JPH01119295A - Automatic recovery apparatus for cleaning solvent - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To automate the recovery of a cleaning solvent and to satisfactorily finish laundry by providing a separate chamber for separating the cleaning solvent from a liquid recovered from a separator, and providing a pump for returning the separated cleaning solvent back to a washing machine. CONSTITUTION: When the recovered liquid 22 flows from a separator 4 into an inflow 14 of an automatic recoverying device 12, first of all, the recovered liquid flows down through the range partitioned by a partition 15, falls in the direction of arrow B, turns around a lower surface 15a of the partition 15 and flows into a separate chamber 13 like an arrow C. In this case, a cleaning solvent (organic solvent) 10 is separated from the recovered liquid. When the quantity of this organic solvent 10 is gradually increased, a float 18 is gradually raised by the buoyancy of the organic solvent 10, an operating rod 30 is rotated in the direction of arrow D and a first switch SW1 is turned on. With this ON, a motor M is electrified, a pump P is activated, and the organic solvent 10 is sucked from the separate chamber 13 like an arrow E from an opening part 16a of a suction pipe 16, returned through a hose 26 and a discharge port 25 to the washing machine and reused.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an automatic recovery device for cleaning solvent in dry cleaning equipment, and particularly to an automatic recovery device for cleaning solvent in dry cleaning equipment, and in particular, for further recovering only the cleaning solvent from the recovery liquid recovered by a water and cleaning solvent separator. This invention relates to an automatic collection device that can automate the process of returning it to the washing machine.

Prior Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG.
The washing machine 2 has a petroleum-based specific gravity of 0.7! V! When the cleaning of the items to be washed is finished, the items to be washed are put into the dryer 3 which has a built-in cleaning solvent recovery machine and dried, and at this time, the cleaning solvent is recovered together with the moisture. Ru. Water is then separated by a separator 4, and a recovered liquid 5 containing a large amount of cleaning solvent is taken out and reused.

However, in the prior art, there is no example of automating the process of further collecting only the cleaning solvent from the recovered liquid 5 and returning it to the horizontal 2 for washing.
A reservoir hole 8 with a size of about am is dug, and the recovered liquid 5 is poured into the reservoir hole.
is discharged from the separator 4, and water 9 and cleaning solvent 10
The cleaning solvent 10 floating above the layer of water 9 is removed manually by using a ladle 11 as shown in the figure or a bucket (not shown) or the like. Primitive work was being done, such as pumping it out and returning it to washing machine 2, and there was no other method. Therefore, many man-hours are required to pump out the cleaning solvent, and the cost of constructing the reservoir hole 8 is also high, resulting in a disadvantage that the cleaning cost is relatively high. Further, the presence of such a reservoir hole 8 in a cleaning factory poses a danger to workers walking, and is not desirable from the standpoint of safety and health. Furthermore, there is a risk that foreign matter may fall into the reservoir hole 8 and be returned to the washing machine 2 by mistake, which may adversely affect the finish of the items to be washed, and improvements have been desired.

Purpose The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art described above, and its purpose is to enable the collection liquid to be placed in an appropriate location without relying on a reservoir hole dug in the ground. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a portable automatic cleaning solvent collection device, which eliminates the need for manual pumping of cleaning solvents, reduces man-hours and equipment costs, and reduces cleaning costs. That's true. Another purpose is to eliminate the risk of foreign matter getting mixed into the cleaning solvent returned to the washing machine by eliminating the reservoir, improve the finish of the items to be washed, and improve safety within the cleaning factory. Still another object is to provide a float in the separation chamber and provide first and second switches that are opened and closed by the vertical movement of the float, so that the pump for pumping up the cleaning solvent can keep an appropriate amount of recovered liquid in the separation chamber. The second switch activates the alarm, so that if the level of the collected liquid in the separation chamber rises abnormally due to the float, an alarm such as a buzzer will sound. The purpose is to make sure that the pump stops at the same time so that accidents can be prevented.

In short, the present invention provides a separation chamber in which water is precipitated near the bottom and a cleaning solvent is floated above the water to separate the water and the cleaning solvent based on the difference in specific gravity; and an upper part of the separation chamber. a recovery liquid inlet provided in the cleaning solvent separator into which the recovery liquid flows, a partition plate that partitions the vicinity of the recovery liquid inlet and has a lower end open to the bottom of the separation chamber, and a partition plate that pumps up the cleaning solvent. a pump, a suction pipe that opens above the layer of moisture precipitated in the separation chamber and is connected to the pump, a float that is housed in the separation chamber so as to be movable up and down, and is operated by the up and down movement of the float. a first switch that rotates or stops the motor of the pump; and a first switch that is activated when the float rises abnormally when the cleaning solvent overflows from the separation chamber to stop the motor of the pump and generate an alarm. The device is characterized by comprising a second switch configured to operate the device.

The present invention will be explained below based on embodiments shown in the drawings. 1st
4, the cleaning solvent automatic recovery device 12 according to the present invention includes a separation chamber 13 and a recovery liquid inlet 1.
4, a partition plate 15, a pump P, a suction pipe 16, a float 18, a first switch SWI, and a second switch SW2.

The separation chamber 13 is configured to allow moisture 9 to precipitate near the bottom 13a and to separate the cleaning solvent 10 based on the difference in specific gravity, and is formed in a part of the casing 19 by partitioning the casing 19 with a partition wall 20. It has a predetermined volume. The height of the partition wall 20 is such that the top surface 20a of the partition wall 20 is lower than the top surface 19a of the casing 19.

The recovered liquid inlet 14 is provided at the upper part of the separation chamber 13 and allows the recovered liquid 22 to flow in from the cleaning solvent separator 4 (FIG. 5), and is communicatively connected to the separator 4. be done.

The partition plate 15 partitions the vicinity of the recovered liquid inlet 14, has a lower end 15a open to the bottom 13a of the separation chamber 13, has a cross-sectional shape, and is fixed to the casing 19.
Rippled recovered liquid 22 that flows in from the recovered liquid inlet 14
This is to prevent the influence of the separation chamber 13 from reaching the entire separation chamber 13.

The pump P is directly connected to a motor M and is rotated by the motor, and the cleaning solvent 10 separated from water 9 in a separation chamber 13 is
This is for pumping up the waste from the separation chamber 13 and returning it to the washing machine 2 (Fig. 5), and it is fixed to the casing 19, and a hose 26 connected to the discharge port 25 of the casing 19 is connected to the discharge port 24 of the casing 19. It is connected in communication. The discharge port 25 is connected to the washing machine 2 in communication. In addition, a hose 2 connected to the suction pipe 16 is connected to the suction port 28 of the pump P.
9 are connected in series.

The suction pipe 16 opens above the 90 layers of moisture precipitated in the separation chamber 13, and is connected to the suction pipe 28 of the pump P via a hose 29.

The float 18 is housed in the separation chamber 13 so as to be able to move up and down, and is formed into a spherical shape using a hollow copper plate. An operating rod 30 is fixed to the top surface 18a of the float 18, and the operating rod is connected to a metal fitting 31.
actuator shaft 32 of the first switch SWI by
The actuator rod 30 is fixed to the actuator shaft and is pivotally supported to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction about the actuator shaft, and when the separation chamber 13 is empty, the operating rod 30 is placed on the top surface 20a of the partition wall 20. There is.

The first switch SWI is operated by the vertical movement of the float 18 to rotate or stop the motor M of the pump P, and is connected to the power supply 33 and the second switch SWI.
The movable piece 34 is mechanically connected to the actuating rod 30 of the float 18 via the actuator shaft 32, and the contact 37 is normally open. That is, when the float 18 is at a low position, the contact 37 of the first switch SWI is open, and when the flow) 1B rises above a certain height, it closes.

The second switch SW2 is activated when the cleaning solvent 10 overflows from the separation chamber 13 and the float 18 rises abnormally to stop the motor M of the pump P and also to turn off the buzzer BZ, which is an example of an alarm. Two contacts 35 and 36 are connected in parallel to the first switch SWI, a motor M and a buzzer BZ are connected to each contact, and a pair of movable pieces 38° 39 is mechanically connected to the actuating rod 30 via a lever 40. That is, the lever 40 is urged upward by a spring (not shown) and is in contact with the lower surface of the operating rod 30. Contact 35 is normally closed, and contact 36 is normally open. When the movable piece 38 separates from the contact 35, the contact 35 opens, and when the movable piece 39 comes into contact with the contact 36, the contact 36 closes. That is, the motor M and the buzzer BZ can operate only alternatively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the buzzer BZ is fixed to a casing 19, and a power cord 41 is drawn into the lower part of the casing 19.

An overflow hole 43 is provided in the casing 19 in the upper part of the separation chamber 13, and a normally closed drain hole 44 is provided in the lower part. Furthermore, the casing 19 is covered with a lid (not shown), so that the interior of the automatic recovery device 12 is not visible from the outside when in use.

Function The present invention is constructed as described above, and its function will be explained below. In the cleaning solvent automatic recovery device 12 according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. The recovered liquid flows into the range shown by the arrow B, descends as shown by the arrow B, goes around the lower surface 15a of the partition plate 15, and flows into the separation chamber 13 as shown by the arrow C.
Here, the moisture 9 with a large specific gravity accumulates near the bottom 13a of the separation chamber 13, and the moisture 9 hardly rises above the opening 16a of the suction pipe 16 of the pump P for a considerable period of time (about one month). The moisture 9 is located below the opening 16a.
layer is maintained. On the other hand, organic solvent 10 has a specific gravity of 0.7
Since it is light at the 5th place, it floats above the layer of Suito 9 and accumulates in the separation chamber 13, where it is separated from the water 9.

Then, as the amount of organic solvent 10 gradually increases, float 1
8 gradually rises due to the buoyancy of the organic solvent 10, and the operating rod 3
0 rotates clockwise in the figure as shown by the arrow, the actuator shaft 32 of the first switch SWI rotates, and the movable piece 34 rotates.
contacts contact 37 and the first switch S%l11 closes. As a result, the contact point 35 of the motor M is normally closed, and since the movable piece 38 is in contact with the contact point 35, the motor M is energized from the power source 33, and as a result, the pump P rotates, and the opening 16a of the suction pipe 16 The organic solvent 10 is sucked in from the casing 19 as shown by the arrow E, passes through the hose 26 and is discharged from the outlet 25 of the casing 19 as shown by the arrow F, and is sent to the washing machine 2.

Then, when the amount of organic solvent 10 accumulated in the separation chamber 13 gradually decreases and the float 18 falls below a certain position,
The first switch SWI is opened, the motor M is stopped, the pump P is stopped, and the discharge of the organic solvent 10 is stopped.

In addition, the amount of organic solvent lO increased abnormally, and the float 18
If the lever rises to an abnormal height, the operating rod 30
rises to a higher position than usual, the lever 40 rises and the movable piece 38 of the second switch SW2 moves to the contact point 3.
At the same time, the movable piece 39 contacts the contact 36 to energize the buzzer BZ, and the buzzer sounds to issue an alarm. Therefore, if the amount of organic solvent 10 increases abnormally and flows out from the overflow hole 43, the buzzer BZ will automatically sound to notify nearby workers of the abnormal increase in organic solvent 10. It's safe.

Furthermore, if the amount of moisture 9 accumulated near the bottom 13a of the separation chamber 13 gradually increases and reaches the vicinity of the opening 16a of the suction pipe 16, there is a risk that the pump P will suck in the moisture 9. In such a case, the drain hole 44 is opened to drain the moisture 9 to the outside. However, this work is done once a month.
Degrees are fine.

As a result, the automatic collection device 12 can be used again in a normal state.

As described above, according to the automatic recovery device 12 according to the present invention, the organic solvent 10 is automatically separated from the recovery liquid recovered from the separator 4, and the organic solvent 10 is automatically returned to the washing machine 2 by the pump P. This eliminates the need for any manual work using a ladle 11 as in the past, resulting in significant labor savings in the cleaning factory.Also, the collecting hole 8 for the collected liquid can be installed on the ground 6 of the cleaning factory. It is not necessary (and can also improve the environment of the cleaning factory.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the alarm device was explained as a buzzer BZ, but this is not limited to a buzzer (
It is clear that a red lamp, a bell, etc. may also be used.

Furthermore, although the second switch SW2 has been described as having a pair of movable pieces 38 and 39, this is of a structure in which a single movable piece is brought into contact with the contact point 35 or 36 alternatively. Needless to say, it is possible.

Effects The present invention can provide a portable cleaning solvent automatic recovery device that can be placed at a suitable location without depending on the recovery liquid reservoir hole dug in the ground as described above, and as a result, cleaning By eliminating the need for manual pumping of solvents, it is possible to reduce man-hours and equipment costs.
The effect of reducing cleaning costs can be obtained.

Additionally, by eliminating the reservoir, there is no risk of foreign matter getting mixed into the cleaning solvent that is returned to the washing machine.
This has the effect of improving the finish of laundry and improving safety within the cleaning factory. Furthermore, a float was provided in the separation chamber, and first and second switches were provided that were operated by the vertical movement of the float, so that the cleaning solvent pump would rotate only when an appropriate amount of recovered liquid was in the separation chamber. In addition, the second switch activates the alarm, so if the level of the recovered liquid in the separation chamber rises abnormally due to the float, an alarm such as a buzzer will sound and the pump will stop at the same time. This has the effect of preventing accidents from occurring.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 relate to embodiments of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a front view of the automatic solvent recovery device with the lid removed, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a right side view of the device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. Electrical circuit diagram, 5th
The figure is a system schematic diagram of a conventional cleaning factory. 4 is a separator, 9 is water, 10 is a cleaning solvent, 12
1 is a cleaning solvent automatic recovery device; 13 is a separation chamber; 1 is a separation chamber;
3a is the bottom, 14 is the recovered liquid inlet, 15 is the partition plate, 15
a is a lower end, 16 is a suction pipe, 18 is a float, 22 is a recovered liquid, M is a motor, P is a pump, SWI is a first switch, and SW2 is a second switch. Patent applicant Okamoto Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A separation chamber is provided in which the moisture is precipitated near the bottom and the cleaning solvent is floated above the moisture to separate the moisture and the cleaning solvent based on the difference in their specific gravity; A recovery liquid inlet through which the recovery liquid flows from the separator, a partition plate that partitions the vicinity of the recovery liquid inlet and whose lower end is open to the bottom of the separation chamber, a pump that pumps up the cleaning solvent, and a partition plate that partitions the vicinity of the recovery liquid inlet into the separation chamber. a suction pipe that opens above the layer of moisture precipitated in the water and is connected to the pump; a float that is housed in the separation chamber so as to be movable up and down; and a motor of the pump that is operated by the up and down movement of the float. a first switch that rotates or stops the pump; and a first switch that operates when the float rises abnormally to stop the motor of the pump and activate an alarm when the cleaning solvent overflows from the separation chamber. The second
An automatic recovery device for cleaning solvent, characterized in that it is equipped with a switch.