JP2949662B2 - Water removal machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water remover for removing (drying) water such as water droplets attached to an object to be processed by blowing off the liquid by air jet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The present applicant has already provided a water removal machine disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-296968. This conventional water remover has an upper air injection unit and a lower air injection unit which are opposed to the upper and lower sides of a mesh conveyor, and the upper air injection unit has a plurality of air nozzles projecting downward. The lower air injection unit is equipped with a lower air box with a plurality of air nozzles projecting upward, and air is injected from the air nozzles of these upper and lower air boxes to be transported on the mesh conveyor. The liquid adhering to the object is blown off from both the upper and lower sides.

[0003]

However, in this conventional water remover, although the upper air injection unit can be opened and closed up and down with respect to the lower air injection unit, a plurality of air nozzles are projected downward. The upper air box is fixed to the upper air injection unit, and the lower air box with multiple air nozzles projecting upward is fixed to the lower air injection unit, and these air boxes can be removed by the user. However, there were problems that it took a lot of time to clean the air box itself and the air nozzles, and that it was not possible to change the arrangement of the air nozzles depending on the type of the workpiece.

An object of the present invention is to improve the above-mentioned conventional water remover and make the upper air box and the lower air box detachable, so that the air box itself and the air nozzle can be easily cleaned and the air box can be easily cleaned. An object of the present invention is to provide a water remover that can easily replace an air box having a different arrangement of nozzles.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A water remover according to the present invention comprises:
The upper air injection unit 1 is replaced with the lower air injection unit 2
The upper air box 21 is detachably mounted on the upper air jet unit 1 after being hinged so as to be openable and closable up and down. A connection port 27 connected to the end port 25 is provided in the upper air box 21, and the lower air box support frame 32 is hinged to the lower air injection unit 2 so that it can be tilted between a horizontal position and a downward tilt position. Then, the lower air box support frame 32 is tilted downward so that the lower air box 31 can be attached to and detached from the lower air box support frame 32. Piping end port 4 on the air injection unit 2 side
1 is provided with a connection port 42 connected to the lower air box 31.

In the upper air box 21, a group of downward air nozzles 28 are arranged obliquely with respect to the conveying direction of the mesh conveyor 1 so that air can be jetted evenly around the entire side surface of the workpiece. Box 3
1, a group of upward air nozzles 45 for injecting air upward is also arranged obliquely with respect to the transport direction of the mesh conveyor 1, and guide rods for generating a rotational force while guiding the workpiece in the obliquely arranged direction. 46 is installed on the lower air injection unit 2 above the mesh conveyor 1.

[0007]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water removal machine according to one embodiment of the present invention is roughly divided into an upper air injection unit 1, a lower air injection unit 2, and a hollow base 3.
The lower air injection unit 2 is fixedly installed on a machine base 3, and the upper air injection unit 1 is hinged to the lower air injection unit 2 so as to be openable and closable up and down. Is closed, and FIG. 2 is open.

In the lower air injection unit 2, a mesh conveyor 4 circulated and driven by a motor (not shown) in the machine base 3 is provided between the parallel side frames 5 and 6 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Are transported in the same arrow direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper air injection unit 1 has a lower end of one side opening of a lower surface of a box-shaped cover 7 as a main body thereof.
When the box-shaped cover 7 is closed with respect to the lower air injection unit 2 as shown in FIG. The intermediate region is covered while leaving the region.

Between the side frame 6 of the lower air injection unit 2 and the box-shaped cover 7 of the upper air injection unit 1, a telescopic damper 9 for buffering the operation of closing the box-shaped cover 7 is provided. A brace 10 mounted on both sides of the cover 7 and held open to a predetermined angle
Is mounted on one side. The base end of the telescopic damper 9 is the side frame 6
And the tip of the telescopic damper 9 is pin-connected to the outer surface of the box-shaped cover 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the brace 10 is a hollow lower arm 10a whose base end is pivotally supported by a bracket 11 with a base fixed to the upper surface of the side frame 6.
And an upper arm 10b having a tip connected to the inner side surface of the box-shaped cover 7 by a pin. The upper arm 10b is slidably inserted into the lower arm 10a to be able to expand and contract and be folded in two. By restricting the sliding of the lower arm 10b with respect to the upper arm 10a with the screw 12, the box-shaped cover 7 can be held in an open state as shown in FIGS.

Box-shaped cover 7 of upper air injection unit 1
On both sides (front and rear sides in the transport direction of the mesh conveyor 4)
In order to prevent diffusion of the injected air, a curtain 13 made of a number of resin pieces is provided vertically. The object to be processed on the mesh conveyor 4 is conveyed while pushing and opening the curtain 13. The box-shaped cover 7 is also provided with a viewing window 15 that can be opened and closed by a transparent door 14.

Next, a mechanism incorporated inside the box-shaped cover 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. FIG.
The object to be processed is conveyed on the mesh conveyor 4 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2, and the opening and closing direction of the box-shaped cover 7 is orthogonal to the conveying direction. Since the operation is performed from the side where the viewing window 15 is provided, the side where the viewing window 15 is provided will be referred to as the near side and the opposite side will be referred to as the rear side in the following description.

An elevating base plate 17 is mounted on a plurality of guide rods 16 suspended from a top plate 7a of the box-shaped cover 7 so as to be able to move up and down. The lifting base plate 17 is provided on the top plate 7 of the box-shaped cover 7.
By rotating the handle 18 by turning the handle 18 outside the position a, the screw is raised and lowered along the guide rod 16. An upper air box supporting frame 2 which is a rectangular frame plate with a top plate is provided on the lower surface of the lift base plate 17.
0 is fixed to the upper air box support frame 2
No. 0 is such that the height with respect to the mesh conveyor 4 can be adjusted by moving the elevating base plate 17 up and down.

On the upper air box support frame 20, a flat upper air box 21 sized to fit in the frame is detachably supported. To support that,
At the lower edge of the frame plate on the rear side of the upper air box support frame 20, a receiving portion 22 is formed by bending in an L shape, and the front side of the outer surface of the left and right frame plates of the upper air box support frame 20. On the side, a pair of left and right claw pieces 23 having a spring property are fixed so as to protrude below the lower edge of the frame plate. In addition, at the center of the frame plate on the rear side of the upper air box support frame 20, a pipe tip port 25 of an air hose 24 piped from an air supply source (not shown) is penetrated and held. At the center of the plate, a pressing screw 26 is screwed through a screw hole. The pressing screw 26 functions as a pressing member that presses the upper air box 21 rearward and presses the connection port 27 protruding from the center of the rear surface of the upper air box 21 against the pipe tip port 25.

In order to support the upper air box 21 on the upper air box support frame 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper air injection unit 1 is opened, and the upper air box 21 is connected to the upper air box support frame 20. , The rear end of the upper air box 21 is placed first on the receiving portion 22 of the upper air box support frame 20, and then the front side portion of the upper air box 21 is lifted to Push between claw pieces 23. Thereby, the upper air box 21
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pin is clamped by the claw pieces 23 and is prevented from falling by the rectangular portion and the receiving portion 22. Thereafter, the upper air box 21 is pushed rearward by turning the pressing screw 26, and the connection port 27 on the rear face is pressed against the pipe tip port 25 of the upper air injection unit 1 to be fitted therein. Can be supplied through the air hose 24.

On the lower surface of the upper air box 21, a number of short pipe-shaped downward air nozzles 28 communicating with the inside thereof are provided so as to be rotatable as in the conventional case. In this example, these downward air nozzle groups 28
They are arranged in a row and obliquely to the transport direction of the mesh conveyor 4. On both sides of this two-row arrangement, a plurality of square-bottomed rectangular communication bases 29 communicating with the inside of the upper air box 21 are vertically provided on the lower surface of the upper air box 21.
A horizontal air nozzle 30 communicating with the inside is pivotably supported. The downward air nozzle 28 spirals the spraying range by the reaction force of the injection while spraying air mainly downward, and expands the injection range in a spiral manner.
While injecting air laterally toward the inside of the array of downward air nozzle groups 28, the nozzle turns and expands the injection range in a spiral manner by the reaction force of the injection.

Next, the structure of the lower air injection unit 2 will be described. The reticulated conveyor 4 includes a front side frame 5.
The upper portion 4a goes back and the lower portion 4b returns and circulates between the upper and lower side frame portions 6a and 6b. Is a space for detachably setting the flat lower air box 31.

That is, the lower air box support frame 32, which is a rectangular frame plate, is pivotally attached to the frame plate on the front side of the side frame 6 by a hinge 33 so as to be vertically rotatable. The lower air box support frame 32 can be mounted on the lower air box support frame 32 by being slid forward and backward. In order to attach and detach the frame from the near side, a horizontally long inner outlet 34 is provided on the frame plate inside (rear side) of the side frame 5 and the inner outlet 34 is provided on the outer (front side) frame plate. A larger outer outlet 35 is provided.
The inner outlet 34 can be opened and closed by a detachable lid plate 36, and the outer outlet 35 can be opened and closed by a door plate 37 that rotates up and down.

The lower air box support frame 32 is
It is possible to switch between a state in which the robot is held in a horizontal posture as shown in FIG. 3 and an inclined posture in which the front side is lowered as shown in FIG. The mechanism is shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9 and FIG. On both left and right sides of the lower air box support frame 32,
T-shaped latches 38 having a spring property are fixed, and these latches 38 are hung from above on stopper pins 39 on the side frame 5 side as shown by solid lines in FIGS. 8 and 10.
When the lower air box support frame 32 is held in a horizontal position, and the both hooks 38 are bent inwardly by fingers against the spring force thereof as shown by a chain line in FIG. The lower air box support frame 32 can be displaced from the pins 39 so as to be in an inclined posture. The mounting and dismounting of the lower air box 31 is performed through the inner outlet 34 and the outer outlet 35 while the lower air box support frame 32 is in such an inclined posture and is slid back and forth.

An inner frame plate of the rear side frame 6 is provided with a pipe front end 41 of an air hose 40 piped from an air supply source, and is provided at the center of the rear surface of the lower air box 31. Is provided with a protruding connection port 42 (see FIG. 4) communicating with the inside thereof. On the other hand, the cover plate 36 for closing the inner outlet 34 has two pressing screws 43 as a pressing member screwed through the screw holes, and this cover plate 36 is attached to the frame plate inside the side frame 5. Two fixing screws 44 to be fixed are screwed through the screw holes.

The lower air box 31 is placed on the lower air box support frame 32 and the lower air box support frame 32 is held in the horizontal position as described above. The lower air box 31 is fixed to the frame plate inside the frame 5, and the pressing screw 43 is turned to push the lower air box 31 backward, and the connection port 42 on the rear surface of the lower air box 31 is connected to the pipe end of the lower air injection unit 2. If it is fitted by pressing against the end opening 41, the lower air box 3
Air can be supplied through the air hose 40 during the operation.

On the upper surface of the lower air box 31, a number of short pipe-shaped upward air nozzles 45 communicating with the inside thereof are provided so as to be pivotally supported. Like the downward air nozzle group 28 of the upper air box 21, these upward air nozzle groups 45 are arranged in two rows as shown in FIG. 11 and are obliquely arranged with respect to the transport direction of the mesh conveyor 4. While mainly injecting upward, the nozzle is turned by the reaction force of the injection to expand the injection range spirally.

The reason why the downward air nozzle group 28 and the upward air nozzle group 45 are arranged obliquely with respect to the transport direction of the mesh conveyor 4 is as follows. The horizontal air nozzle 30 is for injecting air from both sides to the side of the object to be conveyed on the mesh conveyor 4, but when the object to be processed is, for example, canned, the side is circular. If the can is simply transported straight, air cannot be sprayed all around the side. In order to automatically rotate the cans as they are conveyed by the mesh conveyor 4, as shown in FIGS. 4, 11, and 12,
A guide rod 46 is erected on the rear side frame 6.
6 obliquely intersects the conveying direction at a position slightly higher than the mesh conveyor 4 so as to be parallel to the arrangement of the downward air nozzle group 28 and the upward air nozzle group 45.

In this way, the object to be processed, ie, canned 4
7 is conveyed on the mesh conveyor 4 while hitting the guide rod 46 and being obliquely guided by the guide rod 46, so that a rotational force is naturally generated. Accordingly, the can 47 is conveyed along the oblique arrangement between the downward air nozzle group 28 and the upward air nozzle group 45 while rotating while sliding on the guide rod 46, and thus the entire area of the upper surface and the entire area of the lower surface. As a matter of course, air is jetted over the entire circumference of the circular side surface, so that water can be removed evenly.

As described above, the upper and lower air boxes 21
31 is detachable, so that the arrangement, the number, the shape, etc. of each air nozzle is changed according to the type of the object to be processed. Appropriate water removal treatment can be performed accordingly. Further, it is preferable that the guide rod 46 be detachable from the lower air injection unit 2 so that the guide rod 46 can be replaced accordingly.

[0027]

As described above, according to the water remover of the present invention, an upper air box having a plurality of air nozzles projecting downward and a lower air box having a plurality of air nozzles projecting upward are provided. Since each was detachable,
Since the air box itself and the air nozzles can be easily cleaned, and the air boxes having different arrangements of the air nozzles can be easily exchanged, appropriate water removal processing can be performed according to the type of the object to be processed.

For each of the upper and lower air boxes, by pressing the air box with a pressing member and pressing the connection port thereof to the pipe tip port, air can be supplied to the air box without leakage even if the air box is detachable.

Since the lower air box supporting member for supporting the lower air box is inclined downward and the lower air box can be attached to and detached from the lower air box supporting frame, the upper air box protruding from the lower air box is provided. The lower air box can be easily attached and detached while preventing the air nozzle from touching the mesh conveyor.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the downward air nozzle group and the upward air nozzle group are arranged obliquely with respect to the transport direction of the mesh conveyor, and the workpiece is guided by the guide rod in the obliquely arranged direction. Since the rotating force can be generated while rotating, the entire circumference of the side surface of the object can be uniformly removed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an example of a water remover according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the water removal machine with an upper air injection unit opened.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an upper air injection unit and a lower air injection unit.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same air conditioner with the upper air injection unit opened.

FIG. 5 is a front view in which a part of a brace for holding an upper air injection unit in an open state is broken.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the upper air injection unit.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a state where the upper air box is supported by an upper air box support frame.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the lower air box support frame in a horizontal posture.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the lower air box support frame in an inclined posture.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of a latch for holding the lower air box support frame in a horizontal posture.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the lower air injection unit and the mesh conveyor.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship of an air nozzle with respect to an object to be processed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper air injection unit 2 Lower air injection unit 4 Reticulated conveyor 20 Upper air box support frame 21 Upper air box 25 Piping tip port 26 Pressing screw (pressing member) 27 Connection port 28 Downward air nozzle 30 Lateral air nozzle 31 Lower side Air box 32 Lower air box support frame 41 Piping tip port 42 Connection port 43 Screw for pressing (pressing member) 45 Upward air nozzle 46 Guide rod

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An upper air injection unit 1 and a lower air injection unit 2 are opposed to both upper and lower sides of a mesh conveyor 4, and an upper air injection unit 1 has a plurality of air nozzles 28 projecting downward. In the air box 21 and the lower air injection unit 2, a plurality of air nozzles 45 are provided.
Are mounted on the lower air boxes 31 projecting upward, and air is jetted from the air nozzles of the upper and lower air boxes 21 and 31 to adhere to the workpiece to be conveyed on the mesh conveyor 4. In the water remover that blows off liquid from both upper and lower sides, the upper air injection unit 1 is hinged to the lower air injection unit 2 so as to be openable and closable vertically, and the upper air box 21 is attached to and detached from the upper air injection unit 1. A connection port 2 for connecting the inside of the upper air box 21 to the pipe tip port 25 of the upper air injection unit 1 at the time of mounting.
7 is provided on the upper air box 21. The lower air box support frame 32 is hinged to the lower air injection unit 2 so as to be tiltable between a horizontal position and a downward tilt position. The support frame 32 is inclined downward so that the lower air box 31 can be attached to and detached from the lower air box support frame 32. Connection port 4 to be connected to pipe tip port 41
2 is provided on the lower air box 31. 2. In the upper air box 21, a group of downward air nozzles 28 are arranged obliquely with respect to the transport direction of the mesh conveyor 1, and in the lower air box 31, a group of upward air nozzles 45 for injecting air upward. Are also arranged obliquely to the transport direction of the mesh conveyor 1, and a guide rod 46 for generating a rotational force while guiding the workpiece in the oblique arrangement direction is connected to the lower air injection unit above the mesh conveyor 1. The water removal machine according to claim 1, wherein the water removal machine is provided on the water removal machine.