JPH10179810A - Ball washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball washing device which has a good washing ability for a ball over its whole surface and can perform the washing efficiently. SOLUTION: A ball 1 cast into a bucket b1 is immersed in a washing water which is stored in the bucket b1 and heated by a heater b2 to a specified temp., and is exposed to a warm bath effect for a specified period of time. The ball is picked up by a lifter c4 and transported upward by a transport unit D. In proximity to the transport unit D, a washing unit E is installed, which is equipped with a plurality of columnar brushes, and the rotational drive is made so that the revolving speeds of the brushes differ. Accordingly each ball transported by the unit D is subjected to a so-called rub wash by two brushes and washed by a strong washing force.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball washing apparatus which can automatically wash a golf ball collected for reuse at a driving range, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a driving range, a golf ball hit and dispersed in a field is dropped into, for example, a U-shaped groove provided in the field, and collected in an underground pit through the U-shaped groove. ing. Then, the golf balls collected in the underground pit are transferred to the pre-cleaning pit by a dedicated elevator or conveyor, and are sequentially supplied to the ball cleaning device from the pre-cleaning pit for cleaning.
The balls cleaned by the cleaning device are transferred to a pit after cleaning by an elevator or a conveyor, and are sent from the pit to each ball vending machine via a ball-sending tube or the like after the cleaning, and the system is re-used. I have. Several proposals have been made for the configuration of the ball cleaning apparatus used in such a system.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-297282 discloses a ball transfer mechanism comprising a ball guide guard rail and a rotary shaft having a spiral groove formed in parallel with the guard rail. There is disclosed a ball cleaning apparatus that cleans the balls by spraying a high-pressure shower made of a cleaning liquid on the balls transferred by the ball transfer mechanism. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-297282 discloses a ball transfer mechanism using a rotary shaft having a spiral groove formed in the same manner as described above, and a rotary brush is provided from the side of each ball transferred by the ball transfer mechanism. There is disclosed a ball cleaning apparatus which is configured to be in contact with and cleans the surface of a ball with the rotating brush.

[0004]

However, in the former ball cleaning apparatus, a high-pressure shower is sprayed on each ball transferred by the ball transfer mechanism, so that cleaning of dirt such as mud is not sufficient. Although it can be achieved, the cleaning action on the heavily soiled one is not sufficient. Therefore, as in the latter cleaning device, by configuring the rotating brush to come into contact from the side of each ball, the cleaning power can be increased as compared with the former device, but the brush is applied to the ball. Since the contact is made from one direction, there is a limit in the cleaning power, and there is also a limit in performing the cleaning over the entire surface of the ball due to uneven cleaning.

[0005] In particular, in golf practice ranges, as is well known, artificial mats made of synthetic resin are mostly used for hitting mats. For this reason, the mat is formed by frictional heat when the sole of the club comes into intense contact with the mat, or frictional heat between the ball and the mat when the sole of the club comes into contact with the top of the ball (so-called top state). There is a problem that the synthetic resin is instantaneously melted and adheres to the ball. At present, satisfactory cleaning cannot be performed on such stains due to thermal welding of the synthetic resin. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the technical problems of the related art, and has a ball cleaning apparatus that exhibits a sufficient cleaning ability over the entire surface of a ball and that can efficiently perform cleaning. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a ball cleaning apparatus, comprising: a ball storage unit for storing a ball before cleaning; and a ball stored in the ball storage unit. A ball supply unit for sequentially feeding the balls, a transport unit for sequentially transporting the balls delivered by the ball supply unit, and disposed in parallel with each other so as to sandwich each of the balls transported by the transport unit from the left and right, and The cleaning unit includes at least a pair of cylindrical brushes rotatably supported at both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the pair of cylindrical brushes in the cleaning unit is configured to be driven at different rotational speeds. It is characterized by being.

[0007] In this case, it is preferable that the ball storage unit is constituted by a bucket capable of storing cleaning water together with the ball, and further includes a heater for heating the stored cleaning water. Further, it is preferable that the cylindrical brush in the cleaning unit is implanted such that a brush body constituting the brush forms a spiral along the longitudinal direction. More preferably, the bucket in the ball storage unit is formed with an inclined portion on the bottom surface of which the balls gather by its own weight, and the ball supply unit passes the ball collecting position by the inclined portion to collect the balls. The lifter includes a lifter and a guide body for receiving the ball picked up by the lifter and guiding the ball to the transport unit.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning unit includes first to third columnar brushes rotatably held at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The driven first cylindrical brush and the second cylindrical brush are arranged in parallel with each other so as to sandwich each ball of the first row transported by the transport unit from the left and right, and at different rotational speeds from each other. The driven second cylindrical brush and the third cylindrical brush are arranged in parallel with each other so as to sandwich each ball of the second row transported by the transport unit from left and right.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bucket in the ball storage unit includes
An inclined portion in which balls are gathered by their own weight is formed on the lower bottom surface thereof, and the ball supply unit receives a lifter that picks up the ball by passing the ball gathering position by the inclined portion, and receives the ball picked up by the lifter,
It comprises a first guide body that guides the transport unit as each ball in a first row, and a second guide body that guides the transport unit as each ball in a second row. Further, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
Each of the cylindrical brushes in the cleaning unit is arranged such that the longitudinal direction thereof is in a vertical state.

According to the ball cleaning apparatus constructed as described above, the ball is subjected to so-called rubbing by a pair of cylindrical brushes driven at different rotational speeds due to the difference in rotation, and a powerful cleaning action on the ball is performed. Is exhibited. In addition, since the washing water stored in the bucket is heated by the heater, and the balls are put in a warm bath state,
The synergistic action with the above-described cleaning action by the brush can further increase the cleaning effect. Furthermore, since the cylindrical brush constituting the cleaning unit is implanted so that the brush body forms a spiral along the longitudinal direction, spiral rotation is given to the ball itself,
The cleaning action can be applied to the entire surface of the ball without bias.

An inclined portion is formed on the lower bottom surface of the bucket constituting the ball storage unit, and a lifter is disposed so as to pass through the ball gathering position by the inclined portion. Each thrown ball gradually reaches the gathering position of the balls by the inclined portion according to the throwing order, and the warm bath action in the bucket can be given to all the balls almost uniformly for a predetermined time. Further, a first guide body for guiding the balls picked up by the lifter to the transport unit as each ball in the first row and a second guide body for guiding the balls as each ball in the second row are arranged, and the first unit as a cleaning unit is provided. By preparing the third to third cylindrical brushes, it is possible to increase the cleaning ability of the ball, and to provide a highly efficient cleaning device. Furthermore, by arranging each of the columnar brushes in the cleaning unit so that the longitudinal direction is vertical, the entire apparatus can be configured as a vertical type, and the arrangement space of the apparatus can be reduced. .

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a ball cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. In addition,
The same reference numerals in the following drawings indicate the same parts. First, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the entire configuration of the apparatus, FIG. 1 is a front view, and FIG. 2 is a top view. The gantry frame A is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape by an angle member and a metal plate that covers the peripheral side thereof, and legs having a level adjuster function for keeping the gantry frame A horizontal at four lower corners thereof. The part a1 is arranged. In the gantry frame A, a ball storage unit B for storing the balls 1 before cleaning is arranged. The ball accumulating unit B is provided with a bucket b1 having an open upper portion and capable of storing cleaning water 2 together with the ball 1 before cleaning. A heater b2 for heating the washing water stored together with the ball 1 is provided at the lower bottom of the bucket b1.

The heater b2 is configured to maintain the washing water in the bucket b1 at a predetermined temperature, which will be described later, by a thermostat (not shown) arranged so as to face the inside of the bucket b1. A liquid level sensor (not shown) is arranged on a part of the side wall in the bucket b1, and the liquid level sensor can manage the liquid level (water level) of the washing water to be within a predetermined range. Have been. The bucket b
1, a first inclined portion b3 and a second inclined portion b4 having a larger inclination angle with respect to the first inclined portion b3 are formed on the lower bottom surface so that the balls 1 gather by their own weight. Therefore, the balls 1 thrown into the bucket b1 are gathered by their own weight at the lower bottom formed by the second inclined portion b4, and this is the ball gathering position b5.

A pump 3 for circulating the washing water in the bucket b1 is provided on a part of the gantry frame A,
A tank 4 is arranged between the discharge side of the pump 3 and the bucket b1. The tank 4 contains, for example, ore tourmaline for activating the washing water, and increases the washing effect of the ball 1 and reduces environmental pollution. Has been made to reduce. On the other hand, a ball supply unit C is disposed in the bucket b1 constituting the ball storage unit B. The ball supply unit C includes two sprockets c1 and c2 rotatably arranged at respective upper and lower positions thereof, and a pair of chains c3 extending between the sprockets c1 and c2. An L-shaped cross section lifter c4 for picking up the ball 1 in the bucket b1 is attached to the pair of chains c3.
Are installed intermittently along the circulation direction of

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the ball supply unit C, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lifter c4 is formed in a mountain shape in which the left and right sides are respectively inclined downward. The lifters c4 each have six golf balls 1 as shown in the figure.
It is dimensioned so that it can be picked up.
The lower end of the ball supply unit C is arranged so as to face a ball collecting position b5 formed by the second inclined portion a4 provided to the bucket b1 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the lifter c4 in the ball supply unit C functions to sequentially pick up the balls 1 gathering at the ball gathering position b5 formed by the inclined portion b4. At the ball collecting position b5, the lifter c4
Each ball 1 picked up by the lifter c4 is prevented from spilling left and right from the lifter c4 due to the presence of the vertical walls c5 arranged on the left and right of the lift path of the lifter c4, and is conveyed upward as it is by the lifter c4. Is configured.

On the other hand, above the ball supply unit C,
A guide body c6 for receiving the ball 1 picked up by each lifter c4 and guiding the ball to a transport unit D described later is provided. 2 and 3
As shown in (1), the guide members c6 are formed in a gutter shape, and guide the conveyance unit D, which will be described later, as a first row of balls in a first row and a second row of balls. The second guide bodies are arranged in a pair on the left and right. Openings c are provided at one ends of the first and second guide members c6, that is, at positions facing the lifter c4 that rises.
7 are formed, so that each ball 1 picked up by the lifter c4 and transported upward is the first ball.
And each opening c7 of the second guide body c6 is divided left and right by three each, and is introduced into the first and second guide bodies c6.

The first and second guide members c6 are inclined so as to descend toward the other end, that is, toward a transport unit D described later, and thus have a gutter-like guide member c6.
Each of the balls introduced into the roller rolls toward the transport unit by its own weight. The ball supply unit C obtains the driving force of the chain c9 applied between the shaft driving sprocket c8 attached to the support shaft of the sprocket c1 disposed above and the transport unit and the lifter c.
4 is configured to be driven in circulation. As shown in FIG. 1, a transport unit D is vertically arranged above the gantry frame A. This transport unit D is configured such that the outer portion is combined with an angle material or the like,
2 each rotatably arranged at each of its upper and lower positions
Two sprockets d1 and d2 and this sprocket d
There is provided a pair of chains d3 extending between d1 and d2. A transport rod d4 is intermittently attached to the pair of chains d3 along the circulation direction of the chain d3.

The first and second guide members c
The balls 1 rolling to the other end side of 6 are lifted one by one by the transport rod d4, and each ball 1 is introduced into a vertically long space formed by a washing unit E described later, and It is configured so that it can be transported upward. One end of a ball transfer pipe d5 is attached to the upper part of the transfer unit D, and each ball 1 that has circulated around the sprocket d1 disposed at the upper part of the transfer unit D is naturally dropped into the ball transfer pipe d5. It is configured so that it can be sent out to the pit after cleaning via the transfer pipe d5. The transport unit D is configured to obtain a driving force by a chain d7 (shown by a broken line) circulated by a geared motor d6 provided at an upper portion.

Next, FIGS. 5 to 7 show the structure of the cleaning unit E. FIG. The cleaning unit E includes the first
And third to third columnar brushes e1, e2, e3. These first to third cylindrical brushes e1, e
2 and e3 are arranged so that their longitudinal directions are vertical and parallel to each other, and are rotatably supported at respective longitudinal ends. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit D cut in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and includes first to third cylindrical brushes e1 and e3.
e2 and e3 are surrounded by housings e4, e5 and e6, respectively, and the opposing housing portions between the brushes e1, e2 and e3 are opened, and the first and second housings are opened by the opening portion of the housing. Two vertical space portions e7 and e8 are formed respectively. The first and second vertically long spaces e7 and e8 form a passage of the transfer rod d4 of the transfer unit D and also constitute a rising passage of the ball 1.

Therefore, 1
The balls 1 lifted up one by one move up vertically elongated spaces e7 and e8 formed in the cleaning unit E, and are cleaned by the brushes e1, e2 and e3. Will be sent out. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the first and second cylindrical brushes e1,
e2, and second and third cylindrical brushes e2, e3
Are opposed to each other in the vertical space portions e7 and e8,
The ball 1 passing through the vertically long spaces e7 and e8 is cleaned by the opposed cylindrical brushes e1, e2 and e3.
FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a drive unit F for rotating and driving the first to third cylindrical brushes e1, e2, e3 when viewed from above.

The drive unit F is disposed above the transfer unit D, and has a sprocket f2 mounted on a geared motor f1 disposed on a frame of the transfer unit D, and a sprocket mounted on a first drive shaft f3. The first drive shaft f3 is configured to be rotationally driven by the chain f5 bridged between the first drive shaft f4 and the chain f5. A chain f11 is stretched over a sprocket f6 attached to the first drive shaft f3 and sprockets f9 and f10 attached to the second and third drive shafts f7 and f8. In this case, especially the second
The sprocket f9 attached to the drive shaft f7 has a larger diameter than other sprockets.

Further, sprockets (not shown, but attached to the first drive shaft f3, the second and third drive shafts f7, f8) of the same diameter are respectively attached to the first to third drive shafts. And the same diameter sprockets f12, f13, f1 attached to the respective drive shafts of the first to third cylindrical brushes e1, e2, e3.
4 and chains f15, f16, f1 respectively.
7 has been passed. Therefore, the geared motor f
By the drive of No. 1, the rotation speeds of the first and third cylindrical brushes e1 and e3 arranged on both outer sides are increased with respect to the rotation speed of the central second cylindrical brush e2, and as a result, 1
The second cylindrical brush e2 and the third cylindrical brush e3 are driven at different rotational speeds, and the second cylindrical brush e2 and the third cylindrical brush e3 are driven at different rotational speeds.

With such a configuration, the first columnar brush e1 and the second columnar brush e2 driven at different rotational speeds are arranged so that each of the balls 1 in the first row transported by the transport unit D is moved. Cleaning of the ball 1 is executed so as to be sandwiched from the left and right. A second cylindrical brush e2 and a third cylindrical brush e3 driven at different rotational speeds from each other
Performs cleaning of the balls 1 in such a manner that the balls 1 in the second row transported by the transport unit D are sandwiched from the left and right. In a steady washing state, the rotation speed of the central second cylindrical brush e2 is set to 50 rpm, and the rotation speeds of the first and third cylindrical brushes e1 and e3 are set to 200 rpm. .

FIG. 7 shows first to third cylindrical brushes e.
1, 1, 2 and 3 are schematically shown. Each of the cylindrical brushes e1, e2, and e3 is implanted such that a brass brush element e9 constituting the brush forms a spiral along the longitudinal direction, and is cleaned by such a configuration. The ball 1 is provided with a spiral rotation. In the ball washing apparatus configured as described above, the balls 1 thrown into the bucket b1 are sequentially supplied to the washing unit E by the lifter c4 in the ball supply unit C in substantially the order of throwing. In this case, bucket b1
The washing water in the inside is controlled by a thermostat so as to be always at a predetermined temperature.
A warm bath effect at a predetermined temperature is provided.

According to experiments by the inventors, the temperature of the washing water is preferably 50 ° C. to 70 ° C., and the warm bath time is 10 minutes to 1 minute.
It has been found that about 5 minutes is preferable. If the temperature of the washing water is lower than 50 ° C., it is difficult to obtain a proper cleaning effect on the ball, and if it exceeds 70 ° C., the characteristics of the ball itself may be deteriorated, which is not preferable. . In particular, the temperature of the washing water is preferably maintained at 55 ° C to 60 ° C. The warm bath time of the ball is determined by the driving speed of the ball supply unit C and the bucket b1 from the pit before washing.
It can be adjusted in consideration of the drive speed of a dedicated elevator or conveyor for transporting and throwing the ball into the vehicle. The ball that has obtained the warm bath effect by such temperature and time is so-called rub-washed by columnar brushes having different rotation speeds while being conveyed by the conveying unit D. At this time, the spiral rotation is given to the ball by the action of each of the cylindrical brushes implanted so as to form a spiral, so that the entire surface of the ball is evenly washed.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
The balls are transported in parallel in the first row and the second row,
In addition, cleaning is performed by a third brush. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the balls are conveyed in one row and cleaned by two brushes. Further, a plurality of rows of the ball supply unit C and the transfer unit D as shown in the drawing are provided to transfer the balls in a plurality of rows, and the brush is provided in a plurality of rows.
A more efficient cleaning device can be provided by the configuration of preparing one. Although the above description has been made with particular reference to a golf ball, the cleaning device of the present invention is not limited to such a specific device and can be used for cleaning other hard balls.

[0027]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ball cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the cylindrical brush is driven to rotate at different rotational speeds, and the ball is positioned in the space between the brushes. As a result, the ball is scrubbed due to the difference in rotation, and a strong cleaning action is exerted on the ball. In this case, the cleaning water of the bucket is heated to an appropriate temperature by the heater, and the balls are kept in a warm bath state. Therefore, the cleaning effect can be further increased by the synergistic action with the cleaning action by the brush, and furthermore, Since the cylindrical brush constituting the cleaning unit is implanted so that the brush body forms a spiral along the longitudinal direction, spiral rotation is given to the ball itself, and the entire surface of the ball is The cleaning action can be applied without bias.

Since the lifter picks up the ball from the lower bottom surface of the bucket constituting the ball storage unit, the warm bath action in the bucket can be given to all the balls for a predetermined time substantially uniformly. It is possible to obtain a uniform cleaning effect in combination with the cleaning effect described above.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the overall configuration of a ball cleaning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the device shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from above.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a ball supply unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line II in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a cleaning unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a driving unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a columnar brush of the cleaning unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 golf ball 2 washing water A gantry frame B ball storage unit b1 bucket b2 heater b4 inclined part b5 ball collecting position C ball supply unit c4 lifter c6 guide body D transport unit d4 transport rod d5 ball transfer pipe E cleaning unit e1 first circle Columnar brush e2 Second columnar brush e3 Third columnar brush e7 Vertically long space e8 Vertically long space e9 Brush body F Drive unit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A ball storage unit for storing a ball before cleaning, a ball supply unit for sequentially sending out balls stored in the ball storage unit, and a ball sequentially fed by the ball supply unit. A transport unit, and a cleaning unit comprising at least a pair of cylindrical brushes arranged in parallel with each other so as to sandwich each ball transported by the transport unit from the left and right, and rotatably supported at both longitudinal ends. A ball cleaning device, wherein the pair of cylindrical brushes in the cleaning unit are configured to be driven at different rotational speeds. 2. The ball storage unit according to claim 1, further comprising a bucket configured to store washing water together with the ball, and further comprising a heater for heating the stored washing water. Ball cleaning equipment. 3. The columnar brush in the cleaning unit, wherein the brush element constituting the brush is implanted so as to form a spiral along the longitudinal direction. A ball cleaning device according to item 1. 4. A bucket in the ball storage unit is formed with an inclined portion on the lower bottom surface where balls gather by their own weight, and the ball supply unit passes the ball collecting position by the inclined portion and moves the ball. 4. The ball cleaning device according to claim 2, further comprising a lifter for picking up the ball and a guide body for receiving the ball picked up by the lifter and guiding the ball to the transport unit. apparatus. 5. The bucket in the ball storage unit is formed with an inclined portion on its lower bottom surface where balls gather by their own weight, and the ball supply unit passes the ball collecting position by the inclined portion and Lifter, a first guide body that receives the balls picked up by the lifter, and guides the transport unit as each ball in a first row, and guides the transport unit as each ball in a second row. 4. The second guide body according to claim 2, wherein the second guide body is formed.
A ball cleaning device according to item 1. 6. The cleaning unit includes first to third cylindrical brushes rotatably held at both ends in a longitudinal direction, and a first cylindrical brush driven at different rotational speeds from each other. The second columnar brush is arranged in parallel with each other so as to sandwich each ball of the first row conveyed by the conveyance unit from the left and right, and a second columnar brush driven at different rotational speeds from each other. 6. The third cylindrical brush according to claim 1, wherein the third columnar brushes are arranged in parallel with each other so as to sandwich each ball of the second row transported by the transport unit from right and left. 7. Ball cleaning device. 7. The ball cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the columnar brushes in the cleaning unit is arranged so that a longitudinal direction thereof is vertical.