WO2010103782A1

WO2010103782A1 - Cleaning equipment and cleaning method

Info

Publication number: WO2010103782A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/001595
Authority: WO
Inventors: 藤井慎二
Original assignee: 三浦工業株式会社
Priority date: 2009-03-10
Filing date: 2010-03-08
Publication date: 2010-09-16
Also published as: CN102333600A; KR101371007B1; CN102333600B; KR20110121656A; JP4784692B2; JP2010234363A

Abstract

A cleaning method which comprises immersing an object to be cleaned in a cleaning fluid reserved in a cleaning tank. In a heating step (S2), the cleaning fluid is heated to a pressure reduction/restoration pulse initiation temperature. In a pressure reduction/restoration pulse step (S3), the inside of the cleaning tank is kept under pressure-reducing operation conditions until the temperature of the cleaning fluid reaches a pressure reduction /restoration pulse termination temperature, whereby the cleaning fluid is kept in a boiling state. Every time a prescribed temperature drop of the cleaning fluid occurs during the step (S3), the pressure in the cleaning tank gets restored in an instant, whereby the boiling of the cleaning fluid is interrupted temporarily. At this pressure-restoring step, the steam bubbles which have been generated by boiling in the cleaning fluid condense in an instant. The cleaning fluid is stirred and moved by the pressure waves and pressure difference created by the condensation, whereby the object can be cleaned.

Description

Cleaning apparatus and cleaning method

The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method for cleaning electronic parts, machine parts and the like in addition to medical instruments. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-056792 filed in Japan on March 10, 2009 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-043687 filed in Japan on March 1, 2010. Is hereby incorporated by reference.

Conventionally, as disclosed in the following Patent Document 1, the object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank, and the decompression to a predetermined pressure and the return pressure to the atmospheric pressure after the decompression stop, A cleaning method for cleaning an object to be cleaned by repeating a plurality of times is known.

Specifically, as described in [Table 1] and [0020] of Patent Document 1, the operation of returning the pressure to the atmospheric pressure after the pressure reduction in the cleaning tank (1) is repeated three times. This is performed by repeating the simultaneous opening / closing of the valve (5-1) and closing / opening of the valve (9-1) three times. At this time, as described in [0022], the valve operation for reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank (1) is 30 seconds per operation, and the valve operation for returning to the atmospheric pressure is 10 seconds. As a result, in the cleaning tank (1), the fluctuation is repeated between a vacuum of 60 mmHg and atmospheric pressure.

As described in [0009], the cleaning method described in Patent Document 1 expands the air in the recess by reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank even if the object to be cleaned has a recess that opens only downward. It is intended to discharge the liquid and then return the pressure in the cleaning tank to cause the liquid to flow into the concave portion and to clean the concave portion.

In addition, as described in [0009], the cleaning method described in Patent Document 1 replaces the inside of the concave portion with the vapor of the cleaning liquid when the pressure in the cleaning tank is reduced, and converts the vapor when the pressure in the cleaning tank is restored. By condensing, it is intended to allow liquid to flow into the recess and to clean the recess.

Furthermore, the cleaning method described in Patent Document 1 is that the inside of the recess is cleaned by the generation of vapor bubbles due to boiling under reduced pressure and the floating thereof, and the flow of the liquid due to the generation, as described in [0010] to [0011]. Is intended.

JP-A-7-136604 (Claim 1, paragraph numbers 0009-0011, 0020-0022, Table 1, FIG. 1)

As a result of diligent research on cleaning by boiling under reduced pressure, the inventor found that condensing bubbles generated in the cleaning liquid by boiling at reduced pressure at a stretch by instantaneous return pressure greatly contributes to the cleaning effect. In order to obtain this effect, it is important to restore the pressure during boiling of the cleaning liquid and to instantaneously restore the pressure. To that end, it is clear that simply repeating the decompression to the same pressure and the return to the atmospheric pressure is not sufficient in relation to the occurrence of boiling and the disappearance thereof.

Also, in order to increase the number of times of cleaning by instantaneously restoring the pressure during boiling of the cleaning liquid, it is indispensable that the pressure in the cleaning tank is gradually reduced and the pressure is restored in a pulsed manner in the process of this pressure reduction. Therefore, as in the conventional cleaning method, it is not sufficient to repeatedly reduce the pressure in the cleaning tank to a predetermined pressure, restore the pressure to the atmospheric pressure after completion of the pressure reduction, and further reduce the pressure to the same predetermined pressure as the previous time.

Hereinafter, to explain a little more supplementarily, the invention described in Patent Document 1 does not always start the return pressure during boiling. Moreover, since the pressure is restored over 10 seconds, it cannot be said to be instantaneous and temporary.

The invention described in Patent Document 1 repeats the pressure reduction in the cleaning tank and the subsequent return pressure a plurality of times. However, the temperature of the cleaning liquid is not controlled, and the pressure reduction level and the return pressure level are always constant. It is said that.

If the decompression level is constant, the inside of the washing tank is decompressed wastefully or conversely, the decompression is insufficient due to the presence or absence of boiling that affects the cleaning effect. Note that reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank wastefully cools the cleaning liquid quickly, which affects the presence or absence of boiling during the subsequent pressure reduction. On the other hand, if the pressure in the cleaning tank is insufficient, the cleaning liquid will not boil and a sufficient cleaning effect cannot be obtained.

In addition, if the pressure reduction level is constant, the cleaning liquid may or may not boil due to the temperature of the cleaning liquid. Will occur. If the cleaning liquid is boiled each time the pressure is reduced while the pressure reduction level is constant (for example, 60 mmHg), it is necessary to keep the temperature of the cleaning liquid constant (for example, 40 ° C.). In this case, the cleaning liquid will be heated with a heater or the like, but when the object to be cleaned has a hollow part such as a tube, the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the object to be cleaned is higher than the temperature of the cleaning liquid outside the object to be cleaned. The temperature rise will be delayed. As a result, even if the cleaning liquid is heated, boiling may not occur in the object to be cleaned. In order to prevent such inconvenience, it is necessary to increase the heating time of the cleaning liquid.

On the other hand, if the return pressure level is constant up to the atmospheric pressure, the pressure will be restored vainly in relation to the elimination of boiling, which affects the cleaning effect, and the evacuated decompression is forced the next time the pressure is reduced. It will be.

By the way, useless decompression and decompression not only increase the cleaning time, but also water used for decompression means (sealing water for water-sealed vacuum pumps, cooling water for heat exchangers for steam condensation) and electric power (vacuum pumps). The driving power is also wasted.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to increase the cleaning effect by utilizing the generation of vapor bubbles in the cleaning liquid and the instantaneous disappearance thereof. Another object of the present invention is to manage the temperature of the cleaning liquid, the decompression level and the return pressure level in the cleaning tank, and manage the presence or absence of boiling of the cleaning liquid to realize quick and reliable cleaning. Furthermore, it aims at reducing the usage-amount of the water and electric power which are used for the decompression means in a washing tank by suppressing useless decompression and decompression.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the first invention thereof is a cleaning tank in which a cleaning liquid is stored and an object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and a gas in the cleaning tank is externally provided. A pressure reducing means for sucking and discharging to depressurize the inside of the cleaning tank; and a pressure reducing means for introducing outside air into the gas phase portion in the pressure-reduced cleaning tank to return the pressure in the cleaning tank. The inside of the tank is depressurized to boil the cleaning liquid, and during this boiling, the return pressure means instantaneously returns the pressure inside the cleaning tank until the boiling of the cleaning liquid stops, and then the pressure is reduced again, and the instantaneous pressure recovery is repeated. The cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the pressure reduction level is lowered so that the cleaning liquid boils with subsequent pressure reduction once or every predetermined number of times.

According to the first invention, the inside of the cleaning tank is decompressed to boil the cleaning liquid, and the inside of the cleaning tank is instantaneously restored during the boiling to stop boiling of the cleaning liquid all at once. At the time of this pressure recovery, water vapor bubbles generated in the cleaning liquid due to boiling until then are condensed instantly. The cleaning liquid is stirred and transferred by the pressure wave and pressure difference during the condensation, and the object to be cleaned is cleaned. Such an operation is repeated, but the cleaning liquid is cooled as the pressure is reduced. In this case, if the object to be cleaned has a hollow part such as a tube, the temperature of the cleaning liquid inside the object to be cleaned is delayed from the temperature of the cleaning liquid outside the object to be cleaned. It is necessary to increase the holding time later. Therefore, in order to cope with this, by gradually reducing the pressure reduction level, the cleaning liquid is surely boiled at the time of pressure reduction at each time, and a reliable and stable cleaning effect is obtained. Note that “decreasing the pressure reduction level” means increasing the degree of vacuum in the cleaning tank, that is, decreasing the pressure in the cleaning tank.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored and an object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid, a decompression means for sucking and discharging the gas in the cleaning tank to the outside, and decompressing the cleaning tank, And a return pressure means for returning the pressure in the cleaning tank by introducing outside air into the gas phase portion in the cleaning tank, and continuing the operation of the pressure reducing means so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil, The pressure in the cleaning tank is continuously reduced, and during the boiling of the cleaning liquid due to this reduced pressure, the pressure-recovering means repeatedly repeats the pressure in the cleaning tank instantaneously until the boiling of the cleaning liquid stops. It is a cleaning device.

According to the second invention, the inside of the cleaning tank is depressurized to boil the cleaning liquid, and the inside of the cleaning tank is instantaneously restored during the boiling to stop the boiling of the cleaning liquid at a stretch. At the time of this pressure recovery, water vapor bubbles generated in the cleaning liquid due to boiling until then are condensed instantly. The cleaning liquid is stirred and transferred by the pressure wave and pressure difference during the condensation, and the object to be cleaned is cleaned. Such an operation is repeated, but the cleaning liquid is cooled as the pressure is reduced. In this case, if the object to be cleaned has a hollow part such as a tube, the temperature of the cleaning liquid inside the object to be cleaned is delayed from the temperature of the cleaning liquid outside the object to be cleaned. It is necessary to increase the holding time later. Therefore, in order to cope with this, by gradually reducing the pressure reduction level, the cleaning liquid is surely boiled at the time of pressure reduction at each time, and a reliable and stable cleaning effect is obtained.

In addition to the constituent features of the first invention or the second invention, the third invention is a heating means for heating the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, a liquid temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, and the cleaning tank. One or more of a pressure sensor for detecting the internal pressure and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the gas phase in the cleaning tank, and the cleaning liquid is reduced to the depressurization pressure pulse start temperature by the heating means. The pressure reducing means causes the cleaning to continue to boil until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature or the depressurizing pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature in the cleaning tank. The tank is continuously depressurized, and during this depressurization, the detection signal from the sensor is monitored, and at a predetermined timing based on the temperature of the cleaning liquid or the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank, the cleaning liquid is instantaneously recovered until it stops boiling. And a cleaning apparatus characterized by thereafter repeating that again reduced pressure.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cleaning liquid is heated in advance until reaching the pressure reduction pulse start temperature, and then the cleaning liquid reaches the pressure reduction pulse end temperature or the pressure inside the cleaning tank is reduced pressure pulse end pressure or pressure reduction pulse. Until the end temperature is reached, the pressure in the cleaning tank is reduced so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil, and the pressure in the cleaning tank is instantaneously restored so that boiling stops temporarily at a predetermined timing during the pressure reduction. become. By controlling the cleaning liquid while maintaining it within a predetermined temperature range, more reliable and stable cleaning can be performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the constituent elements of the third aspect, when the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature or the cleaning tank reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature, Is reheated until the decompression pressure pulse start temperature is reached, and the cleaning liquid reaches the decompression pressure pulse end temperature again, or the inside of the cleaning tank reaches the decompression pressure pulse end pressure or the decompression pressure pulse end temperature. Until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure start temperature, and the cleaning liquid is heated to the depressurization pressure pulse. A cycle consisting of repetition of the depressurization pressure in the cleaning tank until the end temperature is reached or the cleaning tank reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature is performed a set number of times. Cleaning equipment It is.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning liquid is heated until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse starting temperature, and the depressurizing pressure end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse is reached. A cycle consisting of repeated depressurization pressure in the washing tank until the end temperature is reached is performed a set number of times. In one cycle, the cleaning liquid temperature gradually decreases due to repeated depressurization pressure. For example, fat content hardens and the cleaning effect may be diminished. However, after the cleaning liquid temperature is raised again, the depressurization pressure is repeated. Thus, more reliable and stable cleaning can be performed.

The fifth invention further includes an ultrasonic vibrator in addition to the constituent elements of the third invention or the fourth invention, and the ultrasonic vibrator is used for heating the cleaning liquid to the depressurization pulse start temperature by the heating means. The cleaning apparatus is characterized by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid.

According to the fifth invention, the cleaning effect can be further improved by ultrasonically cleaning the object to be cleaned while heating the cleaning liquid.

In the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition to any of the structural requirements from the third aspect to the fifth aspect, the predetermined timing is set so as to decrease the temperature of the cleaning liquid or the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank by a predetermined amount. This is a cleaning device.

According to the sixth invention, it is possible to perform reliable cleaning with simple control by performing instantaneous return pressure in the cleaning tank at the timing of decreasing the temperature of the cleaning liquid or the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank by a predetermined amount. .

The seventh invention is characterized in that, in addition to any of the constituent features of the first invention to the sixth invention, the instantaneous return pressure is a pressure at which boiling of the cleaning liquid stops and a pressure less than atmospheric pressure. It is a cleaning device.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the return pressure is less than atmospheric pressure, and control is performed to stop boiling of the cleaning liquid. As a result, it is possible to reduce the cleaning time by eliminating the useless return pressure that does not affect the cleaning effect and the next useless pressure reduction. In addition, by eliminating unnecessary pressure reduction, it is possible to reduce the amount of water and power used for the pressure reducing means in the cleaning tank.

An eighth invention is a cleaning method in which an object to be cleaned is immersed in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank to perform cleaning. The cleaning tank is depressurized to boil the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning tank is boiled during the boiling. Until the boiling of the cleaning liquid stops, repeatedly reducing the pressure again, and then reducing the pressure again so that the cleaning liquid boils at the subsequent pressure reduction every time or a predetermined number of times. This is a cleaning method.

According to the eighth aspect of the invention, the inside of the cleaning tank is decompressed to boil the cleaning liquid, and the inside of the cleaning tank is instantaneously restored during the boiling to stop the boiling of the cleaning liquid at a stretch. At the time of this pressure recovery, water vapor bubbles generated in the cleaning liquid due to boiling until then are condensed instantly. The cleaning liquid is stirred and transferred by the pressure wave and pressure difference during the condensation, and the object to be cleaned is cleaned. Such an operation is repeated, but the cleaning liquid is cooled as the pressure is reduced. In this case, if the object to be cleaned has a hollow part such as a tube, the temperature of the cleaning liquid inside the object to be cleaned is delayed from the temperature of the cleaning liquid outside the object to be cleaned. It is necessary to increase the holding time later. Therefore, in order to cope with this, by gradually reducing the pressure reduction level, the cleaning liquid is surely boiled at the time of pressure reduction at each time, and a reliable and stable cleaning effect is obtained. Note that “decreasing the pressure reduction level” means increasing the degree of vacuum in the cleaning tank, that is, decreasing the pressure in the cleaning tank.

A ninth invention is a cleaning method for immersing an object to be cleaned in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank, and cleaning the tank so that the pressure in the cleaning tank is continuously reduced so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil. During the boiling of the cleaning liquid, the cleaning method is characterized in that the pressure in the cleaning tank is instantaneously temporarily restored until boiling of the cleaning liquid stops.

According to the ninth invention, the inside of the washing tank is decompressed to boil the washing liquid, and the inside of the washing tank is instantaneously restored during the boiling to stop the boiling of the washing liquid at a stretch. At the time of this pressure recovery, water vapor bubbles generated in the cleaning liquid due to boiling until then are condensed instantly. The cleaning liquid is stirred and transferred by the pressure wave and pressure difference during the condensation, and the object to be cleaned is cleaned. Such an operation is repeated, but the cleaning liquid is cooled as the pressure is reduced. In this case, if the object to be cleaned has a hollow part such as a tube, the temperature of the cleaning liquid inside the object to be cleaned is delayed from the temperature of the cleaning liquid outside the object to be cleaned. It is necessary to increase the holding time later. Therefore, in order to cope with this, by gradually reducing the pressure reduction level, the cleaning liquid is surely boiled at the time of pressure reduction at each time, and a reliable and stable cleaning effect is obtained.

In the tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the constituent elements of the eighth aspect or the ninth aspect, the cleaning liquid is heated to the depressurizing pressure pulse start temperature, and the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature or the pressure in the cleaning tank The pressure in the cleaning tank is continued so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil until reaching the pulse end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature. During this pressure reduction, the temperature of the cleaning liquid or the predetermined pressure based on the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank The cleaning method is characterized in that at a timing, the pressure is instantaneously restored until the boiling of the cleaning liquid stops, and then the pressure is reduced again.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the cleaning liquid is heated in advance until reaching the pressure reduction pulse start temperature, and then the cleaning liquid reaches the pressure reduction pulse end temperature or the pressure inside the cleaning tank is reduced pressure pulse end pressure or pressure reduction pulse. Until the end temperature is reached, the pressure in the cleaning tank is reduced so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil, and the pressure in the cleaning tank is instantaneously restored so that boiling stops temporarily at a predetermined timing during the pressure reduction. become. By controlling the cleaning liquid while maintaining it within a predetermined temperature range, more reliable and stable cleaning can be performed.

In the eleventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the constituent elements of the tenth aspect, when the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature or the cleaning tank reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end pressure or the decompression pressure pulse end temperature, Is reheated until the decompression pressure pulse start temperature is reached, and the cleaning liquid reaches the decompression pressure pulse end temperature again, or the inside of the cleaning tank reaches the decompression pressure pulse end pressure or the decompression pressure pulse end temperature. Until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure start temperature, and the cleaning liquid is heated to the depressurization pressure pulse. A cycle consisting of repetition of the depressurization pressure in the cleaning tank until the end temperature is reached or the cleaning tank reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature is performed a set number of times. Wash It is a method.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the cleaning liquid is heated until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse starting temperature, and the cleaning tank reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature or the cleaning tank has the depressurizing pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse. A cycle consisting of repeated depressurization pressure in the washing tank until the end temperature is reached is performed a set number of times. In one cycle, the cleaning liquid temperature gradually decreases due to repeated depressurization pressure. For example, fat content hardens and the cleaning effect may be diminished. However, after the cleaning liquid temperature is raised again, the depressurization pressure is repeated. Thus, more reliable and stable cleaning can be performed.

The twelfth invention is a cleaning method characterized by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid is heated to the depressurization pulse start temperature in addition to the constituent elements of the tenth invention or the eleventh invention.

According to the twelfth aspect, the cleaning effect can be further improved by ultrasonically cleaning the object to be cleaned while heating the cleaning liquid.

Furthermore, in the thirteenth invention, in addition to any of the constituent features of the eighth invention to the twelfth invention, the instantaneous return pressure is a pressure at which boiling of the cleaning liquid stops and a pressure less than atmospheric pressure. This is a characteristic cleaning method.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the return pressure is set to be lower than the atmospheric pressure, and control is made to stop boiling of the cleaning liquid. As a result, it is possible to reduce the cleaning time by eliminating the useless return pressure that does not affect the cleaning effect and the next useless pressure reduction. In addition, by eliminating unnecessary pressure reduction, it is possible to reduce the amount of water and power used for the pressure reducing means in the cleaning tank.

According to the present invention, the cleaning effect can be increased by utilizing the generation of vapor bubbles in the cleaning liquid and the instantaneous disappearance thereof. In addition, it is possible to manage the temperature of the cleaning liquid, the decompression level and the return pressure level in the cleaning tank, and to manage the presence or absence of boiling of the cleaning liquid, thereby realizing quick and reliable cleaning. Furthermore, by reducing unnecessary pressure reduction and return pressure, it is possible to reduce the amount of water and power used for the pressure reducing means in the cleaning tank.

It is the schematic which shows one Embodiment of the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the washing | cleaning method using the washing | cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, and has shown the relationship between the elapsed time from a washing | cleaning start, a washing tank internal pressure, and washing | cleaning liquid temperature. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the washing | cleaning method using the washing | cleaning apparatus of FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention.

The cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a cleaning tank 3 in which a cleaning liquid is stored and an object to be cleaned 2 is immersed, a water supply means 4 for supplying the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank 3, and a gas in the cleaning tank 3 being externally supplied. Pressure reducing means 5 for reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 by sucking and discharging to the cleaning tank 3; pressure returning means 6 for returning the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 by introducing outside air into the gas phase portion in the pressure-reduced cleaning tank 3; Heating means 7 for heating the cleaning liquid in the tank, draining means 8 for discharging the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3, a pressure sensor 9 for detecting the pressure in the cleaning tank 3, and the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 are detected. A liquid temperature sensor 10 and control means 11 for controlling the means 4 to 8 based on detection signals of these

sensors

9 and 10 are provided. A temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature in the cleaning tank 3 may be provided instead of or in addition to the pressure sensor 9 for detecting the pressure in the cleaning tank 3.

The cleaning apparatus 1 is not limited to cleaning the article to be cleaned 2 and may be an apparatus that performs rinsing and disinfection. That is, the cleaning apparatus 1 can perform any one or more of the cleaning, rinsing, and disinfection of the article 2 to be cleaned. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, after the object to be cleaned 2 is washed and rinsed, the object to be cleaned 2 can be dried in one cleaning tank 3.

The cleaning liquid is not particularly limited as long as it can be boiled by the pressure reduction in the cleaning tank 3 by the pressure reducing means 5, but is water, for example. In this embodiment, the cleaning liquid is water containing about 0.5% of a cleaning agent. However, the cleaning liquid may be water that does not contain detergent as well as water that contains detergent. The cleaning liquid may be other liquid that can be used for cleaning, such as soft water, pure water, and a solvent.

The object to be cleaned 2 is an article to be cleaned, for example, a medical instrument, an electronic component, or a mechanical component.

The washing tank 3 is a hollow container that can withstand the decompression of the internal space. The cleaning tank 3 of the present embodiment includes a main body 12 that opens upward and has a hollow portion, and a lid 13 that opens and closes the opening of the main body 12. In a state where the main body 12 is covered with the lid 13, the gap between the main body 12 and the lid 13 is sealed with the packing 14. Thereby, the hollow part of the main body 12 is sealed, and a sealed space is formed in the cleaning tank 3.

A water supply means 4 for supplying a cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank 3 is connected to the cleaning tank 3. The water supply means 4 of this embodiment supplies the water in the raw water tank 15 to the cleaning tank 3 through the water supply path 16. A water supply pump 17 and a water supply valve 19 are provided in the water supply path 16 in order from the raw water tank 15 side. When the water supply valve 19 is opened while the water supply pump 17 is operated, the water in the raw water tank 15 is supplied to the cleaning tank 3 through the water supply path 16. The water supplied to the cleaning tank 3 can be mixed with the cleaning agent from the chemical liquid tank 20 by the chemical injection pump 18 in the middle of the water supply path 16. The opening / closing of the water supply valve 19 is linked to the presence / absence of the operation of the water supply pump 17 and the chemical injection pump 18.

The cleaning tank 3 is connected to a decompression means 5 that sucks and discharges the gas in the cleaning tank 3 to reduce the pressure in the cleaning tank 3. The decompression means 5 of the present embodiment sucks and discharges the gas in the cleaning tank 3 through the exhaust path 21. In the exhaust path 21, a heat exchanger 22, a check valve 23, and a water ring vacuum pump 24 are provided in order from the cleaning tank 3 side.

The heat exchanger 22 cools and condenses the steam in the exhaust passage 21. Therefore, water is supplied to the heat exchanger 22 via the heat exchange water supply valve 25 and discharged. By condensing the vapor in the exhaust passage 21 in advance, it is possible to reduce the subsequent load on the vacuum pump 24 and effectively reduce the pressure in the cleaning tank 3.

As is well known, the water-sealed vacuum pump 24 is operated by supplying water called sealed water. Therefore, water is supplied to the vacuum pump 24 via the sealed water supply valve 26 and discharged. When the vacuum pump 24 is operated, the sealed water supply valve 26 is opened in conjunction with the vacuum pump 24.

The cleaning tank 3 is connected with a return pressure means 6 for introducing outside air into the gas phase in the cleaning tank 3 under reduced pressure to return the pressure in the cleaning tank 3. The return pressure means 6 of the present embodiment introduces outside air into the cleaning tank 3 under reduced pressure via the air supply path 27. The air supply path 27 is provided with an air supply valve 28. When the air supply valve 28 is opened in a state where the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is reduced, outside air is introduced into the cleaning tank 3 by the differential pressure, and the cleaning tank The pressure inside 3 can be restored.

The cleaning tank 3 is provided with a heating means 7 for heating the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. The heating means 7 of this embodiment heats the cleaning liquid by blowing steam into the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. Specifically, steam can be supplied to the cleaning tank 3 through a steam supply path 29 from a steam supply source such as a boiler. By opening and closing the steam supply valve 30 provided in the steam supply path 29, it is possible to switch the presence or absence of steam supply into the cleaning tank 3.

By the way, the heating means 7 is provided with an electric heater in the cleaning tank 3 or a container equipped with the electric heater, in addition to directly blowing steam into the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. The cleaning liquid or the heat medium is circulated with a circulation pump between them, or the cleaning tank 3 is made into a jacket structure (internal / external double structure), and a heat medium such as steam is put into the hollow portion to indirectly supply the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 It may be heated. However, from the viewpoint of energy efficiency and simplification of the configuration of the cleaning tank 3, it is preferable to heat the cleaning liquid by blowing steam into the cleaning liquid as in this embodiment.

The cleaning tank 3 is provided with a drainage means 8 for discharging the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. The drainage means 8 of this embodiment discharges the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 from the bottom of the cleaning tank 3 through the drainage channel 31. The drainage channel 31 is provided with a drainage valve 32. When the drainage valve 32 is opened in a state where the cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning tank 3, the cleaning liquid can be naturally led out of the cleaning tank 3.

The cleaning tank 3 is provided with a pressure sensor 9 that detects the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 and a liquid temperature sensor 10 that detects the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3. Furthermore, as described above, the cleaning tank 3 may be provided with a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the gas phase portion in the cleaning tank 3. In the present embodiment, a pressure sensor 9 and a liquid temperature sensor 10 are provided. In FIG. 1, the pressure sensor 9 is provided in the air supply path 27 between the air supply valve 28 and the cleaning tank 3, but may be provided directly in the cleaning tank 3. In the present embodiment, the liquid temperature sensor 10 is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank 3, but the installation position is not particularly limited as long as the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 can be detected.

The water supply means 4, the decompression means 5, the decompression means 6, the heating means 7 and the drainage means 8 are controlled by the control means 11. The control means 11 is a controller 33 that controls the means 4 to 8 based on the detection signals of the

sensors

9 and 10. Specifically, the water supply pump 17, the chemical injection pump 18, the water supply valve 19, the heat exchange water supply valve 25, the sealed water supply valve 26, the vacuum pump 24, the air supply valve 28, the steam supply valve 30, the drain valve 32, and the pressure sensor. 9 and the liquid temperature sensor 10 are connected to the controller 33. The controller 33 then cleans the article 2 to be cleaned in the cleaning tank 3 according to a predetermined procedure (program) as described below.

Hereinafter, a cleaning method using the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be specifically described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning method using the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, where the line P indicates the relationship between the elapsed time from the start of cleaning and the pressure in the cleaning tank, and the line T indicates the start of cleaning. The relationship between the elapsed time from the temperature and the temperature of the cleaning liquid is shown. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a flowchart which shows an example of the washing | cleaning method using the washing | cleaning apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

In the initial state, there is no cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3, the

valves

19, 25, 26, 30, 32 other than the air supply valve 28 are closed, and the

pumps

17, 18, 24 are not operating. From this initial state, a water injection step S1, a heating step S2, a depressurizing pressure pulse step S3, and a drainage step S4 are sequentially performed.

Prior to the water injection step S1, the object to be cleaned 2 is placed in the cleaning tank 3, and the lid 13 of the cleaning tank 3 is closed. However, the object to be cleaned 2 may be placed in the cleaning tank 3 immediately after the water injection step S1, and in this case, the lid 13 of the cleaning tank 3 is closed after the object 2 to be cleaned is placed in the cleaning tank 3. It is done. In any case, the article to be cleaned 2 is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3.

Water injection step S <b> 1 is a step in which the cleaning liquid is put into the cleaning tank 3 by the water supply means 4. In this embodiment, with the water supply valve 19 opened, the water supply pump 17 and the chemical injection pump 18 are operated to put the cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank 3. A desired amount of cleaning agent is added to the water supplied into the cleaning tank 3 by the operation of the chemical injection pump 18. However, as described above, the addition of the cleaning agent can be omitted as appropriate, and in that case, the installation of the chemical injection pump 18 and the chemical liquid tank 20 can be omitted. In addition to pure water, soft water, and other cleaning liquids may be stored and used in the raw water tank 15 in addition to water to which a cleaning agent is added. In the water injection step S <b> 1, when the lid 13 of the cleaning tank 3 is closed, the air in the cleaning tank 3 is discharged from the air supply path 27 along with the water injection to the cleaning tank 3.

When it is detected by a liquid level sensor (not shown) provided in the cleaning tank 3 that the cleaning liquid has been stored up to a predetermined water level in the cleaning tank 3, water supply by the water supply means 4 is stopped. Specifically, the water supply valve 19 is closed and the water supply pump 17 and the chemical injection pump 18 are stopped, and the process proceeds to the next step. However, the water supply to the cleaning tank 3 may be performed by putting a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank 3 in addition to performing the water supply up to a predetermined water level in the cleaning tank 3. In this case, the amount of water supplied into the cleaning tank 3 may be controlled by simply supplying water to the cleaning tank 3 for a predetermined time.

Heating step S2 (S21 to S23) is a step of heating the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 to the depressurization pressure start temperature. Specifically, the cleaning liquid is heated by the heating means 7 until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure start temperature. In this embodiment, the steam supply valve 30 is opened, steam is blown into the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3, and the cleaning liquid is heated (S21). During this steaming, the temperature of the cleaning liquid is monitored by the liquid temperature sensor 10, and when the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse starting temperature, the steam supply valve 30 is closed and the process proceeds to the next step (S22, S23). At this time, preferably, when the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure start temperature, the opening and closing of the steam supply valve 30 is controlled based on the detection signal of the liquid temperature sensor 10 so that the temperature is maintained for a predetermined time, and then the steam supply valve 30 is closed and the process proceeds to the next step. By holding the cleaning liquid at the decompression pressure pulse start temperature for a predetermined time, even when the object to be cleaned 2 has a hollow portion such as a tube, the temperature of the cleaning liquid inside and outside the object to be cleaned 2 can be made constant.

The starting pressure of the decompression pressure pulse is not particularly limited. However, when the dirt of the article 2 to be washed is blood dirt, the protein is thermally deformed and fixed when the dirt exceeds 60 ° C. The decompression pressure starting temperature is preferably 60 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 50 ° C. or lower. In the present embodiment, the depressurization pressure start temperature is set to 50 ° C., for example.

In the pressure reducing pulse step S3 (S31 to S35), the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is reduced so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil until the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 reaches the end pressure of the pressure reduction pulse (S31, S32). ). During this time, during the boiling of the cleaning liquid, the operation of instantaneously restoring the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 at a predetermined timing and temporarily interrupting the boiling of the cleaning liquid is repeated (S33, S34). In this way, the pressure reduction and the instantaneous return pressure are repeated. The end pressure of the decompression pressure pulse is not particularly limited. However, when the cleaning temperature is lowered, the cleaning effect is lowered.

More specifically, in the depressurization pressure pulse process S3, the operation of the decompression means 5 is continued to gradually reduce the pressure in the cleaning tank 3, thereby continuing the boiling of the cleaning liquid (S31, S31). S32). However, during this time, the temperature of the cleaning liquid is monitored by the liquid temperature sensor 10, and each time the temperature of the cleaning liquid decreases by a predetermined amount, the pressure inside the cleaning tank 3 is temporarily restored by the return pressure means 6 (S33, S34). The pressure in the washing tank 3 can be reduced by the pressure reducing means 5 by operating the vacuum pump 24 with the air supply valve 28 closed and the heat exchange water supply valve 25 and the sealed water supply valve 26 opened. Further, the instantaneous return pressure to the set pressure by the return pressure means 6 may be achieved by opening the air supply valve 28 made of an electromagnetic valve. The decompression means 5 may remain operated even during the return pressure. Then, after opening the air supply valve 28 to restore the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 and interrupting the boiling of the cleaning liquid, the air supply valve 28 is closed again to reduce the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 and the boiling of the cleaning liquid. It is illustrated (S31).

In the pressure reduction pulse step S3, the timing of the pressure recovery is not particularly limited as long as the pressure recovery is performed while the cleaning liquid is boiling. In this embodiment, the temperature of the cleaning liquid is monitored based on the liquid temperature sensor 10, and the pressure is restored every time the temperature decreases by a predetermined temperature. However, the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is monitored based on the pressure sensor 9, Each time the pressure decreases by a predetermined pressure, the pressure may be restored. Alternatively, a temperature sensor may be provided in the gas phase part in the cleaning tank 3, and the temperature of the gas phase part in the cleaning tank 3 may be monitored based on the temperature sensor, and the pressure may be restored each time the temperature decreases by a predetermined temperature. . In any case, the predetermined temperature or the predetermined pressure may be changed in the middle of the depressurizing pressure pulse step S3, or may be different every time depending on the case. Further, in addition to returning the pressure every time the temperature of the cleaning liquid or the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank 3 decreases by a predetermined amount, the pressure may be simply recovered every predetermined time by a timer.

The predetermined temperature (the predetermined pressure is similarly determined in accordance with this) is appropriately set. In the present embodiment, for example, 2 ° C. is adopted. Therefore, when the cleaning liquid is heated to 50 ° C. in the heating step S2, the first re-pressure is executed when the cleaning liquid reaches 48 ° C. In addition, the temperature set every time so that it may become low sequentially requires the temperature drop in which the evaporation in which only the vapor | steam is filled with the inside of a tube or a container is seen. On the other hand, if the temperature difference is set to be large, the temperature of the useless cleaning liquid is lowered. Therefore, the temperature drop set every time so as to decrease sequentially is preferably 0.5 to 5 ° C, more preferably 1 to 3 ° C.

On the other hand, the instantaneous repressure is performed up to the pressure at which the cleaning liquid stops boiling. In particular, it is preferable that the pressure is less than atmospheric pressure and is close to the pressure at which the cleaning liquid stops boiling. By reducing pressure to halfway instead of atmospheric pressure and controlling the cleaning liquid to stop boiling, wasteful pressure reduction that does not affect the cleaning effect and the next unnecessary pressure reduction are eliminated, reducing the cleaning time. Can be achieved. In addition, by eliminating unnecessary pressure reduction, it is possible to reduce the amount of water and power used for the pressure reducing means 5 in the cleaning tank 3. The return pressure level may be a constant value, but may be changed in the middle, such as gradually decreasing as desired.

Thus, according to the cleaning method of the present embodiment, the cleaning tank 3 is depressurized to boil the cleaning liquid, and during this boiling, the cleaning tank 3 is instantaneously restored to the set pressure to boil the cleaning liquid. It will stop at once. Therefore, when the pressure is restored, the bubbles of water vapor generated in the cleaning liquid due to boiling until then are condensed instantly. The cleaning liquid is stirred and transferred by the pressure wave and pressure difference during the condensation, and the object to be cleaned 2 is cleaned. Such an operation is repeated, but the cleaning liquid is cooled as the pressure is reduced. In this case, if the object to be cleaned 2 has a hollow portion such as a tube, the rise in the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the object to be cleaned 2 lags behind the temperature of the cleaning liquid outside the object to be cleaned 2 if it is handled by heating with a heater or the like. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the holding time after heating. Accordingly, in order to cope with this, the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is gradually decreased to surely boil the cleaning liquid, thereby obtaining a reliable and stable cleaning effect.

By the way, as described above, bubbles generated by decompression condense and disappear due to instantaneous re-pressure, but in a very short time until the disappearance, it is better to create a pressure difference as large as possible inside and outside the bubble, The cleaning liquid is more stirred and transferred. For example, since the object to be cleaned 2 is a tube and the time for the bubbles in the tube to disappear is several seconds, the time required for increasing the air pressure by 20 kPa is preferably within 1 second, more preferably within 0.1 second. .

Also, the pressure wave at the time of condensation is generated in many spaces when there is as much steam as possible in the cleaning solution immediately before the instantaneous repressure. In order to do so, it is necessary to quickly lower the cleaning liquid temperature, and it is preferable to decrease the cleaning liquid temperature by 1 ° C. or more per minute, and more preferably by 2 ° C. or more per minute.

Such a depressurizing pressure pulse step S3 is performed until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature (S32). The end pressure of the decompression pressure pulse is not particularly limited, but is set to 30 ° C., for example. Thereafter, the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 may be restored to atmospheric pressure, and the cleaning may be terminated. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the set of the heating step S2 and the depressurizing pressure step S3 may be repeated a plurality of times. (S35).

That is, when the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature, it is reheated until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse starting temperature, and the pressure reduction and the repressurizing are repeated until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature again. Also good. Then, a cycle consisting of heating of the cleaning liquid until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse start temperature and repetition of the depressurizing pressure in the cleaning tank 3 until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature is performed a set number of times ( 2 times in FIG. In one cycle, the cleaning liquid temperature gradually decreases due to repeated depressurization pressure. For example, fat content hardens and the cleaning effect may be diminished. However, after the cleaning liquid temperature is raised again, the depressurization pressure is repeated. Thus, more reliable and stable cleaning can be performed. By the way, after heating the cleaning liquid until it reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse starting temperature, it is preferable to hold the cleaning liquid at the depressurizing pressure pulse starting temperature for a predetermined time as shown in FIG.

The subsequent draining step S4 is a step of returning the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 to atmospheric pressure and discharging the cleaning water in the cleaning tank 3. Specifically, after opening the air supply valve 28 and returning the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 to the atmospheric pressure, the drain valve 32 may be opened to drain the cleaning water. Thereafter, the object to be cleaned 2 is rinsed as desired. For example, water to be cleaned 2 is rinsed by putting water in the cleaning tank 3 and heating it to a predetermined temperature, and reducing and returning the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 as appropriate. Such rinsing may be performed twice. In that case, the temperature of water in the washing tank 3 is preferably set higher than that of the first rinsing, for example, 80 to 90 ° C. Of water is used.

After the rinsing process, it is preferable to drain the washing water and then perform the drying process. In the drying step, steam is supplied into the cleaning tank 3 to raise the temperature of the object to be cleaned 2, and then the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is reduced. Alternatively, it is only necessary to evacuate the cleaning tank 3 by the decompression means 5 while putting warm air into the cleaning tank 3 by heat exchange with steam. Thereby, the to-be-cleaned object 2 in the washing tank 3 is dried.

The cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the present invention are not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate. In particular, in the depressurization pressure pulse step S3, the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 is gradually reduced, and the boiling of the cleaning liquid is temporarily interrupted by instantaneously returning the pressure during the boiling of the cleaning liquid due to the reduced pressure in the cleaning tank 3. If the process of repeating is included, others can be appropriately changed.

Further, although the heat exchanger 22 and the vacuum pump 24 are provided as the decompression means 5 in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 22 may be omitted and only the vacuum pump 24 may be provided. Conversely, a steam ejector or a water ejector may be provided instead of or in addition to the vacuum pump 24 and the heat exchanger 22. Furthermore, you may implement the air exclusion process in the washing tank 3 after the first water injection process S1 and before heating process S2. Alternatively, in the water injection step S <b> 1, the air supply valve 28 may be closed and the decompression unit 5 may be operated to inject water into the cleaning tank 3 and remove air from the cleaning tank 3.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the water in the raw | natural water tank 15 was supplied in the washing tank 3 with the water supply pump 17, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the washing tank 3 is obtained by decompressing the inside of the washing tank 3 with the decompression means 5. Thus, the water in the raw water tank 15 may be supplied into the cleaning tank 3 without using the water supply pump 17. And the mixing of the cleaning agent into the water supply can be similarly performed by the differential pressure.

In the above embodiment, the depressurization and return pressure in the cleaning tank are repeated until the cleaning liquid reaches the pressure reduction pulse end temperature. Until the inside of 3 reaches the depressurization pressure end temperature, the depressurization and the return pressure in the cleaning tank may be repeated. Whether or not the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 reaches the pressure reduction pulse end may be monitored by the pressure sensor 9, and whether or not the pressure in the cleaning tank 3 reaches the pressure reduction pulse end temperature is determined in the cleaning tank 3. What is necessary is just to monitor with the temperature sensor provided in the gaseous-phase part.

In the above embodiment, the subsequent decompression level is reduced each time the instantaneous return pressure is performed once. However, the subsequent decompression level may be decreased each time the instantaneous decompression is performed a plurality of times. Also in this case, the cleaning liquid is boiled by decompression, and the pressure is instantaneously restored during the boiling.

Furthermore, in the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the above embodiment, cleaning by ultrasonic vibration may be added. That is, an ultrasonic vibrator may be further installed in the cleaning tank 3. For example, in the heating step S2, cleaning by ultrasonic vibration is preferably performed. The heating step S2 only heats the cleaning liquid and does not contribute to cleaning. Therefore, by applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid in this step, the object to be cleaned 2 is ultrasonically cleaned and the cleaning effect is further improved. be able to.

Finally, in the embodiment, in the state immediately after the objects 2 to be cleaned are accommodated in the cleaning tank 3, it is not always necessary that all the objects 2 to be cleaned are immersed in the cleaning liquid. For example, in the case where the rack containing the article to be cleaned 2 is accommodated in the cleaning tank 3 in a plurality of stages, the uppermost rack may not be immersed. Even in such a case, the cleaning liquid can be applied to all the objects to be cleaned 2 to be cleaned by boiling the cleaning liquid. As described above, the object to be cleaned 2 is not immersed in the cleaning liquid before the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 is boiled, but can also be disposed at a position where the cleaning liquid is immersed in the cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 3 is boiled. In this case, the installation space for the objects to be cleaned 2 can be increased, and more objects to be cleaned 2 can be cleaned in one operation. Further, since the liquid level can be lowered and the operation can be performed, the amount of the cleaning liquid used is suppressed.

In this example, the blood-coated stainless steel piece was washed by the washing method of FIG. 2, and the residual protein of the stainless piece was measured to confirm the washing effect. Further, as Comparative Example 1, the cleaning effect was similarly confirmed in the case where the pressure reduction and the return pressure in the cleaning tank were simply repeated and the cleaning liquid was not reheated. Furthermore, as Comparative Example 2, after reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank until the cleaning liquid does not boil without performing a depressurizing pressure pulse, the cleaning liquid is reheated and the pressure in the cleaning tank is decreased until the cleaning liquid does not boil again. Similarly, the cleaning effect was confirmed.

In any case, when the blood-coated stainless steel piece was put in a 2 m long tube, put in a 4 m long tube, or put in a container with a lid, it was immersed in the washing solution as it was without being put in the tube or the container. In some cases, the cleaning effect was confirmed.

The tube was a tube having an inner diameter of 5 mm and an outer diameter of 7 mm, and was vortexed when submerged in the washing tank. The size of the blood-coated stainless steel piece is 5 mm wide, 55 mm long, and 1 mm thick. The blood-coated stainless steel piece was placed at the center of the tube (for example, in the case of a 4 m long tube, the portion was 2 m from one end). A container with a lid is a micro-instrument sterilization tray (made of heat-resistant plastic with a width of 394 mm, a depth of 267 mm, and a height of 23 mm and with a silicone mat). Covered. The blood coated stainless steel piece used is the lumen cleaning evaluation indicator “TOSI-LumCheck”.

The cleaning effect is shown in Table 1. As can be seen from this table, this example has the best cleaning performance. Comparative Example 1 is poor in cleaning effect because it is only cleaned by entering and exiting air in the air pool of the object to be cleaned. Further, in Comparative Example 2, if the tube is filled with steam due to boiling of the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid does not oscillate and the cleaning is interrupted, so that the cleaning effect is poor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 2 Object to be cleaned 3 Cleaning tank 4 Water supply means 5 Pressure reducing means 6 Pressure returning means 7 Heating means 8 Draining means 9 Pressure sensor 10 Liquid temperature sensor 11 Control means

Claims

A cleaning tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored, and an object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid;
Vacuuming means for sucking and discharging the gas in the cleaning tank to the outside, and reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank;
Introducing outside air into the gas phase portion in the cleaning tank that has been depressurized, and having a pressure-reducing means for returning the pressure in the cleaning tank,
The inside of the washing tank is depressurized to boil the washing liquid, and during the boiling, the pressure inside the washing tank is instantaneously restored until the boiling of the washing liquid stops, and then the pressure is reduced again.
A cleaning apparatus, wherein the pressure reduction level is lowered so that the cleaning liquid boils with subsequent pressure reduction every time when the instantaneous return pressure is performed once or a predetermined number of times.
A cleaning tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored, and an object to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning liquid;
Vacuuming means for sucking and discharging the gas in the cleaning tank to the outside, and reducing the pressure in the cleaning tank;
Introducing outside air into the gas phase portion in the cleaning tank that has been depressurized, and having a pressure-reducing means for returning the pressure in the cleaning tank,
Continue the operation of the pressure reducing means so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil, and continue to reduce the pressure in the cleaning tank,
During the boiling of the cleaning liquid by this pressure reduction, the cleaning apparatus is characterized in that the pressure-recovering means repeatedly repeats the pressure in the cleaning tank instantaneously until the boiling of the cleaning liquid stops.
Heating means for heating the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank;
Any one or more of a liquid temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the cleaning tank, and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the gas phase in the cleaning tank With a sensor
The cleaning liquid is heated to the depressurization pulse start temperature by the heating means,
Until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature or the cleaning tank reaches the depressurizing pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurizing pressure pulse end temperature, the depressurizing means causes the cleaning liquid to continue to boil. Continue decompression,
During this decompression, the detection signal from the sensor is monitored, and at a predetermined timing based on the temperature of the cleaning liquid or the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank, the pressure is instantaneously restored until the boiling of the cleaning liquid stops, and then the pressure is reduced again. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
When the cleaning liquid reaches the decompression pressure pulse end temperature or the inside of the cleaning tank reaches the decompression pressure pulse end pressure or the decompression pressure pulse end temperature, the cleaning liquid is reheated until the decompression pressure pulse start temperature is reached. Until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature again, or until the depressurization pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature is reached in the cleaning tank, and the predetermined timing during the decompression. Repeated with the instantaneous pressure reduction at
Heating the cleaning liquid until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse start temperature, and the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature, or the cleaning tank reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end pressure or the decompression pressure pulse end temperature. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a cycle including repetition of depressurization pressure in the cleaning tank is performed a set number of times.
An ultrasonic transducer,
5. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ultrasonic vibrator applies ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid is heated to the depressurization pressure start temperature by the heating unit.
The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the predetermined timing is set so as to decrease the temperature of the cleaning liquid or the pressure or temperature in the cleaning tank by a predetermined amount.
The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the instantaneous return pressure is a pressure at which boiling of the cleaning liquid stops and a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.
A cleaning method for cleaning by immersing an object to be cleaned in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank,
The inside of the washing tank is depressurized to boil the cleaning liquid, and during this boiling, the pressure inside the washing tank is instantaneously restored until boiling of the washing liquid stops, and then the pressure is reduced again.
A cleaning method, characterized by lowering the pressure reduction level so that the cleaning liquid boils with subsequent pressure reduction every time when the instantaneous repressure is performed once or a predetermined number of times.
A cleaning method for cleaning by immersing an object to be cleaned in a cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning tank,
Continue to reduce the pressure in the cleaning tank so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil,
During the boiling of the cleaning liquid due to this depressurization, the pressure in the cleaning tank is instantaneously temporarily restored until boiling of the cleaning liquid stops.
Heat the cleaning solution to the starting pressure of the decompression pressure pulse,
Continue the depressurization in the cleaning tank so that the cleaning liquid continues to boil until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature or the dehydration pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature in the cleaning tank,
9. The pressure of the cleaning liquid or the pressure in the cleaning tank or a predetermined timing based on the temperature during the pressure reduction is repeated until the boiling of the cleaning liquid stops, and then the pressure is reduced again. Item 10. The cleaning method according to Item 9.
When the cleaning liquid reaches the decompression pressure pulse end temperature or the inside of the cleaning tank reaches the decompression pressure pulse end pressure or the decompression pressure pulse end temperature, the cleaning liquid is reheated until the decompression pressure pulse start temperature is reached. Until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature again, or until the depressurization pressure pulse end pressure or the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature is reached in the cleaning tank, and the predetermined timing during the decompression. Repeated with the instantaneous pressure reduction at
Heating the cleaning liquid until the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse start temperature, and the cleaning liquid reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end temperature, or the cleaning tank reaches the depressurization pressure pulse end pressure or the decompression pressure pulse end temperature. The cleaning method according to claim 10, wherein a cycle including repetition of the depressurization pressure in the cleaning tank until the time is performed is performed a set number of times.
The cleaning method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein ultrasonic vibration is applied to the cleaning liquid when the cleaning liquid is heated to the depressurization pressure start temperature.
The cleaning method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the instantaneous return pressure is a pressure at which boiling of the cleaning liquid stops and a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.