JPH08336621A - Golf ball washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a golf ball washer capable of surely washing dirt on the surface of a golf ball, having sperior maintenance performance, and capable of being mounted compactly. CONSTITUTION: This golf ball washer is provided with a large-diameter brush 1 which is horizontally journalled so as to be rotationally driven and a plurality of small-diameter brushes 2...2 which have the diameter smaller than this large- diameter brush 1, form a passage (T) for the golf ball toward the large-diameter brush 1, and are driven in such a state as rotating in the same direction of the large-diameter brush 1 and intermittently stopping. A golf ball introduction path 5 and a golf ball exhaust path 6 are provided in the inlet side of the passage (T) and the outlet side of the passage (T) respectively. A raising/lowering washing tank 3 for storing washing liquid 3A and soaking at least a part of these brushes in the washing liquid is provided below the large-diameter brush 1 and the small-diameter brushes 2...2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a golf ball cleaning apparatus capable of automatically cleaning a dirty golf ball. More specifically, the apparatus itself is compact and can be installed in a small area, and the dirt on the golf ball can be reliably removed. The present invention relates to a golf ball cleaning apparatus that can perform cleaning processing within a short time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an apparatus for cleaning a large amount of golf balls, a plurality of cylindrical cleaning brushes each having a diameter of about 100 mm are horizontally arranged without a gap, and the cleaning brushes are horizontally arranged. Those that rotate in the same direction with a drive chain have been put to practical use. A golf ball input port is provided on the upstream side of the cleaning brush row, and the golf ball supplied from this golf ball input port is cleaned with the cleaning brush while being cleaned with water sprayed from the water spray mechanism. , Dried by air. The washed golf ball is discharged out of the machine through a discharge port provided on the side of the cleaning brush row.

That is, a dirty golf ball introduced from the golf ball input port drops onto the cleaning brush row, and the rotating force of these cleaning brushes imparts a rotating force to the golf ball, and the cleaning golf balls are sequentially directed toward the discharge port. Be moved. Then, the dirt on the surface is scraped off by contact with the cleaning brush during the movement, and the dirt on the surface of the golf ball is cleaned by the water stream jetted from the water jet mechanism.

[0004]

However, the conventional golf ball cleaning apparatus described above has the following drawbacks. (A) Since the golf ball only rolls on the cleaning brush, stains stubbornly adhered to the surface cannot be removed by this device, and complete cleaning was not achieved.

(B) The movement from the inlet to the outlet is
If there is neither the rotational force of the rotating brush from the lower part nor the pushing force of the golf balls that are sequentially injected from the input port, it will stay in the device, and when cleaning a small amount of golf balls, to the discharge port. The movement toward it was uncertain, and the golf ball remained in the device. On the other hand, when a large amount of golf balls exceeding the movement processing capability are thrown in, the golf balls may become clogged, or cleaning may become uncertain.

(C) Since many cleaning brushes are arranged in the horizontal direction, the length of the entire apparatus becomes long, and it is necessary to secure a large installation area for the cleaning apparatus.

(D) Since the cleaning water is sprayed from the top of the golf ball, there are problems that the amount of water consumed is large and it is uneconomical, and that the sprayed water easily damages the surrounding machinery and electric devices.

(E) Since the cleaning brushes are continuously connected through a chain or the like and fixedly supported by a frame or the like, when the cleaning brushes are selectively replaced,
All the devices had to be disassembled, and the maintenance work required time and effort.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball cleaning apparatus which eliminates the above disadvantages (a) to (e). Specifically, the golf ball surface can be reliably cleaned. The present invention also provides a golf ball cleaning device that is excellent in maintainability and is compactly installed.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention forms a golf ball passage between a large-diameter brush that is horizontally supported and rotatably driven, and a large-diameter brush that has a smaller diameter than the large-diameter brush. And a plurality of small-diameter brushes that are driven to rotate intermittently and stop in the same direction as the large-diameter brush, and a golf ball introduction path is provided on the entrance side of the path. In addition, a golf ball discharge passage is provided on the exit side of the passage, while a cleaning liquid is contained below the large-diameter brush and the small-diameter brush, and at least a part of these brushes can be immersed in the cleaning liquid. A cleaning liquid tank is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, a regulating rod for preventing the golf ball from jumping out is provided between the adjacent small diameter brushes, and the golf ball is prevented from overflowing to the left and right ends of the large diameter brush. It is preferable that an annular ring guide is provided, and that the small-diameter brush on the golf ball introduction path side and the small-diameter brush on the golf ball discharge path side are rotatably supported so that they can freely rotate in forward and reverse directions.

Further, the large-diameter brush is axially supported between two side plates, and one end of the large-diameter brush is rotatably supported via a lid-shaped bracket, and the lid-shaped bracket supports the large-diameter brush. It is preferable that the large-diameter brush is detachably attached to the side plate so as to close the passable side plate hole, and that the other end of the large-diameter brush is detachably supported by the bearing portion so as to transmit the rotational driving force.

The small-diameter brush is axially supported between two side plates, and one end of the small-diameter brush is rotatably supported via a trapezoidal bracket, and the trapezoidal bracket closes a side plate notch through which the small-diameter brush can pass. As described above, it is preferable that the small-diameter brush is detachably attached to the side plate, and the other end of the small-diameter brush is detachably supported by the bearing portion so that the rotational driving force can be transmitted.

[0014]

The golf ball cleaning apparatus of the present invention comprises a large-diameter brush, a plurality of small-diameter brushes, and a cleaning liquid tank that moves up and down as main components, and a part of the outer circumference of the cylindrical large-diameter brush, A small-diameter brush is provided so as to surround the large-diameter brush so as to form a passage through which the golf ball can pass. While rotating the large-diameter brush and the small-diameter brush in the same direction, the small-diameter brushes are intermittently stopped all at once, so that a dirty golf ball introduced from a golf ball introduction path is passed through the path to a golf ball discharge path. The golf ball is rubbed between the large-diameter brush and the small-diameter brush (bristles) so that the dirt can be rubbed off.

Below the large-diameter brush and the small-diameter brush,
A cleaning liquid tank containing cleaning liquid is provided so that it can move up and down, and when it is raised, part or all of the small diameter brush and large diameter brush is immersed in the cleaning liquid to wash dirt on the surface of the golf ball passing through the passage. Not only can it be removed, but dirt that adheres to the bristles of the brush can also be washed off. When the cleaning liquid tank is moved down, the cleaning liquid can be easily exchanged and the cleaning operation of the liquid tank can be easily performed, and the large diameter brush and the small diameter brush can be replaced and maintenance work such as repair can be performed in a wide space.

When a substantial gap between adjacent small-diameter brushes (a gap between hard portions other than the flocking region) is set larger than the outer diameter of the golf ball, the bristles of the small-diameter brush are easily deformed by a strong force. As a result, the golf ball may spill from between the small diameter brushes. for that reason,
Between adjacent small diameter brushes, a rod-shaped restricting rod is arranged in parallel with these to prevent such spillage. Further, on both left and right ends of the large-diameter brush, in order to prevent the ends of the flocked portion from being crushed and deformed by the golf ball, annular ring guides surrounding the periphery of the large-diameter brush are provided at both ends, Prevent the golf ball from falling laterally from the passage. Further, among the plurality of small-diameter brushes, the small-diameter brushes arranged at the end portions on the golf ball introduction path side and the golf ball discharge path side are allowed to freely rotate (not forcibly driven), so that the entry / exit portion in the passage is You can move the golf ball smoothly.

The large-diameter brush provided between the pair of side plates is configured such that one end thereof is connected to a rotary driving device to be rotationally driven, and is also removable in the axial longitudinal direction (for example, a key groove is used. The engaging structure and the structure using polygonal concavo-convex fitting are used), and the other end is pivotally supported through a bearing to a lid-shaped bracket that closes a side plate hole (a size that allows the large-diameter brush to come out). . As a result, by removing the lid-shaped bracket from the side plate, the large-diameter brush can be easily taken out through the side-plate hole, and maintenance such as replacement and repair of the large-diameter brush can be performed very easily.

The small-diameter brushes are attached to the side plates through a trapezoidal bracket as in the large-diameter brushes, and the small-diameter brushes can be easily removed from the side plates. At this time, if the holes for pulling out the small-diameter brushes in the axial direction are made continuous to form horseshoe-shaped side plate notches, the side plate can be easily cut, and the adjacent trapezoidal brackets may be continuous. it can.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic front view, FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow II, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway view of the brush support frame.
4 is a side view of the IV direction arrow of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a side view of the V direction arrow of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the state of the golf ball in the passage of the device of the present invention.

In the golf ball cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 (FIG. 2), a brush support frame 4 is fixed to an upper portion of a frame F, and a cleaning liquid tank 3 which is vertically movable is provided below the brush support frame 4. There is. The frame F includes a vertical frame F1 and a horizontal frame F2 to form a rectangular frame body.
In the illustrated example, a space is formed between the frames F1 and F2, but a cover is provided if necessary to cover the entire device described later.

The brush support frame 4 includes side plates 41 and 4 which form a pair.
1 and a large-diameter brush 1 horizontally provided between them (see FIG. 2) and a plurality of small-diameter brushes 2A, 2 (detailed structure will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5). The side plate 41 is an upper horizontal frame F2. Fixed to. A passage T for passing the golf ball B is formed between the large-diameter brush 1 and the small-diameter brushes 2A, 2 and the golf ball B is introduced into the passage T above the passage T (arrow T5). Direction) A golf ball introduction path 5 is provided, and the golf ball B is discharged from the passage T on the side of the passage T (arrow T6).
Direction) A golf ball discharge path 6 is provided.

Four guide rods 31 are provided at four corners of the frame F along the vertical direction, and two moving elements 32, 32 are slidably fitted to each of the guide rods 31, respectively. The child 32 is fixed to the outer surface of the rectangular parallelepiped cleaning liquid tank 3 having an open upper portion and an inner space. 1/3 of the cleaning liquid tank 3
The cleaning liquid 3A (using water or a mixed liquid of water and a neutral detergent, etc.) is accommodated in 1 to 1/2, and a drain pipe 39 is connected to the bottom thereof. Further, as shown in FIG.
An elevating stage 33 is joined to one of the two, and the elevating stage 33 is engaged with an elevating mechanism 35 via a screw shaft 34. The up-and-down mechanism 35 is fixed to the vertical frame F1 by a fixed seat 36 and is connected to the electric motor M3. Therefore, by rotating the electric motor M3 forward and backward, the vertical mechanism is rotated to raise and lower the screw shaft 34. Then, the mover 32 is moved up and down along the guide rod 31 to move the cleaning liquid tank 3 up and down (direction of arrow UD). Note that the lifting mechanism is not limited to the above example, but may use a chain or a drive cylinder.

The cleaning liquid tank 3 is lifted and fixed to the upper position, the brush support frame 4 is housed inside the cleaning liquid tank 3, and a part or all of the large diameter brush 1 and the small diameter brush 2 is placed in the cleaning liquid 3A. Immersion is performed and the dirt adhering to the golf ball B and the brush is washed off with the cleaning liquid 3A. That is, a large-diameter brush 1 in which bristles 1a made of synthetic resin fiber, animal hair, plant fiber, etc. are planted on the drum 13 (see FIG. 3) is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow R1 in FIG. 2 (5 to 30 rpm,
More preferably 15 to 20 rpm) and the shaft portion 2
5 (see FIG. 3), the small-diameter brush 2 in which the bristles 2a are planted similarly to the above is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R2 (100 to 500 rp).
m, more preferably 250 to 350 rpm). However, the small diameter brushes 2 ... 2 are 0.5 to 1.0 every few seconds to several tens of seconds.
The golf ball B is moved within the passage T by stopping for a second (when the small-diameter brush 2 is stopped, the rotational movement force of the large-diameter brush 1 is applied to the golf ball B so that the golf ball B moves in the rotational direction of the large-diameter brush 1. Move B). It is desirable that the small-diameter brushes 2A, 2A on the golf ball introduction path 5 side and the golf ball discharge path 6 side be rotatably supported freely without being connected to a driving device, whereby smooth introduction of the golf ball B and It becomes possible to discharge.

Therefore, as the dirty golf ball B supplied from the golf ball introduction path 5 moves along the path T in the direction of arrow T5, the golf ball B itself rotates in the direction Rb as shown in FIG. Meanwhile, the hairs 1a and 2a are rubbed to clean the surface of the hair. The small-diameter brush 2 immersed in the cleaning liquid 3A is further cleaned by the cleaning action of the cleaning liquid (the green pigment of the grass and the molten plastic of the artificial grass can be removed). Then, the golf ball B is finally discharged from the golf ball discharge path 6 in the direction of the arrow T6 to the outside of the device.

When the cleaning liquid tank 3 is moved downward, the cleaning liquid 3A
Can be easily replaced and the cleaning liquid tank 3 can be easily cleaned, and the brush support frame 4 can be cleaned and the large diameter brush 1 and the small diameter brushes 2 and 2A can be easily cleaned.
Maintenance work such as replacement of the can be done easily.

One end of the shaft 15 of the large-diameter brush 1 has a bearing portion 14 at one end.
And is connected to the electric motor M2 via a shaft sprocket 12, a chain 11, and a drive sprocket 10. The shaft 15 is detachably fitted by forming a key connection structure or a polygonal concave-convex portion, and is configured to be able to transmit the rotational force of the electric motor M2 while being removable in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. The other end of the shaft 15 is rotatably supported by a lid-shaped bracket 16 via a bearing 16a.
The bolt 16 is attached to the side plate 41 so as to close the circular side plate hole C1.
It is attached by b ... 16b. The side plate hole C1
Is larger than the drum 13 of the large-diameter brush 1, and if the lid-shaped bracket 16 is removed from the side plate 41, the large-diameter brush 1 can be easily removed from the brush support frame 4 through the side-plate hole C1. Easy cleaning and replacement maintenance.

Annular ring guides 7, 7 are provided at the left and right ends of the large diameter brush 1 so that the golf ball supplied from the golf ball introduction path 5 does not overflow in the lateral direction of the large diameter brush 1. To be done. The ring guide 7 is fixed inside the side plate 41 via a support seat 71.

On the other hand, one end of the shaft portion 25 of the small-diameter brush 2 is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 24 and connected to the rotary gear G.
Similar to the large-diameter brush 1, the small-diameter brush 2 is also connected using a key groove or a polygonal concave-convex portion so that the small-diameter brush 2 can be freely attached and detached in the axial longitudinal direction and the rotational force can be transmitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotary gear G is connected to the rotary gear G of the adjacent small diameter brush 2 through the transmission gear Gt, and is continuously connected to the small diameter brush 2 having the shaft sprocket 22 at the other end. To be done. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the shaft sprocket 22 is connected to the electric motor M1 (a stepping electric motor or an electric motor incorporating an intermittent stop circuit is adopted) via the chain 21 and the drive sprocket 20. Therefore, when the small-diameter brush 2 provided with the rotary sprocket 22 is rotated (or stopped) by the electric motor M1, the small-diameter brush 2 adjacent to the rotary gear G provided at the other end of the small-diameter brush 2 and the transmission gear Gt is moved in the same direction. Is rotated (or stopped), and all small-diameter brushes 2 are similarly rotated (or stopped) in the same direction.

The other end of the shaft portion 25 of the small-diameter brush 2 is pivotally supported by a bearing 27a provided on the trapezoidal bracket 27 as shown in FIGS. The trapezoidal bracket 27
Is a bolt 27b that covers a part of the horseshoe-shaped (see chain line in FIG. 5) side plate notch C2 provided on the side plate 41 in the width direction.
Mounted by 27b. The width of the side plate notch C2 is formed larger than the shaft portion of the small diameter brush 2, and when the trapezoidal bracket 27 is removed from the side plate 41, the small diameter brush 2 can be easily pulled out from the side plate notch C2 in the axial direction. Therefore, the small-diameter brush 2 (including 2A) can be easily removed from the brush support frame 4 for maintenance such as replacement.

The small-diameter brushes 2A, 2A on the golf ball introduction path 5 side and the golf ball discharge path 6 side are rotatably supported by bearings 27a, 28 so that both ends thereof can freely rotate in any direction. Preferably. As a result, in the golf ball introduction path 5, the introduced golf ball smoothly enters the passage T, and in the golf ball ejection passage 6, the ejected golf ball smoothly exits the passage T.

Between the adjacent small-diameter brushes 2 (2A), it is preferable to provide restriction rods 8 in parallel with the small-diameter brushes 2 (2A). By providing the rod-shaped regulation tube 8, the substantial distance between the shaft portions of the small-diameter brush 2 (2A) (the distance between the hard portions excluding the deformable bristles) is set larger than the diameter of the golf ball. Also, the golf ball can be prevented from jumping out of the passage T between the small-diameter brushes 2 (2A), and the golf ball can be reliably washed and sent to the discharge passage.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bristle lengths of the bristles 1a and 2a to be planted in the large-diameter brush 1 and the small-diameter brush 2 (2A) are 15
When the standard golf ball B has a diameter Bd of 42 mm, the tip spacing S between the bristles 1a and 2a is 20 to 30 mm.
It is preferable that the bristles 1a and 2a are deformed by 3 to 15 mm and contact the surface of the golf ball B. As a result, the surfaces of the golf ball B are bristles 1a, 2a
Surely removes dirt by tracing and promotes rotation of the golf ball B itself in the direction of arrow Rb.

The diameter of the large-diameter brush 1 including the length of the bristles is 150 to 260 mm (more preferably 190 to 210).
mm), and the diameter of the small diameter brush 2 (2A) is 40 to 80
It is recommended to set to mm (more preferably 55 to 65 mm), and within this range, the golf ball is not dropped from the passage T to the outside. Smaller diameter brush 2 (2
If the number of arrangements of A) is two or more, a cleaning action superior to that of the conventional product can be exhibited, and 10 to 15 units are desirable for performing optimum cleaning.

According to the experimental example, the driving of the small diameter brush 2 is 1
When the operation of driving for 0 seconds and stopping for 0.7 seconds is repeated,
In the device shown in (1), the golf ball is discharged from the golf ball introduction path 5 to the golf ball discharge path 6 in about 100 seconds, and the golf ball is discharged. If the large diameter brush 1 is stopped for 0.3 to 0.5 seconds immediately after stopping and re-driving the small diameter brush 2, the golf ball surely changes the contact position with the large diameter brush 1,
Further, the golf ball can be moved quickly in the passage T.

Large diameter brush 1 and small diameter brush 2 (2A)
The drive transmission means of is not limited to the above example, and may be a combination of a pulley and a belt or a gear instead of a sprocket and a chain. Further, in order to drive a plurality of small diameter brushes 2, It may be a combination of a sprocket and a chain, or a combination of a pulley and a belt.

[0036]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the entire apparatus can be compactly formed so that it can be installed even in a place having a small installation area. By rubbing the surface reliably and immersing the golf ball and brush in the cleaning liquid, the dirt firmly adhered to the surface of the golf ball can be surely removed, and all the golf balls can be completely cleaned. In addition, the intermittent stop drive of the small diameter brush is also used, so the golf ball will surely move along the outer periphery of the large diameter brush and reach the discharge path, and the cleaning process of a small number of golf balls does not cause retention in the device. Can be done reliably.

According to the second aspect, the golf ball is prevented from spilling out of the machine from the cleaning movement route, and the freely rotatable small diameter brushes arranged at both ends can smoothly introduce and discharge the golf ball.

According to claim 3, the large-diameter brush can be easily attached to and detached from the device, and according to claim 4, the small-diameter brush can be independently attached to and detached from the main body of the device. Therefore, replacement or repair of the large-diameter brush and the small-diameter brush respectively. The required parts can be simplified, and the efficiency of maintenance can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view as viewed in the direction of arrow II in FIG.

3 is a partially cutaway explanatory view of the brush support frame shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory side view as seen from an arrow IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view for explaining the direction of arrow V in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state of the golf ball in the passage T of the device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 large-diameter brush 2, 2A small-diameter brush 3 cleaning liquid tank 4 brush support frame 5 golf ball introduction path 6 golf ball discharge path 7 ring guide 8 regulation rod 14, 24 bearing portion 16 lid bracket 27 trapezoidal bracket 41 side plate C1 side plate hole C2 Side plate cutout F frame T passage

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A large-diameter brush rotatably driven by being horizontally supported, and a plurality of golf balls having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter brush and a path for a golf ball are provided between the large-diameter brush and A large-diameter brush and a small-diameter brush that is driven to rotate in the same direction as the large-diameter brush so as to be intermittently stopped, and a golf ball introduction path is provided at the entrance side of the path, and the exit side of the path is provided. Is provided with a golf ball discharge path, and on the other hand, below the large-diameter brush and the small-diameter brush, a cleaning liquid is stored, and an up-and-down cleaning liquid tank in which at least a part of these brushes can be immersed in the cleaning liquid is provided. A characteristic golf ball cleaning device. 2. An annular ring guide for preventing a golf ball from overflowing is provided between adjacent small diameter brushes with a restricting rod for preventing the golf ball from popping out. The golf ball cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the small-diameter brush on the golf ball introduction path side and the small-diameter brush on the golf ball discharge path side are rotatably supported so as to be freely rotatable in forward and reverse directions. apparatus. 3. A large-diameter brush is axially supported between two side plates, one end of the large-diameter brush is rotatably supported via a lid-shaped bracket, and the large-diameter brush passes through the lid-shaped bracket. 3. The removable brush is attached to the side plate so as to close a possible side plate hole, and the other end of the large-diameter brush is detachably supported by a bearing so as to transmit a rotational driving force. Golf ball cleaning equipment. 4. A small-diameter brush is axially supported between two side plates, one end of the small-diameter brush is rotatably supported via a trapezoidal bracket, and the trapezoidal bracket has a side plate notch through which the small-diameter brush can pass. A detachably attached to the side plate so as to close it, and the other end of the small-diameter brush is detachably supported by a bearing so as to transmit a rotational driving force.
4. The golf ball cleaning apparatus according to any one of 3 to 3.