe 14, a drainage damper 15, an overflow pipe 16, a water supply pipe 17, a basket holding portion 18 and a control box 19.

The outer cover 2 is a substantially cubic box that houses the cleaning drum 5, the tank 10, and the like. As shown in FIGS. 2a is provided with a window 2am.
The lid portion 3 opens and closes the window 2am of the outer cover 2, etc., and includes a lid plate 3a, a frame member 3b, and a handle 3c. A frame member 3b is attached to the lower surface of the lid plate 3a, and a handle 3c is attached to the upper surface of the cover plate 3a.
The partition plate 4 is a plate that vertically partitions the inner space of the outer cover, and is attached to the inner surface of the side plate 2b as shown in FIG. Holes 4b and 4c and a drainage hole 4d are provided.
The washing drum 5 serves as the washing tank of the present invention for washing shopping baskets, etc., and as shown in FIGS. The body portion 5b is provided with an inlet 5bm and a plurality of holes 5bh, and the bottom portion 5c is provided with a shaft hole 5ch and a drain port 5ck as shown in FIGS. is fixed to the partition plate 4 so that the shaft hole 5ch is positioned at the shaft hole 4a and the drain port 5ck is positioned at the drain hole 4d.
The lid receiving member 6 serves as a receiving member for the lid portion 3, and includes a substantially square flat plate 6a and a receiving frame 6b provided on the periphery of the flat plate 6a. is fixed to the mouth portion 5 a of the cleaning drum 5 .

The basket holder 7 holds the bottommost shopping basket of a stack of shopping baskets stacked vertically. As shown in FIG. A lower frame 7b which is similar and each side is slightly shorter than the upper frame 7a, eight side frames 7c which connect the upper frame 7a and the lower frame 7b, and four grids which connect the opposite sides of the lower frame 7b. It has a mounting plate 7e fixed to a central rectangular frame formed by bars 7d and lattice bars 7d.
The upper frame 7a, the lower frame 7b, the side frames 7c, and the grid bars 7d are made of linear members such as metal rods, and are joined together by welding or the like.
The rotating plate 8 serves as a rotating body of the present invention, and the lower surface of the mounting plate 7e of the cage holder 7 is fixed to its upper surface.
The geared motor 9 serves as rotating body rotating means of the present invention, and is installed on an installation stand (not shown) mounted on the bottom plate 2 c of the outer cover 2 . A rotating plate 8 is attached to the tip of an output shaft 9a that passes through the hole 4a and the shaft hole 5ch of the bottom portion 5c and is positioned inside the cleaning drum 5. The rotating plate 8 moves inside the cleaning drum 5 via the output shaft 9a. It will be attached to
As a result, when the geared motor 9 operates and the output shaft 9a rotates, the rotating plate 8 and the cage holder 7 fixed thereto rotate within the cleaning drum 5. As shown in FIG.
In this case, a sealing member (not shown) is provided between the output shaft 9a and the shaft hole 5ch to prevent the washing liquid in the washing drum 5 from leaking into the outer cover 2 through the shaft hole 5ch.

The tank 10 serves as the cleaning liquid tank of the present invention, stores the cleaning liquid for cleaning the shopping basket, and is a box having an L-shaped horizontal cross section as shown in FIG. Each surface of the tank 10 is provided with a drop port 10b on the top surface, a hole 10a on the right side surface perpendicular to the X direction, and a hole 10c on the top of the left side surface. ing.
A heater (not shown) for heating the stored cleaning liquid is attached in the tank 10 .
The pump 11 supplies the cleaning liquid in the tank 10 to the cleaning drum 5, and is installed on a mounting base (not shown) mounted on the bottom plate 2c of the outer cover 2. The suction port 11a of the pump 11 is , to the hole 10a of the tank 10 via a pipe 11c.
The cleaning pipe 12 is a pipe that supplies cleaning liquid into the cleaning drum 5 and is attached between the outer cover 2 and the cleaning drum 5 .
The outflow port 12a of the cleaning pipe 12 is connected to the inflow port 5bm of the cleaning drum 5, and the lower portion of the cleaning pipe 12 penetrates through the hole 4b of the partition plate 4 and protrudes below the partition plate 4. As shown in FIG.
The connection pipe 13 is a pipe that connects the pump 11 and the washing pipe 12 . One end of the connection pipe 13 is connected to the discharge port 11 b of the pump 11 , and the other end of the connection pipe 13 is connected to the lower side of the partition plate 4 . It is connected to a protruding cleaning pipe 12 .
Thus, the pump 11, the cleaning pipe 12, and the connecting pipe 13 constitute the cleaning liquid supply means of the present invention. When the pump 11 operates, the cleaning liquid in the tank 10 is sucked from the suction port 11a and discharged from the discharge port 11b. The cleaning liquid is conveyed to the cleaning pipe 12 through the connecting pipe 13, and is supplied into the cleaning drum 5 from the outflow port 12a (inflow port 5bm).
The rinsing pipe 14 is a pipe for supplying rinsing liquid into the washing drum 5, and as shown in FIG. 14a is connected to the hole 5bh of the body portion 5b of the cleaning drum 5. As shown in FIG.
A supply port 14b of the rinse pipe 14 is connected to a tap water supply pipe (described later) via an electromagnetic valve (described later).
Thus, the tap water supply pipe, the solenoid valve, and the rinsing pipe 14 constitute the rinsing liquid supply means of the present invention. Tap water serving as a rinsing liquid is supplied into the washing drum 5 from 14a.
It should be noted that the tank 10 and the upper surface may be opened and the open upper surface of the tank 10 may be closed with the partition plate 4, in which case the drop port 10b is not required.

The drain damper 15 serves as the cleaning liquid draining means of the present invention, and includes a box 15a, a motor 15b, and a pipe 15c. An opening/closing plate (not shown) is attached to rotate between them.
The box 15a is fitted into the drain port 5ck of the cleaning drum 5 and the drain hole 4d of the partition plate 4 and attached to the bottom 5c of the cleaning drum 5. The motor 15b is attached to the front of the box 15a and rotates the opening/closing plate. to form an opening facing the drop port 10 b of the tank 10 .
As a result, when the inside of the washing drum 5 is filled with the washing liquid and the shopping basket is washed, the drain damper 15 does not operate and the opening/closing plate in the box 15a is in the horizontal position (closed position). When the washing is completed and the washing liquid in the washing drum 5 is drained, the drain damper 15 is actuated and the motor 15b rotates the opening/closing plate to an inclined position (open position) to open the inside of the washing drum 5. of cleaning liquid drops into the drop port 10b and moves into the tank 10. - 特許庁
The overflow pipe 16 is a pipe for discharging the cleaning liquid (rinsing liquid) overflowing from the hole 10c of the tank 10 to the outside of the tank 10, and one end of the overflow pipe 16 is connected to the hole 10c.

The basket holding portion 18 serves as a basket holding means of the present invention, and as shown in FIG. there is
The pressing member 18a comprises a circular outer ring 18a1 and four grid bars 18a2-18a5, and a clamping plate 18e is fixed to a central rectangular frame formed by the grid bars 18a2-18a5.
The outer ring 18a1 and the grid bars 18a2 to 18a5 are made of linear members such as metal bars, and are joined to each other by welding or the like.
The spring 18b, which serves as an elastic member of the present invention, is a compression coil spring having an effective number of turns of 2 to 20 and a free length of 10 to 200 mm.
The clamping plates 18d and 18e are square plates that clamp the spring 18b, and are provided with shaft holes 18dh and 18eh through which the support shaft 18c is inserted at the center.
The blade plate 18f is a plate for splashing the rinsing liquid that falls from the inner surface of the lid portion 3 or the like during dehydration. 18f5, a shaft hole 18fh through which the support shaft 18c is inserted is provided in the center of the substrate 18f1, and the substrate 18f1 is fixed to the clamping plate 18e with bolts and nuts. In FIG. 4, the blade plate 18f is shown in gray on the drawing.
The blades 18a2 to 18f5 are formed by bending a rectangular thin plate into a doglegged shape and attaching one side surface to the substrate 18f1. ).
4, the upper end of the support shaft 18c is fixed to the central portion of the lower surface of the cover portion 3 (cover plate 3a), and the support shaft 18c is provided with a holding plate 18d, a spring 18b, and a spring 18b. The holding plate 18e and the wing plate 18f are inserted in this order, and the disk 18g is attached to the lower end of the support shaft 18c and presses the substrate 18f1 of the wing plate 18f.
In this case, the clamping plate 18d, the spring 18b, the clamping plate 18e, and the blade plate 18f sandwiched between the lower surface of the lid portion 3 (cover plate 3a) and the disk 18g can be integrally rotated around the support shaft 18c. Thus, bearings (not shown) are attached between the support shaft 18 and the holding plates 18d, 18e.
As a result, when the stacked shopping baskets held by the basket holders 7 in the washing drum 5 rotate during washing and the topmost shopping basket is lifted to press the outer ring 18a1 of the pressing member 18a, the spring 18b are compressed to lift the stacked shopping baskets, and the clamping plate 18d, spring 18b, clamping plate 18e and wing plate 18f rotate together with the stacked shopping baskets around the support shaft 18c.
The blade plate 18f may be attached between the holding member 18a and the holding plate 18e.

FIG. 9 is a piping control diagram showing the piping system and control system of the shopping basket cleaning apparatus 1. In the figure, 19a is a control unit, 19b is an input display unit, 19c is a storage unit, 20 is an electromagnetic valve, and 21 is It is a water pipe, and in the figure, electric wiring is represented by a two-dot chain line.
To explain the piping system, a washing pipe 12 and a rinsing pipe 14 are connected to the washing drum 5 , the rinsing pipe 14 is connected to a water pipe 21 via an electromagnetic valve 20 , and a drainage damper 15 is connected to the washing drum 5 . is installed.
A suction port 11 a of a pump 11 and an overflow pipe 16 are connected to the tank 10 , and a discharge port 11 b of the pump 11 is connected to the cleaning pipe 12 via a connecting pipe 13 .
As a result, the cleaning liquid in the tank 10 is conveyed to the cleaning pipe 12 by the pump 11, and supplied to the cleaning drum 5 from the cleaning pipe 12. It falls back into the tank 10.
Tap water (rinsing liquid) is supplied from the water pipe 21 to the rinsing pipe 14 via the electromagnetic valve 20 , and tap water (rinsing liquid) is supplied from the rinsing pipe 14 to the washing drum 5 . The tap water (rinsing liquid) is returned to the tank 10 from the drain damper 15 through the pipe 15c, and the tap water (rinsing liquid) or cleaning liquid overflowing in the tank 10 is discharged out of the tank 10 from the overflow pipe 16. be done.

Regarding the control system, the control box 19 has a control section 19a, an input display section 19b, and a storage section 19c.
The control unit 19a serves as washing control means of the present invention, and controls the operation of the geared motor 9 in the main washing, rinsing, and dewatering of the shopping basket, controls the rotation of the rotary plate 8, and controls the operation of the pump 11. to control the start and stop of supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning drum 5, control the operation of the drain damper 15 (motor 15b), and control the returning of the cleaning liquid (rinse liquid) from the cleaning drum 5 to the tank 10. Then, by controlling the operation of the solenoid valve 20, the supply of tap water (rinsing liquid) to the washing drum 5 is controlled to start and stop.
The input display unit 19b has a touch panel type display screen, and displays various screens for operating the shopping cart cleaning device 1 and the like.
The storage unit 19c stores various parameters for the control unit 19a to control operations of the geared motor 9, the pump 11, the motor 15b, the electromagnetic valve 20, and the like.

[shopping basket, stacked shopping basket]
FIG. 10(a) is a perspective view of a shopping basket to be cleaned by the shopping basket cleaning apparatus 1, and FIG. 10(b) is a front view of the shopping basket shown in FIG. 10(a). , 31 is a basket body, 31a is an upper frame, 31b is a lower frame, 31c is a side frame, 32a and 32b are handles, and 33a to 33d are handle mounting portions. A direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction (front-rear direction), and Z is a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane (XY plane) (vertical direction).
As shown in FIG. 10, the shopping basket 30 is made of plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and includes a basket body 31, handles 32a and 32b, and handle mounting portions 33a to 33d.
The basket body 31 includes a substantially rectangular upper frame 31a, a lower frame 31b which is similar to the upper frame 31a and has sides slightly shorter than the upper frame 31a, and which connects the four corners of the upper frame 31a and the lower frame 31b. Equipped with four side frames 31c, of the six surfaces formed by the upper frame 31a, the lower frame 31b and the side frames 31c, the surfaces other than the upper surface are net-like or lattice-like, and the upper surface is open. .
The upper frame 31a of the basket body 31 is provided with handle attachment portions 33a to 33d, the left handle 32a is attached to the handle attachment portions 33a and 33b, and the right handle 32b is attached to the handle attachment portions 33c and 33d. there is
The size of the shopping basket 30 is usually 450 to 570 mm in width (length in the X direction), 330 to 370 mm in depth (length in the Y direction), and 230 to 230 mm in height (length in the Z direction). 260 mm.

FIG. 11(a) is a perspective view of a stacked shopping basket in which ten shopping baskets 30 shown in FIG. 10 are vertically stacked, and FIG. 11(b) is a front view of the stacked shopping basket shown in FIG. FIG. (c) is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view in the left-right direction (X direction) of the stacked shopping basket shown in FIG.
In the shopping basket 30 (30A to 30J), the upper frame 31a and the lower frame 31b have similar shapes, and the length of each side of the lower frame 31b is slightly shorter than that of the upper frame 31a. are isosceles trapezoids, and when they are stacked vertically, the upper shopping basket fits almost completely into the lower shopping basket, resulting in ten shopping baskets 30A to 30J as shown in FIG. The increasing height h of the stacked shopping basket 40 (the height from the top surface of the bottom shopping basket 30A to the top surface of the top shopping basket 30J) is the height of one shopping basket H It is as follows.
In this case, in the stacked shopping basket 40, as shown in FIG. The side surface and the outer surface of the side surface of the shopping basket 30B come into close contact or contact (adjacent).

[Method of cleaning a shopping basket using the shopping basket cleaning device 1]
Next, a method of cleaning the shopping basket 30 (overlapping shopping basket 40) using the shopping basket cleaning apparatus 1 will be described.
The cleaning method of the shopping basket 30 includes a main cleaning step of washing away dirt and germs adhering to the shopping basket 30 with a cleaning liquid, a rinsing step of washing off the cleaning liquid adhering to the shopping basket 30 in the main cleaning step with a rinsing liquid, and a rinsing step. It consists of a dehydration process for removing the rinsing liquid adhering to the shopping basket 30. - 特許庁
The main washing process, the rinsing process and the dewatering process will be described below.
[Main washing process]
First, the drainage damper 15 is opened to drop the washing liquid from the washing drum through the drop port 10b to inject the washing liquid into the tank 10, and then the shopping baskets to be washed are vertically stacked to prepare stacked shopping baskets.
Specifically, a stacked shopping basket 40 in which ten shopping baskets 30 (shopping baskets 30A to 30J) are stacked is prepared.
Next, the lid plate 3a of the lid portion 3 of the shopping basket cleaning apparatus 1 is opened to open the window 2am, and the stacked shopping baskets 40 are put into the cleaning drum 5 through the opening 5ak of the cleaning drum 5, and the basket holder 7 is removed. , the lid plate 3a is closed and the lid portion 3 is locked so as not to open.
FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view in the X direction of the shopping basket cleaning apparatus in which the stacked shopping baskets 40 are set in the basket holder 7 and the cover plate 3a is closed. In the figure, CL is the cleaning liquid.
As shown in FIG. 12, the bottommost shopping basket 30A of the stacked shopping baskets 40 is placed in the frame (upper frame 7a, lower frame 7b, side frame 7c) of the basket holder 7 and placed on the mounting plate 7e. The bottom shopping basket 30A is kept stationary with respect to the frame of the basket holder 7. As shown in FIG.
In addition, the pressing member 18a of the basket pressing portion 18 lightly presses the upper surface of the shopping basket 30J at the top of the stacked shopping baskets 40, and the spring 18b is in a compressed state, but the pressing member 18a does not move the shopping basket 30J. so that the spring 18b does not press against the shopping basket 30J and does not have to be compressed.
At this time, in the stacked shopping cart 40, if the Z-direction (vertical) position of the top surface of the bottom shopping cart 30A is PA1, and the Z-direction position of the top surface of the top shopping cart 30J is PJ1, the position PA1 and the position PJ1 are shown in FIG. 12. The distance between the two positions is h (see FIG. 11(b)). , the inner surface of the side surface of the lower shopping basket and the outer surface of the side surface of the upper shopping basket are in close contact or contact (adjacent).
Here, when the operator operates the input display section 19b of the control box 19 and presses the start button, the control section 19a operates a heater (not shown) installed in the tank 10 to The cleaning liquid CL is heated.
When the temperature of the cleaning liquid CL reaches a set temperature, for example, 60 degrees, a temperature sensor (not shown) sends a detection signal to the controller 19 a , and the controller 19 a operates the pump 11 .
The pump 11 pumps up the cleaning liquid CL in the tank 10 , conveys the cleaning liquid CL to the cleaning pipe 12 through the connecting pipe 13 , and supplies the cleaning liquid CL from the cleaning pipe 12 into the cleaning drum 5 .
When a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid CL in the tank 10 is supplied to the cleaning drum 5, a water level gauge (not shown) installed in the tank 10 sends a detection signal to the control section 19a, and the control section 19a operates the pump 11. is stopped, and the supply of the cleaning liquid CL into the cleaning drum is stopped.
At this time, the cleaning drum 5 is filled with the cleaning liquid CL, and the entire stacked shopping baskets 40 are immersed in the cleaning liquid CL.

Next, the control unit 19a operates the geared motor 9 to rotate the output shaft 9a, thereby rotating the rotating plate 8 in the cleaning drum 5 and the basket holder 7 fixed thereto, thereby stacking the shopping baskets 40. Rotate.
At this time, since the shopping basket 30A on the lowest stage does not move with respect to the basket holder, it does not move with respect to the rotary plate 8 in its rotational direction.
FIG. 13 is a graph showing an example of the time change of the number of revolutions of the rotor plate 8 (output shaft 9a) in one cycle. FIG. 13(a) shows the case where the rotor plate 8 rotates only in the same direction. 3(b) shows the case where the rotary plate 8 rotates while changing the direction of rotation, where the vertical axis represents the number of revolutions (rpm) and the horizontal axis represents elapsed time (seconds).
When the rotor plate 8 rotates only in the same direction (forward rotation rotating clockwise), as shown in FIG. Then, the motor continues to rotate at that rotation speed, decelerates after t2 seconds have passed, and the rotation speed becomes 0 after t3 seconds have passed, ending one cycle.
In the main cleaning process, the rotating plate 8 rotates in a fixed direction and repeats a cycle of increasing speed, constant speed, and decelerating for a predetermined number of times. When the rotating plate 8 rotates while changing the direction of rotation, as shown in FIG. When reaching Nrpm after t1 seconds have elapsed, the motor continues to rotate forward at that rotation speed, decelerates after t2 seconds have elapsed, and after t3 seconds has elapsed, the rotation speed becomes 0, and counterclockwise rotation starts. The rotation speed increases, and when it reaches -Nrpm after t4 seconds, the reverse rotation continues at that rotation speed, decelerates after t5 seconds, and the rotation speed becomes 0 after t6 seconds, completing one cycle. do.
In this case, N is preferably about 50-200, and t1-t6 is preferably about 1-10.
In the cleaning step, the rotating plate 8 rotates forward to increase speed, constant speed, and decelerate, and then reverse to increase speed, constant speed, and decelerate, and this cycle is repeated a predetermined number of times.
In this case, the stacked shopping baskets 40 also rotate with the rotation of the rotating plate 8. When the stacked shopping baskets 40 rotate (forward or reverse), the side surfaces of the shopping baskets 30A to 30J are oriented in the Z direction. Therefore, a force (hereinafter referred to as a "lifting force") acts to lift the sides of the shopping baskets 30A to 30J from the cleaning liquid CL, and this lifting force acts upon the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets 40. The higher the number, ie the faster the flow of cleaning liquid CL to the stack of shopping baskets 40, the higher.
On the other hand, when the stacked shopping baskets 40 are lifted, the pressing member 18a is lifted in the basket holding portion 18, the spring 18b is compressed, and a force (hereinafter referred to as "pushing force") is applied to push down the stacked shopping baskets 40. do.
As a result, the rotation (forward or reverse) of the stacked shopping baskets 40 increases, and the lifting force acting on the stacked shopping baskets 40 increases. The basket 40 will be lifted by the amount that the spring 18b is compressed.
In the main cleaning process of the shopping basket cleaning apparatus 1, the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets 40 is accelerated until the lifting force is greater than the pushing down force, and the stacked shopping baskets 40 are moved by a certain distance, i.e., the maximum of the spring 18b. It can be lifted by the amount of shrinkage.
FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view in the X direction of the shopping basket washing apparatus with the stacked shopping baskets 40 lifted by a certain distance.
When the stacked shopping baskets 40 are lifted, let PA2 be the Z-direction (vertical) position of the upper surface of the bottom shopping basket 30A, and PJ2 be the Z-direction position of the uppermost shopping basket 30J. The relationship between positions PA1, PJ1 and positions PA2, PJ2 before the basket 40 is lifted is as shown in FIG.

When the rotation (forward or reverse) of the stacked shopping baskets 40 increases in speed in this manner, the stacked shopping baskets 40 are lifted by a constant distance δ, but the rotation (forward or reverse) of the stacked shopping baskets 40 is at a constant speed. When , the state of being lifted by a certain distance δ continues.
On the other hand, when the rotation (forward or reverse) of the stacked shopping baskets 40 decelerates, the lifting force acting on the stacked shopping baskets 40 decreases and becomes less than the pushing down force, and the stacked shopping baskets 40 return to their original position. Push down and descend.
Therefore, the control unit 19a controls the operation of the geared motor 9 to rotate the stacked shopping baskets 40 in a fixed direction as shown in FIG. By repeating the forward and reverse rotations while rotating, the stacked shopping baskets 40 are lifted in the vertical direction by a fixed distance δ, and then lowered to the original position.
Then, when the stacked shopping baskets 40 repeat vertical movement while rotating, the side surfaces of the shopping baskets 30A to 30J that are vertically overlapping and in close contact or contact (adjacent) are separated, and gaps are formed on the side surfaces of the shopping baskets 30A to 30J. The cleaning liquid enters the gaps, and dirt and germs adhering to the sides of the shopping carts 30A to 30J can be washed away, and the dirt and germs adhering to the shopping carts 30A to 30J can be completely removed. .
In particular, when the stacked shopping baskets 40 are repeatedly rotated forward and backward, the direction of flow of the cleaning liquid CL with respect to the stacked shopping baskets 40 is reversed when switching from forward rotation to reverse rotation, and the flow is greatly disturbed. Dirt and germs adhering to the baskets 30A to 30J can be removed more completely.
In addition, since the stacked shopping baskets 40 are rotated while being held by the basket holder 7, the shopping baskets 30A to 30J are not damaged during cleaning.
As described above, in the main cleaning step, the control unit 19a controls the operation of the geared motor 9, and after repeating the cycle of rotating the stacked shopping baskets 40 forward and then backward for a predetermined number of times, the operation of the geared motor 9 is stopped. , and this completes the main cleaning process.

[Rinsing process]
After the main cleaning process is completed, the control unit 19a operates the motor 15b of the drain damper 15 to rotate the open/close plate in the box 15a to the open position. As a result, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning drum 5 drops into the drop port 10b, moves into the tank 10, and is discharged.
When the cleaning liquid in the cleaning drum 5 is completely discharged, the water level gauge installed in the tank 10 sends a detection signal to the control section 19a, and the control section 19a operates the solenoid valve 20 to open it, thereby turning on the water supply. Tap water is supplied from the pipe 21 to the rinsing pipe 14 as a rinsing liquid, and the supply of tap water from the rinsing pipe 14 to the washing drum 5 is started.
At the same time, the control unit 19a operates the geared motor 9 to rotate the output shaft 9a in a constant direction at a constant speed, thereby rotating the stacked shopping baskets 40 via the rotating plate 8 and the basket holder 7 fixed thereto. Let
As a result, tap water flowing out from the rinsing pipe 14 hits the rotating stacked shopping baskets 40, and rinsing is performed by washing away the washing liquid adhering to the stacked shopping baskets 40. - 特許庁
At this time, the tap water that has flowed out of the rinsing pipe 14 and hit the stacked shopping baskets 40 and dropped is returned from the drain damper 15 to the tank 10 via the pipe 15c, and the tap water and cleaning liquid overflowing in the tank 10 are discharged into the overflow pipe. 16 to the outside of the tank 10.
Then, after a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of rotation of the stacked shopping baskets 40, the control unit 19a operates and closes the electromagnetic valve 20, stops the supply of tap water from the water pipe 21 to the rinsing pipe 14, and closes the rinsing pipe 14. The supply of tap water to the washing drum 5 is stopped, thereby completing the rinsing process.

[Dehydration process]
When the rinsing process is completed, the control unit 19a controls the operation of the geared motor 9 to increase the rotation speed of the output shaft 9a to, for example, 500 rpm or more, and the rotating plate 8 and the cage holder 7 fixed thereto. to rotate the stacked shopping basket 40 at high speed.
As a result, the tap water adhering to the stacked shopping baskets 40 is blown away, and the stacked shopping baskets 40 are dehydrated.
Also, the rinsing liquid dripping along the inner surface of the lid portion 3 is blown off by the rotating vane plate 18f, and the stacked shopping baskets 40 are prevented from being splashed with the rinsing liquid.
After a certain period of time has passed since the high-speed rotation of the stacked shopping baskets 40 started, the control unit 19a stops the operation of the geared motor 9 to stop the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets 40, and rotates the stacked shopping baskets 40. It is stopped at a fixed position, and the dehydration process is thereby completed.
After the dehydration step is completed, the stacked shopping baskets 40 set on the basket holder 7 can be easily removed from the washing drum 5 by unlocking the lid portion 3 and opening the lid plate 3a.

As described above, the shopping basket cleaning device 1 has a compact structure in which the cleaning drum 5, the tank 10, and the like are housed in the outer cover 2, so that the device does not become large and does not require installation space. In the shopping basket cleaning apparatus 1, the control unit 19a controls the operations of the geared motor 9, the drain damper 15 (motor 15b), the electromagnetic valve 20, etc., and is set on the basket holder 7 in the cleaning drum 5. Since the main washing process, the rinsing process and the dewatering process of the stacked shopping baskets 40 are performed, a plurality of shopping baskets can be collectively processed without taking out the shopping baskets from the washing drum 5 in the middle, and the shopping baskets are damaged. It is possible to efficiently and completely remove dirt and germs adhering to each shopping basket in a short time without washing, and to easily take out a plurality of washed shopping baskets.

According to the shopping basket cleaning method and shopping basket cleaning apparatus of the present invention, when cleaning the shopping baskets by the cleaning device, the equipment does not become large and does not require an installation space, and a plurality of shopping baskets can be cleaned collectively. It is possible to completely remove dirt and germs from shopping baskets without damaging them during washing, and it can be used to clean shopping baskets used in supermarkets, convenience stores, home centers, drug stores, etc.

1 shopping basket cleaning device 2 outer cover 2a top plate 2am window 2b side plate 2c bottom plate 3 lid portion 3a lid plate 3b frame member 3c handle 3d, 3e hinge 4 partition plate 4a shaft hole 4b, 4c pipe hole 4d drainage hole 5 washing Drum 5a Mouth 5ak Opening 5b Body 5bh Hole 5bm Inlet 5c Bottom 5ch Shaft hole 5ck Drainage port 6 Lid receiving member 6a Flat plate 6ak Opening 6b Receiving frame 7 Basket holder 7a Upper frame 7b Lower frame 7c Side frame 7d Lattice bar 7e Installation Plate 8 Rotary plate 9 Geared motor 9a Output shaft 10 Tank 10a Hole 10b Drop port 11 Pump 11a Suction port 11b Discharge port 11c Pipe 12 Cleaning pipe 12a Outflow port 13 Connection pipe 14 Rinsing pipe 14a Rinsing port 14b Supply port 15 Drainage damper 15a Box 15b Motor 16 Overflow pipe 18 Basket holding portion 18a Holding member 18a1 Outer ring 18a2-18a5 Lattice bar 18b Spring 18c Support shaft 18d, 18e Clamping plate 18dh, 18eh Shaft hole 18f Blade plate 118f1 Base plate 18f2-18f5 Blade 8fh Shaft hole 18g Disk 19 control box 19a control unit 19b input display unit 19c storage unit 20 solenoid valve 21 water pipe 30 shopping basket 30A-30J shopping basket 31 basket body 31a upper frame 31b lower frame 31c side frames 32a, 32b handles 33a-33d handle mounting portion 40 stacked shopping cart

Claims (10)

Using a shopping basket cleaning apparatus comprising a cleaning tank, a rotating body mounted in the cleaning tank, rotating body rotating means for rotating the rotating body, and cleaning liquid supply means for supplying cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank, a plurality of A shopping basket cleaning method for cleaning a stacked shopping basket in which the shopping baskets are stacked vertically in the cleaning tank,
In a state in which the stacked shopping baskets are placed on the rotating body so that the bottom shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets does not move relative to the rotating body in the direction of rotation thereof, the washing liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means into the cleaning tank. a cleaning liquid supply step of supplying the cleaning liquid and immersing the stack of goods in the cleaning liquid;
The rotator rotating means rotates the stacked shopping baskets via the rotator to accelerate the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets, thereby generating a force in the cleaning liquid to lift each shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets. and after the stacked shopping basket is lifted by a certain distance, the rotation of the stacked shopping basket is decelerated so that the stacked shopping basket lifted by the certain distance is lowered to the original position, and the stacked shopping basket is rotated. a main washing step of washing each shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets by alternately repeating acceleration and deceleration of the shopping basket. The rotator rotating means alternately repeats forward rotation in which the stacked shopping baskets are rotated clockwise and reverse rotation in which the stacked shopping baskets are rotated counterclockwise via the rotator, whereby the forward rotation or the reverse rotation is performed. speeding up the rotation of the stacked shopping basket after the start of the so that the stacked shopping basket is lifted a certain distance, and slowing down the rotation of the stacked shopping basket to switch from the forward rotation to the reverse rotation or the reverse rotation When switching from normal rotation to normal rotation, the stacked shopping baskets lifted by the fixed distance are lowered to the original position, and the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets is alternately accelerated and decelerated. The shopping basket cleaning method according to claim 1, characterized by: The shopping basket cleaning device includes shopping basket pressing means for vertically pressing the uppermost shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets placed on the rotating body,
In the main cleaning step, when the stacked shopping baskets are lifted by the predetermined distance, the shopping basket pressing means presses the uppermost shopping basket with a force smaller than the lifting force. 3. The shopping basket cleaning method according to claim 1 or claim 2. The shopping basket cleaning apparatus further comprises a rinsing liquid supplying means for supplying rinsing liquid into the cleaning tank,
After the main cleaning step, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning tank, the rotating body rotating means rotates the stacked shopping baskets via the rotating body, and the rinsing liquid supplying means rotates the stacked shopping baskets. 4. The shopping basket cleaning method according to claim 1, further comprising a rinsing step of applying a rinsing liquid to rinse the stacked shopping baskets. After the rinsing step, a dehydration step is provided in which the rotator rotating means rotates the stacked shopping baskets at high speed via the rotator to remove the rinsing liquid adhering to the stacked shopping baskets. 5. The shopping basket cleaning method according to claim 4. a cleaning tank provided with an opening, a lid portion closing the opening, a rotating body mounted in the cleaning tank, a rotating body rotating means for rotating the rotating body, a cleaning liquid tank for storing cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank A shopping basket cleaning apparatus comprising cleaning liquid supply means for supplying the cleaning liquid into a tank and cleaning control means,
The rotating body is provided with a basket holder for holding the bottommost shopping basket of a stacked shopping basket in which a plurality of shopping baskets are vertically stacked so as not to move relative to the rotating body in its rotating direction. ,
The cleaning control means supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning tank by the cleaning liquid supply means, immerses the stacked shopping baskets held by the basket holder and placed on the rotating body in the cleaning liquid, and immerses the baskets in the cleaning liquid. body rotating means rotates the stacked shopping baskets via the rotating body and alternately repeats acceleration and deceleration of the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets to perform main washing of the stacked shopping baskets; controlling the operation of the cleaning liquid supply means and the rotating body rotating means;
The lid portion is provided with basket pressing means for vertically pressing the uppermost shopping basket of the stacked shopping baskets placed on the rotating body,
In the main washing, the basket holding means lifts the stacked shopping baskets by a certain distance when the rotation speed of the stacked shopping baskets is increased, and the constant distance when the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets is decelerated. An apparatus for washing shopping carts, characterized in that the uppermost shopping cart is held down so that the stacked shopping carts lifted a distance are lowered to the original position. The washing control means alternately repeats clockwise rotation of the stacked shopping baskets and reverse rotation of the stacked shopping baskets counterclockwise to accelerate and decelerate the rotation of the stacked shopping baskets. 7. The shopping basket cleaning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the operation of said rotor rotating means is controlled so as to alternately repeat. 6. The basket pressing means comprises a pressing member movable with respect to the lower surface of the lid portion, and an elastic member for pressing the pressing member against the uppermost shopping basket. 8. The shopping basket cleaning device according to claim 7. The shopping basket cleaning apparatus further comprises cleaning liquid discharge means for discharging the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank and rinsing liquid supply means for supplying rinsing liquid into the cleaning tank,
After the main washing, the washing control means discharges the washing liquid from the washing tank by the washing liquid discharging means, rotates the stacked shopping baskets via the rotating body by the rotating body rotating means, and performs the rinsing. The washing liquid discharging means, rotating body rotating means, and rinsing liquid supplying means are controlled so that the rinsing liquid is applied to the stacked shopping baskets by the liquid supplying means to rinse the stacked shopping baskets. 8. The shopping basket cleaning device according to any one of claims 5 to 7. After the rinsing, the washing control means causes the rotating body rotating means to rotate the stacked shopping baskets at high speed via the rotating body, thereby dehydrating the stacked shopping baskets by removing the rinsing liquid adhering to the stacked shopping baskets. 10. The shopping basket cleaning apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the operation of said rotor rotating means is controlled.

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