JP5729678B2 - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus that performs cleaning by immersing an object to be cleaned in a liquid stored in a cleaning tank.

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, the applicant previously stored the liquid in the cleaning tank, immersed the object to be cleaned, heated the stored liquid to the set temperature, and then reduced the pressure in the cleaning tank. In the state where the stored liquid is boiled, a cleaning apparatus has been proposed in which the outside liquid is introduced into the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank so that the stored liquid is bumped and the object to be cleaned is cleaned.

JP 2011-5480 A

  However, when supplying the outside air to the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank, if the supply air flow rate does not fall within a predetermined flow rate range, the cleaning performance varies and noise increases. Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the deterioration of the cleaning performance while suppressing noise by keeping the supply air flow rate to the liquid phase part within a predetermined range.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the invention according to claim 1 is a cleaning tank for storing a liquid and immersing an object to be cleaned, and a gas in the cleaning tank is sucked to the outside. A pressure reducing means for discharging and depressurizing the inside of the cleaning tank; and a liquid phase air supplying means for introducing outside air into the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank decompressed by the pressure reducing means. Comprises a flow rate restricting means for restricting the amount of outside air flowing into the cleaning tank, the flow restricting means comprising a flow rate adjusting valve whose opening degree can be adjusted, and the liquid phase air supplying means Then, the liquid supply air is introduced into the cleaning tank from the liquid supply nozzle at the bottom of the cleaning tank through the flow rate adjusting valve and the liquid supply valve, and the stored liquid in the cleaning tank is set to a set temperature by the heating means. The operation of heating, and then the pressure in the cleaning tank is reduced by the pressure reducing means to boil the stored liquid. During the boiling, while the exhaust from the inside of the washing tank is continued, outside air is supplied to the liquid phase part in the washing tank using the differential pressure inside and outside the washing tank by the liquid phase air supply means. In this liquid phase air supply pulse control, a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor is used to detect the pressure or temperature in the washing tank, and the detection signal is used as the detection signal. The cleaning device is characterized in that, based on the opening of the flow rate adjusting valve, the supply air flow rate to the liquid phase part falls within a predetermined range .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, by reducing the amount of outside air flowing into the liquid phase part when the air is supplied to the liquid phase part, the air supply flow rate to the liquid phase part is kept within a predetermined range, and the cleaning performance is suppressed while suppressing noise. Can be prevented.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by adjusting the opening of the flow rate adjusting valve, the supply air flow rate to the liquid phase part is kept within a predetermined range, thereby suppressing noise and reducing the cleaning performance. Can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, by reducing the supply air flow rate to the liquid phase part within a predetermined range, it is possible to prevent deterioration in cleaning performance while suppressing noise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the schematic which shows one Example of the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention, and shows a part in cross section. It is a figure which shows the modification of the washing | cleaning apparatus of FIG.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present invention, and a part thereof is shown in cross section.

  The cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a cleaning tank 3 in which liquid is stored and an object to be cleaned 2 is immersed, heating means 4 for heating the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3, and gas in the cleaning tank 3. Pressure reducing means 5 for reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 by sucking and discharging the air, liquid phase air supplying means 6 for introducing outside air to the liquid phase part in the pressure reducing cleaning tank 3, and the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 reduced in pressure A gas-phase air supply means 7 for introducing outside air into the gas-phase portion, and a control means (not shown) for controlling these means 4 to 7.

  The article to be cleaned 2 is an article to be cleaned, and is, for example, a medical instrument, an electronic component, or a mechanical component. In addition, washing | cleaning shall include rinsing and decontamination other than literal washing.

  The cleaning tank 3 is a hollow container that can withstand pressure reduction in the internal space. The cleaning tank 3 includes a cleaning tank body 8 that opens upward and has a hollow portion, and a door 9 that opens and closes the opening of the cleaning tank body 8. When the door 9 is closed, the gap between the cleaning tank body 8 and the door 9 is sealed with the packing 10.

  The cleaning tank 3 is supplied with liquid and stored. The type of the liquid is not particularly limited. For example, pure water, soft water, a solvent, and the like are included in addition to water containing a detergent and water not containing a detergent.

  The cleaning tank 3 is provided with a pressure sensor 11 and a temperature sensor 12. The pressure sensor 11 detects the pressure of the gas phase part in the cleaning tank 3, and the temperature sensor 12 detects the temperature of the liquid phase part in the cleaning tank 3.

  The heating means 4 warms the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3. The heating means 4 is not particularly limited in its configuration, and may be, for example, a steam heater, but is an electric heater 13 in this embodiment. The electric heater 13 is disposed at the bottom of the cleaning tank 3.

  The decompression means 5 decompresses the inside of the cleaning tank 3 by sucking and discharging the gas in the cleaning tank 3 to the outside. Specifically, the decompression unit 5 includes a vacuum generator 14, and the vacuum generator 14 is connected to a gas phase portion in the cleaning tank 3 through an exhaust passage 15. The specific structure of the vacuum generator 14 is not particularly limited. Typically, the vacuum generator 14 includes a water-sealed vacuum pump, and a heat exchanger that condenses the vapor in the exhaust passage 15 is provided upstream of the vacuum pump. Further, it may be provided.

  The liquid phase air supply means 6 introduces outside air into the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank 3 decompressed to a predetermined pressure by the decompression means 5 via the liquid phase air supply path 16. In the liquid phase air supply path 16, a filter 17, an orifice 18, and a liquid phase air supply valve 19 are provided in order toward the cleaning tank 3. The orifice 18 is a flow restriction means for restricting the amount of outside air flowing into the cleaning tank 3.

  As described above, when the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is reduced to a predetermined pressure by the pressure reducing means 5, the liquid phase air supply means 6 supplies the outside air to the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank 3 through the liquid phase air supply path 16. Introduce. In other words, when the liquid-phase air supply valve 19 is opened in a state where the inside of the cleaning tank 3 is decompressed, the air through the filter 17 is stored in the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3 using the pressure difference inside and outside the cleaning tank 3. Can be introduced. Moreover, since the orifice 18 is provided, the supply air flow rate to the liquid phase portion can be stably supplied, so that noise due to supply air can be reduced while maintaining the cleaning function. How much the flow rate is reduced by the orifice 18 is set as appropriate, but the noise is set to be, for example, 65 dB or less.

  By the way, the air from the liquid phase air supply path 16 is introduced into the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3 through the liquid phase air supply nozzle 20 provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank 3. The liquid-phase air supply nozzle 20 is a pipe disposed laterally at the bottom in the cleaning tank 3. The liquid-phase air supply nozzle 20 is held at a horizontal position apart from the bottom surface although it is a bottom portion in the cleaning tank 3. The liquid-phase air supply nozzle 20 is formed with nozzle holes 21 that are opened downward in the peripheral side wall of the pipe at set intervals along the pipe extending direction.

  The gas phase air supply means 7 introduces outside air into the gas phase portion in the decompressed cleaning tank 3 through the gas phase air supply path 22. In the gas-phase air supply path 22, a filter 23 and a gas-phase air supply valve 24 are provided in order toward the cleaning tank 3. Therefore, when the gas-phase air supply valve 24 is opened in a state where the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is reduced, air through the filter 23 is introduced into the cleaning tank 3 due to a differential pressure inside and outside the cleaning tank 3, and the cleaning tank 3 The pressure inside 3 can be restored. If the gas-phase gas supply valve 24 is composed of an electromagnetic valve, the pressure inside the cleaning tank 3 can be instantaneously restored. If the gas-phase gas supply valve 24 is composed of an electric valve, the pressure inside the cleaning tank 3 is gradually restored. be able to.

  The control means is a controller that controls the means 4 to 7 based on the detection signals of the sensors 11 and 12. Specifically, in addition to the electric heater 13, the vacuum generator 14, the liquid phase supply valve 19, and the gas phase supply valve 24, the pressure sensor 11 and the temperature sensor 12 are connected to a controller. Then, as described below, the controller cleans the article 2 to be cleaned in the cleaning tank 3 according to a predetermined procedure (program).

  Although the specific operating method of the washing | cleaning apparatus 1 is not ask | required in particular, For example, it drive | operates as follows. First, after putting the article 2 to be cleaned into the cleaning tank body 8, the door 9 of the cleaning tank 3 is closed in an airtight manner. Thereafter, the liquid is stored in the cleaning tank 3 until the object to be cleaned 2 is immersed in the liquid.

  Then, after warming the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3 to the set temperature by the heating means 4, the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is reduced by the decompression means 5 to boil the stored liquid. The liquid phase air supply means 6 introduces the outside air into the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank 3 by utilizing the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the cleaning tank 3 while continuing the exhausting. In this way, the stored liquid can be bumped, and the stored liquid can be greatly swung by the explosive ejection of the stored liquid and the subsequent drop, and the object to be cleaned 2 can be effectively cleaned. . Thereafter, the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3 is again heated to the set temperature, and it is preferable to repeat introduction of outside air to the liquid phase part in the cleaning tank 3 after the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is reduced (liquid phase air supply pulse). control). In such control, the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 at the time of supplying air to the liquid phase portion is the saturation pressure of the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3, and is thus determined by the temperature of the stored liquid. This temperature is, for example, 50 ° C. (12.3 kPa) in the present embodiment, and the diameter of the orifice 18 is determined so that noise can be reduced and cleaning performance can be maintained under this condition.

  Alternatively, after the stored liquid in the cleaning tank 3 is heated to the set temperature by the heating means 4, the exhaust from the cleaning tank 3 by the decompression means 5 is continued until the predetermined end condition is satisfied. In the process of lowering the pressure, during the boiling of the stored liquid due to this reduced pressure, the gas-phase air supply means 7 may repeatedly return the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 instantaneously until the boiling of the stored liquid stops. Phase air supply pulse control).

  Alternatively, the above-described gas-phase air supply pulse control and liquid-phase air supply pulse control are executed in a desired order, and the decompression and return pressure in the cleaning tank 3 and bubbling (air supply to the liquid-phase part) are appropriately combined. Thus, the object to be cleaned may be cleaned.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a modification of the cleaning apparatus 1 of FIG. In the cleaning device 1 of FIG. 1, the orifice 18 is used as the flow rate limiting means. However, in the cleaning device 1 of FIG. 2, a flow rate adjustment valve 25 whose opening degree can be adjusted is used.

  When performing the above-described liquid phase air supply pulse control, increasing the air flow rate to the liquid phase increases the cleaning power but increases noise, and reducing the air flow rate to the liquid phase decreases noise but reduces the cleaning. The power may be reduced. Therefore, in the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present modification, various types of cleaning can be handled by changing the opening of the flow rate adjustment valve 25 in accordance with the application, such as the type of the object to be cleaned 2 and the degree of contamination. Further, the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 25 may be changed according to the height of the liquid level in the cleaning tank 3 and the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 immediately before supplying air to the liquid phase part. Further, the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank 3 is detected using the pressure sensor 11 or the temperature sensor 12, and the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 25 is adjusted based on the detection signal, so that the supply air flow rate to the liquid phase part May be controlled so as to be kept at an appropriate value.

  The cleaning device 1 of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate. In particular, the operation method of the cleaning device 1 described above is an example, and it goes without saying that it can be changed as appropriate. Further, although the orifice 18 and the flow rate adjusting valve 25 are used as the flow rate restricting means, the configuration can be appropriately changed as long as the outside air inflow amount to the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank 3 can be reduced or changed. It is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 2 Object to be cleaned 3 Cleaning tank 4 Heating means 5 Depressurizing means 6 Liquid phase air supply means 7 Gas phase air supply means 17 Filter 18 Orifice (flow rate limiting means)
20 Liquid phase air supply nozzle 25 Flow rate adjustment valve (flow rate limiting means)

Claims (1)

A cleaning tank for storing liquid and immersing an object to be cleaned;
Vacuuming means for sucking and discharging the gas in the cleaning tank to the outside, and reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank;
Liquid phase air supply means for introducing outside air into the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank decompressed by the pressure reducing means,
The liquid phase air supply means includes a flow rate limiting means for reducing the amount of outside air flowing into the cleaning tank ,
The flow rate limiting means is composed of a flow rate adjustment valve whose opening degree can be adjusted,
The liquid phase supply means introduces outside air through a filter from the liquid phase supply nozzle at the bottom of the cleaning tank into the cleaning tank through the flow rate adjustment valve and the liquid phase supply valve .
An operation of heating the stored liquid in the cleaning tank to a set temperature by a heating means, and then an operation of reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank by the pressure reducing means to bring the stored liquid to a boil. Liquid phase air supply pulse control that repeats the operation of introducing the outside air into the liquid phase portion in the cleaning tank using the differential pressure inside and outside the cleaning tank by the liquid phase air supply means while continuing the exhaust from Run
In this liquid phase air supply pulse control, the pressure or temperature sensor is used to detect the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank, and the opening of the flow rate adjustment valve is adjusted based on the detection signal to A cleaning device characterized in that the air supply flow rate to the inside is within a predetermined range .

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