WO2017073431A1

WO2017073431A1 - Cleansing device, system for cleansing spherical body, and method for cleansing spherical body

Info

Publication number: WO2017073431A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/080969
Authority: WO
Inventors: 則秀佐藤
Original assignee: Ntn株式会社
Priority date: 2015-10-29
Filing date: 2016-10-19
Publication date: 2017-05-04

Abstract

Provided are a cleansing device, a system for cleansing a spherical body, and a method for cleansing a spherical body, which enable uniform cleansing of the surface of a spherical body. The system for cleansing a spherical body is provided with a cleansing device for cleansing a spherical body. This cleansing device includes a first member (11) having a first surface (11a) and a second member (20) having a second surface (20a) that is disposed to face the first surface (11a). The first surface (11a) and the second surface (20a) are holding surfaces for holding the spherical body therebetween. The first surface (11a) and the second surface are configured to be rotatable relative to each other. This cleansing device further includes: a loading part (12) for receiving loading of a spherical body in a space between the first surface (11a) and the second surface (20a); and a discharge part (13) for discharging the spherical body from the abovementioned space. Either the first surface (11a) or the second surface (20a) is provided with a helical channel (15) for guiding the spherical body from the loading part (12) to the discharge part (14).

Description

Cleaning device, spherical cleaning system, and spherical cleaning method

The present invention relates to a cleaning device, a sphere cleaning system, and a sphere cleaning method, and more particularly, to a cleaning device, a sphere cleaning system, and a sphere cleaning method capable of uniformly cleaning a sphere surface.

¡The steel balls and ceramic balls for bearings are subjected to precise polishing to obtain high sphericity. In this polishing process, the sphere is polished using a grindstone, loose abrasive grains, and oil-based or water-based coolant. Therefore, dirt such as a coolant or polishing powder may adhere to the surface of the sphere after the polishing process, and it is necessary to further perform a cleaning process in order to remove these.

There are various methods for cleaning the sphere depending on the size of the sphere and the required cleanliness. Common sphere cleaning methods include, for example, ultrasonic cleaning, brush cleaning, rolling cleaning, and hand cleaning. In ultrasonic cleaning, the sphere is cleaned by a shock wave caused by cavitation. In brush cleaning, a sphere is placed in a disc-shaped cage, and the sphere is cleaned by rubbing the surface with a brush. In rolling cleaning, a sphere is cleaned by rolling on a sponge or the like. In hand-washing, the spheres are washed by rubbing with both hands or by sponge and hand. As a cleaning method for this type of sphere, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-100289 (Patent Document 1) describes a method of cleaning a sphere while feeding it along a spiral guide member.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-1000022

In the cleaning process of steel balls and ceramic balls after polishing, ensure a uniform and high cleanness on the entire surface of the sphere, and suppress the occurrence of scratches due to collision and contact between the spheres during the cleaning operation. Is required. However, with the conventional cleaning method, it has been difficult to clean the spherical surface with a uniform and high cleanliness.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cleaning device, a sphere cleaning system, and a sphere cleaning method capable of uniformly cleaning the surface of the sphere.

The cleaning device according to the present invention is a cleaning device for cleaning a sphere. The cleaning apparatus includes a first member having a first surface and a second member having a second surface opposite to the first surface. The first surface and the second surface are sandwiching surfaces that sandwich the sphere. The first surface and the second surface are configured to be rotatable relative to each other. The cleaning device further includes an input unit for introducing a sphere into the space between the first surface and the second surface, and a discharge unit for discharging the sphere from the space. One surface of the first surface and the second surface is provided with a spiral groove for guiding the sphere from the input portion to the discharge portion.

In the cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, the sphere can be rotated by holding the sphere between the first surface and the second surface and rotating the first surface and the second surface relative to each other. . Then, by cleaning the rotated sphere while guiding it along the spiral groove from the input portion to the discharge portion, the surface of the sphere is changed while changing the inclination of the rotation axis with respect to the clamping surfaces (first surface and second surface). Can be washed. As a result, a more uniform cleanliness can be ensured over the entire surface of the sphere. Therefore, according to the cleaning device according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning device capable of uniformly cleaning the surface of the sphere.

Preferably, in the cleaning apparatus, one member of the first member and the second member is a deformable member capable of deforming the sandwiching surface from a flat surface to a curved surface along the surface shape of the sphere.

According to the above configuration, differential slip occurs at the contact portion between the sphere and the clamping surface, so that the surface of the rotated sphere can be cleaned while being rubbed against the clamping surface. As a result, the surface of the sphere can be more uniformly cleaned.

Preferably, in the cleaning device, the deformable member includes a porous member and a fiber member that is disposed on the porous member and that forms the holding surface and is impregnated with a cleaning agent for cleaning the sphere. Contains.

According to the above configuration, the flexibility of the deformable member is ensured by using the porous member, and a high cleaning effect can be obtained by sandwiching the sphere in the fiber member impregnated with the cleaning agent. As a result, higher cleanliness can be ensured on the sphere surface.

In the cleaning apparatus, the cleaning agent preferably contains an organic solvent or water. Thus, in the said washing | cleaning apparatus, the cleaning agent suitable for washing | cleaning of the spherical surface can be selected suitably.

Preferably, in the cleaning device, the spiral groove protrudes from one surface of the first surface and the second surface and from the one surface to the other surface of the first surface and the second surface. It is the area | region enclosed by the wall surface of the wall part to perform. The first and second surfaces constituting the space and the wall surface in the space are formed by a porous member.

According to the above configuration, the abrasive grain bond is taken into the pores included in the porous member when the sphere having the abrasive grain bond adhered to the surface during the polishing process is washed with the cleaning device. The problem that the surface of the sphere is damaged by the attached bond can be suppressed.

Preferably, in the cleaning device, the spiral groove protrudes from one surface of the first surface and the second surface and from the one surface to the other surface of the first surface and the second surface. It is the area | region enclosed by the wall surface of the wall part to perform. The wall surface is a surface having a larger coefficient of friction than the one surface.

According to the above configuration, when the sphere transferred along the spiral groove in a state of being sandwiched by the sandwiching surfaces (the first surface and the second surface) is in contact with the wall surface, the friction coefficient between the sandwiching surface and the wall surface is reduced. The rotation axis of the sphere can be changed by the difference. As a result, the surface of the sphere can be more uniformly cleaned.

Preferably, in the cleaning device, the spiral groove includes a portion that has been changed from a spiral track.

According to the above configuration, the rotation axis of the sphere can be changed in the portion where the trajectory has been changed. As a result, the surface of the sphere can be more uniformly cleaned.

In the above cleaning apparatus, preferably, the first member and the second member are arranged so that the rotation axes are eccentric from each other.

According to the above configuration, the rotation axis of the sphere can be changed by the difference in peripheral speed when the first member and the second member are relatively rotated. As a result, the surface of the sphere can be more uniformly cleaned.

Preferably, in the cleaning apparatus, the member provided with the spiral groove in the first member and the second member includes a resin material or a metal material. Thus, the constituent material of the member provided with the spiral groove can be appropriately selected in consideration of the component of the cleaning agent and the like.

The spherical cleaning system provided with the cleaning device preferably includes a plurality of the cleaning devices. The sphere cleaning system preferably includes a transfer means for sending a sphere cleaned by one of the plurality of cleaning devices to another cleaning device located downstream of the one cleaning device. I have. According to the above configuration, the surface of the sphere can be more uniformly cleaned by using a plurality of cleaning devices.

The method for cleaning a sphere according to the present invention includes a step of preparing a sphere and a step of preparing a cleaning device for cleaning the sphere. The cleaning device includes a first member having a first surface, a second member having a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a space between the first surface and the second surface. And a discharge portion for discharging the sphere from the space. One surface of the first surface and the second surface is provided with a spiral groove for guiding the sphere from the input portion to the discharge portion. The method for cleaning a sphere further includes a step of inserting a sphere into the space from the input portion, a step of cleaning the sphere in the space, and a step of discharging the cleaned sphere from the discharge portion. In the step of cleaning the sphere, the sphere is rotated by rotating the first surface and the second surface relative to each other while holding the sphere between the first surface and the second surface, and the rotated sphere Is cleaned while being guided in the spiral groove from the input part to the discharge part.

In the sphere cleaning method according to the present invention, the sphere is rotated by rotating the first surface and the second surface relative to each other while holding the sphere between the first surface and the second surface. be able to. Then, the surface of the sphere is cleaned while changing the inclination of the rotation axis with respect to the sandwiching surfaces (first surface and second surface) by cleaning the rotating sphere while guiding it from the input portion to the discharge portion in the spiral groove. can do. As a result, a more uniform cleanliness can be ensured over the entire surface of the sphere. Therefore, according to the method for cleaning a sphere according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for cleaning a sphere that can uniformly clean the surface of the sphere.

As is apparent from the above description, according to the cleaning device, the sphere cleaning system and the sphere cleaning method according to the present invention, the cleaning device capable of uniformly cleaning the surface of the sphere, the sphere cleaning system, and A method for cleaning a sphere can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the washing | cleaning system of the spherical body which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a top view which shows roughly the 1st example of a structure of the washing | cleaning system of the spherical body which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure along a line segment III-III in FIG. It is a top view which shows roughly the 2nd example of a structure of the washing | cleaning system of the spherical body which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the washing | cleaning method of the sphere which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the inclination of the rotating shaft of the spherical body in the area | region VI in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the inclination of the rotating shaft of the spherical body in the area | region VII in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the inclination of the rotating shaft of the spherical body in the area | region VIII in FIG. It is a top view which shows roughly the structure of the washing | cleaning system of the spherical body which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the change of the rotating shaft of a spherical body. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the washing | cleaning system of the spherical body which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the 1st example of a structure of the washing | cleaning system of the spherical body which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the 2nd example of a structure of the washing | cleaning system of the spherical body which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a portion corresponding to a portion along line III-III in FIG. 2 in a spherical body cleaning system according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
(Configuration of sphere cleaning system)
First, the configuration of a sphere cleaning system according to Embodiment 1, which is one embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. The spherical body cleaning system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a cleaning device 10 for cleaning the spherical body 30.

The sphere 30 may be, for example, a ceramic sphere such as a steel ball for a bearing or a nitrogen silicon sphere, or may be another sphere. Further, FIG. 1 shows a case where the spherical cleaning system 1 includes a single cleaning device 10, but the spherical cleaning system of the present invention includes a plurality of spherical cleaning systems as described in other embodiments described later. A cleaning device may be provided.

Referring to FIG. 3, the cleaning apparatus 10 includes a spiral flutes 11 as a first member having a first surface 11 a and a second member having a second surface 20 a facing the first surface 11 a. As a flat disk 20. The first surface 11 a and the second surface 20 a are clamping surfaces that sandwich the sphere 30.

The first surface 11a and the second surface 20a are configured to be rotatable relative to each other. That is, the first surface 11a may be fixed and the second surface 20a may be rotatable, or the second surface 20a may be fixed and the first surface 11a may be rotated. Alternatively, both the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a may be rotatable.

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the cleaning apparatus 10 includes an input unit 12 for inputting the sphere 30 into the space S between the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a, and the sphere 30 from the space S. The discharge part 13 for discharging | emitting this. The input part 12 may be provided in the center part of the spiral flutes 11, and the discharge part 13 may be provided in a part of the outer peripheral surface of the spiral flutes 11.

Referring to FIG. 2, the spiral flutes 11 have a circular shape in a plan view, and a sphere 30 is disposed in a spiral groove 15 having a substantially circular spiral shape in a plan view. With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the spiral groove 15 is a part for guiding the sphere 30 from the input part 12 to the discharge part 13. The spiral groove 15 may be, for example, an Archimedean spiral or a Bernoulli spiral. However, the spiral groove 15 is not limited to such a regular shape. With the above configuration, the spiral groove 15 guides the sphere 30 introduced into the space S from the input portion 12 to the discharge portion 13 along the spiral groove 15, and the cleaned sphere 30 is transferred from the discharge portion 13 to the cleaning device 10. It can be discharged to the outside. In addition, the spiral groove 15 should just be provided in one surface among the 1st surface 11a and the 2nd surface 20a, and may be provided in the 2nd surface 20a. The direction of the spiral groove 15 may be clockwise as viewed in plan from above the spiral groove 11 as shown in FIG. 2, or may be counterclockwise.

As the first member, which is a member provided with the spiral groove 15, the spiral groove plate 11 includes a resin material or a metal material, and preferably includes a resin material. More specifically, the material of the spiral flutes 11 can be appropriately selected in consideration of the components of the cleaning agent, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC: Poly Vinyl Chloride). Thereby, even when oil-based or water-based cleaning agents are used, the swelling of the spiral flutes 11 can be suppressed. Further, in the case of metal spiral flutes, metal may rub against and adhere to the surface of the ceramic sphere, whereas in PVC spiral flutes 11 this can be suppressed.

Referring to FIG. 3, the spiral groove 15 is a region surrounded by the first surface 11a and the wall surface 40a. The wall surface 40a is included in the wall portion 40 that protrudes from the first surface 11a toward the second surface 20a. The wall surface 40a may be a surface having a larger coefficient of friction than the first surface 11a. Thereby, since the rotation axis of the spherical body 30 can be changed due to the difference in the friction coefficient between the wall surface 40a and the first surface 11a by bringing the spherical body 30 into contact with the wall surface 40a, the surface of the spherical body 30 is more It can be washed uniformly. Examples of a method for making the friction coefficient of the wall surface 40a larger than the friction coefficient of the first surface 11a include a method of roughening the wall surface 40a and a method of providing a coating layer on the wall surface 40a.

The flat disk 20 as the second member is a deformable member capable of deforming the second surface 20a, which is a clamping surface, from a flat surface to a curved surface along the surface shape of the sphere 30. The flat disk 20 that is a deformable member includes a porous member 22 and a fiber member 21 disposed on the porous member 22.

The porous member 22 is an elastic member such as a sponge. The fiber member 21 constitutes a second surface 20a that is a clamping surface. The fiber member 21 is a cloth (for example, non-woven fabric) and is impregnated with a cleaning agent for cleaning the sphere 30. The cleaning agent contains an organic solvent and water, such as white kerosene.

The flat disk 20 that is a deformable member may be configured by only the porous member 22 without the fiber member 21, but the cleaning action of the sphere 30 can be further improved by providing the fiber member 21. . Moreover, it is not restricted to the case where the flat disk 20 is a deformation | transformation member, The spiral groove board 11 provided with the spiral groove 15 may be comprised as said deformation | transformation member.

Referring to FIG. 4, the spiral groove 16 has a spiral groove 15 having a substantially polygonal (pentagonal) spiral shape in plan view. In this respect, the spiral flutes 16 of FIG. 4 are different from the spiral flutes 11 of FIG. 2, but are otherwise the same as the spiral flutes 11 of FIG. Is the same. For this reason, the detailed description regarding the spiral flutes 16 of FIG. 4 is omitted.

(How to clean the sphere)
Next, a sphere cleaning method according to the present embodiment, which is performed using the sphere cleaning system 1, will be described. With reference to FIG. 5, the process of preparing a spherical body is first implemented as process (S10). In this step (S10), a spherical body 30 such as a steel ball or a ceramic ball for bearing that has been subjected to precise polishing is prepared. In addition to this step (S10), a step (S20) of preparing a cleaning device for cleaning the sphere 30 is performed. In this step (S20), cleaning device 10 of sphere cleaning system 1 according to the present embodiment is prepared.

Next, as a step (S30), a step of throwing the sphere 30 into the space S from the throwing unit 12 is performed. In this step (S30), in order to suppress collision and contact between the spheres 30, the spheres 30 may be continuously introduced at intervals of 0.5 seconds, for example. That is, in the spherical body cleaning system 1, since the spiral groove 15 is provided in the plane of the first surface 11 a, the collision and contact between the spherical bodies 30 can be suppressed by adjusting the insertion interval of the spherical bodies 30. Can do.

Next, a step of cleaning the sphere 30 in the space S is performed as a step (S40). In this step (S40), referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a are connected to each other while holding the sphere 30 between the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a. The sphere 30 is rotated by rotating it relatively. At this time, the first surface 11a may be fixed and only the second surface 20a may rotate, the second surface 20a may be fixed and only the first surface 11a may rotate, Both the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a may rotate. Then, the rotated sphere 30 is cleaned while being guided from the input unit 12 to the discharge unit 13 in the spiral groove 15. At this time, when the spherical body 30 is transferred along the spiral trajectory of the spiral groove 15, the inclination of the rotation axis with respect to the sandwiching surfaces (the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a) changes. The sphere 30 may be wet-cleaned with white kerosene impregnated in the fiber member 21, but may be dry-cleaned by blowing gas onto the surface of the sphere 30.

Here, the change in the inclination of the rotation axis of the sphere 30 transferred along the spiral groove 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 shows the inclination of the rotation axis P of the sphere 30 in the region VI in FIG. FIG. 7 shows the inclination of the rotation axis P of the sphere 30 in the region VII in FIG. FIG. 8 shows the inclination of the rotation axis P of the sphere 30 in the region VIII in FIG. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the second surface 20a, which is one of the clamping surfaces, is deformed into a curved surface when the sphere 30 is clamped. In FIGS. The surface 20a is shown, and the inclination of the rotation axis P of the sphere 30 is shown.

While the rotation axis P of the sphere 30 immediately after the insertion intersects the clamping surface (second surface 20a) (FIG. 6), the rotation axis P of the sphere 30 just before discharge is the clamping surface (second surface 20a). ) Substantially horizontal (FIG. 8). That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the sphere 30 thrown from the throwing portion 12 has a gradually decreasing inclination angle with respect to the clamping surface in the process of being transferred to the discharge portion 13 along the spiral groove 15. It changes to become.

In particular, when the spiral groove 16 having the polygonal spiral groove 15 is used as shown in FIG. 4, the spherical body 30 has an inclination angle of the rotation axis P when passing through the corner portion in plan view of the spiral groove 15. Can be changed.

Next, a step of discharging the cleaned sphere 30 from the discharge unit 13 is performed as a step (S50). By performing the steps (S10) to (S50) in order, the cleaning of the sphere 30 is completed, and the sphere cleaning method according to the present embodiment is completed.

As described above, in the spherical cleaning system 1 according to the present embodiment, the spherical body 30 is sandwiched between the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a, and the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a are relative to each other. By rotating it automatically, the sphere 30 can be washed while rotating. Then, the surface of the sphere 30 can be cleaned while changing the inclination of the rotation axis by cleaning the rotated sphere 30 while guiding it from the input portion 12 to the discharge portion 13 in the spiral groove 15. As a result, more uniform cleanliness can be ensured over the entire surface of the sphere 30, and higher cleanliness can be obtained as compared with ultrasonic cleaning, brush cleaning, and the like. Therefore, according to the sphere cleaning system 1 and the sphere cleaning method according to the present embodiment, the surface of the sphere 30 can be cleaned uniformly. In addition, the sphere cleaning system 1 according to the present embodiment can be applied to cleaning the sphere 30 having various sizes, is power-saving, and can be installed in a space-saving manner.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 which is another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The sphere cleaning system according to the second embodiment has basically the same configuration as the sphere cleaning system 1 according to the first embodiment and has the same effects. However, the spherical cleaning system according to the second embodiment is different from the spherical cleaning system 1 according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the spiral groove.

Referring to FIG. 9, the spiral groove 51 as the first member is provided with a spiral groove 55 for guiding the sphere 30 from the input part 52 to the discharge part 53. The spiral groove 55 includes a portion whose trajectory is changed from the spiral trajectory. More specifically, the spiral groove 55 includes a spiral track portion 55a and a plurality of (three in FIG. 9) track change portions 55b positioned between the spiral track portions 55a. The trajectory changing portion 55b is provided so as to extend in a direction intersecting the tangential direction of the spiral trajectory portion 55a.

According to the sphere cleaning system according to the present embodiment, the rotation axis of the sphere 30 input from the input unit 52 can be changed by the trajectory changing unit 55b. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the rotation axis P of the sphere 30 can be changed to the rotation axis P ′ when passing through the trajectory changing unit 55b. As a result, the surface of the sphere 30 can be more uniformly cleaned. The position and number of the trajectory changing portions 55b are not particularly limited, but may be arranged so as to face each other across the central portion of the spiral flutes 51 as shown in FIG. Further, the length of the trajectory changing portion 55b and the angle formed with respect to the tangent line of the spiral trajectory portion 55a can be appropriately selected in order to clean the surface of the sphere 30 uniformly.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, Embodiment 3 which is still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The spherical body cleaning system according to Embodiment 3 has basically the same configuration as the spherical body cleaning system according to

Embodiment

1 or 2 described above, and has the same effects. However, the spherical cleaning system according to the third embodiment is different from the spherical cleaning systems according to the first and second embodiments in the number of installed cleaning apparatuses.

Referring to FIG. 11, the spherical cleaning system 3 according to the third embodiment includes a plurality (four in FIG. 11) of

cleaning apparatuses

10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D (10A to 10D). Further, the spherical body cleaning system 3 further includes an input unit 60 and a transfer unit 61.

The throwing means 60 is for throwing the sphere 30 to be cleaned into the cleaning apparatus 10A located at the most upstream. The transfer means 61 is for sending the sphere 30 cleaned by one of the plurality of cleaning devices 10A to 10D to another cleaning device located downstream of the one cleaning device. That is, the transfer means 61 is provided between the cleaning device 10A and the cleaning device 10B in order to transfer the sphere 30 cleaned by the cleaning device 10A to the cleaning device 10B. Further, the transfer means 61 is provided between the cleaning device 10B and the cleaning device 10C in order to transfer the sphere 30 cleaned by the cleaning device 10B to the cleaning device 10C. The transfer means 61 is provided between the cleaning device 10C and the cleaning device 10D in order to transfer the sphere 30 cleaned by the cleaning device 10C to the cleaning device 10D.

According to the sphere cleaning system 3 according to the present embodiment, even when it is difficult to sufficiently clean the sphere 30 with a single cleaning device, the surface of the sphere can be obtained by using a plurality of cleaning devices 10A to 10D. The uniformity of cleanliness can be further improved.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, a fourth embodiment which is still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The sphere cleaning system according to the fourth embodiment has basically the same configuration as the sphere cleaning system according to the first to third embodiments and has the same effects. However, the spherical cleaning system according to the fourth embodiment is different from the spherical cleaning system according to the first to third embodiments in the relative positional relationship between the first member and the second member.

Referring to FIG. 12, in the spherical body cleaning system according to the fourth embodiment, the spiral groove disk 70 as the first member and the flat disk 80 as the second member have rotation axes P1 and P2, respectively. And is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axes P1 and P2. Further, the spiral groove disk 70 and the flat disk 80 are arranged such that the rotation axes P1 and P2 are eccentric from each other. Specifically, the eccentricity between the rotation axis P 1 of the spiral groove disk 70 and the rotation axis P 2 of the flat disk 80 is larger than the radius of the spiral groove disk 70. When the amount of eccentricity is large as described above, the rotation axis of the sphere 30 can be changed by rotating the spiral groove 70 and slowly rotating the flat disk 80. Thereby, according to the spherical body cleaning system according to the fourth embodiment, the rotation axis of the spherical body 30 can be changed by the difference in peripheral speed when the spiral groove disk 70 and the flat disk 80 are relatively rotated. it can. As a result, the surface of the sphere 30 can be more uniformly cleaned.

Referring to FIG. 13, here, the eccentricity between the rotation axis P1 of the spiral groove disk 70 and the rotation axis P2 of the flat disk 80 is smaller than the radius of the insertion portion 12 of the spiral groove disk 70 with respect to the rotation axis P1. . In this case, the rotation axis of the sphere 30 can be changed by rotating only the flat disk 80 without rotating the spiral groove 70.

(Embodiment 5)
Next, Embodiment 5 which is still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The spherical body cleaning system according to Embodiment 5 has basically the same configuration as the spherical body cleaning systems according to Embodiments 1 to 4 described above, and has the same effects. However, the spherical cleaning system according to the fifth embodiment is different from the spherical cleaning system according to the first to fourth embodiments in the constituent materials of the first member and the second member.

Referring to FIG. 14, spiral grooving 11 as the first member in the fifth embodiment is a helical groove including a resin material or a metal material, similar to spiral grooving 11 (see FIG. 3) in the first embodiment. The base plate part 14 and the porous member 22 are configured. Further, the fifth embodiment also has a flat disk 20 as a second member, as in the first embodiment.

Here, the spiral groove base portion 14 constituting the spiral groove plate 11 is a portion that forms the foundation of the entire shape of the spiral groove plate 11 including the protruding shape of the wall portion 40 and the like. The spiral flutes 11 preferably contain a resin material, but more specifically, the material of the spiral flutes 11 is, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC: Poly Vinyl Chloride).

On the other hand, the porous member 22 constituting the spiral groove plate 11 is formed in a thin film so as to cover the surface of the spiral groove base portion 14 on the flat disk 20 side. That is, the porous member 22 in the spiral groove disk 11 is formed so as to constitute a first surface 11 a facing the flat disk 20 and a wall surface 40 a that covers the wall portion 40 in the spiral groove 15.

However, the porous member 22 constituting the spiral flutes 11 is not limited to the above configuration, and constitutes at least a portion of the spiral flutes 11 with which the spherical body 30 can contact, that is, the first surface 11a and the wall surface 40a in the space S. It suffices if it is arranged in the part to be. Conversely, the entire spiral flutes 11 including the base portions thereof, that is, the entire spiral flutes base portion 14 and the porous member 22 of FIG.

As described above, the porous member 22 is arranged so that the first surface 11 a and the wall surface 40 a in the spiral groove 15 of the spiral groove plate 11 are formed by at least the porous member 22. In this respect, the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in which the spiral groove 11 does not include the porous member 22.

As shown in FIG. 14, the flat disk 20 according to the present embodiment includes a part that forms the second surface 20 a that is the surface on the spiral grooved disk 11 side, and the entire member is formed by the porous member 22. It is. In this respect, the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in which the flat disk 20 includes a porous member 22 and a fiber member 21 (see FIG. 3) disposed thereon. However, in the flat disk 20 of the present embodiment, the porous member 22 only needs to be disposed so as to constitute at least the second surface 20a that faces the space S. Portions other than the portion constituting the second surface 20 a may not be formed by the porous member 22.

In FIG. 14, as in FIG. 3, the flat disk 20 is illustrated as a deformable member. However, in this embodiment, the spiral groove disk 11 provided with the spiral groove 15 is also configured as the deformable member. It may be.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first surface 11 a and the second surface 20 a constituting the space S and the wall surface 40 a in the space S are formed by the porous member 22. In other words, the entire inner wall surface of the space S (the surface on which the sphere 30 disposed in the space S can come into contact) is formed by at least the porous member 22.

The porous member 22 in the present embodiment is an elastic member such as a sponge as in the first embodiment. Here, the sponge is a fibrous spongy body made of synthetic resin or the like. The diameter of the pores contained in the sponge is larger than the diameter of the bond with abrasive grains that is attached to the surface of the sphere 30 after the polishing process of the sphere 30 and is peeled off from the polishing plate for polishing the sphere 30. For example, about 0.1 mm or more is preferable. Here, the diameter is a linear distance from one point of the outer edge of the hole or bond with abrasive grains to the other point of the outer edge of the hole or bond with abrasive grains through the center of the hole or bond with abrasive grains. The maximum value of. The sponge is preferably softer than PVC.

Next, after describing the background technology of the present embodiment, the operational effects of the present embodiment will be described.

After polishing of the spherical body 30, the bond with abrasive grains peeled off from the surface plate used for the polishing process adheres to the surface of the spherical body 30. If the surface of the sphere 30 is cleaned using a spiral cleaner such as the cleaning device 10 to remove the bond with abrasive grains, the sphere 30 transfers the bond with abrasive grains that has adhered to the sphere 30. Stings into the resin material of the site. Then, when the spiral groove 15 and the flat disk 20 are comprised with iron or resin (PVC etc.), the part which the bond with an abrasive grain stabbed becomes convex with respect to the resin material of surfaces, such as the spiral groove 15. FIG. If another sphere 30 passes there, the surface of the sphere 30 comes into contact with the bond with abrasive grains that has been pierced into the spiral groove 15, resulting in a defect in which scratches are formed on the surface of the sphere 30. There is a fear.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first surface 11a and the second surface 20a constituting the space S in which the sphere 30 is arranged, that is, the inner wall surface of the space S, and the wall surface 40a in the space S are ) It is formed by a porous member 22 such as a sponge. Thus, in the cleaning device 10, the surface of the sphere 30 is in contact with the porous member 22 in the action of the sphere 30 being sandwiched and rubbed by the space S between the spiral groove disk 11 and the flat disk 20. For this reason, the bond with abrasive grains adhering to the surface of the sphere 30 is taken in particularly in the pores included in the sponge constituting the porous member 22. Even if the bond with abrasive grains taken into the sponge is not taken into the pores of the sponge, the elasticity of the sponge is low and the surface pressure of the surface in contact with the sphere 30 becomes low. Even if it contacts with an attached bond, possibility that a damage | wound will be formed in the spherical body 30 can be reduced. Further, the bond with abrasive grains not entering the pores can be easily accommodated in the pores of the sponge by moving on the surface of the sponge. Also from this point of view, the possibility that the bond with abrasive grains may form scratches on the surface of the sphere 30 can be reduced.

As described above, in the present embodiment, even if the bond with abrasive grains adhering to the surface of the sphere 30 quickly enters the pores of the sponge as the porous member 22 or does not temporarily enter, the sponge itself Therefore, the local surface pressure between the sphere 30 and the bond with abrasive grains can be lowered, so that the possibility of generating scratches on the surface of the sphere 30 can be reduced.

In addition, by repeating the cleaning process using the cleaning apparatus 10 in the present embodiment three times, the bond with abrasive grains on the entire surface of the sphere 30 can be removed, and the cleaning can be completed.

(Experimental example)
In order to confirm the cleaning action of the sphere surface, the following experiment was conducted.

(Experimental example 1)
First, medium diameter ceramic balls for machine tools were prepared as spheres to be cleaned. Further, as the spherical cleaning system, the spherical cleaning system 1 according to the first embodiment was prepared. The state of the sphere surface after the ceramic sphere was cleaned using the sphere cleaning system 1 was confirmed.

The detailed conditions of the experiment are as shown in Table 1, and the result of the experiment is as shown in Table 2. As is clear from Table 2, it was found that the spherical cleaning system 1 according to the first embodiment can obtain a sufficient cleanliness.

(Experimental example 2)
In the same manner as in Experimental Example 1, a medium diameter ceramic sphere for machine tools was prepared. In addition, a sphere cleaning system according to the second embodiment was prepared as a sphere cleaning system. And the surface state of the ceramic ball | bowl after washing | cleaning was confirmed similarly to the said Experimental example 1.

The detailed conditions and results of the above experiment are as shown in Table 3. As is apparent from Table 3, it was found that sufficient cleanliness can be obtained even in the spherical cleaning system according to the second embodiment.

As a comparative example, the state of the surface of the sphere after cleaning was confirmed when the sphere was cleaned by ultrasonic cleaning, brush cleaning, and hand cleaning without using this embodiment. The results are as shown in Table 4. As is apparent from Table 4, when this embodiment is not used, a certain number of washed NG samples have been confirmed, and sufficient cleanliness cannot be obtained.

The above-mentioned “OK” and “NG” in the cleaning state of the sphere surface are determined by the entire surface inspection of the sphere by the laser inspection machine. The criterion is that the cleaning is determined to be “NG” when a foreign matter of 50 μm or more is detected from the resolution of the laser inspection machine, and the cleaning is determined to be “OK” when such a foreign matter is not detected. Is done.

(Experimental example 3)
In order to verify the effect of the fifth embodiment, the cleaning device 10 whose surface in the space S of the spiral flutes 11 is a sponge as shown in FIG. 14 and the surface of the spiral flutes 11 in the space S as shown in FIG. The presence or absence of scratches on the surface of the sphere 30 when the sphere 30 was cleaned using the cleaning device 10 made of resin (PVC) was confirmed.

Using each of the cleaning device 10 having the spiral groove 15 in FIG. 14 and the cleaning device 10 having the spiral groove 15 in FIG. 3, a sphere 30 having a diameter of 11/32 inches and having diamond abrasive grains attached to the surface is formed. 6000 pieces were washed and examined for the presence or absence of scratches on the surface. The washing process was repeated three times for each sample of the sphere 30. In any of the cleaning apparatuses 10 described above, the exposed surface in the space S of the flat disk 20 is made of sponge. The results are shown in Table 5 below.

As shown in Table 5, when the spiral flutes 11 in which PVC is exposed in the space S as shown in FIG. 3, scratches were confirmed in all the spheres 30, whereas in the space as shown in FIG. 14. When the spiral flutes 11 in which the sponge was exposed in S were used, no scratches were observed in all the spheres 30.

It should be considered that the embodiments and experimental examples disclosed this time are examples in all respects and are not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

The sphere cleaning system and the sphere cleaning method of the present invention can be applied particularly advantageously in a sphere cleaning system and a sphere cleaning method that require uniform cleaning of the surface of the sphere.

1,3 Sphere cleaning system, 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D cleaning device, 11, 16, 51, 70 spiral flutes, 11a first surface, 12, 52 input section, 13, 53 discharge section, 14 Spiral groove base, 15, 55, spiral groove, 20,80 flat disk, 20a second surface, 21 fiber member, 22 porous member, 30 sphere, 40 wall, 40a wall, 55a spiral track, 55b track Change section, 60 input means, 61 transfer means, P, P 'rotation axis, P1, P2 rotation axis, S space.

Claims

A cleaning device for cleaning a sphere,
A first member having a first surface;
A second member having a second surface opposite to the first surface;
The first surface and the second surface are clamping surfaces that sandwich the sphere,
The first surface and the second surface are configured to be rotatable relative to each other,
A loading unit for loading the sphere into a space between the first surface and the second surface;
A discharge part for discharging the sphere from the space,
The cleaning apparatus, wherein one of the first surface and the second surface is provided with a spiral groove for guiding the sphere from the input portion to the discharge portion.
2. The member according to claim 1, wherein one of the first member and the second member is a deformable member in which the clamping surface can be deformed from a flat surface to a curved surface along the surface shape of the sphere. Cleaning equipment.
The deformable member is
A porous member;
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a fiber member that is disposed on the porous member and constitutes the holding surface and is impregnated with a cleaning agent for cleaning the sphere.
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cleaning agent includes an organic solvent or water.
The spiral groove is a region surrounded by the one surface and a wall surface of the wall portion protruding from the one surface toward the other surface of the first surface and the second surface;
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and second surfaces constituting the space and the wall surface in the space are formed by a porous member.
The spiral groove is a region surrounded by the one surface and a wall surface of the wall portion protruding from the one surface toward the other surface of the first surface and the second surface;
The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wall surface is a surface having a larger coefficient of friction than the one surface.
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the spiral groove includes a portion whose trajectory is changed from a spiral trajectory.
The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first member and the second member are arranged such that rotation axes are eccentric from each other.
The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the member provided with the spiral groove among the first member and the second member includes a resin material or a metal material.
A spherical cleaning system comprising the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The spherical cleaning system includes a plurality of the cleaning devices, and
11. The transfer device according to claim 10, further comprising a transfer unit configured to send the sphere cleaned by one of the plurality of cleaning apparatuses to the other cleaning apparatus located downstream of the one cleaning apparatus. Sphere cleaning system.
Preparing a sphere,
Providing a cleaning device for cleaning the sphere,
The cleaning device includes:
A first member having a first surface;
A second member having a second surface facing the first surface;
A loading unit for loading the sphere into a space between the first surface and the second surface;
A discharge part for discharging the sphere from the space,
One surface of the first surface and the second surface is provided with a spiral groove for guiding the sphere from the input portion to the discharge portion, and
Throwing the sphere into the space from the throwing section;
Cleaning the sphere in the space;
And discharging the washed sphere from the discharge section,
In the step of cleaning the sphere,
The sphere rotated by rotating the sphere by rotating the first surface and the second surface relative to each other while sandwiching the sphere between the first surface and the second surface. A cleaning method for a sphere, wherein the cleaning is performed while being guided from the input portion to the discharge portion in the spiral groove.