JP6292961B2 - Vacuum cleaner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner used, for example, when cleaning a workpiece after quenching.

  Quenching oil adheres to the workpiece after quenching. In order to drop the oil, the workpiece is degreased and cleaned by a vacuum cleaner. As shown in Patent Document 1, the vacuum cleaning machine cleans the workpiece by spraying the vapor of the cleaning agent onto the workpiece. For example, in the case of a heavy workpiece, the supply amount of steam necessary for cleaning increases. For this reason, the cleaning time becomes longer. On the other hand, in the case of a light workpiece, the supply amount of steam necessary for cleaning is reduced. For this reason, the cleaning time is shortened. Conventionally, the cleaning time is set based on the mass of the workpiece.

JP 2013-226513 A

  However, the only factor that affects the cleaning time is not the workpiece mass. For example, the cleaning time varies depending on the shape of the workpiece and the type of oil attached to the workpiece. For this reason, there has been a difference between the cleaning time set based on the mass of the workpiece and the actually required cleaning time. For example, the steam cleaning may be continued even though the workpiece cleaning is completed. On the other hand, the steam cleaning may be aborted even though the workpiece cleaning has not been completed. Thus, conventionally, it has been difficult to optimize the cleaning time according to the state of the workpiece. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner that can easily optimize the cleaning time according to the state of the workpiece.

  (1) In order to solve the above problems, a vacuum cleaner of the present invention includes a steam cleaning chamber in which a work is disposed, a steam supply unit that supplies steam of a hydrocarbon-based cleaning agent to the steam cleaning chamber, A steam control valve interposed between the steam cleaning chamber and the steam supply unit, a regeneration tank disposed in the steam supply unit, and an initial stage interposed between the regeneration tank and the steam cleaning chamber A steam control valve, a condensing amount measuring sensor for measuring the condensing amount of the steam in the steam cleaning chamber, and the steam control valve according to the condensing amount, thereby controlling the steam supply unit to the steam cleaning chamber. And a controller for adjusting the supply of the steam.

  Here, the “condensation amount” of steam refers to the condensation amount (mass or volume) of steam per unit time (1 second, 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, etc.). The “supply” of steam includes steam supply time, steam supply amount, and the like. The “supply amount” of steam refers to the supply amount of steam per unit time.

  The cleaning agent vapor is hotter than the workpiece. When the steam touches the workpiece, the low-temperature workpiece is heated, while the high-temperature steam is cooled. For this reason, steam condenses. Here, the temperature difference between the steam and the workpiece is large in the initial stage of the workpiece cleaning. For this reason, the amount of steam condensation increases. On the other hand, at the end of the workpiece cleaning, the temperature difference between the steam and the workpiece is small. For this reason, the amount of vapor condensation is reduced. In this way, the amount of steam condensation decreases as the workpiece cleaning progresses. In other words, the amount of vapor condensation is related to the state of the workpiece (the degree of progress of cleaning). Focusing on this point, the controller of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention adjusts the supply of steam based on the amount of steam condensation. As an example, when the amount of steam condensation is large, it is assumed that the cleaning of the workpiece is not progressing so much, so the control unit can increase the supply of steam. On the other hand, when the condensation amount of the steam is small, it is assumed that the cleaning of the workpiece is almost completed, and therefore the control unit can stop the supply of the steam. Thus, according to the steam cleaning machine of the present invention, the supply of steam is automatically adjusted based on the amount of steam condensation. For this reason, supply of steam can be easily adjusted according to the state of a work. That is, the cleaning time can be easily adjusted according to the state of the workpiece. Further, according to the steam cleaning machine of the present invention, clean steam can be easily supplied to the workpiece.

  (2) In the configuration of (1), the control unit includes a storage unit that stores a valve closing threshold value, and a calculation that closes the steam control valve when the amount of condensation is equal to or less than the valve closing threshold value. It is better to have a configuration having a portion.

  The valve closing threshold value corresponds to a state where the cleaning of the workpiece is almost completed. According to this configuration, when the amount of condensation is equal to or less than the valve closing threshold, the calculation unit closes the steam control valve. That is, the calculation unit stops the supply of steam from the steam supply unit to the steam cleaning chamber. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation in which steam is continuously supplied even though the workpiece has been cleaned. That is, excessive supply of steam can be suppressed. Therefore, the supply cost of steam can be reduced. Further, the cleaning time can be automatically adjusted according to the state of the workpiece.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vacuum cleaner that can easily optimize the cleaning time according to the state of the workpiece.

It is a schematic diagram of the vacuum cleaner which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a left view of the elevator vicinity of FIG. It is the schematic diagram in the immersion cleaning process of the vacuum cleaner (the 1). It is the schematic diagram in the same process of the vacuum cleaner (the 2). It is the schematic diagram in the same process of the vacuum cleaner (the 3).

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described. The vapor of the cleaning agent is abbreviated as “vapor”. A liquid generated by condensation of the vapor of the cleaning agent is referred to as “condensate”.

<Arrangement and configuration of vacuum cleaner>
First, the arrangement and configuration of the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, the schematic diagram of the vacuum cleaner of this embodiment is shown. FIG. 2 shows a left side view of the vicinity of the elevator shown in FIG. The vacuum cleaner 1 is disposed between a quenching furnace (not shown) and a tempering furnace. In the quenching furnace, the workpiece is subjected to quenching treatment by immersing the workpiece in quenching oil. For this reason, oil adheres to the workpiece. The vacuum cleaner 1 removes oil adhering to the workpiece by degreasing and cleaning the workpiece.

  The vacuum cleaner 1 includes a cleaning chamber 2, a steam supply unit 3, a steam control valve 4, a condensation amount measuring sensor 5, a control unit 6, an outer wall 80, a partition wall 81, an intermediate door 82, and an elevating unit. 83, a pair of guide frames 84, a drying condenser 90, a decompression pump 92, a condenser 93, a shower tank 94, a plurality of heaters 95, an air tube 96, an initial steam control valve A, and a regeneration. And a tank B.

[Cleaning chamber 2, outer wall 80, partition wall 81, intermediate door 82]
The outer wall 80 forms an outer shell of the vacuum cleaner 1. A heat insulating material (not shown) is arranged on the inner surface of the outer wall 80. The partition wall 81 is disposed inside the outer wall 80. The partition wall 81 partitions the internal space of the outer wall 80 into the cleaning chamber 2 and the vapor chamber 30. A window 810 is opened in the partition wall 81. An O-ring 97 is arranged around the window 810. The cleaning chamber 2 is partitioned into an upper steam cleaning chamber 20 and a lower immersion chamber 21 with the window portion 810 as a boundary. Steam is supplied from the steam chamber 30 to the steam cleaning chamber 20 via a pipe 31 described later. The immersion liquid 21 is stored in the immersion chamber 21.

  The intermediate door 82 is slidable in the left-right direction along a pair of guide frames 84 described later. The intermediate door 82 can seal the window 810 by elastically contacting the O-ring 97 from above. That is, the intermediate door 82 can isolate the steam cleaning chamber 20 and the immersion chamber 21 from each other. Two pairs of rollers 820 are arranged on the upper side of the intermediate door 82. As shown in FIG. 2, of the two pairs of rollers 820, the pair of rollers 820 are arranged in the left-right direction on the front side of the intermediate door 82. Further, the remaining pair of rollers 820 are arranged in the left-right direction on the rear side of the intermediate door 82.

[Elevating part 83, guide frame 84]
The elevating unit 83 includes an air cylinder 830 and an elevator 831. The rod of the air cylinder 830 is connected to the upper wall of the elevator 831. The air cylinder 830 can move the elevator 831 up and down. The elevator 831 has a frame shape. A work W is accommodated inside the elevator 831. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of front and rear hooks 831 a protrude from the lower surface of the lower wall of the elevator 831. A pair of front and rear door pressing members 831b protrude from the lower surface of the lower wall of the elevator 831. The pair of front and rear door pressing members 831b can press the intermediate door 82 (indicated by dotted hatching in FIG. 2) from above.

  The pair of guide frames 84 are disposed below the elevator 831. The pair of guide frames 84 are spaced apart in the front-rear direction. The guide frame 84 extends in the left-right direction. A pair of rollers 820 are engaged with the guide frame 84 so as to be relatively movable in the left-right direction. The guide frame 84 can swing up and down around the swing shaft 840 at the left end. A pair of left and right hooks 841 protrude from the upper surface of the guide frame 84. As shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the hook 841 is engaged with the tip of the hook 831a from above. For this reason, the elevator 831 can lift the guide frame 84.

[Steam supply unit 3, steam control valve 4, initial steam control valve A, regeneration tank B, condensation amount measuring sensor 5]
The steam supply unit 3 includes a steam chamber 30 and a pipe 31. The steam chamber 30 covers the cleaning chamber 2 from the outside. Condensate L is stored in the lower portion of the vapor chamber 30. The pipe 31 connects the steam chamber 30 and the steam cleaning chamber 20.

  The regeneration tank B is disposed in the steam chamber 30. The regeneration tank B is immersed in the condensate L. The regeneration tank B communicates with a drying condenser 90 described later. A pneumatic regeneration valve C is interposed between the regeneration tank B and the drying condenser 90.

  The steam control valve 4 is disposed in the pipe 31. The steam control valve 4 is pneumatic and can open and close the pipe 31. The condensation amount measuring sensor 5 is connected to the steam cleaning chamber 20. The condensation amount measurement sensor 5 can measure the condensation amount of the steam S in the steam cleaning chamber 20 (specifically, the condensation amount of the steam S per unit time). The initial steam control valve A is pneumatic and is interposed between the regeneration tank B and the steam cleaning chamber 20.

[Drying condenser 90, decompression pump 92, condenser 93, shower tank 94, heater 95, air tube 96]
The drying condenser 90 communicates with the steam cleaning chamber 20 via a pipe 900. A pneumatic valve 901 is disposed in the pipe 900. The decompression pump 92 communicates with the drying condenser 90 via a pipe 920. A pneumatic valve 921 is disposed in the pipe 920. The valve 921 is a so-called angle valve. The decompression pump 92 communicates with the steam cleaning chamber 20 via a pipe 922. A pneumatic valve 923 is disposed in the pipe 922. The valve 923 is a so-called angle valve.

  The condenser 93 communicates with the steam cleaning chamber 20 via a pipe 930. A pneumatic valve 931 is disposed in the pipe 930. The shower tank 94 communicates with the condenser 93 via a pipe 940. A pneumatic valve 941 is disposed in the pipe 940. Further, the shower tank 94 communicates with the immersion chamber 21 via a pipe 942. A pneumatic valve 943 is disposed in the pipe 942. The shower tank 94 also communicates with the steam cleaning chamber 20 via a pipe (not shown). For this reason, the condensate can be sprayed onto the workpiece W in the steam cleaning chamber 20. The plurality of heaters 95 are disposed in the immersion chamber 21 and the steam chamber 30. The heater 95 can heat the condensate L.

  The air tube 96 is disposed on the bottom surface of the immersion chamber 21. Air is supplied to the air tube 96. In addition, a plurality of through holes (not shown) are formed in the side peripheral wall of the air tube 96. For this reason, the air tube 96 can perform a bubbling process on the condensate L in the immersion chamber 21.

[Control unit 6]
The control unit 6 includes a storage unit 60 and a calculation unit 61. The storage unit 60 stores a valve closing threshold value related to opening / closing of the steam control valve 4. The control unit 6 is electrically connected to the condensation amount measuring sensor 5 and the steam control valve 4. The control unit 6 is also electrically connected to an air cylinder 830, a decompression pump 92, a drying condenser 90, a heater 95, an air tube 96, valves 901, 921, 923, 931, 941, 943, and the like. .

<Work cleaning method>
Next, a workpiece cleaning method performed by the vacuum cleaner according to the present embodiment will be described. The cleaning method includes a steam cleaning process, a first drying process, an immersion cleaning process, and a second drying process.

[Steam cleaning process]
In this step, the workpiece W is cleaned using the steam S. First, the work W to which oil has adhered by the quenching process in the previous process is carried into the steam cleaning chamber 20. Specifically, the workpiece W is mounted on the elevator 831. As shown in FIG. 2, the door pressing member 831b of the elevator 831 presses the intermediate door 82 from the upper side. For this reason, the intermediate door 82 seals the window portion 810.

  In addition, when carrying in the workpiece | work W, the control part 6 has closed valve | bulb 901,923,931. Further, the drying condenser 90 is secured in a vacuum state (a state where the pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure, for example, a state of 10 kPa or less). Further, the control unit 6 drives the heater 95 of the steam chamber 30. For this reason, steam S is generated in the steam chamber 30.

  Next, the control unit 6 opens the valve 923 and starts the decompression pump 92. The controller 6 depressurizes the steam cleaning chamber 20 until the pressure becomes the same as that of the drying condenser 90. Subsequently, the control unit 6 opens the steam control valve 4. The controller 6 introduces the steam S from the steam chamber 30 into the steam cleaning chamber 20. When the steam S touches the workpiece W, the steam S is condensed and liquefied. That is, the condensate L is generated. The oil adhering to the workpiece W is dissolved in the condensate L and flows into the steam chamber 30. For this reason, the workpiece | work W is wash | cleaned.

  In parallel with the cleaning of the workpiece W, the control unit 6 controls opening and closing of the valve 931. The steam S flowing into the condenser 93 when the valve 931 is opened becomes the condensate L. The condensate L flows into the shower tank 94 through the valve 941. Further, the condensate L flows into the immersion chamber 21 through the valve 943.

  The condensing amount measurement sensor 5 inputs the condensing amount of the steam S, in other words, the condensate L generation amount, to the control unit 6. The calculation unit 61 compares the input condensation amount with the valve closing threshold value of the storage unit 60. As a result of the comparison, when the condensation amount exceeds the valve closing threshold value, it is assumed that condensation of the steam S continues in the steam cleaning chamber 20. That is, it is assumed that heat exchange continues between the steam S at a high temperature (for example, 80 ° C. or more and 150 ° C. or less) and the work W at a low temperature (for example, 10 ° C. or more and 40 ° C. or less). That is, it is assumed that the cleaning of the workpiece W has not been completed. For this reason, the control part 6 continues this process.

  On the other hand, as a result of the comparison, when the condensation amount is equal to or less than the valve closing threshold, it is assumed that the condensation of the steam S is completed in the steam cleaning chamber 20. That is, it is assumed that the steam S and the workpiece W are isothermal and heat exchange is completed. That is, it is assumed that the cleaning of the workpiece W has been completed. For this reason, the control part 6 complete | finishes this process. Specifically, the control unit 6 closes the steam control valve 4.

[First drying step]
In this step, the condensate L adhering to the workpiece W is dried. The control unit 6 opens the valves 901 and 921. Here, the drying condenser 90 is set at a lower temperature (for example, 5 ° C. or more and 50 ° C. or less) and a lower pressure than the steam cleaning chamber 20. For this reason, the condensate L in the steam cleaning chamber 20 moves to the drying condenser 90 while being vaporized. Therefore, the workpiece W is dried. The vaporized vapor S is recondensed and recovered by the dry condenser 90. When the drying of the workpiece W is completed, the control unit 6 closes the valves 901 and 921.

[Immersion cleaning process]
In FIG. 3, the schematic diagram in the immersion cleaning process of the vacuum cleaner of this embodiment (the 1) is shown. FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram (part 2) in the same process of the vacuum cleaner. FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram (part 3) in the same process of the vacuum cleaner.

  In this step, the workpiece W is cleaned using the condensate L in the immersion chamber 21. First, the control unit 6 drives the heater 95 of the immersion chamber 21. The control unit 6 controls the heater 95 so that the temperature of the immersion chamber 21 is constant. Next, the control unit 6 drives the air cylinder 830 as shown in FIG. The control unit 6 raises the elevator 831. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the hook 841 is engaged with the tip of the hook 831a from above. Further, the roller 820 of the intermediate door 82 is engaged with the guide frame 84 from above. For this reason, the elevator 831 lifts the guide frame 84. In addition, the guide frame 84 lifts the intermediate door 82 from the upper surface of the window portion 810. The guide frame 84 swings upward about the swing shaft 840 at the left end. In other words, the guide frame 84 is inclined in a direction that descends from the right side to the left side.

  Next, the control unit 6 causes the roller 820 to roll by a roller driving unit (not shown). As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 6 slides the intermediate door 82 to the left side. When the intermediate door 82 (indicated by dotted hatching in FIG. 2) slides to the left, an opening of the window 810 appears just below the elevator 831.

  Subsequently, the control unit 6 drives the air cylinder 830 as shown in FIG. The controller 6 lowers the elevator 831. The control unit 6 immerses the work W in the condensate L in the immersion chamber 21. Then, the control unit 6 sends air into the condensate L via the air tube 96. That is, the control unit 6 cleans the workpiece W using the condensate L while performing the bubbling process.

[Second drying step]
In this step, first, as shown in FIGS. 5 → 4 → 3 → 1, the elevator 831 is pulled up from the immersion chamber 21 to the steam cleaning chamber 20. Next, the window portion 810 is sealed by the intermediate door 82. Subsequently, the condensate L adhering to the workpiece W is dried by the same procedure as the first drying step.

<Effect>
Next, the effect of the vacuum cleaner of this embodiment will be described. The control unit 6 of the vacuum cleaner 1 of the present embodiment automatically adjusts the supply time of the steam S based on the amount of condensation of the steam S. For this reason, according to the state of the workpiece | work W, the supply time of the vapor | steam S can be adjusted easily. For example, when the amount of condensation of the steam S is large (when the cleaning of the workpiece W has not progressed), the time for fully supplying the steam S can be increased by increasing the time for fully opening the steam control valve 4. On the contrary, when the condensation amount of the steam S is small (when the cleaning of the workpiece W is advanced), the steam control valve 4 can be fully opened to shorten the steam S supply time.

  In addition, the control unit 6 controls the steam control valve 4 so that a sudden pressure difference does not occur between the steam cleaning chamber 20 and the steam chamber 30. For this reason, clean steam can always be supplied to the workpiece W.

  Further, the valve closing threshold value stored in the storage unit 60 corresponds to a state in which the cleaning of the workpiece W is completed. When the condensation amount of the steam S is equal to or less than the valve closing threshold, the calculation unit 61 closes the steam control valve 4. That is, the calculation unit 61 stops the supply of the steam S from the steam chamber 30 to the steam cleaning chamber 20. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the steam S is continuously supplied even though the cleaning of the workpiece W is completed. That is, excessive supply of the steam S can be suppressed. Therefore, the supply cost of the steam S can be reduced. Further, the time required for the steam cleaning process, that is, the cleaning time can be shortened. Further, the cleaning time can be automatically adjusted according to the type of the workpiece W.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning chamber 2 is covered from the outside by a vapor chamber 30. The steam chamber 30 is filled with high-temperature steam S. For this reason, the cleaning chamber 2 can be kept warm and heated by the steam chamber 30. Therefore, the temperature drop of the steam cleaning chamber 20 can be suppressed in the first drying process and the second drying process. Moreover, the temperature fall of the condensate L in the immersion chamber 21 can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the door pressing member 831 b is in contact with the upper surface of the intermediate door 82. For this reason, the intermediate door 82 can be pressed against the window portion 810 by the weight of the elevator 831. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange a mechanism for sealing the intermediate door 82 separately.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a bubbling process is performed in the immersion cleaning process. For this reason, even if the shape of the workpiece W is complicated, the workpiece W can be easily cleaned. That is, the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment has a high cleaning capability.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the valves 921 and 923 are so-called angle valves. For this reason, the maintenance cost of a valve can be reduced compared with the case where the valves 921 and 923 are globe valves.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment does not use a hydraulic drive mechanism. For example, the steam control valve 4 is air driven. The air cylinder 830 is an air drive type. For this reason, safety is high.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the drying condenser 90 is arrange | positioned at the vacuum cleaner 1 of this embodiment. For this reason, the time which a 1st drying process and a 2nd drying process require can be shortened. Further, it is possible to suppress the condensate L contaminated with oil from flowing into the immersion chamber 21 through the vapor chamber 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 6 controls the opening and closing of the valve 931. For this reason, the regeneration amount of the condensate L can be controlled.

<Others>
The embodiment of the vacuum cleaner of the present invention has been described above. However, the embodiment is not particularly limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications and improvements that can be made by those skilled in the art are also possible.

  You may put a shower washing | cleaning process in the washing | cleaning method of the workpiece | work of the said embodiment. That is, the condensate L stored in the shower tank 94 may be sprayed onto the work W in the steam cleaning chamber 20. You may perform a shower washing | cleaning process after an immersion process, for example.

  The type of the condensation amount measuring sensor is not particularly limited. What is necessary is just to be able to measure the amount of vapor condensation per unit time (the amount of electricity related to the amount of condensation). For example, a flow meter such as a volumetric flow meter, a throttle flow meter, a differential pressure flow meter, a Karman vortex flow meter, a turbine flow meter, an ultrasonic flow meter, an electromagnetic flow meter, or a Coriolis flow meter should be used as a condensation amount measurement sensor. Can do.

  The method for controlling the steam control valve 4 performed by the controller 6 is not particularly limited. For example, the control unit 6 may switch between a fully open position where the flow rate of the steam S is maximized and a fully closed position where the flow rate of the steam S is 0. Further, the control unit 6 may continuously adjust the opening degree of the steam control valve 4 between the fully open position and the fully closed position. That is, the control unit 6 may continuously increase or decrease the flow rate of the steam S.

1: Vacuum cleaner.
2: Cleaning room, 20: Steam cleaning room, 21: Immersion room.
3: Steam supply part, 30: Steam chamber, 31: Piping.
4: Steam control valve.
5: Condensation amount measurement sensor.
6: control unit, 60: storage unit, 61: calculation unit.
80: outer wall, 81: partition wall, 810: window portion, 82: intermediate door, 820: roller, 83: lifting portion, 830: air cylinder, 831: elevator, 831a: hook, 831b: door pressing member, 84: guide frame , 840: rocking shaft, 841: hook.
90: Drying condenser, 900: piping, 901: valve, 92: decompression pump, 920: piping, 921: valve, 922: piping, 923: valve, 93: condenser, 930: piping, 931: valve, 94: Shower tank, 940: piping, 941: valve, 942: piping, 943: valve, 95: heater, 96: air tube, 97: O-ring.
A: initial steam control valve A, B: regeneration tank, C: regeneration valve, L: condensate, S: steam, W: work.

Claims (6)

A steam cleaning room where the workpiece is placed;
A steam supply section for supplying the steam of the hydrocarbon-based cleaning agent to the steam cleaning chamber;
A steam control valve interposed between the steam cleaning chamber and the steam supply unit;
A condensation amount measuring sensor for measuring the amount of condensation of the steam in the steam cleaning chamber;
By controlling the steam control valve according to the condensation amount, the supply of the steam from the steam supply unit to the steam cleaning chamber is adjusted , and the steam control valve is closed according to the condensation amount. A control unit that finishes cleaning the workpiece ;
A vacuum washer equipped with.   The said control part has a memory | storage part in which a valve closing threshold value is stored, and a calculating part which closes the said steam control valve when the said amount of condensation is less than this valve closing threshold value. Vacuum cleaning machine.   The vacuum cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the condensation amount measurement sensor is a flow meter.   The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the steam supply unit includes a steam chamber that covers the steam cleaning chamber from the outside.   The vacuum cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the steam control valve is an air drive type.   The vacuum cleaning machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit keeps opening the steam control valve during cleaning of the workpiece.

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