JP6678211B2 - Bottle cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning bottles, and more particularly to a cleaning apparatus suitable for cleaning bottles having a large manufacturing error in the shape (including size) of a mouth such as a franc bottle.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a bottle washing machine for washing a bottle. In this bottle washing machine, a nozzle is inserted into the bottle, and in this state, washing water is jetted from the nozzle to wash the inner surface of the bottle. Further, in this bottle washing machine, the amount of elevation of the nozzle can be adjusted by changing the connection position between the levers that constitute the elevation mechanism of the bottle, whereby the bottles of different sizes can be washed. .

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-131598

  By the way, in order to insert the nozzle into the bottle during cleaning, it is necessary to align the mouth of the bottle with the nozzle. In this regard, in the bottle washing machine of Patent Literature 1, the amount of elevation of the nozzle is adjusted according to the size of the bottle. However, if the mouth of the bottle is not aligned with the nozzle, washing cannot be performed after all. The bottle washing machine of Patent Literature 1 does not mention such an aspect of the alignment at all, and in this regard, the difference in the shape of the bottle (including the size; the same applies hereinafter unless otherwise noted) is sufficiently described. It can be said that it has not been absorbed.

  Differences in bottle shape not only depend on the type of bottle as specified by the manufacturer name and model number, but also occur due to manufacturing errors. For example, bottles called flan bottles are manufactured one by one by hand, and the manufacturing error of the shape of the mouth is particularly large. Since the shape of such a bottle having a variation in shape cannot be accurately predicted, it is difficult to design a mechanism for realizing alignment with respect to the nozzle. Also, if the type of bottle has a small manufacturing error, it may be possible to accurately predict the shape and design the mechanism relatively easily, but if it becomes a mechanism that depends on the specific bottle shape Therefore, the versatility of the washing machine is lost.

  Of course, if the shape of the bottle is sensed by a camera or the like and the operation of a support mechanism such as an arm that supports the bottle is precisely controlled in accordance with the sensed shape, the difference in the shape of the bottle may be absorbed. However, such a mechanism is, of course, expensive. Therefore, it is desired to realize the alignment between the mouth and the nozzle with a simple configuration for bottles of various shapes.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a bottle cleaning apparatus capable of absorbing a difference in bottle shape with a simple configuration.

  A cleaning device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device for cleaning a plurality of bottles each having a mouth and a body, and a carrier for holding the plurality of bottles at predetermined positions, And a plurality of nozzles that advance and retreat through an opening with respect to the internal space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier. The plurality of nozzles cleans the inner surfaces of the plurality of bottles by ejecting cleaning water in the internal space of the plurality of bottles. The carrier includes a support plate that supports the mouth from below so that the plurality of bottles stand upright with the mouth downwards, and a body of the plurality of bottles so that the plurality of bottles that stand up on the support plate do not fall over. And a frame supporting the portion. A plurality of openings are formed in the support plate, and the frame supports the body such that the mouths of the plurality of bottles are aligned with the plurality of openings. The plurality of nozzles are aligned with the plurality of openings, and enter the internal space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier from below through the openings and the mouth.

  The cleaning device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the cleaning device according to the first aspect, wherein the plurality of openings each have a distance from a center to an outer periphery that varies along a circumferential direction, and a plurality of openings along the circumferential direction. It has a shape in which the long area and the short area alternately appear.

  A cleaning apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the cleaning apparatus according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein the plurality of openings each have a substantially circular central region and a plurality of radially projecting from the central region. Projecting region.

  A cleaning device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the cleaning device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein each of the plurality of nozzles has a cylindrical shape having a tip end formed with an ejection port. The nozzle body has an impeller attached to the tip end and having a plurality of blades that are driven to rotate around an axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle body by the water pressure of the cleaning water jetted from the jet port.

  A cleaning device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a cleaning device for cleaning a plurality of bottles each having a mouth and a body, and a carrier for holding the plurality of bottles at predetermined positions, And a plurality of nozzles that advance and retreat through an opening with respect to the internal space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier. The plurality of nozzles cleans the inner surfaces of the plurality of bottles by ejecting cleaning water in the internal space of the plurality of bottles. Each of the plurality of nozzles is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle main body due to the water pressure of the washing water jetted from the jet port, which is attached to the cylindrical nozzle main body having the jet port-formed tip and the tip. And an impeller having a plurality of blades that are driven to rotate about a suitable axis.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a difference in bottle shape can be absorbed with a simple configuration in a bottle cleaning device.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the bottle cleaning device, the cleaning water can be jetted from the nozzle in various directions, and the cleaning effect on the inner surface of the bottle can be enhanced.

1 is a plan view of a bottle cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the cleaning device. The side view of a flan bottle and a stopper. The side view of a plastic container and a lid. The top view of the carrier for a franc bottle. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 6. The top view of the carrier for plastic containers. IX-IX sectional drawing of FIG. The top view of the carrier for stoppers and lids. XI-XI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view around the nozzle unit. The top view of a nozzle.

  Hereinafter, a bottle cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. Overall structure of bottle cleaning device>
FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a bottle washing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II. The cleaning device 2 is a device for simultaneously cleaning a large number of bottles 1 collectively. As shown in these drawings, the cleaning device 2 has a cleaning tray 3 and a carrier 4 holding a large number of bottles 1 is installed above the cleaning tray 3 (however, in FIG. The carrier 4 above is omitted.) The carrier 4 is installed in the space above the washing tray 3 by the carrier mechanism 8 carrying the carrier 4 into the space, and the carrier 4 is carried out of the space by the mechanism 8. The transport mechanism 8 is composed of a number of rollers 8a, 8a,..., And is mounted on the rollers 8a, 8a,. The transported carrier 4 is transported.

  The cleaning tray 3 has an upper tray 31 and a lower tray 32 arranged below the upper tray 31. The upper tray 31 and the lower tray 32 have an opening (not shown) and communicate with each other. At the time of cleaning the bottle 1, cleaning water is introduced into the lower tray 32 by the pump 77 from the water supply 70 and one of the two tanks 75 and 76. In the upper tray 31, a number of nozzles 50 included in the nozzle unit 5 are arranged. The nozzle 50 is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 52 included in the nozzle unit 5 and inserted into the bottle 1. The nozzle 50 pumps up the cleaning water stored in the lower tray 32 by a pump 53 included in the nozzle unit 5 and pumps the cleaning water toward the bottle 1 held in the carrier 4 further above the upper tray 31. Inject. Thereby, mainly the inner surface of the bottle 1 is cleaned.

  Although the details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the washing of the bottle 1 is performed by three washing steps. In a first cleaning step (hereinafter, referred to as a first cleaning step), the cleaning water stored in the first tank 75 is used. In a second cleaning step (hereinafter, referred to as a second cleaning step), the second tank 76 is used. The washing water stored in the tank is used. In the third cleaning step (hereinafter, referred to as a third cleaning step), fresh water introduced from the water supply 70 is used as cleaning water. In this embodiment, the same cleaning water is used in these three cleaning steps. More specifically, after the third washing step, the washing water used in the step is introduced into the second tank 76 so as to be used in the next second washing step for washing another bottle 1. Similarly, after the second washing step, the washing water used in the step is introduced into the first tank 75 so as to be used in the next first washing step for washing another bottle 1. The washing water used in the first washing step is drained without being used any more.

  Although not limited to this, the washing water of the present embodiment is ion-exchanged water. Therefore, the water from the tap 70 is introduced into the ion exchange device 71 and becomes the ion exchange water. In the present embodiment, the third cleaning step is performed using ozone water. Therefore, the ion-exchanged water discharged from the ion-exchange device 71 is introduced into the ozone water generator 72 and becomes ion-exchanged water in which ozone is dissolved.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the cleaning device 2. In FIG. 3, the electrical connection relationship is indicated by a dotted line. The cleaning device 2 has a control unit 9, and the control unit 9 is configured by a computer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a nonvolatile storage device. The control unit 9 controls the operation of each unit included in the cleaning device 2 and executes the cleaning of the bottle 1 by executing a program stored in the ROM or the storage device by the CPU. The control unit 9 is connected to the above-described transport device 8, the elevating mechanism 52, the pump 53 and the pump 77, and also to the operation panel 85 and the sensor 86. Although the operation panel 85 and the sensor 86 do not originally appear in FIG. 2, their positions are indicated by dotted lines for reference. Further, in FIG. 2, the tap water 70, the ion exchange device 71, the ozone water generator 72, the tanks 75 and 76, etc., which do not appear originally, are also indicated by dotted lines. The operation panel 85 is an input and display device used by the user to instruct the start of cleaning and to set the mode of cleaning. The operation panel 85 includes, for example, buttons, a monitor, a display, a touch panel, and the like. The sensor 86 is a sensor for determining the type of the carrier 4 introduced into the space above the cleaning tray 3. The control unit 9 determines the type of the bottle 1 held in the carrier 4 according to the type of the carrier 4, and controls the mode of cleaning according to the determined type of the bottle 1.

<2. Configuration of Each Part>
Hereinafter, main parts of the bottle 1 and the cleaning device 2 will be described.

<2-1. Bottle>
The cleaning device 2 can clean a wide variety of bottles 1 by changing the carrier 4. In the above description, only the cleaning of the bottle 1 has been described. However, the cleaning device 2 can further clean the stopper and the lid of the bottle 1. Hereinafter, the flan bottle 1a and the plastic container 1b, which are the bottles 1, and the stopper 15 and the lid 25 thereof will be described.

  FIG. 4 shows a side view of the flan bottle 1a and the stopper 15 thereof. The furan bottle 1a is generally widely used for a water quality test, and is used, for example, as a BOD measuring instrument. The franc bottle 1a has a substantially circular bottom part 10, a substantially cylindrical body part 11 rising from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom part 10, and a substantially frustoconical shoulder part which is continuous with the upper part of the body part 11 and gradually reduces in diameter. 12, a substantially cylindrical neck portion 13 continuing above the shoulder portion 12, and a funnel portion 14 continuing above the neck portion 13. The funnel 14 has an enlarged diameter from the neck 13 and forms a mouth of the flan bottle 1a (hereinafter, the mouth is also denoted by reference numeral 14). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the maximum diameter of the funnel 1a in the horizontal section of the funnel 14 is larger than or substantially equal to the maximum diameter of the horizontal section of the body 11. Then, a substantially cylindrical plug 15 is inserted into the neck 13 through the funnel 14 of the franc bottle 1a. The funnel portion 14 has a side wall surrounding the plug 15 at an interval from the plug 15 with the plug 15 inserted into the neck portion 13, and forms a water reservoir around the plug 15. The water reservoir is filled with the test solution in the flan bottle 1a, closed with the stopper 15, and then becomes a space for storing water, whereby the test solution in the flan bottle 1a is water-sealed. In the present embodiment, the flan bottle 1a is made of glass, and the stopper 15 is also made of glass.

  FIG. 5 shows a side view of the plastic container 1b and its lid 25. The plastic container 1b can also be used for a water quality test, for example, for storing reagents. The plastic container 1b has a substantially circular bottom portion 20, a substantially cylindrical body portion 21 rising from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 20, and a substantially frustoconical shoulder portion which is continuous with the upper portion of the body portion 21 and gradually reduces in diameter. 22 and a substantially cylindrical neck portion 23 that is continuous with the upper portion of the shoulder portion 22. A helical thread 23a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck 23, which is the mouth of the plastic container 1b (hereinafter, the mouth is also denoted by reference numeral 23). The lid 25 has a cylindrical shape having a thread 25a (see a dotted line in FIG. 5) corresponding to the thread 23a on the inner peripheral surface, and has a top surface. Then, by screwing these threads 23a and 25a together, the plastic container 1b is closed. In this embodiment, as the name implies, the plastic container 1b is made of resin, and the lid 25 is also made of resin.

<2-2. Career>
Next, the carrier 4 for holding the object to be cleaned will be described. A plurality of types of the carriers 4 are prepared according to the object to be cleaned. Hereinafter, the carrier 4a for the furan bottle 1a, the carrier 4b for the plastic container 1b, and the carrier 4c for the stopper 15 and the lid 25 will be described in order.

  FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the carrier 4a for the furan bottle 1a, and FIG. 7 shows a VII-VII sectional view thereof. FIG. 7 illustrates a franc bottle 1a held in a carrier 4a for reference. The carrier 4a is a device for holding a large number of franc bottles 1a at predetermined positions. As shown in these figures, the carrier 4a has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 140, and a lid 141 attached to the casing 140 so as to open and close the substantially rectangular upper opening. In FIG. 6, the lid 141 is omitted. Although not limited to this, the casing 140 is made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel or a hard resin, and the lid 141 is preferably made of a transparent or translucent material, for example, made of a hard resin or glass. Is done.

  The bottom plate of the casing 140 functions as a support plate 142 that supports the mouth portion 14 from below so that the large number of franc bottles 1a stand with the mouth portion 14 facing downward. Further, the carrier 4 a has a frame 150 fixed at a predetermined height position inside the casing 140. The frame 150 is composed of linear rod members 151 arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions, and is formed in a net-like shape as a whole, and has a large number of substantially square shapes arranged in a lattice. An opening 150a is formed. Although not limited to this, the frame 150 is made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel or a hard resin.

  The support plate 142 has a plurality of openings 142a arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. As shown in FIG. 6, in plan view, the plurality of openings 150a of the frame 150 and the plurality of openings 142a of the support plate 142 are aligned with each other, and the center of each opening 150a is The center of 142a is substantially overlapped. The franc bottle 1a to be cleaned is inserted into each opening 150a of the frame 150 with the opening 14 facing downward. Thus, the frame 150 supports the body portions 11 of the many franc bottles 1a, and at this time, the mouth portions 14 of the many franc bottles 1a are aligned with the corresponding openings 150a of the frame 150. . The frame 150 has a role of supporting the body 11 so that the franc bottle 1a standing on the support plate 142 does not fall.

  The length of one side of the opening 150a of the frame 150 is larger than the outer diameter of the body 11 of the franc bottle 1a, depending on the type of the franc bottle 1a. That is, although the size of the body 11 varies depending on the type (manufacturer, model number, capacity) of the franc bottle 1a, the size of the opening 150a, that is, the arrangement interval of the rod members 151, allows a relatively large one to pass through. Is determined. Therefore, when cleaning the relatively small-sized franc bottle 1a, the frame 150 supports the torso 11 in such a manner as to surround the torso 11 at an interval from the outer peripheral surface of the torso 11 of the franc bottle 1a. For this reason, the small-sized franc bottle 1a may be slightly inclined, but finally, the frame 150 prevents the fall.

  Further, the shape (including the size; hereinafter, the same applies to the “shape” unless otherwise noted) of the mouth portion 14 of the flan bottle 1a differs depending on the type of the flan bottle 1a. Further, in many cases, the flan bottles 1a are manually manufactured one by one, and the manufacturing error of the shape of the mouth portion 14 is particularly large. In this regard, the opening 142a of the support plate 142 has a shape such that the opening 14 does not fall below the support plate 142 through the opening 142a in consideration of the above-described variation in the shape of the mouth 14 of the franc bottle 1a. Is formed.

  As described above, the positioning of the opening 14a of the mouth portion 14 with respect to the flan bottle 1a having various shapes, and the positioning of the nozzle 50 which is positioned with respect to the opening 142a as described later, are simplified. It is realized with a simple configuration. That is, the cleaning device 2 can absorb a difference in the shape of the flan bottle 1a (including a difference due to a variation due to a bottle type and a manufacturing error) with a simple configuration.

  By the way, the smaller the size of the opening 142a of the support plate 142, the more difficult it is for the mouth portion 14 of the franc bottle 1a to fall down, and the carrier 4a having such an opening 142a can clean the franc bottles 1a of various sizes. Can be targeted. On the other hand, as the size of the opening 142a is smaller, the flow rate of the washing water that can be introduced through the nozzle 50 into the larger mouth portion 14 (and, consequently, the size of the main body other than the mouth portion 14 in the franc bottle 1a is usually large). And cleaning efficiency may decrease. This is because the flow path for discharging the washing water introduced from the nozzle 50 into the internal space of the franc bottle 1a from the same space becomes narrow.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, each opening 142a of the support plate 142 has a substantially circular central region S11 and a plurality of projecting regions S12 that project radially from the central region S11. The protruding regions S12 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Each of the protruding regions S12 has a substantially semicircular shape and is arranged so as to protrude radially outward. As described above, in the opening 142a, the distance from the center to the outer periphery changes along the circumferential direction, and the opening 142a has a long region (a portion corresponding to the protruding region S12) and a short region (the protruding region S12) along the circumferential direction. (A part that does not correspond to). According to this configuration, the small-sized mouth portion 14 is prevented from dropping downward through the opening 142a, and the protruding region S12 serves as a flow path for discharging the washing water, and The flow rate of the washing water can be maintained.

  Next, the carrier 4b for the plastic container 1b will be described. FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the carrier 4b, and FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX. FIG. 9 illustrates the plastic container 1b held in the carrier 4b for reference. The carrier 4b is an instrument for holding a large number of plastic containers 1b at predetermined positions. As shown in these drawings, the carrier 4b has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped pedestal 240. Although not limited to this, the pedestal 240 is made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel or a hard resin.

  The top plate of the pedestal 240 functions as a support plate 242 that supports the mouth 23 so that the large number of plastic containers 1b stand with the mouth 23 facing downward. The support plate 242 has a plurality of openings 242a arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. Each of the openings 242a has a circular shape having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the horizontal section of the body 21 of the plastic container 1b and slightly larger than the outer diameter of the mouth 23. The opening 23 of the plastic container 1b to be cleaned is inserted into each opening 242a. At this time, the support plate 242 supports the shoulder 22 of the plastic container 1b so that the mouth 23 of the plastic container 1b projects downward from the support plate 242 and is aligned with the corresponding opening 242a. I do.

  Incidentally, the plastic container 1b here is not a manual operation like the flan bottle 1a but is a container that is mass-produced mechanically, and has a smaller manufacturing error in shape as compared with the flan bottle 1a. Therefore, the size of the opening 242a can be determined in accordance with the shape of the opening 23 of the plastic container 1b, and the plastic container 1b is held only by the support plate 242 so that the plastic container 1b does not fall on the support plate 242. Can be supported.

  In the case of the franc bottle 1a, since the diameter of the mouth 14 is larger than or approximately equal to the diameter of the body 11, only the mouth 14 is inserted into the opening 142a as in the plastic container 1b, and the shoulder is inserted. The part 12 cannot be hooked and supported on the support plate 142. Therefore, in order to hold the franc bottle 1a, the opening 142a having the above-described shape is preferable instead of the simple circular opening 242a like the carrier 4b for the plastic container 1b. The standing configuration is appropriate.

  Finally, the carrier 4c for the stopper 15 and the lid 25 will be described. FIG. 10 shows a plan view of the carrier 4c, and FIG. 11 shows its XI-XI sectional view. The carrier 4c is a device for holding many stoppers 15 and lids 25. As shown in these figures, the carrier 4c has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 340, and a lid 341 attached to the casing 340 so as to open and close the substantially rectangular upper opening. In FIG. 10, the lid 341 is omitted. Although not limited to this, the casing 340 is made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel or a hard resin, and the lid 341 is preferably made of a transparent or translucent material, for example, made of a hard resin or glass. Is done.

  Further, the carrier 4c has a mesh plate 350 fixed at a predetermined height position inside the casing 340. The mesh plate 350 is composed of linear rod members 351 arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions, and forms a large number of substantially square openings 350a arranged in a lattice. Although not limited to this, the mesh plate 350 is made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel or a hard resin. The stopper 15 and the lid 25 are randomly arranged on the mesh plate 350 so as not to overlap with each other. Then, cleaning is performed by cleaning water sprayed from the nozzle 50 located below the mesh plate 350.

<2-3. Nozzle>
Next, the nozzle unit 5 will be described. FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of the periphery of the nozzle unit 5. A large number of nozzles 50 included in the nozzle unit 5 are supported by the support portions 51 of the nozzles 50 arranged on the bottom surface 31a of the upper tray 31, respectively. Therefore, the nozzles 50 are also arranged on the bottom surface 31a of the upper tray 31 at predetermined intervals in the vertical and horizontal directions. The nozzles 50 each have a cylindrical nozzle body 54. Each of the support portions 51 has a cylindrical shape, and the nozzle body 54 is inserted therein.

  In the lower tray 32, an elevating mechanism 52 and a pump 53 are arranged on the opposite side of the support portion 51 with the bottom surface 31a of the upper tray 31 interposed therebetween. The elevating mechanism 52 is controlled by the control unit 9 to move the nozzle 50 up and down. Since the structure of the elevating mechanism 52 that raises and lowers the object up and down can be appropriately designed, a detailed description is omitted here. The pump 53 sends the washing water pumped into the lower tray 32 by the pump 77 into the nozzle 50, and jets the water upward from a jet port 50a (see FIG. 13) formed at the tip of the nozzle body 54.

  The nozzles 50 each have an impeller 55 attached to the tip of the nozzle body 54. The impeller 55 has a plurality of blades 56 arranged at predetermined intervals around an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the nozzle body 54 in the longitudinal direction. These blades 56 are driven to rotate around the above axes by the water pressure of the washing water jetted from the jet port 50a. The impeller 55 and the nozzle body 54 are substantially coaxial.

  When the carriers 4a and 4b are installed in the space above the washing tray 3 when the bottle 1 is washed, the plurality of nozzles 50 are aligned with the plurality of openings 142a and 242a of the carriers 4a and 4b, respectively. At this time, the positions of the rollers 8a, 8a, ... are adjusted so that the rollers 8a, 8a, ... included in the transport mechanism 8 do not enter between the openings 142a, 242a and the nozzle 50. . The nozzle 50 moves under the control of the elevating mechanism 52 into and out of the internal spaces of the bottles 1a and 1b held by the carriers 4a and 4 via the openings 142a and 242a and the mouths 14 and 23 of the bottles 1a and 1b. . Then, the nozzle 50 cleans the inner surfaces of the bottles 1a and 1b by injecting the cleaning water into the interior spaces of the bottles 1a and 1b in a state where the nozzles 50 enter the interior spaces. At this time, the nozzle 50 repeats the vertical movement in the internal space of the bottles 1a and 1b while jetting the washing water.

  FIG. 13 is a plan view of the nozzle 50. In the figure, the position of the ejection port 50a hidden by the blade 56 is illustrated for reference. At the tip of the nozzle body 54, a number of ejection ports 50a are open upward. When the washing water is ejected upward from the ejection port 50a, the washing water is scattered in various directions in the bottle 1 by the impeller 55. Specifically, when the blade 56 does not overlap with the ejection port 50a with respect to the ejection direction (upward direction), the washing water jumps out substantially upward without any obstruction upward. On the other hand, when the blade 56 overlaps the ejection port 50a with respect to the ejection direction (upward direction), the cleaning water hits the blade 56 and jumps out in a substantially horizontal direction. During the washing, since the impeller 55 is rotating, the upward blowing of the cleaning water and the horizontal blowing are repeated. Thereby, the washing water is scattered in various directions in the bottle 1, and the washing of the inner surface of the bottle 1 is promoted.

  The materials of the nozzle body 54 and the impeller 55 are not particularly limited, but are made of metal such as stainless steel, hard resin, or the like.

<3. Flow of cleaning operation>
The flow of the cleaning operation performed by the cleaning device 2 will be described. Here, a case where the furan bottle 1a, the plastic container 1b, the stopper 15 and the lid 25 are sequentially washed will be described as an example.

  In this case, the user sets a large number of franc bottles 1a on the carrier 4a. Specifically, the upper opening of the casing 140 is opened by operating the lid 141 of the casing 140. Then, the franc bottle 1a is inserted into each of the openings 150a of the frame 150 with its mouth 14 facing downward, and then the lid 141 is closed. As a result, a large number of franc bottles 1a are arranged in an upright state on the support plate 142, and the mouth portions 14 are aligned with the openings 142a of the support plate 142, respectively. At this time, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6, typically, the mouth portion 14 completely covers the central region S11 of the opening 142a, and the projecting region S12 partially protrudes from the mouth portion 14 in plan view. .

  Further, the user sets the plastic container 1b on the carrier 4b. Specifically, the mouth 23 of the plastic container 1b is inserted into each opening 242a of the pedestal 240. As a result, a large number of plastic containers 1b are arranged on the pedestal 240 in a state in which the body portions 21 are mainly upside down, and the mouth portions 23 are respectively aligned with the openings 242a of the pedestal 240.

  Further, the user sets the stopper 15 and the lid 25 on the carrier 4c. Specifically, the lid 341 of the casing 340 is operated to open the upper opening of the casing 340. Then, the stopper 15 and the lid 25 are arranged at random on the mesh plate 350 so as not to overlap with each other. In particular, at this time, the lid 25 is arranged such that the top surface faces upward. Thereafter, the lid 341 of the casing 340 is closed.

  Subsequently, the carriers 4a to 4c are arranged upstream of the cleaning tray 3 of the transport device 8. At this time, the carrier 4 holding the object to be cleaned first is set so as to come further downstream (toward the cleaning tray 3). Then, the user operates the operation panel 85 to instruct the start of cleaning.

  When receiving an instruction to start cleaning via the operation panel 85, the control unit 9 drives the transport mechanism 8 to transport the carriers 4a to 4c to the downstream side. When the first carrier 4a is introduced into the space above the cleaning tray 3, the control unit 9 stops the transport mechanism 8. Here, in the carriers 4a to 4c, structures 40a to 40c (see FIGS. 6, 8 and 10) indicating respective types are provided at portions passing through the front of the sensor 86 in the process of being transported into the same space. Is provided. The sensor 86 detects these structures 40a to 40c, and transmits the detected information to the control unit 9. The control unit 9 determines the type of the carriers 4a to 4c and, based on this information, the object to be cleaned held by the type. Note that information for associating the structures 40a to 40c with the type of the carrier 4 and the cleaning target held by the carrier 4 is stored in advance in a storage device or a ROM, and this information is referred to when determining the cleaning target. You. In the present embodiment, the sensor 86 is disposed immediately upstream of the cleaning tray 3 as shown in FIG. 1, but is not limited thereto, and may be disposed, for example, above the cleaning tray 3. In this case, it is possible to determine the type of the carrier 4 currently introduced, not the carrier 4 to be introduced into the cleaning device 2. The sensor 86 can be configured by, for example, a photoelectric sensor. In addition, instead of the structures 40a to 40c, a barcode or an RF tag including information indicating the type thereof may be attached to the carriers 4a to 4c. It can be configured as an RFID reader or the like.

  When the carrier 4a is introduced into the space above the cleaning tray 3, the control unit 9 starts cleaning. At this time, based on information from the sensor 86, the control unit 9 recognizes that a specific type of cleaning target, that is, a specific type of Fran bottle 1a is set in the space above the cleaning tray 3. Subsequently, the control unit 9 controls the mode of cleaning according to the type of the Fran bottle 1a thus recognized.

  The washing mode will be described more specifically. First, the control unit 9 drives the pump 77 to pump the cleaning water from the first tank 75 into the lower tray 32 in order to perform the first cleaning step. Subsequently, the control unit 9 drives the lifting mechanism 52 to raise the nozzle 50. The nozzle 50 enters the interior space of the flan bottle 1a, but its rising amount is controlled so as not to collide with the bottom 10. When the nozzle 50 is in the internal space of the flan bottle 1a, the control unit 9 drives the pump 53 to pump up the washing water in the lower tray 32 and discharge it through the ejection port 50a of the nozzle 50. At this time, as described above, the impeller 55 is rotated by the water pressure of the discharged cleaning water, and the cleaning water is scattered upward and laterally in the internal space of the franc bottle 1a by the action of the blade 56. . The washing water spouted upward collides mainly with the vicinity of the center of the bottom portion 10 of the franc bottle 1a, and rebounds at the bottom portion 10, flows down the bottom portion 10, and flows to the body portion 11, and the inner surfaces of the bottom portion 10 and the body portion 11 Wash. Further, the cleaning water spouted to the side mainly collides with the torso 11 and rebounds at the torso 11 or falls along the torso 11 while cleaning the torso 11. All of the sprayed washing water eventually falls by gravity, is collected in the upper tray 31 through the opening 142 a of the support plate 142, and is further guided to the lower tray 32. Then, during the first cleaning step, the cleaning water is pumped up again by the pump 53 and injected from the nozzle 50.

  Further, during the first cleaning step, the control unit 9 moves the nozzle 50 in the vertical direction with respect to the internal space of the flan bottle 1a while jetting the cleaning water from the nozzle 50. Thus, the cleaning water can be applied to the entire inner surface of the nozzle 50 to enhance the cleaning effect. At this time, from the viewpoint of further improving the cleaning effect, it is preferable that the nozzle 50 be repeatedly reciprocated. The lower end of the vertical movement range of the nozzle 50 can be a height position where the tip of the nozzle body 54 is slightly below the mouth 14 of the franc bottle 1a. In this case, the mouth 14 of the franc bottle 1a can be effectively cleaned. After continuing the above washing for a predetermined time, the control unit 9 stops the pump 53, lowers the nozzle 50, and discharges the washing water in the washing tray 3.

  After the first cleaning step, the control unit 9 sequentially performs the second and third cleaning steps. As described above, the second and third cleaning steps are performed in the same manner as the first cleaning step except that the supply source of the cleaning water to be used and the discharge destination after the cleaning are different. When the third cleaning step is completed, the cleaning of the furan bottle 1a is completed.

  Subsequently, the control unit 9 drives the transport mechanism 8 to transport the next cleaning target, that is, the plastic container 1b, and transports the carriers 4a to 4c to the downstream side. As a result, the first carrier 4a is sent downstream of the cleaning tray 3 of the transport mechanism 8, and the second carrier 4b is introduced into the space above the cleaning tray 3. Thereafter, the control unit 9 stops the transport mechanism 8.

  When the carrier 4b is introduced into the cleaning device 2, the control unit 9 starts cleaning. At this time, based on the information from the sensor 86, the control unit 9 recognizes that a specific type of cleaning target, that is, a specific type of plastic container 1b is set in the cleaning device 2. Subsequently, the control unit 9 controls the mode of cleaning according to the type of the plastic container 1b recognized as described above, and performs the first to third cleaning steps on the plastic container 1b in the same manner as the flan bottle 1a. I do. However, the rising amount of the nozzle 50 with respect to the furan bottle 1a and the plastic container 1b is different. Further, other control parameters for determining the mode of cleaning, for example, the moving speed of the nozzle 50 in the vertical direction, the cleaning time, and the like can be appropriately changed from the time of cleaning the Fran bottle 1a.

  Subsequently, the control unit 9 drives the transport mechanism 8 to transport the next cleaning target, that is, the stopper 15 and the lid 25, and transports the carriers 4a to 4c to the downstream side. As a result, the second carrier 4b is sent downstream of the cleaning tray 3 of the transport mechanism 8, and the third carrier 4b is introduced into the space above the cleaning tray 3. Thereafter, the control unit 9 stops the transport mechanism 8.

  When the carrier 4c is introduced into the cleaning device 2, the control unit 9 starts cleaning. At this time, the control unit 9 recognizes that a specific cleaning target, that is, the stopper 15 and the lid 25 are set in the cleaning device 2 based on the information from the sensor 86. Subsequently, the control unit 9 controls the mode of cleaning according to the type of the cleaning target thus recognized.

  Specifically, the pump 77 is driven to pump cleaning water from the first tank 75 into the lower tray 32 to perform the first cleaning step on the stopper 15 and the lid 25. Subsequently, the control unit 9 drives the lifting mechanism 52 to raise the nozzle 50. The rising amount of the nozzle 50 is controlled so that the tip end thereof is slightly below the mesh plate 350. In this state, the control unit 9 drives the pump 53 to pump up the cleaning water in the lower tray 32 and discharge the cleaning water through the ejection port 50a of the nozzle 50. At this time, as described above, the washing water is scattered in various directions below the stopper 15 and the lid 25 by the action of the impeller 55 to clean the stopper 15 and the lid 25. All the jetted washing water finally falls by gravity, is collected in the upper tray 31, and is further guided to the lower tray 32. Then, during the first cleaning step, the cleaning water is pumped up again by the pump 53 and injected from the nozzle 50. Note that the control unit 9 may move the nozzle 50 in the vertical direction below the mesh plate 350 while jetting the washing water from the nozzle 50 even when cleaning the stopper 15 and the lid. After continuing the above washing for a predetermined time, the control unit 9 stops the pump 53, lowers the nozzle 50, and discharges the washing water in the washing tray 3.

  The control unit 9 sequentially performs the second and third cleaning steps on the stopper 15 and the lid 25 after the first cleaning step. As described above, the second and third cleaning steps are performed in the same manner as the first cleaning step for the stopper 15 and the lid 25 except that the supply source of the cleaning water to be used and the discharge destination after the cleaning are different. . When the third cleaning step is completed, the cleaning of the stopper 15 and the lid 25 is completed.

<4. Modification>
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said Embodiment, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning. For example, the following changes are possible. Further, the gist of the following modified examples can be appropriately combined.

<4-1>
In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning target when the carrier 4a is used is the flan bottle 1a. However, containers having other shapes can be similarly subjected to cleaning when the carrier 4a is used. That is, the bottle 1 has a shape such that its mouth does not fall below the support plate 142 through the opening 142 a of the support plate 142, and its body can pass through the opening 150 a of the frame 150. If there is, any kind of bottle 1 can be held by the carrier 4a as in the case of the flan bottle 1a. Therefore, the position of the mouth 14 and the position of the nozzle 50 can be adjusted for various types of bottles 1 with one carrier 4a. That is, the carrier 4a can absorb not only a manufacturing error of the bottle 1 but also a difference in the type of the bottle 1.

<4-2>
The control parameters at the time of cleaning that are changed according to the type of the carrier 4 are not limited to those described above, such as the amount of elevation of the nozzle 50. For example, the nozzle 50 to be raised can be determined. Specifically, consider a case where the size of the bottle 1 to be cleaned is larger than that described above. In this case, the number of bottles 1 that can be held in the carrier 4 is reduced. In this case, at the time of washing, the nozzles 50 located below the place where the bottle 1 does not exist are not moved up and down or the cleaning water is jetted out. Can be controlled so as to be lifted and lowered to eject cleaning water.

1 Bottle 1a Fran Bottle 11 Body 14 Mouth (Froth)
2 Cleaning devices 4, 4a Carrier 142 Support plate 142a Opening S11 Central region S12 Projecting region 150 Frame 50 Nozzle 50a Spout port 54 Nozzle body 55 Impeller 56 blades

Claims (3)

A cleaning device for cleaning a plurality of bottles each having a mouth and a body,
A carrier for holding the plurality of bottles in a predetermined position,
A plurality of nozzles for cleaning the inner surfaces of the plurality of bottles by moving back and forth through the mouth to the internal space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier and ejecting the washing water in the internal space. When
With
The carrier is such that the plurality of bottles stand upright with the mouth portions downward, so that the support plate supporting the mouth portions from below and the plurality of bottles standing up on the support plate do not fall over. A frame that supports the body of the plurality of bottles,
A plurality of openings are formed in the support plate,
The frame supports the body such that the mouths of the plurality of bottles are aligned with the plurality of openings,
The plurality of nozzles are aligned with respect to the plurality of openings, and enter the interior space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier from below through the openings and the mouth,
Each of the plurality of openings has a shape in which the distance from the center to the outer periphery changes along the circumferential direction, and the distance and the short region alternately appear along the circumferential direction.
Washing apparatus. A cleaning device for cleaning a plurality of bottles each having a mouth and a body,
A carrier for holding the plurality of bottles in a predetermined position,
A plurality of nozzles for cleaning the inner surfaces of the plurality of bottles by moving back and forth through the mouth to the internal space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier and ejecting the washing water in the internal space. When
With
The carrier is such that the plurality of bottles stand upright with the mouth portions downward, so that the support plate supporting the mouth portions from below and the plurality of bottles standing up on the support plate do not fall over. A frame that supports the body of the plurality of bottles,
A plurality of openings are formed in the support plate,
The frame supports the body such that the mouths of the plurality of bottles are aligned with the plurality of openings,
The plurality of nozzles are aligned with respect to the plurality of openings, and enter the interior space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier from below through the openings and the mouth,
Each of the plurality of openings has a substantially circular central region, and a plurality of projecting regions projecting radially from the central region.
Washing apparatus. A cleaning device for cleaning a plurality of bottles each having a mouth and a body,
A carrier for holding the plurality of bottles in a predetermined position,
A plurality of nozzles for cleaning the inner surfaces of the plurality of bottles by moving back and forth through the mouth to the internal space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier and ejecting the washing water in the internal space. When
With
The carrier is such that the plurality of bottles stand upright with the mouth portions downward, so that the support plate supporting the mouth portions from below and the plurality of bottles standing up on the support plate do not fall over. A frame that supports the body of the plurality of bottles,
A plurality of openings are formed in the support plate,
The frame supports the body such that the mouths of the plurality of bottles are aligned with the plurality of openings,
The plurality of nozzles are aligned with respect to the plurality of openings, and enter the interior space of the plurality of bottles held by the carrier from below through the openings and the mouth,
The plurality of nozzles are each
A cylindrical nozzle body having a tip with an ejection port formed therein,
An impeller having a plurality of blades attached to the tip end and having a plurality of blades driven to rotate around an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the nozzle body by a pressure of the cleaning water jetted from the jet port.
Washing apparatus.