JPH0678873A - Washing method and washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stably and efficiently wash tableware, etc., by oscillating a washing tank packed with granular materials up to a position lower than a washing liquid level and disposing the wash therein. CONSTITUTION:The washing liquid 13 and the granular materials 14 consisting of a soft resin or elastic material having the sp. gr. equal to or larger than the sp. gr. thereof are housed in the washing tank 1. The housing volume of the washing liquid 13 to the granular materials 14 is required to be set within a range where the washing liquid level 15 exists upper than the upper end 16 of the granular material 14 layer in the static state of the washing tank 1 at the min. and the depth H of the washing liquid 13 on the granular material 14 layer is below half the height of the granular material 14 layer at the max. A housing cage 10 housing the wash is inserted into the washing tank 1 from above and its supporting rod 12 is placed on a receiving plate 7 to support this housing cage 10. The washing tank 1 exclusive of the oscillation end thereof is oscillated at nearly an equal speed via an oscillation shaft 2a by an oscillation driving part. The granular materials 14 and the washing liquid 13 eventually repeat contact and collision with and against the wash. The wash is thus efficiently washed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing method and a washing apparatus which can be suitably used for washing dishes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional dishwasher, a method of spraying a washing liquid toward the dishes supported on a cupboard or a dish basket is generally used.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-202037, a cupboard for supporting dishes is housed in a case for containing a cleaning liquid, particles having different masses are mixed in the cleaning liquid, and an agitator for the cleaning liquid is incorporated. There is disclosed a dishwasher provided with a vibrator for vibrating the cleaning liquid, a catcher for catching particles at a predetermined position, and a heater for the cleaning liquid. In this dishwasher, the washing liquid is made to flow by stirring the washing liquid with a stirrer, and particles having a different mass from the washing liquid are brought into contact with the dishes by the flow of the washing liquid to remove stains adhering to the dishes, and the washing liquid By vibrating the particles, small dirt adhering to the dishes is removed, and when the cleaning liquid is discharged, the particles are captured to separate the dirt from the particles.

Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-42575 discloses that
Disclosed is a method for washing dishes by accommodating beads and a small amount of a cleaning liquid of an amount equal to or less than the space filling the beads in the cleaning tank, vibrating the cleaning tank, and circulatingly moving the beads on an inclined surface. .

[0005]

However, the method of spraying the cleaning liquid onto the tableware has a problem that the dirt firmly adhered to the tableware cannot be reliably removed.

On the other hand, even in the dishwasher of the system disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the flow rate of the washing liquid due to stirring is small unlike the case of jetting, and the amount of particles filled is also limited.
Even if the particles come into contact with the tableware as the cleaning liquid flows, the cleaning efficiency is low, and it is considered that the cleaning effect is improved by vibrating the cleaning liquid with a vibrator, but soft resin is used to prevent damage to the dishes. When using particles of elastic body or particles, the vibration of the cleaning liquid is absorbed by these particles and the effect cannot be sufficiently exerted.To further increase the probability that the particles contact the tableware by stirring the cleaning liquid, Even if the mixing ratio of the cleaning liquid is increased, it becomes difficult to stir the cleaning liquid this time, so it cannot contribute to the improvement of the cleaning efficiency, and the vibration of the cleaning liquid by the vibrator is almost absorbed by the particles. There is a problem that dirt cannot be removed efficiently.

Further, in the dishwashing method disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, beads cannot be circulated and washed unless the washing liquid is small, and conversely, if the amount of washing liquid is too small, the washing effect is significantly reduced. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to control the amount of cleaning liquid to obtain a stable cleaning effect. Furthermore, since the absolute amount of cleaning liquid is small, it is difficult to perform efficient cleaning, and it is necessary to vibrate the cleaning tank greatly. Therefore, there was a problem that it was difficult to take measures against noise and vibration.

In view of the above conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning method and a cleaning device capable of stably and efficiently cleaning tableware and the like.

[0009]

According to the cleaning method of the present invention, a cleaning liquid and a granular material having a specific gravity equal to or higher than that of the cleaning liquid are disposed such that the cleaning liquid surface is located above the upper end of the granular material layer in a stationary state of the cleaning tank. In addition, the depth of the cleaning liquid on the granular material layer is less than half the height of the granular material layer, and the cleaning liquid is accommodated in the cleaning tank, and the cleaning tank is swung with the object to be cleaned accommodated in the cleaning tank. Is characterized by.

Preferably, the object to be cleaned is supported by the storage car and is placed in the cleaning tank, and vibration is applied to the storage car.

Further, the cleaning apparatus of the present invention comprises a cleaning tank containing the cleaning liquid and the granular material, a storage basket for arranging and supporting the object to be cleaned in the cleaning tank, and means for swinging the cleaning tank. Preferably, the storage car is supported by the cleaning tank via the elastic body, and means for applying vibration to the storage car is provided.

[0012]

According to the cleaning method and the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning tank in the cleaning tank is rocked with the granular material having a specific gravity equal to or higher than that being filled to a position lower than the cleaning liquid surface. As a result, even if a large amount of granules were filled, the granules and the washing liquid flowed in a large amount with complicated behavior as the washing tank rocked, and thus a large amount of granules in the washing liquid were close to each other and disturbed. Because it flows in the state,
By disposing the object to be cleaned therein, the granular material and the cleaning liquid frequently contact and collide with the object to be cleaned, and the object to be cleaned can be efficiently cleaned.

When the amount of the cleaning liquid is small and the liquid level is lower than the upper surface of the granular layer in the stationary state of the cleaning tank, the fluidity of the granular particles is lowered to prevent a sufficient disturbing state and the cleaning effect is lowered. At the same time, due to lack of cleaning liquid, dirt cannot be reliably separated, and the cleaning effect is reduced. On the other hand, when the amount of the cleaning liquid is large and the liquid surface depth on the granular material layer becomes more than half the height of the granular material layer, the granular material is dispersed in the cleaning liquid and the contact between the granular material and the object to be cleaned occurs. The chances of collision are reduced, and the cleaning liquid and the granular material behave in the same manner to cause a disturbed state, which reduces the cleaning effect.

By placing the object to be cleaned in the cleaning tank while supporting it in the storage basket, the particles and the cleaning liquid come into contact with each other more efficiently. On the other hand, the vibration can be effectively transmitted to enhance the cleaning effect.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 3 showing the overall structure, 1 is a washing tank, and swing shafts 2 are arranged on both sides of an intermediate portion in the vertical direction thereof.
It is swingably supported by the frame 3 via a and 2b.

One of the swing shafts 2a is configured to be swingable by a swing drive section 4 provided on the frame 3.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the cleaning tank 1 is composed of a polygonal container having an open upper surface, support flanges 5 are provided at both upper ends, and springs 6 are arranged at both ends of the upper surface.
The receiving plate 7 is provided via the. An air vibrator 8 is attached to the center of the receiving plate 7.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a storage basket for storing and supporting an object to be cleaned. A support portion 11 is provided on the upper portion of the storage basket. The support portion 11 extends to the left and right sides at its upper end and both ends thereof are placed and supported on the receiving plate 7. A pair of support rods 12 are provided.

In the cleaning tank 1, a cleaning liquid 13 and a granular body 14 made of a soft resin or an elastic body having a specific gravity equal to or higher than the cleaning liquid 13 and a cleaning liquid surface 15 in a stationary state of the cleaning bath 1 have 14 layers of granular bodies. It is housed so that it is located a few cm above the top edge. The amount of the cleaning liquid 13 contained in the granular body 14 is such that the cleaning liquid surface 15 is located above the upper end 16 of the granular body 14 layer in the stationary state of the cleaning tank 1, and the cleaning liquid 13 depth above the granular body 14 layer is the maximum. It is necessary that the height H is within the range of half the height of the 14 layers of the granular material.

As the cleaning liquid 13, only water or warm water may be used, but when a mixture of a surfactant and other detergents is used, the cleaning power is improved, and various solvents and chemical liquids are used depending on the application. You can also As the granular body 14,
Spheres made of rubber or soft synthetic resin with a diameter of several mm are suitable so as not to damage the objects to be cleaned such as tableware, and those containing abrasives etc. may be used, and depending on the objects to be cleaned. Glass beads, ceramic spheres, and granular materials of various materials can be used, and the shape can be arbitrarily selected and used.

Next, the washing operation of the tableware having the above construction will be described. With the cleaning liquid 13 and the soft resin or elastic granular material 14 housed in the cleaning tank 1 as described above, the housing basket 10 containing the object to be cleaned is inserted into the cleaning tank 1 from above, and its supporting rod is supported. 12 A storage basket 1 placed on the receiving plate 7
Support 0. Since a large amount of granular materials 14 are stored in the cleaning tank 1, if the storage car 10 cannot be smoothly inserted, the storage car 10 can be smoothly inserted by applying vibration. .

In this way, with the storage basket 10 arranged and supported in the cleaning tank 1, the cleaning tank 1 is rocked by the rocking drive unit 4 through the rocking shaft 2a at a substantially constant speed except for the rocking end. . Then, even if the cleaning tank 1 is filled with a large amount of the granular bodies 14, when the cleaning tank 1 swings, the granular bodies 14 and the cleaning liquid 13 largely flow in a figure 8 shape while exhibiting complicated behavior. In this way, since a large amount of granular materials 14 are in proximity to each other in the cleaning liquid 13 and are flowing while being disturbed, the object to be cleaned supported in the storage basket 10 is arranged relative to the object to be cleaned. The granular material 14 and the cleaning liquid 13 frequently come into contact with each other and collide with each other frequently, so that the object to be cleaned is efficiently cleaned. At that time, since the object to be cleaned is supported in the storage basket 10 so as not to flow together with the granular bodies 14 and the cleaning liquid 13, the granular bodies 14 and the cleaning liquid 13 contact each other more efficiently and exhibit a high cleaning effect. To be done.

Furthermore, when vibration is applied to the storage car 10 by the air vibrator 8, the vibration is effectively transmitted to the object to be cleaned, and the frequency of contact between the object to be cleaned and the granular material 14 or the cleaning liquid 13 is further increased. The cleaning effect can be enhanced.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example in which the upper opening of the cleaning tank 1 is left open is shown, but as in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the opening is closed by the lid 17 which can be automatically opened and closed. The cleaning liquid 13 and the like may be prevented from scattering.

In this embodiment, a support flange 18 is arranged on the upper part of the inner wall of the cleaning tank 1 so as not to interfere with the lid 17, and the spring 1 is arranged on the supporting flange 18 so as not to protrude from the cleaning tank 1.
9, the receiving plate 20 and the air vibrator 21 are arranged,
The support rod 12 of the storage basket 10 is also set to a length that can be stored in the cleaning tank 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the lid 17 is supported by a hinge 22 so as to be openable and closable. Swing axis 2
A boss portion 24 provided at an intermediate portion of the opening / closing lever 23 is swingably fitted to the outer circumferences of a and 2b. An air cylinder 25 for opening and closing is connected to one end 23a of the opening / closing lever 23, and the other end 23b of the opening / closing lever 23 is connected to the other end of the lid 17 via a link 26.

Thus, when the air cylinder 25 is extended, the lid 17 is closed and locked in that state as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, and when the air cylinder 25 is contracted, the lid 17 is shown by the phantom line. It can be opened and closed automatically by the operation of the air cylinder 25.

In the above embodiment, the object to be cleaned is housed in the car 10 and vibration is applied to the car 10. However, it is possible to effectively clean the car without vibration.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the object to be cleaned is housed in the car 10 and arranged in the cleaning tank 1 is shown.
The object to be cleaned may be directly inserted into the cleaning tank 1.

[0031]

According to the cleaning method and apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning tank in the cleaning tank is swung while the granular material having a specific gravity equal to or higher than that is filled to a position lower than the cleaning liquid surface. As a result, even if a large amount of granules are filled, the granules and the cleaning liquid flow in a large amount with complicated behavior as the cleaning tank rocks, and thus a large amount of granules come close to each other and are disturbed in the cleaning liquid. Since it flows in a state where it is flowing, by arranging the object to be cleaned in it, the granular material and the cleaning liquid frequently contact and collide with the object to be cleaned,
The object to be cleaned can be efficiently cleaned.

Further, by supporting the object to be cleaned in the storage basket and arranging it in the cleaning tank, the particulates and the cleaning liquid come into contact with each other more efficiently. On the other hand, the vibration can be effectively transmitted to enhance the cleaning effect.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a cleaning tank of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the cleaning tank of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the overall configuration of the cleaning apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional front view of a cleaning tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the cleaning tank of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning tank 4 Oscillation drive part 6 Spring 8 Air vibrator 10 Storage cage 13 Cleaning liquid 14 Granules

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning liquid and a granular material having a specific gravity equal to or higher than that are disposed such that the cleaning liquid surface is located above the upper end of the granular material layer and the cleaning liquid depth on the granular material layer is in a stationary state of the cleaning tank. A cleaning method, characterized in that the granular material layer is accommodated in a cleaning tank at a ratio of not more than half the height, and the cleaning tank is swung while the object to be cleaned is accommodated in the cleaning tank. 2. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein an object to be cleaned is supported by a storage car and is placed in a cleaning tank, and vibration is applied to the storage car. 3. A cleaning tank containing a cleaning liquid and a granular body,
A cleaning apparatus comprising: a storage basket for arranging and supporting an object to be cleaned in a cleaning tank, and means for rocking the cleaning tank. 4. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storage car is supported by a cleaning tank via an elastic body, and means for applying vibration to the storage car is provided.